ã€ŠThe Villain&#x27;s Wifeã€‹


 Chapter 1: Shrewd Woman

    <h4>The Viin''s Wife Chapter 1: Shrewd Woman</h4>

    "I suppose there is a reason why you barged in without an appointment." Lily Qin smiled. She stared intently at the man in front of her.

    "I heard you backed out from the engagement," the man gritted his teeth in annoyance. He hated Lily Qin''s smile. It wasn''t the way her beautiful thin lips lifted upwards, nor was it the crinkling of her left dimple. Her smile didn''t quite reach her amber eyes and sometimes you could catch a sh of cunningness that would cross her face.

    In those few moments as he stared at her, memories of his parents urging him to marry her started to fill his mind. It was a constant reminder of how he needed this marriage to save their family business.

    "Why?" he asked.

    Lily Qin instantly raised a brow at the question. "Why not?" she challenged.

    "I deserve an exnation! Our families have been nning this engagement for months! You cannot back out now! This will ruin the reputation¡ª"

    "And that is my problem¡­ because?"

    "You-you tell me the reason for your preposterous actions or else¡ª"

    The man''s words were interrupted when Lily Qin tossed an envelope in front of him. "See for yourself."

    Liam instantly tore open the envelope. His eyes widened at the various documents and photographs he saw inside. "You¡­ You sent someone to spy on me?"

    Lily Qin instantly scoffed at his words. "Don''t tter yourself, Liam Arison. It was a business decision," she said as she pulled out another envelope and gave it to him.

    "What do you mean? How could you ask someone to investigate me like this?" he asked before slowly opening the second envelope, assuming he would find more pictures of him being intimate with his childhood sweetheart. His face darkened as he recognized the contents.

    "Acquisition. I want to acquire your properties in the Far East. To be specific, I want the retailpanies you have in China, Hong Kong, and Singapore," she said, ignoring the dark look the man was giving her.

    "Is this the reason why you initially agreed to the engagement?" Liam Arison''s voice was venomous. He wanted to gobble up the beautiful woman in front of him. The smile on Lily Qin''s perfect face made fury rise from the depths of his heart.

    He remembered how his father had wanted this engagement to save their subsidiaries abroad. His father thought that by marrying his son into the prominent Fi family, he could save their business.

    "Didn''t you also want the same thing from me?" Lily Qin smirked at him, making his temper re.

    "How dare you! Do you think our Arison family is one you can bully like this? You just wait¡­"

    "Tsk... Tsk¡­ Liam. Have you forgotten about the photos that I gave you just now?" she asked, propping her head on her palm with the same smile stered on her face. "Think about how your board of directors would react once they find out that the great Liam Ariston cheated on his fianc¨¦e with a mere starlet. With your halfbrother''s impable performancetely, do you think the board will even hesitate before recing their current CEO?"

    "You¡ª" Liam exploded; his eyes red, the veins in his head started to bulge. "You agreed to be my fianc¨¦e because of this? Didn''t you?" Liam clenched his jaw as the realization hit him. He fell into the great Lily Qin''s scheme!

    "Alright¡­ you are making it sound like I am a bad person." Lily waved her hand. "Liam, this is nothing but business. Your family wanted to take advantage of my dying grandmother and proposed a marriage to save your business. Think about it..."

    Liam turned speechless at Lily Qin''s words. She was telling the truth; his mother did take advantage of the two family''s closeness and offered marriage to the dying Madam of the Fi family. At first, he thought that she had simply agreed to fulfil her dying grandmother''s wishes.

    Who would have thought that she would back out of the engagement a mere month after the death of Old Madam Fi?

    He narrowed his eyes at the smiling woman in front of him before looking at the photos on the table. If the paparazzi were to get hold of these photos, it would cause a scandal and his career as the CEO would be over. His father might even kick him out of the family.

    He, then, started to read the documents that Lily gave him. The amount that she was offering to buy thosepanies was not that bad. In fact, this was better than what mostpanies offered them in the past. However, the fact that a woman outsmarted him was something that Liam couldn''t ept.

    With a dark face, Liam got up from his seat and red at her. "Lily, I never thought that you would be this shrewd. I always thought that you were kind like your mother and grandmother! Who would have thought that you had inherited your attitude from your bastard father?" Seeing the smug smile disappear from Lily''s face instantly made him happy. "You think you are so high sitting here in yourvish office? Did you think I did not know about what happened seven years ago? Huh? You are a slut. You deserved everything that happened to you!" seeing Lily shifting ufortably made him smile.

    "I will confer with my father andwyers about the offer and send the documents back to you when the board decides to ept it," he said, storming out of her office, leaving a pale-faced Lily staring nkly at the now closed door.

    "Yang Mi, cancel all my meetings today." Lily did not wait for her secretary to respond as she dropped the call and pressed the ''Do Not Disturb'' button on her office phone.

    She then stared at the floor to ceiling windows that gave her ess to the magnificent skyscraper view in the busy streets of London.

    It was summer-time, yet the sky was sprawled with dark clouds. The winds started to howl like a hungry wolf looking for its prey. The first crack of lightning, followed by the booming sound of the angry thunder made her jolt in her seat.

    She hated the rain. She hated how it always made her feel vulnerable and weak, like a child waiting for someone else''s protection. She clenched her teeth as she reached for the remote to close the blinds in her office, hiding from the bullets of raindrops that sttered against her windows.

    She then reclined in her seat and closed her eyes. She remembered Liam''s poisonous words from earlier.

    Did she really deserve everything that happened seven years ago?

 Chapter 2: Seven Long Years

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 2: Seven Long Years</h4>

    The irritating sound of her phone ringing made Lily Qin grumble. She rubbed her eyes in an attempt to rid herself of drowsiness. She looked at the wall clock to her left and grumpily picked up her phone.

    Who would dare to call her in the dead of night? It was two in the morning, for crying out loud!

    "Miss Qin Jinghua?"

    "Speaking. Who is this?" Lily Qin furrowed her brows when the caller used her birth name. She had already changed her name a long time ago.

    "I am Yan Xiao. I am awyer representing the Qin family. I am calling to inform you that your paternal grandmother, Madam Ye Xiaoxuan, died at seven thirty-six this morning. That was two hours ago. Inpliance with herst Will..."

    Thewyer¡¯s words seemed to echo in Lily¡¯s mind. She felt her body tremble, she was thunderstruck. Her Nana was dead.

    Her mind seemed to nk as tears streamed down her cheeks. She remembered the old woman¡¯s smile as her beautiful phoenix eyes would turn into crescents.

    ["Lily, this is my mother¡¯s ne. Wear it. It will look good on you."]

    ["Lily... I do not like that man. However, since you are happy, I will allow this marriage. I only hope that you will live a happy life."]

    ["Lily, why don¡¯t you apany me to your grandfather¡¯s tomb today? I miss him dearly."]

    ["Lily, I know you have suffered enough. After your marriage, leave this ce and don¡¯te back. Live a happy life away from the Qin Family."]

    ["Ai, this child. Why are you crying? I am old. I will die sooner orter. The important thing is for you to leave this despicable ce. I only hope that your husband will treat you well."]

    ["Look at you. This is your wedding day, yet you are crying. That man of yours might think that I bullied you. Go... Go... he must be waiting for you. Remember, I am always here."]

    "Miss Qin?"

    Thewyer¡¯s words woke her up from her stupor. "Yes?"

    "I was asking if you could make it for the reading of thete Old Madam¡¯s Will taking ce a week from now. It is important for you to be present as the testament says that without you... " thewyer hesitated before speaking again, "Without you, all of thete Old Madam¡¯s assets will be sold and donated to various charities."

    "I¡¯m sorry. Where did you get my number?" Lily asked, ignoring thewyer¡¯s question. She had already changed her name and her identity, how was the Qin family still able to find her?

    "Miss Qin, this number was attached to yourte grandmother¡¯sst Will. It had taken her years to locate your contacts. I would suggest that you honor her efforts and attend the reading."

    "Mr. Yan," she answered after a long period of silence. "I am no longer part of the Qin family. Why do I have to be present during this reading?"

    "You don¡¯t understand. Thete Old Madam¡¯s Will strictly stated that you need to be present during this reading, or else everything written on it bes null and void," thewyer calmly exined. He was expecting her to agree to this arrangement immediately. After all, they were talking about money here.

    To Yan Xiao¡¯s knowledge, Qin Jinghua was just a daughter of a foreigner that the housemaster yed with before. Since this foreigner came from a questionable background, thete Old Master refused to let her into the Qin family. Because of this, Qin Jinghua became akin to an outsider in the Qin family. However, she had acquired thete Old Madam¡¯s favor. So, why would she act as if she was not interested inte Old Madam¡¯s inheritance?

    "Mr. Yan... I don¡¯t understand why I should care about this issue at all. I have been living on my own, away from the Qin family for years. Whatever happens to them is not my problem anymore," she said before ending the call. She then wiped away her tears and dragged herself out of her room.

    She went into her study and poured herself a ss of whiskey. Before her conscience could caution her, she wrapped her hands around the ss and downed the alcohol in one gulp.

    The taste of whiskey brought back the mncholic memories she had kept repressed for the past seven years.

    Qin family.

    As the eldest daughter of the Qin family, Lily Qin or Qin Jinghua should be considered lucky. Her father was the owner of a big media conglomerate in the Far East. To the outside world, Qin Jinghua was treated like a princess, with much love. However, only Qin Jinghua knew how vicious this family could be at home, behind closed doors.

    This was because Jinghua was not born of the legal wife of Qin Mo, her father. She was the daughter of a foreigner ¡ª an outsider.

    Yet, her stepmother had treated her with love and dignity. Or that was what everyone thought.

    Lily downed another ss of whiskey as her face turned into a scowl. Those people already trampled on her seven years ago. They took away her dignity and...

    A single tear made its way down her cheeks as she remembered what happened on her wedding day. d in a white dress, Lily was supposed to be the happiest person on earth but it ended with her losing a lot more than herself.

    Lily let out a mockingugh as she cursed inwardly. Those memories would not bring her any good. Seven years have already passed.

    Seven long years.

    She had recovered. She was now someone who would dare fight a wolf with her bare hands.

    That¡¯s right... she, Lily Fi Qin, was no longer the gullible girl that everyone bullied. She was now the CEO of the reputable Fi Holdings, a multinational conglomerate headquartered in London.

    Lily Qin¡¯s gaze darkened as an inconceivable emotion slowly enveloped her.

    That¡¯s right.

    She was no longer the prey. Now, she was the predator.

 Chapter 3: Tycoon

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 3: Tycoon</h4>

    "Ah Li, I think it¡¯s time that you show them their rightful ce. I mean, look at you now. Why are you even afraid of seeing those scum? If you want I will cancel my filming and apany you to Hong Kong! Let¡¯s face-p that family with money! Hmph!"

    Lily let out a chuckle at the sight of her best friend¡¯s over dramatic gestures. "Ah Shan, you really should stop directing films and start a career in acting instead. I think it would suit you better."

    Li Shanshan pursed her lips before rolling her eyes at her friend. "You are trying to change the subject here! I will apany you to see them next week! Let¡¯s see if they will dare underestimate you once they see who you are now."

    Seeing Lily turn silent at her words, Li Shanshan did not continue to voice out her opinion anymore. She poured another ss of red ginseng tea and gave it to Lily Qin. "Alright, have some ginseng tea... Ah Li, you really should stop drinking like this ah." She let out a sigh. "Here, my grandmother specially cooked this and asked me to give this to you. This will help with your hangover."

    Lily Qin continued to drink the tea silently and ate the rice cakes that Li Shanshan gave her. She looked at the time and grabbed her phone from the bedside table next to her.

    "I called your secretary before I came today," she heard Li Shanshan mutter. "You¡¯re lucky I decided to visit you today. Or else no one would take care of your drunk ass again."

    "Thank you, Ah Shan," Lily softly said before smiling at her.

    "Alright, stop giving me that smile of yours. I will go make some porridge for breakfast."

    Lily watched as her friend walked out of her room before the smile on her face disappeared. She furrowed her brows while clutching her head. Li Shanshan was right. She really should not have drank that muchst night.

    She let out a long sigh. Her face slowly turned pensive. Seven years ago, her grandmother, Ye Xiaoxuan was also helpless. She was not able to help her. In the end, she ended up hating her for what happened.

    However, yearster, Lily Qin realized how dumb she was for hating the only person who loved her in the Qin family. She felt deeply embarrassed for what she did. She had not even considered calling her to apologize in the past.

    Now, she could only regret everything and wish that her grandmother could forgive her.

    She then thought about the events that transpired seven years ago.

    As the young miss of the prominent Qin family, Lily¡¯s life was not what everyone expected it to be. Her stepmother, Tang Lingyun, never allowed Lily to develop her skills and talents. Since Lily was born with a weak constitution, she forbade her to attend events under the pretense of being caring towards her. Everyone apuded her stepmother for her kindness.

    Of course, even Lily was fooled and thought that her stepmother truly cared for her. That was until she met the boy whom she was supposed to marry, Xuan Hui. He was the young master of the Xuan Household, another prominent family in the country.

    The Old Masters of the Xuan and Qin families were oncerades. Because of this, they promised to have their eldest grandson and granddaughter marry. And that was Xuan Hui and Lily Qin. At first, her stepmother, Tang Lingyun, raged when she found out about this arrangement. She wanted her daughter, Qin Fei, to marry Xuan Hui, not the foreigner, Lily. However, with Lily¡¯s grandmother¡¯s support, Tang Lingyun was helpless and was forced to ept the engagement.

    Lily thought that everything was fine, that fate had favored her for giving her such an outstanding future husband. Who would have thought that it was just her wishful thinking?

    Together, Tang Lingyun, Qin Fei, and Xuan Hui thought of a scheme that would even render her grandmother useless. They thought of a way to embarrass her and make her theughingstock of the whole country.

    Lily Qin let out another sigh, refusing to think of the things that happened on her supposed wedding day anymore. She then went to the bathroom and took a quick shower before going to her kitchen to eat whatever her best friend had cooked.

    "Come,e... give my new porridge recipe a taste. I learned how to cook it when I was in Thandst weekend. Hahaha. Ah Li, I met this businessman who looks really smart. I want to introduce him to you...I feel like you two will like each other..." Li Shanshan continued her endless chatter. She started telling Lily everything about her trip abroad.

    Lily nodded her head as she silently listened to her friend. She was already used to Li Shanshan¡¯s chattering.

    "I was thinking of visiting Hong Kong next week for a film that I am working on. Thepany is looking for an Asian actress that we could use. Do you want toe with me so we could settle the Will and you could move on with your life?" Li Shanshan asked, concern written all over her face. She knew how the Qin family still affected her best friend, and this was the only way that she could think of helping her.

    "Alright," Lily answered while resisting the urge to tell her friend that she had long moved on. Although she didn¡¯t want to see anyone from the Qin family, she wanted to see her grandmother for onest time.

    "Really?" Li Shanshan asked, excited. "Like, are you sure?"

    "Why not? I am not afraid of them. Plus, I need to take care of the business we just acquired."

    "You mean the Arison¡¯s?" Li Shanshanughed. "Aiya... I always knew you had a hidden agenda for agreeing to marry that ass. Hahaha..."

    Lily Qin only shrugged at her words. Liam Arison wanted to marry her because of the Fi family¡¯s influence. He thought that by marrying the heiress of the Fi family he would be able to save their subsidiaries abroad. He thought that he could hide his illicit rtionship with his younger cousin and childhood lover.

    Did he think that Lily Qin could be a tycoon at this age if she were dumb?

 Chapter 4: Empressâ€”a Queen with a Deadly Smile

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 4: Empress¡ªa Queen with a Deadly Smile</h4>

    The Acquisition Documents that Lily asked Liam to sign were immediately sent out by his secretary the day after their confrontation. However, since Lily was not able to go to her office because of her hangover, it was sent directly to her two bedroom t.

    Lily immediately made arrangements so she could travel and take care of their newly acquired subsidiaries abroad. Lily had initially decided not to attend the reading. However, she decided that she owed herte paternal grandmother, Madam Ye Xiaoxuan, for taking care of her when she was young.

    The three retailpanies that she had just acquired from the Arisons were close to bankruptcy, and Lily needed to focus and spend more time managing them.

    She also decided to bring Yang Mi and two other directors along who would take care of other errands.

    "I want business proposals for these threepanies within three days. The goal is to increase the mid-year profit by ten percent." She smiled at the group of men and women in her boardroom. Lily Qin¡¯s smile was stered on her pretty face. However, it was widely known that her beautiful smile was deceptive.

    In the corporate world, Lily Qin was known as the Empress¡ªa queen with a deadly smile. Her smile only brought trouble to most people. Some even said that the bigger her smile was, the more trouble she was brewing in her brilliant mind.

    As the only remaining Fi, Lily was known to be an irondy; one who surprised the business world when she started her reign six years ago. Because of her, the Fi Group of Companies saw their profits increased by leaps and bounds. In less than a year, the Group was able to enter the top one hundred most profitablepanies in the world.

    After five years, the Group¡¯s profits doubled. In that same year, the Fi Group of Companies entered the top thirty most profitablepanies in the world. To say that Lily Qin was a prodigy in the business world was an understatement. Some people call her a legend, while others considered her a business goddess; someone capable of causing storms and hurricanes in the business world.

    "President, three days is too much," a handsome young man injected.

    "I agree with Mr. Beau. Let¡¯s make it two," she answered nonchntly, instantly silencing the whole room. "Two days should be enough for everyone. Two days from now, I expect a polished report from finance, human resource, and operations department, on my table."

    "I want market research, development strategies, and countermeasures for ourpetitors," she added, her gaze never leaving herptop. She lifted her head and nced at everyone. "Any questions?"

    The people in the room did not know if they wanted to cry orugh at the President¡¯s words. They originally wanted to ask her for an extension, but who would have thought that she would prepone the deadline without waiting for their opinion?

    However, no one dared to voice their thoughts. After all, they were already used to Lily Qin¡¯s almost-impossible deadlines.

    "If I am satisfied, I will double your bonuses for this quarter," she added when she noticed everyone¡¯s strange expression.

    Lily Qin¡¯s words immediately caused everyone¡¯s mood to lighten up. A smile instantly made its way to the faces of her subordinates.

    "Great! Now, let¡¯s get to work." She got up and strutted her way out of the board room.

    "Any more meetings for today?" she asked her secretary after leaving the boardroom.

    "No more. However, we received a couple of calls from the Arisons and a call on your personal phone... It was from overseas."

    "Who was it?"

    "It was someone called Tang Lingyun. I asked her to leave a message, but she refused and insisted on talking to you... and..." Yang Mi hesitated.

    "What else?"

    "President, I...she called you names... so I... dropped the call," Yang Mi said, her head lowered.

    A while ago, the woman named Tang Lingyun called their President a slut and other dirty names. She even assumed that Yang Mi was just pretending to be her secretary. This made her so angry that she hung up on the rude woman.

    "Good. Keep up the good work," Lily muttered before she opened the door to her office. "The next time she calls, tell her that I will go and see them. Then cut the call before she can say anything else."

    Yang Mi felt chills running down her body when she saw that the President had smiled at her.

    That smile was just too scary, ah. That Tang Lingyun must have offended her in some way.

    "Yang Mi?"

    "Yes, President?" Yang Mi immediately answered her.

    "Move my flight. I want it three days from now," she said.

    "President, the proposals will be..."

    "Three days, Yang Mi, clear out my schedule for the whole month. Make sure the report is on my table two days from now. Call the pilot for my private jet and arrange for a private bodyguard who will also serve as my driver. I want everything ready on the day that Ind in Hong Kong. That¡¯s umm... by Friday." Yang Mi did not say anything else and simply nodded her head at Lily¡¯s words. What else could she say? The president seldom changed her mind when it came to her ns.

    After all, her nickname as the irondy was not only for disy.

    Lily Qin gestured her secretary to go before slumping back into her chair. She originally wanted to have this flight two days before the reading. But it seems that the Qin family couldn¡¯t wait to see her.

    It had been two days since thewyer called her. Just like she expected, Tang Lingyun had attempted to contact her to ensure that she would show up.

    Her intuition was telling her that her father would also call herter that night or the next day to make sure that she would show her face at the reading.

    Once again, Lily¡¯s face darkened as she thought about her grandmother¡¯s death. The only reason she did not exact revenge on the people who humiliated her was that she was afraid to hurt her grandmother further.

    Now that her grandmother was dead...

    A small smile crept up her lips as she thought about the things that would happen once she returned.

 Chapter 5: Her Stupidity

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 5: Her Stupidity</h4>

    ["What? You think you deserve to be my woman?" the handsome man in front of Lily Qin sneered at the sight of her wearing the white wedding dress.

    "Ah Hui.. what are you talking about? Today is our wedding day. How could you not show up? This is an embarrassment to both of our families," Lily said, failing topose herself.

    "Elder sister, you should stop acting like the perfect fianc¨¦e," mocked the beautiful woman who was leaning on the man¡¯s arms. "Your scandal has been already posted online. Everyone knows that you cheated on your fianc¨¦."

    "I did not!" Lily instantly paled, wondering if they knew about the ident that had happened a month before. "Why would you say that? Ah Hui, I would never cheat on you."

    "I see. You are not only a cheater, but also a liar." The man took a sip from the ss of wine in his hand.

    "What are you talking about, Xuan Hui?" she asked as unshed tears blurred her vision.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Tell me..."]

    "Tell me!"

    "Tell me!"

    "President! President wake up!" Yang Mi¡¯s voice instantly jolted Lily awake.

    Her gaze turned dark when she thought about her dream. She could not remember thest time she had dreamed of those events. Yet, there she was dreaming of them again. Why now?

    "President... there¡¯s..." Yang Mi awkwardly gave her a pink handkerchief, "You have tears..."

    Lily Qin epted the handkerchief and wiped the tears staining her face. "When are wending?" She asked, ignoring Yang Mi¡¯s curious gaze.

    "In an hour. It¡¯s currently night time in Hong Kong, but I already made arrangements for everything. There will be a car waiting for us. I¡¯m sure no one will know of your arrival," Yang Mi said. For some reason, the president emphasized the importance of keeping her arrival a secret from everyone. Not even the group of directors that would follow them the next day knew that the president would arrive in Hong Kong earlier than them.

    Lily did not respond to her secretary¡¯s words. She closed her eyes as memories of that dreadful day came back to her.

    A month before her wedding day, Lily and her fianc¨¦, Xuan Hui, argued over her younger sister. Because of that, she went to her favorite bar and had a little drink, expecting her fianc¨¦ toe and coax her to go home.

    Who would have thought that someone would spike her drink, and she would end up sleeping with the man who was sitting next to her?

    The worst thing about the entire episode was that the man was an escort!

    Although Lily regretted what happened, her selfishness still kicked in. She wanted to marry Young Master Xuan so badly and leave the Qin family that she decided to keep this incident a secret. Although Lily knew that what she felt for Xuan Hui at that time was not love, it did not stop her from craving for a better life away from her family.

    Lily could not deny that she was grossed out because of what happened. However, she was not a saint. Xuan Hui had already taken her virginity months before she slept with the stranger.

    He would not notice any difference, right?

    With this in mind, Lily left a hefty sum of money for the escort, hoping that he would keep his mouth shut and not disturb her again. It was nothing but a one night stand ¡ª a mistake, nothing more.

    The dumb Lily had never considered that she had fallen into her fianc¨¦¡¯s scheme. She thought that she could outsmart him, that she could be selfish and leave the Qin family.

    She was wrong.

    On her wedding day, her stepsister, stepmother, and fianc¨¦ chose to expose everything. And it ruined her. Images of her in a man¡¯s arms spread online like wildfire. The news of Xuan Hui¡¯s fianc¨¦e cheating on him instantly broke the inte.

    But that was not the end of it.

    On that same day, she lost more than herself. She was not talking about her fianc¨¦ nor her family. No, she was talking about her life, her mother and...

    She fell into depression and attempted to kill herself over and over again. She was ruined. The Qin family had abandoned her, and her friends never answered her calls.

    Everyone mocked her.

    But who could she me other than herself? She wanted to leave the Qin family so bad that she sacrificed her dignity. She lost everything because of her stupidity.

    And that was her state when her maternal grandmother, Lilian Fi found her; crazy in an alley, sobbing and trying to slit her wrist.

    A mocking smile escaped from Lily¡¯s lips before she let out a long sigh.

    She was selfish and had learned her lesson in the most painful manner.

    She already had someone investigate what happened that night. However, for some reason, everything about the person she slept with was deleted. There was no CCTV footage or proof of his identity. It was as if the man had disappeared into thin air. All she remembered was his face.

    Still, it was useless.

    She always thought that Xuan Hui had something to do with it. Or maybe her stepmother. Who knew?

    All she knew was that she was about tond in her birthce, the ce that she dreaded the most.

 Chapter 6: Sea of Clouds

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 6: Sea of Clouds</h4>

    "President, these are the files that need your signature," Yang Mi said. She stifled a yawn. It was already three in the morning, yet the president was still working. She didn¡¯t even stop to watch the glittering skyline, the brilliant lightsing from the streets of Hong Kong, coloring the city in bright lights. "The directors who are assisting you will arrive around noon. They will be staying with me."

    Lily nodded at the reminder before smiling at her assistant.

    "Go back to your t and sleep."

    Yang Mi hesitated before nodding. "President, would you like some coffee? Perhaps tea?"

    "Thank you, Yang Mi. I will be fine," Lily said, her eyes glued to the documents in front of her. They had both just arrived at one of their properties in Hong Kong. However, this did not stop her from working on the things that needed to be done for the threepanies she had recently acquired.

    She heard Yang Mi gather her things before leaving. They were currently in a penthouse on the twenty-first floor of a building located in the dead-centre of Hong Kong¡¯s capital, City A. The entire building was owned by one of the real estate subsidiaries of the Fi¡¯s.

    While Lily was staying in the two-bedroom penthouse, Yang Mi and the other directors would reside in the unit right below Lily¡¯s penthouse.

    Lily made sure Yang Mi had left before lifting her head and walking out of the small study. She walked into the luxurious kitchen to grab a bottle of water before eyeing the floor to ceiling windows that acted as a door to the terrace attached to the penthouse.

    After drinking the water, Lily¡¯s feet took her towards the terrace.

    It was close to dawn, the sun was peeking from behind the tall building, the faint light of it slowly illuminating the sky. Yet, the brilliant lights from the cityscape still managed to take her breath away. The streets below her seemed to havee alive; as if someone had showered the city in glitter by dropping it from the highest building. It was magical.

    It was magnificent.

    Lily found herself staring at the tallest building in the city. From her knowledge, it was known as Sky City. The building consisted of more than fifty floors. Rumors had it that the topmost floor of the building was owned by a mysterious businessman who was akin to the king of business in the East.

    Lily scoffed at her thoughts. King of business? More like the King of the Underworld.

    She withdrew her gaze and went back inside the penthouse to continue working. She still had a long way to go before she couldunch the new projects that she had nned for the newly acquiredpanies.

    She needed to work harder.

    "President. We have some news from the airport." A respectful voice was heard from the other end of the line.

    "Is it worth disturbing my sleep, Secretary Go?" a man¡¯s cold voice echoed inside the room.

    "My apologies, President Zhuo. It¡¯s about that photo."

    The man jolted up from the bed, his drowsiness leaving him in an instant. "Tell me about it."

    "A woman with the same features as Miss Qin Jinghua arrived at the airport in a private jet. It was two hours ago." Secretary Go made a deliberate pause. "But..."

    "But what?"

    "President, her name is no longer Qin Jinghua."

    Silence followed.

    "Then what is it?"

    "Lily Qin. Her name is Lily Qin. President Zhuo, I took the liberty of gathering more information about Miss Qin, and it seems that she is a prominent figure in Europe."

    "Europe?"

    "Yes, President. She is the CEO and Owner of Fi Group of Companies in London. The news says that she just canceled her engagement with another Tycoon from London and received threepanies aspensation from the Arison family. If my guess is right, she should be here on business, to handle thosepanies."

    "Fi?" Zhuo Jingren furrowed his brow. He had heard of the Fi family. However, how could Qin Jinghua have be one of them?

    "Yes... Lily Qin is a low profile businesswoman who rarely appears in functions and banquets. Because of this, not many people know of her past. However, ording to our sources, Lily Qin was the lost granddaughter of Lilian Fi who died a month ago."

    "Continue..."

    "Well, it is said that Lilian Fi found Miss Qin in a Mental Facility in Hong Kong."

    Zhuo Jingren clenched his jaws at his secretary¡¯s words. "Good. I want the full report. No-no... I want you to bring it to me."

    "Right now?" his secretary asked.

    "Yes, Secretary Go. Right now," he answered before abruptly cutting the call. He looked at the time on his phone.

    Three in the morning.

    Zhuo Jingren dragged his feet out of his king-sized bed and donned on a ck robe. He went ahead and poured himself a ss of his favorite bourbon.

    The burn of the bourbon instantly made him more alert and he finally managed to process the words he had just heard from his secretary. He downed another ss of bourbon as if hoping to find the answer to his question at the bottom of it.

    "Lily Qin," he thought out loud before walking towards the terrace of his penthouse. "So that¡¯s why I was not able to find you." Zhuo Jingren scoffed as he opened the email he had received on his phone.

    It was a photo of a woman wearing a deep red, knee-length dress, walking down from the private jet. Her hand held her hair back, trying to stop it from dancing with the wind. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s gaze instantly darkened when he swiped to the next photo. It was Lily Qin walking away from the jet, talking and smiling to the young pilot next to her.

    "Lily Qin... Qin Jinghua..." he murmured. "I finally found you."

    His gaze turned towards the sea of clouds in front of him. It was dawn, yet he could no longer see the streets full of glittering lights. This was the thing he loved the most about living in the tallest floor of Sky City.

    The peaceful sea of clouds.

    Editor: Sunscar

    Proofreader: Swaning

 Chapter 7: King of Capitalism

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 7: King of Capitalism</h4>

    Lily woke up at ten in the morning.

    It was still Friday, so she decided to visit their new retail site, A.R Mall and Boutique, located at the heart of Hong Kong and do a little shopping and inspection before going to the columbarium to pay her respects at her paternal grandmother¡¯s niche.

    After Yang Mi had confirmed the arrival of the directors, Lily Qin gave her some directions regarding their itinerary for the day. To her surprise, Yang Mi informed her that Liam Arison would be apanying them to the site visit. He said that he intended to introduce her to the managers there.

    Although she had not expected Liam to personally guide her at the site after what happened between them, Lily still epted the arrangement and proceeded with her initial n for the day. After all, it was only reasonable for the CEO of Arison¡¯s Holdings to be doing this for the people who just bought theirpany.

    What she did not know was that this news also reached Zhuo Jingren.

    As the CEO of the Zhuo Capital, one of the top banks in Hong Kong and Maind China, Zhuo Jingren had his ways of finding Lily Qin¡¯s itinerary.

    "President, Mr. Liam Arison justnded and is on his way to Miss Qin¡¯s ce," Secretary Go said, his confidence dwindling as sweat started to trickle down his back. President Zhuo¡¯s face was so dark that Secretary Go¡¯s soul almost left his body.

    "Didn¡¯t you tell me that she had already broken off the engagement?" Zhuo Jingren said. "Why is he still following her around?"

    Secretary Go did not know whether to cry orugh at the president¡¯s words. Why did it seemed like the president¡¯s IQ has dropped today? "President Zhuo... I believe it is perfectly normal for Mr. Arison toe here and guide Miss Qin around thepany that she just acquired. Moreover, the acquisition is going to be gradual. Miss Qin made sure to take over in stages so that it will not affect daily operations and the morale of the employees working at that mall."

    "Why does it have to be him? He also has a sister and a brother working at theirpany! Does this mean that the Arison family still want their son to be associated with her?" he reasoned. His voice was not loud, but it was loud enough for his secretary to hear. However, thetter chose to remain silent.

    Secretary Go decided that he would ignore what the president said and act as if he had not heard anything. For some reason, ever since Miss Qin arrivedst night, the president had been acting like a female with hormonal imbnce. He had been very moody and was always talking to himself.

    The worst thing was, the president seemed to overthink everything. From the choice of his suit to his tie, the color of his shoes and his hairstyle. It was as if he was trying to look his best should he encounter Miss Qin.

    Secretary Go could only watch as the president continued to talk to himself. He mentally made a note to send a text message to the president¡¯s best friend, to let him know of Zhou Jingren¡¯s unusual behavior.

    Though he was aware of how the president had done everything in his power to find Miss Qin, Secretary Go still found his boss¡¯ actions unbelievable. He never would have imagined that Miss Qin¡¯s arrival in the country would turn his cunning and cold boss into an insecure mess. He couldn¡¯t wait to see how President¡¯s Zhuo would behave when he is in the same room as Miss Qin.

    "When the dayes that Lily Qin asks for an appointment, I want you to cancel all my meetings and schedule an appointment with her on that same day."

    "Eh? But President, how sure are you that she will call for an appointment?" Secretary Go asked. Was President Zhuo bing a fortune teller now?

    The temperature in the room instantly turned a few degrees colder after Secretary Go asked that question.

    "I apologize President Zhuo... how about I find out more about what Miss Qin went through in Europe?" Secretary Go instantly suggested, in an attempt to pacify Zhuo Jingren. Seeing the president nod and signal him to leave, the secretary did not hesitate to leave the office immediately.

    It was unimaginable for Secretary Go who had never witnessed this side of the president. He knew the president as someone logical and cunning about every situation except when it came to the woman in that photo.

    At that time, the President had asked him to do everything that he could to find Qin Jinghua from all the mental facilities in Asia. However, their search always failed. Because of this, the president assumed that the Qin family had something to do with Qin Jinghua¡¯s disappearance seven years ago. It was not a secret that Zhou Jingren had been attacking the Qin family gradually. The Qin family had been suffering in his hands for years simply because he thought that they were the ones responsible for Miss Qin¡¯s departure from the mental facility years ago.

    In President Zhuo¡¯s mind, no one except the Qin family was capable of covering their tracks and hiding Qin Jinghua. He thought that the Qin family had either killed her or hid her somewhere in Asia.

    Seven years... the president took it upon himself to look for a woman who might have been dead. However, he never once saw the president lose hope in his quest for Qin Jinghua.

    Although Secretary Go did not know about Qin Jinghua¡¯s history with the president, he knew that she was extremely important to him. Now that he had witnessed what Miss Qin¡¯s presence in the country could do to the president, he couldn¡¯t help but ask himself if her arrival had been a boon or a bane.

    After all, President Zhuo Jingren might not act like it now, but he was the mastermind responsible for Hong Kong¡¯s sess in the global market.

    The true king of capitalism.

 Chapter 8: Deadly Predator

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 8: Deadly Predator</h4>

    "This area here will have a fountain and a mini-park. The proposal for this project had already been approved by the board of directors. If you want, I can hand it to you anytime," Liam said as he side-eyed Lily Qin. If it were not for his father and mother, he would nevere here to follow her around.

    Initially, he expected her to decline this arrangement and cause a fuss. Who would have imagined that she would ept the offer and treat him as a mere business associate? Had she forgotten that they were engaged until a week ago?

    "No need. I am not interested in this project." He heard Lily mutter next to him. He stared at her for a moment before he responded.

    "But this will attract customers..." he was about to retort when Lily turned her head towards him. She gave him her signature smile, almost making him curse in annoyance.

    "I am not interested in a park, Mr. Arison. Thank you for the generous offer though," she said before turning her gaze towards the space in front of them. It would be a waste to turn the spot into a park. Lily could not help but shake her head in dismay. No wonder the Arisons had been losing money. Their CEO was incapable of recognizing the potential of that space.

    A.R Mall and Boutiquey in the middle of the city. However, the Arisons did not realize its tremendous potential. What a waste. Good thing, she was able to acquire this property at a reasonable price.

    Sometimes, Lily could not help but pat herself on the back. If she hadn¡¯t been smart enough to make this acquisition n when the proposal for engagement arrived, she would have declined the proposal for marriage there and then and cut ties with that worthless person.

    While Lily Qin was praising her cunningness inwardly, Liam Arison was already fuming, eyes shooting daggers her way. How dare this woman insult the project he painstakingly nned?

    Sensing his escting rage, Liam¡¯s secretary approached him and offered him a bottle of water. Thetter took the water bottle without saying anything. He then drank a mouthful of water and gave it back to his secretary before clenching his fist. At this moment he seemed to have realized that she had not even spare a nce his way. She was intentionally ignoring him!

    "I think we should talk about what happened," he thought out loud after a few minutes of awkward silence.

    "About what?" Lily asked before epting a folder from Yang Mi. "Ah, Mr. Arison. I don¡¯t think I have the time to discuss such matters. We should part ways. I still have a lot of things to do," she said before turning away from him.

    "Lily!" Liam grabbed her arm to stop her. "I¡¯m unsure why you are doing this, but I am unwilling to give up on our engagement. If you want, I could break up with my girlfriend. This marriage is profitable for both families. I want you to think about it again."

    "Eh?" Lily raised an eyebrow at him. She had thought that Liam wanted to talk about the park and had, therefore, instantly declined and wanted to part ways, not wanting to exin howughable his idea was.

    So he was thinking about the canceled engagement and not the project. Lily grew more amused by the minute.

    "Mr. Arison," she started, eyeing her secretary and some directors that were apanying them on this visit. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he was intentionally spewing these words in front of her subordinates to pressure her to agree to talk to him. Did he think that she would get ufortable and ask for him to settle this matter in private?

    With this in mind, Lily smiled at the man in front of her before tugging at her arm, causing him to let go. "You are the one in a rtionship with your cousin when we were still engaged. I am not only disgusted by you but also angry. Did the Arison family think they could bully me because my grandmother passed away?"

    Liam¡¯s eyes widened when he heard Lily Qin¡¯s words. He initially thought that she would hold back her and ask to talk to him in private. He had never thought that she wouldy everything out in the open. Wasn¡¯t she afraid that people would think she was ipetent and that¡¯s why her fianc¨¦ cheated on her?

    He watched as Lily leaned in closer to his face.

    The smile on her face seemed to have be broader; the sparkle in her eyes had be prominent. However, this did not make him feel any better. For some reason, this smile gave him goosebumps. It was as if a highly deadly predator was looking at him. He wondered if this was the infamous grin people around Europe spoke about.

    "Don¡¯t provoke me again." She patted his shoulders as if trying to remove the dust on it. "Or else, I will bring down the whole Arison family with you." Her sharp words were said with such sweetness that Liam felt his throat burn. It was the first time he had seen Lily Qin in this light, and to say that it didn¡¯t put the fear of a higher entity in him would be a lie.

    At this point, Liam saw Lily as someone so scary that he could stop his body from trembling.

 Chapter 9: Hooligan!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 9: Hooligan!</h4>

    Liam could only watched as Lily strutted away. To say that he was infuriated right now would be an understatement. He badly wanted to strangle the woman, choke her and wipe off that smirk from her face. However, Lily¡¯s eyes and insidious smile made him swallow his anger instead. That woman was a pure evil. He was sure of it.

    He could only curse his parents for forcing him toe here and try to coax Lily Qin.

    After Lily left Liam, she asked Yang Mi to drive her towards Scarlet City, the number one upscale Mall in Hong Kong. Aside from the fact that this was a part of her itinerary, she also wanted to check out herpetitors.

    "I already told you to find a reliable bodyguard that will act as a driver. The ones that you have chosen were so unreliable," Lily thought out loud, her gaze was glued on the busy streets of Hong Kong. Lily Qin always hated bringing her own security and wanted to stay as lowkey as possible, so she had asked Yang Mi to engage an agency that would take care of their security while they were in the country. Who would have thought that the agency would cancel at thest minute saying that they had a shortage of manpower? How could they conduct business like this?

    "President, the agency that I chose is the second most trusted agency in Hong Kong. Even celebrities used them during their concerts and tours. I thought they were reliable. Hmmp! They did not even inform me about this issue beforehand. They only called this morning! I will surely leave a bad review on their websiteter on! Just they wait and see!"

    Lily did not say anything; she had already grown ustomed to Yang Mi¡¯s personality. She knew that Yang Mi would definitely find a way to get back at the security agency for being so unreliable and inconveniencing her beloved president. "Hey... could you drop by to the pastry store at the corner of the street?"

    "The pastry shop to our left?"

    "Yes. That one," she nodded. This was her favorite sweet store in the country. She would not miss the opportunity of eating the one thing that she had actually missed in this ce.

    Lily immediately instructed Yang Mi to buy her a few of her favorites including her favorite coffee and a dozen cupcakes for Yang Mi and the directors. She then watched as Yang Mi made her way into the store.

    However, not even a minute passed when Lily furrowed her brows. A white custom van had recklessly parked in front of them, almost hitting her Volkswagen beetle in the process. Lily narrowed her eyes at the driver who got out of the car and opened the door for the passenger. It was a middle-aged man with a military haircut, wearing a ck suit.

    High-end security.

    Influential families.

    Those were the two things that came into Lily¡¯s mind. However, to her surprise, the passenger who came out of the van was someone that she was very familiar with.

    Xuan Hui.

    Her ex-fianc¨¦.

    Then the other person inside the van must be her superstar step-sister and Xuan Hui¡¯s beloved wife, Qin Fei.

    Lily Qin looked on as Xuan Hui went inside the same store to buy some sweets. However, unlike seven years ago, Lily didn¡¯t feel anything as she stared at him. No anger, no hate, certainly no love. What happened seven years ago was because she was too stupid. After everything that she had been through, Lily already realized that this Xuan Hui and the Qin family did not deserve her hate.

    Even her hate was something precious and she would not waste it on some insignificant person.

    Lily was aware that revenge was not something that she was good at getting. However, if those people would dare try to offend her, then she could not promise that she would not retaliate.

    Minutes passed by slowly, and Lily was engrossed in her own little world. When she finally noticed Yang Mi, she was already sitting next to her with a very dark look on her face.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Lily asked.

    "President, you won¡¯t believe what had happened inside. Some guy acting like a celebrity walked in and forced me to give thest piece of gold leaf doughnut to him! How disrespectful. He said that his pregnant wife wanted to eat these golden donuts! I would have given it to him had he not been so arrogant to demand it from me instead of asking me nicely..."

    Yang Mi continued to grumble,pletely unaware of the change in Lily¡¯s expression. Pregnant? Qin Fei is already pregnant? Lily clenched her fist as a tinge of pain shed in her eyes. However, she easily recovered and continued to listen to her secretary¡¯s grumbling.

    Pregnant or not, this had nothing to do with her.

    "Wow! Look! It seems like that guy is really someone of influence. President! That is the bodyguard of that guy! He ising to our car! I bet he wants the donuts!" Yang Mi¡¯s words woke Lily from her stupor. She watched as the bodyguard knocked on Yang Mi¡¯s window with a grave expression.

    "Look, sir, I already told you, I am not going to sell you this donut!"

    "Miss. We are willing to pay! Our Madam is currently pregnant, and she wants this donut. We need to have this," the bodyguard insisted while eyeing Lily who was just nkly staring at him. Seeing Lily¡¯s expensive clothing, the guard instantly assumed that she was a small-time businesswoman and Yang Mi was her secretary.

    After all, judging by the model of Lily¡¯s car, it was really easy to assume that she was a small-time businesswoman. Moreover, he had also heard the woman mentioned earlier that she couldn¡¯t give this donut up because her President wanted it.

    With this in mind, he shifted his attention towards Lily. "Miss... I know you are this person¡¯s boss. Why don¡¯t you sell this donut to me? I willpensate you with triple of the original price."

    Lily who had been staring at the bodyguard, suddenly gave him a smile. "Give me a hundred thousand dors and I will give this to you," she said, surprising both Yang Mi and the bodyguard. A hundred thousand dors? Is she sane? It was just a simple blueberry donut with icing in the form of a golden leaf on top! It¡¯s value was less than ten dors.

    "Oi! Don¡¯t be too much! This donut only cost five dors! You are clearly creating trouble for us!" the man fumed! He had clearly encountered a hooligan! Did this woman think that she could get away with this?

    Even Yang Mi was frozen because of Lily¡¯s words. What was this situation? A hundred thousand dors for a donut? Wasn¡¯t this a little... extravagant?

 Chapter 10: Crazy Woman

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 10: Crazy Woman</h4>

    "Alright. Since you can¡¯t afford a hundred thousand dors then please move aside. I don¡¯t have the time to deal with you," Lily said before she signaled Yang Mi to start the beetle.

    "Yan Guang, what¡¯s the hold-up? The madam and master are in a hurry," the driver who almost bumped into Lily¡¯s car said as he approached the car with his brow furrowed. The madam and master waiting inside the car were getting impatient. The madam had said that she wanted to eat this donut but since it was already sold out by the time they got to the store, they had no choice but to force the customer who bought thest donut to sell it to them.

    "This woman is a hooligan! She asked me to pay a hundred thousand dors for a piece of donut!" the man named Yan Guang answered before turning his attention back to Lily. "I advise you to stop ying around and give the donut to us. You can¡¯t afford to offend our master and madam."

    "Hmp! Now you are making threats! You are the one who can¡¯t afford to offend my President! I would advise you to move aside or don¡¯t me me for being ruthless!" this time it was Yang Mi who answered. Her fiery temper was what Lily loved so much about this secretary of hers.

    "You-" Yan Guang answered. "Wait here! I will talk to the master." he said before walking towards the van. The master had told him to obtain the donut no matter what. Since this woman was not budging, giving him a headache, he had better seek direction from his boss, Xuan Hui, on how to deal with the situation.

    "Master... thedy who has the donut is refusing to sell it to us. She even dare to demand for an unreasonable amount just now. She is clearly looking for trouble."

    "Give it to her. Can¡¯t you see that your madam needs it?" Xuan Hui answered, irritation apparent in his voice. His wife had called him in the middle of a meeting just to ask him for this donut. When he refused, she started crying and used him for being ruthless for ignoring their child.

    "But master it was an extravagant amount..."

    "I told you to give it to her! Why are you still standing there?" Xuan Hui chided.

    "Hui, calm down." Qin Fei lovingly stroke her husband¡¯s back before looking at Yan Guang. "How much is she selling the donut for?"

    "Madam... the woman said she would only sell it for a hundred thousand dors."

    "What?" both Xuan Hui and Qin Fie blurted out at the same time. A hundred thousand? Xuan Hui¡¯s face instantly turned dark. He always had little patience for people who were unreasonable.

    Seeing Xuan Hui¡¯s dark expression, Yan Guang instantly added fuel to the fire. After all, Xuan Hui had always been known for his short temper. In his mind, it would be best if his boss asked him to get even with that hooligan. "Master, it seems that the woman owns a small business. From the way she dresses, I don¡¯t think she is in need of money. If my guess is right, she is just intentionally causing trouble for us."

    "Hui darling... Our child wants that donut. Please just have Yan Guang do something about it." Qin Fei pouted. Her motives were clear. She knew that her husband loved her a lot and she was sure that he would not hesitate to spend a hundred thousand dors on her. However, to spend this amount on a donut was just too much.

    Qin Fei immediately thought that what Yan Guang had said about the woman intentionally creating trouble for them could be right. "Yan Guang, did you let them know who my husband is?"

    "Young madam, I did not. I assumed that they already know." Any fan of Qin Fei would be able to recognize her van. Since Qin Fei was a superstar, Yan Guang assumed that the woman would recognize the van too.

    "Why don¡¯t you give her my husband¡¯s name card and tell her to sell the donut for fifty dors." Qin Fei¡¯s motive was simple. She wanted to intimidate the woman who has the donut. After all, her husband was a great director and the CEO of Xuan Films and Albums. Everyone in this country would surely recognize him as he was an influential person.

    If what Yan Guang said about the woman being a small businesswoman was true, then she would be smart enough to realize that she could not afford to offend someone from the Xuan family.

    Yan Guang instantly beamed at Qin Fei¡¯s words before giving them a bow. "Young madam is wise. I will follow young madam¡¯s orders." With that, Yan Guang made his way towards the beetle with his head held high. He actually forgot to mention Xuan Hui¡¯s name to intimidate this woman earlier. The young madam is still the smartest.

    Yan Guang confidently knocked on Lily Qin¡¯s window and waited for her to wind it down. However, Lily signaled him to walk towards Yang Mi¡¯s side. She would not be stupid to open her side of the window and risked being seen by Xuan Hui and her sister.

    Yan Guang let out a loud harrumphed before walking towards Yang Mi¡¯s side. For some reason, he did not like these two women, especially the one who was being addressed as the President.

    "First, I want you to know that my boss, CEO Xuan is not someone you can offend. I will buy the donut from you for fifty dors and I can also give you my boss¡¯s name card which contains his personal phone number. If you are smart, you will take my offer. You can even give him a call and maybe ask for an investment for your littlepany," he confidently said. A smart businessman would surely not let this opportunity pass.

    "However, it would also depend on your capability. If yourpany is good, I¡¯m sure that our CEO will be willing to invest a little. That should be enough for this donut. Right?" he added.

    He was expecting for Lily to give in immediately, especially after hearing Xuan Hui¡¯s name. Who would have thought that Lily and Yang Mi would burst outughing? Their eyes full of mockery.

    "Let¡¯s go, Yang Mi" He heard the woman ordering her driver in anguid tone, making him speechless. Why does it seem like the woman did not even hear his proposition? Was this woman crazy?

    How could she be so stupid as to refuse this offer? No one in their right mind would do this!

 Chapter 11: Her Biggest Mistake

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 11: Her Biggest Mistake</h4>

    "I want to know that woman¡¯s identity as soon as possible!" Qin Fei demanded, she was about to explode with rage. She pouted and crossed her arms in front of her. That woman actually dared to decline the offer. In rejecting Yan Guang¡¯s proposal, she was either stupid or very stupid!

    "Fei Fei... calm down. This will affect the baby," Xuan Hui said with gentleness. He put aside the irritation he felt from the incident earlier and tried to pacify his wife. He was very familiar with his wife¡¯s temper. Although Qin Fei might look kind and gentle on the outside, Xuan Hui knew that the real her was nothing like the persona she portrayed to the outside world and especially to her fans.

    Qin Fei was vicious and scheming. She was also insecure and jealous. Yet, Xuan Hui loved everything about this woman. Especially now that she was pregnant with their first child.

    Xuan Hui stroked his wife¡¯s back slowly and gently. "Don¡¯t worry too much about it. I will put that woman in her ce and show her why I am feared in the industry."

    "You better!" Qin Fei scoffed. "Hmp! She is nothing but a small business owner! Yet, how dare she bare her fangs at me? Me, of all people?"

    Xuan Hui patiently listened to his wife¡¯s rants, and waited for her to calm down. Sometimes he couldn¡¯t help but wonder and ask himself exactly which part of Qin Fei he loved. She was not virtuous nor kind, so how did Xuan Hui ended up liking her over his mild and docile ex-fianc¨¦e before?

    Right, Qin Fei was the exact opposite of the submissive Qin Jinghua. Qin Fei was feisty, her cunningness and sharp tongue was what attracted Xuan Hui. Her arrogance and domineering attitude was the reason why Xuan Hui paid more attention to her.

    Memories flooded Xuan Hui¡¯s mind as he thought about Qin Jinghua¡¯s unfortunate fate. Qin Jinghua crossed Qin Fei and her step-mother and because of that, it was fated that she had to fall from grace, way before that incident, seven years ago. It didn¡¯t happen earlier because her grandmother, the Matriarch of the Qin family, was always there to back her up. That was why Qin Fei and her mother, Tang Lingyun, devised a n to render the Matriarch of the Qin family useless.

    Xuan Hui could only sigh at Qin Jinghua¡¯s sad ending. Seven years ago, they drugged Qin Jinghua with a drug that would lower her inhibition. The intent was for Qin Jinghua to create some ruckus in front of the media and tarnish her reputation as a prim and proper eldest miss of the Qin family. Then, Xuan Hui would use this as an excuse to break off the engagement with her.

    Who would have thought that she would end up in a bar, seduce some random man and even got photographed passionately kissing the man? This was something that even the scheming Tang Lingyun never expected.

    When the ruthless Tang Lingyun got a hold of this information, she immediately tried to use this opportunity to get Qin Jinghua¡¯s ten percent share in the Qin family¡¯s business. Tang Lingyun and Qin Fei had meticulously nned out everything to ruin the eldest miss of the Qin Family. And they seeded.

    But Xuan Hui would never me his wife and mother-inw for wronging Qin Jinghua. After all, in the world of the rich and influential, backstabbing for the sake of money and power was amon phenomenon. It was normal for people with less influence to be thrown away like a rug once they had outlived their usefulness. Qin Jinghua was born weak. And that was her biggest mistake.

    For everyone involved in that scheme, the only regret they had was that they were not able to obtain Qin Jinghua¡¯s signature for the transfer of the shares. This was because, she disappeared right after she was admitted to the mental facility. Everyone failed to find her.

    "Speaking of which, clear your schedule this monday. Thewyer will be readingte Grandmother¡¯sst will." Qin Fei¡¯s beautiful face slowly turned into a scowl. "I am so irritated at this arrangement. It is obvious that I will get everything. I don¡¯t even think there is a need to disturb my filming to attend this reading," Qin Fei said. "My schedule is already full yet that damnwyer had told my father that it was absolutely necessary for me to attend. He also said that Qin Jinghua ising!"

    "Qin Jinghua?" Xuan Hui blurted as a sh of surprise glinted in his eyes. "Thewyer found her?"

    "Not thewyer. It waste Grandmother. Apparently, she had found Qin Jinghua years ago but did not tell anyone about it. That old woman was truly stupid. If she was that adamant on protecting Qin Jinghua, then why have thewyer call Qin Jinghua out upon her death?" Qin Fei sneered. "Did she think her soul could protect her favorite granddaughter?"

    "Maybe she wanted to leave some assets for Qin Jinghua."

    "Impossible. If that happens, it would only attract Mother¡¯s ire. If that old woman truly cares about Qin Jinghua, then she would leave her with nothing but some charity of a hundred thousand dors in a bank ount," Qin Fei said before stifling a yawn. "Either way, I am still eager to see how that woman looks now. She ran away seven years ago without anything. No money, no clothing. I wonder how she could have survived until now."

    Qin Fei then leaned towards her husband and closed her eyes. Qin Jinghua was nothing in her eyes. She was insignificant like the dust on the ground to her. To Qin Fei, Qin Jinghua and her waitress mother were not even fit to clean her shoes.

    Meanwhile, Xuan Hui fell into a deep thought at Qin Fei¡¯s words. Qin Jinghua was back? And ording to his wife, she was still alive and well. That was something that Xuan Hui did not expect.

    When Qin Jinghua disappeared seven years ago, everyone assumed that she ran away in shame. Qin Fei and her mother even asked people to check the morgue in the country every now and then to see if Qin Jinghua¡¯s body would suddenly turn up.

    Everyone expected that Qin Jinghua would die or suffer a misfortune sooner orter. Yet, time passed, and nothing of that sort happened. Eventually, everyone got tired of waiting and slowly forgot about her.

    Not that he cared about all this.

    Xuan Hui never liked Qin Jinghua. He respected her before, but that vanished when she hid the fact that she had slept with another man and even tried to move forward the wedding. Xuan Hui understood that Qin Jinghua was only using him to move out of the Qin family.

    To Xuan Hui, she was a despicable woman who wanted to use him to change her status.

 Chapter 12: Meet on a Narrow Road

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 12: Meet on a Narrow Road</h4>

    While Xuan Hui and Qin Fei were talking, Lily Qin was already on her way to one of the top jewelry stores in Scarlet City.

    Scarlet City was the number one shopping mall in Hong Kong. The high-ss mall was able to attract some of the world¡¯s most stylish and popr boutiques and housed Hong Kong¡¯s most iconic and exclusive shops. However, three years ago, Scarlet City, owned by the elusive Mu Family of Maind China, almost went bankrupt due to some internal conflict. Rumor has it that they were saved by one of the richest man in Hong Kong: Zhou Jingren, the owner of Zhou Capital.

    Who was Zhou Jingren? He was a legend in the business world in Hong Kong but no one knew much about him. This was because he was even more elusive than the Mu Family. There were no images of him online, nor any articles written about him and his lifestyle. Moreover, Mr. Zhou had never epted any interviews, be it from magazines or news media outlets. Everyone concluded that he had used his influence to keep his identity a secret.

    This man swept the Hong Kong market six years ago and single-handedly raised the economy of the country, a first in the history of Hong Kong.

    Lily remembered that herte grandmother, Fi, had once told her to look out for this man if she ever wanted to branch out in the East. However, at that time, Lily had been busy trying to establish a foothold in Europe, so she felt that it wasn¡¯t the right time to think about branching out in the East, especially not in the country of her birth.

    Hence, she hadn¡¯t given that man any further thought until today.

    "Yang Mi, find someone reliable to investigate the owner of Zhou Capital," she calmly said while heading towards the third floor of the mall. If she wanted to establish herpany in the East, then she would need the support of someone powerful, like the owner of Zhou Capital. "Also, how is the Qin Enterprises? Did you get ahold of their current standing in the stock market?"

    "President, the Qin Enterprises seemed to have been suffering for years now. Their stock prices had not shown any improvements for thest five years. Their business is slowly dwindling down. The biggest share in thepany is still held by the current Patriarch of the Qin family. ording to my research, Qin Enterprises will continue to perform poorly for a long time," Yang Mi exined. "They must have offended someone really influential. Otherwise they would not suffer like this."

    "Who holds the second biggest share in Qin Enterprises?" she asked.

    "It¡¯s the Zhou Capital. Qin family¡¯s Patriarch owns 32 percent of the shares in Qin Enterprises while Zhou Capital owns 25 percent. Our sources said that sooner orter, Zhou Capital will seize ownership of thispany."

    Lily furrowed her brows in response. She really needed to be acquainted with the owner of Zhou Capital. "I want you to check if there are any uing gs or charities that have invited the President of the Zhou Capital as a guest. Then, secure an invitation for me," she instructed before stepping inside GC Jewels; a famous jewelry brand in Europe that had a store in Scarlet City.

    "Lily darling!" Lily turned her head towards the source of the voice.

    "Fernando!" She smiled at the man who was in his early thirties. Fernando, who was wearing a dark grain one button men¡¯s suit had a brilliant smile on his face.

    "Wee!" Fernando kissed Lily¡¯s cheek and took off her camel colored trench coat, revealing her sophisticated red re dress. The man raised an eyebrow while looking at Lily¡¯s outfit before he gestured for his assistant to take care of Lily¡¯s coat.

    "Beautiful as ever!" Fernando¡¯s lips hooked into an enchanting smile before he looped his arms around Lily¡¯s. "Let me take you to the VIP area. I have some new items that will surely look good on a dashing woman like you."

    Yang Mi shook her head as she followed the duo into the VIP room of the store. Fernando was known to be one of Lily¡¯s good friends from Europe. He had been working as a manager in GC Jewels for years now. But most people did not know that the man was also the lead designer in GC Jewels and was responsible for designing some of the most iconic and expensive pieces of jewelry for thepany. As a lead designer, instead of working at the headquarters, he had chosen to work in the shop because he wanted to see the reaction of the people who purchased the jewelry he designed.

    Seeing Fernando¡¯s dedication to thepany, the owner of GC Jewels was touched and made a surprising decision by appointing Fernando his sole sessor and heir. As the owner was a single man and did not have any children to pass on the business to and follow in his footsteps, making Fernando as his heir was a logical decision for him. He was convinced that business would continue to thrive in Fernando¡¯s hands.

    Of course, Yang Mi only came to know about this because Fernando was considered one of the President¡¯s best friends.

    "Hmmm... this pea sized gem is one of the rarest pearls in the world." Fernando gave Lily a disy box made of ss. Inside the box was a pair of tangerine colored earrings. "Since there was no way to cultivate this kind of pearl, this piece of gem right here ispletely natural! Try it!"

    Fernando enthusiastically opened the box and gave the earrings to Lily. Then he ushered her to a mirror that was ced in the middle of the table that they were sitting at. "See? I know this will look good on you!"

    "Because of its rarity, only three pairs of these earrings with this precious pearl were made. I especially designed this one for you. This was supposed to be for your birthday but..."

    "Fernando... my next birthday is next year." Lily rolled her eyes at her melodramatic friend. Of course, Lily knew that thetter was just talking nonsense. "I like this. How much is it?"

    "Hmmm... having you wear one of our items would already be enough to pay for it. But... since I know that you will insist on paying for it, I will sell this to you at half of its original market price."

    Lily raised an eyebrow. Fernando was the biggest profiteer among all of her close friends. There was no way that he would let go of such a beautiful pearl for a cheap price. However, she also knew that this man would be willing to catch a bullet for her.

    "Two million," Fernando said, "Hong Kong dors."

    "Alright." Lily smiled. However, before she could tell him to wrap it up for her, they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

    "Manager, the madam of Qin Enterprises is here to take a look at our jewelry." A woman¡¯s voice was heard. "She said she wanted to see our exclusive collections." Lily instantly grinned.

    As expected, enemies always meet on a narrow road.

 Chapter 13: Grandiose on the Outside

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 13: Grandiose on the Outside</h4>

    Seeing the mirth in Lily¡¯s eyes, Fernando smiled mischievously. Fernando Kim, along with Li Shanshan, were the only other people who knew about the wretched state she was in when she was found in Hong Kong by herte maternal grandmother, Lilian Fi, seven years ago. And just like Li Shanshan, Fernando, did not have any good feelings towards the people that had hurt Lily. "Alright. You can go to my secret room and watch us from the big one-way mirror there."

    A sh of surprise was seen in Lily¡¯s eyes before she got up and walked towards the door that led her into the secret room. Even though the existence of this room was a surprise to Lily, she chose not to ask any questions. After all, it was standard for establishedpanies such as GC Jewels to have their secrets.

    She opened a door that was camouged to look like a part of the wall and walked inside. Surprisingly, the room was not quite what Lily expected. It was not like one of those secret rooms in the movies that were fitted with highly technological machines or had an elegant design. This room looked like a private tea room with a paneled wall and a small table with a tea set ced on top. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the purpose of the room was as she made herselffortable on the big couch that was positioned in front of the one-way mirror.

    Lily narrowed her eyes at the woman who just entered the VIP room. Tang Lingyun, the woman that she used to hate the most.

    Tang Lingyun was wearing a purple pencil dress that entuated her slim body. In Lily¡¯s eyes, the woman still looked the same. Her small, beautiful face still looked kind and gentle, the exact opposite of her true dark nature. The years had been kind on Tang Lingyun as she looked like she was only in herte thirties. Her physical appearance and graceful demeanor would instantly draw people¡¯s attention towards her.

    No wonder, this woman excelled in the Film industry. She could really put on an act.

    "President, Mr. Kim sent a text telling us to turn on the sound by essing the system on the control box to the left. It is password protected, but he said that you should already know the password," Yang Mi whispered to Lily.

    Lily immediately got up and turned on the sound in the room.

    "I am looking for a piece of rare jewelry that would make me stand out in fashion week. Maybe diamonds? Pearls? Just something unique. I heard from my friends that Manager Kim is the best in this industry." Tang Lingyun batted her eyes before leaning towards Fernando. Her gentle voice almost made Lily puke. From the way Tang Lingyun had spoken and looked at Fernando, it was evident that she was trying to get thetter¡¯s attention.

    Was this woman trying to seduce Fernando Kim?

    Thinking about Fernando¡¯s exquisite taste in women made Lily Qin chuckle. Not many people in the industry knew that the heir to GC Jewels preferred beautiful ck women. This man¡¯s taste in women was as exquisite as his jewelry. Many people thought that Fernando was gay because of his feminine behavior, but Lily and Li Shanshan knew that this man was just another pervert. A low-key one at that.

    Of course, many people also thought that the man was a yboy because Fernando Kim was always photographed with various models and actresses.

    What people didn¡¯t know was that Fernando liked to associate himself with good-looking people so that he could establish more connections. Since more connections meant more influence, which would help make GC Jewelry more prominent. More prominence meant more money.

    Just like Lily, Fernando was a great profiteer through and through.

    Fernando was an attractive man. With his half Italian and Korean heritage, people, especially women, would dere that the feminine Fernando Kim was one of the most eligible bachelors in town.

    Lily listened as Fernando introduced some jewelry to Tang Lingyun. Thetter would asionally widen her eyes and beam at Fernando.

    "What a beautiful ne. How much is this?"

    "Oh! How about this?"

    "And this one?"

    Tang Lingyun¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked at the expensive pieces of jewelry in front of her. "I heard that you have designed a piece of jewelry that was fitted with a very rare piece of pearl. Can you show it to me?"

    "Of course!" Fernando then gestured his assistant to bring the earrings that Lily just bought. "This is thest piece that we have. But someone already bought this just minutes ago."

    "Really? How much is it?"

    "It¡¯s not that expensive... It¡¯s only ten million Hong Kong dors," Fernando answered with a straight face. The man¡¯s serious face immediately made Lily smile. ording to Fernando¡¯s attitude, he would not let Tang Lingyun go without spending a hefty amount of money.

    "Oh." Tang Lingyun faked a smile. Ten million for a pair of earrings? Tang Lingyun used to have pieces of jewelry that were more expensive than this. However, right now, she could only look at this jewelry with envy. The Qin family might still look grandiose on the outside but the family¡¯s situation now was somewhat different than what it was years ago. Tang Lingyun who came from a prestigious family, was saddened by the current state of Qin Enterprises in these past few years.

    Lily watched as the smile on Tang Lingyun¡¯s face falter. The pair of pearl earrings that Lily bought was not that expensive in her eyes, but to most people, its price was beyond what they would befortable paying. With the current state of Qin Enterprises right now, it would be understandable that Tang Lingyun would find this amount a little exorbitant.

    "This pair of ne and earrings is the best that we have," Fernando said, the corner of his eyes crinkled.

    "This is very beautiful." Tang Lingyun said while holding the disy box and admiring the contents in it. Inside was a ne made of ck pearls with a small round shaped diamond pendant. There was also a pair of earrings with the same design, whichplements the ne.

    "And this set is not expensive too." Fernando added.

    "Really? How much is it?"

    "This set is an exclusive design. We have only made fifty sets for this design. This original price is seven million Hong Kong dors. But knowing that you are the madam of the Qin family, I will give you a discount." Fernand exined as he carefully opened the box and held the earring so Tang Lingyun could examine it. "I will sell it to you for five million Hong Kong dors."

    Tang Lingyun almost held her breath when she heard Fernando¡¯s words. Five million? And he was saying that it was not expensive? However, Tang Lingyun didn¡¯t reveal her shock on her face. Tang Lingyun was an actress, so she was very good at masking her own feelings. "That is indeed very cheap," she muttered while pretending to examine to jewelry.

    "I know right! With madam¡¯s status, this is nothing. I¡¯m sure madam could afford this meager amount." Fernando smiled as a sh of an unfathomable emotion glinted in his eyes.

 Chapter 14: Harmony Isle

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 14: Harmony Isle</h4>

    The smile on Tang Lingyun¡¯s face almost faltered. As the eldest miss of the Tang family, Tang Lingyun was used to living an extravagant lifestyle. She was a sessful actress at a young age and married into the prestigious Qin family. She should not have to feel restricted in spending any amount of money, especially on the things she liked.

    However, that was not the case right now. Justst night, her husband warned her not to spend too much money on clothes and jewelry anymore. He said that the Qin family¡¯s business was facing some financial difficulties and they had not been earning profits in recent years.

    Her husband, Qin Mo, said that the only reason that their business was still surviving was because of the support from the Xuan family and the Tang family. Without those families, they would have already been bankrupt. Their only hope now was the Old Madam¡¯s inheritance. The Old Madam¡¯s properties in the northern part of Hong Kong are worth hundreds of millions and selling some of these properties could potentially save the Qin family.

    Qin Mo said that their financial situation was so dire that he couldn¡¯t even afford to pay off their credit card debts. Tang Lingyun and Qin Fei had never been concerned with money and had always been splurging and going on shopping sprees. Qin Mo even said that if their financial situation doesn¡¯t pick up by the end of this year, he would have to resort to selling all their properties abroad just to pay off their credit card debts.

    To Tang Lingyun, this matter was so depressing that she decided to unwind and destress by shopping for jewelry for the Fashion Week. Who would have thought that the jewelry that she fancied would actually be that expensive. She looked at the jewelry one more time.

    As Tang Lingyun continued to examine the jewelry in her hands, she became more and more reluctant to part with it.

    After a few minutes, determination shed in Tang Lingyun¡¯s eyes. ¡¯Isn¡¯t this just money?¡¯ she thought. She used to be an list star with many awards. She could just go back to the industry and act again. Then, she would be able to earn a lot of money once more and she would no longer have to hesitate about buying a piece of jewelry that cost five million Hong kong dors or even more.

    "Alright, I¡¯ll take this," she said, while opening her pouch and fetching her credit card to pay.

    "I¡¯m sorry madam... but we don¡¯t ept credit card payment for our exclusive items." The smile on Tang Lingyun¡¯s face instantly vanished when she heard Fernando¡¯s words.

    "Howe? I have not heard of a store which does not ept credit cards. Are you trying to prank me?" she asked.

    "I sincerely apologize madam. It ismon knowledge among our VIPs that we do not ept credit cards as a payment method for our exclusive jewelry. I assumed that you would want to qualify for our esteemed VIP program because all you needed to do was to make a first purchase of five million dors in cash. I was even going to prepare you a VIP card... but if you really insist on using a credit card then... It is also not a problem." Fernando pursed his lips, his eyes regretful. He then signaled his assistant to ept Tang Lingyun¡¯s credit card.

    "Wait!" Tang Lingyun said. VIP card? Everyone would know that GC Jewels had a very exclusive VIP list. Only elite stars and models had been able to get this VIP card. Moreover, the benefits of the VIP card included invitations to the Fashion Week afterparty and exclusive ind parties hosted by some of the most prominent people in the film and fashion industries.

    Prominent people like international music directors, renowned film producers and editor in chief of popr fashion magazines, not rich and spoiled heirs or heiresses. To be on this VIP list was a dream for everyone in the film industry! Tang Lingyun¡¯s eyes shone with greed and excitement as she imagined herself socialising with these prominent people. She believed that not only would she be the envy of all her friends, it would also help her career as well as her daughter¡¯s.

    "I will pay using my debit card then," she said while handing her savings card over to the assistant. What was five million dorspared to the benefits of having the VIP card?

    After a few more minutes, Tang Lingyun finally bought the diamond ne that came with a matching pair of earrings. Lily then watched as thetter left the VIP room skipping away as if she had just won the lottery. Although thetter had just spent five million on some jewelry, she also walked away with a VIP Card of GC Jewels. She might be jumping for joy inside her heart right now.

    Only when Tang Lingyun disappeared from her sight did Lily made her way out of the secret room and sat across Fernando who grinned slyly at her.

    "You doubled the original price of the jewelry just now," Lily said after taking a seat. In response, Fernando only chuckled and gestured for his assistant to serve some tea.

    "She deserved it," he said.

    "You also gave her a VIP card of the lowest tier," Lily said. "Also, she would not be eligible for those exclusive invitations with that card." Fernando had given Tang Lingyun an orange VIP card.

    GC Jewels had different tiers for their VIPs. The orange VIP card was the lowest tier, which would entitle the holder of the card to a five percent discount for every purchase. The next tier would be the blue VIP card which would entitle the card holder to request for private jewelry shows and biddings and a ten percent discount for every purchase.

    The highest tier would be the ck VIP card which Lily had. The ck VIP card had the best privileges such as receiving exclusive invitations from prominent people for socialising andworking, priority service at private jewelry gs and events and a twenty percent discount for every purchase. A twenty percent discount was a significant discount especially when it came to jewelry bidding where the final selling price of the jewelry could be very inted. In Lily¡¯s knowledge, there were only less than fifty holders of the elite ck VIP card in the world.

    Fernando shrugged in response. "She did not asked any questions about the privileges of her VIP card... so... that is not my problem anymore."

    It was obvious that Tang Lingyun had difficulty parting with the money that she had spent just now. But she was finally convinced because of the VIP card that Fernando tempted her with. Tang Lingyun thought that she found a way to help her daughter¡¯s career because of that card. Lily wondered if this was because of the looming bankruptcy that the Qin family business was about to experience.

    Was Tang Lingyun already looking for a way out of the bankruptcy? With the way Tang Lingyun¡¯s mind worked, that could be very possible.

    "Cunning fox." Lily teased while rolling her eyes. "By the way, I want an invitation for Fashion Week," Lily said as she crossed her legs.

    "Actually, I happen to becking an escort. Why don¡¯t youe with me instead?" Fernando asked. This demand was something that he already anticipated. "I have a VIP invitation so it would be more convenient. What do you think?"

    "Hmm... okay. I think Ah Shan might insist oning too... so prepare another invitation for her," she said.

    "Shan Shan? Does she need to shoot a film here?"

    "Maybe?" Lily shrugged as she watched Fernando¡¯s assistant serve them some refreshments. Lily Qin, Li Shanshan, and Fernando Kim were considered very close friends in Europe. A female CEO, an award-winning director and the heir of a jewelry empire. These unique individuals had attracted the attention of some magazines abroad. After knowing the trio¡¯s close rtionship, many people started calling them The Golden Trio.

    "The Fashion Week will be in two weeks," Fernando said before elegantly sipping on his tea. "How long are you going to stay here? That mall that you had recently acquired needs a lot of work. I don¡¯t think a month is enough."

    "At least a month. Actually, that is one of the reasons why I am here. I wanted to ask you to move your store to our mall." Seeing the man raised an eyebrow at her, Lily continued, "Of course, I would only ask you to move over after I finish all the arrangements for my new Harmony Isle."

    "You are going to rename the mall?"

    Lily nodded. "That is only right."

    "Alright, then." Fernando had full confidence in the woman across him. If there was someone who could save a business that was almost going bankrupt, that person would be none other than Lily Qin. "Father and I are also working on branching out into fashion. Once you have established the new Harmony Isle, I will make sure to open my first branch of clothing line in your retail mall."

 Chapter 15: King of Shamelessness

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 15: King of Shamelessness</h4>

    After Lily left GC Jewels, she decided to stroll around Scarlet City and take note of the prominent brands that had a store in this mall.

    Meanwhile, a certain master was trembling while looking at the photos in his hands. In the photos, Lily was seen in close proximity to Liam Arison, her hand rested on his shoulders and a beautiful smile could be seen on her face. If one were to look at the photo without knowing the context, it would be easy to arrive at the conclusion that Lily was looking lovingly at her beloved.

    "You told me the engagement is already cancelled." Zhuo Jingren stated before crumpling a photo slowly in his hand. "Then why is she still smiling at him like this?"

    Secretary Go stared at his boss. His eyes full of disbelief. How should he know why Miss Qin was smiling? There was no way that he could read her mind ah!

    "Answer me!" he hissed, almost making Secretary Go jump.

    "President... I... I heard that Mr. Arison had asked to talk to Miss Qin in private but she outrightly refused," he answered, hoping this information could somehow pacify his unreasonable boss. "Mr. Arison had already left for London after the meeting... Shall we target their remaining subsidiaries in Hong Kong?" Secretary Go broke into a sweat. He knew that he needed to tread lightly if he were to continue talking to him. At this moment, it felt as if his heart was stuck in his mouth, and he didn¡¯t know what else he could say to appease his enraged boss. Just as Secretary Go was mulling over what to say next, he felt that the temperature in the room suddenly turn a few degrees colder. He then eyed the room¡¯s thermostat and checked the temperature, there was no change in the temperature since he entered the room.

    "Do you want him toe back here and bug Jinghua again?" Zhuo Jingren harrumphed. Why would he create an opportunity for Lily to see that person again?

    "President... I was just..."

    "Enough!" Zhuo Jingren interrupted him, his eyes once againnded on the crumpled photograph in front of him. "Has her secretary make the call yet?"

    "Negative," Secretary Go answered. "However, they have started to look into the background of all the big shareholders of Qin Enterprises. Also... our men told us that someone from Europe is trying to dig up information about you. If my guess is right... then it should be Miss Qin and her people." Seeing Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face ease a little, Secretary Go let out a sigh of relief.

    "Alright... That¡¯s good enough. I will give her one more day to call me and schedule an appointment." Zhuo Jingren¡¯s cheeky grin somehow surprised his secretary. He had been with Zhuo Jingren ever since he left the orphanage ten years ago. However, this was the first time that Secretary Go saw his boss smiling like this.

    What a moody boss!

    Secretary Go was certain that his boss is in love with Miss Qin. However, he really wanted to knock some sense into his boss. How could he give Miss Qin a deadline to contact him? Was she even aware that he was waiting for her call? This... The president was really being unreasonable ah.

    Secretary Go could only sigh at his boss¡¯s behavior. Perhaps love could really make one silly, even someone as smart as President Zhuo was not immune to the effects of love. That¡¯s right, Lily Qin was the first woman that caught his president¡¯s interest. Secretary Go could never forget how their enemies had maliciously released a rumor that President Zhuo was bent. This rumor had caused a ruckus in the business world. After all, this country was not as open as the other countries in the west.

    In fact, this rumor was still circting till this day. Since President Zhuo did not spare any efforts to refute the rumor or speak up to clear his name, many of their enemies had been using this rumor to discredit him in the business world.

    "I want you to start preparing the documents to transfer my shares in Qin Enterprises to Lily. Do this as soon as possible." Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words woke his secretary up from his stupor.

    "Eh?" Secretary Go stared at President Zhuo. Transfer of shares?

    "These shares will just be one of my betrothal gifts to her... plus when I bought them, I already had the intention to gift them to her when she returns. She could y around with them and do whatever she wants with the shares for all I care." President Zhuo¡¯s shameless words made his secretary embarrassed. What betrothal gifts? You haven¡¯t even had your first meeting, yet!

    Such shamelessness! Secretary Go knew that the president had bought the shares to undermine the Qin family and make them suffer. How could he say that he had bought them for Miss Qin to y with? Ah... President ah. This was the first time that Secretary Go discovered that his president was not only a genius in the business world but also the king of shamelessness.

    "It will be done." Secretary Go could only nod at President Zhuo¡¯smand. Though President Zhuo was a little shameless, Secretary Go still worshipped him like a god. This was not known to the public but... President Zhuo and Secretary Go grew up in the same orphanage. However, unlike Secretary Go who left only when he turned eighteen, the president left when he turned sixteen. Then, he came back two yearster to hire his friend as his secretary.

    Another two yearster, Zhuo Jingren bought the said orphanage and established a security agency with the mission of employing the kids when they had grown up. Many yearster, this security agency was now the top security agency employing thousands of orphans from the same orphanage.

    Everyone from the orphanage knew this and was looking to Zhuo Jingren like he was a god. Of course, this was only because they did not know that there was a peculiar side to President Zhuo when it came to Lily Qin.

 Chapter 16: Stubborn Mother and Daughter

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 16: Stubborn Mother and Daughter</h4>

    An hourter, Lily finished her shopping and observation of Scarlet City. Next on her itinerary was a visit to the columbarium[1] to pay her respects at herte paternal grandmother¡¯s niche.

    "President, I just received a call from Miss Li. She said that she will be arriving at your apartment in another thirty minutes," Yang Mi said in a low voice. President Qin had been awfully quiet since she arrived at the columbarium and Yang Mi was a little hesitant to disturb her.

    Lily only nodded in response. Silence engulfed the columbarium as Lily stared at the photo in the niche. It was a photo of an olddy with a gentle smile, she had high brows and her white hair was tied up in a sleek updo.

    A little smile escaped Lily¡¯s lips as she remembered how she used to help her paternal grandmother with her updo. It was her favourite hairstyle. The old woman doted on her and there was something she said that was etched in Lily¡¯s mind: "Hua¡¯er, do not forget that you are a Qin. Just endure for now. When you get married, you can leave this ce."

    Sadness crept in Lily¡¯s heart. ¡¯Endure¡¯, that was what her paternal grandmother always told her. Growing up, Lily had to endure as her mother, Bec Fi was treated like a ve in the house.

    Lily closed her eyes as she thought about her early years in the Qin family. The moment Lily was born, she was separated from her mother and was taken in by the Qin family to be raised as the eldest miss. A few yearster, her father married another woman by the name of Tang Lingyun. Tang Lingyun hated the existence of Lily and her lowly mother. Since she couldn¡¯t do anything to Lily, she hatched a n to take it out on Lily¡¯s mother, Bec Fi.

    Shortly after entering the Qin family, Tang Lingyun insisted on reuniting Bec Fi and Lily. She suggested that Bec Fi coulde and work as a maid in the Qin Mansion. She told everyone that she could not bear to see Lily grow up without her mother. Moreover, she was going to be a mother soon so she could rte to the pain of being separated from one¡¯s own child. While the members of the Qin family had their reservations, they eventually agreed to let Bec Fi enter the Qin Mansion with the identity of a maid, at Tang Lingyun¡¯s insistence.

    After this, everyone viewed Tang Lingyun in a new light. They saw her as someone magnanimous, kind and gentle. When Bec Fi received the work offer, she immediately agreed without much thought, excited to be given the opportunity to be reunited with her beloved daughter. So, she left her job as a waitress.

    Tang Lingyun had arranged for the mother and daughter to share a maid¡¯s quarters, to Bec Fi¡¯s delight. Unbeknownst to Bec Fi, entering the Qin family was the start of her nightmares.

    Tang Lingyun would seize every opportunity to embarrass Bec Fi. In front of her close and prominent friends, she would embarrass Bec Fi to unt her power in the family. However, in front of everyone else, she held back and maintained a kind image.

    But, no matter how humiliated Bec Fi felt, she never retaliated, not even once. Bec Fi only lowered her head and walked away in silence each and every time she was humiliated by Tang Lingyun.

    Now that Lily thought about it, her mother was truly stupid for enduring all the humiliation. Bec or Reba Fi was born into a prominent family in Europe. She was treated like a princess who was envied and loved by many. Then one day, her mother Lilian Fi insisted on giving her in marriage to a man hailing from another noble family. But Reba Fi was aware that her betrothed already had a lover, and so she declined her mother¡¯s proposal.

    After the death of her husband, Lilian Fi became the head of the Fi family and she ruled her family with an iron fist. She did not take Reba¡¯s rejection well. The mother and daughter argued over this issue and got into a big fight. One thing led to another and eventually, Reba Fi ran away from home.

    When Lilian Fi discovered that her daughter had run away from home, she got so angry that she froze all her daughter¡¯s bank ounts. She even used her connections and influence to warnpanies in the industry not to hire her daughter. She wanted to teach her daughter a lesson. She thought that by doing all these, her daughter would relent and return home.

    Who would have thought that Reba Fi was so strong-headed? With a meager amount of money that she had on her, Reba Fi packed her bags and went abroad. She used thest bit of money that she had to pay someone in the ck market to forge a new identity. She obtained a fake passport with a fake name so she could leave Europe without her mother¡¯s knowledge.

    Both mother and daughter were stubborn and prideful and no one wanted to be the first to give in. Just like that, the years passed and Lilian Fi realized how silly she was to ignore her daughter. When Lilian Fi decided to look for her daughter, she was nowhere to be found.

    Little did she know that Reba had changed her name to Bec Fi and was working odd jobs during all those years that she was away from home. Moreover, Bec did not have any long-term jobs or a permanent residence to live in. To think that the princess of the Fi family would be reduced to this state. That was the price she paid for rebelling and hiding away from her controlling mother.

    For years, Lilian was searching for her daughter. She even suffered a mild case of stroke which impeded her efforts to continue searching for her daughter. Eventually, her search led her to her daughter¡¯s grave.

    She was agonized at her daughter¡¯s death but wasforted to discover that she has a granddaughter. But when Lilian found Qin Jinghua, she was not in a right state of mind. And that was how her maternal grandmother found her, Qin Jinghua.

    Lily let out a sigh as she opened her eyes. Her mother, Reba Fi, was a prideful person. She would rather work as a maid than yield herself to her mother. She would rather be mistreated than ept that she had been wrong. What a stubborn woman she was.

    ¡¯Grandmother... I am back. I cannot promise you that I will not avenge my mother or hurt the Qin family. However, I did what I promised and never forget that I am a Qin. I will keep this surname to honor you and your efforts of raising and loving me since I was a kid. However, I apologize in advance for the things that I might do if any of the Qin family members try to hurt me. I have endured for too long... I have lost a lot. I hope you would understand me, Grandmother.¡¯

    Then Lily looked at the image of herte paternal grandmother once again. A sudden gust of wind hit her and she wrapped her arms around her trench coat instinctively. ¡¯I¡¯ll take that as your consent.¡¯

    Lily turned to face Yang Mi. "Let¡¯s go. We have a long week ahead of us."

    [1] Columbarium - A room or building with niches for funeral urns to be stored.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 17: The Downpour Begins

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 17: The Downpour Begins</h4>

    "Ah Li! Didn¡¯t I tell you not to cook for me? Do you know how bad your cooking is? Are you trying to poison me?" Lily did not know whether she wanted tough or cry at Li Shanshan¡¯s words.

    Lily was supposed to buy some food back home for dinner but only after she had reached home that she realized that she had forgotten all about it. She med herself for having too many things on her mind. She called Yang Mi immediately, hoping to get her to run an errand but was informed by one of the directors staying with her in the apartment below hers that she was already asleep.

    After a long and busy day, Lily was tired and hungry. She would also feel bad if there was nothing to serve her friend when she visitster. So even though Lily seldom cooked, she decided to put her pitiful cooking skills to the test and whip up something for the both of them.

    "You know how I hate to order food deliveries," Lily answered, while forcing herself to swallow the soggy handmade noodles in bean paste sauce that she had made. "And I don¡¯t eat junk food."

    "Cup noodles is not junk food!" Li Shanshan retorted. "Aiya! I could have easily bought some food over before I came ah! If only you had given me a call."

    "You are good at many things but cooking is definitely not one of them. Why did you even try to make your own noodles when you don¡¯t even know how the basics of making the dough?" Li Shanshan continue to grumble before getting up. "Sorry my friend, but I cannot continue eating this anymore! Thank you for your efforts but I think I might die from food poisoning if I have to finish this bowl of noodles! Let¡¯s go out and get some proper food."

    Lily only stared at Li Shanshan nkly. "Did you forget something?"

    "No?" Li Shanshan answered without batting an eyelid. "Maybe? Okay...what is it?" she asked, giving up.

    "I don¡¯t have a driver¡¯s license and neither do you. Where can we go if neither of us could drive?" Lily uttered before shoving another spoonful of noodles in her mouth.

    "Then we will walk!" Li Shanshan eximed.

    "I¡¯m toozy for that," said Lilyzily.

    "Then I¡¯ll go alone!" Li Shanshan dered.

    "Ah Shan! Look, it¡¯ste, it¡¯s almost nine in the evening! It¡¯s also not healthy to eat so much at this hour. Why don¡¯t we just... eat some crackers? Hmmm?" Lily suggested.

    "Are you kidding me?" Li Shanshan widened her eyes. ¡¯Crackers? She, Li Shanshan, the ultimate foodie never eats crackers!¡¯

    "Aspensation... why don¡¯t I buy you some jewelry, anything you like," Lily coaxed.

    "No need! It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t afford to buy my own! Stop trying to bribe me to agree to your n of staying home and eating crackers! I am not budging!" Li Shanshan crossed her arms around her chest and let out a harrumphed.

    "Then... how about a massage?"

    "Stop messing around with me, do you even know how to give a massage?" Li Shanshan rebutted. "Besides being a pro at making money and having a beautiful face and body, you don¡¯t seem to have any other valuable skills at all!"

    "Alright... I will y the violin. One piece," Lily said while putting down her chopsticks.

    "Really?"

    Lily nodded. After putting the dishes in the sink, she went into her room to fetch her favorite set of violin.

    "Do you always bring this with you?" Li Shanshan asked, eyeing the violin case.

    "Yes. This is a part of my therapy," she answered as she grabbed the lint free cloth and wiped the violin¡¯s strings slowly. When she was young, Lily never had the opportunity to learn music because Tang Lingyun would always find a way to postpone her music lessons. But that was all part of Tang Lingyun¡¯s schemes. She didn¡¯t want Lily to receive an education that was fitting for ady in upper ss society.

    However, after what happened seven years ago, her psychology therapist strongly rmended that she l pick up a skill or two to upy her mind. She hoped that this would distract Lily from thinking about the events of the past which had led to her depression.

    Lily decided to pick up the violin, even though it was not an easy instrument to learn. She also picked up dancing, learning many types of dance. She even picked up Aikido for self defense.

    Lily was a fast learner and a good student. In just a few years, she had sessfully learned all that she signed herself up for. But she never thought of learning how to cook. She was also averse to learn driving because of an ident seven years ago which greatly traumatised her.

    After years of therapy, Lily recovered from her depression and that was also when she decided that she would not marry or depend on a man. She decided that she would spend all her hard-earned money on herself and live afortable life of solitude until she dies.

    Isn¡¯t that a great n?

    Lily was very motivated to grow her money and businesses. She hoped that one day, she could build an underground mansion away from civilization and live there happily all by herself.

    "Alright... I want my favorite," Li Shanshan said before making herselffortable on the couch beside Lily¡¯s king sized bed.

    Lily nodded while tying her shoulder length hair into a ponytail. She then gently ced the violin on her shoulders and tucked it under her chin. She gave her friend a smile before gently drawing the bow across the strings.

    Mendelssohn¡¯s Violin Concerto. Li Shanshan¡¯s favorite.

    As Lily yed the piece, she couldn¡¯t help but to reminisce about their friendship. Lily and Li Shanshan met back when they were both still in high school. Back then, the two had already been close friends, but when Li Shanshan went to Europe to continue her studies in film production, the two of them lostmunication. They were only reunited after Lily came to London.

    Li Shanshan met Lily again at the studio where Lily was learning her violin. Coincidentally, Li Shanshan was there to shoot a scene for one of her films that she was directing. The two friends came together and became even closer than before.

    Lily and Li Shanshan were open with each other about their lives and shared their ups and downs. They knew of each other¡¯s hardships and had seen each other at their lowest point. They cried together and got drunk together. They knew that it hadn¡¯t been easy for them to reach where they are now. Through all these, the two women bonded.

    Sisters. That is the only word that could give justice to their friendship.

    Lily closed her eyes as she lost herself in the deepest part of the symphony, thinking about her life and what she had been through. Seven years ago, Lily was shunned by the world. Her mother and her were in a car ident. Her mother died while saving her and she miscarried and lost her baby who was already four weeks old.

    She was alone and powerless. Vulnerable and broken.

    The doctor had told her that she might not have another chance at conception. Her world crumbled. She med herself. She med the world for being unfair towards her. She started slitting her wrists in anger, wallowing in self-pity. She was a mess.

    Lily tightened her hold when the crescendo started. The crescendo in the song was something that Lily loved. It reminded her of the feeling of waking up after a long nightmare. It reminded her of sunshine and that was how she felt when her maternal grandmother suddenly showed up in her room one day. She saved her and pulled her out of the deep abyss.

    The music became more dynamic. It was rich and mellow and then strong and aggressive. The change in dynamics instantly reminded the changes she went through when she left the mental facility.

    She was beaten down and while it seemed like she couldn¡¯t get up any more, a new hope ignited within her. Like a newborn Phoenix, Lily was determined to start a new life, away from those who hurt her and be stronger.

    When the melody took and turn and became sad and lonely, Lily was reminded of her maiden journey in the business world. Under her maternal grandmother¡¯s guidance, she was trained to be ruthless, domineering and cunning when it came to business. She was groomed to be both sweet and evil. A fox in sheep¡¯s clothing.

    For the next twenty minutes, Lily¡¯s hands continued to dance along the strings of the violin. Her eyes closed, her mind and heart engrossed in the haunting yet melodious tune. She shifted the notes several times, her eyshes fluttering.

    Then the song ended.

    Lily opened her eyes, the heaviness in her heart left her just as the music ended. Then she smiled at her friend who was tearing, a knowing look shed on Lily¡¯s face. She slowly put the violin down on her bed and walked towards her friend.

    She enveloped Li Shanshan in a hug as tears started to stream down her cheeks as well.

    Silence engulfed the room as the two women continued to cry in each other¡¯s arms. This was the most haunting thing about that piece of music. The emotions that it could evoke on the one ying the piece and on the listener was not to be underestimated. Both of them would always end up crying at the end.

    Somehow the piece would cause them to reflect and reminisce about their past, the happy and sad. These two women who used to be so broken never thought they could one day stand at the pinnacle of their own careers.

    Lily let out a long sigh as she patted her friend gently on the back. For them, crying was never a sign of weakness. Instead, they saw it as a sign of victory.

    Then a loud boom of thunder echoed inside the room. The boughs of trees outside of Lily¡¯s apartment building swayed in the strong wind. And the downpour begins.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 18: Acting like a Prima Donna

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 18: Acting like a Prima Donna</h4>

    It was a fickle another Monday in June. One minute the sun was shining and the next, the sky became dark and gloomy.

    Lily stared at the pitter and patter of raindrops against the window of her beetle. It was almost nine in the morning and Lily knew that she was runningte for the reading of the Will at the Qin family estate.

    "Still no word from the securitypany?" she asked Yang Mi who was driving.

    "Oh... they said that they will be sending one security personnel over this afternoon," Yang Mi answered. "Um President... I hope you don¡¯t mind me asking but... why exactly did you bring this beetle with you to Hong Kong? The beetle is too small and cramped. I mean... we could have brought with us another car that is more luxurious and spacious for ourmute." Yang Mi asked curiously, eyeing Lily for a moment, before focusing her eyes on the road again.

    In Yang Mi¡¯s knowledge, Lily only had two cars - a low-key Bentley and an old Mercedes. Moreover, Lily had a peculiar habit. She would only ride in her own car. When she had to travel, she would bring along one of her cars with her. So Yang Mi was surprised to see that Lily had brought with her a beetle instead.

    "This beetle may be small but it is more expensive than any other cars in this city," Lily answered. Seeing the confusion on her assistant¡¯s face, she let out a chuckle and exined, "Let¡¯s just say, though I don¡¯t know how to drive a car, I know a lot about them."

    "Oh, like a mechanic?" Yang Mi asked, confusion was shown on her face. Everyone knows that President Qin does not know how to drive. But, Yang Mi never thought that thetter would know anything about cars at all.

    "Yes, like a mechanic." Lily smiled. "In fact, I built this car from scratch. I love building my own cars. This beetle was mytest car project. In fact, I only finished building itst month. It had taken me almost a year to finish this project. So I am giving it a try in this city." Her exnation was sufficient for Yang Mi and she stopped asking any further questions

    "President, the traffic is bad in this area. I think there might be an ident in front of us. Do you think we should..."

    "No... let¡¯s wait," Lily answered, interrupting her assistant¡¯s words. She was not in a hurry. Why bother rerouting? Lily knew that thewyer wouldn¡¯t start the reading of the Will without her anyway, so there was really no point in rushing herself just to attend this meeting.

    At the Qin Mansion.

    Meanwhile, everyone inside Qin Mo¡¯s study was getting agitated. They were all seated before a rectangr mahogany table, waiting for thewyer to start. But to their surprise, Lawyer Yan refused to start without Qin Jinghua¡¯s presence.

    "How hateful!" Qin Fei crossed her arms over her chest. Her baby bump was showing because she was already seven months pregnant. "She already said that she would be here! How dare she act high and mighty just because she knew that the reading cannot start without her? What a prima donna [1]!?"

    "Fei Fei... I already told you, you need to control your temper. This will affect your child," Tang Lingyun coaxed Qin Fei immediately, stroking her daughter¡¯s back to calm her down. She then shook her head and eyed her husband who was sitting across her. "It¡¯s just the pregnancy hormones. I can¡¯t help it sometimes."

    "However, I agree with you that Qin Jinghua is truly in the wrong this time," Tang Lingyun sighed. "She knew that the reading cannot start without her, yet she still dare to bete. I think it¡¯s because she hates me."

    "Mother, stop saying that. How could she hate you? You practically raised her since she was young!" Qin Fei¡¯s younger brother, Qin Liwei sneered. "If she does, then she is truly ungrateful! The things that happened in the past were all her fault. She was too ambitious and selfish."

    "I agree with Liwei, Mother. You really should not me yourself. You raised her into a properdy but how did she repay your love and care? She only brought embarrassment to our family," Qin Fei added.

    "I heard that Qin Jinghua had an international number," said Qin Mo. His face was stern and stoic, but the anger in his eyes was apparent. "Did anyone trace it? Did anyone of you find out where exactly she had been all these years?"

    "Madam Ye wrote that she had been in Europe all these while," Lawyer Yan answered.

    "Europe? What was she doing in Europe?" Qin Liwei asked.

    Thewyer only shrugged in response.

    "What else? She must have found an old man to seduce. How else could she have survived all these years after leaving Hong Kong? She does not have any skills in business nor any notable talents. All she has is a beautiful face," Qin Fei blurted.

    "Fei Fei... you really should stop belittling about your elder sister. No matter what she had done to embarrass this family, she is still your sister. A Qin, by blood. She still deserves your respect," Tang Lingyun righteously scolded.

    "Hmp! Respect is earned! Not given!" Qin Fei uttered, feeling indignant. "It¡¯s gettingte. Where is she? Can you call her again Lawyer Yan?"

    Lawyer Yan Xiao was about to pick up his phone to make a call when suddenly the door was opened from the outside and entered Xuan Hui¡¯s bodyguard. Everyone watched as he approached Xuan Hui and leaned in to whisper something to him.

    Xuan Hui¡¯splexion instantly darkened as he looked at everyone. "I think Qin Jinghua just arrived."

    [1] prima donna - a very temperamental person with an inted view of their own talent of importance.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 19: Collection of Books

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 19: Collection of Books</h4>

    Qin Fei instantly sneered when she heard her husband¡¯s words. The hate in her eyes were so apparent that it made one wonder why she would hate her elder sister so much.

    Qin Fei remembered how she used to like Qin Jinghua when they were children. Just like any other younger sister, she used to run around and chase her like a little puppy. At the beginning, the two sisters used to y with each other. However, everything changed when Qin Fei saw her mother begging Bec Fi for her forgiveness one time. Was Tang Lingyun truly sorry for what she did? No, it was all an act to show the Qin family that she was remorseful and gain their sympathy and trust again, especially from Old Madam Ye. However, at the tender age of eight, Qin Fei did not know this.

    It happened during Old Master Qin¡¯s birthday. Tang Lingyun drugged Bec Fi with a drug that would cause her to suffer hallucinations and eventually lose consciousness. Under the influence of the drug, Bec Fi had identally stumbled into the pond, dragging an important guest with her. This whole ordeal was a huge embarrassment to the Qin family for they had offended the guest.

    When Bec Fi woke up the next day, she met with Old Madam Ye and imed that she had been drugged. Moreover, Qin Jinghua added that she thought she had seen Tang Lingyun¡¯s personal maid behaving suspiciously in their bathroom. Old Madam Ye immediately asked her men to search Bec Fi¡¯s room and they found that her vitamins had been swapped with a drug, confirming Bec Fi and Qin Jinghua¡¯s testimony.

    Old Madam Ye was furious and Tang Lingyun was punished. She was ordered to offer prayers to their ancestors at their family temple, everyday, for a month. Somehow, their family matter became known to some of Qin Fei¡¯s rich socialite friends and she became aughing stock in the entire school for having a scheming mother. At that time, Qin Fei thought that her mother had been innocent and she got angry when she saw her mother begging Bec Fi for her forgiveness.

    Ever since then, Qin Fei started to hate Qin Jinghua. She med Qin Jinghua for ¡¯framing¡¯ her mother. Of course, that was only the start of their hateful rtionship. As time passed, the sisters only grew more estranged from each other. Their rtionship was further strained when Xuan Hui came into the picture.

    Qin Fei grew up spoiled and unruly. She was frank and straightforward, and would always say what was in her mind. After meeting Xuan Hui, she immediately told her mother that she liked the young man. Who would have thought that Xuan Hui was already engaged to Qin Jinghua? Even her mother couldn¡¯t do anything about it because it was Old Madam Ye¡¯s decision and no one in the family would openly defy her.

    This made Qin Fei hate her elder sister even more. This hate and a strong desire to possess Xuan Hui led her to scheme against Qin Jinghua. The goal was to tarnish the reputation of Qin Jinghua so that there would be a valid reason to cancel this engagement. Was Qin Fei acting alone? No, because somewhere along the way, Xuan Hui had fallen for Qin Fei and was more than willing to join Qin Fei in her scheme. They seeded and they got married a year after Qin Jinghua¡¯s disappearance.

    At the present, Qin Fei still felt nothing but disgust towards Qin Jinghua. Thinking about what happened in the past, she felt disgusted at Qin Jinghua for harboring the thought of marrying Xuan Hui even though she was already tainted by another man. Her disgust was intensified when the media released photographs showing Qin Jinghua being intimate with some unknown man. Even though those images were released by Tang Lingyun, Qin Fei still felt indignant that her elder sister betrayed Xuan Hui. What an embarrassment to the Qin family!

    She couldn¡¯t help but feel excited about meeting this long-lost sister of hers and to see who she has be now. Years have passed since theyst saw each other and Qin Fei now held the status of a distinguisheddy of the Xuan family. Moreover, she was also an list artist whose face had appeared on almost every magazine cover in Hong Kong. Qin Fei couldn¡¯t help but wonder how Qin Jinghua would react when she sees how happy Xuan Hui and her are and realize that their rtionship was the envy of the top socialites in this country.

    Would she cry and breakdown just like she did all those years ago?

    Qin Fei smirked inwardly as the door of the study opened again, revealing a beautiful girl with curly short hair. Her eyes were clear, forming a crescent. Her lips were curled up in a smile, making her small face even more beautiful. Qin Fei instantly frowned when Qin Jinghua took a seat across her. The woman in front of them was undeniably Qin Jinghua, however, there was just something about her that Qin Fei could not put into words.

    Something about Qin Jinghua¡¯s smile seemed to irk her and every other member of the Qin family in the room.

    "And you still dare to show yourself?" Qin Mo scolded in his usual stern voice.

    "If I don¡¯t show up, what would happen to Grandmother¡¯s properties?" Seeing that Qin Mo had shot a re at her, the smile on Lily¡¯s face became even wider. "I could leave now if you want me to."

    "Enough!" Qin Mo bellowed, feeling his blood pressure rising. Qin Jinghua had never spoken to him like that before. "Is that what you learned from living abroad all these years? You did not even bother to give us a call us to inform us that you are still well and alive? We have all been worried about you for nothing!"

    "Honey, please calm down." Tang Lingyung immediately reached for her husband¡¯s hand, squeezing it. Then she eyed Qin Jinghua and said, "Apologize to your father. I know that you hate me because of what happened to you and your mother seven years ago. It was my fault. However, you are being extremely unfair by treating your father like this."

    "I¡¯m sorry..." Qin Jinghua¡¯s eyes widened. "Apologized to whose father?"

    "You-" Tang Lingyun¡¯s words were interrupted by the sound of Lawyer Yan clearing his throat.

    Everyone immediately held back their tongue and turned their attention towards him.

    "I apologize for the interruption but I believe we are all here for the reading of thete Old Madam Ye¡¯s final Will. Before I begin, I would like to ask that everyone remain silent while I read the Will." Seeing that everyone had turned silent, Lawyer Yan continued. "After reading thete Old Madam¡¯s will, I will also be reading a letter that was written by thete Master."

    "I will start now." Lawyer Yan cleared his throat. "I, Ye Xiaoxuan from Northern Summit City of Hong Kong, being of sound mind, hereby dere that this is my final Will of testament."

    "The effect of this Will is conditional upon the presence of my granddaughter, Qin Jinghua, during its reading."

    "First, I bequeath my collection of antique books to my granddaughter, Qin Jinghua. I hope you will treasure it with love and care."

    Qin Liwei and Qin Fei immediately scoffed at thewyers words. Collection of books? As expected from theirte grandmother, she would not leave Qin Jinghua with anything valuable as that would only make her a target of their schemes.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 20: Conditions

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 20: Conditions</h4>

    "To my only son, Qin Mo, I leave my precious bottle of scotch that has been aged for more than fifty years, two of my properties in the South and five million US dors from my funds."

    A small smile escaped Qin Mo¡¯s lips. He believed that his mother would surely leave her shares and the remaining of her properties to either Qin Liwei or Qin Fei. Just like everyone else, Qin Mo also expected that his mother would not leave anything of value for Qin Jinghua.

    "To my daughter-inw, Tang Lingyun, I know that you are notcking in money and properties. Therefore, I am leaving you my golden tiara, made from 24 carat gold and fitted with a 128 pieces of diamonds. This is a symbolic representation of the responsibilities that have been handed to you as the Madam of the Qin family." Lawyer Yan made a deliberate pause to look at Tang Lingyun who was already crying. Her eyes were red, seemingly touched by thete Old Madam¡¯s words.

    Seeing her mother cry, Qin Fei stroke her mother¡¯s back tofort her.

    But Lily could see through their act. Such acting deserved an Oscar indeed. With a smile still stered on her face, Lily propped her head on the back of her hand while enjoying the performance that these people were putting on.

    Lily had not been paying any attention to Xuan Hui and hence did not notice that Xuan Hui had been giving her a weird look. Minutes ago, his bodyguard, Yan Guang, had informed him that woman who just arrived at the gates of the Qin Mansion was the same woman who refused to sell them the doughnut for anything less than a hundred thousand dors the other night.

    Xuan Hui instantly concluded that Qin Jinghua and the unreasonable woman who demanded an extravagant price for the doughnut were one and the same.

    What puzzled him was the fact that Qin Jinghua now seemed so different from the person he knew seven years ago. Where was the timid woman that he once knew? He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Qin Jinghua was only pretending to be confident so that she could attract his attention.

    Thinking about this possibility only made him more disgusted at the woman sitting across from him.

    "To my grandson, Qin Liwei, I am leaving you with an original copy of ¡¯The Art of War¡¯ written by Sun Tzu. Use it well. This will teach you how to better strategise and scheme against others." At this juncture, Lily let out an unrestrained snicker, interrupting Lawyer Yan. He immediately shot a re at Lily before continuing, "He will also be given ten million Hong Kong dors when he turns twenty-five on the condition that he has no criminal record."

    "To my granddaughter, Qin Fei," Lawyer Yan made a deliberate pause when he sensed the excitement from everyone. "I am leaving you my shares in Qin Enterprises - ten percent. I will also give you my shares in Scarlet City - five percent, as a gift to your daughter."

    "To my beloved granddaughter, Qin Jinghua..."

    "That¡¯s all?" Qin Fei¡¯s outburst interrupted Lawyer Yan. Her face was extremely ugly as she red at Qin Jinghua. "What about Grandmother¡¯s properties in Northern Summit? How about the vi that I loved so much?"

    "Please allow me to continue Mrs. Xuan," thewyer reprimanded.

    "To my beloved granddaughter, Qin Jinghua, I will bequeath you the remaining shares I have in Qin Enterprises - two percent and in Scarlet City - five percent. I will also leave you with two million US dors from my funds abroad."

    At this point, Qin Fei heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that Grandmother¡¯s properties would not go to Qin Jinghua. Qin Jinghua might be receiving some shares but they could always get them back. However, if Grandmother¡¯s properties were to go to Qin Jinghua, she would be the biggest winner among them and they would not ept that. However, what Lawyer Yan said next caused everyone¡¯s face to turn ugly.

    "Andstly, the five properties that I have in Northern Summit, and the two properties I have in Australia, will be given to my beloved Qin Jinghua. May these be enough for you to forgive me for failing to protect you from those who caused your misfortune."

    "What?" Qin Fei stood up, cing her hands on her hips. "Lawyer Yan, you must be joking! How could Grandmother have left everything in Northern Summit to that woman?" Northern Summit was the top residential area in the whole of Hong Kong. It was not only scenic but the security in the area was also top notched. It was no wonder that Northern Summit had managed to attract celebrities and political officials to live there.

    How could that old woman have given all those properties to Qin Jinghua? Those properties were Ye Xiaoxuan¡¯s inheritance from her parents. Qin Fei was sure that those properties would value at a few hundred million today!

    "Mrs. Xuan, this Will was notarized and witnessed by the mayor of this city. There is no way that I would make a joke about this," Lawyer Yan rebutted. He already expected this reaction from everyone. Even he was confused when he first came to know about thete Old Madam¡¯s Will.

    "This must be a lie! I¡¯m sure Qin Jinghua must have something to do with this! Thisst Will won¡¯t hold up in court. We will take actions and ..."

    "Fei Fei sit down." The tone in Qin Mo¡¯s voice was grave, interrupting Qin Fei¡¯s rant.

    "But..."

    "Sit down and let Lawyer Yan continue," Qin Mo ordered. Seeing her father¡¯s serious expression, Qin Fei could only swallow down her grievances before quietly taking her seat.

    When everyone had calmed down, Lawyer Yan continued. "Now, before the Old Master of the Qin family died nine years ago, he gave me this envelope and asked me to open it only after his wife¡¯s death. If you had wondered why most of the Old Master¡¯s properties were not included in the reading of his Will then, this letter will exin the reason behind it." Lawyer Yan then proceeded to open the envelope, revealing a letter inside. He opened the letter and took a nce at Lily Qin before reading it.

    "This letter was personally handwritten by thete Old Master," he added.

    "Will it stand up in court?" Qin Mo asked. He wanted to make sure that the contents of the letter could be taken seriously. After all, he was sure that his father would leave all his properties to him. As the only son of the Qin family, he felt that it was only right.

    "Mr. Qin, sometimes, a handwritten Will would hold better than a digitally documented one. Moreover, at the writing of this Will, two prominent people were witnesses. One was the old mayor and the other was General Qin from the maind China, your father¡¯s close friend and cousin." Qin Mo nodded in response at the Lawyer¡¯s exnation.

    "To my son, Qin Mo. First of all, I want to tell you how proud I am to be your father and I love you. However, I felt that I had made a terrible decision in the past and I hope you can forgive me. I regretted that I had not been truthful with you while I was alive because I believed that telling you truth would onlyplicate your life with your family. Aspensation, I am leaving with you half of my properties in Maind China." Tang Lingyun let out a gasp in surprise when she heard thewyer¡¯s words. Only half? Could it be that the other half would be given to their son, Qin Liwei?

    "The other half of my properties in Maind China will go to my granddaughter, Qin Jinghua on the condition that at the time of this reading, she is still using thest name ¡¯Qin¡¯ and she must still be single. However, she must get married within three months after this reading. If she cannot fulfil these conditions, then this half of my properties that was initially meant for her shall be equally divided between my grandson, Qin Liwei and granddaughter, Qin Fei."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 21: Asking a Question

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 21: Asking a Question</h4>

    Lily raised an eyebrow at thewyer¡¯s words. It was not just Lily, but everyone in the family knew that Old Master Qin hated her while he was still alive. Since her mother came from an unknown background, Qin Hui, never liked Lily Qin as well. He turned a blind eye towards Tang Lingyun¡¯s constant bullying of Bec Fi and even supported her in some ways. For years, Qin Hui hated Bec Fi for being a stain in the Qin family¡¯s impable reputation. Of course, this hate was naturally directed towards Lily Qin too.

    But why did he want to leave half of his properties to Lily now? Wasn¡¯t this too... suspicious? Lily remembered how the old man insisted on having her marry Xuan Hui before he died. Could it be that at the time that he wrote the letter, he intentionally included the condition that she had to be single at the reading of this letter so that she would automatically be disqualified? But why bother with all the trouble of including her in his Will at all? What could have made the old mane to this ridiculous decision?

    "BANG"

    "Preposterous!" Qin Mo¡¯s loud voice echoed inside the study. "How could my father have left something for that woman? He loathed her! He would never do this to me!" Qin Mo snatched the letter from Lawyer Yan¡¯s hands before reading it for himself.

    "She must have threatened Grandfather and Grandmother or something. Or else why would they give her anything?" Qin Liwei muttered, adding fuel to the mes. His words instantly enraged Qin Fei. She got up from her seat and pointed her finger at Lily.

    "I¡¯m sure you have something to do with this! Tell me! Did you sleep with Lawyer Yan so he could change the Will in your favor?" Qin Fei sneered, her voice was shrill and loud, making everyone in the room look at her. Qin Fei¡¯s temper was very much like Qin Mo¡¯s so her outburst was actually not surprising to everyone. However, what surprised them was Qin Fei¡¯s words.

    Could Qin Jinghua have really slept with thewyer to change the Will?

    "Mrs. Xuan, please do not nder me. I already have a family and I am not that kind of a person. Your unfounded words could ruin my reputation as well as Miss Qin Jinghua¡¯s. I would advise you not to utter such nonsense again." Lawyer Yan said while scrunching his brows. He had been the Qin family¡¯swyer for years. How could they nder him like this?

    "So why would she have both Grandmother and Grandfather¡¯s properties? Everyone here knows that Grandfather hated her!" she reasoned while narrowing her eyes at Lily. "You disgust me! You are an embarrassment to this family!"

    In response, Lily stifled a yawn. "I¡¯ve heard those words before. Can¡¯t you find some other terms to describe me?" she raised an eyebrow before eyeing Tang Lingyun. "Come to think of it. Grandfather¡¯s condition stated that I had to still be single for my im to his properties to hold in court. I remember how he had insisted on me marrying Young Master Xuan before he died. Since he died before the supposed wedding between Xuan Hui and I, he must have thought I would have already been married by the time of the reading of his Will. Come to think of it, if I had indeed married into the Xuan family, I would not be eligible for this inheritance now, right?"

    Lily¡¯s eyes sparkled as she looked at Tang Lingyun provokingly. "If my assumptions are correct... then... having Qin Fei marry Xuan Hui in my ce was a mistake. Isn¡¯t that right? Mother?"

    Tang Lingyun swallowed the non-existent saliva in her mouth. Old Master Qin was known to be very smart and cunning. Could it be possible that what Qin Jinghua said was true? However, Tang Lingyun told herself not to show any of the anxiety that she was feeling on her face. Instead, she gave Lily a small smile. "Why would it be a mistake? My daughter¡¯s happiness is still the most important thing. The past should not be mentioned again. It belongs in the past for a reason."

    "That is also true." Lily nodded. "Let¡¯s leave the past in the past," she said, before getting up from her seat and looking at Lawyer Yan. "Mywyer will contact you for my grandmother¡¯s inheritance."

    "Where are you going?" Qin Fei asked, the moment Lily took a step away from the table.

    "Leaving the past behind," Lily answered while shing her a smile that only infuriated Qin Fei.

    "How dare you leave just like this? Sit down and we will talk about the properties that you will inherit from Grandmother," Qin Fei demanded.

    "Alright." Lily responded, the smile on her face unwavering. Her schedule for the day had already been cleared. Besides she was also looking for a little fun.

    Seeing Lilypliance only inted Qin Fei¡¯s ego. Inside, Qin Fei was beaming. As expected of someone inferior to her, a little intimidation would actually work.

    "I want the little Vi in the Northern Summit," Qin Fei dered while eyeing her father. She noticed that her old man wanted to say something but Tang Lingyun stopped him.

    "Good. How much are we talking about?" Lili answered immediately. The little Vi that Qin Fei was talking was the ce where she and Xuan Hui frequented when they were lovers. It was a five-room majestic Vi with an infinity pool, overlooking the whole city. Surrounding the Vi were more than ten varieties of roses that were personally nted by thete Madam Ye.

    "I was not asking you to sell the Vi to me!" Qin Fei confidently answered. "I want you to just transfer the ownership of the Vi to me."

    "Oh.... But I was asking a question." Lily¡¯s eyes lit up. As if she just thought of an amazing idea. "How much are you nning to offer for the Vi? Ten? Twenty million US dors?"

    "Qin Jinghua!"

 Chapter 22: Cash? Or Check?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 22: Cash? Or Check?</h4>

    Lily looked at Xuan Hui who yelled out her name. "Yes, Young Master Xuan?"

    "Call me Master Xuan!" he reprimanded.

    "My apologies... I have never heard of your father¡¯s passing... so..." Lily immediately sped her hands and looked up at the ceiling. To everyone¡¯s surprise she closed her eyes and said, "May your soul rest in peace... Master Xuan."

    "Are you cursing my husband?" Qin Fei fumed. Xuan Hui had just asked her to call him Master Xuan, so how could she say something like this?

    "Huh? I was offering my respects to Master Xuan Hui¡¯s father... Is the Old Master of the Xuan family your husband too?"

    "Fei Fei... calm down. Don¡¯t lower yourself to her level." Xuan Hui immediately held his wife¡¯s hands. He had no idea what Qin Jinghua had went through but he knew that she was nothing but bad news now. The old Qin Jinghua was meek and and he very much preferred that version of her. Xuan Hui felt that the person in front of him now was just hateful.

    "You have changed," he thought out loud. "Many of us here would prefer the old Qin Jinghua."

    "Of course many will. She was easier to kill," Lily rebutted nonchntly, making everyone speechless once again. "If we are not going to talk about money, then I will be going," She remarked, smirking at Qin Fei. She knew that Qin Fei loved the Vi because of her precious ¡¯memories¡¯ with Xuan Hui there. If Qin Fei had the power, she would not allow Lily to leave this ce without first obtaining her signature to transfer the property under her name.

    "That property was supposed to be mine! I¡¯m sure Grandmother was muddled when she wrote her Will!" Qin Fei said while ring daggers at Lily.

    "Jinghua... Fei Fei is currently pregnant right now. It is not good to agitate her. I understand that you are angry because she married into the Xuan family instead of you. However, please be sensible and just give the Vi to your sister. You know how important this ce is to her," Tang Lingyun said, in her usual gentle voice. "Please do not hate your sister. I should be the one that you should hate, not her." Tang Lingyun then wiped her nonexistent tears.

    "Alright..." Lily nodded. "You have a point."

    Tang Lingyun instantlyughed inwardly when she heard Lily¡¯s words.

    "As her mother, I know you would want to help. So... Mother Lingyun, Are you going to pay in cash? Or check?"

    Everyone stared at Lily in disbelief. ¡¯Why is this woman always talking about money? No matter how they say it, Qin Jinghua always seem to have a way to end the conversation with money!¡¯

    This would not have been an issue if the Qin family was as wealthy as it was before. The dwindling value of theirpany¡¯s stocks and loses they experienced over the years had depleted their wealth and thepany was also on the verge of bankruptcy. To save thepany, they could either make a case to Zhuo Capital, to ask them for investments or they could make some quick money through the sale of the properties they stand to inherit to bail theirpany out of a financial slump.

    "Qin Jinghua! I will overlook the fact that my father included you in his Will as long as you give the Vi to your sister! I could go to the court and easily take back everything. But I would rather settle this out of court, so just listen to me and relinquish your im to the Vi and all the other properties that you stand to inherit from Mother. Don¡¯t worry about the shares as I am not interested in those," Qin Mo added. As the Patriarch of the family, Qin Mo had the ability to swallow his anger and maintain hisposure. Especially at times like this.

    Years ago, Qin Mo originally had hopes for Qin Jinghua. Though he did not treat her as well as his other two children, he also did not mistreat her but had provided her with money, food and clothing. In Qin Mo¡¯s opinion, she wasn¡¯tcking. Who would have thought that she would repay his kindness by embarrassing their family seven years ago?

    Because images of Lily being intimate with an unknown man were circting in the news then, Qin Mo had be aughing stock in his circle of friends. In fact, not just Qin Mo but the entire Qin family had be aughing stock in Hong Kong. As the Qin family didn¡¯t want to lose the connection with the Xuan family, they lowered themselves and pleaded with Xuan Hui¡¯s parents to ept Qin Fei into their family then.

    "First and foremost, I am not a member of the Qin family." Lily shrugged. "You made this clear seven years ago." Seven years ago, before she lost her mother, Qin Mo, together with Tang Lingyun made sure to kick her while she was down and disowned her. The only reason why Lily¡¯s name had not been removed from the family registry was because of Old Madam Ye¡¯s intervention and disapproval. "I could hand over Grandmother¡¯s properties to your son and daughter but I would need some marypensation for that. After all, money talks."

    "Shameless!" Qin Fei sneered. "Do you think I could not afford those properties? For a beggar like you, any amount of money should be enough! I would give you a million USD. Take it or leave it." Qin Fei was an list star and the future Madam of the Xuan family, money was not really an issue for her. She also had her own savings from filming. However, she was trying to build up her savings and prove herself to the current Madam of Xuan family, Xuan Hui¡¯s mother, who hated her.

    Qin Fei was a prideful person. She was born with a silver spoon and was used to living extravagantly. She used to shop and spend her money in veryvish ways. However, because Xuan Hui¡¯s mother preferred a daughter-inw who spent her money smartly, Qin Fei forced herself to tone down her spending in an effort to impress her mother-inw.

    "No deal." Lily shook her head, making Qin Fei feel more irritated. It could be the pregnancy hormones or just her original hate towards Qin Jinghua, but Qin Fei felt that she could have another outburst anytime. "I might be a beggar but I know the value of this property. If you want all properties, then I could give you a discount. I will sell it for one."

    "One what exactly?"

    "One billion US dors... I prefer cash of course!" Lily beamed, almost making everyone erupt in rage.

 Chapter 23: Build Some Connections

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 23: Build Some Connections</h4>

    Seeing that everyone was staring at her with rage apparent in their eyes, Lily straightened her back and also stared back at every single one of them. With the same beautiful smile stered on her face, she confidently look into their eyes. Years ago, this family abandoned her at her lowest. Although, Lily was not really doing this on purpose...

    Scratch that.

    Of course, Lily was doing this on purpose. But she was not doing this because she still hated these people. She was just looking for a little fun ah. Seeing their faces dropped, their mouths agape from shock was actually making Lily really happy. This was just too fun for her, she could do this everyday.

    For six years now, Lily had conditioned herself to mask all her emotions and adapt ording to the situation. No matter what the situation was, she would still put on a smile on her face while she worked her brilliant mind to scheme and look for the best solution. No doubt, her maternal grandmother, Lilian Fi had been a great influence on her, grooming her to who she was today. In this current situation, she saw an opportunity to earn more money.

    Her maternal grandmother had always told her that the best way to win was to make your enemy underestimate you. And the best way to have them lower their guard was to act na?ve and stupid. Although this might make them fumed in anger, it was all part of the n. After all, when people are angry, it would affect their ability to think clearly.

    In Europe, most businessmen who had dealings with Lily would know how good she was at making them see red. It wasn¡¯t the condescending way she would look at you, nor her catchyebacks, rather, it was her smile. It made many wonder how a smile, something beautiful, could make people lose their cool. Perhaps if they got to see her smile themselves one day, they would understand.

    "Since you cannot afford this amount, then there is no point in continuing this conversation," she added, waking everyone up from their stupor.

    "Qin Jinghua, I know that you are somehow associated with someone influential from the business world in Hong Kong," Xuan Hui said. When Yan Guang informed him that Qin Jinghua is the same woman who wanted to sell the donut for an extravagant amount, he already assumed that Qin Jinghua must have somehow got lucky andtched onto someone of influence in Hong Kong.

    Seeing her act like a dandy young mistress right now only proved his assumption.

    "So?" Lily asked.

    "The Xuan family is widely known in the business circle. I¡¯m sure you know that I could easily bankrupt thepany that you are working in," Xuan Hui said confidently. Since this woman refused to be sensible, he had to resort to threats.

    "What are you talking about?" Qin Fei asked.

    "Well... I guess this should not be a secret to everyone. Qin Jinghua here is associated with a business personality here in Hong Kong. Remember the woman who wanted to sell the donut for a hundred thousand dors?" When Qin Fei nodded, Xuan Hui continued. "That woman was Qin Jinghua."

    A sh of disbelief was seen on everyone¡¯s face. Since Qin Fei was pregnant, everyone in the Qin family had been pampering her like a child and giving her everything she wanted. But two days ago, Qin Fei had made a ruckus about the woman who disrespected her and asked her father to find the identity of the woman. Everyone was angry on Qin Fei¡¯s behalf. Who would have thought that it was actually Qin Jinghua?

    "So you are resorting to threats now." Lily smirked. "Well then... I will just have to wait for you to contact mypany and ask them to fire me, Master Xuan."

    "For now, I will be taking my leave. I don¡¯t want to waste any more time here with you all. After all, I have to find someone to marry so that I could get that other half of Grandfather¡¯s properties." Lily got up from her seat and roamed her eyes at everyone. "It was nice seeing all of you. I hope not to see any of you ever again."

    Then she gave them a smirk before walking out of the door, leaving the furious Qin family behind.

    Seeing that Qin Jinghua had left, everyone seemed to have woken up from their daze and started eyeing each other, each waiting for the other to say something. Qin Jinghua had left just like that! It was too quick and abrupt that no one was able to stop her in time!

    This was a very surprising turn of events for everyone. Not only had Qin Jinghua returned, she acted like she owned the ce and made everyone feel ufortable in her presence. Having not seen Qin Jinghua for many years, no one expected to see such a big change in her.

    "I want you to dig up everything about a woman named Qin Jinghua. She should be from Europe. Yes... Okay. I understand." Xuan Hui gritted his teeth before ending the call with his personal secretary. How dare Qin Jinghua challenged him?

    The moment Lily took a step out of the mansion, she immediately put on her shades and sauntered towards her beetle.

    "Let¡¯s go," she said, after buckling her seatbelt.

    "Where to President Qin?" Yang Mi asked.

    "I am feeling good today. Let¡¯s eat something nice," Lily said while checking her tablet. "Oh... one more thing. I want you to schedule a meeting with Mr. Zhuo of the Zhuo Capital. Tell him it¡¯s about the Qin Enterprises."

    Seeing Yang Mi nod, Lily continued. "How about that invitation that I asked you before? Were you able to find out about President Zhuo¡¯s recent event invitations?"

    "Yes, President Zhuo will be attending a fundraising event on the first week of July. It¡¯s a fundraising event for various orphanages in Hong Kong. ording to my research, President Zhuo seems to pay particr attention to fundraising events with orphanages as the beneficiary. I asked Mr. Kim for his help and was able to secure an invitation for the event," Yang Mi exined.

    "Good. Very Good..." Lily nodded. "I¡¯m sure President Zhuo is a very busy man. It might be difficult to schedule an appointment with him on such a short notice. Perhaps I should make use of this uing event to build some connections first," Lily thought out loud.

    Grandmother Ye had only given her two percent of the shares in Qin Enterprises because she knew that thepany was suffering and did not seem to have the ability of recovering. However, Lily had other ns for thepany.

    Of course, for her to execute her ns, she would need to convince President Zhuo to sell her his shares in Qin Enterprises.

    With this in mind, Lily closed her eyes and started to think about possible ways to deal with the infamous President Zhuo of the Zhuo Capital.

 Chapter 24: Dazzling and Handsome Alpha Male

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 24: Dazzling and Handsome Alpha Male</h4>

    "Reject her," Zhuo Jingren scrunched his brows and balled his fist before turning his head away from his secretary. Like a teenager throwing a tantrum, his lips slowly morphed into a pout. "What took her secretary so long to call me? Reject her! Tell her I am extremely busy!"

    "President Zhuo this..." Secretary Go was speechless. Just days ago, President Zhuo was so eager for this call and even asked him to prepare the documents for the transfer of shares. Now that Miss Qin¡¯s Secretary finally called to schedule an appointment, President Zhuo was throwing a tantrum, like the wife whose husband had forgotten to call her. ¡¯Just what is this situation? How could the president act like this? This is extremely embarrassing ah.¡¯

    "President... please calm down," Secretary Go said, his tone mild and docile, like a mother coaxing a child. "You see, as a CEO of a multinational conglomerate, Miss Qin is an extremely busy woman. Qin Enterprises and the Qin family might not be her priority as I¡¯m sure that she has more important things to attend to. Just today, she attended the reading of herte grandmother¡¯s Will. Perhaps something happened at the reading today that made her decide to contact you regarding Qin Enterprises."

    "What is more important than me?" Zhuo Jingren retorted immediately.

    "President, pardon me for saying this. But I think you are being unreasonable," the secretary said, treading carefully. "Miss Qin is not even aware that you exist." As expected, President Zhuo instantly gave him a death re after he tried to reason with his boss. "I... I am not saying it in a bad way... I mean... I don¡¯t mean it that way," Secretary Go stuttered.

    "What I mean is... Miss Qin is a woman. It is our duty as men to coax women. Not the other way around." Seeing that President Zhuo had raised an eyebrow at him, he continued confidently, "As someone who had been in rtionships before, I am an expert at coaxing women. Why don¡¯t I give you some tips President Zhuo?"

    "You are single now," Zhuo Jingren stated.

    "But I have coaxed women before," Secretary Go proudly said with his head held high. "This... I am not saying that youck experience... what I mean is... if you act tough now and decline this request for a meeting, Miss Qin might not ask her secretary to call us back again."

    "Why would you say that?" Zhuo Jingren asked. "Since she needs something from me, she doesn¡¯t have a choice but to call me again."

    "President, think about it. With 25 percent of the shares in Qin Enterprises, youe second after the Qin family who owns 32 percent of the shares. If Miss Qin wants to be the biggest shareholder in Qin Enterprises, she could also choose to approach the other smaller shareholders and get them to sell her their shares. If she is sessful, do you think she would still need to approach you to buy over your shares?"

    "Given her influence and reputation, and the current state of Qin Enterprises, I¡¯m sure that all those smaller shareholders would not hesitate to sell their shares to her if the price is right, " he added, closely observing President Zhuo for any changes in his expressions. Seeing that his president had turned silent at his words, Secretary Go let out a sigh of relief before he bowed his head. He felt that he had already done his best to help the president ah. If President Zhuo still refuses to listen and insists on his peculiar ways then Secretary Go could only watch as his boss fall into the abyss of singlehood forever.

    "Hmmm..." Zhuo Jingren stroke his chin. "That actually makes sense. Alright... then tell her that I want to meet her tonight. For Dinner."

    "Eh? But president your meeting with..."

    "Cancel it. Nothing is more important than her. Reserve a VIP table in Radiant Banquet for dinner. I only want the best."

    Meanwhile, Yang Mi almost choke on her food. "Cough... Cough."

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Lily asked while passing Yang Mi a piece of tissue.

    "President! This is very surprising! I..."

    "Slowly... drink some water first," Lily said.

    "I just received a text message from President Zhuo¡¯s secretary saying that President Zhuo wants to meet for dinner. In... ummm..." Yang Mi said while scrolling on her phone. "Radiant Banquet, at seven in the evening. A VIP table has already been reserved, just for the two of you."

    "That fast?" Lily smiled while dabbing the corners of her mouth with a cloth napkin elegantly.

    "Maybe he just happened to be avable!" Yang Mi blurted. "And he must have known that you are Lily Qin of the Fi Group from Europe. Anyone who hears your name would surely want to have a meeting with you ASAP!"

    Lily did not answer her secretary as she took a sip of tonic water, in pensive for a moment. Given President Zhuo¡¯s status, he was definitely not someone who would be avable any time and in such a short notice. Moreover, Lily doubted that her status had that much of a weight when it came to President Zhuo, as her secretary presumed.

    "Oh another thing. President, I received a call earlier from the security agency. They said that they will be sending someer. So I..."

    "What is it?"

    "I just want to ask if I could leave the car with you after dropping you off the restaurant. Ummm... As you know, I am from Maind China and when my mother knew that we would be in Hong Kong, she insisted oning here to see me. So I... ummm... I would like to meet up with my mother and spend time with her."

    "Alright... No problem. Just make sure to give the security agency my location so they could send the new driver to the restaurant," Lily said before asking the waiter for the bill. Though Lily had no idea how President Zhuo looked like, she heard rumors that the man is actually quite young, only in his thirties and not yet married. Moreover, some magazines had mentioned that he was a dazzling and handsome alpha male.

    With all these in mind, Lily decided to at least doll herself up a little and put on some nice clothes for the man. After all, the objective of the meeting was to convince him to sell her his shares and creating a good first impression could turn the discussion in her favor.

 Chapter 25: Change his Career

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 25: Change his Career</h4>

    "President Qin... I¡¯m sure President Zhuo is on his way." Secretary Go swallowed hard when he met Lily¡¯s eyes. More than twenty minutes had passed since the agreed meeting time at seven in the evening and President Zhuo was still nowhere in sight.

    If not for President Zhuo having another bout of tantrum, refusing to enter the restaurant, Secretary Go would not have to feel so guilty while looking into Miss Qin¡¯s eyes.

    "It¡¯s okay, I understand." Lily smiled. It waspletely understandable that the legendary CEO of Zhuo Capital would be busy. Lily was more than willing to wait since the meeting with President Zhuo was surprisingly scheduled on the very same day that her secretary had called to request for an appointment. "If you want, you could order some drinks first," Lily said before calling the waiter. She intended to order some red wine for herself.

    "I... No... I am totally fine," Secretary Go said guiltily while trying his best to keep a straight face. Slowly, he took out his phone and sent a text to his boss. It had already been twenty minutes and President Zhuo was still outside.

    At this moment, Secretary Go recalled a story that circted about President Zhuo when they were younger. It was said that the president took a liking to a girl from a private school near the orphanage. However, whenever he tried to confess to the girl, he would faint from being too nervous. In the end, the president never got the chance to confess to the girl before she left the school and was never seen again. Not long after, the president also left the orphanage and worked his way to the top.

    This story had been going around for so long that there were many versions about it. Some say that the girl actually died, leaving the president heartbroken. While some say that although the president was good looking, it was a pity he was an orphan with no background which was why the girl never noticed him. It was also said that this girl was the reason why President Zhuo strived so hard to be rich. However, that was not the point.

    The point was, the young and handsome Zhuo Jingren would faint in the presence of the girl that he liked.

    What if all the stories were true? What if President Zhuo had fainted outside?

    Secretary Go then searched his memory and tried to recall if there was any woman who was close to the president before.

    No one came to mind.

    At a prime age of thirty-one, President Zhuo had never once been with a woman! He had never been in a rtionship and was never seen in thepany of a woman. Could it be because President Zhuo hadn¡¯t been able to ovee his nerves and sessfully confess to a woman that he likes?

    ¡¯This... This is too unbelievable ah!¡¯

    "Is something wrong?" Lily¡¯s words, woke the secretary up from his stupor.

    "Oh... No... No... nothing is wrong. I ... um... I was trying to send a text to the president," he answered. Secretary Go felt as if he had just discovered a big secret about the president! This was just too much, he didn¡¯t think that his heart could handle this information.

    Lily only smiled at Secretary Go. She was about to say something when she noticed the vibration of her phone. She immediately checked her phone to note who the caller was. "Please excuse me. I need to answer this." Lily immediately got up from her seat and answered the call.

    "Ah Li... where are you? Liam Arison¡¯s mother just arrived at the apartment! She is mad and is looking for you! I need you now! Like RIGHT now!"

    "Why would she be mad at me?" Lily asked. After cancelling the engagement with Liam Arison, Lily chose to keep her distance from the Arison family and have no association with them. Though it was quite disrespectful for her to do that, she felt that her actions were reasonable. She knew how manipting and scheming Liam Arison¡¯s mother was. For Lily, people like that needed to be avoided like a gue.

    "She was saying that Liam was in an ident. I don¡¯t know... I tried to call Yang Mi but I can¡¯t reach her. I really think it¡¯s best for you toe home now and deal with this woman... or who knows, I might end up a criminal before this day ends," Li Shanshan grumbled on the other line.

    "Alright. Just... just rx and try to control your temper," Lily said. Li Shanshan was known for her short temper and fiery personality. If she cannot control her temper with a woman like Mrs. Arison, Lily could not imagine the oue. Someone might even end up in a hospital!

    After Lily ended the call, she went back to the table immediately to exin to Secretary Go about the current emergency she was facing.

    "I¡¯m really sorry Secretary Go. But I have an emergency right now. I cannot wait for President Zhuo anymore," Lily said, her face regretful and sad. She felt lucky for the opportunity to meet with President Zhuo tonight but the thing with Mrs. Arison was really an emergency. Based on her understanding of Li Shanshan, Lily knew that Li Shanshan would not take any insults directed toward her friends without a fight. With her fiery temper, who knows what might happen if Mrs. Arison should utter a single word of insult towards Lily?

    "I... But President Qin... I..." Secretary Go panicked while inwardly chastising President Zhuo. He was getting a headache ah! He had been trying his best to help the president with his love life. Now, it seemed that all his efforts had gone to waste!

    "I¡¯m really sorry about this. But I am in a hurry. My secretary will call you again tomorrow to reschedule the meeting" Lily said in a hurry, cing a thousand-dor check on the table before leaving. She then left the restaurant, taking long stride towards her beetle while inwardly hoping that Mrs. Arison would still be alive when she arrives at the apartmentter.

    When she arrived at her beetle, she was surprised to see a man in a suit leaning against her beetle and smoking a cigarette. The man stared at her, seemingly waiting for her to speak up. With the man¡¯s tall stature, coupled with the dim lights from themp post, it was hard for Lily to see his features clearly.

    "Are you my new driver?" she asked. Without waiting for the man to answer, Lily tossed her keys toward the man before walking towards the passenger side of the car. "Drive. Let¡¯s go wreck some havoc."

    "Wait... Wait... President!" Lily and the ¡¯driver¡¯ immediately turned their heads towards the voice they heard and saw that someone was running towards them. Surprisingly, it was Secretary Go.

    "Yes?" Since Lily¡¯s gaze was so focused on the secretary, she failed to see the re that the ¡¯driver¡¯ was giving Secretary Go. The poor secretary could only tremble at a certain someone¡¯s gaze.

    "I... I... Please have your secretary call me to reschedule. I¡¯m sure President Zhuo would want to meet you and ummm... talk ... talk about business." Without dying any further, Secretary Go walked away as fast as he could, fullyprehending the deadly situation. Even with his back against them, Secretary Go could still feel President Zhuo sending daggers his way.

    Based on his observation, it was obvious that President Qin thought that President Zhuo was her designated driver. And from the way that President Zhuo was ring at him, it was obvious that he did not want to correct Miss Qin.

    ¡¯Ah... Why is President Zhuo pretending to be Miss Qin¡¯s driver? Is he nning to change his career into Miss Qin¡¯s driver now?¡¯ Secretary Go didn¡¯t have the guts to expose his president.

 Chapter 26: Huaer

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 26: Hua¡¯er</h4>

    Zhuo Jingren hated the smell of cigarettes.

    He hated inhaling the thick and bitter scent, likened to burnt wood that would permeate the air, and linger on his clothes like scented deodorant. It was nothing but poison. Zhuo Jingren did not like to smoke but tonight was an exception.

    Zhuo Jingren watched as rings of smoke disappear in the cool breeze of the evening. It was eighteen minutes past seven and he still could not contain the twitching nerves in his stomach. He told his secretary that he would arrive thirty minuteste, thinking that it would only make Lily look forward to their meeting even more, against his secretary¡¯s better judgement. Secretary Go tried to reason with his president that a gentleman should never let ady wait but his advice fell on deaf ears.

    He might have fooled his secretary but he could never fool himself. He was not intentionally being childish or unreasonable. He was just really... really nervous about seeing her again.

    He let out a long sigh, feeling butterflies in his stomach. His brain was in overdrive, generating many possible scenarios about how their fateful meeting would be like. Pushing out another burst of smoke, his mind wandered back to the past. Fifteen years ago, Zhuo Jingren met the most beautiful girl that he everid his eyes on. A girl with the most beautiful and vibrant looking pair of amber eyes and a small and cute dimple on her left cheek. This girl was called Qin Jinghua or Hua¡¯er, a name that he used to call her by. Qin Jinghua was twelve while Zhuo Jingren or Renren was fifteen.

    Even though Qin Jinghua came from a rich family and was attending a prominent all-girls school, she never look down on him or anyone from the orphanage. She would find time to y with the kids from the orphanage and even share her own food with them. At first, Zhuo Jingren thought that she was just another young miss who was making use of the orphanage to make herself look good on the outside. But this impression changed when he witnessed her being bullied by her ssmates at school.

    After the incident, Zhuo Jingren came to know that Qin Jinghua was an outcast in her own school. Her dorm mates never talked to her and her ssmates always despised her for being the child of a shameless foreigner. Through hearsay, he also came to know that she was not liked by her own family, with the exception of her step-mother who seemed to like her and treat her well. He also heard that Qin Jinghua and her mother were not living gloriously like the other members of the family as they were actually living in an old maid¡¯s quarter.

    Despite everything that was going for her in life, Qin Jinghua had always looked on the brighter side and kept a smile on her face. If she ever felt that life gave her lemons, she never showed it to anyone. She spent so much time at the orphanage that it was as if she was one of them. It did not take long before Zhuo Jingren took a liking to this bubbly young miss of the Qin family. However, as a teenager who was inexperienced in the matter of the heart, hecked the confidence to pursue the girl.

    He grew up in the orphanage and just like everyone else, he was also an outcast in themunity. Treated with pity and indifference by most people, Zhuo Jingren developed an insecurity and would find it hard tomunicate his feelings. Because of this, every time he tried to confess to the little Hua¡¯er, he would faint.

    One time, he even fainted in front of her! He became aughing stock in the entire orphanage. His well-meaning friends had even tried to help him by creating the right atmosphere for confession time after time, but somehow he would still screw everything up with his stuttering and when the pressure became too great, he would change the topic to something he wasfortable with - dinosaurs. His friends all facepalmed.

    After many failed confessions, he was feeling really helpless and his best friend who greatly sympathized with him decided to intervene one day. His best friend actually went up to Qin Jinghua and asked her directly if she would give Zhuo Jingren a chance when they grow up. And to his surprise, Qin Jinghua said yes, as long as he could match her family¡¯s status for only then would her father give his blessings.

    Not long after, Qin Jinghua stopped attending school. Zhuo Jingren tried to look for her in the Qin Mansion but was told by the servants that Qin Jinghua was sick and that the Young Madam, Qin Jinghua¡¯s stepmother did not allow any visitors.

    The way that the servants would sneer at the mention of Qin Jinghua¡¯s name and the disgust that was shown on their faces whenever they talked about how sickly she was instantly made Zhuo Jingren mad. Because of this, he promised to one day be even more prominent than the Qin family.

    Zhuo Jingren puffed out another ring of smoke and was woken from his stupor by the sound of someone¡¯s footsteps drawing closer.

    He shifted his head and his gazended on a woman, a foot shorter than him donning a beautiful beige dress. His heart seemed to skip a beat as he wordlessly stared at the woman who was also staring back at him. Should he introduce himself as President Zhuo or the young man in her past...

    A muscle at the corner of his right eye suddenly twitch involuntarily, making him swallow all the words that he wanted to say.

    "Are you my new driver?" he heard Lily asked before catching her keys that were tossed at him. "Drive, let¡¯s go wreck some havoc."

    Zhuo Jingren could only watch as thetter walked towards the passenger side of the car.

    "Wait... wait... President!" Zhuo Jingren instantly turn his head and met the eyes of his secretary, sending him his deadliest re to make him shut his mouth and not expose him.

    "Yes?" Lily asked her lips curled into a small smile.

    Watching Qin Jinghua smile instantly made Zhuo Jingren speechless. His eyes were glued on her dazzling side profile. Like a hail against a ss pane, the drumming in his heart was relentless and loud. It was so loud that his mind could not register the rest of his secretary¡¯s words.

    "Hey! What are you waiting for? Get in! I¡¯m in a hurry." Zhuo Jingren woke up from his daydream and slid inside the beetle without a word. He did not even notice his secretary leaving!

    "Bring me to my apartment and make it fast. I will give you a bonus if we reach the ce in less than fifteen minutes," Lily said before she closed her eyes and massaged her temples. This Arison family was beginning to give her a headache. She felt the need to deal with this family as soon as possible and let them know that crossing her was a wrong move.

    When Lily felt the car moving, she opened her eyes and looked at the man who was struggling to fitfortably inside her small beetle due to his tall stature. For some reason, this sight made Lily smile. "Hey, driver... I¡¯m sure you already know that I am Lily Qin. I will be your new boss from now on," she stated. She was sure that the agency had already told the man about her. "Why don¡¯t you tell me your name and age... and anything about yourself in general?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 27: Stumbled into a Clown!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 27: Stumbled into a Clown!</h4>

    "I¡¯m called Renren."

    Lily raised an eyebrow at the mention of the name. However, she chose not to say anything and let Renren continue.

    "I just turned 31 two months ago. Single and never had a girlfriend."

    Lily¡¯s instantaneous soft giggle made the atmosphere lighter. Single and never had a girlfriend? Just what kind of man would say something like this when introducing themselves? Ah... she had stumbled into a clown! Lily awkwardly turned her giggles into coughs when she noticed the man eyeing her.

    With the lights from the streets illuminating his face, Lily was able to partially see the man¡¯s features. For a minute, she was speechless. This man¡¯s face was very symmetrical! His prominent jaw was curved at the right ces which immediately reminded her of Brad Pitt. Though she still could not see his face entirely, Lily knew that this new driver of hers was very good-looking. She woke up from her stupor when she noticed that the man was looking straight at her with an expression that she could not put a finger on. Just like a child caught stealing a candy, Lily immediately turned her eyes away from Renren.

    "Ehem, eyes on the road," she uttered, avoiding the man¡¯s gaze. She instantly chastised herself forughing at his words earlier. "Please drive faster... I have an emergency that I need to attend to."

    "Alright," Zhuo Jingren answered calmly. For some reason, the nervousness that he felt earlier was nowpletely gone. In fact, he even feltfortable in her presence. Zhuo Jingren did not hesitate to rev up the engine and hit the elerator, picking up speed.

    In less than fifteen minutes, the beetle arrived at the parking lot of Lily¡¯s apartment. Without another word, she got out of the car and dashed towards the elevator with Zhuo Jingren in tow.

    ¡¯Ding¡¯

    Lily pressed the all too familiar button and tapped her key card at the card reader located right at the bottom of the elevator control panel. The elevator began to move, taking them to the top floor. "Why are you following me?" she asked Renren before slowly turning her head to face him. And what she saw did not disappoint her.

    The man was more than a foot taller than her. He had short ck hair and a pair of dark brown eyes which were framed by beautiful thickshes. Lily watched as the man stared at her for a second before he answered, "Security protocol."

    Lily nodded approvingly at the Zhuo Jingren. He was her driver and security personnel so it was only reasonable for him to stay close to her until she gets home. As expected of an employee of the top security agency of the country.

    Another awkward silence ensued inside the elevator. "Your car is too small," Zhuo Jingren muttered in the most stoic voice that he could muster.

    "Hmmm... you are too tall," Lily answered almost immediately. "I will ask someone to deliver another car tomorrow," she answered. Though she loved her beetle, it would be really unfair to her driver if he had to squeeze himself in her car all the time. Once again, a small smile escaped Lily¡¯s lips when she thought about how the six foot two man beside her was struggling to fit into her beetle just moments ago.

    Zhuo Jingren nodded in response. ording to his intel, Lily had a collection of customized cars in her garage and she would never ride in any other car except in one of her own. However, his research also revealed that Lily had never driven a car before. If that was the case, then how was she able to ensure that her customization worked and was safe without testing them after that? Zhuo Jingren found this absolutely interesting. The woman was known to be extremely picky and would not even allow her maids to go inside her garage. He can¡¯t help but wonder what could a small woman like her do in her garage alone.

    ¡¯Ding¡¯

    Lily once again tapped her key card at the card reader to open the elevator that immediately led her to the foyer of her apartment. Her brows scrunched up when she heard two distinct voices arguing. She strode towards the living room of her penthouse apartment.

    "Lily is nothing like that!" Li Shanshan gritted her teeth while staring daggers at the woman across her. "If you are here just to insult..."

    "I am not insulting her! I am merely speaking the truth! She came from a mental hospital and everyone in Europe will know that if she does not..."

    "Threats?" Lily¡¯s cold voice echoed inside the living room, interrupting Mrs. Arison. "I am not good with threats Mrs. Arison," she said as she walked towards Li Shanshan.

    "Lily... I... I did not mean it that way darling... I was just having a conversation with Shanshan..." Mrs. Arison gave a fakeugh, turning to look at Lily.

    "I heard that Liam got into an ident?" Lily said, ignoring the woman¡¯s words. "May I know why you are here instead of tending to your son in the hospital?"

    "Lily!" A shocked expression shed on Mrs. Arison¡¯s face. Lily¡¯s blunt words obviously surprised her. She remembered that whenever she visited the Fi Vi in the past, she would see how docile and sweet Lily was around her grandmother and she was always respectful towards her. Why was she disrespecting her now? Was it all an act in front of her grandmother? A facade?

    Of course, Sofia Arison was unaware of Lily¡¯s true nature, that was infamous in the business world. As someone who was born into a rich family and married rich as well, Sofia didn¡¯t have to work or worry about money and was clueless about the business world. Moreover, Sofia couldn¡¯t see through Lily¡¯s ¡¯innocent¡¯ smiles and thought that she was an easy prey. This was the reason why she worked so hard just to convince Old Madam Fi agree to have Lily marry Liam.

    Who would have thought that Lily would cancel the wedding a month after her grandmother¡¯s death?

    Sofia was furious because she had worked hard to make this engagement happen. Disregarding her husband¡¯s warnings, she sent her son to follow Lily to Hong Kong, hoping that the two could patch things up. And since that did not work out, Sofia decided to see Lily personally so that she could pressure her to continue with this engagement.

    Lily was born to be an Arison. And no matter the cost, Sofia Arison would make sure that this will happen.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 28: Scandinavian

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 28: ¡¯Scandinavian¡¯</h4>

    "I think you might not have heard my question earlier," Lily¡¯s stern voice echoed inside the living room, waking up Mrs. Arison from her stupor. "So, I am going to ask you again. Why are you here harassing my friend instead of taking care of your son at the hospital?"

    "I... Lily darling, how could you say such things?" Mrs. Arison widened her eyes, her face turning red from being caught red-handed. However, she refused to back off. "I was not harassing her. We just had a little misunderstanding," she said while eyeing Lily¡¯s friend who was giving her a smug smile.

    "I see..." Lily said while making herselffortable on the couch. "So is Liam dead?"

    "Lily!" Mrs. Arison¡¯s temper instantly red. "Disrespecting me is fine, but how could you say something like that about your fianc¨¦?"

    "Ex," Lily corrected. "Ex-fianc¨¦. You can¡¯t me me for assuming that he is already dead. Or why else would you be here bothering me instead of taking care of him? Again, this will be the third time that I am asking you the same question: Why are you here? Is your son dead? Are you perhaps asking me to give some donations for his funeral?" Mrs. Arison was about to open her mouth to speak when Lily held up her hand, causing Mrs. Arison to swallow her words. Lily then narrowed her eyes as her lips curled into a smile. "One wrong answer and I will throw you out of my apartment."

    Mrs. Arison instantly let out a dramatic gasp, obviously shocked by Lily¡¯s harsh words. This was the first time that Lily... No, this was the first time that someone dared to threaten her this way. Surprise was written all over Mrs. Arison¡¯s face as she watched Lily leisurely crossed her legs and drummed her fingers on her knees as if she was having a casual conversation with a friend.

    "If I had known that you are actually such a vicious person, I would never have agreed to the Old Madam Fi¡¯s request to ept you into the Arison family," Mrs. Arison uttered, her tone regretful and righteous. She had expected Lily to soften up at the mention of her maternal grandmother¡¯s name. However, to her disappointment, thetter only let out a snort.

    "Renren, throw her out of the terrace." Lily¡¯s words instantly shocked everyone including Zhuo Jingren. However, he did not tarry. He immediately walked towards Mrs. Arison, narrowing his eyes, his lips curled into a sinister smile. Like a predator stalking its prey, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s tall stature immediately towered over Mrs. Arison who was seated.

    "What are you doing?" Seeing as Lily had no change of expression on her face, Mrs. Arison started to panic. At this height, she knew that she would not survive the fall if she was thrown out of the terrace. Moreover, no one in the Arison family knew that she had gone to Hong Kong to find Lily. With Lily¡¯s connections, it would be very easy for her to bribe the authorities to cover-up her death as suicide. Mrs. Arison¡¯s face instantly paled when Zhuo Jingren made a grab of her arm. "Lily darling... this... I am just here to inform you about my son¡¯s ident. That¡¯s all! That¡¯s all! See, I already answered your question. Hey... let go! Let me go!"

    "Stop." Lily orderedzily and Zhuo Jingren stopped tugging Mrs. Arison. "Let her go." Like a trained soldier, Zhuo Jingren released Mrs. Arison and the shock caused her to cry and fall on her knees.

    "See? If only you had answered my question the first time I asked," Lily said as she rose up from her seat and walked towards Mrs. Arison. "I am actually a very easy person to talk to," she stated. Then she patted Zhuo Jingren on the shoulders and shed him with a bright smile. "Good Job! I will give you a rewardter," she said before turning away.

    As Lily¡¯s back was facing Zhuo Jingren, she didn¡¯t get to see a crack on thetter¡¯s stoic face. Like a kid receiving his first star, a small smile escaped before he quickly regained hisposure, putting on a nk expression like a security personnel should. However, he couldn¡¯t help but think about the reward that Lily promised which made him absent-minded. He stared nkly ahead and felt his ears burning hot.

    When he felt that his heart was beginning to race in excitement, Zhuo Jingren immediately dispelled his inner thoughts and took deep breaths to calm himself down. He roamed his eyes around Lily¡¯s living room to study it in an effort to distract himself.

    ¡¯Dark gray and white paint,¡¯ Zhuo Jingren uttered inwardly. ¡¯Minimalistic cozy ents, artistic modern furniture, with floor to ceiling windows! No doubt, Lily loves the Scandinavian look.¡¯

    Zhuo Jingren went through these observations in his mind again and again like someone rehearsing for a speech. Although his inner thoughts were in chaos, he still managed to maintain a stoic expression on his face. Even Li Shanshan felt a little intimidated by this tall man standing like a statue in the room.

    "Excuse me?" Lily¡¯s words interrupted his thoughts.

    "Huh?"

    "You said ¡¯Scandinavian¡¯," Lily stated. Seeing this weird bodyguard in a daze, Lily shook her head, "Never mind." She then turned her attention back to Mrs. ArisonMrs. Arison who was still crying on the floor.

    "Well, since you have already said what you wanted to say, you can go now. I have already made it clear to Liam that there will be no wedding. I was being kind by saving the three subsidiarypanies that used to be under the Arisons. But don¡¯t be mistaken, I wasn¡¯t doing it for the Arisons because now they are mine. Moreover, Grandmother believed that these threepanies could still be saved and I trust her judgement. At the end of the day, it¡¯s all business."

    "Your precious son cheated on me. What do you think will happen when I expose that to the public? Let me tell you, the value of the stocks in Arison Holdings will go down with him" Lily said. The obvious surprise in Mrs. Arison¡¯s eyes made it clear that she was not aware of her son¡¯s folly. "He is in a rtionship with his cousin, the starlet Monique."

    "I... What are you saying?"

    "Simple... you just threatened me a while ago," Lily said. "Now it¡¯s my turn. Try to expose anything about my past and the world will know how disgusting your son is. I have photos and videos evidences of him fooling around. I¡¯m sure that will make his father loathe and despise him. Not only will he be kicked out of the CEO position in Arison Holdings, your husband will surely disown him and kick him out of the family as well."

    "Think carefully before you decide to go against me," she added. "I am the sole Fi alive who made a change in Europe¡¯s economy years ago. You can expose my past. But this will not change the fact that I am a legend in Europe. People will see you as a joke and in turn I will ruin your family."

    "I have said enough. Now it¡¯s up to you to decide what you want to do next. Just make sure to leave my ce before I finish changing my clothes." With that, Lily strode towards her room, leaving the crying Mrs. Arison in a daze.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 29: Beautiful Yet Haunting

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 29: Beautiful Yet Haunting</h4>

    Once Lily was in her room, she closed and locked the door behind her. Knowing that there were still guests in the house, Lily didn¡¯t take her time to wash up. She took a quick hot shower and changed into her pajamas before walking out of her room.

    Seeing that Mrs. Arison was no longer in the living room, she instantly rxed and walked towards the kitchen to grab some crackers. "Eh? Why are you still here?" she furrowed her brows when she saw Renrenying out some tes on the table.

    "Miss Li received a call earlier and said that she needed to go out," Zhuo Jingren answered with a straight face. "She asked me if I knew how to cook and I said yes." That was a lie. Li Shanshan did leave because of a call but she did not ask Zhuo Jingren to cook anything. However, Zhuo Jingren was not nning to miss the opportunity to spend more time with Lily. Moreover, didn¡¯t she promised to reward him earlier? How could he leave without receiving his reward first?

    Lily nodded at his words. As a director, it was not umon for Li Shanshan to be called upon to attend an emergency meeting from her producers. It was also in Li Shanshan¡¯s character to make sure that Lily ate her meals well. Hence, Lily didn¡¯t think that anything was amiss. "What are you making?"

    "Beef stir-fry with broli in oyster sauce," he casually answered while giving Lily a pair of chopsticks and then taking a seat across her at the table.

    "Where did you get the beef?"

    "From the fridge." Another lie. The moment he found out that there was nothing in Lily¡¯s fridge that he could use to cook, he immediately asked Secretary Go to buy some beef and broli over to Lily¡¯s apartment. For someone who had been living alone for years now, Zhuo Jingren was very good at household chores, like cooking and cleaning. He even does his ownundry. The reason why he does all the household chores himself was because Zhuo Jingren was an extremely private person. He did not like having other people in his house and touching his things.

    "Alright," Lily said, secretly salivating. ¡¯This beef with broli looks so appetizing ah.¡¯ This Renren, this was only his first day of work and yet he was already cooking for her. For some reason, Lily¡¯s internal radar sounded. This man should be up to something!

    "It¡¯s not poisoned," Zhuo Jingren said, unaware that Lily was already suspicious of him. He used his chopsticks to pick some of the dish and transferred it to his bowl. Then he picked up a slice of beef, blew at it elegantly before putting it into his mouth, savoring it in front of Lily. "See?"

    Lily looked at the appetizing food before her and swallowed another mouthful of saliva. "Alright. Give me your bowl," she said and thetter obliged without a word. He even included his chopsticks.

    Without any reservation, Lily epted his bowl and chopsticks and began stuffing food into her mouth. She closed her eyes and savored the food inside her mouth. "This is so good," she thought out loud before eating another mouthful of rice with beef and broli.

    It was already past eight in the evening and Lily hadn¡¯t had her dinner. Needless to say, she was really hungry right now. She took another mouthful of food before she remembered the man across her. She looked up and caught Renren staring straight at her. Thetter seemed to be staring at her mouth. Lily didn¡¯t think that Renren was acting weirdly but immediately assumed that he was just hungry.

    "Sorry. You can start eating now," She said before lowering her head again to continue eating. Lily feltforted by the savory home-cooked meal before her. Being health-conscious, Lily can be rather particr about her diet. She would also find the time to work out and exercise. Unfortunately, cooking was not her forte.

    When Lilian Fi, her maternal grandmother, was still alive, she made sure that Lily ate well, didn¡¯t miss her meals and ate on time. She would get her personal servant to deliver food from home just to make sure that she ate nutritious food.

    After Old Madam Fi¡¯s death, there was no one to cook nutritious and delicious food for her anymore. Remembering her grandmother¡¯s constant reminders in the past to eat well and healthily, Lily found a way to make it happen. Lily knew that cooking was not an option for her so she started making vegetable and fruit juices. It wasn¡¯t difficult to operate a blender. Moreover, the ¡¯meal¡¯ could be taken on the go and consumed quickly, saving time! She could just drink all the goodness in one go!

    Lily patted herself on the back for her brilliance!

    "Since you are my security personnel, I will be arranging for you to lodge in the t below my apartment," she stated as an idea started to form inside her head. Since this man is such a good cook. Maybe she could..."You know, I will double your sry if you are agreeable to cook all my meals starting tomorrow."

    "No need for the additional sry, I will cook for you starting tomorrow," Zhuo Jingren answered almost immediately. "However, I cannot stay in the t below. For security reasons, I want to stay inside your apartment. This way, I could assure your safety and..."

    "Absolutely not," Lily interrupted. "There is no way that I will let a man stay in my apartment," she firmly said, staring straight into Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes. However, she quickly realised that meeting the man¡¯s eyes was a bad decision.

    For some reason, the more Lily stared at Zhuo Jingren, the more ufortable she felt. The two of them continued to stare at each other until...

    "Miss Qin?" his low voice echoed inside her head as shes of memory surfaced in her mind, memories that she had buried and long forgotten. She did not answer him but continued to watch him intently. She watched as Zhuo Jingren swallowed, his adam¡¯s apple bobbing. She watched as the corners of his pinkish lips curled into a small smile.

    Those lips... That Adam¡¯s apple...

    It was as if a lightning hit Lily¡¯s head. Her eyes quickly found his eyes again. At first nce, his eyes look dark brown. But at a closer look, she could clearly see that it was lighter, sprinkled with honey colored specs. It was beautiful yet also haunting.

    Those eyes...

    "Miss Qin?"

    "I ummm... I am not feeling well." She rose from her seat. "Please leave after you have cleaned up the kitchen," she said before leaving the dining area. Her face paled and her brows scrunched into a frown.

    How could she not have recognized the man whom she slept with all those years ago?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 30: Renren, the Escort

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 30: Renren, the Escort</h4>

    Lily paced back and forth inside her room. Her hands were balled into a fist while trying to control her trembling nerves.

    Renren was the man that she slept with seven years ago!

    How could the world be so small? Was this some sort of a joke?

    Though Lily thought of it as a one-night stand, she could never forget the man¡¯s low voice,the bobbing of his Adam¡¯s apple, the crooked smile on his beautiful lips, his gasps and grunts. How could she forget the best sex in her life?

    It was exactly seven years ago when Lily discovered that Xuan Hui was taking her sister out without her knowledge. As his fianc¨¦e, she instantly felt offended and confronted him about it. However, Xuan Hui denied it and imed innocence. In her anger, Lily went to a bar and to drown her frustrations with alcohol, while inwardly hoping that her fianc¨¦ would look for her at the bar and exin things to her.

    She waited and waited but to her disappointment, Xuan Hui didn¡¯te. Lily felt angrier and decided to look for a way to make Xuan Hui jealous, thinking that this might jolt him into taking action to clear up the air with her. So Lily thought of looking for some men to dance with at the bar. She was also counting on the gossipy onlookers in the bar to recognise her as Xuan Hui¡¯s fianc¨¦e and tell on her. After all, Xuan Hui was a known patron of the bar.

    In her naivety, she thought that once news about her dancing with unknown men in the bar reaches Xuan Hui¡¯s ears, he would drop everything he was doing and rush down to the bar. She thought that this might make him realize how precious she was to him and how he wouldn¡¯t want to lose her affections, treating her better henceforth. At the very least, she thought that he would pull her out of the bar to save her from potentially embarrassing herself and himself in return. Of course, that was all Lily¡¯s wishful thinking. How naive she was!

    With this in mind, she immediately roamed her eyes around the bar and her eyes caught on a handsome man who was just sitting at the table next to her. Luck seemed to be on her side as he seemed interested in her from the way he was intently staring at her, observing her from afar.

    Lily psyched herself to execute her n and instantly gave the man a coquettish smile and took the initiative to ask him for a dance. And as expected, the man agreed without blinking an eye. The dance started simple but after dancing for a while, Lily decided to spice things up so that when Xuan Hui arrived, he get to see a great show on the dance floor. Lily did not even know what gave her the courage to be so bold and provocative in the first ce.

    It was as if liquid adrenaline was injected into her system making her lose control and unleashed all her pent up emotions. She grew bolder and began to dance seductively around the man. At the same time, she felt something igniting inside her, something that she never felt towards Xuan Hui before.

    She noticed that the longer she danced with the man, the more attractive she found the man to be. It was like they were made for each other, like a jigsaw puzzle fitting together, perfectlyplementing one another. They barely knew each other but their movements were in perfect sync. They were giving each other a sexual vibe, their senses were stimted with every touch during the dance.

    As someone who was sexually inexperienced, Lily thought that what she felt towards the man at that time was nothing but lust. After sleeping with the man, she left silently the next morning before he woke up. Of course, she didn¡¯t forget to leave behind somepensation for his ¡¯service¡¯. Since he was good in bed, Lily assumed he was a trained escort. Lily had made an appointment at the hospital a weekter to get herself checked for any sexually transmitted disease. She knew that there was a possibility that she might contract a disease as they had unprotected sex and such sexually transmitted diseases are infectious. Fortunately, the man was clean.

    When she eventually found out that she had been drugged that night, Lily couldn¡¯t help but wonder if what she felt toward the man that night was under the influence of the drug or it was genuine. The drug that was in her system was not some aphrodisiac, but it would lower her inhibitions and cause her to somewhat lose control. So, she knew in her heart that everything that happened that night was her choice. She quickly concluded that what she felt towards Renren then was just lust.

    However, at the present, she realized that her conclusion in the past had been wrong. This man, who was working as her driver was actually very attractive. In addition, she could not deny the fact that she was indeed rather attracted to him, physically at least. The heat that was growing on her neck would attest to this.

    Now that Lily recognized the man before her was the same one that she slept with seven years ago, she suddenly recalled everything about him. Seven years ago, the man was already an Adonis, a god in human form. His perfectly carved biceps reminded her of a carved jade. It was perfect. The man also had drool worthy abs and... and... the humongous... Lily felt herself blush which made her furious.

    Though she never med Renren for what happened seven years ago, Lily still found it difficult to believe that she lusted for an escort. He was an escort for crying out loud! It was his job to pleasure women, countless women! Was she looking to be infected with a disease? Was she losing her mind?

    Lily slumped into her king-sized bed and closed her eyes. At the age of 27, she was still lusting after an escort. Is there any other thing more embarrassing than this?

    "What¡¯s wrong with you?" Lily jolted up and looked at Li Shanshan who had just entered her room without a sound. "Why are you so red? Are you sick?"

    "Yes! I am," Lily answered, avoiding her friend¡¯s hand who was trying to touch her forehead. "But I already took some meds. Stay away from me or you will get sick too."

    "Alright Lily Qin, spill it," Li Shanshan demanded before taking a seat beside Lily. "You are having dirty thoughts about your hot body guard, aren¡¯t you?"

    When Li Shanshan saw Lily widened her eyes in surprise, she immediately burst into peals ofughter. "You are? Oh my god! How could you?"

    "I will call the agency tomorrow and request for them to change him," Lily stated.

    "Why would you do that?"

    "Why wouldn¡¯t I?" she retorted. "A hot man like him would only bring trouble."

    "Then, can I have him?" Li Shanshan¡¯s eyes sparkled as she teased her friend.

    "Of course not!" Lily blurted without reservation. Although she knew that Li Shanshan was only joking, for some reason, the thought of her friend having Renren was making her upset. Was she jealous? Of course not. Jealousy is for the insecure and she was nothing like that. "He was an escort."

    "How did you know that?"

    "He told me," Lily answered with a straight face.

    "Really?" Li Shanshan let out a sigh. "Alright, I have to resign myself to follow in your footsteps and be single forever."

    "Oh, by the way, I met Yang Mi downstairs. She was with her mother and she wanted me to pass a message to you. She said that President Zhuo¡¯s secretary had called her and told her that President Zhuo will be able to meet you in his office tomorrow morning," Li Shanshan added.

    "Really? That¡¯s good." Lily smiled. At least President Zhuo was still willing to meet her despite what happened tonight.

    After kicking her friend out of her room, Lily signed some documents before she retired for the night. She told herself that she needed to sleep early tonight so that she wouldn¡¯t have eyebags the next day. She wanted to look her best when she meets President Zhuo.

    Lily shook off her thoughts of Renren out of her mind. She refused to let the man invade her thoughts any further. That man was the father of her unborn child and she promised herself not to let her past hinder her future.

    Once again, she reminded herself to call the agency to have them send another security personnel and rece Renren.

    Renren, the escort belonged in her past... and the past should stay in the past and be forgotten. Before long, she drifted off to sleep.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 31: Time is of the Essence!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 31: Time is of the Essence!</h4>

    Lily woke up early in the morning to prepare for her meeting.

    It was still five in the morning so she decided to do some Yoga before taking a shower. She then donned on a white blouse, paired with a ck dress pants and a ck zer. She chose to let her hair fall loosely on her shoulders instead of tying them up. After putting on some light make-up and spraying her signature scent, she was certain that she was presentable for the meeting.

    By the time she was done, it was already seven in the morning. Lily didn¡¯t waste any more time in her room and went downstairs to have her breakfast. However, to her surprise, Renren was already at her home and was even setting the table for breakfast for her.

    "Ehem..." Lily announced her presence, silently cursing that it was still too early to call the agency to inform them that she would like to have Renren reced. Lily maintained a calm demeanor as she sat down at the dining table.

    Seeing that Renren hadn¡¯t act like he was familiar with her from the time they metst night until now, she assumed that he must not have recognized her. If he was working as an escort, it was only reasonable for him not to remember her. This man must have served a lot of women before, she thought to herself before she started to eat what Renren had prepared for her.

    Renren had made an all English breakfast with toast, bacon, sausages and mushrooms. Lily began to wonder if cooking was something that Renren acquired to please his customers. However, she quickly dispelled that thought. She made a mental note to get Yang Mi to call the agency after Renren drop her off at Zhuo Capital¡¯s officeter.

    "Where is Yang Mi.. my secretary?" she asked the man who was silently eating across her. For some reason, Lily¡¯s eyes were instantly glued to Renren¡¯s white shirt. Since he was cooking earlier, he must have taken off his zer. A few buttons from the top of his shirt were opened, revealing a little of his chest.

    Lily¡¯s face quickly turned into a frown. ¡¯This man must be trying to seduce me,¡¯ she quickly thought. She steeled herself to ignore him. This would be hisst day anyway. If it was any other man, Lily would not have been this affected. But the resurfaced memories of the past and the thoughts she hadst night had somehow changed the way her brain usually functioned.

    "Uhh... Miss Yang left this for you." Zhuo Jingren handed a brown folder to Lily. "I met her when I was about to go inside. She said that she was sorry that she will not be able to apany you to the meeting today as her mother had an ident and she needed to stay by her mother¡¯s side until her sister arrives from Maind China. But she promised to be here tomorrow morning. She also said that she couldn¡¯t reach your phone or else she would have told you all these personally."

    "Damn," Lily almost face palmed. She had actually forgotten to charge her phone. She was so engrossed in her thoughtsst night that she slept without charging her phone!

    "Is there a problem?" he asked.

    "Nothing. Just remind me to bring a charger before we leave," she said before shoving another mouthful of bacon in her mouth out of frustration. ording to her grandmother¡¯s philosophy, being attracted to a good-looking man could bring you both happiness and trouble. A woman should either stay away from good-looking men or make one of them hers. Her maternal grandmother¡¯s love story was a shining example of how she snagged herself a prince.

    However, given that this Renren used to be an escort, marrying him is not an option. She could only stay away from the man.

    Moreover, the past would alsoplicate matters should they get into a rtionship in the future. After all, Lily had already lost their unborn child before.

    As a prominent businesswoman, she had seen her fair share of good-looking men. She believed that she had already formed an immunity to good-looking men and would not be easily flustered. Moreover, she was already 27 years old for crying out loud! She was not even a virgin and she had already experienced a lot of things in life. But, because of her past, she chose to avoid good-looking men like a gue. At the present, Lily found the situation with this man a littleplicated.

    He was someone capable ofplicating her ns.

    While Lily was busy mulling over the fact that Renren is an escort, thetter was also engrossed in his own thoughts. In less than two hours, Lily would find out that he and President Zhuo are one and the same. He was also nning to tell her that he is Renren, the young man whom she promised to give a chance to be in a rtionship with in the past. Aside from this, he was also nning to drop another bomb on her by proposing.

    Last night when he arrived at his penthouse, Secretary Go informed him about the ¡¯interesting¡¯ conditions that Lily¡¯s grandfather¡¯s had set in order for her to im his inheritance. Hence, he came to know that Lily had to get married within three months if she wanted to inherit her grandfather¡¯s properties. That was why he immediately asked his secretary to schedule a meeting with Lily the next morning.

    Time is of the essence! He needed to be quick and propose a marriage first before it¡¯s toote, before she could find another man to marry ah.

    Zhuo Jingren quickly finished his food while trying to mask his excitement. His mind had been thinking of a million ways to tell her that he is President Zhuo but in every scenario he thought of, he would always end up upsetting her. However, just a while ago, he found out the best way to approach this situation was to directly offer a marriage to Lily.

    Being a very logical person, she would consider his proposal right?

    After another five minutes, Lily and Zhuo Jingren were already at the lobby and walking towards the car park.

    "BMW?" Zhuo Jingren was quick to ask when he saw that Lily had stopped in front of the car.

    "It was deliveredst night," Lily said before tossing the keys to him.

    "Brand new?" he asked.

    "Yes... I needed a car that would fit my driver."

    "Hmmm." Zhuo Jingren slid into the car without another word. Today, he had actually brought his own car and was nning to offer Lily a ride in it. However, since thetter had actually bought a new car that he could fit insidefortably, there was no reason for him to insist on driving his own car. Moreover, he was also feeling happy inside. At least Lily was thinking about hisfort. He really could not ask for more.

    Of course, Zhuo Jingren would not be feeling this happy if he knew that Lily was actually thinking of recing him by the end of this day.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 32: A Private Meeting

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 32: A Private Meeting</h4>

    Zhuo Capital was a 15-storey building that stood in the middle of bustling Kowloon, Hong Kong, a prime location.

    The drive from Lily¡¯s residence to Zhuo Capital in Kowloon was about an hour¡¯s journey. An hour¡¯s journey was nothing to Lily but this time, with Renren in the car, Lily felt like time was crawling by. She was very unsettled, not knowing what to do or say to ease the awkwardness in the air. In the end, Lily could only remind herself over and over that she would call the security agency after they part ways at Zhuo Capital.

    After another twenty minutes of grueling silence, the car finally pulled into the parking space for the VIP clients of Zhuo Capital. Without waiting for Renren, Lily quickly alighted from the car and made her way into the building. She could not let a handsome escort affect her state of mind. Putting on a serious face, she decided to stop thinking about Renren and focus on today¡¯s business.

    Lily roamed her eyes inside the lobby of the building. The spread of beige tiles, tall ss panes which allowed natural light into the lobby, together with the lights that were hanging elegantly from the ceiling, immediately caught her attention. The lobby was exquisite, it was vibrant, clean andfortable. As expected of the top conglomerate in Hong Kong. Inwardly Lily was praising President Zhuo for his good sense of style as seen in the way his lobby was designed.

    "Hi, I am Lily Qin of the Fi Group, I have an appointment with President Zhuo at nine this morning." She smiled warmly at the receptionist.

    "Please wait a moment," the receptionist said as she typed away at herputer before picking up the phone to make a call. "Yes, President Qin is here. Alright." After the call, the receptionist rose from her seat behind the reception counter and approached Lily. "President Qin, please wait here at the lobby for a few more minutes. Secretary Go, is currently on his way to receive you. He will bring you up to meet with President Zhuo. My name is Li Weiwei. Would you like some refreshments while you wait?" While addressing Lily, Li Weiwei was directing her to take a seat on the couch

    "No, thank you," Lily politely declined the offer. Li Weiwei smiled and gave her a small bow before going back to her seat behind the reception counter. Back at her seat, Li Weiwei nced at Lily again, feeling a little respect for this woman who was not acting pretentiously.

    Li Weiwei had been working as a receptionist in Zhuo Capital for five years and she knew that Secretary Go rarely came down to receive a guest personally. Since Secretary Go was personally receiving Miss Qin, it could only mean that she was a very important individual. Li Weiwei was still looking at Lily meaningfully before her gaze fell on a tall man who just strode inside the building.

    It was already nine in the morning and most of the employees had already reported to work and were working at their desks. Hence, the lobby was almost deserted with the exception of a few security personnel who seemed to be ignoring the tall man in a suit.

    How could these people ignore President Zhuo?

    The receptionist was about to stand up to greet the president when the president shot a re at her. Sweat immediately started trickling down her back, her face paled as she lowered her head. Li Weiwei was not a very smart person, but she was alert and observant. From the re that she received from the president, it was obvious that he was forbidding her to greet him.

    "Why are you here?" Li Weiwei almost fell from her seat when she heard Miss Qin¡¯s question. Was... was she asking the president why he is here? The receptionist slowly lifted her head to take a peek. To her surprise, President Zhuo was standing behind Miss Qin like a statue.

    "Security protocol." When Li Weiwei heard President Zhuo¡¯s answer, she couldn¡¯t help but let out a small gasp, her mouth agape. Se...security protocol? Was she hearing things? ¡¯Maybe this... Maybe this person is not President Zhou!¡¯ Li Weiwei could not help but stare at the man who looked exactly like the president. Could he be the president¡¯s twin brother? Seeing as the man¡¯s features looked exactly like the president¡¯s, Li Weiwei felt goosebumps all over her body. ¡¯What in the world is going on?¡¯

    After another minute, Secretary Go arrived. He strode casually in front of Lily and gave her a polite smile. "President Qin, please follow me," he said without looking at Zhuo Jingren. Secretary Go then led the two into the VIP elevator that would bring them directly to the president¡¯s office.

    Seeing that they were gone, Li Weiwei patted her chest and grabbed a bottle of water. She might actually be seeing things! Secretary Go did not even spare a nce at the man who looked a lot like President Zhuo earlier. Could she really have mistaken the man to be President Zhuo? There must be something wrong in her brains ah...

    On the outside, Lily¡¯s face was benevolent, a smile was stered her face, making her look kind and approachable. However, on the inside, she was brimming with displeasure. Renren¡¯s presence was a distraction and she really wanted to kick this man away. However, she could not do it in the presence of Secretary Go. Lily could only sigh inwardly before forcing herself to maintain a calm demeanor no matter what.

    She needed to be calm andposed for her meeting with President Zhuo. After all, she was the one in need of something and she needed to leave a good impression.

    ¡¯Ding¡¯

    The door of the elevator opened leading them into another lobby where four men in suits were busily working behind their desks.

    "Those are President Zhuo¡¯s secretaries," Secretary Go exined before leading them through a tinted ss door. He then opened the door and asked Lily and Zhuo Jingren to enter.

    "No it¡¯s okay... he can wait outside," Lily said before walking inside the office. The office she just entered was almost as big as what she had in Europe. He also had floor to ceiling windows with a view of the harbor.

    Towards the left of the office, there was a circr table with ten swivel leather chairs ced around the table and towards the right was a couch. In the center was a rectangr oak table that looked a little too big for just one person to work on. The table look empty apart from aptopputer and a file of documents.

    "I told you to stay outside... why are you still following me? This is a private meeting, you can¡¯t be here." Lily stated impatiently when she noticed that Renren had followed her inside.

    To her surprise, Renren did not answer her. Instead he opened a button on his gray two button zer and walked towards Lily. "This is indeed a private meeting." He gave her smile, his eyes sparkling with confidence. "Good Morning President Qin, I am Zhuo Jingren of the Zhuo Capital. Please feel free to call me Renren."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 33: You Owe Me an Explanation.

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 33: You Owe Me an Exnation.</h4>

    "Haha..." Lily gave a fakeugh. "Nice one... You..." However, her face quickly stiffened as she cast a look at Secretary Go and then back at her driver. "Is this a joke?" she asked, unable to process the current situation.

    A myriad of expressions shed on Lily¡¯s face as reality sank in for her. She took a step back, her gaze darted back and forth between Zhuo Jingren and Secretary Go. "You pretended to be my driver!" Lily used Zhuo Jingren.

    "Correction. You thought that I was your driver," he calmly said before walking slowly towards his oversized work desk. Zhuo Jingren took his seat behind his desk and gestured at the chair across him, "Please take a seat." Seeing as Lily did not move an inch, Zhuo Jingren understood that they needed some privacy to talk freely. He then instructed Secretary Go to leave the room.

    Secretary Go did not tarry, walking quickly out of the room while avoiding Lily¡¯s gaze. This situation was a little intimidating ah... He was sure that his heart would stop if he were to remain in the same room as those two lions that seemed to be wing at each other.

    "You lied to me," Lily stated, her tone cold and chilly.

    "I did not say that I was your driver. How is that considered lying?" he retorted. After spending time with Lily yesterday, Zhuo Jingren realized that his heart is still beating strongly for this woman and he knew that she is the one that he wants to spend the rest of his life with, until hisst breath. Moreover, the situation with Lily¡¯s grandfather¡¯s inheritance made him feel like fate was pushing them together.

    As a 31 year old man, Zhuo Jingren was still a novice when ites to courtship but that didn¡¯t discourage him from wanting to court Lily and eventually marry her. For Zhuo Jingren, he believed that courtship should lead to marriage and after marriage, the husband should continue to woo his wife for a lifetime.

    All Zhuo Jingren could think right now was how to get Lily to agree to his marriage proposal so that he could have the privilege of spending a lifetime of bliss together.

    "Why are you doing this?" Lily asked, sounding irritated. She tried her best to remain calm but everything that had just transpired felt like an information overload for her. Seeing as Zhuo Jingren raised an eyebrow nonchntly, Lily felt her blood boil and she almost red up in anger. She repeatedly reminded herself that being angry would be showing weakness to her opponent, giving them an upper hand and she would not give this man a chance to gain an upper hand.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Why lie to me?" she reiterated.

    "As I said..."

    "Then why did you allow me treat you like my driver? Why make me look like a fool?"

    Zhuo Jingren did not answer her immediately, instead, he took the time to study Lily¡¯s face, trying to understand her emotions. When Lily noticed that his dark brown eyes were looking intently into hers, she broke eye contact. A sh of guilt was in her eyes but it quickly disappeared. Realizing that this man was the father of her unborn child had already caused Lily to feelplex emotions and she didn¡¯t know how to face him.

    "Stop staring at me like that!" she snapped before she walked towards the seat across him. "You owe me an exnation."

    "No, Lily. You owe me an exnation." Lily was about to snap back at him, but his next wordspletely shut her down. "Why did you disappear seven years ago?"

    Lily¡¯s eyes dimmed as she lowered her head to avoid his gaze. Seven years ago...Seven years ago when Lily got into a road ident, she lost her mother and had a miscarriage. The doctor also told her that the possibility of her conceiving again was very low as her uterus received a huge trauma during the ident and it wouldn¡¯t be as healthy as before. As a young woman who desire to have a family one day, being told that she might not be able to conceive again was a huge blow. But could she say to this to a man she barely knew? No. These were her most painful memories.

    "So, you remember," she muttered.

    "How could I forget?" he said softly. The sadness that he saw in Lily¡¯s eyes just before she lowered her head had affected him. It felt like something had pierced his heart, cutting through him and worse, he had no idea what caused her sadness.

    "Is that why you pretended to be my driver? You want me to make a fool out of myself?" she snorted. "Is this some kind of revenge for disappearing all those years ago?"

    "No," he answered honestly. "I did it because I was nning to make you my wife and that was the only way for me to get close to you."

    "Huh?" Confusion instantly registered on Lily¡¯s face. The sadness and guilt that she felt earlier vanished into thin air. Wife? How could he say something like this so casually, and out of the blue? This person... "Are you really Zhuo Jingren? Is this some kind of reality TV show prank?" she asked. "This is not a funny joke."

    "I am always serious. Seven years ago, you imed my virginity, insulted me by leaving an amount of money that was only enough to clean my shoes and ran away," he sulked.

    "Excuse me? What did you say?"

    "I said you ran away!"

    "Before that!" she demanded, while trying to hide the mirth in her eyes.

    "I said that amount that you gave me..."

    "No, before that."

    "I said you took my virginity!" he answered almost immediately. "And I want you to take responsibility!"

    Lily deadpanned before bursting into peals ofughter. "So you are sulking because I was your first and I ran away? How could you be so childish?"

    "You also promised to marry me years before that!"

    A sh of realization was seen on Lily¡¯s face. "So you are that shy boy huh," she thought out loud.

    "Now you remembered?" he gave her a cheeky grin.

    "Only after you told me your name was Renrenst night," she answered.

    "So are you going to marry me now?" he asked full of hope.

    "Of course not! Why should I marry someone I barely know?" she answered with another question. Somehow, she was afraid that this man would me her for losing their child. Would he be disappointed with her and then leave her after that?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 34: A Persistent Man and A Stubborn Woman

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 34: A Persistent Man and A Stubborn Woman</h4>

    "Why?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

    "I don¡¯t know you. Isn¡¯t that enough of a reason?" she retorted. What this man did upset her, but for some reason, thinking about their unborn child made Lily a little soft towards him.

    "I don¡¯t really see any problem with that. We could spend the rest of our lives getting to know each other," he insisted, inwardly praising himself for having the courage to say these things to Lily.

    "You use to be a shy little boy," she recounted, her gaze calm.

    "And you used to be nice and sweet."

    "Now you are being shameless," she said, ignoring his previous words.

    "No, Miss Qin, it is you that is being shameless... You were the one who had taken advantage of me in my drunken state. And now you are refusing to marry me."

    "What drunken state? You were not drunk... no drunk person could perform like that!"

    Seeing the pointlessness of the conversation, a sh disbelief was seen on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face as he continued to look at Lily. How could she refuse his proposal?

    "Then what would it take for you to marry me?" he asked.

    This question caught Lily off guard. Was this man really serious? Lily remembered how the rumors said that President Zhuo was a cold and ruthless man, and a leader of a mafia organization from Japan. Before today¡¯s meeting, Lily had the impression that she was going to meet a cold and domineering man who could intimidate you to submission with his deathly re. However, this man before her... Lily eyed Zhuo Jingren suspiciously.

    "Are you really President Zhuo?" she asked. "This is just... I don¡¯t know... out of your character?" However, her question was met with his intense stare, like a child waiting for his mother to answer his burning question about the stars and the moon.

    Seeing as the man in front of her was not budging, Lily let out a sigh. "There is no way that I will marry you."

    "Why? Am I not good-looking enough? Or do you think that I am not as rich as you? Or is it... that you want me to court you properly and let you experience being in a rtionship before marriage?" Lily¡¯s eyes bulge in surprise and disbelief. How persistent! How could this man talk about marriage so casually as if it was not something that would change their whole lives?

    "I already promised myself that I would live out the rest of my life without a man," she dered.

    "But you need a husband in order to im your grandfather¡¯s inheritance."

    "Why am I not surprised that you knew that?" Lily said sarcastically. "Let me ask you this, President Zhuo, why do you want to marry me? It wouldn¡¯t be as simple as me being your first love, right?"

    "What if it was really as simple as that?" he asked.

    "I won¡¯t believe you." She looked straight into his troubled eyes. "There is no such thing as love."

    "Then why not marry me, and I will use the rest of my life to prove to you that love exists"

    Lily was speechless at this man¡¯s shamelessness. Zhuo Jingren gave her a smile. "Give me a month to court you. After that if you still think that I don¡¯t deserve to be your husband, I won¡¯t bother you anymore."

    "A month?" she raised an eyebrow.

    "Yes, I will prove to you that I have no ill-intent towards you. I just want a chance."

    Actually, a marriage with Zhuo Jingren would be very advantageous for both parties. They were both aplished in the business world and working together would only mean profits and more profits. If it was another man with simr aplishments, wealth and status who was proposing marriage, she would have considered the offer seriously. However, she felt that their past would seriouslyplicate things. Should this man know that she lost his child due to her carelessness, he would surely change his opinion towards her. Till today, she was still filled with guilt.

    A tinge of sadness shed in Lily¡¯s eyes as she thought about her unborn child. The grim in Lily¡¯s eyes were so apparent that it turned the atmosphere gloomy. She shook her head and gave him a sad smile. After all that she had been through, Lily was also convinced that nothing is permanent, love is fleeting and people will change. "We should stop this. I have no interest in marrying you."

    "Stop this madness... love will only make you weak and vulnerable." She rose from her seat before looking straight into his eyes. "I came here with the intention to talk to you about the shares you have in Qin Enterprises. I certainly did not expect today¡¯s meeting to turn out like this. I am no longer in the mood to talk about the shares today so I am going to schedule another meeting with you in the future. I hope that by then we can talk about business properly."

    Lily turned around and walked towards the door. However, before she could reach for the handle of the ss door, Zhuo Jingren grabbed her hand. "I am a very persistent person Miss Qin. I have already waited fifteen years. I wouldn¡¯t mind waiting for another year or two for you."

    "And I am a very stubborn woman. I have been alone for seven years and I wouldn¡¯t change my mind just because of a single one-night stand."

    "Then, let¡¯s see...who will win."

    "I hope you can take disappointment well then." She gave a shrug and pulled her hand away from his grip. "Goodbye President Zhuo."

    "I will see you again Lily..." he muttered while looking at Lily¡¯s retreating back, her frame getting smaller and smaller until she disappeared as she turned a corner.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 35: 10,000 Lilies

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 35: 10,000 Lilies</h4>

    Zhuo Jingren slumped into his swivel chair, his face dark and jaws clenched. "I want to know everything that happened seven years ago," he said to Secretary Go who had entered his office after Lily left. "And I mean everything. Talk to the doctors who tended to her and her mother then. Something else must have happened that night of the ident." Zhuo Jingren closed his eyes and massaged his temples.

    The look in Lily¡¯s eyes earlier told him that he must have missed something from his investigations. Why was she so closed off and guarded? What could have made her build such a high wall around her heart?

    Truth be told, Zhuo Jingren did not expect to cross paths with Lily seven years ago. He felt that at that time, he still didn¡¯t have the right to pursue Lily because he has not established himself well enough and his status was still not befitting of Lily¡¯s status. When he heard that Lily was engaged to Xuan Hui, he couldn¡¯t resist the urge to see her. He immediately booked a flight back to Hong Kong, hoping to see Lily for onest time before her wedding.

    With a broken heart, Zhuo Jingren went to the bar that he knew Lily was at and was secretly staring at the woman who was drowning ss after ss of alcohol as if they were water. At first, he was not nning to have any form of contact with Lily. How could he when she was an engaged woman who was going to get married soon?

    However, this all changed when Lily voluntarily approached him for a dance. The way that Lily swayed her hips as she sauntered towards him was like the bursting of beautiful fireworks. At the same time, a fire was also ignited inside him. They danced and flirted, they hugged and they kissed and the night ended with them sleeping together.

    For Zhuo Jingren, that night was the most memorable time of his life. He would never forget that fateful night until he dies. He initially thought that Lily was also attracted to him or else, why would she initiate the first kiss? But when he woke up the next morning to a thank you note and a bundle of cash, he knew that she had mistaken him for an escort; someone who required payment for pleasuring her.

    Zhuo Jingren raged because of what Lily did. How could she think so lowly of him? He immediately booked a flight out of Hong Kong, promising himself that he would not ever see her again.

    But two months after their encounter, he received the most devastating news in his life. Not only was Lily¡¯s wedding cancelled, her family had abandoned her and she was involved in a road ident and sustained serious injuries. That ident caused her to lose her mother and she was also admitted into a mental facility as the entire ordeal broke her. All this happened when Zhuo Jingren was busy building his empire, away from Hong Kong.

    Just the thought of Lily experiencing all these tragedies within a short period of time broke Zhuo Jingren¡¯s heart. He felt so dumb for being angry with her. He was dumb for not protecting her and most of all, he was dumb for assuming that she was happy with that bastard.

    By the time that Zhuo Jingren arrived in Hong Kong, Lily was long gone from the mental facility. And no matter how hard he tried looking for her, his search always ended with nothing. However, Zhuo Jingren never once gave up looking for her. It was only a matter of time, he thought.

    These past seven years, Zhuo Jingren never once gave up in his search for the love of his life. If she was dead, he needed to see her body. If she was alive, he needed to know if she was okay. He was desperate.

    He used all of his connections to find her in Asia - Singapore, Philippines, Thand, Mysia, thinking these were the most likely ces she had escaped to. He searched and searched. With every failure, he would start a new search again, hoping that it would seed this time.

    Of course, he also did not forget to make the Qin family suffer along the way. He felt that the Qin family had conspired against Lily and wanted to help Lily take revenge on the Qin family. He also believed that the Qin family might have had a hand in Lily¡¯s disappearance. Until Lily is found, he would continue to wreak havoc on the Qin family.

    After seeing Lily today, he realized that something else must have happened that night of the ident, something that he had missed during his investigations.

    "Go Jichen, I need your help in courting Lily Qin."

    "Ah?"

    "I want to know how to properly court a woman," he rified. As long as Lily is guarded, it would be hard to convince her to marry him. Zhuo Jingren decided that he needed to do his best to climb up the high walls around Lily¡¯s heart. Unfortunately, he never once courted a woman before. He knew he needed help and the best ideas around to court her.

    "I... President, the best way to court a woman is by giving her flowers," Secretary Go suggested. "But giving flowers alone would be too ordinary for someone of your status." Secretary Go stroke his chin before his eyes glinted with mischief.

    "I know!" he eximed. "You should court Miss Qin actively, every day, for thirty days straight! Let her know how much you really like her!"

    "Wouldn¡¯t that irritate her?" he raised an eyebrow.

    "How is that possible? All the women I know loves to be courted with flowers and... choctes. The more the merrier." Secretary Go beamed. This was based on his real life experience ah.

    "That¡¯s my point. She is not just some normal woman."

    "Then... you could make it extra special by sending an extravagant amount of flowers and choctes!" Secretary Go answered while inwardly patting himself on the back. He felt like such a genius. Not only would this impress Miss Qin, it would also push President Zhuo closer to his goal of marriage.

    And when President Zhuo should finally marry the love of his life, he would surely be happier and be warmer as a person.

    Secretary Go had been around President Zhuo for many years now and he knew how much Lily¡¯s arrival had changed President Zhuo. If Lily is here to stay in the president¡¯s life, he was sure that it would have a positive change on the president.

    "You have a point. Starting tomorrow... I will woo Lily Qin every day, until she says yes to my proposal." Zhuo Jingren rose from his seat. "To start with, I want you to buy 10,000 lilies and have them delivered to Lily¡¯s door tomorrow morning. Wait, you know what? I will personally deliver it to her doorstep tomorrow morning."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 36: Lilies are for funerals!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 36: Lilies are for funerals!</h4>

    June 15th, Wednesday - 1st day

    Like any other day, when Lily woke up early in the morning, she would do some yoga exercises before taking a shower. But this morning, she had to pay extra attention to her make-up, carefully applyingyers of concealer to hide her panda eyes because she had a sleepless night.

    Not being able to fall asleep was torturous for Lily. She kept on tossing and turning because her mind kept thinking about Zhuo Jingren¡¯s proposal even though she had tly rejected him there and then. Lily decided that she didn¡¯t want to get personally involved in the discussion with Zhuo Jingren about purchasing his shares in Qin Enterprises. She would send a representative to talk to him instead. Moreover, even if Zhuo Jingren refused to sell the shares to her, she still had a n B which was to buy over the shares from the other smaller shareholders.

    "President, I apologize for what happened yesterday. My mother ate too much and suffered indigestion..." Yang Mi apologised immediately the moment she saw Lilying out of her room.

    "It¡¯s fine. How is your mother now?" she asked, while looking in the direction of Li Shanshan¡¯s room. Lily had not seen Li Shanshan at all yesterday and she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if her friend had another emergency on set with her current film.

    "She is doing fine. My sister arrivedst night so I don¡¯t have to worry about my mother and was able to return to work ."

    "Alright, that¡¯s good then. What is my itinerary for today?" she asked while stuffing some cut fruits and vegetables into the blender.

    "You have a skype call at 0900 hours London time, that will be 1600 hours local time. The purpose of the call is to be updated about the current status of our infrastructure projects in Mexico and Japan. You have another meeting with our Directors scheduled at 2000 hours local time. Last night, I have also received thetest annual reports of the three retailpanies that we just acquired. I already sent them to your email and I also have printed a set for you to review."

    "Good. Ah yes...I want the ns and design for Harmony Isle to bepleted by the end of next week. Ask for Mr. Beau¡¯s help. Next, appoint Cathy from PR to observe the Arisons for the next few days," she nonchntly said while turning on the blender. Although Lily had not heard anything from Sofia Arison since that night where she was threatened, Lily had a hunch that Sofia Arison would not give up so easily. After all, the Arisons would benefit a lot from a marriage with a Fi. Moreover, Lily was sure that Sofia Arison would surely want to get back at her for what happened that night. Lily turned off the blender before looking at her secretary.

    "Also," Lily made a deliberate pause while eyeing her secretary. "Arison Holdings has been running rampant in the construction industry for too long. It¡¯s time that they are challenged. We shall participate in all the big projects that Arison Holdings are also participating. Call Mr. Han, I want him to be in charge of writing the proposals for all those big projects. But keep a low-key. I want to surprise them on the bidding."

    "Understood." Yang Mi wrote everything down in her tablet conscientiously. This was not the first time that President Qin had done something like this to apetitor or anypany who had offended her. Yang Mi was already used to the President¡¯s ruthless methods.

    After finishing her freshly made vegetable and fruit juice, Lily immediately started working on herptop. After all, there were many subsidiarypanies under Fi Group that needed her attention.

    "Ummm. President, I¡¯m sorry to disturb you but I just received a call from the security downstairs. He said...ummm... I think his exact words were ¡¯an ocean of flowers was delivered for Lily Qin downstairs¡¯."

    "I¡¯m sorry? I think I did not hear you properly? Did you say an ocean of flowers?"

    "Yes, president, do you want them to bring them up here?"

    Lily furrowed her brows at Yang Mi¡¯s confirmation. Flowers? Could this be from Zhuo Jingren? With this in mind, she rose from her seat and said, "No need. I will go downstairs to see them for myself."

    It did not long for Lily to arrive at the ground floor of her apartment building. And what she saw surprised her greatly.

    Lilies.

    An ocean of colourful Lilies upied a huge space in the lobby of her apartment building. It was neatly arranged into a heart and supported by a two feet tall stand.

    The sweet, almost sickly smell of lilies assaulted Lily¡¯s nose the moment she took a step out of the elevator. Her eyes immediately reddened as she covered her nose quickly.

    "Lily," a smiling Zhuo Jingren quickly approached her. "I bought you some lilies. Do you like them?"

    Lily did not answer Zhuo Jingren. Instead she gave him a re before she gestured for them to walk out of the apartment building.

    "You idiot!" she gritted her teeth, her face dark and cold. "Lilies are for funerals! Are you trying to curse me?"

    "But they are beautiful and I chose them because they remind me of you," he answered his tone righteous. He seriously did not know that lilies were associated with funerals ah. "I¡¯m sorry, you don¡¯t like it? Then what do you like? I can send you another new batch of flowers. Let me call Go..." his words were interrupted by Lily¡¯s hand waving in front of his face.

    "Zhuo Jingren, what is all this about?" she asked as tears started to pool in her eyes, her head throbbing.

    "Courting you. What is wrong with you? Why are you crying? Was it the lilies? I... I did not know that you don¡¯t like them. Hey... I will asked security to throw them all away."

    "Idiot!" Lily cursed. "I am allergic to scented flowers like oriental lilies! Don¡¯t you remember?"

    "I..." Zhuo Jingren frowned as he suddenly remembered that the young Lily hated the smell of flowers because she was allergic to anything with a strong scent and certain flowers, like lilies give off a very strong scent. He instantly cursed himself for making such a terrible mistake. "Lily? Are you alright?" Zhuo Jingren inquired when he noticed that Lily had closed her eyes and was massaging her temples.

    "Idiot..." she muttered as her face started to pale. She then opened her eyes and tried to focus on the man in front of her. "Don¡¯t bring me to the hospital..." she managed to say before crumbling like a puppet, falling straight into his arms.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 37: Her Scars are Beautiful

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 37: Her Scars are Beautiful</h4>

    "What is wrong with her?" Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face was grim. He watched as the doctor busied himself writing Lily¡¯s prescription before answering.

    "Miss Qin is fine. But she needs to eat more and sleep more," the doctor said while handing a prescription to Zhuo Jingren, who then passed it to Yang Mi.

    "What about her allergies? Did she faint because of the smell of the lilies?" he asked, feeling angry at himself. Zhuo Jingren really wanted to p himself right now. He was so excited about the idea of courting Lily with flowers that he had actually forgotten how Lily hated smelling scented stuff.

    "The smell could have been the trigger but I think she fainted due to stress," the doctor answered while eyeing the sleeping Lily on the bed. "From the looks on her eyebags alone, I am confident to say that she had not been sleeping properly for the past few weeks at least. Her immune system is weak to begin with and given her sensitivity to strong fragrances, like the smell of the lilies, it could have caused her to experience headaches and dizziness. The physical stress on the body must have been too much that caused her to faint. "

    "Have her eat some vitamins and remind her to eat well," the doctor added before looking at Zhuo Jingren meaningfully. "Is she your girlfriend, President Zhuo?" The doctor had been Zhuo Jingren¡¯s personal doctor for years and this was the first time he had seen Zhuo Jingren being so worried over a woman. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder who this woman was.

    "She will soon be my wife." His quick answer surprised both Yang Mi and the doctor.

    "Alright, I suggest that you make her eat more. Have someone to cook nutritious food for her. If you have the time, apany her during her meals." the doctor said with an understanding of the importance of Miss Qin in President Zhuo¡¯s heart. Zhuo Jingren nodded in response, bearing the doctor¡¯s words in mind. Of course, he was more than willing to cook for Lily and apany her for her meals. The doctor left immediately after saying what he needed to say, bidding goodbye to Zhuo Jingren.

    Yang Mi who was also in the room, was looking at Zhuo Jingren with suspicion. "I¡¯m sorry but you should leave too. President Qin is a very private person. She will not be happy to have a stranger in her room. Especially a stranger who is shamelessly iming to be her future husband," Yang Mi said while secretly texting Li Shanshan.

    "I am not leaving," Zhuo Jingren answered.

    "You..." Yang Mi tried topose herself before she continued, "Who do you think you are? And why are you iming to be our President¡¯s future husband? Do you think that your name as President Zhuo would intimidate me? Leave this room and don¡¯t tarnish the reputation of President Qin," she hissed, unable to control herself. Protecting the president was something that thete Old Madam Fi had ingrained in her to do. As long as she is standing by Lily¡¯s side, she would protect Lily to the best of her abilities.

    "I am not leaving until she wakes up," Zhuo Jingren insisted before giving Yang Mi a cold re. "Go and buy the medicine that the doctor had prescribed. Don¡¯t worry, I will not hurt her."

    Yang Mi did not budge. How could she leave the unconscious president with a man whom she was not familiar with? She crossed her arms while ring back at Zhuo Jingren. "If you are not going to leave, I will have to call the police," she threatened while waving her phone at Zhuo Jingren. Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by Li Shanshan¡¯s arrival.

    "What happened?" She ran towards Lily, her gaze on Lily¡¯s face. "Her allergies should not have been that serious. What did the doctor say?" Li Shanshan¡¯s questioning eyes darted from Zhuo Jingren and then to Yang Mi. Li Shanshan was still unaware of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s real identity. She assumed that he was Lily¡¯s security personnel.

    Yang Mi quickly exined what had happened to Lily, including how Renren was actually President Zhuo of Zhuo Capital. She also did not hide her dislike towards the man who triggered the president¡¯s allergies.

    Li Shanshan could only let out a sigh at Yang Mi¡¯s words. Now that Li Shanshan was here, Yang Mi felt more assured to leave the room to get the medicine that Lily needs. Yang Mi knew that the president was in safe hands with Li Shanshan around.

    Only after Yang Mi was gone that Li Shanshan addressed Zhuo Jingren. "What are your intentions towards my friend?" she asked straightforwardly with a dark look in her face.

    "I want her to be my wife," he answered honestly. Zhuo Jingren could sense that both Yang Mi and Li Shanshan did not like him to be near Lily. If he had not been so worried about Lily, he would surely find this situation amusing.

    "You are rich and prominent, you can have any girl that you like. Why her?"

    Zhuo Jingren let out a sigh before he answered, "I have waited fifteen years and I finally got to see her again. Now that she is here, I won¡¯t let her go again."

    "She won¡¯t like you."

    "What¡¯s there not to like?" he retorted, almost making Li Shanshan cough up blood. ¡¯This man is shameless ah.¡¯ Li Shanshan decided to test Zhuo Jingren by listing out Lily¡¯s ws. If a man truly loves a woman, he would ept all her ws.

    "She doesn¡¯t know how to cook her own food," Li Shanshan said.

    "I will be her cook."

    "She doesn¡¯t know how to drive," Li Shanshan said, almost immediately.

    "I will be her driver."

    "She is clueless about love," she said. "She is not romantic and is allergic to a lot of things. Including bullshit from people."

    "I will show her what love is and protect her."

    "She is scarred by her past. She is guarded and secretive. She won¡¯t just let you in because you are a little handsome and rich."

    "Her scars are beautiful," Zhuo Jingren said while eyeing Lily who was still sleeping. "I am willing to climb up the walls around her heart slowly... I will show her how much I adore her through my words and actions. I am willing to spend the rest of my life with her. Scarred or not, guarded or not, I am willing to wait for her patiently until she epts me and allow me to stand beside her," he answered, his eyes full of gentleness.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 38: The Perfect Plan

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 38: The Perfect n</h4>

    Li Shanshan narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her. "President Zhuo, Renren or whatever your name is. I want you to listen... And you listen well... My Lily stopped needing people a long time ago. With your status and connections, I won¡¯t be surprised if you already knew this about her."

    "My Lily, is the strongest person that I know. She is her own heroine. So I trust that she will know what to do with you."

    "Since you have the guts to express your feelings to my best friend, I won¡¯t discourage you from courting her. If you seed, good for you. If you fail, I won¡¯t be angry at you either. But, if you ever make her cry, then know this... I will not just idly stand by and watch her get hurt in the process of her opening up to you. Though I am not as rich as you, I do have ess to an endless supply of grenades andunchers. Hurt my friend and I will make sure that she will be thest woman that you hurt in this world and in this lifetime. Are we clear?"

    To her surprise, Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t seem offended by her threats. He even nodded and smiled at her. "I am d she has a friend like you." Then he shifted his eyes to the door and watched as Yang Mi walk in with the medicine in her hand. "I will make her some soup for nourishment," he said before walking out of the room.

    Lily woke up at noon with a very bad headache. She sluggishly got out of the bed while trying to recall thest thing that happened before she passed out. However, the throbbing in her stomach disrupted her thoughts. Lily let out a sigh before walking out of her room, her movements slow and weak.

    "d that you are awake. Here, have some chicken soup. I personally made this for you," a husky voice spoke and Lily almost jumped. Seeing that it was Zhuo Jingren, she immediately patted her chest before she furrowed her brows.

    "Why are you here?" she asked, almost hating the fact that she had to ask this same question over and over again whenever it came to this man. Seeing that the man was giving her a confused look, she continued, "You should not be here. You should be in yourpany managing your own people."

    "You are... my people." he answered before giving her a bowl of warm chicken soup. "You have not been sleeping and eating well. Your body can barely hold on. Are you nning to kill yourself?"

    "Who gave you permission to talk to me like that?" Lily snapped, while trying to hide her amusement of seeing the man in a pink apron that was too small for him. "You are not needed here. Please leave."

    "The more you push me away, the more I will pester you," he answered, "Eat, before it gets cold."

    A sh of helplessness appeared in Lily¡¯s eyes. "What do you want?"

    "You know what I want."

    "I thought that I had made it clear to you that I can¡¯t marry you."

    "Then just give me a chance," he said. "I will convince you to marry me."

    Lily shook her head, feeling incredulous at his persistence. She started drinking the soup before her. "You seemed confident," she stated. Lily was sure that threats would not work on a man like Zhuo Jingren. Moreover, she was in his territory. With his influence he could easily bend thews to his favor. She could only ept with a heavy heart that in this country, Zhuo Jingren was superior to her. But she would work hard to change this.

    "I am very confident," he concurred before taking off the apron. "Why don¡¯t you think about this from the business perspective? I am the perfect husband. Our union would only mean more profits and you would definitely benefit."

    "You also need someone to take care of you. Your secretary told me that your meals, or if you even considered that a meal, are just some vegetables and fruits blended together. How is that enough?" he added. "This marriage is long overdue. We need this as soon as possible."

    "You are too nosey," Lily said. "But you have a point. I shall take up your offer and ept your proposal," she said while drinking another mouthful of soup.

    "Then let¡¯s go and get our marriage certificate."

    "What certificate? I meant that I will agree to you wooing me." Lily said. Since she had intentions of staying in Hong Kong for a month, she would use this time to test Zhuo Jingren¡¯s resolve to be with her. If Zhuo Jingren was to see her at her worst, she was sure that his affection for her would lessen and it was only a matter of time that he would leave her and not bother her again.

    Lily smiled inwardly while praising herself foring up with this brilliant n. She would purposely behave badly in front of Zhuo Jingren to scare him away. This was the perfect n ah. Or so she thought.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 39: Persistence and Consistency

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 39: Persistence and Consistency</h4>

    June 16th, Thursday - 2nd Day

    Since Wednesday ended up with Lily sleeping her day away, all of her meetings were cancelled and pushed to the next day.

    "Did you sleep well?" Zhuo Jingren asked in concern the moment Lily stepped out of the bathroom, having just finished her shower. At the present, the man was leisurely sitting on the couch inside her room, with his legs crossed. He was wearing a casual shirt, paired with dark blue trousers. He had aptop in front of him and his right hand held a cup of coffee which he had been taking small sips from as he waited for Lily to be done.

    "How did you get inside my room?" she asked before clutching the bathrobe tighter around her body. Lily remembered locking the door of her bedroom before she went to the bathroom. Seeing the cheeky grin that man just gave her, she instantly knew that he must have forcefully entered her room. "Did you break my door?" He shook his head. "So you picked the lock," she stated while shaking her head.

    Yesterday, when Lily decided to give this man a chance to woo her, he was so thrilled that he cooked her another sumptuous dinner. During dinner, Zhuo Jingren kept filling Lily¡¯s bowl with food, making sure that she ate enough. He also made sure that Lily ate her medicine and vitamins as prescribed by the doctor before she turned in for the night.

    Perhaps it was due to a full stomach or the drowsy effect of the medicine, or both, but Lily ended up sleeping soundly until the next morning. When she woke up, Lily could not deny that she was indeed feeling a little better. And she was not nning to let this persistent man in front of her ruin her mood.

    "I brought you breakfast and this..." Zhuo Jingren pointed at the oversized teddy bear sitting near the door of Lily¡¯s bedroom. "That¡¯s a talking teddy bear. It has my voice in it. You can listen to it when you miss me."

    "I won¡¯t miss you," she said while eyeing the brown teddy bear that seemed to be at least six foot tall. "Where did you get that?" she asked. A Teddy bear as big as this that came with Zhuo Jingren¡¯s voice must have been custom made and would have taken days to make upon order.

    "It¡¯s from my bedroom," he answered while he watched Lily drying her hair with a towel. "That¡¯s not how you dry your hair. You are too rough," hemented. "Why don¡¯t I help you dry your hair?"

    Lily eyed the man suspiciously before nodding. She was wearing her underwear underneath her bathrobe after all so there should not be any problems. "Alright," she said as she passed him the towel before sitting down at the edge of her king size bed.

    "Why don¡¯t you blow dry your hair after taking a shower?" he asked while taking a seat next to her. He then carefully dried her hair with the towel.

    "I don¡¯t like the sound of a hairdryer," Lily said. "Don¡¯t you have apany to run? Don¡¯t tell me you are going to do this everyday for thirty days?"

    "I am nning to do this until you say yes. I could even do this forever."

    "You are making me cringe," she said.

    "Hmmm... men like me are so hard toe by." Lily rolled her eyes at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s narcissistic words.

    "Why would you have an oversized teddy bear in your room with your voice in it?" Zhuo Jingren was six foot two while the bear looked like it was as tall as him too. ¡¯Could it be that this man could not sleep without his teddy bear? That... isn¡¯t that a little too quirky for his age?¡¯

    "I got it made specially for you. When I went to Australia, I found this toy factory which made really good teddy bears. I remembered that you used to have a small teddy bear keychain. Since you like teddy bears, I decided to have one custom-made and give it to you as a gift when I see you again."

    "You are lying."

    "I won¡¯t lie to you," he said as he patted Lily¡¯s hair using the towel. "When drying your hair, don¡¯t squeeze it too hard or twist it. Just blot it like this. Let the towel gently absorbed the moisture."

    "You seemed to be an expert of drying hair. I wonder how many women you did this for..." she noted.

    "A lot," he answered, causing Lily to raise an eyebrow at him. "When I first arrived in Japan, I did a lot of odd jobs, including working at a saloon and dishwashing," he exined. "But this is the first time that I¡¯m helping to dry the hair for a woman I adore."

    Lily instantly let out a series of cough at the man¡¯s words. "Alright, that¡¯s enough. Go outside, I need to put on some clothes," she said before opening her walk-in closet, not sparing another nce at Zhuo Jingren. When she heard the door close, she instantly let out a sigh.

    Zhuo Jingren bought a teddy bear because it reminded him of her. This man... could be crowned as boyfriend of the year ah. However, Lily needed to think of a way to discourage this man from pursuing her.

    After donning on a casual yellow sundress, Lily brought out the breakfast that Zhuo Jingren had brought into her room earlier, choosing to eat it at the dining table instead. "Don¡¯t go into my room again," she said. "I hate it when other people invade my privacy."

    "As you wish." The man smiled dotingly at her. "From now on, I will be your personal driver and security."

    "I have already obtained your schedule for the next few days from Yang Mi..."

    "Whoa... whoa..." Lily held her hand up. "Hold on... you did not even asked my permission about this." She stared at him in disbelief.

    "This is me wooing you, which you have given your approval yesterday," he answered, his head high and lips curled into a smug smile. He had already decided that he would pester Lily until she says yes.

    After all, his persistence and consistency were two qualities that Zhuo Jingren was proud of.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 40: Valiant President Qin

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 40: Valiant President Qin</h4>

    June 16th, Thursday - 2nd Day

    After Zhuo Jingren bid goodbye to Lily, he immediately made his way to his Bentley which was waiting for him just outside of the apartment building.

    "What do I have for today," he asked before he loosened his tie.

    "You have three meetings today.Your first meeting is with Miss Mu Qingling, the heiress of Scarlet City, to finalize the details of the fundraiser next month. Then you have a meeting at 1pm with our board of directors. Thest meeting is with the nning department regarding the construction of our banks in Singapore."

    "Hmmm... alright. Anything else?"

    "I..." Secretary Go hesitated. "We encountered a little problem when we tried to dig up about what happened to Miss Qin and her mother seven years ago. It seems that all the doctors and nurses that were on call that night who tended to Miss Qin and her mother had all resigned within a month. We will need some more time to locate at least some of them."

    Zhuo Jingren instantly clenched his jaws when he heard his secretary¡¯s report. "And we did not know this before because?"

    "Previously the focus of our investigation was from the time that Miss Qin was admitted to the mental institute. We looked into everyone who had talked to her, anyone who had any conversations with Miss Qin, hoping that one of them could lead us to the people who helped her to escape. So we didn¡¯t spend our time and resources to investigate what happened at the hospital, right after the car ident."

    "Who owns that hospital?"

    "The Mu family."

    "As in the Mu family who owns Scarlet City?" Zhuo Jingren asked.

    "Yes, president."

    Zhuo Jingren nodded in contemtion.

    "I also found out something else. After finding out that the Mu family owns the hospital, I went to check if anyone in Qin and Xuan family might be close to anyone from the Mu family. I discovered that the Madam of Xuan family, Mr. Xuan Hui¡¯s mother, Yang Lina is the childhood friend of the current Madam of the Mu family. They are still keeping contact and appear to be quite close."

    "Continue investigating," Zhuo Jingren said. "Investigate more into the ident... something is off about this." Now that Zhuo Jingren thought about it, he realized that his investigations before had beencking. He had been so fixated on finding Lily¡¯s after her disappearance from the mental institute that his investigations were primarily focused on what happened in the mental institute during Lily¡¯s stay there. It did not ur to him to investigate more into the events that happened before that.

    Though he did have someone to investigate the ident, it was not a thorough investigation as he thought that it was irrelevant to Lily¡¯s disappearance. For Zhuo Jingren, the biggest suspect in Lily¡¯s disappearance was the Qin family. At that point in time, he failed to consider other possible suspects like the Xuan family or the Mu family.

    "By the way, this Mu Qingling that I have an appointment with... is she someone important from the Mu family?" he asked his secretary.

    Secretary Go eyed him before he answered, "The family has two heiresses. The eldest daughter is called Mu Lihua and she is the current CEO of Scarlet City. The second daughter is called Mu Qingling, a well-known performer, singer and dancer who had years of training abroad. You have already met her twice before. She was the one who proposed this fundraiser to her father." Inwardly, Secretary Go wasughing to himself. This Mu Qingling had been carrying a torch for President Zhuo for years now. However, the president does not even remember her. As expected of someone whose heart already belonged to the mighty Miss Qin.

    Secretary Go couldn¡¯t stop himself from being Miss Qin¡¯s fan. Yesterday, when President Zhuo gave the flowers to Miss Qin, Secretary Go was also there. He watched as Miss Qin called the President ¡¯Idiot¡¯ while ring haughtily at him. That scene surprised Secretary Go as this was his first time seeing someone talking to the president this way. When Miss Qin fainted, he saw how the usuallyposed president fell into a panic and face paled.

    First she scolded the president, then she made him panic to the point where he almost cried. Only a valiant woman like President Qin could do something like this.

    "Alright, don¡¯t forget to buy Lily some of her favorite doughnutster on. Ahhh... Also, find me the owner of that doughnut shop. I will just buy over that doughnut shop as a gift to Lily. Then she could have as many doughnuts as she wants, anytime for a lifetime," he said before closing his eyes.

    When Zhuo Jingren arrived at his office, his nose was instantly assaulted by a sweet scent. He furrowed his brows at the woman who wasnguidly sitting on his couch. "Who are you and who let you into my office?" he asked, his face was cold and his tone domineering.

    The woman instantly opened her eyes and gave Zhuo Jingren a coquettish smile. She then uncrossed her legs, rose from her seat and introduced herself, "Mr. Zhuo, I am Mu Qingling. I am here for our meeting that is scheduled for nine in the morning." She then held her hand out to initiate a handshake with the man in front of her. Even though they had met before, she was mentally prepared that Zhuo Jingren might not remember her. After all, she was always overshadowed by her capable elder sister who was the current CEO of Scarlet City.

    "Who let you inside my office?" Zhuo Jingren repeated his question. "I do not allow anyone in my office when I am not around." His brows were scrunched, as he gave the woman a chilly gaze.

    However, the woman didn¡¯t seem to want to answer his question and was only smiling back at him. Zhuo Jingren had no patience to deal with this woman, so he swiftly turned towards Secretary Go and instructed, "Call the security. Throw this woman out of my office."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 41: Someone Insignificant

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 41: Someone Insignificant</h4>

    June 16th, Thursday - 2nd Day

    "President Zhuo." Mu Qingling remained calm andposed and addressed Zhuo Jingren with a smile, "I have been waiting here for almost thirty minutes now. I certainly did not expect to be chased away before we could even discuss the final details for the fundraiser next month."

    Secretary Go was taken aback at how eloquent Mu Qingling was despite being treated harshly by President Zhuo. Having met Mu Qingling twice before today, Secretary Go was familiar with her mannerisms and could tell that she was a white lotus, one who would act weak and pitiful, with tears and whimpers to turn public opinion in her favor. In the past, Mu Qingling had been shy around the president. Hence her present confidence seemed rather out of character.

    But Secretary Go didn¡¯t want to dwell too much on this and swiftly acted upon President Zhuo¡¯s order and called the security.

    President Zhuo remained silent but that didn¡¯t stop Mu Qingling from pressing on with her agenda. "President, I am here to finalize the performers for the fundraiser. As a popr artiste myself, I n to perform. I will also invite my fellow artistes in the industry to lend their support for this charitable cause as well. I believe that our participation will help to raise more funds. I wanted to know your thoughts on this and to check if you have any other suggestions on the programme. That is my purpose for wanting to meet with you. I didn¡¯t think that I would be disrespected like this."

    "I only have the children in mind. They are my motivation for organising this fundraiser. I¡¯m not sure how I have offended you but I hope you can put aside your pettiness and think about the children in the orphanage. This is about them, not you." Mu Qingling said self-righteously before walking out of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s office on her own ord, a small smile on her lips. ¡¯Zhuo Jingren does not need a white lotus in his life. He needs someone who is smart and domineering who could stand shoulder to shoulder with. I need to let him see that I am that woman,¡¯ Mu Qingling thought inwardly.

    However, before she could reach the door, Zhuo Jingren coldly replied, "If you think that I need the Mu family to organise a fundraiser, then you are so wrong Miss Mu. If I¡¯m not mistaken, I¡¯m just a sponsor. I don¡¯t know why you are here to talk about an event that you are in charge of. If you are not capable to make your own decisions, then you should just ask your father to take over and manage this event for you. Do not waste my time bying here to talk about this again."

    Mu Qingling felt her courage leaving her, so she quickly left Zhuo Jingren¡¯s office. She feared that if she stayed around any longer, she might not be able to keep up with the act. Then all her efforts of portraying herself as a strong woman earlier would have gone to waste. This was the third time that Zhuo Jingren had lost his temper on her. But Mu Qingling was not thinking of backing down. Mu Qingling knew that her parents had ns to offer Zhuo Jingren a marriage alliance and they would most likely offer her sister, Mu Lihua because she was the capable one in their eyes. However, she believed that she was the woman fit to stand next to Zhuo Jingren, not Mu Lihua.

    Mu Qingling nned to win over Zhuo Jingren¡¯s heart first. If Zhuo Jingren was to fall in love with her, then her parents would have no choice but to give their blessings. Mu Qingling¡¯s first step in pursuing Zhuo Jingren was to stand up against the man and show him how capable she was.

    A small smile escaped Mu Qingling¡¯s lips as she thought about how Zhuo Jingren is probably be fuming right now and would ask his secretary to investigate her.

    Of course, that was all Mu Qingling¡¯s wishful thinking. In reality, the moment Mu Qingling left, Zhuo Jingren continued working at his desk as if nothing had happened.

    "President, security is already escorting Miss Mu out," Secretary Go said. "That woman was definitely acting weirdly. Shall I go ahead and ask someone to investigate her?"

    "No need," Zhuo Jingren said. "Why investigate someone insignificant? She can¡¯t be rted to what happened to my Lily. She¡¯s dumb."

    Secretary Go could only nod at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words while keeping his thoughts to himself. He had found Mu Qingling¡¯s behavior strange, especially that confidence she disyed earlier. He thought that Mu Qingling might have some hidden agenda. But the president had misunderstood his intentions and thought that he had suggested to investigate Mu Qingling in rtion to the ongoing investigation into Lily¡¯s past. He was not that stupid ah! In the end, Secretary Go could only shake his head as he then realize how Miss Qin had upied so much of President¡¯s Zhuo¡¯s thoughts.

    Meanwhile, Xuan Hui was frowning while talking to his secretary. "What do you mean she doesn¡¯t exist?"

    "I went to the British Conste-General Hong Kong and gave them the name ¡¯Qin Jinghua¡¯ and asked them to pull out public information about this person but they told me that there was no such person. As far as the conste is concerned, they do not have someone by that named who is from China that is currently a citizen of Europe," the secretary exined. "I tried to talk to Lawyer Yan but he refused to give me some information. He said that he values the privacy of his clients, even if they are already dead."

    "How about her address now... did you manage to find it? Where is she staying now?" he asked.

    "Negative." The secretary lowered her head in embarrassment. "Our people have searched the guests database of every hotel in Hong Kong and they couldn¡¯t find a guest by the name of Qin Jinghua in any of the hotels here. I think she might be using a different name."

    "Did you check with the airports? If she has been in Europe all these while, then she would have flown here and the airports would have her flight records."

    "I already did. But there was no flight record from Europe to Hong Kong of someone by the name of ¡¯Qin Jinghua¡¯, ording to the airport staff," his secretary replied.

    "Then do something about it! Find that woman no matter what! Did you check her license te? Just f*cking do your goddamn job and give me some results!" he fumed out of frustration. It had been days since he tasked his secretary to find Qin Jinghua but she couldn¡¯t deliver results. Just how did that Qin Jinghua get into Hong Kong if not by air?

    "What is going on here?" Qin Fei¡¯s voice echoed as she walked into Xuan Hui¡¯s office. She immediately noticed the tense atmosphere, and his secretary had her head lowered. Qin Fei immediately tried to ease her husband¡¯s anger. "Hui," she said while stroking her husband¡¯s back.

    Then she eyed the secretary and dismissed her. "What¡¯s the matter? What made you so angry?" she asked Xuan Hui as she sat on hisp and curled her arms around his neck.

    "I had some people to investigate Qin Jinghua for days now and my secretary who was leading the investigation told me that they failed to find her name registered in the British Conste-General Hong Kong and among the passenger records in the airports. How is that possible?"

    Qin Fei instantly frowned at her husbands words before she answered, "Well... either your secretary is cking or... Qin Jinghua was never in Europe in the first ce."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 42: Ruthless and Selfish

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 42: Ruthless and Selfish</h4>

    "What do you mean?" Xuan Hui said.

    "Well, what if she lied? What if she was here the whole time but under a different name?" Qin Fei said. "This must be the reason why she was so confident when she said that she will wait for you to contact herpany."

    "Because, she must have changed her name and is not using the name ¡¯Qin Jinghua¡¯ anymore," she added. Xuan Hui narrowed his eyes in contemtion. Qin Fei had a point. Qin Jinghua could be using a different name now.

    "You are a genius," he said before kissing his wife on the cheek. "By the way, why are you here? I thought you have filming for a TV broadcast? Aren¡¯t you tired? You are already seven months pregnant, you really should stop working and just stay at home to rx."

    "My work is the only thing that keeps me rx," Qin Fei said. "I am here because I want you to buy me a new outfit for Fashion Week. The one that you bought mest month makes me look so fat," she pouted. "Also, I want you to be with me during the event. You know how I wanted to start my own designpany soon. I want to keep an eye out for talented people in the industry. So..." she made a deliberate pause.

    "So?" Xuan Hui asked, amused at his wife¡¯s words.

    "I want a VIP ticket. I want a seat at the front row," she requested.

    "Fei Fei... you know that they only gave the front row seats to editors and other famous people in the fashion industry. Fashion Week is next week. I¡¯m sure they have already given out all the invitations and tickets for the front row." Seeing that his wife was pouting, Xuan Hui immediately pacified her. "Don¡¯t worry, I will try and get us seats on the second row."

    "Really?"

    "Of course, all for my precious wife," he said sweetly before kissing Qin Fei on the forehead.

    "Alright, tell me everything about it!" Li Shanshan narrowed her eyes at Lily Qin who was busily working on herptop. "And I mean everything!"

    "I agreed to have him woo me. But that does not mean that I have agreed to be in a rtionship with him," Lily answered, without looking up from herptop.

    "And why not? That man is an Adonis incarnate! He is rich and handsome and is pampering you like a wife already."

    "I slept with him."

    "Ha? Like that fast? How was it? Is it big? Did you-"

    "Ah Shan... stop." Lily held up her hand while sending her a re. "I meant I slept with the man seven years ago." Li Shanshan widened her eyes in surprise and before she could say anything, Lily continued. "We can¡¯t be together. Sometimes, just seeing him would bring back painful memories."

    "What?! So he was the father of your unborn child? Does he know about the child? About what happened after the ident?" Li Shanshan rose from her seat and approached Lily. "Did you tell him?"

    "And why do I need to tell him?" Lily asked. "It was a one night stand. A mistake. There is nothing else. Since he wants to pursue me now, then why not take advantage of this and make use his connections to help me establish a footing in this country?"

    "You... you are nning to use him?" Li Shanshan stared in disbelief. "You are nning to use him and then leave him aren¡¯t you?"

    "He asked for it," Lily answered nonchntly. "He should know what kind of woman I am. At the end of the day, I will prioritize my business and of course, my money."

    "Ah Li you-." Li Shanshan swallowed all the words that she wanted to say. Her friend¡¯s attitude was not a surprise to her. Sometimes, she would find it unbelievable that her sweet and gentle friend had grown up to be a cruel and ruthless woman. Of course, Li Shanshan knew that this was just Lily¡¯s way of protecting herself. "Ah Li, I find this attitude of yours is unfair to the man. I think he deserves to know ah."

    "What for?" Lily said her gaze steady as she stared at her friend. "To have him say that it¡¯s okay? To have himfort me? What about the fact that there is a possibility of me not being able to conceive again? Ah Shan, I can¡¯t have a family. A man like him wants a wife and children. I can¡¯t guarantee that I can give him that."

    "He will eventually leave once he finds out that I cannot give him what he wants." Lily said before turning her eyes back to herptop, her face nk, devoid of any emotions.

    Li Shanshan let out a sigh. "What makes you think that he only wants to have children when he said he wanted to be with you?"

    "He said he wants to marry me and every husband would want to have a child," Lily stuck to her view.

    "Then tell him," Li Shanshan said. "Tell him the truth while it¡¯s still early. If you have already made up your mind then tell him now before he gets too invested in wooing you." Seeing no reaction from Lily, Li Shanshan continued, "Ah Li, the man already lost his child. Now you are nning to use him before leaving him. Ask yourself, does he deserve this?"

    Li Shanshan¡¯s words made Lily froze. She lifted her chin and looked at her friend¡¯s serious expression. Li Shanshan¡¯s words resonated with her.

    "The man is doing his best to woo you. Did you notice the expression on his face while he was cooking food for you? Did you ask Yang Mi what happened after you fainted yesterday? The man likes you! It¡¯s clear that he doesn¡¯t have any ill-intentions towards you. You can¡¯t just treat him like this."

    "How do you know that his intentions are good?" It was not as if Li Shanshan was well-acquainted with Zhuo Jingren to be certain of his intentions.

    "It¡¯s either that or he is just good... and I mean extremely good at acting," Li Shanshan answered. "He is a prominent businessman. Why should he lower himself in front of other people just to impress you?"

    "Ah Shan, all men are the same. He wants me now but he will change his mind when he sees me at my worst." Lily shrugged. Maybe it was wrong for her to generalize all men but she had just been too hurt in the past. In Lily¡¯s mind, men are selfish creatures who only think about themselves and what would make them look good. "He says he wants me now but that¡¯s only because I did not drop my panties the moment he said he likes me."

    Of course, Li Shanshan would never me Lily for thinking this way. From her grandfather, to her father to Xuan Hui, they had all had disappointed Lily and made her experience pain and tears. Even in the business world, Lily had met many selfish men who would stop at nothing until they got what they wanted.

    "Don¡¯t worry Ah Shan, I will be gentle towards him. I will try not to hurt him... too much," Lily said as she continued working on herptop.

    Though she felt a little guilty towards Zhuo Jingren, she would not let that guilt cloud her judgement.

    Lily Fi-Qin was not just any woman. As a person who had been through a lot, she was determined to protect herself no matter what. She became ruthless and selfish and would always prioritize her own welfare above everyone else.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 43: Crazy Spotted

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 43: Crazy Spotted</h4>

    June 17th, Friday - 3rd Day

    As usual, Lily¡¯s day started with breakfast, lovingly prepared by Zhuo Jingren. This time, thetter had even joined her for her usual morning Yoga before making breakfast for her.

    In fact, Zhuo Jingren had left his home at Sky City and moved into Lily¡¯s apartment building. He moved into a one-bedroom apartment that was two floors below Lily overnight. Even though this new apartment was smaller and it didn¡¯t give him a magnificent view of the city he was used to seeing when he was living in the highest floor of Sky City, thetter happily exchanged all that in order to be closer to Lily.

    While this move actually surprised Lily a bit, she also felt that the move was sensible since Zhuo Jingren kept insisting on serving her. It would be more convenient for him to take care of her needs when he¡¯s actually living closer to her.

    After having breakfast together with Lily, Zhuo Jingren immediately left for work, leaving Lily to work from home with Yang Mi. As the CEO of a conglomerate with many subsidiaries, Lily was an extremely busy person. She would be especially busy during the end of each quarter where there would be many reports to go through and meetings to attend. Moreover, being in Hong Kong while managing apany based in London had been rather challenging for her due to the time difference.

    "Alright, I like this idea... call Mr. Beau, I want to talk to himter today," Lily instructed Yang Mi while looking at the designs in front of her. "Any news from the Arisons?"

    "ording to Cathy, Mrs. Arison was seen talking to someone from a mediapany. Apparently, Mrs. Arison wants to appear as a guest in a cooking talk show."

    "Cooking, huh..." Lily made a deliberate pause. "Continue to watch her every move," she said, picking up her phone when she heard a message notification.

    Lily furrowed her brow as she read the text. [You¡¯re so pretty, I forgot what I was going to say.] Who else would send her a text message like this other than Zhuo Jingren? What a weird man.

    [Lily: So, I have been told]

    Not even a minute passed and she receive another message notification.

    [Zhuo Jingren: A woman like you deserve the world. I know that I can¡¯t give that to you but I can give you the next best thing: my world.]

    "Seriously?" Lily thought out loud before typing a reply.

    [Lily: Thank you but please take a number and wait in line.]

    [Zhuo Jingren: There is no line. If there is, tell me where, so that I can obliterate thepetition.]

    [Lily: Crazy spotted (*£þm£þ) ]

    [Zhuo Jingren: Only for you, my Lily. Pack up some clothes for a trip. I want to take you somewhere.]

    Before Lily could reply another text message arrived.

    [Zhuo Jingren: See youter my Lily, I have another meeting.]

    Lily put her phone down as she narrowed her eyes at herptop. Where the hell did that man get her number? However, before she could ask her secretary if she had given Zhuo Jingren her number, her phone buzzed once again. She picked up her phone and opened the message which made her deadpanned. It was a selfie of Zhuo Jingren blowing kisses.

    Lily locked her phone and turn it off immediately. This man was really making her speechless ah. How could he be like this? Annoyed, she rose from her chair and got herself a bottle of water to ¡¯cool¡¯ herself down. She was nning to take her time to show the man her worst but how could even start to do that when she had been so busy working?

    Lily let out a sigh before she massaged her temples. So many things to do, so little time. "Yang Mi, do you have the file that I asked you topile months ago? The one about the Xuan family?"

    "Yes, president, I could print it out if you want to."

    "Just send it to my email. It¡¯s been so long... I need to collect the interest of their debt," she said as she closed her eyes. She promised her paternal grandmother not to touch the Qin family unless they touched her. But she did not promise not to touch others, especially the ones who were responsible for her misery.

    June 17th, Friday - 3rd Day - 2021hrs, Hong Kong

    "Hey, are you ready?" Zhuo Jingren barged into her small office with a smile which irritated Lily. She red at the man who was wearing a casual light blue shirt paired with white shorts and white sneakers.

    "Ready for what?" she asked

    "Never mind, let¡¯s go," Zhuo Jingren said before he held out one hand towards Lily. Seeing as Lily merely stared at his outstretched hand with no sign of moving, he added, "Come on, it¡¯s just one weekend. You deserve a break."

    "I have a..."

    "You don¡¯t have any urgent meetings or conference. I already checked with Yang Mi. Let¡¯s go." he said. He was hoping Lily would put her hand in his but she didn¡¯t. Well, it was not like he expected that Lily to soften up to him in just three days. It would be out of her character if she did!

    "Where are we going?"

    "It¡¯s a surprise," he said mysteriously.

    "I hate surprises."

    "You will love this one." Zhuo Jingren beamed.

    "Alright, If I don¡¯t like this then you can also say goodbye to this whole wooing thing," she said. She thought that she should take advantage of this trip to show Zhuo Jingren her ¡¯true¡¯ colors. "I need to pack first."

    "I already did for you."

    "Im sorry, what?"

    "Oh... I did not go into your room or anything, I just had my secretary bought everything that you might need," Zhuo Jingren was quick to exin.

    "Alright, I will just grab my toiletries and we can go," she answered.

    At 2100hrs, Lily and Zhuo Jingren boarded a private ne.

    "Alright, can you tell me where are we going now?" Lily asked.

    "Japan," he answered as he poured a ss of bourbon for himself. "Want some?"

    "Not my type of whisky," she answered.

    "Champagne then?"

    "Yes please," she said. "Why are we going to Japan?"

    "I want to show you something. Have you been to Japan?" he asked while pouring Lily a ss of champagne.

    "No," she answered, epting the champagne. Lily instantly downed the ss as an evil glint shed in her eyes. This trip would be her chance to put on her worst behavior to show Zhuo Jingren. But first, she would need to convince him to sell her his shares in Qin Enterprises.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 44: Secrets

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 44: Secrets</h4>

    June 18th, Saturday - 4th day

    The nended in Tokyo slightly after one in the morning. From the airport, they boarded another helicopter and was in the air for another twenty minutes beforending in a ce called Fussa City. By the time theynded, it was almost two in the morning and Lily was really sleepy.

    "Where are we?" Lily stifled a yawn when she got off the helicopter.

    "I purchased thisnd years ago and built a resort here. It¡¯s called ¡¯The Countryside¡¯," Zhuo Jingren said as he helped Lily carry her travel backpack containing herptop and other personal items.

    Lily roamed her eyes and caught sight of the lighted stone pathway in front of them. Since it was two in the morning, it was rather dark and she could not see much. However, she was certain that they were walking in what seemed to be a garden. Surprisingly, she caught no scent of flowers.

    "We are currently in a garden that can be admired from the pavilion over there." Zhuo Jingren pointed at a stylish looking pavilion to his right. "I will give you a tour of the ce tomorrow. For now, let¡¯s go to our vi."

    Lily merely nodded at his words. She was too exhausted to even ask about this vi. All she wanted right now is to lie on a nice warm bed and have a dreamless sleep.

    "Alright, here we are," Zhuo Jingren said while eyeing Lily who was in a daze. "This is a two bedroom vi. This is your room and I will be staying in the next room." He then opened the door for Lily and watched her enter the room absentmindedly without a word.

    "Our stuff will be deliveredter. For now, you can wear this set of pajamas," he said, handing her a set of blue and white striped pajamas for women. Thetter epted the pajamas before going into the bathroom wordlessly. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s lips quirked up into a smile. It was inevitable that Lily was this tired, after all, she had been awake for almost twenty-four hours now.

    In less than five minutes, Lily walked out of the bathroom and went straight into bed, ignoring Zhuo Jingren who was sitting on her bed reading a Japanese magazine.

    Zhuo Jingren looked up from his magazine and stared at Lily who was still as a piece of log. Shey on her stomach with her eyes closed and her hair was sprawled all over her face. "Don¡¯t forget to lock the door when you leave..." she muttered, the warmth of the soft mattress underneath her was lulling her to sleep.

    When Lily¡¯s breathing started to get even, Zhuo Jingren let out a sigh before getting off her bed. He then slowly rolled her over so that she was sleeping on her back and then he covered her with the nket. "Look at you. Sleeping mindlessly in the presence of a grown man." Zhuo Jingren then sat on his heels, still on the bed, his eyes never leaving her face.

    He stared at Lily, his expression soft and gentle. Lily looked peaceful when she¡¯s sleeping. The lines that usually crease her brows were gone, making her face looked younger and softer. In her sleep, Lily looked vulnerable and angelic.

    "Your walls are too high, my Lily," he muttered before tucking her hair behind her ears. "And you are hiding something from me."

    "However, the secrets that you keep will never push me away Lily..." His lips slowly lifted into a smile, his eyes full of gentleness. "No secrets can scare me." Then he got up and turned off all the lights in Lily¡¯s room before walking through a connecting door to his own room.

    After Zhuo Jingren left, the room fell intoplete silence which was almost deafening. Lily rolled to her side with a conflicted expression on her face. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words echoed inside her mind.

    Secrets?

    Lily bit her lip as tears started to pool in her eyes. She hugged herself, loneliness and sadness apparent in her eyes. Once her first tear fell, it was immediately followed by an unbroken stream. Then she closed her eyes and pressed her lips firmly, trying to suppress a sob. Maybe Li Shanshan was right, Zhuo Jingren should know the truth.

    Lily let out a long sigh before she rubbed her cheek against the warm pillow. Warmth and darkness enveloped her as shadow of determination shed in her eyes. Lily tussled with her conflicting thoughts before she arrived at a conclusion. She would not let this weekend end without letting him know the truth.

    Upon waking up, Lily snuggled a while in the soft sheets before she hesitantly sat up and rubbed her eyes. She checked her phone that was conveniently ced on her bedside table.

    Ten in the morning.

    She slowly stretched her arms and legs and let out a yawn before she buried her face into the pillows again. For some reason, Lily felt a little rx today. Her sleepy eyes surveyed the room and that was when she realized that she was not in her apartment. She instantly jolted up, the sleepiness that she felt earlier was gone as her mind caught up with current events.

    She was in a luxurious room with beige and white as the theme. To her right, woven textile shutters covered a door that should led her to the patio. To her left, there was a small wooden dining table set with two chairs and a white couch.The room was also furnished with a minibar and refrigerator.

    Lily dragged her feet out of her bed and slowly walked towards the woven shutters, highly anticipating the view that she would get to see beyond those shutters. Zhuo Jingren should have arranged a room with the best view for her right? And what she saw did not disappoint her. The floor to ceiling ss door revealed an enchanting view of a sparklingke.

    She opened the door excitedly and walked out of her room, and was weed by a whiff of fresh air that made her smile. Just outside her room was an outdoor seating area, furnished with a wooden table and some chairs, with greeneries all around. It was serene and beautiful.

    "Morning, beautiful." Turning around towards the sound of the voice, she finally noticed Zhuo Jingren who was sitting on one of the chairs. Today, he was wearing a white slim fit t-shirt, paired with a gray jogger and white trainers. The man look casual and undeniably hot.

    However Lily was quick to move her eyes away from his body before she answered, "Morning. What are we going to do today?" Since she had already decided to tell him her secret, she figured that she should try to enjoy this little vacation that seldome by ever since she started working for her maternal grandmother.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 45: Firefly Festival

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 45: Firefly Festival</h4>

    "Go get dressed. Let¡¯s have brunch first then I will bring you on a tour around the resort," he said. As Zhuo Jingren watched Lily returning to her room quietly, he thought about how amazing it was to be able to spend the weekend with Lily. This was something that he never thought was possible just a few days back. Even though Lily was still treating him like a stranger, Zhuo Jingren was not nning to give up until she agrees to marry him.

    While waiting for Lily to get ready, Zhuo Jingren took out his DSLR camera to take some pictures of the scenery. As Zhuo Jingren was adjusting the focus of his lens to capture a bird that was resting on a branch of a tree, he heard footsteps behind him. Turning his head towards the sound, he was blown away by how breathtakingly beautiful Lily looked that his mouth was slightly agape.

    Lily was wearing a boat neck long sleeve shirt in beige paired with a rugged blue denim shorts that entuated her long legs. She had on somefortable white sneakers. Her eyes were covered by her brown shades and her hair was up in a loose bun.

    "Let¡¯s go. I¡¯m hungry." Lily¡¯s words woke him up from his stupor.

    "Alright," he said before walking up to Lily. He started leading to a restaurant that was in the resort which was only a short walk away. "The main highlight of this resort is the natural hot spring that has attracted many visitors here. It is really good. I suggest we try it ourselves tonight. Plus I have something really nice to show you."

    "Okay." Lily¡¯s positive response surprised Zhuo Jingren. Actually, he thought that Lily might be ufortable with the idea of going to the hot spring with him. He instantly beamed, excitement apparent on his face. All the tension pending inside him went away just like that. Now he was excited, maybe even giddy. This would be his first date with Lily and he began to picture everything in his mind. He was nning to take her for a walk first and then take the initiative to hold her hand. They would take a walk around theke and maybe count some ducks or swans. Maybe they could even end this day with a kiss.

    Zhuo Jingren was excited ah.

    While Zhuo Jingren was carried away in his thoughts, Lily was calmly examining the winding walkway that they are walking through. Aside from their own vi, Lily saw three more vis spaced apart, with tiled roofs and dark stained cedar walls. She realized that the resort was huge and also very quiet and peaceful. The only thing that Lily could hear apart from their own footsteps were the asional singing of birds and the humming wind. Moreover, she also realized that she had not seen any other guests in the resort. "This ce is so big. What do people use to travel around?" she asked.

    "Buggy or bike," Zhuo Jingren answered. "The resort was also designed to be self-sufficient. We grow our own vegetables and we even have our own rice ntation. We also farm our own seafood, like prawns, fish, mussels, ms, oysters, scallops in ourke. In a nutshell, our farms provide supplies for our restaurants."

    "Hmm... Impressive." Lily nodded. "By the way, why did you bring me here?"

    "I know how busy you are and thought that you needed a break. Besides that, I want to bring you to see the Firefly Festival that this city celebrates. Tonight at nine, the people in town will release at least 500 fireflies at thekeside. It will be a spectacr view from our vi."

    "Oh." After another two minutes of walking, Lily and Zhuo Jingren arrived at the restaurant that was located at the highest point of the resort. The ambience of the restaurant pleasantly surprised Lily. It had minimalist wooden furniture andnterns hanging all around that exude elegance and luxury. A section of the wall was made of ss, allowing the diners to have a view of theke and the surrounding mini forest.

    There was also an outside seating with an infinity pool next to it. "That¡¯s a freshwater infinity pool," Zhuo Jingren remarked when he noticed Lily eyeing the pool.

    "Nice," she praised before taking a seat. As Lily studied the menu, Zhuo Jingren made some rmendations. When the waiter came to take their orders, Zhuo Jingren made sure to order all of the restaurant¡¯s specialties. It didn¡¯t matter to Zhuo Jingren if they had ordered more food than they could finish. More importantly, he wanted to be sure that Lily had an enjoyable meal.

    "I never thought that you would agree toe here with me," Zhuo Jingren said as he propped his face up with his hand, watching Lily taking sips from a ss of juice.

    "Me too," she answered. "I heard that you are a dangerous man and your business started in this country. Is that right?"

    "Hmmm..." he nodded, smiling at her. "I was adopted by myte father when I was seventeen. When he died years ago, he gave me everything that he had... including his organization."

    "Yakuza?" she asked.

    "Used to be," he answered almost immediately. "After many years of illegal activities, Yakuza¡¯s activities began to slow down because of Japan¡¯s strictws. So they chose to switch to the legal business. My father was one of those Yakuza leaders who left the illegalmunity and switched to the financial industry."

    "And by legal, you mean, banks and insurance?"

    Zhuo Jingren nodded and smiled.

    Lily nced briefly at Zhuo Jingren before looking away. The man¡¯s smile in front of her was like a ray of sunshine, it was warm and blinding. Lily knew that this man treated her differentlypared to others. In her knowledge, Zhuo Jingren was ruthless in the business world. Coupled with his involvement in the Yakuza, she was certain that he was a very dangerous man.

    "Mr Zhuo." Lily¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by a man in a ck suit approaching them. "I didn¡¯t even know that you are here. You could have given me a call so that I could prepare a grand wee for you." The man spoke in fluent Nihongo. The man was obviously shorter than Zhuo Jingren. He had a cunning fox like smile on his face as he darted his gaze towards Lily.

    "Riku," Zhuo Jingren rose from his seat and shook the man¡¯s hand. Then he also spoke in fluent Nihongo. "I was upied, hence I forgot to call you."

    Riku only beamed at Zhuo Jingren before he turned his attention towards Lily. "Who is she?"

    "My fianc¨¦e," Zhuo Jingren answered without batting an eye. "Lily."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 46: I Like You Too

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 46: I Like You Too</h4>

    Riku widened his eyes, disbelief written all over his face. "You found her?"

    "I did." He nodded before looking at Lily. "Lily, this is Riku Ito, he is the manager of this resort and a very good friend of mine," he said in English, with a neutral ent.

    "Hi, nice to meet you," Riku said in his Japanese-ented English. "I have heard a lot of things about you."

    "Hi, call me Lily," she said while giving Riku a polite smile. Lily didn¡¯t miss what Riku said earlier. Could it be that Zhuo Jingren went looking for her when she disappeared seven years ago? Or why would Riku have heard things about her?

    "Wow," Riku said in Japanese. "This is... unbelievable. However, I did not expect that she..."

    "Onii-sama." A gentle voice cut off Riku¡¯s words, causing everyone to turn their heads. Ady, wearing a purple kimono was approaching them. Her face was almost identical to Riku¡¯s and she had a bright and beautiful smile on her face.

    "Mr. Zhuo, this is my sister." Riku was quick to introduce the woman in English. "You have met her before. I think that was two years ago. She is here for the festival too. Akane, this is Mr. Zhuo and his fianc¨¦e Lily."

    "Mr. Zhuo, I am pleased to see you again." Akane spoke in Japanese without even sparing a nce at Lily. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s expression immediately darkened, seeing as Akane had intentionally ignored Lily. Riku froze at the sight of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s expression and he began to sweat. Riku shot a re at his sister. ¡¯Disrespecting the big boss¡¯ woman is a very big deal. Is this woman trying to get herself killed?¡¯

    Feeling her brother¡¯s re, Akane immediately turned towards Lily and greeted her with a smile, "Nice to meet you Miss Lily. I am Akane. My brother Riku and I have known Mr. Zhuo since we were young." Akane didn¡¯t have a Japanese ent in her spoken English unlike her brother, Riku. It was obvious that she had spent some time abroad.

    "Please call me Lily." Lily¡¯s mouth curved into a beautiful smile, her eyes turning into crescents. "Oh, so you grew up with Zhuo Jingren then?"

    "Ummm... no. I grew up abroad. But my brother..."

    "That¡¯s good." Lily interrupted Akane, her hostility surprised everyone, including herself. Before the situation gets awkward, Lily quickly rose from her seat and addressed at Zhuo Jingren in Mandarin, "I am done. Shall we go now?"

    "Of course," Zhuo Jingren beamed. Lily¡¯s hostility didn¡¯t go unnoticed by him. He perceived that Lily was jealous of Akane and that made him very happy. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s happiness was apparent in his eyes that the siblings were left speechless. This was actually the first time that the siblings get to witness the usually silent and cold Zhuo Jingren smile. He seemed genuinely happy.

    Zhuo Jingren bid the siblings goodbye and left with Lily, not sparing them another nce.

    "How could you disrespect the Big Boss¡¯ woman like that earlier?" Riku red at his sister after making sure that Zhou Jingren and Lily are gone.

    "I don¡¯t like her."

    "That¡¯s because you like Mr. Zhuo. I already told you to stop this madness a long time ago."

    "If you cannot support me then just shut up," Akane hissed. "You told me that he had been searching for one particr woman, that¡¯s why he hasn¡¯t been associating himself with any woman. You also told me that many years have passed and this woman was still not found and could possibly be dead. So who is this woman with him now?"

    "Miss Lily is the woman that the Big Boss is looking for," Riku answered. "Can you just stop courting death and be happy for the Big Boss instead?"

    "I am not the type of woman that gives up easily," Akane answered. "I am your younger sister. You should be helping me. Could you help me create an opportunity to be with Zhuo Jingren? Maybe he will like me?"

    "What do you mean?" Riku furrowed his brows before widening his eyes in realization. "Don¡¯t you ever think about doing what you are thinking of doing right now. He will personally kill you."

    "He will not," Akane answered stubbornly. "Just one night, big brother. Just help me get close to his room. That¡¯s all I asked."

    "Akane!" Riku stared in disbelief. "How could you lower yourself like that? Have you gone mad? Our father told us to always respect Zhuo Jingren. You cannot..."

    "If you are not going to help then..." Akane stomped her foot and walked away from her brother. When she decided toe back at this time, she was hoping that Zhuo Jingren had also decided toe here for the festival and she could watch it with him.

    After studying abroad for years, Akane had finally mastered the courage to confess her feelings to Zhuo Jingren. Who would have thought that the woman that he had been searching for years had finally been found?

    An evil glint shed in Akane¡¯s eyes as she took out her phone and dialed a number. "Hello? This is Akane, I need you to teach someone a lesson."

    "She likes you, you know," Lily said the moment they reached the pathway outside of the restaurant.

    "I like you too," Zhuo Jingren answered.

    "No.. not me... I mean she... Akane, likes you," she rified.

    "Is that why you snapped at her?" he teased. "Are you jealous?"

    "Of course not," she immediately denied. Jealous? She doesn¡¯t even know what happened back then. She just lost control and got irritated at the woman¡¯s words. "I just have no patience with bullshit."

    "Yeah... totally jealous." Zhuo Jingren chuckled.

    "I said, I am not!" she snapped.

    "Okay... alright. Rx." He held up his two hands in surrender while grinning cheekily at her. "I want to bring you to my favorite ce in this city. Are you ready?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 47: A Place to Belong

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 47: A ce to Belong</h4>

    Fussa City is located in the western part of Tokyo, Japan. It was a quiet ce that got famous for having an American air force base. The city is also located near two famous mountains where a cable car transport system had been built.

    "Absolutely not." Lily shook her head. "I don¡¯t want to ride a bicycle," she firmly said when Zhuo Jingren told her that they were going to ride a bicycle around the resort. As the resort was huge, guests usually rely on bicycles to travel around the area.

    "Then you can ride on my bike." Zhuo Jingren smiled, patting the passenger seat at the back of his dark blue bicycle. There was also a light white attached at the front part of the bicycle. Sharing a bike? Did this man get this idea from Korean dramas? Suddenly Lily felt like they were the lead characters in their own Korean romance drama.

    Even though Lily was a little wary, she was also toozy to ride a bicycle on her own. "Alright" Lily nodded at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s suggestion. Without a second to waste, Zhuo Jingren quickly mounted on his bicycle and waited for Lily to sit on the passenger seat. After making sure that she was seatedfortably, Zhuo Jingren ced his right foot on the pedal and kicked off the ground with his left foot. Soon, they were moving along steadily. Despite this being the first time that Zhuo Jingren had taken a passenger on his bicycle, he was doing great.

    While Zhuo Jingren was feeling a little giddy inside, Lily was feeling a little conflicted. A while ago, she seemed to have lost control of her emotions and even snapped at someone, a person she had just met. She furrowed her brows in contemtion and unconsciously wrapped her arms around Zhuo Jingren¡¯s waist. Her action was smooth and precise, as if she had done it many times before. Lily who was too engrossed in her own thoughts didn¡¯t think too much about her actions. As the road was bumpy, she had instinctively held onto Zhuo Jingren to ensure her safety.

    Meanwhile, Zhuo Jingren had a wide smile on his face. If Secretary Go was to see his Boss right now, he would surely faint from shock. His heart was in chaos. He tried to calm his wildly beating heart chanting ¡¯eyes on the road¡¯ over and over again in his head. Of course, this did not stop him from beaming still. This was the first time that Lily actually touched him voluntarily. This should call for a celebration!

    As they were riding along, Zhuo Jingren kept the conversation going by telling Lily all about the resort that they were staying in. From itsndscape to the different nts and trees that were nted in this resort. He also brought Lily to a butterfly and bird sanctuary that he had specially designed with Lily in mind.

    All throughout the ride, Lily kept her arms around his waist and she honestly didn¡¯t really that there was anything to it. She rationalized that it was only natural for a rear passenger hold onto the driver.

    "Alright, let¡¯s take a break." Zhuo Jingren stopped the bicycle and waited for Lily to get down from the bicycle first. At this point, they were already out of the resort and had been travelling towards the temple that Zhuo Jingren used to frequent when he visited this ce.

    Lily immediately got down from the bicycle and noticed a small shed at the side of the road. The shed had a grass roof and was furnished with a long bamboo bench underneath. Next to the shed was a big tree that provided some extra shade. She then watched as Zhuo Jingren park the bicycle and gestured for them to go into the shed.

    "This ce is near Tokyo, but why does it have sheds like this?" she asked when she saw Zhuo Jingren taking out some sandwiches and canned drinks. Now that she was near the shed, she noticed that it was overlooking a certain Japanese style house.

    "I had someone made this," Zhuo Jingren said as he gestured for Lily to sit beside him. She slowly sat down and opened one of the sandwiches. "Look." Lily turned her head to look at where Zhuo Jingren was pointing. To her surprise, she saw a group of kids ying just below them.

    "Orphanage," he said, opening a can of juice and passing it to Lily.

    A tinge of understanding shed before Lily¡¯s eyes before she nodded. Zhuo Jingren must have sponsored another orphanage in this area. "You look like a creep watching the children from this spot. Like a pedophile watching his prey."

    To her surprise, Zhuo Jingren burst intoughter. His boisterousughter caused Lily to stare at him. Zhuo Jingren had a deepugh sending ripples inside her heart. Lily was surprised to see Zhuo Jingren so unrestrained for the first time, the mirth in his eyes was apparent. Lily instantly felt someplicated emotions inside.

    "That was the most honest thing that anyone has ever said to me," he said. Then theughter disappeared as he looked at the children frolicking below. "My adoptive father have enemies Lily. The children will be safer if I support them while remaining in the shadows. That¡¯s why I never showed my face to them."

    "You seemed to love children a lot," Lily noted as she lowered her head. "I heard about your sponsorships for various orphanages. I also heard that you have been helping those who left the orphanages in their adulthood to find jobs."

    "I grew up without a family. I just wanted them to have a ce to belong. Something that I never had while growing up," he said. "As for having children... Hmm... I guess I would only love them if they are from you."

    Lily swallowed her saliva when she heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words. She then lifted her head and turned to look at him. "What if I can¡¯t have children?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 48: Special Treatment

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 48: Special Treatment</h4>

    Lily¡¯s eyelids fluttered before she quickly lowered her head to hide her sadness from Zhuo Jingren. "It doesn¡¯t matter to me. I will still marry you. Getting married is not all about having children anyway," Zhuo Jingren gently said in all seriousness. With her head still lowered, she had missed seeing the gentleness in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes which conveyed so much love for this woman.

    The duo then continued eating their sandwiches in silence.

    When they were done with their snack, Zhuo Jingren told her that they were heading towards a temple. Then, they continued their journey on the bicycle. Another thirty minutes passed before Zhuo Jingren pulled over at arge Japanese style gate made of wood.

    "From here onwards we can only reach the temple by taking the stairs," he said.

    "How many steps are there?" Lily asked as she stared at the tall gate with tiled roof.

    "About 300."

    Lily instantly narrowed her eyes at Zhuo Jingren. Even though Lily was fit and physically active, the thought of climbing up such a long flight of steps was a turnoff. Just like how she had feltzy to ride a bicycle before, she was also feelingzy about climbing up 300 steps to get to the temple. "You better carry me when I get too tired to continue climbingter." It was a demand. She wanted to know if this man had indeed set this day up like a typical date in Korean dramas.

    "Of course!" Zhuo Jingren agreed without hesitation, just as she had expected. This man must have nned everything in a way that would give him the opportunity to get close to her. Lily sighed inwardly before giving him a wry smile. She began to wonder if this special treatment would continue if they were to get married. He wouldn¡¯t change after marriage right?

    Lily quickly shook off those thoughts. What was she thinking? "Okay, shall we go?" she asked while eyeing her watch. "Hey, it¡¯s almost five... I don¡¯t think we would have enough time to get back to the resort to watch the Firefly Festival from there."

    "Let¡¯s watch it from the temple then," Zhuo Jingren said. "That is actually the best spot in town to watch it. I have also arranged for us to have dinner at the temple while we admire the view from there."

    "Oh," Lily said as she took her first step towards the temple with Zhuo Jingren by her side. The duo silently climbed up the steps, each lost in their own thoughts. After taking more than a hundred steps, Lily suddenly stopped climbing. Her face was a little red from all the physical exertion. "Carry me," she said, looking expectantly at Zhuo Jingren.

    Zhuo Jingren gave her a coy smile before he lowered himself and gestured for her to climb on his back. "Hop on," he said.

    Lily immediately hoisted herself on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. Since this man already set this up then why not let him have a taste of what it feels like to climb more than a hundred steps while carrying someone on his back? A small smile escaped Lily¡¯s lips when Zhuo Jingren began to take a step forward. She would love to see how long this man wouldst. Would he be too prideful to admit that he was exhausted?

    With this in mind, Lily rested her chin on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s shoulders. A mischievous glint shed in her eyes.

    Lily then started counting the steps that Zhuo Jingren took. 1... 2... 3... 10... 20... 50... 75... 100...

    Lily raised an eyebrow when she noticed that Zhuo Jingren¡¯s breathing was still steady. A hundred steps should have been more than enough to make him lose his cool right? "Hey, how often do you exercise?" Lily already assumed that Zhuo Jingren must have exercised or worked out a lot. His sculpted biceps and abs could attest to that. But after climbing more than a hundred steps with a load on his back, he should at least show some signs of exhaustion right?

    "Everyday," Zhuo Jingren answered. How could Zhuo Jingren have missed the mirth in Lily¡¯s eyes when she climbed onto his back? He knew that she was up to something but he was not here to disappoint Lily. He was here to impress her.

    Lily did not answer Zhuo Jingren. Instead she roamed her eyes to take in the view before her. They were already halfway towards the temple and already she could catch a beautiful view of theke. Now Lily understood why Zhuo Jingren chose toe to the temple. As the temple was located on an elevated ground, it gave a clearer view of thekepared to the resort.

    "Are you tired?" she asked.

    "No, I¡¯m not."

    "Then... do you think I¡¯m heavy?"

    "Yes, you are," he answered honestly.

    "Are you saying that I¡¯m fat?"

    "No, you are too skinny. You need to eat more. I will make sure to cook a bigger portion of food each time so that you can eat more and gain some weight." Lily didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s honesty. Didn¡¯t he know that weight is a very sensitive topic for women like her? This man... was it really true that he never had a girlfriend before?

    Silence ensued.

    After a few more minutes, Zhuo Jingren finally reached the top of the stairs. Lily instantly got down from Zhuo Jingren¡¯s back and looked at the view in front of her.

    Before them was a huge gate, with columns and lintels supporting arge curved roof. Ahead, there was a long stone footpath, it was so long that Lily could not even see the end of the pathway.

    "This is an abandoned temple. Besides this huge gate, there¡¯s only a bamboo forest, some benches made of stones and ake with some fish," Zhuo Jingren said before he held his hand out towards Lily. "Let¡¯s go inside?"

    To his surprise, Lily epted his hand. This time, Zhuo Jingren was able to control his nerves. ¡¯This is not the time to be nervous ah.¡¯

    He gently held Lily¡¯s hand as he guided her onto the pathway surrounded by a bamboo forest.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 49: Small Flicker of Fire

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 49: Small Flicker of Fire</h4>

    Just like what Zhuo Jinren said, the temple that Lily saw was really dpidated. The once majestic curved roofs had copsed, the walls were cracked and mosses were everywhere. With the columns of the temple still standing tall, they reminded visitors of its once glorious form.

    "Why did they abandon this temple?" she asked, taking a seat on a stone bench next to Zhuo Jingren.

    "The monks left," he answered. "I don¡¯t know the exact reason. But when I arrived here years ago, this temple was already abandoned."

    "So when you left the orphanage, you came here?"

    "Tokyo, then here..." he answered. "When I was in Tokyo, I helped an old woman who was lost on the streets. Through my interactions with her, I realized that she had some mental health issues. When she suddenly fainted on the streets, I immediately brought her to the hospital and stayed with her until her family came for her. Long story short, that woman became my adoptive mother and her husband became my adoptive father."

    "Hmmm... you have a kind heart."

    "Not always," Zhuo Jingren answered. "People have called me ¡¯ruthless¡¯, that is a fact."

    "Are you saying that you are only kind to me?"

    "Of course," Zhuo Jingren said. "A husband should always keep his wife happy. A happy wife, a happy life."

    "I am NOT your wife."

    "Yet." Zhuo Jingren was quick to answer. "But you will be... soon."

    Lily avoided the man¡¯s gaze and turned her head towards the direction of the sunset in front of them. She could never win Zhuo Jingren whenever they broach the topic about marriage. Instead of bickering about it to no end, she would rather spend the time watching the sunset.

    "It¡¯s beautiful," she said, almost in a whisper, changing the topic. "Do youe here often? I mean... when you werest here?"

    "Hmmm... that was years ago when my adoptive mother was still alive..." Zhuo Jingren looked towards the sky, feeling a little nostalgic as he recounted the past to Lily. "You see, my adoptive mother had Parkinson¡¯s disease, which then led to dementia. Sometimes she would disappear from home. When it happened the first time, we weren¡¯t able to locate her for a long time and when we finally found her, she was here, watching the sunset. Subsequently, whenever she disappeared, we would first look for her here."

    Lily listened quietly to the man beside her and could hear the sadness in his voice. Instinctively, she raised her hand and was about to stroke Zhuo Jingren¡¯s back tofort him but stopped mid-way when she realized that it might not be appropriate for her to do that. Lily didn¡¯t know what to say and chose to maintain her silence instead.

    "Turns out, this was the ce that she met my adoptive father which probably exins why she would always return here," Zhuo Jingren added. "There was once she even made me promise that I would bring my wife here... so here we are."

    Lily decided not to correct Zhuo Jingren this time. She stared at the man next to her for a while before turning her head towards the direction of the sunset again.

    "Hey, Lily wake up. The show will start soon." A gentle voice echoed inside Lily¡¯s mind as she furrowed her brows. "Lily, wake up."

    Lily slowly opened her eyes and instantly froze when she realized that she had fallen asleep on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s shoulders. She straightened her body and side-eyed the man wordlessly. Her face frozen, and looked extremely stiff.

    This reaction instantly made Zhuo Jingren chuckle. "You can pretend that you didn¡¯t fall asleep... but you need to at least wipe out your drool."

    Lily widened her eyes at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words. She immediately wipe her mouth with her hand only to discover that she was not drooling. "Liar."

    "I never lie," Zhuo Jingren said before pointing at his shoulders. " I meant here, not your mouth."

    Lily looked at the obvious wet spot on his shoulders and realized that he was right! ¡¯This is... EMBARRASSING!¡¯ She felt her ears burning as a faint blush crept into her cheeks.

    Without saying anything, Lily immediately took out her handkerchief to wipe the drool from his shirt. How did she fall asleep? Just how did she get herself into this embarrassing situation?

    "It¡¯s alright." Zhuo Jingren held her hand. Then he took out a sandwich. "It¡¯s almost nine, you need to eat something."

    "I had someone delivered these earlier," he exined before he slowly unwrapped the sandwich and gave it to her. "Let¡¯s have a proper dinner once we get back to the vi."

    Lily nodded and epted the sandwich. Then, she lowered her head and chastised herself inwardly. Zhuo Jingren must have beenughing at her when she was drooling ah. Lily felt so awkward that she couldn¡¯t find it in her to look at the man for the time-being, so she silently ate her sandwich. But she very quickly had a different view about the situation.

    ¡¯What¡¯s there to be embarrassed about? This man already saw me naked. A little drool doesn¡¯t really matter. Right?¡¯

    "The show is about to start soon," Zhuo Jingren said, his gaze glued to theke. "Tomorrow, I will bring you on a tour around the town. There are many stalls there selling really delicious food."

    Shortly after Zhuo Jingren had spoken, small glow of lights started to appear above the calm surface of theke. These small flickers of light started to illuminate theke. Just then, a soft chilly breeze blew past them, making Lily shiver. Suddenly, Lily felt something covering her, shielding her exposed skin from the breeze, and keeping her warm. When she looked down, she realized that she was wearing Zhuo Jingren¡¯s coat. She turned her gaze at the man next to her who was admiring the fireflies, his features were soft and gentle. Tonight, she was once reminded that her initial impressions of him were so far from reality.

    Sensing that Lily was looking at him, a small smile escaped his lips before he turned his head and met her eyes. "Beautiful, right?" Zhuo Jingren smiled.

    Lily nodded and also gave him a smile before turning to look at the hundreds of fireflies dancing across theke, like fireworks in slow-motion, the lights lingering above the waters of theke for a long time.

    "Hey, Lily?"

    "Hmm?"

    "Thank you." his voice was low.

    Lily did not respond to that. She continued looking on, unaware of the small flicker of fire that had been ignited inside her heart.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 50: Warm and Comforting

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 50: Warm and Comforting</h4>

    "Let¡¯s go?" Zhuo Jingren rose from his seat when he realized that it was already past ten in the evening. He roamed his eyes around the empty temple before he noticed that Lily was looking at him worriedly. "Even though this ce had been abandoned, the lights from themp posts are still working. I would get someone to change the bulbs every now and then. You don¡¯t have to be scared," he assured Lily with a smile.

    "I am not scared," Lily said before she got up from the bench. "It¡¯s quitete. Are we riding back to the resort on a bicycle?" Her hands were clutching the coat that had been draped on her before she finally decided to wear it properly. It was getting colder after all. She reckoned that Zhuo Jingren wouldn¡¯t need the coat more than she did as he was arge hot-blooded male. Moreover, the man had given the coat to her!

    He smiled when he saw Lily wearing his coat. "Yes and no. We will cycle back halfway, then someone wille and pick us up and send us back to our vi."

    "Alright." She nodded. Zhuo Jingren was right, even though this ce had been abandoned, it was also obvious that the ce had been maintained somehow. For Zhuo Jingren to take care of this ce, it must be because this ce held a very important ce in his heart.

    "Going down is going to be more difficult than going up. Do you still want me to carry you?" Lily raised an eyebrow at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s shameless words.

    "No, thank you," she answered before taking huge strides past him towards the bamboo forest, taking the lead. The duo followed the stone path through the bamboo forest and it wasn¡¯t long before they reached the same flight of steps they had climbed up earlier. As they were going down, they could still catch a view of theke and even the city below. From time to time, the duo would stop to appreciate the view. They knew they had reached the end of the long flight of steps when a huge gate greeted them, the same gate they saw when they first arrived.

    Zhuo Jingren went up to his bicycle that was parked by the gate and asked Lily to get on the bicycle. Lilyplied and obediently sat down on the passenger seat behind Zhuo Jingren. Just then her nose caught a faint scent. Slowly, she inched her nose towards Zhuo Jingren¡¯s back as she breathed in his scent.

    The scent on him was mild, like the smell of a morning dew. It reminded her of spring and summer. It smelledforting and it warmed Lily¡¯s heart. Once again, her arms naturally made its way around his waist, unaware of its effect on the man who was riding the bicycle. During the ride, Lily had her eyes closed as she indulged herself in his warmth.

    After a few minutes, Lily sensed that the bicycle had stopped moving which prompted her to open her eyes. She immediately got off the bicycle without being asked to. "A buggy?" she asked when she saw a buggy waiting ahead of them.

    "Yeah, well... We get to take in the magnificent view and breathe in some fresh air if we ride on a buggy. I figured you might like it..." he frowned, "Don¡¯t you like it? If you don¡¯t like it, I can ask someone to drive a car over. But that would be another twenty minutes wait if you don¡¯t mind."

    "Oh, the buggy is not a problem." Lily gave him a sincere smile. "I would love some fresh air."

    The duo then approached the buggy. However, before Zhuo Jingren could get on the buggy, the middle-aged driver stopped him. "Mr. Zhuo, Mr. Ito said that he ising here to meet you. So I am only here to fetch Miss Lily," he said in Japanese.

    Zhuo Jingren instantly furrowed. "At this hour?"

    The driver nodded.

    "No," Zhuo Jingren declined immediately and assisted Lily to get on the buggy before following suit.

    "But Mr. Zhuo..."

    "Have you forgotten who is Riku¡¯s boss?" Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words instantly silenced the driver. "Are you expecting me to wait for someone who serves me?"

    "Mr. Zhuo... I-" the driver stuttered, avoiding Zhuo Jingren¡¯s gaze. "I will drive you and Miss Lily back to your vi," he immediately said before boarding the buggy and driving off.

    There was still quite a distance from where they were to the resort. The road was quiet and empty as it waste. Their buggy was the only vehicle travelling on the road.

    "The view is beautiful from this side of town. Especially at night," Zhuo Jingren said while looking out of the buggy.

    "You are right. It is very refreshing to have this..."

    *BOOM!*

    A loud explosion interrupted Lily from finishing her sentence. The driver immediately stopped the buggy before looking at Zhuo Jingren and Lily worriedly. "Boss, I think there is something wrong up ahead," he spoke in Japanese.

    Zhuo Jingren only furrowed his brows as the rumbling sound seemed to being towards them. He could literally feel the ground shaking as if an earthquake had just urred. "Out of the buggy," he instructed while gently pushing Lily out of the vehicle.

    Lily got out of the vehicle immediately before roaming her eyes at her surroundings. The shaking and rumbling continued... as if... As if it was heading towards them. She instantly turned her head towards Zhuo Jingren who had also gotten out of the buggy as he stood in front of her protectively. "What was that?" she asked, squinting her eyes into the darkness ahead. The lighting from the buggy was not enough to illuminate what was ahead of them.

    Once again, the ground shook. Zhuo Jingren instinctively grabbed Lily¡¯s hand before he yelled. "Run!"

    Everything happened too quickly. The roar of the ground was getting louder as she tightened her grip on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hand. She followed his lead, unaware of the current direction that they were heading to.

    Then...

    BAM!

    Lily felt herself being wrapped by something warm andforting before her consciousness left her.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 51: Indeed Very Stupid

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 51: Indeed Very Stupid</h4>

    When Lily regained her consciousness, she felt a throbbing pain in her back as she began to survey her surroundings. Slowly, she tried to turn her body only to realize that she was lying on the ground and something was pressing on her body. She furrowed her brows and tried to wriggle free only to realize that she was trapped under Zhuo Jingren who had his arms wrapped around her protectively.

    "Hey..." Lily tapped on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arms, her eyes trying to make out of their surroundings. If her guess was right, they were knocked out the road by what seemed to be andslide. But it hadn¡¯t been raining, so what could have caused andslide?

    "Hey." She tapped on his arms once again.

    "Hmn..." Zhuo Jingren let out a moan.

    "Zhuo Jingren, can you hear me?"

    "Hey! Are you alright?" Lily gently shook Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arms. No response. Lily wanted to get up, so she tried her best to roll Zhuo Jingren over from her but she realized that it was not going to be easy. That¡¯s because Zhuo Jingren had a big built from regrly exercising and he was also tall, at 183cm. Compared to Lily¡¯s petite frame and standing only at 165cm tall, the man looked like a giant.

    When she finally seeded, Lily immediately sat up and tried to retrieve her phone from her pocket, only to discover that it is no longer there. She immediately searched Zhuo Jingren¡¯s pockets and was relieved to find that his phone was still there. Lily pressed a button on the phone and the screen lit up. That was when she realized that the screen was cracked. At least the phone was still working. As Lily didn¡¯t know the password to unlock Zhuo Jingren¡¯s phone, it was still in locked mode but just the light on the phone was useful enough.

    Lily focused the light from the phone on her surroundings and immediately furrowed her brows when she discovered they were no longer on the road and they seemed to have fallen off a cliff or a valley. All Lily could see were rocks and pieces of wood littered around them.

    She lifted her head to look at the night sky and was a little appeased that she could still see the stars. At least, they were not trapped in some cave or something.

    She then focused the light on the person lying motionless beside her. Fear instantly leaped out of her when she saw Zhuo Jingren¡¯s ashen face. Lily¡¯s cold hands immediately reached out to check his pulse.

    ¡¯Alive¡¯

    Lily let out a sigh of relief before she trailed down the light down his body to check if he had sustained any wounds. Then she discovered that his right leg was bleeding.

    Without any second thoughts, Lily ripped her shirt and made a make-shift tourniquet and tied it around Zhuo Jingren¡¯s wound. She then secured it with a piece of stick that she found nearby. Lily¡¯s movement¡¯s were fast and agile, her face was calm and serene but the asional scrunching of her brows revealed her worries.

    After making sure that the bleeding had slowed down, Lily covered Zhuo Jingren with his coat before she got up to walk around and survey her surroundings once again.

    "Hello?" she called out, her voice a little hoarse. Then, she felt a small pellet of water had dropped on her face. It was immediately followed by a brilliant shock of white light ripping across the sky.

    ¡¯Damn¡¯ she cursed inwardly when she realized that it had started to rain. ¡¯Why does it have to rain at times like this?¡¯

    Lily quickly made her back to Zhuo Jingren and slowly moved him away from the open area, towards a space that seemed to be untouched by the falling rain. It would be a perfect shelter from the rain.

    After much half-dragging, half-lifting, Lily finally seeded in shifting Zhuo Jingren to that space and sheid him to rest against a rock. That was when she discovered something bizarre.

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s back was damp. She immediately used the phone to check out his back and widened her eyes to see it was littered with wounds. The back part of his once white shirt was drenched in blood and was in tatters. In a sh, Lily crouched down in front of Zhuo Jingren, straddling him before she hugged his body so it could rest against hers while she continued to examine the wounds on his back.

    What she didn¡¯t expect was his consciousness to suddenly return.

    "If I have known that being wounded would make you hug me like this, I would have gotten myself injured that night we first met," he whispered, surprising Lily. However, she remainedposed and continued to check his wounds.

    "Don¡¯t move. You have lost a lot of blood and your wounds are still bleeding" she said before gentlyying him back down against the rock.

    "Yeah... I have mild hemophilia," he calmly said.

    "What?"

    "Apparently, it¡¯s hereditary."

    "I..." Lily lowered her head as a lightning lit up the sky, revealing her troubled expression. "I¡¯m sorry," she muttered,sitting down on the ground beside him.

    "It¡¯s not your fault," he said. "You should take the coat and cover yourself with it because it¡¯s getting cold in this rain. It won¡¯t take long before people find us here."

    "We are in the middle of nowhere and it¡¯s dark and raining. They won¡¯t even know that we have not returned to our vi," Lily said as she sat down next to Zhuo Jingren.

    "They will... my watch has a tracker that will update my secretary with mytest location every five minutes. Go Jichen will know that something is wrong if he sees that if I have not moved for a long time in a ce like this," he exined. Sensing that Lily was awfully quiet, he added, "It¡¯s a part of his job to monitor my location. I have enemies in this country. So..."

    "You protected me," Lily interrupted him. "That¡¯s how you got your wounds on your back..."

    "It¡¯s because you hugged me during the fall." Lily added in a voice was soft.

    "As your future husband... It is my duty to..."

    "Oh shut up!" Lily hissed. "You are so stupid for protecting me. You know that you have hemophilia yet, you still protected me! You are so stupid!"

    "If loving you is stupid then... I am indeed very stupid."

    A single tear instantly fell from Lily¡¯s eyes as she let out a long sigh. "Stupid man! Everyone who had ever protected me is now dead. Do you want to be one of them? Do you want to die while saving me?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 52: Excessive Blood Loss?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 52: Excessive Blood Loss?</h4>

    "Will saving you... make you love me?" he answered in a weak voice. "If so... then I would dly do it without batting an eye."

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words truly touched Lily. Unable to control herself, Lily burst into tears. She bit her lip and felt the muscles in her chin tremble. "Stupid."

    "Why are you crying?" he asked. "I¡¯m not going to die... I mean... I still want to marry you... so don¡¯t worry too much about it."

    "How could you still say something like this when you are in this state?" Lily asked, her pearl shaped tears silently rolling down her cheeks. "You really should stop loving someone like me... I can¡¯t give you anything more which you don¡¯t already have," she said. "People who are close to my heart end up dying."

    "I am not just some people..." he answered before letting out a long sigh. "So can¡¯t you give me a chance?"

    "Lily, what secret are you hiding?" he asked. "I think you should tell me... at least, before I bleed out and die."

    "Didn¡¯t you say that you won¡¯t die yet?" she retorted.

    "That was before you said that people who are close to your heart ends up dying," Zhuo Jingren said, earning a chuckle from Lily in the midst of her sobs.

    Lily turned her head towards Zhuo Jingren. Though she couldn¡¯t really see his reaction clearly right now, she was almost sure that he must be looking at her with all gentleness. She turned her gaze away from him before she let out a long sigh. Silently, sheposed herself and arranged her thoughts.

    "I was pregnant during the car ident seven years ago," she started. "It was your child." Lily felt Zhuo Jingren stiffened beside her but she bravely continued, "On that night, I did not only lose my mother, I also lost our child and possibly the ability to conceive in the future."

    After a long silence, Lily said, "Say something."

    "Silly woman." She heard him chuckle. "Did you think that something like this would change how I feel towards you?"

    "Did you think that I would me you? Or did you think I wouldsh out at you?" he asked. "I would never do that Lily..."

    Lily then felt his hand reached out to touch her cheeks, wiping the tears off her face. "Let¡¯s leave the past behind, alright? I wouldn¡¯t mind anything about your past. What I care about is the future."

    "A future with you," he added before his hands enveloped hers. Lily felt her eyes burning, the walls around her heart shook, threatening to copse at any moment. She forced herself to hold it in but beads of tears once again started to fall down from her cheeks, without any signs of stopping.

    Lily closed her eyes, her grip on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hand tightened. When was thest time that she had revealed her true emotions to anyone? When was thest time that she had let her guard down exposing herself like this?

    Silent stream of tears flowed down her cheeks and her heart was beating wildly. Competing voices were screaming in her mind. One voice was urging her to ept the man next to her. Another voice was telling her to protect her heart. She had been through a lot. ¡¯Will I risk getting hurt again if I open my heart to him?¡¯ On the other hand, Lily also felt like a jinx, because the people who are close to her didn¡¯t end up too well. ¡¯What if Zhuo Jingren end up...like them...¡¯

    While Lily was lost in her thoughts, Zhuo Jingren was moving slowly towards her, closing their gap. Without saying anything, he wrapped his arms around her shoulder, pulling her towards him. His warmth gave her all the assurance that she needed.

    "Marry me Lily...I know that I have no right to dictate your heart, but I have the right to love you with my own," he whispered into her ears before he kissed her temple. "Let me give you the best that you deserve... Let¡¯s have a future together and stop thinking about the past."

    Lily bit her lip, her mind was conflicted. She turned her head to face him. Feeling his warm breath against her ears, she knew that they were now very close to each other, their faces were perhaps just inches apart. She let out a sigh as resolution filled her whole being. "Let¡¯s get our certificate as soon as we can."

    Zhuo Jingren was right, they have to leave the past behind and move on... together. Lily decided to give in and be selfish once again.

    Zhuo Jingren instantly froze. Lily¡¯s words seemed to echo inside him.

    ¡¯Certificate?¡¯

    ¡¯Marriage certificate?¡¯

    ¡¯Lily is going to marry me?¡¯

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s already ashen face seemed to have lost all its color. He widened his eyes as he felt his heart stop beating. It was as if all of his blood had been drained out of his body. Coupled with his already weak body, Zhuo Jingren felt dizzy and the world around him seem to be spinning. ¡¯Is he going to faint?¡¯

    ¡¯How embarrassing,¡¯ he thought inwardly before his world went ck.

    "Hey!" Lily immediately panicked when she felt the man¡¯s body had turned limp, weighing down on her. "Zhuo Jingren! Are you joking?" she said before she embraced him, his limp body leaned against her small frame.

    Did this man faint because of excessive blood loss? Or was it because she finally agreed to his marriage proposal?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 53: Cold but Kind

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 53: Cold but Kind</h4>

    Riku & Akane¡¯s residence.

    Riku ran towards Akane¡¯s room, anger stered all over his handsome face. When he reached her room, instead of knocking like he always does, he forcefully kicked the door open.

    "Oni-" Akane rose from her seat while clutching her sleeping robe. Her eyes wide from shock at the sudden and loud intrusion.

    "I told you not to do something stupid!" he bellowed as he approached Akane. "Go- leave now!"

    "Onii-sama! What are you talking about?"

    "Stop ying dumb with me! Zhuo Jingren and Lily got into an ident and now they are missing!" Riku shouted in exasperation as he opened Akane¡¯s closet, took out her luggage and threw it on her bed. Then, he hastily pulled out pieces of her clothes with the hangers and threw them into the luggage.

    "Riku! What are you doing?" Akane grabbed her brother¡¯s arms, stopping him from grabbing any more of her clothes. "Stop it! I am not leaving!"

    "Don¡¯t you understand? Mr. Go is already on his way here... they will surely get to the bottom of this incident! You have to leave now!"

    "I said I am not leaving!" Akane insisted while returning her clothes, to the closet. "It wasn¡¯t me! I did not cause the ident so why would I leave?"

    "Liar!" Riku hissed. "Do you think that I wouldn¡¯t know about your dealings with our cousin in Canada? I already told you to avoid him yet, you did not listen to me! Leave now before Mr. Go arrives!"

    "You can¡¯t order me around like I am your employee! I am your twin sister, Riku! And yet, you didn¡¯t have the guts to help me get a little closer to Zhuo Jingren! What kind of brother are you?" Akane¡¯s sudden outburst surprised Riku.

    "Akane! Why are you being so stubborn? There is no way that he will like you!"

    "How do you know that he won¡¯t like me? I have worked hard and finished my studies abroad so I can be worthy of him! How can he not like me?"

    Riku stared in disbelief at his sister. He always knew that Akane like Zhuo Jingren. However, he discouraged her from pursuing him. He even forced her to go abroad and study so that she would be far away from Zhuo Jingren and could not scheme her way into Zhuo Jingren¡¯s bed. However, he never expected her to cause such a big mess this time round.

    "I told you, he already has someone he loves!" he bellowed. "Is that something that you cannot understand?!"

    "I can make him love me!" Tears started to welled in Akane¡¯s eyes. "I just need some time to get a little close to him. I..."

    "Akane... please! How could you ignore my words? Zhuo Jingren is not someone that you can have just because you wanted to! Since he was a teenager, that man only has Lily in his heart! Lily is someone very important to him. If anything were to happen to her, he will lose it and he will hunt down the people who were responsible for hurting her. I¡¯ve personally witnessed this before. Seven years ago, when he found out that Lily had gotten into an ident, he totally lost it..." Riku sat down and ran his fingers through his hair before looking at his sister.

    "Do you want to know what happened to the people who killed his father?" he asked. Seeing Akane nodding her head, Riku continued.

    "I was there when... when Zhuo Jingren received a call. I did not know the person who called him but Zhuo Jingren got so angry that he asked us to leave. After that, the man became... different... crazier."

    "What do you mean?" Akane asked, confusion written all over her face.

    "After that Zhuo Jingren asked his father¡¯s men to deal with the Inagawa n as fast as possible."

    Akane widened her eyes at her brother¡¯s words. "You mean... he was the one who destroyed the... the Inagawas years ago?"

    Riku nodded slowly. "Originally he was not nning to eliminate the entire Inagawa n. But after he received some news of Lily¡¯s ident, he lost his rationality and ordered to eliminate all of them. Everyone got killed, including the children. There were more casualties than necessary."

    "How... how did you know that?" Akane asked.

    "Everyone who is close to Zhuo Jingren have heard about what happened to the Inagawas. We also know how obsessed he had been over someone from Hong Kong. He had drawings of her, paintings... I saw them. He had lots of paintings of her. So... we believe this rumor."

    "But... but Zhuo Jingren... he does not kill people... he is cold but kind..."

    "Stop acting as if you understand him. Though we all know that he is actually kind beneath those cold eyes. But... when ises to his woman...he is.. he is a little irrational." He looked worriedly at his sister. "Akane please... leave now. Once they find out that it was you... he might kill you... I don¡¯t want that to happen. Please."

    "I am not leaving," Akane said stubbornly. "There is no way that I will leave now knowing that something might have happened to him. I will take care of him."

    "You-" Riku was speechless. How could she not understand a thing that he said? He stared at his twin sister intently. Exhaustion and sadness apparent in his eyes. He knew that his sister would suffer if she remained here. So should he just drag her out of the country against her will and hide her somewhere safe? That might not be easy as well.

    Resignation clouded Riku¡¯s eyes as he rose from his seat. He had said all he could say but if his sister still refuses to leave, then there is nothing else he could do but to try and protect her to the best of his abilities.

    As Riku was about to leave his sister¡¯s room, he heard thetter rummaging her closet. He turned around and saw her taking out an outfit. "Where are you going?" he furrowed his brows.

    "I am going to look for Zhuo Jingren. I will join the search party," she said with determination in her eyes. If Zhuo Jingren was injured then he would need someone by his side to take care of him. Akane was sure that Lily wouldn¡¯t be able to take care of Zhuo Jingren, given her injuries.

    This was her chance to get closer to Zhuo Jingren, to show him that she was worthy to be by his side.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 54: Weak Heartbeat

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 54: Weak Heartbeat</h4>

    June 19th, Sunday - 5th day

    Location: unknown.

    Lily looked at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s luminous watch. It had been more than three hours since Zhuo Jingren lost consciousness and Lily was getting worried. She stuck out her hands to catch some rainwater, then brought it towards Zhuo Jingren¡¯s lips, trying to get him to drink some water. Rainwater was not ideal, but it was their only source of water to hydrate themselves for now.

    She then tightened the coat around him before feeling his forehead for his temperature. Zhuo Jingren was too cold and his face was pale. From time to time, his brows would furrow as if he was in a lot of pain. Lily bit her lower lip as she wreck her brain for a way to transfer heat to his body.

    Lily knew that stripping them both naked and huddling together for warmth was not be an option since they didn¡¯t have enough clothing on them or a nket to cover the both of them. This would only expose the both of them to the cold and Zhuo Jingren would also lose more body heat in the process.

    With these considerations in mind, she first removed the coat from Zhuo Jingren. Then she positioned herself behind Zhuo Jingren and straddled his waist, hugging him from the back. She started rubbing her hands together before blowing at them, transferring some heat over to her hands before covering them both with the coat and wrapping her arms around him.

    This was something that Lily learned while reading a study about hypothermia. ¡¯Keeping Zhuo Jingren warm is the most important thing right now.¡¯ She didn¡¯t mind that his shirt was damp and stained with blood from the wounds on his back or how her shirt might be stained in the process.

    Lily then leaned her head at his nape, inhaling his scent that was already mixed with blood. All she could do now is to pray that they survive this. Then she could start a new life, give this marriage a chance and maybe... just maybe fall in love in the process.

    "Hey, don¡¯t you dare die right now," she said in a low voice.Then, her hands then made their way to his broad chest to feel his weak heartbeat. "You can¡¯t leave me now."

    Once again, tears started to stream on Lily¡¯s cheeks. If her estimate was right, they had been stranded in this ce for more than four hours now. She believed that Secretary Go would have alreadyunched a search party by now and it was only a matter of time before they are found. As Lily thought about the incident, she furrowed her brows. She literally did not know what had happened.

    What could have caused andslide in a perfect night? Moreover, if she didn¡¯t remember wrongly, there was a loud sound, like an explosion, before thendslide happened. Lily did not remember seeing any tall mountain wherendslides might naturally ur. Moreover, there weren¡¯t any buildings or infrastructure around that an explosion might have happened, resulting in andslide.

    Was this really an ident?

    Or... Realization dawned on Lily when she remembered how the driver had insisted on only driving Lily back while Zhuo Jingren asking to stay behind to wait for Riku who wasing to meet with him. Was that also a coincidence? Or... was someone trying to hurt her?

    But who could it be?

    Liam? Sofia? Or her enemies abroad? But that shouldn¡¯t be possible. This trip was not nned and the only people who knew that she had gone on a trip was Yang Mi and Li Shanshan. Moreover, Lily had not given the two her exact location. They only knew that she was in Japan.

    So was it Zhuo Jingren¡¯s enemies? But Zhuo Jingren said he wasn¡¯t involved with the Yakuza anymore. Moreover, he would not be that stupid to bring her to this ce without a bodyguard if he knew that his enemies were currently after his life. But then again, if their target was Zhuo Jingren, then why was there a need to separate them and only attack her? Were they trying to use her to make Zhuo Jingren sad?

    That doesn¡¯t seem like the style of the Yakuza.

    Lily searched her memory as she tried to analyze the situation. Though Lily could not speak Japanese well, she understood thenguage perfectly. This was because she had learned thenguage on her own and had some practice with thenguage whenever she had to meet her Japanese investors. However, she was still not fluent with thenguage as she seldom converse with it.

    Understanding thenguage and speaking thenguage were two different things.

    Once again, Lily tried to rewind every conversation that they had. But she ended up with nothing. In this trip, the only people that Zhuo Jingren had introduced her to were Riku and his sister. Since they were working for him, they was no motive for them to hurt her right?

    Then, the thought of Akane as the culprit came into mind but she quickly shook off the thought. ording to Riku, Zhuo Jingren seemed to have spent some considerable efforts searching for her in the past. Surely the siblings wouldn¡¯t have the guts to hurt Lily and earn Zhuo Jingren¡¯s ire right?

    When Lily still ended up with nothing. She decided to just stop thinking about it.

    She looked at the darkness before them. The rain seemed to have stopped, but there were still some asional shes of lighting that lit up the sky from time to time.

    Lily let out a sigh before she closed her eyes. She needed to conserve her energy for now. Suddenly, she heard some footsteps and she immediately jolted up. "Hello?"

    "Hello? Is anyone out there?" she tried her best to make her voice a little louder. "Help! Someone is down here!"

    The footsteps seemed to have stopped and soon she could hear some faint voices and they were getting louder by the minute. Lily¡¯s heart leaped with joy when she began to see shes of lightsing towards them.

    "Hey!" she yelled. "Help! We¡¯re here!"

    "Miss Qin!"

    Relief washed over Lily when she heard someone familiar - Secretary Go¡¯s voice.

    "Secretary Go! We¡¯re here!" she shouted before she gently moved to the side of Zhuo Jingren, and waved her hand at the people approaching them.

    "Miss Qin... Thank god that you are fine! Boss Zhuo, he..."

    "He is here... have your men transport him carefully. He is wounded," she answered. As soon as she said that, she heard someone sobbing. Then Akane came into view. Akane slowly approached Zhuo Jingren with tears streaming down her cheeks. Lily instantly frowned at her.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 55: Come If You Dare

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 55: Come If You Dare</h4>

    "Mr. Zhuo... Mr. Zhuo..." Akane¡¯s sobs irritated Lily. She furrowed her brows and looked at the woman who was reaching towards Zhuo Jingren and was about to touch him.

    "Don¡¯t contaminate him!" she managed to say in Japanese, surprising everyone including Secretary Go and Akane. Lily then turned her head towards Secretary Go. "Have your men lift him and transport him to a hospital as soon as possible." Lily¡¯s tone was cold and chilly, instantly making Secretary Go swallow all the words he wanted to say. Even Akane¡¯s sobs ceased as she stared at Lily awkwardly.

    Seeing Lily¡¯s sharp gaze, Secretary Go woke up from his stupor and immediately ordered his men to lift Zhuo Jingren and carry him back to the resort where they have an in-house medical team. Moreover, given Zhuo Jingren¡¯s current state, he was not fit to travel to a hospital which was an hour journey away. He needed medical help as soon as possible.

    While all this was happening, Secretary Go made sure to give Lily a coat and some food and water before everyone started to trek out of the valley. To Lily¡¯s surprise, they were actually located less than a mile away from the resort. But because of the rain and the big pile of stones and soil from thendslide, Secretary Go and the others had found it hard to locate them.

    Because of thendslide, Secretary Go and the others went on foot to search for them, thinking that the roads would be blocked. This made Lily a little angry, as she foresee that transporting Zhuo Jingren back on foot might be challenging, given his injuries. But Secretary Go was quick to assure her that Zhuo Jingren would be fine.

    In less than an hour, the group arrived at the resort and they were immediately treated by a team of medical personnel.

    "I am fine." Lily flinched as a female nurse tended to her wounds that she somehow did not even noticed before.

    "Miss Lily, this wound on your elbow might scar if it is not treated properly," the nurse said before she handed Lily some medicine. "The doctor said you need to eat this medicine and that you need to rest."

    "I am going to see Zhuo Jingren." She rose from her seat. However, the nurse was quick to stop her. She held onto Lily¡¯s shoulders and looked at her imposingly.

    "Miss Lily, I really cannot allow you to leave right now. You have wounds on your body and you need to rest. The doctor said that you are not fit to take care of Mr. Zhuo in this state."

    Lily narrowed her eyes at the nurse. "I only have some small cuts on my elbows and bruises on my legs. I did not even shed a single drop of blood. I am not feeling dizzy and my mind is perfectly sound. Moreover, I have not seen any doctor around since I got here. Do you see me as a fool?"

    Seeing as Lily was not intimidated by her, the nurse stealthily took out a syringe from her pocket. "The doctor had given me permission to sedate you if you refuse to stay. Miss Lily, I hope you won¡¯t hold this to heart but this is only for your own good."

    Lily¡¯s eyes immediately widened when she saw the nurse approaching her with an open syringe. Without further thoughts, she pushed the nurse away from her before grabbing amp near her. "Come if you dare. I won¡¯t hesitate to hurt you!"

    "Miss Lily... please calm down," the nurse raised her hand. "We are only doing this for your own good."

    "Own good my ass!" Lily cursed before she looked at the nurse coldly. "Who sent you?"

    However, before the nurse could answer, Secretary Go opened the door with two of his men. "What is happening here?" Seeing Lily in a defensive stance, Secretary Go instantly narrowed his eyes at the nurse who immediately paled when she saw Secretary Go enter.

    "Mr. Go, Miss Lily refused to take her medicine. The doctor told me that she might be a little delusional because of the ident. She actually attacked me for no reason just a while ago." The nurse quickly spun a tale, hoping that Secretary Go would believe her. The nurse had not expected Secretary Go to check on Lily. Miss Akane had assured her that no one would being and all she needed to do was to sedate Lily to make her sleep.

    Who would have thought that Secretary Go would arrive at this crucial time? Did Miss Akane fail to stop Secretary Go?

    Secretary Go immediately turned his attention towards Lily who was staring coldly at the nurse. "Miss Qin? Are you alright?"

    "Go Jichen, give me your phone," Lily said. Her words surprised Secretary Go as only Zhuo Jingren knew his true name in the corporate world. ¡¯Does this mean that President Zhuo is already sharing secrets with Miss Qin? This could only mean that they already passed the first stage!¡¯

    Secretary Go¡¯s eyes seemed to sparkle from happiness as he retrieved his phone from his pocket and passed it to Lily. Secretary Go decided that he needed to curry favor with Lily Qin starting from now if she was going to be hisdy boss soon. With that in mind, Secretary Go turn his gaze to the nurse who was obviously looked nervous. "What did you say was the medicine that you wanted to give to Miss Qin?" he questioned, eyeing the open syringe in the nurse¡¯s hand.

    "I... this.... This was part of the doctor¡¯s prescription," the nurse instantly trembled under Secretary Go¡¯s intense gaze. "This will help speed up the healing of Miss Lily¡¯s wounds," she lied.

    "I am not wounded. That woman is lying," Lily said calmly as she dialed the phone.

    "Mr. Go, Miss Lily is delusional because of the shock that she received from the ident. Please have your men restrain her so that I can administer the medication." The nurse mustered all the courage that had to convince Secretary Go that she was just being professional. If these people find out that she had wanted to sedate Miss Qin, then... her medical career is over and she might even be...dead.

    "Yang Mi? I¡¯m safe. Send a medical team to Japan as quickly as possible. I will send you the address. Yes... I am fine. I also want you to investigate the background of all the medical personnel working in a resort called ¡¯The Countryside¡¯ in Fussa City, Japan. I want to know everything about them and I want to know the results as soon as possible." Lily¡¯s voice echoed inside the room, making the nurse even more nervous.

    "You- How dare you invade our privacy?" the nurse said, anxiety was written all over her face.

    "Surprise?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "Well guess what darling, this is what happens when you offend someone like me."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 56: Devoted To Me Alone

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 56: Devoted To Me Alone</h4>

    The nurse paled even more when she heard Lily¡¯s intimidating words. Akane told her that Lily was just some random girl that the boss had picked up and that without Boss Zhuo around, she wouldn¡¯t have the guts to act all high and mighty. So what was this situation about now?

    "I will go to Zhuo Jingren now and take care of him," she dered before turning to the two men who stayed behind Secretary Go. "Don¡¯t let that woman leave. Make sure to interrogate her properly and find out who asked her to detain me," she ordered coldly. Since the nurse had the intention to detain her, Lily thought that someone might be after Zhuo Jingren¡¯s life. Or why else would they want her to stay away from him?

    "Go Jichen, bring me to him."

    Secretary Go immediately led the way. When they returned to the resort earlier, they were brought to a different vi than the one Lily and Zhuo Jingren stayed in the first night. This vi was located deep inside the resort, away from the othermercial vis. This vi was designed like a traditional Japanese house, with sliding doors and papered walls. Lily guessed that this should be the ce where Zhuo Jingren stayed before he left Japan.

    The vi was very beautiful but Lily didn¡¯t have the mind to appreciate anything right now as her heart was full of worry. She believed that the attack tonight must be from Zhuo Jingren¡¯s enemies. Lily turned her head to address Secretary Go, "I want you to get your men to secure this vi. There should be a record of everyone who enters and leaves the house - their names, time and purpose of the visit." She made a deliberate pause. "How is his condition right now?" she asked.

    "President Zhuo is stable. He had a blood transfusion and now we just have to wait for him to wake up," Secretary Go answered. "Miss Qin, if you don¡¯t mind me asking, why do we have to keep a physical record of everyone who enter and leave the vi? We have CCTVs all around the vi..."

    "Someone wanted Zhuo Jingren¡¯s life." What Lily said made Secretary Go widened his eyes.

    "Miss Qin... I-"

    "What happened tonight was not an ident. Someone is trying to harm him. However, I don¡¯t want you to stir the grass and startle the snake. For now, just say this is all part of the new security protocol. It¡¯s easy to cheat the CCTVs anyway," she exined.

    Secretary Go nodded in agreement. Inwardly, he was celebrating ah. Miss Qin really cared for the President. He really could not wait to report these things to President Zhuo once he is awake.

    After a few more turns, they finally arrived in front of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s room. Secretary Go slide the door open and immediately frowned at the scene in front of him.

    Besides the doctor, the Ito siblings were also here. Akane was crying dramatically as she listened to the doctor¡¯s words, like a dutiful wife.

    "Who gave you the right to update them President Zhuo¡¯s current condition?" Secretary Go asked in a cold tone. Knowing that there were others in the room, Lily had remained outside and did not enter the room with Secretary Go as she wanted to observe how the situation in the room would y out.

    "Mr. Go... I," the doctor stuttered. "Mr. Riku had been around Mr. Zhuo for years so I thought..."

    "You are wrong. Mr. Zhuo is a very private person. He wouldn¡¯t want his doctor to casually divulge his medical records to others. As a doctor, you should understand the importance of patient confidentiality. Not forgetting that you have been working under President Zhuo for years, you should have known better."

    "My brother grew up with Mr. Zhuo. I don¡¯t see anything wrong with the doctor sharing these information with us," Akane said in between her sobs. "We are just really concerned about Mr. Zhuo."

    "Moreover, I am also here to take care of Mr. Zhuo personally, so it is only right for me to know these things," she added while dabbing her handkerchief on her swollen eyes.

    "Take care of Mr. Zhuo personally?" Lily¡¯s soft voice broke the tension in the room. She walked into the room and stood next to Secretary Go with a smile on her face. "I think I must have heard wrongly. Can you repeat yourself Miss Ito?"

    An obvious shock shed in Akane¡¯s eyes but she quickly regained herposure. However, the subtle changes in Akane¡¯s expression didn¡¯t escape the watchful eyes of Secretary Go and Lily.

    But before Akane could answer, the doctor immediately butted in, "Miss Lily, why are you here? Didn¡¯t my nurse tell you that you need to be in bed for two days?"

    "Excuse me... but do I know you?" Lily asked, ignoring the Ito siblings as she approached Zhuo Jingren¡¯s bed. "If you are done here, please leave now."

    "Miss Lily!" the doctor approached her. "I clearly said..."

    "You are done here. Zhuo Jingren is in stable condition. You can leave now," she interrupted the doctor.

    "Miss Lily, I think you should return to your room to rest. It would be best to listen to the doctor¡¯s advice." Akane said meekly. "The doctor is only thinking about your welfare. Don¡¯t worry, I will take care of Mr. Zhuo..."

    "I thought I was clear. Don¡¯t you understand what the word ¡¯leave¡¯ means?" Lily smiled provocatively at Akane. Her face was calm and serene but the provocation in her tone was obvious. "My fianc¨¦ is not in any serious danger and is currently sleeping. Too much noise will wake him up."

    When Lily said ¡¯fianc¨¦¡¯, Secretary Go¡¯s ears immediately perked up as a wide smile spread across his face. Fianc¨¦? Was he hearing things? Could it be that President Zhuo is actually already at thest stage? He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he failed to react properly to the current situation in front of him.

    "Miss Lily... Mr. Zhuo¡¯s immune system is currently weak and he needs the most delicate care. How are you able to care for Mr. Zhuo properly when you are wounded yourself? What if you also infect him? Instead of helping him, you might even bring him harm," Akane reasoned, unfazed by Lily. Though, she could not understand how Lily managed to escape her room, Akane was adamant on staying and there was no room for the two of them here.

    To her surprise, not a single crack was seen on Lily¡¯s face. She looked at Akane in the eye before she said, "Thank you for your kind offer Miss Ito, I did not know that you like my fianc¨¦ that way."

    "But I¡¯m sure he would be happier if I am the one taking care of him, his fianc¨¦e and not some stranger," she added before turning her gaze towards Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face, her eyes full of gentleness. "He¡¯s been devoted to me alone for the past fifteen years. I¡¯m sure just seeing me alone would make him feel better already. Don¡¯t you think so too?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 57: A Very Possessive Person

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 57: A Very Possessive Person</h4>

    Akane¡¯s eyes flickered with rage. She was about to rebut Lily when her brother held her arm. "Let¡¯s go Akane, Miss Lily is right. She is Mr. Zhuo¡¯s fianc¨¦e. It is only right that she¡¯s the one who takes care of him."

    Akane sent a re towards her brother before she shook off his hand. She always knew that her brother would not support her. But this... at times like this, Riku should at least help her convince Lily. Of course, she still managed topose herself before she eyed Doctor Ikeda, hoping to get the man¡¯s help. The doctor took the hint and immediately backed her up.

    "Miss Lily, I know that you are Mr. Zhuo¡¯s fianc¨¦e but you are still under observation and unfit to be a caregiver at the moment..."

    "You are no longer needed here. Leave now or I will have my fianc¨¦e¡¯s men drag you out of this resort," Lily firmly said. "I will call you once he is awake. You can tell him all about my contagious bruises by then."

    The doctor turned speechless at Lily¡¯s words. Contagious bruises? When had he say something like that?

    "Go Jichen, drag these people out," Lily added before taking a seat on the couch next to Zhuo Jingren¡¯s bed.

    Seeing as Lily was not budging, Akane had no other choice but to leave. She clenched her jaw in anger and strutted out of the room. What else could she say? Lily insulted her and called her a ¡¯stranger¡¯ in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s life. Moreover, she kept on rubbing it in Akane¡¯s face that Zhuo Jingren had like her for more than a decade.

    She determined in her heart to teach Lily a lesson: knowing Zhuo Jingren longer didn¡¯t mean that she owned him.

    "Akane!" Riku chase after his sister. "Whatever you are thinking, please stop it."

    "Why do you care?" Akane hissed. "You didn¡¯t even help me in there! Why would you care now?"

    "I received a message that they have already detained the nurse. Please don¡¯t dig your grave even deeper. Lily is not dumb. She must have already known that someone is intentionally keeping her away from Zhuo Jingren."

    "So what?" Akane asked, turning her head from left to right to make sure that no one was following them. "So what if she knows that I am trying to stop her from taking care of Zhuo Jingren? What can she do about it?"

    "Akane! How did you be like this?" Riku asked. "Where did all your education go? Why are you acting like a desperate woman?"

    "You know why!" she answered. "I told you that I liked him ever since the first time I saw him but you never ever introduced me to him! Just what kind of brother are you? You even sent me away so that I would be far away from him!" Akane¡¯s words contained all the resentment that she felt towards her brother. For Akane, it was love at first sight but her good brother always discouraged her from pursuing Zhuo Jingren and even sent her abroad.

    "Is that how you see me? A bad brother?" Riku asked his face full of sadness. "I was trying to save you from having a heartache! I can¡¯t just watch you fall for someone whose heart has already been given to someone else! I was trying to protect you Akane!"

    "I don¡¯t need your protection! I am a grown woman! I want what I want and you can¡¯t do anything to change my mind," Akane said angrily, stomping away. She needed a new n, and fast!!

    "I want you to investigate the Ito siblings," Lily said the moment Akane, Riku and the doctor left.

    "Miss Qin, you mean?"

    "Akane didn¡¯t want me here and the nurse wanted to sedate me to prevent me from leaving my room," Lily recounted. "I am not a saint Secretary Go, I am a very possessive person. I won¡¯t tolerate anyone who is trying to steal what is already mine."

    "I... Miss Qin..." Secretary Go instantly beamed as realization hit him. "Congrattions! Congrattions! I will follow your orders as soon as possible!"

    Secretary Go left immediately after talking to Lily. He really wanted to celebrate right now ah. But the boss is still unconscious, he really cannot wait to tell all these to President Zhuo. He was sure he would be really happy to hear Lily say something like this!

    Lily didn¡¯t miss the excitement that was all over Secretary Go¡¯s face as he left but her attention was all on Zhuo Jingren now. Though thetter was still looking pale, at least his breathing was consistent. He should wake up soon. Moreover, Zhuo Jingren was a very healthy man. A little blood loss shouldn¡¯t really put him in any life threatening danger. Of course, just to make sure that everything would be fine, Lily had used her connections to invite a group of reputable doctors to check on Zhuo Jingren. These doctors were from a hospital that the Fi Group had been donating generously to.

    Lily stared at the clock sitting on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s bedside table. It was already five in the morning. No wonder she felt so exhausted. For some reason, her mind was still rather active despite the fatigue.

    Was she excited for Zhuo Jingren to wake up? Or was she excited to marry him. Maybe it was a little of both, Lily thought before a small smile escaped her lips. Then she slowly slouched on the couch and finally drifted off to sleep.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 58: Yes-Man and a Henpecked Husband

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 58: Yes-Man and a Henpecked Husband</h4>

    June 20th, Monday - 6th day

    Zhuo Jingren woke up to the sound of heavy snoring that wasn¡¯t his own. He blinked his eyes and gazed at the familiar ceiling before turning his head towards the source of the heavy snoring. Lily¡¯s beautiful face came into his view which greatly surprised him.

    Lily was curled up on the couch just next to his bed. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes immediately turned gentle as he watched the woman sleeping soundly, unguarded and sending snores his way. He slowly sat up on his bed and checked his limbs.

    ¡¯Nothing missing¡¯ He was d that did not lose any limbs.

    Zhuo Jingren let out a small chuckle before he slowly got down from the bed, dragging along his IV drip stand as he made his way to Lily. He bent down to pick up a nket that was sprawled on the floor and covered Lily with it. Then, his lips lifted into a small smile as memories from that night flooded his mind and how Lily agreed to marry him before he lost his consciousness.

    Zhuo Jingren chided himself for losing his consciousness at the most critical moment. How embarrassing! Of course, he could easily exin that it was because he lost too much blood. It wouldn¡¯t be theplete truth but it wouldn¡¯t be considered as lying either.

    "Your snores are too loud," he said softly as he stroked her cheeks. "How can a small girl like you snore so loudly?"

    Even though he had spoken softly, it still woke Lily up.

    Lily¡¯s eyes shot wide open without any warning. Before her was a man with handsome features, and her eyes couldn¡¯t help but linger on his face for a few seconds. Then, realizing how awkward the situation was, she suddenly jolted up. Her movements were so fast that her head collided with his.

    "Aw!" Lily said while massaging her forehead. "How could you startle me like that?" she grumbled when she felt Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hands gently stroking her forehead as well.

    "Does it still hurt?" he asked.

    "Of course it does! Your head is too hard ah!" Lily said before she froze. Then sheically turned her head towards Zhuo Jingren as realization hit her. "You¡¯re awake!"

    "Hmn." He nodded, still stroking her head. "How is it? Still painful?"

    Lily stared at the man in disbelief. Why was he acting like she was the patient? "I¡¯m fine," she said before getting up from the couch. "Why are you out of your bed? Go and lie back down. What if you faint again?"

    "I feel like I¡¯ve been asleep for too long. My legs need some stretching," he answered.

    "Zhuo Jingren, don¡¯t act like a child! Go back to your bed now. I will go and call the doctor in." Lily was about to walk away but Zhuo Jingren held her back.

    "Don¡¯t leave. Just use my phone to call Go Jichen," he said as he walked towards his bed, pulling Lily along with him. "I am still lightheaded. What if I faint when you are not around?"

    Lily was about to rebut the man but thought that he also made sense. What if something happens to him while she was away? Of course, it never crossed Lily¡¯s mind that Zhuo Jingren might be faking it just so that she could stay with him. After all, a big man in his thirties won¡¯t act needy and weak in front of a woman right?

    With that in mind, Lily used the phone in the room to call Secretary Go. In less than a minute, arge group of people entered Zhuo Jingren¡¯s room. The team of doctors that Lily had requested had arrived early in the morning and they quickly got to work, examining Zhuo Jingren and running some tests on him. Secretary Go, Yang Mi, Doctor Ikeda, Akane and Riku followed shortly after. As the doctors were examining Zhuo Jingren, he held onto Lily¡¯s hand and refused to let go, so she was forced to sit next to him on the bed.

    The doctors looked at the two in confusion. Even Yang Mi and Secretary Go were left speechless. It was just a simple check-up, why was Zhuo Jingren acting like a spoiled child? Still, Lily obliged without aint. After all, she was the reason why Zhuo Jingren got hurt in the first ce.

    After a series of examination and making sure that his body was functioning normally, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s IV was removed and the doctors left.

    "How long was I asleep for?" Zhuo Jingren asked Lily, ignoring the other people in the room.

    "We arrived here yesterday morning. So... You have slept for more than twenty-four hours," she calcted. "You must be hungry. I will get someone to cook something for you."

    "Miss Lily, I have made some porridge for Mr. Zhuo. It¡¯s his favorite porridge. I will ask someone to get it for..."

    "No need. He doesn¡¯t like porridge," Lily interrupted Akane, shaking off Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hand. She then rose from the bed and looked at Akane before eyeing Zhuo Jingren. "I will personally cook for him. I¡¯m sure he will eat whatever I serve him. Isn¡¯t that right?"

    "Of course... Of course... My Lily is right," Zhuo Jingren agreed in a heartbeat, shing a million-watt smile that blinded everyone in the room. Lily would be cooking for him? It was a dreame true!

    "But... Mr. Zhuo loves to eat porridge..."

    "When I said he doesn¡¯t like it... I meant that he doesn¡¯t like the person who made it. How can I let my fianc¨¦ eat something made by a stranger?" Lily¡¯s tone was sweet, but her words packed a punch and there was disdain in her eyes.

    Akane¡¯s face immediately turned ugly at Lily¡¯s words. This ¡¯fianc¨¦¡¯ and ¡¯stranger¡¯ thing again! Lily was intentionally rubbing some salt into her already wounded heart ah. However, she still harbored hope that Zhuo Jingren would not reject her goodwill. But when she looked at Zhuo Jingren again, what she saw only made her heart sink even more.

    Zhuo Jingren was smiling like a fool, nodding at Lily like a yes-man and a henpecked husband. Seeing Zhuo Jingren acting like this instantly caused tears to well up in Akane¡¯s eyes. It was as if someone had stomped on her already broken heart into pieces.

    How cruel.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 59: Make the Culprit Confess

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 59: Make the Culprit Confess</h4>

    "Does it taste good?" Lily asked after Zhuo Jingren had swallowed a spoonful of soup that Lily spoon-fed him with.

    "Very good," he immediately nodded. "I want more."

    Lily happily fed him another spoonful of the soup. "Alright, drink some more." She then turned her head towards Secretary Go. "Secretary Go, please have some soup. I made a lot. There is enough for three people."

    "Alright," Secretary Go smiled politely and grabbed a small bowl of hot soup sitting on the table. Thedy boss was really kind to think about him. President Zhuo is so.... SALTY!

    Secretary Go¡¯s face reddened as the saltiness of the soup assaulted his taste buds. Ahhhh! No wonder President Zhuo did not stop him from taking the soup! He thought that the president was magnanimous enough to share the soup with him! But it turns out that he merely wanted Secretary Go to have a taste of the soup as well. Secretary Go turned his head slowly towards his boss who was happily drinking the soup. How could his boss drink the soup with such a straight face?

    "How was it Secretary Go? Do you like it?" Lily asked Secretary Go with a smile.

    "Of course, Miss Qin... It is the best," he lied with a straight face before drinking another mouthful of the soup again.

    Lily beamed at the two men who were indulging her. ¡¯These two really deserve an Oscar!¡¯ She initially thought that Zhuo Jingren would find an excuse to reject the soup after taking a mouthful, but he didn¡¯t. He didn¡¯t even flinched as he continued to drink mouthful after mouthful. He evenplimented her!

    Lily shook her head inwardly. Wasn¡¯t she lucky to be able to meet a man who worshipped her like a god? Lily was sure that this man would not even flinch if she fed him poison. "Alright, you can stop pretending now. Go Jichen, go and prepare something else for Zhuo Jingren to eat. Make it quick," she said.

    "Why? I would love to drink more..." Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words were quickly cut off by Lily.

    "I can¡¯t cook," Lily admitted as she met his eyes. "This food will only make you more ill. Have your secretary make you something else."

    Seeing Lily¡¯s poker face, Zhuo Jingren let out a sigh before confirming Lily¡¯s instructions earlier. He knew that Lily wouldn¡¯t continue feeding him the soup she had made and since he was hungry, he had no choice but to get his secretary to make him something else to eat.

    "Are you sulking?" he asked Lily who was avoiding his gaze. He immediately wondered if she was angry. But how could she be angry when he hadplimented her? At the present, Zhuo Jingren was in a really good mood because of the things he heard from Secretary Go, about everything that happened when he was unconscious. He heard about how Lily had told everyone that she was his fianc¨¦e and even said she was very possessive of him. Wasn¡¯t this a dreame true for Zhuo Jingren?

    "Don¡¯t lie to me next time," Lily said while letting out a sigh. "As you can see, I can¡¯t cook. Are you still going to marry me?" she asked directly, not realizing how silly her question was.

    For Lily, she just wanted to know if the man was truly serious about her. She wouldn¡¯t want to find herself being too invested in the rtionship that she couldn¡¯t pull outter if the man wasn¡¯t serious.

    "What are you talking about? If I want a cook, I would have married a chef," heughed.

    "True." Lily nodded. "Then, let¡¯s talk about what happened."

    "Go Jichen told me everything, when you were cooking," Zhuo Jingren said. "He said you couldn¡¯t find the driver and there was nothing conclusive to pinpoint the one who was responsible for the explosion?"

    "Yes and I believe that someone might be after your life."

    "No, Lily, someone is after yours. Not mine," he corrected as his hands enveloped hers. The fact that someone wanted to separate them before the ident was enough to prove that someone wanted Lily dead.

    "I am not surprised," Lily said. This was what she initially thought but since she didn¡¯t know anyone in Japan, she quickly dispelled that thought from her mind. But now that Zhuo Jingren said it himself, Lily found it highly usible. "And I think I know who wanted me dead."

    Zhuo Jingren immediately raised an eyebrow at her. "Who?"

    "Secret," she answered before giving him a smile. "Though I did not find any conclusive evidence, I believe I can still make the culprit confess."

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s lips curled into a smile when he heard Lily¡¯s words. "Of course, you can. My wife is truly skilled ah."

    "What wife? Don¡¯t be shameless... I just agreed to marry you. You have not given me any betrothal gifts yet!"

    "All my gifts to you are already under your name. They were already processed and signed even before you agreed to marry me," he proudly said.

    It was Lily¡¯s turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "Huh... so you wanted to marry me that bad huh. You already prepared my gifts even before I agreed. How bold."

    "Of course, you have already taken advantage of my body. It was only natural for me to assume that a businesswoman like you would take responsibility for what happened."

    "A businesswoman would always think about her profits. Again, can you tell me my gains in this marriage?" she asked as her lips lifted into a smile.

    "Besides the fact that I am good-looking, I am also kind and sweet. I can cook, I can drive, I can do theundry and I am very rich! I am the ideal husband! You can even say I¡¯m the Nation¡¯s Husband," he shamelessly boasted andughed heartily.

    "Why don¡¯t we include the fact that you are a nervous wreck who keeps fainting in front of me, hmm?"

    "It was because I lost a lot of blood!" he retorted.

    "Okay..." She shrugged. This man would never ept the fact that he had fainted because of shock. "Then tell me the material gains," Lily said with profits in her mind.

    "Hmmm...you are indeed a profiteer. Why don¡¯t you grab that attache case in the drawer over there. Secretary Go brought that over earlier." He pointed at the drawer to his left and watched as Lily picked up the case. She was able to pass the case to him when he said, "No, open it. It¡¯s yours anyway."

    Lily looked at the brown leather attache case and then at Zhuo Jingren. "Password?"

    "Your birthday," he answered.

    Lily only smiled at Zhuo Jingren before she slowly input her birthday at thebination lock of the case. A low ¡¯tick¡¯ sound could be heard before she opened the case and examined its contents. Then her eyes widened as she turned to Zhuo Jingren, surprise was written all over her face.

    "Is this all for me?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 60: Something Mediocre

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 60: Something Mediocre</h4>

    Inside the case, a small box made of shiny ck leather caught Lily¡¯s attention. She picked up the box and opened it, revealing three rings inside. Two of the rings looked like they came in a pair, obviously wedding bands. Thest ring was made of white gold with a big cushion shaped blue stone as the centerpiece, surrounded by many small sparkling diamonds.

    "What kind of stone is this? Is this sapphire?" she asked.

    "Blue diamond. I had this ring made years ago. Do you like it?" he smiled, thinking back on all the time he spent designing it until he was satisfied. Then he hired a skilled craftsman to make it.

    Lily only smiled in response and did not continue to inquire about the jewelry anymore. She then proceeded to examine the rest of the papers from the top. Most of the documents were stock certificates from big and well-knownpanies. There was also a stock certificate for Qin Enterprises and that made Lily smile.

    While Lily was checking through the documents meticulously, Zhuo Jingren was feeling on the edge. He couldn¡¯t wait for Lily to get to thest document and sign her name on it.

    "I noticed that the name on these documents is Lily Fi-Qin, when did you update the name?" Lily asked

    "Hmmmm.... Shortly after you arrived in Hong Kong, I made arrangements to update the name from Qin Jinghua to Lily Fi-Qin, the name you go by now," he replied, as he contemted whether to ask the next question. "Erm...Can you check out thest document and then sign it?" he asked. ¡¯Thest document is the most important ah.¡¯

    "Okay," Lily said, skipping to thest document. You could imagine her surprise when she saw a marriage certificate. "When did you prepare this?"

    "Back when you agreed to let me woo you."

    "That confident?" She raised an eyebrow.

    "I knew that you would agree eventually. It¡¯s not confidence. I just know that you cannot resist me." Zhuo Jingrenughed at his own words. Just a few days ago, Lily was still distant with him but Zhuo Jingren was confident that he could make her say ¡¯yes¡¯. All he needed was to spend more time with her and get close to her. "Sign it and be Mrs. Zhuo," he said, his smile reaching his ears.

    Without a word, Lily grabbed a pen and signed her name on the marriage certificate. "I will pass Secretary Go the relevant documents so that he can process this when we get back."

    Seeing as the legal matters were settled, Zhuo Jingren grabbed the ring box and slid on two rings on Lily¡¯s finger. One ring was an engagement ring and the other was the wedding band. He couldn¡¯t wait to tell the whole world that Lily was his. Although everything happened so suddenly, Lily also did not mind it at all, in fact, she was satisfied through and through.

    After all, her husband-to-be was not only good-looking but very capable as well. Moreover, the man treated her like a queen. What more could she ask for?

    "About the condition in yourte paternal grandfather¡¯s Will, the one where you have to get married within three months...." Zhuo Jingren trailed off as he wore his wedding band. "You were not in any rtionship then and yet you had refused my proposal before. Who were you nning to marry?"

    "My friend, Fernando."

    Zhuo Jingren immediately frowned. So she was already nning to marry someone else? Was that why she did not agree to marry him the first time that he asked? Zhuo Jingren made a mental note to talk to this Fernando guy as soon as possible.

    "Did he agree to marry you?" he asked.

    "I haven¡¯t had the chance to discuss this with him yet. But I¡¯m sure he would have agreed especially if I offer to invest in his business or give him some money. It¡¯s no big deal." Lily shrugged as she held her hand up towards the light, appreciating the brilliance from the rings. "But, now that I am getting married to you...nothing else matters right? This is a very beautiful ring by the way," she quickly changed the topic. "Is my wedding band made of diamonds?"

    "Yes. I know you like sparkly things," Zhuo Jingren said nonchntly. If his memory served him right, Lily would frequently walk along a riverbed that was located at the back of the orphanage. She would make trips to the riverbed to hunt for sparkly stones to add to her collections. Somehow, thinking about it now, Lily reminded him of a magpie.

    "Hmmmm.... I am surprised that you still remember small details like that but you don¡¯t remember that I am sensitive and allergic to heavily scented things."

    "When you are in love, you tend to remember the good stuff and forget about the bad," he said in his defense as he pulled her closer to him. Surprisingly, Lily did not resist and even leaned her head on his shoulders.

    "True enough," she said. "We are now almost married, but why do I feel like you have been given the short end of the stick? I haven¡¯t offered you anything in return yet. I can¡¯t keep house but I am really good at making money. Why don¡¯t you tell me something that you really want? I can buy it for you."

    A suddenugh exploded inside the room and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s shoulders were shaking with glee.

    Lily was unamused. "Why are youughing? I am being serious here. We should be equals in this rtionship. Since you have given me lots of stocks, I should give you something in return too!" she feverently said.

    "Then buy me your heart," he said before he burst intoughter again.

    "What is so funny?" Lily raised her brows, wondering what was so funny about her statement. She was seriously considering gifting something luxurious to her soon-to-be husband ah.

    "Littledy... you..." Zhuo Jingren¡¯sughter slowly came to a stop.

    "Don¡¯t call me little! I am asking you what is so funny!"

    "Alright... don¡¯t be angry. I don¡¯t know... I mean I¡¯ve only heard of women offering their husbands their..." Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes slowly trailed down to Lily¡¯s body before his lips turned into a smirk. "Why don¡¯t you offer your body to me instead?"

    Lily only narrowed her eyes at Zhuo Jingren. "I would.... But too bad you are still wounded. Your performance would not be up to my standards." Then she slowly pushed the man away from her and got up. She eyed his body and said, "I won¡¯t settle for something mediocre."

    A sh of mirth was seen in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes and he pulled her back in his arms but before he could say anything, he was interrupted by a knock on the door. Then Secretary Go opened the door with a big smile on his face.

    "President... here is the porridge that I cooked for you." Secretary Go¡¯s smile immediately faltered when he saw the dark look that President Zhuo was giving him. ¡¯What is happening? Did he disturb something?¡¯

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 61: Damn White Lotus

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 61: Damn White Lotus</h4>

    Akane smiled at her reflection before she grabbed a brush and started brushing her long silky hair. She already formted a new n and this time she was sure that it would work. Akane started humming a tune while carefully putting on her make-up. Then she rose from her seat and examined her provocative clothing.

    Later, after Lily leaves... she would make sure to seduce Zhuo Jingren and make him hers.

    ¡¯BANG¡¯

    Akane widened her eyes at Lily who strode into her room. She then hastily covered her body with her robe. "Why are you here?"

    ¡¯Pa¡¯

    The p from Lily was loud and it stung Akane¡¯s face. Her eyes immediately reddened as she clutched her cheeks. "Miss Lily! How could you p me out of the blue? What have I done wrong?!"

    "How dare you try and have Zhuo Jingren killed?!" Lily bellowed, anger apparent in her eyes. "Why do you want my fianc¨¦ dead!"

    "Miss Lily... I...."

    "Answer me!" Lily yelled, immediately making Akane tremble. "Don¡¯t try and act in front me Akane! Don¡¯t you dare act like a damn white lotus in front of me!

    "Miss Lily... I really don¡¯t know what you are talking about! Why would I try and kill Mr. Zhuo? I have known him since we were children and I have also admired him since then... I..."

    "Cut the crap Akane! The only reason why I am here is because Zhuo Jingren is currently resting! I am nning to give him the evidence once he wakes up!"

    "Miss Lily... I really cannot understand what you are talking about... please.... Forgive me if I have offended you... I..."Akane started sobbing, covering her face pitifully. She knew that Lily could not have found any evidence against her.

    "Tell me Akane! What did Zhuo Jingren ever did to you? Huh? He was nice to you and your brother... he was polite and never offended any of you! Why do you want him dead?" Lily continued, ignoring Akane¡¯s words.

    "Miss Lily... how could you say something like this? I have respected Mr. Zhuo for a long time. I did not do the things that you are using me of!" Akane said meekly, like a child who was bullied.

    "So you really won¡¯t confess? Alright... then tell me about the call that the driver received from your cousin in Canada and the call you made after you met Zhuo Jingren? Tell me why you asked the nurse to sedate me! Isn¡¯t it because you wanted to keep me away so that you would have the opportunity to kill him? Do you think Zhuo Jingren will spare you and your brother once he hears the evidence that I have?"

    "Miss Lily!" Akane widened her eyes in shock. They found the driver? But... she already made sure to bribe the driver a sum of money so that he would disappear after the ident. Did they somehow catch up to him? "I really don¡¯t understand..."

    "Cut the crap Akane! All I want is to know how had Zhuo Jingren offended you! Why are you trying to kill him? Did his enemies pay you? Huh? Did someone ckmail you? ANSWER ME!"

    "I never tried to kill him.... Miss Lily I really don¡¯t ..."

    "Was it because he never liked you?" Akane¡¯s sobs immediately ceased when she heard Lily¡¯s words. "Was it because he never notice you? Are you really still dreaming of being together with him but you cannot ept him that he is engaged to me? So you want to kill him instead?"

    "Akane! What kind of monster are you?" Lily continued to provoke Akane when she saw the anger building up in her eyes. "Why can¡¯t you ept that he doesn¡¯t care for you? He can never be yours Akane! He is only mine!"

    "YOU BITCH!!!!!!!" Akane snapped as she strode towards Lily, her hands were balled into a fist and her eyes full of anger! "I was trying to kill you!!! Not him!"

    Akane¡¯s gaze was dark as she tried to pounce on Lily. She wanted to strangle the hateful woman to death, to kill her and wipe off that smirk on her beautiful face. However, before her hands could reach Lily, she was pinned down by a tall man. She looked at the man and was surprised to see that it was one of Secretary Go¡¯s men. She then turned her face towards Lily who was now smiling at her.

    The fiery demeanor that Lily disyed just a while ago was gone and was reced by indifference. "I was confident that I could make you confess." Lily said before she turned to look in the direction of the door. Akane¡¯s face immediately turned pale when she saw that Zhuo Jingren, Secretary Go and Riku were at the door. ¡¯It¡¯s over... They have heard everything...¡¯

    Zhuo Jingren quickly went up to Lily and examined her body from head to toe. He let out a sigh of relief when he didn¡¯t discover any wounds. "I always knew that you could make her confess. But I never thought you could act so well," he smiled dotingly at her.

    "Well then... she is one of your people. You better take care of her," Lily said. Akane was Riku¡¯s sister so it was only natural for Zhuo Jingren to decide what to do with her. "Don¡¯t forget that because of what she did, I had agreed to marry you," Lily said before she walked out of the door, leaving the men with the sobbing Akane.

    Lily doesn¡¯t like to get her hands dirty. This was something that Zhuo Jingren needed to deal with himself.

    Meanwhile, in one of the hospitals in Singapore, an old man was staring at the photo in his hand. He furrowed his brows, his eyes conflicted as he read the findings all over again, in particr the term ¡¯mild hemophilia.¡¯

    The man¡¯s hands unconsciously made its way into his drawer and he grabbed a phone that he seldom used. He dialed a number and waited for the call to go through.

    "I know you are there..." he said in a sad voice. "Aren¡¯t you going to talk to your father anymore?" There was no response. The man let out a long sigh before he said, "Lingling... I think I found your long lost son."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 62: Perks of Being Your Wife

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 62: Perks of Being Your Wife</h4>

    Zhuo Jingren and Lily had decided to return to Hong Kong as soon as possible after the matter with Akane was taken care off. After taking a well-deserved break from work, it was time for them to return as work that was piling was most likely piling up for the both of them.

    "After Secretary Go takes care of the paperwork... we will be officially married," Zhuo Jingren said as he typed on hisptop. At the present, they were travelling in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s car to Lily¡¯s apartment.

    "Are you sure that a photo like that would suffice for our marriage certificate?" Lily asked, while she scrutinized a photo that they had randomly taken together during their trip. In her knowledge, a couple applying for a marriage certificate would need to be present at the marriage registration office. Moreover, they would also need to take a photo together at the premise for their marriage certificate. However, Zhuo Jingren insisted that Secretary Go could process their marriage application without their presence and personal involvement.

    "Hmmm... I know someone in the office who will ensure that everything goes well. Don¡¯t worry about it," he answered, his eyes still glued to hisptop. "I missed a lot of work when I was out so I will have to trouble you to wait for me tonight."

    "I also have a lot of meetings today," she answered. "I might stay upte too. Also... when am I moving into your ce?"

    "You want to live in Sky City?" he turned to look at Lily in surprise.

    "Of course! One of the perks of being your wife is to live in Sky City!" she said. She always wondered what would the view be like living on the highest floor of the tallest building in Hong Kong anyway.

    "Profiteer." Zhuo Jingren muttered, chuckling at her blunt words. "Let¡¯s do it tomorrow. I will get someone to help you move your things. For your convenience, I will also prepare a unit in Sky City for your secretary and your people to move into."

    "Good enough." She nodded, satisfied with his arrangement. Lily then side-eyed Zhuo Jingren who was still busy on hisptop and her mind began to wander. ¡¯She would officially be Mrs. Zhuo soon. Does this mean that they would need to consummate their marriage?¡¯ She swallowed her saliva and secretly chastised herself. ¡¯What was she thinking in the middle of the day?! Is Zhuo Jingren¡¯s shamelessness influencing her?¡¯

    Lily decided to shut her eyes to avoid looking at her soon-to-be husband, afraid she might not be able to control her wandering thoughts. After a few minutes, they finally arrived at Lily¡¯s apartment. Zhuo Jingren helped her with her luggage and made her some food before he left for work. By the time Zhuo Jingren got to his office, it was already afternoon.

    Zhuo Jingren and Lily had a mutual understanding towards each other when it came to their work. They understood the difficulties and pressure that came with managing apany with thousands of employees.

    After Zhuo Jingren left, Lily also started working on the documents that Yang Mi had printed for her over the weekend.

    "President Qin... I just received a call from Cathy from Europe. I think we may have a little problem with the Arisons." Yang Mi¡¯s voice interrupted Lily.

    "What is it?" she asked as she massaged her temples. Lily was exhausted, having just returned from the trip. But work still had to be done or else they would continue to pile up.

    "Mrs. Arison just exposed to the media that you were the one who cancelled the engagement. She even shed some tears on the cooking show she participated in, as if she had some unspoken grievances." Yang Mi stated.

    "Yang Mi..." Lily rolled her eyes at her secretary before she continued with her work. "This is not a problem. I don¡¯t care about rumors like this. Besides I am already married so..."

    "What did you say?" Lily¡¯s words were interrupted by Li Shanshan, who just arrived with big ck shades on her face. "Someone had the guts to marry you?" Li Shanshan let out augh before she walked towards Lily. Then she narrowed her eyes at her. "You-"

    "You are serious?" Li Shanshan asked before letting out a squeal. It was so loud and sharp that Lily and Yang Mi had to cover their ears. "Is it Escort Zhuo? Is it him? Is it him?"

    "Escort Zhuo?" Lily deadpanned. "Since when did you start calling him that way?"

    "Hahaha... I am right! It¡¯s Escort Zhuo! Let me call Fernando. We need to celebrate!" Li Shanshan ignored Lily, taking off her sunsses and whipping out her phone to call Fernando to share the big news with him. Her friend who was adamant to stay single forever just got married! Isn¡¯t this akin to a miracle? Fernando was equally excited and couldn¡¯t wait for them to meet up to celebrate. All that was left was to set a meeting time and date.

    "I want the juicy details!" Li Shanshan asked excitedly as she sat next to Lily after ending the call with Fernando. Left without a choice, Lily asked Yang Mi to leave before she recounted everything that happened on the resort to her friend.

    "What a bitch. So? What did he do? Did he kill her? He should have! What if she seeded in killing you?" Li Shanshan asked.

    "I don¡¯t know." Lily shrugged. "He had been friends with Riku for a long time and killing her would affect this friendship. I did not ask him what he did to that woman."

    "Hmmm... that is reasonable." Li Shanshan nodded. "Anyway since he will bete tonight. Why don¡¯t we go out to celebrate thest night of you being single?"

    "I am technically married already. I signed the papers." Lily said.

    "But the marriage registration office still hasn¡¯t finished processing the papers yet. So you are still single! Come on your highness, grace us with your presence on thisst night before you be Escort Zhuo¡¯s wife." Li Shanshan then let out a giggle. Happiness radiating all over her. Lily finally found a man who is willing to die just to save her.

    Isn¡¯t this just the best news ever?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 63: Escort Zhuo

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 63: Escort Zhuo</h4>

    Though exhausted, Lily agreed to go out with Li Shanshan to celebrate thest day of her singlehood. Her friend had a point. Marriage is quite a big deal. Li Shanshan then happily called a few people to meet at Highlights - one of Hong Kong¡¯s most upscale club.

    At Highlights.

    Lily made a quick call to inform Zhuo Jingren about their night out. She also made sure to send him the address of the club that they were at.

    "Asking for permission already? Hmmm... You aren¡¯t even officially married to him yet and you are already so submissive?" Lily looked up and Fernando¡¯s beautiful face came into view. Thetter was leaning over and peeking at her screen.

    "Please respect my privacy, thank you," she said, rolling her eyes at Fernando. Then, she spotted a tall girl beside her friend. "And she is?"

    "My date for tonight," Fernando answered nonchntly before making himselffortable on the couch in their VIP booth. "Lily... this is Lily," he introduced his date before bursting intoughter. His antics only earned a raised eyebrow from Lily.

    "Hi, I am L, pleased to meet you," the girl decided to introduce herself, holding out her hand.

    "Pleased to meet you. Call me Lily." Lily shook L¡¯s hand.

    Fernando had always fancied beautiful ck women and L was no exception. She was tall and slim, and she had piercing almond eyes. Lily guessed that this girl might be a model.

    "Now that everyone is here... I would like to announce a very big news!" Li Shanshan eximed. In addition to Fernando and L, Yang Mi and the two directors that Lily had brought from London, Mr. Beau and Miss O¡¯Kelly were also invited.

    "Our Lily... is getting married!" Li Shanshan squealed before she raised her ss of champagne to initiate a toast. Loud gasps could be heard before everyone followed Li Shanshan¡¯s lead and raised their ss of champagne. "To a happy marriage!"

    Everyone immediately gave their congrattions to Lily. "So who is the lucky guy?" Fernando asked with a smile but the glint in his eyes revealed that he was far from being happy.

    "Let¡¯s just call him Escort Zhuo," Li Shanshan butted in before downing another ss of champagne.

    "Zhuo?" Fernando raised an eyebrow as he watched the glistening champagne in his hand. "As in Zhuo Capital?"

    "Yes," Lily answered nonchntly, making a nod at Yang Mi and her directors who were gesturing to her that they would be going to the dance floor. "Long story."

    "Does he treat you well?" Fernando asked.

    "So far...yes," she answered truthfully before sipping her own champagne. "He actually went looking for me after I disappeared seven years ago and he never gave up searching for me until he found me."

    Fernando experiencedplicated emotions after hearing what Lily said. "Do you want to dance?" Lily nodded and took his hand before walking out of their booth.

    As they were making their way to the dance floor, Lily let her eyes roam around, appreciating the beauty of the club¡¯s interiors. Highlights was known for its sophistication. It was the people¡¯s choice for clubbing and holding celebrations. As they walked past a hall of mirrors, Lily turned to look at her reflection briefly and nodded in satisfaction.

    Lily was currently wearing a short, fitted Louis Vuitton crepe dress in cream. It was V neck with a low-cut back. She paired it with a beige Christian Louboutin¡¯s strass tform shoes which made her feet look as if they were wrapped in diamonds. Her hair was in a French twist, with a few loose strands of hair fell that along the sides of her face, framing her face. Lily also opted for a dramatic eye shadow, intensifying her already beautiful golden eyes and a nude lipstick. The alcohol that Lily drunk also caused her cheeks to turned a little scarlet, making her even more attractive.

    While Lily was looking ssy and sexy, Fernando was also looking hot with his pink oxford and white chinos. He paired his outfit with white sneakers. While Fernando does not give off a strong aura that would stop you in your tracks, people still couldn¡¯t help but to eye the beautiful man who was leading a beautiful woman towards the dance floor.

    When they arrived at the dance floor, Lily was immediately captivated by seductiventern lighting that reminded her of the northern lights. There was an array of blues, gold, pinks and green, making the smoky dance floor more vibrant.

    The walls of the club were made of inverted bottles filled with neon colored liquid. The light on the walls illuminated these bottles adding to the sophistication of the club.

    "Ready?" Fernando asked, as a new tune yed. The people on the dance floor were now changing their pace to match the current sexy tune that was ying in the background. This was not the first time that Fernando and Lily had danced together and so the two were already familiar with each other¡¯s moves.

    Lily gave Fernando a smirk before kicking her right leg forward andnding on pointed toes. Lily then pivoted towards Fernando with grace and uracy.

    Fernando skillfully caught her in his arms before he asked, "Are you really sure about this marriage?" Then he used one hand to spin her around before reeling her back into his arms.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 64: Kick Her Out of This Place

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 64: Kick Her Out of This ce</h4>

    "I am." She smiled before circling around Fernando.

    "Do you like him?" he asked, his gaze following her every move.

    "I do." She smiled once again, swaying her hips in the process. Fernando did not say anything more as he began to groove to the music. As the song progressed, more people on the dance floor started paying attention to them and were looking at them with eyes full of admiration.

    "If he ever...." He made a deliberate pause while spinning her around. "If he ever hurt you... just remember that I always have your back. Alright?"

    "I will always remember that," Lily said gratefully. Fernando had always treated Lily like a sister. Perhaps it was because he once had a sister who had unfortunately passed away. When Lily entered his life, she reminded him so much of his sister and he couldn¡¯t help but to feel protective over her. Hence, it wasn¡¯t a surprise that Fernando would ask to speak to her privately to ask her more about Zhuo Jingren. But there were some thoughts that he had about Zhuo Jingren that he chose not to share with Lily.

    Lily and Fernando¡¯s movements continued to be in sync with each other which caused the people on the dance floor to cheer enthusiastically for them. Their cheers gained the attention of the people from the VIP booths on the second floor that were overlooking the dance floor.

    "Who is that woman?" asked Yuan Dehua. He was one of Xuan Hui¡¯s business partners and was not much older than Xuan Hui, in his thirties. "She does not look like a regr here," he added, eyeing the woman in question.

    Xuan Hui turned his gaze to the dance floor and immediately frowned. "I don¡¯t know but she seems familiar." As the lighting in the club was dim and colored, it was hard for Xuan Hui to recognize Lily.

    "Is she one of your previous women?" Yuan Dehua teased which incitedughter from the other men in the group.

    "I am a changed man," Xuan Hui said, looking away from the dance floor. He turned his attention towards the investor that he was talking to. This investor, Xander Martin, was a known producer in Europe who was looking to invest in a filmpany. With the man¡¯s credentials, Xuan Hui thought that he would make a good partner in his endeavor to branch out into the European film market. Hence, he made sure to treat this potential investor well by bringing him to the best club in Hong Kong.

    "So... I was nning to invest in this..."

    "Aha! I know her! I remember that woman!" Yuan Dehua eximed, interrupting Xuan Hui. "That is Qin Jinghua!"

    Everyone in the booth immediately turned their attention towards Lily who was happily dancing with Fernando. Most of the men in the group were good friends with Xuan Hui and so they knew about his past with Qin Jinghua. At this realization, everyone¡¯s gaze towards her changed. Their eyes that were full of appreciation earlier were now full of disdain.

    "Why would she be here?" Xuan Hui asked while looking at Qin Jinghua.

    "Who is that?" Mr. Martin asked in Chinese, his gaze was also glued to the woman that he also found somewhat familiar.

    "Someone insignificant," Xuan Hui answered before asking one of his guards to inform the security of this club and have them chase Qin Jinghua out. Seeing a woman like her would only sting their eyes. He then turned his attention back to Mr. Martin.

    "As I was saying..."

    "I¡¯m sorry Mr. Xuan but that woman is from Europe as well, correct?" he asked, suspicion written all over his face. Mr. Martin seemed to have caught a glimpse of Fernando Kim and the famous Director Li in the club. He thought he had seen them dancing with the woman who was identified as ¡¯Qin Jinghua¡¯ and she happened to look a lot like the famous Lily Fi-Qin in London. To meet a woman in Hong Kong looking like Lily Fi-Qin could be a coincidence. But with Fernando Kim and Director Li present as well, this could only mean that the woman whom the group had identified as ¡¯Qin Jinghua¡¯ was in fact Lily Fi-Qin and not some look alike.

    Mr. Martin immediately wondered if these people knew the true identity of woman they were about to kick out in this club.

    "Yes, she said that she had stayed in Europe for a few years. If you found her familiar, it could be that you have seen her in some gatherings or other clubs. That woman is someone who leeches off rich people and make use of them for her advantage," said Xia Leizhou, another one of Xuan Hui¡¯s business partners who recognized Lily answered. Mr. Martin instantly frowned.

    ¡¯Leech? Don¡¯t they know who Lily is?¡¯

    "We should stop talking about this. Security will kick her and herpanions out soon." Xuan Hui observed as one of his men approached a security personnel stationed near the dance floor. However, to his surprise, he saw the security personnel shaking his head and signaling that he would not kick Lily and herpanions out.

    "Let¡¯s not mind the woman and talk about business instead." Xuan Huiposed himself and smiled at Mr. Martin. "So.. as I was saying, I am nning to invest in this film with an international director. I am sure this will be a hit in the western market."

    "Xuan Hui... your guard said that the security personnel refused to kick them out as they are VIP clients here," Xia Leizhou interrupted their conversation once again. Xia Leizhou really wanted to kick Qin Jinghua out of this club. To him, a woman like her was an embarrassment. "Xuan Hui, do you want toe with me? I will personally kick her out of this ce," he said before he rose from his seat, his eyes full of unmasked disdain.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 65: Group of Drunkards

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 65: Group of Drunkards</h4>

    Xuan Hui looked apologetically at Mr. Martin before he shot a re at Xia Leizhou. How many times had he been interrupted by Xia Leizhou already? Couldn¡¯t Xia Leizhou tell that he was having an important discussion? If Xia Leizhou wanted to cause trouble, he should leave him out of it. Seeing as Xuan Hui wasn¡¯t interested, Xia Leizhou gave a shrug before he strode out of the booth.

    "Where is he going?" Mr. Martin asked, wondering if they were nning to create trouble for Lily Fi-Qin. Mr Martin thought that if they were dumb enough to offend Lily Fi-Qin, then it would be best to stay away with Xuan Hui and his group of partners.

    "He is taking care of a little problem," Yuan Dehua exined, giving Xuan Hui an apologetic smile before following after Xia Leizhou. He couldn¡¯t miss a good show.

    "I think we should follow them," Mr. Martin said. He had already lost interest in this deal anyway. As a businessman, Mr. Martin had to think in the long term. It would be in his best interest to curry favors with Lily instead. The woman was already a legend in Europe, a pioneer in the energy and construction industry. Imagine if she decides to invade the film industry in the future? With a multi awarded director and renowned fashion designer by her side, Lily would definitely be sessful.

    With all these in mind, Mr. Martin also rose from his seat and followed the men outside. Xuan Hui didn¡¯t think that Mr. Martin would be this nosy and he was irritated. It was all because of Qin Jinghua! Mr. Martin¡¯s indifference to their discussion didn¡¯t escape Xuan Hui¡¯s notice as well. Xuan Hui med it all on Qin Jinghua and he grew angrier by the minute.

    Xuan Hui didn¡¯t continue to stay in the booth and followed after Mr. Martin. He only had one thought in mind: Kick Qin Jinghua out of this club.

    Meanwhile, Lily was enjoying her dance with Li Shanshan and Fernando. Even Yang Mi and her directors joined in the fun. Lily was determined to enjoy herself tonight as gatherings like this doesn¡¯te by often.

    While some people might think a person would lose their freedom after getting married, Lily believes that her marriage with Zhuo Jingren would not be like that. With marriage, a couple would need to make changes and adjustments for each other and Lily was willing to do that. Like the fact that she would be making Hong Kong her base of operations because Hong Kong would be her new home after marriage. This also meant that she might not see Li Shanshan and Fernando as often.

    "I really don¡¯t think someone of your kind, belongs to this ce." Lily turned around instantly, curious to know who had seemingly directed those provocative words at her. Lily eyed the man who was staring at her with animosity. Although he was a little good-looking, he wasnky and pale. He didn¡¯t do his expensive looking tuxedo justice.

    Seeing as Lily was not responding to him, the man raised his voice this time, "I said... you do not belong in this ce!" That immediately got the attention of everyone, including the people in Lily¡¯spany who all turned their heads toward him.

    "I¡¯m sorry... are you talking to me?" Lily asked, her brows furrowed. Though she had found the man a little familiar, she just couldn¡¯t figure out this man¡¯s identity. Over the years, Lily had met and interacted with many people for business, and she couldn¡¯t possibly remember every single one of them. Moreover, even if this man wasn¡¯t someone she met while doing business, but was someone from her past, it was even less likely for her to have any recollections because she was living like a hermit when she was still living with the Qin family.

    "Of course! Do you see anyone here as dirty as you?" Xia Leizhou said with a smug on his face.

    "Other than you?" Lily raised an eyebrow before turning her head from left to right. She then shook her head. "None"

    "You- Stop pretending that you don¡¯t know me!" Xia Leizhou said. "This is not a ce that you can juste into. Leave now or I will have security drag you and yourpany out."

    "Is there any problem here?" Fernando was quick to stand in front of Lily, shielding her from the man¡¯s hostility. "We don¡¯t know you... What you are doing is called harassment. We could call security to chase you out instead."

    "This is none of your business!" Xia Leizhou hissed, ring at Fernando. Then he pointed a finger at Lily. "You! Out of this ce now!"

    Fernando was about to argue back when Lily tugged at his arms. Shaking her head slightly, she signalled Fernando to keep quiet. Lily then used her eyes to signal him to look in the direction of the stairs and what he saw immediately made him more irritated. It was Xuan Hui who was apanied by some other men. A flicker of understanding shed in Fernando¡¯s eyes before he took a step back, revealing the smiling Lily.

    ¡¯This is going to be a good show!¡¯

    "I really don¡¯t think we have met before," Lily said in British ented English. Her British ent greatly surprised Xia Leizhou. "Are you sure you are talking to the right person?"

    Xia Leizhou stared at Lily, confusion apparent on his face. ¡¯Is this Qin Jinghua?¡¯ Now that he was looking at the woman up close, he realized that this woman was actually very different from the Qin Jinghua that he knew. The confidence and authority oozing out of this woman couldn¡¯t be missed and this was something that Qin Jinghua didn¡¯t have to his knowledge.

    "Qin Jinghua... You are disturbing my meeting. Leave now," said Xuan Hui coldly. He stood in front of Lily imposingly, with Mr. Martin and some friends who had followed them out from their booth.

    However, Lily just stared at him, without saying a word. Her face was full of confusion, as if... as if she also did not recognize the person who was just talking to her. She then turned towards Fernando, "Do you know these people?"

    A look of surprise also shed across Xuan Hui¡¯s face. British? How could Qin Jinghua speak English so well? His eyes then scanned across Lily¡¯spany and was immediately confused. He realized that he didn¡¯t know any one of them and most of them looked like foreigners.

    "No..." Fernando shook his head. "Shall I have the security kick them out?"

    "Hmmm... You can do that," Lily said calmly. "They must be a group of drunkards looking for trouble."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 66: A Little Pressure

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 66: A Little Pressure</h4>

    "Hold on... Fernando, isn¡¯t this... Mr. Xander Martin? A producer in Europe?" Li Shanshan butted in, ignoring Xuan Hui and his group. How could she miss the fun? She then walked towards Mr. Martin with a smile.

    "So that¡¯s why I found you familiar Miss Li... Forgive me for not recognizing you. I am getting a little old. Hahaha!" Mr. Martinughed. Li Shanshan was a known directress in Europe and the US. The number of box office hits directed by her was just too many to even list down. Having connections with her would be better than investing in a punypany in this country.

    "And this should be... Miss Lily and Mr. Kim?" Mr. Martin asked, rendering Xuan Hui and his group speechless. ¡¯Miss Lily? Isn¡¯t this Qin Jinghua?¡¯ Everyone was thinking the same thing as they looked awkwardly at each other. The situation got even more awkward when Mr. Martin began to engage Lily and her group in conversations, totally ignoring them.

    Xuan Hui stared at Lily who wasughing candidly while speaking to Mr. Martin. Her eyes were in crescents which showed how much she enjoyed talking to the old man. A glint of irritation could be seen in Xuan Hui¡¯s eyes before he took a step towards Mr. Martin. "Mr. Martin, why don¡¯t you introduce me to your friends?" he asked, his eyes never leaving Lily.

    He wanted to confirm if this woman was indeed Qin Jinghua. He had seen the way she carried herself, and it didn¡¯t seem like Qin Jinghua at all. Whether it was her manner of speaking or her mannerisms.He started to doubt that this woman was Qin Jinghua and concluded that she must be just a lookalike.

    "Ah... I am surprised that you do not know them and you even wanted to kick them out of this ce." Mr. Martin said while eyeing critically at Xuan Hui and the rest. "These people are famous in Europe. If you want to branch out and explore the European market then you cannot offend them. Offending them is like a death sentence to your business," he said in a low voice, but enough for Xuan Hui and his group to hear. Their faces immediately turned ugly.

    "This is Mr. Fernando Kim, the heir of GC Jewels. And this is Miss Li Shanshan, I¡¯m sure you have already heard of her name given that you are also in the film industry." Mr. Martin made a deliberate paused as he looked at Lily knowingly. Seeing as thetter had given him a quick nod, he continued, "And this is Miss Lily Fi-Qin, the CEO of Fi Group, an international conglomerate based in London."

    Xuan Hui was confused. ¡¯Lily Fi-Qin? Who the hell is that?¡¯

    "Excuse me, Miss Qin, can I talk to you in private?" he asked while trying to suppress his irritation.

    "I don¡¯t think we know each other well enough for us to talk privately. Do we?" Lily gave him a provocative smile as if she was challenging him to do something about the current situation. Suddenly, Xuan Hui began to see things more clearly. Now he was sure that he is talking to Qin Jinghua but he was still confused as to how she became Lily Fi-Qin. Was this the reason why his secretary couldn¡¯t find any information about Qin Jinghua? Because she had changed her name?

    Meanwhile all of Xuan Hui¡¯s friends were also confused by this sudden turn of events. It seemed as though Mr. Martin respected these people. Impossible! Wasn¡¯t Qin Jinghua a nobody? How could she be someone who was respected in Europe? One of them immediately used his phone to perform a quick search on ¡¯Lily Fi-Qin¡¯. If she was really an important figure in Europe, then there would be information about her on the inte right?

    "I really think that we need to talk in private." Xuan Hui hissed through his clenched jaw. He was not stupid. A person who was respected by Mr. Martin should be someone important. Though the disdain in his eyes was still there, his tone was calm and collected. His mind was already thinking of ways to take advantage of this situation.

    "Well... if you are looking for a private meeting then call my secretary and schedule an appointment." Lily shed him a smile before turning away from him, as if telling him that their conversation was over.

    The situation immediately turned awkward again for Xuan Hui and his group as Mr. Martin continued to ignore them and was happily talking to Lily and her friends. Xuan Hui¡¯s face turned extremely ugly at the realization that Qin Jinghua had somehow became famous in Europe. But it seemed as if her sess had gotten into her head. Was there a need to be so proud and aloof? Didn¡¯t they know each other from years before? Moreover, she was still young, how much could she have achieved to be considered a big individual in Europe? It couldn¡¯t have been solely her efforts right? She must have have gotten sessful by making use of her friends¡¯ connections right?

    However, his theory was quickly debunked when one of his friends showed him what he found about Lily Fi-Qin on the inte on his phone. Everyone crowded over to look at the information on the phone. But as they continued to read, the expressions on their faces changed from being surprised to fear. Mr. Martin was right...Lily Fi-Qin was not someone that they could offend. They felt so embarrassed that they hoped the ground below them could just swallow them up.

    To their horror, Lily and her group continued to ignore them. When Lily and her group decided to return to their booth, they did not invite them to go with them. They did not even spare them a nce as if they were insignificant people. Of course, this made Xuan Hui and his business partners fumed in anger. How could they just take this tant insult?

    Just a while ago, they had marched here with their heads held high and unted their authority. They never expected that the tables had turned around on them and they ended up being ignored by their own invited guest. This group of prideful men couldn¡¯t take this insult!

    Xuan Hui and his group exchanged knowing eye contacts before they decided to follow Lily.

    ¡¯Isn¡¯t Qin Jinghua just someone whom Xuan Hui had thrown away like rug? Isn¡¯t she nothing but a used shoe? How dare she ignore him and act so high and mighty now? Lily Qin does not have the right to disrespect him this way¡¯ These were the thoughts that Xuan Hui¡¯s friends had.

    "Lily... I need to talk to you," Xuan Hui forcibly grabbed her arm while applying a little pressure, making sure that Lily would feel the pain from his grip. Lily winced from the pain just as he hoped. But what happened next was too fast for Xuan Hui to register.

    ¡¯Pa¡¯ A resounding sound echoed in the hallway.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 67: Extremely Greedy Person

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 67: Extremely Greedy Person</h4>

    The p was loud and packed with enough force to make Xuan Hui stagger backward. Disbelief was written all over his face.

    "You-"

    "That p was long overdue. It is for trying to kick me out of this ce," Lily said coldly.

    ¡¯Pa¡¯

    Lily gave Xuan Hui another p on the other side of his cheek.

    "That one is for the bruise that your grip will cause me," Lily said while straightening her back before giving Xuan Hui a smile as if nothing had happened. "If you still want to talk then feel free to call mywyer."

    Lily then turned around and walked towards her friends who were ahead of her. "Ban them," she said to Fernando. She spoke loud enough for Xuan Hui and his friends to hear her.

    "You can¡¯t do that! So what if you are a little rich? We are still VIP clients of this club!" Xia Leizhuo was quick to argue. He had been a frequent customer of this club. How could anyone just kick him out? Moreover, that man was a foreigner.

    "VIP?" Fernando smirked. "Your VIP status is nothing because I am the owner of this ce!" Fernando immediately signaled his men to escort all of them outside, without giving them another chance to speak.

    Highlights was just one of the many clubs that Fernando owned all over the world. The man loved to party and dance and so he started investing in private and high-end clubs.

    "So you are nning to invest in Xuan Films?" Lily smiled as she took a sip of champagne in her ss. Lily and Mr. Martin were currently having a private discussion in one of the VIP booths. While Li Shanshan and the others were having drinking contests.

    "Yes... I was. But I changed my mind after what happened tonight," Mr. Martin said. "I am going to cancel all my meetings with Mr. Xuan first thing tomorrow."

    "Don¡¯t," Lily said. "Xuan Films is an extremely profitablepany. As a businessman you should not miss this opportunity." A cunning glint was apparent in Lily¡¯s eyes that Mr. Martin didn¡¯t miss. He nodded knowingly.

    He had been in the business industry for years now so he naturally understood the meaning behind Lily¡¯s words. Just like him, Lily also wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. "What is your proposition?" he bluntly asked.

    Mr. Martin had witnessed Lily¡¯s displeasure with Xuan Hui earlier and he knew that she could not possibly have any good intentions towards thetter. Mr. Martin was not a fool. He knew that Lily was a level-headed businesswoman who never let her emotions get the better of her. This ability of hers had contributed to her sess as a businesswoman. He was confident that Lily already had a n against the Xuan Films.

    "For now..." Lily smiled at the man. "I don¡¯t have a n. Xuan Films is simply not my priority."

    "I see...but in the future?" Mr. Martin asked.

    "Well... let¡¯s just say, I am an extremely greedy person." Lily let out a small chuckle. " I will let you know my ns after I¡¯ve settled down in this country."

    "Settle? You are noting back to London?" Mr. Martin asked.

    "My husband... is from this country," Lily answered.

    "Husband?" Mr. Martin raised an eyebrow.

    "That would be me." Zhuo Jingren suddenly appeared. He sat down next to Lily and kissed her hand. Then, he turned his attention towards the old man across from Lily and introduced himself, "I am Zhuo Jingren. Lily¡¯s husband." His action was so smooth and graceful that Lily was speechless. It was as if he had been introducing himself as her husband for a long time.

    Of course, her awe vanished as quickly as it came when she remembered how Zhuo Jingren was already introducing himself as her husband even before she had agreed to marry him.

    "Good! Very Good! I did not expect to meet you as well." Mr. Martin let outugh before he held out his hand to shake Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hands. "I am Xander Martin and I am from the film industry in Europe. It is my pleasure to meet you Mr. Zhuo."

    "It seems that I missed a good show?" Zhuo Jingren said while smiling sweetly at Lily. But his eyes darkened when he saw a purplish mark on Lily¡¯s fair arms. Someone dared to hurt Lily? Were they looking to die?

    "Hmmm... you better ask your men to make sure whatever happened tonight does not get leaked out of the news. I don¡¯t want too much exposure," Lily said to Zhuo Jingren. Lily had not established herself in Hong Kong yet and too much exposure could cause someplications.

    Mr. Martin was actually right, Lily wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to try and get into Xuan Films but she was nning to do it slowly and meticulously. Now that Xuan Hui was aware her identity, it wouldn¡¯t be too long before the Qins would know as well.

    This could only mean that trouble would being for her in the next few days.

    The three of them then continued their conversations that were centered around businesses in Europe. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s knowledge about the business climate in Europe surprised Lily. In fact, his analysis was quite on par if not better than Lily.

    This only made her smile. She felt like she had made the right decision to marry the man. Be it looks, money or intelligence, he was topnotch ah.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 68: Hasnt Completely Moved On

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 68: Hasn¡¯t Completely Moved On</h4>

    Meanwhile, Xuan Hui was back in his office. After being forcibly chased out of Highlights, Xuan Hui was feeling angry and he didn¡¯t want to return home when he was in such a foul mood. The first thing he did when he arrived in the office was to get himself a ss of whisky. He really needed another drink.

    He opened hisptop and began to research about Lily Fi-Qin. It wasn¡¯t long before hisptop screen was littered with numerous articles about Lily, the talk shows she participated before, magazines she appeared on and interviews she had given. There was plenty of information about this woman. He downed another ss of whisky. His brows furrowed, jaws clenched.

    Lily Fi-Qin.

    Why didn¡¯t they discover this sooner?

    Was this the reason why Lily seemed so fearless now?

    Xuan Hui swallowed his frustrations as he continued to read up about Lily. In Europe, Lily was considered an iron woman who had been steadily growing her conglomerate though numerous acquisitions in Europe and the US. Under Lily, the Fi Group diversified their business and entered into various industries such as energy, construction and retail.

    What Xuan Hui hated the most was the fact that the woman had been ying them all this while. At the time of the reading of Old Madam Ye¡¯s Will, everyone thought that Qin Jinghua was a nobody. They even thought that they could get Qin Jinghua to part with the properties that she inherited from Old Madam Ye with just a few million dors. But at that time, Qin Jinghua acted like a profiteer and had asked for an exorbitant amount of money in exchange for letting go of those properties. It had made her look as if she was in need of money.

    He only just discovered that she probably had more money in her bank ount than thebined wealth of the Xuan and Qin family! Lily treated them like a fu*king clown! She must have been mocking them inside when they threw her those pathetic offers during the reading! Xuan Hui let out a bitterugh when he realized their foolishness.

    Then another article caught his attention. Failed engagement? Lily was engaged? Xuan Hui read through the article in detail and discovered that Lily had recently acquired another group ofpanies in the Far East, namely China, Hong Kong and Singapore. Could this be the reason why she is here in Hongkong?

    Xuan Hui¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when his phone rang. He frowned when he saw that it was Qin Fei who was calling. Xuan Hui was contemting that possibility that the Qin family had already found out about Qin Jinghua¡¯s other identity and how they might try to scheme against her once again. As Xuan Hui thought about this rationally, he realized that they couldn¡¯t afford to offend Lily or her friends right now.

    It seemed like Lily had powerful connections and Mr. Martin had also warned him that offending Lily would be a death sentence to his business. He was still in need of investors ah. A chill ran down Xuan Hui¡¯s spine as he suddenly thought of what happened seven years ago. ¡¯What if Lily decides to retaliate against everyone who wronged her before? My wife is currently pregnant... what if...¡¯

    Xuan Hui quickly shook off these thoughts. Even though Lily had be sessful, she seemed to be keeping a low profile. Since life was going well for her now, surely she wouldn¡¯t bear a grudge and be petty about what happened seven years ago right?

    "Fei Fei?" Xuan Hui answered lovingly. "I am still at the office but I am about to head back home soon... Alright. Just go to sleep first, I know you are tired. Alright... I love you too." After the call ended, Xuan Hui continued to be fixated on the information about Lily and he poured through articles after articles.

    Lily¡¯s name was big in Europe but A.R Mall and Boutique was on the brink of bankruptcy in Hong Kong. This could mean that Lily¡¯s footing in this country is not yet established. Lily would pose a threat to him and his family if she manages to establish herself in this country. If only he could do something and prevent Lily from establishing her name in this country then...

    Xuan Hui¡¯s eyes widened as an idea came into his mind. For now, he would need to hide Lily¡¯s identity from everyone, that includes his own family and the Qins. And to do that, he could ask his friend who was an IT expert to ensure that all the sites relevant to Lily would not appear in searches from the Qin and Xuan¡¯s IP address. However, this would only be a temporary solution. Eventually, he would need to get rid of her, kick her out of this country so that she could not cause any trouble or he could also...

    An evil smile bloomed on Xuan Hui¡¯s face when he thought about how different Lily is now. He remembered how the woman used to worship him. Though Lily did not love him, she still gave him her body and would give him everything that he wanted.

    Fast forward to the present when Lily pped him earlier, anger and irritation could be seen in her eyes. Lily seemed to be affected by his presence. This could only mean that after all these years, Lily still hasn¡¯tpletely moved on from him and he could use this to his advantage.

    However, unbeknownst to Xuan Hui, a predator had already deemed him as its prey. Especially after what he did to the predator¡¯s wife.

    Xuan Hui¡¯s phone rang again. Seeing that it was his top manager calling, he immediately answered the call. Slowly, his face morphed into an ugly scowl.

    "What do you mean they dissolved the contract? Everything? How is that possible? How about the bond?"

    "They are willing to pay millions just to dissolve the contract? At this hour?"

    "No... What about the album... What?"

    "But... Alright, I will call thewyer and Mr. Zhuo..." Xuan Hui clenched his jaw as he dialed another number on his phone.

    Busy?

    "Fu**!" he cursed when he was not able to reach President Zhuo¡¯s secretary too. He then nced at the time. It¡¯s almost one in the morning. Who the hell would try and cancel the contract at this hour? This was something that only a CEO or chairman could decide. It must be Zhuo Jingren.

    Xuan Hui let out an angry grunt as he tried to suppress the anger rising inside him. How could President Zhuo suddenly cancel all the endorsements and pull out all the funds that he invested in Xuan Films?

    This could mean a loss of hundreds of millions of potential ies for Xuan Films. Zhuo Jingren was a shareholder, this would not be profitable for him at all. So why did he still do it?

    Xuan Hui shut his eyes, his head was throbbing. President Zhuo would not do something without a reason. Something must have happened.

    Xuan Hui dialed Zhuo Jingren¡¯s number once again. He would not stop calling him until he received an exnation from him.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 69: Only Make Her Look Dumber

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 69: Only Make Her Look Dumber</h4>

    "I am not sure why Fernando would ask Escort Zhuo to participate in a drinking contest." Li Shanshan tried to put on a serious face but the mirth in her eyes were too obvious. Lily and Zhuo Jingren went to join the others after their discussion with Mr. Martin was over.

    "Yeah... right." Lily rolled her eyes while watching as Zhuo Jingren downed another ss of alcohol. His ears were turning red. It seemed as though Zhuo Jingren and Fernando were having a serious conversation. Lily and Li Shanshan couldn¡¯t make out what they were talking about because the two were intentionally keeping their volume down as they spoke.

    But it was not like Lily was bothered about this. She didn¡¯t need to know what those two men were talking about. Zhuo Jingren was not someone that Fernando could scare and Fernando was not someone that Zhuo Jingren could intimidate. Given her understanding of the two men, they might even be talking about a business coboration before this night ends.

    "Your man is pretty outstanding," Li Shanshan said while holding her phone. "Guess what he did to that hateful Xuan guy?"

    Lily immediately raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Xuan Hui?"

    In response, Li Shanshan nodded before she showed Lily a text message which made Lily widened her eyes. "I¡¯m guessing he did not tell you about this?" Li Shanshan smirked.

    "No he didn¡¯t," Lily answered as she stared at Zhuo Jingren, her gazeplicated. That man didn¡¯t even ask her what happened or what caused her bruise. "How did you know this?"

    "There are no secrets in the film industry," Li Shanshan said. "I am impressed by how fast he acted. He must be really angry because that dumb man hurt you."

    Lily only shrugged as she sipped her drink, her eyes never leaving Zhuo Jingren. From time to time, thetter would look at her and would give her a smile, his eyes beaming with happiness. Right now, Zhuo Jingren was being extremely warm and friendly towards her friends, chuckling asionally or furrowing his brows in anticipation while he conversed with them.

    As Lily continued to observe Zhuo Jingren, she began to wonder if Zhuo Jingren had always been like this - ruthless. Lily recalled how she first met Zhuo Jingren or Renren when she was only ten years old. At thirteen years old Zhuo Jingren was already good-looking, though he was a little skinny. Many girls in the orphanage liked him but he did not ept any of their confessions. He was aloof and quiet and didn¡¯t talk much to anyone with the exception of one other guy.

    Lily remembered how she would often see Renren sitting under the tree while he watched the other children y. He would either be reading a book about dinosaurs or an english novel. As a ten year old girl, Lily¡¯s knowledge was limited. She did not know english and so she could not understand what the boy was reading. She couldn¡¯t rte to the things he would talk to her about and she found him to be boring.

    Then she realized that Renren was smart and she found out that his grades were impossibly high. She on the other hand was just an average student, with average grades, who was struggling with math and english. Her grades were pitifulpared to that smart and aloof boy. Lily thought that associating herself with a smart boy like Renren would only make her look dumber. This was the reason why Lily initially avoided him.

    But this changed when Zhuo Jingren started to help her in her studies when she was twelve. That was also around the time that Qin Fei told the whole school that Lily¡¯s mother was working as a maid in the Qin family, making Lily aughingstock in school. Lily was already ostracised for being mixed-blood and when news about her mother began to spread around in school, she got bullied even more. She was subjected to harsher name-calling. To be called ¡¯shameless¡¯ was really hurtful for a girl. There was one time when she was bullied by one of her male ssmates at the back of her school and Zhuo Jingren came to her rescue, saving her.

    Because of that one encounter, she grew closer to the boy who seemed to blush around her every time. Lily was not obtuse about the boy¡¯s feelings, she knew that the smart and quiet boy had taken a liking to her. Moreover, his friends also started to tease them and even asked her if she would give Zhuo Jingren a chance when they grow up.

    At that time, Lily honestly thought that it was impossible between them, but she was afraid to hurt his feelings. So instead of rejecting him outrightly, she told him that if he worked hard and gain her father¡¯s approval in the future, there would be hope for the two of them. She was twelve and he was fifteen, she didn¡¯t think that he would take her words seriously. Heck, she wasn¡¯t even serious about what she said. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that Zhuo Jingren would still remember what she said fifteen yearster.

    A small smile escaped Lily¡¯s lips as she thought their one-night stand seven years ago and how they were married now. If this was not fate, then what is?

    "Are you thinking about me?" Lily unconsciously nodded when she heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s voice next to her ear. She did not even notice the man approaching her.

    "You are?" His next words made Lily freeze before she nodded once again. That was the truth, she was indeed thinking about him. What was there to be embarrassed about?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 70: Few More Months

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 70: Few More Months</h4>

    Lily turned her head to look at Zhuo Jingren only to realize that their faces were a mere inch apart. Lily swallowed hard. She couldn¡¯t see any pores on this man¡¯s wless skin ah. "Are you done drinking?" she immediately asked, almost blushing. She couldn¡¯t let her thoughts run wild, not when they are still in public at least.

    Zhuo Jingren gestured for her to look at Fernando who was already knocked out. "I won the bet," he said cooly, his gaze lingered on Lily¡¯s side profile.

    "What bet?" she asked curiously.

    "Thest man standing wins," he said with an obvious triumph in his voice.

    "What is the prize for the winner?" she asked, smiling at him. Actually, Fernando¡¯s alcohol tolerance was not really that high so it was only surprising that he lost the drinking contest. Lily wondered if Fernando thought he could win Zhuo Jingren when he challenged him in the first ce.

    "Do you know what the bet was? If I win, I get to kiss you tonight," he answered cheekily. "If I lose, I cannot kiss you for a month."

    "Hmmm... so you made a bet on me without my knowledge?" Lily chuckled. "What if I don¡¯t agree?"

    "Agree to what? Not kissing you for a month?"

    "HHA..." She gave him a fakeugh before she rified, "What if I don¡¯t agree to let you kiss me tonight?"

    "Then, I can only me my bad luck," Zhuo Jingren answered before he checked his wristwatch. It was already three in the morning. "It¡¯s prettyte and I think we both had too many drinks... I think it¡¯s time to go home, no?"

    Lily nodded in agreement. It was indeed veryte. It was a good thing that Secretary Go was still here to drive them home.

    ¡¯Home¡¯ Lily let out a smile. She seemed to like the sound of that word.

    At Lily¡¯s apartment.

    "I think you should give Secretary Go a raise," Lily suggested as she wiped off the make-up from her face. It was already four in the morning when they arrived home. Before they left the club, Secretary Go, who was the only one sober person had made sure that Lily¡¯s intoxicated friends had all safely boarded a cab home. That kind of secretary was simply one of a kind - so responsible and diligent.

    "Hmmm... as you wish." She heard him say as she eyed him in the mirror. The man was about to take off his shirt.

    Lily immediately raised an eyebrow when he started unbuttoning his shirt slowly. Her eyes unconsciously traveled downward before she froze and blinked several times. Was she being shameless again? With a straight face, Lily decided not to peek anymore and continue wiping her make-up off her face.

    "Why are you so red?" Lily almost jumped to her feet when she heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s voice next to her ear. ¡¯Is this man a ninja?¡¯ she wondered She did not notice the man approaching her at all. It seemed as though she had be so absent-mindedtely.

    "I drank a lot of alcohol that¡¯s why," she answered. That must be the reason why her face was red and why she was also absent-minded.

    "Hmmm... right." Zhuo Jingren answered suspiciously while giving her a smirk. Lily was quick to notice that he was now only wearing sweatpants without any t-shirt on. A towel was also thrown on his shoulders.

    "Where did you get those clothes? You brought clothes with you?"

    "Of course," he said before stifling a yawn. "I¡¯ll go and brush my teeth now." Then he walked towards Lily¡¯s bathroom with his toiletries in hand.

    Only after seeing Zhuo Jingren enter the bathroom was Lily able to release the breath that she was holding. She furrowed her brows and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Having another person inside her room was extremely awkward for Lily. What made it more awkward was the fact that she was with... her husband.

    Husband!

    What was she supposed to do? Suddenly, Fernando¡¯s question popped in her mind: Do you like him?

    Lily didn¡¯t know when it started, but she had taken a liking towards Zhuo Jingren. He treated her so well and made her very happy. But Lily found it difficult to express her feelings to him. Was it because she had been so guarded all these while that she found it difficult to justy her emotions out in the open?

    Lily closed her eyes, and slowly massaged her temples; a habit that she had developed when contemting about things. Ever since what happened to her seven years ago, she had been guarded and cautious towards people. When her maternal grandmother brought her to London and taught her the ropes in business, she quickly realized that people could be really ugly. Entering into business had opened her eyes to the depravity of man, where betrayals could happen when you least expect it, when people would prioritize profits over everything else. Over time, she had built a very high and thick wall around her heart. Her personal mantra was: To hide your emotions is already half the battle won against your enemies.

    Lily had beenfortable being so cooped up inside her own fortress that she was finding it especially difficult to walk out, figuratively.

    "Are you okay?" Lily felt a hand massaging her head. Without waiting for her response, Zhuo Jingren gently said, "Change your clothes first, then I will give your head a massage before you sleep."

    A small smile escaped Lily¡¯s lips as she nodded. She then quickly changed into afortable set of pyjamas, finished her nightly routine before shey beside Zhuo Jingren. Without a word, Zhuo Jingren started massaging her temples.

    "Rx, I won¡¯t do anything without your consent." She heard him say. " I have already waited for years, a few more months won¡¯t change anything for me."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 71 - Bolder

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 71 - Bolder</h4>

    June 21st, Tuesday - 7th day

    Lily woke up with a splitting headache. She immediately clutched her head before snuggling deeper into Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arms.

    True to his words, Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t do anything to herst night. He merely hugged her to sleep after he was done giving Lily a head massage. In fact, Lily was so tired that she actually fell asleep while Zhuo Jingren was giving her a head massage. His techniques were too good ah.

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s assurancest night was very much needed. She gradually felt less awkward towards the man. Their first night together wasn¡¯t too bad. Though her head was still throbbing, she could not deny that her heart felt a little lighter. She was happier.

    "Sleep some more, I will make a soup that will help to relieve your headache. I will call you once it¡¯s ready." She heard him say.

    "Hmmm... what time is it?" she asked, her eyes still half-closed and her head still resting on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arm like his arm was a pillow.

    "Almost one in the afternoon," said Zhuo Jingren a matter-of-factly.

    "You didn¡¯t wake me up! I have lots of meetings today." Lily immediately jolted up and hastily got out of the bed.

    "You were snoring... and drooling too... how could I disturb you when you are like that?" Lily ignored Zhuo Jingren as she ran towards the bathroom. She would only snore or drool if she was very tired, alright?!

    Lily took a quick shower and then called Yang Mi up to her apartment. Since she was not in office for a few days, Lily had a lot of things to do today.

    "Here are today¡¯s stock market rates...You also have a meeting at three with the internal board of directors of A.R Mall and Boutique. Lawyer Yan also called me earlier, he said that he has received a copy of your marriage certificate and he will be able to process the paperwork to transfer thete Old Master Qin¡¯snd deeds over to your name. He said that he will bring the papers to you once everything is finalized." Yang Mi took a pause to look at Lily, who was eating her breakfast with President Zhuo. Thetter kept adding food into his wife¡¯s bowl.

    "Continue," Lily said while taking another mouthful of food.

    "Alright. The design for the new Harmony Isle is already done. It needs your approval. Mr. Kim had also sent a bunch of dresses for you to wear to Fashion Week¡¯s final show and after-party. He said and I quote ¡¯These are specially designed with love for Lily Qin.¡¯"

    "Were you the one who sent our marriage certificate to Lawyer Yan?" Lily asked Zhuo Jingren. She couldn¡¯t think of any other usible exnation of how thewyer came to know about her marriage.

    "Of course." He smiled. "Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve asked him to keep our marriage a secret from the Qin and Xuan family. I know that you are still not ready to announce our marriage."

    "Actually... I don¡¯t mind letting people know that we are married." Lily was quick to answer. She was thankful for Zhuo Jingren¡¯s thoughtfulness but she also knew that the man would love to let the whole world know about their marriage. Moreover, Lily was not really intending to hide her own marriage ah. She just wanted to keep the news about their marriage as low-key as possible.

    "Really?" Zhuo Jingren beamed.

    Lily nodded earnestly before she turned to Yang Mi, "Give me theplete details of the Internal Directors for A.R Mall and Boutique. I need them before the meetingter."

    "Got it, President." Yang Mi nodded. Lily then informed Yang Mi that they would be moving into Sky Cityter in the day. Lily also told Yang Mi that she and the two directors would also be moving into Sky City when their apartment is ready. In the meantime, they would continue to stay put here.

    After Lily was done eating, Zhuo Jingren said that he had to go back to the office. He apologized that he would bete again tonight but Lily was understanding about it. As they were bidding each other goodbye, Zhuo Jingren held Lily¡¯s hand up and was about to kiss her hand when Lily held him by his shoulders, tiptoed and nted a wet kiss on his cheek instead.

    Why was he always kissing her hand? Were they living in the past where they had to be reserved when it came to showing their affections? Moreover, they were at home, so it was alright to be bolder yes?

    Lily¡¯s swift action made Zhuo Jingren freeze and turned his face beet red. Lily couldn¡¯t help but burst outughing. The man was blushing just because she kissed his cheek? How funny was that?

    But how could Zhuo Jingren let Lily mock him without countering back? His lips immediately lifted into a smirk before he lowered his head and kissed her on the cheek. Then, without waiting for her to respond, Zhuo Jingren strode out of Lily¡¯s apartment, chuckling away.

    Lily only smiled as she watched the man disappeared from her sight. What a silly man.

    "Ummm... Ehem... Mrs. Zhuo..." Lily turned to look at Secretary Go, a look of surprise was on her face as she wondered when that man had gotten here.

    "Ummm... President Zhuo insisted that I call you ¡¯Mrs. Zhuo.¡¯" Secretary Go immediately exined when he saw Lily raised an eyebrow at him.

    "Our men will be moving your belongings to Sky Cityter today. Also, President Zhuo had asked me to find the best location for Fi Group¡¯s headquarters relocation here. Here are some good choices of office buildings that are less than twenty minute drive from Zhuo Capital. These locations are also less than ten minutes drive away from Sky City," Secretary Go reported while handing a pile of folders to Yang Mi.

    Lily nodded in approval. Zhuo Jingren was so thoughtful, he had already made all these arrangements without waiting for Lily to ask for his help. "Good... I will let him know once I make my decision."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 72 - Divorce Qin Jinghua

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 72 - Divorce Qin Jinghua</h4>

    While Lily had started her day bright and cheery, the same can¡¯t be said of the Qin family.

    Lawyer Yan just informed Qin Mo that Qin Jinghua had just gotten married and now owns fifty percent of Old Man Qin¡¯s properties in maind China. This made Qin Mo so angry that he smashed some of his favorite bottles of alcohol in his study, some of them were rather expensive too.

    The thing that made Qin Mo fume in anger even more was the fact that the Lawyer Yan wouldn¡¯t even tell him the identity of his daughter¡¯s husband. How could Lawyer Yan choose to side with Qin Jinghua over them? Lawyer Yan had been working with the Qin family for years now.

    "Husband, please calm down. Aren¡¯t these just properties? Qin Jinghua is still your daughter, you don¡¯t have to react this way." Tang Lingyun pacified her husband. Although she seemed like she wasn¡¯t bothered on the outside, she was actually raging inside. Those properties were worth millions! How could she ept the fact that those would be given to a woman like Qin Jinghua?

    "Calm down? That woman did not even inform me that she was getting married! Does she still see me as her father?" he fumed. If Qin Mo had gotten news that Qin Jinghua was going to get married, he would have done everything in his power to prevent it from happening!

    "Maybe she just forgot. Just forgive her this one time." Tang Lingyun continued to pacify Qin Mo. After all these years, she was already used to acting like a good step-mother. She then lowered her eyes, her face full of regret. "My only concern is Liwei and FeiFei... I am sure that... This is my fault... I am sure that Qin Jinghua is only doing this to hurt me."

    "Why are you ming yourself for that woman¡¯s ungrateful behavior?"

    "I... I have not raised Qin Jinghua well... as her mother I have to take responsibility for her actions. I never thought that her attitude would be exactly just like her mother¡¯s. Qin Mo... what are we going to do now? I just... I just hope that Feifei and Liwei could ept this. Feifei is pregnant, I¡¯m afraid that this will upset her and..." Tang Lingyun let out a sob and wiped away her nonexistent tears. Tang Lingyun was trying to insinuate that Qin Jinghua inherited her mother¡¯s shameless attitude.

    Moreover she also wanted Qin Mo to do something about Old Man Qin¡¯s inheritance by asking him to think about their son and daughter¡¯s interest. But what could Qin Mo do about it now? They were toote. Perhaps they were hoping for some miracle.

    And just as she expected, Qin Mo dialed Lawyer Yan¡¯s number to ask for Lily¡¯s contact. Tang Lingyun was right. He couldn¡¯t afford to upset Qin Fei. "Don¡¯t let Fei Fei know that Qin Jinghua is already married. I will try and meet with Qin Jinhua as soon as possible and offer to buy the properties at a low price," Qin Mo cautioned.

    Tang Lingyun nodded with her head lowered. A sinister glint shed in Tang Lingyun¡¯s eyes that Qin Mo of course failed to notice. "How... how about her husband. Shall we invite her and her husband to visit the Qin family residence? She is still your daughter after all."

    "Hmp! I do not consider that woman as my daughter! But for the sake of knowing what kind of man would marry her, we shall extend them an invitation to our ce." Qin mo harrumphed. Marriage? If only he could find out the name of Qin Jinghua¡¯s husband, then he will make sure to have the man divorce Qin Jinghua as soon as possible.

    He needed to teach his ungrateful daughter a lesson: the Qins are not to be messed with!

    Tang Lingyun nodded in deference to her husband¡¯s words, a slight smile was on her face. She really couldn¡¯t wait to see what kind of man would pick someone like Qin Jinghua.

    "Why wouldn¡¯t it be profitable?" Lily raised an eyebrow at Mr. Lu, one of the directors in A.R Mall and Boutique. The man just told her that a residential building at the back of the mall would not profitable.

    "First and foremost, it would take years to build a property like that. Second, the price for houses has been rising for years now. By the time we finish this project, housing prices will be extremely expensive. Not many would be able to afford it," Mr. Lu reasoned. This was their first meeting the new owner of A.R Mall and Boutique. It surprised the men in the room that they were already talking about her future ns at the very first meeting.

    "I see..." Lily nodded. "Firstly, the biggest concern of a lot of young people in Hong Kong these days is living arrangements. A residential area that is just minutes away from mall, a school and other amenities would be just the perfect ce to live in." When Lily saw that everyone was nodding and agreeing with her, she continued speaking. She pressed her clicker and the slide changed, revealing a graph on the presentation screen. "Second, I want to show everyone the annual profit margins of A.R Mall and Boutique for the past five years."

    "As you can see, profits are decreasing. Now let me show you the performance of another retail mall I owned in South America as aparison. Apart from the fact that both malls are located in different countries, there are actually simrities between these two malls. Both malls are located in the center of the city, well-connected by public transport and near a school. Except, one of the mall has a hotel above it. The profits of A.R Mall and Boutique is not even half of what my retail mall in South America is reaping. Do you want to know what ounts for the difference in performance?" Lily made a deliberate pause.

    Meanwhile, Mr. Lu was listening intently and studying the numbers in front of him. He couldn¡¯t help but be in awe while looking at the numbers in front of him.

    "That is because you all are too afraid to innovate." Lily rose from her seat. "Create, innovate, improve then repeat."

    Lily looked at the group of stockholders in front of her with a small smile on her face. "I am only interested in making profits. Let me do my work and you do yours. Trust my decision and in turn I will give you profits. Any questions?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 73 - Good at Warming their Beds

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 73 - Good at Warming their Beds</h4>

    "Miss Qin, thisparison is a little unfair though," a man with a fox like eyes said. "South America¡¯s economy is not like ours. Thepetition is different. I don¡¯t think this is a good example. In my opinion, we still need to study the area further before deciding whether it would be profitable to develop a residential area."

    "True. Which is why, I already made a study about this. Please check the file..."

    "With all due respect President Qin, I believe this is a very big project for you. With the current standing of ourpany there is no way that this will help our shareholders," the man interrupted Lily, "I know you are sessful in Europe but what works in Europe and in South America for the matter, might not work here. Our country is very different. We have different cultures and traditions. I suggest that we hire a consultant to help us."

    "I rmend getting help from our previous CEO, Mr. Liam Arison. He is very experienced in the Hong Kong market. We could hire him as a consultant and seek his unbiased opinion about these projects," the man added, brimming with confidence. The acquisition of A.R Mall and Boutique was an example of a hostile takeover, where thepany was forcibly taken without the agreement of the board. The board was only informed after Chairman Arison had already signed the documents for the buyout.

    Because of this, many shareholders were not satisfied and wanted to pull out their stocks. But they immediately calmed down when Liam assured them that he would be around to help and guide Lily along the way. He said that he would make sure that this acquisition goes smoothly not just for the sake of the shareholders but also for the employees.

    Who would have thought that news of their failed engagement would immediately follow after Liam talked to them?

    This was an extremely difficult time for A.R Mall and Boutique and having a hostile takeover might not necessarily mean that thepany could be saved. This was the reason why a majority of the directors in the room right now were adamant about having Liam stand alongside the new owner of thepany, to help her get familiarized with the ins and outs of thepany.

    "Hmmm..." Lily propped her face on her palm as she looked at the man calmly. "Continue... Mr. Xi is it?"

    "Well that... that is all," Mr. Xi answered.

    "Alright. Now... South America¡¯s economy is not as good as this country. But your profits is not even half of what my retailpany in South America is earning. Don¡¯t you feel ashamed?" She gave Mr. Xi a smirk. "I called for this meeting with the intention of getting to know everyone. And now I know why A.R Mall and Boutique is on the brink of bankruptcy for thest two years now."

    "President Qin... this is..." Mr. Xi wanted to retort.

    "As a board of directors, I understand that you want to protect the interest of the shareholders of thispany. Trust me... that is what I want too. I thought that there would be some hope for you all but then you all had to suggest that I work with Liam. Then I realized... you cannot be save." Lily leaned back in her seat and started ying with her pen. Her actions were rxed, that most of the people inside the room became irritated.

    "Because of this, I am taking charge." Lily beamed and everyone couldn¡¯t help but feel nervous. "I will dissolve A.R Mall and Boutique and rebrand the mall as the new Harmony Isle. And as for all of you... well since most of you here are internal directors... I guess, this is yourst day of work in thispany." This made everyone in the room ufortable. Was she firing them?

    "You can¡¯t do this... We can sue..."

    "True." Lily interrupted the speaker. "Which is why I am nning to hold every director ountable to the misappropriation of funds that you happily approvedst year."

    "You- Are you threatening us?" Mr. Lu rose from his seat, anger apparent in his eyes.

    "No." Lily said. "I don¡¯t do well with threats."

    Another board member rose from his seat and was about to say something when the door of the board room was suddenly opened, revealing Liam in a suit. He gave everyone a smile and frowned at Lily. "This was the reason why I originally wanted my father to stop going through with this buyout. I always knew that you are ruthless and will not value the board of directors. I know that you are just using A.R Mall and Boutique as a stepping stone into the Hong Kong market."

    "Why am I not surprised to see you here?" Lily smiled, baffling the directors in the room. Lily had received so much hostility from them and yet, she didn¡¯t crumble in fear. Any normal woman in her twenties would have already panicked in fear already alright? Could she be faking her confidence?

    "Please leave us... I am nning to talk to President Qin alone," Liam said. At Liam¡¯s request, the board of directors immediately rose from their seats and walked out of the room, without a question. This just showed how much they respected the man.

    Something that they did not feel towards Lily.

    "You really should learn to be a little submissive. Your strong attitude in the west wouldn¡¯t work on the people in the east." Liam took a seat opposite Lily.

    "Liam, I was actually surprised that you are still alive."

    "Lily, this is not the time to be feisty. The board of directors is hostile towards you. You need to change your attitude towards them or else you will receive their ire. This would mean trouble for you and thepany."

    "So... you wanted me to submit to them?" Lily asked while checking her red fingernails.

    "Of course. I know you are a strong woman but you have to adapt to the situation. Showing your dominance will only work if they are already afraid of you. But it will not work in a case where they don¡¯t even recognize your past achievements. In their eyes, you are just a woman and women in this part of the world are only good at warming their beds."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 74 - Collaboration

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 74 - Coboration</h4>

    "Very true." Lily nodded. "In this part of the world, women are considered a little less than men."

    "d that you agree with me."

    "However, I am not one of those women Liam." Lily¡¯s face turned serious as she crossed her arms in front of her. As someone who was bullied, underestimated, schemed against, women empowerment was a very sensitive issue for Lily. Women empowerment was something that she strongly supported in the west. However, the women in the east were really not as empowered as the ones in the west. Of course, Lily was not nning to me anyone about this.

    This was a behaviour influenced by traditions. Though the people in Hong Kong were not as traditional as the people from maind China, gender equality was still an issue as people tend to look down on women, especially in the business industry. Lily was not going to be one of those oppressed women.

    "Are you saying that you will not bow down to their demands?" Liam asked, his face unfathomable.

    Lily only chuckled at his question. The Liam that Lily knew was not this smart or eloquent. Liam Arison was known to be short tempered and would easily react to everything. Talking to Lily like this was not Liam¡¯s MO. Unless... someone had been coaching him how to behave around her. Did Sofia think she could outsmart her?

    Lily knew that the only reason why Sofia wanted Liam and her to marry was because of the support that Liam could get by using Lily¡¯s name. After all, Liam¡¯s position as the heir in their own conglomerate was actually being questioned right now because of the presence of his step-brother.

    Did Liam just tried to manipte the board of directors to pressure Lily so that he could act like a prince in shining armor?

    "I am saying that you are stupid foring in here and thinking that this will work on me." Lily answered. "You have reached your limit, Liam. I am done with my warnings. I will see you in the uing board meeting for Arison Holdings."

    Liam¡¯s eyes immediately widened at Lily¡¯s words. As the only living Fi, Lily owned a lot of stocks under her name, including stocks from Arison Holdings. "You... why would you be attending the board meeting?"

    "Hmmm... You and your mother have been disturbing my peaceful life these past few days. I am a very impatient person. I believe it¡¯s time for me to remind you and Sofia why even your father immediately signed the acquisition documents when I asked him to. I bet your father must have asked your mother not to disturb my peace too..." Lily then shook her head.

    "Will then, tell your minions that I am firing them. As the sole owner and now the biggest stockholder in thepany I have the right to fire anyone who is against the direction of thepany."

    "You-"

    "The next time I see you will be at the meeting. Tell your mother that I won¡¯t hesitate to ruin you if she continues this act. The only reason why I am giving both of you a chance is because she somewhat made myte maternal grandmother happy. But trust me... I am ruthless to the people who cross me." Lily then leaned in her seat before she gestured for Liam to go. How could this Liam still follow her around after what happened? Wasn¡¯t he afraid that Lily would get impatient and reveal Liam¡¯s secrets to the media?

    Liam could only clench his teeth in anger as he walked out of the mall. His mother had told him to use the board against Lily so that she would ask for his help to deal with them. However, it seemed like they had underestimated Lily¡¯s stubbornness. She would not simply bow down just because she was threatened or pressured.

    Liam clenched his jaw as he sent a text to his mother.

    [Failed. Talkter.]

    He then shoved his phone back into his pocket and walked towards his car. However, before he could reach his car, an Asian woman wearing a business suit approached him with a stern expression on her face. "Mr. Arison? My name is Tang Fanghua and I am the personal assistant of CEO Xuan of Xuan Film."

    "Xuan Films?" Liam immediately furrowed his brows.

    "CEO Xuan wants to invite you for some tea. He said that he has some news about Miss Lily Qin that he could give you," Tang Fanghua said in a low voice. "He said that this is an opportunity for you to make Miss Qin yours."

    Liam immediately raised an eyebrow at Tang Fanghua¡¯s words. Arison Holdings had no dealings with the film industry so he was not very familiar with the people in this industry. Though a little reluctant, Liam still nodded at Tang Fanghua and chose to follow her.

    After his mother exined everything to him, Liam now understood marrying Lily would bring him many benefits and he was adamant on making Lily, his wife. So what if she doesn¡¯t like him? So what if he does not like Lily? Liam had already decided to be shameless and do everything in his power to have Lily. Moreover, the most important thing was to marry her before the annual board of directors meeting in Arison Holdings. He needed to have her backing to stabilize his position as the CEO of Arison Holdings.

    Even after marrying Lily, he could always maintain his rtionship with his cousin. Lily would be busy with her business that she wouldn¡¯t be home most of the time anyway. Wouldn¡¯t this mean that he could still maintain his current lifestyle even after marriage? A marriage with Lily Fi-Qin might not really a bad thing after all.

    Liam got into a Bentley and looked at the Asian man who seemed to be of simr age as him. "What do you want?" Liam asked directly.

    "I want a coboration." Xuan Hui examined the man in front of him before he smiled.

    "What coboration?"

    "I want you to help me kick Lily out of this country. She can¡¯t stay here," Xuan Hui said. "With her in Europe, your goal of marrying her would be easier."

    "What do you say, Mr. Arison?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 75 - Protecting My Wife

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 75 - Protecting My Wife</h4>

    Yang Mi bit her lips as she stared at President Qin before lowering her head. After Liam left, Lily had remained inside the meeting room. When Yang Mi came in to check on her boss, she saw that her boss was just staring nkly at the wall ahead of her. Then Lily closed her eyes and started massaging her temples. Yang Mi knew all too well that this was a sign that Lily was deep in her thoughts and for some reason, she was anxious.

    Yang Mi was almost sure - no, she was a hundred percent sure that President Qin was cooking up something in her head again.

    "Yang Mi, how are the construction projects going on?"

    Yang Mi immediately lifted her head to look at Lily who had suddenly spoken. "Mr. Han is currently working on the proposals for the biddings. I have already sent you the list of the projects that the Arisons are interested and are also nning to bid for," Yang Mi answered. Arison Holdings was another conglomerate with many small subsidiaries but their core business was in construction.

    Lily fell into silence again after listening to Yang Mi¡¯s report. Liam being here could only mean that Sofia was not nning on giving up. Lily smelled trouble, especially now that she still had to convince a bunch of sexist pigs. "I want you to call Bruce. Ask him to start buying stocks in Arison Construction. Tell him to prioritize this and make sure that he does this without arousing suspicions. I don¡¯t want people to start asking questions."

    "Got it." Yang Mi noted Lily¡¯s instructions on her tablet. Just then, Lily¡¯s phone vibrated. Lily took a nce at the caller ID and quickly picked up the call while walking towards the floor to ceiling windows of the meeting room.

    "Hmmm? Do you need anything?" Lily immediately asked.

    "That question hurts." She heard him chuckle. "Can¡¯t I just call you whenever I miss you?"

    "We just saw each other three hours ago." Lily rolled her eyes.

    "Three hours feels like a lifetime. Just hearing your voice right now makes me so happy, do you know that?"

    "Jingren..." Lily uttered before she let out a sigh. She could only shake her head at this man¡¯s antics. Then, she happened to look in the direction of the door and noticed that a man in a ck tux was entering the meeting room, carrying a red box in his hands. She raised an eyebrow at Yang Mi who immediately intercepted the man.

    "Did you receive it?" she heard Zhuo Jingren asked.

    "Yes, what is it?"

    "Your favorite donuts and coffee. I know you like it ck. I brewed the coffee especially for you and stored it in a thermos tumbler to keep it warm. I know that you are busy but you should not forget to eat something." Lily pursed her lips, touched by Zhuo Jingren¡¯s thoughtfulness.

    "Thank you," she said.

    "Hmmm... do you like it?" Zhuo Jingren asked expectantly.

    "I do," she answered while thinking about the man¡¯s current expression right now. He must be smiling from ear to ear again, she thought.

    "Alright... that man who had just arrived will also serve as your new bodyguard and driver. He was the one originally assigned to you on the night that we first met but you know..." he chuckled. "Call him Daohu."

    "Okay..." Lily nodded.

    "Also, I want you to take care of yourself from now on. It seems that you have attracted some enemies already."

    Lily¡¯s expression changed immediately at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words. "Xuan Hui?"

    "Not just him..." Zhuo Jingren said, his tone serious. "But I will take care of it. Just be more careful."

    "You don¡¯t have to help me. I can deal with my own problems," Lily said. But for some reason, she immediately felt ufortable after saying that to Zhuo Jingren. Lily was a little relieved when Zhuo Jingren simply chuckled at her words.

    "I knew you would say that," he said. "But you need to know that I have to protect my wife."

    Lily deadpanned at his words. ¡¯Protect my wife¡¯- These words seemed to warm her heart. Lily bit her bottom lip before she smiled. "Alright. I guess it¡¯s really your job to protect me from now on."

    "But?" Zhuo Jingren asked. This time it was Lily who chuckled. The man was too perceptive ah.

    "You can protect me but I want to deal with my enemies on my own. You can give me all the information you got but I want tounch my own assault."

    "Normally people tend to build up their defenses first but you are already thinking about attacking As expected, my wife is so... valiant." he said, amused by the way they were conversing about such things so candidly and naturally.

    "I am not normal to begin with," Lily said while smiling. "I am an aggressive woman. I would rather attack first than to be passive. I would not just wait around for a betrayal or attack to happen." Lily was done being attacked and schemed against. The Lily today was someone who would rather kill than be killed.

    "Hmmm... Of course you are not normal. You are my woman after all. Just tell me if there is anything that I can help you with. I can be your eyes and ears." His tone was gentle, full of assurance and warmth. "Ah... by the way, your things have been shifted to Sky City already. Daohu will take you thereter. I might be a littlete as I have another meetingter in the day. For your dinner, you can heat up some pasta that I have stored in the fridge..."

    Actually, Lily¡¯s mind did not register what Zhuo Jingren said after he informed her that her things were already at Sky City as her mind started wandering again. Starting today, she would be spending every night with Zhuo Jingren. She swallowed a mouthful of saliva as she felt heat spreading from her neck.

    She remembered how Zhuo Jingren had told her that he wouldn¡¯t touch her until she was ready. Just then, Lily felt a tinge of irritation. Though the thought of spending their nights together made her a little ufortable still, she had to consider the fact that they were already married and married couples would...

    She raked her fingers through her hair nervously. Couldn¡¯t he have just acted on his wants? Why should he have to wait until she was ready?

    Lily then blinked her eyes when she realized her shameless thoughts. Why did it seem that her thoughts were a little contradictory?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 76 - No Weight Limit

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 76 - No Weight Limit</h4>

    "Hey... are you there? Lily?" Zhuo Jingren furrowed his brows when it was silent on the other end of the line.

    "I¡¯m sorry... what did you say? I uh... got distracted," she said.

    "I said, if you find that don¡¯t like the current design of the penthouse, we can always make some renovations. Feel free to tell me any changes you want to make or anything you want me to get for the house," he said.

    "Oh... Alright, I will remember that," Lily nodded.

    "Okay, I have a meeting in five minutes. I will see you soon...Don¡¯t forget your dinner," he reminded.

    "I haven¡¯t even finished the snacks that you sent and you are already talking about dinner. Do you want me to get fat?" The mirth in Lily¡¯s voice was so apparent that it made Zhuo Jingren smile even wider.

    "Don¡¯t worry about that my love, eat all you want and get fat and I will still love you. My love for you has no weight limits." Heughed at his own cold joke.

    "I am not worried!" she was quick to answer. "I have another meeting too. Bye."

    Zhuo Jingren was all smiles even when Lily suddenly hung up on him. His wife was being all cute again. Zhuo Jingren was d that his wife had agreed to let him protect her, even though he could only do this in the shadows. Zhuo Jingren was satisfied knowing that he was taking baby steps into Lily¡¯s heart and he knew that one day he would seed.

    As Zhuo Jingren revelled in the memory of the conversation that had just passed, he was totally unaware that he was looking like a lovestruck teenager. Secretary Go who was also in the office had witnessed how Zhuo Jingren was smiling one moment and then giggling at the next. Secretary Go felt goosebumps all over his body. His boss seemed to have undergone some drastic personality changes ever since he got married. ¡¯Do all men be like this after marriage?¡¯ he wondered. If so... then it was indeed very scary ah.

    "Are our men following those two?" Secretary Go heard Zhuo Jingren ask.

    "Yes, our men are closely monitoring them," Secretary Go answered.

    "Good. Have another group of men to keep watch over Lily and keep her safe. I¡¯m sure those two are plotting something bad. Monitor them 24/7 and take note of who they meet over the next few days andpile a list. There should be no mistakes." Zhuo Jingren narrowed his eyes before he got up and fixed his suit. Then he walked out of his office with a cold expression in his face. Some people were really courting death. It seemed that what he didst night was not enough to make Xuan Hui busy.

    When nightfall came and Lily had no more matters to attend to at A.R Mall and Boutique, Daohu drove Lily back to Sky City. The entire journey did not even take twenty minutes because Sky City was in a central location. Sky City was located near the main business and shopping district of Hong Kong. Soon, they arrived at the tallest building in Hong Kong.

    Daohu led Lily to the VIP elevator and with a tap of a keycard, the lift started moving upwards towards the highest floor of Sky City. When they arrived at the top most floor, Daohu passed Lily another keycard to ess the penthouse. Daohu left the moment he saw Lily entering the penthouse safely.

    The moment Lily stepped into the penthouse, she let out a gasp. She was in awe of the wide expanse of space before her. It was a two-storey penthouse with high ceilings and solid oak flooring. Instead of the usual in floor to ceiling windows, the penthouse had a frameless ss box window that came with a sitting space, allowing anyone to lounge there and soak in the cinematic view of the cityscape.

    Lily stood at the entrance and roamed her eyes around the house and noticed that the entire ce was decked in white. From the walls to the furniture, they were mostly white. Could this be the reason why Zhuo Jingren brought up the topic of a renovation? Lily let out a small chuckle. Did the man love white so much?

    To her right, there was a billiard table and a wall mounted wine rack that was filled with different types of wines. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Zhuo Jingren ever yed at the billiard table.

    Then Lily¡¯s eyes caught sight of a majestic white piano that was next to the firece to her left. ¡¯Does Renren know how to y the piano?¡¯ If her memory served her right, Renren did not know how to y any musical instrument when they were children. Lily concluded that he must have picked up the piano when he was abroad.

    After Lily had finished exploring the first level, she decided to head upstairs to look around. She was a little curious as to how the master bedroom looked like. However, before she could reach the stairs, her phone vibrated. Seeing that it was an unknown number, Lily was cautious. She epted the call but remained silent.

    "Qin Jinghua?" Lily heard a meek voice on the other line.

    "Speaking," she answered.

    "This is Tang Lingyun... How are you?"

    "Why are you calling me?" she asked coldly.

    "We heard from Lawyer Yan that... you already got married?" Tang Lingyun¡¯s voice trembled a little, like a nervous child talking to her father. Lily rolled her eyes at her antics. Tang Lingyun was born to be an actress ah.

    "I did," Lily said.

    "I... I mean... we are still your parents yet you did not even inform your father that you have gotten married. We had to hear about it through someone else..." she stuttered before letting out some sobs. "I know that we are not on speaking terms because you hated me for what happened in the past but your father...your father was really worried about you. We don¡¯t even know who your husband is, so your father is even more worried."

    Tang Lingyun continued when Lily remained silent, "So... I am calling you to invite you and your husband to have dinner with us so that we can all be acquainted with each other. Only then will your father¡¯s heart be at peace."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 77 - CLICK

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 77 - ¡¯CLICK¡¯</h4>

    "Anything else?" Lily asked. Dinner? She couldn¡¯t help but wonder what they were up to again.

    "No... but.... Will you be able toe for dinner? The least you could do is to introduce your husband to your father."

    "My husband is an extremely busy man. I will tell you when he is avable," she said before cutting the call. That woman must be trying to scheme again. Lily couldn¡¯t wait to see the look on Tang Lingyun¡¯s face once she finds out that she now owns arge amount of shares in Qin Industries.

    After hanging up the call, Lily continued towards the stairs and slowly climbed up. This penthouse had a total of five rooms on the second level. Lily checked every room she passed by. One as an office, another one was a gym and there were two guestrooms. Thest room which was also the biggest, was the master suite bedroom. To Lily¡¯s surprise, the interior of the room was quite cozy. It had a soft gray and ck theme to it. There was a king size bed with velvet upholstered headboard and... an oil paint of Lily¡¯s picture hanging on top of the bed.

    Lily swallowed as she walked towards the bed, her eyes never leaving the painting. In the painting, the woman was smiling and a small dimple was apparent on her face. Her long hair was tied into a messy bun. She looked rxed and happy while holding a mug on one hand. The painting was clearly painted from the perspective of a person who was watching the woman.

    But Lily was sure that she never did this pose, so it could only mean that this had all been Zhuo Jingren¡¯s imagination right? She wondered if Zhuo Jingren painted this himself or he hadmissioned a painter to paint this. Lily let out a sigh as a small smile escaped her lips. This would be her home for the days toe.

    Then she walked towards the floor to ceiling sliding door leading to the big terrace outside of the room. She hugged herself the moment she opened the door as a cold breeze swept past her, tousling her hair in the process. It was cold and crisp, invigorating her senses. She then closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Did Zhuo Jingren ever feel lonely while living in this ce all by himself?

    Lily opened her eyes to look at the fragments of clouds scattered in the sky. They were thin, as if a painter painted them that way. They were constantly moving as they drifted along with the wind. Since it was already six in the evening, the lights began to turn on in the city below her.

    At the top most floor of the tallest building in Hong Kong, Lily could see everything. The sparkling world below her seemed so small and yet so beautiful. They reminded her of the firefly festival that she saw back in Japan with Zhuo Jingren. Was this why Zhuo Jingren bought this ce?

    When Lily had enough of being outside, she went inside the master bedroom. That was when she received a text from Zhuo Jingren reminding her to take her dinner. Lily smiled and sent out a thumbs up as a reply. She could not deny the fact that Zhuo Jingren seemed to make her smile more and more these past few days.

    Lily then made her way towards the kitchen. When she reached the kitchen, she realized that it was beautifully designed. It had a white marble countertop and white cabs with silver ents. It was equipped with a conventional oven, hot and cold water dispenser, coffee machine and many other cooking appliances. This must be because Zhuo Jingren liked to cook.

    Lily heated up some pasta from the fridge. Even though it was not freshly made, it still tasted good. Zhuo Jingren was such a good cook, unlike her. She was d that at least one of them could cook. Now, she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about food at home anymore. After finishing her dinner, Lily went back to master bedroom. After taking a bath, she set up herptop on the desk inside the room and started working, asionally flipping through some files that she had ced on the desk as well. Zhuo Jingren wouldn¡¯t mind her working inside the bedroom right?

    "Hmmnnn..." Lily woke up when she felt someone poking her cheeks. She opened her eyes to see Zhuo Jingren¡¯s smiling face as he continued poking her.

    "It¡¯s almost eight in the morning. I have to wake you up even if you are snoring. Or else, you will me me again." Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words could barely conceal his delight. Lily instantly wondered if the man somehow had a fetish for snores. Why else would he be smiling all the way to his ears?

    "Breakfast is ready. Go take a bath before heading downstairs to eat," he added when Lily continued to stare at him with a puzzled look on her face.

    "How did I get on the bed? Thest thing I remembered was working on that desk," she said while making a gesture at the desk.

    "I arrived home around midnight and saw that you were sound asleep on top of your files. You were drooling. I was afraid you might damage your papers... so... Hey!" Zhuo Jingren defended himself with his hands when Lily suddenly pped his arms. "Alright... I saw you sleeping and carried you over here so that you could sleep properly. I didn¡¯t want you to have a backache or neck ache when you wake up in the morning."

    Lily did not answer him but took a peek under the nket. "I am still wearing my pyjamas," she stated.

    "I didn¡¯t do anything to you," he immediately said.

    "Why didn¡¯t you?" Lily asked as she raised her brows. "Don¡¯t you find me pretty? Or..." Lily¡¯s eyes trailed down Zhuo Jingren¡¯s body. "Do you have a problem down there?" Lily thenughed at her own silly words before running towards the bathroom as fast as she could and locked the door behind her.

    Teasing Zhuo Jingren was just too fun. She could barely contain herughter anymore. Lily let out another fit ofughter when she remembered how Zhuo Jingren¡¯s mouth dropped when she asked those questions earlier.

    Lily continued tough even as she started to undress herself. She never thought that she could feel this happy just by teasing him. Did the man think that...

    ¡¯CLICK¡¯

    Lily widened her eyes when she heard the doorknob click. Did... Did Zhuo Jingren just used a key to open the bathroom?

    She immediately grabbed her clothes that were already on the floor and hastily covered herself with them. "Zhuo Jingren! What do you think you¡¯re doing?!"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 78 - Not Eager Nor Regretful

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 78 - Not Eager Nor Regretful</h4>

    The door opened and there stood Zhuo Jingren with a serious expression on his face. He strode forward and stopped right in front of her wordlessly with an intense gaze that was almost threatening. His face was so close that Lily could smell the light scent of his aftershave.

    Lily stared into his eyes which had obviously darkened. For a second, Lily thought that he was angry because she doubted his manhood? But before she could continue pondering over the matter, Zhuo Jingren yanked her towards him, his mouth covered hers in a heated kiss.

    What surprised Lily even more was the way her hands naturally moved to wrap themselves around Zhuo Jingren¡¯s neck, leaving her clothes slightly open which exposed a little of her fair skin. Her lips gave in obediently and she kissed him back just the way she wanted to be kissed. Lily felt heat rising in her cheeks when Zhuo Jingren pulled her deeper into his embrace where she immediately felt a bulge down below. It did not even take a second for Lily to guess what it was.

    The kiss started off as hot and warm. Their lips fit perfectly together, in sync with each other. Then it turned into something fast, aggressive and almost demanding. Lost in the heat of the moment, Lily let out a small moan which seemed to have ignited something inside Zhuo Jingren.

    But for him, this was not the right time to take things further. He abruptly stopped the kiss to catch his breath, his forehead resting on hers.

    Then he straightened his back and looked at Lily who seemed to be in a daze. "I¡¯m sorry I lost control," he said. "But as you can see, I don¡¯t have a problem down there." He grinned before he continued, "Let¡¯s have breakfast together. I will wait for you downstairs." Then he exited the bathroom, leaving Lily behind who just seemed to realize what had happened.

    "You Idiot!" Lily cursed as she clenched her fists, disbelief written all over her scarlet face. Zhuo Jingren stopped! He stopped! The kiss left as quickly as it came. This...

    What was more ufortable than being left cold just like that? She immediately stared at her reflection in the mirror in front of her. Her pyjamas was opened, revealing her pale white skin and cleavage while her hair was a little messy. With her current looks, which man could actually resist her! How could he do this? Was she not alluring enough?

    A sudden irritation shed in Lily¡¯s eyes. No. She needed to know why he stopped. Without an answer, she would not be able to stop thinking about it. Lily was sure that she would go crazy if she does not receive an answerter.

    With this in mind, she took a quick bath and dressed herself. Then she went downstairs and head straight into the kitchen.

    "Perfect timing." She heard him say as he put a bowl of congee down on the table, next to a te of piping hot steamed buns. Zhuo Jingren had a smile on his face as he took a seat across Lily. He seemed unaffected by what happened earlier which made Lily feel more irritated.

    "Zhuo Jingren..." she said with a serious look on her face. She made a deliberate pause before continuing, "Tell me honestly. Do you have a problem with me?"

    Zhuo Jingren immediately raised an eyebrow at her. "Of course not! Why would you ask that?"

    "Then what is it? Is it my body? You think I¡¯m too skinny?" she asked bluntly before she narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that the reason why you wanted me to eat more? You think I couldn¡¯t..." she swallowed her saliva. "You think I couldn¡¯t take you?"

    "What? No! Of course not!" he answered, surprised by her aggressive questions.

    "Then why did you stop earlier?" Seeing the change in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s expression, Lily realized that the man was actually surprised by her bluntness. Did she regret asking such questions? Of course not! It was better to know these things as early as possible ah.

    "I am.... I am not eager nor regretful about what happened," she added, afraid that Zhuo Jingren might misunderstand her questions as eagerness to do the deed. She was not eager alright? Just curious.

    "I was actually not expecting you to be this blunt," he answered after a minute of silence. "But this is what I love about you."

    "Before we left for Japan, I received some results from the investigations I ordered my men to conduct regarding what happened seven years ago," he said, his gaze never leaving hers. Then his hand slowly reached out to grab hers, squeezing it. "I know that you were drugged that night."

    "I am actually..." He made a deliberate pause as he stared at her face, his gaze gentle. "I was afraid that you had only done it with me because you were drugged." He let out a sigh and gave her a sad smile. "You were drunk that night and you were also the one who kissed me first. I thought you were... well I just thought that whatever you did was under the influence of the drugs that someone had stealthily put into your drink. So I don¡¯t want to force you into anything right..."

    "Idiot!" Lily interrupted Zhuo Jingren. "Even the strongest aphrodisiacs won¡¯t have that kind of effect on a woman. Did you think I was some protagonist in a novel who was drugged with an aphrodisiac by her enemy?

    Zhuo Jingren was silenced by her words. He just stared at Lily who had just started on her bun.

    "I was drugged with something that would make me lose my inhibitions and not some legendary aphrodisiacs like those in novels and films. Since you didn¡¯t know this, I suppose you still haven¡¯t found the person who spiked my drink?" she took another bite of the steamed bun. Zhuo Jingren nodded in response.

    "What you did...no... what you didn¡¯t do just now made me think that there was something wrong with me," she added. "What I am trying to say is... next time, don¡¯t stop."

    Zhuo Jingren froze at Lily¡¯s words. His eyes widened as he looked at her. "Did you mean... Seven years ago..."

    "You silly man, I kissed you because I genuinely thought that you were hot," Lily rified, making him speechless once again. So what happened back then was not because of the drug?

    A surge of happiness seemed to radiate all over Zhuo Jingren as his lips curled into a smile.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 79 - Roller Coaster Ride

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 79 - Roller Coaster Ride</h4>

    After breakfast, Zhuo Jingren parted ways with Lily rather unwillingly. The conversation they had in the morning kept reying in his mind and he ended up smiling and humming a tune to himself all the way until he reached his office.

    In the afternoon, he received a call from Lily telling him that they would be meeting her parents for dinner. It surprised him greatly but he did not oppose to the meeting. Instead, he immediately cleared his schedule for the rest of the day so that he could apany Lily to buy some gifts for Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun. Though the idea of giving gifts sounded like a good gesture, Zhuo Jingren knew that Lily¡¯s intentions were far from good, especially when she had chosen some expensive jewelry as gifts.

    Zhuo Jingren could onlyugh inwardly at his wife¡¯s antics. Lily seemed to be ying a game of cat and mouse with the Qin family. Even though she had the capability of eliminating the family and reducing them to a pitiful state any time, she hadn¡¯t already done so. She was like a cat, biding her time by sharpening her ws while waiting for the right moment to pounce on her prey.

    Moreover, just one word from Lily and Zhuo Jingren could destroy the family overnight.

    "Are you sure about this?" Zhuo Jingren asked Lily as he scooted a little closer to her in the car. They were now on their way to meet Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun.

    "As I said, I don¡¯t want to keep this marriage a secret," Lily said before she turned her head to face him. "Earlier this morning, you said that you had investigated what happened seven years ago. What did you find out?" Lily asked curiously. She wasn¡¯t able to ask Zhuo Jingren more about this before he had left for work in a rush this morning. It got her thinking about it the entire morning. She was really interested to know what Zhuo Jingren had found out.

    "Well... as you said, I did not find the person who drugged you. So many years have already passed and the people who used to work at that bar are no longer there. But don¡¯t worry, I am working on it."

    "I am not worried. Anyway you can stop looking for the person who spiked my drink." Lily¡¯s words immediately made Zhuo Jingren furrowed his brows.

    "Why?" he asked.

    "Because I have him," she answered, her gaze never leaving his face. She wanted to see how Zhuo Jingren would react to the news. Would he be disappointed to know that she had a dark side to her?

    "You have him?" he asked in surprise.

    "I do."

    "Is the person still alive?" he asked casually.

    "Of course... he is alive." She turned away from him while crossing her arms over her chest. "I need him alive." Debts are meant to be paid and Lily meant to collect even the interests of those debts.

    Zhuo Jingren decided not to ask any more questions. He turned his gaze to look at the rain falling outside as he fell into contemtion. What happened seven years ago scarred Lily. No matter how curious he was about her ns, he knew that he shouldn¡¯t open up old wounds. Moreover, Zhuo Jingren was also not in a hurry to know them. Lily was slowly opening up herself to him and he knew that she would tell him these things eventually. Healing takes time and Zhuo Jingren would wait patiently for Lily to ept him wholeheartedly.

    It continued to rain all the way until they arrived at the restaurant twenty minutester. To be honest, Zhuo Jingren still harbored hatred for the Qins but it did not mean that he was against the idea of Lily introducing him as her husband.

    Zhuo Jingren was not dumb, he knew that Lily was nning to use his name to scare off the Qins for now, not that he mind. Lily could make use of him or do whatever he wanted with him and he wouldn¡¯t evenin. Zhuo Jingren would dly be Lily¡¯s shield so that he could protect her from the people who meant her harm.

    His priorities right now were actually Xuan Hui and Liam Arison, not the Qins. He knew that the two were nning something sinister and he would not let those two seed. Moreover, he had yet to find out if Xuan Hui and his mother were involved in Lily¡¯s ident seven years ago.

    The fact that Lily lost their child seven years ago was quite a shock for Zhuo Jingren. If Lily hadn¡¯t told him, perhaps he never would have found out. He could not deny that he was indeed a little sad when he heard about it from Lily but he concealed his emotions well from her. He knew that it wouldn¡¯t help to show Lily his sadness for that might only push Lily away. He decided that it was best that he moved on from the past and look forward to their future together. They could always try for another child.

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when Daohu announced that they have arrived at their destination and the caring to a stop.

    "Can you stay here and wait for a little while?" Lily asked. "Onlye inside thirty minutester."

    "Okay. Are you ready?" Zhuo Jingren asked.

    "Of course." She smiled while fixing her hair. She grabbed her handbag and checked the time on her wrist watch before she leaned in to kiss Zhuo Jingren on the cheek.

    This time, Zhuo Jingren did not blush or freeze. Instead he gave her a cheeky smile as he watched her get out of the car. He touched the spot where Lily had kissed him and thought about the kiss he received from Lily this morning too. This was the second kiss he received from Lily in a day and it warmed his heart.

    Meanwhile, Tang Lingyun checked the time again before smiling sweetly at Qin Mo. "It just turned seven. I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t bete," she said while observing her husband¡¯s reaction. As expected, Qin Mo furrowed his brows at her words.

    "She better be here. I cannot tolerate a tardy person," he said as he eyed the attendant who was preparing their tea. They were currently in an upscale restaurant well-known for protecting the privacy of their guests. Qin Mo wanted to make sure that no one would know of this meeting, especially Qin Fei.

    He knew that daughter of his well. He knew that Qin Fei would be furious if she finds out that Lily had received herte grandfather¡¯s inheritance and woulde to make a storm if she learns about this meeting. What if something were to happen to his grandchild? Although Qin Fei was already seven months pregnant and her pregnancy was stable, he still couldn¡¯t afford to upset Qin Fei and risked her giving birth prematurely. The Qin family was not in a good ce right now and their wealth was in the decline. Qin Mo really needed the strong support of Xuan Hui in order to continue surviving in the industry.

    Moreover, the Xuan family had been looking forward to having a grandchild for so long already. Qin Mo was certain that Qin Fei would be highly favoured by the Xuan family the moment she sessfully and safely gives birth to the Xuan family¡¯s first grandchild. Her footing in the Xuan family would be more established and her mother-inw would also stopparing her to other women her age who already have one or two children of their own by now.

    Qin Mo furrowed his brows again when he thought about the declining stock prices of Qin Industries. June was an important month for him as it marked the end of the second quarter where he would have to report the earnings of thepany. Somehow, information about theirpany¡¯s performance was leaked and it became public information that their earnings for the second quarter were not as good as the previous quarter.

    Because of this, the value of Qin Industries¡¯ stocks dropped further this morning. He really could not understand why the Qin Industries had been experiencing so many problems for the past years. The problems they were facing all these years didn¡¯t seem to be market driven, but it seemed as though someone was intentionally sabotaging theirpany. Qin Mo couldn¡¯t think of anyone he might have offended. Who on earth was powerful enough to oppress them for years? That was the only exnation that Qin Mo coulde up with for theirpany¡¯s situation.

    Qin Mo remembered that all this started more than five years ago. Qin Industries experienced a sudden and big drop in stock value which prompted a lot of their investors to sell their shares. Zhuo Capital came in and bought all the stocks avable in the market, saving them in the process. Following that, it had just been a roller coaster ride for Qin Industries. Their stock value would rise high and then fall just as hard. Whenever their stock value drop, there would be investors who would sell their stocks away in a panic and Zhuo Capital would buy all of them up. It was a never-ending cycle that always involved Zhuo Capital.

    Sometimes, he would think that he might have offended Zhuo Jingren in a way or something. But he would quickly shake the thought out of his head. Why would Zhuo Capital attack him? He never had dealings with the man, so how could he have offended him? Moreover, Zhuo Jingren wouldn¡¯t have the time to intentionally pick on them... Right?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 80 - Not a Charity Case

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 80 - Not a Charity Case</h4>

    Lily put on a smile for Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun as she entered the private room that they reserved for this meeting. She gracefully took a seat across the couple and propped her face on her palm.

    "You came alone," Qin Mo stated calmly. He knew he shouldn¡¯t agitate this woman right now. "Where is your husband?"

    "I told you he is a very busy man. Don¡¯t worry, he wille soon," she said before she opened the menu and read its contents. "Have you ordered anything?" she asked, ignoring Qin Mo¡¯s indifferent gaze.

    "I only ordered some tea. We were waiting for you," Tang Lingyun said while giving her a gentle smile. "Jinghua, now that you are married, I hope that we can leave the past behind us and start a new chapter in our rtionship. I know that it was wrong that your father and I have ignored you in the past. But I truly hope that you would find it in your heart to forgive us."

    "Hmmm... I am craving for some lobster. How about you?" Lily lifted her head to look at Qin Mo.

    "Lobster is fine," he answered, a little surprise at Lily¡¯s amiable attitude. But he also did not miss the fact that Lily had ignored Tang Lingyun who seemed saddened by her tant disrespect. It didn¡¯t miss his eye when Tang Lingyun bit her lower lip and when she lowered her head in awkwardness.

    "How about your husband?" Qin Mo asked, he really wanted to know what kind of man would like Qin Jinghua.

    "He will be here soon," she said before looking straight into her father¡¯s eyes. "This meeting is a surprise. I wonder why you would ask to see me and my husband. Does this have to do with Grandfather¡¯s inheritance?"

    A sh of unfathomable emotion was seen in Qin Mo¡¯s eyes. Lily¡¯s bluntness was a surprise for him and Tang Lingyun. He watched as Lily calmly made her order. After making sure that the attendant was gone, he then answered, "I am surprised by your perceptiveness. I wanted to meet with you today for two reasons. First is because I truly want to meet your husband and second is because I want to buy over the properties from you. Don¡¯t worry, I will give you a fair price."

    "Hmmm... how much are we talking about?" The gears in Lily¡¯s head began to turn.

    Lily¡¯s question boosted Qin Mo¡¯s confidence. This meant that his initial thoughts about Qin Jinghua was right - she really loved money. "We can talk about this after dinner. Let¡¯s wait for you husband," he said.

    Qin Mo wanted to dy the conversation about money until Qin Jinghua¡¯s husband arrived because he wanted him to see what a materialistic and money grabbing woman Qin Jinghua was. Moreover, he wanted him to witness her disrespect towards him and Tang Lingyun. Who would like a woman who was materialistic, greedy for money and disrespectful towards her parents? He was sure after seeing this ugly side of Qin Jinghua, he would have second thoughts about his marriage with Qin Jinghua and he might even divorce her if all goes to n.

    "Alright." Lily shrugged while rolling her eyes inwardly. Did her father really think that she couldn¡¯t see through his thoughts. She was not naive or stupid ah.

    "Jinghua, I was wondering... Your husband, is he from Hong Kong as well? Is he familiar with the Qin family?"

    "Of course he is," she answered while eyeing the tea that had been brewing in the pot on the table. She would love to have some of it. But the thought that these people might drug her again was somewhat making her cautious. "I¡¯m sure you know him as well. He is quite well-known in this ce."

    Her statement made Qin Mo raised an eyebrow. "Is he from the entertainment industry?"

    "No."

    "It¡¯s okay honey... I¡¯m sure that Jinghua¡¯s husband is an excellent man. You don¡¯t have to feel anxious anymore," Tang Linghua said while stroking her husband¡¯s hands. She then gave Lily a smile. "This makes me wonder, since you are already married, are you going to be settling in Hong Kong? Or will you go back to Europe?"

    "I will be staying here," she answered.

    Tang Lingyun gave Lily a fake smile while inwardly cursing her. Her curt answers clearly showed that she had no interest in conversing with her. How disrespectful! However, she held her displeasure in andposed herself. "Alright... that is good. That is good. Do you need a job? Maybe your father can help you find something to do in thepany?" She looked at Qin Mo, her face full of gentleness. "Honey, how about you asked Liwei to give Jinghua a job? Maybe she could start as his secretary? Or a trainee?"

    "She is still a Qin after all," she added. Tang Lingyun cared a lot about her image. She nned to make Lily work for thepany to show how benevolent she was. After all, Lily had once brought shame to the Qin, and if the media get a hold of Tang Lingyun¡¯s kind gesture, this would surely boost her career which she was trying to revive.

    "It¡¯s okay, I am not a charity case. I have a job that pays really well. I¡¯m sure it is even better than what you are offering," Lily snubbed Tang Lingyun.

    "You- " Qin Mo swallowed the words that he was about to say when he felt his wife¡¯s hand on his back, calming him. It was a non-verbal reminder of their purpose for arranging this meeting in the first ce.

    "It¡¯s okay, I always knew that you would decline my offer." Tang Lingyun looked rueful. "Speaking of which... what is your job now? I mean... you just got back."

    "For a start, I am not working for anyone right now," she answered before her eyes suddenly lit up. "Ah! I almost forgot. Since my husband would bete tonight, he asked me to give these to you," she said as she fetched two boxes from her handbag. "Just some jewelry that I especially asked him to buy for you."

    Lily then gave the boxes to Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun before shing them a brilliant smile. "It isn¡¯t worth much, but it¡¯s the thought that counts right?"

    Tang Lingyun immediately opened the exquisite looking box and let out a gasp, "Jinghua? What is this?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 81 - Throw Them Away

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 81 - Throw Them Away</h4>

    Seeing Tang Lingyun¡¯s reaction, Qin Mo quickly opened his box as well. Qin Mo widened his eyes when he saw a ck ring with a ck gem on it. "Is this... Opal?" His face immediately turned ugly as he took the ring out from the box to look more closely at it. The ring was made of white gold, he was sure of it but why did it have toe with a ck cushion cut opal on top?

    "Do you know the meaning behind an opal?" he asked, feeling anger rising inside him.

    "Isn¡¯t it supposed to bring good luck? Like a good luck charm?" Lily smiled. "I specially selected them just for the two of you."

    "A good luck charm you say?" he asked. "Opal brings luck only for people who are born in the month of october! Your mother and I are both not born in the month of october. Are you trying to curse us with bad luck? You are so malicious..." Qin Mo was interrupted when Tang Lingyun elbowed him. Qin Mo looked at Tang Lingyun with an obvious look of irritation. Tang Lingyun didn¡¯t hold Qin Mo¡¯s reaction to heart but gestured for Qin Mo to look at the price tag of her opal ne.

    "..." Qin Mo was speechless when he saw a price tag attached to the opal ne.

    13.5 million HKD

    Out of curiosity, he hurriedly went to check the price tag of his ring.

    11 million HKD.

    What kind of jewelry would cost this much?

    Qin Mo couldn¡¯t find it in his heart to be appreciative or thankful towards Qin Jinghua for the gifts. After all, the gifts came with their price tags. Who would leave the price tag on a gift? Why did she do this? He red at Qin Jinghua. Before he could say something, he was interrupted by an attendant who came in to serve their food. Only after the attendant left did Qin Mo let out a loud harrumphed.

    "What do you mean by this?" he asked.

    "Hmmm? I honestly didn¡¯t think that these gifts would offend you and mother Lingyun so much. Ai... never mind..." Lily suddenly snatched the jewelry back from them, catching them by surprise. "Let me take these back. I will just give you two another gift instead. I wouldn¡¯t have asked my husband to buy them if I had known that they would only bring bad luck to my own parents." She let out a dramatic sigh while shaking her head and looking at the opal ne and ring in her hands. "Maybe I¡¯ll just donate these items to a charity auction. The proceeds would go to a good cause."

    "Qin Jinghua!" Qin Mo raised his voice. Even though Qin Mo disliked the jewelry, he couldn¡¯t deny the fact that they were still rather valuable and expensive. Maybe they could sell the jewelry and get some money back? "Those are your gifts to us! How could you take back something that you have already given us? That¡¯s rude."

    "Hmm? I thought you didn¡¯t like my gifts? That they will only bring you bad luck?" Lily asked while putting on a look of confusion. "My intentions were pure when I chose these jewelry but you berated me and called me malicious. Is that fair?" Lily said with a tone full of grievance before returning the jewelry to Qin Mo. "Forget it. Here, keep them if you want or sell them if you wish. Since I¡¯ve given them to you, you can do whatever you want with them..."

    At this juncture, the door of the VIP room suddenly opened, revealing a tall man in a ck suit. Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun immediately stared at the man¡¯s cold face and naturally concluded that this man was Qin Jinghua¡¯s husband. The man might be a little good-looking but his aura couldn¡¯tpare to Xuan Hui or any other bachelor in the city.

    Tang Lingyun heaved a sigh of relief inwardly. Qin Jinghua¡¯s husband seemed to be just your average guy. Perhaps getting this man to leave Qin Jinghua would be easier than they thought. A little intimidation should do the trick...

    While Tang Lingyun was engrossed in her own thoughts, the man suddenly sidestepped and bowed to a person who came up behind him. Another man, taller than the first one entered the room. His aura was so imposing that the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped a few degrees. Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun stared at the man for a moment and paled when they recognized who he was.

    "Mr. Zhuo?" Qin Mo quickly rose from his seat and walked towards Zhuo Jingren with a look of confusion on his face. "This is a private meeting... what..." he trailed when he noticed that thetter was not even looking at him. Then he shifted his gaze towards Lily and saw her smiling lovingly at Zhuo Jingren. To his surprise, Zhuo Jingren reciprocated the smile and had a gentle expression on his face as he looked at Lily.

    Zhuo Jingren walked straight towards Lily without sparing Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun a nce.

    Qin Mo stood there frozen as Zhuo Jingren kissed Lily¡¯s cheek and apologized for beingte. It was as if lightning had struck him. He felt suffocated. Everything seemed to be in slow-motion and warped as he saw the provocation in Lily¡¯s eyes as she looked at him, as if she was challenging him to speak freely in front of Zhuo Jingren.

    Not many people knew how Zhuo Jingren looked like or have personally met the man, but Qin Mo could say that he had met the man on a couple of asions before which was why he was able to recognize Zhuo Jingren. As a businessman who had been around in the industry for years, Qin Mo had seen Zhuo Jingren in a few high-end gs and events where thetter was there to receive some award or to give a speech.

    Qin Mo¡¯s mind seemed to gone nk as he continued to stare at the couple with his mouth agape. ¡¯Is he really Qin Jinghua¡¯s husband?¡¯

    "Honey... Are you alright?" Tang Lingyun¡¯s tug on his suit immediately woke him from his stupor. He noticed that his wife was now standing next to him with a face was full of worry and unmasked nervousness. Tang Lingyun had often apanied her husband to events and gs, so naturally she also came across Zhuo Jingren. Like her husband, she was incredulous. How could it be that Zhuo Jingren was Qin Jinghua¡¯s husband? How could the world be so small?

    "Please, take a seat," Qin Mo gestured towards a seat with one hand and with the other hand, he held his wife¡¯s shaky hands. Tang Lingyun must be truly afraid of Zhuo Jingren, understandably so. The man in front of them was a legend in the business world. The fact that he was Qin Jinghua¡¯s husband was truly shocking.

    "Mr. and Mrs. Qin, I am Zhuo Jingren," Zhuo Jingren said cooly but he did not even spare them a nce. Instead, his eyes were glued to Lily¡¯s side profile.

    "Ehem... I did not expect Jinghua to actually find such an outstanding husband," Tang Lingyun spoke first as she knew that Qin Mo needed more time topose himself.

    "Mr. Zhuo, I am Tang Lingyun. I am Qin Jinghua¡¯s stepmother. I am very pleased to meet you." Her words were calm and collected but the sinister glint in her eyes did not go unnoticed by both Lily and Zhuo Jingren.

    Even after being spoken to, Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t even bother to respond. Noticing that Lily didn¡¯t look too well, he asked, "What is wrong? Why do you look so sad?"

    Lily turned her head to the other side, away from Zhuo Jingren and sadly said, "They did not like my gifts and said I was being malicious by giving something that would only bring bad luck to them. It seems like the millions we spent on getting them were all for nothing..." Lily dramatically propped her face on her palm and pouted which instantly made Zhuo Jingren frown. He sent a hateful re at Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun.

    "If they don¡¯t like it, then just throw them away. Isn¡¯t it just millions? Don¡¯t get upset over it, alright?" he said dotingly as he stroke Lily¡¯s back, sending another wave of shock to Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun.

    ¡¯This... What is happening?¡¯

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 82 - Conquer Qin Industries

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 82 - Conquer Qin Industries</h4>

    "Erm... Mr. Zhuo, this..." Tang Lingyun stuttered.

    "Daohu, secure the gifts. Remind me to put them up for a charity auction." Zhuo Jingren interrupted Tang Lingyun before he turned towards Lily. "See? Don¡¯t be mad anymore alright?"

    At Zhuo Jingren¡¯smand, Daohu took the jewelry away from the husband and wife and stood behind Zhuo Jingren and Lily obediently.

    "Mr. Zhuo... there seems to be a misunderstanding here... when did we say that opal brings bad luck. Jinghua, how could you put words into our mouths?" Though Tang Lingyun was flustered, it didn¡¯t stop her mind from scheming against Lily.

    "Are you saying that I am a liar?" Lily asked.

    "Jinghua... didn¡¯t we ept your gifts happily and thanked you for them? We were even concerned that you might not have found a job here and invited you to work for thepany..." Tang Lingyun¡¯s eyes had reddened and her head hung low. Since Zhuo Jingren was not around earlier, Tang Lingyun could always rebut Lily¡¯s words and spin a different story that would put them in a better light. After all, it would be the words of two against one as Qin Mo would surely back Tang Lingyun up and not Qin Jinghua, his own daughter.

    "Mr. Zhuo, I am truly sorry for this misunderstanding on our very first meeting. I apologize for my daughter¡¯s manners. I have not raised her well. I just want to make it clear that we never berated Jinghua or called her malicious. She misunderstood our words. Please forgive us." Tang Lingyun¡¯s words might have sounded regretful but anyone could tell that she was indirectly putting the me on Lily in her ¡¯apology¡¯. She was using Lily of bending their words which created this misunderstanding.

    Tang Lingyun then rose from her seat and gave Zhuo Jingren a low bow. She thought that her humility would cate Zhuo Jingren. Instead of acknowledging Tang Lingyun, Zhuo Jingren only looked at Qin Mo and said, "My wife is not malicious. Make sure that this does not happen again next time or else...yourpany will suffer with your family."

    Qin Mo instantly paled at his words before he awkwardly eyed his wife who was still maintaining a low bow. Since Zhuo Jingren hadn¡¯t acknowledged Tang Lingyun or epted her ¡¯apology¡¯, she hadn¡¯t straightened up from her bow. Wouldn¡¯t it be too awkward for her to lift up her head now? It would be too embarrassing!

    "Mr. Zhuo, please do not misunderstand. Qin Jinghua had been living abroad for years and only got back recently. After being apart from each other for years, it¡¯s only naturally we have grown apart a little. But I would never call my own daughter malicious. The truth is, we actually loved your gifts. Before you arrived, the atmosphere was very harmonious. The waiters could attest to that." Qin Mo decided to back up his wife¡¯s story. Just like Tang Lingyun, Qin Mo also thought that no one could corroborate Lily¡¯s story.

    After all, the private room they were in was sound proof and he was sure that no one was present in the room when he berated her. Moreover, even when the attendant came in to serve their food earlier, he had kept quiet and only continued their conversation when the attendant left.

    "Are you saying that my wife is lying?" The coldness in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s voice sent some chills down Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun¡¯s spine.

    "I am saying that it was all a misunderstanding," Qin Mo answered bravely, with confidence in his tone. Though, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s presence intimidated him, he would not cower in fear in front of him.

    "I hope you could put this unhappy matter behind us. Please forgive my daughter for kicking up a fuss, she is still young. As her father, I thought that I should let you know that my daughter has insecurities and she craves love and attention. Sometimes she would disrespect us just to gain our attention. When she ran away from us seven years ago, we were devastated. We didn¡¯t expect her to take things so far. But it¡¯s all in the past now that she¡¯s back. Please have a big heart and be patient with my daughter." Qin Mo really sounded like a concerned father.

    After listening to all that her father and Tang Lingyun had said, Lily really wanted tough out loud. Really? Did these people think that they could just nder her and that she would not fight back? She was not the same woman as she was seven years ago. Without a warning, tears immediately flowed down Lily¡¯s cheeks, her face full of sorrow. Her sobs, instantly gained the attention of both Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun.

    At some point while Qin Mo was exining things over to Zhuo Jingren, Tang Lingyun straightened her back and stood at the side awkwardly while listening in.

    Both of them wondered why Lily would suddenly cry.

    "Jingren... I feel so wronged. I told you that I didn¡¯t want to see them, but you insisted on meeting them." Lily dramatically wiped her tears with Zhuo Jingren¡¯s handkerchief. "See? This was why I asked you to buy me a voice recorder earlier. So that I could record our conversations and prove to you that what I said were all true."

    Qin Mo¡¯s eyes almost jumped out of its socket when he saw Lily fetching a small rectangr device from her bag. Voice recorder?

    Lily immediately yed the recorder and the recording started from the moment that Lily gave them the jewelry. If Qin Mo¡¯s guess was right, then Qin Jinghua must have turned the recorder on when she took the gifts out from her bag. His face immediately turned into a scowl when he heard himself on the recorder berating Lily. Qin Mo worriedly looked at Zhuo Jingren and noticed that his face seemed to have turned even darker.

    Tang Lingyun¡¯s face ashened when she heard the contents of the recorder. It was as if her soul had plunged deep into the cold abyss. She was the one who came up with the idea to lie and spin a story in favor of them. Now that the truth is out, she could not imagine how Zhuo Jingren would react towards their treachery.

    "So this was what happened..." Zhuo Jingren gave a coldugh.

    "Mr and Mrs Qin, today is an eye opener for me. Even after knowing that it was the Qin family who had abandoned Jinghua years ago, I thought that we should put the past behind us and I even convinced Lily to reconcile back with you all. We bought gifts to show our sincerity but not only were there no word of thanks, you berated my wife." Zhuo Jingren clenched his jaws. He rose imposingly from his seat and looked coldly at Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun who were already cowering in their seats.

    "Mywyer will visit your office tomorrow. I want my wife to be removed from your family registry. She is now a Zhuo not a Qin." Then without another word, Zhuo Jingren lifted Lily up from her seat and carried her in his arms, walking towards the door.

    At the door, Zhuo Jingren did not forget to leave behind some threatening words, "This is not a request. Refuse and yourpany will go down with you."

    In thefort of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arms, Lily shed Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun a provoking smile. The first step of her n to cut all ties with the Qin family was nowplete. It was time to move on to the second step of her n.

    Conquer Qin Industries.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 83 - Candle Lights

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 83 - Candle Lights</h4>

    Seeing Lily¡¯s provocative smile, Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun instantly fumed. Qin Mo balled his hands into fists, his body was also trembling in anger.

    "Mo...." Tang Lingyun uttered timidly. Qin Mo red coldly at Tang Lingyun which made her shudder. "This is your fault!" Qin Mo shouted angrily.

    Qin Mo gritted his teeth as he rose from his seat. "Once Qin Jinghua¡¯s name is removed from the family registry, it will be harder for me to transfer the shares and properties in my name when she dies!"

    Tang Lingyun stared at her husband with wide eyes. "You... you were nning to..." She deliberately covered her mouth and swallowed her words as if she had stumbled upon a dark secret. The truth was, Tang Lingyun already knew that Qin Mo was nning to do something to Lily ever since the reading of the Will. Even though Qin Mo kept this from everyone, Tang Lingyun had her sources to find out about such things.

    Qin Mo was an extremely ruthless man who would prioritize benefits above all. Ever since the reading, Qin Mo had been plotting against Lily. On one hand if she wasn¡¯t able to find a man to marry within three months, she would forfeit the inheritance. But if Lily managed to find a man to marry, then the inheritance would be hers. Qin Mo just couldn¡¯t leave this to chance.

    So, he was nning to send an inside man to seduce and marry Lily. He would wait for Lily to im the inheritance before killing her off. Then he would attempt to transfer the inheritance back to his name. It was a perfect n to Qin Mo. However, he didn¡¯t expect that Lily would be married just a week after the reading.

    News of Lily¡¯s marriage was a shock for both Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun. They did not expect that Lily to act so fast. Because of this, Qin Mo had to change his initial ns ande up with a n B. His new n was to convince Lily¡¯s husband to divorce her so that she would have no one to rely on in a country that was almost foreign to her. Qin Mo believed that it would be easier to scheme against Lily then.

    Moreover, Qin Mo was even prepared to bribe Lily¡¯s husband into leaving her with the promise of money or property. It would be a win-win situation for everyone. Qin Mo¡¯s n might have worked if Lily had just married a random man from the streets but who would have thought that she would marry a tycoon? And not just any tycoon but someone who was highly influential in Hong Kong.

    Qin Mo tried to calm his nerves as he took a seat, his face solemn. Maybe he could still turn the situation around to his advantage. "Do not let Qin Fei or Liwei know of this matter. This includes the Xuan family too," he said in a grim tone.

    Qin Mo was protective over his daughter and he wanted to make sure that she would note to know about any unhappy news. He didn¡¯t want his daughter to be stressed over this matter which might affect her pregnancy.

    "We shall discuss our next step at home. Let¡¯s go," Qin Mo said before walking out of the room. Zhuo Jingren was not someone they could offend. They needed to be extra careful. Moreover, with a strong backing like Zhuo Jingren, Qin Mo believed that Lily could easily have her revenge against the Qin family. But he would never allow that to happen.

    "Why didn¡¯t you be an actress?" Zhuo Jingren asked as he watched Lily touch up her make-up. They were currently riding in the car, on their way to another restaurant near Sky City for their dinner.

    "The pay is not good," Lily answered honestly. "I love money. Being an actress could give me the fame but it doesn¡¯t make me as rich as a businesswoman."

    "Hmmm..." He nodded.

    "Your acting wasn¡¯t bad either. Why didn¡¯t you be an actor?" Lily asked as she put on a blood red lipstick.

    "My acting is too good," Zhuo Jingren responded. "People will only want me and the other actors wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. Wouldn¡¯t that be too bad for the industry?"

    Lilyughed and felt herself rxing. This man was really shameless. "By the way, where are we heading to? I am so hungry," Lily asked, changing the topic. Lily was truly hungry ah. A while ago, she forced herself not to eat anything, fearing that they might have spiked the food. Though she might seem a little paranoid, she was just being cautious against them.

    Now, it was almost eight in the evening and she still hasn¡¯t had anything in her stomach yet.

    "My favorite ce," Zhuo Jingren said before giving her a smile. "Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure you will love it. They have your favorite."

    "How did you knowe to know about my favorite food?" she raised an eyebrow.

    "It¡¯s a secret." He gave her a wink. Lily only narrowed her eyes at him in response, suspicion written over her face.

    "Was it Fernando?" Zhuo Jingren just smiled. "This was part of the deal wasn¡¯t it?"

    Seeing as Zhuo Jingren was not intending to reveal anything, Lily decided not to ask any more questions. She shall just wait and see. Then she turned to look out of the window, watching the traffic and buildings as they passed by. For the rest of the journey, they were both silent, each upied with their own thoughts.

    Lily was heartened that Zhuo Jingren cared so much for her. He had been very considerate and patient with her. He was always there to pamper her and would do anything for her. He wasfortable to be himself around her, showing her a side to him that she never knew. Like how he could be so cheeky and shameless.

    But Lily knew that the man was more than the sweet person that she usually sees.

    Lily remembered how Zhuo Jingren attacked Xuan Hui¡¯spany just hours after what happened at the club. She also knew how Zhuo Capital had been terrorizing Qin Industries for years now. Zhuo Jingren did not even hesitate to surrender his shares in Qin Industries over to her. It was as if he had already prepared everything in advance and he was just waiting for Lily to arrive to begin his revenge against the people who hurt her in the past.

    "We are here," Zhuo Jingren cheerfully said before he got out of the car first so that he could open the door for Lily. Then he held out his hand to Lily to help her out of the car.

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s gentlemanly actions earned a bright smile from Lily. He continue holding onto Lily¡¯s hand as he led her inside a building that was just a block away from Sky City.

    "This ce serves pan seared tuna. I know you will love their tuna. This restaurant sources their tuna from Maldives," he exined as he led Lily inside an upscale restaurant located at the fifteenth floor of the building.

    "I frequent this ce because of their dumplings. I remember you loved dumplings when we were kids. The dumplings here tastes exactly like the ones from the orphanage," he continued.

    "Really?"

    "Hmm..." He nodded before asking the waiter about their reservations. The restaurant had good lighting and a peaceful ambiance. Though there were no private booths, the tables were set far from each other to give diners their privacy.

    "Candle lights?" she raised an eyebrow at him as they were led to a table that was set near the floor to ceiling ss windows.

    "It is a date." Zhuo Jingren winked at her before he pulled a chair out for Lily and gestured for her to sit down. "First date."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 84 - Private Meeting

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 84 - Private Meeting</h4>

    Lily¡¯s lips turned up into a smile as she sat down. To think that Zhuo Jingren could still think of having a date just after a round of drama. Lily wanted to roll her eyes at this man¡¯s antics. But if she was honest about her feelings, she was actually happy that they were finally going on a date like any normal couple.

    After Zhuo Jingren made sure that Lily was well-seated, he happily took the seat across from her and picked up the menu. He even looked elegant looking at the menu.

    After spending more and more time with this man, Lily realized that whatever she read about him from the news or magazines were really skewed. The media only portrayed Zhuo Jingren as a cold and aloof man that even his name alone could intimidate others. Perhaps the man intentionally appeared cold to the outside world so that people would fear him.

    But towards Lily, Zhuo Jingren had always been warm andpassionate. Lily blushed at the thought that perhaps he was only like this to her. She had seen how cold he was towards Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun earlier.

    Lily continued to observe Zhuo Jingren as he ordered for the two of them. Renren had grown up to be quite a looker, his features were sharp and refined, very good-looking. With his good looks and a natural talent in acting as she had witnessed earlier, she was sure that if he changed his career to acting, he would be sessful.

    "Why are you staring at me like that?" Zhuo Jingren asked Lily. His brow was raised and his lips lifted into a smirk.

    "I was just thinking about how handsome you are. No wonder I thought that you were an escort when I first met you," she said bluntly as she took a sip of the champagne that Zhuo Jingren gave her. "You were good in bed too," she added, a little surprise at her bluntness. She immediately lowered her head in embarrassment and chastised herself for thinking about that night again and even bringing it up. This was unbing of her.

    Lily only lifted her head when she heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s deep chuckles. She quicklyposed herself before looking him in the eye. She shouldn¡¯t have to be embarrassed talking about sex. She was a 27 year old grown woman! She convinced herself that a casual talk about sex between two grown persons was nothing to be embarassed about.

    "I can¡¯t me you for thinking that way," Zhuo Jingren said while staring at Lily. "It was my first time, I was just trying to impress you." He chuckled once again as his gaze darkened. "Of course, this doesn¡¯t mean that I wouldn¡¯t try to impress you the second time," he said casually. He threw a smirk at Lily who quickly lowered her head again. So much for her earlier convictions!

    Why does it seemed that she was the one who was embarrassed talking about this topic? Lily decided not to dwell on this topic any longer. "So do you have any other ns after this dinner? This is our first date after all," she said.

    "Let¡¯s go dancing, that¡¯s if you want to?"

    "Where?" she asked.

    "There is a ballroom two floors down. There should be a benefit ball today as well. The owner of this restaurant owns the ballroom and he would organise a benefit ball every now and then. The patrons of the restaurant are encouraged to join the ball."

    "Did you set this all up?" she asked. ¡¯A ball after dinner? Isn¡¯t that too coincidental?¡¯

    "Hmmm..." He just nodded and smiled, his eyes hopeful that she would agree.

    "You are wearing a suit, whereas I¡¯m just wearing a simple sundress," she stated.

    "I have a dress ready for you. I just have to call Daohu to bring it over after we are done with our meal," he answered. Since Zhuo Jingren was the one who nned tonight¡¯s date, and it seemed as if the preparations were made in advance, Lily wasn¡¯t surprised that he had also prepared an outfit for her.

    After another ten minutes, their order finally arrived. The first to arrive were appetizers - truffle mushroom soup. For their mains, Zhuo Jingren had codfish marinated with saikyo miso served with vegetables while Lily had pan seared tuna with avocado. Lily was impressed with the way they made the tuna. The sauce that was lightly drizzled over the tuna had a salty, sweet and sour taste. It was a burst of vours in her mouth. The tuna was juicy and most importantly, it wasn¡¯t overcooked. The entire dish was delicious and just perfect for her taste.

    The couple enjoyed their food over some wine and for the rest of their time at the restaurant, they were engaged in conversations,ughing from time to time. When it came to desserts, they shared a slice of cheesecake and a cup of raspberry ice cream. Even though the tables in the restaurant were generously spaced apart, the happy couple still managed to capture the attention of some people in the restaurant who couldn¡¯t help but to throw them a few nces. They were an extremely good-looking couple and very pleasant to the eyes.

    After finishing their meal, the couple were going to head down to the ballroom downstairs. Of course, Lily needed to change first. With Zhuo Jingren in tow, Lily walked towards the restroom of the restaurant full of smiles. She hasn¡¯t attended any events for months now and it pleased her to be attending a ball with Zhuo Jingren. She was also looking forward to dancing with him.

    Lily was grinning inwardly when she thought about what the dance they shared with each other years ago... Ehem! She was not thinking about naughty things, alright. This was just her reminiscing the past.

    ¡¯Clink¡¯

    Lily¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of broken ss. She immediately furrowed her brows when she noticed that a woman seemed to have trip and the contents from her ss had found its way over to her sundress. "I am so sorry. Are you okay?" the woman looked at Lily from head to toe. "I just got too excited when I saw an acquaintance, I didn¡¯t mean to ssh wine on you."

    Lily examined her dress that was now ruined. There was a big patch of red at her stomach area against the light purple color of the dress. Lily then lifted her head to look at the woman in front of her. She was slightly taller than her. Her long ck hair was curled nicely and she had on some light make-up. She wore a simple ck dress which entuated her curves. Overall, she gave off a sophisticated look.

    "Are you okay?" Zhuo Jingren asked in concern as he ced his hand on Lily¡¯s waist.

    "I am fine," she said before turning her head to the woman. "No worries. I am not harmed. Be careful next time."

    However, to Lily¡¯s surprise, the woman did not pay her any heed but had turned her attention towards Zhuo Jingren instead. "I did not expect to see you here, Mr. Zhuo. I trust that you have been well?"

    In response, Zhuo Jingren stared at the woman, his brows furrowed. "I don¡¯t think we have met before."

    The woman was quick to cover her mouth and let out augh. "We just had a private meetingst week and you have already forgotten me. As expected of a busy man like you. I am Mu Qingling. My family is rather influenitial in Scarlet City. I hope you will remember my name this time." She gave Zhuo Jingren a confident smile.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 85 - A Weird Obsession

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 85 - A Weird Obsession</h4>

    ¡¯Private Meeting?¡¯ Lily raised an eyebrow at the woman¡¯s words. She closely examined Mu Qingling who was looking straight at Zhuo Jingren. The woman was flowing with confidence, her back was straight and poised, as if she had a lot of practice perfecting the proper posture.

    "I don¡¯t remember you," Zhuo Jingren said before he turned to Lily. "Let¡¯s go change your clothes."

    "Alright." Lily nodded before she shed a smile at Mu Qingling. Then Zhuo Jingren led her to the restroom. His hand rested on her waist, pulling her closer as if he was guarding her.

    "I can see that you have a lot of women on your coattails, Mr. Zhuo," she whispered at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s ears as she tilted her head so she could see the look on Mu Qingling¡¯s face behind them. The woman was still looking at them and even smiling but her eyes were sending a different message in Lily¡¯s way.

    On the other hand, Zhuo Jingren was surprised to hear Lily call him Mr. Zhuo. He immediately wondered if Lily was angry. "Don¡¯t worry, I only have you in my eyes, " he said, turning his head to face Lily. As they were already standing very close to each other, this action only cause their faces to be inches apart and they could feel each other¡¯s hot breath.

    "You better." Then her hands made its way to his necktie, caressing it before she gently pulled it, tugging Zhuo Jingren towards her.

    "I tend to be very protective of what is mine Mr. Zhuo," she whispered before she tiptoed, brushing her lips against his. Lily shed a smile before she grabbed the bag which contained her outfit from stoic Daohu who was forced to eat dog food as he stood quietly next to the entrance of the restroom waiting for his boss anddy boss. Then Lily strutted inside the restroom, with a smile still stered on her face.

    For some reason, seeing Zhuo Jingren freeze then blush was making Lily happy. Is it possible that she was developing a weird obsession over making her own husband blush? Lily let out a giggle and shook her head before she headed into a changing cubicle.

    After changing into the dress that Zhuo Jingren had prepared for her, she went to the vanity counter in the restroom and took out her make-up kit that she carried in her purse. She touch up her make-up and paid extra attention to her eyes. She gave herself a smoky look which entuated her amber eyes.

    After she was satisfied with her make-up, she stepped back and gave herself a once-over in the mirror. She was wearing a daring and fitting long sleeve ck dress with an elegant high neck. The dress had a sexy oval cut out on one side revealing a fair bit of skin near the waist. There was also a seductive long slit on the same side that showed off Lily¡¯s long legs. For her feet, she was wearing a pair of nude open toe sandals that was about four inches high. It had at least seven knots on the front, firmly securing her feet in ce.

    Zhuo Jingren dide prepared for the night. If Lily had to make a guess, Zhuo Jingren might be asking her to do the tango danceter based on her outfit. Lily checked herself in the mirror again. Since she did not bring essories for her hair, she decided to go for a sleek bun updo that would make her look polished and elegant.

    Overall, Lily¡¯s appearance was sensual and sultry. With a smile on her face, Lily walked out of the restroom confidently.

    "Stop drooling," Lily stated as she stood in front of Zhuo Jingren.

    "You... You look ravishing." Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes were dark, his voice deeper than usual as he swallowed another mouthful of saliva. Her body was curved in all the right ces and she was not too thin like some models were. She looked like she had stepped out from a magazine. She could definitely grace billboards too. Zhuo Jingren felt his heart palpitating and regretted choosing this sexy dress for her.

    "Thank you," Lily coyly said before she hooked arms with Zhuo Jingren. "Let¡¯s go?"

    Zhuo Jingren really wanted to forgo the dance and just whisk Lily home to bed right now but that would ruin the date that he had painstakingly nned. He could only put all those thoughts away for now.

    He nodded and led the way to the ballroom arrived on the thirteenth floor. When the doors to the ballroom opened to reveal Zhuo Jingren and Lily, all eyes were fixed on the couple and the ceremony seemed to havee to a halt. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arrival immediately attracted the attention of some businessmen present as well who were starting to move towards them.

    "Secure the area. No one is allowed to take any pictures or videos," Zhuo Jingren immediately ordered Daohu who had followed behind them. Though Lily already told him that revealing their rtionship is not a problem for her. He also understood that if any pictures or videos of Lily was leaked to the media, it would attract too much attention for her. Zhuo Jingren was not the type of man who would allow other people to feast their eyes on Lily.

    "Mr. Zhuo! It seems that fate is trying to make us meet each other." A sweet voice, interrupted Zhuo Jingren and Lily. The couple halted their steps and looked at the woman who was wearing a short cktin dress with a criss cross neckline, showing off her deep cleavage.

    Of course, it was none other than Mu Qingling.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 86 - Especially For My Wife

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 86 - Especially For My Wife</h4>

    Zhuo Jingren gave a slight frown at Mu Qingling before he led Lily away. He did not have any intent of engaging Mu Qingling any further. He led Lily towards a table right in the center of the ballroom where only a few people were seated. Since this was not really a big event, the people in attendance were not that many but most of them came from an impressive background. There were politicians, TV personalities and businessmen who came here to have some fun while donating to a cause.

    "Mr. Zhuo." An older gentleman immediately rose from his seat, his eyes in crescent as he smiled at Zhuo Jingren. "I am d you could make it." The man also gave Lily a respectful smile. "And who might this be?"

    "My wife," Zhuo Jingren proudly said as he shook hands with the man. Then he turned to Lily and introduced the man as Mr. Shen, the owner of the restaurant and the ballroom.

    "I am very d to finally meet you Mrs. Zhuo," Mr. Shen said as he kissed the back of Lily¡¯s hand. A few days ago, Zhuo Jingren had informed him that he would visit soon with his wife which surprised him at first as he wondered when Zhuo Jingren had gotten married given that there were no news about it. Mr. Shen had been acquainted with Zhuo Jingren for years now and he was sincerely happy for him, that he finally found a woman whom he could spend the rest of his life with.

    "Thank you foring and I hope you two would enjoy yourselves tonight. As you can see, some of the guests are already dancing and enjoying themselves," Mr. Shen said, taking a seat next to Zhuo Jingren.

    "Are you alright?" Zhuo Jingren asked Lily when he saw her roaming her eyes around the ce. The entire ballroom was carpeted in red with golden motifs except for arge rectangr space in the middle that was covered by wooden tiles - the dance floor. A big crystal chandelier also hung from the ceiling in the middle of the ballroom, surrounded by spotlights that shone brightly at the dance floor. Each table had a beautiful floral centerpiece that were perfectly arranged together. The entire venue screamed elegance and ss.

    "This is a very beautiful venue. How often are events held here?" she asked.

    "Once or twice in a quarter. It also depends on whether there¡¯s anyone who wants to coborate with Mr. Shen for a fundraising event. Mr. Shen would only open this venue for events that would benefit charities in some way," he answered before taking two sses of champagne from a waiter who passed by. He then handed one ss to Lily. "I requested this event tonight especially for my wife."

    Lily epted the champagne but her eyes were glued to the big dance floor right in the middle of the ballroom. As Lily¡¯s table was right in front, she had an unobstructed view of the dance floor. Moreover, the tables were arranged to surround the dance floor and had a half round seating arrangement so that guests need not have to turn their heads to look at the performers.

    Just then, a group of older men and women approached their table to talk to Zhuo Jingren and he proudly introduced Lily as his wife which earned a lot of surprised gasps. Zhuo Jingren was never known to associate himself with any women. In fact, this was the first time that he had brought apanion to a function like this. That alone was enough to prove that Lily was very special to him.

    The group of men and women did not linger around for long as most of them were just here for the fun and not to build connections. Moreover, it wasmon knowledge that Zhuo Jingren was not someone who could be bought by tteries and frivolous talk.

    "They fear you," Lily whispered.

    "Are you scared of me too?" he asked.

    "Of course not. Sometimes, I think that I am way scarier than you." She gave a smallugh.

    "Good." He nodded before Mr. Shen interrupted them. ording to Mr. Shen, there would be a dance performance tonight by a talented dancer who had won many dance contests abroad and in Maind China. Mr. Shen was full of praises for her; he was obviously a fan of the performer.

    The dance floor was cleared and after another five minutes, the lights in the venue shed brightly before it dimmed. Lily felt Zhou Jingren¡¯s hands snaking around her waist before he moved his seat a little closer to her. She could feel his hot breath on her nape. "Will you dance with meter?" he asked, his voice a little low and husky.

    "Depends," she answered, her eyes on the dance floor.

    "On what?"

    "On the payment of course. I don¡¯t just dance for anyone." Her words earned a chuckle from Zhuo Jingren as he leaned even closer to her.

    "How about my body?"

    Lily raised an eyebrow. "I will think about it," she answered with a wink as music started ying in the background. Her gaze was now on a woman in a revealing gold fringe dance bodysuit standing in the middle of the dance floor.

    For some reason, Lily was not surprised that the performer that Mr. Shen was raving about was none other than Mu Qingling, the woman who imed to have had a private meeting with her husband.

    Mu Qingling wriggled her waist and pointed her toes along to the fast-paced salsa music. The salsa was a very sensual dance and every step would show that. Mu Qingling¡¯s eyes were glued to her partner but she would asionally steal a nce at Lily and Zhuo Jingren, sending them a coy smile. As a professional dancer, her moves were very impressive. The entire dance performance was hot and undeniably wless.

    When the performance ended, everyone including Lily, was quick to rise from their seats and pped their hands. It was a standing ovation. Lily acknowledged Mu Qingling¡¯s dancing skills. Mu Qingling was indeed a good dancer and Lily was impressed.

    After taking a bow, Mu Qingling immediately walked up to Mr. Shen and said with a smile, "I really hope that you enjoyed my performance." Though she was addressing Mr. Shen, a quick shift in her eyes towards Zhuo Jingren and Lily revealed that she was also directing her words to them.

    "Good. It is very good." Mr. Shen beamed.

    "How about you Miss Lily, Mr. Zhuo... did you enjoy the dance?" Mu Qingling asked. By now, Lily¡¯s name was already the talk of everyone present. Mu Qingling was not that dumb to tently disrespect Zhuo Jingren¡¯s wife in front of everyone.

    "We love your performance. If only you could treat us to another performance. Maybe my husband and I could hire you to dance for us one day." Lily shed a smile at the woman before her. The atmosphere turned a little awkward for everyone. In Lily¡¯s eyes, Mu Qingling was just a performer, someone that she could pay to perform. Seeing the smile vanishing from Mu Qingling¡¯s face, Lily added, "Isn¡¯t that right, husband?"

    "Of course! I agree. My secretary will give you a call you when an opportunity arises in the future," Zhuo Jingren said, his gaze never leaving Lily¡¯s side profile. His wife¡¯s words were always right.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 87 - Indeed Mr. Zhuos Wife

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 87 - Indeed Mr. Zhuo¡¯s Wife</h4>

    Lily¡¯s words sessfully provoked Mu Qingling. She almost snapped back at Lily but held her tongue in the end. Mu Qingling knew that it wouldn¡¯t benefit her if she lost control. Moreover, no one could fault what Lily has said; it was a harmless and innocent remark.

    Mu Qingling took in a deep breath and smiled. "Of course, Miss Lily. I would love to. But my schedule is very hectic, and I¡¯m fully booked for the rest of the year. People usually reach out to me at least half a year in advance. I¡¯m afraid I will have to recheck my schedule before I canmit to anything."

    "Alright, fair enough." Lily nodded. "How about you give us another performance right now, Miss Mu?"

    "I... that..." Mu Qingling felt like she was put on the spot.

    "I will triple your pay," Lily generously offered. "I know that getting Miss Mu to perform wouldn¡¯t be cheap. I tell you what, besides tripling your pay, I will also make a donation that¡¯s five times the tripled amount. What do you say? Would you give us another performance? It¡¯s for the greater good, after all." Though Lily was challenging Mu Qingling, she chose her words well and sounded diplomatic. The people around them, especially the women, couldn¡¯t help but admire Lily for putting Mu Qingling in her ce.

    The women present had witnessed how Mu Qingling had shamelessly thrown seductive nces and coquettish smiles towards Zhuo Jingren. Her brazen behaviour, coupled with her choice of outfit for her dance performance, instantly made all the women dislike her. What if she was the type of woman who could seduce a few men at one nce?

    These women were used to seeing other women try and climb onto their men¡¯s bed. That didn¡¯t mean that they wouldn¡¯t put up a fight or be on guard whenever they came face to face with a potential threat.

    However, the fact that Mu Qingling was someone from the prominent Mu family made them swallow all their displeasure. The Mu family was influential, not just in Hong Kong, but Maind China as well. It would not be suitable for any of these women to offend Mu Qingling and by association, the Mu family.

    Hence, seeing someone bravely put Mu Qingling in her ce was very satisfying for them. These women all cheered for Lily inwardly. Of course, some of them couldn¡¯t help but wonder about Lily¡¯s background. Being Zhuo Jingren¡¯s woman, her background wouldn¡¯t be simple, right? Since Lily didn¡¯t hold back in dealing with Mu Qingling, this could only mean that her background was even more impressive than the Mu family.

    What was even more surprising to these women was the way President Zhuo indulged Lily. Towards everyone else, he was indifferent and aloof, asionally raising his ss at acquaintances who approached him for small talk. But towards his wife, President Zhuo was all smiles. At present, a small smile could still be seen on his face as he looked at everyone. President Zhuo seemed like apletely different person when he was with his wife.

    But, why did it seem like this new amiable attitude was even scarier than his usual cold one?

    "Miss Lily is right. Miss Mu, why don¡¯t you give us another performance?" an older woman butted in. "Let us all see what a spectacr performer you are. Maybe my husband and I can hire you too if we have any social events."

    Mu Qingling¡¯s face immediately shifted when she saw who had spoken to her.

    "Mayoress." She gave the older woman a small bow. "You are right. I will give everyone another performance. It¡¯s for charity, after all." Mu Qingling smiled at everyone before pulling her partner towards the dance floor, her face extremely dark, but the dim lighting in the ballroom helped to conceal it.

    Dance for everyone? Why should she debase herself like this? The only reason why she had agreed to perform tonight was that her sources told her that Zhuo Jingren would be present. She would never have agreed to entertain other people if not for Zhuo Jingren.

    Mu Qingling closed her eyes andposed herself. Soon, the familiar salsa music began to y in the background. The spotlight was now on her and her partner. When she opened her eyes again, she put on a beautiful smile and started to dance. She needed to maintain her professionalism ah.

    As Mu Qingling danced, her mind couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Zhuo Jingren. His marriage came as a surprise to her and everyone. She liked the man and had been trying to get closer to him and win his heart. Mu Qingling thought that she only had topete with her sister for Zhuo Jingren but she never thought that some unknown woman would beat her to owning the man.

    Now that Zhuo Jingren was married, her family wouldn¡¯t be able to propose a marriage alliance anymore. A slight constion for Mu Qingling was that her sister had lost as well. Without a marriage to Zhuo Jingren, her sister¡¯s status in the family wouldn¡¯t be elevated or rise significantly above hers. This would mean that her parents would be less likely to leave her sister arger portion of the inheritance. The two sisters had beenpeting against each other since they were young as their parents keptparing them against each other. Any sisterly love they had for each other gradually died over the years.

    Mu Qingling felt indignant. So what if Zhuo Jingren was already married? Zhuo Jingren belongs to her and her alone. She would steal him away from that hateful woman.

    With all these in mind, Mu Qingling¡¯s moves became even more sensual. She was confident that no man would be able to resist her if she went all out in her dance. She also wanted to show all the women out there that she was above them all.

    Mu Qingling shook her hips gracefully and sent a provoking smile towards Lily. But little did she know that Lily and Zhuo Jingren were not even paying attention to the dance. As the lights at the audience were dimmed, Mu Qingling was not able to see that Lily and Zhuo Jingren were busy whispering sweet nothings to each other and engaging in a yful banter.

    The guests who had been observing the couple from the start couldn¡¯t help but apud Lily in their hearts. It seemed like Mu Qingling had been yed by Lily. First, Lily cornered Mu Qingling to dance like a paid entertainer and then she, herself, did not pay any attention to the dance. It was as if Mu Qingling was not worth her attention.

    This woman... was indeed Mr. Zhuo¡¯s wife.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 88 - Kiss Me

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 88 - Kiss Me</h4>

    After Mu Qingling was done her performance, she headed straight to the restroom to change out of her dress. Mu Qingling was not dumb. She knew that some women had been throwing her hateful stares because of her revealing clothing. Moreover, the people here were all prominent and influential. It was not wise to provoke them any longer.

    As for Lily, Mu Qingling would naturallye for her another time. But for tonight, she was done being defeated by Lily¡¯s poisonous tongue.

    Meanwhile, Lily and Zhuo Jingren were enjoying their conversation, unaware that a certain someone was scheming to separate them.

    "Mr. Zhuo, they say tango separates the men from the boys." Lily eyed Zhuo Jingren as she took another ss of champagne from the waiter.

    He raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that a challenge?"

    "Are you taking it as one?" she smirked.

    Zhuo Jingren leaned closer to Lily¡¯s ears. "Would you like to dance?" His voice and the warmth of his breath seemed to have awakened something within her. Like a stone being thrown into a calmke, creating ripples. Lily shivered inwardly.

    Zhuo Jingren smirked in triumph when he saw a tinge of red slowly creeping up Lily¡¯s neck. Without waiting for an answer, Zhuo Jingren strode towards the conductor of the distinguished band and whispered something into his ear.

    Zhuo Jingren had acted so quickly that just as Lily recovered from the shock, the soft, sensual music began to fill the air. He held out his hands in front of her, beckoning her to take it. "Will you give me the honor?" he asked in a husky voice, his gaze gentle, along with his signature smirk.

    Without any hesitation, Lily put her hand on top of his. They strode towards the center of the dance floor, attracting the attention of everyone. Everyone quickly returned to their seats when they noticed Zhuo Jingren and his wife had taken their ce on the dance floor. They wouldn¡¯t want to miss watching this dance of a lifetime. Now, it was just the two of them at the center and all eyes were on them.

    The soft music continued as Lily started to walk away slowly from Zhuo Jingren, swaying her hips and raising her hands. She turned her head, watching Zhuo Jingren from her peripheral vision. She then made a sudden twirl and...

    *CRACK*

    She tore the material of her gown, turning her ck tango outfit into a short ck dress that showed off her long, wless legs. A series of gasps could be heard from the audience.

    Lily¡¯s lips hooked into a smile as she met Zhuo Jingren¡¯s fiery gaze. For a moment, she just stood there, with her back arched and hands stretched towards the sky as if she was in submission. Then the rhythm started to pulse throughout the hall.

    Lily dropped her hands and caressed her body as she swayed towards Zhuo Jingren. Her feet explored the ground beneath her as she strode closer to him.

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes never left Lily as she danced her inhibitions away. Her movements were so graceful and seductive that he instantly regretted asking her to dance in front of everyone. He stretched his arms before his feet gracefully strode towards her. Their eyes never left each other.

    And then they touched.

    The energy of the music coursed through their veins as their hands entangled, their movements abrupt and graceful.

    Seeing Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face up close made Lily a little nervous. His dark brown eyes were staring straight into hers. His touch was sensual, yet mysterious.

    Back and Forth. Back and Forth. Lily did not remember how long she held her breath for. She hadn¡¯t thought she was capable of holding her breath for so long. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes were still boring into her brown ones, making her crave... more of his touch.

    His gaze was so piercing that it felt like he was staring straight at her soul. She felt thest bit of confusion leaving her as a fire ignited in her heart; she felt the want that she felt all those years ago.

    Seven years ago.

    For a fraction of a second Lily got distracted. She avoided his gaze and looked towards the audience and saw a crowd of surprised faces.

    "Eyes on me, love. Only me." She heard him whisper then she turned her gaze back to him in an instant. In a smooth motion, Zhuo Jingren moved his left foot backward as she slid her right foot forward. Chasing, retreating, swaying, guiding. Their eyes glued to each other.

    And then they stopped.

    Toe to toe.

    He pulled her hips towards his.

    Their faces were so close that she could feel him trying to regte his breathing. Then he suddenly pushed her away but immediately pulled her back towards him, catching her in his arms before spinning her.

    He caught her again, unable to give her up. This woman was too mysterious, too enchanting. He could not bear to part with her.

    Meanwhile, Lily allowed the man lead her as her body continued to melt with each touch of his hands. This time, Lily felt right in his arms... as if she was born to be with him. For once, Lily gaveplete control to the man whom she would be spending her future with. She let him push her and reel her back in freely.

    Lily smiled brightly at the man as the music came to an abrupt end. At the same time, she fell into his strong arms which wrapped around her tightly.

    Their faces were so close that she could see his perfectly curled eyshes. His full pink lips, threatening to brush against hers. She watched him open his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he closed it back again.

    Lily stared at the man intently. The noticeable darkening in her eyes was enough to convey to him how she felt inside. The world seemed to stop as the two continued to stare at each other. Lily¡¯s eyes darkened even more as she opened her mouth and said, "Kiss me."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 89 - Ripped

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 89 - Ripped</h4>

    WARNING! R18 Ahead.

    In the elevator of Sky City.

    Lily snaked her arms around Zhuo Jingren¡¯s neck, pulling him closer to her. Zhuo Jingren couldn¡¯t resist her seduction as his mouth hungrily seized her lips. It wasn¡¯t a gentle kiss. It was hot, fiery, and passionate. He slid his hand under her jaw, his tongue prating her slightly parted lips.

    Lily arched her back in hopes of getting closer to him, her handsbing through and grabbing at his soft hair. She could feel his big frame bend over hers as his hand slid under the slit of her dress, touching her thighs reverently. Lily froze for a second at the contact but soon recovered as she got used to his touch. As the elevator reached their floor, Zhuo Jingren scooped her up like the bride she was and carried her over the threshold. He took big strides and easily carried her up the stairs to the second floor of their penthouse with determination in his eyes, his lips still devouring hers.

    Just a while ago, Zhuo Jingren and Lily hastily left the ball after their seductive dance ended with a passionate kiss. Zhuo Jingren took it upon himself to drive as fast as was humanly possible and reached their destination within five minutes of venturing out. When their car came to a stop, they hurried out of the car, half running, half walking, eager to get home.

    ¡¯CLICK¡¯

    She heard the door to their bedroom open abruptly. She knew that Zhuo Jingren was going toy her on the bed and treat her like a princess, but Lily was no princess. She quickly stopped him in his tracks and decidedly pointed towards the couch. "There," she said, her voice breathy.

    Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t utter a single word as heid Lily gently on the couch, her toes caressing the edge of the carpet.

    "You¡¯re overdressed," she heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s deep voicement before he swooped in for another breathtaking kiss. This time, the kiss was demanding. She let him take the hem of her already ripped dress.

    A loud ripping sound filled the room as her dress gave away under his rough handling, revealing her almost naked body. Lily had skipped wearing a bra under the dress as it was too tight in the chest area. Instead, she had used the nipple tapes that came with the dress.

    WARNING: FROM HERE ONWARDS UNTIL THE END, THINGS ARE GOING TO GET REAL HOT AND STEAMY. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

    Zhuo Jingren quickly freed her from the ripped dress and tossed it aside. Without hesitation, he buried with face in her breasts, taking one nipple into his mouth. Lily let out a gasp when his finger reached out to trace her hardened nipple.

    A rush of hot need pulsed inside her gut. When was thest time Lily had gottenid? It had been f*cking seven years, yet now she was under the ministrations of the same man. Lily¡¯s breath hitched when his hand trailed down her stomach and went straight to her throbbing apex.

    He suddenly pulled back. "Look at me," hemanded, his voice sending shivers down Lily¡¯s spine. Hershes fluttered open. She hadn¡¯t even realized that she had involuntarily closed her eyes at the face of the intense pleasure. She slowly lifted her gaze, meeting his dark brown orbs. His gaze was intense, heated with passion.

    Without further warning, Zhuo Jingren brushed his finger along her opening, pausing at the swollen tip of her clit, making Lily bite her lip in pleasure. She was wet; anticipation consumed her. She wanted him inside her.

    ¡¯Now,¡¯ she thought feverishly.

    She felt him withdraw his hand from her thighs. Lily widened her eyes as she watched him lick and suck at his finger, his gaze locked on hers. The intensity of his gaze sent tremors inside her womb. "I want you," she managed to utter. "Now."

    Without a word, Zhuo Jingren caught the edge of her ck panties and pulled roughly at it, ripping the garment in the process. Now, Lily waspletely naked. A tinge of anticipation shed in her when she felt him sliding a finger inside her, his thumb firmly nted on her aching clit.

    She arched her back in delight, her breathing ragged as shudders rocked her body. Zhuo Jingren started thrusting his finger inside her as he rubbed her clit. She gave another yelp when she felt him curl his finger inside her, hitting a spot that sent her into overdrive. She came into his hand and shut her eyes tightly as she rode the wave of pleasure that wracked her body.

    The climax took Lily by surprise. Considering the number of years she hadn¡¯t had sex, she couldpletely understand how the simple crook of a finger could make here. She opened her eyes slowly to feast her eyes on the image of Zhuo Jingren sucking on his wet fingers, tasting her. He stared at her for a moment before he leaned in for another kiss. "Sorry, I¡ªI can¡¯t take it anymore. I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment for years," he managed to push out before he yanked his pants open in a fluid motion.

    "Now," he hissed before she pulled him into a kiss. She felt him matching her intensity as he positioned himself between her thighs. Her hand made its way to his manhood. She grew surprised as she realized that he had seemed to grow even bigger than thest time they had been together.

    She grabbed at his hardness and wrapped her hands around it, earning a needy groan from Zhuo Jingren. He was huge, even bigger than she remembered from seven years ago. She was sure of it.

    Zhuo Jingren lowered himself into her. She yelped as she felt the humongous top of his manhood run across her slit, teasing her before he thrust into her.

    Her hands strayed along his broad shoulders as she arched her back and tilted her hips upward, desperate for all of him. Her hands rested firmly on his back when she felt him grab the globes of her behind, slowly lifting her off the couch, making her amodate his huge manhood.

    She heard him take in a sharp breath as she lost hers. He didn¡¯t stop to glide into her slowly... no... there was only need as he thrust into her again and again, making Lily yelp in the pleasure that rocked her core. It was wild and hard, a hundred times better than the endless dreams that had evaded Lily¡¯s mind for years.

    She felt him draw her nipple into his mouth again as he continued to thrust. Her muscles clenched around his manhood, begging for him to thrust even harder. Lily¡¯s sleek legs wrapped themselves around his waist, inviting him.

    "More," she whispered between her moans. She wanted more... more of him. Lily felt something build in her cut, threatening to burst at any moment when he noticed that Zhuo Jingren had stopped. His gaze was piercing. He started to move once again, this time covering her nipple with his mouth as his thumb rubbed her clit.

    She was close... Lily felt herself close to exploding from the intense raw pleasure.

    She twisted her body. "I aming," she gasped. She let out a wordless cry as she trembled under him, her wetness clutching at his manhood, pulling him deeper into her with tiny pulsations.

    Zhuo Jingren pounded into her. The intensity made her gasp in pleasure. He was close, impossibly so. His moans were apparent as he sunk into her depths.

    In a sh, he was calling her name as he shattered. The orgasm overtook him until he could hardly breathe. Lily¡¯s arms wrapped around him as he copsed on top of her. He slowly withdrew from her and sat up next to her.

    "Shall I take you to bed now?" he asked in between his ragged breathing.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 90 - A Little Reward

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 90 - A Little Reward</h4>

    "Technically we are still on our honeymoon," Lily said as she shifted her head which rested on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arms. It was eight in the morning. When they woke up, they were still exhausted, having only slept for four hours. But despite the exhaustion, they were glowing as they revelled in the heated passion of the previous night.

    "Hmmm... Do you want us to go on a proper honeymoon somewhere?" he asked, his dark brown orbs observing Lily¡¯s face. It amused Zhuo Jingren to see that Lily had a pinkish glow on her face.

    "Maybe but not now. I still have a lot of things to do in this country. Where would you like to go?" she asked, curious.

    "Hmmm.... Beside you." He grinned, which caused Lily to p him yfully on his arms. "As long as I¡¯m with you, anywhere is fine."

    "Good answer," Lily said before suddenly moving on top of him. "Maybe I should give you a little reward?" Without waiting for his answer, Lily crawled backwards, lowering her face into his stomach. The obvious bulge in his boxers was enough to tell her of his anticipation.

    Lily put her hands on his thighs and lowered her face on the hem of his boxers. She then used her mouth to tug his boxers down. "Look mom. No hands." She joked which earned a chuckle from Zhuo Jingren.

    Then Lily lifted her head to look at Zhuo Jingren. Just as she expected, lust and passion already clouded thetter¡¯s eyes. Lily¡¯s eyes were still glued on his when she lowered her mouth, licking the top of his manhood.

    Zhuo Jingren immediately held his breath as he watched Lily nt little kisses on his thighs. Then he let out a low groan when she yfully nipped at his skin. Lily smirked at his reaction as she used her tongue to flick his manhood.

    "It¡¯s already eight. You will bete. Do you think we should just stop?" she yfully asked before her hand wrapped around his girth. The shift on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face made Lily giggle. Without waiting for his answer, she ran her tongue along his shaft before she parted her lips and slide him inside her mouth.

    Zhuo Jingren let out another moan when Lily started to whirl her tongue around his shaft. Stroking him, teasing him, taking more and more of him every single time.

    "So good..." he said in a low growl as he cupped her head, guiding her. "Oh... Lily...."

    The sound of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s low growls and curses rang inside the room. For some reason the feeling that she had from giving him pleasure right now is just... unparalleled. It made her more confident to please him.

    After a few seconds, Lily felt Zhuo Jingren starting to thrust into her mouth, his growls were even more apparent. And without any warning, Lily felt his hot, steamy juices spray inside her mouth. She felt exhrated at the sight of him trembling before he closed his eyes.

    A salty taste assaulted her taste buds as memories of what happened between them seven years ago resurfaced in her mind. The sex that she had with him was mindblowing; maybe the drugs had something to do with it. But everything was still so clear in Lily¡¯s mind - the moans, whimpers and wordless cries that she made that night was still so vivid.

    Lily then pulled him out and sat on the edge of the bed, wiping the remaining juices from her lips. Then she rose from the bed and walked towards the bathroom.

    "Where are you going?"

    "Work," she said, mirth apparent in her voice.

    "What about you?" Zhuo Jingren asked, licking his lips.

    "We have a long way ahead of us Mr. Zhuo. Consider this as a debt. I will collect some interestster." She winked before she closed the door of the bathroom. A lifetime would be long enough for them to satisfy each other.

    For now, Lily needed to hustle and put some people in their proper ce.

    Qin Residence - Qin Mo¡¯s study.

    "I am going to Zhuo Capital today," Tang Lingyun said. "I feel like it¡¯s my responsibility to exin to Mr. Zhuo about what happenedst night."

    "Qin Jinghua might have said bad things about us to her husband. It won¡¯t be too good if you visit him now," Qin Mo answered with a dark face.

    "But... Mo, Mr. Zhuo misinterpreted our actions. What if he does something to Qin Industries. I mean... he..." Tang Lingyun¡¯s lips quivered as she lowered her head, her eyes starting to turn red.

    Seeing the fear in his wife¡¯s face immediately made Qin Mo angry. "Don¡¯t worry about it. I will schedule a meeting with Mr. Zhuo and exin what happened. For now, just go to your room and get some rest. What happenedst night had given us a lot of stress. I will ask the maids to prepare something nutritious for you," he said.

    At Qin Mo¡¯s assuring words, Tang Lingyun let out a sigh of relief and slowly nodded her head. Like an obedient child, she walked out of Qin Mo¡¯s office but there was a sinister look in her eyes.

    ¡¯Did Qin Jinghua think that I would give in and retreat just like that?¡¯ she sneered inwardly. ¡¯Fool.¡¯

    Tang Lingyun went back to their room and made sure to lock the door before taking out an old phone from the bottom of her drawer. She dialed a number and waited for someone to answer her call.

    "I need you topile all of Qin Jinghua¡¯s images from years ago," she said. "Make two sets. Send one to me and the other to Zhuo Jingren of the Zhuo Capital."

    "Don¡¯t worry... I will also double the price," she said before dropping the call and turning off the phone. She then tuck it safely back in her drawer. Her eyes were full of excitement as her lips lifted into an evil smile.

    Mr. Zhuo married Qin Jinghua without knowing what kind of woman she was. Tang Lingyun was already anticipating how he would react once he finds out that his wife was in fact not as clean and pure as she carried herself to be.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 91 - Up to Something

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 91 - Up to Something</h4>

    On this morning, Lily decided to visit some of the sites that Zhuo Jingren had shortlisted for her headquarters. These sites were all located in prime space, in the middle of the bustling city and conveniently located near Zhuo Capital and Sky City as well.

    "Miss Qin, a lot of celebrities have their eyes set on this building because of its location. The top three floors here are also the most sought after space right now because of its view." The property consultant exined as he toured Lily around. This was the first building that the property consultant had brought Lily and they were currently viewing the highest floor.

    "Actually, just yesterday, Mrs. Xuan was here and she was seriously considering buying the space on this level. But I quickly made up a reason to dy the transaction. Mr. Zhuo insisted that you have a chance to view of this space and that you should have the priority of buying it if you like it."

    "Mrs. Xuan? As is Mr. Xuan Hui¡¯ wife?" she asked, wondering if he was referring to Qin Fei or Xuan Hui¡¯s mother.

    "Ah... I am sorry for the confusion. I meant Miss Qin Fei. She insisted that we address her as Mrs. Xuan..." the property consultantughed awkwardly. "She wanted a space for her fashion brand. Since this ce is near Xuan Films and is very essible, she immediately took a liking to the ce."

    "I can¡¯t help but wonder why the top three floors of this building are still vacant. Given that there are otherpanies upying the other levels in this building, weren¡¯t there offers from any of thesepanies to upy these floors too?" she asked.

    "No... there weren¡¯t any." The brief answer of the consultant made Lily conclude that Zhuo Jingren might have something to do about it. Thetter wanted the best for her and this was pretty obvious as every site that he had shortlisted for her had great views and essibility too.

    Lily merely nodded at his words and didn¡¯t inquire any further. She roamed her eyes around and the more she looked at the space before her, the more she liked it. The view from this side of town was great and this building was also near Zhuo Capital. Her mind was mostly settled on this building. She thought about how grabbing lunch together with Zhuo Jingren would be really convenient. Plus, she could also piss Qin Fei off and the thought of it made her feel good.

    "Good. I want this building. My secretary will be calling you today to settle the ounts," Lily said as she walked towards the floor to ceiling windows, her mind thinking about how she would want the whole ce to look like.

    After another ten minutes, Lily and Yang Mi left the building. It was only ten in the morning and still too early for lunch. Before Lily and Zhuo Jingren left for work in the morning, they had agreed to meet for lunch. As both of them had a rather busy schedule, Zhuo Jingren had suggested that he would bring food from home and they could eat lunch together in his office.

    In the meantime, Lily needed a ce where she could do some work while waiting for her lunch appointment, and her husband¡¯s office was just the perfect ce. Yang Mi started up the car and drove towards Zhuo Capital.

    "President, news of President Zhuo¡¯s marriage somehow made it online earlier but it was quickly suppressed and removed from the inte¡¯s top searches. It must be President Zhuo¡¯s PR team," reported Yang Mi.

    "Hmmm... I already expected that to happen," Lily nonchntly replied. News about Zhuo Jingren online was very scarce. Lily understood that it was because her husband is a very private man. Moreover, he could quickly use his connections to suppress any news about him that he didn¡¯t want anyone to know. "I¡¯m guessing that someone deliberately leaked this news to the media. Someone wanted to stir trouble for him."

    This was the only thing that Lily could think of right now. Duringst night¡¯s event, Zhuo Jingren had told Daohu to warn everyone not to take any photos and videos of them. She was sure that most people would listen as they were afraid of Zhuo Jingren. Of course, this is with the exception of the person who leaked the news.

    "Did they mention my name? Any images?" Lily asked. Though she was not afraid of being public with their marriage, marrying the most eligible bachelor of the city was bound to bring some trouble for her. Lily was a little upied right now and didn¡¯t have the energy and time to deal with the schemes of jealous women.

    "No mention of your name. Only a blurred image of a man and a woman dancing was uploaded," Yang Mi answered. "The thing is, though the news was quickly suppressed, there were still someizens who managed to take a screenshot of the photo before it was taken down and shared it in their own social media ounts. Though your name was not mentioned, I think somehow it could be traced back to you if someone were to investigate it."

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded and turned her head to look at the traffic. She wanted some peace right now. However, if people were bold enough toe to her looking for trouble, she would dly show them what the word crazy meant.

    "Should we call Cathy and ask her to help investigate?" Yang Mi asked.

    "No need." Lily said. "Let¡¯s sit back and observe for now." Knowing how capable Zhuo Jingren was, Lily wanted to see how he would solve this matter. "Any updates from the Arisons?"

    "President... Cathy believes that Liam Arison is up to something. He was seen leaving a restaurant just minutes before Mr. Xuan Hui. Moreover, he also scheduled a private meeting with some of the biggest shareholders of Arisons Construction and... some prominent shareholders of A.R Mall and Boutique."

    "Good. Keep me updated. I would love a good challenge," Lily said before crossing her arms across her chest. Zhuo Jingren already informed her that Xuan Hui was nning something against her. However, she was not able to ask anything about his aplice.

    If Liam and Xuan Hui were indeed working together, Lily would not hesitate to destroy those two together.

    While Lily was preparing herself for the trouble that wasing. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face was extremely dark as he listened to Secretary Go¡¯s update.

    His hands were trembling and the temperature in the room seemed to be dropping even lower.

    "President... Please calm down... Miss Lily is on her way... if she sees you like this... she...."

    Zhuo Jingren clenched his jaw and stared at his secretary. His gaze immediately made Secretary Go tremble. Zhuo Jingren balled his fists before he said, "Tell me, Go Jichen... how should I tell her that there is a possibility that our child did not die from the ident but was surgically removed from her womb?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 92 - Too Amusing

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 92 - Too Amusing</h4>

    "President... this..." Secretary Go stuttered. When President Zhuo told him to investigate the ident seven years ago, he discovered some clues that seemed to suggest that President Qin did not suffer a miscarriage as a result of the car ident. "This is just my spection... I still need to collect the facts. I..." Secretary Go exined with his head lowered while chastising himself for jumping the gun. He should have known better than to report on something without any proof to substantiate what he had said, especially with President Zhuo¡¯s temper and his obsession with Lily.

    "How about the doctors and nurses who were present at that time? Any news?" Zhuo Jingren asked grimly.

    "We haven¡¯t found the doctor. We found two nurses who said that... President Qin was not bleeding when she arrived at the hospital. She only suffered some scratches from the fall whereas her mother bore the brunt of the impact," Secretary Go answered. "But... our men were able to locate someone who looked like the doctor. He has been living in Mysia with his wife for six years now. I have already sent someone to check him out."

    Zhuo Jingren nodded and let out a long sigh as he leaned back in his chair. Secretary Go was right; there was no concrete proof, it was just some statements from two nurses. For some reason, Zhuo Jingren hoped that Lily really had a miscarriage instead, end of story.

    Zhuo Jingren knew that the ident had affected Lily so much that she went into a depression. He did not want to open up old wounds again. With these in mind, he closed his eyes and calmed his thoughts.

    Zhuo Jingren only opened his eyes when Secretary Go announced that Lily had arrived.

    "Tired?" Lily smirked at him as she walked towards the circr table next to Zhuo Jingren¡¯s office desk. Lily then put down her handbag and made herselffortable on the swivel chair. Since both of them had only four hours of sleep the other night, it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if Zhuo Jingren was feeling tired.

    "How about you?" he asked before he rose from his seat. He approached her and leaned for a kiss before taking the seat next to Lily.

    "I am." She nodded before she changed the topic. "I found a ce for Fi Group¡¯s new head office."

    "That¡¯s good," Zhuo Jingren said before he signaled Secretary Go to prepare the snacks that he had bought for Lily.

    Lily raised an eyebrow as her lips curled into a smile. Zhuo Jingren had ordered some pastries for her. "Are you trying to make me fat?"

    "You are too thin," he answered as he rose from his seat. "Eat more." Then he walked towards his desk.

    All these while, Lily could tell that Zhuo Jingren seemed bothered even though he appeared calm. Thinking it could be exhaustion from work, she decided not to ask any questions.

    Lily started working quietly while asionally looking up to take a nce at Zhuo Jingren. He looked so calm that it had started to bother Lily. Was he mad that news about their marriage had been exposed or that a photo of them was leaked online? But he seemed happy when he was introducing her as his wifest night. So, was it the photo?

    Still, Lily kept her thoughts to herself and did not say anything about it until lunch.

    "You are awfully quiet. I am starting to think that there is something wrong with you," Lily blurted out, her gaze steady. "Are you bothered about our picture circting online? Do you want my help?"

    "No. I can deal with that on my own. Don¡¯t worry about it," he answered before opening his drawer and taking out a folder. He walked towards Lily with the folder and opened it before passing it to her. "I tried to erase traces of all these photos when I first arrived here seven years ago. However, someone left this folder of photos for me this morning. Go Jichen found it on the windshield of my car."

    Lily immediately examined photos and frowned. These were photos of her and Zhuo Jingren at the bar seven years ago. There were photos of her in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arms and of them dancing and kissing.

    "You were the one who got rid of these photos before?" she asked. When her maternal grandmother had found out about the photos and how the media was linking it to Lily¡¯s failed wedding, she immediately got her people to suppress the news. But to her surprise, someone had already beat her to it and everything was resolved just as Lily left Hong Kong.

    "Hmmm..." He nodded. "I was dealing with my father¡¯s death at that time so I couldn¡¯te to Hong Kong earlier. By the time I got here, you were already gone."

    Lily stared at the photos again and narrowed her eyes. It was obvious that these were freshly printed. "Tang Lingyun thought that she could use these photos to threaten you stay away from me." No one else but Tang Lingyun had ess to these photos. She was the one who had paid for a private investigator to take photos of her that night to begin with. Both of them started to analyze Tang Lingyun¡¯s motive for doing this.

    "If she releases these photos to the media once again, you might face opposition in your newly acquiredpany," Zhuo Jingren analyzed. "The people here are extremely sensitive to scandals like this. The shareholders of A.R Mall and Boutique would likely revolt and gaining their respect would be even more difficult."

    Lily nodded in agreement. "I think Tang Lingyun still does not know that I am Lily Fi-Qin. I believed she would have already released these photos to the press and put me on a tight spot if she knew. I¡¯m guessing that Xuan Hui had chosen to hide my identity from everyone while he is plotting something against me. On the other hand, Tang Lingyun also did not inform Xuan Hui and Qin Fei about our marriage. If she had, then Xuan Hui would perhaps have told her about my identity by now." A small smile escaped Lily¡¯s lips.

    The current situation was too amusing. Tang Lingyun had given Zhuo Jingren these images of thinking that he would find Lily dirty, unaware that he was the man in those photos. While Xuan Hui was coborating with Liam to scheme behind her back. Lily guessed that Xuan Hui must have told Liam that he would be able to get back with her if they worked together.

    This was the only exnation for Liam to have agreed to work together with Xuan Hui.

    Each of these people knew a different secret about her but were not telling each other. How much amusing could this situation get?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 93 - My Responsibility, Joy and Privilege

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 93 - My Responsibility, Joy and Privilege</h4>

    "I have the same thoughts as you." Zhuo Jingren nodded which made Lily freeze. Did she just voice her thoughts out loud to Zhuo Jingren?

    "I presume you didn¡¯t find anything when you checked the CCTVs?" Lily asked.

    "Hmmm...it is possible that they were hacked. I am still working on it but I know I will soon find out the identity of the person who left behind those images," he answered confidently before grabbing one of the lunch boxes in front of him. He ced it in front of Lily, gesturing for her to open it. "Let¡¯s not talk about this right now and have our lunch. I will keep you up to date."

    As Zhuo Jingren had lived in Japan for many years, he had been influenced by Japanese culture and had even learned how to prepare a few specialty dishes in Japanese cuisine. For lunch, he had specially prepared a bento box for the both of them.

    Lily gave him a curious look before she opened her bento box. She immediately raised an eyebrow in amazement at what she saw inside. It was an assortment of colours and the food looked like they had been arranged with great care.

    "Those are sesame crusted tofu," Zhuo Jingren pointed out before he eagerly exined each dish inside the big bento box. "Stir-fry green veggies; broli and carrots. I¡¯m not sure if you like seaweed, you can leave it aside if you don¡¯t like it. And some turkey spinach wraps." Then he picked up a turkey wrap with his chopsticks and brought it to Lily¡¯s mouth. "You should try this."

    Lily gave Zhuo Jingren a look of disbelief. Was he going to fed her in front of their secretaries? Seeing as Zhuo Jingren was not budging, Lily shook her head inwardly before she opened her mouth to take a bite at the wrap.

    "How is it?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

    "Yang Mi, Go Jichen, you may go and have your lunch now, unless you want to join us?" Lily casually said but in fact, she was embarrassed. She was d that she had chosen to wear a turtleneck today for it hid the redness that was spreading from her neck.

    Yang Mi and Go Jichen had been trying to make themselves invisible by working silently at the far end of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s office. At Lily¡¯s suggestion, they simply nodded their heads before walking out of the office together with their heads lowered. Staying would only mean being fed more dog food ah. What was more awkward than being fed dog food from your own boss? They might even get diabetes just by watching the two of them being all sweet with each other.

    "You scared them away," Lily said as she started to eat.

    "You were the one who asked them to leave," Zhuo Jingren said. "Not that I amining. You read my mind. I was about to ask them to leave too. Don¡¯t you think we have so much chemistry? We even think alike."

    Lily rolled her eyes at Zhuo Jingren while she continued eating. As expected, the food tasted as good as it looked. She also noticed that Zhuo Jingren¡¯s mood seemed better now, as if a weight had been lifted from his mind.

    "Speaking of minds... I remember you were a little dumb before, no? How did you be so intelligent now?"

    Though Lily knew that he was just teasing her, she looked at him and answered seriously, "I am not intelligent. But I am smart and I work extra hard. There¡¯s a difference."

    Zhuo Jingren nodded at her words. Intelligence was indeed different from being smart.

    "So do you know who spread the news about your marriage?" Lily asked.

    "Someone from the Mu family."

    "Mu Qingling?" she furrowed her brows.

    "Possibly. Her father and mother had requested a meeting with me."

    Lily turned silent. Mu Qingling was the only person who would have the guts to spread the news. Though Lily didn¡¯t understand the reason behind her actions, it couldn¡¯t possiblye with a good intent.

    The couple enjoyed the rest of their lunch silently, each upied with their own thoughts. While Lily was thinking about Liam and Xuan Hui¡¯s scheme, Zhuo Jingren was mulling about Secretary Go¡¯s update about Lily¡¯s past.

    The only person he could think of who might have a motive to harm Lily¡¯s baby was Xuan Hui¡¯s mother. As she was a very close friend of the Madam of the Mu family, she might have borrowed her friend¡¯s influence to get rid of all the hospital staff who had worked on that particr night shift.

    But the only question is why? Why harm an innocent soul?

    After their lunch, Lily worked for a little while longer before taking her leave. She intended to go shopping for new clothes. As she had originally nning on staying here for only for a month, she hadn¡¯t brought much clothes with her. Who would have thought that she would get married and would even make a decision to settle down in Hong Kong.

    "Shopping for new clothes? But haven¡¯t I got you a wardrobe full of clothes. I could always-"

    "I love it," Lily responded. "But I will be buying some personal stuff." She winked and gave him a smile.

    "Oh... Alright," Zhuo Jingren said, oblivious to the hidden meaning behind Lily¡¯s words as he went to fetch a sleek ck card from his drawer. "This is for you. My sry is credited inside here. You can use it however you want."

    Lily immediately gave him a look of disbelief. "No thanks. I have my own-"

    "I was not asking," he said. "You are my wife. It¡¯s my responsibility, joy and privilege to pamper you."

    "It¡¯s okay... I don¡¯t need-"

    "Lily..." Zhuo Jingren rose from his seat and walked towards her. "You are earning for yourself and I am earning for you," he sincerely said as he ced the card in her hand. Even though his wife was capable of making her own money, he was traditional in his mindset and believed that a wife needed to be pampered by her husband.

    Moreover, everything that he had worked to achieve all these years, was all for Lily. All these years, Zhuo Jingren had been diligently saving up his sry and bonuses so that he could hand them all to Lily one day. In his heart, all the money he had belonged to Lily.

    Seeing thetter being so resolute, Lily simply nodded and epted the card with a smile. Who was she kidding? ¡¯Money is still money after all. You can¡¯t really have enough of it. Right?¡¯

    Of course, Lily still preferred to use her own money. It was not because of her pride, but the fact that it gave her great satisfaction to be able to afford things on her own.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 94 - Soon To Be Boyfriend

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 94 - Soon To Be Boyfriend</h4>

    At Scarlett Mall.

    Lily Qin beamed at her reflection in the full body mirror, pleased with her choice of lingerie. It was a bustier set with a dramate bra and a matching G-string to go with it. The garter and ck thigh-high stockings that came with the set highlighted her beautiful long legs.

    The lingerie perfectly showcased her jade-like skin and hugged her shapely body at the right ces. Her perky breasts together with her small waist made her look like a delicate painting.

    Lingerie was always something that Lily loved to buy. She would spend as much time choosing a lingerie as she would her clothes because to Lily, a lingerie was just as important. Somehow, an exquisite looking lingerie could make her feel empowered, bolder and sexier.

    "Does it fit?" she heard the sales attendant ask from outside the fitting room.

    "Yes, it¡¯s perfect. I¡¯ll take it," she said, grinning to herself. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she should wear this immediately for Zhuo Jingren to see. ¡¯Maybe not¡¯, she shook her head while grinning. She happily changed back into her clothes and contemted whether one set of lingerie was enough.

    When Lily stepped out of the fitting room, the sales attendant politely ask for her card so that she could settle the bill. Lily grabbed her purse and took out her personal ck card and handed it to the attendant.

    The sales attendant let out a gasp but quickly recovered herposure, receiving the ck card with both hands. For a popr high-end lingerie store like theirs, customers who visit were naturally rich. It was not umon for her to receive a ck card from a customer.

    However, the sales attendant did not expect to receive it from someone low-key. Though Lily was wearing a branded outfit today, she was not wearing any expensive jewelry. The sales attendant was used to the sight of rich women who would outwardly unt their wealth with the clothes and jewelry they wear.

    The sales attendant was thankful that she had treated Lily well from the beginning. She didn¡¯t look down on Lily when she initially entered the store and asked for her assistance.

    Lily did not pay any heed to the sales attendant¡¯s reaction. While waiting for payment to be processed, Lily sent a text to Yang Mi, asking her to deliver some documents to her directors. She wanted them to start tackling the management and leadership problems in A.R Mall and Boutique.

    Of course, this was because she just fired a dozen internal directors from their positions.

    "Here you go, Miss." The attendant respectfully handed the card back to Lily. "Is there anything else that I could assist you with?"

    "No need. Thank you," Lily said as she kept her card in her wallet. As Lily walked out of the store with the paper bag containing her lingerie, she decided that she still needed to shop for handbags, scarves, dresses for herself. She even thought of getting some cufflinks for Zhuo Jingren.

    Then, Lily made her way to a store that was known to carry the most luxurious range of branded handbags. However, upon seeing the wide selection of handbags at the store, she changed her mind and decided to shop for the cufflinks first. Who knows how long she would be spending at the store before she could pick up a bag that she likes.

    She just wanted to make sure that she gets all the necessities first before being swallowed by the world of high-end bags.

    "Miss Lily?" A soft voice interrupted her thoughts when she was about to enter a store selling cufflinks. She turned her head and raised an eyebrow when she saw Mu Qingling walking towards her with a big smile on her face. "I did not expect seeing you in my family¡¯s mall," Mu Qingling said while eyeing the bag in Lily¡¯s hand. She recognized the brand to be a popr lingerie brand in her mall.

    "Hmmm..." Giving a non-verbal response, Lily fully intended to ignore the woman. Why should she spare any time to talk to a person whom she dislikes? Although Lily was tantly disrespectful towards the heiress of the Scarlet Mall, Mu Qingling was not shaken. She already expected this attitude and behaviour from Lily.

    Moreover, this encounter wasn¡¯t by chance since she had someone to follow Lily and report Lily¡¯s movements to her. She had nned for them to have an encounter. With this in mind, she immediately followed her inside the store. "This is such a coincidence. Are you shopping for Mr. Zhuo?"

    "Coincidence indeed." Lily did not even turned her head, her eyes were glued at the disy of cufflinks in front of her.

    "Miss Mu! I am so d that you could visit our store," another voice chimed in. The voice belonged to a mature-looking woman dressed in a deep purple dress. She had very high brows and her make-up was full of purple. The entire look of this woman screamed ¡¯Urs¡¯ from the story ¡¯The Little Mermaid¡¯. Lily shivered inwardly before walking away from the both of them.

    But would Mu Qingling allow Lily to leave just like that?

    Mu Qingling just give a short pleasantry greeting to the woman who was in fact the store manager before she hurried after Lily, her prey. The store manager followed behind.

    "Are you perhaps shopping for your boyfriend, Miss Mu?" the manager asked amiably.

    Mu Qingling nodded. "Soon to be boyfriend," she answered, confidenceced her tone.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 95 - Rich, Younger and more Beautiful

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 95 - Rich, Younger and more Beautiful</h4>

    Lily couldn¡¯t be bothered with Mu Qingling. First was Akane and now Mu Qingling. ¡¯Her husband is attracting too much attention from girls ah.¡¯ Inwardly, she was shaking her head. In fact, she actually pitied women like them.

    Delusional and self-centered.

    Wasn¡¯t she just like this seven years ago?

    Lily¡¯s eye zoomed in on a pair of diamond cufflinks with an oval shapedtch that seemed to be the highlight among all the other designs.

    "Are those diamonds?" she asked the manager who was following behind.

    "Ah... yes, yellow canary diamonds. This pair is one of the highlights in the store. It¡¯s made from 14K white gold."

    "I want those."

    Lily immediately raised an eyebrow and side-eyed Mu Qingling who swiftly gave her card to the store manager. Her mouth then curved into a small smile. This Mu Qingling was truly pitiful. Lily had merely inquired about that pair of cufflinks, it was not as if she absolutely had to get that. Mu Qingling¡¯s childish attempt to provoke her was soughable.

    Lily then walked over to the next ss disy of cufflinks and continued browsing.

    "So, I was wondering... I saw your dancest night with Mr. Zhuo. Did you two take dance sses together? You guys seemed to have had a lot of practice..."

    Lily and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s coordination during their dance surprised everyonest night. Mu Qingling couldn¡¯t get the scene of the two of them dancing so beautifully and professionally out of her mind.

    Mu Qingling was a very prideful person. She already disliked Lily for snatching Zhuo Jingren away from her. And her dislike for Lily only tripled after seeing the chemistry between Lily and Zhuo Jingren during their dance performancest night.

    "Miss Lily doesn¡¯t seem to be in the mood to talk," Mu Qingling continued on especially when she noticed how some other customers in the store had started to pay attention to them. All these while, Lily had kept her eyes straight, clearly ignoring Mu Qingling who was talking to her. It made it look as if Mu Qingling was just talking to herself.

    The store manager who witnessed this scene before her immediately felt ufortable. Mu Qingling was the heiress of this mall and seeing her being disrespected like this was disturbing. However, the manager did notice that Mu Qingling had been respectful towards Lily despite the cold treatment from Lily.

    The store manager was a smart individual and immediately deduced that Lily¡¯s identity should not be so simple. With that in mind, the store manager decided not to interfere and just continued to follow behind the two of them.

    "How much is that?" Lily pointed at a pair of sword shaped cufflinks with sapphires encrusted on them.

    "Ah... that one is made of 24K gold. Priced at 2.2 million HKD. This is an extremely unique-"

    "I want that too." Mu Qingling interrupted the store manager. Mu Qingling did it again. Her intentions were clear not only Lily but to the store manager as well. Mu Qingling was bent on buying everything that Lily had set her sights on.

    Was Mu Qingling was doing this to irritate her or to get her attention? Maybe both.

    "Please forgive me Miss Lily... I got too excited. You see, I was nning to buy something for Mr. Zhuo as an apology. Since you personally selected these cufflinks, I figured that they would make a good gift for him."

    "You are very straightforward. I liked that. That puts you above those white lotuses," Lily finally replied Mu Qingling. Her blunt statement baffled both the Mu Qingling and the store manager. As Lily hadn¡¯t spoken softly, her words were overheard by the people near them and it surprised them.

    From Lily¡¯s words alone, everyone could already guess that Mu Qingling was trying to seduce Lily¡¯s husband. However, how could Lily be so calm and friendly towards herpetition? They couldn¡¯t help but to eye both Lily and Mu Qingling andpare the two.

    Lily was not that tall for a woman, her height was just average. And it was obvious that she was a foreigner. Though shapely, Lily could not be considered fat nor was she skinny. On the other hand, Mu Qingling was tall. She was around 5¡¯8 and had really long legs. Since she was a dancer, her body was also very toned. Her fox-like eyes were also a dead giveaway that she was a pure Chinese.

    Though both women were beautiful in their own way, some of these locals would still be more bias towards their own. They would rather support a local Chinese beauty rather than a foreigner. With all these in mind, everyone couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Lily was just acting tough or if she was just really confident that this beautiful Chinese woman doesn¡¯t have the capability to seduce her husband.

    Most of the people who overheard the conversation between the two women just lowered their heads and acted as if they did not hear anything. After all, this was not the first time that they had witnessed something like this.

    Women these days were really bing bolder. Not that they could have a say about it especially since Mu Qingling was an heiress and her status was above everyone else in this mall.

    "You are right." Mu Qingling smiled at Lily. In fact, the purpose of this ¡¯coincidental¡¯ meeting was to let Lily know that she, Mu Qingling, was up for a fight. As a 21st century woman, she thought herself as capable and hardworking and she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.

    Mu Qingling didn¡¯t care that Zhuo Jingren was already married. It would not deter her from her goal of wanting to own Zhuo Jingren. She was here to dere a war against Lily. "I always know what I want and do everything to get it."

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded. "I appreciate women with your kind of attitude. It¡¯s too bad that your target had to be my husband." Then she walked to the next disy and looked at Mu Qingling. "Why don¡¯t you buy this one too?"

    "Miss Lily must be joking," Mu Qingling said, feeling a little irritated that Lily had not reacted in the way that she expected. Why was Lily still so calm?! If it was any other married woman, she would have already lost control and pped her for being so bold and even drag her out of this store for a beating.

    Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Mu Qingling would be seen as the pitiful one while Lily would be known as a bully. Lily¡¯s reputation would be ruined and the socialite ss would look down on her. But things were not going ording to n!

    "If I buy everything in this store, wouldn¡¯t that mean that you won¡¯t have anything to give to Mr. Zhuo?" In fact, Mu Qingling was nning to buy everything that Lily liked. Her goal was to show off how rich she was. She was rich, younger and more beautiful than Lily. Surely that would be enough to make Lily feel insecure right?

    "Hmmm? Who said that I was buying cufflinks for my husband?" Lily gave her a provoking smile. "However, since you dly offered to buy some gifts for my husband, how about I choose some more items for you and you could give it to him? You can even tell him that you chose all of these gifts yourself. Maybe then he will finally remember your name." Lily¡¯s eyes were curled into a beautiful crescent, her smile extremely alluring that it gave Mu Qingling the chills.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 96 - Souvenir

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 96 - Souvenir</h4>

    Mu Qingling looked at Lily in astonishment. She opened her mouth and wanted to say something but quickly realized that she doesn¡¯t know exactly what to say. "I..."

    Seeing that she had rendered Mu Qingling speechless, Lily seized the chance to make a further jab at Mu Qingling. "Miss Mu, I actually pity you. You don¡¯tck anything be it beauty, talent, money, youthfulness. And yet here you are, trying to snatch a married man who doesn¡¯t even remember your name. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would think that you are trying to find a man who could boost your status in your family to prove that you are better than a certain someone. I wonder... who could this person be?"

    "You- don¡¯t nder me!" Mu Qingling¡¯s voice quivered. "You don¡¯t know anything about me!"

    "True... which is why I was just trying to get into your head." Lily smirked before turning away from Mu Qingling. Before Lily could take a step forward, she was stopped by Mu Qingling who held her arm firmly.

    "What do you mean by that?" she hissed, her face extremely red. Mu Qingling felt as if someone had stripped her naked. Lily had read her like a book. While Lily remained calm and collected, she had lost her cool.

    Though Lily did not mention any names, all employees here knew that Mu Lihua, the current CEO of Scarlet City was the sister of Mu Qingling. While some people might try topare Mu Qingling and Mu Lihua together, they wouldn¡¯t be able to make a fairparison as they were both in different fields and excelled in it.

    In the eyes of the public, the Mu family was harmonious and the two sisters seemed to be close. Unlike other prominent families, there were no scandals about internal feud or power struggles within the Mu family. The Mu family was the envy of many people, having two outstanding daughters who were talents in their own fields.

    Now that Lily was insinuating that Mu Qingling was trying to make herself better than a certain someone, people might get the idea that she was trying topete with her sister, Mu Lihua. If this news reached her parents then...

    "I don¡¯t know Miss Mu... why don¡¯t you tell me?" Lily smiled. "Let go of me or I will create a scene that will make headlines with your name on it," Lily threatened in a volume just loud enough for the two of them to hear.

    "Why are you doing this?" Mu Qingling hissed without letting go of Lily.

    "Doing what?"

    "This! Aren¡¯t you afraid that I will snatch him from you? Or are you are so confident about not losing him? Is that it? Huh? Because he is so smittened by you? Do you think that you are above me by acting tough and ssy? Have you even looked at the mirror to see what kind of woman are you?"

    "The kind that you don¡¯t want to mess with." Lily smirked before she narrowed her eyes. "Poor Qingling... were you expecting me to p you in front of everyone and cause a scandal?" Lily gave a small chuckle. "People who are beneath me do not pose a threat to me at all. I will not lower myself to give you a p. I merely said a few words and you are already like this. I cannot imagine what my p would do to you."

    "Now... Now... I¡¯ll give you three seconds to let go of-" However, before Lily could finish, Mu Qingling suddenly let go of her grip and fell on the ground, letting out a painful scream. Themotion immediately gathered a crowd. To a bystander, it was as if Lily had pushed Mu Qingling to the ground.

    "Miss Mu... Miss Mu... are you alright?" asked the store manager in a panic. The moment she heard Mu Qingling scream, she dropped what she was doing and came over quickly to show her concern.

    "My waist... I.... I think I fractured something." Mu Qingling winced from the pain before ring at Lily. Since Lily wanted a showdown, she would dly give it to her. Mu Qingling¡¯s tears started streaming down her cheeks as she bit her bottom lip.

    However, Lily remain unfazed. At first she thought that Mu Qingling resembled her from seven years ago. But it turned out she was very dumb! She was nothing like the old Qin Jinghua ah. She looked at Mu Qingling indifferently before taking her phone to snap a few photos of the pathetic woman on the floor.

    "Why... why are you taking pictures of me?" Mu Qingling asked, her tone was extremely pitiful. ¡¯Tsk Tsk...This Mu Qingling, not only is she good at dancing, she¡¯s also good at acting. This woman should be a superstar.¡¯

    "Souvenir," she answered before putting her phone away. "I still have a lot of appointments for today, Miss Mu. I shall make a move first."

    "Hey... aren¡¯t you even going to apologize for what you did?" another voice chimed in. Lily immediately turned her head and looked at a man in a suit who was helping Mu Qingling up.

    "Apologized to whom?"

    "Don¡¯t act in front of me woman. Apologize to Miss Mu now!" the man raised his voice. At this moment, there were already people who were taking videos of the scene in front of them. If Lily was tosh out now, it would all be recorded and people mightbel her as uncouth and vulgar.

    Lilyughed inwardly. Mu Qingling was trying so hard to ruin her reputation, as if that would make it difficult for her to enter the upper echelons of society by her association with Zhuo Jingren.

    Of course, Lily found this funny. With her reputation in Europe, would she even need to worry about that? Would she even need to worry about beingbelled as uncouth and vulgar?

    Seeing as Lily was not intending to apologize, the man fumed and called security. How dare this boorish woman bully the heir of Scarlet City? This woman must be looking for death. Of course, Mu Qingling did not make any attempts to stop the man. This was what she wanted after all.

    "Yang Mi, go and retrieve the recordings from the CCTVs around this area. Also, call mywyer. These people are trying to frame me and tarnish my reputation," Lily instructed Yang Mi who was quickly approaching her.

    Looking at Mu Qingling, Lily said, "If you think that you can pull a stunt like this without any consequences, then you are wrong. You are the performer and I... am just a wife. Let¡¯s see whose reputation gets ruined after today."

    Mu Qingling wanted to say something... anything that would stop Lily from walking away. However, she froze when she heard Lily calling Zhuo Jingren on the phone.

    Fighting someone like Lily would take time. Given that many people had taken a video of the scene earlier, she was sure that news of this would spread, even to Zhuo Jingren¡¯s circle, the upper echelons of the businessworld. Mu Qingling knew that Lily was not a simple person. The fact that she managed to snag Zhuo Jingren was proof of this. However, she would not back down.

    "Did you get a good view of everything that went down earlier?" she asked the woman in the driver¡¯s seat of Mu Qingling¡¯s car.

    "Yes Miss... it really looked like she pushed you," the woman said.

    "Good. Pass the footage to the media with the headline that I gave you. Make sure someone gets the CCTV footage before Lily does," Mu Qingling instructed before she asked the woman to take her to her family¡¯s hospital.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 97 - Not Henpecked, Just in Love

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 97 - Not Henpecked, Just in Love</h4>

    Unbeknownst to Mu Qingling, Zhuo Jingren had already taken action. His ability to gather intel when it came to Lily was unparalleled. He would never allow anything to happen to Lily, not on his watch. So even before Mu Qingling had asked someone to retrieve the CCTV footage, Zhuo Jingren had already beaten her to it and sent it over to Yang Mi.

    "Disrupt Mu Qingling¡¯s tour in Europe." Lily instructed to her subordinate over the phone. "Regarding CCTV footage that Yang Mi had just sent you, I want you to distribute it to all of Mu Qingling¡¯s existing sponsors in the west. I want her cklisted."

    "Monitor all major social media tforms. I¡¯m sure Mu Qingling would y dirty and upload a video shot from a different angle that would y to her advantage. So I want you to take down that video before it gets circted. Remove all traces of it from the inte. I do not want to see Mu Qingling¡¯s name trending in the inte searches," Lily added before dropping the call.

    Lily¡¯s lips curled into a small smile. Tricks like this might work on the weak but Lily was not weak. Mu Qingling wouldn¡¯t even know what hit her.

    "President, are we going to continue shopping?" Yang Mi asked meekly. She was feeling a little guilty for not being around when Lily was being targeted earlier.

    "No need. Let¡¯s just go home. People are bing bolder. I need to expedite my ns and establish my footing here." She would forever bebelled only as Zhuo Jingren¡¯s wife unless she establish her own footing in this country.

    Akane, Mu Qingling were just two examples. Who knows how many other women mighte to scheme against her? How tiring it would be to have to endlessly p them in the face? Lily would rather use her time to earn more money ah. Her time would also be better spent with Zhuo Jingren.

    At the thought of Zhuo Jingren, Lily realized she hadn¡¯t managed to get him anything. Since Lily also needed a little favor from her husband, she decided that she would need to put in some effort to please him.

    After all, a little effort goes a long way.

    "So you cooked dinner for me?" Zhuo Jingren eyed the food chafer on the table. Loosening his tie, he took a seat at the table across Lily.

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded, her face serious. "I think I did good this time. I followed Gordon Ramsay¡¯s tutorials online."

    "I took the time to set the table for a candlelight dinner. Quick, open it!" Lily beamed. She was excited for Zhuo Jingren to open the chafer himself. After all, this dinner was specially prepared for him.

    Zhuo Jingren opened the round chafer with a little anticipation. "Scrambled eggs?" he smiled.

    "The perfect one," Lily said with pride. Gordon Ramsay had said in his tutorial that cooking the perfect scrambled eggs is not an easy feat. The one right now in front of them was truly a work of art and Lily was proud of it.

    "Hmmm... this is very good!" Zhuo Jingren praised. Truthfully, the scrambled eggs made by Lily was really delicious. It was buttery and not overcooked. However, the happiness that he felt was short lived.

    Zhuo Jingren immediately furrowed his brows and rose from his seat and approached Lily with a dark face. "What happened to your hands?" he asked in concern while examining Lily¡¯s hands that were red with small blisters. Upon taking a closer look, it was obvious that some ointment was clumsily applied on the blisters that made some parts of her hands appear a little white and glossy. "You burned yourself?"

    "It wasn¡¯t a big deal. I already put some-"

    "Do not step behind a stove to cook ever again," he interrupted her.

    "It¡¯s just a little burn. It¡¯s part of the learning process," murmured Lily with her head down. "I¡¯m fine, go back to your seat and eat. Don¡¯t waste my effort," she pouted.

    Seeing that Zhuo Jingren was not intending to move, Lily lifted her head and meet his eyes. "What?"

    "Don¡¯t do this again."

    "Come on, it¡¯s no big deal. I am not a child, I can handle a little pain. Plus, I am already someone¡¯s wife. I need to act like one and learn how to whip up a nice meal for her husband." Then she gestured for him to take his seat again.

    Zhuo Jingren felt helpless against Lily¡¯s words. He let out a sigh and went back to his seat. His stubborn wife seemed to need a little discipline.

    "Alright, tell me. What is it that you want to ask me?" Zhuo Jingren blurted as dug into the rice that came with the scrambled eggs. He knew that Lily must have something that she wanted from him or else she wouldn¡¯t have gone through so much effort to cook dinner.

    "Hmmm...indeed nothing can escape your eyes," Lily noted while appreciating her husband¡¯s intelligence.

    "Well...I know that you went through all the trouble to acquire those shares in Qin Industries. But I have some ns of my own now..." Lily paused. "I apologise in advance for this request that I am going to ask of you."

    "I didn¡¯t know that you could be this good with words. It¡¯s okay, I forgive you. You can do whatever you want. What¡¯s mine is yours and it¡¯s been this way since a long time ago," Zhuo Jingren chuckled, amused at his wife¡¯s reservation.

    "How can you say you forgive me so easily? I haven¡¯t even told you what the issue is. You can¡¯t just agree like... like a henpecked husband!"

    "I thought that you were asking for my forgiveness when you apologized earlier?" he retorted before shoving a mouthful of rice into his mouth. "I¡¯m not henpecked. I¡¯m just in love."

    "You- " Lily was speechless at her husband¡¯s shamelessness. "Still, you shouldn¡¯t just agree like that. What if my request is to assassinate someone or...or destroy-"

    "Then I¡¯ll do it with you," Zhuo Jingren said in a heartbeat, his eyes seemed to sparkle.

    Lily did spent a lot of time cooking tonight. She even burned her hands in the process. So how could Zhuo Jingren not agree? However, Lily also knew that even if she had done nothing, Zhuo Jingren would still agree to her requests no matter what. That was how much Zhuo Jingren loved her.

    "I want to transfer the shares you¡¯ve given me in Qin Industries back to Zhuo Capital," Lily said in all seriousness.

    Zhuo Jingren put down his utensils and stared at her. The barrage of questions that she was expecting to hear, did note. Instead the man in front of her just nodded and said, "Okay, do whatever you like. Just tell me if you need my help."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 98 - A Proud Husband

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 98 - A Proud Husband</h4>

    "Don¡¯t you want to hear the rest of my ns?" she asked, a part of her was excited to share her ns with her husband. Actually, Lily understood that the man was just giving her some personal space and freedom. Even though he was eager to be in every aspect of Lily¡¯s life, he also respected her privacy. He wouldn¡¯t ask too many questions and would offer his unwavering support.

    Either Zhuo Jingren trusted her too much or he was just being really patient with her. Perhaps it was both, thought Lily.

    "I want you to offer a loan to the Qin Industries but the loan has to be issued by the Fi Group," Lily continued. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s curiosity was piqued.

    "As the biggest shareholder, you should be able to do something like that," she added, earning a raised eyebrow from Zhuo Jingren.

    "Biggest?"

    "I have a total of twelve percent of shares in Qin Industries - ten percent from my mother and two percent from my paternal grandmother. I am intending to sell all my shares in Qin industries to Zhuo Capital," Lily said.

    A short silence followed as Zhuo Jingren looked at Lily intently. "You are nning to have them owe you," he stated.

    "Repaying the loan will just be the interest," Lily said, her head held high and a small smile escaped her lips. "Eventually, Qin Industries will be mine."

    "So is this why you wanted to be removed from the Qin family¡¯s registry?" Zhuo Jingren asked, pride apparent in his eyes. Zhuo Jingren guessed that Lily¡¯spany should have a provision that do not allow thepany to issue a loan to individuals orpanies who have any rtions with the CEO or an upper-level employee like a managing director. This was to avoid a potential conflict of interest and reduce the risks of embezzlement.

    If Lily was still a Qin on papers, she would not be able to lend money to Qin Industries.

    The smile on Lily¡¯s lips was enough to confirm Zhuo Jingren¡¯s conjecture. "What if they start looking into the Fi Group? It wouldn¡¯t be long before they find out that you own it."

    "I promised Grandmother that I will keep the Qin surname but they didn¡¯t leave me with a choice. Anyway, this is where I need your help to remove every article online thates with an image of myself."

    "That would be difficult but not impossible." Zhuo Jingren said. "I will get my people to work on it starting tomorrow. Give my people three days to finish the job."

    Lily nodded. "Good! Thank you!"

    "No problem. However, Qin Mo is a smart man. He might not trust me and my suggestion. I am your husband after all," Zhuo Jingren said. Qin Mo was probably wary of Zhuo Jingren by now.

    "He doesn¡¯t have a choice." Lily smirked. "Like I said... Qin Industries will be mine."

    "Alright. I will do everything that you say." Zhuo Jingren beamed.

    "Stop smiling like that."

    "What can I say? I am a proud husband. My wife is so smart and ruthless." Zhuo Jingren continued to smile at her. His eyes contained a tinge of pride.

    Lily just shook her head. ¡¯This man is really...¡¯

    While Lily and Zhuo Jingren were enjoying their dinner and having a good time, trouble was brewing for Mu Qingling.

    "How can they just cancel their sponsorship like this? What about the cancetion use in the contract? They would have to pay me a cancetion fee!" Mu Qingling asked her manager angrily over the phone.

    "What?! That is not half of the agreed amount in the contract! What misconduct? I did not breach anything! Let them know that I want to discuss further about this with them but I can¡¯t right now as I am currently hospitalized. Just... just do everything you can for now to stop them from cancelling the contracts." When Mu Qingling ended the call, her gaze was dark and chilly.

    "So no newspapers will ept the video? How about the paparazzi? Did you tell them that the other woman in the video is Zhuo Jingren¡¯s wife?" Mu Qingling asked her secretary.

    "Yes, Miss. But they still refused to ept the video. Even the most greedy paparazzi wouldn¡¯t ept it." The secretary lowered her head, her eyes full of sympathy for Mu Qingling.

    As Mu Qingling¡¯s secretary for years, she knew how much Mu Qingling wanted her parents¡¯ approval and affirmation. She had craved for her parents to give her the same proud smile that they would give to her older sister. Even though Mu Qingling had a sessful career in dancesports, to her parents, she was nothing but a performer - someone who sold her body to be the star of the show.

    Her parents¡¯ rejection of her and her career choice had made Mu Qingling extremely selfish. She craved for everyone¡¯s attention and praises. But the more she received, the more she craved for it, like an addiction. From an outsider¡¯s point of view, it would seem as if her need for attention stemmed from the absence of attention from her parents.

    When Zhuo Jingren rejected her, it greatly hurt her ego to the point that she wanted to conquer the man and make him bow down to her.

    "This must be Zhuo Jingren¡¯s doing. I know it. That woman must have said something bad about me to him and now he is mad at me." Mu Qingling gritted her teeth. She needed toe up with a n to reveal Lily¡¯s true colors to Zhuo Jingren.

    At the thought of her sponsorships being cancelled, Mu Qingling¡¯s beautiful brows immediately furrowed. Was it just a coincidence? Zhuo Jingren wouldn¡¯t have the influence over the entertainment industry abroad right? Surely he wouldn¡¯t have the power to make her western sponsors cancel their sponsorships and willingly pay the cancetion fees.

    "Yanyan..." Mu Qingling called her secretary. "Do you think it¡¯s possible that Lily knows someone powerful abroad? Someone capable of influencing the..." Mu Qingling paused midway. ¡¯No. That is not possible.¡¯ No matter how she looked at Lily, she didn¡¯t seem like someone who would be acquainted with a big shot.

    "Miss... I..."

    "What is it?" Mu Qingling hissed. "What?"

    "I received a call from the Master earlier when you were on a call with your manager and... he..."

    "What?" Mu Qingling asked impatiently.

    "He said that if you still want to continue being a part of the Mu family, then you should stop attacking Mr. Zhuo¡¯s wife ande home. Apparently, they have set up a meeting with Mr. Zhuo and your father wants you to attend this meeting," Yanyan reported.

    "When are they going to meet Zhuo Jingren?" Mu Qingling asked.

    "Two days from now."

    "Alright. Before that, let¡¯s pay a visit to Mr. Zhuo tomorrow. Give a call to his secretary and make an appointment. Also, prepare afortable wheelchair for me. Let¡¯s hand him our video and open his eyes to see what a bully his wife is," Mu Qingling said. She wanted to keep the act of the bullied Miss.

    "Miss Mu... But...but Master said that-"

    "Don¡¯t mind him. He doesn¡¯t care about me. He only said that because he is afraid that Zhuo Jingren might do something to Scarlet City," Mu Qingling sneered.

    She was aware of how partial her father was to her older sister. Even after Mu Lihua had caused Scarlet City¡¯s bankruptcy three years ago, her father never gave her a chance to manage thepany. That alone was enough for Mu Qingling to know that her parents did not have her in their hearts.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 99 - Ruined

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 99 - Ruined</h4>

    WARNING: TITLE OF THE NOVEL IS VILLAIN¡¯S WIFE FOR A REASON.

    The next day, Mu Qingling arrived at Zhuo Capital in a wheelchair. She intentionally made her face appear a little pale with make-up. As a performer, Mu Qingling was quite skilled when ites to make-up and her techniques were on par with professional make-up artists.

    "Are you sure that he agreed to meet with me?" she asked her secretary the moment they entered the building of Zhuo Capital.

    "Yes, Miss. Secretary Go confirmed it." Then Yanyan approached the reception counter and gave Mu Qingling¡¯s name to the receptionist. After checking against her visitor records, she swiftly led them to themon lobby.

    "Why am I not directed to the VIP elevator today?" Mu Qingling asked Yanyan. "Did you tell them that I was using the VIP elevator thest time I was here?"

    "The receptionist said that the VIP elevator is only for VIP clients," Yanyan answered meekly. Given her understanding of Mu Qingling¡¯s character, she knew she would be offended.

    "Good. Very Good. This must be that woman¡¯s doing!" Mu Qingling gritted her teeth in annoyance. She was still someone from the Mu family after all. How could Zhuo Jingren disregard her status and not treat her with the respect that was due to her? She did not deserve this.

    Unlike the VIP elevator, the elevators in themon lobby do not lead them straight to the president¡¯s office. Instead, they would have to exit at the fifteenth floor, walk through a corridor and transfer into another elevator that will then lead them to the president¡¯s office on the highest floor. In other words, themon route to the president¡¯s office was not very convenient.

    Mu Qingling didn¡¯t have any other choice but to swallow all her grievances for now. She had alreadye so far as to arrive in a wheelchair. She reminded herself of her goal which was to show Zhuo Jingren the video in her possession and reveal Lily¡¯s true colors. She convinced herself that she needed to save Zhuo Jingren from Lily.

    "Miss, we are here. Please remain calm and-"

    "I know what to do!" Mu Qingling hissed at her secretary but quickly adjusted her expression when she saw Secretary Go approaching them. "Secretary Go. It¡¯s nice to see you again," Mu Qingling said with a smile.

    "Miss Mu, please follow me," Secretary Go said as he led them inside Zhuo Jingren¡¯s office.

    Mu Qingling¡¯s eyes immediately caught sight of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s handsome back the moment she entered his office. Zhuo Jingren was looking out of the window with his hands tucked behind him.

    "President, Miss Mu is here," Secretary Go announced before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

    "Mr. Zhuo... I was actually surprised that you agreed to meet with me, especially after what happened yesterday..." Mu Qingling paused to observe Zhuo Jingren¡¯s reaction before she continued, "I¡¯m guessing that you want to find out what really happened yesterday right?"

    After their altercation yesterday, Mu Qingling had instructed her secretary to obtain the footage from the CCTVs around the area. After obtaining the CCTV footage for that entire duration, Yanyan instructed the staff to erase the footage from the mall¡¯s surveince system.

    If Zhuo Jingren had seen the CCTV footage, he would have already known the truth and there wouldn¡¯t be a reason for him to agree to meet her. Hence Mu Qingling was sure that Lily didn¡¯t manage to get her hands on the footage and im her innocence.

    "I always knew that you are rational and fair. I want to show you something," she added before taking out her tablet. She gestured for Yanyan to y the video for Zhuo Jingren. Yanyan carefully ced the tablet on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s desk before pressing the y button.

    "From this video, it is clear that Miss Lily was the one at fault. She intentionally pushed me and caused me to sustain injuries. I¡¯m not sure what Lily told you but I demand justice." Mu Qingling¡¯s eyes never left Zhuo Jingren¡¯s back. Up till now, he hadn¡¯t even turned around to look at her and she couldn¡¯t help but feel a little disappointed.

    "I thought that you came here to apologize for what you did but I guessed I was wrong," Zhuo Jingren finally spoke. His words made Mu Qingling swallow hard.

    Then Zhuo Jingren turned around and sat down at his desk. "If I tell you that Lily and I never talked about this at all, would you believe me?"

    "Do you know why video isn¡¯t trending? Or why you aren¡¯t getting any media coverage for your video?" Zhuo Jingren scoffed. Though Lily had taken some measures of her own, it was Zhuo Jingren who made sure that the video didn¡¯t even reach the inte. He also threatened the media not to align themselves with Mu Qingling.

    "Why don¡¯t you tell me your motives, Miss Mu? Why are you trying to ruin my wife¡¯s reputation? Is it because you like me?" Zhuo Jingren¡¯s bluntness made Mu Qingling speechless. "Is it not clear enough to you that there is nothing that you could do to make me reciprocate your feelings?"

    Mu Qingling stared at Zhuo Jingren, her mouth agape. How could he...

    Seeing Mu Qingling speechless, Zhuo Jingren continued. "You have been causing problems for my wife. That is enough reason for me to have you killed."

    "Mr. Zhuo!" Mu Qingling eximed.

    "What? Do you think your parents would care if you disappear?"

    Again, Mu Qingling was not able to answer. What Zhuo Jingren said about her parents hit the spot in her heart where it hurts.

    "You are ruthless!" Mu Qingling said after a few seconds. "Was messing with my sponsorships not enough? Now you are threatening to kill me?"

    "I can kill you now and no one will ask any questions. Not your parents, not your fans and certainly not your sister. But to kill you is being too kind. And I am not the type of person to show kindness to my enemies," Zhuo Jingren spat out.

    Then Zhuo Jingren rose from his seat and picked up a picture frame that was sitting on his desk. You could see the gentleness in his eyes as he stared at the picture in the frame. "You are not even fit to breathe the same air as my Lily," he added.

    By this time, Mu Qingling was already trembling inside. Zhuo Jingren might look calm on the outside but anger was building inside him and threatening to explode. His cold words and his condescending tone made Mu Qingling extremely nervous.

    "As we speak, videos of your illicit bedroom activities with your manager are being streamed on several pornographic websites," Zhuo Jingren casually said as he carefully ced the picture frame back on his desk. "I¡¯m sure no one will want to hire you anymore and your parents will hate you even more."

    "Mr. Zhuo... what are you talking about?" she said as she signaled her secretary to search the inte to verify Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words. Seeing the look of shock on Yanyan¡¯s face, Mu Qingling immediately cried out, "How could you ruin me like this?"

    "Miss Mu must be joking. Who is the one who loves to spread videos online? I was just giving you a taste of your own medicine. Now you know how it feels like to be...famous. Maybe you will change your ways from now." Zhuo Jingren chuckled. "If I wanted you ruined... you wouldn¡¯t even have the chance to speak to me right now."

    "Mr. Zhuo... I..."

    "I could have auctioned you off in the underworld but I didn¡¯t, because you reminded my wife of her previous self."

    "This is for you. It¡¯s for a high-end escort servicepany that I own." Zhuo Jingren gave a small calling card to Mu Qingling. "May this remind you not to mess with my wife again, or else-"

    Without waiting for Zhuo Jingren to finish his words, Mu Qingling rose from her wheelchair and hastily left the office. If she stayed any longer, she was sure that Zhuo Jingren would be even more ruthless towards her. Mu Qingling wiped her tears as she ran towards the elevator, her secretary following closely behind.

    She was ruined.

    "President, shall we stop her?" Secretary Go calmly asked after Mu Qingling was gone.

    "Let her go but have someone follow her. One wrong move and she will be auctioned off. I¡¯m sure many older businessmen would love to have someone like her as a ve."

    Secretary Go involuntarily cringed at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words. The president¡¯s ruthlessness was not new to him but witnessing it first-hand still gave him the chills.

    Cold and deadly.

    Secretary Go could only pray that Mu Qingling doesn¡¯t make a wrong move or else she would end up like Akane and every other woman who tried to scheme their way into his bed.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 100 - Are You Afraid Of Me?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 100 - Are You Afraid Of Me?</h4>

    Zhuo Capital - President Zhuo¡¯s office.

    "Don¡¯t kill her." Lily leaned back in the chair and examined her nails before turning her head towards Zhuo Jingren. "She does not deserve to die." She wondered what could have caused this man to be capable of being so cold-hearted.

    "Alright." Zhuo Jingren shifted on his seat. "You know I won¡¯t tolerate anyone who tries to harm you."

    "She is not my enemy," Lily said before she propped her chin in the palm of her left hand, her gaze fixed on Zhuo Jingren. "Tell me... did you kill Akane?"

    "No. I am not the type of person who kills easily," Zhuo Jingren answered. "But I did punish her."

    "What about Riku?"

    "He knew that Akane couldn¡¯t escape punishment after what she did. But Akane¡¯s actions had nothing to do with him," he answered truthfully. Zhuo Jingren would never forgive Akane for trying to kill Lily. Anyone who darey a finger on his wife would have to pay a price. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

    Lily nodded and checked her wristwatch. She was running a little behind time in her paperwork. Originally, she was nning to catch up on some work in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s office after lunch but then thetter started recounting what happened earlier in his office.

    "Lily?" Zhuo Jingren held Lily¡¯s hands, gaining her attention.

    "Hm?"

    "Are you afraid of me?" he asked as he gave Lily¡¯s hand a little squeeze.

    "Why would I be afraid of you?" she asked with raised eyebrows. She had to admit that what he did was a little ruthless but he was just trying to protect her. Moreover, if Mu Qingling was let off too easily, wouldn¡¯t she try to scheme against her again?

    "Thank you." Zhuo Jingren leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. He had already given Mu Qingling a chance of survival. If she still doesn¡¯t learn from this, then no one could me him for being even more ruthless.

    He already lost Lily once, he would do everything in his power to protect her henceforth.

    A small smile escaped Lily¡¯s lips at the sight of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s high spirits as he made his way back to his desk. She figured that he must have told her about this because he didn¡¯t want to hide anything from her. Likewise, she had been honest with him about her ns regarding Qin Industries.

    This seemed like a start of an honest partnership between the two of them. Not that she had any problems with being honest. In fact, she would love for them to always be honest with each other.

    With a smile stered on her face, she gestured for Yang Mi toe closer so that she could give her some instructions. Tomorrow would be the quarterly meeting for the shareholders of the A.R Mall and Boutique. She was sure that Liam and Xuan Hui would be making a big move against her.

    "President, here are the files that needed your signature." Yang Mi immediately handed Lily a pile of folders. "Also, Mr. Fernando Kim called to remind you that fashion week is next friday. And next monday is our quarterly meeting with Fi Group¡¯s board of directors in London. Shall I make arrangements for our flight?"

    "Go ahead," Lily said while massaging her brows. The agenda for this quarterly meeting with Fi Group¡¯s board of directors had long been set. The main items on the agenda were performance reports from their subsidiarypanies that would be presented by the respective managing directors. But Lily decided to insert another item on the agenda which was to give an update about the progress of their acquisition of A.R Mall and Boutique and to announce some new appointments. She wouldn¡¯t want to miss attending this meeting.

    "I have already appointed Mr. Beau to be in charge of managing A.R Mall and Boutique. Miss O¡¯kelly will be supporting him up as Operations Manager of the other branches of A.R Mall and Boutique. Have their new appointments announced to everyone in Fi Group after the quarterly meeting is over."

    "Got it, President."

    "Anything else?" Lily asked.

    "Mr. Xuan scheduled a meeting with you."

    "Did he mention why?"

    "No." Yang Mi answered.

    "Then reject him. This is a simple matter. In the future, if no purpose is stated, reject the meeting request straightaway. Especially from insignificant people like him."

    "My apologies, President."

    "Hmmm... will our people from London arrive today?"

    "Yes, President."

    "Then make sure their amodations are all finalized. And get them to start working as soon as possible. Tell them to start with Mr. Li, he is the next biggest shareholder after Zhuo Capital and Qin Mo."

    "Got it. President," Yang Mi answered. Without any further instructions from Lily, Yang Mi returned to her small desk to resume working.

    The president had her eyes set on obtaining Qin Industries and Yang Mi would stand next to the president and offer her full support. Ever since she learned about the president¡¯s childhood from Old Madam Fi, she had formed a bad impression of the Qin family. She couldn¡¯t wait for the day toe where her president would seed in her ns. She knew that the day was not far away.

    A dangerous glint shed in Yang Mi¡¯s eyes. ¡¯Qin Industries, you will receive your punishment soon.¡¯

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 101 - Beast at Night

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 101 - Beast at Night</h4>

    Saturday - At Sky City.

    "I¡¯ll bete if you don¡¯t stop." Lily helplessly pushed Zhuo Jingren away from her. "This is a very important meeting."

    "No, it¡¯s not," Zhuo Jingren said while looking at her with amusement. "Thinking about money while I¡¯m naked beside you... I should feel insulted."

    Lily simply rolled her eyes before pulling the covers away from her body and getting up from bed. As she was making her way to the bathroom, she heard the sound of footstepsing closer towards her. "Where do you think you are going?" she asked with a smirk on her face.

    "Taking a bath... with you," he said as he pulled Lily inside the bathroom before she could object. Which meeting is more important than him?

    After two hours in the bath together, Lily dragged her sore body out of the bathroom with a frown. "You will not sleep with me during working days!" she said, her tone stern.

    "Making love."

    "I¡¯m sorry?" she wrapped the robe tighter around her body and looked at Zhuo Jingren.

    "I said, it¡¯s making love not sleeping together," he answered with a chuckle.

    "You beast." Lily spat before choosing a set of corporate attire for her meeting. In fact, Lily could choose not to attend this quarterly meeting with the shareholders of A.R Mall and Boutique as she had already appointed Mr. Beau to be in charge for now. But how could she miss the opportunity to see for herself what schemes Liam and Xuan Hui had cooked up for her?

    "Behind every man beast is a very beautiful wife." She heard Zhuo Jingren whisper into her ear while his arms smoothly wrapped themselves around her waist. Lily instantly pped his arms before pulling herself out of his embrace. "I thought you¡¯re meeting the Mu family today?"

    "They can wait," he answered as he removed the towel from his waist. A yful smirk was stered on his face.

    "Zhuo Jingren! Whatever it is that you are thinking, stop it now! Or I will leave this ce and not see you for a week!" Lily warned, feeling the ache in her waist.

    "I was just about to put on some clothes," heughed before approaching her. "But since you want to..."

    "No! Go change into your clothes," she said before hastily grabbing her clothes and bolting out of the walk-in closet, leaving an amused Zhuo Jingren behind. How could a man be so sweet and gentle during the day and behave like a beast at night?

    "Yang Mi, have you released the photos of Liam spotted in thepany of other girls in Europe?" Lily asked, the moment she boarded her car.

    "Yes, President." Yang Mi nodded. "Liam Arison¡¯s father was fuming and called for an emergency meeting. Sofia Arison is also panicking knowing that Liam is here in Hong Kong. She is trying to cover for Liam while asking him to leave Hong Kong immediately."

    Lily had asked her to release these photos on the day of the quarterly shareholders meeting to cause panic and discontentment among the shareholders. Even though A.R Mall and Boutique was no longer a subsidiarypany under Arison Holdings, these shareholders still hold shares in Arison Holdings and other subsidiarypanies under them. Moreover most of these shareholders still looked up to the former management and had not acknowledged the new management under Lily.

    These photos would show what a yboy Liam Arison was. Ifizens paid attention to the timestamp on these photos, they would know that Liam hadn¡¯t changed his yboy ways even after he was engaged to Lily. It would be easy to conclude that the reason why Lily broke off the engagement was because Liam had been cheating on her. Who would want to marry a cheater?

    Not only would Liam be forced to leave Hong Kong to settle this matter, it also cleared up the misconception that Lily was heartless for breaking off the engagement for no reason. Yang Mi praised Lily inwardly for her brilliance.

    Moreover, Lily had not ordered the release of Liam¡¯s photographs with his cousin yet. Yang Mi was sure that those photographs would be the nail to Liam¡¯s coffin if Lily decided to release them.

    "I want you to release a statement that this was the reason why I cancelled the engagement," Lily said. Yang Mi nodded earnestly and made a mental note to send an email to their team in Europe the soonest as they were still on the road. It seemed that the president is showing Sofia and Liam her ws.

    In less than fifteen minutes, they arrived at the A.R Mall and Boutique. Lily entered the meeting room with a smile on her face. But all of the shareholders were not happy that Lily waste and didn¡¯t seemed apologetic about it.

    "Just in time, President Qin. We are just about to go through the list of candidates for the election of a new board of directors," Mr. Beau said, his blue eyes gleaming with mischief. Lily had told him beforehand of the possibility that the shareholders might demand for a new managing director and how they would most likely nominate someone who could benefit them, someone like Liam Arison.

    ¡¯Too bad, he is not here right now,¡¯ thought Mr Beau.

    Lily elegantly took the seat to Mr. Beau¡¯s left and opened herptop without addressing everyone in the room. Then she lifted her head and looked at Mr. Beau, "Please continue. Don¡¯t mind my presence," she said while looking at the shareholders who were sitting around the circr table.

    To her surprise, she actually recognized two of the shareholders. She recognized them from the charity ball that she attended with Zhuo Jingren a while back. Before she left the house, Zhuo Jingren had assured her that there would be no problems in this meeting and he sounded so confident. But at that point in time, Lily did not put much thought into it.

    A look of surprise could also be seen on the faces of those two shareholders who also immediately recognized Lily. When Zhuo Jingren introduced Lily as his wife to them, they were not able to get Lily¡¯sst name. They assumed that she was just a foreigner that Zhuo Jingren met in one of his travels.

    Who would have thought that she would be another beast in the business world? The two shareholders looked at each other, a tacit understanding could be seen in their eyes. They wouldn¡¯t dare to offend Zhuo Jingren for someone unreliable.

    Lily gave a small smile before she continued working on herptop.

    The nomination of directorial candidates continued until Lily let out a surprised gasp that brought the meeting to a halt.

    "President, are you alright?" Mr. Beau asked while ncing at Lily¡¯sptop. This promoted the nearest person to Lily to also take a peek at Lily¡¯sptop and as expected, he immediately frowned.

    "Is that Liam Arison?" Mr. Beau asked, his face grim. This earned the curiosity of the shareholders as whispers started to fill the room. The shareholder who nced at Lily¡¯sptop confirmed that Liam Arison had hit the headlines and it was not for something good.

    "I am alright... I was just surprised." Lily lowered her head and immediately closed herptop. "Please continue."

    At this point, everyone in the room was busy checking the news for themselves on theirptops and tablets. Their faces ugly turning from reading the news.

    Was this the reason why Liam Arison had left hastily without informing them?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 102 - That Wasnt Me!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 102 - That Wasn¡¯t Me!</h4>

    Saturday - After the shareholders meeting.

    "I had a hunch that Liam would have contacted the shareholders prior to this meeting to convince them to nominate him to be the managing director and oversee the newly elected board of internal directors," Lily said, addressing the two shareholders whom she had recognized earlier as the ones she had met at the charity ball. "And I am d that you two made the right decision by voting against him."

    "Miss Lily, the scandal that you ¡¯unintentionally¡¯ showed us paved the way for Mr. Beau¡¯s sess. Your brilliance is indeed unparalleled," the shareholder with thest name Chen said with a big smile on his face. When the shareholders saw Liam Arison¡¯s scandal on the inte, they started to have doubts about his capabilities to lead and manage A.R Mall and Boutique. While some shareholders still gave Liam Arison the benefit of the doubt and voted for him, Mr. Beau had won by receiving the most number of votes. Mr. Beau was officially appointed as Managing Director of A.R Mall and Boutique at the end of the meeting.

    Moreover, these two shareholders had the sensibility not to go against Lily. If they did, they would have offended Zhuo Jingren. They wouldn¡¯t havested all these years in the businessworld if they couldn¡¯t even tell what was right for them.

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded and smiled at the two shareholders. "I hope that you two would not tell anyone about my marriage with Zhuo Jingren. Though it is not our intention to keep our marriage hidden, my husband and I value our privacy very much. I also don¡¯t want to be in the spotlight right now."

    "Of course... Of course..." The two nodded and watched as Lily raised a ss of champagne, tilting it towards them in a toast.

    "To a good partnership." She smiled. The two also raised their sses towards Lily in response. Though they had not discussed anything important about A.R Mall and Boutique during this time, it was obvious that Lily wanted them to be on her side and report to her about the activities of other shareholders. Not that they have anything to say against that.

    In fact, both of them were fairly happy that Lily Fi-Qin was keen on forming a partnership with them. After all, they wouldn¡¯t want to make an enemy out of Lily, who was not only a strong opponent in the business world, but someone with a formidable husband backing her.

    Lily took a sip of the champagne, her smile was brilliant and beautiful. With Liam in Europe trying to take care of his own scandal, Xuan Hui would not have anyone to ally himself with here. Her smile became even brighter at the thought of that despicable man. Slowly but surely, she would be collecting the debts from everyone who owed her in the past.

    For now, her focus would be on the people in the present. The Arisons needed a lesson, one they could never forget in their lifetime.

    Lily shifted in her seat as she watched the two shareholders leave with a big smile on their faces. In a male dominated business world, the best way to gain their trust was to make them believe that they matter; boost their ego and make them think that you need them.

    "Yang Mi," she said softly while twirling the champagne in the ss. She watched as the liquid twirl inside the ss and smiled when it sparkled under the lights of the board room.

    "President?"

    "It¡¯s time. Release Sofia Arison¡¯s scandal. Make them panic. Expect a call from both Sofia and Liam¡¯s father soon. Schedule a meeting with Liam¡¯s half brother. It¡¯s time for me to end this game," she said in a sinister tone.

    Liam and Xuan Hui might be scheming something else in the meantime but too bad for them as Lily was not intending to sit and wait for them to take action. She would rather attack first, hit them where it hurts the most and achieve victory before the war could even start.

    Sofia Arison paced around worriedly inside her room. Her hands were clenched into fists and droplets of sweat had formed on her forehead. She bit her lower lip and looked at the time. It was 3 am but everyone in the Arison family was awake. She hastily walked towards her bed and picked up the phone to call her son again.

    Still unreachable.

    What did she expect? Liam must still be on a ne right now, on his way back home. She let out a sigh before closing her eyes. Her husband¡¯s words echoed inside her mind again.

    ¡¯If Liam can¡¯t fix this then he will have to say goodbye to his CEO position in Arison Holdings.¡¯

    "No.... No... this cannot happen," she said while gritting her teeth. She then dialed another number. "Did you manage to find out who released those photographs?" she asked the person on the other line.

    "What do you mean? Aren¡¯t you the best hacker in this country? Find out who... NO! I want it in an hour. Not Possible? No! I want it in an hour or I... I... Hello... Hello?" Sofia stared in disbelief at her phone. ¡¯How dare he hung up on me?¡¯ She dialed the number once again but was met with a busy dial tone this time.

    "AHHHHHH!" Sofia let out a scream of frustration before she threw the phone on her bed. Who could have released those photos of Liam¡¯s indiscreet behavior online? What was their motive? This situation had caused her so much stress that she developed a headache. As Sofia was massaging her temples, a small beep sounded from her phone.

    She quickly picked it up and her eyes widened when she saw the message. Her face paled as she involuntarily took a step back. Her body trembled until her phone slipped from her grip. "Who..." she stuttered. Someone had sent her images of her and her personal driver being intimate in the car.

    "Sofia! Open the door!" Sofia trembled even more, fearing the worst. Those images were also sent to her husband. She feared the confrontation that was about to happen.

    ¡¯BANG¡¯

    The door was kicked open by George Arison.

    "You!" A resounding p echoed inside the room. "Sl*t" George Arison stared at Sofia who had fallen on the floor by the impact. Sofia stared back at him while clutching her reddened and swollen cheek. Her face was wet with tears and her hands were trembling.

    "George...please...That wasn¡¯t me! The photos aren¡¯t real! That wasn¡¯t me..." Sofia managed to plea in between her sobs. "I never betrayed you! That wasn¡¯t me!"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 103 - Time For a New Strategy

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 103 - ¡¯Time For a New Strategy¡¯</h4>

    "So you will be away from this Sunday until next Thursday. Whereas I will be flying to New York this Thursday and will only be back on Sunday. Wouldn¡¯t this mean that we won¡¯t be seeing each other for a week?" Zhuo Jingren looked sadly at Lily.

    "For thest time, there¡¯s Skype and other means tomunicate with each other," Lily said while enjoying the steak on her te that was nicely sliced by her doting husband. They were currently having dinner in one of the upscale restaurants in Hong Kong.

    Seeing the pout on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face instantly made Lily scoff, letting out a small chuckle. This man seemed to have a lot of personalities ah. It amused Lily to see a childish side to him. Usually, she would see his sweet and caring side but she knew that he could also ruthless and cold when dealing with others.

    Zhuo Jingren let out a sigh, resigned that he couldn¡¯t change Lily¡¯s mind about her work trip even when he had acted cute around her. He thought that even if he couldn¡¯t change her mind about her work trip, he could have convinced her to allow him toe along. ¡¯Time for a new strategy,¡¯ he thought.

    "I don¡¯t know how long I will be staying in London but I will return after I am done with the Arisons. After dealing with the Arisons, the Qins will be next," she exined. Her priority was to take Liam and Sofia Arison down. She would not stop until the two give up on their ns to own her. She would not even hesitate to destroy them if this was what it takes for them to give up the idea of owning her.

    "Alright. I get it," Zhuo Jingren answered an idea popped into his head. If he wanted to go to London, he could just go uninvited. Why was he waiting for Lily to invite him when he could just invite himself into her ce? Zhuo Jingren praised himself foring to this realization.

    "I will be in New York on Friday which means I can¡¯t apany you to Fashion Week. Don¡¯t worry though, I will let Fernando know about this."

    "Why are you letting him know?" she asked. ¡¯What does Fernando have to do with their schedules?¡¯

    "So that he can take care of you, of course. Your step-mother might be up to something," he said. "And I will send another person to follow you around. To make sure that you are safe."

    "It¡¯s just Fashion Week. What could happen in a boring event like that?" she chuckled. "But thank you for the gesture. I appreciate it."

    "However, this makes me wonder... do you know something about Tang Lingyun¡¯s ns?" she asked.

    "Not for now. But I will soon," he said. ording to his sources, Tang Lingyun had been talking to a lot of local gang leaders these past few days. Moreover, she was also meeting up with her nephew in the Tang family more frequently than usual. She must be up to no good again.

    If his memory served him right, this nephew was also the person that Tang Lingyun wanted Lily to be engaged to, instead of Xuan Hui. This made him conclude that Tang Lingyun was cooking up another scheme against Lily. However, Zhuo Jingren would not make a move without first getting Lily¡¯s approval. He knew that Lily had her own ns with the Qins. In the meantime, he would continue to act as Lily¡¯s eyes and ears and support her in everything that she does.

    "Tell me," Lily said. "I am not the type of person who waits. I am someone who strikes first before the other party could evenplete their ns."

    "Tang Lingyun has been meeting someone called Tang Wei Dong. I believe you are familiar with him?" Zhuo Jingren lowered his voice. Though they were currently dining inside the VIP booth of the restaurant, he was still cautious.

    "Let¡¯s talk about this when we get home." Lily frowned. Lily knew Tang Wei Dong of course. He was the current heir of Tang family and the cousin of Qin Fei. He was also a lewd businessmen who valued money above everything else. Moreover, he was also the one whom Tang Lingyun had introduced to Lily, telling her to consider marrying him instead of Xuan Hui. Of course, Lily could not forget how the man persistently harassed her at her own birthday party one year.

    At that time, people assumed that Lily was the one who initiated contact with Tang Wei Dong when they saw them mingling. Then when Lily used Tang Wei Dong for harassing her, they thought that it was because she had given him false signals. Why would Tang Wei Dong be friendly towards her otherwise? This ruckus made the Xuan family dislike Lily back then. They thought she was promiscuous for seducing another man when she was still engaged to Xuan Hui.

    How could she forget this incident? The Tang family will soon follow the Qin family. If they wanted to court death, then Lily would not hesitate to cripple them first before she deals with Tang Lingyun. Lily¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when she heard a familiar voice in the next booth which made her ears perked up.

    "I¡¯m sorry Mrs. Xuan, but your personal card had been rejected. If you could give me another card to settle the bill, that would be for the best," the middle-aged attendant respectfully said while handing the card back to Qin Fei.

    "What do you mean rejected? There must be a mistake..." Qin Fei¡¯s eyshes fluttered, her face reddened in embarrassment. Qin Fei remained extremely docile and gentle, an image that she made sure to maintain whenever she was in the public¡¯s eye.

    "Sister Feifei... it¡¯s alright. Here, take my card instead." A beautiful woman smiled at her before she handed her card to the attendant.

    "No Qiao Qiao... It was me who invited everyone here. It¡¯s okay, I have other cards," Qin Fei said, giving an apologetic smile to the women who were with her. Then she asked her assistant for the ck card that Xuan Hui had given her. The card was then handed to the middle-aged attendant who left to settle the bill. "I apologized for that. There must be a problem with the bank. I¡¯m sure it will be fixed soon."

    "No problem. Sister Feifei is too kind. Mistakes like this do happen. You don¡¯t have to apologize," another actress butted in, earning nods from the other women.

    When Qin Fei invited everyone out for dinner on the ount of celebrating the sess of their film, most of them jumped at the opportunity to butter themselves up to Qin Fei. After all, she was the wife of Xuan Hui.

    Of course, this was with the exception of Qiao Qiao - the winner of the best neer of the year, who had everything going well for her.

    Qiao Qiao was talented, beautiful and nice. In fact, she just signed another three-year contract with Xuan Films and her remuneration was extremely extravagant. Even though she was still a neer in the industry, she already had her own team to follow her around. This Qiao Qiao was extremely lucky. Because of this, it was not unusual for a certain pregnant wife to feel threatened by this neer.

    "Mrs. Xuan, apparently, your bill had already been taken care of by the people upying the booth next door." The attendant¡¯s voice once again echoed inside the booth, waking everyone up from their stupor.

    "People next door? I... May I know who they are? I need to thank them personally." Qin Fei smiled at the attendant, her face was full of confusion.

    "Ehem...I think that would be Mr. Zhuo of the Zhuo Capital," the attendant said. Though they had a rule not to divulge information of their clients, he couldn¡¯t help but to answer the question honestly in the presence of this group of beautiful women with their extremely sweet voices. Who could reject answering their questions?

    "Zhuo Capital? Is that the same Zhuo Capital who invested in your film Qiao Qiao?" one woman asked. "Now that I think about it, our Qiao Qiao had recently signed another three-year contract and the terms were very good. Could it be that Mr. Zhuo had taken a liking to our Qiao Qiao?"

    "I... I don¡¯t know." Qiao Qiao¡¯s face instantly reddened, causing the other actresses to naturally want to tease her. "Stop saying baseless things like that. How embarrassing!"

    "Qiao Qiao... I heard Mr. Zhuo recently got married... Is it possible that you are his wife?" They allughed.

    "What? No!" Qiao Qiao¡¯s face became even redder. "Stop spouting nonsense already..."

    "Aiya... Our Qiao Qiao is embarrassed," Qin Feiughed as she held Qiao Qiao¡¯s hands. "Don¡¯t worry. We will keep your secret." She smiled, her eyes showed relief and gentleness. It seems like her worries about Qiao Qiao seducing her husband were unfounded. If Qiao Qiao already had a man as outstanding as Mr. Zhuo, then Qin Fei was sure that a married man like Xuan Hui wouldn¡¯t interest Qiao Qiao.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 104 - Brimming With Happiness

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 104 - Brimming With Happiness</h4>

    It was Sunday and the two lovebirds decided to just spend their time together at home.

    "There... Harder... Aw... A little more. Harder... There.... Oh my god. That¡¯s so good." Lily let out a moan.

    "Hmmm... You like it?"

    "Yeah...e on lower your hands.... That¡¯s right. Lower. Okay... that¡¯s it. Oh...."

    "I won¡¯t be exerting too much force or you will get bruised from the massage. This should be enough for now." Zhuo Jingren trailed kisses on Lily¡¯s naked back. "Are you ready for your tripter?"

    "Hmmm... I am."

    "Won¡¯t you miss me?" Zhuo Jingren asked before he rolled over to Lily¡¯s right side. He propped his head into his palm and looked adoringly at Lily.

    "I think you should really stop saying things like that. It does not suit you," Lily said.

    "Things like what?"

    "You know... like that. When you act like a wife. A six foot two man pouting is somewhat weird no?" Lily chuckled, still lying on her stomach and using her arms as her pillow. "Aw! Why did you p me?" she immediately jolted up and covered her body when Zhuo Jingren pped her behind.

    "I don¡¯t know, acting like a husband?" He raised an eyebrow at her. His words instantly made Lilyugh. For some reason, this man could be cute, cringey and weird all at the same time. And she... she seemed to be loving it.

    Lily left Hong Kong on her private ne on Sunday night together with Yang Mi and Daohu. Lily¡¯s flight took off around 2300hrs Hong Kong time and was expecting tond in London at 0445hrs on Monday, London time.

    Thirteen hourster.

    Lily¡¯s ne finally arrived in London. Today was also the day of the Fi Group quarterly meeting. As they had arrived in the wee hours of Monday morning, they still had time to get some rest before the meeting. Yang Mi drove Lily back to her apartment before returning to her own apartment that was not far away from Lily¡¯s. While Daohu checked into a nearby hotel.

    Lily took a short nap and woke up at eight in the morning and immediately started preparing for the meeting. Daohu and Yang Mi reported at her doorstep at 0830hrs.

    "President, these are the vitamins that President Zhuo prepared for you. He said that these should be taken every morning, just after breakfast." Lily did not know whether she shouldugh or cry as she looked at the three familiar looking capsules on the table. To think that Zhuo Jingren actually had the foresight to pass the bottle of vitamins to Yang Mi as if he already anticipated that she would forget to bring them along with her.

    "Alright." She nodded before she continued reading the news and eating the English breakfast that Yang Mi had bought for her. Lily savoured the familiar taste of bacon, sausages, saut¨¦ed mushrooms and toast. She missed the food here.

    As Lily read the news, she noted that the stock prices of Arison Holdings was still dropping. No doubt the scandals surrounding Liam and Sofia Arison was instrumental. This was only the first step in her ns.

    Her second step would be to talk to the most suitable candidate who could take over Arison Holdings - Liam¡¯s younger and half-brother, Jack Arison.

    After Lily was done with breakfast, they all headed to Fi Group together in one car. This morning, Lily was feeling a little excited because she was going to meet Jack Arison soon.

    Fi Group Headquarters - London.

    The quarterly meeting went on uneventfully. As expected, Fi Group was doing well; their profits were on the rise and shareholders were happy. Their employee satisfaction index was also high. It could be said that Lily handled her responsibilities well as a CEO and she had brought Fi Group to greater heights.

    During the meeting, Lily shared her vision for thepany. She shared about her long term goals for thepany, not just in theing years but for the next ten to twenty years. This earned a round of apuse from the men and women who attended the meeting. Everyone was excited and pledged their support for Lily. They couldn¡¯t help but apud thete Lillian Fi for her foresight to train Lily to take over her.

    When the meeting was over, everyone made their way to the function room for their buffet lunch. The lunch was attended by the middle and top management as well as major shareholders. It was an opportunity for everyone to mingle, to talk business or engage in casual conversations.

    "I heard that you are having a hard time with the takeover in Hong Kong?" A tall middle age man asked with a smile on his face. It was Han Yeping, the managing director of FC Construction in Spain.

    "Hmmm... what do you expect from a hostile takeover?" A middle aged woman answered. "But our Lily is the smartest, I have confidence in her. She can handle those people. Isn¡¯t that right my dear?"

    "Director Su is making me blush," Lily answered. "We are working towards the opening of Harmony Isle¡¯s first retail branch in Hong Kong at the start of the first quarter next year."

    "Hmmm... If you need any help, you know you can give us a call. It will be an honor to work with you." Han Yeping smiled, his eyes were deep and unfathomable.

    Earlier this month, Lily had tasked him to participate in the bidding for all the projects that the Arison Construction would also be participating in. But he had to be discreet about it. He was uncertain about this task and did not have the confidence to go against Arison Construction and win the bids.

    After all, Arison Construction has been in the industry for years, with a strong foundation. They had good leadership and their revenue had been steady all these years. While FC Construction was fairly new in the industry.

    What baffled Han Yeping was why would Lily want to attack Arison Construction, the biggest and most profitable subsidiarypany under Arison Holdings? Most people knew that the Arison and Fi family were old friends. In fact, Lily Fi and Liam Arison were once engaged before.

    However, looking at the current scandals in the Arison family which implicated Arison Holdings, including its subsidiary, Arison Construction, he finally understood.

    The current instability within Arison Construction would give them the perfect opportunity to snatch over every project that they had ns to bid for. At this moment, the focus of everyone in Arison Construction would likely be on public rtions, hoping to turn the situation around. They would be busy trying to stabilise their stock prices, to stop them from falling any further. How would they find the time to fight against Han Yeping¡¯s well nned proposals?

    Han Yeping stared at Lily who was smiling and talking to the other executives. Behind Lily¡¯s smile was a scary brain. If she were to marry someone just as smart and capable, wouldn¡¯t they be able to rule the business world at the top together? For some reason, Han Yeping¡¯s line of sight fell onto Lily¡¯s left hand.

    His eyes immediately widened when he noticed a ring on her ring finger which could only mean one thing. Didn¡¯t Lily only break off her engagement to Liam Arison just a month ago? Who did Lily get married to then?

    Of course, the wedding band on Lily¡¯s finger didn¡¯t go unnoticed by everyone else during the banquet. Lily was the star of the show after all and people paid close attention to her. A diamond studded ring like that would surely attract attention.

    However, no one dared to ask her if she was married. Everyone was left curious about the man whom the great Lily Fi married.

    Was he as great as President Lily?

    Everyone couldn¡¯t help but notice that Lily looked rather radiant today. She was smiling a lot more and she seemed to be brimming with happiness. Could this be the effect of President Lily¡¯s marriage?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 105 - Villains in Someones Eyes

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 105 - Viins in Someone¡¯s Eyes</h4>

    -A coffee shop along Wardour street, London.-

    "President Qin, please forgive me for beingte." A man in his twenties gave Lily a little bow before straightening up and looking expectedly at Lily, as if he was waiting for her to invite him to sit at the table with her.

    "No apologies needed. Please take a seat," Lily answered nonchntly as she took a sip of her coffee. "And please call me Lily."

    The young man gave Lily a respectful nod before shing her a boyish smile. "I wonder why would Miss Lily ask to see me?"

    "Please Jack, I am not Liam or Sofia, so you can drop the act." She then lifted her gaze and stared at the man in front of her.

    Jack gave off a totally different vibepared to Liam. Liam have this masculine vibe which could be due to his muscr build and his broad shoulders. The little stubble that Liam kept made him look ruggedly handsome. While Jack was boyish-looking and a little lean for a six-foot tall man. Based on first impressions alone, people might look up to Liam while looking down on Jack.

    Like his brother, Jack was working in the family business. He was a managing director in one of the smaller subsidiaries under Arison Holdings in Pnd. Contrary to popr belief, Jack wasn¡¯t chair warmer. He actually pulled his weight at work and hispany was doing well. Because of his good performance at work, the major shareholders in Arison Holdings were starting to notice him and thought the man had potential and was capable of achieving more.

    A small smile escaped Jack¡¯s lips as he gestured for the waiter to give him a cup of coffee. He leaned back in the chair and stared back at Lily with a small smile on his face.

    "The scandal," he stated before leaning towards Lily. "Was it your doing?"

    "Is that even a question?" Lily retorted while taking another sip of her coffee. "This coffee is exquisite."

    Jack epted Lily¡¯s reply as an affirmative. The smile on Lily¡¯s face was enough to tell him that Lily had more tricks up her sleeve against Sofia and Liam. "So, why do you want to see me? Do you want to marry me instead of my brother?"

    Jack¡¯s question instantly earned a chuckle from Lily. "You must be joking, don¡¯t tter yourself too much. Why don¡¯t I tell you something interesting about coffee instead." Jack¡¯s jaw almost dropped. He did not know if he wanted tough or cry at Lily¡¯s bluntness.

    "Ny-nine percent of our coffee are grown in developing, third world countries with really cheapbor," she started. "But I¡¯m sure you already know that." She paused and watched as the waiter delivered the coffee that Jack had ordered.

    "Coffee is highly consumed in developed countries while the people who grow them are dying of malnutrition. But do we care about that?" Lily then ced her cup of coffee on the table. "No, we don¡¯t. We still crave more for this addictive drink that has less vor than a bowl of soup."

    "We don¡¯t care about the process of how coffee gets to us. We only care about the lingering taste of a cup of coffee. Don¡¯t we?" she smiled.

    "Yes, you¡¯re right." He nodded as he took a sip of his own coffee. "So are we just going to talk about coffee all night?"

    "I wish we could but I¡¯m a busy woman. I still have matters to take care of regarding your family." Lily¡¯s frankness rendered Jack speechless. "Now Jack... I only have one question for you." Lily made a deliberate pause before she continued, "Will you treat Arison Holdings just like how you treat your coffee?"

    Jack was stumped by Lily¡¯s question. He simply stared at her, his eyes full of emotions as he thought about Lily¡¯s question. Lily wanted to know if he would treat Arison Holdings just like how he would treat his coffee. Would he be able to disregard everything else as long as he could obtain Arison Holdings for himself? A ssic quote came to his mind ¡¯the ends justify the means¡¯ and applying to the context of Lily¡¯s question, he wondered if it does.

    "Take your time." Lily smiled at him. "I can wait for your answer."

    Jack stared at Lily¡¯s amber eyes that seemed to sparkle. No, it wasn¡¯t amber, it was light brown. It was too light that it looked like yellow. There was a ring of golden hue inside her irises that seemed to be beckoning him to look at her, so much so that he couldn¡¯t look away. As he continued to stare at Lily, he slowly began to lose himself in his thoughts.

    Jack was the second son of George Arison but his mother was just a mistress.

    George Arison was a womanizer but when he got married to Sofia, he restrained himself for her sake. However, when Sofia got pregnant with Liam, she wasn¡¯t able to satisfy his needs which led him to look for other women outside. Jack¡¯s mother was a model who caught the eyes of George Arison and she willingly became one of his many mistresses.

    Though Sofia hated the fact that George kept mistresses outside, she was helpless against it. She was heavily pregnant and didn¡¯t want to stress herself over these shameless mistresses. Hence, she allowed George to have his fill of young and beautiful models and actresses. However, after giving birth, Sofia made sure to eliminate all those women who had the audacity to be her husband¡¯s mistress.

    But Jack¡¯s mother was smart enough to move overseas when she discovered that she was pregnant with George¡¯s child. She gave birth to a healthy baby and brought baby Jack to see George. This made Sofia deranged. After it was confirmed that Jack was indeed George¡¯s son, Sofia had someone to kill Jack¡¯s mother. Not that George Arison minded this. He only cared about Jack and not some woman whom he does not even remember. After the death of his mother, the Arison family took baby Jack in and raised him.

    As Jack was growing up, he was constantly reminded by Sofia that he was a bastard, a son of a whore who climbed into a rich man¡¯s bed. Sofia only loosened up a little when she noticed that Jack was a little dumbpared to Liam and she began to pick on Jack lesser. Then, to make sure that Liam¡¯s brilliance would not be challenged, Sofia suggested to George that they send Jack away to work in one of their smallerpanies in Pnd.

    Throughout his life, Jack had to hide his intelligence to avoid being targeted by Sofia. But his potential did not go unnoticed by some shareholders who noticed how well the smallpany in Pnd was performing ever since he started managing thepany.

    Moreover, given the present circumstances, Jack felt that this should be the right time for him to shine, to prove himself and im his position beside his father. But he still had some reservations. He was afraid that Sofia and Liam would recover from this scandal and target him once again.

    Jack had been livingfortably in the shadows for too long and he was reluctant topromise his safety over gaining power. People might call this cowardice but Jack just wanted to survive. ¡¯Is it wrong to value your life above everything else?¡¯

    "So the reason why you wanted to see me is to convince me to go against my brother and seize power from him?" he asked.

    "You got it wrong." Lily elegantly propped her chin on the back of her hand. "I am seeing you today because we have something inmon. We¡¯re both viins in somebody else¡¯s eyes. And I think it¡¯s time for us viins to get our own happy ending. Don¡¯t you think so?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 106 - Deal

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 106 - Deal</h4>

    "What do you have in mind?" Jack curiously asked. The hesitation that he felt earlier was gone. It was as if Lily¡¯s words had strike a chord inside him. How long was he going to live like this? Always hiding and looking over his shoulders. In fact, besides being born into this world, he had done nothing wrong. Why should he continue to pay for his mother¡¯s mistakes? He was not the viin but he was treated like one.

    Lily was right, wasn¡¯t it time for him to have his own happy ending? So why should he be afraid of the Arison family which he was also a part of?

    "Liam and Sofia will go down soon," Lily said confidently. "That is all that you need to know."

    "But..." Jack paused, his eyes never leaving Lily. "What have they done to you? Why do you want to destroy them? Are you nning to take over the Arison Holdings?"

    "Liam is giving me a hard time in Hong Kong. While Sofia... well she hasn¡¯t done anything, yet. But she will... soon. Plus I just find her a nuisance. And I tend to get rid of people whom I find a nuisance as early as possible. As for the Arison Holdings... it doesn¡¯t interest me. I don¡¯t see any bright future with your father¡¯spany to be honest, and I am toozy to help thepany stand back up on its feet."

    "Then why help me? How does it benefit you? With me as the CEO, I am sure that Arison Holdings will be able to get back on its feet again. What will you do then?" he asked. Jack wasn¡¯t sure if Lily would strike at Arison Holdings again the moment it got back up on its feet. Jack might be smart but he knew that he couldn¡¯t outsmart Lily as she was in a totally different league. Would he be able to fight and win against her if she chooses to attack?

    "You are asking the right questions," she smirked, "And I like it. As I said, I don¡¯t have an interest in Arison Holdings. Firstly, my focus right now is to branch out in the Far East. I wouldn¡¯t have the time to manage your subsidiaries that are in Europe and South America. As you know, I have already taken over three of yourpanies in Asia. Secondly, I will be moving the head office of Fi Group to Hong Kong." Lily almost wanted to add that she also needed to spend more time with her husband, so she wouldn¡¯t have the time to manage anotherpany for now. She had her priorities too alright?

    Jack nodded with understanding. He had long heard that Lily was nning to move the head office of Fi Group to Hong Kong. Her words sounded reasonable. She already had such a big business to run already. Wouldn¡¯t it be too much work for her if she were to acquire another conglomerate?

    "But...this doesn¡¯t mean that I won¡¯t be taking any payment from you." Lily had a smile on but her tone was full of undisguised wickedness. It made Jack feel ufortable and he shivered involuntarily. He wondered how a beautiful woman who was almost a foot shorter than him could make him feel such intense pressure.

    "What do you want?" he asked cautiously.

    "You are making it sound as if I am an evil person." She gave a smallugh. "My sources told me that Liam invested in somepanies in Hong Kong? I want ownership of those investments." ording to Zhuo Jingren, Liam had invested in Xuan Films and some other entertainmentpanies in Hong Kong.

    "That¡¯s all?"

    "Of course. I will help you to bring down Sofia and Liam while you give me Liam¡¯s investments in Hong Kong. Do we have a deal?"

    "Deal." Jack nodded with a smile. It was a very fair deal for him. Though he was curious as to why Lily wanted those investments, he did not have the courage to ask any more questions. He was afraid that thetter would divulge her evil ns to him and that his conscience would not be able to take it.

    "Don¡¯t be such a weakling Jack. If you continue being such a coward, you won¡¯t be able to survive long in the industry," Lily said as she roamed her eyes inside the coffee shop.

    "Are we waiting for someone else?" Jack asked, not wanting to acknowledge Lily¡¯s words. Lily was right, he was indeed a coward. But that was because he knew that his mother was murdered by Sofia and he grew up fearing that any day could be hisst. Jack did not see anything wrong with his strong desire for self-preservation.

    "Hmmm... we are." Lily nodded before she slowly massaged her cheeks. "We are waiting for a great show." As if right on cue, a blond petite woman strode inside the coffee shop. Her gaze instantly locked onto Lily and Jack.

    "You sl*t!" she said in a shrill tone as she approached Lily. "It¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it? It was you who released Liam¡¯s photos!" The blond woman ced one hand on her hip and with the other hand, she pointed a finger at Lily. "Answer me!"

    But instead of giving an answer, Lily only smiled at the blond woman who was none other than Monique, Liam¡¯s cousin, who had just recently debuted as an actress. "It¡¯s good to see you too Monique." Because of Monique¡¯s shrill voice, everyone inside the coffee shop was now staring at them.

    "You b*tch! How dare you ruin Liam¡¯s name? Was it because he dumped you?" Monique then crossed her arms on her chest. "So this is it huh... Your ego can¡¯t take that Liam dumped you!" Monique held her head high and eyed some of the people who were already starting to take a video of themotion.

    "Is that what he told you?" Lily raised an eyebrow at her, a smirk was on her face.

    "What? Are you going to say that you are the one who cancelled the engagement? Tsk. Why else would Uncle and Aunt gave you thepanies in Asia? Isn¡¯t it topensate a lonely woman like you? Liam dumped you and now you are taking revenge by destroying his reputation!"

    She then looked at Jack who had lowered his head, obviously embarrassed. "You! Why am I not surprised to see you here with Lily? So you two are in cahoots! You want to make Liam leave thepany and then you can take over right? Let me tell you! That will never happen!"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 107 - A Deal With the Devil

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 107 - A Deal With the Devil</h4>

    It was as if a bucket of cold water was emptied down on Jack¡¯s head as he widened his eyes at Lily, a realization that Lily had used him hit him hard. News of him having a meeting with Lily would eventually reach the ears of Sofia and Liam. So, no matter what his decision was, Sofia and Liam would eventuallye for him once they resolve their own scandals.

    "What? Speechless? Was it because I hit the nail on the head? Why don¡¯t you just stop harassing Liam and move on with your pathetic life? Huh? You think this can bring Liam down?" Monique¡¯s shrill voice rang even louder, echoing inside the coffee shop. Even though this meant that everyone could hear her, she didn¡¯t care because she felt that Liam was the victim here.

    Meanwhile Lily was just staring at Jack with a smirk on her face. "We already made a deal," Lily softly said, just loud enough for Jack to hear in the midst of Monique¡¯s tirade.

    Jack clenched his jaw and nodded in response. Even though he would stand to gain something from this deal, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that he had made a deal with the devil. Did he regret it? No, he didn¡¯t. Maybe Lily did trick him but she would help him to destroy the woman that he hated the most and in turn he would get Arison Holdings. This was a ssic representation of the end justifies the means.

    At this point, Jack finally understood the meaning behind Lily¡¯s question when she asked him if he would treat Arison Holdings just like how he treats his coffee. Lily was about to let him in on her schemes and she was asking him if he was willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his goal even if the means were questionable. Would his conscience allow it? Was he willing to stand his ground and fight to obtain thepany?

    "What? Answer me! Stop flirting with your ex-fiance¡¯s brother and answer me!" Monique¡¯s shrill voice made Lily turn her head towards her. With a smile on her face, Lily rose from her seat.

    "Monique... your shrill voice is disturbing the peace in this ce. Don¡¯t you know that this is a high-end coffee shop? Your skanky attitude is not wee here," Lily said calmly as she opened her purse and ced a couple of bills on the table.

    "You think your sharp tongue can scare me?" Monique asked. "Let me tell you something b*tch. I am not afraid of you."

    "Alright." Lily nodded before turning her head to face Jack. "I will give you a call the day after tomorrow. Be ready." Lily then walked past Monique only for thetter to grab her shoulders, turn her around before a handnded hard on her cheek. A resounding p caused everyone to be quiet, while Jack rose from his seat in shock.

    "That¡¯s for trying to ruin Liam¡¯s career," Monique said with a smug on her face. She then lifted her other hand in an attempt to p Lily on the other cheek but Lily was quick to stop her hand this time.

    Lily¡¯s grip was tight - too tight. Monique¡¯s face morphed into a scowl. "Let me go!"

    Her words only earned a chuckle at Lily. "Oh... look at that. Is that a photograph on the floor? Jack, pick it up."

    Everyone¡¯s eyes immediately looked at the single photograph on the floor. "Isn¡¯t this..." Jack said the moment he held the photo in his hand, "Monique and Liam?"

    In the photo was a woman d in just a bathrobe. She was looking out of the floor to ceiling windows of a room while holding a tall and slim ss in one hand. Behind her was a man who seemed to be whispering into her ear while his hands were wrapped around her waist. Though most of the man¡¯s body was blocked by the woman in the picture, it was obvious that he was not wearing anything while he hugged the woman.

    Monique¡¯s face turned ashened when she saw the photo. Their faces were clearly captured and people would surely recognise the man and the woman in the photo to be Liam and her respectively. She made an attempt to grab the photo from Jack but Lily¡¯s grip was too tight. She turned towards Lily and was surprised to see thetter smiling at her. "Did you think, I would let you p me for free?"

    A shiver run down Monique¡¯s spine. She wanted to say something but her mind went nk. It was as if her brain had shut down. If her guess was right then... she had fallen into Lily¡¯s trap. Fear was apparent in Monique¡¯s eyes.

    Monique started recalling the events that happened before she stepped foot into this coffee shop. She had just finished taping and she overheard some of the film crew gossiping about Liam¡¯s scandal which riled her up immediately. Her mind started asking questions and she wanted some answers. Then her assistant remarked that she saw Lily entering a coffee shop while she was out running an errand. She asked her assistant to tell her exactly which coffee shop it was and before she knew it, she was here.

    Now that she thought about it, the events that led her to meet with Lily today was suspicious. If she wasn¡¯t so exhausted from taping, she might have sensed something was not quite right. But she allowed her anger to consume her and she forgot that Lily was actually very scheming. How else was she able to thrive in the business world if she wasn¡¯t scheming?

    "My... My... Monique... Sleeping with your own cousin? Is this why you always dislike me? Because I was engaged to your cousin before?" Lily gasped exaggeratingly and covered her mouth, as if she was truly shocked at the revtion. Though she hadn¡¯t spoken too loudly, it was still loud enough for most people near them to hear.

    Lily¡¯s words pierced Monique¡¯s heart like a sharp sword. This was the moment that she dreaded the most. That people would find out about their forbidden affair and judge her for it. She roamed her eyes to look at everyone in the coffee shop, feeling utterly humiliated as tears started to blur her vision. "We are not cousins!" she managed to hissed before a single tear fell from her cheek.

    "Really?" Lily suddenly let Monique go, and she weakly fell down to her knees. "Last time I heard-"

    "Stop! Stop talking!" Monique said before she held onto a chair for support to stand back up on her feet. Just as she got up on her feet, Lily suddenly leaned over her shoulders.

    "Come on." Lily¡¯s voice was as gentle as the breeze in an early summer morning. "Say something... But let me assure you that whatever you say will only embarrass you and your lover further. It¡¯ll give me more reason to release all your photos and videos together."

    Monique¡¯s pupil dted, as fear overwhelmed her. "You..." Lily¡¯s words only meant that she still had a lot of incriminating photos in her hands. If Lily was trying to scare her then she had seeded. But was Lily the type to scare someone?

    Then Monique realized that Lily was already nning to release these photos but she needed a basis for such an action. This altercation would give Lily the perfect excuse to expose Monique on the basis that she had made a scene and provoked her first. Monique shivered at the thought of Sofia finding out about this. It wouldn¡¯t just be Sofia who would hate her but Liam as well. He would me her for provoking Lily and implicating him. What was going to happen to her career now?

    With wide eyes, she stared at Lily, her lips trembling. She opened her mouth but closed them again. She wanted to beg for her not to release those photos. Maybe even kneel in front of Lily. However, she could see the sinister glint in Lily¡¯s eyes and she knew that it would be pointless.

    "Goodbye Miss Monique. You will lie in bed tonight knowing that you are the reason why these photos even saw the light of day. Congrattions, you destroyed your beloved¡¯s career with your own hands." It was a whisper, or more like a murmur that only Monique could hear. And with that, Lily turned her back on Monique and walked out of the coffee shop. She put on her sunsses and walked towards her car with a smile on her face.

    People always think that they could get away with what they do and forget that sometimes karmaes in a form a Lily Fi-Qin.

    "Where to President?" Yang Mi asked from the driver¡¯s seat.

    "To my apartment," Lily answered. "Make sure to ask Cathy to do a thorough search on the inte tonight and take down any news articles that mention my name," she said. Though she was not sure if any videos or pictures of today¡¯s scene at the coffee shop would make their way on the inte, she still had to make some preparations to contain the situation online for it would interfere with her own ns.

    In less than thirty minutes, Lily arrived back in her apartment. It was only five in the afternoon but Lily felt physically drained that she practically had to drag her body to her apartment when she got off the car. She desperately needed to sleep as her body was still trying to adjust to the time difference.

    "You need food."

    "I do," Lily answered on reflex before she froze. She quickly turned her head to look at the person speaking. "You? Why are you here?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 108 - Skeletons in Her Closet

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 108 - Skeletons in Her Closet</h4>

    "Are you surprised to see me?" Fernando smiled at Lily before he put a box of Mcdonald¡¯s chicken bites on the small table in front of her.

    "Nuggets? Really?" Lily raised an eyebrow before she unceremoniously picked up a piece and shoved it in her mouth.

    "Gah... You love chicken bites. Stop pretending." Fernando rolled his eyes as he made himselffortable on the couch and watch as Lily take off her high-heel shoes. "Did someone p you?" He furrowed his brows when he noticed a pinkish mark on a side of Lily¡¯s cheek.

    "Hmmm..." She nodded and took a seat next to Fernando. "You know, acting is pretty tiring. I wonder how do actors and actresses do it..." she thought out loud before shoving another piece of nugget in her mouth. "By the way... why are you here? It¡¯s the Fashion Week in Hong Kong. Shouldn¡¯t you be very busy?"

    "I was about to head back with some of my friends when I received a phone call from someone¡¯s husband telling me to check if his wife is alright."

    "Oh... then you should get used to this as THAT someone¡¯s husband will bug you more and more soon." She chuckled.

    "Seriously? Can you two be more discreet and stop making a single, handsome and charismatic man like me jealous? Why do you have to rub it in every time?"

    "Then maybe, that single, handsome and charismatic man should find a wife soon?" She crossed her arms and smiled at Fernando. "I don¡¯t think you came here just because my husband told you to. Why don¡¯t you be honest and tell me why you are here."

    Fernando only let out a sigh as he picked one nugget and tossed it in his mouth. He avoided Lily¡¯s gaze and looked at therge-scale painting that was hanging above the firece.

    "Was it Li Shanshan? Did you two fight?" Lily asked before letting out a sigh. "She met someone?"

    Fernando maintained his silence and walked towards the bar at the corner of Lily¡¯s living room. He browsed the selection of alcohol avable and poured himself a ss of whiskey. He downed the contents in the ss in one shot and poured himself another ss.

    "Seriously Fernando..." Lily muttered helplessly while watching her friend down another ss of what she guessed was Vodka. "You are a thirty-year-old sessful man who has been hiding your feelings for my friend for... What? Five years?"

    "Five years and two months," he immediately corrected before letting out another sigh. "Shanshan is... she is still healing. I can¡¯t rush her."

    "Stupid," Lily chided. "You cannot me her for seeing someone when she doesn¡¯t even know that you have feelings for her. Are you just going to sit back and do nothing and wallow in your sorrows? Are you a masochist or something?"

    "And please, stop picking up girls just to show her that you are not gay!" Lily added. Fernando¡¯s feelings towards Li Shanshan was not a secret to Lily. She had identally found out about this when she saw Li Shanshan¡¯s picture in Fernando¡¯s wallet. However, she chose to keep this a secret and decided not to interfere and let fate decide for the two of them.

    Who would have thought that Fernando would be such a coward, that he would keep his feelings a secret from Li Shanshan for so many years? And who would have thought that her half Indian, half Chinese friend, Li Shanshan would be so dumb as to not notice the passionate stares that Fernando had been giving her?

    If Lily could intervene and knock some sense into those two, she would have. But Li Shanshan had her own skeletons in her closet that hadn¡¯t gone away even after all these years. Lily could not just involve herself in matters that would potentially ruin their friendship.

    Like Lily, Li Shanshan grew up with family issues. But hers was far, far worse than Lily¡¯s. Li Shanshan might not looked like she had scars from her childhood but in fact she was abused by her own stepfather when she was a kid. Though her grandmother made sure that her stepfather went to jail for his crimes, the damage was already done; physically, emotionally and mentally. It could be said that because of Li Shanshan¡¯s past, she always felt the need to validate her worth and when she matured, she actively sought the attention of other men.

    She was not a ygirl. No... in fact, Li Shanshan had never been in any serious rtionship. Just casual hook ups to make her feel like she was beautiful and attractive, to validate her worth as a human being. Of course, this was Li Shanshan before she met Lily in London.

    After the two met, they decided to go for therapies together. Together, they cried and decided to let go of their past. Most importantly, they had grown stronger together. Li Shanshan found the validation that she needed but until now she still haven¡¯t gotten herself into any serious rtionship. Maybe it was the fear of abuse or the fear of being rejected, Lily didn¡¯t know.

    All she knew was that Li Shanshan was just like any other woman out there. Strong on the outside but weak and fragile on the inside. However, this was something that Fernando did not understand.

    For many years now, Fernando had been acting like a big brother to Li Shanshan and Lily and he deeply treasured his friendship with the twodies. He was afraid to break the status quo or rather he was afraid of being rejected by Li Shanshan. What would be of their friendship then? So, he decided to hide his feelings while secretly hoping that Li Shanshan would magically realized his feelings for her and agree to be his woman. How stupid was that?

    All these while, Li Shanshan continued to introduce hertest hook up while Fernando continued to show off his newest escort for the night. As for Lily, she felt like she was watching a game of hide-and-seek.

    "Something happened between us." Fernando¡¯s words immediately woke Lily up from her stupor. She widened her eyes and stared at Fernando with her mouth agape.

    "I¡¯m sorry what?" she asked, wanting to rify if she heard the right thing.

    "I said something happened between us."

    "Huh?"

    "Sex, Lily! We had sex!" Fernando blurted.

    "When was this?" she asked.

    "After your party at the bar... We were drunk and I was not able to control myself. I..."

    "Oh my... did you just... Did you run away after having sex with Li Shanshan?" Lily rose from her seat and walked towards Fernando who was sitting by the bar counter. "Did you?" Fernando then slowly nodded his head and avoided Lily¡¯s gaze.

    "What the hell... why are you acting like you are the woman? Why the hell did you run? Are you stupid?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 109 - Righteous Woman

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 109 - Righteous Woman</h4>

    Lily was speechless. She stared wide-eyed at Fernando. "How dare you!" she shouted before she ran to fetch her handphone from her handbag.

    "No! Don¡¯t call her." Fernando was quick to stop Lily. "Please... it will only embarrass her."

    "That¡¯s because you were such a jerk!" Lily red at him. Disbelief written all over her face. "How could you be such a jerk? Gosh... can I just p you for once?"

    "Please do. I deserve it." Fernando shrugged. "I was afraid that she would get mad at me for taking advantage of her. I... It has been a week and she still haven¡¯t called me. I don¡¯t even know if she is even mad at me."

    "Of course she will be mad. Fernando... how can you be this irresponsible? You two need to talk and I mean a proper talk between two normal adults!" Lily guessed that Li Shanshan must have been devastated after Fernando ran away that night. She didn¡¯t think that Li Shanshan would want to talk about it even if she called her right now.

    Lily let out a sigh. "Alright... you stay here. I will go and change my clothes."

    It wasmon knowledge that Fernando had a thing for women of color. However, Li Shanshan missed the fact that she was one. She was exactly the kind of woman that Fernando liked but she failed to realize this. She treated Fernando like an older brother, teasing him for being gay and for sleeping with both men and women.

    While Li Shanshan would asionally pick up actors and models for a hookup, Fernando picked up girls just to show off. Through that, he was telling everyone, especially Li Shanshan that he was not gay. Who could me Li Shanshan for misunderstanding Fernando¡¯s actions, right?

    Lily took a quick shower and changed into afortable set of pajamas. Then she realized that she hasn¡¯t informed Zhuo Jingren that Fernando came to visit her. She promptly send out a text message to him before walking out of her room.

    To her surprise, Fernando was already fast asleep on her couch. She shook her head before she got an extra nket and ced it on top of him, to cover him. Though Lily really wanted to help Fernando out, she also knew her boundaries.

    Lily let out another sigh before she proceeded to work on the things that she needed to work on.

    While Lily was finalizing her ns, the Arisons were in chaos.

    Sofia was crying on the couch. Her eyes were puffy and her body was trembling from crying too much. "George please... it was just a single mistake. I was drunk. Please... I would never have betrayed you..." Sofia¡¯s voice was frail, her shoulders were hunched as she begged her husband. "You know how much I love you..."

    "Stop it," George Arison hissed. "You are too noisy! Just sign the papers so that our divorce can be finalized."

    "Father... you cannot do this to Mother..."

    "Shut up Liam! You are just like your mother!" George said before ring at Sofia. "Sign it."

    "No..." she shook her head. "No... I won¡¯t. Over my dead body!"

    "You Sl*t!"

    "George please... how can you treat me like this? Did I ask for a divorce when you cheated on me back then? You cheated on me not with one or two women but many women. Don¡¯t you remember how you slept with so many women while I was pregnant with Liam back then. While I... I just made a single mistake! How could you be so cruel?"

    George scoffed at her words. "You think this is about you? You stupid woman! This is about my reputation! You think I would care if you cheat on me! NO SOFIA!" he loosened his tie and downed a ss of whiskey. "You can sleep all the men out there and I wouldn¡¯t even care! As long as you keep it a secret, I wouldn¡¯t have a problem with it!"

    "You-" Sofia stuttered. "Do you..."

    "Of course, I do! You think... I didn¡¯t know that you have been sleeping with your driver for god knows how long now? But did I say something about it? No! As long as you act your part as my wife and smile for the shareholders, then I would have no problem with it." Seeing Sofia¡¯s shocked face, George continued, "But you just have to offend someone and expose yourself."

    "What do you think will happen to thepany if I keep a wife like you?" he added as he poured himself another ss of alcohol. "Now sign it."

    "Is this all that you care about?" Sofia rose from her seat and pointed at George. "George, what about me? What about our family? Tell me... for the past thirty years that we had been together... did you even love me? Have you ever loved me? Even once?"

    Sofia¡¯s words earned a scoff from her husband. "You speak of love as if you know what it is." He looked at his wife from head to toe. "You disgust me!"

    Seeing that her husband had gotten up from his seat and was walking away from her, Sofia hastily walked towards him and hugged him from behind. "Please George... we can fix this. I... I am... I will leave London. We can leave Europe and start all over again," Sofia said, her tears were like rivers flowing endlessly on her cheeks. George hated her... Somehow she knew that he had hated her even before he agreed to marry her. This was all her punishment... her karma for killing the woman that he once loved.

    But was it her fault? As a young woman who had been engaged to George since she was a child, Sofia could not ept the fact that a simple clerk won his affections. No... Sofia would never me herself for what happened to that woman. She only did what she had to do to have the man of her dreams. Was it wrong for her to love him too much?

    "Sign the divorce papers and leave London all by yourself. I still have business to attend to." George shook off Sofia¡¯s hands with a sneer on his face. "This marriage is what you always asked for Sofia. You can¡¯tin like a righteous woman because that is not what you are."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 110 - Not That Smart

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 110 - Not That Smart</h4>

    "George! Don¡¯t you dare leave me! George! Come back here!" Sofia yelled at her husband¡¯s back that was moving further and further away from her before she copsed on the floor.

    "Mother... Mother..." Liam immediately helped his mother up before easing her down slowly on the couch. He then signaled one of their servants to get him a ss of water. "What happened to Father? He is usually not this ruthless... What did you do that made him so angry?"

    Liam was there when his father and mother argued and so he came to know that his mother had betrayed his father. While he understood that his mother¡¯s betrayal was painful for his father, he found it hard to believe that his father would be so heartless and unforgiving. It was as if his father had be apletely different person overnight. Was it just because of the scandal? No... Liam did not think so. It was as if his father had been suppressing all this anger inside him and then releasing it all on his mother earlier.

    "I... I don¡¯t know." Sofia shook her head. She would never admit that she had once killed a woman just to have George Arison. Never! Not even if she dies. "Liam... what are we going to do now? I can¡¯t divorce your father. I love your father.... It was a mistake... you have to believe me. It was a mistake. I was drunk and I wasn¡¯t thinking clearly..."

    "Shhh... I believe you." Liam enveloped his mother in an embrace. "Stop crying... We will fix this."

    Sofia cried herself out in her son¡¯s arms. Although she calmed down within the hour, her eyes were still full of sorrow. "I know who did this," she said as she drank another ss of water. "It must be Lily."

    "I know it was Lily who released my photos... but yours..." Liam did not continue his words as he contemted. "Some of those photos of you online had dates on them and were from before we even got engaged. Why would she have someone to follow you around and take your photos before we were even engaged? NO... Lily is not that smart. She couldn¡¯t have foreseen the future. It must be someone else." Liam shook his head. He was sure that Lily could not possibly have asked someone to monitor his mother before they even got engaged. Someone else must have done it.

    Sofia did not answer Liam as she clenched her hands into fists. Lily had once told her that she would release Liam¡¯s indecent photos which made her feel uneasy. However, when Liam told her that someone from Lily¡¯s past would be partnering with him to deal with Lily, she eased-up, thinking that they would be able to take Lily down a notch. Who would have thought that Lily would strike before they could evenplete their n?

    "Where are you going?" Liam asked when he saw his mother rising from her seat.

    "To rest," she answered without looking back. She needed to talk to Lily to find out the truth and she also needed a new n against her. As Sofia was making her way back to her room, her mind was full of sinister thoughts about Lily. When she got back to her room, she immediately dialed Lily¡¯s number.

    "Hello?"

    "Sofia... this is a surprise. I hope you are doing well?" Lily¡¯s voice echoed inside the room as Sofia had activated the speaker function.

    "I heard that you are in London?"

    "I am."

    "Can I see you? I think we need to talk."

    "Hmmm... Of course. Text me the time and address." There was something in Lily¡¯s voice that greatly irritated Sofia. There was a softness to her voice that made her sound like a saint looking down on her.

    "I will. I will see you tomorrow," Sofia said before she ended the call. Then she dialed another number as an evil n started to form inside her head. Since Lily love to humiliate people, then why not reciprocate her gesture?

    Tuesday came and Lily woke up really early with the intention to exercise. After getting ready, she came out of her room to see Fernando cooking. He was still wearing the same clothes as the night before, his hair was a little messy and he had a small smile on.

    "Eat, your highness," he said as he took a seat across Lily. Then he gestured for Yang Mi to join them but thetter declined as she had already eaten her breakfast before she reported at Lily¡¯s ce. After eating their fill, Fernando asked Lily to drop him off at the airport as he would be returning to Hong Kong.

    "I¡¯ll be going in now. Thank you for breakfast and the whiskey." Fernando shoved his hands into his pockets. Lily was leaning against her car with her arms folded across her chest. They were already at the airport and Lily was still maintaining her silence. "Aren¡¯t you going to say anything to your big brother? Not a hug? A sweet take care?" Fernando then chuckled as he lowered his head. "Maybe I deserved it."

    "You do," Lily answered as she walked towards Fernando. With Lily¡¯s five inch heels, her head was able to reach Fernando¡¯s chin. "I don¡¯t want to take sides but I still think you are an idiot," she said, her light brown eyes staring into his.

    "Li Shanshan is a woman with the spirit of a survivor. She is a warrior. But she has a heart that is looking for love and affection. Please Fernando... please just talk to her," she advised.

    Fernando gave Lily a hug, appreciating her concern. "I will. Thank you..." he muttered before he kissed Lily on the forehead and let go of her. He gave her a smile before he walked through the doors to the airport.

    Lily pursed her lips while watching the back of her friend disappearing into the crowd. Though Fernando looked bubbly and happy all the time, she knew that he was just like Li Shanshan who craved for love and affection. She truly hoped that the two could be together and be given a second chance. Just like her.

    Lily then boarded her car and asked Yang Mi to drive her to Fi Group¡¯s headquarters as she needed to finalize some more things before her meeting with Sofia Arison.

    Unbeknownst to Lily, her interaction with Fernando was photographed by not just one but two individuals who had been tailing her since shended in London.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 111 - Heartless Sounds Good Too

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 111 - Heartless Sounds Good Too</h4>

    After sending Fernando off at the airport, Lily went to Fi Group for another meeting. The meeting was to discuss the relocation of their head office to Hong Kong. She wanted to make sure that her employees knew what needed to be done in preparation for their relocation before she have to head back to Hong Kong on Thursday. After spending half a day in the office, Lily then set off to a private restaurant in Soho Street, London.

    The fact that Sofia had asked to meet at Soho Street which was well-known for having some high-end gentlemen¡¯s clubs, did not bother Lily at all. Today was the day that Sofia would hit the final nail on the coffin of her own son.

    Lily roamed her eyes inside the morous private room that Sofia had reserved for this meeting. In the middle of the room was a big banquet table which could amodate up to fourteen people. The room had beautiful stained ss windows and decorated with oak paneled walls.

    "I actually did not expect you to be this brave." Sofia was the first to break the silence while Lily continued to admire the room.

    "Why would I be afraid of you?" Lily asked.

    "After what you did to my son? You should be very afraid of me, Lily." Sofia¡¯s face was baked with makeup. It was obvious that she was trying to hide her hideous eye bags and dullplexion from her sleepless night.

    Lily shifted in her seat before she started to y with her hair. Her face was calm as if she was just having an afternoon tea with a good friend. "Sofia... will you ever learn?"

    "You had your chance. You wasted it. And now you just have to threaten me as if it was my stupidity that lead us all into this," she added.

    "I did not do anything to you! But you still harmed Liam! You are heartless!" she hissed. Would she ever admit that she was the one who nned to use the board of directors to pressure Lily? Of course not!

    "Heartless..." Lily reiterated. "That¡¯s new. I¡¯m used to people calling me ruthless. But heartless sounds good too."

    "You..." Sofia turned speechless before she realized that Lily was just ying words with her. She was here for a reason and she would not allow Lily to win. NO. Not this time. She would not go down without bringing Lily down with her. Sofia took a second topose herself. "I am here to bargain with you."

    "Bargain... Interesting." Lily immediately stroke her chin and smiled meaningfully. "Tell me more." She then watched as Sofia open her bag and fetch a thick envelope. She quickly gave it to Lily.

    "That is not the original copy," Sofia said as Lily opened the envelope. Relief washed over Sofia when she saw Lily¡¯s eyes widened before she raised an eyebrow at her. "As you can see... these are images of you from your scandal seven years ago. What do you think the consequences would be if I hand this to the media? I¡¯m sure yourpany will be affected. You were once engaged but cheated on your fianc¨¦, then you went into a mental hospital because of depression. You will lose the trust of the Board and your shareholders."

    Sofia continued to observe Lily as she quietly put the contents back into the envelope, Lily¡¯s expression was serious. It made Sofia believe that she had hit a raw nerve. "If you post photos of Liam and Monique, don¡¯t me me for retaliating by posting this information online as well. I find this only fair." Sofia¡¯s voice was full of confidence. She truly believed that Lily would feel threatened and back off.

    However, when Lily startedughing instead, it greatly surprised Sofia. Lily¡¯sughter echoed inside the room as she clutched her stomach. Her eyes were full of mockery while she stared at Sofia. "Gah... I must say I was pleasantly surprised Sofia... I was honestly surprised. I mean... who the hell gave you the guts to ask this?" Lily covered her mouth and stifled augh.

    "My dear, Sofia... you have been fooled. Whoever gave you that idea to ckmail me was just as stupid as you and your son."

    "Wh-What do you mean?" Sofia immediately grabbed the envelope and pulled it towards her. "This is only a fair trade. Your reputation in exchange for Liam¡¯s. After this, we will have nothing to do with each other. I will not insist on the engagement while you can stop your schemes against my family."

    "Fair trade? Liam¡¯s photos are so valuable while what you have on me... they are as worthless as you. It will be a great loss on my part. Don¡¯t you think so too?"

    "You-"

    "Come on Sofia, offer me something else. Money? Properties-"

    "Stop it!" Sofia interrupted her. "You are nothing but a greedy b*tch!"

    "Oh... I am." Lily smiled.

    "What do you mean it does not have any value? These pictures alone will ruin your reputation! Don¡¯t you care about yourpany? The Fi Group that your grandmother loved so much?"

    Lily immediately rolled her eyes and shook her head before letting out a sigh of exasperation. Talking to a dumb person was actually more tiring than exercise itself! "Sofia, I wouldn¡¯t even ask you about your IQ because it is obvious. However, I want to know... as a daughter of a businessman, have you ever studied anything about business before?"

    "What... What does it have to do with anything?"

    "Nevermind Sofia... It¡¯s just... In the world of business, do you think people would care about my past? Go ahead and release that news and watch as Hollywood make a documentary of my life." Lily chuckled. "A sessful CEO with a dark past. I¡¯m sure my story will earn millions."

    "You... are shameless! Aren¡¯t you ashamed? Not only have you ruined my son¡¯s career, you also ruined my marriage! Take my offer now or I won¡¯t be this civil the next time we see each other." Sofia gritted her teeth in annoyance. This was only the first part of her n. If Lily refused to be sensible then she wouldn¡¯t hesitate to ckmail Lily.

    She would drug Lily and her men would bring Lily to the nearest gentleman¡¯s club to shame her. She would be there to take pictures of Lily being yed with by her men and use it to ckmail her.

    For Sofia, this was the best course of action to return justice for her son, especially after what Lily had done to ruin Liam.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 112 - Its Time to Pay Up

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 112 - It¡¯s Time to Pay Up</h4>

    "Ashamed of what?" she raised an eyebrow. "Who was the one sleeping around while being engaged to another? I also wonder which married woman was it who was sleeping around with her driver?"

    "How dare you!" Sofia rose from her seat and grabbed a ss of water in front of her with trembling hands.

    "Go on." Lily interrupted her. "Ssh that water on me and we are done talking here." Lily¡¯s words were enough to stop Sofia in her tracks as she red hard at Lily before sitting back down on her seat.

    Lily¡¯s yful smile only worsened Sofia¡¯s mood. Thinking that Lily was all bark and no bite, she threatened, "If you are release Liam and Monique¡¯s photos, then I will also release all the information I have about you. I¡¯m sure you will get bad press for that. A tit for tat. You ruin us, we will ruin you. No matter what happens, I will bring you down with me."

    Lily stared at Sofia, her eyes full of interest as she pursed her lips. "Go ahead. But make sure you are confident of destroying me or I think you know what will happen to you and Liam," she said calmly. "Sofia, there is just one thing that I wonder..."

    "Did you really think that I see you as my enemy? I am Lily Fi-Qin. My name alone is full of credibility. How sure are you that those images and files you have on me would sessfully ruin my reputation?"

    "Your mind games won¡¯t work on me!" Sofia hissed.

    "Hmmm... I see." Lily nodded before she leaned towards Sofia, cing her hands on the table. "Then, I guess... there is nothing for us to talk about anymore." Lily rose from her seat and walked away.

    "Stop right there!" Sofia yelled before she caught up to Lily. She stood in front of Lily with her arms crossed on her chest. "Did you think that I merely invited you here to bargain with you?"

    Seeing Lily deadpanned, Sofia continued, "Haven¡¯t you wondered why I chose to meet in this ce?" Lily just stared at Sofia with a nk expression on her face while chastising the woman in her mind for being stupid.

    "It¡¯s because I have connections Lily... far more than you could even imagine," Sofia said arrogantly, an evil glint shed in her eyes.

    Of course Lily knew that Sofia had connections. In fact, George and Sofia had connections to the Italian mafias. This was because theirte fathers were part of the Italian mafia. This was the main reason why George Arison married Sofia. With their marriage, businesses were merged and power was consolidated to form one formidable mafia that was now led by George Arison.

    "Let me tell you something else. You will not get out of this ce unscathed. Since you dare to attack me then you should bear the consequences of your actions. Lily Fi-Qin, you will remember this day until the day that you die." Sofia let out an evilugh, hate was apparent in her eyes.

    She had already made preparations the night before, so that everything would be ready for Lily. So what if Lily was rich and influential? Just one picture of her being thoroughly humiliated by a group of men could change everything. Sofia was desperate and at such short notice, this was the only way that she could think of to get back at Lily. She had already given Lily a chance by trying to talk to her but Lily was pushing her buttons with her sharp tongue.

    So what if Lily takes her revengeter? Sofia felt like her life was over anyway. George would be divorcing her and she would be packing her bags to leave Europe. She had no reason to be afraid of Lily. All she needed to do now was to save her son¡¯s career as herst act.

    "You are pathetic." Lily shook her head before looking straight into Sofia¡¯s eyes. Then the door of the private room suddenly opened, revealing Daohu.

    "It is done, madam," Daohu spoke in mandarin. Because of this, Sofia was not able to understand his words. Lily only nodded at Daohu before she turned her attention back to Sofia.

    "You ready?" she smiled at Sofia who seemed to be confused as she shifted her gaze from Lily to Daohu.

    "What are you going to do?" Sofia took a step back as she unlocked her phone and dialed a number. But all she heard was an endless ring on the other line. She then widened her eyes at Lily. "You- What did you do?"

    When Lily did not answer her, Sofia immediately panicked. Lily was just staring at her, amusement apparent on her face, as if she was waiting for a great show to happen. "I am warning you Lily... if something happens to me..."

    "Ah... the irony," Lily interrupted her. "You were threatening me just a while ago and yet here we are. The situation has reversed Sofia. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time for you to regret what you said before now?"

    "You- How did you know that ..." Sofia¡¯s eyes widened even more as realization hit her. "Are you working with someone in my family? Was it Jack? It was Jack isn¡¯t it? Was he spying for you? That was how you knew about my ns for you isn¡¯t it?"

    "This is pointless..." Lily said as she turned to Daohu. "Keep her quiet." Without a word, Daohu moved swiftly over to Sofia and injected her with something that instantly made her lose control of her limbs. She stared wide eyed at Lily. She wanted to curse her but she did not even have the strength to speak anymore.

    "Sofia...Look, I am not your enemy. This is nothing personal so stop staring at me like I am the devil." These were the only words that Sofia heard just before she lost her consciousness.

    Seeing her limped on the floor, Lily¡¯s face turned serious. "Take care of it," she said before leaving the room.

    Lily then let out a long sigh the moment she stepped out of the restaurant. She adjusted her expression, appearing cold and rigid just as a ck Maybach pulled up next to her. She reached out to open the door immediately and quickly got into the car.

    "It¡¯s done," she said, her eyes fixed outside of the car. "Starting today, Sofia Arison is no more. Her family wouldn¡¯t even suspect a thing. Liam will be kicked out as the CEO and Jack will step up. Then I will leave the Arison Holdings as it is."

    Silence followed inside the car, the temperature seemed to drop even lower.

    "You did good." A low voice was heard after seconds of silence. "At some point, I couldn¡¯t understand where you were heading with your ns. But it seems like I had worried for nothing as everything went well. Every step was calcted with precision. I can confidently say that you are even better than me and most of the businessmen that I know." He made a deliberate pause. "You are scary as hell Lily Qin and I wouldn¡¯t dare cross you even if someone threatened me to."

    "I am not sure if that is apliment or an insult," Lily said as she turned her head towards the man. "I have delivered my end of the bargain. Now... it¡¯s time to pay up, George Arison. Where is the information that I ask you to find?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 113 - Web of Lies and Schemes

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 113 - Web of Lies and Schemes</h4>

    George Arison stared at Lily, his face unfathomable. "I have what you want," he said as he recalled how Lily bravely epted a deal from him just a day after Lilian Fi¡¯s death.

    The memory of their meeting was still so clear in his mind that he could even remember the sinister smile on Lily¡¯s face when he told her he needed her help to deal with Sofia. George Arison sought Lily for her help to find a way to divorce Sofia without being too obvious that he was the one who was trying to end the marriage.

    George was Sofia¡¯s betrothed since they were children. However, fate had different ns for them. When George went to college, he met a girl named Paulina and immediately fell in love with her.

    When George approached Paulina with the intention of getting to know her better, she avoided him like a gue because of his status. She wasn¡¯tfortable being around people like George who was treated like royalty in college because he had the looks and money. She didn¡¯t think that someone like George would simply approach someone of her status without having any ulterior motive.

    Paulinacked confidence in herself as she came from a humble background and her family was poor. Her mother was sick and couldn¡¯t work outside and the heavy financial burden fell on Paulina¡¯s shoulders.

    Paulina had to take on two part-time jobs just to make ends meet. She worked as a clerk in a smallpany on her free days in college and a cashier in a retail shop during the weekends. Most of the money she earned went to paying for her tuition fees and to pay for her mother¡¯s medical expenses.

    Because Paulina was avoiding him in college, George sought to find another way to get close to her. That was when George came to know about Paulina¡¯s part-time work as a clerk in a smallpany.

    An idea sprouted in his mind and George went to ask his father for permission to do some work outside the family¡¯s business, starting at the entry-level worker in a smallpany to gain valuable industry experience. He reasoned that he wanted to step out of hisfort zone. George interest to learn made his father happy and he agreed without asking too many questions.

    So George ¡¯coincidentally¡¯ entered the samepany as Paulina of course and he ardently pursued her at work. Perhaps it was George¡¯s persistence and sincerity, Paulina was eventually won over by him and she agreed to be with him. George was ovee with happiness as Paulina was his first love.

    However, this happiness did notst for long as Sofia came back, havingpleted her studies abroad in the US.

    When his father found out about Paulina, he pressured George to put an end to things with her. His father told him that someone like Paulina would add nothing into his life. Happiness? That was not worth anything to his father. His father also reminded him that he was engaged to Sofia and now that they were both mature adults, they need to start on building a rtionship with each other.

    George tried to fight for Paulina but his father threatened him with Paulina¡¯s life if he remained stubborn and refused to end things with her. Left with no choice, George broke up with Paulina. While he was still mending his broken heart, he entered into a rtionship with Sofia. After all, It was his father¡¯s wish that he gets along with his betrothed.

    But as time went by, George still hadn¡¯t gotten over Paulina. Whenever he got drunk, he often mistook Sofia for Paulina and would call out her name in his sleep. This earned an ire from Sofia. Her insecurities and love for George eventually made her do something that she never thought she was capable of doing.

    One day, George heard a devastating news, that Paulina and her mother were gruesomely murdered in their own home. George instinctively knew that it had to be Sofia¡¯s doing. In his heart he knew that Sofia felt threatened by Paulina¡¯s existence but he didn¡¯t think that Sofia would go to the extent of eliminating Paulina.

    Sofia also had ties in the underworld. So it wasn¡¯t difficult for her to order someone to be killed on her behalf. George med himself for the death of Paulina and her mother. He shouldn¡¯t have fallen for her, he shouldn¡¯t have approached her. And this guilt something that George would never forget.

    But did he do something about it then? No he didn¡¯t. His father¡¯spany was unstable and their ties in the underworld was weak. Sofia was someone that he could not afford to offend at that time. So he made a deliberate n; a deliberate web of lies and schemes to avenge his beloved. First, he had to marry Sofia.

    At the same time, Lily¡¯s memories took her back to the time she agreed to make a deal with George Arison. In return for helping George find a way to divorce Sofia, George would give her a very important piece of information that she wanted. It was a deal that Lily couldn¡¯t refuse. Moreover, what George was asking from Lily was so simple. He only wanted to divorce Sofia and pave a way for Jack. Wasn¡¯t that too easy for someone like Lily?

    George even gave her the ammunition to bring Sofia down, which are photos of Sofia being intimate with her driver. He wanted his wife ruined but he didn¡¯t use his own hands to do it, not if he didn¡¯t want to arouse suspicions that he was divorcing Sofia right after bing the leader of theirbined mafia forces. He wanted a clean exit and Lily could give him that.

    For Lily¡¯s ns to work, she needed to manipte the Arison family and her engagement to Liam was her ticket in. Sofia only had one son, Liam and he was deeply spoiled by her. Naturally, all she ever wanted for her son was the best and Lily seemed like the perfect woman for her son.

    As thest member of the Fi family, Lily would inherit everything from Lilian Fi; thepany and all her assets which amounted to a huge fortune. As a result, many socialite families with unmarried sons expressed their interest in this heiress. But since the Arison and Fi families had ties that goes way back, Sofia confidently proposed to Lilian Fi who was sick and dying, that Liam and Lily should wed.

    Lilian Fi didn¡¯t agree to it right away but checked with Lily to make sure that she was agreeable to it. Of course, Lily would agree, she already had ns to sink her ws in Liam even before Sofia approached Lilian Fi to propose that Liam and Lily should wed.

    Following her profiteering tendencies, she did her research on the Arisons and found out that they owned the A.R Mall and Boutique, with branches in the Far East. As she had intentions of breaking into the market in the Far East, she immediately thought of taking advantage of their engagement to acquire A.R Mall and Boutique which could help her achieve her goal.

    After Lily cancelled her engagement with Liam, she forced him to hand over the ownership and management of A.R Mall and Boutique, and the control of its three branches in Asia - Hong Kong, China and Singapore. Of course, when Liam consulted George about this matter, George didn¡¯t hesitate to sign the acquisition documents to hand over the A.R Mall and Boutique to Lily.

    Lily capitalised on George¡¯s willingness to give her anything she needed in exchange for her help and of course whatever she needed for her n. Then she waited... waited for Sofia to urged Liam to follow her to Hong Kong. Waited for Sofia to try and save her son. Waited for them to make a move against her.

    All she practically did was to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike. And Lily only needed to strike once.

    "You are a cruel man," Lily uttered as she epted the envelope from his hand.

    "And yet, I am still afraid of you," he immediately retorted, looking out of the car. "Don¡¯t you want to know what is going to happen to Sofia?" he asked.

    "Not interested," Lily answered. "But I have to tell you that Jack is still weak. He is not yet ready to manage a conglomerate. He is smart but hecks the guts. You need to train him well."

    "I know. I still have time. I can teach him. Or maybe I could send him to you and you could take him under your wings and..."

    "I am married," Lily interrupted. What was George thinking? Did he think that she would not be able to see through his true intentions? Did he think that Jack stood a chance to be with her just because Liam didn¡¯t?

    Her words immediately made George turn his head towards her. "To whom?"

    "To the person that I had asked you to look for," Lily said. Initially she had asked George to investigate what happened to her seven years ago, starting with finding out the identity of the man she had slept with. After all, she couldn¡¯t deny the possibility that the one who had drugged her that night could also be the same man she slept with. When the culprit who drugged her was found, she then realized that it was not the same man as the one she slept with.

    With a look of surprise on George¡¯s face, he sincerely eximed, "Well... congrattions!" Then he let out augh, his eyes turning into crescents. "I¡¯m sure Lilian would be proud and happy to see that you¡¯ve finally settled down."

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded as her fingers tightened their grip on the envelope.

    "Still, I am very impressed with what you did."

    "If you really want to thank me, you can give me a billion USD," Lily said bluntly. "My ns are wless... you should already know that."

    "As expected of you... But a billion is a lot. How about some properties abroad?" George let out another heartyugh. Now that Sofia was in his hands and Liam would soon be ousted from his position as the CEO, his heart felt lighter. Naturally, he would not be so stingy towards the person who helped him avenge Paulina. "wless is the right word to describe what you did. Now everyone in London will only be more fearful of you."

    Lily did not say anything, she just turned her gaze out of the car. This entire time as they were talking, the car was stationary, parked in front of the restaurant.

    "I just wonder." George started. "Why did you not wait for them to strike you first? Your move waspletely unexpected to everyone. To be honest, it was as if a storm suddenly arrived, leaving chaos in its wake. Even I didn¡¯t even know that you n was already in motion. Is this what you have learned from Lilian?"

    "Machiavelli." Lily¡¯s answer caused George to raise an eyebrow. Then, she slowly turned her head to look at him, her lips curled into a fake smile. "The Prince by Machiavelli. ¡¯The Romans, foreseeing troubles, dealt with them at once, and, even to avoid a war, would not let theme to a head, for they knew that war is not to be avoided, but is only put off to the advantage of others¡¯," she quoted.

    "You should have your son read the book," Lily added when she saw George rendered speechless from her words. "It was worth it. I¡¯m sure he will learn a tactic or two in scheming."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 114 - Perfect Scheming Human

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 114 - Perfect Scheming Human</h4>

    Anotherugh echoed inside the car, making Lily frown. She was not joking ah.

    "And here I was expecting you to tell me about how your grandmother molded you to be like this when in fact... you just read it from a book! How smart." Anotherughter followed, making Lily even more irritated.

    "Tell me everything that you know about the thing that I asked you to do," she asked, trying to change the topic.

    "Hmmm... well..." He made a deliberate pause, his gaze turned serious. "It seems that your hunch was right. Something else happened at the hospital." He stared at Lily¡¯s calm face before he continued, "We found a nurse who told us that you only had bruises on your body when you arrived at the hospital. They were not aware that you were pregnant or were there any signs that you had a miscarriage when you were admitted to the hospital. Then all the nurses and doctors who attended to you that night were all mysteriously fired."

    Lily¡¯s eyshes fluttered and she avoided George¡¯s gaze. "Tell me more," she said in a voice that was as calm spring breeze. It made George wonder what Lily was thinking at this moment.

    George and Lilian were very good friends. In fact, it was George who found Lily first because of his connections in the Hong Kong triad. George was Lilian¡¯s favorite go-to man when ites to illegal activities and obtaining information such as this because the Arisons had strong ties with the mafia. This was mainly because the Arisons and Fi were longtime friends not just in business but privately as well.

    Moreover, Lilian was the type of woman who never involved herself in illegal matters.

    George was in-charge of looking for Bec Fi. However, it took him years to find her simply because his ties were not as strong in Hong Kong. By the time George found his childhood friend Bec Fi, he was aware that she was already dead. So he made sure to inquire about Lily and her life as a Qin. He reported all that he knew to Lilian who immediately went to Hong Kong to rescue Lily.

    This was also the reason why George knew everything about Lily¡¯s past.

    When Lily arrived in London, George made sure to hide Lily¡¯s true identity from everyone. He made it seem like Lily came from an orphanage in Hong Kong and how Lilian found out her existence after she met with an ident. He was there when Lily was healing, learning and growing. George could even proudly say that he treated Lily like his own daughter. This was also the reason why Liam had identally found out about Lily¡¯s past.

    As George continued to watch Lily grow, he noticed how brilliant she was. She was not book smart or someone with an amazing memory. She couldn¡¯t calcte math in a split second. No, Lily was normal. It was the way her mind works that was baffling on its own.

    Lily had the ability to foresee hundreds of possibilities in her small brilliant mind. She had the ability to analyze and anticipate the many different paths that a specific action could lead to. In other words, she could see how things are connected to each other, how one thing leads to another in what ismonly known as the ¡¯Domino Effect¡¯.

    Lily¡¯s ability to analyze things was top notch, making her the perfect scheming human. And this - this was the reason why George asked for her help in his revenge against his own wife and her family.

    "Well?" Lily¡¯s words woke him up from his stupor.

    "I... We found someone with the same profile as the doctor who attended you and your mother. He is currently in Mysia and we are working on obtaining some information from him. But I have to warn you... someone else is also looking into this. Someone is digging everything and they are not low-key about it."

    With a gentle look on his face, George continued, "Please be careful Lily. This group seem toe from the East. And they are dangerous... Very dangerous."

    Lily nodded nonchntly at his words.

    "Check out the envelope when you reach home. There is some evidence that the hospital records were a lie. There is a possibility that you did not have a miscarriage," he said, earning another nod from Lily. "Are you gonna be okay?" he asked when he noticed Lily looking pensively at the envelope.

    "I will be," she answered before letting out another sigh. Then she looked at George, "Thank you."

    "No Lily... Thank you."

    "So what will happen to Sofia now that you have her?" she asked.

    "Guess..." George only smirked at her. "Sofia did a lot of things... too many that her family will not even ask any questions if she decides to run away one day."

    Lily smiled and remained silent. Her mind was in shambles. She was feeling nervous right now and she did not even know why. Was it because of what¡¯s inside the envelope? Was she afraid to find out the truth?

    "I¡¯m going," she said. But before she could open the car door, George held her arm.

    "Call me if you need anything Lily... anything," he uttered before letting her arm go. And without turning her head back, she walked out of the car and strode towards her own car that was just waiting nearby.

    Yang Mi was quick to notice the difference in Lily¡¯s demeanor the moment she entered the car. Lily seemed to be distracted.

    "Where to, President?" Yang Mi asked. At this moment, Daohu also entered the car. Instead of answering Yang Mi, Lily turned to Daohu. "Is it done?" she asked.

    "Yes, Madam, Mrs. Arison was sessfully transferred to a van at the back of the restaurant. I left after receiving word from Mr. Arison that I had no further business to be there."

    "Alright. Then... bring me back to my apartment," she ordered Yang Mi. Without saying another word, Lily closed her eyes. She kept her eyes closed throughout the ride back to her apartment, asionally furrowing her brows or letting out a sigh from time to time. Thinking about her interactions with the Arisons had put Lily on a reflective mood.

    In this treacherous world, where family seemed to be less important than power and money, she could never act weak. Even in front of George, who treated her like family, she would never show any weakness nor let him know the turmoil she was feeling within. She could never show a single weakness especially to her enemies or she would end up just like that people that she had scheme against.

    This was her own karma for doing all the things that she did to be who she is now. Lily was aware that she was a sinner, just like everyone else. Her past and the experiences she had been through molded her into someone that she never dreamed she could be when she was a child.

    She might be on top and rich, with immense wealth but she could not deny the fact that she too, just like everyone else, would get tired and lonely. However, unlike everyone else, Lily did not have anyone to turn to for her own troubles. Then Zhuo Jingren¡¯s silly smiling face came into her mind.

    A sudden surge of emotion caused her brow to furrow and her heart to beat faster. Zhuo Jingren was a partner... the marriage was a partnership. She was not in love. Sure the sex was great, he pampered her but loving him at this point was impossible.

    Then, what is this emotion that she is feeling right now?

    Why does thinking about their marriage as a partnership seem to... hurt?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 115 - Dreaming of Zhuo Jingren

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 115 - Dreaming of Zhuo Jingren</h4>

    Lily did not even realized when she got back to her apartment. As to how she got in? She didn¡¯t remember. All she knew was that her heart was extremely hollow.

    Lily then let out a deep sigh and stared at her reflection in her bathroom mirror that revealed her state of mind: serene. It was as if she did not just help George Arison kidnap his own wife or destroy the son whom he didn¡¯t love.

    And to be honest, Lily felt nothing. There was no sadness, guilt, joy or resentment. She then smiled at herself and watched as her face lit up, her eyes turning into crescents. But seeing her forced smile in the mirror somehow made her irritated. She pped the mirror with her palm before heading to the shower.

    She tried to focus on her mind on her next ns but somehow she was still disturbed by her train of thoughts earlier.

    Zhuo Jingren.

    Lily immediately closed her eyes and let the watering down from the shower head to wet her body. She told herself that she needed to think of something else instead of Zhuo Jingren. She then thought about Sofia and Liam and shook her head. This was another dysfunctional family. It was a disy of the cruelty that human beings are capable of.

    George hated Sofia for killing his lover. His hate intensified when she tricked him to bed just so that she could get pregnant. He also hated his son for looking so much like Sofia. How could a father plot against his own son like that? Lily only chuckled at her own thoughts. Wasn¡¯t she also in the same shoes as Liam seven years ago?

    Then she suddenly thought of Zhuo Jingren, particrly his smile. Why was she thinking of him again? Could it be that she missed him? Maybe the sex, Lily immediately concluded.

    Zhuo Jingren and her might be married but she knew that she doesn¡¯t love him. Maybe she liked the feeling of being pampered and being taken care of by him. But love? Lily was not just not someone who would fall head over heels with a man simply because he was nice to her. No, Lily had secrets and skeletons in the closet of her own. She felt that she was not in love.

    Maybe she did care for him and would sometimes miss him but she always thought that what she was just simply touched by his actions. It was gratefulness, yes, it was only natural for her to be grateful, especially after all that he had done for her. She also respected him as a person and as her husband.

    ¡¯But what is this strange feeling she is feeling? Why does thinking like this hurt her? This is not logical at all.¡¯

    Lily let out a curse before she decided to just eat her mind and continue with her shower. After thoroughly cleaning herself, Lily dried her body with a towel, put on her bathrobe and walked out of the bathroom. She plopped herself on the bed and stared at the ceiling for a while. Then she removed her bathrobe and hug the nket tightly, taking in the floral scent of her freshly changed bed sheets.

    Unknowingly, she drifted off to sleep. She was really tired.

    "It¡¯s only been a day and you already seemed to have lost some weight." A low voice seemed to echo inside Lily¡¯s head. That voice, she would recognize it anywhere. She furrowed her brows, annoyed that she was dreaming of Zhuo Jingren.

    "You promised to call me. You said we could Skype to see each other." The voice once again echoed.

    "Go away," she muttered before turning over, exposing her legs from under the nket in the process.

    "And you dare to sleep naked without me. Tell me Lily... what should I do to punish you?" Lily¡¯s eyes flew wide open. She was not dreaming! She stared at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face that was close - too close.

    The two gazed into each other¡¯s eyes without saying anything. Then Zhuo Jingren leaned in a little closer and their foreheads touched. They could even hear each other¡¯s breathing because of their close proximity.

    Then his lips brushed against hers, teasing her. "I miss you," he whispered as Lily continue to stare into his eyes which were now flooded with emotions. Was it was lust? Longing? She didn¡¯t know.

    Without a word, Lily snaked her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. For some reason, she felt relieved. Did she miss him? Yes, she did.

    The kiss started off gentle, with both of them being careful with each other, which Lily found a little amusing. Then she felt him cupping her face before their kiss came to a stop. He gave her a smile and said, "I miss you." This was the second time he said this.

    Lily stared at Zhuo Jingren, her eyes which were clouded with different emotions were studying his face. Then she smiled at him and said, "I miss you too." As those words left her lips, a realization hit her. She missed him. She missed his kisses, his silly smiling face, his gentle gaze, in fact, everything about him. "I miss you too," she said once again, a little scared that this was only a dream.

    Then Zhuo Jingren leaned in for another kiss. It was soft and warm. It felt different from the kiss they shared after the dance, or when they had sex. It was not intense nor did it send electric shocks on her skin. It was unhurried but full of yearning.

    Lily felt an emotional connection to Zhuo Jingren in this kiss and it made her eyes water. Her emotions started to run rampant. Then she asked herself why? Why was she being this emotional? Was it because of the results of the investigation that she had George conduct? Was it because of what she did to Sofia?

    Perhaps it was because at this moment, she realized that there was finally someone by her side whom she could share her burdens with ever since the death of her mother and her two grandmothers.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 116 - Tongue Tied

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 116 - Tongue Tied</h4>

    "For some reason, I am actually not surprised that you came here," Lily said while shifting to the other side of the bed to give Zhuo Jingren a space to lie down beside her.

    "Are you saying that you deliberately did not video call me so that I would miss you ande here to find you?" he chuckled before he pulled Lily closer towards him.

    "Maybe?" Lily retorted. "Did you make dinner for me?"

    "Of course, I did," he said before kissing her lovingly on the forehead. "I heard someone actually dared to p you?"

    "It was for a cause," Lily answered as she avoided his gaze. She snuggled into his embrace, resting her head on the nook of his neck. Her soft and warm breath against his skin made him let out a sigh of contentment, happy that he had his snuggle bunny back.

    "Hmmm... I don¡¯t like it. Let me deal with that woman," he said, still feeling upset at the thought of someone hurting his beloved.

    "She does not deserve your time." Lily was quick to answer. Monique was someone that was just caught in Lily¡¯s scheme.

    "I won¡¯t kill her."

    "I knew you¡¯d say that," Lily answered after a brief silence. To say that she was surprised that Zhuo Jingren knew about Monique pping her would be a lie. In fact, given her understanding of him, she fully expected that he would have already taken action prior to them having this conversation.

    And she was right, Monique was already taken care of by Zhuo Jingren. However, he made sure not to kill her. After all, he knew that Lily was not that type of person who would kill her enemies. What he did was to publicize Monique¡¯s dirty secrets. It might not be enough to kill Monique but he was sure it was enough to ruin her. Monique would not have any future in the film industry anymore.

    Moreover, during the time that Lily was asleep, George also executed the final step of his n. He personally exposed Liam¡¯s deeds, creating a ruckus among the shareholders. An emergency meeting was held and they all voted for Liam to step down from his position as CEO of Arison Holdings and to leave thepany.

    "Don¡¯t sleep. You need to eat your dinner. It¡¯s getting a littlete," he whispered when he noticed Lily¡¯s breathing was starting to even. He gently stroke Lily¡¯s back and once again whispered, "Hey... you know...if you continue to lie naked next to me, you should know what is bound to happen. So, I think you better put on some clothes, eat first to give yourself some strength."

    And just as he expected, Lily immediately pushed him away and leave the bed without waiting for another second. He let out a chuckle while watching Lily strode towards her walk-in closet and put on a yellow pyjamas with images of SpongeBob all over it. This immediately earned another chuckle from Zhuo Jingren.

    "I like him, alright," Lily said, ring at him for mocking her fashion choice before walking out of her room, leaving a certain beast man alone.

    "So? Where will you take me tomorrow?" Zhuo Jingren asked excitedly while watching Lily eat.

    "I want you meet someone," she answered.

    "Alright." He nodded.

    "So are you going to tell me why are you here and not in Hong Kong?" Lily asked. She thought that there was definitely another reason for him to be here other than ¡¯missing her¡¯, right? Of course, Lily was wrong about her assumptions.

    "I just miss you," he said.

    "So... missing me is enough to make you fly half-way around the world?" she raised an eyebrow.

    "Priorities," he uttered. He then shed Lily a smile when he saw her just staring at him. "Why don¡¯t we talk about what you did instead? Hmm? You put yourself in danger, Lily. And you did not even bother to let me know."

    "I was not in any danger," Lily argued as she finished the creamy carbonara that Zhuo Jingren whipped up for her. "I had it all nned from the start and George was there, so..." She shrugged.

    "Don¡¯t do it again," Zhuo Jingren said, looking into her eyes and taking her hands in his. The gaze that he was giving her somehow made her feel tongue tied. For the first time she felt utterly speechless, and she did not know what to say.

    For some reason, the thought of telling him that she couldn¡¯t promise such a thing was making her a little conflicted. Seeing Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes that was looking at her full of hope made her shift her eyes to the side of his face, avoiding his eyes in the process.

    "I can¡¯t promise you that," Lily answered with a straight face, her eyes still avoiding his. "I will not change who I am just to make you feelfortable," she said before getting up from her seat and walking out of the kitchen. Lily did not understand the myriad of feelings within her when it came to Zhuo Jingren and that naturally caused her to be defensive and even irritated.

    However, when Lily was about to go inside her study, Zhuo Jingren stopped her and pulled her for a hug. His tall frame covered her small one. The embrace was warm, his big strong arms instantly made Lily felt protected. As if she was in a cocoon, wrapped infort and... love.

    "I am not asking you to change who you are," he uttered, his voice was gentle. Lily is Lily and he was aware that he couldn¡¯t change who she is. Zhuo Jingren knew that her walls wouldn¡¯t just crumble because she had agreed to marry him. "I am asking... emploring you to just let me know in the future. I can¡¯t lose you now, Lily... Not again."

    Lily felt Zhuo Jingren¡¯s voice tremble before he continued, "You are not alone. Please... let me be with you."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 117 - An Anomaly

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 117 - An Anomaly</h4>

    Lily bit her bottom lip as she mulled over Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words. As her head was resting close to his chest, she could clearly hear his heartbeat, the steady rhythm was calming her down. She was surprised at her outburst just minutes ago. Why was she so emotional?

    He was clearly just worried about her. He had been searching for her for years, it was only natural that he feared losing her again. Lily closed her eyes to calm her nerves. Lashing out on Zhuo Jingren was wrong - so wrong.

    The sound of sniffles could be heard and she didn¡¯t know if the man was crying or he had caught a cold. Lily let out a sigh while shaking her head inwardly. "Let¡¯s not fight," she said, the gentleness in her voice immediately surprised her. "I¡¯m sorry."

    Zhuo Jingren just tightened his hug on her. "Hmmm..." Then Lily felt a kiss on her head.

    "Are you... Ehem..." Lily uttered after a few seconds of silence. "Are you crying?"

    "Of course not," he answered, his voice a little hoarse. "Let¡¯s sleep. We have an early day tomorrow." Immediately after he said that, he scooped her up, earning a surprised gasp from Lily. He hugged Lily close to his body as he strode inside the bedroom. When he reached the king size bed, he put her down gently on her back and turned around quickly. Then he walked away, heading in the direction of the bathroom.

    As Lily watched Zhuo Jingren¡¯s back disappear into the bathroom, there was an unfathomable look on her face. She turned her head to look straight at the ceiling above her and spread out her arms on her sides.

    A small smile escaped Lily¡¯s lips as she thought about what happened earlier. Though, she was sincerely apologetic about it, she couldn¡¯t help but be amused by Zhuo Jingren¡¯s reaction. Maybe she was bing a little sadistic, she thought, before she giggled.

    Then her expression turned serious. Her eyes, never leaving the white ceiling. To be honest, it had been a long time since she felt so many emotions and all in a day.

    After what happened to Lily years ago, she decided that the best way to protect herself was to build a thick wall around her heart, and close its doors and not to let anyone in so easily.

    So she conditioned herself to be detached from everything and not to get emotional about anything. She was almost never got angry and she always had a little smile stered on her face. She became cold and indifferent.

    The myriad of feelings that she felt earlier was such an alien experience for the current Lily. She was not used to feeling a surge of emotions. But she was not confused about how or why this was happening. Her EQ wasn¡¯t low. She knew her this was all because of her husband.

    Before meeting Zhuo Jingren, Lily was not even aware that she could feel irritation and then guilt all within a span of five minutes. Then Lily turned to lie on her side, with her back facing the bathroom, smiling about these realizations.

    Everything was really simple. Why was she trying to make thingsplicated and cause misunderstanding in the process?

    Wednesday.

    Lily woke up with a smile. She felt light, as if a heavy burden was lifted from her heart overnight. She then turned her head towards Zhuo Jingren who was still sleeping. Surprisingly, the man did not initiate intimacyst night. It must be because he was exhausted from the flight, Lily concluded as she stared at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s sleeping profile.

    Zhuo Jingren was gifted with a perfectly sculpted face that would stop anyone in their tracks. As Lily had the privilege to look at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face up close, she thought that his most attractive feature was his eyes. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes were a little darker than brown, that it looked almost ck. However, the brown specks in his irises made it look alluring and enchanting. This, coupled with his perfectly curled eyshes that framed his eyes, was the first thing that Lily noticed about him.

    In fact, she felt that his eyes were so memorable that it had haunted her dreams since she slept with him seven years ago.

    Lily remembered how she first thought that Zhuo Jingren was someone that Tang Lingyun sent to seduce her. So she asked George to find him. And when George failed to find the man, Lily immediately concluded that Tang Lingyun must have paid the man off to go away or maybe even killed him.

    Lily¡¯s hand reached out, wanting to touch Zhuo Jingren¡¯s tousled ck hair but she stopped midway and withdraw her hand. She then bit her lower lip as she contemted about the result of George¡¯s investigation.

    He told her that someone else was trying to dig up her past. Lily felt that only Zhuo Jingren had the means and the motive to do it. However, she found it weird that he was not low key about it. Why? Was he trying to attract attention? Whose attention?

    Lily was so immersed in her thoughts that she failed to notice that Zhuo Jingren had opened his eyes and was staring straight back at her. She continued to stare nkly at him, until he smoothly leaned in to steal a quick kiss from her.

    "Hey..." Lily said in a surprised gasp.

    "I know I am handsome, but I never thought it could put you in a daze," he noted, while smiling at her.

    "Shut up." She rolled her eyes before she leaned to kiss him. "Good morning," she uttered.

    "It is a very good morning indeed," he responded before pulling her towards him. "You smell so good. Too bad, I like SpongeBob too."

    "Huh?"

    "I mean... I didn¡¯t dare to rip your clothes. It would be disrespectful to SpongeBob," he whispered before chuckling.

    "What a crude man!" Lily responded with a chuckle. "Why are you always thinking about ripping my clothes when you can always ask me to take it off for you?"

    "Aw!" Lily let out a surprised scream when Zhuo Jingren suddenly shifted his body and hers. His body was now on top of hers and he was staring at her with a toothy grin on his face.

    "What can I say? I am an impatient man," he said.

    "An impatient man wouldn¡¯t be able to wait for seven years," she noted.

    "That is an anomaly." He smiled as he used his hand to remove a strain of hair on Lily¡¯s cheek. "And I am in love so...."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 118 - Extremely Adorable

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 118 - Extremely Adorable</h4>

    Zhuo Jingren eyed the tall gates made of wrought iron that were slowly opened by two guards. Then the car that they were riding in slowly entered the property, revealing another road surrounded by tall lush orange trees.

    "My grandfather love oranges so much. So my grandmother asked someone to surround the mansion with orange trees," Lily quickly exined, her eyes were taking in the scenery outside the car. "Thest time I was here was two months ago, during Grandmother¡¯s funeral and burial."

    Zhuo Jingren nodded at Lily¡¯s words. Not much was known about Lilian and her husband Frederick online so Zhuo Jingren did not know much about Lily¡¯s grandmother. He didn¡¯t think it was important or necessary to find out more about Lily¡¯s grandmother as his focus and attention had always been on Lily, be it in the past or present.

    After a few more seconds, the car made a stop in front of a building made of stone. If his guess was right, this building must be a mausoleum, that was located at the back of the Fi Mansion.

    "This property is too big. I will give you a tour around another time. For now, I want you to meet my grandmother and grandfather," Lily said just as the car door was opened from the outside by Daohu. Zhuo Jingren was the first to get out of the car. Standing next to the car, he held his hand out for Lily like a gentleman which surprised her. She took his hands and got out of the car with his help and a smile on her face.

    Zhuo Jingren watched as a butler named Victor opened the bronze doors to the mausoleum. Zhuo Jingren roamed his eyes on the exterior of the mausoleum. The ce looked like a stone house that was akin to a roman building with two upright columns supporting a horizontal block that wasid t across the top, acting as its roof. The house was about a hundred square meter big.

    It was as if Zhuo Jingren was watching a smaller version of the Pantheon in Rome but this house had a t roof.

    "My grandmother loved Roman architecture," Lily said when she noticed that Zhuo Jingren was roaming his eyes, observing the architecture of the ce. Then she tugged at him, while gesturing with the other hand for him to go inside with her.

    Hand in hand, Lily and Zhuo Jingren walked inside the mausoleum. The first thing that Zhuo Jingren noticed was the carpeted floor and the two tombs right at the center of the mausoleum. On top of each tomb was a headstone made of limestone with some words inscripted on it. On Lilian¡¯s headstone were these words: "Until we meet again." On Frederick¡¯s headstone were these words: "Time passes, love remains."

    The duo then stood in front of the tombs in silence, to show their respects. Now that Zhuo Jingren was closer, he could clearly see that on each of the headstone was a picture of the old couple.

    "Let me tell you a secret," Lily started as she stared at the photo of the loving couple. "My grandfather was a prince who abandoned his status for my grandmother," she said as her eyes turned gentle. What kind of person could abandon the life of a royalty for love? Lily used to think that her grandfather was stupid for doing so. But now, as she watched Zhuo Jingren looking at her, his eyes full of gentleness, Lily was sure that her grandfather was not crazy at all.

    "When my grandfather left his life as a prince, he also changed his surname to Fi. That was long before they started thepany. I used to think that he is stupid," she added, making Zhuo Jingren look at her. "But when I saw the way my grandmother would look at my grandfather¡¯s photographs after he died, it changed my mind." She wanted to add how his stares looked simr to the way her grandmother would also look at Frederick¡¯s pictures, but she chose not to say it.

    "Maybe an emotion as intense as that really exists," Lily whispered.

    "It does." Zhuo Jingren said after a long silence. Then he slowly let go of Lily¡¯s hands and put his arm around her waist. He pulled her a little closer towards him and slowly kissed her temple. "I know it does."

    Lily did not say anything else as she continued to stare at the photo of her grandparents. Unknowingly, her lips lifted into a smile.

    After a few minutes inside the mausoleum, Lily and Zhuo Jingren walked out of the building still hand in hand with a smile on both of their faces.

    "Where are we going next?" he asked as he opened the car door for Lily.

    "We¡¯re going to see a beautiful friend," Lily said before she went inside the car with Zhuo Jingren in tow.

    "So basically... you wanted me to ride a horse?" Zhuo Jingren asked. His face was calm but Lily immediately sensed the distress in his voice.

    "Don¡¯t you know how to ride a horse?" she raised an eyebrow at him. Seeing Zhuo Jingren purse his lips and did not answer her, was enough for Lily to know that he hasn¡¯t ridden a horse before. "Don¡¯t worry, I can teach you." She smiled at him before patting his shoulders.

    "That is not my concern!" Zhuo Jingren said. "I am a fast learner but I don¡¯t... I think horses are scary." He leaned towards Lily and lower his voice, making sure that Lily was the only one who could hear him. Though Yang Mi and Daohu were the only ones following them, Zhuo Jingren still felt that it was necessary for him to lower his voice, not willing to let those two know his fear. He desperately wanted to back out but how could he when they were already inside the farm with stables. If he backed out now, he would only be aughing stock ah.

    When he heard a horse neighing nearby, Zhuo Jingren almost jumped up in fright. "Horses are very sensitive and unpredictable too," he whispered while eyeing the ck stallion from afar.

    His statement immediately made Lilyugh. This was totally unexpected! A six foot two man, afraid of horses and acting like a child was too much for Lily.

    "Stopughing at me. I am being serious," Zhuo Jingren hissed. Before he turned towards the ck stallion. "Do you see that horse? Look at the way he res at me. Look! If I stand next to him, I¡¯m sure he will kick me to death."

    "Hey, I have a question." Lily said in between herughter.

    "Hm?"

    "Are you afraid of guns?" she asked in a low voice.

    "I am not... why would you..." Zhuo Jingren did not continue his words as he narrowed his eyes at Lily. "Horses are different than guns. Horses could pounce on you at any moment... believe me... Hey, stopughing! I am being serious! Lily!"

    Lily on the other hand was already clutching her stomach as she tried to stop herself fromughing at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s exnation. How could a man not be afraid of violence and guns but fears a horse? To Lily, the man in front of her now was extremely adorable. Seeing Zhuo Jingren still ranting on about the danger of horses made Lily reach out and pinch thetter¡¯s cheeks.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 119 - More Bombs Than a Bombshell

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 119 - More Bombs Than a Bombshell</h4>

    London Vige Stables.

    "This horse belonged to my grandmother," Lily said as she approached a ck horse with white pattern of pigmented spots all over its body, safely stabled in a stall. It had taken them almost fifteen minutes of walking to get to this stable from where they were earlier.

    "His name is Six. An Irish Cob that my grandfather gave my grandmother on their 36th wedding anniversary."

    "Come... you can touch him. He is extremely sweet," Lily said as she slowly rubbed the neck of the horse. Although Zhuo Jingren was hesitant, he still went up to the horse and gave it a pat. That made Lily smile.

    Six was not that tall for a horse. Lilian Fi was around five feet, four inches tall and she was fearful of horses that were much taller than her. That was why Frederick Fi specially selected this breed for it wouldn¡¯t grow too tall and tower over his wife.

    "Ah... is that my little Lily?" A hoarse voice echoed inside the stable, causing the duo to turn their heads toward the source of the voice. They saw an older man walking in, together with a young man who looked to be around Lily¡¯s age.

    "Ah Fabian!" Lily eximed as she approached them. "I thought you were in Australia!" She greeted Fabian with a kiss on the cheek while giving a nod at the younger man.

    Zhuo Jingren remained in the same spot and roamed his eyes around the stable. He was surprised at how luxurious this stable waspared to the ones he saw in Japan and other countries. This stable was very clean with high ceilings and windows that allow natural light toe in and encourage natural venttion. The stalls were big and spacious enough space for the horses to lie down. Rubber lined the flooring for the stalls which provided great cushioning for the horses legs as well as instion. The stalls were clean and filled with ample hay.

    Zhuo Jingren then gave the horse near him another pat before walking towards Lily who was still talking to man whom she addressed as Fabian.

    "This is my man, Jingren," Lily said when Zhuo Jingren approached them. "This is Fabian, the owner of this stable. He is my grandmother¡¯s good friend and the one who taught me how to ride a horse." Lily smiled as Zhuo Jingren shook Fabian¡¯s hands. Then Lily introduced the younger man behind Fabian. "And this is his son, Luke."

    "The words, ¡¯my man¡¯ gave me a scare," Fabian said beforeughing. "Is this some sort of a joke Lily dear?"

    Lily onlyughed in response before holding Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hands. "We are here for Six and I also want to give him a tour around this ce. Maybe we could ride the best that you have?"

    "Of course.... Of course..." Fabianughed before raising an eyebrow at the couple¡¯s outfit.

    "I have our outfits prepared and ready," Lily immediately said as she gestured for Daohu to pass them the bag that he was carrying.

    "Then you two better change your clothes first. Luke will apany the two of you. I shall take my leave and prepare the horses for everyone," Fabian said before he excused himself. Luke then brought Lily and Zhuo Jingren to the cabin at the back of the stable where they could change their clothes.

    "What¡¯s wrong with you?" Lily asked as she took off her dress and put on a pair of dark brown tights.

    "That Luke. Why is he staring at you like that?" Zhuo Jingren asked while he slowly unbuttoned his shirt. Zhuo Jingren could sense that there was something more to the gaze that Luke was giving Lily.

    "Ah... that..." Lily made a deliberate pause. "He likes me."

    Her words immediately earned a raised eyebrow from Zhuo Jingren. However, the words that followed made his face even darker.

    "And I kissed him before but that was like years ago." She shrugged. "You don¡¯t have to be jealous. I don¡¯t like him."

    "Then why did you kiss him?" he retorted as he approached her.

    "Hmmm... I don¡¯t know. I found him handsome," Lily answered honestly before turning her head towards Zhuo Jingren who was approaching her. As the cabin was not that big, he reached her in just a few steps. His dark face confused Lily a little and she cautiously asked, "Are you mad?"

    "I am not," he answered, his whole body towering over her. "But I am jealous."

    "Fair enough." Lily nodded before she bent down to pick up a peach colored shirt. "Two months ago, I didn¡¯t even know you existed. I am a normal human being with sexual urges..."

    "Are you saying that you had sex with him?"

    "Of course not!" she instantly replied, her eyes stared back at his dark ones. "Apparently, a certain someone raised my standards years ago. As I said, I won¡¯t settle for anything mediocre."

    Seeing Zhuo Jingren¡¯s extremely dark face, she added, "You have yourself to thank for that."

    "You are extremely good with your words, my little wife," he said as he suddenly carried Lily and pinned her against the wall, creating a thud in the process.

    "Lily? Are you okay?" Luke¡¯s concerned voice came from outside the cabin.

    "I am," Lily responded while looking straight into Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes. She then smirked at him and whispered, "I remember an anthropologist who said that a little jealousy in a healthy rtionship is fine."

    "You were trying to make me jealous?" he asked as he leaned his face towards hers.

    "Not intentionally... but I think I like where this is going. Maybe I should make you jealous from time to time. What do you say? Husband?" she responded with a whisper.

    And what followed was Zhuo Jingren kissing her intensely. This time his kisses were demanding, powerful. Lily then wrapped her legs around his waist, responding to his kisses. She did not even notice how her tights was removed. Maybe it was Zhuo Jingren. All that registered after that was the immense pleasure that rocked their bodies as they tried to suppress their moans and reached orgasm together.

    "I think, I like the effect of you being jealous," Lily said in between breaths, as she leaned her head into the nook of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s neck. The wave of their orgasm was still rocking their bodies.

    "This is just the warm up," Zhuo Jingren said after a few seconds. "You have been very naughty, Lily. You deserve a little spanking and..." Zhuo Jingren whispered the rest into Lily¡¯s ears.

    Surprisingly, Lily only giggled at his words.

    "Hey... guys? Everything okay? Do you need my help or something?" Once again, Luke¡¯s voice echoed outside of the cabin. This earned another round of giggles from Lily.

    "Everything¡¯s fine, Luke. Give us a few more minutes," she responded while smiling from ear to ear.

    "And here I was wondering how someone could be so naughty, smart, ssy and sexy at the same time." She heard Zhuo Jingren chuckle. "Good thing this someone is my wife."

    "You silly man. I have more bombs than a bombshell. You better prepare yourself as you will be spending a lifetime with me," she said before letting out a heartyugh that travelled outside the cabin. For everyone else waiting for them outside, they couldn¡¯t help but wonder what was taking the two of them so long toe out.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 120 - Confidence in their Future

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 120 - Confidence in their Future</h4>

    "We have at least seven miles of well-maintained trails around the perimeter of this park. This park is perfect for beginners. In fact, we would even rmend that a beginner start with our horse riding simtor first before riding the real one," Luke patiently exined as he led them to another barn. "We also have a team of professionals that is fully qualified to teach aspiring riders as young as four-year-old." He then eyed Lily and Zhuo Jingren before he continued to lead them without saying another word.

    The duo was immersed in their own little world that Luke felt really awkward to continue talking. It was as if he was talking to the air ah. Luke decided that he should try to join in their conversation and with this in mind, he purposely slowed down his steps to walk beside Zhuo Jingren. "So, have you ridden a horse before?" he asked.

    "No," he answered.

    "Oh," Luke nodded. "I¡¯m sure Lily will teach you. She seemed small but she is extremely good at horseback riding. In fact, her skills areparable to some of the professional horseback riders here. We used to watch horseback riding shows together to learn some pointers."

    "Oh... in the future, she will be watching those shows with me." Zhuo Jingren¡¯s blunt words rendered Luke speechless. Lily smiled for she found it funny how a man, no matter how aplished, would turn childish in front of the woman they like. Lily pretended not to hear Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words because she knew it would be true.

    The amusing thing was how the conversation died after what Zhuo Jingren said as Luke did not know how to respond to that. What else could he say? He was a little irritated but he did not show it. Instead, he started exining about the area and the barns that they passed.

    After a few more minutes, the group arrived at another stable that looked exactly like the one that held Six.

    "This is where we keep Lily¡¯s favorite horse called Irish and some of the best horses we have." Luke said, his voice a little smug. He had known Lily for years and rather familiar with her likes and dislikes. Though, he did not want to rub it on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face, Luke felt that what Zhuo Jingren did earlier was akin to a deration of war.

    "Here we go..." Lily smiled when she saw the dark brown horse which was taller than her. If Zhou Jingren¡¯s estimate was right, the horse should be around 170 centimeters tall. She let go of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hands and approached the stall. "Hi, Irish... I miss you," she said while rubbing the horse¡¯s neck, her eyes turning into crescents.

    "That is an expensive Irish thoroughbred, that Lily immediately fell in love with the first time she visited this ce with her grandmother," Luke proudly said to Zhuo Jingren. However before Zhuo Jingren could answer, Lily beckoned him to her.

    "Alright... you will be riding this horse. While I ride the ck stallion over there," Lily told Zhuo Jingren.

    "I thought this horse is your favorite?" he eyed the horse before him. It wasn¡¯t ring at him unlike the first horse he met when he arrived here. For some reason, he felt that the horse was even smiling at him. Zhuo Jingren turned his head immediately to look at Lily. A horse¡¯s smile was just as scary as its serious face ah.

    "He is extremely docile. This is good since you are a beginner. Plus, you are my favorite too... Ah...two of my favorites in one frame, how nice." Lily smiled and walked towards the ck horse which was two stalls away from Irish.

    "Did you hear that?" Zhuo Jingren asked Luke with a smirk before walking up to Lily. ¡¯So what if Luke knows Lily in the past? There is a reason that he is Lily¡¯s husband right now and not Luke.¡¯ Zhuo Jingren thought whileughing inwardly. ¡¯The past is in the past for a reason, while he is the future. What¡¯s the use of mulling over the past when he have decades to spend with Lily?¡¯

    The hot and hurried love-making at the cabin earlier gave him the confidence in their future. He could feel that Lily was slowly opening up to him and he would be waiting patiently for Lily to fully entrust herself to him. As long as they continue to trust each other andmunicate well, he believed that they will build a strong bond.

    "Alright, to mount a horse, you have to approach it at its shoulder," Lily started to exin while they walk their horses out of the stable. The riding gear were all already attached on the horses because Fabian went ahead of them to get everything prepared before they arrived. "Never... and I mean never approach a horse from the back."

    "Alright." Zhuo Jingren nodded. Though he could sense the ridicule in Luke¡¯s gaze, he chose to ignore it. As someone who grew up in an orphanage, he didn¡¯t have the chance to learn many things. Even after he left the orphanage, he was busy working odd jobs in Japan, he didn¡¯t have the time to learn a rich man¡¯s sports like horseback riding. Despite his unprivileged background, he was not ashamed of it.

    Rather, Zhuo Jingren was proud at what he had achieved even though his starting hand was poor. When his adoptive father handed him the business, it was only a small insurancepany. This was his adoptive father¡¯s way of entering the business industry legally.

    After taking over the business, Zhuo Jingren did his best to make a name in the banking industries. He worked hard and had many sleepless nights. He stumbled, made mistakes but he never stopped moving forward in pursuit of his dream to reach the top. He worked his a** off and in the end, he finally made it to the top. All his efforts finally paid off! To top it all off, he now had Lily by his side.

    So why would he be insecure about some entitled rich guy? When he already has everything that he needed in the form of Lily?¡¯¡¯

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 121 - Paranoia

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 121 - Paranoia</h4>

    While Lily and Zhuo Jingren were enjoying their time together, Xuan Hui was having a bad day in Hong Kong.

    When Xuan Hui woke up this morning, he received a call from his secretary who informed him that Liam Arison was ousted from his CEO position in Arison Holdings and that put him in a pensive mood. So when his wife Qin Fei came up to him and began to talk excitedly about the Fashion Week¡¯s after party which was going to happen on Friday, Xuan Hui just wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk at all. To Xuan Hui, Qin Fei¡¯s excitement seemed to be over the top that it even got a little on his nerves.

    "Why are you mad? It¡¯s early in the morning and you already have a dark look on your face. Is there something wrong in thepany?" Qin Fei asked while fixing her make-up. She paid particr attention to her neck, making sure that the dark spots which started appearing during her pregnancy were properly concealed with make-up.

    Qin Fei had always been mindful about her appearance, even when she was no longer active in the filming industry. Both Xuan Hui and his mother agreed that Qin Fei should take things slow and rest more at home when she got pregnant. Even at seven months pregnant, Qin Fei was not the type of person who would just stay at home and do nothing. Moreover, it had been her dream to start a fashion business and now that she was taking a break from filming, she could devote all her time and attention onunching her fashion brand.

    "Yes," Xuan Hui answered curtly while reading some reports rting to Lily and Liam on his tablet. Through these reports, he came to know about what happened in London. He read about how Lily had issued a statement saying that Liam was cheating on her when they were still engaged. Somehow this news didn¡¯t surprise Xuan Hui as all along he suspected that Lily must have had some dirt on Liam. Otherwise, it made no sense for Liam to agree to end their engagement which would benefit them and even part with A.R Mall and Boutique and its three branches in the Far East.

    Now, reading the news in front of him, Xuan Hui couldn¡¯t help but wonder if thepromising photos of Liam and Sofia were released by Lily to ruin them both. Between Liam and Sofia, Sofia¡¯s scandal was an even bigger one. Her scandal rocked the socialite circle in London, making it the talk of the town. It was also rumored that Sofia was hospitalized in a mental institution for depression. And the most baffling thing was that all of these happened in a span of two days.

    Liam and Sofia¡¯s scandals implicated Arison Holdings and thepany suffered some losses as a result. Surprisingly, George Arison managed to appease the shareholders and the board of directors and stabilize the operations within thepany.

    This was something Xuan Hui couldn¡¯t fathom. How could apany suffer a devastating attack overnight and then recover the very next day? Was George Arison that brilliant?

    "Hui... you are not listening to me..." Qin Fei¡¯s voice woke him up from his stupor. He quickly turned off his tablet and lifted his head to look at his wife. For some reason, the sight of her pouting immediately irritated him.

    "I¡¯m sorry... I was just thinking about something important," he forced himself to apologize while cursing inwardly. Everything that happened to Liam made him a little afraid of the future. What if this was all Lily¡¯s doing? What if shees for him next? With her influence, it would be easy for her to squash him like an ant.

    "I said... for Fashion Week¡¯s after party this Friday, you can go ahead and enter without me because I want to make a grand entrance with Mother. I will be wearing a gown that I personally designed. Do you know how hard it is for a pregnant woman to find a nice and elegant gown that actually fits? That¡¯s why I..." Qin Fei continued to chatter, unaware that Xuan Hui¡¯s mind was wandering elsewhere again. The fear in his heart seemed to magnify by the minute.

    Xuan Hui remembered how Mr. Martin, the investor that he wanted to partner with, had told him that Lily was someone who instil fear in businessmen in Europe. She was known to acquire businesses using the most ruthless and unpredictable ways. She was also known to attack businessmen who opposed her.

    Xuan Hui had found that Mr. Martin¡¯s words unbelievable at that point in time. After all, he knew Lily since she was young and had watched her grow up. She was not ruthless or smart. Rather, she was soft-spoken and kind who loved animals and sparkly things. Xuan Hui had always found her weak and boring. So how could someone like that, someone who had fallen into Tang Lingyun¡¯s scheme be smart and ruthless in business world?

    However, now that he saw what happened to Liam, Xuan Hui was a little more convinced that there was some truth to Mr. Martin¡¯s words. He remembered how Liam left in a hurry on the day of the A.R Mall and Boutique¡¯s quarterly meeting. Then his scandal broke out which caused the major shareholders to lose their trust and confidence in the man. The timing was just too perfect that Xuan Hui couldn¡¯t help but conclude that someone... someone powerful was scheming and orchestrating everything.

    "So? Do you agree with me? Hey... what are you thinking about?" Once again his thoughts were interrupted by Qin Fei.

    "Alright. I will do as you say," he answered nonchntly before swallowing a mouthful of saliva. The knowledge of Qin Jinghua¡¯s identity as Lily Fi-Qin was really starting to bother him. He could even barely sleep as he thought about the possibility of Lily exacting her revenge on him and his family for what they had done to her in the past. Xuan Hui was unaware that on a subconscious level, he had begun to be more cautious of Lily.

    Of course, Xuan Hui was not aware that Lily was already starting to collect the interest of the debt they owe her. It was Lily¡¯s intention all along to make Xuan Hui recognize her. Make him fear her existence that he would even lose his sleep while thinking about what her next action would be. After all, paranoia is another way to weaken your enemy. Make them guess and fear your next move. Make them anticipate the worst.

    What Xuan Hui failed to realize was that Lily could have been nning for his downfall long before she returned to Hong Kong. After all, Lily had been away for a very long time and that gave her ample time to meticulously plot her revenge.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 122 - Badass and Cute

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 122 - Badass and Cute</h4>

    "Alright, you can¡¯t be too tense or you will start to bounce," Lily said sternly before she pulled the reins of her horse to signal it to slow down while waiting for Zhuo Jingren to catch up to her. They were currently circling slowly around the barn to get used to riding.

    "Just rx...I noticed that you tend to tighten your legs around the horse which is not good. You have to think of... how should I put it..." She made a deliberate pause. "It¡¯s like being one with the horse. Imagine it as an extension of you, instead of an animal that you are riding."

    Lily knew that Zhuo Jingren was intelligent but it was not until today that she saw how his intelligence was put to the test. Zhuo Jingren was a fast learner and was able to follow her instructions well. Though Lily never dared to underestimate her man, she was pleasantly surprised at his progress and even wonder why he was afraid of horses in the first ce.

    "Hey... you seemed to be afraid of horses a while ago," she teased which earned a chuckle from Luke who was following closely behind them. "Why were you afraid of them?" she continued before turning her head around to shoot a re at Luke. This man was really courting death.

    "Teeth," Zhuo Jingren answered shortly, while concentrating hard on maintaining his control over the horse and maneuvering it. One single mistake and this horse could rear back and throw him to the ground.

    "What do you mean? Like their teeth? Why would you be scared of their teeth?" Lily asked as she slowly squeezed the sides of her horse, causing it trot. Zhuo Jingren imitated Lily¡¯s actions and his horse also started to move a little faster.

    "Scary teeth," he answered honestly. Zhuo Jingren found their teeth big - crazy big. He was sure that a horse¡¯s bite had the capability to devour a person¡¯s arms. He better make sure not to make any mistakes or identally provoke the beast. Of course, he also knew that the likelihood of this happening under Lily¡¯s watch was low. But still...

    Luke was snickering behind them when he heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s reply and that irritated Lily even more. "Let¡¯s go ahead to the trail." Lily pointed ahead and gestured for Zhuo Jingren to follow her.

    Lily would have loved to bring Zhuo Jingen out of the park for some sightseeing but she knew that it wasn¡¯t a good idea, especially since Zhuo Jingren was still a beginner. So Lily decided that they would just follow the trail within the park while hoping that they would get to see some interesting sights along the way.

    However, just as Zhuo Jingren, Lily and Luke were going to start on the trail, loud galloping sounds could be heard behind them and they were getting closer. The trio immediately turned their heads and immediately saw a group riders approaching them. Judging from their speed, it seemed like they were racing. But instead of passing them by, the riders were seen to be pulling on the reins of their horses to slow their horses down.

    The group of ridersprising two men and two women stopped before them before they greeted Lily and Luke. Lily immediately recognized them to be the professional horseback riding instructors hired by the park.

    "And who is this fine man?" A woman whom Lily recognized as Suzette smiled while eyeing Zhuo Jingren.

    "That fine man is my man," Lily quickly answered while smiling back at the group. The group caught onto Lily¡¯s words immediately and gave Zhuo Jingren a look over. All along they thought that there was something going on between Lily and Luke as the two of them had gotten along really well. But when they saw Zhuo Jingren, they knew why Luke didn¡¯t stand a chance on the looks department alone. They didn¡¯t know that Lily had such a high standards for her man.

    Lily could tell that they were checking her man out and knew what they were probably thinking inside. But that was just their own superficial thinking. Looks wasn¡¯t everything alright?

    "Whoa... Be carefuldies and gents, stop staring at him like that or he might just fall off from the horse. He¡¯s still a beginner," Luke joked, earning chuckles from the group.

    Lily didn¡¯t find Luke¡¯s jesting amusing at all. A glint of unfathomable emotion shed in her eyes but it was too quick for anyone to notice.

    After that, the group surrounded Zhuo Jingren and started introducing themselves. They asked Zhuo Jingren questions about himself and he patiently answered all of their questions. Meanwhile, Lily was riding closely behind them while listening in to their conversations.

    "So, you¡¯re a banker in Hong Kong? Which bank? My friends love to travel to Hong Kong," one man said. Most of them were either of noble descent or came from really influential families. They were naturally all very well-travelled.

    "Zhuo Capital," Zhuo Jingren answered.

    "Ah! That¡¯s a good Bank. I heard the owner is extremely handsome?" One woman chuckled. "Maybe I could meet up with him on my next visit. Why don¡¯t you help me get in touch with your boss?" The woman winked.

    Lily was engrossed listening in to their conversations when Luke¡¯s voice suddenly echoed next to her ear, "So you married a banker?"

    Lily just nodded in response, irritation building inside her. She didn¡¯t miss the hint of mockery in his tone. Moreover, this was supposed to be a date with just the two of them ah. As if Luke was not enough, another group had to join the party.

    "I always thought that there was a mutual attraction between us. It makes me wonder why you would choose him and not me?" Luke had always been this blunt and this was the reason why Lily got along well with him in the past, because he was not the scheming sort and would always say what was on his mind.

    "I don¡¯t think that is any of your business, Luke," she answered in a firm tone. Sometimes people tend to forget who she was and what she was capable just because she was acting friendly.

    "Is it not?" Luke asked. "If you wanted to marry someone, you could have approached me. Our families were close before. Besides, I knew you since you were young and I think I have a good understanding of you. Plus, my status matches Liam Arison. If you were looking for someone to infuriate your ex fianc¨¦, I was the best candidate."

    Though Lily did not mention anything about the circumstances that led to her marriage to Zhuo Jingren, Luke felt that the only reason why Lily would marry someone just a month after her engagement with Liam was broken was to make the man jealous. After all, Liam was also cheating on her.

    "Well... I had to find someone outstanding and..." Lily smiled at Luke. "That is not you." Lily then gave the horse a squeeze on its sides, prompting the horse to walk faster so that she could close the gap between her and Zhuo Jingren who was with the group.

    All along, Lily had been paying close attention on her husband and the group who were just slightly ahead of her. These people may sound friendly on the surface but Lily knew the hidden insults behind their words.

    After asking some trivial questions, they started to talk about Luke and how they even thought that there was something going on between Luke and Lily. Lily found that they were being disrespectful to talk about this given that this was the first time that they were meeting her husband. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t as if she was very close to this group either.

    She was not sure if this was Luke¡¯s doing but she felt that the group was trying to iste Zhuo Jingren from her, thereby giving Luke the chance to talk to her privately. This immediately worsened her mood.

    "Hey! Why are you mad?" Luke was quick to follow Lily. "You know that I have always liked you and I will still ept you if you leave him..." These words immediately made Lily stop in her tracks. She turned her head to face Luke.

    "Are you trying to make my husband jealous?" she asked.

    "So what if I am?" he retorted, earning a scoff from Lily.

    "Luke... Under normal circumstances, I would retaliate but because I respect your father, I will not do anything to you. But let me give you a piece of advice," she paused, making sure that Luke was looking at her. "If you can steal a woman from another man, it does not mean that you have won. In fact, it is your loss. Because someday, someone else can steal that woman away from you too. That¡¯s the cycle of life. Do not covet what doesn¡¯t belong to you."

    Though Lily had not yelled or screamed when she was saying these words to Luke, she had unknowingly raised her voice a little, stopping everyone in their tracks.

    Even Zhuo Jingren stopped and stared at Lily. The only reason why he was being respectful when conversing with this group was because he thought these people were Lily¡¯s close friends. But from the way they talked and acted, he eventually realized that they were just trying to iste him from his own wife. But knowing that his wife would act soon, he decided to y dumb and act along. Now was the time that he returned to his wife.

    When Lily noticed that the group was staring at them, she just stared back at them and then at Luke who seemed to have lost his tongue. "You all assumed that he was a banker just because he said that he works in a bank. Didn¡¯t it ur to you that an owner works in his own bank too?" Lily asked, rendering everyone speechless. Then she gestured for Zhuo Jingren to follow her and they began to head in the opposite direction, away from the group.

    Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t forget to sh everyone a provocative smile before following after Lily. His smile infuriated them a little and made them feel embarrassed. After all, they had assumed Zhuo Jingren was beneath them while they boasted about their education and unted their etiquette in front of him.

    Now that Lily had debunked their assumptions, the group felt ufortable as they red daggers at Luke. When Luke had told them that Lily had brought someone with her today who had no prior experience in horseback riding, they immediately assumed that he was someone of a lower ss. Anyone born to the upper ss would surely know how to ride a horse. Moreover, it was Luke who asked them to show their ¡¯hospitality¡¯ to the guest.

    This group of young men and women could only hope that this incident wouldn¡¯t reach the ears of their parents. They were sure that their parents would hold them ountable for their actions of offending Lily and a powerful figure in the form of Zhuo Jingren.

    Meanwhile, Zhuo Jingren was smiling from ear to ear. For some reason, he found Lily¡¯s badass way of handling things a little cute. Maybe he should let his wife protect him from time to time, no?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 123 - Rely on Me to Meet You Halfway

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 123 - Rely on Me to Meet You Halfway</h4>

    Rumors about Lily¡¯s not so pleasant encounter with a certain group of people at the London Vige Stables started spreading like a fire among the socialite circle. Did they think that Lily would let this incident pass just because they knew one another?

    People started ridiculing the group of men and women for behaving poorly in front of someone like Lily and offending her. After all, Lily Qin¡¯s identity was also not simple. She might not be the Queen bee but the Queen bee was surely afraid of her. Just because Lily had been courteous, they had forgotten that she was someone capable of creating storms with only her wits and that her smile was her weapon.

    While some people sympathized with the group yet at the same time felt that they only had themselves to me for their foolishness.

    After Lily and Zhuo Jingren were done with riding, they decided to head back to Lily¡¯s apartment and enjoy the remaining hours in each other¡¯spany. After all, Zhuo Jingren was set to fly to New York the next day while Lily would be flying back to Hong Kong.

    The events that transpired earlier did not even bother them and they both acted as if nothing unpleasant had happened. When Lily thought about how Zhuo Jingren had made the effort to socialize with her acquaintances earlier, it made her a little happy. She thought that perhaps Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t want to embarrass her by being standoffish.

    "Hey... why are you not possessive?" Lily shifted in her chair and crossed her legs, before propping her chin into her palms with her elbows resting on the kitchen countertop, as she watched Zhuo Jingren cook their dinner.

    "What do you mean?" he asked, confused. He eyed Lily for a while before turning his attention back on the steak that was searing in the pan.

    "Handsome and hot CEOs should be cold, overly jealous and possessive. I mean... that¡¯s what the novels say. You could be jealous more and behave more childishly like...giving yourpetition a cold stare or something?" she exined, still staring at his sexy back. Though Zhuo Jingren had said that he was jealous, he didn¡¯t act like it.

    Zhuo Jingren remained calm even when Luke didn¡¯t bother to hide his intentions for Lily and didn¡¯t get angry when he was rude to him. On top of that, he remained polite even when her acquaintances at the park were disrespectful to him. This was not what Lily would have expected a jealous man to behave.

    Zhuo Jingren onlyughed at Lily¡¯s words which made her raise an eyebrow at him. "You are not a thing to be owned and possessed," he said, while keeping his eyes on the stove. "But this does not mean that you are not the center of my world, because trust me... you are. If one partner is too possessive, the other partner will only feel caged and suffocated. That partner¡¯s world will shrink and she will probably feel guilty if she doesn¡¯t do what her partner wants. Now that is not a healthy rtionship."

    "Who wants to be in an unhealthy rtionship?" he added as he flipped the steak to sear the other side. "Being overly possessive is a sign of emotional immaturity and neurotic insecurity. Are you saying that you want me to be immature and neurotic?" Heughed again.

    "I thought you never had a girlfriend before? Where did you learn all these things?" Lily asked. Zhuo Jingren actually had a point. For an aplished woman like her and at her age, she wouldn¡¯t want to be with a man who was possessive to the point of being childish, who would limit her world just to ease his insecurities.

    For Lily, possessiveness was a sign of low self-esteem and fear of rejection. A person with these traits usually have a need to be in control of things.

    Just like her. Her past molded her to be like this. She was aware of her shorings.

    "My adoptive father used to tell me that when two people are in a rtionship, both are equals. No one should feel entitled to lord over the other." This time, Zhuo Jingren turned around to look at Lily. "I won¡¯t pretend that I don¡¯t have a certain degree of fear or insecurity. I do fear that I might lose you again. I am also insecure whenever I think about how there might be someone out there who is better than me," he said earnestly while staring into Lily¡¯s eyes. "But, I trust you."

    His words immediately made Lily smile. "My grandmother Lilian used to say that you can love someone without trusting them and you can trust someone without loving them. But the best rtionship is when you love someone and trust them at the same time."

    Lily then rose from her seat and walked towards Zhuo Jingren. "I think your trust for me is such apliment."

    "Too bad, I am not like you." Lily¡¯s face turned serious as she stood in front of Zhuo Jingren. Since Lily was a foot shorter than Zhuo Jingren, she had to crane her neck to look at him as she continued, "I am possessive and I have my fears. I have trust issues and it¡¯s hard for me to feel secure in a rtionship."

    "I am extremely selfish and greedy. In short... I am the exact opposite of you...Ah!" she let out a surprised gasp when Zhuo Jingren suddenly lifted her up and ced her down on the kitchen countertop.

    "Opposites always attract yeah?" he said with a small smile on his face. Zhuo Jingren loved having conversations like this. He felt that it was Lily¡¯s own way of letting him know how she felt. Moreover, the knowledge of Lily¡¯s possessiveness over him was making him a little giddy inside.

    "Actually, scientists said that the concept of opposites attracting each other is a myth," Lily said as she snaked her arms around his neck.

    "Well... We are both good-looking, smart and rich. In a way we are simr so it¡¯s not a problem." He shrugged before giving Lily small kisses all over her face, neck and finally on her lips, making thetter giggle with glee.

    "The steak," Lily reminded, in between the kisses. "And don¡¯t forget to let me down," she said whileughing.

    Lily was satisfied at where they are now in their rtionship, it was harmonious and happy. For some reason, the thought of being with Zhuo Jingren until old age excited her a little.

    Zhuo Jingren chuckled in response before letting Lily down and returning to the stove to resume his cooking. "Trust is a choice my Lily," he said. "I am not saying that you have to trust me. But you can start thinking that you can always rely on me to meet you halfway."

    Lily wanted to say that she didn¡¯t like to rely on others but for some reason, she can¡¯t seem to utter those words. So she decided to keep those words to herself and just hugged him from behind.

    They are still at an early stage in their rtionship but Lily was sure that someday, she would be able to relypletely on Zhuo Jingren.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 124 - Motive

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 124 - Motive</h4>

    Thursday.

    Zhuo Jingren would be flying to New York for work while Lily would be flying back to Hong Kong to attend the Fashion Week¡¯s after party. Of course, before Zhuo Jingren left, he made sure Lily promised to call him every day on Skype. He could not even stand not seeing Lily even for a day but now they would have to be apart for days.

    "President? Here is the folder that you asked me to hold on for you until we leave Hong Kong." Yang Mi gave a folder to Lily after they boarded their private ne en route to Hong Kong. This was the folder that George passed to Lily back when theyst met. Lily decided against opening the folder when Zhuo Jingren was around because she didn¡¯t know if what was inside the folder would cause her to lose control of her emotions. She didn¡¯t want to lose it in front of Zhuo Jingren.

    "Thank you." Lily nodded as she epted the folder, cing it on herp while the other hand was ying with a ss of champagne. "How are the preparationsing along for Fashion Week?" she asked Yang Mi, her eyes still fixed on the ss of champagne in her hand.

    "It¡¯s done. Everything is ready," Yang Mi answered. Tomorrow, Qin Fei and Xuan Hui would be getting a taste of the president¡¯s capability.

    Without any further instructions from Lily, Yang Mi returned to her seat. As she looked at Lily, she couldn¡¯t help but notice the glow on Lily¡¯s face. Her face had be more brilliant and she was smiling and giggling a lot more these days.

    Yang Mi liked this change in Lily. In Yang Mi¡¯s memory, Lily always seemed lonely and sad for some reason. Though Lily would keep a smile on her face even in the face of adversity, Yang Mi always felt that it was nothing but a facade. There were so much more emotions within her than she let out, hidden behind that smile of hers.

    Yang Mi had been by Lily¡¯s side for a while now. She was one of Lilian Fi¡¯s trusted individuals. She was also there when Lilian was teaching Lily the ropes in the business and was blown away by the way Lily¡¯s mind worked. She witnessed Lily¡¯s growth from an infant to a giant, feared by many in the business world. Lily grew to be someone who was decisive and would not hesitate to strike to attain her goals.

    Yang Mi¡¯s thoughts then travelled back to the time when Lily just arrived from Hong Kong. Lily was so meek and quiet at that time. Lily would stare nkly at everyone and didn¡¯t like to talk much. Lily was soft spoken and would cry easily at a simple setback. Lily was as brittle as ss and timid like a mouse.

    At that time, a doctor diagnosed that Lily was traumatized and had a fear of abandonment. Due to her trauma, it was harder for her to adapt to the new environment. So the doctor advised that Lily go through therapy for six months. Lilian Fi immediately agreed as she wanted the best for her granddaughter.

    Six monthster, there were big improvements in Lily¡¯s condition. Then the doctor had rmended Lily to take up sses and learn something that would give her satisfaction. The doctor said that it was extremely important for Lily to learn to love herself and realize her self-worth.

    Lily took her doctor¡¯s advice and enrolled herself in dance sses in various types of dance and also picked up the violin. The doctor approved Lily¡¯s choices as dancing and music could help her to freely express her emotions. Dancing and music might even help her to let go of some negative emotions in the process.

    Lily was on a roll and was motivated to improve herself even more, to Lilian¡¯s delight. Then Lily also enrolled herself in horseback riding, polo and self-defense sses.

    Within a year since she started therapy and taking up sses, she was fully recovered from her trauma and seemed to have ovee her fears. Lily made such quick progress that it even baffled the doctors.

    Lily became more confident and outspoken. Her eyes always looked sharp and she was no longer staring nkly at people. In fact, when she looks at you, it¡¯s as if she was staring straight into your soul. She almost never cry anymore and had a good control over her emotions. She became a stronger woman overall.

    Then Lily started learning the ins and out of business under Lilian¡¯s tutge and guidance. Lily first started working as a secretary under Lilian and worked her way up, before taking over the business from Lilian eventually.

    As Yang Mi thought about Lily¡¯s life, what she had been through, where she is now and what she has achieved, she couldn¡¯t help but to let out a sigh containing some mixed feelings. There was relief and also concern.

    Although the present Lily was sociable and well-acquainted with a lot of people in the industry, Yang Mi felt that Lily at times seemed lonely. She might be in thepany of a crowd but she gave off a solitary vibe.

    Yang Mi woke up from her stupor at the gentle sound of a ¡¯cling¡¯ as Lily put her ss of champagne down on the side table. Then she slowly opened the folder, her face devoid of any emotion.

    A suffocating silence ensued inside the cabin. The only thing that could be heard was the sound of papers flipping.

    Lily¡¯s face was still a nk as she stared at the results of George¡¯s investigation in her hands. ording to the documents, the aftercare method for a woman, whether she just had an abortion or miscarriage, were the same. Given the doubts she had of what happened to her seven years ago, this meant that there was no way for her to know for sure whether she truly had a miscarriage or not. After the ident, all she remembered was waking up to find that she was bleeding.

    However, ording to the nurses¡¯ testimony, she only suffered bruises from the ident. That was because her mother¡¯s body shielded her from the impact when she enveloped her body in a hug. The only mysterious detail was how no one seemed to know anything about her miscarriage. It was not written on her medical files and not one of the nurses who tended to Lily that night had any idea that there could be such a thing until George¡¯s men started asking them questions.

    However, this begs the question: why would someone want to hide her miscarriage? It was not a secret that she had slept with another man as Tang Lingyun was the one who spread her photos, where she was kissing an unknown man while walking into the elevator of a hotel. Even a high schooler would be able to guess what would happen next.

    Then she looked at the next file and her face instantly turned dark. The documents in this file showed the connections that the Xuan Family had with the people who owned the hospital she was admitted to. A striking detail was how Xuan Hui¡¯s mother, Yang Lina and the madam of the Mu Family were very close friends.

    The gears in Lily¡¯s mind started to turn. If someone wanted to hide Lily¡¯s pregnancy, then the only person who had the motive was Xuan Hui. After all, they had slept together long before she slept with Zhuo Jingren. But the fact that Xuan Hui never touched her in the recent months after she slept with Zhuo Jingren should be enough for him to know that he was not the father of Lily¡¯s child. However, not many people know this.

    If news of Lily¡¯s miscarriage went public, people would surely me Xuan Hui for being irresponsible for abandoning a pregnant Lily and not even caring about her when she just had a miscarriage.

    If the public connect this news to the Lily¡¯s scandal before that, they might even be suspicious of Xuan Hui, that he might have been the one who conspired against Lily. They might think that Xuan Hui had set Lily up with another man, then release her photos just to escape his marriage with her. Public sympathy would then be with Lily.

    Moreover, some socialites also knew that Xuan Hui was in a rtionship with Qin Fei at the same time and it was long before the date of Lily and Xuan Hui¡¯s wedding was set.

    If her reasoning is right then... Xuan Hui was the only person with the motive to hide her pregnancy.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 125 - Taken Away

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 125 - Taken Away</h4>

    Lily arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday afternoon. The first thing that came to her mind was to look for Li Shanshan. She wanted to find out if Fernando and Li Shanshan have cleared the air.

    But to Lily¡¯s surprise, Li Shanshan was not in Hong Kong. Thetter only sent Lily a text to tell her that she was currently in Thand for filming. In the end, Lily just went straight home to rest up. She wanted to be in the best condition to attend the Fashion Week¡¯s after-party the next day.

    Friday.

    Fashion Week was a week-long event, packed with shows and events that stretches from morning to night. People from all over the world would specially visit Hong Kong during this time to witness their favorite designers showcase their summer collections.

    Aside from rich heirs and heiresses, models, actors and actresses would also attend this event, not just to enjoy themselves but to build more connections with the international market. The Fashion Week¡¯sworking possibilities were endless. Because of this, everyone would want to make sure they leave an incredible impression on the high-level individuals in attendance.

    Of course, one way to leave an impression was to have a stunning outfit. That is why all the attendees would make sure that they look their best, especially for the cameras. After all, Fashion Week would be filled with fashion reporters and influencers who tend to discuss the outfits of everyone after the show - both the good and the bad.

    Lily, on the other hand, was attending Fashion Week with the intention ofworking with key decision-makers of famous luxury brands to convince them to transfer their gship store to the new Harmony Isle, a rebranding of A.R Mall and Boutique, set to open in August. Though the Fi name alone should be enough for brands to put their trust in Lily and her new mall, she still felt the need to show up at Fashion Week and build some connections personally.

    And of course, Lily did not forget to be an ambassador and showcase Fernando¡¯s own collection of clothing for everyone to see.

    "Your day is quite packed today. Mr. Kim had scheduled for us to see two shows and attend two after-party events. We have prepared everything, including the change of clothing for every show and also for the parties," Yang Mi informed Lily.

    "Got it," she answered. "How about the thing that I asked you to do?"

    "It¡¯s done. They won¡¯t be able to show their faces in any after parties tonight," Yang Mi answered with a straight face. Lily style of plotting against her targets had always been this way. It would be slow at first then Lily would strike and finish off her target in a day or two. However, Yang Mi was sure that Lily had another n to deal with the Qin and Xuan familyter.

    "And the Tang family?" Lily asked as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Being the eldest daughter of the distinguished Tang family had always been Tang Lingyun¡¯s pride. She always unted her status in front of Lily and Bec Fi before. So what would Tang Lingyun do if this status was taken away from her?

    "Everything is prepared president. The meeting is set," Yang Mi answered.

    A small smile escaped Lily¡¯s lips as she continued to watch her sleek hairstyle and her bronze eyeshadow that enhanced the depth of her eyes. "Perfect," she uttered in a low voice which sent some shivers down Yang Mi¡¯s spine.

    Although Yang Mi was older than Lily by a few years, Lily was the more mature one between the two of them. Yang Mi even thought that Lily was perhaps ten times more vicious and cunning than thete Madam Fi. Lily¡¯s methods were extremely unique. Even though Yang Mi had been working beside Lily for years, she could never be really sure what is going on in Lily¡¯s mind.

    "Let¡¯s go," Lily said as she grabbed her handbag and walked out of the room. Today was going to be a very long day.

    Contrary to how the magazines portray Fashion Week, it is not as peaceful and morous as it seemed. The backstage would be extremely chaotic as photographers, stage directors and other individuals would scream at anyone who risked dying the show. However, all the ugliness behind the scenes would only be known to those who were actually there.

    After attending two shows, Lily and Fernando had dinner together in one of the most luxurious bars in Hong Kong. Though, Lily was curious about the matter between Fernando and Li Shanshan, she stopped herself from asking any questions about them as she did not want to ruin the mood. After dinner, Lily changed into another new outfit before she left for an after-party. It would be held at a hotel and Fernando was going to apany her there.

    At the same time, Qin Fei was also on her way to the same hotel with Tang Lingyun.

    "As expected of my lovely daughter. I¡¯m sure you will stand outter when we arrive at the hotel," Tang Lingyun immediately praised her daughter the moment she got inside the limo that Qin Fei was riding to the event. Qin Fei looked ravishing in a yellow sleeveless line gown that was adorned with sparkling gemstones. With her long and perfectly curled hair, Qin Fei looked just like a deity.

    In response, Qin Fei give her mother a blooming smile. She was also excited to see how Xuan Hui would react to her entire look for the night. She looked forward to the attention she would get when she steps onto the red carpet.

    Like most public figures, Qin Fei was very particr about her image. She wanted to portray a kind and gentle image, just like her mother. Because of this, when it came to filming and roles, she only wanted to y the role of a kind-hearted and gentle protagonist. She would reject all other roles and choose not to participate in a film which didn¡¯t offer the role she wanted. Moreover, with Xuan Hui¡¯s influence, she had been able to get the roles she wanted. Since Qin Fei had a pretty and innocent looking face, coupled with the roles she usually yed, she immediately rose to fame.

    Even though Qin Fei was now an list star, she was still not satisfied with what her achievements. Her discontentment stemmed from the way Xuan Hui¡¯s mother perceived and treated her. Xuan Hui¡¯s mother, Yang Lina was someone very traditional and she always hated the fact that Qin Fei was an actress. Aside from this, Yang Lina didn¡¯t like Qin Fei because thetter chose her career over starting a family. Like a typical mother-inw and daughter-inw rtionship, Yang Lina and Qin Fei did not get along well for years.

    Although things got a little better when Qin Fei finally got pregnant, Yang Lina oftenpared Qin Fei to other heiresses who were the same age as her, who already had children of their own. Moreover, she kept reminding Qin Fei that all she had right now was because of Xuan Hui. Because of this, Qin Fei was adamant to prove herself to her mother-inw.

    This was the reason why she wanted to establish her own fashion brand. She was also determined to do so by her own efforts, without relying on Xuan Hui¡¯s connections or Xuan Hui himself for help. She wanted to show her mother-inw that she was capable.

    At this point, Qin Fei was feeling really excited to attend the after party for two reasons. One, this would be her first time attending an event with a new identity: fashion designer. She would not just be known as ady of the Xuan family or an list actress. Two, she was wearing her own design.

    Weeks ago, when Qin Fei saw the gowns that Xuan Hui bought for her to wear for tonight¡¯s event, she almost tore the clothes to pieces simply because they looked so unttering on her. The gowns neither tter her baby bump nor entuate her curves that developed during her pregnancy. This gave her an idea to design a gown that would look good on pregnant women, a gown that screams dashing and beautiful.

    "Are you excited to see your husband? I¡¯m sure Xuan Hui will be shocked to see you look like this," Tang Lingyun said with a big smile on her face.

    "I am... I can¡¯t wait to see him falling in love with me all over again." Qin Fei gave her mother another smile before she sent a text to Xuan Hui.

    The mother and daughter duo smiled at each other, unaware that they would soon have a taste of Lily¡¯s wrath.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 126 - Watch and Learn

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 126 - Watch and Learn</h4>

    "What do you mean by ¡¯it¡¯s closed¡¯?" Qin Fei¡¯s voice echoed inside the limousine before she looked at the time on her watch. They had been stuck in traffic for more than twenty minutes only to arrive at a closed road because of some construction going on. It was already half past seven, the after-party would have already started.

    To celebrate the end of Fashion Week, many influential brands would throw their own parties to celebrate the sess of their shows. While Qin Fei would have loved to attend all of the parties but she didn¡¯t have the time and luxury to do so. So she selected two parties to attend which she thought would benefit her the most.

    The first party would be starting at seven-thirty while the second would only start at eight-thirty. Qin Fei was only nning to stay for two hours at the first party before leaving for the second party. Likewise, she was only intending to stay at the second party for two hours before calling it a night. That way, she wouldn¡¯t be too exhausted. Being heavily pregnant at seven months, her stamina wasn¡¯t too great anymore.

    "Madam... I will have to make a detour and use another road. This will take us another twenty minutes before we can reach the hotel," the driver respectfully said.

    "Another twenty minutes? Make it ten minutes or I will ask yourpany to fire you!" Qin Fei demanded. Another twenty minutes? She was originally nning to surprise everyone with her gown on the red carpet. If she was dyed for another twenty minutes, she was sure that there would be no one outside to wee her when she arrives. Everyone would already be inside enjoying themselves.

    "Madam... we are still in the middle of Kowloon. Ten minutes is too short for us to reach the other side of the city," the driver patiently exined.

    "Then make it fifteen. I need to get there before eight," she demanded before sending a text to Xuan Hui about the unforeseen dy on the road.

    Meanwhile Lily and Fernando were already at the party held inside the hotel¡¯s main event hall. They were enjoying themselves and making small talks with famous models and designers in attendance.

    As Lily continued to mingle around, her presence was felt strongly by everyone she passed by. Her fully embroidered tulle dress with small gems sewn at the hem sparkled under the chandelier lighting. It was so beautiful. Lily had Fernando to thank, for specially designing so many dresses for her, for Fashion Week, including this beautiful piece.

    Though the dress was beautiful, it didn¡¯t overshadow the wearer who was even more stunning. Many of them were in awe of the elegance and grace that Lily was exuding. Many of these designers immediately entertained the idea of sponsoring their clothing to Lily. After all, a clothing that was worn by Lily would only mean free advertising for them. Since many of these famous designers were also from Europe, they naturally knew who Lily was.

    When Lily approached some of these designers to talk about her new Harmony Isle, they were somewhat supportive and showed interest in her mall. In return for their support, Lily offered to invest generously in their projects. The designers were all ecstatic as Lily was an aplished individual in Europe. To have a coboration with someone like her would be extremely beneficial and profitable.

    While Lily was enjoying herself, two people who recognized Lily as Qin Jinghua, were staring daggers at her. One of them was Xuan Hui¡¯s friend who recognized Lily at the bar, Yuan Dehua. The other man was none other than the heir of the Tang family, Tang Wei Dong.

    "Are you sure about that?" Tang Wei Dong¡¯s brows were furrowed as he stared intently at Lily.

    "I am. That man beside her should be her boyfriend. He was the one who banned us at Highlights thest time," Yuan Dehua said. "Isn¡¯t she just someone who failed to scheme her way onto Xuan Hui¡¯s bed? Look at her now? Look at how smug she is, smiling and talking to everyone as if she belong to our world."

    "How did she be a Fi?" Tang Wei Dong asked, his face extremely dark. As the current heir of the Tang family, he also knew what his aunt Tang Lingyun did to Lily and her mother in the past. In fact, over these years, he had seen his aunt¡¯s viciousness on disy many times. Now that Lily has be sessful, Tang Wei Dong naturally feared that she would target his aunt and the Tang family.

    "I have no idea. I did not ask anyone to investigate her. I didn¡¯t want my family to know that I have offended someone powerful like her, or my mother will surely send me somewhere abroad to hide. All I know is that her grandmother was the owner of Fi Group which is now herpany as well," Yuan Dehua exined.

    "I have heard of the Fi Group." Tang Wei Dong said as she watched Lily meaningfully. He noticed how her tulle dress seemed to be creating a three dimensional effect because of the embroidered silver sequins in various shapes. Lily looked extremely stunning in her dress that she paired a in silver clutch and silver stilettos.

    Suddenly Lily looked his way and even smiled at him. The worry in Tang Wei Dong¡¯s heart seemed to disappear instantly. "Did you see her smile at me?" he asked.

    "Why would she smile at you? I¡¯m sure Qin Jinghua hated you and your aunt," Yuan Dehua said as he gestured the passing waiter to give them something alcoholic to drink. "Scotch?" he asked Tang Wei Dong who just nodded in response.

    Maybe he was just seeing things. It must be due to the shock of discovering that Qin Jinghua¡¯s other identity, he immediately concluded, while downing a ss of alcohol beverage that Yuan Dehua gave to him.

    Tang Wei Dong continued to stare at Lily as his memory took him back to the times when his aunt kept urging him to marry Qin Jinghua. However, he vehemently opposed the idea. How could he marry someone who didn¡¯t have a good upbringing and background?

    However, things seemed to be different now. Qin Jinghua or rather Lily Fi-Qin was someone with a background that could match his.

    Now that he thought about it, Tang Lingyun had been visiting him a lot recently even though there was no official business to discuss. Whenever they meet, they would just talk about random things and she would always bring him a gift. Could it be possible that Tang Lingyun was trying to hint to him to propose a marriage to Lily because of her current background? That was the only exnation that he coulde up with for now.

    A glint of unfathomable emotion shed in Tang Wei Dong¡¯s eyes when he saw Lily excusing herself from the people around her.

    "Hey, where are you going?" Yuan Dehua asked him when he noticed that Tang Wei Dong had turned his back at him. "Are you going to follow her?"

    "Of course, I will..." He shed a smile at his friend. Seeing Qin Jinghua¡¯s long and toned legs a while ago turned him on and excited a member of his body.

    "Wei Dong, don¡¯t be impulsive, she is not the same as she was before... you can¡¯t just..."

    "Shut your mouth and just watch me. She already has a record of seducing men in clubs," he said while eyeing the dim corner near thedies room. "If she is caught doing it with me, I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t have any other choice but to marry me."

    "Are you crazy? Do you even know what rape means?" Yuan Dehua lowered his voice while tugging his friend¡¯s arm urgently. However, seeing the sinister gaze that Tang Wei Dong was giving him, he was immediately convinced that his friend was up to no good. "Wei Dong, her background is not like any of those girls that you have yed with before. I am-"

    "Coward." Tang Wei Dong chuckled. "Just watch and learn buddy... just watch and learn."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 127 - Ghost

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 127 - Ghost</h4>

    Tang Wei Dong narrowed his eyes at the dimly lit pathway that he saw Lily taking earlier. A while ago, he thought that this pathway would lead him to the girl¡¯s bathroom but he was wrong. It seemed that this pathway leads to a more secluded section of the event hall. A small smile escaped his lips as he thought about Lily; the smooth jade-like skin on her legs looked very alluring.

    Though Yuan Dehua had warned him over and over again not to look for Qin Jinghua as it would only spell trouble, Tang Wei Dong didn¡¯t care. He was someone who would always do what is on his mind. Inwardly, he was sure that Qin Jinghua or Lily would sumb to his advances and if they were lucky, someone might even see them together and spread some rumors. Then, to squash those rumors, he could say that he would take responsibility for her and all would be good.

    Tang Wei Dong was confident that Lily was still the same woman as she was seven years ago; a loose woman who was easy to sleep with. In his eyes, she was nothing but a tramp, a woman who would be easily tempted by good looks and money. In short, someone like him. Lily¡¯s sexual preference should not have changed that much right?

    If she could casually sleep with a man that she picked up at a bar, what more him, someone she actually knew. How could a woman who readily epts sexual advances from a stranger resists someone like him? Not only was he good-looking, he was also rich and influential. There was no reason for her to decline his offer right? He was sure that he was what every woman look for in a man and that many women would fight to get into his pants.

    Tang Wei Dong smiled once again when he saw that this pathway was leading them to a dimly lit terrace. He roamed his eyes and immediately spotted a woman who was talking to somebody on her phone. Though the woman had her back facing him, the tulle dress that the woman was wearing was an obvious giveaway that this woman was Qin Jinghua. Her hair was in a messy bun, showing a little of her pale white neck.

    "Alright... call me again tomorrow. I miss you." Tang Wei Dong heard a soft voice echo, making him feel even more giddy inside. It was a voice he fondly remembered from the past, a voice that was soft and gentle. Tang Wei Dong watched as Qin Jinghua leaned against the railings of the terrace while watching the cityscape below. They were on the seventeenth floor, so the view from where they were at was extremely spectacr.

    With a sinister smile on his lips, Tang Wei Dong suddenly hugged the woman from behind, earning a surprise shriek from thetter. "Shhh... it¡¯s okay... it¡¯s me... Wei Dong... don¡¯t you remember me, Qin Jinghua?" he said, his voice full of undisguised lust as he started to move his hands hurriedly all over the woman¡¯s body, groping her.

    When Tang Wei Dong felt Qin Jinghua struggle, he immediately tightened his hold on her and used his hand to cover her mouth instinctively. His moves were agile and natural, as if he had done this many times before. Tang Wei Dong loved women and he always had a way with women, whether they were willing or unwilling. Nothing happened to him so far because his status alone would bail him out of any sticky situation with women.

    "The more you struggle, the more this will hurt you. Why don¡¯t you rx and enjoy the view from here?" Tang Wei Dong¡¯s sinister voice once again echoed as he furrowed his brows. The fact that he was feeling this heat building inside him was something that he did not expect. However, he immediately concluded this as the effect of the ss of scotch that he drank earlier.

    His heart rate seemed to be elerating even more when he felt Qin Jinghua struggling in his arms. This immediately fueled the lust that he had been feeling inside which started when he was watching her smiling and talking to the designers earlier. And just like a mad man, Tang Wei Dong lost it in the heat of the moment.

    "Don¡¯t worry, Jinghua, I will take responsibility for you," he said as he closed the zipper of his trousers. "You really should stop crying now. It¡¯s not as if I was your first," he squatted next to the woman who was crying on the floor. Her hair was in a mess, covering her face.

    "Stop crying already," he sternly said, a little irritated. "I can leave my fianc¨¦e and marry you. I¡¯m sure my family won¡¯t object this time." He patted the woman¡¯s head with a little smile on his face. However, his smile immediately disappeared when the woman lifted her head to look at him.

    "Really, Young Master Tang? You will marry me?"

    Horror could be seen on Tang Wei Dong¡¯s face as the woman before him gave him a little smile. "You- You are not Qin Jinghua!" he almost yelled in shock. The woman before him was wearing the exact same clothes as Lily, even their frames and heights were about the same. How could...

    "Who the hell are you?" he quickly stood up and looked coldly at the woman sitting on the ground. To his surprise, the woman suddenly ceased crying and calmly fixed her hair. She then rose from the ground and stood up so that she was no longer looking up at Tang Wei Dong but eye-to-eye.

    "Wei Dong ah, don¡¯t you remember me?" she smiled at him. Her eyes were sparkling as she watched Tang Wei Dong widening his eyes before his face turned pale. He then took a step back and almost stumbled in the process.

    "You- You...."

    "I... What Wei Dong? Didn¡¯t you miss me?" she took a step towards him.

    "Get away from me...." Tang Wei Dong said before taking another step back. "You are supposed to be dead! I saw you die!"

    In response, the woman stared intently at him, the smile on her face even became more prominent. "Did I?"

    "No... I... This can¡¯t be happening. I must be hallucinating." Tang Wei Dong covered his ears and shut his eyes as he continued to murmur incoherently. The woman in front of him should have been dead. So how could she be standing in front of him right now? Then a cold wind hit him, making him shiver in the process. His hands subconsciously made its way into his coat and he hugged his coat tighter to his body. "Get away! I am hallucinating! Hallucinations!"

    When Tang Wei Dong did not hear any response, he slowly opened his eyes and swallowed hard. Another cold wind hit his stiff body, causing him to tremble. His heart was racing and his head was aching.

    Nothing.

    There was no one there... no one was in front of him. He immediately roamed his eyes around the entire terrace space before him and found that nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

    "Wei Dong?"

    Tang Wei Dong almost jumped out in fright when he heard someone calling him from behind.

    "Wei Dong, I have been looking for you. When I noticed Lily back at the party while you disappeared, I got worried for a second. What happened to you? Why do you look so pale? Did you see a ghost?" Yuan Dehua asked beforeughing.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 128 - Corpse Reviver

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 128 - Corpse Reviver</h4>

    "Nothing... I was just... I wanted some fresh air," Tang Wei Dong stuttered before he roamed his eyes around the terrace one more time. "Let¡¯s go back inside," he said before walking inside the building, not bothering to wait for Yuan Dehua.

    Yuan Dehua was looking at Tang Wei Dong¡¯s back until it disappeared into the darkness of the dimly lit pathway. Then he looked at the cityscape, a small smile crept on his face. After a few seconds, Yuan Dehua let out a sigh, then he shoved his hands into his pockets before he followed his friend inside.

    Once again, silence ensued on the terrace. This was a secluded area so not many people even know that this ce existed. This terrace would always be quiet like this, especially at night. After the two men left, it was even quieter. It was an eerie sort of tranquility that would make anyone anxious.

    Then the sharp sound of someone¡¯s foot steps could be heard, breaking the silence. A woman who was wrapped in a ck knee length coat with her hair tied in a messy bun appeared. If Tang Wei Dong was here, he would immediately recognized this woman as the woman that he saw earlier.

    The woman looked coldly at the sparkling lights of the city in front of her as she slowly dialed a number on the phone in her hands. "I did it," she said. "Please... Let me watch you destroy the Tang family for me." Then she ended the call without waiting for the other person on the line to say anything.

    The woman wrapped her coat closely to her body as a single tear slowly made its way down her cheeks. Hong Kong would be experiencing a storm soon... and she was so lucky to be able to watch it happen. Being on Lily Qin¡¯s side was the best choice that she ever made two years ago.

    Then she turned her back on the view of the cityscape and walked towards another pathway. ¡¯Tang family... your end wille soon.¡¯

    "How could this happen?" Qin Fei immediately clenched her hands into fists. She red at the driver and then to the smoking hood of the limo.

    "Madam, I have already called the mechanic. They should be here soon. Right now, all we can do is wait for the recement car toe and fetch you," the driver calmly said.

    "How long will this take?" asked Tang Lingyun worriedly. It was already eight in the evening and they were still on the road. It was as if some invisible entity was preventing them from attending the party.

    "Another ten minutes or so..." the driver said.

    "What?" Qin Fei almost exploded from anger. How could this happen? First the traffic, then the road closure and now a broken car! "I can¡¯t bete! This is your fault! I am calling yourpany tomorrow to ask them to fire you! You are an ipetent and dumb driver! How could you not check the car before we leave?"

    "Fei Fei... calm down... your baby," Tang Lingyun reminded her daughter. Qin Fei had always been smart and cautious about her image, especially in public. Usually, no matter how unfavourable the circumstance, Qin Fei would be able to control her emotions and disy a good attitude. However this time, she actually snapped in front of the driver. Tang Lingyun could only me the pregnancy hormones for Qin Fei¡¯s outburst. Qin Fei¡¯s pregnancy was making her more emotional.

    "Madam Xuan... before we left... I made sure to-"

    "And you dare reason with me? Shut up! How dare you talk back at me? You are merely someone I paid to drive me around!" Qin Fei yelled before picking up her phone. She then sent a re to her secretary and manager who were also in the car with them. "Go and call someone who can pick us up. Hurry! All of you are so ipetent!"

    Qin Fei immediately dialed Xuan Hui¡¯s number on her phone but thetter did not answer her call. This agitated her even more. She even tried calling his secretary but her number was somehow unreachable.

    Unbeknownst to Qin Fei, Xuan Hui was intentionally ignoring her call at this moment.

    "Aren¡¯t you going to answer that?" Lily asked Xuan Hui who was just staring at his phone. Lily was asking the bartender to make her a specific drink when Xuan Hui suddenly approached her and asked to have a private conversation.

    "She can wait," Xuan Hui answered before putting his phone back into his coat¡¯s pocket. "I was not expecting you here. Are you perhaps following me around?"

    Lily did not answer Xuan Hui, instead she just watched the bartender put the ss of alcoholic drink in front of her.

    "What are you having?" he asked, ignoring the fact that Lily did not answer his first question.

    "Corpse Reviver No. 2," she answered.

    "I have never heard of that before," he said as he gestured the bartender to give him the same drink.

    "It¡¯s made from a fortified Italian wine. A little strong for your taste," Lily said.

    "You still remember my preference?" A tinge of surprise was apparent in Xuan Hui¡¯s voice.

    "Oh... I do... I remember everything." Lily looked at him with a nk look on her face. "I remember everything about you." For some reason, Lily¡¯s words sounded sweet but her tone was saying something different. The volume at which she said those words, which was almost like a murmur, made it sound a little sinister, even evil. This coupled with the nk look on Lily¡¯s eyes made Xuan Hui look away from the woman in front of him.

    He then watched as the bartender gave him the same drink. "Why are you here Lily?"

    "Isn¡¯t it obvious?" Lily retorted.

    "Liam¡¯s downfall... was it you¡¯re doing?" he asked bluntly, still avoiding Lily¡¯s gaze.

    "My... my...." Lily¡¯s voice had a hint of ridicule, making Xuan Hui irritated. He turned his head and watched as Lily take a small sip from the wine ss in front of her. "I wouldn¡¯t do anything unless someone has malicious intent towards me, forcing me to do something..."

    She then turned her head towards him. "So you have asked the wrong question my dear Master Xuan. It should be.... Are youing for me next, Lily?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 129 - The Pieces Were All in Place

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 129 - The Pieces Were All in ce</h4>

    "Is this about the past?" Xuan Hui immediately shifted his body towards Lily, avoiding her face as he gritted his teeth in annoyance or maybe even fear. "You are a sessful woman now Qin Jinghua. Why don¡¯t you just move on and forget about what happened in the past? Surely, no one would look down on you now."

    "Lily..." she corrected as she dipped her finger into the ss and tasted it in her mouth. "Qin Jinghua is long dead." She then gave Xuan Hui a fake smile. "You should already know that by now. Right? Master Xuan?"

    Xuan Hui stared at Lily, this time his gaze contained a tinge of anger and fear. This woman in front of him now was so different from the one that he met at the reading. It was as if this was a totally different person. "Lily... I am warning you... If you do something to Qin Fei I will..."

    "What?" she interrupted while raising an eyebrow at him. "You will have someone drug me? Like what you did years ago?"

    "You know it was not me! It was Tang Lingyun," he hissed.

    "Ahhh... I remember... The actress Tang Lingyun from the Tang family." Lily nodded. "How could I forget?" She smiled at him.

    In response, Xuan Hui lifted the ss of wine and drank it in one go. His face immediately contorted as the aftertaste of alcohol hit his throat.

    "I like it with a little more gin," Lily said when she noticed Xuan Hui¡¯s expression. "I did say it wouldn¡¯t be to your taste."

    "Tell me honestly Lily, why are you here?" Xuan Hui asked, ignoring Lily¡¯s words as he gestured for the bartender to give him another ss of the drink.

    "You know that Qin Fei is pregnant. Why don¡¯t we leave the past in the past? Do not be vengeful and take revenge anymore. In return, I willpensate you for the damage that was done to your reputation all those years ago. We can discuss more about that. And I also won¡¯t ask you to sell the vi that Qin Fei likes. How does that sound?" he asked, hoping that Lily would agree to his propositions without a fight.

    "Master Xuan must be joking. Revenge? I, Lily Fi-Qin, had many chances to have you and Qin Fei killed, for the wrong that you two did to me all those years ago. But...I didn¡¯t." Sheughed. "With the current status that I have, no one would even know who did it. That¡¯s the extent of my capabilities!"

    "I am not here for revenge Master Xuan. I am here to collect the interest of the debt that you owe me," she added while looking straight into Xuan Hui¡¯s eyes. Her lips then tugged upwards into an evil smirk, it was sinister yet beautiful - so beautiful that Xuan Hui was not able to look away.

    At that point Xuan Hui could have chosen to walk away and forget about Lily¡¯s words. But, he didn¡¯t. Instead, he continued to stare at Lily, his expression unfathomable. For some reason, Xuan Hui felt his heart skip a beat as his gaze lingered on Lily¡¯s lips, then slowly back to her eyes. Though there was something about Lily¡¯s eyes that made Xuan Hui a little uneasy, he still found himself staring into her.

    Not that Lily¡¯s eyes were showing anything. No. In fact, Lily¡¯s eyes were nk. It was almost as if she was just staring at the wall. They were dead with no emotions. And for the first time in his life, he found the look of detachment in Lily¡¯s eyes attractive.

    Seeing him in a daze, Lily rose from her seat and turned her back to him. She already achieved her primary purpose. There was no reason to stay in this party anymore.

    "Where are you going?" Xuan Hui asked, following after Lily.

    "To the next party that I will be attending tonight," she answered honestly.

    "Is it the Bulgari one?" he asked.

    In response, Lily nodded.

    "I¡¯ming with you." His words immediately surprised him. "I... I mean... I..."

    "It¡¯s alright. You take your own car and you can follow us." Lily was quick to answer him. Then she increased the speed of her steps and walked towards Fernando who was already holding her coat for her.

    "Sess?" Fernando smiled while helping Lily wear her coat.

    "Absolutely." She smiled before she held Fernando¡¯s arm. Then, they both walked out of the venue together, leaving a dazed Xuan Hui who was staring at Lily¡¯s back.

    After a few seconds of being in a daze, Xuan Hui woke up from his stupor and immediately sent a text to his secretary and Qin Fei, to meet him at Bulgari¡¯s after-party.

    When Qin Fei received his text, she immediately called him, happy that her call finally went through. She startedining about what happened to her but Xuan Hui¡¯s mind was elsewhere.

    It was as if Qin Fei¡¯sints were nothing but murmurs in his ears. His mind was still stuck on Lily¡¯s smile and her eyes. In the end, Qin Fei ended the call and told him to wait for her at the party.

    Lily had changed into another outfit for the Bulgari after-party. This was also thest outfit change for the day. Fernando had prepared in advance many different outfits for Lily to wear to each event and Lily had already changed a few outfits in just a day, not that she wasining. This was Lily¡¯s way of showing support for her best friend, by showcasing his designs on the international fashion scene.

    This time, Lily was wearing a ck crew neck, long sleeve midi dress that fits perfectly on her body. This dress was specifically designed to unt Lily¡¯s slim body. The soft wool material was chosen to give thefort that Lily always wanted and looked for in a dress.

    As a designer, Fernando was going for the edgy look while not forsakingfort in his designs. Since Lily loved to wear edgy couture and her figure was also good, Fernando found Lily to be a perfect model for his clothes.

    "Hey! Why are you taking pictures of me?" Lily asked Fernando while fixing her make-up inside the car. "I noticed that you took pictures of me when I was wearing the silver sequin dress earlier too."

    "This is for the hubby," he answered while his fingers were tapping away rapidly on his phone.

    "For Jingren?" she asked.

    "Do you have another husband?" he asked while frowning. "You people are the worst. Always disturbing my peace with nonsensical request!"

    "Why are you scolding me and not him? Did I ask you to take photos of me?" she retorted.

    "Well... I can¡¯t scold Escort Zhuo," he answered before he avoided Lily¡¯s gaze.

    "Ha... this must be because of the bet that you two had? Hey... Fernando where are you going? I am not yet done!" Lily tried to call for Fernando but thetter already got out of the car without saying another word.

    Seeing her friend standing outside of the car while waiting for her, Lily¡¯s lips let out a smile. Before she got out of the car, she looked at Yang Mi beside her and asked, "Xuan Hui?"

    "Confirmed President. I have photos of him and his secretary at the back of their car. The drug worked. The moment he saw his secretary in the car, he immediately pounced on her," she exined.

    Though Xuan Hui was not the one who drugged Lily, he could still be considered an aplice as he allowed it to happen. In Yang Mi¡¯s mind, Lily was just giving him a taste of what it was like for her when she was drugged all those years ago. The helplessness against the effects of the drug that makes youmit acts that you might regret after.

    "Good... Very Good. And the Qins?" she asked with a smile on her face. A while ago, she made sure to drug Xuan Hui¡¯s drink with something that would not only lower his inhibitions but also cause him to have hallucinations. Then there was Xuan Hui¡¯s secretary who was tricked by a stylist in Xuan Films to dress a little more...sexily, making sure that her legs were exposed. A little smile, a show of skin would definitely make Xuan Hui wallow in misery.

    Lily was sure that a man with a weak state of mind like in Xuan Hui¡¯s case, would easily sumb to temptations. And he did. Once again, Lily won.

    But this was just the beginning. Lily was sure that from today onwards, Xuan Hui would fear her even more. Xuan Hui would definitely be more anxious and he would constantly try to guess what her next move would be. Lily wouldn¡¯t even care if he chooses to tell Qin Fei or Tang Lingyun or even Qin Mo about her identity. In fact, she would greatly appreciate it.

    As there is nothing more frightening than waiting while hoping that Lily would note knocking on their doors and destroy the empire that they had painstakingly built. And what is even more frightening is that when that happens, they could only watch while everything crumble before their eyes, neither of them having the power or capability to do anything to stop it.

    Of course, Lily would show some mercy, provided they know how to behave and leave her alone. Because, the moment they do anything stupid and dig their own graves, Lily would surely lend them a helping hand and bury them in an endless abyss of pain.

    "They are on their way to the party too." Yang Mi gave Lily a smile before she took out a diamond bracelet and passed it to Lily. The diamond bracelet was a contrast against the ck that Lily donned.

    Without another word, Lily slipped on the bracelet on her wrist before she stepped out of the car with a smile on her face. ¡¯The pieces were all in ce. Now it¡¯s time for a grand show.¡¯

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 130 - Valuable Chess Piece

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 130 - Valuable Chess Piece</h4>

    The Bulgari cocktail party was held in the rooftop bar of a luxurious hotel. The rooftop had a big pool that had been heavily sprinkled with sparkling glitter, causing the pool shimmer under the starry night sky.

    Afortable lounge was the first thing that greeted the guests when they first entered the rooftop bar. Soft music was ying in the background to create a rxing ambience. Theirtest collection of jewelry and essories were put on disy in ss cases that were strategically ced around the venue, making the entire venue ssy and elegant.

    Invitation for this party was rather exclusive. After all, the purpose of this party was to provide a private viewing of theirtest collection of jewelry and essories before they are released to the market. Naturally, only the rich and influential people were invited to attend this party.

    People like... Fernando and Lily.

    As someone who had built a strong reputation in the jewelry industry, Fernando was well acquainted with the executives of the said brand. Those in the industry would naturally know who Fernando is but that didn¡¯t mean that no one wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize Lily. Who in Europe wasn¡¯t familiar with the Fi name?

    When Lily and Fernando arrived at the venue, many people actually turned their heads to stare at them for a while. Those who recognized them would know who they are because both Lily and Fernando were aplished and well-known in their own field, having been thrown into the limelight by extensive media coverage. If Li Shanshan was here, everyone would surely be saying: "Herees ¡¯The Golden Trio¡¯." For those who didn¡¯t recognize them, they were awed by their mighty aura and presence.

    Fernando and Lily were immediately greeted by the owner of Bulgari himself, followed by some executives. This group of higher-ups of the brand were familiar with Lilian Fi and through her, they also got to know Lily Fi-Qin, Lilian Fi¡¯s beloved granddaughter. Following their lead, other prominent people in the industry also came up to greet them as well.

    This heartwarming wee immediately caught the attention of some influential locals who didn¡¯t know who Lily and Fernando are. Some quickly went up to them to introduce themselves, curious to know who they were. They could already make a guess that their background certainly wasn¡¯t simple. They didn¡¯t want to miss the chance to build some connections.

    "Your bracelet... is it from the Louis Vuitton (LV) collection that was releasedst month? If I¡¯m not mistaken, that bracelet is also limited edition right?" asked a model, who came with her husband, a businessman whose name made it to the list of exclusive invitees. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she stared at Lily¡¯s diamond bracelet.

    "The one that did not even reach the market?" another woman joined in. The bracelet that they were talking about was a limited edition, designed by LV¡¯s owner himself. The bracelet along with four other unique designs were only seen in an issue published by a prestigious magazine. The public never got to see the jewelry anywhere, not in any gship store and not even LVMH headquarters.

    Rumor has it that these jewelry were made to be given as gifts instead of being sold to the public. Of course, no one was able to prove this. Now that they had actually seen the bracelet for themselves, their curiosity about Lily increased. They started to wonder about the kind of background Lily has and how she managed to get her hands on the limited edition bracelet.

    "It is." Lily nodded as she gave the women a smile. Not many people know this, but Lily and the current CEO of Louis Vuitton were actually very well acquainted with each other. For this reason, Lily chose to wear this bracelet to make a point.

    "Wow... I never thought that I would get a chance to see this piece up close," the model said, her gaze was full of respect for Lily. A while ago, her husband shared with her some information about Lily and what she heard about Lily amazed her. She had full respect for this capable woman who was standing tall in the business world dominated by men.

    "Me too... That is a very beautiful piece," a beautiful woman chimed in as she smiled sweetly at Lily. Lily acknowledged the woman with a smile and also smiled courteously at everyone. Though Lily didn¡¯t know most of the women here who were trying towork with her, she immediately recognized this beautiful young woman in front of her. She was an actress under Xuan Films. Her name was Qiao Qiao.

    Lily took notice of Qiao Qiao. She regarded her as valuable chess piece in her long game, a hidden weapon in her quest to destroy the Xuan family. But now was not the time to think about this woman. She would make contact with Qiao Qiao in the future, when the time is right. After achieving the effect she wanted with the bracelet, Lily excused herself and walked towards the glittering pool in the center of the venue.

    The view of the pool against the backdrop of the cityscape was truly magnificent. The glitter on the surface of the pool became even lovelier as it reflected the light from the low-hanging disco balls situated at the corner of the rooftop. For some reason, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s smiling face came into her mind and a small smile made its way to Lily¡¯s lips at the same time. She thought, ¡¯If only Zhuo Jingren was here to see this.¡¯

    Then Lily had an ¡¯aha moment¡¯. She quickly took out her phone and took some pictures of the pool in front of her. Since Zhuo Jingren was not here to see it for himself, she could just show him these photoster, right?

    "Qin Jinghua?" Lily¡¯s brows furrowed at being called by her old name. She didn¡¯t recognize the sweet voice that called her name and so when she turned around, she was a little surprised that it was none other than Qin Fei. She was used to hearing Qin Fei¡¯s shrill voice that she had actually forgotten how she sounded like in public, when she was trying to portray a kind and gentle image.

    "Sister..." Lily smiled at Qin Fei who came with Xuan Hui and Tang Lingyun. "Master Xuan seemed to have forgotten to inform me earlier that you will being with him tonight," she said while eyeing Xuan Hui.

    "Inform you?" Qin Fei repeated as she nced at Xuan Hui. ¡¯Does that mean that Xuan Hui and Qin Jinghua had a private conversation together earlier without her?¡¯

    "Oh... we had a little conversation over some drinks a while ago at the previous party. Maybe he just... forgot to tell you?" Lily smiled at Qin Fei, instantly making thetter fumed inwardly. ¡¯Xuan Hui had a drink with Qin Jinghua?! Was that why he didn¡¯t answer my calls earlier?¡¯

    However, just as Qin Fei was about to erupt and send a p towards Lily, Tang Lingyun quickly held her daughter¡¯s hand. "You don¡¯t seem to have changed at all, Jinghua. Stop joking with your sister. You know that she is pregnant. It¡¯s not nice of you to joke around like this," Tang Lingyun said, giving Lily a smile.

    "Ah... pregnant. I forgot." Lily shed Xuan Hui a smile, immediately making thetter nervous. ¡¯Is Lily targeting Qin Fei? Him? Or Tang Lingyun¡¯

    "Fei Fei... Let¡¯s not waste our time standing here. You are pregnant. You shouldn¡¯t be standing for too long," Xuan Hui immediately stroked his wife¡¯s back, confusion and a little guilt could be seen in his eyes. He then eyed Lily who was looking at the two of them with a small smile on her face.

    ¡¯Did Lily have something to do with him losing control with his secretary just a while ago? What is her game?¡¯ thought Xuan Hui.

    While Xuan Hui was immersed in his own thoughts, Qin Fei was fuming inside. If only she could crush Lily¡¯s smiling face, she would have. How dare this woman try and sow discord between her and Xuan Hui?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 131 - Amusing Trio

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 131 - Amusing Trio</h4>

    "You really should listen to your husband, sister. I mean... you are carrying a Xuan right there inside you," Lily said as she gestured for Yang Mi to get her a ss of champagne. Tonight, Lily was not intending to have a tedious confrontation with these people. In fact, she was nning something simple this time.

    However, Qin Fei had something else in mind. Her rage and jealousy instantly spiked when she saw Lily smiling at Xuan Hui. Her eyes caught sight of Lily¡¯s dress, and how it unted her slim figure, something that Qin Fei used to have. When she thought again about the time that Xuan Hui did not answer her calls tonight, she froze. Her mind began to wander and her insecurities were multiplying by the minute.

    Right now, Qin Fei was fat. She looked horrible with her bulging belly. Though she tried her best to conceal the dark spots on her neck with make-up, the fact that there were there unsettled her, even if no one could see them. Moreover, as a pregnant woman, she was also not allowed to undergo cosmetic enhancements on her body. This coupled with the fact that Xuan Hui is usually surrounded by beautiful women, from his secretary to beautiful actresses, made Qin Fei a little paranoid.

    What if Xuan Hui abandon her for someone younger? Someone more beautiful? This was something that kept her awake sometimes at night. Now, as she watched Lily sending an unfathomable smile towards Xuan Hui, her mind just wouldn¡¯t stop running wild.

    Lily was a natural beauty. It was just that she didn¡¯t know how to apply the right type of cosmetics to enhance her beauty before. When Lily didn¡¯t know any better in the past, she had always applied a thickyer of make-up, choosing dark and bright colours thinking it would make her look more attractive. But it only made her look gaudy.

    But Lily was very different now. Her hair was in a sleek updo, showing off her slender and wless neck, unlike hers. Herplexion looked good and healthy; it was smooth and there were no dark spots. It didn¡¯t seem like there was a thickyer of make-up applied on her face as well. Her cheeks were rosy and had her lips were plump, with just the right color of lipstick on. She looked radiant. Every part of Lily which looked so perfect only infuriated Qin Fei even more.

    However, Qin Fei had a very smart mother who understood her really well. Tang Lingyun already knew what her daughter was thinking so she gently tugged her hand before stroking her lower back. "Not here," she whispered in between her smiles. "I think Xuan Hui is right. Fei Fei... you are pregnant and your belly is getting heavier. Why don¡¯t we take a seat at the lounge?"

    Tang Lingyun used her eyes to signal her daughter to just listen to her husband. Qin Fei understood and slowly nodded her head. But fate had other ns for them tonight. Just as Qin Fei was about to turn around and leave, a middle aged woman approached Lily andplimented her dress. The woman addressed Lily as Miss Qin which also attracted Qin Fei¡¯s attention.

    "I did not expect you to change your clothing. I almost couldn¡¯t recognize you." the womanughed. "You look so beautiful and mysterious in this piece."

    The fact that someone mentioned Lily¡¯s change of clothing immediately made Qin Fei stopped in her tracks as her eyes turned towards Xuan Hui. Change of clothing? First he did not answer his phone? Then he turned up looking a little different... Though this might be all a coincidence, Qin Fei still found a little connection to everything.

    "Ah... my previous clothes got ripped." Lily smiled at the woman while eyeing Qin Fei¡¯s back. Lily was intentionally being ambiguous with her words precisely because she knew what was on Qin Fei¡¯s mind. "It was an ident, really.... Good thing my dear Fernando had extra outfits for me on hand or else I wouldn¡¯t be able to attend this party."

    That was thest straw for Qin Fei. It was like thest piece of information that she needed to tie her all her assumptions together. She immediately turned towards Lily, forcing a fake smile as she held Xuan Hui¡¯s arms tightly.

    "It¡¯s unfortunate that your previous dress was ruined. This one doesn¡¯t look too bad. Oh what a nice bracelet you have there," she said in her sweet voice before she turned towards Xuan Hui. "Darling why don¡¯t we buy that piece of jewelry from Miss Qin?"

    How dare Qin Jinghua snatch something that was not hers? While she was feeling indignant inside, Qin Fei failed to notice the instant ridicule that the middle aged woman had given her. Buying a limited edition jewelry was fine and all but to say that in front of someone as rich as Lily Qin was absolutely ridiculous.

    The middle aged woman examined Qin Fei, then Tang Lingyun before she nodded to herself. These were mere actresses, no wonder they had no idea what type of person Lily Qin was. Of course, this gaze full of ridicule did not go unnoticed by both Tang Lingyun and Xuan Hui.

    Tang Lingyun was already fuming inside but she kept her emotions in check, tugging her daughter¡¯s hand again gently. They could not afford to offend Qin Jinghua now, not when her husband is Zhuo Jingren. However, Qin Fei ignored her mother as she waited for Lily to answer her.

    On the other hand, Xuan Hui was rendered speechless by Qin Fei¡¯s immaturity. He obviously knew that Qin Fei was trying to show off how pampered she was by him in front of Lily. However, he found it absolutely ridiculous that Qin Fei was trying to unt her wealth in front of someone like Lily. It was akin to shooting her own foot with her own gun.

    Meanwhile, Lily found the different expressions on Xuan Hui, Tang Lingyun and Qin Fei¡¯s faces extremely funny. Xuan Hui looked as if he had swallowed something bitter. Tang Lingyun looked like she was having a stomachache and was trying her best not to show that she urgently needed to go to the bathroom. While Qin Fei was smiling sweetly at her, like a dog waiting for a treat.

    Isn¡¯t this trio just amusing?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 132 - Second-Hand Items

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 132 - Second-Hand Items</h4>

    "Fei Fei... calm yourself," Xuan Hui spoke at a volume that only Qin Fei could hear. However, his words didn¡¯t yield the effect that he was hoping to see. Instead, his words only fueled Qin Fei¡¯s anger. ¡¯Why isn¡¯t Xuan Hui cooperating? He used to pamper me and give me whatever I wanted. Is it because...¡¯

    Qin Fei¡¯s lips seemed to tremble as she thought about the time that Xuan Hui did not answer her calls again. Was it really because of Qin Jinghua?

    At the same time, Tang Lingyun was beginning to realize that her daughter¡¯s thoughts might be running wild and whatever they are, they must be crazy.

    Tang Lingyun knew that Qin Jinghua was already married to Zhuo Jingren but Qin Fei didn¡¯t. Tang Lingyun felt that there was no reason for Qin Jinghua to seduce Xuan Hui and risk jeopardizing her marriage to someone as powerful as Zhuo Jingren. After what happened at theirst meeting, she would never dare to underestimate Qin Jinghua again. She knew that Qin Jinghua had ambitions and now she saw for herself how scheming Qin Jinghua¡¯s mind was.

    With Qin Jinghua¡¯s current status, it would be very easy for her to plot against Qin Industries, Qin Fei and even Xuan Hui. Of course, this does not mean that she would just allow Qin Jinghua¡¯s existence to continue threatening their everyday lives.

    Armed with Qin Jinghua¡¯s scandalous photos from the past, Tang Lingyun was already nning to visit Zhuo Jingren next week to have a private conversation with him about Qin Jinghua¡¯s past. She thought that this would be able to convince the man to leave Qin Jinghua.

    Moreover, with the Tang family¡¯s connections in the underworld, she could get some people from the underworld to deal with Lily if she wanted to. But before that, Tang Lingyun was nning to get the help of her nephew, Tang Wei Dong, to be part of her future ns against Lily. First, they would try to get Lily to give back the properties in maind China that she inherited from thete Old Master Qin.

    As Tang Lingyun thought about Qin Industries, she let out a sigh of relief. Qin Mo had told her that thepany would be seeing better days soon. That was because Qin industries managed to secure a very big loan from an established and reputablepany in Europe which had ns to branch out in the Far East. More importantly, the shareholders in thepany didn¡¯t have a problem with the source of the loan and had approved it.

    Tang Lingyun thought about how their family would see better days as well once thepany stabilizes and passes this current financial crisis. Then, they need not be afraid of Zhuo Jingren when that dayes.

    Tang Lingyun concluded that tonight was not the time to have a confrontation with Qin Jinghua. Moreover, their purpose for being here was to gather investors for Qin Fei¡¯s fashion brand and build connections with other designers.

    Too bad her own daughter did not know any better.

    Qin Fei tightened her grip on Xuan Hui¡¯s arms. She told herself that she needed to stay calm and not act carelessly even though she was really mad and green with jealousy. Above all, she had to maintain her image. So she gave Lily a smile before pouting at Xuan Hui.

    "But I really like it..." She let out a yful sigh and continue to pout, looking at Xuan Hui with pleading eyes. "Hui..."

    In Qin Fei¡¯s mind, she strongly believed that Lily couldn¡¯t have been invited here based on her own merit and abilities. This only meant that Lily must have found a rich sponsor who agreed to bring her along to this party. Either way, she would not let go of this chance to embarrass her.

    "Please?" she smiled.

    "Well... Maybe we could buy something simr from the store itself," Xuan Hui said helplessly before looking at Lily. "Miss Qin, may I know where you got that jewelry? I am nning to buy something simr for my wife."

    Qin Fei immediately beamed when she heard Xuan Hui¡¯s words. ¡¯As expected, he still pampers her the most in the end.¡¯

    "This piece is not in the market," Lily answered.

    "Then how about we buy that instead?" Qin Fei pointed at the bracelet. "Surely, that is not a big deal right?" she asked Lily innocently. Qin Fei¡¯s eyes somehow reminded Lily of a puppy, something that she hated the most.

    "No," Lily answered while smiling. "You can¡¯t afford it anyway. Why bother?"

    "Jinghua this..." Tang Lingyun cut in. Even though she told herself not to create any trouble tonight, she was still Qin Fei¡¯s mother and every mother wouldn¡¯t be able to stand hearing their children being insulted like that.

    "Can¡¯t you just give way to your sister? She is pregnant and pregnancy makes her emotional sometimes." Tang Lingyun always used this excuse to justify Qin Fei¡¯s spoilt behavior. After all, pregnancy could affect a woman¡¯s mood and make them irrational sometimes. Perhaps only those who were pregnant before might be able to understand and rte. She believed that people would give Qin Fei the benefit of the doubt because before Qin Fei¡¯s pregnancy, her public image has always been good and positive. Qin Fei was the kind and gentle goddess.

    "Mrs. Qin... you must be joking," the woman who was talking to Lily said. "How could Miss Qin part with a bracelet that was personally gifted by the owner of LV? Are you perhaps joking?"

    "I..." Tang Lingyun was speechless and a little rmed by what she heard. ¡¯Why would someone influential like that give Lily a precious gift? Was it because of Zhuo Jingren? Does his influence go beyond the Far East?¡¯

    "It¡¯s okay," Lily said before she epted a ss of champagne from Yang Mi who was just waiting next to her. This gesture immediately sounded the bells in Tang Lingyun¡¯s head. On top of having expensive jewelry, Qin Jinghua also had someone by her side to serve her. ¡¯Why does President Zhuo continue to pamper his wife so much? Didn¡¯t he receive the images that she sent?¡¯

    "What can I say? Mrs. Xuan loves to take things that are already used by me." Lily shrugged as she looked at the woman beside her. "Second-hand items," Lily added, the smile on her face never faded.

    She then took a sip of champagne and looked at Qin Fei, mirth apparent in her eyes. "Mrs. Xuan this champagne is great; do you want to have this too?"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 133 - Estranged Family Member

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 133 - Estranged Family Member</h4>

    "Jinghua! How could you say things like that to your sister?" Tang Lingyun immediately chided.

    The woman who was with Lily looked at her with a shocked expression on her face. Sister? However, before the woman could say something, Lily¡¯s scoff already reached her ears.

    "Ex-sister," Lily said as she turned to the woman. "I am an estranged family member." The woman immediately nodded and eyed a group of men who was approaching them. When she saw her husband among the group, she immediately sighed in relief.

    Likewise, Lily and the others also noticed the group of men approaching them. Lily smiled at Fernando when she spotted him among the group.

    "Miss Qin, I see your influence did not falter even in the Far East," noted a man in his forties whom Lily recognized as Mr. Zhao. Mr. Zhao was someone with businesses in Europe and was well acquainted with Fernando. Through Fernando, Lily and Mr Zhao became acquainted as well.

    "Mr. Zhao is ttering me too much. There is no such thing as influence. Thisdy just offered to buy my bracelet and when I said that she cannot afford it, her mother asked me to give it to her instead. Her mother said I should be more gracious to thedy who is pregnant," Lily said before she let out a littleugh. Needless to say, everyone immediately turned speechless at Lily¡¯s words. Tang Lingyun never expected Lily to behave like this.

    ¡¯Why is Lily so blunt and fierce?¡¯ Tang Lingyun was not dumb, she could guess that something else was going on. Something that she was not aware of.

    "Really?" Mr. Zhao said while eyeing the trio in front of Lily. "Isn¡¯t this the Qin family?" Mr. Zhao¡¯s tone contain a tinge of realization.

    Those who are close to Lilian Fi would know that Lily Fi-Qin was someone whom Lilian Fi found in the Far East. ¡¯Does this mean that Lily is from the Qin family in Hong Kong?¡¯ Aside from Mr. Zhao, the other men who were with him also seemed to realize the same thing.

    "Oh... not many of you know this, but Lily came from the Qin family. Of course, this was all in the past, as they already removed her from their registry. Isn¡¯t that right?" Fernando said nonchntly, as if he was talking about the weather.

    This revtion was nned. Lily had told him that her goal for tonight was to reveal her identity as a Fi to Qin Fei and Tang Lingyun. Lily had asked for his help to do that. Fernando guessed that this signalled the start of Lily¡¯s revenge n.

    Fernando had been around Lily long enough for him to know the thing that she was good at: Psychological warfare. Unlike other businessmen at the top of the food chain, Lily was not known for her violence or ties to the underworld. No... she was different.

    Lily was the type of woman who would sit back and enjoy watching her enemies running around like headless chickens in fear of her. She was the type of person who would use your own mind against you. After all, it is natural for humans to overthink about what could happen in the future and be anxious as a result. And Lily... well she always loved to use this principle against her own enemies.

    Fernando knew that his friend had alreadyid out the trap since a long time ago and she was just waiting for them to step into it, then her game shall begin.

    "Lily?" Qin Fei called, her face was full of confusion as she looked at Mr. Zhao.

    However, seeing Qin Fei¡¯s puzzled expression only earned a giggle from Lily. "You did not tell her about me?" she asked, casting a look at Xuan Hui.

    In response, Xuan Hui looked at Qin Fei then towards Lily, his jaws clenched. And Lily¡¯s smiling face did not make him feel any better. So this was what Lily wanted after all; to sow discord between him and his wife. His mind travelled back to what had transpired earlier.

    For some reason, he found it hard to believe that what happened between him and his secretary was Lily¡¯s doing. After all, he did not feel that there was something wrong with him after he left the bar. He was sure that he was not drugged with an aphrodisiac before he left the bar but for some reason, he found his secretary, Tang Biyu a little seductive when he entered the car.

    Xuan Hui was not a fool. He knew that Tang Biyu liked him since a long time ago. Or why would she always try to flirt with him and act innocent around him? But since Tang Biyu was someone rted to Tang Lingyun, he thought that it would be better not to tell Qin Fei about this. He knew that Qin Fei was a little immature and she had her insecurities. The only reason why he did not fire Tang Biyu was because he did not want to raise any suspicions, from his own wife and the Tang family all together.

    All he wanted was a peaceful marriage. However, he really was not able to stop himself a while ago. Of course, he partly med Lily for what happened to him. After all, she was the one who messed with his mind just minutes before he saw Tang Biyu.

    Xuan Hui remembered that Tang Biyu had been working with thepany for six years before she became his secretary, two years ago. Tang Biyu asked Tang Lingyun to put in a good word for her to Xuan Hui so that he would ept her as his secretary. Tang Biyu imed that she wanted to learn the ins and outs of running a business and being a secretary would allow her to learn the most.

    Though Tang Biyu was not an heiress or someone who held a high position in the Tang family, Tang Lingyun still chose to help her. After all, Tang Lingyun thought that Qin Fei could always use Tang Biyu to spy on Xuan Hui. Tang Biyu could inform Qin Fei everything that was going on when Xuan Hui was at work, such as his schedule, who he was meeting and travelling with. Wasn¡¯t that convenient?

    Of course, Tang Lingyun and Qin Fei were not aware of Tang Biyu¡¯s real motive for wanting to be Xuan Hui¡¯s secretary. Moreover, they always see her as someone beneath them and didn¡¯t think that Tang Biyu was a threat by Xuan Hui¡¯s side. This was because Tang Biyu was not really that beautiful. She was sexy with her curvaceous body but Qin Fei thought that she did not have the capability to seduce Xuan Hui and gain his attention.

    "Hui... What does she mean?" Qin Fei¡¯s cutesy voice woke him up from his stupor.

    "How about we talk about this at the lounge... Fei Fei you have been standing too long ah," he answered, hoping to bring Qin Fei away from Lily. His wife only batted her eyelids at him in response before she lowered her head in contemtion.

    By now, Qin Fei also noticed the ridicule in the stares of the people around them. Even though she really wanted to make Qin Jinghua pay for doing this to them, she knew she shouldn¡¯t reveal her true self in the eyes of these businessmen.

    But, would Lily allow them to stay away from her?

    "Ah... sorry. I thought that Xuan Hui would tell you about my new name when we saw each other at the bar a week ago," Lily said. Lily¡¯s purpose tonight was simple. All she wanted was for them to know her current identity and make them feel real fear.

    Her true target for the night was the Tang family. She would first cripple Tang Lingyun¡¯s family so that they could not lend her a hand in whatever schemes she might have against her. Then she would execute her ns to destroy Tang Lingyun.

    However, this does not mean that she didn¡¯t have something prepared for Qin Fei and Xuan Hui. Her words to them tonight were intentionally ambiguous, for the purpose of sowing discord and distrust between the two. All she did was make Qin Fei suspicious. And her sister did not disappoint her.

    Lily knew that Qin Fei did not trust her husband fully. As someone who grew up watching her own mother scheme against other people, it was natural for Qin Fei to develop trust issues and fear that other people would also scheme against her. Lily used Qin Fei¡¯s weakness to her advantage.

    As someone who could see many possibilities in her mind, Lily already prepared not just one or two but at least ten things up her sleeves tonight. If Qin Fei and Xuan Hui didn¡¯t approach her first, she would just have Fernando reveal her identity to them in another way. End of story.

    However, if they happen to try and provoke her, then Lily would not be kind to them as well. Of course, the foolish duo chose thetter option and dig their graves in the process.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 134 - Confusion, Betrayal and Disbelief

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 134 - Confusion, Betrayal and Disbelief</h4>

    Tang Lingyun and Qin Fei both widened their eyes at Lily¡¯s words as they stared at Xuan Hui. They saw how thetter¡¯s face turned pale which was a dead giveaway that Lily was speaking the truth.

    ¡¯Xuan Hui met Qin Jinghua behind her back not once, but twice? Moreover, he knew something seemingly important about Qin Jinghua but didn¡¯t tell her?¡¯ Confusion, betrayal and disbelief immediately clouded Qin Fei¡¯s gaze.

    When Xuan Hui saw how his wife was about to burst in rage, he immediately excused himself and led his wife to the lounge, with the confused Tang Lingyun in tow.

    "I was trying to deal with this on my own as I didn¡¯t want you to feel stressed. You are pregnant and I feared that this will affect you and our baby," he instantly exined after sitting down his wife next to him.

    "What are you talking about? Didn¡¯t you see how they were looking at us with ridicule? They were looking at us as if we were clowns!" Qin Fei seethed in anger. Although she was angry, she did not forget to lower her voice. Then she nced at Qin Jinghua who was happily talking to the group of men who approached them earlier. Her smiling face and crescent eyes looked blinding to Qin Fei.

    "I think it is better if we talk about this at home," Tang Lingyun butted in. Though she was also curious, she knew that Qin Fei might not be able to control her emotions and throw a fit. If that happens, it would hurt her reputation and affect her acting career. It might even affect her chances of securing investments for her fashion brand.

    "I agree..." Xuan Hui nodded.

    "No!" Qin Fei immediately interrupted her husband. "I want to know, now!" she demanded. Qin Fei felt that her husband had betrayed her for not telling her something really important.

    While she still seem rtively calm on the outside, Qin Fei was struggling with her anger inside. She was trying hard not tosh out at Xuan Hui. She was disappointed that he was starting to keep things from her. ¡¯They have been married for seven years already. Is this the start of their marriage breaking down?¡¯

    "Fei Fei..."

    "Don¡¯t Fei Fei me!" she hissed. "Tell me! Did you sleep with her? Is that why you didn¡¯t answer my calls a while ago? Is that why you were nervous when you met us outside just now?"

    "No! Of course not!" Xuan Hui answered. "It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want you to be stressed out. Okay?"

    "Then tell me? Why are you hiding something from me? Now people will think that I am some bimbo! Is this what you want? People thinking that your wife is uninformed? Did you hear Qin Jinghua¡¯s ridicule earlier? Hui! This is what she wants! She wanted me to get angry and to lose my trust you and she... she is winning!" she said almost in one breath.

    Qin Fei¡¯s face was now red from trying to suppress her anger. She really wanted to be reasonable and listen to her husband¡¯s exnation but it seems that Qin Jinghua¡¯s words keep on repeating in her mind.

    Xuan Hui looked at the stressed expression of his wife and then at Lily who did not even look their way. She seemed to be enjoying her conversations with some of the big names in the fashion industry. Helplessness became apparent in his eyes before he let out a sigh.

    "Qin Jinghua is a part of the Fi family from Europe. She is now Lily Fi-Qin, the CEO of Fi Group, a conglomerate headquartered in London," he said before he stroked his wife¡¯s hands. "I just found out about this a while ago and tried to hide it from you because I know this will only stress you out."

    In response, Qin Fei looked at him, her face unfathomable. But before she could say a thing, her mother already reacted.

    "Fi Group? Bec Fi? She was from the Fi family?" Tang Lingyun asked, her eyes wide before she covered her mouth in shock. Her other hand immediately made its way to her chest, feeling that her heart was beating faster.

    So Bec Fi was someone from the Fi family? To Tang Lingyun who had schemed against her many times in the past, this information was something that she never expected. Fear instantly made its way to her ashened face. "What are we going to do now?"

    This was the first question that came into Tang Lingyun¡¯s mind. Then Zhuo Jingren¡¯s name came into her mind and she became even more afraid. Since Lily was actually someone with this kind of background. It would be hard for them to target her now. And the worst thing was Lily has the capability to retaliate for the things that she did seven years ago.

    "Hui... I need some water," Qin Fei said, her gaze was on Lily. Though, Qin Fei was not that familiar with Fi Group, she had read about thatpany somewhere and she knew that it was even bigger than both Qin Industries and Xuan Filmbined.

    Honestly, Qin Fei did not know what to feel about this information. She was not sure if she should be angry or scared. However, the fact that she did not know about all this earlier, that led to her embarrassing herself in front of so many people, made her fumed inside.

    She slowly let out a long sigh as sheposed herself. She then watched as Xuan Hui walked towards the waiter to ask for a ss of water. "Mother... We can¡¯t let Father know about this," she said. She was also intending to tell Xuan Hui to hide this information from his father and mother.

    "Why?" Tang Lingyun asked, a little confused. She was intending to let her husband know about this so they could make ns regarding Lily. On top of that, she was now even more adamant to ask for the Tang family¡¯s help in dealing with Lily. After all, Lily was not just someone who has a powerful husband but also a powerful identity.

    "If Father knows this, he might change his mind about Qin Jinghua and agree to give her the properties in grandma¡¯sst will and testament. You know how Father always loved to get close to people who would benefit him the most. Seeing Qin Jinghua¡¯s sess in business, Father might want her to inherit thepany. If this happens Liwei might lose his future CEO position," Qin Fei patiently exined.

    "What we can do now is to make Father hand over the CEO position to Liwei as soon as possible, before he realizes that Qin Jinghua is no longer the worthless daughter from seven years ago," she added, her eyes looked sharp while eyeing Lily. "As for her... I will deal with Qin Jinghua while you ask for Tang family¡¯s help. I will call you if I need your help."

    Tang Lingyun wanted to open her mouth and object to her daughter¡¯s ns. After all, dealing with Lily should be fine. However, her husband was a different matter and Qin Fei still doesn¡¯t know who Lily¡¯s husband is.

    "You stay here, Mother." Qin Fei¡¯s words interrupted Tang Lingyun from saying what was on her mind.

    "Where are you going?" she asked, though she could already guess that Qin Fei would go and confront Lily as thetter was already alone and standing near the sparkling pool.

    "I will talk to her," Qin Fei said. ¡¯Does Lily think that she could get Xuan Hui now that she has achieved some sess and is someone rich and famous in the business industry? This is something that she would never allow to happen.¡¯

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 135 - Wrong Text Message

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 135 - Wrong Text Message</h4>

    Meanwhile Lily was texting on her phone while asionally ncing up to take in the view in front of her. When she was done sending the images that she had taken of the view earlier to Zhuo Jingren, she smiled, anticipating of his reply.

    [Zhuo Jingren: I always knew you loved glitters but no amount of glitters could triumph over your beauty.]

    Lily smiled while reading the text message before she replied.

    [Lily: Thank you for your praise, President Zhuo. I think the view would be even better if you are here with me...]

    Then Lily froze at the realization of how mushy her drafted text message was. She immediately deleted the text message with a straight face and drafted a new one. How could she act like a lovesick fool?

    [Lily: Thank you. I miss you too.]

    After the text message was sent, Lily froze. Why did she say ¡¯I miss you too¡¯? When he did not even tell her that he missed her? This...

    "So you are now someone important, huh," someone spoke behind Lily. Lily immediately turned her head to look at Qin Fei and saw her malicious stare. Somehow Lily wasn¡¯t surprised that Qin Fei came looking for her.

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded before looking back at the glittering pool. Even though it was just the two of them near the pool, Lily was tantly ignoring her. Seeing Lily¡¯s indifference made Qin Fei rage like a volcano had erupted and her blood boiling like hotva. She was seething but she still managed to keep her emotions under control.

    Qin Fei was a seasoned actress after all, and had long perfected her acting skills. Though she was really angry, her logical mind kept reminding her that losing control in a ce like this could potentially cost her her entire acting career that she had painstakingly built with Xuan Hui¡¯s help.

    "Well, let me tell you this Qin Jinghua or Lily or whatever your name is..." She made a deliberate pause and moved a little closer to Lily. Then she adjusted her voice lower and said, "If you think your new status can make Xuan Hui take a second look at you, then you are wrong. We have been married for a long time now and we are expecting our first child together. He loves me. He won¡¯t spare a second nce at someone who is as dirty as you."

    "Hmmm... true." Lily nodded, disinterest apparent in her eyes. Actually, Lily¡¯s mind was upied on how to exin herst text message to Zhuo Jingren. How could she break the news to him that she had sent him the wrong text message? Should she really tell him that it was wrongfully sent? She was sure that it would only make thetter upset.

    How could she divert his attention away from the ¡¯I miss you too¡¯ text? Then Lily started to rack her brain to think if there was anything she was dissatisfied with Zhuo Jingren. Lily thought that she could use that as an excuse to get mad at him, thinking it might be a good distraction.

    While Lily¡¯s mind was upied thinking of ways to divert Zhuo Jingren¡¯s attention away from herst text message, Qin Fei was thinking about how she could make Lily pay for humiliating her earlier and for ignoring her now. Qin Fei swallowed hard. She was so angry that she was clenching her fists so tight hurting her palms in the process.

    "Did you think that your current status would make people look at you differently?" she added as she tilted her head towards Lily¡¯s ears. "No... To me and to everyone else who knows what you did seven years ago... you are nothing but a slut. You are a lowly woman who could sleep with someone you just met at a bar," she said before gauging Lily¡¯s reaction, thinking that her words were enough to provoke Lily.

    However, Lily seemed to be preupied in her thoughts, her eyes were looking ahead. It was as if Qin Fei¡¯s words didn¡¯t affect her at all.

    Lily¡¯s brows furrowed a little when she really couldn¡¯t find a good reason to get ¡¯mad¡¯ at Zhuo Jingren. Maybe she could get mad for him not saying that he missed her first? But that would make her seem too shallow. Lily¡¯s heart was in turmoil as she continued to deliberate her next course of actions. She was sure that thetter was already smiling from ear to ear after reading her text. He might even think that she had already fallen in love with him. This...

    For Lily... this was something that needed an immediate solution.

    "What? Aren¡¯t you going to say something?" Qin Fei asked. "A monkey can wear crowns and diamonds but it would forever stay as a monkey. Just like you. Wearing expensive clothing and jewelry does not change who you truly are inside."

    "Did I hit a nerve? Qin Jinghua?" Qin Fei added with a small smile on her face. As expected a monkey would always be a monkey in front of a lion. Of course, in Qin Fei¡¯s mind, Lily was the monkey and she was the lion.

    "Mrs. Xuan." Lily moved her head towards Qin Fei. As their faces were a little too close for Qin Fei¡¯sfort, Qin Fei took a step backwards. She didn¡¯t want to be staring so closely at Lily¡¯s smiley face which was just in irritating to her.

    "Your face is originally so-so. Not that pretty nor ugly. But your attitude stinks making you an overall ugly person. You are getting old too. After having a child or two, I can only imagine how you would look like. I wonder how long can CEO Xuan endure this?" Lily lifted her lips in a smirk.

    Of course, Lily was aiming for a bullseye. After all, Qin Fei¡¯s non-stop buzzing in her ear was disturbing her train of thought. How dare someone like Qin Fei disturb her peace as she was thinking about her husband? Inwardly, Lily felt that what she said should be enough to make Qin Fei shut her mouth. In fact, she was feeling somewhat righteous for telling Qin Fei the truth.

    Qin Fei looked beautiful now only because procedures that were done to her face before. Of course, no one would say anything about this. After all, almost all actors and actresses had undergone cosmetic surgery to enhance their looks. Moreover, anyone who is skilled in applying make-up could even turn an ugly duckling into a swan. Qin Fei was someone who paid close attention to her make-up and her make-up skills were not too bad.

    Lily felt that she did the right thing to give Qin Fei a tip and some words of wisdom. After all, Xuan Hui had already touched his secretary. Who knows who might be the next woman he would sleep with? She was just doing a good deed by warning Qin Fei in advance.

    And just as she expected, Qin Fei red at her like she was about to strangle her. In response Lily stifled augh at Qin Fei¡¯s reaction.

    If people would look at the two right now, they would think that they were having a very cordial conversation because at this moment, Lily looked extremely gleeful as if she had just said the funniest joke on the.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 136 - Cannot Bring Me Any Benefits

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 136 - Cannot Bring Me Any Benefits</h4>

    Qin Fei trembled with rage when she heard Lily¡¯sugh that was full of mockery. "And do you think he will pick you over me?" she asked while taking another step back.

    "No... why would he choose me over you? It¡¯s not like I am not the only woman around him. So you have to be very careful. After all... Xuan Hui has the tendency to be easily swayed," Lily was quick to answer.

    Lilyughed inwardly at how self-centered Qin Fei was at this moment. Had she ever considered that karma would get to her one day? Ever since the day Lily was born, the whole Qin family, with the exception of Old Madam Ye, Lily¡¯s paternal grandmother, treated her as if she was a scum of the earth. For the simple reason that she was born out of wedlock and her mother was deemed as a nobody, someone beneath the Qin family. Qin Fei grew up innocent of the adults¡¯ prejudice against Lily but was soon brainwashed into believing that Lily was indeed wretched.

    Lily remembered all the nasty things that Qin Fei had done to her. Qin Fei had embarrassed her in front of her so called elite friends countless times and she could not forget how Qin Fei framed her for stealing examination papers in school.

    As Lily was growing up, she felt that she and her mother didn¡¯t deserve any of these. However, she was helpless and powerless to defend against all the schemes and attacks from the Qin family then. But that was not the case now. She was no longer the helpless and powerless Qin Jinghua of the past.

    All this while, all Qin Fei could think about was to keep Xuan Hui away from Lily, thinking that Lily truly had designs on her husband. How foolish! As if Xuan Hui was worth any of her time and affections. Lily might have had some feelings for Xuan Hui in the past, but those feelings were long dead, along with the old Qin Jinghua.

    For Lily, Xuan Hui was just a pawn; a pawn in her war against Qin Fei. Since Xuan Hui held such an important ce in Qin Fei¡¯s heart, she would strike where it would hurt Qin Fei the most - her husband, Xuan Hui.

    "He would not do that to me," Qin Fei said, unaware how the conversation had turned in apletely different direction. Why is she defending herself against Lily now when she was the aggressor earlier? How did it be like this?

    "Of course he wouldn¡¯t." Lily smiled. "After all, he is a saint. Someone not capable of cheating and lying. Xuan Hui is-"

    "Stop it! He will never betray me!" Qin Fei shouted with finality. It was stern and loud, like a deration. At this point, Xuan Hui happen toe back with a ss of water that Qin Fei had requested. Noticing themotion, he immediately went to both Lily and Qin Fei. Fear was apparent in his eyes. What if Lily was bullying his wife?

    "Fei Fei, let¡¯s go home," he said the moment he reached his wife¡¯s side. "Let¡¯s talk about all these at home." Xuan Hui was aware of Qin Fei¡¯s true character. He knew how scheming and maniptive she was but this didn¡¯t stop him from loving her. Surprisingly, Xuan Hui found these qualities of Qin Fei attractive but he knew that others might not think the same way. He knew his wife was not a saint but he still adored her. At this moment, he couldn¡¯t wait to bring his wife away from the party for fear that his wife might embarrass herself again in front of everyone.

    While Xuan Hui was worrying about his wife, Qin Fei already had a scheme in mind. "Miss Qin," Qin Fei said, her voice full of self-righteousness. "My mother loved you and raised you like her own. Yet, here you are, being ungrateful. You can insult me but I cannot stand for you insulting my mother."

    Qin Fei¡¯s words send shivers of shock down Xuan Hui¡¯s spine. ¡¯How could Qin Fei think about scheming against Lily even after knowing her identity? How could she still scheme against Lily in front of everyone here? Qin Fei is pregnant with his child. Hadn¡¯t it crossed her mind how dangerous it is for a pregnant woman like her to engage someone in a confrontation? With Lily no less?¡¯

    "I am actually a very kind person Miss Qin. But the moment you touch my mother, I would be someone else," Qin Fei said, her words were hinting at the insult that Lily threw at them earlier on the topic of the bracelet. By now, their confrontation had already drawn a crowd around them. At the same time, Tang Lingyun became rmed at themotion and decided to put a stop to all this. She originally thought that Qin Fei would only have a peaceful talk with Lily. She trusted her daughter to be able to control herself. Who knew that this would happen?

    Lily looked at Qin Fei with pity in her eyes. She pitied the child inside Qin Fei who would be born to a mother like her. Even at a young age, Lily was someone who loved kids. She always wanted a child of her own, a husband, a family. Yet, this was taken away from her seven years ago. Like Xuan Hui, Lily also thought that Qin Fei was being careless to seek a confrontation when she is heavily pregnant. How could Qin Fei not care about her child? Seeing as Qin Fei still had not changed her ways even though she was going to be a mother soon somehow made Lily feel a little angry inside.

    But Lily did not show her anger. In fact, she even had a smile on, as if Qin Fei¡¯s words had nothing to do with her.

    "First and foremost Mrs. Xuan, you really cannot afford this piece of jewelry. It would be a waste of both of our time if we discuss this further," Lily said, feeling her irritation building inside. Did Qin Fei think that she could provoke her with her words? If the same situation happened seven years ago, maybe she would have reacted and turn this to an even bigger confrontation. Her heart had grown so much stronger over the years and so Qin Fei¡¯s words had no effect on her at all.

    "Second, I can reimburse your family back for all the expenses incurred when my mother and I were living in the Qin family. Like the food and rent for that old maid¡¯s quarters that my mother and I lived in. Don¡¯t say that I am ungrateful. I can assure you that mywyer can make arrangements."

    "Third, you speak of love? About how your mother raised me like her own? All I remember is how your mother kept preventing me from going to school. I wasn¡¯t given the opportunity to attend sses and pick up some skills like you did when we were children. Do I have to be grateful to your mother for stalling my development?"

    "Fourth, I don¡¯t have any interest in your husband who is beneath me. Call me ruthless but why would I be attracted to or want to be with someone who cannot bring me any benefits?"

    "Fifth, I know your ego can¡¯t take this but since you insist on buying my bracelet, I shall be kind to name you a price. I will even wait for you to raise the required amount of money before I sell you the bracelet," Lily said, gesturing Yang Mi with her eyes.

    Yang Mi nodded as she quickly wrote down the price of the bracelet on a piece of paper and handed it to Lily. Holding out the piece of paper to Qin Fei, Lily taunted, "Here is the price of the bracelet. If there are any other items on my body that you wish to buy, please feel free to let me know so that I could quote you a price."

    "What are you waiting for Qin Fei? Take it...before I decide to donate it to someone else."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 137 - Unless Proven Otherwise

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 137 - Unless Proven Otherwise</h4>

    The people who were gathered around them all froze after hearing what Lily said. Some women even covered their mouths in shock. How could Lily be so blunt? Compared to Lily, these women,prising actresses and models were all soft inside andck the strong and tough spirit that Lily possessed.

    Even though most of these women didn¡¯t have an average background, they still wouldn¡¯t have the guts to be as fearless as Lily. They would avoid public confrontations and choose to scheme in the dark instead.

    But who did they think Lily was? She was not like them. Lily was someone from the business world; someone who ruled an empire with an iron fist. While these women expressed a mixture of shock and surprise, most men admired Lily for her boldness.

    Being businessmen, these men knew that one requires a heart of steel to thrive in the tough business world. This was a trait that was usuallycking in women. However, Lily was different. Her name and reputation already attested to her brilliance.

    Many of the businessmen present had heard rumors about the iron-fist businesswoman named Lily but to witness her disy her authority first-hand simply blew them away. While some businessmen had begun to show interest in forming a business coboration with Lily, there were also those who were afraid that Lily would use her brains and wits against them. Either way, they have onemon conclusion: Lily Fi-Qin should not be provoked.

    Murmurs and gasps continued to be heard after Lily¡¯s insults flew. Qin Fei, Xuan Hui and Tang Lingyun never expected things to turn out like this. However, Lily¡¯s words only fueled Qin Fei¡¯s rage.

    "Do you think that you can just look down on us just because you are now on top in the business world?" Qin Fei¡¯s eyes reddened as she stared at Lily before shifting her gaze to the paper in Lily¡¯s hands. "This is not about the bracelet anymore. This is about you being ungrateful to my mother and the Qin family."

    Qin Fei¡¯s words actually sounded righteous. How could Lily insult them like this? Did she think that by being on top, it gave her the right to insult anyone? To even insult her own family?

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded. "So were you expecting me to give you the bracelet as a gift just because you are a Qin?" Lily murmured, causing Qin Fei and even Xuan Hui to lean forward a little to catch what Lily said.

    "That is not what I meant..."

    "Then what¡¯s wrong with saying that you cannot afford it? Why make such a big deal over this when we all know that it is the truth?" Lily interrupted Qin Fei. "Do you see speaking the truth as an insult Mrs. Xuan?"

    "What makes you think that we cannot afford it?" Qin Fei asked, only to receive a knowing smile from Lily.

    "How do you know that you can?"

    "You-"

    "You don¡¯t even know its price and yet you im that you can afford it. On the other hand, I know the current value of your father¡¯spany in the market. Now, unless proven otherwise, I will continue to hold on to what I said as the truth and not an insult." Lily said firmly. Did they think that they could defeat her with words? Twisting the truth and manipting the facts were Lily¡¯s forte.

    "Give me that piece of paper," Qin Fei said, as she shook off her mother¡¯s grip on her arm. Would she allow Lily to continue looking down on her and Tang Lingyun? Qin Fei¡¯s ego would not allow her to ept Lily¡¯s insults without a fight. After all, she used to look down on Lily before. Now that Lily is now someone more prominent than them was a big blow to Qin Fei¡¯s pride.

    Lily held out the piece of paper towards Qin Fei but quickly withdrew her hand before Qin Fei could get it. With a smirk on her face, Lily said, "Oops. I change my mind. I have decided to donate this to someone else instead."

    Seeing Qin Fei angry lifted Lily¡¯s mood. However, Lily knew that she could not go overboard in provoking Qin Fei as it might affect the baby. Moreover, this was still not the right time to destroy them. "Well... It seems that we don¡¯t have anything else to discuss anymore right?" she raised an eyebrow at them, her tone full of condescension.

    "I better go. I have more important and interesting things to attend to," she said before she turned around to walk away from Qin Fei, heading towards the edge of the pool. She still hasn¡¯te up with a solution regarding that text message to Zhuo Jingren ah.

    However, Lily had only taken a few steps when Qin Fei quickly followed after Lily. "Hey! We are not done yet!" Qin Fei reached out her hands to try and grab Lily but thetter sidestepped and turned to face her instead. This sudden action surprised Qin Fei and made her lose her bnce. The world seemed to spin around her and all Qin Fei¡¯s mind could register was hearing a big ssh and feeling the cold all over her body. Panic immediately surged her entire being as she realized that she had fallen into the pool. "Help!" she managed to shout in fear. "Help!"

    Then she heard another ssh. It sounded like someone else had jumped into the pool. Qin Fei felt relief washing over her when she felt someone lifting her up in a hug while supporting her chin up, so that water doesn¡¯t get into her mouth and nose.

    For some reason, Qin Fei knew that it was her husband who had jumped into the pool to save her. Tears started to stream down her cheeks. When she lifted her head and saw that many people were looking at her with shock on their faces, she felt her cheeks burning from embarrassment and anger. Of course, she didn¡¯t miss that look of amusement on Lily¡¯s face.

    "Fei Fei are you alright?" Lily asked, her tone full of mockery as she looked down at Qin Fei in the pool.

    "Miss Qin, you should know better. You were the one who pushed me in after all. Did you want to see me drown or something?" Qin Fei said in spite. She couldn¡¯t control herself from being sarcastic but she also had no regrets, not when she was in this predicament. After all, it is only natural for her to get angry at the person who had pushed her into the pool.

    However, Lily didn¡¯t seem to feel guilty or even try to defend herself. Instead, she sneered at her, "If I wanted to drown you, I would have done it over there which is more than six feet deep." Lily pointed at the other side of the pool. "Not on the side of the pool which is only three feet. Don¡¯t you think so too?"

    And that was when Qin Fei realized that her feet could actually touch the bottom of the pool and when she stood up, the water did not even reach her chest. She looked at Lily, horrified at the current situation she was in. Her hands subconsciously clutched her clothing when she felt her body shiver involuntarily from the cold.

    Even when Qin Fei felt herself being carried up from the pool in a princess carry, her mind was a nk and all she could do was let her tears flow. What else could she say?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 138 - Respect and Reverence

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 138 - Respect and Reverence</h4>

    Lily watched as Xuan Hui carried Qin Fei away with an unfathomable expression on his face. To be honest, Lily did not foresee that Qin Fei would try to stop her after she ended their confrontation. She also definitely didn¡¯t foresee that Qin Fei would lose her bnce and fall into the pool in an attempt to stop her. After all, Qin Fei was pregnant and Lily expected her to exercise some caution.

    However, since the opportunity already presented itself, Lily wasn¡¯t going to be polite to Qin Fei. She would send her to her grave which she had painstakingly dug herself.

    Lily then turned her gaze towards Tang Lingyun who was standing still, seemingly in shock. It wasn¡¯t long before Tang Lingyun¡¯s face morphed into a scowl and she her hands balled into fists. Then she red at Lily before storming out of the venue to follow after Qin Fei and Xuan Hui.

    After the trio left, Lily roamed her eyes around and her gaze swept past all the people who had witnessed what happened earlier. Some of them were staring at her, as if judging her. But Lily did not care about their opinions of her, even if she wasbelled ¡¯ruthless¡¯ or ¡¯vicious¡¯ by them. Because she really was.

    Despite what happened tonight, Lily was still expecting some businessmen to call to schedule a meeting with her. After all, she might be vicious but they all knew that she was very capable. Then Lily turned her gaze towards the pool, its surface was now calm.

    Lily lost herself in her thoughts as she gazed down at the pool. Actually beforeing to this Bulgari cocktail party, she somehow knew that a confrontation was inevitable. So she prepared herself to take advantage of every opportunity that would present itself. And once again... her mind won.

    Then Lily began to recall the events that happened tonight which set in motion her revenge against Tang Lingyun and her Tang family.

    ¡¯Shut the door to catch the thief¡¯ This was the strategy that Lily was employing tonight against the Tang family.

    Tang Lingyun had been so prideful only because she knew she had the Tang family behind her. The Tang family was formidable because of its connections with some well-known criminal groups in Asia. So, before she could get to Tang Lingyun, she would need to cut off the support of the Tang family behind Tang Lingyun. This might sound easy but it had taken Lily years to n her course of actions against them.

    The Tang family had been thriving from the illegal money lending business for years now. They would target vulnerable people looking for a quick loan and then trap them by doubling if not tripling the interest. This provided a steady source of ie for the Tang family.

    Naturally, in this line of business, they would meet people who couldn¡¯t afford to pay them back. So when this happens, the Tang family would roped their debtors into doing illegal things for them as a form of repayment.

    The Tang family¡¯s illegal empire ran deep, so deep that certain prominent personalities in the police force were also involved. Their pockets were filled by the Tang family and in turn, they would help to cover up for their crimes. Because of the police force¡¯s involvement, bringing down the Tang family became a little more tricky.

    However, two years ago, she found an opening to break into those the Tang family¡¯s perfect empire. She found someone that the Tang family owed. It was a debt so big that Lily was sure they would not be able to repay it once news of what they did were exposed to the world. No matter how rich they were now, all that wouldn¡¯t matter in the end.

    Lily was not the type who would scheme against an innocent. She also didn¡¯t like to make use of an innocent person in her schemes. But to deal with the Tang family, Lily had to revive something or rather someone from the past. She had given that person a purpose, one that also aligned with her own goals. Or as most people know it as ¡¯borrow a corpse to resurrect the soul¡¯. This was what happened literally when Lily chose to deal with Tang Wei Dong.

    Tang Wei Dong had always been arrogant and it stemmed from his connections with criminal groups and the people he controlled in the police force. He saw himself as untouchable and even self-proimed himself as the prince of Hong Kong. His ego was as big as a mountain.

    Tang Wei Dong was also someone who would never ept ¡¯no¡¯ from someone, especially from the women whom he had advances towards. With his connections, he believed he could get away with rape which he had on many asions. But it seemed that his luck had run out because Lily hade to y.

    You see, two years ago, Lily found a woman from Tang Wei Dong¡¯s past. She was one of his victims who was brutally raped and then killed after that by Tang Wei Dong himself. But, somehow, she survived.

    Lily liked to y mind games and this was exactly what she did tonight. Now two yearster, on this night, Lily had decided that it was time that Tang Wei Dong met with the ghost of his past...

    No one in the Tang family would have thought that what Tang Wei Dong did that night would be the start of the Tang family¡¯s downfall.

    "President, Tang Wei Dong was detained at the previous party just minutes ago," Yang Mi¡¯s respectful voice brought Lily out of her stupor. "The drug that was ced in his coat was enough to detain him. And you were right, he tried to bribe the police but since there were the paparazzi and media around, the police had no choice but to arrest him. It was a good thing we tipped the paparazzi to follow Tang Wei Dong around."

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded. A few days ago, she contacted the woman from Tang Wei Dong¡¯s past and sought her cooperation to bring Tang Wei Dong down. The n was that she would meet Tang Wei Dong and nt some cocaine and ecstasy in his coat pockets. Of course, Lily would make sure to find someone to tip the police so that they could catch Tang Wei Dong red-handed.

    Lily also knew with Tang Wei Dong¡¯s connections and wealth, he could easily bribe the police and pay the bail to get out of custody. So, she made sure that the paparazzi follow him around and spread the news of his arrest online. This would tie the hands of the police.

    As tonight was a Friday, and the next avable court date would be on Monday, this means that Tang Wei Dong would be kept in custody over the weekend. Just as Lily wanted. She thenughed inwardly at her meticulous nning.

    Lily was certain that Tang Lingyun would not suspect her involvement in this intricate scheme against the whole Tang Family. This was just the start in her efforts to cripple them before burning them to the ground.

    "What about the International Women¡¯s Group? Is everything set on their side?" she asked in a low voice.

    "Affirmative President. All rape cases will be filed on Monday. With the media¡¯s attention on this, it will be a very high profile case. No government official would dare to ept any bribes to save him," Yang Mi also answered in a very low voice that only Lily could hear. Her gaze towards Lily showed nothing but respect and reverence.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 139 - Everything Else Can Wait

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 139 - Everything Else Can Wait</h4>

    New York.

    Meanwhile, Zhuo Jingren was staring at his phone as he read Lily¡¯s text over and over again. It was currently ten in the morning of Friday at New York and he was having an end of the quarter meeting with some of his executives from Zhuo Capital¡¯s branches in South America and the US. It was the time of the year when Zhuo Jingren would be updated of the profits and growth of these overseas branches.

    However, it seemed that the president was not even listening to the reports made by his executives in the meeting. The reported profits amounting to billions of dors did not seem to be as interesting as the text message that he received a while ago. As he continued to look at his phone, he smiled which sent shivers to all of the executives present in the meeting room.

    As the executives looked at each other, they wondered if they should continue reporting. Then silence ensued. The executives were either looking down or were looking elsewhere, as if the interior of the meeting room suddenly became more interesting. They couldn¡¯t bear to look at their president any longer.

    They didn¡¯t know what to make out of their president¡¯s expression right now. Was their president smiling because he happy about the branches¡¯ performance? Or was this the calm before the storm? Maybe the profits were not high enough.

    "Why did you stop?" Zhuo Jingren lifted his head to ask when he discovered that the reporting had stopped.

    "I... President... I was waiting for... ummm..." the presenter lowered his head, unable to form a coherent sentence. Should he tell him that he got scared because of his smile? Wouldn¡¯t that make him look silly and anger the president?

    "Continue," Zhuo Jingren sternly said. That was when he noticed that everyone was looking at him in a weird way. Though he could always read these reports in his own time after the meeting, he chose to carry on the meeting with his people for meetings like this onlye by once every quarter. He steeled his wandering mind to focus on the meeting.

    More than an hourter, the meeting was adjourned for lunch which had been specially catered for these executives to save time. Each of them unceremoniously took a takeaway box of food and brought it back to the boardroom to eat. Meanwhile, Zhuo Jingren excused himself and went to his office to discuss another matter with his secretary.

    "Cancel my appointment tomorrow," he said while looking into a stack of documents in front of him.

    "President, the g tomorrow is meant to-"

    "Cancel it. I am still on my honeymoon. I should also cancel my appointments for the next few days as well," Zhuo Jingren calmly said. The main purpose of this trip was to attend the quarterly meeting and another conference after that in the same day. Everything else was unimportant so he didn¡¯t see the need to attend some g or charity events while he is here.

    "But president, the invitation for the g tomorrow is from the Lee Group of Singapore. If you fail to attend, there is a possibility that..."

    "Go Jichen," Zhuo Jingren interrupted his secretary. "I am still on my honeymoon. Everything else can wait."

    Seeing Secretary Go nod, Zhuo Jingren continued, "How about the package that I wanted? Is it delivered already?"

    "Yes, president."

    "Alright. We¡¯re going back tonight," he said before looking into the documents in front of him again. His lips curled into a smile. ¡¯She missed him. Isn¡¯t this just...¡¯ This is one of those moments that he couldn¡¯t put his feelings into words. Or is there even a word that could urately describe what he is feeling right now?

    "Yes, president... One more thing, the Madam asked me just now to assist in censoring her name for tomorrow¡¯s tabloid news. She said to use ¡¯businesswoman¡¯ instead."

    "Hmmm... Follow everything that she says," he answered without even inquiring what Lily did for the night.

    "Got it, president."

    At the Mu Family¡¯s Hospital.

    Qin Fei was sitting up on the bed and her eyes were already swollen from all her crying. Amidst the sobs, Xuan Hui was pacing back and forth in the private ward, talking seriously to someone on the phone.

    "Fei Fei... please stop crying. This will affect your baby," Tang Lingyun advised, stroking her daughter¡¯s back slowly.

    "Mother... What am I going to do now? I can¡¯t just say that Lily pushed me! It was obvious that she didn¡¯t and a lot of people saw it! How can I show my face to everyone now? Some of Xuan Hui¡¯s artistes also attended the event and they saw me Mother! They must beughing at me right now!"

    "Shhh... How can theyugh at you?" Tang Lingyun consoled. "You are the victim here. That woman is vicious and scheming. Don¡¯t worry. The media will be on your side. I will make sure to make that woman pay."

    "What do you mean?" Qin Fei stopped sobbing to rify with her mother. "You can¡¯t leak this news! Many influential figures saw what happened. They might think that I am intentionally twisting the truth to gain the public¡¯s sympathy. I can¡¯t..."

    "Shhh... Let me take care of it. Alright?" Tang Lingyun hugged her daughter as an evil glint shed in her eyes. How could she let Qin Jinghua bully her own daughter? She would never allow that to happen.

    "That is toote," Xuan Hui said after ending the call. "Someone already leaked the news to some media outlets and paparazzi. It could be a guest at the party or it could even be Lily herself."

    "The way you call her name... It sounded as if she is some goddess that you worship!" Qin Fei said. "If you had told me earlier who she is then this wouldn¡¯t have happened!"

    "Fei Fei... I was just worried about you. I didn¡¯t mean to..."

    "No! If you were worried about me, you should have told me so that I could prepare myself! Now look at what happened? I embarrassed myself in front of the fashion industry!" At the thought of her embarrassing moment, Qin Fei started sobbing again. How could her husband betray her like this?

    Seeing as the situation was escting, Tang Lingyun decided to excuse herself and try to call someone from the Tang family.

    At the sight of Qin Fei crying, Xuan Hui let out a sigh. "I have already asked your manager and the PR team to take care of this. We could always turn the story around. rify that it was just an ident, as it really was."

    "It wasn¡¯t an ident!" Qin Fei hissed. "She pushed me! She pushed me, a pregnant woman into the pool! Why are you trying to protect her?" In front of Xian Hui, Qin Fei would never admit that it was really an ident. She wanted to gain her husband¡¯s sympathy and close attention.

    "Fei Fei... I saw what happened. How could you be so unreasonable? Lily did not even touch you. Many people saw it too."

    Qin Fei widened her eyes in shock as she looked at her husband. ¡¯Why is he protecting Qin Jinghua? How could he do this to his own wife?¡¯

    "I am not trying to protect her. Fei Fei... You know how I have always loved you. I don¡¯t want you to be aughing stock among the socialites who saw what happened. They may not be saying anything now but sooner orter they will start talking about it. I just don¡¯t want to see you being embarrassed any further," he patiently exined when he noticed that his wife was rmed.

    Xuan Hui had been around Qin Fei long enough to know what she was thinking. Seeing as Qin Fei¡¯s face was starting to turn deep red from anger, Xuan Hui immediately stroked his wife¡¯s back. "Stop being unreasonable. If my mother hears about this from her friends then-"

    "Ha! So this is about your mother? You are afraid that your mother will hear about this." Qin Fei nodded. How could Qin Fei not know what Xuan Hui was also thinking? Xuan Hui always wanted his mother and her to get along yet, Yang Lina always refused to acknowledge her as a daughter-inw. If Yang Lina hears about this, her impression of her would only worsen and she would surely have something bad to say about her again. After this realization, she slowlyid back down on the bed and closed her eyes.

    "Calm down Fei Fei... You know that I am always here for you. Let¡¯s just deal with this together alright?" This was not the first time that Xuan Hui had seen this kind of behaviour and attitude from his wife. However, he always managed to calm her down.

    "Fei Fei... I am not your enemy. It should be us against Lily. Not you against me," he added as he kissed his wife on the forehead. Xuan Hui was known to be hot-tempered and cruel, however when it came to his wife, he was helpless. He knew that this might make him look henpecked for he was spoiling Qin Fei too much but Xuan Hui felt that his wife always deserved the best from him.

    However, this short peaceful moment was interrupted when Tang Lingyun strode inside the room with a panicked expression.

    "Tang Wei Dong got arrested." She frowned before taking a seat at the couch near Qin Fei¡¯s bed. "The media got ahold of it and they are stationed outside the prison. They are having a hard time moving him out of the prison."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 140 - A Sadist

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 140 - A Sadist</h4>

    "How is that possible? Tang Wei Dong is usually very careful" Xuan Hui frowned. As the heir of the Tang family, Tang Wei Dong would naturally be exposed to the illegal dealings in his family and that included drugs. However, he was usually very careful and his arrest baffled everyone.

    "I need to go and see your uncle and grandfather," Tang Lingyun said. Tang Lingyun¡¯s brother, Tang Jian, was the Tang family¡¯s current Patriarch. Though Tang Jian was ruthless in business, he had the tendency to spoil his only son, Tang Wei Dong. Tang Lingyun knew that the news about Tang Wei Dong¡¯s arrest would surely agitate her brother, causing his blood pressure to rise. She felt that she should be by her brother¡¯s side and support him through this difficult time.

    "Are you going to be alright?" Tang Lingyun asked in concern. She was a little reluctant to leave her daughter¡¯s side when she was still feeling so down but she reasoned that Xuan Hui was around to watch over her daughter. "The doctor said you have no injury and the fetus is fine. You should go home with Xuan Hui."

    "No!" Qin Fei blurted out before crossing her arms across her chest. "I am not leaving this hospital until Qin Jinghua issues a statement of apology for the ident."

    "Qin Fei!" Tang Lingyun and Xuan Hui shouted in unison. ¡¯How could Qin Fei act so childishly?¡¯

    "Fei Fei... listen to me. Everyone at the party would know that Lily did not push you into the pool. Xuan Hui is right. If you say something like that now, you will only get a bacsh. It will only get more people to start talking about what really happened and the matter would get blown out of proportions." Tang Lingyun said. ¡¯How could her daughter be so stupid¡¯

    "So how could I make that woman pay for what she did?" Qin Fei asked stubbornly.

    "Let¡¯s wait. I will settle this thing with the Tang family and I will ask for their help. I¡¯m sure your grandfather won¡¯t let that woman off. For now, go home and have a good rest. Those people who saw what happened tonight will know that it was truly an ident. They won¡¯t me you as well. You can go ahead and start pitching for their investments next week," Tang Lingyun added before she bid goodbye to her daughter.

    Though Tang Lingyun was already married, she still loved to involve herself in the activities of the Tang family. Even though her Tang family was rooted in illegal activities, it didn¡¯t bother Tang Lingyun. After all, they were her greatest backer. In fact, she was also aware that her nephew had raped and killed countless women. However, her brother would always cover up Tang Wei Dong¡¯s crimes. In other words, Tang Wei Dong was her brother¡¯s weakness. This was the reason why she would always approach Tang Wei Dong first to have his support before she sought her brother for his help.

    At the thought of both Tang Wei Dong and Qin Jinghua, Tang Lingyun recalled the time when she was trying to matchmake the two of them together. However, old Madam Qin was against the idea and did not give her approval and blessings. Besides trying to break Qin Jinghua or Lily¡¯s engagement to Xuan Hui, another reason for Tang Lingyun to rmend her nephew was because she knew what kind of person her nephew was.

    Tang Wei Dong was a sadist who loved to see blood. The man was a sociopath and Tang Lingyun wanted Qin Jinghua to be one of his victims and suffer in his hands. It was a pity that back then, Qin Jinghua looked rather pale and sickly-looking and even with make-up, it couldn¡¯t hide that poor appearance of hers. Moreover, Qin Jinghua wasn¡¯t that great with make-up, often making herself look even more hideous. Because of Qin Jinghua¡¯s poor physical appearance and inferior status, Tang Wei Dong and his father, Tang Jian strongly opposed to Tang Lingyun¡¯s suggestion. Unfortunately, this created a gap between the two siblings.

    After Tang Lingyun left the hospital, Qin Fei was convinced to go home as she realized that her mother really had a point. Sadly, all she could do right now is to wait for the situation at the Tang family to turn around. Without the Tang family¡¯s goons and connections, Tang Lingyun was also helpless, making Qin Fei helpless as well.

    Growing up, Qin Fei had been very proud of her rtion to the Tang family. She would often unt her status as the Tang family¡¯s princess among her friends. She grew dependent on her connection to the Tang family to incite fear among her peers so that they wouldn¡¯t dare step on her toes. Moreover, she felt that having connections with criminal groups was not necessarily a bad thing because she could call upon their help anytime if she needed it.

    However, when Qin Fei be Xuan Hui¡¯s wife, she realized that the Tang family that she was so proud of being a part of, would actually be a bane in her rtionship with her mother-inw. Yang Lina was not oblivious to the illegal activities that the Tang family engages in and she looked down on the Tang family for it. Yang Lina also hated the fact that her daughter-inw had to be someone with rtions to the Tang family. That was the reason why Yang Lina didn¡¯t like Qin Fei very much. She always thought that the Tang family would eventually implicate the Xuan family and bring trouble upon them.

    Over time, Qin Fei also started to think like Yang Lina. She began to think that she was actually not lucky, to be rted to the Tang family. In fact, she thought that it was even bad luck, as someday, some enemies of the Tang family woulde knocking on their doors and Qin Fei might not be able to escape from the trouble.

    Because of this realization, Qin Fei asked Tang Lingyun to lessen their interactions with the Tang family. On one hand, she was thinking about their safety. On the other hand, she hoped that by distancing themselves from the Tang family, Yang Lina would be appeased. This was also the reason why Tang Lingyun and her brother seemed to have grown farther apart ever since Qin Fei married into the Xuan family.

    "I heard about what happened." An imposing voice sounded the moment Xuan Hui and Qin Fei opened the door of their apartment. It startled them both.

    "Mother, it is already sote. Why are you here?" Xuan Hui immediately asked, his hands never leaving Qin Fei¡¯s waist.

    "And you dare ask why am I here? People talk Hui! Do want me to tell you what they were saying tonight?" Yang Lina was not a weak woman. As someone from the great Yang family in Maind China, she was very strict and traditional. Yang Lina also believed that her son deserved the best woman and sadly, Qin Fei did not make the cut. "I already told you that your woman would bring nothing but trouble into our family. And yet, you were too stubborn to listen to me!"

    "Mother! How could you say something like this in front of Fei Fei?" Xuan Hui retorted, immediately taking step in front of Qin Fei, in a defensive stance. "Mother, she is my wife and I love her. There is nothing you could say to make me change my mind. I won¡¯t idly stand by as you talk down on her. Please leave. I won¡¯t see you out."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 141 - Prestigious Military Background

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 141 - Prestigious Military Background</h4>

    "Xuan Hui! I did not raise you to talk to me this way!" Yang Lina said imposingly as she rose from her seat. "And why are you being so defensive? I merely wanted to have a good talk with her. Can¡¯t I even do that?"

    "Mother, please... Qin Fei is tired. It¡¯ste and we have-"

    "Hui, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know. Our Yang family is prestigious because of our military background. We have a reputation to uphold. I always knew that nothing good cane from the Tang family. Stupidity also runs in that family. What happened at the party tonight proves my point. You should have controlled your wife better and not let her embarrass our family!" she lectured as she approached her son.

    "Do you know why your paternal grandfather had insisted that you marry that Qin Jinghua in the past? Although Qin Jinghua was an illegitimate child, at least she didn¡¯t have aplicated family background. Her background is clean unlike a certain someone. No matter how I look at it, choosing Qin Jinghua would have been the lesser of two evils. For someone who was proud to be rted to a family of criminals, how good can she be?"

    By now Yang Lina was already standing in front of Xuan Hui. Her tall frame made her look even more imposing. "Let this be a warning. This will be thest time that I will tolerate this kind of embarrassing behaviour from your wife. Don¡¯t me me for being heartless when I say that if something like this happens again, you can say goodbye to this marriage. That child in her tummy should be her priority instead of some petty scheming." Yang Lina then pushed Xuan Hui away from Qin Fei.

    "And you, stupid woman," she said authoritatively, making Qin Fei shiver. "You are pregnant with my grandchild and yet you acted carelessly. You lost control, in front of so many people and for what? Your pride? Hmph! Your pride is going to be your downfall one day! Do not make me repeat myself, I WILL NOT tolerate you involving my grandchild in your schemes. Act out of line again, I will kick you out of this family and not even your husband can save you."

    "Are we clear?" Yang Lina said, her gaze was focused on Qin Fei. "Answer me," shemanded, in a stern tone.

    "Yes... Yes, Mother. It will not happen again," Qin Fei said, swallowing a mouthful of saliva. At this moment, Qin Fei was fighting back her tears which were threatening to fall. Yang Lina was really scary when she is angry.

    When Yang Lina saw how shaken Qin Fei was that she was trembling, her lips turn up into a smile. She had to let the girl know her ce in the family. "Oh right...That fashion brand that you are working on, postpone all your ns for now. Since you are about to give birth, you should stay at home and take care of your pregnancy." After saying her piece, Yang Lina turned around and walked away from Qin Fei, towards the chair that she was sitting on earlier.

    "But Mother... I..."

    "But what?" Yang Lina stopped walking and turned her head slightly so that she could see Qin Fei from her peripheral vision. "Do you have something to say?"

    "I... No I... I will do as you say," Qin Fei stuttered before she lowered her head and gritted her teeth, feeling aggrieved. Ever since she was young, everyone treated her like a princess and she was never berated. It was not until she married into the Xuan family that this became amon urrence. But because she loved Xuan Hui, she silently endured Yang Lina¡¯s harsh treatment for years now.

    Yang Lina was the reason why Qin Fei became so insecure in her marriage. After all, Yang Lina always made it seem like Qin Fei could be easily reced. She never gave Qin Fei the assurance that every daughter-inw seek from their mother-inw.

    On the other hand, Qin Fei was also the type of person who would me her misfortunes on others. Qin Fei med Lily for her intentionally provoking her. How could it be her fault? Who wouldn¡¯t react after being provoked? She just reacting like any normal human would.

    Back at her seat with her legs crossed and sipping her coffee, Yang Lina added, "Also... it is rather chaotic in the Tang family right now. So it¡¯s better that you stay away from them. I expect you to cut off allmunication with them. You are someone rted to the Tang family and I don¡¯t want the Yang family to be implicated. I don¡¯t want the media to make any unfounded spections that the Yang family has been protecting the Tang family."

    "I understand Mother," Qin Fei answered immediately. Yang Lina actually had a point.

    As the Tang family was part of the upper ss society in Hong Kong, the media was all over Tang Wei Dong and his illegal use of drugs. After all, it was very newsworthy. The authorities would definitely investigate further and the media would also dig deeper into the Tang family.

    It was only a matter of time that the media discover that Qin Fei, the list actress who was also in the news recently, was actually rted to both the Tang and Yang family.

    Everybody knows that the media thrived on selling sensational news and it didn¡¯t matter if the news was just based on assumptions and spections.

    On the matter of Tang Wei Dong¡¯s drug use, people would naturally be suspicious that this probably wasn¡¯t his first time taking drugs. After all, drugs were addictive and Tang Wei Dong could have been a habitual drug user.

    But this was Tang Wei Dong¡¯s first brush with thew. Does it mean that someone had been protecting Tang Wei Dong all this while? It wouldn¡¯t be farfetch for people to specte that the Yang family, a prestigious military family in Maind China might have been protecting the Tang family, because of Qin Fei.

    At the end of the day, such assumptions and spections doesn¡¯t bode well for the Yang family.

    "Good. Now go to your room. I want to talk to my son in private." Qin Fei nodded like an obedient daughter-inw. Qin Fei was already used to being bossed and ordered around by Yang Lina. Even though Xuan Hui would try to defend her at the beginning, he would still cower in front of his mother in the end. Xuan Hui didn¡¯t have the courage to stand against his mother all the way to the end.

    Even so, Qin Fei never onceined against Yang Lina¡¯s treatment. From the start, she knew that Yang Lina was not going to be easy to get along with. But she loved Xuan Hui and couldn¡¯t live without him. No one forced her to marry Xuan Hui, it was her choice. She was already resigned to Yang Lina¡¯s treatment of her. But Qin Fei still held out some hope that Xuan Hui would be able to protect her.

    A single tear made its way down her cheeks as she climbed up the stairs and made her way to her room. Xuan Hui might have spoiled her and given her everything that she wanted, but he still could not stand up against his mother. For some reason, Qin Fei always feared that Xuan Hui would abandon her one day because of his mother¡¯s orders. This thinking even made her even more paranoid of what is toe.

    Qin Fei slowly opened the door of their room and sat on the couch near their king sized bed. She then stroke her tummy as tears continued to pour down her cheeks. Now, Yang Lina told her to abandon the Tang family and she easily agreed to appease her mother-inw. What if Yang Lina would demand for her to abandon her own mother? Would she do it too?

    And was it really worth it? Is everything even worth it?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 142 - Facing a Dilemma

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 142 - Facing a Dilemma</h4>

    "So, I heard that Qin Fei had an argument with someone from your past?" Yang Lina went straight to the point. She had heard that the woman whom Qin Fei was arguing with was actually her sister, who is now a business tycoon in Europe. Yang Lina knew that Qin Fei only had one sister and her name is Qin Jinghua, Xuan Hui¡¯s ex-fianc¨¦.

    "Yes," Xuan Hui answered. Xuan Hui¡¯s response earned a few seconds of silence from his mother.

    "That photo from seven years ago." Yang Lina made a deliberate pause. "Do you know what happened? Were you involved?"

    Seven years ago, after Qin Jinghua¡¯s photos made it to the news, the Xuan family immediately canceled the wedding and refused to issue any statement to rify the matter. However, that did not stop Qin Jinghua from begging at the gates of the Xuan family. Qin Jinghua desperately wanted to see Xuan Hui to exin herself but instead of seeing Xuan Hui, she saw Yang Lina. After speaking to Qin Jinghua, Yang Lina never saw or heard anything from her again.

    The Xuan family also did not bother to investigate what really happened then. They didn¡¯t think that it mattered whether Qin Jinghua was innocent or guilty. Qin Jinghua had the Qin surname but everyone knew that she had no status in the Qin family. Why would they waste their time and money to investigate the matter? Qin Jinghua¡¯s status didn¡¯t match Xuan Hui in the first ce.

    However, now that Qin Jinghua had suddenly returned in glory, Yang Lina wanted to make sure that Xuan Hui was not involved in what happened seven years ago.

    "I knew about it," Xuan Hui answered honestly. "Back then, Tang Lingyun wanted Qin Jinghua to cause a ruckus because she knew that you would not tolerate this kind of behavior from your potential daughter-inw. So, Tang Lingyun drugged Qin Jinghua. That was the only way to guarantee that Qin Jinghua would embarrass herself, under the influence of the drug. However, the effects of the drug made her do something even more than that. Tang Lingyun naturally didn¡¯t let go of this opportunity to ruin Qin Jinghua. And... and I knew about it."

    Yang Lina nodded and remained calm after listening to her son¡¯s exnation. At the same time, she also knew that there is a possibility that Qin Jinghua might retaliate against her son. Her mind began to work ining up with a countermeasure. "Back then... did Qin Fei also know about this?" she asked.

    "Yes. Tang Lingyun showed us the photos before she released it to the public," Xuan Hui again answered honestly. Xuan Hui would always be honest with his mother because he respected her.

    "Hui, there are so many eligible women out there. I even introduced many of them to you. Yet, you had to choose someone who is scheming and unreasonable." Yang Lina shook her head inwardly as she wondered how stupid was. "If you had merely wanted to get rid of Qin Jinghua back then, you could have just make use of Tang Lingyun and Qin Fei and then leave it at that. And yet, you chose to marry Qin Fei."

    "Mother... We talked about this before. I loved Qin Fei from the moment I first saw her. She captured my attention and-"

    "You will be turning thirty soon and yet you have learned nothing." Yang Lina shook her head. She wanted to tell her son how love could be cultivated over time and that initial attraction does not necessarily mean love. But she said this many times before. She would have said it again but she knew it would only make her sound like a nagging mother.

    "Did you do something to aggravate Qin Jinghua?" Yang Lina asked, changing the topic.

    "I did."

    "Then tell me about it." Yang Lina said, an unfathomable gleam shed in her eyes.

    The next day, news of Tang Wei Dong¡¯s arrest broke out in every search engine and everyone was very interested in how the police would handle the situation. This is also because Hong Kong was known to have a zero tolerance policy on illegal drugs such as cannabis and ecstasy.

    Tang Wei Dong¡¯s case was particrly high-profile because the Tang family was suspected for their involvement in illegal activities such as drug trafficking and illegal money-lending. Moreover, rumors also started circting around about the ruthlessness of the Tang family. Because of this, the case had gathered a lot of attention. The case received attention from groups fighting against drugs, human rights groups and surprisingly, even from a group known for fighting vitions against women.

    Rumor has it that Tang Wei Dong had raped countless women and they were mostly from the middle-ss who were powerless against him. So when the news of his arrest became known to the public, many people had gathered outside the police station with big cards about his crimes.

    Tang Wei Dong was someone with ties to the people who sits at the top of the police force. It would have been easy for him to avoid detainment but the rowdy groups of people, the paparazzi and media outside the police station were not making it easy for him to leave. The police who were bought over by Tang family couldn¡¯t release Tang Wei Dong without facing an outcry from the public.

    "Rumors are spreading... They say that Wei Dong¡¯s fingerprint was found on two dead women¡¯s bodies. One in Europe and another somewhere in Asia. And since this morning, internationalwyers have been arriving here," Tang Lingyun said, her face grave as she stared nkly at the cup of coffee in front of her.

    "This is very unexpected. Wei Dong had always been careful about his activities abroad. I didn¡¯t think that anyone was capable of finding anything that would have implicated him," Tang Jian said gravely. Tang Jian originally thought that he could quietly get his son out of the police station but who would have thought that news of his son¡¯s arrest would spread like wildfire when they woke up this morning.

    The news had gotten uncontroble now, making him fume inside.

    "This should not have affected our business but it did," Old Man Tang said hoarsely.

    "Jian... Call your contacts. Someone is plotting against us. Check on our spies and ask them if they know something. Lingyun, go home and do note back here unless I ask you to. I don¡¯t want you to involve yourself in this mess." Old Man Tang added.

    "But Father I..."

    "Lingyun... listen to Father," Tang Jian chimed in. "We have enemies both here and abroad. I don¡¯t want you to get caught in the crossfire. Someone is plotting against us and my guess is it must be one of our enemies abroad."

    Tang Lingyun didn¡¯t argue any further and slowly nodded. She understood her father and brother¡¯s words. She found it reasonable for them to want her to stay away. However, Tang Lingyun was facing a dilemma right now. Given the current precarious situation that the Tang family is in, they wouldn¡¯t have the time and resources to help her plot against Qin Jinghua right?

    Tang Lingyun gritted her teeth as she thought about what had happened to her daughter tonight. Since she couldn¡¯t count on her Tang family to help her plot against Lily, she would need a new n to counter her.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 143 - Better Be Safe Than Sorry

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 143 - Better Be Safe Than Sorry</h4>

    It was Saturday and Lily decided to catch up on some paperwork that had been piling up. It had been a rather busy week.

    Last night, Lily ended up not sending another text message to Zhuo Jingren. To her surprise, thetter did not contact her too. Lily didn¡¯t think she would get upset about Zhuo Jingren¡¯sck of response but she did. Was it reasonable? No. But this would give her a good reason to tease him a little.

    She knew that Zhuo Jingren was returning soon and she was nning to intentionally ignore him the moment when he appears in front of her with his silly smile. She was sure that this would make Zhuo Jingren panic and perhaps this would make him forget about her "I miss you too" text message.

    Lily was sure that her n was foolproof. In fact, she was all prepared to go through with her n andugh at his reaction when Zhuo Jingren returns tomorrow. With this in mind, Lily chuckled before she continued working.

    After lunch, Lily spent most of her afternoon out and about with Yang Mi. They visited the site of their new headquarters which was currently undergoing renovation. They also went to check the progress of the renovation and construction of the new Harmony Isle.

    "President, some news outlets received a tip-off about Tang Wei Dong¡¯s history of abusing drugs. Some preliminary articles were released but they are validating the information. The Tang family have also been calling their contacts and trying to find out who could be plotting against them," Yang Mi said as she handed Lily a tablet when their car stopped at the traffic light. The tabs to the mentioned news articles were conveniently opened in the browser.

    It was six in the evening and Yang Mi was driving Lily back to Sky City. They were calling it a day. Lily epted the tablet and immediately started reading some of the articles online.

    "Social media can be a scary thing," she uttered. ¡¯That¡¯s the power of social media. It has the ability to destroy a person,¡¯¡¯ Lily thought to herself, speaking from her own personal experience.

    "Have George Arison called you regarding the Tangs?" she asked.

    George Arison had been eyeing the criminalwork in the Far East for a long time now but it had not been easy to enter the market and grab a share of the pie. Since the Tang family was going down, the criminal groups they have control over in Maind China and Hong Kong would be up for grabs. Lily immediately thought of giving George the chance to seize it all for himself.

    ¡¯Loot a burning house.¡¯

    Facing internal conflicts and confusion, the Tang family was weakening, making it the best time to attack. And Lily would leave it to George tounch the final attack that would rip the Tang familypletely apart.

    It wasn¡¯t as if George didn¡¯t know that Lily was using him against the Tang family while she distanced herself from the attack. But he didn¡¯t care because this was a win-win situation and he would benefit in the end. Taking over the Tang family¡¯s criminalwork was not a bad idea at all.

    Of course, Lily would also take measures to ensure that George woulde out unscathed from his attack on the Tang family.

    "Yes president, he is in Singapore now but he can fly in any moment you tell him to," Yang Mi answered.

    Lily just nodded in response before closing her eyes to rest. After a few minutes, the car arrived at Sky City. Lily got out of the car and headed straight into the elevator.

    "Are you new here?" A man who was in the elevator with Lily asked. He seemed to be around Lily¡¯s age.

    "Hmmm..." Lily answered without sparing the man a nce.

    "Funny..." the man said, making Lily turned her head to look at him. She couldn¡¯t help but to do a double take at the man. This man seemed to be as tall as Zhuo Jingren and he looked... pretty. In fact, she might even believe that this was a woman dressed in a man¡¯s clothes.

    "I thought we look somewhat alike," the man said while staring intently at Lily. Lily looked nkly at the man and blinked a few times. "Now that you are staring at me like that... I am not sure anymore." He chuckled before he held out his hand to Lily, seemingly wanting to shake her hand. "I am Qin-"

    ¡¯DING¡¯

    "Oh look at that. I should be off now, Miss-someone-who-looks-like-me." The man with thest name Qin gave Lily augh and a wink before he strode out of the elevator and hummed a tune that Lily was not familiar with.

    Lily kept her eyes on the back of the guy until the elevator door closed, her face full of confusion. Because the elevator had opened just as the guy was introducing himself, she was not able to hear the guy¡¯s full name. For some reason, she thought that she had heard him say ¡¯Qin¡¯.

    Lily decided not to dwell too much on this as she had a lot of other things on her mind. She would rather use the time to think about her next ns than to think about some random guy who shared a slight resemnce to her.

    ¡¯DING¡¯

    Lily immediately took her key card to tap on the card reader to open the elevator door which had a direct ess to their apartment.

    Lily walked inside slowly and then she stopped to remove the heels from her feet. Lily loved wearing heels that were at least five inches high to make her look taller. However, vanity came with a price. After a long day of wearing such high heels, Lily¡¯s feet hurt and she was also exhausted.

    ¡¯Maybe I¡¯m getting old,¡¯ she chuckled at her own thoughts before the sound of soft piano music reached her ears. She immediately furrowed her brow but her feet automatically led her towards the living room.

    Lily tightened her grip on her stilettos that she was still holding in her hand while she slowly put her bag on the floor. Her senses were heightened as she shifted the stilettos around in her hand, making sure to position the sharp ends of her stilettos outward so that she could use them to attack.

    However, just before Lily reached the living room, she froze. Wait a minute, what if it was Zhuo Jingren at home and not an intruder? Would an intruder y the piano and alert her of his presence? Wasn¡¯t she just overreacting?

    ¡¯Alright. Time to put on a show,¡¯ Lilyposed herself. Even though she had convinced herself that it couldn¡¯t have been an intruder at home, she still didn¡¯t put down the stilettos in her hands. ¡¯Better be safe than sorry,¡¯ a thought quickly shed past in her mind.

    Lily was so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not notice that the music had stopped. She naturally did not notice that someone had also sneaked up on her.

    "Gotcha!" A pair of strong arms suddenly hugged her from behind, making Lily jumped on her feet. She instinctively used the stilettos in her hands to strike the arm of the person who hugged her.

    "Aw... aw... Hey stop. It¡¯s me!" Zhuo Jingren said, however his hug did not even loosen a little. Instead he seemed to be using a little more strength to hug her tighter.

    "Oh my god!" Lily eximed before she threw away her stilettos and moved out of his arms. "Zhuo Jingren! How could you sneak up on me like that!" She red at him before she noticed his bloodied arm. Her eyes immediately turned gentle before she let out a sigh.

    "I¡¯m sorry," Lily uttered, feeling a little guilty for causing him pain. However, to her surprise thetter just smiled at her before pulling her again into a hug.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 144 - Bat Cave

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 144 - Bat Cave</h4>

    "I miss you more," Zhuo Jingren said hugging her. How could she still have the heart to carry out her initial n of ignoring him when he¡¯s so sweet like that? In a way, he had given her his answer in that response. Lily then burrowed her head into his chest, inhaling his scent.

    "You¡¯re home," Lily uttered before her face bloomed into a beautiful smile. Though, she was a little surprised, she also could not deny the fact that she was indeed happy to see him. She realized that she was bing weaker in front of her own husband, sumbing to his wooing.

    "I can smell dinner," Lily said after a few seconds. "Stop hugging me already. It hasn¡¯t even been three days." She rolled her eyes. Only after thetter had kissed her on the forehead did he let her go.

    "Come, we need to put something on that wound," Lily said as she held Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hand and led him to their room on the second floor. After dressing his wound, the couple enjoyed a sumptuous dinner of ¡¯Thai Red Curry Shrimp¡¯ that Zhuo Jingren made himself.

    After dinner, the couple decided to watch a movie instead of working. Or rather, Zhuo Jingren forced Lily, almost dragging her, to watch a movie with him.

    "Nope. I am not watching that," Lily shook her head. Zhuo Jingren had a home theater which was not surprising. But what was surprising was how the design of the room was inspired by Batman¡¯s bat cave. The were artificial bats hanging all over the wall and there was even a custom made bat suit and a badass batmobile figurine sitting inside a ss disy case. Lily was sure that Zhuo Jingren must have spent a lot to get this room done. She didn¡¯t know that her husband was a diehard fan of Batman. ¡¯So cute,¡¯ she thought.

    "Who wouldn¡¯t like ¡¯Titanic¡¯?" Zhuo Jingren asked. "How about ¡¯The Notebook¡¯?"

    "Nope!" Lily shook her head once again as she crossed her arms around her chest.

    "I always thought women love watching those kinds of movies," Zhuo Jingren noted as he scanned the wide array of titles on his TV screen.

    "Don¡¯t put me in the same basket as all the other women. Why would I watch something sad that could possibly affect my mood all day?" she retorted while eyeing the design of the home theater. "I didn¡¯t know that you are a Batman fan."

    "Hmmm... I love batman." He nodded. "He is just like me."

    "Are you saying that you are a hero too?" Sheughed.

    "No... An orphan," he answered, still scanning the titles on the TV. When he noticed that Lily was silent, he turned his head towards her and assured her, "Don¡¯t feel sorry for me. I think I am an extremely lucky person because now I have you...."

    "Then let¡¯s watch Batman," Lily answered, understanding apparent in her eyes. Judging by Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words and facial expression, Lily deduced that thetter must have known something about his parentage. However, she decided not to probe further. She knew that he would tell her all about it when he is ready.

    "No romance? Love story?" he asked, earning an eye roll from Lily.

    "I am not fond of that genre," she answered. "Let¡¯s watch Batman instead."

    In response, Zhuo Jingren grinned and nodded at her.

    While the weekend was a carefree one for Lily and Zhuo Jingren, the Tang family was facing their biggest storm.

    Monday.

    Another news rocked the entire Hong Kong.

    International women protection groups filed multiple rape cases against Tang Wei Dong and surprisingly, Tang Jian too. This move surprised everyone.

    ording to some sources, Tang Wei Dong had raped a womanst weekend and the woman went to the police to file a suit. The woman had already undergone some tests in the hospital which proved that she was indeed raped. Moreover, a motion to test Tang Wei Dong¡¯s DNA was also requested so they could match it to the semen inside the woman.

    Tang Wei Dong had already been in custody for three nights and with thistest development, it seemed like his release would not be happening anytime soon. When Tang Wei Dong requested to speak to his grandfather, the warden denied his request. The warden also informed him that his grandfather was currently busy handling his father¡¯s case instead.

    This made Tang Wei Dong anxious. Was the Tang family intending to abandon him? Couldn¡¯t they find some way to get him out of here? Was he not as important in the family? Of course, he was not aware that there was solid evidence stacked against his father on the counts of violence against women. This was why his grandfather chose to focus his attention on Tang Jian¡¯s case instead.

    With everyone¡¯s attention on the Tang family, how could thew enforcement or government officials ept bribes to help them this time?

    Then, photos which captured Tang Jian in a murder scene, looking as if he was the murderer started circting online. On top of that, other evidence of his crimes began to surface online andizens had free ess to the evidence. Public opinion instantly turned on them. Everyone sympathized with the victims and hated the Tang family. So whenizens came across old images of the Tang family members unting their luxurious lifestyle, it only made them angrier.

    The Tang family was one of the influential families in the city and they were proud owners of a casino. Before long, ims that the Tang family was involved in illegal gambling and illegal money-lending began to surface. Of course, there was no solid evidence on this as the Tang family made sure not to leave any paper trail for their illegal activities.

    A few dayster, the Ind Revenue Ordinance also got involved as they discovered that the Tang family was not dering the right ie for their casino business and had been evading tax payments for years now.

    In less than a week, the Tang family was brought down from the top of the food chain. They were constantly being monitored. The police kept a close watch on them and a government assigned audit team was scrutinizing their ounting records.

    Thursday.

    "Father is so stressed Mo... I .... And I can¡¯t do anything about it." Tang Lingyun paced about inside Qin Mo¡¯s home office. News about the Tang family seemed to be worsening by the day.

    "Well... All you can do now is to just sit tight and avoid going out for a while. Don¡¯t worry too much about Father. I¡¯m sure he can find a way to get out of this," Qin Mo said as he furrowed his brows.

    As much as he wanted to help the Tang family, he realized that he really couldn¡¯t do much. Though Qin Mo had some friends in the government, those people wouldn¡¯t dare to bend over backwards to do him this favour. Not when international eyes were on the Tang family.

    "Father can only focus on finding the culprit behind all these plots against us now because there isn¡¯t much he could do to help Tang Jian and Tang Wei Dong too. The evidence against them are too solid." Tang Lingyun stopped pacing and approached Qin Mo.

    "Mo... I am afraid... What if the police start to audit my assets as I am from the Tang family too? What if they find evidence that will incriminate Father? If Father is arrested, then the Tang family..."

    Tang Lingyun did not dare to continue as her lips trembled from fear.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 145 - Extinct Animals and Dead People

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 145 - Extinct Animals and Dead People</h4>

    "I heard that the Tang family¡¯spound was raidedst night. Was it you?" Lily asked while eating the Caesar sd that Zhuo Jingren made for her.

    It was already Monday, exactly a week after women groups started filing cases against the Tang father and son.

    Within the week, various criminal cases were filed against the Tang family, prompting the government to perform a thorough investigation on them. As the matter with the Tang family was huge, the government couldn¡¯t be seen to be indifferent or else the masses would revolt against them.

    Last night, a group of people from Interpol cracked down on the Tang family. Though it was not impossible for Interpol to get ahold of incriminating evidence on the Tang family, Lily thought that it all happened too quickly. Lily suspected that someone might have handed over crucial evidence to Interpol to speed things up.

    "Hmmm... It was supposed to be a surprise." Zhuo Jingren grinned. "You are surprised, right?"

    Lily scoffed and shook her head in response. It was a surprise indeed. She was originally nning to take it slow and let the people and government do their job before giving George the go-ahead to attack the Tang family. However, this works well too.

    "George will be flying in soon. Perhaps next week or maybe in the next few days to take over the Tang family¡¯s underworldwork. I want you to meet him."

    "Alright." He nodded while looking at her intently.

    "What¡¯s wrong? Do I have something on my face?" she asked as she subconsciously reached her hand for a napkin to wipe her mouth.

    "You know... I just realized that you are the most brilliant person that I know. First you made the Arisons suffer and now you are using George Arison to attack the Tangs. No one would suspect that you two are working together. Such a smart move. How did you be so smart? Is there something nted in your brain?" he teased. Zhuo Jingren remembered how the yful little Hua¡¯er would struggle with her homework.

    "I am not brilliant." She frowned. "And stop calling me dumb already."

    "I said you were brilliant, when did I call you dumb?" heughed, only to receive a re from Lily.

    "Do you know why I didn¡¯t like you when we were children? That¡¯s because you were boring. You were always talking about dinosaurs and going on and on about Aristotle. Why do you always have to talk about extinct animals and dead people huh? What¡¯s so interesting about them?"

    Zhuo Jingren let out another heartyugh that echoed in the dining room, sending ripples in Lily¡¯s heart. For some reason, hisughter reminded her of spring; fresh and vibrant.

    "But look at you now? Aren¡¯t you now my wife? In the end...you still like me and married me!" He gave her a smug smile beforeughing once again.

    "Hmp! Who likes you? I married you because you are rich!" she retorted before avoiding his gaze. She was partly sure that she married him for his wealth.

    "Then... Did you have someone you liked before?" he asked, with a big smile on his face.

    "Of course! Do you think I am abnormal? I really liked your friend back then... Ah... What was his name? Wei Tian? Li Yan? Tian Tian?"

    "You mean Bei Tian?" Zhuo Jingren frowned. Bei Tian was his best friend who helped him ask Qin Jinghua to give Zhuo Jingren a chance in the future.

    "Ah! Yes! I liked that guy! Bei Tian... He was a simple guy, unlike someone who is smart but...faints in front of the girl he likes." Lily smirked at him. When she saw how red Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face had be, she couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. It was fun teasing her husband ah.

    While Lily continued tough, Zhuo Jingren slowly put down his fork and looked intently at her. His eyes looked sharp, akin to that of an eagle.

    ¡¯Uh-oh. Could he be angry for real this time?¡¯

    In one swift motion, she rose from her seat and ran out of the dining room,ughing, with Zhuo Jingren hot on her heels.

    Laughter and screams continued to echo inside the luxurious penthouse in Sky City that was overlooking the brightly lit cityscape against the cloudless dark night sky...

    Qin Estate.

    Tang Lingyun was sitting on her bed, hugging her legs and crying her heart out. Justst night, a group of men raided the Tangpound and seized a lot of illegal firearms from her brother¡¯s vi. When Old Man Tang heard the news, he was so shocked that he suffered a heart attack. At the hospital, Tang Lingyun was informed that her father¡¯s heart attack was a fatal one and Old Man Tang had fallen into aa and was currently in a vegetative state.

    As the head of the Tang family, Old Man Tang held a huge amount of influence in Hong Kong. He had many powerful friends and acquaintances in different sectors which practically made him untouchable. Old Man Tang being hospitalized at this crucial moment was devastating news for Tang Lingyun.

    Somehow, news of the raid and even Old Man Tang¡¯s heart attack spread. Together with the media¡¯s attention on this, the entire Hong Kong also came to know about this.

    Disgruntled people instantly gathered outside the hospital and created a ruckus. ¡¯How could a prestigious hospital provide care for a murderer and abuser?¡¯ This was what everyone thought. Even victims of the Tang family¡¯s illegal money lending business joined the crowd of protestors outside the hospital. It was very chaotic.

    Given all that was happening, Tang Lingyun knew that the Tang family was done for.

    "Mo... What am I going to do now? I can¡¯t even go and see my father, not when there are protesters outside the hospital. I¡¯m afraid people might recognise me and harass me. I can¡¯t see my father, my brother or my nephew. Why do I feel like I am so useless, Mo?" She continued to cry in her husband¡¯s arms.

    Tang Lingyun knew that once her Tang family perishes, everything will change. She wouldn¡¯t be able to hold her head up as everyone else will start to judge her. It wouldn¡¯t even matter that she is still Qin Mo¡¯s wife. She was used to being respected and even feared in the socialite circle that she couldn¡¯t imagine how life would be like when all these were suddenly taken away from her.

    If people were to see how pitifully Tang Lingyun was crying right now, they would think that she was devastated by what happened to her father, brother and nephew. But the reality was, she was more concerned about a bleak future without the Tang family¡¯s support.

    "It is not safe for you to go out right now. Just stay at home and call Qin Fei. Assure her that everything is going to be alright. People might start to find out the connection between you and the Tang family soon. I will need to make preparations for this." Qin Mo stroked his wife¡¯s back onest time before he released her from his embrace and stood up.

    He then walked towards their bedroom window and looked out with a pensive look on his face. Shoving his hands in his pants pockets, he said, "I remember you said before that you wanted to be an actress again. This is actually a good time for you to return to the film industry."

    "H-How?" she asked a little confused. How could she be an actress again? She was sure that people would criticize her because of her family background.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 146 - Stand in a Sinking Ship

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 146 - Stand in a Sinking Ship</h4>

    "You mean... Are you implying that I should abandon them, Mo? I..." Tang Lingyun stuttered as she looked at her husband in disbelief.

    "Then what are you going to do Lingyun? The Tang family is done for. I am sure someone will reach out to you soon to audit your ounts too. Do you want to go down with them?" Qin Mo calmly asked, his gaze was still on the view outside the window.

    "I..."

    "I am not saying that you should abandon them. Rather, you should issue a statement that you are estranged from your Tang family and also condemn their wrongdoings. This is for show to the public. You can still keep in contact with them in secret," Qin Mo suggested.

    For Qin Mo, the value of an individual was based on what he or she could offer him. He naturally values those who could give him more. He didn¡¯t want his wife to turn useless just because the Tang family had fallen from glory. He wanted his wife to continue standing tall, with her chin up.

    "Mo... How can you think like this? When Qin Industries was not doing well, the Tang family gave us the much needed funds to keep us afloat. Now that you have managed to obtain a loan from somewhere else, you are just going to abandon them like this?" she uttered, her eyes wide.

    Tang Lingyun had always known that her husband was someone who values benefits over rtions. She had seen how Qin Mo had abandoned his friends and even family members once they have served their purpose. But Tang Lingyun never thought that this would happen to her one day.

    During thest five years when the Qin Industries suffered losses, the Xuan and Tang family had generously lend them money to help stabilize thepany. The funds they had contributed to Qin Industries over the years was an extravagant amount! However, now that the Tang family was in need, Qin Mo didn¡¯t even think about reciprocating the goodwill. It hadn¡¯t even been a month since trouble broke out in the Tang family and yet Qin Mo had already decided to give up on the Tang family.

    How could he be this heartless?

    What Tang Lingyun did not realize was that Qin Mo had always been this heartless. Even though Qin Mo was smitten by Bec Fi and had even impregnated her, he still went ahead to marry Tang Lingyun. Why? Not because he loved thetter but because of practical reasons. Between Bec Fi who came from an unknown background and Tang Lingyun who had the backing of her influential Tang family, the choice was obvious to Qin Mo.

    During the course of their marriage, although Qin Mo never cheated on Tang Lingyun, the former never developed any true love for her. Qin Mo respected Tang Lingyun and her family, but he never thought of working on their rtionship. To Qin Mo, his marriage was nothing but a business alliance.

    But if Tang Lingyun was honest with herself, she should have seen the signs of a loveless marriage.

    "So are you choosing to stand in a sinking ship?" Qin Mo looked at her, the look in his eyes was unfathomable.

    "I know that the Tang Family had helped us a lot in the past but we can¡¯t associate ourselves with them anymore and risk being implicated by them. Do you want to join them in prison? Cut your ties with them right now. Tell the media you were not aware of the Tang family¡¯s crimes because you were studying abroad for many years before you came back to Hong Kong. And then you married me shortly after you came back and had very little interactions with them after that." He stared at her intently. "The Tang family is no more. I¡¯m sure you know that."

    A single tear made its way to Tang Lingyun¡¯s cheeks as she nodded. Her husband¡¯s words were true. Would she let herself sink with the whole Tang family? This question had been bothering her for days now. Inwardly, Tang Lingyun already knew her answer but she still found it hard to deal with it all.

    After Interpol sessfully raided the Tang family, other people whom the Tang family offended also came out to file cases against them. Many of their friends turned against them and kicked them while they are down.

    ¡¯Who are the Tangs? Their family only became a part of the socialite circle because of illegal means.¡¯ Of course, the people who condemned the Tang family merely wanted to use this opportunity to show off their ¡¯righteousness.¡¯

    "The hypocrisy of these people would be their downfall one day," Lily noted while reading the news. Two weeks have already passed since the arrest of Tang Wei Dong and Tang Jian and the news about them had dwindled a little. However, some online news tforms were still covering the issue and were publishing new stories everyday.

    Lily then put the tablet down and looked at her husband who was taking his time to drink his coffee.

    It was a Monday morning and Zhuo Jingren was not rushing for work. His reason?

    ¡¯Honeymoon.¡¯

    These past few days, Zhuo Jingren had been neglecting his work and even cancelled some important travels because he wanted to spend more time with his wife. He reasoned that they were still in the honeymoon phase and needed to spend more time together. This made Lily wonder if the man was nning to spend a whole year in this ¡¯honeymoon phase¡¯ that he was talking about.

    "These people are just trying to elevate themselves and the Tang family became a convenient stepping stone," he answered before switching the topic. "There is a charity event tomorrow that I want you to attend with me. I have already prepared some gowns for you. Also, I heard that your office is almost ready? When will you have the opening ceremony for the Fi Group¡¯s new head office?"

    "At the end of the month," she answered. "Is this charity the one originally organized by Mu Qingling?"

    In response, Zhuo Jingren nodded. "This is the one organized by the Mu family."

    Seeing that Lily had turned silent, Zhuo Jingren lifted his head to look at her. "You don¡¯t have to worry about seeing Mu Qingling at the event because she had left the country and is currently taking dance sses in Germany. I had someone to follow her around to make sure that she won¡¯t do anything stupid."

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. To be honest, she was not fond of killing her enemies. She would rather have them suffer for life. Killing them and thereby putting an end to their misery would be too merciful and convenient.

    In the meantime, Qin Fei and Tang Lingyun were confined at home. Both Qin Mo and the Xuan family did not want to be involved in the Tang family¡¯s sticky situation. However, would Lily allow them to stand in the shadows?

    After the news about the Tang family gradually died down, oneizen went to post a photo of Tang Lingyun, Qin Fei and Tang Wei Dong together. Thisizen then made an assumption saying that these three people in the photo were probably rted to each other. Since Qin Fei and Tang Lingyun were from the entertainment industry, people instantly recognized them from the photo.

    Theizens unleashed another wave of trash talk, as they vehemently condemned the Tang family. However, this time, the Xuan Family and the Qin Family were also included in their bashing. Eventually, even the Yang family was included.

    "I thought we have already taken measures to filter the news? I paid you to monitor posts like this, to make sure that they won¡¯t get picked up by social media. So what exactly happened here? What went wrong?" Xuan Hui was furious. His eyes were coldly looking at the group of people from hispany¡¯s IT department.

    When news of the Tang family¡¯s involvement in illegal matters broke out, Xuan Hui immediately instructed his staff to monitor social media and news tforms to look out for any mention of Qin Fei¡¯s name together with the Tang family. If any were found, they had to censor Qin Fei¡¯s name or take down the posts entirely. Xuan Hui wanted to protect Qin Fei. To Xuan Hui¡¯s relief, there was no mention of Qin Fei anywhere.

    However, just when they thought that the issue had died down, someone released a photo of Qin Fei together with her mother and cousin, Tang Wei Dong having dinner and enjoying a conversation.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 147 - Already Chaotic Life

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 147 - Already Chaotic Life</h4>

    "What? Are you not going to answer me?" Xuan Hui hissed in irritation.

    "CEO Xuan, our team did our best to filter all those news but...for some reason, there were a lot of articles that were released together. Hence it took us a longer time to go through all of them. We reported some of them but it also took a while before they were taken down from the inte," the head of the IT department reasoned.

    Xuan Hui gritted his teeth in annoyance. He wanted to vent his frustrations on them but realized that it was pointless to waste any more time with these people in front of him. He still needed to think of a solution for this sticky situation. "Out!" he ordered, sending his employees out of his office. "GET OUT ALL OF YOU!"

    Xuan Hui took a deep breath before he closed his eyes and leaned into his chair. All he could think about was how to save Qin Fei from his mother¡¯s wrath. For Xuan Hui, it didn¡¯t matter if Qin Fei¡¯s reputation made it impossible for her to remain in the entertainment industry, because she could just retire from being an actress. Qin Fei could then concentrate on taking care of their son at home or build up her fashion brand. He believed that people would eventually forget this matter and Qin Fei could still shine in the fashion industry.

    However, the Yang family was a different matter. Since the Yang family was in the military sector in Maind China, they valued their reputation above all. How could they ept that they were rtives with a family of criminals in Hong Kong? Xuan Hui was sure that tongues would start wagging and the Yang family wouldn¡¯t just sit back and take this insult. Xuan Hui truly had no idea how to resolve this matter.

    Xuan Hui furrowed his brows and massaged his temples. For some reason, he had been feeling irritated a lottely. Aside from the Tang family¡¯s affair, Qin Fei had also been ranting about how he had not defended her from his own mother enough. In fact, they had another fight about this matterst night.

    Though Xuan Hui did not like fighting with his wife, Qin Fei crossed his bottom line when she started cursing his mother. He instinctively raised his voice at Qin Fei which shocked her to tears. Last night was the first time that he had raised his voice at her. Qin Fei cried so much until she had difficulties breathing. In the end, Xuan Hui didn¡¯t have an ounce of sleep as he spent the whole night pacifying his wife.

    Xuan Hui had always known that his mother would eventually be an issue between him and Qin Fei. He knew that Qin Fei had been silently enduring all of his mother¡¯s scolding before because she felt that she didn¡¯t have a say in the Xuan family. However, Qin Fei¡¯s view changed when she became pregnant. The fact that she was carrying a Xuan inside her emboldened Qin Fei to show her displeasure. Eventually, Qin Fei even started to question Xuan Hui if he truly loved her. These questions turned into lengthy discussions which eventually led to arguments.

    A loud sigh echoed inside his office as he felt his head ache even more.

    "CEO Xuan..." The timid voice of his secretary woke him up from his stupor.

    "What part of ¡¯get out¡¯ don¡¯t you understand?" he snapped.

    "I..." Tang Biyu was quick to lower her head as tears welled in her eyes. "Madam Yang wanted to talk to you and I..."

    "Stupid! Tell Mother that I am in a meeting and that I am not avable!" he said in a stern voice before he closed his eyes again. He then remembered what had happened between them at Fashion Week and his face became distorted. Since that night, Tang Biyu became different.

    Tang Biyu used to act apathetic in front of Xuan Hui. Even when Tang Biyu flirted with him in the past, she would cleverly hide her intentions behind ¡¯official business¡¯ and wouldn¡¯t be too obvious with her advances. However, after what happened that night, Tang Biyu started to act as if... as if she mattered to him!

    Now, a single yell would make her cry and run away like a schoolgirl which annoyed Xuan Hui. The woman was adding more problems to his already chaotic life.

    "But CEO Xuan... Madam Yang..."

    "I said to tell her that I am not avable!" Xuan Hui yelled, making his secretary tremble. This sight of her irritated Xuan Hui even more.

    "Is this how you treat people who work under you?" Xuan Hui immediately jolted up from his seat when he heard his mother¡¯s voice outside of his door. Then a realization hit him. No wonder his dumb secretary acted like a delicate flower just now. She wanted to gain Yang Lina¡¯s sympathy! ¡¯What a scheming bitch!¡¯ Xuan Hui cursed inwardly as he narrowed his eyes at his secretary. ¡¯Since this woman wants to y games, he shall give her the game of her life.¡¯

    Then Yang Lina entered his office with the same stoic expression that she always had on her face. "Bring me a cup of coffee. No cream, one cube of sugar," she said before walking towards Xuan Hui. Tang Biyu side-eyed Xuan Hui and gave a slight bow to Yang Lina before making her way out of the office.

    "M-Mother..."

    "Save it," she answered, her eyes on the ques and awards that were disyed behind Xuan Hui. "That is not what I am here for."

    "Hui... I am very disappointed in you right now," she added as her eyes scanned across the disy of awards and ques behind her son before meeting his eyes. "As someone who works in the entertainment industry, the least you could do is to control the situation."

    "Mother... I tried to... I really did. But for some reason, someone posted it on various sites and..."

    "I am not here for your exnation." Once again Yang Lina interrupted her son. "Your grandfather and uncles were furious when they found out about this. They wanted you to divorce Qin Fei as soon as possible."

    Seeing the look of shock on her son¡¯s face, Yang Lina continued, "Don¡¯t worry... We¡¯ll still take the child once he¡¯s born. We will give Qin Fei money and some properties aspensation."

    "No!" Xuan Hui objected, rising from his seat. "I am not leaving Qin Fei."

    "I am not asking, Xuan Hui," Yang Lina calmly said. "Having her name in our family tree will sully our family¡¯s reputation and I will not allow that to happen."

    "Hah! So all this time, all you had been thinking about was your family! Family this, Family that! Can¡¯t you think about me and my feelings for once Mother?" Xuan Hui raised his voice, surprising his mother. Yang Lina had always been tough on her son but this was the first time that he had raised his voice at her.

    But Xuan Hui¡¯s question made Yang Lina speechless for words. How could her son not see that whatever she had done was all for the interest and welfare of the Xuan and Yang Family?

    "I am not divorcing Qin Fei," Xuan Hui repeated, his voice full of finality. "There is nothing you can do to convince me otherwise."

    Xuan Hui then went back to his chair to sit down andpose himself. Unbeknownst to Yang Lina and Xuan Hui, Tang Biyu had been standing outside and eavesdropping on their conversation. She even recorded their conversation on her phone.

    ¡¯If Xuan Hui won¡¯t divorce Qin Fei, how about she let Qin Fei know what happened at the Fashion Week?¡¯ Her lips lifted into a small evil smirk before she sent the recording to someone else. Then she cleared her throat and knocked on the door. After waiting for a while, Tang Biyu entered the office with a gentle smile on her face.

    "Here is your coffee, Madam. Is there anything else that I can help you with?" She bowed at Yang Lina as she waited for her further instructions.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 148 - Not Simple and Potentially Dangerous

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 148 - Not Simple and Potentially Dangerous</h4>

    Yang Lina knew that there was nothing more she could say that could convince Xuan Hui to listen to her. He was adamant not to leave his wife.

    At the end of the day, Xuan Hui was still her son and Yang Lina would not do anything to hurt him. So the discussion ended with apromise. Xuan Hui and Qin Fei would announce that Qin Fei had been estranged from the Tang family for a while now and that she had not been keeping contact with them after she married into the Xuan family.

    Yang Lina also warned Xuan Hui to keep Qin Fei at home and not to let her leave the house until she gives birth. This was the price that Qin Fei had to pay for staying in the Xuan family. Xuan Hui immediately agreed, without consulting his wife as he knew that this was the bestpromise that could save their marriage.

    All this time, Xuan Hui did not even consider the possibility that someone was intentionally targeting the Xuan family and manipting events like a skilled chessmaster. However, Yang Lina was different. The Tang family¡¯s demise might be a coincidence but she was sure that the events that followed were not, for example, the expos¨¦ of Qin Fei and Tang Lingyun being rted to the Tang family.

    To Yang Lina this was something that required immediate attention. As someone who had grown up in a military family, Yang Lina was the type of person who sought to understand her enemies beforeunching a war against them.

    The charity event that Zhuo Jingren brought Lily along to attend originally had a dance segment. However, due tost minute changes from the organizers, they ended up having an auction instead. But the event still turned out well and ended in a very grand way.

    During the event, the couple didn¡¯t socialize much with others, choosing to stay in their own booth to talk and enjoy wine together. After all, they were still in the ¡¯honeymoon phase.¡¯ When the event ended, the couple didn¡¯t linger around, choosing to return home immediately as the next day was a working day.

    Days passed peacefully for the couple as they watched the Tang family crumble before their eyes. Old Man Tang never woke up in the hospital and eventually died. After Old Man Tang¡¯s death, control of the Tang family¡¯s underworldwork was also seized from them overnight. Tang Lingyun and Qin Fei could only helplessly watch as power was taken away from them. They felt so useless that there was nothing they could do about it.

    "I am d that you agreed to see me, Lawyer Yan." Zhuo Jingren smiled at thewyer in front of him. It was already in the middle of July, just days after Old Man Tang¡¯s death.

    "I didn¡¯t think I have much of a choice." Lawyer Yan smiled awkwardly. Lawyer Yan specialized in drawing Wills for people. Even though Lawyer Yan got to meet wealthy clients, it was still a first for him to be able to meet a powerful individual like Zhuo Jingren.

    "Honest." Zhuo Jingren noted. "I like it." The duo was currently in a luxurious caf¨¦ with a private Japanese style tea room.

    "May I know why you wanted to see me?" Lawyer Yan asked. Although not much was known about Zhuo Jingren online, Lawyer Yan knew that Zhuo Jingren came from nothing. To Lawyer Yan such a person could not be simple and potentially dangerous and to be honest, he feared Zhuo Jingren.

    "I¡¯m sure you must already know that this is about my wife," he answered. "I want herst name to be changed to Zhuo. Would that affect her im to her inheritance?" Though Lily¡¯s name had already been removed from the Qin family¡¯s registry, they had not changed her surname to Zhuo yet.

    "No, not at all, since Miss Qin¡¯s marriage fulfilled the terms and conditions set in thete Old Master Qin¡¯s Will. In fact, here... I made sure to finish all the paperwork so that I could hand them to you during this meeting," he said while giving Zhuo Jingren a brown envelope.

    "Good." He nodded. "Now for my second concern." Zhuo Jingren made a deliberate pause as he crossed his left leg to his right. "My wife will destroy the Qin family soon."

    "W-Why are you telling me this?" Lawyer Yan asked, panic apparent on his face. ¡¯Is this the famous, ¡¯I will tell you but then I have to kill you¡¯ moment?¡¯

    "I want to ask you, where will you stand? Will you stand on my wife¡¯s side? Or against us?"

    "President Zhuo... this..." Lawyer Yan was caught by surprise and he didn¡¯t know how to react. He lowered his head while he thought about the pros and cons of the matter.

    Lawyer Yan had been around the Qin family long enough to know some of their deepest and darkest secrets. He was aware that Qin Mo was a very vicious man who had done many unspeakable things. He also believed that Qin Mo didn¡¯t know about Lily¡¯s identity or Qin Mo would have already reached out to Lily to offer her a management level position in Qin Industries.

    After thinking for a while, Lawyer Yan still did not understand why Zhuo Jingren would divulge this information to him. He was only an insignificantwyer. Why involve him in some family war?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 149 - Riddles

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 149 - Riddles</h4>

    "President Zhuo... If you don¡¯t mind me saying this, I am just a merewyer. I don¡¯t think I should be involved in these things." Lawyer Yan found the courage to tell Zhuo Jingren what was on his mind. After thinking through, he still didn¡¯t understand why he mattered in the grand scheme of things.

    "Lawyer Yan..." Zhuo Jingren stared at thewyer intently. "To be honest, I don¡¯t know either." His words immediately surprised Lawyer Yan. "However, what I know is that my wife will soon take down the Qin Enterprises and she will find you soon. I hope you coulde to a decision by then. You know my wife¡¯s identity and you know that I am also backing her. If you know what is best for you, you would choose to stand on our side."

    Then Zhuo Jingren rose from his seat and passed the brown envelope to Secretary Go who was just standing nearby. "I want you to think about it properly before giving her an answer. But bear this in mind, my wife will surely win in this long game," he said before leaving with Secretary Go in tow.

    Lily hadn¡¯t told him her ns yet but for some reason, he knew that she would involve thewyer in this battle. This was based on his observation of how Lily didn¡¯t like to get her hands dirty and would make use of others to fight her battle while she watched from the crowd. Then she would sit in one corner with her coffee as she watched her enemies run around like headless chickens, with no idea who was assaulting them. Though he found this method a little slow, Zhuo Jingren knew first-hand how satisfying it was to watch people fight each other, oblivious that they had already fallen into Lily¡¯s trap.

    Lily¡¯s n to take down the Tang family was sessful. It was very satisfying for Lily to see the Tang family crumbling to the ground. On top of that, she was certain that Qin Fei and Tang Lingyun would not be able to scheme against her for a while. They would be hiding at home, fearing further retaliation against them.

    Now that the Tang family was history, Lily decided to focus on the next important event: the official opening of her new head office on 30th July, Saturday.

    15th July, Friday.

    Today was just like any other day for Lily. Most of her trusted directors had flown in from Europe to attend a meeting with her in the boardroom of their new headquarters.

    In preparation for their move, Fi Group had been hiring new staff and ns had been made to get the senior staff from Europe to train the new staff. The move here was significant for Fi Group as this would establish their presence in the Far East.

    "As the construction of the new Harmony Aisle had already started, I think that it¡¯s about time we pay a visit to the A.R Mall and Boutique¡¯s branches in Singapore and Maind China. We need to start working on rebranding those two branches," one of the directors said.

    The Fi Group had a wide portfolio and were involved in various sectors and industries like energy, construction, ports, insurance and retail. They had more than ten subsidiaries, each with their own managing directors. This made it easier for Lily to manage each and everypany while ensuring that they grow with the conglomerate. As Fi Group grew bigger, Lily made sure to hold regr meetings with her managing directors to ensure that everything was in order in each subsidiary.

    "Good suggestion." Lily nodded as she gestured for Yang Mi to add it to the list of things that she needed to look into. Then Lily addressed a woman in her thirties, with short cropped hair. "How are preparations for the opening ceremony eventing up? Do you have everything covered?"

    "Yes, president."

    "Alright, I want to-" However, before Lily could finish her words, the door of the boardroom suddenly opened, revealing Daohu who was holding a bouquet of flowers. He gave Lily a small bow at the door before he approached her.

    "Madam, the president asked me to give this to you at exactly three in the afternoon." After Daohu said that, melodious music started to y through the speakers, a piano piece. The directors were all confused as to what was going on.

    Lily epted the flowers from Daohu without saying anything. She was already used to her husband surprising her like this. However, Lily thought that this was not a very good time as she was currently busy. "Thank you," she uttered to Daohu.

    "President, look!" one of the directors suddenly eximed, pointing at the floor to ceiling ss panel of the boardroom.

    Outside was a banner or maybe a tarpaulin with words on it.

    ¡¯You get a lot of it if you¡¯re powerful and sessful, but significantly less when you¡¯re just starting out. You sometimes do it with yourself, but it¡¯s a lot better when you do it with another person. What am I talking about?¡¯

    Gasps were heard inside the boardroom while some men immediately chuckled. Lily felt her face getting hotter. Her own reaction surprised her. The stoic expression that she was maintaining earlier was reced with a mixture of anger, embarrassment and...glee? She was not even sure.

    Of course, Lily¡¯s mind already had the answer for it. And it was something dirty. How could her husband embarrass her like this?

    That was until another banner was rolled over, revealing the answer to the riddle.

    ¡¯Email¡¯

    Lily wanted to p herself on the forehead when she saw the answer to the riddle! Email? Email? How did she not think of that? Lily ignored everyone who looked very astonished as she furiously scrolled through her email.

    ¡¯All men have one, but it¡¯s longer on some than others. The Pope never uses his, and a man gives it to his wife once they¡¯re married.¡¯

    Lily immediately raised an eyebrow at the riddle. ¡¯Hisst name?¡¯ she silently thought. Then another email came in and she immediately opened it.

    ¡¯I¡¯ll meet you at the rooftop.¡¯

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 150 - I Want Money

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 150 - I Want Money</h4>

    "Let¡¯s continue this meeting tomorrow," Lily said as she stood from her seat and walked out of the boardroom with the sternest expression that she could muster.

    "Aiya... I am speechless. Totally speechless! The president was trying so hard not so smile. Did you see that blush?" one of the directors said the moment Lily walked out of the room.

    "Apparently, President Qin is capable of blushing." Another middle-aged director added."What an eye-opener."

    "Until now we are still not aware of who President Qin¡¯s husband is. I wonder what kind of man our president¡¯s husband is, to make our president act like this. Hahahaha..." Then some of the directors joined in theughter, creating a harmonious mood in the room.

    Since Lily¡¯s office was at the top floor of the building, it didn¡¯t take her long to get to the rooftop. Lily took the stairs as the rooftop was not connected via elevator.

    When she opened the door to the rooftop, the first thing she saw was Zhuo Jingren¡¯s back. Zhuo Jingren had hands in his pockets as he looked out at the view before him. That dignified posture of Zhuo Jingren made Lily wonder what her man was thinking about at this moment.

    "From the information I have gathered before, I thought that President Zhuo was someone low-key. It seems that¡¯s not the case now," Lily noted as she walked towards him.

    "There is no such thing as low-key when ites to my feelings," he retorted before he turned around to face Lily. A handsome smile was on his face.

    "What¡¯s the asion?" she asked. "My birthday is next year. What¡¯s all this... fiasco?"

    "Hah... Today marks the thirtieth day since I courted you."

    "Like a monthsary?" Lily chuckled.

    "Hmmm our marriage monthsary will be next week. Don¡¯t get too excited," he said as he walked towards her. He reached out to hold her hand and in one smooth motion, he pulled her towards him. "I want to celebrate the fact that you agreed to marry me within thirty days."

    "Are you trying to say that I am an easy woman?" She raised an eyebrow. How could someone celebrate a monthsary of courtship? Sometimes, Lily would wonder how Zhuo Jingren¡¯s mind worked.

    "Howe you are so good at twisting my words?" Seeing Lily¡¯s raised eyebrows made himugh. Then he lowered his head and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

    "Were you not implying that I married you so easily?" she continued after Zhuo Jingren¡¯s lips parted from hers.

    "Silly little woman." He chuckled. "How could I not celebrate the day that you fell into my arms? Literally?"

    Then Lily remembered that the day one of this courtship that Zhou Jingren was talking about, thetter had given her lilies which caused her to faint. Thinking about this immediately made herugh. ¡¯Zhuo Jingren is just...¡¯

    "Let¡¯s go?" he asked.

    "Where?"

    "I have another surprise." He winked before leading her to what seemed to be an eight seater helicopter that was parked nearby.

    "W-what is this? Who will fly this?" Lily stopped walking. There was only Zhuo Jingren and her on the rooftop. She then looked at him. ¡¯Is he going to fly the helicopter?¡¯

    "I will take you somewhere," he said. Lily just stared wide-eyed at Zhuo Jingren before walking towards the helicopter with him. For some reason, she felt that wearing a pant suit was one of her best decisions of the day.

    Zhuo Jingren carefully buckled her up before he skillfully started the rotor des of the helicopter. In no time, the helicopter was in the air.

    Lily looked at her husband and smiled. ¡¯He sure is a man of many talents," she thought as she took in the view outside. She was sure that Zhuo Jingren was taking her to a ce that was along the beach based on the direction they were heading.

    After a few minutes, Zhuo Jingren slowly lowered the helicopter into an ind. Zhuo Jingren got off first before he offered his hand to help Lily out. Lily indulged the man¡¯s desire to be chivalrous and gently ced her hand in his. After all, he had put in so much effort just for this celebration. However, to her surprise, Zhuo Jingren suddenly scooped her up and carried her in a princess carry out of the helicopter.

    "I can walk you know," she said as she snaked her arms around his neck.

    "Not with your stilettos. They¡¯ll just sink in the sand."

    "Oh... This ind seemed deserted, is this your private ind?"

    "No... I rented it out," he answered.

    "Oh... That¡¯s very generous of you President Zhuo." Lily chuckled before she burrowed head in the crook of his neck.

    "Ah... All the money I¡¯m earning is for you. Wouldn¡¯t it be pointless if I don¡¯t spend it on you?"

    "Fair enough. Speaking of money... You have been disturbing my worktely. I think you have topensate me for my time to apany you instead of earning money," she uttered, making thetterugh.

    "Profiteer."

    "I am not!" she responded. "This is only just."

    "Hmmm...alright. What do you want in return for your precious time? Money?" he said before he slowly put Lily down on a nket that wasid on a spot on the beach.

    On the pic nket were pic baskets that were filled with an assortment of food, bread and wine, all meticulously arranged inside. There were also boxes of cut fruits on the nket.

    While Lily¡¯s eyes were surveying the pic in front of her, Zhuo Jingren made himselffortable by taking off his shoes and folding his chinos to his knees. He also took off his suit jacket and ced it gently down on the nket. Then he rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt and opened the first two buttons of his shirt.

    "So? What do you want as apensation?" Zhuo Jingren asked her once again beforeying down next to her. His elbow was resting on the ground and his palm was supporting his head as he looked at her intently.

    The first thing that Lily noticed about Zhuo Jingren when heid next to her was his exposed tanned chest. This made him look more casual... and hot. She didn¡¯t even realize she was staring at thetter.

    "Why are you staring at me like that?" He smirked at her. "Do you want me topensate you with my body?"

    Lily immediately rolled her eyes at thetter. "Who wants your body? Hmp! I want money!"

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 151 - Woman of the 21st Century

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 151 - Woman of the 21st Century</h4>

    "Your mind is always thinking of money but your body actually betrays you. Am I right to say that I have a shameless wife?"

    "Hah! I am a strong and independent woman of the 21st century. I know what I want. But if you insist on giving your body, I will take it too!" Lily shamelessly said, taking off her stilettos. However, just when Lily was about to lie down beside Zhuo Jingren, he suddenly pulled her on top of him. With her body on top of his, their faces were really close and they could even feel each other¡¯s breath.

    "What a shameless woman," he noted, the smile on his face only deepened.

    "Hmmm... You have taught me well," she answered as she lowered her lips onto his.

    At Xuan Hui & Qin Fei¡¯s apartment.

    "Just a few more weeks and you will get to see your child. Have you decided on the name?" Tang Lingyun asked before drinking her tea.

    Qin Fei smiled at her mother¡¯s words while stroking her belly. Qin Fei was d her mother came to visit today. Being eight months pregnant, travelling wasn¡¯t as convenient and she would get tired easily as well. Moreover, Xuan Hui had also instructed her to stay at home as much as she could.

    "No, we still can¡¯t decide on the right name."

    "Can¡¯t decide? Or are you waiting for Yang Lina to decide?" Tang Lingyun asked knowingly. Though Qin Fei never told her anything, Tang Lingyun was aware of Yang Lina¡¯s dislike towards her daughter. Tang Lingyun was not blind. She had noticed the condescending looks that Yang Lina would always give her daughter.

    Of course, Tang Lingyun knew in her heart that this was because of their Tang family. Now that the Tang family was no longer the same as before, Tang Lingyun wondered if Yang Lina would start to treat Qin Fei better. Moreover, Qin Fei was carrying a child in her with the Xuan bloodline. That alone should be enough for Yang Lina to change her attitude towards Qin Fei right?

    At her mother¡¯s sharp question, Qin Fei lowered her gaze. Her mother had hit the nail on the head. The reason why they hadn¡¯t decided on a name was because Xuan Hui was waiting for his mother¡¯s decision.

    "Fei Fei... After you give birth, your position in the Xuan family will be elevated. You really need to start fighting for your rights." Tang Lingyun let out a sigh. "Sometimes I would find myself not being able to sleep at night. I¡¯m worried that Xuan Hui¡¯s mother might be bullying you. Your brother knows too and he has been asking about you as well."

    "Mother... You really don¡¯t have to worry about me. I have been married to Xuan Hui for years now. I can endure for a few more months. After I give birth, I believe I will gain the right to speak my mind in the family," Qin Fei answered.

    Qin Fei had a n to change her mother-inw¡¯s opinion of her. The n was to prove her capabilities to her mother-inw byunching her own fashion brand, without any help from Xuan Hui. But what happened during Fashion Week a few weeks back, derailed her n.

    The thought of what happened at Fashion Week still made Qin Fei a little angry. First, she didn¡¯t get to talk much with other designers or potential investors. Second, she was humiliated and left the party in shame. Third, she was berated by her mother-inw and was also being forced to put her ns regarding her fashion on hold.

    ¡¯What an overbearing mother-inw! Her n was supposed to be wless. It¡¯s all Qin Jinghua¡¯s fault!¡¯ Qin Fei thought.

    "On another note, I really hope that knowing Qin Jinghua¡¯s identity is not affecting you in any way." Tang Lingyun said. "Your sister... Well... She is different now. I hope you don¡¯t mind her and just concentrate on giving birth."

    "How is she different?" Qin Fei immediately sneered. "She only changed her name. A leopard never changes its spots. I¡¯m sure she is still that shameless and scheming b*tch. And Mother, how can I not think about it? I am pregnant now. What if she takes revenge and harm my baby? What if she tries to seduce Xuan Hui? Did you see the way she looked at Xuan Hui that night?"

    "Fei Fei... You should stop this," Tang Lingyun said. "I don¡¯t think Lily is interested in taking revenge."

    "Why do you think so?" Qin Fei asked.

    "It has been a while since she came back to Hong Kong and we haven¡¯t heard of anything. Aside from requesting for her name to be removed from our family registry, she hasn¡¯t done anything shady so far..." she exined. "Plus, she is rich and also happily married right now-"

    "Married? Married to who?" Qin Fei interrupted her mother. Qin Jinghua is married?

    "Ah... She¡¯s married to someone insignificant. Stop thinking about it. Lawyer Yan did not tell us who he is," Tang Lingyun lied. She knew her daughter like the back of her palm. Tang Lingyun was sure that Qin Fei would only get angry and jealous if she knew who Lily got married to. But Tang Lingyun knew that she couldn¡¯t hide this matter from her daughter forever, so she nned to tell her daughter the truth after she gives birth.

    "Wait... Does that mean that Qin Jinghua already obtained grandfather and grandmother¡¯s inheritance?" Qin Fei¡¯s eyes were wide as she stared at her mother. Those properties were worth millions! Wouldn¡¯t this mean that millions of dors had slipped out from their fingers? How could she allow such a thing to happen?

    "Not yet. Your father and I will take this to court. I¡¯m sure there is still a chance to get back those properties," Tang Lingyun said calmly, although she herself knew that the chance of that happening was very slim. But she still had a bargaining chip on hand; those scandalous photos of Qin Jinghua. She was intending to use those photos to force Qin Jinghua to give them back those properties.

    In Tang Lingyun¡¯s mind, Qin Jinghua and Zhuo Jingren probably had a marriage of convenience. She couldn¡¯t think of any reason why Zhuo Jingren would marry Qin Jinghua otherwise. It just didn¡¯t make sense to her. Tang Lingyun believed that Zhuo Jingren was someone who paid attention to his reputation, so what would he do if she threatened to spread those photos online again?

    "But Mother... I think there is something that we don¡¯t know about the Will," Qin Fei said after a few seconds of silence.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 152 - One Good-Looking Specimen

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 152 - One Good-Looking Specimen</h4>

    "What do you mean?" Tang Lingyun asked.

    "Think about it Mother. Grandfather died two years before Qin Jinghua¡¯s arranged marriage. Back then, Grandfather also insisted to have her marry Xuan Hui. But his will clearly stated that for Qin Jinghua to qualify for the inheritance, she had to be single and her surname had to be a ¡¯Qin¡¯ at the time of the reading. Do you think Grandfather didn¡¯t want Qin Jinghua to qualify for the inheritance?" Qin Fei asked. This question had been bugging her for a long time. She remembered that her grandfather didn¡¯t favor Qin Jinghua. Hence she found it strange for her grandfather to include Qin Jinghua in his will.

    "Now that you mention it, that is weird. I¡¯m sure that your father found it weird as well. Do you think your grandfather knew that Qin Jinghua was a Fi? Perhaps he thought that Qin Jinghua would change her surname to ¡¯Fi¡¯ in the future? If she had, she wouldn¡¯t have qualified for the inheritance."

    Both of them fell into silence as they recalled Old Man Qin¡¯s apology to Qin Mo at the start of his letter.

    "But... I don¡¯t understand why Grandfather would include Qin Jinghua in his will only to set conditions that would make it difficult or even impossible for her to receive her inheritance. Why must he go through all that trouble?" Qin Fei continued after a long pause.

    Meanwhile Tang Lingyun was engrossed in her thoughts. Based on the conditions in the will, it was obvious that the old man did not want Qin Jinghua to get the inheritance. Moreover, he was the one who arranged Qin Jinghua¡¯s engagement to Xuan Hui. Why would Old Man Qin do something like this?

    Then Tang Lingyun¡¯s eyes widened. There was only one reason why the old man¡¯s written will contradicted his actions: he was forced to write the will that way. But who would force him to include Qin Jinghua in his will? And why?

    The hues created by the sunset on the horizon was starting to spread across the sky. Lily¡¯s head was resting on Zhuo Jingren¡¯sp while thetter was silently stroking her head. They were silently enjoying each other¡¯spany while watching the sunset.

    The rhythmic sounds of the waves and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s steady breathing were the only sounds that Lily could hear. It was serene and peaceful. This feeling was something that she never had for thest twenty-seven years of her life.

    Then Lily shifted her gaze to Zhuo Jingren who was looking out at the horizon. His lips were parted a little and they lifted into a small smile. It made one wonder what happy thoughts he was having right now. The orange glow of the sun made his handsome face even more dazzling.

    "What are you thinking?" Zhuo Jingren¡¯s question brought Lily back from her thoughts. She immediately shifted her gaze back to the sunset, avoiding his gaze.

    "Life," she answered shortly. "Life¡¯s so short and every sunset reminds me of that."

    Zhuo Jingren chuckled, causing Lily to turn her gaze back to him. "Why are youughing?" Lily asked, her eyebrows raised.

    "I just found it funny how you have the tendency to think negatively," he noted. When Lily did not answer him, he continued, "Why don¡¯t you try to think more positively? Appreciate the beauty of life instead. For example, the sunset can be a reminder that no matter how difficult life is, it can still end beautifully."

    "We are the exact opposite," Lily said after a few seconds of silence. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words were true. She did have the tendency to think negatively. Her mind would always think about every possibility in life, positive and negative. The negative ones tend to be more than the positive.

    She always believed that there was a good side and a bad side to all things. Sometimes people would ignore the bad or even abandon their values in order to get what they want. Lily tend to weigh in more on the negative in order to create countermeasures in advance.

    "Hmmm yes we are. But I believe this is the reason why we are attracted to each other, no?" he answered.

    In response, Lily let out a heartyugh. "You are right." For some reason she also agreed with him. Then Lily stoppedughing when realization hit her. Did he just say that she was attracted to him?

    Then she noticed that he was looking at her with a small smile on his face, his eyes were full of gentleness.

    "Ehem... I..." Lily felt her face burning in front of the man. She had never felt so embarrassed in front of him before. Her heart started to beat faster against her chest.

    "I..." she tried to utter a word but she was at a loss for words. Her face was also getting warmer.

    ¡¯How embarrassing!¡¯

    "It¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t have to say anything. I always knew that you did not marry me just for my money. It¡¯s also because of my good looks too right?" Zhuo Jingren shamelessly said while poking her nose.

    Without a word, Lily got up from her current position and sat next to him. "You are one good-looking specimen, it is inevitable that I¡¯m attracted to you," she said in a stern tone.

    But then she realized how stupid she was for being defensive and she decided that she needed to stop thinking so logically all the time.

    Then she cupped Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face before leaning in for a kiss, surprising thetter in the process.

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 153 - Acting Like a Teenager

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 153 - Acting Like a Teenager</h4>

    The dinner that they shared after sunset was sumptuous. Though Zhuo Jingren did not make everything by himself, all of the food he bought satisfied Lily. After they had dinner, they decided to fly back to the city and went home together. The weekend passed peacefully for the couple.

    July 18th, Monday

    Just like any Monday, Lily was busy running the Fi Group. For reasons unknown, she felt happier and lighter as the weeks went by. Of course, deep inside she also knew that this was because of Zhuo Jingren. However, this feeling did not hinder her from working hard for theunching of the Fi Group¡¯s new head office.

    After another meeting, Lily noticed that it was almost three in the afternoon. Since she didn¡¯t have another meeting for the day, Lily decided to go to Zhuo Jingren¡¯s office and bring him some coffee. Moreover, she was also nning to talk to him about Qin Industries.

    On her way to Zhuo Jingren¡¯s office, Lily remembered that he had mentioned that the twentieth would mark one month of their marriage. The reminder made Lily drop by Scarlet City as she wanted to check out things she could give him. Of course, this had urred because Lily realizedst Friday that it was Zhou Jingren who always tried to impress her in their marriage.

    Lily thought it was the right time to reciprocate these actions.

    "You are looking for a gift? Why don¡¯t you give him ap dance instead?" Fernando said. Since Lily was clueless when it came to gifts, she chose to visit his store and ask for his advice.

    She red at him in response. "I want it to be memorable. Something that will remind him of me."

    "You don¡¯t need anything to remind him of you!" Fernando rolled his eyes. "What you need is a good strip dance, and I¡¯m sure Escort Zhuo will remember it for a lifetime."

    "Pervert! Your brain is really on a different level than us mortals," she said as she sipped her tea. "It seems that my trip here was actually useless. Aiya... I was thinking of investing in that new clothing line... but its seems-" Lily dramatically shook her head. "I will just choose the gift on my own and leave now." Fernando ced a box in front of her before she could get up from her seat.

    "I was just joking... joking..." Fernandoughed. "How could you dance in front of Escort Zhuo? Wouldn¡¯t that daze him for months? That will be very dangerous for his business..." Heughed, avoiding her eyes. Seeing Lily watch him, Fernando stoppedughing and gestured for her to open the small rectangr box.

    "Hmph! As expected of someone like you. Tell me, Fernando, which one do you value the most. Me or money?" she asked, a little amazed at how fast her friend changed at the mention of a little investment.

    "What are you talking about? It is only natural for friends to help each other. So, it is natural for you to invest in my brand," he said. Seeing Lily not open the velvet box, he leaned down and opened it in her stead, eager to show Lily its contents.

    "A pen?" Lily immediately raised an eyebrow. In front of her was a fountain pen with a solid tinum barrel. It was encrusted with diamonds, making the pen sparkle like stars in the night sky.

    "Well, since you are so generous enough to invest in my new brand, I will give you a ten percent discount on this pen." Fernando grinned at Lily.

    "I want a sixty percent discount," Lily said as she slowly picked the pen up and examined it under the light. She knew that talking about money in front of this man would turn him into someone else.

    "What? No! How could you be this shameless? Twenty and we¡¯re done," Fernando said.

    "Fifty-five and I will pay you in cash," Lily countered, putting the pen on the case. "I don¡¯t even know what kind of pen this is. This can only mean that it is not that valuable or else... why would it be sitting here in your jewelry shop?"

    "Are you kidding me?" Her friend frowned.

    "I am not! Though there were diamonds all over the pen, it does not look too beautiful. It¡¯s quite bulky too! How could someone use it to write?"

    "You-" Fernando¡¯s eyes bulged as he pointed at Lily, speechless at her words. "How could you disrespect this pen like that?" He immediately closed the box and hugged the pen as if protecting it from Lily. "How could you disrespect the most expensive pen that was recorded in the Guinness Book back in 1990? This is an antique that I painstakingly bought in an auction two years ago."

    "It¡¯s made of diamonds and white gold! This one has a double reservoir filling system," he added. However, seeing Lily just raised an eyebrow at him, he immediately understood that thetter did not understand anything about pens.

    "Alright... Alright... enough with the drama!" Fernando shook his head before putting the box back on the table. The hurt expression that he had earlier was gone. "I will give this for forty percent, and you will invest two million US dors for my brand. What do you say?"

    "Fifty percent discount. I will help you talk to Shanshan and invest two million. What do you say?" she gave him a smirk as she took the cup of tea and elegantly sipped on it. Seeing Fernando freeze made Lily know that thetter was considering her proposal.

    "Alright. Deal," he said helplessly. Lily was just being Lily. He could never win against her strategies. He then had his secretary quote the price as Lily had wanted some words engraved on the body of the pen.

    This was the first time she was giving something to him, and she was extremely excited at the prospect. She had a huge smile on her face.

    "Do you think I should give him something else aside from this pen?" she asked her friend.

    "I don¡¯t know." He shrugged. "But I don¡¯t really see the point of giving extravagant gifts. It¡¯s just your first month together, why are you acting like a teenager?"

    "I am not acting like a teenager! I just felt that I should reciprocate his kind gestures," she reasoned. She was not acting like a teenager, alright?

    "Hmmm... whatever you say. Actually, you two are acting like teenagers. I know you have never had a proper lover before. Could it be that you are also Escort Zhuo¡¯s first?" he asked while eyeing Lily. Seeing thetter just roll her eyes, Fernando immediatelyughed out loud.

    This actually exined the couples overly sweet gestures towards each other. However, for some reason, Fernando felt a little tinge of pain inside his heart as he continued to think about Zhuo Jingren and Lily¡¯s rtionship. He immediately turned serious as he started to wonder if he could have something as pure as the duo¡¯s rtionship.

    Seeing Lily blooming smile was making Fernando a little jealous of the kind of rtionship that Lily had with Zhuo Jingren. Will he have the chance to experience this type of rtionship too?

 Chapter 154 - Just a Coincidence

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 154 - Just a Coincidence</h4>

    After leaving Scarlet City, Lily checked the time and cursed when she saw that it was almost four in the afternoon. How could she still bring coffee to her husband at this hour? So she decided to cook dinner instead. But first, she needed to shop for groceries.

    "Yang Mi," Lily called.

    "Yes, president."

    "Go to the nearest bookstore and get me the best-selling recipe book by Gordon Ramsay," she said.

    Lily knew that she wascking in the culinary department but she was willing to challenge herself and improve her skills. For a start, she would follow Gordon Ramsay¡¯s recipes. Nothing could go wrong with that right? Since it would be more convenient to refer to his recipes from a book, she had tasked Yang Mi to purchase a recipe book for her. She was determined to spend more time in the kitchen to experiment and learn for her husband¡¯s sake.

    Yang Mi nodded and walked away in the opposite direction. As Lily was making her way to the supermarket, she felt her phone vibrate. Seeing it was her husband, she immediately answered it.

    "Hey, are you busy?" Zhuo Jingren asked.

    "Nope. Not at all. I am about to buy some groceries," she said.

    "Groceries?" She could hear a tinge of amusement in his voice. "Are you going to cook dinnerter?"

    "It was supposed to be a surprise," Lily replied. How was he able to guess? Was she really that easy to read?

    Zhuo Jingren burst outughing in response. "I will be there in ten minutes. Wait for me. Let¡¯s cook dinner together." Then the line went dead, leaving Lily¡¯s mouth hanging open. ¡¯Is he going to leave work just like that? Is he going to use the legendary ¡¯honeymoon phase¡¯ excuse again?¡¯ Lily could only shake her head as she smiled to herself.

    When Lily reached the supermarket, she headed straight to the meat section while checking her phone for a previously saved recipe that she had found online. She wanted to try making Gordon Ramsay¡¯s sticky pork ribs for dinner tonight. A small smile escaped her lips as she studied the recipe on her phone, already anticipating the oue of her efforts.

    In less than a minute, Lily arrived at the meat section and after she had picked up the pork ribs, she headed to the vegetables section and started gathering the ingredients one by one while asionally checking her surroundings to see if her husband was already here.

    Xuan Films.

    Xuan Hui frowned as he yed with a pen. "So, you are saying that Tang Wei Dong followed Lily that night but when you arrived at the terrace, Lily wasn¡¯t there?"

    "Yes, you are right. Tang Wei Dong was very pale and he looked fearful," said Yuan Dehua, who was sitting across Xuan Hui in thetter¡¯s office.

    "So you think that Lily might be involved with what happened to the Tang family? That-that is too much, isn¡¯t it?" Xuan Hui said as fear started to build up inside him again. The Tang family¡¯s downfall was the talk of the whole city for days. Their names would still sh in the news sometimes.

    "I don¡¯t know, because I cannot see any connections," Yuan Dehua said.

    "Hmmm... Me too." Xuan Hui nodded. Today, Yuan Dehua had barged into his office and told him about what happened that night of the after-party. Though it was nothing but a story and Yuan Dehua imed that he did not see Lily at the terrace, a little voice inside Xuan Hui was telling him that Lily was actually involved in the matter of the Tang family.

    "Hui... Do you think... Do you think she is exacting revenge on all of us because of what happened at the club? Tang Wei Dong was not with us back then, but he is rted to the Qin family. What if..." Yuan Dehua did not continue his words, fear apparent in his eyes. What if Lily went after everyone that had wronged her in the past?

    Yuan Dehua¡¯s words turned Xuan Hui silent. If Lily was exacting revenge, wouldn¡¯t she just target him and Qin Fei? However, on that night though Qin Fei and him suffered some losses, the Tang family had it worse. Wouldn¡¯t it be right to say that Lily had nned something against them right from the beginning?

    ¡¯No.¡¯ Xuan Hui immediately shook his head. That was impossible. How could Lily do all that in a single night? The Tang family was an empire with many connections. Surely, their influence in the Far East was much greater than Lily¡¯s.

    "I don¡¯t think it¡¯s her. Maybe this just a coincidence," Xuan Hui uttered. He wondered if he was trying to convince himself or Yuan Dehua.

    When Xuan Hui first discovered Lily¡¯s identity, he was anxious that Lily mighte for him. However, as time went by, he felt less anxious since Lily did not make any moves and seemed uninterested to deal with him. In fact, she even declined his repeated invitation for a meeting.

    However, now that Yuan Dehua brought up the matter with Tang Wei Dong, Xuan Hui felt himself bing anxious again. It was as if Yuan Dehua was reminding him of the events that happened that night.

    Xuan Hui was reminded of what happened between him and his secretary. After thetter tried to get his mother¡¯s attention and sympathy, Xuan Hui immediately threatened her to stop or else he wouldn¡¯t know what he might do to her. However, who would have thought that Tang Biyu had something to threaten him back with and she had the guts to do so. As proof that she was serious, Tang Biyu showed him a short clip of a video of them kissing in the car. She confidently said that if something happened to her, one of her friends would immediately send the video to Qin Fei.

    Xuan Hui was furious. He did not even realize that Tang Biyu took a video at that time. However, Tang Biyu¡¯s video was enough to tell him that thetter was the one responsible for what happened between them and not Lily. The scheming, the videos, and threat... It was obvious that Tang Biyu had already nned this for a long time.

    Still, with everything that had been going on, Xuan Hui naturally felt frustrated. He felt that he had been facing lots of problemstely. From his mother to Qin Fei to Tang Biyu and now what Yuan Dehua said was troubling him. Was Lily somehow involved in all these troubles he was facing?

    Meanwhile, in one of the prestigious hospitals in Singapore, an old man was frowning as he looked at the photos in front of him.

    "Are you sure that she had someone follow her too?"

    "Yes, chairman," a respectful voice answered. Then silence ensued once again.

    The old man continued to look at the photos, his face extremely grim. "So this man has been her friend for a long time now?" he asked for the third time. In his hands were photos of Lily hugging Fernando at the airport.

    "Yes, she has two close friends. One of them is named Li Shanshan, a famous directress, while the other is Fernando Kim, a famous jewelry designer."

    The old man only let out a sigh after that. From the photos, it was evident that Lily and this Fernando were quite close. In fact, he felt that they were overly intimate with each other. For some reason, the old man couldn¡¯t help but ask if his own grandson knew that Lily already had someone else in her heart but still married her in the end. Was it for her money?

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 155 - Billions in Alimony

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 155 - Billions in Alimony</h4>

    At Sky City.

    It was around six in the evening, and the couple was busy cooking in the kitchen.

    "I thought the recipe states to add three to four cloves of garlic? Why are you adding ten?" Zhuo Jingren asked curiously.

    "I am a very garlicky person," Lily noted as she continued adding other ingredients. She loved garlic, alright.

    "Wouldn¡¯t that change the taste of the dish?"

    "Why would it?" she asked.

    "Hmmm... I guess this would exin why your cooking cannotpare to mine. You have no qualms about changing the recipe!"

    "Shameless." Lily rolled her eyes. "When I was in the Qin family, I never learned how to cook as Tang Lingyun forbade me to step into the kitchen. When I went to London, my grandmother enrolled me in many sses but none were cooking sses."

    "So, are you pushing the me on them?" he raised an eyebrow.

    "Exactly! It¡¯s their fault not mine," Lily said. "Alright, time to put this into the oven. Then after an hour, we are good to go." She gave him a brilliant smile, sliding the roasting tray into the preheated oven.

    "What an eye-opener. I didn¡¯t know that you are this shameless, really." He chuckled as he watched Lily remove her apron.

    "Well... It¡¯s toote to regret marrying me and I won¡¯t sign the divorce papers unless you pay me billions in alimony... Ah! Oi Jingren where are you taking me?" Lily let out a squeal when thetter suddenly scooped her up into his arms.

    "Always talking about divorce. You need a good spanking," he teased.

    "Novice. Spankings don¡¯t work on me, dummy! Ah!" She let out another surprised squeal when he suddenly performed a fireman lift. She was now draped over his shoulders with her buttocks close to his face.

    "Oi! Zhuo Jingren! You are not going to... Aw! Don¡¯t spank me! I will bite you! Aw! You stupid beast! Let me down this instant!" she yelled while using her hands to p his back repeatedly. Just as she said that, heid her down gently on the bed.

    "What are you doing?" she asked before ring at him. "I was cooking!"

    "Not for another hour." He grinned at her, earning another re from her! Without waiting for her reply, he gave her a fiery kiss. Not even a minute passed and their clothes were already on the floor, moans of pleasure echoed inside the bedroom.

    After the duo had their fill of each other, Lily finished cooking her sticky pork ribs and they had their dinner over some red wine.

    Meanwhile, Tang Lingyun and Qin Mo were also having a good time of their own over dinner.

    "I¡¯m d to see you in a good moodtely. Did something good happen in thepany?" Tang Lingyun asked. She noticed that Qin Mo had been in a better mood ever since thepany managed to secure a loan. Seeing her husband happy, made her happy too.

    "Hmmm... By the way, there is an uing film with a role that suits you well. I believe you will like it and I have already drafted a contract for you. I will be calling your manager tomorrow to arrange a press conference for you, to rify your rtionship with the Tang family."

    "Oh... That was quick. I thought we were waiting for the issue to die down before holding a press conference. Nevermind, the movie is more important. I am so excited to read the script." This was not the first time that Qin Mo had arranged roles for Tang Lingyun. In fact, most of her past roles in TV series or movies had been arranged by her husband. Because of this, she had full confidence that she would also be given the best resources.

    "Mo, this reminds me, are you investing in this film as well? May I know who the director is and who are in the main cast?" she asked.

    "No, Qin Industries is not investing in this film. We just got back on our feet and we cannot afford to spend millions over a film. You will need to audition for the role," he stated, looking straight into her eyes.

    "But Mo... How could you make me audition for a role? I am an list star after all. I¡¯m sure-"

    "I have already spoken to the producers. They will wait for you to audition for the role. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure you will get it even without my investments," he answered nonchntly.

    Tang Lingyun put down her chopsticks and stared at her husband in disbelief. Ever since she married Qin Mo, thetter had always been her strongest supporter in her acting career. He had always given her everything, from hiring a personal team for her, to investing in all her films, making Tang Lingyun a favorite among the directors who would dly give her a role without an audition. Why was he treating her differently now? Was it because her Tang family had fallen from grace?

    "Stop staring at me like that Lingyun. I already told you, it is not wise for me to make any investments right now. The loan came with strict conditions and I cannot breach the contract by using thepany¡¯s money at the moment," Qin Mo exined upon seeing his wife¡¯s expression. "But this is just temporary. Thepany is slowly recovering."

    "Oh..." Tang Lingyun nodded. "Well... I can always interact with some people I know in the industry. You are right, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems with this audition."

    "Ah... This reminds me. I have an invitation for the Harmony Isle¡¯sunch event for 30th July, Saturday. The Europeanpany managing Harmony Isle is huge. I heard that they are also nning to move their head office here. I want you to dress well and apany me to the event," Qin Mo said.

    "But the Tang..."

    "We will hold a press conference before then, so... prepare yourself. I want you to be ready to socialize and build more connections during the event."

    "That is great! How about we bring Qin Fei too? She needs to go out sometimes, instead of being cooped up in the house all the time. Plus, I think this is a good opportunity for her to get to know some people who could help her with her brand," Tang Lingyun immediately suggested.

    In Tang Lingyun¡¯s mind, Yang Lina was being too strict for confining Qin Fei at home, thinking that thetter who was eight months pregnant, shouldn¡¯t move around too much. However, Tang Lingyun thought differently. She believed that it would be good for her daughter to move around a little for it might even ease herbour. So she thought that a quiet event like this was perfect for her daughter to attend.

    "Well, Yang Lina is such stern person and I don¡¯t want you to step on her toes. You should talk to Xuan Hui about this first. Convince him and get him to talk to his mother to allow Qin Fei to attend the event," Qin Mo said. "Liwei will being along as well. It will be nice if all of us could be there together."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 156 - I Am A Mother

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 156 - I Am A Mother</h4>

    Preparations for the opening ceremony of Fi Group¡¯s headquarters and Harmony Isle, happening on the same day, had been smooth. It was not as chaotic as she thought it would be. Even though she didn¡¯t want to admit it, she knew that one of the reasons for this was because of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s help and influence.

    July 20th, Wednesday.

    Lily had arranged for Zhuo Jingren and George to meet at one of the upscale tea houses in Hong Kong. However, George informed her that he would be slightlyte when she arrived at the venue. When she entered the private tea room, she was surprised to see that someone else was waiting for her inside.

    "Surprise?" Yang Lina smiled at Lily before drinking her tea. She was wearing a yellow cheongsam dress, looking elegant as she sat with her legs crossed. "Please take a seat," she added when Lily didn¡¯t answer her.

    "Where is my friend?" Lily immediately asked, though George informed her that he would bete, she wanted to know if Yang Lina arranged this ¡¯coincidence¡¯ in advance.

    "He will be directed to the tea room next to ours once he arrives. No worries," thetter answered. Lily scoffed inwardly, getting a sense of thetter¡¯s intentions.

    "I can¡¯t say that I expected you here," Lily responded before walking towards the table. She gave Yang Lina a smile before she took a seat opposite thetter. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

    "I can feel the change in you," Yang Lina stated. "Not just in the way you talk but..." She eyed Lily from head to toe. "The way you carry yourself."

    "Thank you. I can feel it too." Lily smiled, watching Yang Lina as she thought back to thest time she interacted with this woman. Seven years ago, after Xuan Hui and Qin Fei revealed to her that she had fallen into Tang Lingyun¡¯s schemes, Yang Lina was the first person that she had approached to talk about the injustice that she had suffered. However, after listening to her exnation, thetter still did not open the gates to let her into the Xuan Estate to see Xuan Hui.

    On her second visit to the Xuan Estate, she begged to talk to Xuan Hui but it was Yang Lina who met her instead. With a haughty and impatient look on Yang Lina¡¯s face, she told her how unworthy she was to even stand outside the Xuan Estate, ordering her to leave. No matter how hard she cried for thetter to listen to her exnation, thetter simply walked away and didn¡¯t spare her another nce. Still, she didn¡¯t lose hope and even tried to talk to the woman for the third time but she didn¡¯t even show herself.

    "I will go straight to the point. Abandon your ns for revenge against my son. It will not be fruitful for either of us."

    ¡¯How bold,¡¯ Lily thought, raising an eyebrow.

    "Are you not going to say a thing?" Yang Lina asked when Lily did not answer her.

    "Do I need to?" Lily smiled, a glint shed in her eyes.

    Yang Lina smiled back knowingly. This was an obvious deration that Lily would not stop her ns. Though she didn¡¯t have any proof that Lily was plotting something behind her back, she wanted to send her a warning nheless.

    She never intended to meet Lily at first, thinking that thetter might think she feared her. However, after receiving Lily¡¯s invitation for Harmony Isle¡¯sunch event and knowing that Fi Group was opening its headquarters in Hong Kong, she realized that she needed to have a talk with Lily. For Lily to move her headquarters here could only mean that she was nning to stay in Hong Kong for a long time. This was not good news.

    "Lily Qin... You should know that I am from the famous Yang family in Maind China. My family¡¯s influence is vast. It will not be good for either of us to fight. I want you to consider this properly," Yang Lina continued. With the Yang family behind her, she had the confidence to defeat Lily but she also knew that it would be a long and tiring battle.

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded. "I see. Are you perhaps nning to have me killed?"

    Lily¡¯s bluntness surprised her. This... This idea did cross her mind.

    "Well, Madam Xuan-"

    "Please call me Miss YANG, Qin Fei had already imed that title a long time ago," Yang Lina corrected, emphasizing herst name intentionally as if to remind Lily that she was still the Young Miss of the Yang family.

    "You know, Miss Yang, I think you are protecting your son too much. Whenever your son is threatened, you never fail to step in and protect him behind the scenes by threatening his enemies back. Also, how many times have you cleared his debts already? You should let him struggle sometimes. Don¡¯t you want your son to grow into a man?"

    Seeing Yang Lina¡¯s surprised face, Lily continued, "You have given him an easy life by solving all problems for him. If I intend to attack Xuan Films, it wouldn¡¯t even take me a week to take down thepany."

    "To say that I am surprised that you know so much is an understatement," Yang Lina said calmly. "However, I am a mother and this... this is what I do best."

    "Touching," Lily said sarcastically. "But a smooth sailing life will not make him grow. Just look at him. He still makes really poor choices even at his age. Perhaps he thought that he had been making good decisions all this while when in fact you were the one clearing obstacles in his path before he could even encounter them. Don¡¯t you want him to grow?"

    "You better stop insulting my son!" Yang Lina hissed.

    Lily scoffed in response, not intimidated by Yang Lina at all. "I don¡¯t insult people, Miss Yang. I describe them. It¡¯s not my fault if my description is urate."

    Editor: Swaning

 Chapter 157 - Watch Everyone From My Throne

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 157 - Watch Everyone From My Throne</h4>

    Yang Lina narrowed her eyes at Lily. How could she miss Lily¡¯s tone that was full of mockery? "Very funny," she sarcastically said. "However, I am raising my son the way I want to. As a mother, protecting him is my job. This is something that you don¡¯t understand. After all, you are not a mother yourself," she said calmly.

    "You are right." Lily nodded in response. "You can raise him the way you want to. But, let me ask you this. Right now, right here, at this moment, I can kill you and walk out of Hong Kong in my private jet like a Queen. Without you, your son will be useless. I can attack your son¡¯spany and destroyed his marriage in say... a day or two after your death. What do you think will happen to your son then?"

    "Can you protect him from your grave?" she added as she tilted her head and gave Yang Lina a smirk. This action reminded thetter of the thing that snakes do before attacking their prey. They lower their head, look at you in their binocr vision, and examine how far you are before suddenly lifting their heads to strike. This unknowingly made Yang Lina shiver inwardly.

    And right then and there, she realized... this was not the Qin Jinghua she remembered. This person was someone else. However, just who was Yang Lina? This tant threat was not something that would work on her. Though Lily¡¯s words made her heart jump, Yang Lina had also grown up in an environment full of hard-hearted people. These words were not enough to make her cower in fear.

    "If I don¡¯t know any better, I would believe that you are threatening me. I am not very good with threats, Miss Qin. I take things seriously. I will protect my family, no matter what. However, If you kill me now, I am sure you will not walk out of this establishment alive."

    "True. But what If... I kill your son now while you are here having coffee with me," Lily said. Seeing the smile on Yang Lina¡¯s face disappear immediately made Lilyugh. "Ah.... I am just kidding. Miss Yang, I am not nning to kill your son. Wouldn¡¯t that be too kind?"

    "Lily Qin... this is myst warning..."

    "No, Miss Yang... This is myst warning. Stay away from me, or watch your family crumble." With this, Lily suddenly passed her phone to Yang Lina. Thetter immediately raised an eyebrow at her. "Take a look."

    Yang Lina then picked up Lily¡¯s phone and immediately furrowed her brow. "Where did you get this?"

    "I told you. I can attack the Xuan Family anytime I want to. I have been away for seven years. Did you think I would just sit there and watch everyone from my throne? That would be boring, won¡¯t it?"

    "How dare you do this to my husband and me? Do you think you can manipte me into destroying my own family? You are wrong, Qin Jinghua! I already know what you love to do to your enemies! I know you and the way you deal with the people who offend you!" Yang Lina said in one go. It was apparent that whatever Lily showed her made her irritated.

    "Hmmm... Alright. This makes me wonder... what will happen to your husband if this information is released to the media? I mean... I heard Mr. Xuan wanted to enter into politics." Lily dramatically shook her head. "I mean... as a protective wife, you should already know the possible effects of this scandal. Right?"

    "This is not true!"

    "But will anyone believe that?" Lily rebutted before she covered her mouth and let out a giggle. "No one will. I know you don¡¯t care about what the truth was seven years ago. So it should not be a big deal if you get a taste of your own medicine, right?"

    "Do you think these threats will affect me? Do you not know who I am?" Yang Lina hissed. Her husband, Xuan Zeng came a family of politicians. However, unlike his father and two brothers, Xuan Zeng pursued business instead of politics. Though Xuan Zeng excelled in business, the Xuan Family still showed their dislike for his career. But this all changed when Old Man Xuan died years ago.

    Yang Lina did not know what Old Man Xuan had told Xuan Zeng in his deathbed. She also did not know if these words were the reason why his husband suddenly wanted to be a politician to rece his father. In the past year, Xuan Zeng had built his career as a civil servant, making a name of his own outside of his business.

    "Miss Yang... you breached my privacy and threatened me with your name. Did you expect me to cower in fear? Did you not expect me to threaten you too?" Lily asked. "If something happened to me, my subordinates in Europe will release every bit of dirt that I have on the Xuan Family. And I swear... it will be more than enough to ruin you and everyone you love." Lily said, her face devoid of any expression. "Now, Miss Yang... that is how you make a threat."

    "You are so bold doing this on my turf," Yang Lina said. In response, Lily gave her a knowing smile.

    "How stupid," Lily uttered.

    "What did you just call me?"

    "I said you are STUPID."

    "You-"

    "What? Yang Lina, seven years have passed, and you still assumed that I was the little girl that you could bully. Isn¡¯t that the most stupid assumption ever?" Lily then leaned on the chair and shook her head. "You were supposed to be a woman of value and dignity, someone who held her head high in society. To say that I am disappointed in you would really be an understatement." Lily then made a deliberate pause as she watched the woman across her. Yang Lina still looked young for her age. Her hair was in a sleek updo, making her look stern and domineering.

    "To be honest... I did not expect to have a confrontation with you this early. But this... this is an eye-opener for me," Lily said.

    Yang Lina continued her silence after hearing Lily¡¯s words. She just stared at the woman who was confidently shaking her head, as if she was truly looking at a disappointment. Though she wanted to deny it, Yang Lina was actually starting to praise this hateful woman in front of her. From Lily¡¯s demeanor to her words, it was obvious that not a sliver of her past self had remained. It was as if she was talking to a different person.

    And no matter how much she looked at it, Lily reminded her so much of her young self that she couldn¡¯t seem to stop staring at her, and scrutinize every detail of her movement and analyze her words. To Yang Lina, Lily was undeniably a strong opponent.

    "You know..." Yang Lina started. "If you were not Qin Jinghua, I¡¯m sure we would be good friends." She said, smiling at Lily before her face turned serious. "I can see that we are somewhat alike. So I¡¯m sure that you will understand my desire to protect my family. And I-I will do this even if that means crossing someone as formidable as you."

 Chapter 158 - A Hypocrite

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 158 - A Hypocrite</h4>

    "Wrong," Lily immediately answered. "You and me... we are not alike and never will be."

    Continuing to watch, Yang Lina decided against saying anything to Lily.

    "I guess the purpose of this conversation has been achieved," Lily added. "Is there anything else that you wanted to say?"

    "Nothing. But you have to be very careful, Qin Jinghua. The only reason you are able to talk to me is because you haven¡¯t endangered my family yet. The moment you threaten my family further, I will not hesitate to fight you with everything I have got," Yang Lina uttered. In response, Lily scoffed before taking her phone and carefully putting it inside her bag.

    "You are truly one of a kind," Lily answered before she rose from her seat. "You ended this conversation on a righteous note. What a hypocrite."

    "Aren¡¯t you only using your family name to scare people off? If I target your family, you will be nothing. Just like how Xuan Hui will be nothing once you are dead." Lily looked down on the sitting Yang Lina. "Just what are you so proud of? Have you achieved anything without using your family name?" Lily let out a low chuckle when she saw Yang Lina¡¯s face turning red.

    "This is why we are not the same," she said before walking towards the exit of the room. "Oh, onest thing..." Lily stopped in her tracks, her back still facing Yang Lina. "You better take care of your daughter-inw. Who knows what storm she will bring to your son¡¯s marriage."

    "What do you mean by that?" Yang Lina immediately got up. "What do you mean, Qin Jinghua?" Of course, Lily did not even turn around to answer Yang Lina. Lily walk out of the door and gave Yang Lina a knowing smile before closing the door behind her.

    Seeing Lily leave, Yang Lina immediately picked up her phone and dialed a number. "I want to know everything about Lily Qin. She is hiding something! There must be something that I don¡¯t know about her."

    "Alright... I will wait. I have another question. Who is she meeting tonight? Do you have a name?"

    "Noris? Do we have anything on that person? What do you mean, nk? That person should exist!"

    "Why is Lily leaving? I thought she had a meeting tonight? Then follow her! Don¡¯t let her out of your sight!" She ended the call without waiting for the person to speak. Yang Lina sat back on her chair and massaged her temple. As expected, Lily Qin was giving her a headache.

    Yang Lina let out a sigh before she bit her lips. Lily¡¯s words echoed inside her brain once again. Was she pampering her son too much? Since Xuan Hui took over Xuan Records, Yang Lina had been helping her son secretly. She helped him obtain those artists that made millions of profits for theirpany. She even stood behind him when the family business slowly changed to Xuan Films and Records. She was simply supervising to make sure nothing could hinder him.

    Yang Lina was aware that she loved her son too much. However, she would never ept this as a fault. She was just a mother. And all mothers would want to make their children happy... always. Though Yang Lina knew that some of the decisions she made behind the scenes were somewhat questionable, she didn¡¯t care. This was, after all, for her son¡¯s future.

    Of course, aside from supporting him behind the back, Yang Lina also ensured that Xuan Hui would have a perfect image on the outside. She made sure that her son would look good in front of outsiders because it would proportionally affect Xuan Zeng¡¯s reputation. She made sure that Xuan Hui would be viewed as the perfect son, perfect bachelor, perfect man, and now the perfect husband.

    But this did not mean that her son fulfilled all her wants. For some reason, Xuan Hui never listened to her words when ites to his marriage. At first, Yang Lina agreed with Xuan Hui¡¯s marriage withQin Jinghua because she wanted her son to honor the promise. As a gentleman, this was what Xuan Hui should have done. Of course, Yang Lina also liked the fact that Qin Jinghua was the perfect daughter-inw. She was quiet and timid. She smiled when she asked her to smile and would blush at the smallestpliment. Wasn¡¯t Qin Jinghua the perfect wife for her son?

    Who would have known that she was just a schemer hidden behind her perfectly crafted mask? She wanted to climb into her son¡¯s bed while simultaneously sleeping with other men. How embarrassing was this behavior? Of course, Yang Lina immediately cancelled the engagement and looked for the best heiresses in Maind China, someone who would be Xuan Hui¡¯s new betrothed. But then again, fate did not agree to her ns.

    Xuan Hui fell in love with Qin Fei, the stubborn, spoiled, and petty young miss of the Qin Family. At first, both Xuan Zeng and Yang Lina declined the Qin Family¡¯s offer for an engagement. They were from the same blood, after all. What if Qin Fei was just as cunning as her sister? But Xuan Hui took it upon himself to make his parents agree to the marriage by threatening to abandon the family and run away with Qin Fei.

    And this method worked like a charm. Yang Lina immediately agreed, in fear that her son would actually abandon the family. However, agreeing to the marriage did not mean that she liked Qin Fei as her daughter-inw.

    Yang Lina¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when her phone rang. Seeing the name of the caller, she immediately answered the call.

    "What is it now?"

    "You lost her? How is that possible? Hong Kong is small! Go find her, you idiot, and tell me more about the person she will meet!" Once again, she dropped the call and furrowed her brows.

    Lily is a threat, and Yang Lina would do everything to eliminate something that would threaten her peaceful family.

 Chapter 159 - A Demonic Atmosphere

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 159 - A Demonic Atmosphere</h4>

    After Lily left the tea house, she immediately called Zhuo Jingren, letting him know about the change of ns. She wanted Zhuo Jingren to decide on a safe venue instead, since she wanted to keep her rtionship with George Arison a secret for now.

    Zhuo Jingren immediately arranged for Lily to transfer to a different car and be transported to a secluded ce that he owned. While this was happening, Lily already informed George of the new address and he was also on his way to the private restaurant.

    "Meeting Yang Lina was intentional, wasn¡¯t it?" George Arison stared at Lily intently after ordering a cup of coffee. George was talking about the meeting with Yang Lina. Based on his analysis, Lily wouldn¡¯t book a reservation at that restaurant if she knew that it was owned by the Xuan Family. That¡¯s why this must¡¯ve all been a part of her n.

    Lily didn¡¯t answer him. Instead, she said, "He will be here any minute now. He had an emergency meeting this morning and itsted longer than he expected." Her eyes roamed the interior of the private room that they were in. It wasn¡¯t a surprise that Zhuo Jingren owned a very luxurious coffee shop that required a VIP card in order to book a reservation. However, what surprised Lily was the fact that the interior of the coffee shop looked more like a luxurious traditional restaurant. To be honest, Lily didn¡¯t know that her husband was rather... unconventional.

    In response, George just smiled at Lily. He was actually used to how she wouldn¡¯t reveal any of her cards until after she fulfilled her ns. "It¡¯s alright. I understand," he nodded. "Ah. I almost forgot... here. This is a thank you gift for helping me out with bing the new leader of Tang Family¡¯s casino. If you need anything from the Hong Kong ck market please let me know. I will do everything to help you out," George said, as he handed a ck velvet box to Lily.

    "This is big." She raised an eyebrow at him while eyeing the box that could fit an entire basketball inside. "There isn¡¯t a head inside it, right?"

    "Hahahahaha!" George immediatelyughed at Lily¡¯s words. "Of course not! It¡¯s a stone. You like sparkly things. I¡¯m sure you will love my gift."

    Lily just eyed George before she slowly opened the box. She furrowed her brows when she realized that the box was covered with cushions inside. In the middle of the thick cushions was a round cut stone that seemed to sparkle and change colors before Lily¡¯s eyes.

    "Alexandrite." Lily immediately swiveled her head around to look at her husband who was smiling as he walked towards her. "This stone is renowned for how it changes color. It¡¯s also well-known for being an emerald by day and ruby at night," he said, as he leaned in to kiss Lily¡¯s lips before eyeing George who was now standing in front of him.

    "I am Zhuo Jingren," he said, as he shook thetter¡¯s hands. "It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you."

    George smiled at him. "The pleasure is all mine! Please call me George." While he was smiling on the outside, he was also silently scrutinizing Zhuo Jingren. A gesture that immediately reminded Lily of how a father would scrutinize his daughter¡¯s first boyfriend. This was something that she never experienced from Qin Mo. Lily suddenly let out a small and mockingugh. Just what kind of father was Qin Mo? The worst one, Lily answered in her thoughts.

    "Please take a seat, gentlemen," Lily uttered and watched as the attendant brought two coffees over. One for George and one for Zhuo Jingren. "I took the liberty of ordering for you."

    In response, Zhuo Jingren nodded and smiled. Did this mean that Lily knew what kind of coffee he liked? This was something that he did not expect ah! Lily would always ask him to make a cup of coffee for her, but she never made coffee for him before. Moreover, she never asked what kind of coffee he liked to drink. Did this mean that Lily was watching over him in secret?

    Of course, Zhuo Jingren failed to remember that Lily would sometimes take a sip of his coffee every morning so she was already very familiar with how he wanted his coffee.

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s first meeting with George went smoothly and this... this was actually very surprising for Lily. She knew that George would be quite protective of her and did not expect that the two would hit it off so well the first time they met. At the end of the evening, Lily felt like she was the third wheel instead of it being the other way around. How awkward!

    She suddenly realized that she was feeling jealous. Why else would she be so irritated by how Zhuo Jingren was chatting with George so amiably? But why would she be jealous of a person that she considered a mentor and a father figure? Wasn¡¯t this too illogical? With all these things going on inside her head, Lily did not even notice that the duo had been talking about her.

    When she realized, she became even more irritated. Why were they talking about her right in front of her? Wasn¡¯t this not giving her any face? Lily immediately made a mental note not to have her husband meet up with George in the future.

    "Why are you so silent?" Zhuo Jingren asked, his face a little red from drinking. It was already ten in the evening and the couple was riding in Lily¡¯s car towards Sky City.

    "I am sleepy," she lied. "Don¡¯t drink too much next time."

    In response, Zhuo Jingren suddenly hugged Lily and pulled her towards him. "You smell so good..."

    "You are sleeping on the couch tonight," Lily said sternly. Did this man think that ignoring her didn¡¯t have any consequences? Hmph!

    "Ah~ Are you jealous of George~? How cute!" he whispered, as he slowlyid his head down behind Lily¡¯s neck. He then silently trailed kisses on the nape of her neck, which made Lily even more irritated.

    "What jealous?! I don¡¯t get jealous! That¡¯s immature! Ah... you stink! Stay away from me!"

    Though thetter was still kissing her neck, the tone of his voice suddenly changed. "So... someone threatened you today?" This time, it was darker, colder even. For some reason, Lily unknowingly shivered from her husband¡¯s words. "I hate it when someone thinks that they can do whatever they want because they have...¡¯connections.¡¯"

    "Don¡¯t touch Yang Lina! I have my own ns."

    "Hmm... Alright. I won¡¯t touch Yang Lina. How about I ruin the entire Yang Family instead?" Zhuo Jingren calmly asked, making Lily wonder how the man could kiss her neck and hug her while talking about these things.

    "I don¡¯t care about them. Do whatever you want," she answered. Lily wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Zhuo Jingren had some connections to maind China. She also wouldn¡¯t be surprised if her husband knew a thing or two about the ck market as well. As the CEO and owner of a bank, it wasn¡¯t surprising that her husband would know people from the underworld. After all, the best way for people tounder money was to use the most convenient method avable, such as a bank.

    "If you say so..." Zhuo Jingren¡¯s tone slowly eased up. The demonic atmosphere that he exhibited earlier was gone. However, he was still kissing her neck and his arms were still around her waist. This made Lily wonder if she was just hallucinating earlier. Was it just because he drank a little? Or did she really hear anger in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s voice?

 Chapter 160 - About You

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 160 - About You</h4>

    Lily continued to ponder about Zhuo Jingren¡¯s behavior until they arrived at Sky City.

    Having being scooped up by Zhou Jingren the moment she got out of the car, Lily protested in a firm voice, "Why are you carrying me? You are drunk, put me down." Zhou Jingren just signaled Daohu to walk ahead of them.

    "I said, put me down!" she said, ring at her husband.

    In response, Zhuo Jingren kissed her while ignoring her words, annoying her more in the process. Was this because the man was drunk?

    Lily narrowed her eyes at Zhuo Jingren before pinching his chest, making sure that thetter would feel enough pain to wake up from whatever this was that he was doing. However, he just grinned at her before lowering his head and kissing Lily, silencing her.

    "I am not drunk," he uttered after abruptly ending the kiss. He walked inside the elevator and did not say anything until they arrived at the top floor of the building. Lily¡¯s face lit up the moment the elevator opened to show her arge canvas with her smiling face on the foyer.

    However, she masked her surprised and narrowed her eyes at Zhuo Jingren, wondering what the man had been up to. Sensing her stare, Zhuo Jingren just smiled at her. "It¡¯s the anniversary of our first month as a married couple. We were so busy that both of us did not have the time to spend time with each other today," he gently said.

    Lily lowered her head and kept silent in response. Actually, she knew today was their anniversary but thought that Zhou Jingren had forgotten, so she did not say anything. Or maybe she was just a little... shy. She could not muster up the courage to give him the gift she had prepared for him. What if Zhuo Jingren forgot? Wouldn¡¯t it be too awkward if she gave him a gift out of nowhere?

    "It¡¯s okay if you forgot. I don¡¯t mind," Zhuo Jingren said, slowly putting Lily on the couch in their living room.

    "No!" she blurted. For some reason, she could feel her heart drumming against her chest, threatening toe out and voice out the things that she wanted to say. "I... I remember. Ehem..." She avoided his eyes and hastily opened her bag to fetch the velvet box before handing it to Zhuo Jingren. "I even prepared a gift for you. But you didn¡¯t greet me or say something this morning. You just acted like usual and left for work. And you even dare to say that I forgot? I may not be as smart as you, but I don¡¯t... Hmmmm."

    Lily swallowed her words as Zhou Jingren leaned forward to kiss her. He was kneeling in front of her at the moment. Once again, he scooped her up in his arms and strode towards their bedroom, his lips still on hers. His hands slowly reached out to unzip her dress, letting it fall to the floor.

    Then he slowly put her down, his tall frame looking down at her delicate one. Lily also stared at him, her eyes darkened as a slow blush crawled up her neck. As he held her lush lips and golden eyes in his gaze, Zhuo Jingren wanted nothing more than to tear at his clothes, ravage her, and plunge into her. But that night wasn¡¯t meant for such actions. He clenched his jaw and swallowed a mouthful of saliva as he restrained his passion. His eyes dted with need.

    Lily snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. Her eyes flitted closed when their lips met, and she was reminded that she had never closed her eyes while kissing him before, not on their first night seven years ago, nor on their first night as a married couple.

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s hand made its way to her waist, pulling her closer to him, making her feel his warmth and the rush of emotions that she had failed to notice before.

    He gentlyid her back down on the bed, his big frame towering over hers. With her eyes still closed, Lily reached out to touch the back of his head, gently tugging at his disarrayed hair. She didn¡¯t know why this kiss made her emotional. Yet, how could she be emotional over something she couldn¡¯t exin? Lily found this reasoning contradicting, but it made her feel good.

    He peppered her face with kisses until he had reached her neck. He quietly sucked on it, reaching to remove her bra. Removing the piece of clothing, he startedpping at her breasts, instantly making her shiver in need. She felt his tongue on her are, exploring her, gently sucking on her, intensifying her desire.

    The pleasure budding inside her made her let out a soft mewl. She could feel the throbbing in her stomach, urging her to beg him to plunge into her that instant... to make her scream out his name in ecstasy. A small part of her enjoyed this moment of connection. Her eyes shut again as she felt him stroke her other breast as he indulged the other in his mouth.

    She wanted him, needed him. She was well aware of her desire, but for some reason... this... the feeling that she felt right now was something different. It was confusing, but at the same time, it was making her heart skip a beat. The excitement, the confusion, and swirls of emotions were starting to bug her. Wasn¡¯t this too irritating? Of course, Lily chose to throw her current emotions and suddenly giggled when she felt Zhuo Jingren swirl his tongue around the flesh of her belly button.

    "I am ticklish. You can¡¯t..." However, her words were once again interrupted by Zhuo Jingren¡¯s mouth, kissing her hungrily until Lily melted against him. This time, the kiss was not as gentle as the previous one. It was hot and needy, making her hastily open the Zhuo Jingren¡¯s shirt. However thetter was quick to stop her hands and stared at her.

    "Tonight is about you." He said in a low voice.

 Chapter 161 - Not Easily Bought

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 161 - Not Easily Bought</h4>

    Zhou Jingren leaned in for another kiss, his hand holding the back of her head to keep her in ce, silencing the words she wanted to say.

    A spurt of need erupted inside Lily as she felt Zhuo JIngren¡¯s other hand started to trace a pattern around her nipples, pulling them slowly. This made her start to grind herself against his growing erection unconsciously, but once again, he stopped the kiss abruptly and stared at her.

    "Do not do that again," He ordered. The tone of his voice changed, making Lily widen her eyes. But before she could say a thing, she felt his hand reach out between her legs. The pulsation in her core intensified as he suddenly tore her ck panties away.

    He ran his finger across her opening, making Lily shift and let out a loud moan. She hastily shut her eyes and bit her lips. The she felt Zhuo Jingren lower himself, trailing small kisses down to her belly button until he was breathing between her thighs. Without a moment¡¯s dy, he ran his tongue along her core.

    Lily¡¯s arched her back when she felt him flicked his tongue on her clitoris, sending waves of pleasure crashing through her. Her hands slowly held his head, tugging his hair in the process.

    She felt a finger push into her.

    Lily groaned as her body racked with shivers. His tongue, still on her clit, flicked and sucked as he pushed another finger inside her.

    Lily let out another sharp cry, shuddering at the intense pleasure that seemed to build up in her stomach. "Stop... I want you now," Lily managed to say in between her moans. She could already feel the climax approaching.

    "Please..." Lily begged meekly. She needed him inside her, and he obliged. Lily saw the other remove his shirt and unbuckle his belt. Then he immediately positioned himself in between her legs.

    "Put your legs around my waist," he said, his breathing a little ragged, trying to suppress the temptation to ravaged her right then and there. Lily immediately folded her legs around him as he slowly guided himself to her entrance.

    Lily felt her core start to stretch before he pulled out again, leaving Lily in disbelief.

    "Are you nning to torture me?" she asked.

    "Maybe?" He smirked at her before cing the tip of his manhood into her core once again, nudging her clit in the process. An eruption of extreme pleasure made Lily closed her eyes. However, once again, the other withdrew his manhood.

    But before Lily could voice out any objections, he nudged her core once again. Nudging and withdrawing, giving her a taste of what she wanted then pulling it out.

    Until she finally felt him upy her core. Her walls squeezed him as he ced her legs on his shoulders.

    Then he started to thrust.

    "You feel so good," he said in a raspy voice. He did his best to control his thrusts, but Lily¡¯s tightness around him was making him lose it. However, Lily suddenly shifted her hips as she started to meet his thrusts, making the other lose the shred of control he was holding onto.

    His thrusts started to be faster and more powerful, giving Lily a new ripple of pleasure as she met his mind-numbing thrusts.

    "Ren," Lily moaned, her voice full of delight and unmasked pleasure. "I am about toe..."

    "Let¡¯s do it together," he growled, his thrust bing faster and clumsier. "Now, love," hemanded as he pushed into her for thest time.

    Lily squeezed her eyes shut as she felt his hot liquid inside her. She started to shudder when she felt her own release.

    Ragged breathing echoed inside the room. Lily could hear her heartbeat as she tried to calm down.

    "Sex is always an awesome gift." Lily smiled as she rolled onto her stomach. In response, the Zhou Jingren took a folder just below his pillow and gave it to Lily. However, Lily did not open it but rolled her eyes. "You cannot bribe me! You forgot about today, and no money or properties would be enough to bribe me!"

    "Open it," he said, smiling at her silly words. Seeing Lily give her another eye roll, Zhuo Jingren shook his head and opened the folder and showed her the contents. "It took me a little time to change yourst name to mine. It also contains our marriage certificate and other papers that will give you ess to all of my properties and shares both in Hong Kong and abroad."

    "Hmph! I am not the type of woman that can be bought easily! But you are so convincing... so I don¡¯t have a choice." She grinned at him. "I am finally a Zhuo."

    "It is unconventional for you to take your husband¡¯s surname, but I feel so happy. I didn¡¯t know that the intensity of your feelings towards me had reached this level," he shamelessly boasted while putting the contents back into the folder and ced it on the drawer just next to their bed.

    "What feelings? I am doing this because of money," she said before eyeing Zhuo Jingren¡¯s naked body. "And your body!"

    "Hmmm... If you say so," he said as he pulled the nket over them.

    "Stop agreeing to everything I say!" Lily said. "You are boring as always."

    "Hmmm..." He nodded before suddenly rolling Lily over to face him. "You have been underestimating metely, my little wife. If I didn¡¯t know you well, I would have thought that you were doing this to seduce me into having a second round."

    In response, Lily narrowed her eyes at the handsome man in front of her. "Well... do you?"

    "Do I what?" He asked as he brushed his lips against her.

    "Know me better." She smirked before Zhuo Jingren positioned her on top of him.

    "Be careful of your wishes, my Lily... the night is long. I don¡¯t want to hear anyinster," he said, holding the back of her head with his hands and pulling her in for a fiery kiss.

    Indeed, the night would be long and Lily... well she was obviously anticipating for this long night.

 Chapter 162 - Asking the Wrong Question

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 162 - Asking the Wrong Question</h4>

    "You did not get an iota of sleepst night, and you are here already cooking at this hour with nothing but my t-shirt on," Zhuo Jingren noted the moment he went inside the kitchen. It was still six in the morning, and Lily was already cooking as she hummed a tune. Wasn¡¯t this the best thing to wake up to?

    "I am used to working all night. That andst night was not enough to tire me out," Lily answered without turning around to face her husband.

    "Liar," he answered, approaching her from behind. "You were the one who asked me to stop."

    "It was something that I said in the spur of the moment." Though Lily was not facing Zhuo Jingren, the amusement in her voice was obvious. She was smiling as she flipped the pancakes.

    "Pancakes?" He raised an eyebrow as he hugged her from behind. "Did you watch another video?"

    "Dummy! I bought a box of instant pancake from the groceries. I just followed the instructions, and I¡¯m all good," she said smugly, turning around to face him. "You should thank me for all this effort."

    "You just followed the recipe; there is no effort in it." Zhuo Jingren gave her a short kiss.

    "Beating the eggs wasted some of my energy, meaning... effort. And it is only right for you to pay someone for their efforts, no?" She slowly folded her arms around his neck.

    "You already took my surname, my money, and propertiesst night. You also took advantage of my body. I don¡¯t think I can pay you with anything else," he mumbled as he turned off the kitchen stove. Seeing Lily give him a smirk instantly made him smile. He suddenly hoisted her up on the counter, earning a squeal from her.

    "You should warn me before doing that next time." Lily red, earning a chuckle from her husband. Zhuo Jingren gave her another small kiss on the lips. "If you say so..." he whispered.

    "So let¡¯s talk about the payment, shall we?" he asked, his voice darker than usual. "How much does my little wife want?"

    In response, Lily stared at her husband intently. Zhuo Jingren was wearing nothing but his sweatpants, revealing his fit physique. It made Lily feel a coiling sensation in her stomach. "You asked the wrong question, dummy." She rolled her eyes.

    "Oh?"

    "It¡¯s not how much... silly. It¡¯s how many I want before this day ends," Lily said while raising an eyebrow at him. A tinge of surprise shed in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes before it disappeared, leaving no trace behind.

    "Do you need to go to work today?" he asked. It was still Thursday, July 21st, and he knew that Lily needed to do a lot of stuff for theunch of the new FG Tower in Hong Kong.

    "Hmmm..." She nodded, still smiling. "But I can take payments at work too! It only depends on a certain someone¡¯s stamina."

    "For some reason, having a wife who loves profit is an excellent thing," he said before kissing her. And before the duo knew it, everything in the kitchen ceased to exist.

    Lily only noticed the feel of his tongue sliding past her mouth. "Profiteer and naughty," he said, giving her a lopsided grin.

    "Aren¡¯t I just perfect?" she countered as she hooked her fingers into the band of his sweatpants, slowly tugging it down.

    "Perfect. It¡¯s good that you know that," he said as his erection sprang free. No more words were uttered as he pushed past her panties and made his way inside her. Lily snaked her arm to the back of his head, threading her fingers through his hair and making sure his lips wouldn¡¯t part with hers.

    Heavy breathing and moans echoed inside the kitchen as Lily¡¯s nails dug into his shoulders. Arching her back, she gave his mouth ess to her breast after thetter took off his oversized t-shirt.

    "You are beautiful," he whispered as his muscles started to tense, and his thrusts became clumsier.

    "Together," Lily answered, her eyes shut.

    "Look at me," he ordered, making her concede. Her eyes flew open as she met his dark brown orbs.

    "Together," he uttered as both of them climaxed.

    Meanwhile, the atmosphere in Qin Fei and Xuan Hui¡¯s apartment was not as harmonious.

    It was early in the morning, and Tang Lingyun decided to visit Qin Fei and Xuan Hui. As this did not happen often, the couple thought that there was an emergency. However, when they saw the invitation in Tang Lingyun¡¯s eyes, the duo immediately rxed.

    "Mother, what are you so excited about? It¡¯s just an invitation for the Harmony Isle. I received an invitation too. But it¡¯s not surprising. I am still considered an A list star," Qin Fei said, exhaustion apparent in her face. At eight months, it was getting hard for her to have a good night¡¯s sleep as she could already feel her child¡¯s kicks every now and then.

    "Didn¡¯t you read the small lettering of the invitation? The Harmony Isle is part of the Fi Group! This is Lily¡¯spany!" Tang Lingyun answered. "She also sent one to your father, and he is nning to bring Liwei as he will arrive from abroad next week. This... I need you to help me convince your father to transfer the CEO Position to your brother as soon as possible. At least before this event."

    "You mean she sent an invitation to father?" Qin Fei furrowed her brows. "But why? Does she want to show off her new status?" Realization hit Qin Fei as she looked at Xuan Hui. "Did you know about this?"

    "I did, but this is an important event, and many influential people were invited. So I thought it would not matter. Plus, Jinghua would not scheme against us. With the status she has, it is impossible if she is still thinking about revenge," Xuan Hui exined. In reality, he was not nning to attend this event.

    Moreover, he also did not n to hide this information from his wife. But Qin Fei was about to give birth, and he knew well how stressed she had beentely. He did not want to add any more stress to his wife.

    "Plus, I didn¡¯t intend on attending this event as I already have an appointment on that day, so I did not let you know about it," he exined. Even If Lily was nning to scheme against them, it wouldn¡¯t be sessful if they did not show their faces at the event. To Xuan Hui, this was a crucial time for his wife, and he would rather miss out an opportunity to interact with influential people than endanger his wife and child.

    Of course, Qin Fei frowned. "I am not a porcin doll. I won¡¯t break if you let me go to this event," she said while stroking her tummy. "Plus, she invited us so we should go and see her capability for ourselves."

    "Qin Fei... I am thinking about your welfare and our child. If Qin Jinghua is going to scheme against us at this event, there is a possibility that the stress could make you go into prematurebor. I don¡¯t want that to happen," Xuan Hui said gently, patting his wife¡¯s back.

    "Are you telling me to act like a coward?" she asked, her frown turning into a scowl. How could she cower and hide from Qin Jinghua?

 Chapter 163 - A Stupid, Spoiled Wife

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 163 - A Stupid, Spoiled Wife</h4>

    "Feifei, this is not about you," Xuan Hui said calmly. "It¡¯s for our child. You can always attend events after you give birth, but now you¡¯re at a crucial phase of your pregnancy. We need you to be extra careful."

    "Hmph!" Qin Fei crossed her arms across her chest and looked at Tang Lingyun. "I will try and convince Father to give Liwei the CEO position as soon as possible." Qin Mo doted on Qin Fei so much. This was a fact that everyone in the family knew; this was also the reason why Tang Lingyun wanted her daughter to help her convince her husband.

    "It¡¯s just the start of the third quarter, and Qin Industries are showing some signs of progress. I doubt Father would agree to your requests that easily. He would want to make sure that thepany would run smoothly first," Xuan Hui said.

    "Just whose side are you on?" It was Qin Fei. She had not missed her husband calling Qin Jinghua by her first name. Remembering Qin Jinghua¡¯s smile made Qin Fei more furious. "That woman is already married! And I bet she married an old, influential man to back her up, so you better stop this nonsense!"

    In response, Xuan Hui let out a sigh before shaking his head. He then shoved his hands into his pockets. "I will go get ready for work. I already asked the attendant to make your favorite breakfast," he said before leaving Qin Fei and Tang Lingyun by themselves. He had every reason to be irritated, but he knew Qin Fei¡¯s jealousy was fueled by the fact that she had been insecuretely. Plus, his mother had been visiting the house daily, making his wife more ufortable as a result.

    Qin Fei red at Xuan Hui¡¯s retreating back before looking at her mother. "Qin Jinghua must be very happy that she caused us a lot of stress!"

    "Feifei... I think you are too much. You should treat your husband well. I can see that he is exhausted too," Tang Lingyun said while stroking Qin Fei¡¯s hands. "I know that he spoils you a lot. But I don¡¯t want Yang Lina to say something about you bullying your husband," she smiled at her daughter. Now that the Tang Family was done for, only the Xuan Family was supporting the Qin Family.

    In response, Qin Fei slowly nodded at her mother¡¯s words. To be honest, she could feel Xuan Hui¡¯s exhaustion from taking care of her but for some reason, she still felt that he deserved her wrath for withholding information from her, causing her to be humiliated in the process. To Qin Fei, she was just punishing her husband, ah.

    Of course, this did not mean that Qin Fei was faking her irritability. She really was irritated, and this was because every now and then, Lily Qin¡¯s smiling face would show up inside her mind. What was more irritating is that her husband would just agree to whatever she said, nodding his head and stroking her back like a robot! Who wanted to talk to a robot? Certainly not Qin Fei.

    But this didn¡¯t mean that she wasn¡¯t guilty. Lately, Qin Fei had been very demanding. She would want for Xuan Hui to cook her favorite food and sometimes feed her. She would also ask him to massage her swollen feet and do other menial things that she could think of. Though Qin Fei knew that her husband was exhausted from work, this did not stop her from ¡¯punishing¡¯ him.

    Qin Fei let out another sigh as she thought about how her husband had been spoiling hertely, giving her all that she wanted. While she, Qin Fei, had been acting like a stupid, spoiled wife. Of course, she med all of this on Lily Qin. If it weren¡¯t for Lily Qin, none of this would have happened.

    "I will arrange for dinner tonight. Please tell Father that I want the two of you toe," Qin Fei said.

    Tang Lingyun softly nodded before she asked, "Are you nning to attend theunch?"

    "I am still thinking about it. If I don¡¯t show up, that woman might think that I fear her," Qin Fei said. "Mother... this is just... I don¡¯t know! I hate her, and I want to tear that smile off her face!"

    "I think you should listen to Xuan Hui this time and stay at home." As a mother herself, Tang Lingyun agreed with Xuan Hui¡¯s sentiments. Qin Fei was heavily pregnant right now. What if Lily nned something that would make her go into prematurebor?

    "Alright. I will listen to him this time," Qin Fei said before she narrowed her eyes at her mother. "Are you nning to do something?"

    "Of course not! Is that really how you see your mother?" Seeing Qin Fei give her a knowing look, Tang Lingyun gave her daughter a gentle smile. "I am not nning anything. Don¡¯t worry about it."

    Though Qin Fei did not believe her mother¡¯s words, she still nodded her head in agreement. Qin Fei knew that behind her mother¡¯s gentle fa?ade was an extremely vicious and scheming mind. She had witnessed this viciousness not just once but several times already. Qin Fei knew that her mother was the type of person who would not hesitate to kill someone just to reach her goal. This was the reason why she believed that her mother was nning something against Lily Qin.

    Not that she would have any objections to that.

    And she was right. Tang Lingyun was nning to see Lily that morning. She wanted to try and use the photos to take the properties back and threaten Lily not to touch Qin Fei and her unborn child. Of course, in Tang Lingyun¡¯s mind, she could easily manipte Lily into submission. After all, the release of those images would surely jeopardize Lily¡¯s goal of establishing a steady footing in Hong Kong.

    A small sinister smile escaped Tang Lingyun¡¯s face, unaware that Yang Lina was just watching the mother and daughter from afar.

 Chapter 164 - Broken Leaf Black Tea

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 164 - Broken Leaf ck Tea</h4>

    FG Tower

    "Yang Mi, give her some coffee," Lily said without moving her eyes away from Tang Lingyun.

    "I prefer tea, GorreanBroken Leaf ck Tea please," Tang Lingyun said, her tone as gentle as her smiling face. When she noticed that Yang Mi did not move an inch, she immediately continued. "I can understand if you don¡¯t have this kind of tea. It is a little bit expensive and rare, after all. I will take ck coffee with two cubes of sugar, please."

    However, Lily just continued to stare at Tang Lingyun as her right hand tapped the tabletop.

    "I..." Tang Lingyun awkwardly said, "I didn¡¯t mean to offend you. I am just used to the GorreanBroken Leaf ck Tea that your father brought me from Europe. I... apologize." In response, Lily scoffed before she turned her head to Yang Mi.

    "Get her the GorreanBroken Leaf ck Tea. Bring the tea set as well; my stepmother will steep the tea herself. And don¡¯t forget my coffee. No sugar or milk," she said in one go, a smile visible on her face as she looked at Yang Mi. She turned her gaze back to the woman in front of her. "Why do you look shocked? Most of my employees are Europeans, so they prefer to drink the same tea as you. So I tend to stock a lot. If you want, I could give you a dozen or two."

    "I... no... I was just surprised. That¡¯s all." Tang Lingyun immediately hid the shock on her face. In fact, she had never tasted this kind of tea. She just thought of the idea to embarrass Lily by demanding the expensive tea. ording to her information, a pound of this tea would cost almost a thousand US dors. What kind of person would provide her employees with tea that was worth that much? However, when she thought about Lily¡¯s exnation, Tang Lingyun calmed down. Lily and her employees were indeed from Europe, and this type of tea was made in Europe, it was only right that they were familiar with it.

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded, still staring at Tang Lingyun intently.

    "It is very difficult to get an appointment with you. I never knew that..."

    "It¡¯s just the two of us, Tang Lingyun. We can stop pretending," Lily interrupted her. "Why are you here?" she asked before she rose from her seat and turned her back against Tang Lingyun.

    "I want the properties you inherited in Maind China," Tang Lingyun blurted meekly. "But I have convinced your father topensate you. With the current status that you have, I¡¯m sure they mean nothing to you."

    "And what are you nning topensate me with?" she asked without facing Tang Lingyun.

    "Money! We are going to buy those properties back. All of them are rightfully your fathers, so it is only just that he gets them back."

    Lily¡¯s scoff after Tang Lingyun¡¯s words made thetter irritated. "Please stop disrespecting me. I am still your step-mother."

    "Ex step-mother," Lily corrected as she turned around to watch Yang Mi bring in the tea set with various kinds of teas ced in small square tes for Tang Lingyun. "Go ahead Ex Step-mother, indulge yourself." She gestured at Tang Lingyun to start.

    In response, Tang Lingyun just stared at the tea set for a while before gently brewing her tea. "So? Are you going to agree to my simple request?" She asked while pouring the hot water into her cup of tea.

    "No," Lily replied before sipping her coffee. This made Tang Lingyun stop and lift her head to look at Lily.

    "Why?"

    "No particr reason." Lily shrugged.

    "These properties are extremely important to your father. How could you decline my offer?"

    "How could I not?" she countered before taking another sip of the coffee. "Can you even afford it?"

    "You- The Qin Family might not be as rich as you, but we are not poor either! I know that you heard about thepany¡¯s struggle in the past few years, but that has already been solved, and thepany is doing fine now. You should stop underestimating us!" Tang Lingyun blurted, anger seemingly clouding her vision. This was the thing she hated the most, being underestimated by someone whom she used to underestimate before.

    "Oh?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "So... how much are we talking about?"

    "Is everything about money to you Jinghua? How about..." Tang Lingyun¡¯s words were interrupted when Lily suddenly held her hand up in front of Tang Lingyun¡¯s face.

    "You came here and talked about buying my properties then you tell me that all I think about is money. Tang Lingyun... are you perhaps, delusional?" Lily asked, mockery apparent in her eyes.

    "You-"

    "What? Are you going to use your famous family speech again?" Lily let out a sarcasticugh. "You wanted to buy something and refused to talk about money. What kind of logic is this?"

    Tang Lingyun stared at Lily in disbelief. The veins in her temples were bulging, threatening to burst at any time from trying to control the amount of rage she felt towards the other woman. She clenched her fist before forcing down the blood in her throat. Then she hastily drank the tea that had been steeping for more than two minutes.

    "How was the tea?" Lily asked. "Is itparable to what my father brought from Europe?"

    "Y-Yes... Of course," Tang Lingyun forced herself to answer. How could she let Lily know that she was about to lose control at any moment? Wouldn¡¯t that only give Lily, the satisfaction she was looking for? Tang Lingyun would never allow that to happen. Never!

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded before she looked at Yang Mi, who was standing next to Tang Lingyun. "Why don¡¯t you give Tang Lingyun the right Broken Leaf ck Tea? Since she¡¯s old, her eyes may not be that good, so she ended up picking the wrong tea to steep."

    Lily¡¯s statement instantly made Tang Lingyun¡¯s face lose all color. No amount of makeup could hide the fact that she had be as pale as a paper. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on her. Then a scarlet blush started to spread down her neck. With anger and embarrassment consuming her, Tang Lingyun rose from her seat. How could she not know that Lily purposely made her choose the wrong tea?

    "You bitch!" she red at Lily. The gentleness in her eyes was gone and it was reced with pure hatred. Lily had purposely given her choices to get her confused. She wanted her to pick up the wrong tea to make it seem obvious that she had never tasted the Broken Leaf ck Tea, which she had asked for! How could Lily y her like that? "How dare you embarrass me like that? You are so disrespectful and scheming!"

    "Hm? Embarrass? What do you mean? Broken Leaf ck Tea is always served with Peppermint, Lucia Lima and other teas to make it taste better. Did you perhaps forget about it? Or..." Lily raised an eyebrow at Tang Lingyun. "Are you totally clueless as you have never tasted that tea before?" Lily¡¯s lips then lifted into a gentle smile, innocence can be seen stered on her face. It was as if, Lily was really clueless of what she had done.

 Chapter 165 - Are You Courting Death?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 165 - Are You Courting Death?</h4>

    "You! How dare you!" Tang Lingyun yelled at Lily. Seeing the woman sitting across from her just give her a smirk almost made Tang Lingyun pounce on Lily and squeeze the life out of her. "You-"

    To be honest, no amount of insults could satisfy her anger right now. Lily had been trying to humiliate her, and she couldn¡¯t take it any longer. Was she trying to unt her wealth and knowledge in front of Tang Lingyun? Unknowingly, Tang Lingyun¡¯s hand made its way to the tea cup and lifted it, intending to throw the hot tea at Lily.

    "Look at you. You are so angry that you have forgotten the difference between a cold and hot cup." Lily noted, a smirk still visible on her face. This made Tang Lingyun realize that the cup that she had been holding had no tea in it. She immediately red at Yang Mi, who was standing right behind her. Lily must have nned this in advance!

    Of course, Tang Lingyun failed to realize that Lily could never predict her moves and that Yang Mi was so protective of Lily that she instantly removed the cup with hot water to avoid any idents.

    "Stop mocking me! I am still the wife of your father and the Madam of the Qin Family to which you belong!" she said in one go, her voice was loud, the exact opposite of the meek and gentle tone she loved to portray.

    "Tang Lingyun... why are you really here? I know that Qin Mo does not have enough money to buy those properties from me. Did you perhaps n to threaten me with those photos again?" Lily asked, a little annoyed that her time had been consumed by this nonsensical individual and her equally nonsense goals.

    "So what if I threatened you? Huh? You think too highly of yourself. What do you think will happen to you if I release those photos again?"

    "I don¡¯t know!" Lily shrugged. "Why don¡¯t you tell me what brilliant idea you came up with this time?"

    "Quit the sarcastic p backs, Qin Jinghua! I am here because I want those properties back! My son and daughter deserve them more than you! Transfer it back to your father or I will release those photos during yourunch! I¡¯m sure it will affect yourpany¡¯s reputation and eventually your stocks!" Tang Lingyun said. She needed to put Lily in her rightful ce! However, when she saw Lily¡¯s bored expression, Tang Lingyun immediately started to doubt her initial n.

    "Your husband, President Zhuo Jingren, values his name and reputation too much! If I tell the media about your marriage and those photos, I¡¯m sure he will hate you!" she added while convincing herself that Lily would sumb to her demands.

    After Tang Lingyun analyzed the current situation, she realized that the only possible reason for President Zhou to agree to this marriage with Lily Fi was business. Just like any normal businessman, Lily Qin and President Zhuo must have married each other because of money! Lily wanted someone to back her up in Hong Kong while President Zhuo wanted someone that could help him branch out in European countries.

    "Why don¡¯t you ask him yourself?" Lily said, her gaze was glued at Tang Lingyun¡¯s back. She had wasted enough time with this woman already; what she wanted right now was Zhuo Jingren¡¯s payments for her efforts this morning.

    Tang Lingyun¡¯s eyes widened when she saw Zhuo Jingren walking towards Lily. She instantly wondered why Zhuo Jingren was here with a small smile on his face. Thetter kissed her on the lips before Lily whispered something into his ear, making Zhuo Jingren chuckle.

    Tang Lingyun noticed that Yang Mi gave the two a small bow before she slowly exited the room. This made Tang Lingyun frown. The two people in front of her were still whispering to each other, ignoring her in the process.

    "Ehem..." she tried to remind the two of her presence. And just as she expected, the duo looked at her.

    "You are still here?" Lily deadpanned. How could Tang Lingyun be so dumb? A proper normal being would have already given them their privacy. This woman is just...

    Seeing Lily¡¯s nk face and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s cold expression made Tang Lingyun ufortable, maybe even afraid. "I... I was asking... you wanted me to ask a question to President Zhuo, and I was doing... just that," she started to stutter. She had underestimated the situation and was surprised by Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arrival. That, and his cold gaze was making her a little nervous for some unknown reason.

    "Miss Tang..." Zhuo Jingren uttered, impatiencecing his voice. "Are you courting death?"

    Tang Lingyun¡¯s eyes almost bulged out of her sockets when she heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words. Was he threatening her? But why would he do that? She hadn¡¯t even said a thing about Lily yet! Once again, Tang Lingyun immediately med Lily for Zhuo Jingren¡¯s behavior. This hateful woman must have said something to him, to make him hate her to this degree.

    What she did not know was that she was just purely overthinking. Zhuo Jingren wanted to be alone with his wife, and he hade up with three ways to get rid of Tang Lingyun. First, ask Daohu to kill her and drag her dead body out of this office. That was too brutal, and Zhuo Jingren knew that his wife wouldn¡¯t like that.

    Second, ask Daohu to drag Tang Lingyun alive out of the office. But he decided against it as this would embarrass his wife. Plus, people might think that her husband was a ruthless individual.

    And finally, the only good and legal idea that he coulde up with was to make Tang Lingyun run out of the office, voluntarily. But this was all inside Zhuo Jingren¡¯s mind. On the outside, his gaze towards Tang Lingyun was cold, even murderous, sending shivers down her spine.

    "President Zhuo... I..." Tang Lingyun took a single step back.

    "Why are you still here, Miss Tang? Are you looking to die?" Once again, Zhuo Jingren asked as he straightened and shoved his hands into his pocket. This earned another giggle from Lily. Her husband was truly good at scaring people, ah.

    "President Zhuo!" Tang Lingyun uttered in frustration. She actually did not know what to answer and to be honest... she was scared. For some reason, the things that she had nned to say disappeared as if removed from her brain.

    "Miss Tang," Zhuo Jingren made a deliberate pause after he called Tang Lingyun by her maiden family¡¯s name for the third time, as if reminding her of what had happened to the Tang Family. "Your presence is making my wife ufortable and you refuse to answer my question. Maybe dying was an exaggeration... How about this?" Zhuo Jingren took his phone out of his pocket. "Every minute you stay here, I will make the jail warden cut one toe from your brother in prison?"

    "I... I¡¯m going! I¡¯m going! I¡¯m going!" Tang Lingyun gasped, fear apparent in her eyes as her trembling hands grabbed her bag before running out of Lily¡¯s office.

    Zhuo Jingren was a devil! She was sure of it!

 Chapter 166 - Extremely Sexy

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 166 - Extremely Sexy</h4>

    "Hmmm...Your skill at scaring people is one of a kind... It made me speechless," Lily said as she watched Tang Lingyun run out of her office. She removed a voice recorder from her drawer and turned it off before rising from her seat. She looked at her husband and folded her arms around his neck. "But I like it." She smiled at him, her eyes staring into his. She could not deny that hearing him say those things coldly had awakened something inside Lily.

    Something... feral.

    In response, Zhuo Jingren gave her a small chuckle as his hands held her waist. "Funny how you haven¡¯t even started with your ns, and theye running here begging for their own destruction."

    "For some reason, hearing you talk about destroying someone is sending electric pulses down my spine." She raised an eyebrow at him as she leaned in, brushing her lips on his before withdrawing. "A man who knows how to use his tongue is extremely sexy." She let out a small giggle before her eyes caught the ck paper bag that Zhuo Jingren suddenly put on the table.

    "You are wearing a really tight pencil skirt." Zhuo Jingren said, his voice low.

    "And?"

    "Well..."He leaned down, brushing his lips into her ear. Then he whispered, "I can only think of one way to get it off you and that involves neither zippers nor patience."

    Lily¡¯s pupils dted the moment she heard his low voice against her ears. She tilted her head upwards, anticipation apparent in her eyes as she bit her lower lip and ordered, "Then... rip it apart."

    Meanwhile, Tang Lingyun was still shaking as she dialed her husband¡¯s phone number. She waited for a ring or two before he finally picked up the call.

    "I have a meeting in five minutes," Qin Mo answered in a stern voice.

    "Mo! I..." Tang Lingyun started to sob. Her pent up emotion suddenly surged within her, preventing her from talking.

    "Why are you crying? What happened?" Qin Mo asked.

    "Mo.... I.... I went to see Qin Jinghua and..." Tang Lingyun¡¯s words were once again interrupted by her sobs.

    "What? What happened? Did she do something to you?"

    "No... but she... she threatened my brother. She said... she said she would ask someone to cut his toes one by one," Tang Lingyun lied. How could she tell her husband that it was Zhuo Jingren who threatened her? Zhuo Jingren was more dangerous than Lily, and she was sure that Qin Mo wouldn¡¯t be able to fight against him. However, Lily was different. Even though she had been removed from the Qin Family¡¯s registry, she was still Qin Mo¡¯s daughter, and this was something that she could not deny.

    "What have you done to provoke her? I told you to avoid that woman. We needed to think about everything before doing something that could potentially ruin us! How could you provoke her?"

    "Mo! I did not provoke her. I just wanted to talk to her about the dinner that Qin Fei will host. We never had dinner as a family after she came back to Hong Kong... I was just... I never thought that she would be so cruel," Tang Lingyun said before sobbing again. She could not let Qin Mo know that she had something to do with those pictures nor that she hade to threaten Lily about those properties, so she chose to lie.

    "That sl*t is going overboard!" Qin Mo said in anger. "How could she disrespect you like that?"

    A flush of relief could be seen in Tang Lingyun¡¯s face when she heard her husband rage on the other side of the phone. She was sure that her words would only intensify Qin Mo¡¯s hate towards his daughter. However, because of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s status, he would not confront Lily. This was an excellent start, Tang Lingyun thought. Since Qin Mo hated Lily so much, it would not be easy for him to ept Lily¡¯s status.

    Moreover, Tang Lingyun was pretty sure that although Qin Mo would not confront Lily personally, he might just call thetter and demand an exnation about what happened between Lily and his wife. Of course, no matter how much Lily will exin, Tang Lingyun was sure that Qin Mo would not believe his daughter. Then he would say even more hurtful words, making Lily hate her father even more.

    Wasn¡¯t this the perfect n?

    Once Qin Mo and Lily hated each other so much, forgiveness and peace would note easily between the two. This way, the moment Qin Mo discovers Lily¡¯s status and skills in running apany, it would not be easy for him to convince Lily to be Qin Industries¡¯ CEO.

    "Mo... No.... Jinghua she... I think she really hates us and I am actually afraid that she will continue to make up stories to make President Zhuo hate you and the Qin Family. What if he starts targeting ourpany?" Tang Lingyun said. A person on top of the food chain just like Zhuo Jingren had many connections that he could use against Qin Mo. Tang Lingyun only wanted her husband to think about the possibility of Zhou Jingren attacking him and the Qin Industries. If something like that happened, she was sure that her husband wouldn¡¯t be able to recover.

    This was Tang Lingyun¡¯s way of slowly introducing the idea of making Qin Liwei the CEO of Qin Industries. She would use the fact that President Zhuo had always been known as a man of reason; he would not attack someone who did not provoke him. Someone like Qin Liwei.

    Tang Lingyun¡¯s strategy was actually straightforward. She wanted to sneakily make her husband think that Zhuo Jingren might be angry at them and might attack them at any time. She would then ask him to retire and leave Hong Kong with her to avoid Zhuo Jingren. This would leave Qin Liwei as the new CEO of Qin Industries.

    Tang Lingyun could feel Qin Mo grit his teeth in anger. "I will call that forsaken daughter of mine and let her know that someone from the Qin Family cannot be bullied like this. Also, don¡¯t visit the prison or contact your brother. I will make sure that he is safe. Qin Jinghua has be bolder because of her husband. I will have a good talk with her!"

    "Please don¡¯t say any harsh words against her, Mo. She is with someone like Zhuo Jingren. One word from her and..."

    "Do you think I would fear my daughter? That woman is a sl*t! An embarrassment! The reason why she had the guts to say this was just because of her husband! She is nothing!"

    Tang Lingyun went silent at her husband¡¯s words. It seems that not letting thetter know of Lily¡¯s true identity was a good move. She let out a long sigh before Qin Mo said his goodbyes to her as he needed to attend a meeting. Tang Lingyun immediately cut the call and pursed her lips while staring out of the car.

    Once Qin Mo knew that Lily was someone from the Fi Group, his treatment towards her would surely change. Tang Lingyun was sure that her husband would always value benefit above everything else ¡ª even his pride and morals. She was sure that Qin Mo¡¯s hate towards Lily would vanish into thin air once he saw her potential in the business industry.

 Chapter 167 - Childish

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 167 - Childish</h4>

    FG Tower

    "I think you have to go. You have been disturbing my work for hours now. I can¡¯t function and think properly with you around," Lily said while trying to ignore the fact that Zhuo Jingren was sitting across her with his shirt open, revealing his tanned chest. She lowered her head further and avoided looking at the beautiful specimen trying to tempt her to stop working.

    "Ah... now that hurts my pride. How could my wife kick me out of her office after what happened? Could it be that she is not satisfied and wanted another pair of new clothing?" he said, mirth apparent in his eyes as he started to close the buttons of his shirt.

    Lily responded with a re which made the otherugh. "My time is precious."

    Stillughing, Zhuo Jingren rose from his seat and fixed his shirt before making his way to his suit jacket. "I have a meeting in thirty minutes. It will take me an hour or two then I cane back here to..."

    "Why the hell would youe back here?" Lily raised her head to look at him. Come back and then what? Wouldn¡¯t this mean more distraction?

    "Eat." He grinned, making a slight blush appear on Lily¡¯s ears. Just what kind of stuff had she been thinkingtely? And she even snapped at him when all he wanted to say was to eat. How immature, she thought.

    Of course, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s next sentence instantly made Lily regret feeling guilty. "Eat you." The grin on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face had be even broader.

    "You-" Lily narrowed her eyes at the man next to her table. "Get out. You will sleep on the couch tonight."

    "Yeah... you said thatst night."

    "You did not sleepst night!" Lily countered. "Tonight, you will sleep on the couch."

    "With you?"

    "Not with me, you dummy! You will sleep on the couch, alone!" she reiterated.

    "Alright. Let¡¯s sleep on the couch together." Heughed before walking towards her. Seeing Lily re at him was making him happy. He immediately made a mental note to give some red envelopes to all of his employeester. Zhuo Jingren then kissed Lily¡¯s forehead. "I¡¯ll eat youter- I mean, I will see youter." He gave another chuckle.

    "Haha...What a funny old man," Lily said. She was not being childish... Alright, call her childish. She really did want to get even and at least irritate the man. How could she allow him to make fun of her like that?

    However, the otherughed even more. "Is this your way of asking for a second round, Mrs. Zhuo?" He raised an eyebrow at her, a smirk slowly appearing on his handsome face. Seeing Lily¡¯s mouth drop from his shamelessness gave him another reason tough. What a cute little wife.

    "You- Get out! Now!" Lily said, her face slowly turning scarlet. Zhuo Jingren seemed to have the ability to give new meaning to everything she said. How frustrating!

    Seeing Lily¡¯s red face, Zhuo Jingren leaned down and captured her pouted lips. Who could resist such a charming wife?

    Xuan Residence - Dinner

    "I heard that Qin Industries is doing really good this past few days, so I decided to celebrate with dinner." Qin Fei smiled at everyone. "Though I did not cook these cuisines, I was there and supervised the chefs to make sure that everything is perfect."

    "You should stop tiring yourself, Feifei... your body is more important than the taste of this food," Qin Mo answered. Though his face was nk and did not show any emotion, it was apparent that the tone of his voice had be gentler.

    "It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s worth it." Qin Fei bashfully smiled at her father.

    "Are we really going to eat without Xuan Hui?" It was Tang Lingyun. Surprisingly, Qin Fei agreed to eat without her husband. This was something that never happened before.

    "He had an emergency trip to Maind China. One of their actresses has met an ident, and there was a problem with the film. Some sponsors were also not happy about this. The director in charge was on maternity leave, so he had to take care of the situation personally." This would be the first time that Qin Fei and Xuan Hui were separate from each other during a family dinner.

    Because of this, only Qin Fei, Qin Mo, and Tang Lingyun were having dinner together. With the current set up, Qin Fei found it easier to convince her father with their initial n.

    "By the way, when will my brothere home?" Qin Fei started. Though she knew that having her father agree to the request would be very difficult, she still wanted to give it a try.

    After the dinner, Tang Lingyun told the father and daughter that she would get some fresh air. She wanted to give Qin Fei the time to talk to Qin Mo about Qin Liwei¡¯s situation.

    Tang Lingyun let out a sigh as her eyes were attracted to the abstract painting in front of her. She could only hope that Qin Fei could convince Qin Mo.

    "Are you nning to do something about Lily Qin anytime soon?" Tang Lingyun¡¯s heart almost jumped out of her chest when she heard a voice behind her. She instantly turned and was somewhat surprised to see Yang Lina.

    "I... You surprised me. I did not even notice that you were standing behind me." Tang Lingyun stroked her chest and smiled at Yang Lina, who was wearing a ck dress, making her look even more... terrifying.

    "I think Lily Qin is nning something against the Qin Family." Yang Lina went straight to the point. Her goal tonight was straightforward, and she did not want to waste her time talking to someone as stupid as Tang Lingyun.

    "Where did you hear this from?" Tang Lingyun furrowed her brows. Would Lily target the Qin Family?

    "If I was Lily Qin, that is what I would do," Yang Lina answered, her gaze glued to the painting in front of them. "And I would do it during thatunch. In front of many people." She slowly turned her head towards Tang Lingyun. To Yang Lina, Tang Lingyun was the perfect pawn. And in her vocabry, pawns were always meant to be yed and manipted to do one¡¯s bidding.

    "I..." Yang Lina¡¯s heavy words were actually making Tang Lingyun speechless. But she did not even bother to ask for Yang Lina¡¯s source of information. The only thing she seemed to register in her mind was to prevent Lily Qin from hurting her family.

    Seeing Tang Lingyun¡¯s expression, Yang Lina knew that her goal had already been achieved. Yang Lina smiled at the woman next to her. "I was just about to visit Qin Fei, but seeing her serious expression while talking to her father made me decide toe back in the morning to check on her."

    "Oh." She nodded.

    "Well then Lingyun, I will go ahead and have dinner with my husband. I wish you all the luck." She smiled before turning around and walking towards the exit. All she needed to do now was watch from the sidelines as Tang Lingyun acted against Lily at the Launch.

 Chapter 168 - An Open Conversation

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 168 - An Open Conversation</h4>

    July 23, Saturday - FG Towers

    "President, these are the documents that need your signature," Yang Mi said, gently cing a bunch of folders on Lily¡¯s table. She also ced three small boxes in front of Lily. "As instructed, these are the giveaways for theunch. The ballpoint pen is made of tinum with our logo, and the crystal snowball¡¯s weight has been corrected. All invitations have been sent, and the special guests have already confirmed their attendance. A briefing for the staff will be held a day before theunch, and this is the program list that you wanted to see this morning."

    Yang Mi gave Lily a small bow before she stood a few steps away from her, so that she could examine everything now. Though this was a trivial matter, Lily still wanted to supervise everything. From the weight of the giveaways to the angle of the decorations, President Qin had her own preference. She wanted to ensure that everything about the event would be perfect.

    Of course, Yang Mi was already used to Lily¡¯s ways.

    "Alright. I will call you if I need something," Lily said, her eyes on the stack of papers in front of her.

    "President, Mr. Qin from Qin Industries has been calling us since yesterday. He demands to talk to you," Yang Mi said in a low voice.

    "Hmmm. Let him be. He will get tired of calling soon," Lily answered. "Do we have any news on the Qin Industries?"

    "Our spies informed us that CEO Qin called for a meeting this morning with the Board members. No one knows what the meeting was about, but our team at Maychill Insurance called and informed us that CEO Qin might be stepping down and giving the Chairmanship to his son soon. Qin Liwei will arrive by Monday of next week, and my guess is that CEO Qin will call for another meeting by then."

    "Well... that was fast," Lilymented. "And foolish," she added. Maychill Insurance was one of Fi Group¡¯s subsidiaries that gave the loan to the Qin Industries. Maychill Insurance coordinated with Zhuo Capital to make sure that it would be tough for Qin Mo to find out about its association to Lily.

    "Let them dig their own graves," Lily said. She did not know why Qin Mo would suddenly make a big move at a time like this, but Lily guessed it should have something to do with Tang Lingyun. "Tang Lingyun is truly my father¡¯s weakness. Her acting skills must have undergone an improvement again. I wonder what would happen if Qin Mo knew the destruction of his beloved Qin Family is a product of his wife¡¯s brilliant talent," she thought out loud before she lowered her head to read the documents once again.

    Yang Mi did not respond to Lily¡¯s words as she gave a low bow and left Lily¡¯s office silently.

    In a building just a few blocks away from FG Tower, Zhuo Jingren was also busy reading the documents that Secretary Go gave him.

    "President, as you can see, the Yang Family have no dirt on them. No corruption or bribery. We can¡¯t find anything about them. The men of the Yang Family were all upright and good military men. They are known in Maind China for their stern behavior. They have also beenmended because of their exemry service to the country," Secretary Go exined.

    "Hmmm... that is expected." Zhuo Jingren nodded. "You have looked into the men of the Yang Family, but failed to look into their wives. Go Jichen you have been cking off."

    "Ai... President, I have not been cking... I..."

    "Is it because you have been having dinner with Miss Yang,tely?" Zhuo Jingren asked, his eyes still glued to the documents.

    "That is not called having dinner. It would be very disrespectful of me if I leave a maiden to eat alone while our bosses are eating together," Secretary Go rebutted. What having dinner? Every time that President Zhou and his wife would eat somewhere, they would bring him and Miss Yang along. Since eating with Zhuo Jingren and Mrs. Zhuo would be very awkward, Yang Mi and he had been eating together in another room or table.

    Secretary Go knew what Zhuo Jingren had been talking about, but how could Miss Yang cause any distractions when thetter wouldn¡¯t even speak to him? Yang Mi would just concentrate on her dinner while acting as if she didn¡¯t have anypany, and the moment he would try to say something, the woman would unreasonably re at him.

    That woman was even scarier than her boss!

    "Alright, then. By when should I expect the result of this investigation?" Zhuo Jingren asked.

    "As soon as possible," he answered sternly. This investigation should not take that long.

    "I want it before theunch," he said before he gave the folder back to his secretary. "Any news on the Mo Family?"

    "No, President. I believe they know we have our eyes on them, hence they are avoiding doing anything drastic."

    "And the doctor?"

    "He wasn¡¯t the right one. He might have looked like the doctor who was in charge of the Madam, but he wasn¡¯t the one," Secretary Go answered. His face grew darker as he added, "President, I think that the doctor in Mysia was deliberately ced there as a trap. Someone ced that doctor to throw us off."

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s silence followed his secretary¡¯s words. This was the first thought that came to his mind as well. However, this could only mean that the people who hid that doctor had enough money and influence to do such a thing.

    But who could it be? And why would they to such lengths to hide that incident?

    "President, I have heard there¡¯s another group who has also been looking into the case silently."

    "Group?"

    "Yes, and our sources told me that they came from Europe."

    "Hmmm... Alright. You can go now." Zhuo Jingren clenched his jaws before he rose from his seat and looked out from the floor to ceiling window in his office. A group from Europe? He could only think of one name, and that was George Arison. Now, this could only mean one thing.

    Lily already suspected that something else happened that night when she lost their unborn child.

    Zhuo Jingren sighed as he stared at the new logo for FG Towers a few streets away from him. Lily still refused to reveal her ns to him, and he understood. She also never talked about her past to him, and to be honest, he never asked her anything either. He knew that those traumatic memories were best left alone. He feared talking to her about the past for this very reason. All Zhuo Jingren wanted was to make her happy andfortable, for her to enjoy every moment with him, getting pampered and knowing how much he treasured her. In addition, he also did not want to pressure her into anything.

    However, after learning that Lily was doing the same thing as him, he concluded that both of them needed an open conversation about this topic. They shouldn¡¯t avoid this matter forever.

    Moreover, he was their unborn child. If someone had caused his death, then.... someone would have to pay that debt.

 Chapter 169 - Walk Down the Aisle

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 169 - Walk Down the Aisle</h4>

    July 25th, Monday

    After the dinner at Qin Fei¡¯s, Qin Mo decided that his daughter was right. He needed to train his only son for his future responsibility, and giving him thepany while it¡¯s booming would not make him grow and encounter challenges. Sost Saturday, he decided to call a meeting to introduce this idea to his board of directors.

    While most of them argued, some people were very supportive and found him to be reasonable. Surprisingly, even Zhuo Jingren¡¯s appointed director agreed to have Liwei as the new CEO of Qin Industries. Of course, this did not mean that Qin Liwei would run thepany without training. It was agreed that he would intern under his father first before taking up the job as his assistant and eventually the VP. Of course, after Qin Mo stepped down, thepany would be handed to his son immediately.

    When Lily heard about this development, she let out augh before shaking her head. As expected of Tang Lingyun and Qin Fei, they were able to convince Qin Mo to make Qin Liwei the new CEO of Qin Industries.

    "President, are we going to proceed with the n?" Yang Mi respectfully asked.

    "Do it right after theunch on the first of August, my father¡¯s birthday. It will be an excellent birthday present for him and his family," Lily answered. A knock echoed inside her office, and Daohu arrived with a group of people. He then gave Lily a low bow.

    "Madam, these are President Zhuo¡¯s people. They will take your measurements for theunch." Lily¡¯s raised her eyebrows when she heard his words. What measurements? Justst night, Fernando sent her a group of gowns, she even showed them to Zhuo Jingren.

    "Hold on, let me..." Lily did not even finish her sentence before her phone vibrated. She immediately answered it, knowing it would be her husband. This was his style after all.

    "I sent a group of people to take your measurements," Zhuo Jingren said, his tone light.

    "I already have something to wear."

    "Don¡¯t like it," Zhuo Jingren said shortly. "The yellow gown was too skimpy."

    "It is an inch above my knee," She rebutted before rolling her eyes. "And the blue one?"

    "Too traditional."

    "That¡¯s a Cheongsam. Of course, it¡¯s traditional," Lily reasoned.

    "The other one was too... robotic."

    "Robotic? What kind of description is that?"

    "Fernando¡¯s style is edgy, which will not suit the event. Go ahead and have them take measurements. You can see your new gown tomorrow," he assured her. Helplessness shed on Lily¡¯s face. She wanted to argue that it would only waste her time as she already had something to wear, but she already knew her husband¡¯s tendency to smooth his way out of everything.

    "Plus, I need your measurements for the wedding gown that I..." Lily¡¯s mind instantly nked out when she heard the word ¡¯wedding gown¡¯.

    "I¡¯m sorry? What did you say?"

    "I said your wedding gown would be made in Italy. Is there something wrong? Would you prefer it if Fernando designed it for you?"

    "I... uh..." Lily was speechless. They were talking about the event, how could this man suddenly talk about wedding gowns?

    "Or is it that you don¡¯t want to walk down the aisle with me?"

    "Of course I want to!" Lily¡¯s quick answer surprised her. She immediately looked at everyone and signaled for them to leave her. "I mean..."

    "I heard it. No need to exin. I lied, they are not there for the wedding gown but d to know that you like the idea. I will let you see the designster on. I want a cerulean motif, maybe even tangerine. What is your favorite color? I remember you like yellow? Do you still..."

    "Jingren, stop!" Lily interrupted him. He was talking too fast; Lily did not hear the rest of his words.

    "Sorry. I got excited. Alright, I will see youter at lunch. Go ahead and have them take your measurements." He instantly cut the call without waiting for Lily to say a word. In response, Lily stared at her phone with an unfathomable look on her face. She did not know if she wanted tough or cry. It was apparent that Zhuo Jingren was nervous.

    However, she was quick tomend thetter¡¯s effort to scheme against her. Her husband seemed to have be bolder as the days passed. Unknowingly, a small smile escaped her lips as she thought about her own words earlier. Zhuo Jingren really could make her blurt out her feelings. And to be honest, she quite liked it.

    "Let theme in." She pressed the office phone that was connected to Yang Mi¡¯s table outside of her office. Lily was sure that the only reason Zhuo Jingren asked his team to have her measurements taken was to open up the topic about a wedding dress and of course, a wedding ceremony. However, she was stupefied that he hadn¡¯t asked her this question face to face.

    Is it because he was afraid that he would faint if Lily agreed to his ns? ¡¯Howical.¡¯ Lily let out a low chuckle while cing her phone down. She then rose from her seat and asked Zhuo Jingren¡¯s people to start taking her measurements.

    Lily¡¯s conjecture was right. Zhuo Jingren was too nervous to ask her for a wedding ceremony and chose this way to open up the topic.

    After dropping the call, Zhuo Jingren immediately drank the bottled water ced on his table. A drop of sweat could be seen on his forehead. He was tense, alright?

    He was so nervous he could feel his hands shake when Lily blurted out that she wanted to have a wedding ceremony as well.

    "Secretary Go, give another batch of red envelopes to everyone," he said, pressing the office phone.

    Zhuo Jingren always dreamed of giving Qin Jinghua a beautiful wedding. However, what happened right now is a little bit different than what he previously had in his mind. Not that he isining. He already aplished the most important part of his dream - making Lily his wife.

    He then rose from his seat and walked out of his office. He immediately saw his secretary giving orders to the people under him.

    "President, it¡¯s done." Secretary Go approached him after passing down Zhuo Jingren¡¯s orders.

    "Alright," he nodded. "Let¡¯s go to the orphanage," he said curtly before walking towards the elevator. He needed someone to help him n all this. Zhuo Jingren knew he couldn¡¯t mess this up, ah.

    On the outskirts of Hong Kong City, a white Mercedes was parked next to a dpidated building.

    "Are you sure that no one will know about this?" A man in a tux asked the bald, middle-aged man across him.

    "Of course, Mister. I assure you. My men are all professionals. We do not make mistakes. All of our targets were high profile individuals, and though some of them survived, they were too damaged to even open their eyes." A smug smile escaped his lips.

    "I will trust you on this. Here is the te number of the car as well as all of the information about the matter. Make it clean." The man in the tux offered a thick envelope.

    In response, the bald man immediately smiled as he counted the cash inside the envelope. "This is two times the amount that we agreed on?"

    "This is because we want the target alive. A little bruise would be perfect. Just make sure that the target won¡¯t leave the hospital for a day or two."

    "Is that all?" the bald man raised an eyebrow.

    "Yes. You can go now." The bald man immediately grinned at him before stepping out of the car. Seeing the other skip away happily made Li Tian Ya¡¯s sneer. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

    "Madam, it¡¯s done," he said, his tone respectful.

    "Got it," a cold voice responded before the call ended. A small smile escaped Li Tian Ya¡¯s face as he ordered the driver to leave the ce. The madam was such a ruthless woman, but she always preferred him to handle things discreetly. She always hated to dirty her hands with the blood of her enemies.

    A small smile escaped his lips as he thought about his rewards once this mission wasplete. Would the madam grant another one of his requests? Anticipation instantly shone through his eyes as he eyed the duffel bag next to him. Should he buy a new cuff? Or a new bondage kit?

 Chapter 170 - Knows Her Too Well

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 170 - Knows Her Too Well</h4>

    July 26th, Tuesday

    Just as Zhuo Jingren promised, Lily received a call for a fitting at the boutique whereZhuo Jingren¡¯s tailored clothes were made. It also housed the custom dressmaker that he hired for her. Since theunch is just in a few days, Lily decided to make time for the fitting so she could finalize everything for the event.

    Moreover, Zhuo Jingren also told her to try and check out the wedding dress designs that the boutique has. Of course, this happened after thetter showed her hundreds of designs, making her dizzy.

    "Miss Lily, I am so happy that you are finally here. I am excited to show you the dress that the President has chosen for you," a woman of Lily¡¯s age named Bingbing said. Yesterday, she and her assistant were the ones who took Lily¡¯s measurements, and it took her almost all night to finish the design that President Zhuo wanted. "May I lead you to the VIP room?" she asked respectfully.

    In response, Lily smiled at her before she told Yang Mi to just stay in the lounge and wait for her. Then Lily followed Bingbing towards the second floor of the boutique as her eyes scanned the ce. This boutique is actually not that big. Compared to the high-end boutiques in Europe, this one was really small. However, this did not mask its elegance and extremely peaceful ambiance.

    Unlike the usual boutique with clothes disyed on racks, this ce was meticulously arranged. All the clothes were inside a disy case that acted as the boutique¡¯s wall. Inside the disy case were delicate ss shelves that seemed to light up. She noted that the motif of the boutique was a simple ck and white. It¡¯s clean and minimalistic design instantly reminded her of Zhuo Jingren.

    This boutique was like Sky City, with the exception of the delicate shelves, of course.

    "If you are wondering, President Zhuo¡¯s friend owns this ce."

    "A friend?"

    "Yes, Mr. Bei is President Zhuo¡¯s friend. Ah... If I hadn¡¯t met you, I would think that those two were actually a couple. President Zhuo is also Mr. Bei¡¯s only friend. I heard that they grew up in an orphanage together - and both of them are extremely handsome too, " Bingbingughed, her tone light. It was obvious that her rtionship with her boss... wait.

    "Hold on. Do you mean... Bei Tian?"

    "Ah? You also know our boss? This is great! Yes it is indeed Mr. Bei Tian," Bingbing continued to smile while leading Lily, and. thetter¡¯s expression was veryical. Lily remembered how she told Zhuo Jingren just a few weeks ago that she liked his friend Bei Tian. Is this why thetter¡¯s face immediately changed when he heard her words?

    But she was just trying to tease him ah. Those words should not be taken seriously.

    "Speaking of Bei Tian, I haven¡¯t seen him since I came back in Hong Kong. Is he somewhere abroad?" Lily asked casually. She could be considered as Bei Tian¡¯s acquaintance, alright?

    "Ahhh... Mr. Bei is currently out of the country. He is having a world tour that willst for two months. He should be back by August," Bingbing answered before she opened a door and led Lily inside the room.

    Facing Lily was a spacious minimalist white room with three mannequins on the center, each wearing different styles of gowns. Behind the mannequins was a mirrored wall with beautiful small light bulbs around it.

    All in all, the room looked bright and clean. Totally Zhuo Jingren¡¯s style, she thought. Lily immediately wondered if Bei Tian also had the same style as Zhuo Jingren, or was thetter the one who told the owner to make it this way?

    "Look, President Zhuo personally picked this one for you. He also picked the color and the type of stones that will be embedded on the gown," Bingbing said excitedly as she spread her hands towards the gowns. In response, Lily nodded.

    The gowns were all beautiful. To her left was a red gown with a scoop neckline made of a material that would surely glide over her curves. The dress also had a backless design withce up details. Lily instantly shook her head inwardly. For someone whoined that her dress was too skimpy, this one... this dress is really too sexy for corporate attire. She wondered if Zhuo Jingren would even let her attend the event wearing this? Will she even have the chance to get out of the room wearing this gown? Moreover, the theme of the party is ck and white. Why would thetter choose a red gown for her?

    Lily looked at the second gown and also nodded. It was a long sleeved dress with a circr cut out back. This one was a ck gown that had a plunging V- neckline with beaded rhinestones that looked like sparkling stars in contrast with the ck gown. Inwardly, only one word came into Lily¡¯s mind as she stared at the dress - sophistication.

    Then her eyes reached the third... jumpsuit? Lily instantly raised an eyebrow as she looked at the long jumpsuit that was embedded with silver beads throughout. It featured a plunging neckline and a see through bodice. It also had a low V at the back and a corset type interior that would highlight one¡¯s figure even more.

    A small smile was quick to escape Lily¡¯s lips. Her husband knows her too well. First, the red sexy gown was Lily¡¯s kind of gown, but she was sure that she wouldn¡¯t be able to attend the event wearing that gown as her husband would surely destroy it even before the start of the event. The ck elegant gown would suit the theme perfectly, and then this: A jumpsuit that would be totally out of the theme but was so beautiful that Lily could not even take her eyes off it.

    However, before Lily could say something a loud knock interrupted, then the door was abruptly opened.

    "Miss Bingbing, a Manager Hao had been demanding to see you. She said her artist Miss Qiao Qiao needed ah..." the woman¡¯s words were interrupted when a tall and slim woman entered the VIP room with her thin eyebrows raised.

    "Bingbing, I am here to have QiaoQiao¡¯s fitting. I wonder what could have caused the dy?" She eyed Bingbing before looking at Lily.

    "Manager Hao," Bingbing immediately looked awkwardly at Lily before she gave her a low bow and held Manager Hao¡¯s arms, half dragging her out of the VIP room. How could this foolish manager offend President Zhuo¡¯s woman?

    In response, Lily only raised an eyebrow while watching them leave the VIP room. She was familiar with Manager Hao only because she is the actress Qiao Qiao¡¯s manager. And Lily is nning to use Qiao Qiao against Qin Fei. However, she was not familiar with Manager Hao¡¯s attitude so this... really got Lily curious.

    With these in mind, Lily slowly walked out of the VIP room and stood in the hallway where the two could not see her. This is not eavesdropping, alright? Lily called this gathering information: research.

    A small smile escaped Lily¡¯s lips as she started to listen to the conversation of the two women.

 Chapter 171 - Unprofessional

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 171 - Unprofessional</h4>

    "What do you mean your schedule is full?" Scowling, Manager Hao ced her hands on her hips. "QiaoQiao is a top actress who is sponsored by Mr. Zhuo himself. How could you prioritize someone else over her?"

    Lily¡¯s brows instantly raised when she heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s name. For some reason, the irritation she felt was instantaneous.

    "Manager Hao, the gown is done but the fitting was supposed to best week, yet Miss QiaoQiao did not show up. I cannot just vacate my schedule for her right now," Bingbing answered. Her tone was calm but her eyes were showing a different emotion.

    "Are you telling me that you have a full schedule today? Why don¡¯t have your clients wait for a while instead? As I said, QiaoQiao is a very important artist. She should be..."

    "Manager Hao is joking. How could I just let my clients wait?" Bingbing interrupted Manager Hao while crossing her arms over her chest. Although Bingbing is a half foot shorter than Manager Hao, this did not mean that she looked any less intimidating. "Your actress was the one who did not show up for the fitting and you yourself did not even call us to inform us. However,st night you emailed me to request a new design and expected a fitting today. You and your artist are so unprofessional."

    "You- How dare you disrespect a client? I want to talk to the owner about this! Let me talk to your manager!"

    "Did no one inform you that I am the manager of this boutique, Manager Hao?" Bingbing asked, her tone cold. The bubbliness in her eyes as she talked to Lily a while ago was gone. However, Manager Hao was not intimidated. She narrowed her eyes at Bingbing.

    "Well then call your boss for me! Don¡¯t you know that my artist QiaoQiao only chose this boutique because this is part of the package of the sponsorship that was given by President Zhuo of Zhuo Capital? Don¡¯t you know who he is? I will make sure to let him know what you did today. Let¡¯s see if you can still keep your job after that," she raised her head, a smug smile visible on her face. Almost all of QiaoQiao¡¯s films had been sponsored by President Zhuo. In fact, many people in the film industry knew this, so how dare this mere manager decline a request that will benefit QiaoQiao?

    "Sister Hao," Qiao Qiao¡¯s sweet voice echoed through the hallway. "I was waiting downstairs and got bored so I decided toe here and follow you. Eh? Is something wrong? Why do you look so angry?"

    "Nothing! Just some insignificant people trying to make themselves relevant," Manager Hao said, her eyes still on Bingbing. "She refused to include us in her schedule today so I asked to talk to the owner of this boutique. How could they disregard someone sponsored by President Zhuo himself?"

    QiaoQiao¡¯s ears instantly reddened as she bashfully said, "Sister Hao is really too much. Stop spouting things like that. People might misunderstand."

    "So what? It is only the truth! This is an important event that even President Zhuo will attend. We need the gown as soon as possible. So I suggest that you... why don¡¯t you entertain us now? Anyway, that woman earlier was not really doing anything. I could give you something extra if you do that." She opened her bag and fetched her wallet. Although Bingbing was telling them that she can¡¯t make her other clients wait, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem if she offers her extra cash right? After all, money talks.

    "Manager Hao, I suggest you leave the premises," Bingbing responded. How could she take such an insult?

    "Excuse me?"

    "This will be yourst warning. Leave this ce now or I will have security drag you two out."

    "And why would you do that?" Manager Hao jeered. "Having your clothes worn by my artist is such an honor..."

    "Sister Hao, let me handle this." interrupted QiaoQiao as she gently held Manager Hao¡¯s arms. "Miss Bingbing, I apologize for the inconvenience that we have caused today." She gave Bingbing a low bow. "Butst week I got sick so I was not able to show up for the fitting. I know that this is a little rushed, but can you please amodate us today?" QiaoQiao¡¯s respectful tone immediately earned a small smile from Lily. Who would have thought that she would get to experience such superb quality white lotus acting today? Isn¡¯t this... just amusing? Lily decided not to interfere and watched the show further. After all, she always loved a little entertainment from these clowns.

    "Miss Qiao," Bingbing, shifted her gaze to QiaoQiao. "I already told you that my schedule is full today and I currently have a very important client to attend to. Please leave the premises, and I suggest you find another boutique. I¡¯m sure a lot of them would love to have you wear their clothing," she smiled provokingly at QiaoQiao before raising an eyebrow at Manager Hao. How could Bingbing tolerate disrespect in this boutique? Moreover, these two had been using President Zhuo¡¯s name as if they mattered to him!

    "Then why don¡¯t you give us the number of your boss. Maybe we could negotiate," QiaoQiao said meekly. Seeing Bingbing¡¯s scrutinizing gaze instantly made her lower her eyes to the ground, like a child being scolded by their parents.

    Bingbing immediately shook her head. Now, she was sure that these two have other goals for today. They wanted the boss¡¯ number! They must have thought that Zhuo Jingren owned this ce! This immediately made Bingbing¡¯s blood boil. What a scheming woman!

    "Please leave now. I already said I have a very important client to attend to."

    "Who could be more important the QiaoQiao?" Manager Hao sneered.

    "Me! I am the one who is more important than both of youbined," Lily¡¯s soft voice echoed, followed by the sound of her approaching footsteps. She gave Bingbing a gentle smile before looking at Manager Hao and QiaoQiao. However, her gaze did not linger as she looked at Bingbing again. "Shall we go now?"

 Chapter 172 - An Emergency Situation

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 172 - An Emergency Situation</h4>

    "Hey! Wait!" Manager Hao immediately ran after Lily and Bingbing and blocked their path with QiaoQiao in tow. Seeing Lily and Bingbing stop to stare at her, Manager Hao instantly red at the two. "Who do you think you are?"

    "Sister Hao... I think we should just go," QiaoQiao said suddenly as she tried to avoid Lily¡¯s eyes. A while ago, she was not able to recognize Lily as she did not see her features properly. However, now that they are face to face, she was already a hundred percent sure that this... this was President Lily Fi-Qin of the Fi Group. The woman who single handedly embarrassed Qin Fei at Fashion Week. How could QiaoQiao forget such an incident?

    "President Lily, this is a misunderstanding," she said immediately. "I am a great fan of yours; however, my manager did not recognize you at the VIP room as she hadn¡¯t seen you at the party back then. My apologies."

    In response, Lily smiled gently at the speechless Manager before looking at QiaoQiao. "Apology epted." Seeing that Manager Hao did not move an inch, Lily raised an eyebrow. "Are you not going to move?"

    "Let¡¯s go, Sister Hao. We still need to find a new boutique. I wonder if we can still attend theunch event. I am not sure if we can still find a suitable gown at this time," QiaoQiao said while giving her manager a sad smile. She then looked at Lily with the same sad look on her face.

    "Why don¡¯t I ask CEO Xuan to call President Zhuo? Maybe he could give you a referral for the gown?" Manager Hao said, still not moving out of Lily¡¯s way.

    "No... it¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s just go. We have already disturbed the people here."

    "QiaoQiao this is a very important event for you. I don¡¯t think..."

    "No, it¡¯s alright. Let¡¯s go, Sis Hao," QiaoQiao said before she looked at Lily. "I apologize for disturbing you. I¡¯m really pressed for time, hence my Manager got riled up with the situation. We are going right now to find another boutique." She smiled at Lily before giving Bingbing a small bow. If people saw them, they would immediately think that QiaoQiao was as respectful and as gentle as the early morning breeze.

    "Are you going to attend a ball?" Lily asked.

    "Oh.. no. We were invited to theunch party for Harmony Isle," QiaoQiao answered. Seeing the interest in Lily¡¯s eyes, she continued, "I know... I did not expect that they would invite a mere actress like me."

    "Why are you looking down on yourself? Of course, they would invite someone like you. You are not only beautiful, you also have connections ah," Manager Hao chimed in.

    "Hmmm. Interesting," Lily nodded whileughing inwardly. How could these two act like monkeys in front of her? Did they think she was like all those dumb people that they could manipte into doing their bidding? How stupid.

    "Yeah... I was actually surprised that they invited me. I don¡¯t even remember knowing the person who owns Harmony Isle, plus I have yet to be an lister," QiaoQiao said, innocence apparent in her eyes. All she really wanted was to get a gown for theunch. Nothing else. At first, seeing Miss Bingbing mad made her panic as they are really pressed for time and she might not be able to find another beautiful gown for Saturday. But then, President Lily showed up. QiaoQiao immediately used the situation to try and get thetter¡¯s attention, hoping that Lily would tell the staff to amodate her as well.

    It was not really a harmful scheme or anything. After all, women should help each other and not bring each other down. Though she already saw Lily in action against Qin Fei, QiaoQiao was somewhat sure that she could charm her way towards Lily. In QiaoQiao¡¯s mind, Lily was just like any other influential females that she had met. You praise them a little and then apologize, and follow it up by acting meekly. This will lead them to reciprocate ordingly or atleast act like they do. After all, QiaoQiao was an artist and a very good one at that. If someone discovered that she was bullied, her fans would react immediately...

    "I don¡¯t remember inviting you though," Lily¡¯s words interrupted her thinking.

    "Eh?" QiaoQiao gave Lily a questioning look. "What does President Qin mean?"

    "Ah... you didn¡¯t know? I own Harmony Isle." Lily¡¯s smile was still stered on her face, which made Manager Hao and QiaoQiao a little confused and unable to understand her true meaning. Is she angry? Being sarcastic? Or just happy? "Alright, since it¡¯s clear that I did not invite you, there¡¯s no need to tire yourselves out. You can go home now."

    Everyone¡¯s mouth was left agape at Lily¡¯s words. This... Isn¡¯t this just the most awkward situation?

    "I... President Qin..." QiaoQiao started to stutter as her face reddened in embarrassment. She immediately berated herself inwardly for still proceeding with her n. Why did she have to open her mouth and talk to a person as scary as the woman in front of her?

    "I am in a hurry and you are still in my way. I can see that you love standing on someone¡¯s way too much. Why don¡¯t I ask President Zhuo to cancel all of Zhuo Capital¡¯s sponsorships on your films? By then you can stand here however long you want." she asked, coldly. This time, Lily could not deny the ufortable feeling that she had inside. She was a little irritated. No... this is not irritation. This is pure anger. She is angry and she could not even exin why.

    Then suddenly Yang Mi arrived and approached Lily. She ignored the other two women in front of Lily and directly whispered into Lily¡¯s ear.

    Lily immediately scoffed at her secretary¡¯s words. "If he wants a picture then let hime and take it himself!" she suddenly snapped. Realizing that she had said this in the presence of other people, Lily cleared her throat as the realization hit her. She then held her head high and pushed Manager Hao out of the way before marching towards the VIP Room.

    She was f*cking mad because she was jealous! Jealous that someone had casually used her husband¡¯s name and imed him to be theirs! ¡¯Zhuo Jingren ah! You have been attracting so many women! You just wait and see!¡¯ she gritted her teeth while mming the door of the VIP room shut leaving Yang Mi and Bingbing outside the door staring at each other with a puzzled look on their faces.

    "Do you think we should call President Zhuo?" Bingbing asked. In response, Yang Mi nodded.

    "Hmmm... We need to. This is an emergency situation."

 Chapter 173 - Confession

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 173 - Confession</h4>

    The moment Zhuo Jingren went inside the boutique, both QiaoQiao and Manager Hao immediately rose from their seats, shock apparent in their eyes. How could the President suddenly arrive at this ce? Could it be that...

    Manager Hao¡¯s eyes lit up as her gaze shifted towards the blushing QiaoQiao. As expected, President Zhuo had taken a liking towards her artist. Manager Hao instantly checked QiaoQiao¡¯s appearance. Thetter was wearing a sky blue dress which enhanced her pale skin. She was not wearing a lot of make-up and that only enhanced her natural beauty. She slowly nodded her head before looking at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s panicked expression? Eh? Why would President Zhuo...

    Manager Hao did not continue her train of thought when both of them noticed that Zhuo Jingren was walking their way. She instantly cleared her throat, "Pre..." Manager Hao was not even able to finish her words when a gust of wind almost knocked her down. President Zhuo just walked past them towards the second floor of the boutique! The man did not even looked at them once! This...

    Her eyes immediately moved towards QiaoQiao who actually had a very puzzled look on her face. What just happened?

    "Sister Hao... I..." QiaoQiao¡¯s face turned pale then it became bloody red... so red it almost looked purple. It was obvious that Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t even recognize her.

    "QiaoQiao... you and President Zhuo..." Manager Hao was not able to continue her words. Though this all started with a single tease, she actually believed it might happen in the long run. But who could¡¯ve have thought that...

    Once again, Manager Hao swallowed a mouthful of saliva before she looked at some of the staff and clients who were looking at them awkwardly. "Let¡¯s go... I think our van just arrived," she said before leaving ahead of her artist. What an embarrassment!

    On the other hand, Zhuo Jingren just stood at the door of the VIP fitting room. Yang Mi had already exined to him about everything that had happened, and though he didn¡¯t understand why Lily would suddenly fly into a fit of rage, he knew that calming her down will be difficult. Was Lily the type of person to yell? No. Zhuo Jingren was sure that Lily would not raise her voice just because she was mad. Was Lily the type of person to throw things once she was mad? He didn¡¯t know, but he can only hope that she would not choose to throw a knife at him once he steps inside.

    "Ehem..." Zhuo Jingren immediately looked at Secretary Go who was standing next to him. "President, I saw the CCTV. The Madam was eavesdropping while Miss Bingbing was talking with those two women. One is an actress called QiaoQiao and the other, is her manager. I already took the liberty to inquire about this conversation and Miss Bingbing told me that the actress QiaoQiao and her manager had mentioned repeatedly about you sponsoring her films. In the end, they even had the courage to ask for the ¡¯Boss¡¯¡¯ number, who they assumed to be you."

    Zhuo Jingren nodded in response. He did not utter a single word as he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked into the room.

    Inside, Lily was standing in front of the third mannequin. Her back was to Zhuo Jingren but for some reason thetter could not feel anything from her. Not coldness, nor anger. The throwing episode that he envisioned earlier also did not happen. Was he just overthinking?

    "Hey?" He approached her casually and then he tried to lean down to kiss her cheek, but his lips met with Lily¡¯s palm.

    "I think I like you," Lily said in a serious tone.

    "Well... I like you too," he answered, looking at her side profile. Inwardly, Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t know how to react at all. Ever since they got married, Lily had never told him that she liked him... She would always say she married him for his money or his body, sometimes even his face - but never him. So was Lily confessing her feelings, now? He was supposed to be happy, right? No, he wasn¡¯t. All he knew is that he was... nervous.

    However, Zhuo Jingren was quick to force down his own thoughts and he chose not to say anything. He continued to look at Lily, his expressionplicated.

    "I am serious." Lily finally looked at him, her gaze a littleplicated. "I think I have never liked anyone like this before."

    "I..."

    "And I want you to know that I have not beenpletely honest with you. Our child... might have been taken away from my womb without my knowledge," Lily suddenly blurted,pletely killing the mood in the process. What else can she say? To be honest, she didn¡¯t know how to handle situations like this. Moreover, she didn¡¯t remember any movies that involved a wife¡¯s confession about her feelings for her husband. She waspletely clueless so she decided to just say the next thing that came into her head.

    On the outside, Lily looked calm. Her face was stoic and her eyes looked straight into his. On the inside, however, she was still not satisfied. She was aware that she might be acting like a teenager, contradicting her own thoughts every now and then. Who else could she me about this behavior? Aside from her stupid, innocent self who had never experienced a proper boyfriend in her teenage years? No one!

    After arriving in Europe, Lily was so engrossed in learning and growing that she failed to associate herself with other people and be more familiar with rtionships between a man and a woman. Moreover, she had promised herself to live alone until she died. Meeting - Liking someone like Zhuo Jingren was never a part of her ns at all.

    Additionally, her grandmother never had discussions with her about these things ah.

    "I... Wow! You never cease to amaze me," Zhuo Jingren said before taking a deep breath. He lowered his gaze before shifting it back to Lily¡¯s light brown eyes. Surprisingly, his heart didn¡¯t beat as fast this time. "I think this is also the time for me to tell you that I was thinking the same thing and had been doing my own investigation since you told me about it."

    "I know." Lily answered. "What do you think will happen if we found out that someone deliberately killed our child?"

    "Then we will destroy them," he answered immediately. In response, Lily nodded. ¡¯Destroy them¡¯ was good enough for her.

    Seeing Lily engrossed in her own thoughts as she shifted her gaze back into the mannequin, Zhuo Jingren decided to slowly pull her towards him, his hands wrapped around her waist. Then he kissed her head and hugged her tighter.

    No matter how much Zhuo Jingren had analyzed the situation, he would never have included this type of confession or conversation at a time like this. To be honest, this mixture of harmonious and blunt Lily was an absolute surprise to him. Not that he did not like it. Because he did... He liked it a lot.

    "Jingren?" Lily¡¯s soft voice reached his ears.

    "Hmmmm?"

    "You have been attracting different kinds of womentely. I think it¡¯s high time you stop working and just stay at home, so no one can see your handsome face anymore, no?"

    "Eh?"

 Chapter 174 - An Illegitimate Daughter

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 174 - An Illegitimate Daughter</h4>

    On the night before theunch, Zhuo Jingren had to force Lily to stop working and go to sleep early. How could she still work the night before the big event? Though Lily did her best to argue, in the end, her husband won. Using the ¡¯honeymoon phase¡¯ reasoning, Zhuo Jingren dragged Lily to bed and got her so tired that she couldn¡¯t even manage to open her eyes.

    "President, I¡¯m sorry to disturb you at this hour but I think you really need to hear this news as soon as possible."

    Zhuo Jingren sat on the chair in his office and looked at a wall clock to his left - It was thirty minutes past eleven. Secretary Go must have found out something really important to rush about at this hour of the night and disturb his sleep. "Speak," he said.

    "This is what I found about the Yang Family," Secretary Go stated while giving a thick folder to Zhuo Jingren. "Let me start with the Patriarch. Old Man Yang is a retired General, his wife died more than ten years ago and he never remarried or got close to another female. He is a righteous old man who is also very strict. The eldest, Lieutenant Colonel Yang Sen, he has been married for more than twenty years to He Yuyan, a nurse whom he met while working in the military. After their marriage, thetter stayed at home and gave birth to a son, Yang Jing, who is currently a captain in spite of his young age."

    Seeing Zhuo Jingren just stare at the wall clock without looking at the files, Secretary Go continued. "The second son, Yang Tao, is an upright man who seems to have inherited his father¡¯s strict behavior. His wife died while giving birth to their youngest daughter, Wendy Yang, a painter based in Korea. He also never remarried another woman and raised his son and daughter alone. His eldest son, Geoff Yang, is also in the Military. He, however, is unlike the older generations of the Yang Family, he is... Well he loves to sleep around with women and..."

    "And what?" Zhuo Jingren asked.

    "He seems to have an on and off rtionship with Miss Li Shanshan."

    "Continue."

    "The two met during a taping that required military assistance and then they started seeing each other. Actually it was more like Yang Tao was chasing Miss Li around. Our sources believe that he wanted a real rtionship but Miss Li refused."

    Zhuo Jingren nodded and gestured for Secretary Go to continue.

    "The thing that I wanted to show you is an old DNA test result copy that our men found. This shows... that Miss Yang Mi is the biological daughter of the eldest son, Yang Sen," Secretary Go said, deliberately pausing before he continued. "Apparently, two years after his marriage with He Yuyan, Yang Sen was assigned to one of the viges near the border of China. He met Miss Yang Mi¡¯s mother in one of the viges. The woman got pregnant and Yang Sen¡¯s wife, He Yuyan, made sure that he would never know about Miss Yang Mi."

    "If Yang Mi was born in China then... how did she be Lily¡¯s assistant in Europe?" Zhuo Jingren thought out loud. An illegitimate daughter of a prestigious military family? If this news gets out, then...

    "I took the initiative to check out Miss Yang Mi¡¯s background and found that she has a sickly mother living in the Yunnan Province along with Yang Mi¡¯s half-sister. Their rtionship is very harmonious and Miss Yang always sends money home for her mother¡¯s health."

    "Alright. Go home now," Zhuo Jingren said. This thing... for some reason, he felt that Lily knew about this information. "One question though," he said, and Secretary Go stopped in his tracks. "You said it was He Yuyan who prevented her husband from knowing the truth. What did she do? And how did you find out about this?"

    "Ah.. it wasn¡¯t really that hard, President. When our men asked some people living near the Yang Family¡¯s mansion, they found out that years ago there was a woman who twice brought a child to the mansion, asking to speak to Yang Sen each time. That woman should be Miss Yang Mi¡¯s aunt. ording to my research, Miss Yang Mi¡¯s mother suffered from cancer after giving birth to her second daughter. She must have asked her sister to bring Miss Yang Mi to the Yang Family to be recognized. However, Yang Sen was a military man who hardly stayed at home so it was He Yuyan who met them. She was also the one who gave them enough money for the treatment of Miss Yang Mi¡¯s mother."

    "After that day, they never tried to contact the Yang Family to have them recognize Yang Mi. If my guess is right, then He Yuyan must have negotiated with them to to stay away in exchange for the money," Secretary Go added.

    Zhuo Jingren did not respond. Instead, he waved his hand and watched as Secretary Go left. "That was quick." Lily¡¯s sudden voice surprised Zhuo Jingren. Secretary Go didn¡¯t even take twenty minutes to exin whatever it was that he ryed to Zhuo Jingren.

    "You¡¯re still awake?" He watched as thetter wrapped the robe tighter around her. She walked towards Zhuo Jingren and unceremoniously sat on hisp.

    "I woke up because it was too cold, and I need someone hot beside me." she answered, her half lidded eyes staring at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s handsome face. "So what was that all about?"

    "Didn¡¯t you hear what he said?" he asked while wrapping his arms around her.

    "I don¡¯t eavesdrop, okay?"

    "Hmmm... yeah. I believe you," he chuckled. "It was about the Yang Family. Do you know about Yang Mi and the Yang Family?" In response, Lily stared at him before she nodded.

    "I do."

    "Does she know about it too?"

    "Yes, she does."

    "Do you have your ns or...?" he asked. If Lily wanted to do something about the Yang Family then he would dly back down and support her from behind.

    "I already told you, they don¡¯t interest me. And Yang Mi does not care about them either," she said while cing her head on the nook of his neck. "Why don¡¯t you stop thinking about them and think about the possibility of me being naked under this robe?"

    "Naughty as always," he chuckled deeply before he brushed his lips against her ear. "Lets sleep... you have a long day tomorrow," he said as he rose from his seat while carrying her.

    "Weak," Lily uttered while rolling her eyes.

 Chapter 175 - A Cold Hearted Possessive CEO

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 175 - A Cold Hearted Possessive CEO</h4>

    July 30th, Saturday - Launch Day

    "In my defense, you called me a weak man and an old man in one week. You crushed my pride into smithereens with just one step. Shall I just let you do it again and again without trying to build up my confidence first? As a healthy man, I, too, need to assure myself that I am enough to satiate my wife¡¯s... cravings," Zhuo Jingren smirked as he watched Lily¡¯s frowning face.

    Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you think your eloquence is enough to defend yourself? You- you brute!"

    "Aiya... challenging me time and time again, thenining you couldn¡¯t keep up. What is this logic?" In response, Lily threw arge pillow towards her husband¡¯s face. he justughed as he avoided the pillow.

    "You told me that we were going to sleepst night!"

    "You called me weak," Zhuo Jingren responded, stillughing.

    "Stop defending yourself!" Lily hissed. "Go get me some medicine for body pains!"

    Without getting up, Zhuo Jingren handed her some medicine. "Eat your breakfast first, then drink this." He eyed the bed tray that he ced in front of Lily.

    "Bribing me with food... You think too lowly of me, Mr. Zhuo." She narrowed her eyes at him before she shoved the porridge in her mouth. Lily was actually pissed right now. Last night, this man ravaged her to the point of exhaustion. Right now, Lily could still feel her legs shaking. How crude.

    Though she couldn¡¯t deny the fact that she loved it, Lily was still adamant about ming him for her tired body. How was she supposed to walk in stilettoster?

    "Does it taste good?" he asked when Lily continued to eat it without saying anything. "It¡¯s early in the morning and you are already so grumpy. How about I give you a massage?"

    "You seemed to be so idle Mr. Zhuo. Don¡¯t you have apany to run?" she asked.

    "It¡¯s Saturday. I am on a weekend holiday and I will be there to escort youter."

    "Oh..." she nodded. "But you don¡¯t show yourself at events like this, right? I mean... I have never heard of you attendingunch events like this."

    "You are my wife. I attend every event that you attend."

    "Fair enough. This is also good. Those women who have intentions towards you will know that I own you."

    "You make it sound as If I am a woman and you are the cold hearted,possessive CEO who owns me."

    "I am a cold hearted possessive CEO," she countered while slowly turning her head towards him before shezily continued, "and I own you."

    "Hmmm... now that I think about it," Zhuo Jingren held his chin before grinning. "You are absolutely right!"

    Seeing Jingren¡¯s silly expression, Lily couldn¡¯t help but also smile. After she told him her feelings, Lily expected awkwardness between them but contrary to her expectations, she felt as if they be even closer. Maybe it was... the honesty? Or the rawness that both of them showed towards each other. She didn¡¯t know... and Lily found it tooplicated to discuss this. She felt good and she knew, he did too. And for that... she was thankful.

    Theunch will be a four-hour evening event that will start at six. It will be held in one of the high-end hotels that is located in the northwestern part of Hong Kong. Since this is not near Sky City, Lily decided to have her makeup done at the hotel itself.

    Originally, Lily decided to head down to the hotel at noon with Yang Mi. This was already in her schedule. However, because she woke upte, she asked Yang Mi to just go to the hotel without her to prepare everything while she and Zhuo Jingren willeter as he will also be the one escorting her to the event.

    The trip to the hotel was actually not that long, so Zhuo Jingern decided that he would drive Lily while Daohu will drive both Secretary Go and Yang Mi.

    "You have been trying to make Go Jinchen get close to Yang Mitely," Lily noted as she gazed out of the car window.

    "So observant," he smiled, his eyes on the road.

    "But Go Jinchen is afraid of Yang Mi. How could the two of them get closer to each other when he won¡¯t even start a conversation with her?"

    "You are underestimating Jichen so much. Just watch and see how those two will eventually end up together soon."

    "You seem to love ying cupid, huh?" Lily turned her head to look at him. "Why don¡¯t you stop thinking about other people¡¯s love lives and answer the proposition? What do you think? I will still pay you for warming my bed." Lily had a small smirk on her face, an eyebrow raised at him.

    In response, Zhou Jingren let out a chuckle but before he could open his mouth, Lily¡¯s phone rang. Seeing that it was an unknown number, Lily frowned before she answered the call.

    "Yes, speaking," Lily¡¯s frown grew deeper, prompting Zhuo Jingren to slow down and look at her.

    "What? Which hospital?" Lily¡¯s face paled.

    "Alright, give me fifteen minutes." She then ended the call and looked at Zhuo Jingren. "Yang Mi and the others got into an ident. Let¡¯s go to the City Hospital now."

    Zhuo Jingren did not utter a word as he stepped on the gas. A cold atmosphere seemed to envelope the car as Zhuo Jingren suddenly grabbed Lily¡¯s hand and pulled her towards him. His expression was enough to tell Lily what the man was thinking.

    If he did not insist on Lily riding with him, then it would have been Lily in that car. Although Zhuo Jingren was not happy, a sliver of relief could still be seen in his eyes as he tightened his hold on Lily¡¯s hand.

    A few minutester, his phone also vibrated and since he was driving, it was Lily who answered the call. Just as they expected, it was also a call from the hospital informing him that Secretary Go got into an ident.

    The duo¡¯s expression was grave as they both turned silent. ording to the information given to them, a drunk truck driver shoved the car that Yang Mi and Secretary Go were riding in. It was an ident, and the driver also sustained some injuries himself - but a drunk driver in the middle of the day? Both Lily and Zhuo Jingren looked at each other, understanding visible in their eyes before he shifted his gaze onto the road again.

    Both of them had been so exposed to the ways of the world to the point that they don¡¯t believe in coincidences anymore. So was it really an ident?

    After a few minutes, the duo arrived at the hospital and were immediately relieved to find that Yang Mi just sustained bruises because Secretary Go was able to protect her. Sadly, thetter sustained grave injuries that might keep him in bed for a few days.

    "President, I am sure it was not an ident." Yang Mi said as she never left her sight on the sleeping Secretary Go. She then clenched her teeth and stared at Lily, "I am positive that someone wanted that ident to happen."

 Chapter 176 - Elegance and Money

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 176 - Elegance and Money</h4>

    Without waiting for Lily to say anything, Yang Mi started exining how the truck seemed to be waiting for them and how the truck driver made sure not to hit the car in a way that would turn it over. It was as if... the driver calcted the impact as well as the right ce to hit the car, making sure that they would only get bruises and some small wounds. Even Daohu, who was driving, only received a few bruises.

    The only reason why Secretary Go received such wounds is because he noticed the approaching truck and removed his seat belt so he could protect Yang Mi in his arms. Though a little heroic, Yang Mi also told Lily how she found this action a little stupid. Why take your seatbelt off to try and protect someone other than yourself?

    Of course, Yang Mi had been around Lily for so long that she had developed some of Lily¡¯s selfish traits, but this didn¡¯t mean that Yang Mi did not appreciate the man¡¯s efforts.

    Because of this, Lily asked her to stay in the hospital for now so she could take care of Go Jichen. The man also grew up in an orphanage and had no one to take care of him. Yang Mi reluctantly agreed to Lily¡¯s request, however, she also made sure that Lily would be taken care of and repeatedly asked Zhuo Jingren not to let Lily go anywhere by herself.

    "You have been through a lot. You should rest. The room has two beds in it. Daohu will also be around to buy everything that is needed here," Lily said while staring at the bandages on Yang Mi¡¯s hands. Apparently, thetter was hit by some shattered ss during the ident. While this was a little woundpared to the shattered ss that went into Secretary Go¡¯s back, Lily still insisted on Yang Mi to getting some rest.

    "President, please leave now. I can take care of myself. Theunch will start in less than an hour," Yang Mi said. In response, Lily nodded and looked at Zhuo Jingren. The duo then walked out of the room to find Daohu waiting for them.

    Just like Yang Mi, Daohu only had a bit of bruising and some bandages on his head. The doctor said that he could go home at any time.

    "President, Madam." Daohu made a low bow before Zhuo Jingren instructed him to stay for a while and get everything that Secretary Go and Yang Mi needed. While this was happening, Lily also made some calls to George and told him about what happened.

    "He said it will take him a day or two to find out about the driver," Lily said. They were already on their way to the hotel.

    "I can do it in a day," Zhuo Jingren said, earning a nod from Lily. George just took over the Tang Family¡¯s business and it was expected that he would have to deal with some hostility within the organization. After all, he is from the west and because of this hiswork right now is not as strong as Zhuo Jingren¡¯s.

    "Do you think that..."

    "Yes, I do," Zhuo Jingren interrupted her question. "And I am going to find out who had the audacity to attempt to hurt you."

    "Yang Lina," Lily uttered. Her voice was low, but it was enough for Zhuo Jingren to hear. "If I were Yang Lina, this would be my best course of action."

    "I will investigate. If she really is the culprit then... I will deal with her," Zhuo Jingren said his face as cold as his tone. Although Lily wanted to voice her objections and tell him about her original n, she ended up nodding at his words. She understood how angry Zhuo Jingren had be... and to be honest, she also wanted to see his capabilities.

    "The Yang Family won¡¯t be an easy opponent," Lily said. "Yang Mi no longer cares about them so you can do whatever you want. However, those people have connections to the government. I¡¯m afraid..."

    "They can¡¯t do anything to me." His deration earned a raised eyebrow from Lily. Seeing that he had no ns to borate, Lily chose not to ask either. Since Zhuo Jingren said this then he must be confident that he can do something about them.

    "Check out the folder in the back of the car. I am nning to give that to Fernando," he said. Lily immediately took the document and an expression of utter shock registered on her face. She continued to read the document and looked at Zhuo Jingren.

    "Why would you give this to Fernando?"

    "So he would know the identity of his strongestpetition," Zhuo Jingren answered nonchntly, "Your friend is such a coward. He needs a challenge."

    A sh of understanding could be seen in Lily¡¯s eyes. She then decided to changed the topic, "When will we arrive at the hotel?"

    "Five minutes."

    The convention hall of Hilltop Hotel and Resort can amodate as many as a thousand people, and this is where Lily is holding the officialunch of the new Head Office of the Fi Group as well as announcing the opening date of the revamped Harmony Isle.

    "I¡¯m going to go and talk to some people. You behave - and don¡¯t attract too much attention," Qin Mo whispered into Tang Lingyun¡¯s ears. She just had her press conference the other day and Qin Mo was sure that some paparazzi were still very interested in taking some candid photos of Tang Lingyun. It would be better if she just behaved herself and maintained the gentle smile on her face.

    "Alright," Tang Lingyun nodded while eyeing the ck carpet that wasid all over the venue. Seeing her nod, Qin Mo immediately led her and Qin Liwei to their assigned tables before leaving with Qin Liwei to talk to some of his friends.

    Tang Lingyun¡¯s eyes roamed the whole venue as hate and anger started to sprout inside her. In front of Tang Lingyun was a venue that was only seen in Hollywood movies. From the ck carpet to the crystals hanging from the ceiling, this ce screamed nothing short of elegance and... money. She wondered how much Lily spent on all these decorations just to impress the guests.

    Tang Lingyun gritted her teeth as she thought about Lily Qin being richer and more prominent than her, then a smug smile slowly appeared on her face. ¡¯Let¡¯s see how long that despicable Qin Jinghua can maintain all this,¡¯ she mused as she metally finessed her evil schemes.

 Chapter 177 - Smitten by Her Beauty

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 177 - Smitten by Her Beauty</h4>

    The whole venue was dazzling, if that word was even enough to describe the heavenly effect of the crystals that were hanging from the ceiling, perfectly reflecting the light and creating a shimmering effect. In contrast with the ck drapes and ck carpet, the crystals looked like stars - glittering and gracing the guests with their magnificent beauty.

    There were more than twenty circr tables decked in simple ck linens with white cushioned chairs surrounding each table. To add to the elegance, the centerpiece on each table featured two different sized cylinder vases. One was filled with ck gems, while the other, white. On top of these vases were white pir candles that were recessed slightly in the gems. From the menu to the ssware, everything was in ck and white.

    In the center of the venue was a circr object that was covered with ck linen. There was also a stage just a few feet away from the circr object that was decorated with ck and white drapes andnterns.

    To the left of the stage, an extravagant disy corner featured all of the awards that the Fi Group had received over the years, while on the right another disy of swag bags and various gifts that will be given to the guests after the event could be seen.

    "I¡¯ve heard that those pens are very expensive," Manager Hao said in a low voice. Next to her sat QiaoQiao who was wearing a white mermaid gown.

    "I don¡¯t know. Why do you think President Lily sent us an invitation? Do you think she will embarrass us?" QiaoQiao asked. Originally, QiaoQiao was not invited to this event, however, a famous businessman asked her to be his plus one. Since this wasmon in the entertainment industry, QiaoQiao immediately agreed. After all, this was not the first time that a handsome young businessman asked her to be their arm candy for an event.

    However, after Lily had mentioned that they were not invited, she immediately asked the businessman to find someone else instead. Lily Qin already made it clear that she was not weed, so how could she still show her face at the event?

    "I don¡¯t know. Maybe an apology? She was quite rude back then," Manager Hao said, her eyes still glued on the giveaways. "Look at those snowballs. I bet they are really expensive. How rich do you think President Qin is?"

    "I looked at the awards earlier and discovered that Fi Group is a conglomerate with many subsidiaries, but their main focus is construction and oil," Manager Hao continued talking, but QiaoQiao¡¯s mind was elsewhere else. She was not na?ve. She¡¯d already noticed the disgust in Lily¡¯s eyes when she looked at them yet she still invited them. What could be her goal? Embarrassing them at an important event like this was too far fetched. QiaoQiao was sure that Lily Qin would not waste her time scheming against a mere actress like her.

    Then her mind travelled to Zhuo Jingren. That time in the boutique was actually the first time that she had seen him up close. Because of Zhuo Capital¡¯s sponsorship of some of her films, she actually thought that Zhuo Jingren would recognize her. The moment Zhuo Jingren walked inside the boutique, QiaoQiao felt as if her world had stopped revolving, as if, she and the man who just arrived with a very worried look on his face were the only ones standing there.

    QiaoQiao¡¯s heart started beating faster the moment Zhuo Jingren took his first step towards her. It was as if butterflies were fluttering inside her stomach. She remembered all those Barbie movies that she watched and thought that this would be the moment when the Male Lead would introduce himself to Barbie after being smitten by her beauty. However, contrary to her expectations, Zhuo Jingren did not even take a nce at her.

    After that incident QiaoQiao bawled her eyes out for the whole night. The humiliation and disappointment that she felt was so intense that she vowed not to take any projects that were sponsored by Zhuo Capital, but the little expectation that Zhuo Jingren would notice this refusal is what QiaoQiao hoped for inwardly. She still hoped or maybe wished that he would inquire what was wrong and maybe... just maybe even approach her.

    "Hey... QiaoQiao stop dozing off." Her thoughts were interrupted when Manager Hao gently elbowed her.

    "Huh? What is it?"

    "It¡¯s President Zhuo. He just arrived and the host just announced that we are going to start in one minute. Do you think he is a special guest for tonight?" Manager Hao whispered before she added, "President Zhuo does not attend events like this so he should be treated like a special guest, right? Ah... this reminds me... Do you think President Zhuo has a special rtionship with President Qin?"

    "What are you spouting? President Qin already has a man. He is the heir of GC Jewels. The one wearing an all-white suit. He is in the front, that one beside President Zhuo," QiaoQiao said. Lily and Fernando did not act as if they were a couple during Fashion Week but the way their actions were so in sync with each other was enough to prove that they have a special rtionship. Moreover, both of them were from Europe, so It is only reasonable for them to be together.

    "Ah... so handsome. Look, President Zhuo is wearing an all-ck outfit while that man is wearing all white. Both of them are so rich too." Manager Hao gave QiaoQiao a knowing look before she nodded in approval. "QiaoQiao, bing their woman is such a lucky thing. That should be your top priority foring here, today."

    "Sister Hao, don¡¯t embarrass me any further. President Zhuo does not even know me." QiaoQiao lowered her head, a tinge of sadness shing in her eyes.

    "That¡¯s why you have to make yourself known," Manager Hao said. Seeing QiaoQiao give her a puzzled look, Manager Hao leaned in closer to tell QiaoQiao about her cunning n. President Zhuo is a man, and just like any other man he too is vulnerable when ites to beautiful, weak women.

 Chapter 178 - Different Expressions

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 178 - Different Expressions</h4>

    On the other side of the venue, Yang Lina arrived with her husband, Xuan Zeng. As a couple who were already known in business circles, Xuan Zeng and Yang Lina¡¯s arrival immediately attracted the attention of some people. This was also because the couple managed to bring Xuan Hui with them. Sadly, Qin Fei was not able toe because of her current state.

    Just like Tang Lingyun and everyone else, the trio were also pleasantly surprised by the sophistication before them. Though these people were used to being invited to events like this, they could not deny the fact that this was the first time they¡¯d witnessed an event as grand as thisunch.

    When the trio reached their assigned seats, surprise registered on their faces when they saw Tang Lingyun and the others had been seated at the same table as them.

    "Where is Qin Fei?" Qin Mo instantly asked. After the host announced that they would be starting soon, he and his son immediately returned to their assigned table.

    "She is not feeling well," Xuan Hui was quick to answer. Actually, Qin Fei caused a big ruckus when Yang Lina did not allow her toe. She was crying and throwing things the whole day. In the end, Yang Lina threatened to send her to the Xuan Family¡¯s ancestral house in Maind China after she gives birth. Qin Fei¡¯s anger immediately subsided. She stopped crying and obediently stayed at home.

    Xuan Hui tried to stay behind to attend to his wife, but his mother insisted that this event is very important and hence, he shoulde along and leave Qin Fei at home. Yang Lina also made sure to leave a caretaker at home to attend to Qin Fei¡¯s every need for the night.

    Hearing Xuan Hui¡¯s words, Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun nodded. After all, Qin Fei is heavily pregnant and It¡¯s reasonable for her not to feel well at this point.

    "This is actually over the top. Is this really necessary?" As a civil servant, Xuan Zeng had developed the trait of being ¡¯just and humble¡¯. For him, extravagant spending like this was actually unnecessary at theseunch events. He felt, It would have been better to utilize this amount of money to help the underprivileged.

    "She is trying to show everyone how big herpany is. She is rich. Let her show off," Yang Lina answered with a smile on her face. Lily Qin was actually someone who sits above all of them when ites to their bank ounts. This is something that she herself could not deny. She then turned towards her son, "This is a very good event for you. Everyone who has been invited is truly influential. Some people even came from abroad. If you want to broaden yourwork, you should take advantage of this opportunity to interact with them."

    "Mother, the program will start soon."

    "No, it won¡¯t." Yang Lina smiled at him, her gaze was full of meaning, "Lily is not yet here."

    "But the host..."

    "They won¡¯t start without Lily," Yang Lina interrupted her son. "I am sure of that." Before she could give her son a smile, however, the lights dimmed and the voice of the host echoed through the room, announcing the formal start of the program.

    Yang Lina immediately furrowed her brows. Why would they start the event without Lily? She then checked her phone but discovered that there were no unread messages. This could only mean that her n was a sess. Lily should be in the hospital right now.

    "Mother, is everything alright?" Xuan Hui asked, sensing Yang Lina¡¯s distress.

    "Of course," she answered as she thought about her previous ns for Lily. First, Yang Lina only wanted to hurt Lily by embarrassing her and showing her that this was Hong Kong and not Europe. This was Yang Lina¡¯s turf. She was hoping that it would be enough to ruin Lily and that she would return to Europe after the ident. She had contacted the Yang Family¡¯sckey, Li Tian Ya for this job. The man had assured her that everything would be taken care of, and Yang Lina trusted his words. That was the reason why she brought Xuan Hui here, to show him that Lily was not some invincible entity that he should be afraid of.

    On the contrary, Tang Lingyun, who was sitting next to Yang Lina - was ecstatic! This is the moment that she had been waiting for! After Yang Lina told her that Lily might be nning to scheme against her and the whole Qin Family at this event, Tang Lingyun made her own ns against Lily for the night. She had already ruined Lily once, years ago. Did she really think she was invincible now?

    A series of lights attracted everyone¡¯s attention to the stage as it lit up and showed the history of the Fi Group. Next, the host began introducing individuals who represented some of the Fi Group¡¯s subsidiaries to talk about how much theirpanies have grown since being acquired by the Fi Group. Their speeches were followed by those of the Company Directors and some of the Fi Groups¡¯ biggest shareholders.

    "And finally, the most anticipated arrival of the evening: She is the only granddaughter of Madam Lilian Fi and the one who is responsible for tonight¡¯s incredible event, the current Owner and CEO of Fi Group, Miss Lily Fi- Zhuo!" The host¡¯s voice echoed, followed by a loud apuse. Some of these people have not met Lily before while some of them had only watched her from afar. All of them were excited to see her up close.

    While everyone was very excited, the Qin Family and Xuan Families wore entirely different expressions on their faces. Tang Lingyun was showing excitement; it was as if she was about to jump up and down while pping her hands. Meanwhile, Qin Mo wore his poker face, and Qin Liwei was frowning. He had heard of Lily before but he¡¯d never seen her in person. But... wasn¡¯t she a Qin? Why was she now being introduced as a Zhuo?

    While the Qin¡¯s were lost in their own thoughts, Yang Lina and Xuan Hui were also having theirs. Zhuo? Lily Fi - Zhuo? When and how did Lily suddenly be a Zhuo?

    Then the lights focused on the entrance of the venue where a woman wearing a sparkling jumpsuit stood. Next to her was a man wearing an all-ck three piece suit... eh? Isn¡¯t that Zhuo Jingren of the Zhuo Capital?

 Chapter 179 - Sycophants

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 179 - Sycophants</h4>

    Lily used to hate events like this.

    After arriving to Europe, she never wanted to associate herself with a bunch of sycophants[1] who were all wearing masks and who only showed her what they wanted her to see. However, her grandmother had taught her that everyone wears their own masks. The only challenge is how to maintain these masks in times of crisis and change.

    Her grandmother taught her how to create and adjust her own mask to hide her true intentions, but the most important thing that Lily learned from Lilian Fi was knowing how to wear her own mask with more skill than everyone else. And this... this is one of those moments when Lily needed to use everything that her grandmother had taught her.

    This did not mean, however, that Lily would be one of those pretentious women who would act weak and scheme behind the scenes. No. Lily¡¯s mask would never be capable of hiding her blunt and bold style in dealing with the people who offended her.

    Just like tonight. Lily chose to announce her presence in Hong Kong. She was still adamant about making this big move in spite of knowing that this would attract more attention and create issues. She wanted to make this gamble and announce that she, Lily Fi- Zhuo, will build her own empire in Hong Kong with her lovely consort- ehem, husband, Zhuo Jingren.

    "Ready?" Zhuo Jingren asked, with a small smile on his face. Seeing his face under the shimmering crystals instantly reminded Lily of those movies about angels - Zhuo Jingren being the angel with his own halo. However, no matter how much Zhuo Jingren tried to hide it, Lily knew that this smile was just another mask, a fa?ade to hide his bloodlust.

    Lily was not a fool. The moment they heard that the ident was intentional, she immediately felt the change in him. The usual easy going and silly vibe that he always gave her was reced by something... suffocating. Though it was too quick for her to analyze, she knew it was bloodlust, something that he never once disyed before her.

    Lily gave the man a meaningful smile, her hand resting lightly on his arm before she watched the artificial smoke effect that was starting to spread along their pathway, adding another dramatic element to the grand entrance that she¡¯d nned.

    Gasps and murmurs shrouded the whole venue as they took their first steps towards the stage, her hand on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arm while a small smile was stered on her face.

    Everyone watched with their mouths agape as the light continue to follow the two. Amazement didn¡¯t quite cover it. Lily Fi- Zhuo was wearing a dazzling jumpsuit that seemed to sparkle every time she took a step, while Zhuo Jingren was wearing an all-ck suit that seemed to contrast butpletelyplemented Lily¡¯s outfit. The pair dangled small smiles on their faces, making them look good - too good. With the fog swirling around their ankles like wisps of clouds, they were reminiscent of two deities as they walked towards the stage.

    Lily Fi- Zhuo

    Zhuo Jingren

    Does this mean that...

    Everyone widened their eyes before giving each other a knowing look. Contrary to women from China, women from the West would take their husband¡¯s surname but it still took a minute or two for the news to register in their brains. Lily Fi- Qin - an individual feared in Europe - just married Zhuo Jingren, an individual feared in Hong Kong. Considering the level of influence that each wielded separately, everyone wondered what kind of storms they could cause in this country.

    Some were excited and some were extremely shocked, but no emotion can describe what Qin Mo and Qin Liwei were feeling right now. Qin Mo¡¯s face was extremely pale, and his hands were balled into fists. His body started to quiver from anger as it started to grow in him like a tumor, threatening to wreak havoc inside of him.

    Meanwhile his son Qin Liwei, who was sitting next to him, was confused, so confused that he could not utter a single word. It was as if someone took away his brain, leaving him with nothing. "Rx. I have a surprise for you." Qin Liwei shifted his gaze towards his mother when he heard her whisper to his father. Tang Lingyun¡¯s voice was low but it was enough for both Qin Mo and Qin Liwei to hear.

    On the other side of the table, Yang Lina and Xuan Hui as well as Xuan Zeng were also speechless, their mouths ajar while watching Lily walk past them. Lily married Zhuo Jingren?

    Zhuo Jingren of Zhuo Capital?

    shes of emotion were seen in Yang Lina¡¯s eyes, however, she was quick to hide it. Lily being Zhuo Jingren¡¯s wife was something that she never expected. How could Lily marry someone just a month after her failed engagement? Yang Lina immediately concluded that this was nothing but a marriage of convenience.

    Marrying Zhuo Jingren would give Lily all the advantages in the Far East, while marrying Lily Qin would give Zhuo Jingren all the advantages in the West. Two empires, one from the East and one from the West. Wasn¡¯t this just the most convenient marriage in the history of business?

    Was this also the reason why Lily was not in the hospital right now? Yang Lina gritted her teeth in annoyance. Zhuo Jingren is a very surprising variable that could alter her equation, and a very strong one at that.

    Moreover, now that Lily had already married someone in Hong Kong, this could only mean that she was nning to stay here. And that would be a very big problem for Yang Lina.

    While Yang Lina was engrossed in her own thoughts, her son Xuan Hui was also experiencing a different emotion right now: Fear. The word was not even enough descriptive enough to indicate the amount of fear that he was feeling right now.

    Zhuo Jingren. Of all the people that Lily could marry, she married Zhuo Jingren, someone who¡¯d sponsored most of his films. One of his top investors and the top businessman in Hong Kong. How could something like this happen?

    Meanwhile his father, Xuan Zeng, was shocked. Though his wife had previously told him about Qin Jinghua being Lily Qin, seeing her in person was still something that surprised him very much. The woman walking gracefully in front of them now did not bear any resemnce to what she was seven years ago. From her hair to the different look in her eyes, from the way she moved her hips with her head held high to the way she smiled at everyone while walking, this woman... is like the opposite version of the Qin Jinghua that he used to know.

    As everyone else had done, Xuan Zeng easily assumed that the two got married because of business. After all, people in the business industry often married someone they barely knew because mergers and acquisitions led to greater power.

    Out of all the people seated at their table, only Tang Lingyun was feeling happy about today¡¯s events. She was the only one who knew of Lily¡¯s true identity and who her husband was before this...show. Though she never anticipated Zhuo Jingren being present at an event like this, she still found it good that he showed up. Wouldn¡¯t this mean that the present she¡¯d prepared for Lily would have a double impact?

    A beautiful smile bloomed on Tang Lingyun¡¯s face as she continued to watch Lily and Zhuo Jingren.

    [1] Sycophants is a person who tries to win favor from wealthy or influential people by ttering them.

 Chapter 180 - Full of Malice

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 180 - Full of Malice</h4>

    While this was happening, Manager Hao and QiaoQiao stood frozen. It was as if their world had stopped revolving and they were trapped inside , unable to move or utter a single word. Lily Fi-Zhuo? She is Zhuo Jingren¡¯s wife? QiaoQiao looked at Lily and Zhuo Jingren, her gaze unfathomable. Is this the reason why Lily invited them? To let them know that she is Zhuo Jingren¡¯s wife?

    QiaoQiao bit her lip and clenched her fists so tightly that she could feel her nails digging into her palms. So this was the reason why Zhuo Jingren arrived at the boutique back then. He must have been there to pacify Lily who got angry because of their altercation.

    At this event, QiaoQiao wasn¡¯t the only woman who was disappointed to know that Zhuo Jingren was already married. Countless other actresses and models who attended the event felt that the scene in front of them was hurting their eyes.

    Just like Zhuo Jingren, Lily, too, had made a lot of bachelors feel broken hearted. Some of them specifically agreed to attend this event with hopes that they would have the chance to get close to the great Lily Fi-Qin.

    "Hmph! Isn¡¯t that just a business marriage? Once she finds someone that she truly likes, I¡¯m sure she will leave him," a short man with broad shoulders murmured.

    "Yi, lower your voice. We are here to watch, not to cause any trouble," the tall man beside him responded, interest apparent in his eyes as he watched Lily walked towards the stairs.

    "My apologies, Young Master." The short man bowed his head in embarrassment before turning his attention back to Lily who was now on the stage, a smile still visible on her face.

    "Good evening," Lily started. "First and foremost, I want to thank everyone for attending this event." She made a deliberate pause as her gaze drifted towards the crowd. Her eyes went straight to the Qin and Xuan¡¯s table. She then gave them a meaningful smile before shifting her gaze to the other people in front of her.

    "As already mentioned, my name is Lily Fi-Zhuo and I am the CEO of the Fi Group. In Europe, businessmen considered me to be someone of nobility, but that nobility did note from my blood or from chivalry. It came from being ruthless in the business world. It came from being tough. I was abrupt in my decisions, stubborn, and hard headed. I am a woman and in the business world, women are considered inferior but that did not intimidate me because I learned from the best. I learned from my grandmother, Lilian Fi." Loud apuse resounded as Lily paused again as she looked at everyone, the same smile still stered on her face.

    Lily is a proud Fi. She is proud that she is Lilian¡¯s granddaughter and prodigy. Then, for some reason, her eyes shifted towards Zhuo Jingren. Her husband was also pping his hands, his head held high and a smile was on his face - but who could miss his dazzling gaze that was full of pride? Lily quickly averted her gaze to the other guests. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s proud smile was making her giggle ah. She can¡¯t giggle at an event like this.

    "The status of the Fi Group right now did note from a pie in the sky. My grandmother did not pick it up somewhere and give it to me. She worked her ass off and made the Fi Group one of the most prominentpanies in Europe and then I worked my ass off to make it what it is today," she continued. "It was not a one-night effort. It took years and years of mistakes, nning, losing and winning. It took not just one person to create all of this but tens and hundreds of hardworking and brilliant minds."

    However, before Lily could continue, soft music interrupted her before shes of images were disyed behind Lily.

    Some people were quick to cover their mouths in shock, some faces reddened while some businessmen furrowed their brows. In front of them were images of a young Lily Qin dancing and being intimate with a man.

    "Turn it off." It was Fernando. He was the first to rise from his seat. His expression was extremely ugly. Meanwhile, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face became stern. He looked at Lily who just stared at him in return, her eyes full of mirth. Lily quickly held her hands out towards Fernando as her lips slowly turned upwards into an enchanting smile.

    Zhuo Jingren raised an eyebrow at Lily. She had never smiled at him like that! In fact, this was the first time that he had witnessed this kind of smile. Despite the charm that Lily was showing right now, Zhuo Jingren and everyone else could not deny that this smile was devoid of any humor. Her eyes were full of malice. The smile that Lily wore right now was beautiful... so beautiful that it was almost predatory.

    "Don¡¯t turn it off. I want to see everything," Lily uttered. Her mellow voice had earned a lot of raised eyebrows from everyone. How was she so calm? Was this a part of her n?

    After seeing Lily¡¯s calm demeanor, some businessmen who were scowling immediately calmed down. If the person in the images was so calm, then this could only mean that either she nned all of this or she knew how to solve the current issue.

    Tang Lingyun on the other hand was showing a very shocked expression, her eyes opened wide while her hand was on her mouth. Of course, some people at the same table such as Yang Lina and Xuan Hui already knew that she was the culprit behind those images. A normal bystander, however, would merely think that the current Tang Lingyun was extremely surprised while watching the images.

    But Tang Lingyun miscalcted. Qin Mo, who was sitting next to her, already had his brows furrowed while thinking about Tang Lingyun¡¯s statement a while ago. A surprise for him? Only a fool would not be able to deduce that this was the surprise that she was talking about.

    Hundreds of questions and scenarios immediately bombarded Qin Mo¡¯s mind, however, only one question made it out of his mouth. "Where did you get those photos?" Qin Mo¡¯s facial expression became stern as he looked at his wife. Those photos were removed from the inte years ago. How did Tang Lingyun get hold of them?

 Chapter 181 - Our Promise to The World

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 181 - Our Promise to The World</h4>

    Tang Lingyun stared at Qin Mo. Gradually, fear started to register in her eyes. She made a mistake! She was so excited that she forgot that Qin Mo did not know about those images. The worst part was... she did not even notice what she¡¯d done until now.

    "Lingyun... answer me." Qin Mo gritted his teeth, his hand itching to p the woman who was still acting innocent beside him. All those things that Qin Jinghua went through... was it because of Tang Lingyun? Unknowingly, Qin Mo¡¯s views towards Lily started to change.

    Tang Lingyun continued to maintain her silence. Her eyes were already red from the tears that were threatening to flow down her cheeks. Before she could answer, however, Lily¡¯s voice echoed once again.

    "Ah... how refreshing," Lily said, calling everyone¡¯s attention back to her. "Seeing those images made me reminisce about the things that made me who I am today." Her gaze then roamed around the crowd before itnded on the Qin and Xuan Family¡¯s table. This time, Lily gave them a meaningful smile.

    "I grew up weak," Lily stated in her usual business casual tone. "I was an outcast in my own home, bullied in my own school. I tried tomit suicide not once, not twice, but six times - or at least that¡¯s how many scars I had on my arms." She let out augh, instantly easing the atmosphere despite the heavy topic that she was discussing. "Seven years ago I did something that made my own family kick me out of their house. It made my friends abandon me and myte mother, but that experience molded me into something that was feared by many businessmen out there. Seven years ago, I was nothing. Seven yearster, here I am in front of you. Having achieved all of this in just seven years is something that I am not ashamed of."

    Lily slowly took the microphone from the mic stand and took a few steps forward as she gazed down on everyone else. "As someone who has been a victim of inte shaming, the Fi Group and I have been working with several feminist groups that advocate equality and female empowerment. We believe that a single mistake or your past circumstances should not be enough to define you as a person. Because of this, I want to introduce two new charities that we will support. Both of them are for women and children who were abused."

    "We will also coborate with Zhuo Capital in helping people with depression and other mental illnesses. Starting today, the Fi Group¡¯s presence in Hong Kong will only increase. Today marks the day that the Fi Group will venture into the Far East. After decades of years in Europe, we finally decided to expand our operations to another three countries and added another three subsidiaries to the Fi Group empire. On top of that, the Fi Group¡¯s new head office will now be located in Hong Kong."

    "Our goal has always been about bing global. A single setback won¡¯t stop us and neither will a photo that was taken seven years ago with the purpose of shaming someone. The Fi Group and I will continue to innovate and grow, and that is our promise to the world."

    Silence followed her statement before someone from the front of the audience began pping their hands. Soon everyone followed. Apuse echoed throughout as people began to nod their heads in approval. It was obvious that someone plotted to reveal those photos, however, Lily didn¡¯t show any signs of panic. She just stood there and watched with a smile on her face.

    It was as if this was all a part of her n so that she could promote herpany and get everyone¡¯s sympathy at the same time. True enough, Lily didn¡¯t ask them not to pity her. She also didn¡¯t ask them not to judge her. Instead, she told them that she would support people like herself, people who had been shamed. It was as if she used those images as a stepping stone to make herpany sound more righteous!

    With the same smile on her face, Lily walked towards the center of the stage where there stood a waist high pir with a red button located on its top. She looked at everyone and waited for the apuse to die down. Then, once again, the lights dimmed.

    "Ladies and gentlemen," Lily smiled at everyone before she press down the red button, "Wee to the bigger and bolder Fi Group." The linen that was draped over the big circle in the middle slowly receded, revealing a beautiful LED globe that disyed a colorful map which clearly highlighted all of the Fi Group¡¯s branches and subsidiaries. It was mostly situated in the West. However, this time, three small dots appeared in the Far East.

    While watching all of this, Tang Lingyun¡¯s emotions had been running rampant. She was expecting Lily to be embarrassed and end the program ahead of time. Lily was supposed to throw a fit and leave this ce in anger. However, none of her expectations hade true.

    Instead, Lily turned the situation around!

    Tang Lingyun was watching as every businessman present nodded their heads in appreciation of her carefully crafted words. She wanted to convince herself that the speech was scripted and that Lily prepared all of this in advance...but how could she do that? Tang Lingyun had her trusted men do all the dirty work so there was no way that Lily would have known any of this in advance.

    Was Lily really that great?

    Not only Tang Lingyun but everyone at the table with her was utterly speechless at Lily¡¯s actions. If this happened to them, they would surely leave while asking their PR team to suppress the scandal, then they would do their best to find out who posted those photos before having their revenge. But Lily... was different.

    Yang Lina narrowed her eyes at the globe that was still highlighting other areas of interest for the Fi Group. Both she and Tang Lingyun failed tonight. She¡¯d already expected Lily to be a very difficult opponent, but this... this is something that she never expected to see with her own eyes.

    The great Lily Fi-Zhuo in action is indeed very unconventional.

 Chapter 182 - Anticipating a Good Show

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 182 - Anticipating a Good Show</h4>

    Lily¡¯s speech was the climax of the event. Everyone apuded as they looked at her in a new light. Lily Zhuo was a woman with a terrible past and yet here she was, smiling and mingling with everyone as if her indecent photos hadn¡¯t been exposed just minutes ago.

    "Miss Lily is truly a dragon among men," an old man said with a gentle smile on his face. "I¡¯m sure that the Fi Group will reach new heights in Hong Kong."

    "I was saying the same thing a while ago," a woman with a sleek updo chimed in, earning nods from the other people surrounding Lily. "After tonight, I will tell my two daughters to try and apply to yourpany. I would want them to have someone like you as their mentor."

    "It won¡¯t be that easy. I¡¯m sure that after this many people will want the same thing," another woman said before the guests began to mingle and have conversations amongst themselves.

    This exact scene happened again and again after Lily¡¯s speech. In response, Lily only gave everyone a polite smile as she answered a question or two before moving on to a different group of people.

    "Look at you, so confidently talking to everyone with a beautiful smile stered on your face." Lily immediately turned her head towards the source of the voice. When she discovered that it was just Qin Liwei, she turned her attention back to the awards that were disyed near the stage. After talking to so many people Lily decided that she needed some space so she chose to stand away from the crowd to look at the awards that she and thepany had received over the years.

    "I heard father dered you the new CEO of Qin Industries?" she asked.

    "He made the right decision," Qin Liwei said confidently. "After all, I am the heir of the Qin Industries."

    "You are right. I hope he won¡¯t regret it though," Lily said without turning her head towards him. "Qin Industries have been doing rather welltely. It¡¯s making my hand itch."

    "What do you mean by that?"

    "Ask your scheming mother," Lily answered. This time, she shifted her head from the awards to Qin Liwei. "Everything that happened and will happen to you and your family is her fault."

    "Stop making my son go against me." Tang Lingyun¡¯s arrivalpletely surprised her son. After Lily¡¯s speech, Qin Mo almost dragged Tang Lingyun out of the venue, leaving Qin Liwei alone. Why is she here now?

    "Ah...look, Mother Lingyun is here," Lily said, the sarcasm in her voice so obvious it immediately riled up Tang Lingyun. "Are you excited to see what I have in store for you?" she asked Tang Lingyun bluntly.

    "Lily... you were the one who chose to leave the Qin Family and use somebody else¡¯s surname. I don¡¯t understand where this vengeful tone ising from," Tang Lingyun said righteously.

    "You know what I don¡¯t understand?" Lily asked as she gestured for a hovering waiter to give her a flute of champagne. "I don¡¯t understand why are you trying to sabotage yourself over and over again. I mean if you want to die, why don¡¯t you just kill yourself without dragging your family with you? Is it really so hard for you to understand that those images mean nothing to me?"

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Tang Lingyun," Lily held the ss of champagne in her hands, her eyes shifting from Qin Liwei to Tang Lingyun. "Tonight... you will see what kind of person you have provoked."

    "I... I did not provoke you," Tang Lingyun immediately defended herself as she clutched her son¡¯s arm. Her eyes immediately showed fear, prompting her own son to hold her, as if protecting her from Lily.

    Seeing the duo in front of her immediately made Lily scoff. She shook her head and turned her attention back to the awards. Lily already had her ns for the Qin Family. Talking to these two people was such a waste of her brain cells.

    Honestly, would Tang Lingyun allow Lily to do this? When Tang Lingyun saw that Qin Mo had entered the venue after finishing his phone call, she immediately decided to act. Tang Lingyun was so engrossed in her own agenda that she failed to see Qin Mo¡¯s face grow darker as he walked towards her.

    "Lily... We are not done talking," Tang Lingyun said as she raised her hands to hold Lily. After holding Lily¡¯s arms, Tang Lingyun made it seem as if Lily shook her hands off her arms,making Tang Lingyun fall in the process. She then let out a squeal of surprise, attracting everyone¡¯s attention and making her husband stop walking towards them.

    "Now... This is how scheming your mother is." Lily looked at Qin Liwei who red at her before helping his mother up.

    "You were the one who caused her to fall and yet you call her scheming. As expected, no amount of wealth would be able to hide your true nature," Qin Liwei stated sanctimoniously before he turned his attention to Tang Lingyun who was now sobbing in his arms.

    At this point, the current scene attracted the attention of a lot of socialites as many of them previously made the connection between Lily and the Qin Family of Hong Kong. Some of these people still remembered what happened back then so they naturally knew that Lily and the Qin Family do not have a good rtionship with each other.

    Naturally, everyone was already anticipating a good show.

    Seeing everyone looking at them, Lily held her head high as she looked at Qin Liwei. "You are just like your father. A single tear would make you men so weak that you can¡¯t even think properly." She then made a hand gesture towards the DJ of the program.

    "I wanted this event to be special and yet you really couldn¡¯t control the urge and offended me at my own party," Lily said as she sent a signal to the DJ. "Now, how about I show you why I am feared in the West?"

 Chapter 183 - Save Your Tears

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 183 - Save Your Tears</h4>

    Tang Lingyun¡¯s voice threatening Lily at her office instantly echoed in the whole venue. This immediately made Tang Lingyun¡¯s face turn pale, as her gaze met Qin Mo. How could Lily have recordings of those conversations? Then she remembered how Lily used all methods to make her mad. Was that because she was recording everything?

    Tang Lingyun looked at everyone who was staring at her with a mixture of disbelief, disgust and shock. She had always been known as someone kind and gentle. So hearing her shrill voice threatening Lily was an absolute surprise to everyone.

    "That is not me," she managed to utter, "I would never do that! That is not me!"

    "What are you shouting about? I never said it was you." Lily smirked while watching the disbelief in Qin Liwei¡¯s eyes.

    "You! You are framing me! How could you do this to me? I did not raise you to be like this! I understand that you have forgotten about the Qin Family after you discovered your roots. But... this... Qin Jinghua, what did I ever do to you?" Tang Lingyun shook her son¡¯s arm as she stood in front of Lily. Though this waspletely unexpected to her, she would never let this woman win. Not tonight! Since Lily wanted a show, she would dly give this to her. "What are youughing about? Have you gone crazy?"

    "You are too funny, Mother. You indeed did not raise me like this." Lily chuckled, amusement apparent in her eyes. "You have raised me well - too well."

    "Ah... I never knew that you knew how to joke! It made me forget to tell you that there was a CCTV camera in my office the day that you visited." And right after Lily said that, the lights of the whole venue dimmed and shes of images of Tang Lingyun threatening Lily were disyed on the stage. It was followed by the audio that Lily recorded.

    Then the video stopped. The lights once again illuminated the ce, revealing a pale Tang Lingyun that was shaking with anger. Tang Lingyun¡¯s fist was clenched, her eyes venomous as she stared at Lily.

    A mocking grin slowly bloomed on Lily¡¯s face as she took a step towards Tang Lingyun. "Over and over you try to offend me. Shouting this and that. Hoping that it will embarrass me... but you fail to think that scandals like this won¡¯t affect me. I am not an actress and I don¡¯t have a public image to maintain. Everyone in Europe knew how vicious I am. And soon, everyone in Hong Kong will know this side of me too." Then she eyed Qin Mo who just stood near them frozen, his face nk as she watched Lily confront his wife.

    "Your wife never allowed me to learn English nor any musical instruments. Me and my mother slept in an old maid¡¯s quarter. Your wife bullied my mother in front of her so-called friends, insulted her over and over again. She drugged my mother and manipted everyone. She made me stop going to school in the pretense that I was sick and that my body cannot handle it."

    "I... I did not know." Qin Mo answered. He really was unaware that this happened. Though he found it hard to believe Lily¡¯s words, he also knew how everyone in this venue already have a favorable impression of Lily. If he says something wrong, these people would definitely judge him and it will affect his business ventures in the future.

    "I know that you didn¡¯t know this." Lily said while slowly turning her gaze to Tang Lingyun. "I also know that you did not bother to ask nor listen to my words."

    "Now... all that is left for you is to watch. Watch as I reap the interest of what you owe me." Lily added. She then stared at Tang Lingyun intently who was now so red from anger yet, she was still able to maintain theposed look on her face. Such an excellent actress, Lily thought.

    With these in mind, Lily tightened her grip on the champagne ss and slowly poured all its contents to the woman in front of her. This earned a series of surprise gasps from everyone. "That is for drugging me seven years ago." She said.

    The moment the champagne was poured all over her, Tang Lingyun immediately took a step backward. Her gaze towards Lily became unsteady before everything registered in her mind. She then let out a gasp and immediately tried to wipe away the champagne on her face.

    "You look so fierce." Lily said, she took another step towards Tang Lingyun. "Are you going to p me? Are you going to raise your voice on me?"

    "Tsk...tsk... Lingyun that would be out of your gentle character." Lily added, making Tang Lingyun look at the people who were watching them. Everyone was watching her with mixed emotions on their eyes. Some pity Tang Lingyun but some people were also quick to believe Lily¡¯s words. After all, what will she get if she lie? If Lily wanted revenge, she could easily take down Qin Industries. She had been in the country for weeks, and yet she never did anything to them.

    It was Tang Lingyun who provoked her first. She even visited her office just to threaten her with those photos! She then released the photos in an attempt to embarrass Lily at her own party! Good thing Lily was smart enough to turn the situation around. Now, Tang Lingyun acted like she was the victim while crying in front of everyone. How could they sympathize with a woman was fake as that?

    "Qin Mo just saved your acting career with the amount of press that he invited for your press conference. Would you really gamble the chance that your husband had given you just to p me?" Lily smiled gently. Seeing Tang Lingyun calm down from her words, she immediately leaned a little closer towards her and whispered.

    "I forgot to thank you. The man that I slept with seven years ago is now my husband. However, he hated that picture as none of them showed his face. I suggest you hire another photographer to do this kind of things next time." Then Lily used her hand to wipe a tear on Tang Lingyun¡¯s cheek. "Save your tears. You¡¯ll need itter."

 Chapter 184 - A Mocking Laugh

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 184 - A Mocking Laugh</h4>

    Tang Lingyun squeezed her already balled fists even tighter as fury roared through her mind. Zhuo Jingren was the man in the photo?! How was that possible? Lily must be lying to make me feel horrible, Tang Lingyun thought, hate apparent in her eyes.

    Tang Lingyun felt herself quiver in anger while Lily continued to give her a smile.

    "Always remember that you are the reason why your family fell from grace, and you will be the reason why the Qin Family will continue to fall. And you can only watch, helplessly. Watch them crumble under your feet." Lily then took a step back. She tilted her head, and with the same smile stered on her face she said, "I will see you soon, Mother."

    As Lily moved, Tang Lingyun noticed that Zhuo Jingren was standing just a few steps behind Lily. His face was devoid of any expression as he stared at her. He then shifted his gaze to Lily as she walked towards him. Zhuo Jingren quickly gave Lily a handkerchief to wipe her hands before giving her another ss of champagne. Then the duo walked out of the crowd together while talking, a gentle look clearly visible in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes as he talked to her, as if the thing just now did not happen.

    Tang Lingyun¡¯s gaze travelled over everyone who still surrounded her. Humiliation and anger coursed through her veins. She wanted to yell at them, curse them for staring at her with such mockery in their eyes.

    "Why are you all still here? Go! Leave us!" Qin Liwei¡¯s voice suddenly echoed near Tang Lingyun as she felt a coat being draped over her shoulders. "Let¡¯s leave this ce and talk once we get home," Qin Liwei said in a voice that easily reminded Tang Lingyun of her own husband¡¯s voice: cold and distant. Tang Lingyun helplessly nodded before she remembered that Qin Mo had been watching them a while ago. She looked around and was not really surprised to see her husband missing from the scene.

    To Qin Mo, she was an embarrassment right now. Tang Lingyun felt another stream of tears fall on her cheeks as she imagined the repercussions of her act once they reached home.

    "Thank you,." Lily epted the flute of champagne from Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hands after returned the handkerchief he¡¯d given to her.

    "You did good," Zhou Jingren said.

    "If I hadn¡¯t done that, she wouldn¡¯t have stopped pestering me," Lily said, a little surprised by her honesty towards the man walking next to her.

    "I know," he said, his tone a little grim.

    "Did you find something?" Lily asked.

    "Yes. However, I need to call another person," he said, gloomily. All night, he had been calling his men to figure out who had ordered the ident. This was the reason why he was not able to apany Lily during most of the event. Though Zhuo Jingren was a little dejected about it, he also understood the importance of finding the culprit. Lily¡¯s safety would always be his main priority.

    "No worries. I am here. Let¡¯s go home together after the event," Lily said. How could she not know what Zhuo Jingren was thinking at this moment? This was supposed to be Secretary Go¡¯s job. However, since thetter was still in the hospital, Zhuo Jingren assumed this responsibility. "Do you have someone to rece Secretary Go since he is still in the hospital?"

    "I do. He will start on Monday," he answered. "Do you have one?"

    Lily nodded.

    Cathy, her PR manager, would arrive tomorrow, Sunday, and she could always ask her to act as her secretary for a week. Lily was sure that Cathy would not mind as she¡¯d always wanted to be Lily¡¯s right hand woman. Just like Zhuo Jingren, Lily was also worried about the mastermind behind the ident. "Go ahead andplete the things that you need to do," she said. In response, Zhuo Jingren nodded before giving her a peck on the cheek before he walked out of the venue.

    "What transpired earlier with Tang Lingyun was a surprise to me," Lily didn¡¯t even have to turn her head to know that the one speaking to her was Yang Lina. How could she forget thetter¡¯s stern tone?

    "I am always cruel to people who choose to cross me," Lily said as she took a sip from her champagne ss.

    "You are as cruel as the rumors say you are."

    "Rumors are rumors," Lily said. "Experiencing it first hand is still different."

    "They are still your family, you know," Yang Lina noted. They were currently standing near one of the circr cocktail tables that was located away from the stage. These tables were specifically arranged near the entrance for people who preferred to stand and mingle rather than be near the stage lights.

    "Family is nothing but a word, Miss Yang."

    "They will be the first ones to be there with you in case you encounter a problem. You shouldn¡¯t be too cruel against your own family. People here are different from those in the West. We value family more than money."

    Lily scoffed at her words. "You are saying this because you haven¡¯t experienced being abandoned by your own family... Yet."

    "I know they will never abandon me," Yang Lina said, confidence evident in her tone.

    "Yeah... we¡¯ll see about that," Lily said in a low voice before she turned her head towards Yang Lina. "Earlier today, someone important to me got into an ident. Did you have something to do with that?"

    "Your bluntness always surprises me."

    "Talking in circles is such a waste of my time, Miss Yang. Answer me. Were you responsible?"

    "So, what if I am? So what If I¡¯m not?" Yang Lina countered. Was Lily expecting her to just confess? What a fool. Yang Lina was aware that Lily had the tendency to record things, just as she¡¯d done with Tang Lingyun.

    "Tang Lingyun used to be so proud. As someone from the Tang Family, she acted like royalty, bullying everyone while maintaining a gentle smile on her face. However, now that the Tang Family has fallen, she¡¯s be useless," Lily said. The sudden shift of the topic instantly made Yang Lina more interested in the conversation. "With Qin Mo¡¯s tendency towards cruelty, how long do you think it would take for him to sell his own wife to those greedy producers and directors?"

    "Are you saying that you are the one responsible for the fall of the Tang Family?" Yang Lina asked before she stifled augh. The Tang Family was a criminal group that had its roots buried deep in the Far East and Lily did not possess the capability to destroy them.

    "So what if I am? So what if I¡¯m not?" Lily used the same turn of phrase that Yang Lina had used just a few seconds ago. "The Tang Family is a family of the past. Why don¡¯t we talk about your family, instead?"

    "You- Are you threatening my Yang Family?"

    "Miss Yang is truly humorous. I was merely saying, we should talk about them. Why are you acting so defensive? Just like the Tang Family, your Yang Family already have a long history with the government. Taking them down would not be that easy, no?" Lily then let out a mockingugh.

 Chapter 185 - Spark of A Chance

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 185 - Spark of A Chance</h4>

    "Hmph!" Yang Lina scoffed. Thest time that she talked to Lily, something like this happened as well. Yang Lina can now conclude that Lily likes to send threats to people. "I can see how you love your threats," Yang Lina sneered.

    "Oh... You noticed it too?" Lilyughed before her face turned serious. "For that, I will give you fair warning. If you were the one who caused the ident, then you¡¯d better hide. "Because I wille for you. And this, my dear, is not a threat", Lily said. "It¡¯s a promise."

    Yang Lina did not answer. She pursed her lips while staring at the ss of champagne in Lily¡¯s hand. Yang Lina was not actually sure if Lily was threatening her or if she was trying to scare her. Right now, all she can see is Lily¡¯s brilliant smile directed at her. It was something that made her instantly irritated.

    "Ah... here you are." Xuan Zeng¡¯s sudden arrival almost made Yang Lina jump in fright. "Are you alright?" he asked Yang Lina when he noticed her stroke her chest to calm her heart. Yang Lina was not the type of woman that easily became nervous, so her actions just now immediately caught the attention of her husband.

    "I am... Miss Zhuo and I were just talking."

    "Ah... Qin Jinghua. I never expected that you would reach such heights," Xuan Zeng said as he extended his hand for a handshake.

    In response, Lily took Xuan Zeng hand and smiled at him. "I am not sure if that is apliment Mr. Xuan, but I will take it as one. Ah... I never expected that you and Miss Yang would have stayed married to each other until now, ah. This was a very pleasant surprise!"

    "What is that supposed to mean?" Xuan Hui asked as he followed just moments behind his father.

    "Nothing much," Lily shrugged while giving Xuan Zeng an unfathomable look, instantly making thetter ufortable. "So, Mr. Xuan, how was your favorite escort?" Lily¡¯s question was directed to Xuan Zeng. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she enjoyed everyone¡¯s ufortable expression.

    "Hmmm?" Lily raised an eyebrow at the trio. However, before she could add another word, Xuan Hui¡¯s phone rang and he answered it immediately, his eyes still firmly on Lily, scrutinizing her.

    "Im sorry, what did you say?" Xuan Hui¡¯s expression was a dead giveaway that something bad had happened. "Alright, we areing," he assured as he turned towards his parents. "Qin Fei is inbor. They are at the City Hospital." Without waiting for his parents to say anything, Xuan Hui ran out of the venue, his face full of worry.

    "Aiyo... my sister is giving birth at eight months? You¡¯d better hurry Mr. Xuan, Miss Yang... who knows what will happen to..."

    "Do not curse my grandchild like that!" Yang Lina hissed. She gave Lily another re before running out. However, Xuan Zeng was different. His face was still calm as he looked at Lily.

    "I suggest that you keep your mouth shut, Miss Lily. Knowing a lot of things will not bode well for you," he warned, his face devoid of any emotion. "Why don¡¯t you just keep that smile on your pretty face for the cameras and avoid other families¡¯ business?" Seeing Lily just stare at him, Xuan Zeng fixed his tie and cleared his throat. Then he looked at Lily, his eyes dark and dangerous before he followed her wife and son out of the venue.

    "I want you to ruin the Yang Family as soon as possible," Lily dered the moment Zhuo Jingren started the car. They were already on their way to Sky City. She was reading the email that was sent to Zhuo Jingren¡¯s phone containing information about the people who caused the ident. "I was nning to take care of the Qin Family first, but after tonight I realized that Yang Lina and her husband should be taken care of as soon as possible."

    Zhuo Jingren eyed Lily as he started driving out of the parking lot. "I will do it as soon as possible."

    "I knew you would say that without even asking about my ns," Lily stated.

    "I trust you," he answered shortly, making Lily shake her head in the process.

    "I want the Xuan Films," Lily said after a few minutes of silence.

    "And you need a distraction," Zhuo Jingren said, earning a raised eyebrow from Lily. It seemed that her husband knew her too well. "Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

    "Yang Lina values her family very much, so she will do everything to protect them at all costs," Lily mused. "Because of this, I know that her protection will be focused on the most important person in her life, her son. Xuan Hui."

    "I can¡¯t just scheme against Xuan Hui with her watching my every move, so I need for you to distract him. Make her lose her cool," she added. "First, let¡¯s start with Yang Sen and his wife. Yang Sen is a very stern person. If he discovers that his own daughter had been hurt by his own sister in an attempt to hide Yang Mi from him, then..."

    "But Yang Lina¡¯s target was you."

    "Yang Sen doesn¡¯t know that," Lily countered. "Send him the proof that Yang Mi is his daughter as well as the proof that it was Yang Lina who ordered that ident. Yang Lina and his wife He Yuyan are quite close. Yang Sen would not be so dumb as not to realize the connection between the two."

    "Brilliant," Zhuo Jingren praised. "How about the other part of the Yang Family?"

    "Do whatever you like," Lily answered. The man next to her was exuding something dangerous, something that she had never felt before. This made her conclude that Zhuo Jingren already had a plot prepared for the Yang Family.

    "After the Yang Family, will you take care of Li Tian Ya?" Zhou Jingren asked.

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded. "By the time that Yang Lina realizes my true goal, it will be toote for her to stop me from bing the biggest shareholder of Xuan Films."

    "Oh? Just the biggest shareholder? Why not acquire them for yourself?"

    "Xuan Films is the product of their blood, sweat, and tears," Lily said. "Taking it all away in one swoop is good, but I would rather enjoy watching their faces as I slowly take it all, giving them a tiny hope, the spark of a chance that they can take it back, and then... crushing their hopes all at once."

 Chapter 186 - Ominous Silence

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 186 - Ominous Silence</h4>

    Tang Lingyun¡¯s body shook as she watched Qin Mo drink his coffee. The biting cold that exuded from him seemed to chill Tang Lingyun¡¯s fingers into numbness. She continued to stare, but Qin Mo never uttered a word either. The biting chill that she felt a while ago seemed to reach her extremities, making her tighten her already balled fist. The ominous silence that wrapped between them seemed to even magnify as her tears started to pool in her eyes.

    Qin Mo hasn¡¯t even said a word and yet, here she was, crying and trembling from fear. "Mo... I..." Tang Lingyun swallowed the rest of her words, her tears continued to fall down her cheeks. "I received those photos from the mail and did not tell you because... I thought I could surprise you." Seeing her own husband not say a thing, Tang Lingyun started to sob. Just how scary was her own husband?

    "Tell me the truth." Qin Mo stated, his tone cold. The residual ounce of respect that he usually showed her was nowhere to be found. "I did not get here because of intelligence, Lingyun. I can assure you of that." He said.

    His words pounded through her brain. Wasn¡¯t this akin to telling her that Qin Mo got to where he is today because of violence and other methods aside from intelligence? "I... I am telling the truth. I did receive it in the mail a few days ago. I just did not tell you." She said as she did her best topose herself. She had been acting for so many years, would she lose her cool now?

    "Very well..." Qin Mo nodded. "You can go now."

    Tang Lingyun widened her eyes at him before she swallowed a mouthful of nonexistent saliva. What is happening? Why is she letting her go now? Did he believe her? "Mo..." Tang Lingyun was about to say something when Qin Mo rose from the small couch across Tang Lingyun. He stared at the woman who is still acting weakly in front of him.

    "Mo... please believe me! I would never scheme against Qin Jinghua like that! She is just mad because of what happened. She is angry because she thought it was me who schemed against her then." She also rose from her seat and clutched her husband¡¯s arm. She could tell... She could tell from the way that he looked at her. He is still pissed and... he does not believe a word that she said.

    ¡¯PAH!¡¯

    A loud, pping sound echoed inside the room, followed by a loud thud. Tang Lingyun had fallen on the floor, her lower lip slightly bleeding. She stared in disbelief at her husband. No words would be able to describe the shock and sadness that wrapped around her heart. Qin Mo, the man that Tang Lingyun had loved, hurt her. He raised his hand and hurt her without having any second thoughts. The man did not even flinch or close his eyes.

    "You..." Tang Lingyun was unable to find the right words to say to him. The look on Qin Mo¡¯s eyes showed nothing. There was no guilt or sadness. No anger or disappointment. It was just... nk. This... This was not the Qin Mo that she knew! The Qin Mo that she knew did not love her but he respected her. Who is this man?

    "Stop the melodrama." He uttered after a few seconds of silence. His voice, distant as if he was talking to a subordinate instead of his own wife. "My birthday will be this Monday. I want you to apologize to Qin Jinghua by then. Beg or even kneel in front of her if that is what she would demand. I want her to attend my birthday dinner."

    "Mo... How could I? How could I kneel?" Tang Lingyun asked before she tried her best to stand up using the couch as support. "How could you let me, your wife, beg to someone like her?"

    "It was not a request." Qin Mo said, his jaw clenched as he shoved his hands into his pocket. He then walked towards his office table and took a seat. "Qin Fei is inbor. Go make yourself look decent and go to the hospital to support her."

    "Mo... I..." Tang Lingyun did not continue her words when she saw the disinterest in her husband¡¯s eyes. She pursed her lips and gathered all the courage that she had before she continued, "I will not beg that woman to attend your birthday dinner." She said in one go. Lily was the one responsible for all this embarrassment. How could she lowered herself down to her level? Though what happened tonight might not reach the public¡¯s eye because of the absence of media reporters on the event, Tang Lingyun¡¯s image within the socialite circle is already ruined. And this was all because of Lily!

    How could she kneel in front of the woman who ruined her?

    "Seems that you don¡¯t get it, do you?" Qin Mo said his gaze on the photo frame of their family on his table. "Everything that you have right now was given by me. Without me, you will be no one. The Tang Family that you were so proud of is gone now along with it is your has-been status as their young miss." He then turned his gaze towards her. "Since I married you, I knew everything that you did behind my back except for what you did to Qin Jinghua years ago. Every scheme and humiliation that the mother and daughter pair suffered. I was aware. But I let it happen as it was your business to manage my household."

    Seeing Tang Lingyun¡¯s face started to pale, Qin Mo continued, "You knew about Qin Jinghua being Lily Qin for a long time now. You and your daughter also know that I might change my opinion after this event so you asked me to make your son the CEO. To make him the heir of Qin Industries before I find out Lily¡¯s new identity."

    "Still, Imend you for being so brave to scheme against your own husband." He added as a sinister smile started to creep up on his face. "You see? I know everything and I could easily use this for a divorce. Tell me, Tang Lingyun, what do you think will happen once we divorce?"

 Chapter 187 - Begging to a Stone

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 187 - Begging to a Stone</h4>

    "Mo!" the warmth on Tang Lingyun¡¯s body quickly left her. Her eyes wide, mouth agape as she stared at her husband. He knew? He knew everything? "Is this because the Tang Family is already gone? Is this the reason why you are treating me this way?" Qin Mo had never treated her this way before, however, now... he seemed to have abandoned his own wife just to suck up to Qin Jinghua! Though Tang Lingyun already knew this exact thing would happen once Qin Mo discovered about Lily¡¯s status, she still found it hard to believe that her own husband would do this so easily as breathing!

    "Go and fix yourself." Qin Mo ignored Tang Lingyun¡¯s question. "Your daughter is at the hospital, she needs you right now."

    "Answer me!" Tang Lingyun bellowed, unable to control her emotions. This was the thing that she feared the most! Will Qin Mo abandon her and their children now that he is eyeing Qin Jinghua¡¯s forgiveness? Tang Lingyun wanted to scream, yell at the man who was staring at her with nothing but disgust in his eyes.

    The changes that Qin Mo exhibited within a few hours just proved how heartless this man is. And yet, here she is... demanding, hoping to get an answer from him.

    "You don¡¯t deserve it." Qin Mo said as he drummed his fingers into the table. "Stop thinking too highly of yourself, Tang Lingyun. You are nothing without the Tang Family and you will be nothing without me. So you better shut up and follow everything that I say, or I can easily rece your son as the CEO and leave you in the streets with nothing."

    "You- You are so cruel Qin Mo..." Tang Lingyun¡¯s voice faltered. She wanted to ask the man if he ever had any affection for her and their children. But the coldness in Qin Mo¡¯s eyes is already enough to answer her questions. All along, this man had treated her good because of the benefits that he could get from the Tang Family. Now that the Tang Family is gone, Qin Mo¡¯s warmth towards her also disappeared.

    Tang Lingyun was sure that the reason why Qin Mo ignored her bullying Qin Jinghua and Bec Fi before was because of the fact that they did not have any good background. Then her mind wandered towards Qin Fei. Was Qi Mo treating her good because she had the backing of the Xuan family? Was Qin Mo really this heartless?

    Seeing Qin Mo ignoring her presence, Tang Lingyun decided to wipe away her tears and leave the room. Talking to a man like him is akin to begging to a stone, a big and cold stone.

    Meanwhile, Qin Fei¡¯s face was still pale as she looked at Xuan Hui, her eyebrows were pressed together as a single tear continued to flow on her cheek. Thetter also gave her a gentle smile as he squeezed her hand. "It is going to be fine. A caesarean procedure won¡¯tst that long and I will be here all throughout the process. You don¡¯t have to be nervous."

    Qin Fei bit her lips before she closed her eyes. First she had an earlybor and now her child is showing a distressed sign inside her womb. This made the doctor decide to have an emergency C- section to get the baby out as fast as possible.

    "Will I die?" she managed to say, in between her slow sobs.

    "Of course not." Xuan Hui quickly answered as he stroked her head and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Everything is going to be alright." He whispered before giving her another kiss on the forehead.

    After a few minutes the doctor started the procedure as Xuan Hui apanied Qin Fei inside the operating room. While this was happening, Yang Lina and Xuan Zeng were also outside waiting for the result.

    "Do you think our grandchild will be fine?" Yang Lina asked. Though her face is stillposed, she could not deny the fact that she was very nervous. When she saw that Xuan Zeng had a nk expression, Yang Lina asked, "What¡¯s wrong?"

    "Does Lily Zhuo know about the ident?" Xuan Zeng asked, his expression grave.

    "She doesn¡¯t. I can assure you that she cannot trace it back to us." Yang Lina answered.

    "And Li Tian Ya?"

    "He is on his way out of the city. He will go to Maind China and take shelter in one of the Yang Family¡¯spounds." Yang Lina answered.

    "That woman knows something about us. We need to deal with her as soon as possible." Xuan Zeng said. "I cannotpromise my current position. A single scandal would destroy the reputation that I have built over the years."

    "I understand." Yang Lina nodded. "But with Zhuo Jingren¡¯s backing, it will be hard to take Lily down."

    "I have my ways. I¡¯m sure her father will agree with me on this."

    "Qin Mo?" Yang Lina raised an eyebrow. Xuan Zeng is nning to use Qin Mo? However, now that she thought about Qin Mo¡¯s greedy nature, Yang Lina also agreed with her husband¡¯s conclusion. "What about Qin Fei?" she asked.

    "What about her?" Xuan Zeng countered. "A divorce is going to affect our family¡¯s name. The best that you could do is send her to Maind China so she could not cause any trouble anymore."

    "Xuan Hui will not agree on this." Yang Lina stared at the operating room, her tone calm.

    "I know. But it is your job to convince him. That woman is like a ticking bomb waiting to explode."

    "Hmmm... Maybe Qin Fei will change after she sees her child. Let¡¯s see." Yang Lina said before she furrowed her brows at the person who wasing towards them. She immediately rose from her seat and said, "You are not supposed to be here."

    "Why can¡¯t I? My daughter is giving birth. I am here to take care of her." Tang Lingyun immediately said. After what Qin Mo did, she does not have any more energy to deal with Yang Lina and the Xuan Family today.

    "She is already a part of the Xuan Family. You do not have the right to be here." She said sternly. Every elite family already knew that Tang Lingyun was a scheming person. In short, her image is already ruined. Yang Lina would not want to associate herself with someone like Tang Lingyun. This will only make those people assume that they are close and that can be quite tricky when ites to Xuan Zeng¡¯s reputation.

    "She is my daughter and I am here to support her! You cannot change that fact!" Tang Lingyun hissed, irritation apparent in her eyes. Yang Lina was also a mother; how could she do this to her?"

    To her surprise, Yang Lina did not argue. Instead, she took her phone out of her bag and dialed someone. "Are you outside? Come and have the security personnel apany you. I want you to drag someone out of this hospital."

    "You-" Tang Lingyun¡¯s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. "How could you do this to me!?"

    "Lina... let her stay." Xuan Zeng¡¯s voice interrupted all the things that Tang Lingyun wanted to say. "She has the right to be here. Order your men to secure this area, instead." He said, a cunning glint shed in his eyes. Out of all the people who hated Lily, Tang Lingyun is the easiest to manipte. Would he really let a person like this go without using her stupidity against theirmon enemy?

 Chapter 188 - Longing in Her Voice

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 188 - Longing in Her Voice</h4>

    "It was a boy," Zhuo Jingren said the moment Lily got out of the shower. Lily did not respond to his words. She was already in her pajamas as she sat down on the edge of the bed and passed a towel to Zhuo Jingren so he could dry her hair.

    "No reaction?" he asked as he started to pat her hair dry.

    "That baby is unlucky to have a mother like her," Lily said. "How is Qin Fei?"

    "Alive. She had a C-section. There was a problem with the baby so they were forced to cut him out of his mother¡¯s womb," he answered.

    "Oh..." she nodded. "So... what did you send her that caused her to have an earlybor?"

    "I sent her a video of us walking together," he answered.

    "Hmmm... so it happened due to shock? Or maybe anger? I got a husband that is more handsome than hers. She should be really jealous of me," Lily chuckled, instantly easing the atmosphere.

    "Of course. she should be. Me and that Xuan Hui are not even on the same level."

    "I believe you," Lily chuckled. "Alright... it¡¯s done now. We should go and see Qin Fei, tomorrow."

    "Are you nning something evil again?" he asked while pulling Lily towards him.

    "What evil? She is still my sister, ah. And... I can¡¯t hurt someone who just gave birth," she answered while snuggling close him. She made sure to make herselffortable in her husband¡¯s arms before adding. "I want to see my nephew too."

    Zhuo Jingren did not say a word but he hugged Lily tighter. He could feel it. Lily might be smiling and joking with him, but he could feel it. He could feel the longing in her voice every time she mentioned the baby.Lily is already twenty-seven, and even though she is not saying a thing about her feelings Zhuo Jingren can still sense the gentleness in Lily¡¯s eyes as she looks at a happy family walking down the street, or when she sees a child running around at y. He knew how badly she wants a child of her own, and how deeply she felt about losing their first child. He knows that Lily longs to have her own child.

    Though Lily told him that there was no chance for her to get pregnant again, Zhuo Jingren still nned to convince her to try other methods to conceive. But he also knows that this was something that needed time. He would not want Lily to misunderstand him and think that he is very eager to have a child. That would just break Lily¡¯s heart even more.

    "Jingren?" Lily¡¯s voice interrupted his thoughts.

    "Hmm?"

    "Let¡¯s have a child," Lily dered before she turned to face him. She looked straight into his eyes and said, "Seven years ago, the doctor said that the possibility of me getting pregnant in the future would be too low, but I never consulted another doctor for a second opinion.. Maybe... what if it¡¯s possible now? What if my uterus is not as damaged as before?"

    Zhuo Jingren felt his throat seemed to go dry after hearing her words. The hope and gentleness that she had in her eyes was something that she had never shown him before. It was at this point that he realized how vulnerable Lily is right now. The woman in his arms showed him a side of her that he had never seen before. "Of course. I know someone from Japan.With their current technology I believe that we would stand a great chance of sess." He gave her a gentle smile before giving her a soft kiss on her forehead.

    The fact that Lily said these things to him meant that she was already letting him inside her heart. It was slow... he was aware of that, but he was also sure that he was on the right track. He knew that sooner orter, Lily wouldpletely let him through and give her heart to him with no hesitation.

    July 31, Sunday

    Yang Residence, Maind China

    Yang Sen¡¯s face was dark. His gaze was glued to the email that he¡¯d received, his fist clenched, lips pursed. Once again, his eyes ran through the contents of the email. After the third time, his expression got even darker.

    After a few minutes, Yang Sen printed the contents of the entire email and walked out of his office and directly onto the patio of the mansion where He Yuyan was having her breakfast alone.

    "Is this true?" Yang Sen tossed the stack of papers on the table, making a mess on top of He Yuyan¡¯s food.

    "Sen? What is..." He Yuyan was not able to finish her words as her eyes widened. She looked at the DNA result in front of her, then to the other papers cluttered in front of her.

    "Is this true?" Yang Sen repeated. "Did you ask Yang Lina to do your bidding again?"

    "Sen...this... This is not true!" He Yuyan immediately rose from her seat. "Why would I do that to someone from the Yang Family?"

    Yang Sen did not answer her but the look In his eyes was enough to tell He Yuyan that he didn¡¯t believe her.

    "Alright, I am aware that it was wrong for me to hide this fact from you. But Yang Sen, I was protecting the prestige of the Yang Family. If they knew that you had a kid while I was still pregnant, they would surely haveughed at us! I¡¯m sure father would not have beeen happy to know that!" He Yuyan exined. "However, this ident that caused your daughter to get hurt... I did not cause it. You know I would never hurt an innocent soul," she said.

    In response, Yang Sen only scoffed at her words. "Hypocrite," he uttered before turning his back on his wife. "Call my sister and have here here. She did this so she need fix it. I want her to bring my daughter to me, unscathed."

    "But Mo... Father will..."

    "Call her!" he spat out before leaving his wife alone. Yang Lina, He Yuyan and her sister, the Madam of the Mo Family were all vicious women. For Yang Sen, vicious people deserve neither respect nor pity.

 Chapter 189 - A Challenging Position

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 189 - A Challenging Position</h4>

    Contrary to what Lily said, the couple did not go to the hospital to see Qin Fei or her child. Instead, the couple chose to spend their Sunday visiting Yang Mi and Secretary Go in the hospital.

    "The Yang Family will act soon," Lily said before she sat on the chair next to Yang Mi¡¯s bed. On her left was Secretary Go, who had just woken up from the ident yesterday. "Yang Lina might visit you at any time so I want you to prepare yourself. Stop worrying about your mother and sister because Zhuo Jingren has already ensured that they are safe."

    "What about the Qin Family? Tomorrow is..."

    "Proceed as nned," Lily interrupted her. Just this morning, she¡¯d already received a few calls from Tang Lingyun but Lily refused to answer them. She knew that Tang Lingyun would apologize and invite her to her father¡¯s birthday dinner. Seeing Yang Mi nod, Lily continued, "Cathy will be recing you for a week. She will visit me at Sky City tonight."

    "Alright..." Yang Mi¡¯s words were interrupted when they heard someone knock and then open the door. For some reason, both Yang Mi and Lily were not surprised to see that it was Yang Lina.

    "Miss Yang, I don¡¯t remember inviting you in," Lily chimed, instantly making three deep lines unfurl across Yang Lina¡¯s carefully maintained brow. She was already in a bad mood because her brother asked her to bring Yang Mi to Maind China. The worst part is Yang Sen thinking that she and He Yuyan nned Yang Mi¡¯s ident. The current situation made Yang Lina frustrated as she was now stuck in a challenging position.

    The first hassle is that Yang Lina was finding it difficult to exin to Yang Sen that her target had been Lily all along. Her brother is a very righteous person, so scheming behind someone¡¯s back is something he hates the most. If her brother knew that she tried to kill someone like Lily, Yang Lina is a hundred percent sure that Yang Sen would tell Old Man Yang, and thetter would surely nt himself in the middle of the current situation.

    The second problem is that if she doesn¡¯t tell Yang Sen about Lily being her target, her brother will continue to think that she was trying to kill Yang Mi because He Yuyan asked her to do it. Either way, her brother would hate her. This situation would affect her rtionship with the Yang Family.

    "Are you lost?" Lily asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.

    "I am not here to see you," she dered before ignoring Lily. She walked past Secretary Go¡¯s bed and stood before Yang Mi¡¯s bed where she boldly announced: "I am Yang Lina, and I am your father¡¯s sister. I am here to take care of your bill and bring you home."

    However, Yang Lina¡¯s words were only met with a burst of mockingughter from both Yang Mi and Lily.

    "I¡¯m sorry, but I think you¡¯ve got the wrong person," Yang Mi said as she tried to stop her giggles. "My father is long dead."

    "I did note here to joke, Yang Mi. I am here to bring you to your father," she said sternly, a hint of irritation shing in her eyes. She had thought that dealing with Yang Mi would be easy. After all, bing someone from a prestigious family overnight is everyone¡¯s dream. In Yang Lina¡¯s opinion, Yang Mi is lucky that the Yang Family would recognize someone like her, so why would Yang Mi even dream of refusing this opportunity?

    "Well, Miss Yang... please leave. I already told you that my father is long dead. Are you nning to bring me to my father¡¯s grave?" Yang Mi asked calmly, so calm that it made Yang Lina a little suspicious. Why was she so calm? Is it possible that Yang Mi already knows her roots? But that should not be possible...

    If Yang Mi knows that she is someone from the Yang Family, then why wouldn¡¯t she try to see her father? Yang Lina was sure that once Yang Mi dered her identity, Yang Sen would immediately recognize her. Of course, a DNA test needed to be done first, but aside from that Yang Mi also looked like Yang Sen! Yang Mi was like the female version of her father! This was something that Yang Lina could not deny at all.

    "You are a Yang. Why are you working as a secretary for someone else when you can work as a Director in one of ourpanies? If you agree to go with me to Maind China, you can easily get whatever you need. I¡¯m sure that your father and grandfather will give you everything that you want topensate you for the years that they were not able to take care of you," Yang Lina said. Since her kind gesture did not work, she moved to the second stage of her n.

    Bribery.

    As a secretary, Yang Mi most likely did not earn a lot. She was banking on this fact to use as bait to lure Yang Mi intoing with her.

    "Really? How much does yourpany offer?" Yang Mi asked. The interest in her voice was so apparent that Yang Lina already began celebrating inwardly. As expected of someone who was underprivileged, money would always make them drastically change their opinions towards something.

    "We can discuss this once you are already in thepany. Plus, we can also give you a house so you can amodate your mother and sister as well," she added before sending a mocking gaze in Lily¡¯s direction. While Yang Mi and Yang Lina were talking, Lily was calmly eating some nuts with Secretary Go. Both of them were extremely calm, their facespletely devoid of expression. It was as if... they were watching a great show. Although their demeanour was making Yang Lina angry, she chose to maintain herposure. She was here because of Yang Mi, not them. She decided to focus on the current issue at hand before dealing with Lily.

    "I want to know this now," Yang Mi said abruptly. "This piece of information is vital for me to know."

    "Alright... Well, our Directors earn sixty thousand per quarter. That¡¯s two hundred and forty thousand annual sry plus bonuses," Yang Lina said. A white-cor job in China earns about eight thousand per month or ny- six thousand annually, but in theirpany she could earn twenty thousand RMB per month as a Director. Her offer was already excellentpensation for someone who was merely a secretary, like Yang Mi.

 Chapter 190 - Cupid of Death

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 190 - Cupid of Death</h4>

    Instead of giving an answer, Yang Mi, Lily, and even Secretary Go looked at each other before looking at her, their gazes filled with unmasked ridicule.

    "I¡¯m sorry Miss Yang, but are you kidding me?" Yang Mi asked. "Your six months worth of sry is just equal to my monthly sry, ah. How are you going to convince me like this?"

    Yang Lina instantly froze. Monthly sry? Then she remembered that Lily¡¯spany was from Europe, meaning she would use a different standard for her employee¡¯s sry. Yang Lina¡¯s neck started to turn red when she realized this fact. Lily must beughing at her inwardly for what she said. She eyed Lily before shifting her gaze towards Yang Mi.

    Thetter was looking at her like the clown that she¡¯d been. How dare an illegitimate child mock her like this? Yang Lina¡¯s ego seemed to explode as she thought about the ridicule that she¡¯d experienced in less than an hour. "Yang Mi..." Yang Lina took a deep breath as she pursed her lips and stared at Yang Mi intently. "Your father is my older brother Yang Sen, who works with the military. He has a lot of enemies who are looking for a weakness that they can exploit. Now I know that you feel secure with Lily here, but how about your mother and sister?"

    Just as Lily expected, Yang Lina resorted to using Yang Mi¡¯s mother and sister to scare her. Good thing that Zhuo Jingren acted quickly and had already made sure that Yang Mi¡¯s mother and sister left Maind China and went to Japan where Zhuo Jingren¡¯swork was even greater than the one in Hong Kong. Aside from this, Zhuo Jingren also arranged for Yang Mi¡¯s mother to be treated in Japan.

    Now that Lily thought about it, she also found her husband a bit devious. First, he made sure to secure Yang Mi¡¯s mother and sister, but if one were to look at it closely, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s ¡¯kind gesture¡¯ would assure that Yang Mi would never betray Lily. With her mother and sister under Zhuo Jingren¡¯s care, Yang Mi would never do anything that would align with the Yang Family¡¯s goals.

    It was a bit vicious but Lily knew that Zhuo Jingren was just doing this for her, so who was she toin?

    Seeing Yang Mi and everyone fall silent at her words, Yang Lina thought that they were just surprised. "Here is my card. I will give you four hours to think about it. I expect to see you this afternoon at the gates of the Xuan Family¡¯s estate," she said as she put her calling card on Yang Mi¡¯s bed. Her words should be enough to scare Yang Mi. After all, Yang Lina knew how dearly Yang Mi valued her mother. She then turned her back on the trio and started walking towards the door.

    "I think Miss Yang got it wrong," Yang Mi said after a few seconds. "I am noting with you. I am not the person that you are looking for. Leave now."

    Yang Lina¡¯s steps halted when she heard Yang Mi¡¯s words. She then slowly turned her head towards Yang Mi and then on to Lily, who had a beautiful smirk stered on her face. It did not take too long for Yang Lina to realize that Lily must have something to do with Yang Mi¡¯s refusal. She narrowed her eyes at Lily as Lily raised an eyebrow at her, a silent deration of challenge issued to Yang Lina. Silence enveloped the whole room as the two continued to stare at each other.

    "Good. Very Good," Yang Lina said as she withdrew her gaze and looked at Yang Mi. "Do you think Lily could protect you from your father¡¯s enemies?"

    "I do not think. I simply know," Yang Mi answered, unfazed by Yang Lina¡¯s domineering personality. How could this simple intimidation scare Yang Mi, who had been working with Lily for so many years? This... Yang Lina¡¯s gesture and actions would be considered mediocre whenpared to Lily¡¯s ways!

    "Very well," Yang Lina nodded. Since her kind ways did not work, she could easily use force to change Yang Mi¡¯s decision. Yang Lina knew that her brother would not forgive her if she couldn¡¯t bring Yang Mi to the mansion. Because of this, nothing would stop her from bringing Yang Mi back to the Yang Family¡¯s estate, even if it meant kidnapping her mother and sister while pretending to be Yang Sen¡¯s enemy. Surely this would be enough to scare Yang Mi intoing with her for protection. "I hope you will not regret this decision," she said before storming out of the room.

    "That woman sure is crazy," Secretary Go stated after Yang Lina left.

    "Too bad she met someone crazier than her," Lily added. "Once she discovers that your mother and sister are not at their residence, she will realize that I am already ahead of her. She will have to try to exin herself to her brother. By then, I will release the information that I have on her and her husband," Lily exined.

    "Madam... If you don¡¯t mind, what is this information? Is it really capable of ruining a family such as the Xuan¡¯s and the Yang¡¯s?" Secretary Go asked, curiosity apparent in his eyes. This would be the first time that he would see Lily in action, ah. He was just very interested to know who is more ruthless between the husband and wife.

    What if the madam is more ruthless? Wouldn¡¯t that mean that President Zhuo will get bullied? This...

    "Curiosity killed the cat," Yang Mi said while rolling her eyes. "Don¡¯t give me that look Go Jichen! I know what you are thinking! Why do you think your President will be the one to get bullied? My President is so smallpared to your President! How will she bully him?"

    Secretary Go stared at Yang Mi, his eyes wide from shock. How did this scary woman know what he was thinking? "What are you saying?! I was just asking a question, ah."

    "I know what you are thinking! Stop lying."

    "I was not lying! I was just curious! Plus, my President is a very kind man. He would not bully your President!" he countered. This Yang Mi is crazy. He immediately made a mental note to stay away from this woman or else he might identally strangle her.

    "What kind man? Hmph! I know everything about your President! He is not kind at all!"

    "What are you talking about? What do you have against President Zhuo? How could you say that he is not kind? He even made sure to keep your mother and sister safe. Ah, this woman does not know gratitude at all."

    "You are the one who does not know gratitude. I have been here since yesterday, taking care of you and you did not even thank me. I even changed your clothes for you, ah."

    "You did what?!" Secretary Go quickly examined his clothing. When he realized that he was wearing a hospital gown, his face instantly turned into a scowl. "You- How could a woman agree to change a man¡¯s clothes? What a shameless woman!"

    The duo was so engrossed in their argument that they did not notice Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arrival.

    "What a brilliant cupid. Are you a cupid of love or a cupid of death?" Lily asked the moment Zhuo Jingren leaned in for a kiss. If they leave Yang Mi and Secretary Go alone for another night, who knows who would end up dead between these two?

 Chapter 191 Love is Not a Guarantee

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 191 Love is Not a Guarantee</h4>

    Just as Lily suspected, when Yang Lina discovered that Yang Mi¡¯s mother and sister were no longer at their previous residence, she was not able to stop herself fromshing out.

    "Do you think she was the one who give Yang Sen the DNA results?" Xuan Zeng asked while massaging his temples.

    "No. I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t her. My men monitored everything that she did and they found nothing! Can you believe that? The woman seemed to know something and yet my men still found nothing!"

    "Then its her husband. You forgot to check out her husband," Xuan Zeng said while frowning.

    "I did not know that she was married back then. She must have changed her papers just recently. Her status was still single thest time I checked," Yang Lina reasoned.

    "You have a point. Well... you can go and see Yang Sen and exin everything about Lily. I believe she is the one responsible for sending that DNA result. You should stop underestimating that woman. She is very formidable. Behind her kind smile is a very capable woman," he said, earning a nod from Yang Lina. Actually, Xuan Zeng does have a point, Lily was the only thing who is capable of doing that, but this would mean that she¡¯d already done her research about these things before she even got here.

    This could only mean that Lily is far more dangerous they¡¯d originally anticipated.

    "Then I will go and see my brother. Will you apany me?" she asked.

    Since Xuan Zeng had a meeting the next day he was unable to apany his wife out of Hong Kong. Yang Lina, as expected, also made sure that her grandchild, Xuan Rui Lee, would be well cared for in her absence.

    Yang Lina arrived in MainLand China at eight in the evening, just in time for the Yang Family¡¯s dinner. Since her father was not aware of her visit, Old Man Yang was surprised to see her and warmly invited her to join them for dinner.

    "Ah... I was not expecting to have a great grandchild. You did not even inform me that your daughter inw gave birthst night. How could you leave them like this and personallye here to spread the good news?" Old Man Yang beamed. He was an eighty-eight-year-old man, however, he still had a youthful spark in his eyes. Old Man Yang used to be very strict and stern, but his personality slowly changed over the years since his retirement. The old man was not as strict as he used to be, but this did not mean that he¡¯d also changed his habit of trying to control everything about the Yang Family.

    "I was just so excited that I couldn¡¯t wait toe and deliver the news in person," Yang Lina eyed Yang Sen, who was eating silently. He hadn¡¯t uttered a single word since Yang Lina arrived. "I figured this needed to be celebrated by everyone."

    "That is true..." Hu Yuyan nodded and gave Yang Lina a beautiful smile. "Lina ah, congrattions on your grandchild. I am so jealous. I wonder when Yang Jing will have a child of his own. He is even older than Xuan Hui. Can you believe that child?"

    "Yuyan, these things.... are beyond our control. The best thing that you can do is to find a woman that would suit him and arrange for a marriage."

    "What marriage? That man seems to enjoy intimidating his betrothed! Three woman. I tried to n his marriage three times and in the end, each of the poor women would decline. No one knows what he did. How could someone as good-looking and sessful as him refuse to get married?" He Yuyan asked, her face full of regret.

    "Yuyan," began Old Man Yang. "I already told you to stop trying to find a woman for your son. He is not ready yet and we cannot just shove a woman into his life. That will only create chaos in his married life." He Yuyan was about to answer Old Man Yang when Yang Sen suddenly chimed in.

    "I was the one who told her to find a woman suitable for my son," he said. "These women all came from elite families. They all grew up with good temperaments." He then looked at He Yuyan and give her a meaningful look. "Loving someone does not guarantee that he would be happy all throughout his marriage. It¡¯s better to find someone who would suit him perfectly over someone who is concealing her true nature just to make him fall into the trap of love."

    Without waiting for anyone¡¯s reply, Yang Sen lifted his napkin and wiped his mouth before he rose from his seat. "I am full. I will wait for you in the study," he said, his words directed to Yang Lina. In response, thetter cleared her throat and nodded. How could she not understand Yang Sen¡¯s words?

    Yang Sen and He Yuyan used to be so in love. A handsome military man falling for a beautiful military nurse. Their love story resembled those dramas that are everywhere on TV.

    However, this all changed when Yang Sen discovered what they did seven years ago. His change seemed to manifest overnight. The warm and loving Yang Sen had changed into this cold man whom his wife and sister didn¡¯t recognize. Though he never divorced He Yuyan, Yang Sen seemed to lose all respect for his wife and just stayed with her for his son, Yang Jing.

    "It¡¯s okay," He Yuyan said gently as she also wipes her mouth and rose from her seat. "I am not feeling well. I will go and take a rest. Call me once you are done talking to Yang Sen," she said before walking in the direction opposite to Yang Sen¡¯s office.

    Old Man Yang, let out a deep sigh as he watch He Yuyan¡¯s lonely back. "I don¡¯t know what happened all those years ago, and to be honest, I am not interested in finding out anything as this will only anger Yang Sen. However, both of them have suffered enough. I truly hope that whatever it is that Yuyan did, my son will find it in his heart to forgive her." Then he also rose from his seat and slowly walked towards his room.

 Chapter 192 - Evil Through and Through

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 192 - Evil Through and Through</h4>

    Yang Sen¡¯s study was dark, or at least that¡¯s what Yang Lina thought the moment she entered the room. She squinted her eyes to adjust to the darkness and then she noticed that Yang Sen was standing in front of an old painting on the wall of his office. The lights were all turned off, with the exception of a small tablemp that was too small to illuminate the whole room.

    "Ehem..." She cleared her throat to announce her presence.

    "Lina, who is it that you offended this time?" Yang Sen enquired, surprising his sister.

    "I-I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t seem to understand your question." she said while approaching her brother. However, when she noticed Yang Sen¡¯s cold expression she immediately added: "I don¡¯t recall doing anything except for protecting our family, so If I identally offended someone then it¡¯s not my fault. I was just trying to protect our family."

    "You are protecting no one but yourself, Yang Lina, and you know that," Yang Sen hissed as he turned his gaze towards his sister, a look of pure disgust evident in his eyes. "I am done with covering everyone¡¯s tracks."

    "Brother... I... I don¡¯t understand. What do you mean? How could yoush out at me like this?" Yang Lina immediately rationalised. She really didn¡¯t understand what was going on. Why was Yang Sen mad at her? Was this because of Yang Mi? "I didn¡¯t mean to ask our men to check on Yang Mi¡¯s mother. I didn¡¯t have any ill intentions at all. I just thought that maybe the Yang Family couldpensate Yang Mi¡¯s mother for raising her on her own," she said. Yang Lina thought that Yang Sen had discovered that she¡¯d used the Yang Family¡¯s resources to send some people to get Yang Mi¡¯s mother.

    "Good. Now I know that you are indeed evil through and through," he spat out before walking towards his conference table.

    "B-Brother, I don¡¯t understand why we are arguing because of other people. Don¡¯t you think this situation is just too... trivial for you to react this way?" she said while watching Yang Sen take a seat with a very dark look on his face.

    "Seven years ago..."

    "Seven years ago was a mistake," Yang Lina interrupted her brother. "It was an ident! He Xin was drunk! This... This is something in the past. Can¡¯t we just move past this?"

    "The things that followed after. Was that an ident too?" Yang Sen asked, rendering Yang Lina speechless.

    "You knew?"

    "I knew all along." His confirmation immediately made his sister pale. How much does Yang Sen know about the past? "And it seems that other people know it too or why would they want to punish you?" he said before he passed a tablet to his sister.

    Yang Lina silently epted the tablet and yed the video. Instantly, her eyes grew wide as her mouth fell open. Her face grew even more ashen as her hands began to tremble. Yang Lina instantly bit her lip in an attempt topose herself. "Where d-did you get this?" She slowly took a seat across from her brother to prevent herself from falling to the ground.

    "It was sent to me together with the DNA test result and the proof that it was you who caused it. No demands and no other information," Yang Sen answered. "As a public servant I did not expect you and Zengmo to engage in these types of... bizarre activities to pursue sexual satisfaction."

    "I..." Yang Lina¡¯s face grew redder as time passed. She then looked at the video of two men in bed. One was a tied up Xuan Zengmo and the other was Li Tian Ya, while Yang Lina was leisurely watching from the table just a few feet away from them. She had a smile on her face as she took a sip of her tea and watched the duo in bed. "Who else... Did you let anyone else watch this?" she asked.

    "No, I did not," Yang Sen said. "You can go now. I don¡¯t want you to visit more often than absolutely necessary. The person that you offended does not concern me and the entire Yang Family. I don¡¯t want you to drag us into this."

    "Brother! What are you saying?" She rose from her seat and mmed her hands on the table. "What do you mean? I will not drag the Yang Family with me! I... We don¡¯t even know who sent this! What if they only want money?"

    "I always thought that you were so smart and yet... you fail to understand one thing," Yang Sen said, unfazed by Yang Lina¡¯s pitiful expression. "Whoever it is that you offended was capable of taking a video of you and your husband in your intimate session, unnoticed. This person was able to dig into the dirt and produce DNA results from years ago, something that you and He Yuyan must have already tried desperately to dispose of, and then this person was so confident as to send everything to a military man who works with a team of people who can easily hack into the system and find the sender¡¯s identity."

    He stared at his sister¡¯s changing expression before he added, "The one who sent this is a very bold individual who is not afraid of being recognized. Someone capable, someone even more capable than me and fatherbined. Someone... Someone who is meticulous and is a few steps ahead of you, of us."

    "They have no qualms in offending a military family. They are confident and very courageous. Two things: It¡¯s either that you offended someone who had nothing to lose and is trying to drag you into misery with him or her, or, you offended someone who is not afraid of you knowing their identity, someone who is confident that you cannot beat them no matter what."

    "And I¡¯ll bet... it¡¯s the second option. You have offended someone frightening, Yang Lina, and I don¡¯t want you to drag me and the whole Yang Family into this mess," he dered, his gaze serious.

    "But ... but brother you can¡¯t just leave me alone! I am your sister! I am still someone from the Yang Family! You can¡¯t just let those people get me!" Yang Lina said as tears started to pool in her eyes. How could Yang Sen do this to her at a time like this? Yang Lina was not even aware of who she¡¯d offended, and her brother, the patriarch of the Yang Family, already dered that they¡¯ll have nothing more to do with her.

 Chapter 193 - Beauty Hurts

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 193 - Beauty Hurts</h4>

    "This is not the first time that this has happened. You do something bad and then youe running here for us to clean up your mess! What do you think this person¡¯s goal is? Huh? Use your brain, Lina. Think about it. Why send this to me first? This is a warning. If my guess is right, they will post this online or somewhere else to shame you and your husband. They wanted me to know this so I can create a counter n. And once I do something, they will include the whole Yang Family in this... scheme."

    "Brother! How could you say that?" Yang Lina stared in disbelief at her brother. "Why are you being so cowardly? We can still do something about this. I... We can locate whoever it is that sent the video and..."

    "I will tell father about this," Yang Sen interrupted her. "Second brother is already on his way here. I know both of them spoil you rotten, but I am different. I am the current patriarch of this family and I will do whatever it is that will be most beneficial to everyone."

    "Even if that means leaving me behind?" A single tear flowed down Yang Lina¡¯s cheek, The pain she felt was apparent in her eyes. Suddenly Lily¡¯s words about how Family is nothing but a word seemed to sh through her mind. "I think... I think I know who did this!" she eximed and quickly wiped away her tears.

    "I think its Lily Qin! I mean Zhuo! Lily Fi-Zhuo. She is someone from the Qin Family who is taking her revenge on us because I refused to let her marry into the Xuan Family seven years ago..."

    "You mean the woman whom you and your dumb friends identally hit while she was crossing the street?" Yang Sen said. "Was it the girl who lost her mother because the woman jumped in front of the car to protect her daughter?"

    "I... I already told you it was an ident! He Xin was drunk driving. We were all drunk!"

    "The woman¡¯s mother was alive Lina! And you, Yuyan and He Xin killed her! You asked the doctor to kill her!"

    "She saw us! She recognized me! We had to do something about it Yang Sen. This is something that you should understand. I was protecting our family!"

    "You were not protecting our Family! You were protecting yourself!" Yang Sen bellowed. "I work with thew! We are supposed to protect people! I was born to protect people! I grew old protecting people and yet you! You and my god damned wife killed someone because of your irresponsibility!"

    "And yet you chose to protect us! You hid the incident from father and used your influence to change the whole story! Don¡¯t paint yourself as an innocent, as a scapegoat!" Yang Lina also raised her voice, her emotions on the rampage. "You think it was easy for me? You think I was happy about it? Sen... it was a mistake. Me and Yuyan as well as He Xin regretted everything!"

    "A mistake that was covered by another mistake is still a mistake," Yang Sen informed her. "I will talk to father about this. I will tell him the truth. If he says that I need to surrender and let thew take care of it then I will."

    "Brother please... It has been years. Please... why now?" Yang Lina asked. This incident happened seven years ago. Seven years! Why would Yang Sen suddenly do this? Why now?

    "Yang Jing... is already mature enough to be the family¡¯s patriarch. I have been thinking about this for quite some time now and I believe this is the right time to do it," Yang Sen said, earning another sob from Yang Lina. This is her brother. This is the reason why she is afraid of him. Yang Sen would readily surrender himself and let the whole world know about what they did. He would rather do what is right and shame the family in the process than hide everything and endure his guilt.

    If Yang Lina¡¯s guess was right, Yang Sen did what he did seven years ago because his son was still young. He was not experienced enough to handle the family as well as the businesses that the Yang Family have. Now, however...everything is different.

    "Originally I wanted you to stay away from the family. I don¡¯t know who your enemy is and I think keeping you at a distance is the best way to keep everyone else safe. However, now that the past has finally caught up with us I intend to tell father about everything. We need to pay for everything that we have done, Lina. You and me, Yuyan and her sister. We need to pay," he uttered, his face calm.

    Meanwhile, the one who was responsible for the chaos in the Yang Family was calmly reading a book as her husband massaged her foot.

    "If it hurts this much then why don¡¯t you stop wearing six-inch high stilettos? It¡¯s not as if someone would call you out for wearing a shoe with two inch heels," Zhuo Jingren said as he gently kneaded Lily¡¯s ankle.

    "Makes us feel more confident, sexy, and beautiful," Lily answered nonchntly.

    "But they are tiring and your feet hurt at night."

    "Beauty hurts, President Zhuo," Lily rolled her eyes.

    "Heels or not, you are already beautiful," he stated. The gentleness and concern in his voice instantly made Lily smile.

    "No worries. Next time I feel tired while walking in my stilettos I¡¯ll ask you to carry me," Lily said.

    "Alright,." he agreed, earning another smile from Lily.

    "Hey... why don¡¯t you stop working and just follow me around? Then you can carry me when I am tired. I will double your sry as the CEO of yourpany."

    In response, Zhuo Jingren stroked his chin and stopped kneading her foot. He looked at her with a gentle smile on his face. "You¡¯ve made me a very attractive offer there, Mrs. Zhuo. I am seriously considering it right now."

    "Of course you should consider..." Lily¡¯s words were interrupted when her phone rang. Zhuo Jingren immediately got up to get it for her.

    "Cathy?" Lily said the moment she answered the call. Then a sinister smile slowly bloomed on her face. "Alright. You can release it now."

 Chapter 194 - Her Duty

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 194 - Her Duty</h4>

    Yang Family Estate

    "Sen... please, we can still get out of this situation. I¡¯m sure she doesn¡¯t know about the incident yet. I¡¯m sure...."

    "Are you sure about that? Once news gets out, this will also affect father¡¯s reputation. If she didn¡¯t know about her mother, then why would she do this?"

    Yang Sen¡¯s question made Yang Lina speechless. Exactly. Why would Lily do this? Why include the Yang Family? "I..." she stuttered, her mind in shambles. Why would Lily do this if she wasn¡¯t aware of what happened seven years ago?

    "Go to your room. I will go talk to father." Yang Sen turned his back on her as he walked towards the door. However, what Yang Lina did next was something that surprised the both.

    The attack was sudden. Yang Lina held the golfing iron in her hand tightly as she delivered a second blow to Yang Sen¡¯s head. A loud thud echoed inside the room as Yang Sen fell, his eyes wide in disbelief before he lost consciousness.

    "AHHHHHHHH!" Yang Lina screamed, her hands shaking and eyes wide as she stared at her brother lying in front of her. What happened? What the hell just happened?

    "Lina... what is going on?" He Yuyan barged into the room and was also surprised when she saw her husband lying there as blood started to pool around his head.

    "He attacked me!" Yang Lina trembled as she took a step back. "Yang Sen attacked me and I was forced to defend myself!" she cried, her tears flowing down her cheeks like an unstoppable stream. "I... I didn¡¯t mean to hurt him. Oh my go.."

    "What is going on here?" It was Yang Jing. He¡¯d just arrived and had finished eating his dinner only seconds ago when he heard someone scream. "What have you done to my father?!" Yang Jing immediately squatted beside Yang Sen and checked his pulse. "Alive. Go, call the ambnce," he said, his eyes ring at Yang Lina. He Yuyan immediately called for an ambnce.

    "What the hell have you done to my father?!" Yang Jing bellowed as he got up, his tall stature towering over Yang Lina.

    "I... I... He attacked me!" Yang Lina said, her lips trembling. She wasn¡¯t thinking. She didn¡¯t know what pushed her to hurt her own brother. All she wanted to do was to stop him when she saw the golf iron. It was as if her eyes darkened and she just picked it up and attacked her own brother.

    Yang Jing¡¯s words were interrupted when He Yuyan came back with Old Man Yang in tow. Since He Yuyan was a nurse, she easily stopped the bleeding. "We are not done talking," Yang Jing red at Yang Lina before helping his mother.

    "Father... I..."

    "Save it." Old Man Yang said, his gaze serious and calm like the surface of a cidke. Yang Sen¡¯s current state didn¡¯t send a single ripple across the old man¡¯s face. "I will find out the truth," the Old man said the old man said, his face void of all emotion.

    This made Yang Lina even more afraid. Her father... Old Man Yang is someone who is even more righteous than Yang Sen. Yang Lina was sure that Old Man Yang wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kick her out of the family once he discovered their actions . If Old Man Yang discovered that she¡¯d attacked Yang Sen and not the other way around, she was sure that he would personally send her to prison and would even ask the warden not to let her out ever again.

    Yang Lina just stood there as everything around her seemed to be a blur. Fear, confusion, anger, sadness and other emotions that she didn¡¯t seem to understand enveloped her. Slowly, Yang Lina sat down on her haunches, her chin tucked to her chest as she hugged her knees. Mascara stained her face as tears continued to trickle down her cheeks. What had she done?

    After a few minutes the ambnce arrived and Yang Sen was taken to the hospital apanied by everyone else, including Yang Lina.

    Silence engulfed the whole corridor as they waited for the doctor toe out of the emergency room. However, toYang Lina... every minute was akin to a sword slowly slicing into her heart and her conscience. Her tears seemed to have dried but her guilt was still there, nudging her, reminding her of the moment that she choose to attack her own brother.

    After a few minutes, Yang Tao arrived with George Yang. Both men wore morose expressions on their faces. How could Yang Sen attack Yang Lina? This is something that everyone knew would never happen. Yang Sen might be strict but he would never, ever... ever hurt a woman.

    After a few minutes, the doctor called everyone and told them that the force was just enough to knock Yang Sen out but not enough to cause a concussion or any other damage. Yang Sen was a six-foot man with a very muscr body. It was only reasonable that Yang Lina¡¯s blow was not able to hurt him. Everyone let out a sigh of relief. Everyone except Yang Lina, of course.

    Since Yang Sen did not suffer any rming wounds, the doctor told them that he could stay for another two days after waking up for further tests and then they would discharge him. After the doctor left, everyone went inside Yang Sen¡¯s room.

    "Tell me what happened," Old Man Yang said, his face cold. Child or not, Old Man Yang would treat everyone like this when he wanted to know the truth.

    "Yang Sen attacked me because... he got angry over... over some video. Someone is ckmailing me and I... I showed it to him. But then he refused to help me and said that I should stay away from the family." Yang Lina gathered all the courage that she could get to try and save herself. Since she¡¯d already hurt Yang Sen, Yang Lina was sure that the Yang Family would abandon her once he wakes up.

    Although Yang Lina regretted her actions, she was also a very quick-witted person. She¡¯d already decided that she would take advantage of this situation to use the Yang Family¡¯s influence to have her revenge against Lily. After her brother woke up, she could negotiate and try to stop them from telling the police about what she¡¯d done previously. Yang Lina is not dumb; she is someone from the Yang Family and she also knows things that will cause problems for the Yang Family.

    If she uses this knowledge she was sure that her father would reconsider and maybe... they could part in a peaceful way. Or maybe not. Though this is hurting her inside, Yang Lina is prepared to do this to protect her own husband and son. To protect, Xuan Zengmo¡¯s career and Xuan Hui¡¯s name.

    After everything that happened, Yang Lina was still using the same excuse of ¡¯protecting her family¡¯ to justify her own actions. Besides, Yang Lina is a member of the Xuan Family ording to thew. As a mother and wife, it is not her duty to protect her own family? She was prepared to do this, even if this meant leaving the Yang Family for good.

    But would Lily really allow her to use the Yang Family to her advantage?

 Chapter 195 - Brain and Brawns

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 195 - Brain and Brawns</h4>

    Everyone furrowed their brows when they heard Yang Lina¡¯s im. Why would Yang Sen hurt her instead of supporting her?

    "My father would never hurt a woman!" Yang Jing hissed as he narrowed his eyes at Yang Lina. "Why don¡¯t you tell us about the fact that my father¡¯s position when he fell signified that he was about to walk out of the door? He didn¡¯t attack you! He was walking out of his office!"

    "What are you saying?" Yang Lina asked before she eyed her father. As expected, Old Man Yang seemed to realize this fact too. "Yang Sen attacked me, why would I lie about that? Why would I attack my own brother without rhyme or reason?"

    "You think you would have survived if my father had attacked you?" Once again Yang Lina was stumped by Yang Jing¡¯s words. True, if Yang Sen had attacked her, she would not have had the chance to breathe another word. She stared wide-eyed at Yang Jing then shifted her gaze to everyone in the room. By now, they were all looking at her in a very disapproving way. It was as if everyone was already judging her.

    George Yang suddenly gasped aloud as he stared at his phone. He quickly passed his phone to his father, Yang Tao, who immediately furrowed his brows while watching the video. "Is this the reason why you hurt elder brother?" Even though Yang Tao was younger than Yang Sen, he was taller and leaner than his brother. This made him look even more intimidating than Yang Sen. Moreover, both men inherited Old Man Yang¡¯s righteous heart and shared some pretty simr moral characteristics. The only difference was Yang Tao tended to spoil her while Yang Sen tended to be neutral about everything.

    "Answer me, Lina!" Yang Tao said before slowly passing the video to Old Man Yang. And instantly, Old Man Yang¡¯s face contorted into an ugly scowl.

    "That¡¯s not the truth. I told you someone is ckmailing me and they wanted some money. I was just trying to ask Elder brother for help and yet... he..."

    "What about my sister?" Yang Jing asked. "Are you not here because you caused an ident that hurt her?"

    "What Sister?" Old Man Yang asked while looking at Yang Jing. Seeing everyone¡¯s confused expressions, Yang Jing quickly exined how his father told him about Yang Mi and her ident just this morning.

    This turn of events waspletely unexpected by Yang Lina. Yang Sen was not the type of person who would discuss his secrets with everyone, so she was confident that he wouldn¡¯t say anything about Yang Mi, or at least he wouldn¡¯t until Yang Mi was brought over to the mansion. Yang Lina¡¯s gaze lingered on Yang Jing as he told the whole Yang Family about Yang Mi. Did Yang Sen tell him about what happened seven years ago, too?

    A scary thought instantly shed in her mind. What if Yang Jing knows? What if Yang Sen already exined everything to his son? What if that was the reason why Yang Jing was treating her with hostility and suspicion, the moment he saw her in the office?

    Yang Lina¡¯s thoughts were abruptly interrupted when she heard her phone ring. She immediately opened her phone and looked at everyone before walking out of the room. The caller was Xuan Hui, and Yang Lina already knew the purpose of his call.

    Yang Lina quickly assured her son that everything would be alright and that the video was fake. Photoshopping someone into a video these days was easy to do. Moreover, it is pretty normal for a politician like Xuan Zeng to have enemies who would want to destroy his career. Yang Lina knew that with his team of advisers, Xuan Zeng must have alreadye up with a solution to this video by now.

    After Yang Linaended the call she received further calls from her friends asking her about the situation, just as Xuan Hui had done, but she quickly told them that it was nothing but a scheme to taint Xuan Zengmo¡¯s career. Of course, with Yang Lina¡¯s calm voice, all of her friends easily believed her.

    "She hurt her brother?" Lily raised an eyebrow at Zhuo Jingren. It was already eleven in the evening and she was preparing to sleep when they received a call from one of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s people telling them that Yang Sen had been rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately his people were unaware if Yang Sen was still alive, but it had been firmly established that Yang Lina was the one who hurt him. "Well... that was easy," Lily concluded.

    "Something else is going on here," Zhuo Jingren said before lying down next to Lily. "I already asked my men to investigate further. Also, I¡¯ve had someone contact Mr. Martin to schedule a quick Skype Call tomorrow."

    "Alright," Lily said as she gazed at the ceiling. Zhuo Jingren had a point. A normal brother would try and help his sister at a time like this. Lily was actually waiting for the Yang Family to aid Yang Lina before she would ask Zhuo Jingren to start with his ns. But this.... Isn¡¯t this just too quick? Did Yang Sen choose to abandon his sister over some video? That would be impossible. "Hey... what do you think will happen to Yang Lina once she loses the support of the Yang Family?" she wondered out loud.

    "Why are you concerned about her now?" Zhuo Jingren asked. "Are you regretting putting your grand n into action?"

    "Of course not. Plus, I am not the one doing it. It¡¯s you, ah."

    "Well... you are the brain and I am the brawns. Aren¡¯t we just perfect for each other?" Zhuo Jingrenughed before he hugged Lily.

    "Too perfect," she said in a low voice.

    "You know, when you came back I never expected you to cause storm after storm in this country. First, the Tangs, now the Yangs and tomorrow the Qins. Tell me, my little wife, are you nning to purge every family who offended you?"

    "So what if I am?" Lily countered. This was not her intention, alright? Purging was too far-fetched. She just wanted to give those people a little taste of what she¡¯d experienced at their hands.

 Chapter 196 - Assurance

    <h4>Chapter 196 - Assurance</h4>

    Maind China Hospital

    The silence that weed Yang Lina the moment she walked back into Yang Sen''s room seemed to caress her skin like a cool early morning breeze, but instead of soothing her soul, this silence only added pressure to her already jagged mind.

    Then her heart began to race as she waited for her father''s words, his reassurance that he would help her deal with Lily. Unfortunately, her expectations were only met with silence.

    "I will find out the truth about this matter. For now, everyone will return to the mansion while we wait for Yang Sen to wake up," Old Man Yang said as he rose from his seat.

    "Father, what about the video?" Yang Lina asked. Yang Lina''s n was to pretend that she didn''t know who was ckmailing her. She wanted to get her father''s sympathy and help. Once the Old Man set his men in motion to find out who spread the video, Yang Lina would immediately inform him about Zhuo Jingren being Lily''s backer. With Old Man Yang''s connections with key government agencies, surely it would be easy for him to try and suppress Zhuo Jingren''s businesses. This would serve as a warning to Lily.

    All she was hoping for right now was for Yang Sen to remain unconscious. This would prevent everyone from discovering what they''d done seven years ago. Towards this goal, Yang Lina would ask for He Xin''s help in silencing her brother. Yang Lina would not ask her to kill him, but she would most definitely ask He Xin to find a way for Yang Sen not to wake up.

    Just as Old Man Yang instructed, everyone went home to wait for Yang Sen to wake up, but to Yang Lina''s disappointment, Old Man Yang did not ask her for more details about the video. Instead, he asked her to rest and talk to him the next day. This left Yang Lina fuming. Her father was very cautious. He would not easily be persuaded to do something without knowing all the facts. Old Man Yang is the type of person who would weigh all the pros and cons before taking action.

    Yang Lina used to love this side of her father. After all, who wouldn''t like a cautious and smart man? She was so proud to have a father like this. However, those feelings didn''t cross her mind at a time like this. Old Man Yang needed some time to decide on a n, time that Yang Lina doesn''t have right now.

    With this in mind, Yang Lina tried to call He Xin only to fail as thetter''s phone was switched off. When she tried calling someone from the Mu Family she was informed that He Xin was still in Germany but would be boarding a flight back to China in the next few hours. As the duration of that flight was over nine hours, He Xin wouldn''t be able to answer her calls for quite some time.

    Yang Lina was not able to stop her curses from running out of her mouth. He Xin was a prominent doctor and she also had connections in every hospital. This is the reason why she would be the perfect person to contact when it came to this matter. Yang Lina chose not to inform He Yuyan about this as she knows how much He Yuyan loved Yang Sen. She was sure that this woman would not agree to her ns to keep him sedated.

    She started to pace inside the room. Thinking of another n, another way to silence her brother when an idea suddenly urred to her. She immediately dialed Li Tian Ya''s number. After two rings he answered, his voice groggy. Yang Lina knew that he would already be asleep at this time, however, she didn''t have the time to apologize. She quickly outlined her ns before telling him that she would send some money to his ount so that he could leave the country for good immediately after doing the thing that she''d asked him to do.

    In response, Li Tian Ya immediately agreed and assured her that everything would be fine before ending the call.

    Yang Lina couldn''t stop herself from smiling as she thought about the thing she''d asked Li Tian Ya to do. And just like that, her night ended with her sleeping well, confident that her father would help her take care of Lily.

    Aug 01, Monday

    At eight in the morning big news shook the Qin Industries. The second biggest shareholder, Zhuo Capital, began selling their shares at a very low price, instantly making Qin Mo and Qin Liwei panic. Today was supposed to be Qin Mo''s happy birthday, but instead he started his day livid with rage.

    "This is all your fault!" Qin Mo hissed at Tang Lingyun the moment he entered their room. Tang Lingyun was still in bed in her pyjamas.

    "What did I"

    "I already told you to call Lily and apologize! Beg her if you must! Now Zhuo Jingren is targeting the Qin Industries because of your dumb actions!" he yelled as he pointed a finger at his wife.

    "I already tried to call her but she refused to talk to me," Tang Lingyun said. "What happened? How could Zhuo Jingren target you?"

    "You stupid woman! Go call your daughter. Ask her to convince Xuan Hui to buy all the shares before other shareholders begin selling their stocks out of panic!"

    "B-But"

    "No more buts! Call Qin Fei now! Then get dressed immediately! We are going to see Lily right now!"

    "Mo! I am ."

    "Shut up and follow my instructions Tang Lingyun or I swear you will end up on the street with your son!" he spat out before storming out of their room. He needed to talk to Lily and Zhuo Jingren and he would do anything and everything to appease their anger right now.

    "You areing with me," he told Qin Liwei, who also had a very dark look on his face.

    "That woman is so vicious!" Qin Liwei said. After discovering that his own mother was the reason why Lily suffered seven years ago, Qin Liwei thought that what Lily did at the party, embarrassing Tang Lingyun like that, was justified. However, Lily did not have to go as far as involving thepany that the Qin Family had painstakingly built up for decades now. In Qin Liwei''s mind, Qin Mo had nothing to do with Tang Lingyun''s scheme so he shouldn''t suffer, nor should theirpany.

    Qin Liwei believed that kicking Qin Jinghua and her mother out of their house back then was the right thing to do as their presence would only add more shame to the family. Lily should be smart enough to understand that decision. She is also a business woman, so she knows how a scandal like that would affect their family''s image.

    "Keep your opinion to yourself," Qin Mo said. "I want you to help me convince them to stop this attack on thepany. Also you could try calling your brother-inw and asking him to buy the Qin Industries stocks that Zhuo Jingren is flooding the market with. This would also be good for him as the Qin Industries are slowly recovering right now."

    "Hmmm you''re right. I will do as you say," Qin Liwei said.

    ..

    FC Group Tower

    Lily narrowed her eyes as she looked out of the floor to ceiling window of her office. She then furrowed her brow as she continued listening to Cathy''s reports.

    After Cathy finished her reports, silence had taken over the whole room. Lily sat in deep silence as Cathy watched her stare nkly at the view on the other side of the wall. Lily''s face was serene but Cathy knew this to be the exact opposite of her inner emotions.

    Cathy is a forty-five-year-old woman who used to work as Lilian Fi''s secretary. After thetter resigned and transferred thepany to Lily, Cathy was promoted as PR manager for thepany. When Yang Mi got wounded and was unable to attend to Lily, Cathy was obviously the best person to be Yang Mi''s temporary recement.

    "Were you able to get Yang Lina''s fingerprint on my phone?" Lily asked after a few minutes of silence. She was talking about the time when Yang Lina had a surprise meeting with her instead of George. At that time, Yang Lina touched Lily''s phone when Lily showed her another video.

    "Yes, President," Cathy answered.

    "Then send it to Zhuo Jingren. He will know what to do with it. Since Xuan Zengmo wants to call a press conference then let''s surprise him by releasing another video. Let''s see if he can still deny that one." Lily smiled, but it was clear that her mind was elsewhere. "Also tell Zhuo Jingren that I want to make sure that Li Tian Ya will never be able to get close to Yang Sen. Whatever it is that Yang Sen is hiding, it must be a very important information for Yang Lina to attack him."

    "Copy that," Cathy said. "President, What about Yang Lina?"

    "I don''t want a confrontation with her. Once she realizes that she is cornered she will desperately fight for her life and will use every method imaginable to get back at me. I don''t want that to happen," Lily answered. "Let''s exhaust her first, to the point that she can''t think about anything but saving herself. By then" She shifted her gaze and looked at Cathy before she added, "I can attack Xuan Hui''spany."

    In response, Cathy nodded. As expected of Lilian''s prodigy, Lily is someone who is even scarier than her grandmother. In fact, Lily was way more sinister than any other Fi that came before her. The only simrity that she shared with Lilian is that both women had a powerful man standing behind them, treating them as their Queen.Correction: a powerful man treating them as their life.

 Chapter 197 - Legislator Xuan

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 197 - Legitor Xuan</h4>

    Xuan Zengmo was someone who had a public image to maintain. Since retiring from hispany, he expended a great amount of energy in building up his reputation as a gentle and wise member of society. Because of this, Xuan Zengmo became one of the 30 elected members of the Legitive Council of Hong Kong. Since he was a retired businessman, Xuan Zengmo was chosen to represent themercial sector.

    "Again, the video was fake. These days it is very easy to superimpose the faces of innocent people onto a depraved video. This is obviously a move from the people who want to shame me. They want to attack me for being a non-partisan and a man who values the people¡¯s welfare above those of the greedy corporations," Xuan Zengmo¡¯s voice was calm and so was his face. His righteous words instantly reached the hearts of the people who were watching the live press conference.

    Xuan Zengmo was known as someone who would rather make enemies of bigpanies who refused to follow Hong Kong¡¯sws rather than watch themon people suffer. These words only showed how he truly values the masses. Xuan Zengmo¡¯s natural charm instantly made the public sympathize with the man who, because of his beliefs, had be a target of those greedy corporations.

    "Legitor Xuan are you saying that your enemies went to this degree just to shame you? Do you think they wanted you to retire?" a tall andnky reporter asked.

    "That could be the case," Xuan Zeng nodded. "I am a Member of the General Chamber of Commerce. Naturally I have my own powerful enemies as well."

    "Legitor Xuan, why do you think they also targeted your wife? Do you think Mrs. Xuan also offended them?"

    "These people wanted to destroy not just my name but also my family. I am not surprised that they decided to attack my wife as well," he responded.

    The conference continued as Xuan Zeng tried to answer everyone¡¯s questions, That is to say that he was trying to do so when all at once everyone¡¯s phone started to receive notifications. Xuan Zeng immediately furrowed his brow when he saw almost all of the reporters were looking at their phones. Did something happen? Was there another emergency elsewhere?

    "Legitor Xuan, what can you say about the second video that was posted moments ago?"

    "Legitor, this time it was focused on you and your wife¡¯s faces. Are you still trying to deny the fact that you sleep with both men and women?"

    "Legitor, the video also has your voices in it. Are you going to say that they also faked your voices too?"

    Xuan Zengmo widened his eyes at everyone. "I... I don¡¯t understand what you are talking about," he stuttered before one of his assistants showed him the video ying on his phone. In the video, Xuan Zengmo was with another younger male and a young female. They were enjoying themselves on a king size bed, with Yang Lina watching just a few feet away from them. This time, their faces and voices were so clear that anyone could easily recognize them from the video.

    "Legitor, is this another scheme to make you resign too?"

    "Legitor, who are the people who are apanying you? Is it safe to say that you like to pay escorts to satisfy your needs?"

    Questions from the reporters became much more aggressive as each and every one of them was already standing on their seats to get a clearer shot of him while others were swarming closer to him.

    "Legitor, answer our questions!"

    "Legitor Xuan, how long ago did you start doing this while your wife watches?"

    Xuan Zengmo¡¯s face was extremely ugly. He clenched his fist and took a deep breath. "That video is fake! That video was created with the sole purpose of destroying my name and my family!"

    "How about the logs from the hotel?" someone from the back chimed in, silencing everyone in the process. "The one who posted the video also posted logs that contain dates and CCTV footage of you and your wife entering the hotel room with some young people! Are you going to deny these as well?"

    Seeing Xuan Zengmo grow pale, another reporter immediately added: "Legitor, does your silence mean that you are in fact the man in the video?"

    "Legitor Xuan, answer us. The public needs to know the truth! As a legitor, your image is very important to the masses who elected you!"

    Xuan Zengmo gritted his teeth as he rose from his seat and mmed his hand on the table. However, before he could say anything that would further damage his name, one of his advisors tugged his coat and slowly pulled him behind the security team.

    "The legitor is done answering questions for the day," the advisor said. "Please respect the Legitor¡¯s privacy and leave now."

    But would the reporters agree to walk away from such a rare opportunity of having juicy news delivered directly to their phones with no work involved?

    "Legitor, are you still going to deny that you are the man in the video?"

    "Legitor!"

    "Legitor!"

    Every reporter rushed towards Xuan Zengmo with their mics and recorders, making it hard for his bodyguards to get him out of the room.

    The scene was extremely chaotic as the bodyguards started shoving people out of their way while trying to cover Xuan Zengmo¡¯s face. Still, some reporters did not give up and continued to ask questions, hoping to get any reaction at all from Xuan Zengmo.

    Meanwhile, Lily was staring at theptop screen that was showing the conference live. Her face was devoid of any expression as she watched Xuan Zengmo being surrounded by reporters and in a very pitiful state.

    "President," Cathy¡¯s voice woke her up from her own thoughts. Lily quickly turned off the video and looked at Cathy.

    "Yes?"

    "Mr. and Mrs. Qin are downstairs insisting upon seeing you. They also brought their son, Mr. Qin Liwei along. They said it is a very urgent matter."

    "And?" she raised an eyebrow at Cathy.

    "I naturally declined them the opportunity to see you," Cathy give her a knowing smile. "But Mr. Qin said that they are willing to wait until you are avable so they can talk to you."

    "Good. Tell them I won¡¯t be avable at all today as I have a date with my husband tonight. Ask them to focus and concentrate on saving theirpany first," she said in a cold tone. For some reason, memories of what she and her mother had been through in the Qin Estate seemed to resurface in her mind.

 Chapter 198 - A Little Trouble

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 198 - A Little Trouble</h4>

    Aug. 1st, Monday

    In the afternoon Lily had the scheduled Skype call with Mr. Martin, the financier from Europe who sessfully invested in Xuan Hui¡¯spany. Everything went smoothly as the duo immediately came up with a coboration that would benefit them both.

    "So you¡¯re saying that Li Tian Ya was able to sedate Yang Sen?" Lily immediately furrowed her brows while talking to Zhuo Jingren. Latest night she¡¯d asked him to monitor Li Tian Ya¡¯s movements because she already expected Yang Lina to contact the man for another job. However, Lily never thought that Yang Lina would have contacted Li Tian Ya to do the job before the former gave orders to stop this exact thing from happening.

    "Yes", Zhuo Jingren answered. "My men are interrogating him now. Yang Sen is still alive, however, he might not wake up in the next three days. Whatever Yang Lina is hiding must be very detrimental to her."

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s men were able to intercept Li Tian Ya as he left the hospital, making Lily curious about what Zhuo Jingren had up his sleeves. Hmmmm... What are you nning to do with Li Tian Ya?" she asked.

    Zhuo Jingren answered after a few seconds of silence. "Do you really want me to answer that question? The man hired lowly thugs to hurt you," he added, rendering Lily silent. Zhuo Jingren was right. Li Tian Ya was responsible for the ident because he¡¯d followed Yang Lina¡¯s orders. Lily immediately pursed her lips as she thought about the things that Zhuo Jingen might do to a person who tried to hurt her.

    "Alright, forget I ever asked that," she said before changing the topic. "The Yang Family hasn¡¯t made a move against me yet."

    "Old Man Yang would never have survived this long if he was a careless individual. Even if Yang Lina told him that you were the one who released the video, the old man would not be unreasonable and attempt to avenge his daughter immediately. He is the type of person who would try to discover the truth behind your actions first, before making his move."

    "Exactly. This is the reason why I find the Yang Family very hard to deal with. But surely the second video that I released will push Yang Lina into pressuring the old man into helping her," Lily ventured.

    "The Old Man is not dumb, but Yang Lina¡¯s second brother is not asposed as the two Yang Men before him. He is strict but he¡¯s also impulsive, so if Yang Lina tells him about her troubles then there is a possibility that he will act against us," Zhuo Jingren said. In response, Lily narrowed her eyes.

    "I was counting on them taking action against me," she responded. If the Yang Family didn¡¯t take action that deliberately caused trouble for Lily, then she would not be able to retaliate. All Lily was doing right now was trying to make the Yang Family abandon Yang Lina. Aside from that, the Yang Family was basically innocent and had not offended her in any way.

    In Lily¡¯s opinion, a little trouble for the Yang Family should be enough to make them lose focus and be vulnerable. If the Yang Family is chaotic on the inside, it would be hard for Yang Lina to ask for their help. Then, once the Yang Family realizes that Yang Lina is up to her neck in trouble, they will eventually abandon her. However, if the Yang Family chooses to help Yang Lina, that would allow Lily to make a countermove against them with Zhuo Jingren¡¯s help.

    In fact, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s analysis of the Yang Family was right. Old Man Yang would not take action against them as Lily didn¡¯t directly attack the Yang Family. However, Yang Tao was different. Even though he already knew that Yang Lina attacked his elder brother and Yang Sen¡¯s illegitimate daughter, he would still choose to listen to Yang Lina¡¯s words.

    Yang Tao was expecting his sister to ask for his help in blocking the video from spreading in Maind China, or perhaps even to help her trace the culprit. What he did not expect, however, was for Yang Lina to tell him a big secret. What he never expected was for Yang Lina to tell him the reason why she attacked Yang Sen.

    "So you killed her mother?" he asked, surprise sending his eyebrows flying towards his hairline.

    "It was He Xin," He Yuyan answered. They were in Yang Sen¡¯s study talking about what happened seven years ago. "When Lina said that Bec Fi recognized her, we didn¡¯t have a choice but to kill her."

    "Why the hell would you do that?" Yang Tao hissed.

    "Brother, you don¡¯t understand. Seven years ago, Xuan Zengmo was already nning to pursue politics. What would¡¯ve happened to his career if someone had unearthed the fact that his wife and her friends had identally caused an ident while drunk driving?" Yang Lina reasoned. "Moreover, it was brother who asked his people to destroy the CCTV footage of the ident and find a fall guy to take responsibility for it, and it was He Xin who fired all the doctors to ensure no one knew about what happened. And no one did."

    "That is... until now. Until, brother decided to tell father about it," Yang Lina added.

    "He made the right choice," Yang Tao said. "Now that this Lily Fi is taking revenge on the people who hurt her mother, it is only right for Elder brother to tell the Old Man about this before that woman includes the Yang Family in her quest for vengeance." Seeing Yang Lina and He Yuyan fall silent at his words, Yang Tao continued, "However, we all know that the Old Man would not tolerate something like this. If he knew about this, he would surely bring you to the authorities himself."

    "So is that the reason why you hurt Elder Brother? To keep him quiet?"

    Yang Lina nodded at Yang Tao¡¯s question.

    "The second video was already released this morning and father has been cooped up in his room sincest night. I¡¯m certain that he has already asked his people to take a look into this situation. Our father is not dumb Lina, he will soon connect the dots about Yang Sen¡¯s cold treatment towards you and his wife with thet ident that happened years ago. What are you nning to do now?"

 Chapter 199 - Dont Get Too Excited

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 199 - Don¡¯t Get Too Excited</h4>

    "I..." Yang Lina stuttered. What was she nning? Shall she tell her brother that she is considering killing Yang Sen to keep him quiet? "I... don¡¯t know. Once brother wakes up, I¡¯m sure that he will continue with his original ns and father... father will surely abandon me!" Yang Lina began to sob. Meanwhile, Li Tian Ya had called her a while ago, telling her that he¡¯d alreadypleted his mission.. All she needs to do right now is to convince Yang Tao to help her.

    "That would be the case. I am sure he will abandon you," Yang Tao nodded, earning an even louder sob from Yang Lina. It has been almost twenty-four hours and Old Man Yang hasn¡¯t even asked to see her.

    "Brother, please, I need your help. That video was clearly meant to nder me and Zengmo. She wants to ruin me and the Yang Family. I¡¯m sure she wille for He Xin soon."

    "Lina, you have talked to the wrong man. You know I¡¯ve never wanted to get involved in the family business," he answered before looking at He Yuyan and then shifting his gaze to Yang Lina. "Even though I want to help you, I don¡¯t have the means to do so. My position is not high enough and you know how father likes to monitor any connections your elder brother and I contact. I don¡¯t want him to suspect me as well of covering up a crime."

    "Then... what am I going to do now?" Yang Lina asked. At this point, both Yang Lina and He Yuyan were already sobbing. Everyone in the room was lost in their own deep thoughts, so none of them noticed the small gap in the door.

    Behind the door, Yang Jing stood with a very dark expression on his face. He then slowly walked away from the room and fetched his phone from his pocket. "Yes, I want you to send me the information on a woman named Lily Fi- Zhuo from Hong Kong."

    "Got it. I will travel to Hong Kong tonight. Please take care of my leave."

    "I will be waiting for the result. Thank you." He then ended the call. At this point, Yang Jing was already in front of Old Man Yang¡¯s room. He clenched his jaw and slowly knocked on the door.

    After a few seconds he heard his grandfather ask him toe inside, then without a second thought Yang Jing entered the room. His grandfather needed to know the truth about what happened to his father.

    FC Group Tower

    "Was it you? Did you release it?" Xuan Hui¡¯s question was the first thing that weed Lily after she left her office and descended in the lift. Xuan Hui seemed to have been waiting on the ground floor in the parking lot of the building. "Answer me Lily! Are you responsible for shaming my parents?"

    "Master Xuan," Lily said as she gestured for Cathy and Daohu to walk ahead of them. "Your father already said that it was his enemies who did it. Why are you here, barking like a dog?"

    "Lily! How could you be so vicious? I remember that you asked my father about escorts after yourunch! I know this is another one of your evil schemes." Xuan Hui was unfazed. Deep inside he already knew that Lily was the one responsible for what happened, but he still came here to talk to her. To be honest, Xuan Hui didn¡¯t have any idea what he was doing here either. All he knew was that he wanted to talk to Lily.

    "I heard that my sister already gave birth?" Lily ignored Xuan Hui¡¯s question as she started walking towards her car. "Congrattions, Master Xuan. I wish you all the best in your married life."

    "Lily... tell me, what do you want? Why do you want to destroy my family? I don¡¯t remember that they were involved in what happened to you years ago! It was Tang Lingyun! Why are you punishing my parents too?" he asked while trying to catch up to Lily.

    "True," Lily answered.

    True? What true? "Lily I want you to stop this! If you want to punish those who hurt you then start with your mother-inw! Why are you involving my parents?! If you have the guts, then try and get your revenge on me too! Don¡¯t involve other innocent people in your game!" Xuan Hui¡¯s words made Lily stop in her tracks. She then turned her head towards Xuan Hui.

    "Innocent?" she asked with a little smile on her lips. "Your mother hired some people to attack me. Is that what innocent people do?"

    "What are you talking about? Why would she hire someone to hurt you?"

    "Why don¡¯t you ask her?" Lily countered. "After all, it was you whom she wanted to protect." Lily continued to walk towards her car that is now a few steps away from her.

    "Lily, this must be a misunderstanding. My mother would not hurt someone! She might be fierce and a little strict, but she is not the kind of person who would hurt another person."

    "Fool," Lily scoffed as she watched Daohu open the car door for her. She then turned her gaze towards Xuan Hui and smiled.

    "Master Xuan... if you think that your mother is innocent, then you clearly don¡¯t know her," she said. "Since you have be the CEO of yourpany, it has been your mother who¡¯s been using any means necessary to pave the way to your sess. Don¡¯t you ever wonder why you¡¯ve never met with a single setback since you started? It was because your mother had been doing all sorts of dirty things behind your back to protect you, her precious little boy."

    "You-"

    "Yes, Master Xuan... it is me. I am the one doing all this. Now... what can you do about it?" Lily asked as she lifted an eyebrow at him in disdain. "Since you started with your career you¡¯ve never failed in a negotiation, nor has anyone ever turned down your offer. Did you think you were really that brilliant?" Seeing Xuan Hui¡¯s face turn ugly, Lily continued, "And you dare challenge me to try my best to take revenge on you? You are wildly overconfident, Master Xuan."

    Lily then entered the car and Daohu immediately closed the door behind her, then he boarded the car with Lily and Cathy. However, before he could start the car, Lily opened the window and gave the frozen Xuan Hui another smile.

    "Don¡¯t get too excited, Master Xuan. I aming after you soon," she said, then she immediately closed the window andmanded Daohu to drive her home.

    Meanwhile, Xuan Hui just stood there frozen as he watched Lily¡¯s car drive away from him. He then clenched his jaws and shoved his hands into his pockets. Did Lily think that he was dumb? All along Xuan Hui was aware that his mother was the one cleaning up everything and making sure that he would not encounter any trouble in his business. He knows that the woman behind his sess is his mother. He knows everything, yet he never once confronted Yang Lina.

    Xuan Hui knows how much his mother loves him. He knows that all she ever wanted was to give him the best, and to be honest Xuan Hui did not see anything wrong with that. He is not dumb and he is sure that he will still survive in the business world, even without the support of his mother.

    However, to hear Lily belittle him like this was extremely infuriating. It was as if Lily had stuck a knife in his pride and wasughing at his misery.

 Chapter 200 - We Are In This Together

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 200 - We Are In This Together</h4>

    With this in mind, Xuan Hui dialed a number on his phone. "Feifei? Hey... I want you to call Father Mo. Tell him that I will buy all the stocks that Zhuo Capital sold. Yes, mywyer will call himter." He immediately ended the call after achieving his goal,.then he looked in the direction that Lily¡¯s car had taken.

    Does Lily really think that she is that formidable? Xuan Hui knew that what Zhuo Jingren did to the Qin Industries was because of Lily. The man must have been extremely smitten with his wife to let her convince him to sell his shares for such a low price. Xuan Hui immediately scoffed at his own thoughts. Zhuo Jingren was an idiot for losing profits over some petty revenge.

    Originally, Xuan Hui did not n on buying anything from the Qin Industries. After all, he knew that the current state of the Qin industries was extremely pitiful. However, after Lily mocked him earlier, he felt that he needed to prove himself to Lily. True, his mother helped him achieve everything, but this didn¡¯t mean he is incapable of managing apany!

    When Lily arrived at Sky City, Zhuo Jingren was already there. The couple originally wanted to eat outside but Lily changed her mind and asked her husband if they could just stay at home. This was mainly because she wanted to rest and think about some things that had been bothering hertely.

    "Hot Pot?" Lily smiled when she saw Zhuo Jingren arranging some of the ingredients on the table.

    "Hmmm... I also made my own version of a dipping sauce," he answered. Zhuo Jingren was wearing a gray Henley shirt that showcased his biceps, paired with beige shorts. Lily continued to eye Zhuo Jingren before lifting an eyebrow.

    "Are you going to make me another offer to be a stay-at-home husband?" Zhuo Jingren give a lowugh. He shifted his gaze towards Lily and gave her a wink before focusing his attention back on the perfectly arranged thinly sliced meat for the Hot Pot.

    "Hmmm... My grandma said that having a handsome husband will give women headaches," she said as she took a seat across him.

    "I thought I was the best husband out there. When did I ever give you a headache?"

    "Fighting against scheming women who like you is such a headache," Lily said while eyeing the now simmering broth. She then smiled at the mushrooms near her and used a chopstick to pick one up.

    "Go change your clothes first, then we can start eating," he said, making Lily pause. She slowly turned her head towards him and gave him a brilliant smile.

    "How... strict," Lily smirked as she raised an eyebrow at him. "I am already hungry President Zhuo. Can¡¯t I eat without changing my clothes?"

    In response, Zhuo Jingren stopped what he was doing and approached Lily. "Depends," he answered, his tall stature towering over her.

    "On what?" Lily asked.

    Zhuo Jingren quickly leaned down towards Lily¡¯s ear and whispered, "On what you want for dinner."

    August 02, Tuesday

    Lily woke up with a small smile on her face. The Hot Potst night was just what she needed to end her day. Of course, sleeping with an extremely hot husband was another reason, but still, Lily would chose to credit the Hot Pot for her impable mood today.

    "Xuan Hui bought all of the sharesst night," Zhuo Jingren said as he ced a cup of coffee in front of Lily. He then helped Lily close the zipper of her knee length red dress.

    "His ego was not able to take it. That¡¯s expected," Lily said. She then took the coffee and smiled at him. "Thank you."

    "I also sent you a video of Li Tian Ya¡¯s confession."

    "He confessed?"

    "Of course," he replied. Lily just stared at Zhuo Jingren for a few seconds before she averted her gaze and took a sip of the coffee.

    "And?"

    "He does not know why Yang Lina wanted to silence Yang Sen, but he remembered her mentioning something about what happened seven years ago."

    "Seven years ago? Isn¡¯t that..."

    "I already had my men investigate everything and so far... we¡¯ve found nothing except for the hospital personnel that were fired," Zhuo Jingren answered. Seeing Lily stare at the cup of coffee without saying anything, he immediately added, "Don¡¯t worry too much about it. I will keep looking."

    "Jingren... seven years ago, our child..." Lily did not continue her words, instead she lifted her head and looked at him. "Yang Lina is quite close to the Madam of the Mu Family who owns the city hospital that I was admitted to. She is also a doctor with lots of connections. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised to find that whatever this secret is, it has something to do with me."

    "I agree," Zhuo Jingren said as he reached out to touch Lily¡¯s hand. "We are in this together, alright?"

    After Lily finished her breakfast with Zhuo Jingren she first went to Harmony Isle to visit the newly constructed building before going to her office to continue working.

    "President, a man named Yang Jing is insisting on seeing you," Cathy respectfully said. Her words immediately made Lily frown. ording to her research, Yang Jing should be in the military, so why is he here now?

    "Did he mention the purpose of his visit?" she asked after a few seconds of silence.

    "No. But he said that it is very important."

    "Tell him an important matter is not enough to see me. Ask him for his purpose again. If he still refuses to say it then tell him I don¡¯t have the time to see him," she remarked in an offhand manner before continuing to type on herptop.

    After a few minutes, Cathy came back.

    "President, he said it has something to do with what happened seven years ago."

    Lily instantly froze when she heard Cathy¡¯s words. She then massaged her temples as she reached out for the recorder in her drawer. "Bring him in and cancel my meetings for the next hour."

    "Got it, President." Cathy made a low bow before she walked out of Lily¡¯s office, her normally stern face slowly turning into a scowl. For some reason, her gut was telling her that Yang Jing¡¯s purpose ining here had something to do with the death of her best friend, Reba Fi, seven years ago.

 Chapter 201 - A Little Giddy

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 201 - A Little Giddy</h4>

    Yang Jing prepared himself for the worst.

    Lily Zhuo would not be easy to deal with, and he knows that the woman had the right to go after his mother and aunt for what they did to her own mother. However, this fact would not stop Yang Jing from meeting with Lily.

    "I was surprised that you actually agreed to see me after what you did to my family," Yang Jing took a seat across from Lily, his eyes were glued to the woman in the blood-red dress in front of him. Yang Jing had already seen photos of Lily. In fact, he had also watched the video of Lily¡¯sunch party to try and analyze her personality, but this... this woman in front of him was very different from the woman in the photos. Maybe she had a tinge of the confidence that she exhibited during herunch speech, but it was too little. He could barely feet it.

    The woman in front of him should be Lily Fi-Zhuo, but for some reason he also felt that she was not. She had the same appearance as the Lily in the photos but the atmosphere around her was different. Too different and too mysterious.

    "Are you ming me for what happened to your father?" Lily asked as she gave him a cold smile.

    "I am not here to talk about my father¡¯s ident."

    "Oh... but you know it wasn¡¯t an ident right?" Lily countered. She then slowly drummed her fingers on the table while staring intently at the man in front of her.

    "I do," Yang Jing acknowledged. Inwardly he was wondering how much Lily knew. "I am here to negotiate."

    "For some reason, the word negotiate made me a little giddy," Lily answered. "What does a military man like you want to negotiate with? Is this about the Yang Family?"

    "President Zhuo, I am a very direct person so I don¡¯t want to talk in riddles," Yang Jing said. "I am here because my grandfather asked me to talk to you about what happened seven years ago." Seeing Lily raise an eyebrow at him, he continued. "It was He Xin who drove the car that hit you and your mother. My mother, He Yuyan, was in the back seat while my aunt, Yang Lina, sat in the front seat. The three women were drunk and it truly was an ident." When Yang Jing saw that Lily¡¯s fingers ceased drumming on the table and the smile on her face had vanished, he thought that perhaps his words had opened up old wounds. Yang Jing was aware that bringing up the past would make her relive that tragic experience, but he still chose to continue talking. "My grandfather agreed to give this information to the police and let thew decide."

    "President Zhuo, I know this makes you very angry, but we havews for a reason. My grandfather agreed not to interfere with the proceedings and wants to assure you that everyone involved in the ident will be punished," he added before he swallowed his nonexistent saliva.

    Yang Jing was not nervous or intimidated by the coldness that Lily was emitting right now. He assumed that his statement about thew was just making her angry. After all, Lily was adamant about avenging her mother¡¯s death. It was only reasonable for her to be unhappy about dismissing her ns after being told to stop and rely on the justice system instead.

    After a few minutes of silence, Yang Jing started to be ufortable. He looked at Lily intently and instantly felt frustration when he saw nothing on her face. Not anger nor sadness. It was just nk. Lily was just staring nkly at his... neck. Then, after a long while, Lily slowly lifted her gaze. Her brown eyes instantly met with his dark brown ones but he was still unable to recognize any hint of emotions in her eyes.

    The ambiance of the whole ce became even more confusing as Lily still did not utter a single word. She just stared at him, engrossed in her own thoughts. Yang Jing was so focused on Lily that he failed to notice theptop on Lily¡¯s table with its camera blinking in Lily¡¯s direction. On theptop screen, a vacant office can be seen. Just a while ago Zhuo Jingren was watching Lily from his ownptop as she insisted that he also listened to their conversation, but after hearing Yang Jing¡¯s words, Zhuo Jingren immediately rose from his seat and strode out of his office instructing his people to cancel his remaining meetings for the day.

    While Zhuo Jingren was rushing towards Lily¡¯s office, Yang Jing continued to feel difort from the suffocating silence that seemed to have reached every part of the room.

    "So you want me to refrain from dragging the whole Yang Family along with your aunt and mother?" Lily said after a long while. Her gaze was still glued on to his eyes.

    "Yes. That is correct," he nodded. "The Yang Family have many branches in the provinces of China, all of which are dependent on the family businesses that my great grandfathers created to support the family. I know that you are already aware of this, so I am here to let you know that avenging your mother will also ruin those people. It will be an endless circle of hatred for everyone involved."

    Once again, Lily did not utter a word, creating another awkward silence between the two. "Do you know?" Lily¡¯s question instantly confused Yang Jing. He raised an eyebrow at her and opened his mouth wanting to say something, but Lily beat him to it.

    "Do you know how my mother died, Mr. Yang?" Lily asked, her face devoid of any expression. "Did she die because of the ident? Or did someone kill her after realizing that she would survive that ident?"

    This time, it was Yang Jing¡¯s turn to be rendered speechless. Why would Lily ask him such a thing? Is it possible that.... Yang Jing¡¯s stoic expression cracked the moment the realization hit him. It was as if a big boulder was crushing his chest, preventing him from breathing. Lily Zhuo... did not know that her mother was killed?

 Chapter 202 - Darken

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 202 - Darken</h4>

    Lily stared at the man in front of her. Yang Jing was a tall and muscr man. For someone from the military, Lily found this normal. However, what she found interesting was thetter¡¯s changing expression as realization hit him.

    "You...."

    On the outside, Lily¡¯s face was not showing anything, it was nk and cold. And to be honest, her outside appearance was the exact mirror of her current state of mind.

    Lily¡¯s emotions right now are hard to describe because she¡¯d buried these feelings. Her heart had been burrowing underyers andyers of protection for so long that she found it hard to reveal these emotions again. The instant that Lily heard Yang Jing reveal the truth about her mother¡¯s death, she felt nothing. Then slowly.... it hit her.

    The pain that she had been hiding, controlling, and taming inside of her seemed to go on the rampage in her mind, but Lily held on. She slowly withdrew her hand from the table and put it on herp before she clenched it into a fist. Her knuckles turned white as she started to feel the stinging sensation of her nails digging into her palm.

    Still she held on. She had been through so much that a simple truth should not cause her to lose control right now. Lily was taught not to show any vulnerabilities. No matter how much she felt her heart breaking into pieces while thinking about her pitiful mother, she would not reveal these emotions. She cannot show her weakness as this is something that these people can use against her.

    Lily¡¯s face was cid, calm as ake after the storm. Not an ounce of pain or trouble was apparent on her face as she continued to study Yang Jing¡¯s expression. "So... are you going to tell me what happened? Or... Will I have to find out by myself and identally obliterate your entire family in the process,?" Lily¡¯s voice was soft and low. Her words were said slowly as if she was trying to make sure that the man in front of herprehends everyst word. However, this did not mask the chill that her words could make one feel, sensing the danger hidden behind them.

    "President Zhuo...." Yang Jing was still unable to believe that Lily did not know about her mother¡¯s death. "If you didn¡¯t know about the cause of your mother¡¯s death then... why are you targeting the Yang Family?" he asked, confused. He clearly heard Yang Lina say that Lily knew and that is the reason why she set up the ident against Yang Mi, framing Yang Lina in the process.

    Then she sent Yang Lina the video making her panic and ask for her family¡¯s help. At the same time, Lily also sent the proof about Yang Mi and the fake video to Yang Sen, letting thetter know that she was watching them.

    This was Yang Lina¡¯s story. Is it possible that.... she was lying?

    "Are you going to answer my question?" Lily asked once again, ignoring Yang Jing¡¯s previous question.

    "Well... your mother recognized my aunt," Yang Jing said. "So when they were informed that there was a chance that your mother would survive, they decided to ask the doctor to ... kill her."

    "So it wasn¡¯t an idental death caused by the ident," Lily stated. "You know this and you still had the guts toe here and attempt to negotiate with me."

    "Everyone knows that what they did to your mother was wrong, however, most of the people from the Yang Family are innocents. We have a lot of rtives working in our constructionpanies and factories. We can¡¯t afford to offend someone with your standing in the market and lose our small businesses as a result."

    "Trying to appeal to me using those people is useless. I don¡¯t have the heart to think about these innocents that you are talking about, Mr. Yang," Lily said.

    "Revenge is pointless," Yang Jing said.

    "Who said that I am out for revenge?" Lily countered.

    "Then why did you make those fake videos? Why send it to my father? Was this just for fun?" Yang Jing asked, a little irritated that he can¡¯t see through her. She was calm and cold. Aside from that, Yang Jing could not read Lily. It was as if he was talking to a cold and hard stone.

    "Revealing my reasons is pointless," she answered. "But I never thought that my simple actions would make you reveal what happened to my mother seven years ago."

    "Is this a confirmation that you truly did not know what happened back then?" Yang Jing asked. For some reason, he found it hard to believe that Lily was not attacking their family because of what his mother and Yang Lina did. Right now, Yang Jing is wondering if Lily did what she did because of Xuan Hui and not because of what happened seven years ago. "Did you take action against us because you want to weaken Xuan Hui¡¯s backing?"

    These was the only possibility that he could think of right now. A sessful businesswoman like Lily would not waste her energy and resources without firm goals or reasons.

    "Your brilliant aunt wanted me dead," Lily answered after a few seconds. "Did you think that I would just sit here and wait for her to continue attacking me behind my back?" Seeing Yang Jing fall into deep thought, Lily continued, "Your aunt wanted me dead as much as she wanted to silence your father."

    "She wouldn¡¯t do that. Yang Lina does not have the courage to hurt my father. What happened before was just because she lost control of her emotions. I am sure that she would not do anything to my father, now that he is still unconscious."

    "Oh..." Lily did not continue her words, as she typed something on herptop and turned it towards Yang Jing. "Why do you think your father hasn¡¯t woken up until now, Mr. Yang? Did you think he loved sleeping so much that he refused to wake up from such a mild wound?"

    Lily then yed a video for Yang Jing. In the video, Li Tian Ya was sitting on a couch. From his clothes to his appearance, it was obvious that Li Tian Ya was at home. The video showed him talking to someone, however the identity of the person that he was talking to was blocked by a book. From this angle it was obvious that the video was taken secretly.

    The conversation started casually - until Li Tian Ya started to talk about what Yang Lina asked him to do to Yang Sen, and how he was sessful in sedating him.

    Lily watched as Yang Sen¡¯s face paled. His face was showing an unfathomable expression. Originally Lily was not nning to do anything dangerous against the Yang Family and just wanted them to abandon Yang Lina, however now.... All she wanted to do was to destroy everyone involved in her mother¡¯s death.

    Lily felt as if her world seemed to darken. All she wanted was to see blood. Endless blood of the people who hurt her and killed her mother. She wanted to make them suffer, skin them alive, and watch intently as life disappears from their eyes.

    Lily was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she failed to notice when Zhuo Jingren barged into her office. He looked at Lily who seemed to be in a daze before he instructed Yang Jing to leave them. The Lily right now is someone who Zhuo Jingren had never seen before and he will do everything to get his Lily back.

 Chapter 203 - The Worst Daughter

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 203 - The Worst Daughter</h4>

    "Hey," Zhuo Jingren said gently as he knelt on bended knee in front of Lily. He slowly reached out to touch her cheeks, making her aware that Zhuo Jingren was in front of her. Lily immediately shifted her gaze towards Yang Jing¡¯s vacant seat and let out a sigh when she saw that he¡¯d had already gone. He must have left at Zhuo Jingren¡¯smands. She pursed her lips and shifted her gaze back to the man in front of her.

    Seeing Zhou Jingren¡¯s calm expression instantly let her know that he did not feel pity for her, and she was somehow thankful for that. She slowly rose from her seat and walked towards the floor to ceiling windows behind her conference table.

    Silence ensued. Not the kind that would make one chill or suffocate. This silence was something that Lily needed.

    "I never saw her body," Lily said after a few minutes of silence. She knew that Zhuo Jingren was just behind her, standing, waiting for her to say something. He was just silently standing there, waiting...

    "They only give me her ashes," she continued. The murderous instinct that she was exhibiting earlier was slowly dissipating, as if it had been mysteriously blown away by an unknown existence. "Ashes, Jingren... they give me nothing but her.... Ash."

    And it was at that moment that a single tear slowly trickled down her cheek. A single tear that she was not even aware of. Lily then felt Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hand slowly stroke her shoulder as if silently giving her the strength to continue talking, letting her know that he would always stand beside her... silently.

    "When a psychologist asked me about that moment, I always say it felt like getting paper cuts. Hundreds of paper cuts. Remembering that moment... felt like being cut by yet another piece of paper. And the sad thing was... none of those paper cuts were enough to kill me." Another tear made its way onto her cheek... followed by another, until it became an unending stream of tears. Lily¡¯s lips slowly quivered as her eyes were flooded with emotions. Emotions that she had been suppressing for a while now.

    "You know what¡¯s the worst thing about all of this?" she asked. "It¡¯s the fact that after they gave me her ashes... I did not even ask why she died. I didn¡¯t even doubt anything that they told me. I am a horrible daughter, Jingren..."

    "I am the worst daughter."

    Then she felt his hot breath on her ear. He had closed the small gap that he maintained earlier. Zhuo Jingren did not utter a word. Not a sorry, nor anything that would aim tofort her. Instead, he slowly wrapped his arms around Lily. Giving her warmth, threatening to melt the ice that had covered her heart for so long.

    Then Lily¡¯s emotions rained down like a storm. Her shoulders began to tremble as tears poured down like rain, threatening to drown her from the inside. The sadness and loneliness that had dried in her veins flowed like a cold unending river. Why did she believe them? All those years and she never even asked one single question. Was it really because she believed their words? Or she was too scared to recall what really happened that night?

    Lily felt Zhuo Jingren turn her towards him, letting her cry on his chest, his arms around her. It was as if the world had melted around Lily and all she felt was the surge of emotions that were trying to block the warmthing from the man who was hugging her. It was as if her emotions were trying to pull her back behind her invisible shield, trying to hide her back in the abyss where she could forget watching her mother jump in front of the car to protect her. Who was she trying to fool? She was a coward who was afraid to face the truth. She was afraid to think about how Bec Fi¡¯s blood, her own mother¡¯s blood, dampened Lily¡¯s clothes before both of them lost consciousness. She refused to think about Bec Fi¡¯s eyes staring at her with gentleness as blood trickled from her mouth.

    Just what kind of mother was Bec Fi? What did she do to deserve to have a daughter as horrible as Lily?

    Lily was selfish. She wanted to forget those emotions, she wanted to forget everything that would give her ess to the feelings that she was trying to hide. She was a horrible individual who refused to face the fact that she caused her mother¡¯s death. She neither asked nor investigated her mother¡¯s death, afraid that she would recall thosest moments, afraid to dream about the gentleness in her mother¡¯s eyes as she gave Lily herst smile, as her mother reassured Lily they both would be just fine, meanwhile Bec¡¯s life was steadily trickling closer to its end.

    Lily was a horrible woman. Selfish and petty. Scheming and evil. And yet here she is... in the arms of the man who... worships her like a saint.

    "You are not a sinner," Lily heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s low voice. "Nor a saint," he continued, his hug appearing to have be a little warmer, a bit gentler. "You are Lily... the Lily that I love, and I will love you no matter what you will be."

    Lily did not respond. She bit her lip, trying to stop her tears from falling only to fail miserably.

    ¡¯love¡¯

    ¡¯the Lily that I love¡¯

    ¡¯and I will love you no matter what you will be¡¯

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s gentle voice echoed inside her mind, over and over again, trying to engulf the other voices that were telling her to kill them, to make those people suffer. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s voice seemed to wrap around her mind, giving her something that she had never felt before.

    Lily continued to let her tears tumble down her cheeks as she closed her eyes and slowly... very slowly, Lily lifted her arms and hugged Zhuo Jingren back.

    She needed him, a small voice seemed to echo inside her as she slowly closed her eyes and snuggled deep into his arms.

 Chapter 204 - To Kill Someone

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 204 - To Kill Someone</h4>

    UNEDITED

    August 03, Wednesday - Sky City

    "August is supposed to be summer. I wonder why it rained." Lily said while watching the thick, ck clouds swirling all over Hong Kong. The rain started around three in the morning. Three hours have passed, and it seemed like the rain had gotten even stronger.

    The grey sky rumbled, followed by a loud boom of thunder. Lily continued to watch therge stter of raindrops on the floor to ceiling window in their room. It was like an endless waterfall, cascading the earth from the heavens.

    "You hate the rain." It was Zhuo Jingren. Thetter was holding two cups of coffee with a gentle smile on his face.

    "Brings back old memories," Lily answered as she epted the coffee from Zhuo Jingren. She looked at the swirling hues of brown inside the cup before she looked at Zhuo Jingren. As expected, thetter is already staring at her. "It was raining that night." She said, her gaze back to the stters of rain.

    Lily heard Zhuo Jingren let out a sigh, but she did not turn her head to look at him. He must be tired of hearing her stories, she figured.

    "Go on." Zhuo Jingren said. "Go on. I want to hear it."

    This time, Lily looked at him. The sincerity in his voice was too adamant that even a toddler would notice it. The same honesty that was visible in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face.

    "I was desperate." Lily started. "I... Qin Mo kicked us out of the Qin Mansion and I... I don¡¯t know anything. I did not attend college and mother well... she is already old. No one would want an older woman to work for them. My small savings from my allowance was just enough for our rent, and I can find a job. I don¡¯t know anything basic. So... I... I tried to apply as s hostess."

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s brows instantly furrowed when he heard Lily¡¯s story. For some reason, his research did not show this. All he know was that she and her mother got kicked out of the Qin Family then they got into an ident.

    "Mother did not agree, and we got into a fight. I mean... that was the only way that I knew. We need the money, and I am beautiful enough to be an escort."

    "So on my first night, she showed up and tried to drag me home. Of course, my boss got angry, and she kicked us out of the club. I was so mad I never to talked to her while walking. She was exining and trying to convince me. She was saying something about going back. She keeps on apologizing about everything. She said her pride was too big for her to apologize. She was crying while I... I was angry and never listened."

    Once again, Lily did not notice the tears that had been streaming in her face.

    "I was walking too fast and she was trying to catch up while talking about giving me back everything that I deserve. And I honestly thought she was crazy or something. She was talking about going back to Europe. And other things that I am not aware of."

    "Then Ished out on her and ran across the street." Lily let out another sigh. "I was so angry I did not notice the car approached me. All I remember is my mother hugging me as the car hit both of us."

    "All these years... I thought it was me who killed her." Lily added her gaze back into the man beside her. She did not even notice how she got into his embrace. Lily was too engrossed in her memories that she never noticed the Zhuo Jingren was already cuddling her. "I refused to tell anyone else about this as I feared they would me me."

    "My grandmother only knew that it was drunk driving. The driver was prosecuted, and well, he died just a year after I arrived in Europe. My grandmother said that the driver had some acute kidney disease at the time of the ident. And I did not asked her any more questions afraid that she will asked me the details of that night."

    "I refuse to think about it and would get angry if someone would asked me about it." Lily scoffed. "I was a mess back then. When I woke up in the hospital, three days had already passed after the ident. And... they only give me her ashes. They said Qin Mo himself instructed it."

    "After that, they told me that I lost my child and the ability to give birth because of the ident," Lily said. Then she took a sip of her coffee. "I was alone. On that night, I lost my mother, my child, and the ability to give birth."

    "I was not able to take the trauma, so I tried to kill myself."

    "Well... I failed over and over again until Qin Mo asked his people to send me to a psychiatric ward. And that was where my grandmother found me."

    Silence instantly engulfed the room. Not even the rain and the asional rumbling of thunder was enough to break the deafening silence inside the room. Still, Zhuo Jingren did not say a thing. His arms were around Lily. Last night, Zhuo Jingren assured her that he would be here for her, and she believed him.

    Right now, both of them were aware that all Lily needed was someone to listened to her deepest secrets. She does not require a piece of advice nor someone¡¯s pity. All she needed is someone that would listen to her.

    "Hey, Jingren?"

    "Hmm?"

    "How does it feel to kill someone?" she asked her gaze was glued on his handsome face.

    In response, Zhuo Jingren looked at the dark, ominous clouds swirling in front of them. "The first impulse that I got after killing someone was to flee." He answered. "To be honest, emotions would not hit you directly after your first kill. Maybe it¡¯s the adrenaline. I don¡¯t know. But when it hit me... I... It was pure mental torture."

    Then he shifted his gaze towards her, meeting her light brown eyes. "It is something that I would not want you to feel, ever."

 Chapter 205 - Divide and Conquer

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 205 - Divide and Conquer</h4>

    UNEDITED

    Lily give Zhuo Jingren a smile before she leaned in to kiss him. "I won¡¯t," she said.

    "So what are you nning to do now?" Zhuo Jingren asked.

    "I am nning to talk to Yang Jing again. I¡¯m sure by now Old Man Yang already knows what Yang Lina did to Yang Sen," she answered. Although she wanted justice, Lily was also aware that taking another life would not give her satisfaction. It would only intensify the hate would also create a never ending cycle of bloody revenge.

    What Lily needed right now was justice. Yesterday, Lily had been doing all this for her own benefit. She wanted to remove Xuan Hui¡¯s backing to obtain his business. Now, however...she was fighting for something much more important to her: Justice for her mother.

    Lily thought that whatever she showed Yang Jing was enough for the Yang Family to kick Yang Lina out. And she was right. Yang Jing reported the matter to Old Man Yang with the video that Lily showed him.

    Yang Jing was able to obtain the video because Zhuo Jingren sent it to him. He also told Yang Jing to have an expert analyze the footage to prove that it was not fake, so Yang Jingimmediately asked his contacts to analyze the video, and just today, he received the results.

    Everything that Lily posted online, including Li Tian Ya¡¯s confession, was not fake. Everything was true!

    Yang Jing immediately sent the information to Old Man Yang, and thetter directly transferred Yang Sen to a military hospital and tightened his security.

    "You still dare lie to me?" Old Man Yang bellowed at the crying Yang Lina in front of him. "You attacked and then sedated your own brother in an attempt to silence him. If my guess is right, you also nned to kill him! How did I raise a daughter like you?"

    "Father! How could you say that? I just did it to..."

    "If you are going to say that you did it to protect the family, then you better stop right now!" It was Yang Tao. His face was extremely red with anger. He was about to call his contacts this morning so he could help his sister! Good thing Yang Jing called him and informed him about what Yang Lina did to Yang Sen before he made any calls. "Lina! How could you do that to Elder brother?! Are you even human?!"

    "Brother... Brother, please listen to me. Don¡¯t... Don¡¯t believe Lily. I am sure this is what she wanted. She wanted you to abandon me. She said it... she told me, she wanted me to experience being abandoned. Are you really going to give her the satisfaction by doing what she wanted?" Now that everyone in the family knew about what she did, Yang Lina decided to use this reasoning to try and gain the pity of her family. Yang Lina thought that she could paint Lily as an evil enemy who wanted to ruin their family before asking her father to do something against Lily.

    "Our family has been supporting the smaller branches of the Yang Family, and Lily knows this, yet she still chose to attack us. She wanted to take us down. She did not care that she would ruin the lives of our less privileged family members, all she cares about is revenge." Seeing Old Man Yang turned silent at her words, she continued, "Are you going to abandon me over this type of woman father?"

    In response, Old Man Yang let out a loud sigh before he shook his head. "You are hopeless. Please leave the family. I don¡¯t want to see you again."

    "Father! How could you do this?"

    "Lina, that woman did not target the family for revenge." Yang Tao said after realizing that his father does not want to borate any further.

    "What do you mean?" Yang Lina¡¯s eyes were wide full of confusion. Lily is not doing this for what happened seven years ago? Then what was her purpose?

    "She wanted to weaken your son¡¯s backing." Yang Tao continued. "She did not even know what happened seven years ago. Yang Jing had identally revealed it to her yesterday and..."

    "WHAT?" she immediately rose from her seat and looked at Old Man Yang. They are currently in the Old Man¡¯s study, as Old Man Yang called everyone in the Yang Family household for a meeting. "HE TOLD HER?"

    Old Man Yang slowly nodded. Because of Yang Lina¡¯s story, everyone assumed that Lily was out to get the people who killed her mother. No one expected that her real purpose was only to get back at Xuan Hui. Their mistake was the wrong assumption that they made because of Yang Lina¡¯s lies.

    "We also know that you tried to kill her, but her secretary Yang Mi was the one who got into the ident instead." Old Man Yang answered. "You have been lying all this time. You hurt your brother and lied to your second brother. You wanted to manipte us into taking action against your enemy. All you wanted was to use us against Lily Zhuo."

    "Father... that is... that is not true." Yang Lina said as she slowly took a seat. Did Lily do all those things to target Xuan Hui? Then Yang Lina widened her eyes as the realization hit her. Lily wanted Yang Lina, and Xuan Zengmo¡¯s attention focused on other pressing issues so they will not notice her actions against Xuan Hui.

    All along, Lily was luring her away from the Xuan family. She separated Yang Lina and Xuan Zengmo and released the video to give them a headache. She divided their attention, weakening their defense towards Xuan Hui.

    The world seemed to stop revolving, as Yang Lina realized Lily¡¯s real n. First, she provoked them at the party. Lily was letting them know that she knows something about them. They quickly assumed that she knows about the ident seven years ago and be cautious about her next scheme. Then Lily wanted her to leave Hong Kong, so she sent the video to Yang Sen to anger him. Lily knew of Yang Sen¡¯s righteous nature, and she used this against Yang Lina. She sessfully made Yang Sen mad because of Yang Mi¡¯s ident.

    When Yang Lina arrived in Maind China, Lily immediately released the video to upy Xuan Zengmo¡¯s attention. Everyone was in chaos in trying to solve the issues as quickly as possible that they fail to see Lily¡¯s simple scheme.

    Divide and Conquer.

 Chapter 206 - You Will Be Nothing

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 206 - You Will Be Nothing</h4>

    Every part of Yang Lina¡¯s being seemed to have hit pause as she tried to catch up with her thoughts. Lily sessfully diverted her attention away from her son. This could only mean one thing. Yang Lina¡¯s hands immediately trembled before she reached for her phone and tried to call her husband. Before she could dial his number, however, she heard her father¡¯s voice.

    "Please leave the Yang Family," he said, his tone stern,pletely devoid of any emotion. Yang Lina instantly froze as she turned to face her father. "Leave the Yang Family. I don¡¯t want to get involved in your matter." Old Man Yang¡¯s already wrinkly face seemed to have aged even further as he let out a long sigh. "Once Yang Sen wakes up, he and Yuyan will go and see Lily Zhuo. Hong Kong and China do not have an extradition treaty and I don¡¯t think the government will surrender a high ranking officer to Hong Kong. I¡¯m sure Lily also knows this. That is the reason why she immediately refused Yang Jing when he told her about thew."

    "Father! How could you..."

    "I am doing this for the whole Yang Family. Lily Zhuo came from abroad and her ties in the east are still weak. Her husband, however, is an entirely different matter. The government considers President Zhuo to be an ally but this does not mean that Zhuo Jingren does not have any connections in the ck market. That man could easily ask some triad members to blow up our factories and drag everyone in the Yang Family down with you."

    "Father... I am your daughter. You cannot abandon me like this!" Unfortunately, Yang Lina¡¯s plea was met with absolute silence from everyone in the room. Once again, Yang Lina started sobbing. "Father, why are you doing this? It was not our fault! It was He Xin¡¯s fault. She was the one driving the car! She was the one who hit Lily¡¯s mother!"

    Seeing her father¡¯s calm gaze, Yang Lina knew that the old man was determined not to listen to any more of her exnations.

    ¡¯Family is just a word¡¯

    Once again, Lily¡¯s voice echoed inside her mind as she looked at everyone in the room. Each and every one of them were engrossed in their own thoughts. Everyone heard her father¡¯s words, Yang Lina was sure of it, but not one single person tried to defend her. Everyone was trying to avoid her eyes except for Yang Tao, and he was looking at her with utter disgust.

    Her brother, who used to spoil her as if she was his most precious rtionship, was looking at her with revulsion and contempt! How could Yang Lina stomach this sight?

    "I will ask my men to send all of your things to Hong Kong with you," Old Man Yang said after a few minutes of silence. "Now leave, and think about your selfish actions which caused all of this chaos."

    "Father.... Please... I can change... I can..."

    "Leave now...Leave before I ask the attendants to drag you out of this house," Old Man Yang said as he stared intently into Yang Lina¡¯s eyes. "Lying was one thing but hurting your own brother is another. You have lied, killed, and manipted people, now you are hurting the people who love you the most. I do not recognize you anymore, Yang Lina. I am not sure what kind of monster you have be!"

    "Father, it was because...."

    "Family?" Yang Tao interrupted her. "You have been saying that over and over again, yet you do not even understand that word! How could you lie and attempt to manipte the people that you considered as family? Lina... you do not consider us as your family! You did everything for yourself and not for us. I am so disappointed in you!"

    Yang Lina stared at her brother and then towards Old Man Yang, tears streaming down her cheeks as her heart seemed to break into even smaller pieces. She can see it... she can feel it. Hurt, despair and disappointment. Yang Lina immediately wondered if this what Qin Jinghua felt back then when everyone abandoned her?

    Yang Lina did not remember which emotion finally made her leave the room. She remembered running out but that was it. Did she run because of disappointment? Embarrassment? Hurt? Or maybe it was abination of all of those feelings. Her tears were still coursing down her cheeks as she dragged her feet towards the entrance of the mansion. This ce had been home for more than twenty years, yet the people who live here just kicked her out as easy as kicking a ball out of the house. The people who lived here chose an evil woman over her. Based on this alone, Yang Lina found it logical that she should leave and go home. Leave the people who do not want her in their lives. Leave everyone who¡¯d abandoned her. However, her heart was telling her a different thing.

    All these years, Yang Lina had been very ustomed to using the Yang Family¡¯s prestige as a justification for her actions. If the Yang Family announced that they would no longer associate themselves with Yang Lina, she was sure that this would wreak havoc in her life and those of the Xuan Family.

    She had lost her backing. She then recalled Lily¡¯s words during their confrontation at the coffee shop.

    ¡¯If I target your family, you will be nothing. Just as Xuan Hui will be nothing once you are dead.¡¯

    The viciousness in Lily¡¯s eyes seemed to stick into her mind, making her remember it at times like this. Did Lily n all of this ahead of time? How was she able to predict that she would be abandoned by her family? Then the second sentence that Lily uttered flew into her mind:

    ¡¯Just as Xuan Hui will be nothing once you are dead.¡¯

    Is Lily nning to kill her? Yang Lina immediately swallowed her non-existent saliva before she dialed Xuan Zengmo¡¯s number. However, he was unreachable at the moment. She immediately tried calling his secretary but she was informed that Xuan Zengmo was having a very important meeting with the other legitors. The secretary also advised her to call in the afternoon after the meeting has ended.

    Yang Lina instantly clenched her teeth as she finally walked out of the mansion, her mind in shambles. For some reason, she had a very bad premonition as she thought about Lily¡¯s divide and conquer n.

    Lily had already divided them... Is she going to carry out the conquering part of her n now?

 Chapter 207 - Psychological Problems

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 207 - Psychological Problems</h4>

    Yang Lina immediately tried to call Xuan Hui to ask him not to do anything drastic. Now that Yang Lina is sure that Lily is targeting Xuan Hui, she¡¯s decided to go back to Hong Kong to protect her son. Unbeknownst to her, Lily has alreadyid down a trap for Yang Lina.

    Hong Kong is just a few hours drive from the Yang Mansion in Maind China. Throughout the ride, Yang Lina was thinking of a way to get back at Lily. Since the Yang Family has already abandoned her, she needs a new method to deal with a woman like Lily. Of course, using Tang Lingyun was her first n. Or maybe she could attempt to dispose of Lily. Realistically, that would be hard to do with Zhuo Jingren around.

    "Why did you stop?" Yang Lina asked her driver when she noticed the deceleration of the car.

    "Police officers," the driver answered shortly, making Yang Lina look at the uniformed men approaching their car. Right now Yang Lina was still in China, but she was about to cross the border between China and Hong Kong. It is normal for various authorities to police this segment near the border, however, Yang Lina couldn¡¯t help but wonder why these men would stop her.

    "Is there a problem?" she immediately asked the moment she opened the window of her car.

    "Good Morning. Can you please show us some proof of your identity?" the police officer respectfully said.

    "Sure, no problem." She immediately took some ID from her bag. While she is no longer a part of the Yang Family, the public is still unaware of this matter. Once the police officers know that she is from the Yang household, they will surely immediately apologize for disturbing her ride. However, when she saw the police officer whispering something to hispanions, worry lines creased Yang Lina¡¯s brow. "Is there a problem? I am Yang Lina, the only daughter of retired General Yang from Guangzhou."

    "Miss Yang, can you please apany us to the nearest station? We have some important questions to ask you," the older policeman framed the order as a polite request.

    "About what? Why would you invite me to a police station? Do you know who my father is? My husband is a legitor in Hong Kong. If this gets out, it could affect both of our reputations!" she said.

    "Miss Yang, please don¡¯t cause any more trouble. We are just going to ask you some questions about a murder. No need to panic, it is merely protocol."

    "Murder? Whose murder?" Yang Lina¡¯s hands slightly trembled. Did Lily decide to tell the police about what happened seven years ago? But wouldn¡¯t that be too dumb? Lily had no evidence. The doctors who killed Bec Fi were in hiding, and none of the hospital personnel know anything about this. Moreover, this happened seven years ago, and Lily only knew this yesterday. How could she go to the police and tell them about it?

    "We can continue the conversation at the police station. If you don¡¯t ..."

    "Alright, Alright! I aming, but I am not going to ride in any of your police cars. Go ahead, we will follow you to the station." Seeing the police officer gave her a look, Yang Lina continued. "I know thew! I won¡¯t run away as I am innocent. Why are you giving me that look? Do you think I will evade thew? My father is a great general in this country! I will not dirty his family name!"

    Slowly the police officer nodded as he signaled his men to return to their police cars and head to the police station with Yang Lina in tow.

    Meanwhile, Lily was staring directly at Yang Jing, making him extremely ufortable.

    "President Zhuo, are you just going to stare at me all day?" he said while avoiding Lily¡¯s gaze.

    Yang Jing had met all types of women since he started working in the military. He had seen women who would try to use their beauty to manipte men, women who thought that all men wanted was their bodies. These women would use their angelic beauty to try and exploit men¡¯s weaknesses.

    Then there was the gentle yet scheming womanmonly referred to a white lotus, the type of woman who could make men bow down to her exquisite weakness. This type of woman can boost men¡¯s egos by being so weak that every male would have the natural instinct to protect them, inting their opinion of themselves as big, strong protectors..

    Then there were those dumb, funny ones who would stumble over every stone, exasperating men to the point of falling in love with them.

    Yang Jing had also met with some domineering women who thought that they were equal to men. They would use every means possible to prove this point and would end up challenging every man that theye across.

    There are also those exceptionally arrogant women who think too highly of themselves, looking down on everyone as if they were blessed by the gods. Women who believe that their beauty and brains are always one step above those of ordinary people.

    Yang Jing had also acquainted himself with the type of heroic women who can¡¯t stand injustice and would always protect whoever it is that had been bullied. These women perpetually stand in the path of righteousness, thinking that what they are doing is always right. These are the women who love to keep quiet and observe things while waiting for people to offend them, then they would unleash chaos and obliterate everyone who hurt them.

    Then there are those mysterious women whoe from prestigious families, always acting as if they are always one step ahead of everyone, silently scheming and observing, then analyzing everyone¡¯s actions. Smart, but too arrogant.

    Then finally there is the smart and scheming woman who is the faithful assistant or the ¡¯woman behind the great man¡¯. These are the women who toil on behalf of famous people. No one ever acknowledges their efforts, and very few people know that they are the brains behind some of the most brilliant ideas ever created.

    Yang Jing had spent the whole night thinking about which type of woman Lily is. He wanted to analyze and categorize her as one of these women, but no matter what he does, he can¡¯t seem to decide on this matter.

    To Yang Jing, Lily is cold... too cold. Thetter did not even bat an eysh when he told her about Bec Fi¡¯s death. Instead, she continued talking to him as if she did not just discover the cause of her mother¡¯s death. To Yang Jing, a normal woman would have lost control of her emotions,shed out at him, or maybe used her influence to attack the Yang Family overnight.

    With Lily¡¯s influence, this would be the most natural solution for her. Everyone in the business world already considered her to be ruthless. Moreover, she has a powerful husband backing her. Destroying a family would not be a big deal for Lily. Yang Jing had been thinking of all the things that Lily could do to avenge her mother, yet she didn¡¯t do any of those things.

    Was she really that unfeeling? Did she even shed a tear because of her mother¡¯s death? Yang Jing knew that Lily had been to a mental facility before. This made him wonder if he was talking to someone with psychological problems. If so... wouldn¡¯t that be scarier?

 Chapter 208 - Murderers and Liars

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 208 - Murderers and Liars</h4>

    "President Zhuo?" Yang Jing said, almost convinced that he had been talking to a lunatic.

    "I want Yang Lina," Lily said after a few seconds. "Tell your grandfather not to intervene."

    "Yes, that¡¯s what we¡¯ve already agreed upon. However, my father and mother are a different matter. My father is in the military while my mother used to be a military nurse, but I¡¯m sure you are already aware of that," Yang Jing said.

    "I am," Lily answered. "I am not a very forgiving person, Mr. Yang. That is something that I can assure you."

    "Are you saying that you will still touch the Yang Family?"

    "No. I will not ruin the lives of your family. I am not that evil," Lily said as she drummed her fingers on the table. "However, that does not mean that my husband is as... kind-hearted as I am."

    Yang Jing immediately squinted at Lily, wondering what type of scheme she was cooking up now. "President Zhuo..."

    "Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let him touch your precious family." Lily rose from her seat and turned her back on Yang Jing. "But this will mean that you will owe me something." Lily crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze still on the floor to ceiling windows in front of her. "From now on, the Yang Family will owe me something."

    Instantly, Yang Jing¡¯s expression changed. "We don¡¯t owe you anything!"

    "Zhuo Jingren can frame your uncle and grandfather for crimes that they did notmit," Lily said. "Without them and Yang Sen... the Yang Family will slowly crumble."

    "My husband tends to overreact when ites to me, Mr. Yang... Who knows what he will do to get back at your family. After all, it was your father who helped cover up my mother¡¯s murder," Lily reminded him. "I¡¯ll give you five minutes to think about it."

    "You..." Yang Jing was speechless. While he had been cautious after realising that he¡¯d identally revealed details of the murder of Lily¡¯s mother, he still did not expect this move from her. Owe her? Wouldn¡¯t this mean that the Yang Family would be under hermand?

    Now that he thought about it, his grandfather had been warning him not to engage in any deals with Lily as she was extremely cunning. Last night, Yang Jing wasn¡¯t able to stop himself from talking back to his grandfather. For him, it¡¯s not that Lily is smart, it¡¯s simply that they made the wrong assumptions because of Yang Lina¡¯s lies. Her tactics were simple, and any military tactician would eventually notice them as long as they knew every aspect of the story.

    However, his grandfather still warned him about Lily¡¯s unpredictability. Dismissively, he justughed at the old man¡¯s words. How could a woman beat a military officer when ites to strategy? All night, he had been thinking about Lily¡¯s ways and concluded that she just got lucky as Yang Lina and Xuan Zengmo panicked when she attacked them. This wouldn¡¯t work if she had been in front of military men who had been dealing with cunning individuals all of their lives.

    "Mr. Yang, all my life I have been underestimated by almost everyone I¡¯ve ever encountered," Lily¡¯s sudden words woke him up from his stupor. "Be it when I was a child or when I became a businesswoman. This is a man¡¯s world, they say," Lily slowly turned around and walked towards her table. "In the business world, women tend to work harder than men just to prove that we are capable."

    "Your point?" he asked.

    "Simple. Stop trying to analyze me. You will fail." Seeing Yang Jing narrowing his eyes at her, Lily continued, "I can read you like a book, Mr. Yang. From the moment you walked into my office, I knew that you underestimate women. I know how you underestimate me."

    "I am not..."

    "I have met men like you, Mr. Yang. Too many to count," Lily interrupted him. "And every time I¡¯ve met someone like you, I¡¯ve never failed to put these people in their ces." Lily¡¯s blunt words surprised Yang Jing. Although most of his life has been spent in the military, he has been exposed to people who love to talk in riddles and hide insults behind sweet words.

    "Not that I me you," Lily added. She understood that the man in front of her has been around different types of women while working in a special division of the military that deals with intelligence and information gathering. The man has been doing his very best to decode her actions. Too bad that he will only meet with failure today. "Now... let¡¯s talk about what I want, shall we?"

    "President Zhuo, I cannot..."

    "Before you decline, I want you to know that I don¡¯t owe you and your family anything - but your father owes me the truth about his exact role in my mother¡¯s murder while your mother and your aunt arranged the murder of my mother. Now... think about it carefully, Mr. Yang."

    Once again, Yang Jing was speechless. The woman in front of him was a master maniptor, he was sure of it. To a normal person there is nothing wrong with having a strictly factual conversation, however Yang Jing knew that Lily had been ying with his emotions for a while now. She kept on interrupting him, disrupting his ability to analyze her words, then shoving threats down his throat as if it was nothing. Moreover, Lily also didn¡¯t forget to make him feel guilty and let him know over and over again that they had wronged her.

    "We, the Yang Family, will not tolerate evil deeds President Zhuo. On behalf of my grandfather, I am willing to ept your offer, however it should not involve something that would breach our morals," he answered. Yang Jing felt that he was left with no choice but to agree to Lily¡¯s demands. Her words about her powerful husband were actually true as Zhuo Capital is one of the biggest banks in Maind China. With this level of influence, he would not be surprised if Zhuo Jingren had connections to the criminal group that has been running the ck Market. Yang Jing was almost one hundred percent sure that Zhuo Jingren did indeed have the means to destroy them.

    Though he doesn¡¯t like the idea, Yang Jing knew that this was the only way to keep the family safe.

    "Look at you," Lily scoffed after she heard Yang Jing agreeing to her demands. "You scream of righteousness like it was running in your blood, and yet you work, kill and bury the truth for murderers and liars. What a hypocrite."

 Chapter 209 - Do My Biddingâ€¦ or Die

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 209 - Do My Bidding... or Die</h4>

    "The YangFamily... is what I want. Not even the shadow of your hair will be touched. But... you have to do everything that I¡¯ve told you to do," Lily said with an obvious spark in her eyes - but it was too quick for Yang Jing to analyze.

    "You... You want us to work for you?" Yang Jing asked, disbelief visible in his eyes.

    "You¡¯ve misunderstood." Lily stared at the man intently. This Yang Jing was known to be stern and ruthless. ording to Zhuo Jingren, this man was even more ruthless than his own father. "Working requires a certainpensation. Now... we both know that is not what I want. I don¡¯t want toplicate things. My meaning is simple: from now on the Yang Family will do everything that I want them to do. If I say east, they will go east. If I say jump then they will jump... without any rewards orpensation."

    "You want us to be your ves?"

    "ve is... too excessive. But you can think of it like that," She answered. "Let¡¯s just say, I am holding all of your lives hostage. Do my bidding... or die."

    "Simple, right?" she added.

    "You-" Yang Jing could not count the number of times that Lily had rendered him speechless today. To be honest, Yang Jing had never met a woman as ambitious as Lily! How could she dream of making the whole Yang Family do her bidding?

    "I cannot agree to your terms," Yang Jing said bluntly. He wanted to insult Lily for being too ambitious, but before he could utter a word, his phone rang. "Excuse me... I am going to get this." He rose from his seat and walked towards the door of Lily¡¯s office. After making sure that he¡¯d established enough distance between them, he answered the call.

    And instantly his gazended on the woman who was looking at him with a small smile on her face. As he continued to listen to the call, Yang Jing started to emit a coldness that he¡¯d never once disyed since he began dealing with Lily. Slowly, he balled his hand into a fist before avoiding Lily¡¯s eyes.

    Then he dropped the call and walked towards Lily¡¯s table.

    "What did you do?"

    In response, Lily lifted an eyebrow at him. "I told you that you only had five minutes." She lowered her gaze to examine her nails before she shifted it back to the man towering in front of her. "Did you expect me to... wait for your decision? Mr. Yang... I don¡¯t have all day to deal with you and your family."

    "How could you frame my Mother and Aunt?" Yang Jing hissed. He received a call that He Yuyan and Yang Lina had both been invited to the police station. Apparently, the police were notified of Li Tian Ya¡¯s murderst night and they found some evidence that led them to Yang Lina and He Yuyan. The most infuriating part is that the media got hold of it and immediately assumed that Xuan Zengmo and Yang Lina wanted to silence Li Tian Ya because of the video that was spread online.

    Now, various sources have imed that it was Li Tian Ya himself who spread those videos in an effort to ckmail Xuan Zengmo and Yang Lina. Since the Xuan family was based in Hong Kong, Li Tian Ya chose to go to Maind China to hide, thinking that the Xuan Family wouldn¡¯t be able to track him down. Unfortunately, he underestimated Yang Lina¡¯s backing.

    Yang Lina had the resources of the Yang Family at her disposal. She coborated with her sister-inw He Yuyan to track Li Tian Ya. Yang Lina even travelled to Maind China to kill the man herself.

    "Your mother and Yang Lina are, in fact, murderers. What ¡¯framing¡¯ are you talking about?" Lily then stifled augh. "News reporters must be camping outside of your Yang residence already, huh."

    "How could the Great General Yang raise such a daughter?" she taunted.

    "They did not kill Li Tian Ya!"

    "So?"

    "What do you mean, ¡¯so¡¯?" Yang Jing fumed. How could this woman be so vicious?

    "We¡¯ve already established that your family is not to intervene. This is merely a taste of what we can do. You can call us evil if you want to... but Yang Lina and He Yuyan deserve it. Whatever happens to them in prison is already out of my control. Or did you think you could still negotiate and tell me that it was He Xin who killed my mother?" Seeing Yang Jing just stare at her, Lily continued, "He Xin will receive her karma soon enough. For now... I will deal with you and your family."

    Yang Jing just stared wide eyed at Lily. The prisons in Maind China are notorious for exercising severe treatment of prisoners and for using capital punishment. If Yang Lina and He Yuyan went to prison in China who knows what kind of torture they might suffer. At that point, Yang Jing understood exactly what Lily meant when she told him that she could read him like an open book.

    Lily predicted that the Old Man would still try to protect Yang Lina by asking her to return directly to Hong Kong as thews in Hong Kong are not as brutal as those in Maind China. Lily must have predicted that the Old Man would cut ties with Yang Lina as soon as possible and ask her to leave China. She did not wait for the old man to do this. Instead, she asked someone to kill Li Tian Ya to frame Yang Lina and He Yuyan, making it impossible for them to leave China.

    All along, the Yang Family had been trying to show Lily that they were doing what she wanted while trying to protect both Yang Lina and He Yuyan behind her back. It appears that Lily was able to see through their act and implemented her own ns ahead of time. It was as if Lily had beenying a trap while provoking them in the process, pushing them directly into her trap.

    This made him wonder exactly when did Lily n all of this? It was only yesterday that she showed him Li Tian Ya¡¯s video. It was also yesterday when she learned about her mother¡¯s murder. How was she able to predict all of this?

 Chapter 210 - Prison Sentence

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 210 - Prison Sentence</h4>

    08:00 PM Maind China, Aug. 03, Wednesday

    Meanwhile, Yang Lina was having a very difficult time in the police station. She was the prime suspect of killing Li Tian Ya and no matter how much she exins that she was at the Yang Mansion all night, nobody seems to believe her.

    Another irritating thing was that thewyer of the Yang Family refused to help her, so she was forced to contact the Xuan Family¡¯swyer who was still at Hong Kong assisting Xuan Zengmo in filing cases against the tabloids publishing news against him.

    "I already told you, I did not kill him!" she hissed. "Do I look like a murderer?"

    The detective stared at her for a moment, then released the contents of the folder he brought to Yang Lina..

    "I am innocent! I already told you..." Yang Lina was about to deny when the detectiveid a collection of photographs in front of her. However, after she took a look at the photos, her mind went nk as she stared wide eyed at the photos.

    "This was you, just hours before the murder. Take a look. That was your car going into the Vi. Look at the time and date from the CCTV across the road."

    "That was not my car! My car was on the Yang Mansion parking all night!"

    "Mrs. Xuan... Your car was not seen in the Yang Mansion all night." The detective replied. "Do you take us as fools? We know about the video that involves you, your husband and the victim. You have the motive and we found some evidence that clearly points us to you and your sister-inw."

    "I-Im sorry. What did you say?"

    "I said we have evidence that is enough to convict the two of you."

    "Who? Yuyan?"

    The detective only stared at her briefly before putting the photos back into the folder. "We are also waiting for the results of the fingerprint match. We found lots of fingerprints around the house and I am sure that yours is one of those."

    "That... That is impossible." Yang Lina said. How could they have her fingerprints on the murder scene? Yang Lina was sure that she did not see Li Tian Ya during the past two weeks. Moreover, they always went to other ces with the highest security. She was a hundred percent sure that she had never met Li Tian Ya in any of his houses.

    ¡¯But would anyone believe that?¡¯ Lily¡¯s voice echoed inside her mind. That was what Lily told her when she showed her some images and short clips of her and Xuan Zengmo¡¯s sexual activities. At this point, Yang Lina was already aware that this was another one of Lily¡¯s schemes.

    Yang Lina was sure that Lily would retaliate for her mother¡¯s death but she never thought Lily would dare frame her for Li Tian Ya¡¯s death. Still, Yang Lina thought that there would not be enough evidence for a case against her and He Yuyan.

    Yang Lina watched as the detective left without saying a word. Since He Yuyan was here, the Yang Family must have already been aware of this matter. Even though her father already said that she was no longer a member of the Yang family, Yang Lina was sure that he would not have the heart to abandon her in such a ce. If the Yang Family wanted bail He Yuyan out, she was sure that her father would also bail her.

    Another hour had passed and Yang Lina was getting impatient. Yang Lina wanted to leave the ce as soon as possible, however, thewyer that Xuan Zengmo asked to help her was still not here yet.

    "Hey! Give me some water." She yelled at the big mirror in front of her. She was sure that someone was behind watching her. Moreover, she also wanted to ask about the results of the fingerprint match. Once she hears that it wasn¡¯t her print, Yang Lina would immediately ask them to let her go as she was sure that there will be no case against her.

    After a few minutes, the door opened. However, the person who came in was the detective that she had spoken to earlier.

    "It is already sote.... Where is mywyer?"

    "Mrs. Xuan..." the detective started. "I was right. Your fingerprint indeed matched one of the fingerprints found in Mr. Li¡¯s ce. We will file a case against you tomorrow morning. For now you and Mrs. Yang will spend the night in the prison."

    "W- What did you say?" Yang Lina immediately asked, she wanted to rify if she heard the right thing. Her fingerprints were found? How was that possible?

    "I will not repeat myself. Stop denying your crime. Did you really think that you can rely on your family¡¯s name andmit murder just because you are a Yang? People like you are so entitled."

    "Hold on!" Yang Lina mmed her hands into the table before she rose from her seat. "You dare talk to me like that? I am innocent! I did not kill anyone! You can¡¯t hold me here!" Yang Lina took a step forward. "I will leave this ce! Get out of my way!"

    "Mrs. Xuan... please don¡¯t force us to use force against you!" the detective said.

    "I said get out of my way! Why are you detaining me? You don¡¯t have enough evidence to detain me! This is an abuse of your authority! Do you know what will happen if my father will get hold of this information!? He will surely destroy you and your family!"

    "Mrs. Xuan.... Are you threatening a police officer?" The detective was unfazed. This was not his first time to talk to someone with an influential background. There was no reason for him to cower in fear after Yang Lina¡¯s threat?

    However, to his surprise Yang Lina did not answer but shove him instead. She tried to walk past the detective but was stopped by another person who entered the room.

    "Miss Yang... what are you doing, attacking a police officer like that?" Lily¡¯s voice was full of mirth as she walked inside the room. A beautiful smile slowly blossomed onto her face as she stood in front of Yang Lina. "Didn¡¯t you know that attacking someone inside a police station will only worsen your prison sentence?"

 Chapter 211 - For Her Son

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 211 - For Her Son</h4>

    ENEDITED

    "You-" Yang Lina¡¯s instantly red at Lily, as fury started to flow in her veins. "You still dare show your face in front of me?" Yang Lina said as her hand flew towards Lily¡¯s face. She wanted to p her, hurt her and remove that mockery in Lily¡¯s face. How dare Lily show up after framing her and scheming behind her back?

    However, Lily was quick to grab her arm and held tighter, enabling her to move any further. Then Lily suddenly let it go and use her hand to p her instead.

    ¡¯Pak!¡¯

    A loud, pping sound echoed inside the room before Yang Lina staggered backward. Yang Lina clutched her aching cheeks as she tried to stop herself from falling.

    "How dare you p me!?" Yang Lina uttered as she narrowed her eyes on Lily, who was now calmly walking towards the table.

    "So what if I p you? Can you do anything about it?" Lily ced her handbag on top of the table before she took a seat and looked at the detective who just nodded and left the ce.

    "You framed me! I did not kill Li Tian Ya! You frame me!" Yang Lina said. She walked towards the table and mmed her hands across Lily. "How dare you do this to me! You released that video and shamed my husband and me, and then you make the Yang Family abandon me! Was it not enough? Huh? Are you nning to take away everything from me?"

    "Lily... you are heartless!" she added.

    "Take a seat, Yang Lina... we will have a long chat tonight. I don¡¯t want you to copse suddenly without my approval." Lily said before a knock was heard on the door. Then another policeman entered and gave Lily a bottled water. The policeman then gave Lily a low bow before walking out of the room. Then she raised an eyebrow at Yang Lina. "If you like to stand, then I can asked the police personnel to remove your seat so you canfortably stand in front of me."

    Yang Lina did not answer Lily. She only responded by ring at her and sitting down on the seat opposite to Lily.

    "Are you here to mock me?" Yang Lina asked, the coldness in her voice seemed to double.

    "Partly." Lily nodded, making Yang Lina even more irritated. Partly? What the hell does she mean?

    "You won¡¯t seed, Lily! I can assure you of that the Yang family..."

    "Is mine." Lily interrupted Yang Lina. "The Yang Family is mine now, Miss Yang..."

    "What are you saying?" Yang Lina asked, a little confused by Lily¡¯s words. "What do you mean, yours? We are not yours!?"

    "Your father happily agreed to my terms just this afternoon. From now on... the Yang Family will be a branch under the Zhuo Empire." Yang Lina was immediately rendered speechless by Lily¡¯s words. Her father agreed? Confusion and irritation clouded Yang Lina¡¯s eyes.

    "Wh- What do you mean?"

    "Simple. From now on.... No one from the Yang Family will help you and He Yuyan. Your brother, who just woke up this afternoon, even approve of this. I can send you a copy of the video call if you want.... Opps... do they haveputers in prison? Ah... my bad. I don¡¯t think they do." Lily give her a beautiful smile.

    "You-"

    "Miss Yang... let me tell you more." Lily said, interrupting Yang Lina¡¯s words. "Xuan Zengmo is already struggling right now. His career will soon be over while Xuan Hui..."

    "Don¡¯t you ever touch my son! You bitch!" Yang Lina fumed. "Don¡¯t you dare touch my son! I will kill you! I will kill everyone that you love! You and your husband will pay for this!"

    "Don¡¯t interrupt me when I¡¯m talking, Miss Yang," Lily said calmly. "You are in no position to interrupt me right now. "

    Seeing Yang Lina stopped talking, Lily immediately gave her another smile. "Alright, where was I? Ah... Xuan Hui? Yes.... The Xuan Films will also be mine soon... I don¡¯t think he willst that long without you, Miss Yang."

    "You... What do you want?" Yang Lina asked, panic apparent in her eyes. "What do you want, Lily? Please... Do not touch my son! Do you want me to plead guilty? I can do that! Just don¡¯t ... don¡¯t youy a finger on my son!"

    At this point, Yang Lina is already aware that Lily was apetent person. Her defeat was something that is so hard to ept. However, seeing Lily being served by the people in the police station and casually talking about her made Yang Lina realize that Lily was someone that could indeed hurt Xuan Hui anytime.

    How could she not sumb and beg Lily when she was just casually talking about how to destroy the person that she valued the most? Yang Lina was a very selfish person, and she was highly aware of that matter. But she would never think twice about protecting her son. Xuan Hui is Yang Lina¡¯s flesh and blood, as his mother, she would not hesitate to sacrifice anything to keep her son safe.

    Even if that means sacrificing her life.

    "You murdered my mother," Lily stated, the smile on her face was gone.

    "I know! I will pay for that! You can kill me! You can torture me, just, please... please don¡¯t touch my son." A single tear made its way into Yang Lina¡¯s cheeks as she tried to hold Lily¡¯s hands on the table. "Do you want me to kneel? Please, Lily... I am begging you, Xuan Hui never did anything wrong against you. It was me who asked He Xin to kill your mother. It was me all along. I asked Li Tian Ya to hurt you. It was me. I am guilty. So please punish me...punish me and not my son." Yang Lina suddenly rose from her seat and walk towards Lily, then she knelt in front of her as tears continue to stream down her cheeks.

    So what if Yang Lina looked pitiful right now? So what if she had never knelt to someone before? She is doing this for her son, Xuan Hui. She is doing this to save him.

 Chapter 212 - Cold and Calculating

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 212 - Cold and Calcting</h4>

    Yang Lina looked at Lily¡¯s cial face. Lily was just coldly looking at her, face devoid of any emotions. "Please Lily... not my son. I know I was wrong to kill your mother. I was wrong. I did not mean it. I was so afraid at that time. I don¡¯t want to leave my son alone."

    Lily pursed her lips. "Not even five minutes," she said, making Yang Lina hold that words that she was about to say. "It did not even take you five minutes to start begging to me."

    "Did you think this would happen when you chose to kill my mother?"

    "I.. No... No.. Lily please listen to me. I know my crimes and I will dly ept the punishment. I will..."

    "How about when you killed my child?" Lily¡¯s cold voice instantly sent shivers down her spine. Yang Lina stared wide-eyed at Lily, her face pale and eyes full of confusion.

    "What child?" Yang Lina asked as she unconsciously covered her mouth, realization apparent in her eyes. "You were pregnant?"

    Lily did not respond. Instead she crossed her arms in front of her chest before crossing her legs. She stared at Yang Lina intently. "What did you feel when you killed my innocent child?" she asked.

    "Lily... I... I didn¡¯t even know that you were pregnant!" Yang Lina immediately rified. Yang Lina was actually telling the truth. She was too focused on Lily¡¯s mother at the time of the ident. All she can remember from back then was nodding her head when the doctor informed her that Lily was safe. "Lily... was it Xuan Hui¡¯s..."

    "Does it matter?" Lily countered. "You killed my child and asked the doctor to destroy my ovaries," Lily stated. Of course, she was still not sure of this matter. All she wanted was to trick Yang Lina. She wanted to see if thetter was really had no hand in her child¡¯s death.

    "Lily... no! I didn¡¯t do that! How could I do that? I would never..." Yang Lina shook her head over and over. She is selfish, true. She is a murderer, true. But Yang Lina knew that she did not have the heart to kill an unborn child! That was something that she would never do!

    "Aren¡¯t you tired of lying, Yang Lina?" Lily asked before she uncrossed her legs and rose from her seat. She then walked towards the mirror and stood in front of it. Her eyes were glued on Yang Lina who was still kneeling on the floor. "You are a heartless person who would do anything to protect your son. You killed my child because you thought it was Xuan Hui¡¯s and wanted to keep it a secret from everyone."

    "I said NO!" Yang Lina stood up and walked towards Lily. "I said I didn¡¯t do it! I swear to the gods Lily! I never did it," she insisted. "You should ask He Xin... that¡¯s right... she should know something about it. She is a doctor and she was the one who talked to the doctor in charge of you and your mother. You have to believe me. I would never hurt an innocent child."

    When Lily did not respond, Yang Lina continued. "I know I did a lot of things. I know.. I killed your mother and many other nameless people in the name of protecting myself and my family, but Lily I would never hurt an unborn child. Please... You have to believe me."

    "At the time ... after the ident... I..." Yang Lina took a step back away from Lily and clenched her fist, as if trying to decide if she wanted to reveal details of what happened that night. "Before your father arrived, I remember that your mother saw me as I was sitting in the front seat of the car. So I told He Xin about it. At first, it never urred to me that we needed to kill her until... until the doctor said that your mother did not receive any fatal injuries."

    "The doctor said that Bec would wake up in less than three days. Then He Xin called her husband andwyer. At that time... I... I thought about the potential after-effects of what happened and I got scared because Xuan Hui was still inexperienced when it came to business, and well.. my husband was already nning to enter politics. What would people say if they knew that Xuan Zengmo¡¯s wife was a drunkard who caused an ident?"

    "You see? I was too preupied to think about other matters. All I thought about was protecting myself and my family. I know it sounds selfish, but please Lily.... I didn¡¯t even ask the doctor about you. I knew you were fine and I... I didn¡¯t ask any more questions."

    "I did not kill your child Lily and I am telling the truth."

    Lily diverted her eyes from Yang Lina towards the two way mirror in front of her. Behind the mirror, she could feel Zhuo Jingren looking at her intently. He must have feared that she would break down and try to kill Yang Lina. Lily sighed inwardly.

    All these years, all she thought about was growing. She wanted to grow so she could one day face everyone who hurt her. She wanted to grow for the people who believed in her. However, Lily could not deny the fact that she wanted everyone to pay for what they had done to her. She med her father for abandoning her, she med Tang Lingyun for her schemes. She med Qin Fei and Xuan Hui and everyone who caused her misfortune.

    If they did not scheme against her then her mother, Bec Fi, would have been alive right now and she... she would have a lovely child running around, calling her mother. She thought of revenge. Over and over she thought about it. But... this all started to change when her grandmother told her that revenge would only intensify her pain. Lilian Fi once told her that she should not devote her life to revenge but should focus on making money instead.

    Revenge and payback willeter. All she needed was to grow, make a name for herself ande back to Hong Kong once she was ready. Her grandmother had trained her to be a heartless person. She trained Lily to be someone cold and calcting so she could protect herself. Lilian once told her that those people who hurt her would eventually sumb to their own sad fate when they see Lily sessful and happy.

    But really? Who is Lily kidding? She wanted everyone who owed her to pay. She wanted them to pay their debts, and she would dly include the interest on what they owed her.

    What Lily did not expect was to meet Zhuo Jingren. Hr was a variable that she never predicted, a variable that made her think twice about her actions, someone capable of changing her ns and affecting her emotions. Without Zhuo Jingren, Lily would have already asked George to kill everyone in the Yang Family, burn them alive. And she would stand there watching everyone who hurt her mother die.

    But this changed because of Zhuo Jingren. For some reason, the man gave her something... something that she never found before, not even in her grandmother.

    He gave her hope.

    Hope... and love.

 Chapter 213 - Suspicions

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 213 - Suspicions</h4>

    Lily did not answer Yang Lina. Instead, she walked towards the table and grabbed her bag.

    "Where are you going?" Yang Lina instantly panicked. How could Lily leave just like this? What about Xuan Hui? When Lily walked towards the door, Yang Lina immediately tried to stop her by grabbing her arm. "Lily wait... what about my son?"

    "What about him?" Lily asked.

    "I... Please don¡¯t involve him in this matter. I .... It was my fault. I was the one who told Xin to kill your mother. My son is innocent..."

    "And so was my mother," Lily interrupted her. "Because of Xuan Hui, Tang Lingyun and Qin Fei schemed to ruin me. My father kicked me out of the house, which lead to the ident." When Lily saw that Yang Lina was just staring at her, she continued, "I have never met anyone who can call someone like Xuan Hui innocent with such a straight face. Your son... knew that it was all a lie. A scheme to shame me. Because of them, I lost my mother and my child." Yang Lina slowly let go of Lily¡¯s arms.

    "I am not solely ming them for my misfortunes, Miss Yang. I know that I am at fault as well. Because of that... I will not kill anyone who has wronged me," Lily added as she took another step towards the door. Then she stopped. Lily lowered her gaze and said, "But... my husband is different." Her voice was a faint whisper, loud enough for Yang Lina to hear but too faint for the people on the other side of the room to hear.

    Yang Lina widened her eyes when what Lily said registered in her mind. Then she watched as Lily left the room without sparing her another nce. Before she even realized it, Yang Lina suddenly fell to the floor.

    Crying.

    Yang Lina¡¯s shoulders shook as she used her hands to cover her face. How could she have fallen into this state? She, the Young Miss of the Yang Family and the Madam of the Xuan Family had fallen into this ... this pit! How could this happen to someone like her?

    Meanwhile, Lily had already met with Zhuo Jingren who was waiting for her outside of the room.

    "Are you going to see He Yuyan too?" Zhuo Jingren asked.

    "I need to. Although I already have my suspicions, I still need to speak with her," she answered shortly before she slowly reached out and intertwined her fingers with his, immediately earning a smile from Zhuo Jingren. In response, her husband leaned in to kiss Lily¡¯s forehead. "Did they get her confession on tape?" she asked.

    "Yes," Zhuo Jingren answered as an officer led them to another interrogation room. Lily let go of his hand and entered the room.

    Inside, He Yuyan was just staring in a daze at the mirror across the room. When Lily entered, He Yuyan instantly nced her way. "You are... You are her," He Yuyan stated calmly, her gaze instantly shifting away from Lily¡¯s. "Why are you here? Are you still not satisfied with what you¡¯ve done? The Yang Family has already abandoned me. What else do you want to see?"

    "I did imagine that you would be this feisty," Lily countered. This time, she did not take a seat, choosing instead to loom over He Yuyan. "He Yuyan... you and Yang Lina will rot in prison for killing my mother."

    "That is something that I can assure you," Lily added.

    "I know," He Yuyan said. "I still don¡¯t see the point of youing here and rubbing this in my face."

    "Answer one question and I will spare your husband," Lily said nonchntly. As expected, she immediately saw a slight shift in He Yuyan¡¯s expression. Lily knew that He Yuyan loved Yang Sen and Lily was nning to use this fact to get what she wanted from He Yuyan.

    "What question? If you want to ask about your mother then... I don¡¯t think I can answer you. The ident traumatized me and I can¡¯t remember most of the event. All they said is that I was in a daze after returning home. Then... I changed," He Yuyan said honestly. The guilt of knowing that they killed someone not by ident, but in a vain attempt to protect themselves is something that has kept her awake for years.

    "I want to know who killed my child," Lily said, her face cid. Lily¡¯s calm demeanour made He Yuyan question how someone could - how a woman could ask this kind of question without showing a trace of emotion.

    "I did not know that you were pregnant," she answered. "After the ident ... I just sat there in a daze until my sister informed me that ... they decided to kill your mother. They asked me to call my husband and I did. Yang Sen was someone who doted on me so much... Although he hated the fact that he was concealing a crime, he did it for me."

    "My husband and I never killed a child. We were not even aware that you were pregnant at that time. It must be..." He Yuyan did not continue with what she was about to say, and she fell silent as she lowered her head.

    Lily only pursed her lips as she watched the woman in front of her. "Where is your sister?"

    "I don¡¯t know. Last time I heard from her, she was in Germany visiting Qingling," He Yuyan answered after a few minutes. In response Lily nodded. When she found out about the murder, He Xin was already in Germany visiting her daughter. Based on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s investigation, He Xin was supposed toe back to China the other day but she never arrived.

    It was obvious that someone had warned her and her family so they could avoid Lily and Zhuo Jingren.

    Lily suddenly began walking towards the door. She wanted to leave as soon as possible to speak with Zhuo Jingren about her suspicions.

    "Miss Lily?" He Yuyan¡¯s voice stopped Lily in her tracks but she did not turn her head towards thetter. "I.. I know... we were wrong and I... I have spent thest seven years of my life regretting it."

    "I... I know this won¡¯t bring your mother back but I would like to sincerely apologize to you. We... I have caused you so much pain. I¡¯m sorry," He Yuyan stood from her seat and made a low bow towards Lily. Then she heard Lily let out a long sigh and continue to walk towards the door.

 Chapter 214 - Most Painful Torture

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 214 - Most Painful Torture</h4>

    Sky City

    "So you think someone was behind He Xin¡¯s actions?" Zhuo Jingren asked while watching Lilyb her hair as she walked towards their bed.

    "That is the only reason I cane up with that makes any sense. He Xin is a doctor. Drunk driving? I don¡¯t think she is that dumb. Did you see Yang Lina and He Yuyan¡¯s state? They were a mess..." She slowly sat on the bed next to Zhuo Jingren. "It was not an ident. It was an attack, and I was the target."

    Zhuo Jingren fell into a deep silence when he heard Lily¡¯s words. His smooth brow slowly became rumpled as he threw back the covers and climbed out of bed. He walked towards the desk in their room and opened hisptop.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Lily asked as she followed him towards the desk. She then looked at Zhuo Jingren¡¯sptop. "Information on the Mu Family?"

    "Hmmm... I asked Jichen to get this information when we were investigating what happened to you seven years ago."

    "And?"

    "He Xin is a very deep woman. She is a doctor with lots of secrets." Zhuo Jingren said. "However, what made me look into this again is this one photo of her enjoying coffee with Tang Lingyun and the Madam of the Qin Family from Maind China. As you know... the Qin Family in Hong Kong is like a branch family of the Qin Family in Shanghai, China."

    "Hmmm... I am aware." Lily stared at the photo of the three women having a casual coffee with lots of shopping bags next to them. They must have shopped together and then decided to have coffee afterwards. "They seem to be quite close."

    "Exactly," he nodded. "Don¡¯t worry, I will ask Jichen to investigate when he returns next week."

    "Alright," Lily nodded before she suddenly sat on Zhuo Jingren¡¯sp, making him close hisptop and stare at her.

    "You are not only good looking, you¡¯re also smart and dangerous. I think I am a very lucky woman," Lily mused, instantly earning a grin from him.

    "You really think I¡¯m handsome, don¡¯t you?"

    "I believe the term that I used was ¡¯good-looking¡¯. "

    "Is there a difference?" Zhuo Jingren countered before giving her a small kiss on the neck.

    "Well handsome is..."

    "Oh... you want to quibble?" Zhuo Jingren raised an eyebrow.

    "No... what I want right now... is to make love to you." Lily¡¯s words surprised her but the glimmer of desire that shed in her eyes was enough for Zhuo Jingren to smile at her. Leaning in, with one hand holding her face, Zhuo Jingren lightly brushed his lips against hers.

    Lily¡¯s eyes instantly darkened. How could a man be this beautiful and dangerous at the same time? Zhuo Jingren must have realized what Lily was thinking because he smiled. Lily had seen him smile every day since this man came into her life, and yet she still found it unnerving that the attraction she felt towards him seven years ago was the same - if not double - what she feels everyday when he smiles at her.

    Lily slowly slid her arms over his shoulders, gently folding her arms behind his neck as she leaned in to kiss him. Her kiss was gentle - or at least that was how it started before she felt Zhuo Jingren¡¯s other hand slowly making its way under her knees, rising while carrying her in one fell swoop, all without breaking the kiss.

    Zhuo Jingren lowered Lily gently on the bed and stared at her for a few seconds. Lily belonged here, with him. She was his. He then lowered himself on top of her, his weight resting on his forearms as he lifted a hand to brush away a strand of hair on her cheek. He stared into her golden eyes, and saw her staring back at him with unmasked desire.

    Once again Zhuo Jingren leaned in for a kiss, his hand cradling the back of her head. For some reason, Zhuo Jingren wanted to freeze moments like this. He knew it was selfish but all he wanted to do to crowd Lily¡¯s heart with emotions other than the hatred and heartache that she had been through.

    He felt her hands sliding around his back, slowly tugging at his t-shirt, silently telling him to help her take it off, so he did. Zhuo Jingren helped her remove his t-shirt before her hands slid across her body as she seductively began to remove her blue silk nightgown. He helped her pull it over her head before gliding his hands on her soft and supple skin, teasing her. He then started kissing her breasts gently as his hand ran over her rib cage towards her t stomach, the heat of his throbbing length pressed against her thigh. Lily instantly let out a moan when Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hand cupped one of her breasts, slowly tugging her already hardened nipple as his tongue indulged the other one.

    Lily made a soft mewling sound which made his sex throb even more. The warmth of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hand on her skin was making Lily aroused and impatient. She wanted more... she always wanted more of him. However, before she could let out another moan, a loud ringing sound echoed throughout the whole apartment. Her eyes immediately snapped open. Zhuo Jingren seemed not to have heard anything as he continued to lick her nipples.

    Then another sound echoed. Was it a doorbell? Lily instantly wondered. How could Zhuo Jingren¡¯s apartment have a doorbell?

    "Ignore that," Zhuo Jingren said in a raspy voice.

    Then another ring echoed. This time, Lily furrowed her brows. Irritation immediately shed in her eyes. "What is that?" she asked. Her statement made Zhuo Jingren pause before he leaned in to kiss her forehead.

    "Just some idiot," he answered. "Ignore it."

    "Jingren?" Lily asked. "Who is that?"

    In response, Zhuo Jingren released a sigh of regret as he rolled over to lie next to her. "Someone who deserves to die," Zhuo Jingren said before he sat down next to Lily and covered her with a nket. With a morose expression, Zhuo Jingren stood up and thrust his arms into his robe. He then gritted his teeth in annoyance before walking out of the room.

    The idiot who dared to disturb him deserved the most painful torture ever created by man!

 Chapter 215 - Borderline Crazy

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 215 - Borderline Crazy</h4>

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face was dark. His eyes were narrowed, rigid and cold as he stared at the person across him.

    Meanwhile, Lily was staring at Zhuo Jingren, observing him. She waited a few minutes and then walked out of the room to see why Zhuo Jingren had note back. Lily was a little surprised to see him in the living room staring daggers at someone who was wearing brown chinos with a colorful Hawaiian shirt. Even though Lily didn¡¯t recognize the guy, she knows that this person is acquainted with Zhuo Jingren, otherwise why would he dare to smile at Zhuo Jingren when he was giving him a murderous re?

    The man arched an eyebrow and asked with mirth apparent in his eyes, "Aren¡¯t you going to give me a hug?"

    "Why are you here, Bei?" Zhuo Jingren asked Bei Tian, his tone cold.

    "First, I am your best friend. Is this how you treat your best friend after not seeing him for like two months? How could you treat me this way? I bought you gifts and souvenirs from every country that I visited, including some matching Hawaiian shirts for you and me, ah! How could a person like you be so cruel towards your kind, sweet, caring and loving best friend?"

    "Noisy," Zhuo Jingren said as he rose from his seat and walked towards the kitchen.

    "Oi, Jingren! Why are you acting like a cold young master huh? I heard that you got married? Jichen kept me up to date regrly while I was abroad. He said you¡¯ve been acting like a teenagertely? He said it¡¯s like you are menstruating every day ah. Come on man. You didn¡¯t even bother to call me and inform me that you were going to marry someone," Bei Tianined as he followed Zhuo Jingren to the kitchen, unaware that Lily was watching them from the stairs. Seeing the two men walk off, Lily slowly followed them into the kitchen.

    "Hmmm... now that I think about it, Jichen must have lied to me. Aha! Did you ask him to lie to me? You must have missed me and wanted me toe home? Aiyo... Jingren, it is so easy to call me and yet you refuse to do so... Instead, you have to scheme and make your poor secretary lie to me, ah." Zhuo Jingren got himself a ss of water as Bei Tian tagged along and continued to chatter.d.

    "Ah... You are indeed very cruel Jingren ah. I told Little Lin about your marriage and for the first time I saw her cry ah. You know that she¡¯s liked you since we were kids and yet you still insisted on waiting for Qin Jinghua. Little Lin was waiting for you to move on, man. And yet, you just married someone else without even informing us. How do you think Little Lin feels?"

    "She knows that I don¡¯t like her," Zhuo Jingren said coldly, instantly making Lily raise her brows. Lily was just outside of the kitchen leaning against the wall as she listened to their conversation. After all, ¡¯gathering information¡¯ is something that she takes very seriously. Still, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words surprised her a little. To be honest, she had never seen Zhuo Jingren treat someone so coldly before.

    She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was really his nature when Lily was out of the picture. Lily heard a loud sigh before Bei Tian continue, "Jingren, even now I still can¡¯t understand why you don¡¯t like Little Lin. She has adored you ever since we were little. When her real parents finally found her, Xiao Lin never stopped visiting the orphanage even though she had be a rich heiress. She is still the same kind and pure-hearted Little Lin that everyone liked."

    "You are extremely lucky that our fairy likes you when many men out there like her!" Bei Tian added.

    "Men like you," Zhuo Jingren said before he stared at his friend as he eyed the wine rack. "I¡¯ve repeatedly told Jichen to tell you not toe here anymore."

    "And why is that? We have been friends since we were born. A simple text message wouldn¡¯t stop me from visiting into your house!" Bei Tian grinned as he opted instead for a ss of whiskey.

    Zhuo Jingren did not answer him. Instead, he approached Bei Tian and grabbed the whiskey bottle out of his hot little hands.

    "Hey! What¡¯s wrong with you?"

    "You cannot visit my ce anymore," Zhuo Jingren answered as he poured two fingers of whiskey into a ss. "My wife does not like seeing ugly people."

    "What the...! You are sacrificing our friendship because of a woman? Ah! Where is this woman? I will tell her how obsessed you are with Qin Jinghua! Let¡¯s see if she doesn¡¯t leave you after hearing that you have a special room filled with Qin Jinghua¡¯s paintings!" Bei Tian grabbed the ss from Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hands and downed the alcohol, his face instantly turning red. "Come.... Show me your wife! No woman will put up with the fact that their husband is borderline crazy for another woman! Let¡¯s see if she will still stay after knowing the truth about your disgusting habit of masturbating while watching... Hey! What was that for!"

    "Shut up!" Zhuo Jingren red at him. "And go home now! You can¡¯t sleep here anymore! My wife is already asleep and you are too noisy. She doesn¡¯t like noise, nor does she like people like you!"

    Lily wanted tough out loud as she continued to listen to the men bickering like children. Bei Tian was still the same Bei Tian that she remembered, noisy, tactless and childish. ording to her research, this man had be a sessful sculptor. In fact, he was just returning from a two month worldwide gallery tour. As sophisticated as it sounded on paper, it seemed that his noisy nature hasn¡¯t changed much since childhood.

    Lily then remembered how Bei Tian always used to stick with Zhuo Jingren when they were kids. He was even the one who asked her if she would marry Zhuo Jingren once they grew up. Back then, Bei Tian was pretty supportive of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s feelings towards her. However, after listening to him just now, it seems that Bei Tian has left Qin Jinghua in the past and is in favour of some other woman bing Zhuo Jingren¡¯s wife. Lily¡¯s gaze narrowed in dissatisfaction.

    Xiao Lin... Little Lin.

    For some reason she could not remember who this woman was. Bei Tian had mentioned that she was with them at the orphanage and that she had been found by her real parents. This lead Lily to believe that this Little Lin must have changed her surname to Lin. She instantly made a mental note to check this outter. After all, being prepared has been Lily¡¯s motto for a long time now.

    "Come on. Tell be about this woman! How dare she corrupt you to the point of abandoning the only person who could stand your horrible nature, hmmm?" Lily listened as Bei Tian continue to rant. She instantly wondered if the man was just drunk or is it that he just never gets tired of speaking? "Jingren... tell me if she is prettier than Little Lin. Ah... Little Lin is even more beautiful than Qin Jinghua, but you still chose to ignore Little Lin. This made me wonder if the truth is that you actually have really bad taste in women."

    "Don¡¯tpare Qin Jinghua to anyone," Zhuo Jingren said as he took the ss from Bei Tian and poured one for himself.

    "I am telling the truth ah. Why did you suddenly get married? Are you dying or something? I can see that you still like Jinghua, so why are you forcing yourself to be with a woman that you don¡¯t like? Little Lin is more beautiful than Qin Jinghua and more talented too... Why didn¡¯t you chose to marry her instead?" Bei Tian asked, his face full of confusion. In Bei Tian¡¯s opinion, it would be impossible for Zhuo Jingren to find Qin Jinghua as she had disappeared for a long time already. Who knows? The woman might already be dead.

    An evil glint instantly shed in Lily¡¯s eyes when she heard those words. Lily immediately used her hand to sloppilyb her hair, making it a little messy. She then bit her lips, making them look a little redder as she loosened her robe, revealing her bare left shoulder and a little cleavage. She then walked into the dining room while slowly running her fingers through her hair, making it look like she just woke up.

    She stifled a yawn, informing the two men of her presence. "Jingren... I thought you said you wouldn¡¯t stop until my legs are shaking... why are... eh? You have a visitor?"

 Chapter 216 - One of a Kind Love

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 216 - ¡¯One of a Kind Love¡¯</h4>

    Bei Tian jumped out of his seat. As he turned around, his eyes instantly grew as wide as they possibly could, his mouth wide open as he stared at the alluring woman in front of him. Lily¡¯s amber eyes slowly shifted from Zhuo Jingren to Bei Tian and then back to Zhuo Jingren. "Am I disturbing you?" she asked before she slowly lifted her foot and took a step from the dining room into the kitchen to join them.

    Bei Tian wanted to say something as he unconsciously took a step towards the doorway. He wanted to ask who she was, however, his mouth refused to cooperate. His eyes slowly travelled from the woman¡¯s pinkish lips down to her pale neck. Unknowingly, Bei Tian swallowed the gulp of saliva that was threatening to flow out of his mouth. To his dismay, his view was quickly blocked by someone¡¯s wide back.

    Bei Tian instantly wanted toin but Zhuo Jingren¡¯s gentle voice interrupted him, "Of course not. Why did youe down? Do you need some water?"

    ¡¯What is happening?¡¯ Bei Tian stood as still as a statue behind Zhuo Jingren, unable toprehend what was going on. His mind seemed to have short circuited while scrambling to make sense of everything that happened in thest few minutes. He felt as if he¡¯d been temporarily incapacitated, his brain removed from his body.

    "Yeah... water will do," Lily said softly.

    "Alright...e, let¡¯s get some water," Zhuo Jingren said as he put his hands around Lily shoulders and pulled her into the kitchen, his tall staturepletely covering her small frame, nudging Bei Tian into the dining room as he did so.

    But Bei Tian immediately woke up from his daze and followed the duo. He then saw Zhuo Jingren pouring a ss of water for the woman who waszily leaning against the fridge, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at Zhuo Jingren with a little smile stered on her face.

    "Um... excuse me," Bei Tian cleared his throat awkwardly. "I... Ummm... who are you?" He instantly shifted his gaze towards Zhuo Jingren when he saw Lily turned her head to look at him, but to his surprise, Lily ignored him. Instead she epted a ss of water from Zhuo Jingren and took a little sip.

    Meanwhile, Zhuo Jingren was staring at her, the coldness that he¡¯d shown Bei Tian earlier was nowhere to be found. Instead, a small smile was even visible on his face. This seemed to shake Bei Tian to the core. Who is this man?! Is this Zhuo Jingren?

    Then slowly, Zhuo Jingren leaned in to kiss the side of Lily¡¯s mouth, removing the small trace of condensation left behind from the ss. And just like that, the ss in Bei Tian¡¯s hand slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor. The sound of splintering ss resonated through the room, finally drawing the couple¡¯s attention to him.

    Bei Tian did not move. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn¡¯t even notice the shattered ss near his feet. How could these two kiss each other in front of him? Bei Tian wanted to fume and curse at them before he remembered that it was Zhuo Jingren and his wife who were shoving dog food down his throat.

    ¡¯Hold on. There is something seriously wrong with this scenario!¡¯

    Once again his eyes widened as he patted his chest. He had suffered so many shocking events in this single night that he was afraid he¡¯d have a heart attack. That¡¯s right... Zhuo Jingren and the word dog food would never be found in the same sentence. That would never happen. Bei Tian shook his head and smiled to himself. He must be hallucinating. Right... the flight from Hawaii was rather long and he did not sleep at all during the flight. He must be too tired right now. This isn¡¯t real, it¡¯s just exhaustion.

    "Don¡¯t leave my ce without cleaning up the broken ss." When he heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s voice, Bei Tian immediately lifted his head and give him a brilliant smile, only to freeze once again when he saw him carrying a woman in his arms.

    "You- Who are you?" he asked. If he wasn¡¯t hallucinating, then did this mean that Zhuo Jingren actually married someone? He married someone other than Qin Jinghua? How was that possible?

    "Hey Bei Tian... You can call me Lily... Lily Zhuo," Lily said with a smirk. Seeing that Bei Tian was incapable of speech at the moment, Zhuo Jingren just sailed past him.

    Lily... Lily Zhuo? And she even took his surname?

    Bei Tian¡¯s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when he saw Lily shed him a mocking smile behind Zhuo Jingren¡¯s back!

    A white lotus!

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s wife is a white lotus pretending to be kind and sweet! This was the conclusion that Bei Tian reached instantly as a single bead of sweat trickled down his back. He recalled Lily¡¯s face which seemed to be so familiar, and yet he was sure that he¡¯d never met her before. Was she an actress? Was she with Zhuo Jingren for his money?

    Bei Tian immediately took his phone from his pocket and typed in Lily¡¯s new name.

    Just as he expected, the name Lily Zhou instantly listed hundreds of search results. Bei Tian was expecting to see a starlet or someone from the film industry. After all, Lily was undeniably beautiful. However, the result that he was expecting was not the one he received.

    Instead, all of the articles regarding Lily were about the Fi Group, specifically itstestunch in Hong Kong. Following those were a few gossip websites that talked about her marriage to Zhuo Jingren. Some articles were also showed Lily¡¯s involvement in humanitarian works and her ties to female empowerment organizations and charities.

    This...

    Bei Tian slowly backed away from the kitchen as he used the wall to support himself. Lily Fi Zhuo? A tycoon from Europe just married his best friend Zhuo Jingren? Ah... did Zhuo Jingren agreed to marry her because he was after her money and influence?

    Bei Tian¡¯s face instantly turned ugly as he thought about Zhuo Jingren¡¯s scheme. How could his friend fall down to this degree? How could he sell his body just for money? Bei Tian felt his eyes getting hot. His friend must have married this woman because he wanted to use her influence to look for Qin Jinghua in Europe!

    This realization almost made Bei Tian cry. How could Zhuo Jingren sacrifice his marriage for Qin Jinghua? Just what kind of affection did Zhuo Jingren feel for Qin Jinghua? He was even willing to sacrifice himself in marriage just to find her?

    This must be the ¡¯one of a kind love¡¯ that those fairytales are portraying ah.

 Chapter 217 - Do You Trust Him?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 217 - Do You Trust Him?</h4>

    "Lie still." Zhuo Jingren¡¯s voice interrupted all of the protests that Lily wanted to utter when he stood in front of her afterying her on the bed. The man was kissing her non-stop as he strode towards their bedroom, but he suddenly stopped afterying her down the bed. How could she NOT protest?

    However, Lily chose to lie still, even though her body was craving his touch. Every one of her muscles seemed to quiver under his intense gaze. Lily slowly licked her lips as she watched him standing there. Then she bit her lip in absolute hunger as she watched Zhuo Jingren remove his pants. He leaned over to untie her robe with a flick of his fingers before slowly pulling the robe away from Lily¡¯s, exposing her alluringly nude body.

    "You dared to walk out of the room with nothing on under your robe?" he asked as his palm lightly grazed her arm, making her tremble. "You showed another man your flesh, and you even seemed to like the attention he gave you..."

    "That was not the..."

    "Shhh..." Zhuo Jingren put a finger over Lily¡¯s mouth, silencing her. "No talking."

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hands traced her a path from behind her ears and swiftly down to her corbone where he s-l-o-w-l-y traced outwards to her shoulders, lightly caressing them with his thumbs as she arched her neck and looked at him with eyes zed with passion. Slowly and erotically his hands skimmed her eager body, skillfully teasing patterns over her ribcage and on to her waist where he traced small circles which instantly earned a giggle from Lily. Suddenly his hands moved up, cupping her breasts and flicking her already taut nipples.

    Lily instantly felt shivers of pure delight race through her body from her breasts down past her stomach. He could keep doing this for an hour or so and Lily would not mind in the least...She shut her eyes and bit her lip as the sensations overwhelmed her before she felt his hot tongue against her are. Her arms unknowingly clung to his neck, however, Zhuo Jingren suddenly stopped touching her. He slowly removed Lily¡¯s arms from around his neck as he repeated his instructions: "No talking. No touching."

    Lily¡¯s heavy lidded eyes cleared instantly before she furrowed her brows and blinked at him in confusion. She was so ustomed to having control over everything that she seemed to be having a hard timeprehending his words.

    No talking. No touching.

    She stared at him, her amber eyes staring straight into his brown orbs that seemed to turn even darker from pure lust. She wanted him. She really, really wanted him. In fact, Lily had never wanted anyone or anything as much as she wanted this man in front of her. The undeniable attraction that she felt for him seemed to make all logical thoughts fly out of her head. She knew what he wanted. Zhuo Jingren was asking for control. And Lily was having second thoughts about giving himplete control over her. ¡¯Do you trust him?¡¯ A small voice echoed inside her head. Lily tried to disengage from her thoughts. Why overthink things? This is nothing but sex. However, she immediately knew that she¡¯d failed.

    This was more than sex. This was more than two bodies satisfying each other. She was aware of this fact and unknowingly had been silently epting it. She trusted him. As Lily was lost in thought, Zhuo Jingren was silent and still. Waiting. Patiently waiting - and then she felt his hand making small circles on her hip. Lily bit her lips as she slowly nodded, giving him the permission that he desired.

    Anticipation instantly swirled in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes as he leaned in to kiss her. His kiss was gentle as they both took their time savoring the moment, then he deepened the kiss as he started to lose control again.

    "Thank you," he said in a raspy voice while trailing kisses down her corbone, the warmth of his words against her skin thrilling her even more. Lily held her breath when Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hand massaged her left breast as his other hand to skimmed her yearning body, savouring the light contact as his hand came to rest between her thighs. His warm mouth slowly made its way to her belly button, teasing her,pping at her warmly with his tongue before exhaling cooly against her skin,making her hiss under her breath...

    Lily felt intoxicated when Zhuo Jingren sat back on his haunches before curling his arms around her thighs to position her exactly as he liked, feasting on the sight of the woman before him as if she were every gift he¡¯d ever wanted. He held her gaze as hezily started to lick her core, his tongue slowly drifting into her warmth. Lily¡¯s eyes fluttered shut as the intense pleasure and his knowing gaze made her slowly arch her back as her breathing grew shallow. The aching that she felt earlier seemed to intensify. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair.

    She wanted to lock her fingers in his hair and pull the pleasure even closer. She wanted to touch him in a million ways to make sure he knew how much she liked it. However, his fair warning came into her mind. Lily threw an arm over her eyes as a wave of bliss hit her. When she felt the feathery strokes of his tongue on her clitoris her arms fell to either side in surrender, palms up,pletely open and epting of everything he had to give..

    Zhuo Jingren ran a finger over her mound, pausing at her clit before he gently teased her lips, making sure that she was moist and ready before her held her gaze as he slowly sank his finger deep inside of her. A loud moan instantly escaped Lily¡¯s lips as she shut her eyes and bit her lip, trying her best not to make any noise. Zhuo Jingren slowly began to thrust and swirl his finger deep inside her, sending small electrical pulses into her stomach. Lily¡¯s hands slowly balled into fists, her pulse racing as she listened to the sound of her own heart beating faster. The pleasure from his finger was soon multiplied by the addition of his talented tongue and both only served to intensify her uncontroble desire to touch him.

    Lily slowly lifted her waist, rocking into his thrust. She could feel the waves of pleasure building inside her, begging for a release.

    Then he stopped.

    Lily¡¯s eyes flew open but before she could say anything, he thrust a finger inside her again. His mouth once again reigned at the heart of her core, licking, tasting, sucking her. Once again, her breath grew shallow and rapid as she let out low, sultry, incoherent mews of pleasure.

    Immediately, Zhuo Jingren withdrew his finger, earning another irritated hiss from Lily.

    What is this man doing?

    Lily¡¯s eyes went straight to Zhuo Jingren¡¯s smirk as the realization hit her.

    He was punishing her.

    He wanted to punish her for her behavior a while ago.

    "Oh... God!" she said in exasperation. "You are killing me."

    "Will you do it again?"

    "No," she answered instantly while shaking her head. Would she let Zhuo Jingren tease her to death, again? Of course not!

    In response, Zhuo Jingren grinned at her flushed face. His dark eyes darted over Lily¡¯s body, before he slowly reached out and slid his hand under her, lifting her up and over him. Then he stilled as Lily straddled him, silently giving the control back to her. Ripples of pleasure started to cloud Lily¡¯s eyes when she felt his tip at her opening. Without any hesitation she lowered her body onto his as he ced his hands on her waist, supporting her.

    Lily instantly moaned in pleasure when she felt him filling and stretching her core. She held her breath for a second, enjoying the quivers of pleasure that pulsed in her stomach. She opened her eyes and stared at Zhuo Jingren, the searing need inside her was clearly visible in her eyes. Then slowly, ever so slowly, she started moving, rocking her body against his.

    Not a minute passed before he matched her rhythm, his hands gripping her hips, barely hanging on to control himself. Both of them felt the pressure building up inside of them. As the pleasure that each felt be even more intensely erotic, Zhuo Jingren thrust deeper and faster, matching Lily¡¯s frantic pace.

    She braced her hands on his chest as her body started to quiver. Lily moved faster, circling her hips and riding him until she could feel Zhuo Jingren grow still beneath her, his orgasm threatening to burst at any time as he lifted his head and tugged one of her nipples, her teeth grazed his corbone before Lily let out a loud moan of satisfaction. Feeling her grip him tightly as shockwaves of pleasure rocked her body, he immediately followed as he pulled her even closer, calling her name, his eyes shut as he reached his peak.

    The couple¡¯s harsh breathing echoed inside the room as Lily fell on top of him,pletely blissed out. After a moment she felt his arms slowly caressing her back, stroking her lovingly before Zhuo Jingren gently kissed her forehead.

    Lily lifted her head. She stared at him. His face was gentle as he stared back at her. His lips lifted into a smile as his hands touched her cheeks. "I love you," he whispered.

 Chapter 218 I Will Take Good Care of Him

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 218 I Will Take Good Care of Him</h4>

    Bei Tian woke up with a terrible headache. He was ustomed to not sleeping for more than twenty-four hours in order to finish his art, but this time it was different. He spent the whole night reading about Lily and he received shock after shock from the things he discovered.

    Bei Tian remembered falling asleep at around four in the morning after reading a lot of articles about Lily. He let out a yawn before brushing his teeth. He then looked at the time and let out another yawn when he saw that it was already eight in the morning. Bei Tian immediately left the room and walked towards the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee.

    "You¡¯re still here?" Lily¡¯s voice surprised him. He stared at her for a while, examining her clothing. She was wearing a ck long sleeved bodycon dress that emphasized her curves. Her hair was in a French twist and light makeup was on her face. Lily was a CEO so it would not be unusual for her to be this... polished.

    "If Zhuo Jingren catches you staring at me like that, he will kill you." Lily¡¯s voice woke him up from his stupor. Bei Tian then realized that he must have been staring at her for far too long. He instantly shifted his gaze and walked towards the coffee maker, which looked as if it had not been used for years. After making his coffee, he turned towards Lily who was leisurely reading a newspaper while drinking her own coffee at the dining table.

    "Where is he?" he asked awkwardly. Bei Tian didn¡¯t understand why knowing about Lily¡¯s identity made him a little ufortable. Maybe it was the fact that he knew about Zhuo Jingren¡¯s love for Qin Jinghua that actually made him start to feel pity for her.

    "Taking a bath."

    "So..." Bei Tian started after he took a seat across Lily. "How long have you two been together?"

    "Just a month."

    "Oh..." he nodded.

    "You seem rather quiet right now." Lily looked at him. "Is there something that you want to tell me?"

    "Oh... I was just, you know. You remind me of someone."

    "Oh... your girlfriend?" Lily asked.

    "No... I um... someone that we used to know, but she is dead. So..." he shrugged, his eyes staring straight at Lily¡¯s face as he took a sip of his coffee.

    "Then it¡¯s good."

    "Well... it¡¯s not really good," Bei Tian blurted out. How could it be good? Zhuo Jingren refused to ept that Qin Jinghua was dead, and he even used this woman in front of him to increase his influence in the West to find her. "It just made me wonder why you agreed to marry Jingren? He is good looking, but his temper is not that great. He is a very cold person too. Was it just a business decision?" Of course, Bei Tian was aware of what happened with Lily and Liam Arison¡¯s engagement. This made him wonder why she agreed to marry Zhuo Jingren when she¡¯d just ended her engagement.

    "Ah... Well Jingren said that he would kill himself if I didn¡¯t marry him. I am not that heartless, so I agreed," Lily said shamelessly, her eyes still on the newspaper. The front page was all about Xuan Zengmo and Yang Lina ah. She could not miss this.

    "I¡¯m sorry what did you say?"

    "You heard me," she shrugged.

    "You- My friend is not like that! How could you nder him? My goodness! Just as I suspected, he has really bad taste in women," Bei Tian let out a sigh as he shook his head. That¡¯s when the pancake sitting nearby caught his eye.

    "I am telling the truth. You could ask him. It is obvious that he is head over heels in love with me ah. Anyone who witnessed our love story would say that," she boasted.

    "Shameless. You¡¯ve only known him for a month and you are already boasting! My... I have never met someone as shameless as you! He is not head over heels in love with you as his heart already belongs to someone else!"

    "Who?" Lily instantly lifted her head and looked at him.

    "A beautiful woman named Qin Jinghua! She is his first love too! So stop boasting that he loves you so much. Hmph! He wrote songs for Qin Jinghua when we were little, and he even painted her. His adopted parents liked Qin Jinghua a lot too."

    "Ah... but she is already dead no?" Lily asked. The amusement in her eyes only made Bei Tian more irritated. How could a woman be this shameless and annoying?

    "She will forever live in Jingren¡¯s heart!" he said righteously.

    "I heard youst night." Lily said. "You said this Qin Jinghua is not even that pretty. Now you are talking about her as if she is an undying goddess. Are you perhaps mentally ill?"

    "You..." Bei Tian¡¯s eyebrows were furrowed as he red at her. This Lily is even more annoying than Zhuo Jingren ah! In his anger, he pulled the te with pancakes towards him trying to irritate Lily. "Did you make this?" he asked.

    "Hmmm.. I did," Lily said proudly. "Let me tell you a little secret." She then leaned towards him and lowered her voice. "Zhuo Jingren loves my cooking so much, he said he won¡¯t eat food prepared by anyone else anymore."

    Seeing Lily so look proud, an evil glint shed in Bei Tian¡¯s eyes as he used a fork to stab into the pancake. "Well... this is mine now!" he said as he took and ate a mouthful of the pancake. He looked at her provokingly, triumph apparent in his eyes. However, what hit his taste buds was something that immediately made him puke!

    ¡¯rgh¡¯

    Boisterousughter instantly echoed throughout the apartment as Lily watched Bei Tian run into the sink and attempt to remove all traces of the pancake from his mouth. He sent her another re as he rinsed his mouth using lots of water.

    "You scheming woman!" he hissed as he pointed at her. "Are you trying to poison Jingren?"

    "Who said that it was for my husband?" Lily asked as she stifled anotherugh, her eyes beginning to tear up from too much amusement.

    "You... You will pay for this! I will tell Jingren about all this!" he fumed.

    "Aiyo... you wereparing me to another womanst night. I thought I should teach you a lesson," Lilyughed. "I am iparable! Just look at my amazing cooking skills!"

    "Shameless!"

    "I am indeed very shameless," Lily concurred.

    "Originally, I pitied you because I know that my friend would never love another woman as much as he loves Qin Jinghua, but now that I know how devious you are.... You- I don¡¯t feel any pity for you at all! You deserve to marry a man who doesn¡¯t love you!" he blurted, irritation apparent in his eyes. How could this woman feed him something so salty it would probably kill him the moment it reached his stomach?!

    "First, this Qin Jinghua that you speak of is the reason why your good friend married me," Lily said in a light tone. Bei Tian narrowed his eyes at Lily when he heard her words. Now that he thought about it, Lily had the same eyes as Qin Jinghua... could it be that Zhuo Jingren saw Qin Jinghua in Lily?

    But that was just too impossible. Qin Jinghua was kind and gentle, while this woman... is a devil in the business world. There were no simrities at all!

    "If you keep on analyzing things, your brain will explode from over exhaustion!" Lily said.

    "Are you calling me dumb?"

    "Yes, I am... aren¡¯t you always the dumb one while Zhuo Jingren is the smart one? Aiyo... Bei Tian ah... you are still silly and funny, still the type that would make any womanugh. Tell me... are you already married?"

    Bei Tian took a step back when he heard Lily¡¯s question. His eyes lingered on her face as her question registered with him. She knows him?

    Wait....

    Bei Tian remembered thatst night, this woman called him Bei Tian when he did not remember introducing himself. He was sure that they had never met before... so how did she know his name?

    It would not be because of Zhuo Jingren as thetter was not the type of person that would talk about other people. Could it be that...

    Once again, he narrowed his eyes at Lily and leaned towards her. Lily was undeniably more beautiful than Qin Jinghua, however their simrities are...

    "Hold on! Are you Qin Jinghua?"

    "Finally... your brain came back. It must have taken pity on you after all," Lily smiled before she rose from her seat and walk out of the kitchen. "It¡¯s nice to see you again, Bei Tian," she said as she waved her hand at him. Then she halted her steps and turned to look back at the pale man standing rooted to the floor.

    "By the way, thank you for letting me know how much he... loves me. Rest assured, I will take good care of him ..." She gave him a small smile before leaving the room.

 Chapter 219 Would Rather Die

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 219 Would Rather Die</h4>

    FC Group Tower

    "Howe you¡¯re here?" Lily asked when she saw Yang Mi opening her office door for her.

    "Actually, I didn¡¯t have any serious injuries so I was discharged sooner rather thanter. Secretary Go will be leaving the hospital soon, probably as early as tomorrow. I didn¡¯t think my presence was needed there," Yang Mi said as she followed Lily into her office. "Cathy already briefed me about everything. You have a scheduled meeting in thirty minutes, lunch with Mr. Zhuo, and another meeting at three in the afternoon," Yang Mi recapped before crossing to Lily¡¯s table to hand her some documents that required her signature.

    "Seriously... why are you here? I remember telling you that you need to rest for at least a week." Lily stared at her intently. "Tell me what happened."

    "I... President, if I stay with Go Jichen any longer, I feel like I mightmit a crime and identally kill him in his sleep. I find the man extremely irritating. He always sings praises and tters his boss, and for some reason he¡¯s convinced that you bully President Zhuo. If I stayed any longer I would either I die from excessive anger or I would be unable to control myself and skin him alive," Yang Mi ended her rant with a long sigh. She then she cleared her throat and continued, "I would prefer to be on your side instead."

    In response, Lily nodded. It seems that Zhuo Jingren¡¯s matchmaking skills are barely even so-so. They were expecting that Yang Mi and Go Jichen would be closer because of the ident, not the other way around. Lily exhaled loudly and said, "Alright. You can stay." Seeing Yang Mi not move an inch, Lily asked, "Is there something else?"

    "The Yang Family," Yang Mi said. "Cathy never told me about them but I read the news. Yang Lina is in prison but what about the rest of the Yang Family?"

    Lily quickly told Yang Mi everything that she found out, including the fact that Yang Sen helped conceal the crime that He Yuyan and the othersmitted. She also told her about the Yang Family being under Lily and Zhuo Jingren¡¯smand already.

    "Oh... that¡¯s good then," Yang Mi nodded without asking any further questions. She trusted Lily¡¯s brilliant mind to the point of not questioning any of her decisions. Moreover, Lily is not the type of person who would do something drastic just because of her emotions.

    Lily nodded before her office phone rang. She immediately answered the phone and slowly scrunched her face in displeasure. The front desk personnel just informed her that Xuan Hui was here to see her and he¡¯s down there threatening to cause amotion if Lily doesn¡¯t agree to see him.

    "Alright. Send him in," Lily said after a few seconds. She understood that Xuan Hui must be very mad right now. After all, his father and mother are both in trouble and he is basically helpless to do anything about it. Lily then looked at Yang Mi. "You wanna stay and listen? After all, he is still your cousin."

    "No. President, I still have a lot of things to do. Please excuse me," Yang Mi said before giving Lily a low bow. Although her father was a Yang, Yang Mi never considered herself as someone from the Yang Family. It was not because she hated them. No. On the contrary, Yang Mi did not have any feelings towards this family, at all, and she would like to keep it that way. After saying goodbye to Lily, Yang Mi instantly left the office and walked towards her table. That was when she noticed a bouquet of roses on her desk.

    Her face instantly turned into a scowl. No card. For some reason, her mind told her that Go Jichen was the one who sent her the flowers. This is probably his way of thanking her for taking care of him. She quickly picked up her phone and sent a message to Go Jichen.

    [You don¡¯t have to send me flowers. I was just doing the job that President Lily asked me to do.]

    She looked at the flowers and waited for her phone to vibrate. After a few seconds, she instantly received a text from Go Jichen.

    [I would rather die than send you flowers.]

    Yang Mi¡¯s face instantly reddened in fury. This man is really asking for it.

    .....

    Meanwhile, Xuan Hui immediately mmed his hands on Lily¡¯s desk the moment he entered her office. "You... How could you do this to my family?"

    "Your mother is a murderer," Lily deadpanned. She used to think that Xuan Hui was always calm andposed. However, as time passed she realized that she had been wrong. Xuan Hui was nothing like his calm and collected father. He was too emotional and a little soft. Lily wondered just how long would hest in the business world without his mother.

    "She never killed anyone! I know you are doing this because you want to make me suffer!"

    "She killed my mother," Lily said while gazing straight into his eyes.

    "Lies!"

    "See for yourself!" Lily handed a phone to Xuan Hui. "She admitted her crimes and even begged me not to hurt you. And yet, here you are... asking for a beating."

    Xuan Hui ignored Lily¡¯s provocation as he watched the video of Yang Lina pleading with Lily. His temper instantly red as he watched his mother drop to her knees as she tearfully begged Lily. What followed next, his mother¡¯s confession, was something that Xuan Hui would have never expected.

    "See? You have been thinking about things too much. I wouldn¡¯t waste any of my resources on targeting you Mr. Xuan," Lily said airily while elegantly crossing her legs. She gave him a great big smile brimming with mockery. All of the newspapers in the city had been talking about Yang Lina¡¯s imprisonment and Xuan Zengmo¡¯s sexual fetishes. Online there was even a petition to have him resign from being a legitor.

    Because of this, it was inevitable that Xuan Hui¡¯s name and hispany were dragged in the gutter where his parent¡¯s reputations now resided. Qin Fei just gave birth through a C section and was still in pain. Unfortunately, Xuan Hui had been so busy spending all of his time and trouble in trying to suppress the news that there was only a tiny sliver of time to spend with Qin Fei and his son. This made him extremely frustrated.

    The worst thing is that Xuan Films¡¯ investors had been calling him all morning to ask about the status of their shares. They wanted to make sure that this scandal would not affect thepany and they were urging him to fix this PR nightmare as soon as possible or they would be forced to sell their shares in the market. After all, they were businessmen. They would never sail on a sinking ship with Xuan Hui.

    "So you framed my mother as revenge," he stated. That angry expression from earlier was no longer on his face.

    "Nope," Lily denied a little cautiously, just in case Xuan Hui was recording their conversation. Lily had seen so much that she was always prepared and extremely cautious about any possible schemes against her. "I¡¯ve already told you that she is a murderer."

    "She did not kill Li Tian Ya."

    However, Lily did not give him an answer. She stared at him with a beautiful smile on her face.

    "Stop smiling at me! You are too vicious Lily. You will pay for everything that you have done," he said in a cold tone before rushing out of her office. He nned to do his absolute best to make Lily pay for ruining his family.

 Chapter 220 Right Hand Man

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 220 Right Hand Man</h4>

    Zhuo Capital

    After Bei Tian learnt that Lily Zhuo was Qin Jinghua, he was so shocked that he felt his brains flew out of his mind. He rushed to see Zhuo Jingren and demanded for an exnation.

    "This is... This is impossible!" Bei Tian eximed after he heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s story. "This... This is like a fairytale story!" he started pacing in front of Zhuo Jingren. "Did you know about her story though? She is a little dark. I mean... she is a very scheming businesswoman. Have you done your research? She had acquired businesses in both Europe and South America by force. I heard the Arison malls that she acquired were also through force. She is the epitome of a greedy and shady personality in the business world."

    "No need to fret over this matter. I am a busy man. Stop disturbing me." Zhuo Jingren said, his eyes focused on hisptop.

    " So you knew? And you are okay with it? My friend in Europe said something about her being such a cold person. She is notorious for manipting people to do her bidding. Do you think they are telling the truth about her?" When Zhuo Jingren did not answer him, Bei Tian continued, "You married such a scary woman, Jingren ah, you have to be very careful. What if she agreed to marry you because she wanted something from you?"

    "Hmmm... then she can have it." He answered nonchntly. "She can have everything that is mine."

    "Ah?" Bei Tian was speechless. How did Zhuo Jingren be like this? However, he also understood him. Lily meant the world to Zhuo Jingren. He had been working his ass off so she would agree to marry him one day. Now that she is his already, Bei Tian was sure that Zhuo Jingren would do everything to please her.

    Not that he was against it. Bei Tian was sincerely happy for Zhuo Jingren. However, he found Lily too scary. A woman who had triumph in the business industry is not just some normal woman. Bei Tian was sure that he was lucky that Lily only let him ate a salty pancake.

    "The tabloids and online gossip sites has been guessing that you two are already married but there hasn¡¯t been any confirmation. Are you nning to announce this soon?" Bei Tian asked. Both Lily and Zhuo Jingren must have made some enemies in the past. People that are just lurking and waiting for them to make some mistakes. Bei Tian was concern that some people might use this opportunity to cause trouble for the couple.

    "I don¡¯t see the point of announcing my marriage to everyone." He answered.

    "Hmmm..." Bei Tian nodded. "You sound too righteous but I know you. Hah. Did she tell you not to tell anyone? I knew you would never do something that would make her angry. Tell me, in the scale of one to ten, how henpecked are you?"

    "Still too noisy." Zhuo Jingren suddenly rose from his seat and turned his back at his friend. He looked at the FC Group sign. "Our rtionship is ours and there is no need to tell the world about it. The only important thing is that she is already mine and I am hers. Other people¡¯s opinions do not matter to us."

    "Alright... It is obviously an eleven." Bei Tian let out aughed before he stood from his seat. "Well then... I will leave now and try to avoiding to your home again. I am afraid that your wife will truly poison me next time. I¡¯ll call you if somethinges up."

    "Hmmm..." Zhuo Jingren nodded as he tucked his hand into his pocket.

    "Oh... by the way. Your mother¡¯s death anniversary ising. Are you going to go to Japan?" Bei Tian asked. Zhuo Jingren and Bei Tian had been together since they were born. Literally.

    Both kids grew up in the orphanage and they left the orphanage together. They also went to Japan to work at the same time.

    When Zhuo Jingren was adopted by a rich couple, Bei Tian be his right hand man and was always at his beck and call. Because of this, he had grown quite close to the couple who adopted Zhuo Jingren. In fact, he is the number one person who would help Zhuo Jingren¡¯s sick mother escape. He was also responsible for carrying Zhuo Jingren¡¯s mother towards the destroyed temple that thetter used to frequent.

    "Yes. Me and Lily are going to Japan to pay our respects." Zhuo Jingren said. Thest time that they went to Japan, he was not able to bring Lily to their home because of some dispute in their previous Yakuza family. However, Bei Tian¡¯s arrival here in Hong Kong only meant that the previous trouble had been taken care of.

    "Good! That is very good." Bei Tian beamed before he left Zhuo Jingren¡¯s office. His friend¡¯s happiness is also his triumph. Although he was a little worried that this marriage was too rash, he also knew that Zhuo Jingren was very happy about it. Just this was enough to make him satisfied as well.

    However, if that Lily would do something to hurt his friend, then Bei Tian would never hesitate to use all of his resources to get back at her.

    While Zhuo Jingren was having a happy conversation with his best friend, Lily was also talking to both Yang Sen and Yang Jing, who surprisingly visited her.

    Yang Jing said that his father insisted on seeing Lily since the moment he woke up.

    "I have already submitted my resignation letter." Yang Sen said, his face stern while staring at Lily¡¯s smiling face. "From now on, I will give my all in doing whatever it is that you want the Yang Family to do."

    When Yang Sen woke up, Yang Jing and old man Yang informed him about the current situation and just like his father, he immediately agreed to Lily¡¯s terms. However, unlike Old Man Yang, Yang Sen truly felt that he owed Lily a lot. So he decided to do everything that she asked the Yang Family to do.

 Chapter 221 A Devious Side

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 221 A Devious Side</h4>

    "The flowers. Did you send them to Yang Mi?" Lily asked, ignoring Yang Sen¡¯s previous statement.

    "I did," Yang Jing confessed. "We umm... I went to the hospital earlier and discovered that she checked out so I sent her flowers instead." No matter what happens, Yang Mi is still his sister.

    "Hmmm," Lily noted. "I am going after the Mu Family who are based in Maind China. That is the reason why I wanted to have you on my side," she dered as she examined Yang Sen before shifting her gaze towards the younger Yang. Honestly, Yang Mi resembled Yang Sen so much that people might even think she and Yang Jing were twins.

    "I already guessed that," Yang Sen said as he passed a folder to Lily before indicating that she should open it.

    Lily raised an eyebrow at him before slowly opening the folder.

    "That is everything that we have on the Mu Family. I know I should not be sharing it because this intel is the result of government research, but I figured this would help you in dealing with them," Yang Sen said before he nodded towards Yang Jing.

    "The Mu Family¡¯s influence is not that big here but they are a very big family in Maind China. They own malls and hospitals and they are trying to venture into construction right now." Yang Jing continued, "The Patriarch of the Mu Family is an extremely cunning man who loves to act weak to fool his enemies. The government had been monitoring him for possible ties to the ck market but we never found anything that would prove that he¡¯smitted illegal activities."

    "Mr. Mu loves to y tricks on his enemies. We believe that four years ago, Mr. Mu went against a formidable opponent who caused Scarlett City to plummet to its lowest share point ever. Good thing that President Zhuo from Zhuo Capital saved them. Right now, President Zhuo is the biggest shareholder of Scarlett City and he has his own representative on the Board." Yang Jing paused deliberately while staring at Lily.

    "What else?" Lily asked. She could tell from Yang Jing¡¯s tone that he was hesitating, uncertain if he should continue.

    "Well... we believe that this formidable enemy that almost caused the bankruptcy of Scarlett City was... President Zhuo as well."

    "Continue," Lily said, it was only normal for them to hesitate as both of these men know that Zhuo Jingren is her husband.

    "It is the only exnation that we could think of. President Zhuo is very capable of altering the market. If he wanted apany, he could easily make them bankrupt so he could buy their stocks, making himself the biggest shareholder of saidpany," Yang Jing exined. "This would also exin why Mr. and Mrs. Mu are afraid of President Zhuo."

    "Good thinking," Lily said. She too believed that Zhuo Jingren was the same person who caused the bankruptcy of Scarlet City before he bought it. It seems that her husband really has a devious side to him, Lily thought as she smiled inwardly.

    "After President Zhuo bought the stocks, engagement rumors about he and Mu Lihua, the eldest of the Mu Family, were seen all over the tabloids and gossip sites. We believe that it was the work of Mr. Mu to pressure Zhuo Jingren into marrying his daughter for the sake of saving their reputation. Obviously President Zhuo did not entertain this rumor and continued to live peacefully despite the media¡¯s assumptions."

    "Hmmm... I am actually surprised that you have this much information on the Mu Family," Lily said, her eyes still on the file. This was information that she was unable to find, mainly because her resources in Maind China are very limited. However, things are different now that the Yang Family is working for her.

    "We have been keeping tabs on them for a long time now," Yang Sen answered. "When He Xin left the country a few days ago, we received intel that she was in Germany visiting her second daughter, Mu Qingling but we do not believe that this is the case."

    When Lily lifted her head to look at him, he continued. "First, Mu Qingling does not have a very good rtionship with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Mu always thought that being a professional dancer was a waste of time. Moreover, He Xin never visited her second daughter before."

    "And you believe she was running away from something?" Lily asked. She had her suspicions that He Xin got hold of the information about Zhuo Jingren and George¡¯s search for the doctor who was in charge of Lily¡¯s care seven years ago. That could be reason enough for her to fear for her life and flee the country.

    "More like someone," Yang Sen said. "But we don¡¯t know who this could be. Mr. Mu is also very tight- lipped about it. He Xin just told her colleague that she was visiting her daughter abroad, nothing else."

    "Good," Lily nodded. "I am grateful that you¡¯ve given me all this information. It is quite useful." She closed the folder and stared at the father and son in front of her. Now she understood why people havemended this family previously for their extremely good work etiquette. They were both serious about their job. Of course, this does not mean that Lily already trusts these two. She would still verify everything that they had given her.

    "I am also d that you did this even knowing that Yang Lina and He Yuyan will rot in prison because of me," she added.

    In response, both Yang Sen and Yang Jing stared intently at Lily, their faces stern as they slowly nodded their heads. They had to choose between two evils. Naturally they chose the one that would do the least damage to the whole family.

    "Yang Mi refuses to interact with you and I will not force her to do something that she does not like. If you want to be in her life then work for it," Lily said before she asked the two to leave her as she has another meeting scheduled.

    Now that she has the Yang Family under her thumb, it will be very easy for her to build her own base in Maind China.

 Chapter 222 An Incompetent Wife

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 222 An Ipetent Wife</h4>

    Aug, 05, Friday

    Lily smiled softly as she looked at the canvas in front of her.

    It was an oil painting of Lily in a cheongsam with a small smile on her face. Her beautiful and radiant face perfectly contrasted with the ck, red and blue colors of the cheongsam. The background of the painting featured Chinese bamboo. It reminded Lily of the bamboo at the temple in Fussa, Japan that they¡¯d visited months ago.

    The painting is a gift from Zhuo Jingren. He had his men deliver it to Lily¡¯s office just this morning. Lily ran her fingers over the painting as she nodded in appreciation. Zhuo Jingren is indeed talented she thought while staring at the cheongsam¡¯s red, ck and blue interweaving colors that were in perfect harmony with each other. Lily instantly wondered when he found the time to paint this as both of them were so busy with worktely. Was it possible that she just failed to notice him working? Instantly guilt shed in Lily¡¯s eyes. She had been scheming and thinking about herself all this time and she didn¡¯t even know if Zhuo Jingren had a special room for his paintings in Sky City.

    While she is aware that Zhuo Jingren has many paintings of her, she never even bothered to ask him about it. Now that she thought about it, Lily realized that she doesn¡¯t really know a lot about Zhuo Jingren. She bit her lip before letting out a loud sigh. She is such an ipetent wife ah.

    She shook her head in irritation. She had been taking from Zhuo Jingren. She had been pampered and treated like a queen and she did not even think about giving back. Lily had always believed that a rtionship should be equalbut it was obvious that she was failing to do her part in this rtionship.. Her selfishness was engraved into her bones so deeply that it was truly hard for her to just remove these habits from her system.

    "Yang Mi?"

    "President," Yang Mi respectfully said.

    "When will VP Rossi arrive?"

    "Monday at 1300 our time," Yang Mi answered.

    "Alright," Lily nodded. Vice President Timothy Rossi had been working with the Fi Group for more than twenty years now. He had been Vice President of thepany before Lily took over and now his role was Vice President of Operations for all of their subsidiaries in South America.

    The Subsidiaries in South America were fairly new so Lily took advantage of his skills and asked him to personally take charge and manage thesepanies for three months. Lily was sure that the profits of thesepanies would double after a quarter, and she was right.

    Now that VP Rossi had aplished his goal, he will join them in Hong Kong. Lily also thought that this would be the perfect timing as having him here would allow her to spend more time adjusting to married life. After all, they¡¯d really had no time together since they got married and she was also hopeful that they could spend time together to try for a baby.

    The other night, Zhuo Jingren mentioned visiting Japan for his adoptive mother¡¯s death anniversary and using this opportunity to get tested in Japan as well. This made Lily a little excited and nervous at the same time. While she was hoping that they would get good results, she was also a little afraid that she would only be disappointed. Of course, Zhuo Jingren knew this and he immediately assured her that everything would be fine.

    "What is my schedule for today?" she asked after a few minutes of staring at the painting.

    "The market research for the new Harmony Isle in China and Singapore was already submitted and is waiting on your table. You have a meeting with Mr. Hanter for that project in China that¡¯s budgeted at a billion. This meeting is about his bid as he wanted to get your approval first."

    "What time is this meeting?" Lily asked.

    "1500 our time," Yang Mi answered.

    "Good. Let¡¯s go and shop," Lily said. Unlike Zhuo Jingren, her talents werecking. She doesn¡¯t know how to draw or paint or y the piano. She also doesn¡¯t know how to cook a good meal or give a very good massage.

    Now that Lily thought about it, she felt a little depressed. She doesn¡¯t have the time to learn all these things. Moreover, she is a little too old to learn. She doesn¡¯t want to embarrass herself by going into sses at this age.

    Lily could only think of one thing that she was good at and that was making money. She knew that her money making skills are on par, if not even above Zhuo Jingren¡¯s skills, and she was nning to use this to give him something.

    However, she fell into another dilemma. Zhuo Jingren already had everything. What else could she give him? For some reason, Fernando¡¯s voice suddenly echoed inside her mind.

    ¡¯Why don¡¯t you give him ap dance instead?¡¯

    Lily slowly swallowed her nonexistent saliva as she thought about her friends suggestion. Ap dance?

    ¡¯What you need is a good strip dance.¡¯

    Unknowingly, Lily¡¯s face turned scarlet as she continued to think about it. A strip dance? Lily furrowed her brows in annoyance. She is actually considering Fernando¡¯s suggestion, ah! How could she think about this in the middle of the day?

    Lily walked towards her table and grabbed her hand bag. Her lips then slowly curled into a smile which for some reason made Yang Mi shiver. She had been standing so close to Lily that she was able to see Lily¡¯s expression changing. It instantly made her wonder if Lily had been scheming again. However, the smile on Lily¡¯s face suddenly disappeared and was reced by her usual calm demeanor.

    This immediately made Yang Mi wonder if she was just hallucinating. She decided to shake off these thoughts and follow Lily outside to shop.

    Since Harmony Isle was still under construction, Lily decided to go to another high end mall in the northern part of Hong Kong. This one was called Fair Pagoda Mall. With its Pagoda like structure, this mall was known for having all imported products from Europe and the US.

    This is also the reason why this mall was frequented by most socialites and people from Maind China.

    After sitting in the car for almost an hour, the first thing that Lily did in the mall was to check out every store. Her goal today was actually to buy some imported lingerie, however, she also decided to check out men¡¯s clothing to see if something would look good on Zhuo Jingren.

    "Aw!" Lily almost dropped all of the bags that she was carrying when someone suddenly bumped into her.

    Lily furrowed her brows as she lifted her head to look at the man with a grumpy expression who was towering over her.

    "You¡¯ve ruined a very expensive keyboard!" the man said coldly. "Tell me how are you going topensate me for something that was custom made abroad?"

    Lily examined the man in front of her. "How much is it?" Lily asked, her face cold. She could not understand why this man was acting as if he wanted to murder someone just because of a keyboard. Wasn¡¯t this too childish?

    "Woman, I am in apetition tomorrow and this keyboard was made abroad. There is no way that I could buy another one for mypetition," the man answered, his face still dark as he stared intently at Lily.

    "Tell me the model, price and manufacturer, I will have it delivered to your doorstep tomorrow," Lily answered. "You were the one who bumped into a smalldy like me and yet you have the audacity to ask forpensation. Not that it matters, but I can buy you ten of those keyboards a week." Seeing a sh of shock on the man¡¯s face, Lily continued, "Take it as my condolences for you being so childish at this age."

 Chapter 223 Fall Into My Hands One Day

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 223 Fall Into My Hands One Day</h4>

    "Here is my card. Send the keyboard to this address," the man said as he extended a calling card to Lily. Lily, being Lily, did not even look at it. She merely tilted her head and signaled Yang Mi to get it for her.

    "How arrogant," the man snorted while shifting his eyes away from Lily. However, when he noticed that Lily had already left, he immediately tried to catch up and stop her by holding her arm. "Hey! We are not done talking! You owe me an apology."

    In response, Lily looked at the man intently. The man was tall, maybe as tall as Zhuo Jingren. He had a strong, well-defined jaw and beautiful phoenix eyes, however the man¡¯s overall cold aura and chilly tone would easily intimidate anyone. Still, this man was not as good looking as her own husband.

    Since when did she startparing every man to Zhuo Jingren?

    Lily felt her cheeks grow warm when she realized thatparing every man to Zhuo Jingren had be her habittely. What a shameless woman, she beamed inwardly before she cleared her throat. "I don¡¯t owe you anything." She shook off the man¡¯s hand before walking away with a n in mind.

    She was originally nning to buy sexy lingerie as a surprise for her husband, but now she¡¯s finally made up her mind. She will surprise him with either a strip tease or pole dancing. Lily¡¯s thoughts were once again interrupted when she felt the man grab her arm again.

    "Apologize!" the man said in a low voice. "Don¡¯t make me beg for it. ept that you deliberately bumped into me to get my attention. A woman like you is what I hate the most. You act cold and yet go this low to attract a man¡¯s attention."

    "Apologize now," he said. To his surprise his words only earned a snort from Lily. Then he noticed that thetter signaled her assistant not to get involved. At this point, he also noticed Daohu, who was standing behind Yang Mi while giving him a murderous look.

    He noticed Lily looking at him from head to toe before she asked, "Are you an escaped patient from the mental hospital?"

    "That won¡¯t work on me," he answered. "This is not the first time that someone¡¯s done this. If not for the very expensive keyboard that you ruined I would have let this go and ignored your advances. That keyboard is very important to me."

    "Crazy," Lily rolled her eyes before she gave him a provoking smile. "Why the hell would you think that I am making advances towards you? Do you see yourself as an Adonis on Earth? You are only a seven on my scale, Mister. You have a long way to go before you be a ten."

    "Liar. Your blush a while ago was a dead giveaway of your motives. Are you still going to deny that you deliberately bumped into me to gain my attention?" He narrowed his eyes at her. How could a woman stand his intimidating re? Qi Xia was so used to people cowering in fear as he coldly spoke to them that he found it irritating that this woman was able to mock him like this.

    "Blush?" Lily sneered before she walked towards the guy. "You think too highly of yourself Mister. I was not blushing because a lowly person like you was in front of me," she said, leaning in closer and lowering her voice just enough for the man to hear. "I was blushing because I was thinking of all the naughty things that I am going to do to my husband tonight."

    Lily withdrew and took a step back as she gave the man a provoking smile. "Take care of your ego, Mister. One day it will be too big for you to carry," she tossed over her shoulder as she turned around and sashayed away from Qi Xia.

    "Master Qi... shall we pursue her?" A man who was just a few years older than Lily approached the frozen Qi Xia, concern apparent in his voice. How could someone anger Master Qi to the point of him clenching his fists? This only happens when the Master is talking to his father and no one else.

    "No need. Call Qin Liwei," Qi Xia said, his eyes still glued in the direction that Lily had sashayed off to. "Tell him that I am here so he¡¯d better make sure he invests in my esportspany as soon as possible."

    "But Master... that woman is married," his assistant tried to reason.

    "Qi Ming, have you seen me fail when ites to women?"

    "Never," Qi Ming answered while shaking his head. Qi Xia, his older brother, is the best when ites to coaxing a woman. Single or married, Qi Xia had never failed in making a woman his.

    "No matter how fierce, she is still a woman. She will fall into my hands one day," Qi Xia said as he started walking in the opposite direction of Lily. "Do we have a way to get a copy of her schedule for the next few days?"

    "Yes, Master... Miss Xi was able to infiltrate herpany and is working as one of the secretaries under Head Secretary Yang. We should be able to use her to our advantage."

    "Great. I will pay her a visit this weekend."

    "Master, my only worry is her husband, President Zhuo of the Zhuo Capital. He is a formidable opponent," Qi Ming said.

    His words only earned a snort from Qi Xia as he continued walking towards the mall exit. "Call Mu Lihua. It¡¯s time for her to use her charms on that man. Tell her Brother Qi will take this as a payment for what she owes me from before."

    "Alright," Qi Ming nodded, his face serious as he thought about the smile on Lily¡¯s face. He wanted to tell his older brother that he could feel a really sinister aura behind Lily¡¯s smiling face, however, he knew that Qi Xia would only reject this and would say that he is being overly superstitious. Qi Ming could only shake his head inwardly. He could only hope that he is wrong and that Lily Zhuo is just like every other woman that Qi Xia was able to seduce.

 Chapter 224 A Triumphant Snor

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 224 A Triumphant Snor</h4>

    Qin Industries

    Qin Liwei rose from his seat after he ended the call with Qi Ming. He looked at the view outside of his office with a small smile on his face. Qin Liwei was very confident that Qi Xia would be able to help him by seducing Lily.

    Since the day that Zhuo Jingren attacked the Qin Industries, Qin Liwei had been looking for a way to handle Lily and this is the only way that he could think of. In his mind, Lily and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s marriage was nothing but a business deal so it would be easy to sway thetter¡¯s feelings for Lily, creating chaos within their business deal, the type of chaos that would only end in divorce.

    Without Zhuo Jingren¡¯s backing, Qin Liwei was sure that Lily¡¯s influence in Hong Kong would not be powerful enough to cause storms. He was sure that if he and Xuan Hui worked together against Lily she would be very easy to defeat. Of course, they had to deal with Zhuo Jingren first.

    Qin Liwei let out another evil smile as he thought of his friend Qi Xia, the Young Master of the Qi Family in China. Qi Xia had been the center of the media¡¯s attention since he was a child, mostly because his parents are film royalty in China. He grew up in the spotlight, which led to him bing extremely arrogant and willful. Because of his good looks and talented genes, Qi Xia has endorsed many products since he was a kid, and while he clearly had an attitude problem, this did not stop thepanies from signing contracts with him. After all, not only is he extremely good-looking, he is also known throughout the country as a very popr and highly skilled professional Esports p yer.

    Qi Xia had a very big ego. He felt that retiring at a very young age would hinder his future sess, so he wanted to create his own team and be a manager instead, and he wanted to do this without his parents¡¯ help so he sought out his famous and wealthy friends to sponsor his team. Everyone thought that this move was pretty impressive for someone like Qi Xia who had grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth.

    Qi Xia¡¯s parents had offered to help him over and over again but he refused to ept anything from them. He was determined to make a name in Esports through his own hard work. Of course, the media used this opportunity to glorify his name.

    Qi Xia, became the most ideal man online. Not only is he handsome, but he is also very hardworking and smart. Many people - many women - apuded this fact and could not help but chase after him. However, Qi Xia is a very cold person. Not many women were sessful in chasing after him. Moreover, he also has a very high standard for women as he only chooses the best.

    Qi Xia was known to have had rtionships with A list stars and even international models, however these rtionships did notst as his cold and arrogant personality would always scare them away.

    Of course, every time Master Qi would leave another female, his fans online would only double if not triple. How could these women think that they could have a good rtionship with Master Qi? He is an ideal man, he belongs to everyone.

    Qi Xia¡¯s cold personality became his charm and many women attempted to get into his bed. Right now, however, all of his focus was on his uing team. Qi Xia had been looking for sponsors and he asked his good friend Qin Liwei for help.

    Qin Liwei instantly promised to invest in his team, however, he needs to try to seduce Qin Liwei¡¯s sister first. When Qi Xia heard that he needed to seduce a woman, he couldn¡¯t help but give Qin Liwei a confused look.

    Excuse me? Master Qi needs to seduce a woman? Since when did that happen? Not once in his entire life had he ever had to lift a finger to get a woman. They naturally fell under his feet like the finest Persian carpets.

    When Qin Liwei told him about Lily Qin¡¯s achievements and her personality - as well as showing him her photo - he couldn¡¯t stop himself from arching an eyebrow at his friend. He never knew that Qin Liwei had such an excellent sister waiting the wings. Still, he did not agree that easily. He told Qin Liwei that he needed to see Lily in person first before deciding. After all, Qin Liwei promised to invest millions in his team.

    Qin Liwei was not worried about any of this as he was sure that Qi Xia would like Lily, and he was right. His friend did have an interest in Lily¡¯s personality. Qin Liwei knew that Qi Xia loves a good challenge, and Lily was the perfect woman to give him that challenge.

    Of course, Lily was still unaware that someone else had been scheming behind her back again. Right now all Lily knew with certainty is that she is very confused ah.

    She is having a very difficult time choosing the right lingerie for her... performance!

    First she need to choose which satin kimono to buy. Should she buy the red one with ace back that will show what is she wearing underneath? Or a ck see-through open front mesh kimono?

    "Alright. I¡¯ll take this two." She said after her deliberate analysis of the pros and cons of each. In the end, she realised that this wouldn¡¯t matter anyway as it would be the first thing she will take off . Lily let loose a triumphant snort before she looked at the dozens of lingerie choices in front of her.

    Lily is not demure. She has always bought lingerie to pamper herself but for some reason she was finding it difficult to select just the right one at the moment. She had been over-thinking things and making sure that each and every wisp of lingerie that she bought would look good on her.

    She wanted to impress, so she was taking her time in choosing. So what if these pieces of clothing would be thrown on the floorter? The most important thing is perfecting her act ah. She needs to be coordinated and graceful. What if the lingerie was hard to take off? That would be a failure!

    ¡¯Zhuo Jingren will rip it off anyway,¡¯ the small voice in her head replied, answering her own question, making her swallow her nonexistent saliva. She instantly cleared her throat and continued looking at the lingerie. This was only because she had never done this before, alright? Her thoughts werepletely normal for a woman in herte twenties who had never danced for her man before.

    "I prefer the red one," Zhuo Jingren¡¯s deep voice made Lily jumped in shock. She instantly turned around and widened her eyes at the man smiling in front of her.

    "Why are you here?" she asked as she felt her cheeks turn hot. She is blushing. Lily cursed inwardly. She must have looked pathetic right now.

    "I thought you said we would meet for dinner?" Zhuo Jingren grinned.

    "It¡¯s not even 3 in the afternoon!" Lily countered. "You are a President, howe you are so idle?"

    "Well... I was nning to stroll the mall with you so I cancelled the rest of my schedule for the day. Now that I think about it," Zhuo Jingren eyes roamed around the store. "Coming here at this time was an extremely good decision."

 Chapter 225 A Feminis

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 225 A Feminis</h4>

    "Ah... speaking of good decisions. Why don¡¯t you choose that red bustier set? You can even attach thatcy skirt with garter." Zhuo Jingren said while giving her a wink, excitement apparent in his eyes.

    "I can¡¯t wear something like that in the office." Lily said sternly before she started pointing at other lingerie. "I¡¯ll take that! And that! And that!" she pointed to some bras and underwear for the attendant to take out from the disy.

    "I thought it was for me." Zhuo Jingren whispered. His voice had a tinge of disappointment. "Are you going to wear that in case I visit your office?"

    "Of course not!" Lily answered righteously. "I feel good about myself so I chose to buy some lingerie. This has nothing to do with you at all."

    "Why do people always think that women want to look good for their men? As a feminist, I believe that we women should wear something for ourselves." she said as she continues to point to every lingerie that caught her attention.

    "Ah... good. That¡¯s good. You have chosen a lot. Shall we go ahead and try it on?" Zhuo Jingren grinned at her.

    "Why are you using ¡¯we¡¯?" Lily stopped in her tracks and narrowed her eyes at Zhuo Jingren. Then she eyed the attendant who was trying to avoid her gaze. "President Zhuo, are you going to wear these pieces of clothing too?"

    "No... No... Of course not, I have to be there and watch you try it on. After all, It is always better to have another person¡¯s unbiased opinion!" he said shamelessly.

    "I don¡¯t need one." Lily countered. What is this shameless man talking about? Lily eyed the attendants who were now blushing. A handsome man acting like this is extremely... peculiar.

    "Then who will praise you once you try it on? It¡¯s a husband¡¯s job to always praise his woman. Come... Come let me apany you to the fitting room." Zhuo Jingren put his arms around Lily¡¯s waist and walked towards the fitting room. However, one of the attendants was quick to stop him.

    "I¡¯m sorry sir but we don¡¯t allow a man to apany a woman in our fitting room." An attendant respectfully said. This was their store¡¯s policy and no matter how good looking the couple was, they were not exempted from the rules.

    Lily instantly beamed at her ¡¯pervert¡¯ husband. She sent him a mocking smile whileughing inwardly. She can¡¯t imagine what this man would do while thinking of her trying on different lingerie on the other side of the door. Isn¡¯t that extremely frustrating?

    "Then take me to the VIP fitting room." Zhuo Jingren said, surprising Lily. VIP fitting room? She never heard of such a thing before.

    "My apologies sir but only our VIP clients who holds our VIP card can enter the VIP room."

    As expected, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face darkened as he gave a cold look to the attendant. Then he snapped his fingers and said, "Jichen. Come."

    Lily¡¯s head instantly turned towards the man who was running towards Zhuo Jingren. There was still a small bandage on his head.

    "He insisted on working again even though he was not feeling well. He threatened me, so I gave in." Zhuo Jingren immediately defended himself when he sensed that Lily was sending him a cold look. He was not heartless, alright? Go Jichen was discharged from the hospital this morning and yet, he had already started to work. Zhuo Jingren tried to deny his request over and over. He even offered a leave until he was better but Go Jichen still insisted and told him that he would stand outside of his office to wait for his decision.

    In the end, Zhuo Jingren agreed. He knows that Go Jichen¡¯s stubbornness is imprinted into his bone just like his loyalty to him.

    "President." Go Jichen looked at Zhuo Jingren waiting for his words. However, before Zhuo Jingren could utter a word, Go Jichen suddenly look at Lily. "Madam, it¡¯s not the President¡¯s fault. Please, don¡¯t me him. I prefer working with the president to staying at home." Of course, Go Jichen knew what Lily was thinking. He could see it in her eyes as she eyed Zhuo Jingren. This was the reason why he immediately defended his boss. After all, it really wasn¡¯t Zhuo Jingren¡¯s fault.

    "Alright." Lily nodded.

    "Ah... Jichen. Give them the VIP card that the owner of this Lingerie store gave us back in Korea." Zhuo Jingren said.

    In response, Go Jichen opened theptop briefcase that he always carried with him and gave the attendant a ck slick card with a logo of the Lingerie shop. When the attendant received the card, she immediately gave Zhuo Jingren a small bow and gestured for them to follow her. It was a top notch VIP card that is only given by their boss to a few people. Even some A list stars did not have their card. This could only mean that this couple is very influential, the attendant concluded immediately.

    "Let¡¯s go?" Zhuo Jingren smiled at Lily. However, thetter just narrowed her eyes at him.

    "A VIP card at a famous lingerie shop?" she asked in a cold tone they followed the attendant.

    "Ah... the owner of this shop insisted that I have it. In case I buy something for my woman. This card had been with me for two years now and I have never used it. Actually, there is a way to check how many times a card holder have used the card. They use this app on the phone for that. I mean... there is this point system that I am not aware of. Or I have forgotten about. What I mean to say is that this card does not have any point. In other words, I have never used it before!" Zhuo Jingren exined, flustered. "You can download the app if you want to. I am telling the truth."

    Lily narrowed her eyes at Zhuo Jingren who was out of breath from talking so fast. Then she burst into a fit ofughter. Sometimes, she really didn¡¯t know if she deserves a man as adorable as her husband.

    Of course, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s smile would eventually remind her that she does.

 Chapter 226 Silly Competition

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 226 Silly Competition</h4>

    "Alright. You should sit there and just watch. What are you standing here for?" Lily asked when she noticed that Zhuo Jingren was just standing behind her as she started to undress herself.

    "Closer inspection," he answered while grinning.

    "Shameless." She rolled her eyes at him. "Sit down there," she said as she eyed the couch in the middle of the luxurious room. Seeing Zhuo Jingren walk towards the couch, Lily suddenly let out a sigh. "I don¡¯t want to try these on. I¡¯ll just buy everything. Let¡¯s go."

    "But..."

    "Well... I¡¯m notfortable trying them on in front of all these mirrors," Lily admitted. A VIP fitting room that allowed guys inside was something else. It might in fact be normal in some parts of the world, however, what made Lily a little ufortable was the fact that the room had weird red lighting, adding a sensual vibe to it. Moreover, there was a big couch in the middle of the room that was surrounded by mirrors. This reminded her of a strip club.

    Call her paranoid, but Lily had schemed against many others. She could sense that someone was scheming behind her back. Of course in this case, the scheme would be against Zhuo Jingren. Or...l yeah... maybe she is just a little paranoid.

    Or someone was indeed watching them. Either way, Lily is a very cautious person and she would rather stay safe than take unnecessary risks.

    "Okay. Let¡¯s go," Zhuo Jingren nodded at her. Although Lily did not tell him the reason why she wanted to leave, Zhuo Jingren could feel the sudden change in her mood once they entered the room. It probably had something to do with the different vibe that he also felt inside.

    With this in mind, Zhuo Jingren reached out to hold Lily¡¯s hand as they walked out of the room. After a few minutes, Lily paid for everything while secretly asking the attendant to include the red bustier set that Zhuo Jingren had pointed out earlier.

    After the couple bought the lingerie, they decided to go to a cafe while Lily made a quick video call to Mr. Han in regard to the bidding that thetter was interested in joining. Neither of them talked about what happened at the lingerie store.

    "Alright. I will contact you soon," Lily said before ending the call on her tablet. Then she handed it towards Yang Mi who was sitting at the table next to theirs. Of course, Yang Mi was sitting with Secretary Go.

    "Those two will be killing each other soon," Lily noted as she took a sip of her coffee.

    "Nah... they are making progress," Zhuo Jingren said. "Speaking of progress, your good friend Fernando has been spending a lot of time with Li Shanshantely. Last I heard, they were in New York together."

    "Wow. Why you are so up to date about this? Even I am clueless about this," she noted. Lily could only guess that Fernando and her husband had been keeping in touch. However, she did not know that they had be this close, that their friendship had grown to this extent.

    "Well... your good friend Fernando was trying to show off by taking pictures of their hotel room and the galleries they went to together. He thought I was shallow enough topete with him," he said.

    "Oh... New York, huh? Those two did not even tell me about it. If they dare show their faces in front of me again..." Lily did not continue her words. In fact, she understood why both Li Shanshan and Fernando were not telling her these things. This would be because Li Shanshan felt guilty for not telling Lily about what happened between them. She must have asked Fernando not to tell her as well.

    Of course, the smart Fernando still found a way to inform her by talking to Zhuo Jingren instead.

    "Well, this reminds me, I have another meeting in New York next month." Zhuo Jingren¡¯s voice interrupted her. "You shoulde with me. I have already booked the most expensive luxury suite in New York."

    Lily gave her husband a look, mirth apparent in her eyes. "Not shallow, huh..." she said before she rolled her eyes. Boys and their sillypetitions... This reminded Lily of how yful her husband actually is. At first nce, Zhuo Jingren would give you the impression that he is a very serious individual. Even all the tabloids and online news said that.

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s coldness was known to both men and women in the business industry. However, this was the pr opposite of his actual personality. Sometimes, Lily even wondered if Zhuo Jingren was the one who spread the news to give people the wrong impression about him. Of course, she was aware that this might not be the case once she was not with him.

    "I am a very busy woman. If you want mypany then you should pay for my time," Lily said. How could Zhuo Jingren just ask her for a vacation? She was a tycoon who managed more than twenty subsidiaries, both inside and outside of Hong Kong. How could she find the time to go on a luxury vacation with him in New York?

    "Oh... then do you want money..." Zhuo Jingren leaned towards her and lowered his voice. "Or stocks?"

    "President Zhuo must have forgotten that you already gave me all your money," Lily said. Stocks? She was expecting for him to offer his body, alright?

    "Right... then what do you want in return?" He gave her a sly smile. Of course he knew what his wife wanted but he wanted her to say it.

    "Your body, of course," Lily said. "I have very high standards. I won¡¯t settle for some mediocre payments."

    What they didn¡¯t notice was that their hardworking secretaries could hear them. Their voices might not be loud enough for other people to hear, but their outstanding assistants were sitting right next to their table.

    Both Yang Mi and Secretary Go could only lower their heads as they continued to listen to their bosses flirting. They were both still single... How could their bosses be so ruthless as to shove dog food right in their faces?

 Chapter 227 Cunning People

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 227 Cunning People</h4>

    August 08, Monday

    Monday was always the busiest day for Lily but unlike most people she¡¯s never hated Mondays. In fact, she loved them. Lily loves the increased workload and meetings that she has on this day. She loves the update of profits that she receives from everypany under their corporate umbre. Today, however, she wasn¡¯t following her usual Monday morning routine. Today, she chose to cancel her morning schedule to wee the VP of the Operations Department, Mr. Rossi.

    Mr. Rossi has been working with thepany for more than twenty years. Aside from her grandmother, he was the person who helped the most with Lily¡¯s professional development when she was still just her grandmother¡¯s secretary. Mr. Rossi is a bubbly, tall guy in his fifties who owns an antique 1950¡¯s car which he loves to show off during antique auto exhibitions. He hates coffee and he loves dressing inyers of colors to make himself appear younger.

    Why does Lily know so much about him? It¡¯s because Mr. Rossi is the person whom her mother is supposed to marry. Lilian wanted Mr. Rossi to be Bec¡¯s husband because the man is smart and cunning. Moreover, the man is also very good-looking and he has gorgeous piercing blue eyes. Aside from this, he is also from another influential Italian family.

    When Bec knew that Mr. Rossi was to be her husband she immediately refused this arrangement because she knew that the man already had a woman. In the end, Bec ran away from home and Mr. Rossi married his childhood lover who died just five years after their marriage.

    After his wife¡¯s death, Mr. Rossi to chose to work for Lilian and he had been working for thepany since then. When Mr. Rossi met Lily, she broke down and cried in front of him. He couldn¡¯t stop apologizing as he felt that it was his fault that Bec ran away from home. Topensate for this mistake he chose never to marry again.

    Now that Lily thought about it, she really didn¡¯t understand the man at all. She felt that he was hiding something from her - and maybe Lilian too - but she couldn¡¯t figure out what it was, which made Lily even more eager to discover the man¡¯s secret.

    One good thing about Mr. Rossiing here is the fact that the man practically devoted his entire adult life to running thepany. Lily knew that she could trust him to solve any crisis involving thepany. Moreover, Lily also felt that no matter what secret he was hiding, he would never harm her.

    Now that they are both in Hong Kong, Lily felt that this would be the perfect opportunity to unravel the secrets of whatever happened in the past.

    Lily spent the whole morning with her executives as they weed Mr. Rossi to Hong Kong. At this point, Lily felt that the incredible weight on her shoulders had lessened. Now that Mr. Rossi was here, Lily could finally get some time to watch some videos and tutorials for her performance.

    After all, Lily firmly believed that practice makes perfect.

    After lunch, Lily - together with Yang Mi - went to a business meeting at one of the top tea houses in Hong Kong. This meeting was in regards to the bidding that Mr. Han was about to participate in in China.

    Maind China is a very difficult market, especially for foreignpanies, so she wanted to make sure she had an ally inside the country. Today, she was nning to meet with another constructionpany in China to negotiate a coboration for a project. To a normal businessman, this was just a simple move by a foreignpany that wanted to increase their presence in China. However, Lily had another motive for this meeting.

    "President Zhuo, I was not expecting this meeting at all," Wang Yinxing gave Lily a polite smile before he looked at the attendant who wastaking their orders.

    "Always expect the unexpected, Mr. Wang," Lily answered. They were inside an elegant tea house. Unlike most tea houses in China that had VIP rooms, this ce only has a few tables with a generous amount of space between them, enough to give each of their guests a suitable amount of privacy.

    Apparently this tea house is always fully booked, but Mr. Wang and the owner had a good rtionship so thetter made some arrangements for this meeting.

    "Ah... true," Wang Yinxing gave a slightugh before his face grew serious. "I heard from your secretary that this is about the bidding for the new SkyHigh Lights in Yangtze River?"

    In response, Lily gave a small smile to the man in his forties. Based on her research, Wang Yinxing was one of the most cunning businessman in the construction industry in China. She knew that he would not let a big whale like Lily go without a very good deal.

    And this is what she was counting on.

    "The Fi Groups¡¯ goal has always been the global market, and I believe that this is a perfect opportunity for us to enter China," she answered. Moreover, she needed to tighten her influence in China to be able to stand a chance against the Mu Family.

    "Good... Good... This is a very good opportunity indeed, and I¡¯m sure that thepany who wins the bid will prosper in the construction industry - but I have to be blunt with you. Mypany is not big enough to go against the biggest construction conglomerates in Beijing or Shanghai," Wang Yinxing lowered his gaze as if he was truly embarrassed by this fact.

    Lily instantly beamed inwardly at the man in front of her. You see, this is why she loves dealing with cunning people. They are always nice to y with. She gave the man a smile as she leaned in and extended her hand towards him. "Then... let¡¯s make yourpany big enough to fight against thesepanies," she said, her eyes bing sparkling little crescents as she gave him a beautiful smile. "What do you say Mr. Wang? Are you willing to look at the deal that I¡¯¡¯ve prepared for the both of us?"

 Chapter 228 Indeed a Challenge

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 228 Indeed a Challenge</h4>

    "Alright. I have highlighted the terms that I want to consider. I will have my secretary send the amendments tomorrow and then we can sign the contract as soon as possible," Lily concluded. Mr. Wang beamed at Lily. Just as he expected, Lily was still inexperienced when it came to understanding the Chinese market. He was sure that he would have the upper hand in the contract that Lily provided.

    "Good. I will wait for you to..."

    A voice suddenly interrupted Lily¡¯s words: Uncle Wang, what a pleasant surprise!. Lily turned her head to look at the man who just approached them. A small smile immediately bloomed on her face when she noticed that it was the same guy who bumped into herst Friday. While still a little cold, this time the guy had a slight grin on his face which only served to enhance his phoenix eyes and his evil demeanor.

    For some reason, this man reminded Lily of an evil doer with a handlebar mustache who always has a few dastardly deeds up his sleeves.

    "Ah... Little Xia. I was not expecting to see you in Hong Kong." Wang Yinxing rose from his seat to give Qi Xia a hug before he looked at Lily. "President Zhuo, this is my nephew, Qi Xia. I am not sure if you have heard of him but he is a superstar in eSports. He already received both local and international awards and even became a champion for years!"

    "Oh... Never heard of him," Lily answered with a smile on her face. This made the atmosphere a little awkward as her words were in contradiction to her friendly smile.

    "Since we are done President Zhuo, I really hope you don¡¯t mind if I invite my nephew to join us. I have not seen him for months now as he has been ying in tournaments abroad," Wang Yinxing smiled awkwardly.

    "No problem. I will check the highlighted uses and then I will take my leave," Lily answered. identally bumping into this guy once was one thing, but two meetings in less than one week? Do these people think that she is stupid? Lily does not believe in coincidences. She always felt that luck was just the product of intent.

    "You can stay," Qi Xia said, earning a raised eyebrow from Lily. He then sat next to his uncle and across from Lily. "Thest time that we met was full of misunderstandings. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the timelypensationst Saturday."

    Lily just stared at Qi Xia. The man did not offer an apology but instead he chose to emphasize how their meeting was full of misunderstandings, and then he proceeded to thank her for the keyboard that Yang Mi sent as a recement for the broken one? She wondered if this man was trying to make friends with her.

    "I did not send that," she mentioned after a few seconds. She then began reviewing the highlighted uses in the contract. Unfortunately, she did not have the luxury of spending time analysing another man¡¯s words right now as she was busy making bank.

    A dead silence followed Lily¡¯sment. What does she mean by her words? Qi Xia stared at Lily in disbelief. He was being nice and yet she still managed to act rudely. It was obvious that she was the one who sent it. Why deny it in front of him?

    Qi Xia cleared his throat. "Well... I still would like to thank you for the effort."

    "What effort is this? You two have met before?" Wang Yinxing asked. In response, Qi Xia started exining what happenedst Friday and how he thought Lily was another woman who was trying to scheme to get into his pants.

    "Well... President Zhuo. This attitude is typical of my nephew. I would like to apologize on his behalf," Wan Yinxing said with a smile on his face. In response Lily lifted her head to smile at him before turning her attention back to making money. She did not even spare a single nce at Qi Xia, which made the man extremely irritated.

    On the outside Qi Xia was still wearing his cold and frozen expression, On the inside, however, he was fired up and fuming. He felt that Lily¡¯s actions were an insult to him. How could she not even look at him while he was ¡¯sincerely¡¯ thanking her? What a rude woman, he cursed inwardly.

    "Well... I am done here. I will leave you two gentlemen all to yourselves," Lily gave them a polite smile before she handing her things to Yang Mi, then she rose from her seat.

    "President Zhuo," Qi Xia was quick to stop her. "May I have a moment with you?"

    "No."

    "..." Qi Xia gritted his teeth. He had never met such rude woman before in his entire life - until he met Lily! He should just quit this wooing thing, but sadly Qi Xia¡¯s enormous ego could not take it. How could a woman act rudely in front of him AND to him?

    "Well, since you refuse to talk in private then I will just say it here: Would you like to have coffee with me?" he asked directly, surprising himself in the process. He was not intending to ask her out for coffee. What he wanted in all honesty was to strangle Lily for a few minutes, but his mouth seemed to contradict what his brain was thinking. To be honest, this was his first time asking a woman out for coffee, so even his uncle who knew him well was surprised to hear him say this.

    "Nope," Lily answered, turning her back on him. Instantly, Qi Xia¡¯s face reddened in embarrassment. She refused! Lily Zhuo refused his request.

    "President Zhuo, please don¡¯t misunderstand. This is simply a gesture to thank you for the keyboard, nothing more." His words stopped Lily in her tracks. Slowly she turned around and looked at him with a smile on her face.

    "It is you who misunderstood. I am a very expensive person, Mister. I can¡¯t just have coffee with someone for free. Plus, I already told you I was not the one who sent it to you. It was my secretary." Lily then turned her head towards Yang Mi. "Do you want to have coffee with him?" she raised an eyebrow, amusement apparent in her eyes.

    "Of course not!" Yang Mi answered sternly, making Qi Xia turn even more red. All he wanted right now was to dig a hole in the ground and bury himself. How could two women reject his offer in five minutes? Is he having bad luck today?

    "Well, there you go Mister. No one wants to have coffee with you," Lily smiled before she eyed Wang Yinxing. "I will see you soon Mr. Wang. I have to go now." Then she turned around and left, leaving a fuming Qi Xia frozen with his jaw clenched.

    That Lily Zhuo is indeed a challenge. His big ego would never allow a woman to treat him like that. Qi Xia instantly made a mental note to improvise his strategy to get Lily¡¯s attention next time.

 Chapter 229 Handcuffs

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 229 Handcuffs</h4>

    Days passed and the news about Xuan Zengmo and his wife Yang Lina was still trending. After all, this one involved a murder so it was only natural that the masses would demand Xuan Zengmo¡¯s resignation.

    "I think it would be best if you resign immediately and go abroad," Xuan Hui said calmly as his eyes skimmed the newspaper headlines detailing rallies all over the city demanding that his father step down from his elected position. "Lily is a very calcting person. If my guess is right, she is just waiting for you to counterattack before she unleashes another evil scheme."

    They were currently in Xuan Hui¡¯s home office discussing how to proceed with Yang Lina¡¯s case. Xuan Zengmo did not respond to his sons words. He sat there with his eyes vacantly glued to the framed photo of Xuan Hui¡¯s wedding that hung on the wall behind his son.

    "I would like to visit Lina at least once but I fear that Lily would n another devious attack and frame me while I am in China," Xuan Zengmo said, his tone grim. He knew about Lily¡¯s mother¡¯s death. This was the reason he wanted to deal with Lily after herunch party but it seems that she¡¯d anticipated that and she attacked preemptively, not wait for him to make his move.

    "I agree with you," Xuan Hui nodded. Lily was devious. That was a fact that he and everyone around him now understood. Xuan Hui was sure that she¡¯d calcted and executed all these events for him to watch and learn from. She wanted Xuan Hui to feel helpless and useless. It was clear to Xuan Hui that Lily¡¯s behavior was a product of what she had been through seven years ago. "I saw the video of mother confessing that she killed Lily¡¯s mother," he stated, causing his father to stare at him.

    "I would not be surprised if Lily asked someone to torture her in prison," he added. Even though he felt angry and sad for his mother, Xuan Hui could not do anything about it. Just like his father, he would not risk going to China to fall into Lily¡¯s trap.

    Lily¡¯s viciousness had made everyone who¡¯d hurt her before act with extreme caution. They couldn¡¯t just do something recklessly and fall into her schemes. Both Xuan Hui and Xuan Zengmo knew this. Even Qin Fei, who had just given birth, had be paranoid about this.

    Qin Fei had been staying at home ever since she gave birth, however, this did not hinder her from knowing the news about the happenings in the Qin and Xuan Families. This made her extremely afraid, scared to the point of being unable to sleep peacefully at night. Bing a mother kickstarted Qin Fei¡¯s maternal instinct to protect her little one. She feared that Lily would one daye after her and her son.

    "You have lost a lot of weighttely," Qin Liwei stated as Qin Fei approached him. The obvious eye bags were a dead giveaway that Qin Fei had not been sleeping welltely.

    "My son wakes up every two hours," Qin Fei stated. Because of her paranoia, she would not let the nanny feed her son as she was afraid that Lily would pay someone to poison him.

    "Then you should not forget to drink lots of tonics and vitamins. You need some supplements in your body," Qin Liwei said before he handed a box to Qin Fei. "Mother asked me to give this to you. She said these are some imported tonics to help you recover faster."

    Qin Fei epted the box and gave her brother a polite smile.

    "What¡¯s wrong with you?" Qin Liwei asked when he felt that Qin Fei wanted to say something to him.

    "Well... I...Was it Lily?"

    "Qin Liwei nodded. This was also the reason why he hade here to visit his sister. Seeing Qin Fei slowly nodding as she epted this fact, Qin Liwei continued. "I will take care of her. You should focus on healing yourself."

    "How will you do that?" Qin Fei asked. Even Xuan Hui told her to be careful and to avoid causing any drama with Lily as she is a very formidable enemy right now. How could Qin Liwei deal with someone like Lily?

    "I have my ways," he answered confidently. Qin Liwei had been working his ass off for thepany to make the Board happy. He had been gaining the confidence of key investors. He was preparing himself to take over thepany. Moreover, he also wanted to impress his father.

    "What about father? Did his attitude towards you change after he discovered Lily¡¯s identity?" Qin Fei asked. One of her worries was that Qin Mo would change his mind and make Qin Industries a subsidiary of Lily¡¯s corporation. He was sure that his father would be selfish enough to do this just to gain some advantages from his connection to Lily Zhuo.

    "He is being a little cold to mother but that is all. When we went to see Lilyst week, she refused to see us so father has not had any contact with her for a while . I am not sure what father is thinking about but I have already prepared myself. I have talked to a lot of investors and gained their approval. There is no way that father can still take thepany away from me," Qin Liwei said.

    Moreover, he still has his secret weapon and that is Qi Xia. He was sure that Lily would fall for Qi Xia¡¯s charms soon.

    A small smile instantly blossomed on Qin Fei¡¯s pale face when she heard Qin Liwei¡¯s assuring words. At least her brother would not suffer at the hands of their vicious father.

    ....

    Meanwhile, Lily¡¯s face was dark as she continued to stare at the video currently ying on her tablet. It was already the tenth of August. Only ten more days before their wedding monthiversary and she was feeling very stressed and nervous.

    Lily decided to do a pole dance for her man, but then she realized that she did not have enough time to practice. Since she does not want to embarrass herself she chose to do a strip tease instead. Lily was confident in her dancing abilities but she was not sure how Zhuo Jingren would take it.

    What if he ravaged her before she even started to dance? With the type of lingerie that she nned to wear she was sure that thetter would be overly enthusiastic about her performance and might even rip it off before she could even sway her hips.

    She needed a n to control his level of desire and to keep him in ce...

    ¡¯Aha!¡¯ Lily¡¯s eyes shone brightly when she thought of a very good solution to her problem!

    Handcuffs.

    She needed to buy the best handcuffs for Zhuo Jingren!

    "Hey! What are you watching?" Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words echoed throughout the study he¡¯d had constructed in his apartment to serve as Lily¡¯s home office.

    "Learn how to knock next time," Lily said before she switched off her tablet. Howe Zhuo Jingren suddenly showed up every time she was doing research for her ns?

    "I¡¯ve been knocking for more than a minute already. You did not answer me so I just chose to enter without permission. What are you doing anyway? It¡¯s already ten in the evening."

    "President Zhuo is truly funny. I am a CEO. I need to be up until twelve in the evening to do my job. I am that hardworking," Lily said. "Unlike some other idle president in this room."

 Chapter 230 My Sons Judgemen

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 230 My Son¡¯s Judgemen</h4>

    "I am not idle. I just make time in my day to be with you," he said as he approached her. "You are one lucky woman."

    "Hmmm," she agreed. Zhuo Jingren was right. He always made time to be with her. Out of nowhere Lily said, "By the way, I remember Bei Tian saying that you have a lot of paintings of me. May I see them?" Lily quickly diverted his attention. What would she do if Zhuo Jingren insisted upon seeing her tablet? She would be caught in the act and it would ruin her surprise.

    "Ah... downstairs," he answered before he extended his hand in invitation. "Come, let me take you to my secretir."

    In response, Lily give him her hand and they left the room together.

    ....

    The room that Zhuo Jingren spoke of was not that bigpared to the master bedroom but the number of canvasses stored there was just... insane. Canvasses were stacked up in every corner of the room, while some paintings were disyed on the walls as if this were a gallery. Of course, most of the images on disy were paintings of Lily. There were even images of her as a child. Some paintings were obviously very old, while some were clearly drawn from his imagination as some of the features were not that urate.

    This must be because he did not know what she looked like after thest time they saw each other, Lily deduced. Her lips slowly curled upwards as she approached a painting of a child at the river¡¯s edge collecting stones. It was obviously a painting of her when she was a child. Lily lifted her hand intending to touch the painting but Zhuo Jingren was quick to stop her.

    "You can¡¯t touch oil paintings," he reminded her .

    "Oh, right," Lily nodded. Yeah, she had actually forgotten about this fact when she examined the painting that he had his men hang in her office. She was so engrossed in her own thoughts at the time that she failed to remember that a simple touch could ruin an oil painting. Lily let out a sigh.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" he asked. "Don¡¯t you like it?"

    "I love it. But... I forgot about the fact that no matter how small, a single touch could ruin a painting as beautiful as this."

    "You touched the one in your office?" he instantly concluded. In response, Lily slowly nodded.

    "I¡¯m sorry," she whispered. The two were standing so close to each other that no matter how soft her voice was he could still hear her.

    "Hey... don¡¯t worry about it." He then pointed at the stack of canvasses to their left, "Do you see those? Those are beautiful pieces. You can choose one and have it delivered to your office."

    "Really?" Lily instantly beamed, her eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked at Zhuo Jingren.

    "Two faced," Zhuo Jingren stated as he turned towards her, his eyes shining with mischief. "I put considerable time and energy into that painting, Mrs. Zhuo. It would only be fair of you to offer me something topensate for the damaged painting."

    Amusement shed through Lily¡¯s eyes as she pursed her lips while staring at Zhuo Jingren. "Cunning," she stated.

    "I have a very cunning wife. I have to adapt to be able to meet my wife¡¯s needs," he answered righteously. "Ow! What was that pinch for?"

    "Guess what President Zhuo..." Lily rose up on her tiptoes and leaned towards Zhuo Jingren¡¯s ear, then she lowered her voice and said "Once you catch me... I will..."

    She gave him a sly smile before bolting out of the room with Zhuo Jingren in hot pursuit.

    .....

    In a small vi just outside of Seoul, Korea stood a beautiful woman wearing a sky blue dress as she stared at the stack of photos in her hands. Her eyes were gentle as she slowly stroked the photo. "My son..." she whispered as a single tear slowly trickled down her cheek. She immediately used a handkerchief to wipe the tear away before she gave a small and gentle smile. "They look good together, right?" she asked of the man sitting across from her.

    "They are perfect," the man smiled, his eyes turning into crescents as he slowly took the woman¡¯s hands in his. "When are you going to see them?"

    The woman did not answer him. Instead she looked at the man in the photo, her eyes pensive. It had been thirty years since her child was stolen from her. Thirty years of agony and pain. However, she still couldn¡¯t see him or else the Zhou Family will get wind of it. Those people will hunt her child. They would try to hurt him, and maybe they¡¯d even try to kill him again.

    "Lingling, your father has been monitoring the man ever since he discovered Jingren¡¯s existence. He has had men constantly following both Jingren and his wife. Last month, he even tried to invite Jingren to a g in New York. If the Zhou Family..."

    "They won¡¯t," Lingling said. "Moreover, my son has found a very powerful woman. I doubt that my father would act so soon. He is a calcting old man. He will make sure that he knows the full story behind their marriage before he introduces himself to his grandson," she exined. "My sources inform me that Lily Zhuo is nning to branch out to China."

    "You think that..."

    She nodded, "Exactly. At her current pace she will meet the Zhou family sooner rather thanter."

    "Why do you trust this Lily so much? She is not as harmless as her smile would lead you to believe and we both know this to be true."

    "I don¡¯t trust her." Lingling slowly put down the photos and give the man a small smile before enlightening him when she said,. "I trust my son¡¯s judgement."

    The man slowly shook his head as he filled Lingling¡¯s teacup. "Lily wants to know what happened seven years ago. Once she knows that our grandchild was deliberately killed I am not sure if she will be able to handle the truth." He might not be a mother but he had been around Lingling forlong enough to know that a mother¡¯s love is something special.

    "My son can handle her. I am sure of that," she epted the tea cup and took a little sip. When Zhuo Jingren began investigating what happened seven years ago, Lingling also started her own investigation, and with her husband¡¯s influence she was able to find out the truth. However, she could not do anything to warn the couple about this as she is afraid that this would alert the Zhou Family to Zhuo Jingren¡¯s existence. She slowly shook her head before she expelled a heavy sigh. "My concern is that Lily is close to discovering the truth. I am sure that debts will be paid soon."

    "So when are you going to introduce yourself to them?"

    Lingling stared at him for a few seconds. "I don¡¯t know. To be honest, I would like to do it right now or maybe even tomorrow but... I don¡¯t think I have the courage to let him know that I, his mother, was just watching him grow up from afar. I don¡¯t want my son to know that he had such a cowardly mother. Someone hiding in the shadows, unable to approach him."

    "It was for his own safety," he reasoned. "He is smart enough to understand that."

    "I made the wrong choice, Tian. I am in the wrong. And I don¡¯t think he will understand that," she said as she let out another sigh before looking at the beautiful garden outside of the window.

    NOTE: ZHOU Family is different from the ZHUO of Zhuo Jingren.

 Chapter 231 Not a Simple Man

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 231 Not a Simple Man</h4>

    "Excuse me. President Zhuo, a bouquet of flowers was delivered for you. They¡¯re downstairs at reception," the new secretary Miss Xi said respectfully as Lily walked past her desk.

    "Oh. Then throw it away." It was Yang Mi who answered. It wasn¡¯t the first time this week that someone delivered flowers to reception for the president and it won¡¯t be thest either. However, Yang Mi already made it clear that anyone who received such a call from the front desk should inform them to throw it away. This order came directly from the President herself.

    However, the new secretary did not respond to Yang Mi. Instead she looked at Lily and waited for her answer. Lily instantly raised an eyebrow at this situation. Yang Mi had been her head secretary for ages and she had never seen anyone disrespect Yang Mi like this. "Do whatever Head Secretary Yang says," Lily said coldly before walking back towards her office.

    Once she was inside her office, she took a seat and opened herptop without saying a thing. "What¡¯s the problem?" she asked Yang Mi, who had followed her to her desk.

    "President, it has been three days since you started receiving flowers from that Qi guy and he is not stopping. Do you think we should inform President Zhuo about this?"

    "Oh, he knows," Lily said nonchntly. "I believe he¡¯s already asked someone to look into him." Unlike her scheming nature, Zhuo Jingren was the exact opposite in that he always liked to deal with things as quickly as possible. He does not like prolonging things and is always quick with his assessments and responses to situations. "Let¡¯s not talk about insignificant people. Give me an update on the current status of Xuan Films, Qin Industries and Yang Lina."

    "Just as you predicted, Xuan Hui is already encountering problems with some of his contracts and sponsors. Those people only respected him because of his mother. Now that Yang Lina is in prison and his father¡¯s reputation is in shambles, they are treating him as a joke. A lot ofpanies who used to frequent Xuan Films for models and ambassadors also left, creating further problems with their contracts."

    "Let him run around for a while. Let¡¯s exhaust him first," Lily nodded. "I heard from Zhuo Jingren that Qin Liwei has been trying to gather the approval of some investors. Qin Mo will find me soon. Tell the others not to refuse his request for a meeting anymore. I think it¡¯s time that we father and daughter talk about what happened seven years ago."

    In response, Yang Mi nodded. "President, I have also gathered some weird news about Qin Mo."

    "Is he trying to find a producer so he can sell his useless wife, already?" Lily snorted before she lifted her head and stared at the surprised Yang Mi. "Don¡¯t look at me as If I am a monster. I did not tell him to do anything like that," sheughed.

    "President it¡¯s not..."

    "It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve always known that Qin Mo is a very selfish person. He will do anything you ask - as long as it benefits him. He wanted to get some money for his ns, so of course he needs to curry favor with a few powerful people. This makes me wonder..." Lily¡¯s words came to a halt. She nced at the date on herptop and slowly narrowed her eyes. It¡¯s already the twelfth of August and Qin Mo has been attempting to reach out to her since his birthday. He had been calling her every day in an attempt to schedule a meeting. "Make sure to let him in if he demands to see me again," she said before she shifted the topic. "How is Yang Lina?"

    "Horrible," Yang Mi answered, her face stern. "President Zhuo Jingren is very capable. The scope of his connections, even in prison is... how should I put it... it¡¯s practically endless."

    "Endless?" Lily smiled at her. "And you still don¡¯t understand why?" In response, Yang Mi slowly shook her head. She is someone who had been trained under Lilian Fi, however, she is really not that perceptive . She is just an ordinary low EQ, hardworking corporate type who would always strive for perfection while missing info scattered anywhere but on her direct path. Yang Mi focused on the execution while Lily plotted and schemed. This is why she was chosen to serve Lily above the most intelligent candidates who fought to have this job.

    "Let me exin it in the simplest way," Lily started. "Corruption and illegal activities are present in practically every part of the world, activities that earn millions and even billions in profit. Asia, Africa, Europe, the US, basically every part of the world hasworks of all manner of illegal activities. The biggest problem, however, is how to transfer the cash profits to the other side of the world without raising questions about the source of this money. It¡¯s risky. Depositing huge amounts of cash will always attract government attention. Do you know the easiest way around this problem?"

    Once again Yang Mi shook her head.

    "Diamonds," Lily smiled. "Zhuo Jingren¡¯s bank epts assurances for diamonds."

    Nothing. Yang Mi still showed a nk expression. Assurance for diamonds? Then what? Seeing her confused expression, Lily let out a smallugh before she propped her chin on her palm. "Zhuo Capital is an international bank that is present in Mexico, the US, Asia, China... almost every part of the world. Did you ever wonder how a simple man like him, who grew up in an orphanage, was able to achieve so much in such a short period of time?"

    "It¡¯s because he is not a simple man at all," Lily said, her mysterious tone only making Yang Mi more confused. Howe the more she listened to Lily¡¯s exnation, the more she felt that she could notprehend a thing? Was she really this dumb?

    Yang Mi only nodded and swallowed her saliva. Of course Zhuo Jingren was not a simple man. If he were, he would not have been able to marry President Lily. Yang Mi nodded once again. Now that she thought about it, her first impression of Zhuo Jingren was right. He is a smart devil.

    "President Zhuo, I apologize for the interruption," Miss Xi said after she knocked on the door. "Mr. Qin Mo of Qin Industries is here. I know you that you gave orders for us to reject his requests, but this time he is really intent on seeing you."

    Yang Mi and Lily¡¯s eyes met when they heard her words. Lily then looked at the beautiful Miss Xi and smiled. "Alright, let him in," Lily conceded before looking at Yang Mi knowingly. "Prepare some snacks."

    After the two women left, Lily immediately dialed a number on her phone. "George?"

    "Lily, How are you? Is everything alright?" George¡¯s voice could be heard on the other side of the phone.

    "Yes, everything is perfect."

    "But?"

    "You still know me like the back of your hand," Lily smiled.

    "No my dear... I know that you wouldn¡¯t call me in the middle of the night if there was nothing wrong." There was so much obvious amusement in his voice that Lily could clearly picture the smile on his face.

    "You have a point."

    "Then?" he asked.

    "I want to know what happened to my mother. I want to know everything George," she said. Silence followed her words. Only the steady sound of George¡¯s breathing could be heard from the other side of the phone.

    "Tell me... How can I help you?" he asked after a few seconds, earning a small smile from Lily.

    "Here¡¯s what I would like you to do..."

 Chapter 232 Cover Up

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 232 Cover Up</h4>

    The first thing that Qin Mo noticed when he entered Lily¡¯s office was its calm and luxurious environment. The room was painted in a mixture of ck, white and gray and everything inside the room looked... simple, clean and sophisticated. He instantly eyed the big painting to his left. "Beautiful painting," he noted.

    "Take a seat," Lily replied with a smile. In response Qin Mo took a seat opposite Lily¡¯s desk. "Coffee or tea?"

    "Coffee. One cube of sugar, no cream." In response, Lily dialed a number on her office phone and repeated Qin Mo¡¯s preference. She then looked at her father and gave him a smile.

    "I did not realize that seeing my own daughter would require so much effort," Qin Mo said. "Are you the kind of person who forgets everyone after they reach the pinnacle of the business world?"

    "I am only like this to you," she responded, making Qin Mo stare coldly at her. "What brings you here, Mr. Qin?"

    "To negotiate," Qin Mo answered. "The Qin Industries is a lost cause. Your husband has ruined it. We are in debt and I need your help."

    "I am truly surprised that you still have the guts toe in here and make a request like this despite knowing exactly what you and your family did," Lily answered.

    "I would rather do this than pointlessly scheme behind your back," he answered calmly.

    "Point taken," she answered before someone knocked on the door. Yang Mi pushed the door open and entered, followed by Miss Xi and another secretary. Yang Mi slowly ced the coffee before Qin Mo while the other two pushed carts into the room and carefully arranged the snacks from the cart on the coffee table near Lily¡¯s desk.

    Seeing this, Lily rose from her desk chair and gestured for Qin Mo to have a seat on the couch. They sat across from each other as the secretaries continued to ce snacks on the small table.

    "Isn¡¯t this a little extravagant?" Qin Mo eyed the various snacks in front of him. He wondered if this was Lily¡¯s way of showing him goodwill.

    "It¡¯s not for you," Lily took a grape and ate it. "It¡¯s for me. I¡¯m a little hungry."

    Qin Mo¡¯s face darkened at her words but he was quick to control himself. "About the thing that I want..."

    "No," Lily interrupted him. "Learn your ce in the world, Mr. Qin. You don¡¯t get to say whatever you want in front of me."

    The words that Qin Mo wanted to say instantly got stuck in his throat. He opened his mouth wanting to say something but ended up closing it instead.

    "One question, one answer, Mr. Qin. If I am satisfied I will help yourpany," she added. She had actually prepared these snacks because she knew that they would be having a very long conversation today.

    "What do you want to know?" Qin Mo asked, wondering what Lily wanted. Does she want him to punish Tang Lingyun and everyone who schemed against her?

    "When is my mother¡¯s birthday?" Lily asked, once again rendering Qin Mo speechless. Birthday? What is Lily talking about? When he saw that Lily was waiting for his answer, he immediately realised that she was serious.

    "I... January... I..."

    Lily let out a snort. "You don¡¯t know," she stated as she leisurely ate the grapes. "When and where did you two met?"

    "Why are you asking these questions? It was so long ago that I have already forgotten," Qin Mo answered, still a little confused by Lily¡¯s line of questioning. Slowly, an uneasy feeling and a sense of dread spread through his heart. It was as if Lily was staring straight into his soul as she asked those questions. Qin Mo stared at her as his heart skipped a beat. He didn¡¯t know if he was actually nervous because of her questions or if he was infuriated because it seemed like she was ying him instead of taking him seriously.

    "So you didn¡¯t know the answer to that either...." Lily noted, her tone stern but it also contained a tinge ofziness in it. This reminded Qin Mo of a bored interviewer. "Tell me Mr. Qin... what do you remember about my mother?"

    When Qin Mo just stared at her in a daze, Lily smiled. "Anything? Nothing at all?"

    "I..."

    When Lily saw Qin Mo¡¯s tense reaction, a sh of unfathomable emotion was seen in her eyes but it was too quick for Qin Mo to notice. "You knew that your wife was bullying us back then."

    "I did."

    "Honest. I like it," she said. "You knew that she had been scheming to hurt my mother and yet you did nothing. Mr. Qin, I am not that smart but my brain functions well enough to know that you did not care about my mother at all. Now... I want to know why that is?"

    "It was in the past. I have forgotten a lot of things already," Qin Mo quickly answered. He was still confused by these questions that seemed toe out of nowhere but he was sure that Lily was waiting for him to give the wrong answer. She wasying a trap for him and Qin Mo was adamant that he would not fall for it.

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded, her gaze still aimed straight at her father. "Mr. Mo, after the scandal of me being with an unknown guy was posted online you immediately abandoned me and my mother. You did not listen to my exnations and you just threw us out on the streets as if we were unwanted dogs. Tell me... did you also know that it was Tang Lingyun who schemed against me?"

    "I did not know this," Qin Mo answered honestly.

    "After the car ident, I was unconscious for three days. When I woke up, they gave me my mother¡¯s ashes. Were you the one who ordered them to cremate her without waiting for me to wake up?"

    "I did," he nodded. "The doctor did not inform me of when they expected you to wake up so I ordered them to do it."

    Silence followed Qin Mo¡¯s answer as Lily stopped eating and stared at him with her eyespletely devoid of any expression, and frankly it made Qin Mo extremely ufortable. "Mr. Qin..." Lily paused deliberately, her eyes boring into his, "Did you do it because you wanted her out of your lifepletely... or because you wanted to cover up a crime?"

 Chapter 233 Vital to Her Plans

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 233 Vital to Her ns</h4>

    SUGGESTION: BEFORE READING THE CHAPTER YOU CAN LISTEN TO A PIANO MUSIC CALLED FUR ALINA. IT WILL ENHANCE YOUR EXPERIENCE. Then read it all in one go. Enjoy!

    Qin Mo¡¯s whole body froze when he heard Lily¡¯s question. He stared at his daughter - or rather, the woman in front of him - however his face held no expression at all. On the outside he was just staring at Lily, while inwardly Qin Mo was very conflicted. "What crime are you talking about? It¡¯s obvious that your mother died as a result of that car ident. It was drunk driving, and the authorities even arrested the suspect."

    "Was it?" Lily asked.

    "It was. Jinghua... why are you asking these things now? You were out for seven years under your grandmother. Did you not investigate this during that time?"

    "I did not Mr. Qin. All these years, I always thought that I was the one who killed my mother. Technically, I was the reason why the ident urred in the first ce."

    "You- "

    Lily calmly looked at her father. She was not out her to catch one fish. She was here to a school of them, and telling Qin Mo this information was vital to her ns. "But you should already know this, right?"

    "Of course not. I don¡¯t have..."

    "Please... Spare me the bullshit, Mr. Qin. Why cremate my mother right then and there? Why send me to a mental institution? Why did you ask the nurses to give me some medicine that would further damage my brain?"

    Qin Mo¡¯s eyes instantly widened when he heard Lily¡¯s statement. His face paled as he rose from his seat. "You-"

    "You think I wouldn¡¯t know?" Lily snorted. "I was not crazy - depressed maybe - but I knew what was going on. The only lucky thing that happened to me was that when I ran out of the institution, my grandmother stumbled upon me. My savior found me." She then crossed her legs and gestured for Qin Mo to take his seat. "Take a seat Mr. Qin. I¡¯ve prepared some snacks for both of us as I already know that we will be having a very... very long conversation."

    While Qin Mo just stood there staring at her in disbelief, Lily lifted her chin towards him and give him a vicious smile. This gesture made him swallow a big gulp of air as he slowly sat down again.

    "Don¡¯t worry too much. I am not nning to kill anyone who wronged me. Killing is... not my style. So take a seat and rx. I am not nning to have your blood spilled in my office. That would only ruin my expensive carpet."

    A cold sweat started to trickle down Qin Mo¡¯s back but in spite of that, a cold expression suddenly spread across his face again as he stared at her. "I have not..."

    "You don¡¯t need to deny it," Lily said, interrupting his words. "At first, I thought it was only because you hated me so much or that you found me to be an embarrassment to your good name. Or, I thought it was Tang Lingyun who asked the doctors to use a medicine that would make me hallucinate. Maybe she just wanted to use your name to hurt me. So you see... after my grandmother told me about this crazy medicinal residue in my blood, I... was upset. To the point of nning all of these pointless schemes overnight."

    "My hatred is what pushed me forward. Think about it. My own g of a father tried to make me crazy. For years, Mr. Qin... I med the world...for years." Lily paused deliberately as she pursed her lips. "I wanted to see blood. To make you suffer - and yet my grandmother would not allow that. So when she died a few months back I immediately decided to pursue my n. The death of my grandmother hurt, but it also gave me the opportunity toe back."

    "While I was reluctant at first, my hatred for you and your family won. And so I schemed," she added before she sipped her tea. "However, I just discovered that someone deliberately killed my mother after the ident. So it came to me... I mean... I connected the dots. I couldn¡¯t help it. My mind just works that way. The ident was not an ident. Someone told the killer to attack me. Someone told the killer to kill my mother. Just like someone told you to burn her corpse."

    Lily chose not to reveal the fact that she already knew about He Xin and the Yang Family, but at the same time, she also knew that the people who arranged it all must be aware of this already. The news regarding the Yang Family in Maind China might not be that big, but it was big enough to inform people that the Yang Family was being deliberately targeted by someone.

    Now if the people responsible were smart enough to connect the dots then they would know that Lily already got ahold of the truth.

    "To make this long story short...," Lily slowly put down the tea cup and pped her hands. She then uncrossed her legs and leaned towards Qin Mo. "I concluded that you knew who wanted me dead. Someone else must have told you to poison my system, making me think I¡¯d gone crazy and pushing me to try and kill myself, making me even more suicidal than I already was due to my guilt over how my mother died because she tried to protect me. But this begs the question... Why? Why father?" The smile on Lily¡¯s face was gone. It was reced with a bone chilling coldness that sent shivers down Qin Mo¡¯s spine.

    "Why did you do it? Am I not your daughter?"

    Lily¡¯s question was met with a numbing silence. All she could hear was her steady heartbeat as she continued to stare at him. All of these things made Lily wonder if she really was Qin Mo¡¯s daughter. His ruthlessness towards her was so far beyond obvious that it puzzled her. Why hate her that much? Isn¡¯t it illogical to hate your own flesh and blood who was too weak to even talk back to you?

    After learning her mother¡¯s death was a part of something bigger, Lily started connecting the dots and she concluded that there is a high probability that she is not his daughter at all. Or maybe Qin Mo was just that ruthless. She doesn¡¯t know. Lily¡¯s mind travelled back to the time of the will reading when Old Man Qin¡¯s will clearly said that she would not be able to have his properties if she changed her surname. She also remembered how her Grandmother Ye, the old Madam of the Qin Family, always reminded her not to forget that she is a Qin.

    Grandmother Ye had took care of her when she was a child, and she always advised her to endure. Endure, and never forget that she was a Qin. Of course, Lily thought that these were just the supportive words of a loving grandmother, but when the truth came out just a few days ago, Lily felt that there was something more to her grandmother¡¯s advice.

    Is it possible that her grandmother and grandfather knew of her true origins?

    This made her head hurt ah. She¡¯d already talked to Zhuo Jingren about her concerns and even he felt that Qin Mo should be put to use, that perhaps Qin Mo could lead her to the answers she sought.

    She needed to know the truth.

    Of course, she was not expecting the truth from a man like Qin Mo. In spite of this, Lily was sure that he could somehow lead her to the person who could tell her the truth.

    Thanks OCELOT for the edit.

 Chapter 234 Not a Fragile Flower Vase

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 234 Not a Fragile Flower Vase</h4>

    "I am not sure what led you to question this. But you are a Qin. You are my daughter," he answered after a few seconds.

    "Really..." Lily gave him a sly smile. "Alright. Then maybe I was just really, really unlucky to end up getting a father like you." Qin Mo let out a sigh inwardly as he watched Lily start popping grapes into her mouth again. Thenguid smile that she wore right now seemed to indicate that she was not angry at all. Qin Mo wondered if Lily was just ying with him.

    "So... thepany."

    "What¡¯s wrong with yourpany? I heard Xuan Hui bought a lot of stocks. I don¡¯t think yourpany is going bankrupt anytime soon."

    Her father stared at her, "We owe yourpany some money. I just discovered that you and your husband tricked us into debt." When Lily raised an eyebrow at him, he added, "Don¡¯t ask me how I know this. That is not important anymore." After realizing Zhuo Jingren¡¯s viciousness, he immediately called some of his contacts in Maind China to investigate thepany that offered them money. That¡¯s when he discovered that thispany is one of Lily¡¯s subsidiaries, and the reason he did not know this is because Zhuo Jingren blocked all information about this fact. He also made it look like it was an independentpany in the finance industry.

    Of course, someone like Zhuo Jingren was very capable of doing this. Moreover, all images of Lily that connected her to thatpany had been removed from the inte. He also realized that Zhuo Jingren had been attacking hispany for years now just to earn more shares.

    "So, are you here to beg?" Lily asked as her eyes positively sparkled with mischief.

    "Begging is useless," Qin Mo said. After what Lily told him, he knew that begging or even kneeling in front of her wouldn¡¯t change a single thing. Neither of those acts of contrition would stop Lily or Zhuo Jingren from creating havoc and ruining his life. "But you are a Qin, and as a Qin you should know how much we value thispany. It has been in the Qin family for decades."

    "Your point?"

    "My point is simple. I know you are not nning to ruin thepany. That would not be profitable for a businesswoman like you. My guess is that you are probably nning to take over Qin Industries and make it one of your subsidiaries."

    "Probably," Lily shrugged. "Money talks, Mr. Qin. I won¡¯t be blinded by revenge. I¡¯m easily swayed towards the n that will give me the most benefits."

    "Then I want to make a deal!" Qin Mo dered. "I will make Tang Lingyun suffer and remove Qin Liwei and Qin Fei as my heirs as long as you refrain from destroying Qin Industries."

    Unfortunately his words only met with a sarcasticugh from Lily. What was this man talking about? Her shoulders shook as she tried to contain her amusement. Lily¡¯s eyes started to water as she continued tough at the man sitting across from her. "You got it all wrong, Mr. Qin. I am not destroying anyone here. What I would love to do is to make everyone watch helplessly as I ruin everything that they hold dear: marriage, wealth, pride and love."

    "Isn¡¯t it too cruel of you to say that? You are a woman. How could you be this vicious?" His words only earned a smirk from Lily.

    "Women are vicious creatures Mr. Qin. We have the ability to love wholeheartedly and hate to the point of destroying ourselves. We care and we destroy things. The only unique thing about me is that I do it while the public is watching. I know what I bring to the table, Mr. Qin, and I am not afraid to eat alone."

    "You are so cold. Destroying the Qin Family is like destroying your Grandmother Ye. She watched you grow up and took care of you. She protected you. And yet, here you are on a quest to destroy all of the things she held dear. Do you even think about her, Jinghua? Don¡¯t you miss your grandmother?"

    "Appealing to my better nature, eh?" Lily inquired. "Pity. I don¡¯t have one."

    "I don¡¯t miss her, Mr. Qin," Lily lied with a straight face. "Missing someone signifies that you want to return to the past. It means that you wish for it toe back so you can experience it once again. There¡¯s noing back after death, Mr. Qin. That is reality. So missing someone who is already dead is... pointless," Lily exined as she raised her chin, her eyes staring straight at her father.

    Qin Mo looked at his daughter in utter disbelief. He had never once envisioned meeting someone as cold as Lily. True, she must have experienced a lot of difficulties given the things that happened to her, however, those events should not be enough to exin this... viciousness. The savagery in Lily¡¯s words paired with the sinister glint in her eyes made Qin Mo shiver inwardly.

    "If you destroy the Qin Family... this would let the world see what kind of woman you are. Are you not afraid that your husband will leave you? Are you not afraid that no one else will marry you? Are you not afraid to live alone?"

    "I would love for the world to know that I am not a fragile flower vase but an extremely sensitive bomb, Mr. Qin. And I am proud to be a bomb," Lily answered calmly. Calling her viscous is like the pot calling the kettle ck. She is vicious ¨C that much is true. The unfathomable part was that these people could still ask themselves why in the world is she acting this way?

    Once again, Qin Mo was speechless. He stared at the movement of Lily¡¯s neck as she swallowed, then he slowly rose from his seat. "Then... I don¡¯t think this conversation is still necessary," he said before turning his back on Lily. He was certain that Lily was nning something evil but he was not sure if it was intended for him, Tang Lingyun, or anyone else in his family.

    He did, however, firmly believe Lily¡¯s words when she spoke of letting them watch as she destroys everything they hold dear. A vicious woman like her would absolutely enjoy herself while watching them run around as they feared for their lives.

    Qin Mo gritted his teeth as he entered the elevator. He then took his phone from his jacket pocket and dialed a number.

    "It¡¯s me," he said in a low voice. "She is starting to ask questions. You have to help me." His words were met with a long silence before someone on the other end of the line let out a sigh.

    "Got it. I will take care of it."

    ....

    Meanwhile, Lily watched Qin Mo depart as she finished the grapes in front of her. Just as she suspected. Lily was almost one hundred percent sure that she was not his daughter. All she needed now was scientific proof ¨C a DNA test.

    After a few minutes, Lily took out her phone and dialed George¡¯s number. After a few rings thetter answered.

    "Did you get something?" she asked.

    "Your guess was urate, as always. The moment he left your office he called someone."

    "But?"

    Her question only earned a chuckle from George. "It was too quick to pinpoint an exact location but it was somewhere around East China."

    "East..." Lily furrowed her brows. "Shanghai?"

    "Shanghai is in the East, yes." George answered.

    "And so is the Qin Family in Maind China," Lily answered. Her voice was low but it was enough for George to hear her clearly.

 Chapter 235 Who Should I Dispose of First?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 235 Who Should I Dispose of First?</h4>

    After Lily ended the call, she stared nkly at the various snacks in front of her. She was closer to the truth and she knew it. She bit her lower lip in contemtion. Everything that happened seemed to point her in one direction: towards the Qin Family in Shanghai.

    Lily could not remember meeting anyone from this family. She remembered Qin Mo saying that he would take Qin Fei and Qin Liwei there to meet their other cousins when they were younger, but other than that she never heard of those people again. However, she did recall that Old Man Qin¡¯s will was signed by his cousin, General Qin from Shanghai. Could it be possible that he was somehow aware of the reason why Old Man Qin gave Lily everything in his will?

    Lily rose from her seat and slowly walked to her desk. She opened herptop and looked at the information that Zhuo Jingren sent to her regarding the Mu Family and the Qin Family. Both families are influential and both are well known in the business industry. While the Mu Family are known for their hospitals and Scarlett City branches all over China, the Qin Family is known for their mining business and jewelry shops all over Asia. Moreover, there were also two retired Generals in the Qin Household. One is the current patriarch while the other is the one who witnessed the Old Man¡¯s will.

    Lily massaged her temples as she leaned back and closed her eyes. It was clear that whatever happened seven years ago was somehow connected to the Qin Family in Maind China but she found it very hard to understand why. She needed more information and she needed it as soon as possible.

    ....

    Meanwhile Zhuo Jingren was also having a headache. However, his was not from the stress of work. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s stress came from listening to his friend talk incessantly.

    "So those people dared to kill your child? How dare they?! Ah... this is making me extremely angry. Give me theirplete names. I will burn them alive! How dare they kill my nephew? That He woman... I will find her and I will remove her nails one by one! Let¡¯s see if she can withstand that kind of pain! What a vicious woman! What kind of person could do that to the innocent?" Bei Tian continued to rant, making Zhuo Jingren open his drawer and pick up his earbuds. It was always a good idea to have them at hand when Bei Tian was around. After making himselffortable with his newly found silence, Zhuo Jingren started working again, ignoring Bei Tian who was angrily pacing in his office.

    This man was so noisy and so hyperactive that it was making him dizzy. After a few minutes, Zhuo Jingren removed the earbuds in his ears and eyed Bei Tian.

    "My contacts in Germany said that the Mu woman is not doing anything suspicious. Maybe I should check Asia. Aha! That would be the best ce to check. Maybe they think that we are too stupid to follow them. That He woman must have hidden herself nearby!"

    "Tian..." Zhuo Jingren said after he massaged the crease in his brows.

    "Hm? Do you want to say something?"

    "..." Does this man ever get tired of talking to himself? Zhuo Jingren wondered. . "I¡¯ve already dispatched our people in Asia as well as those in Maind China. I also think that He Xin is hiding somewhere nearby. However, if your people find her first, call me. I will have Lily deal with He Xin by herself," he said, his face stern and decisive. That woman owed Lily so it is only just for Lily to be the one who decides what will happen to someone like her.

    "Why? I am already nning three ways to torture her. Why do I have to let your wife go first? Seeing that He woman¡¯s blood would really appease my anger right now. I will not rest until..."

    "Tian? My wife lost our child and it has tormented her for years," Zhuo Jingren said shortly, earning a dramatic sigh from Bei Tian.

    "Alright. It seems that you have already forgotten our thirty years of bonding with each other." Bei Tian dramatically heaved another epic sigh as he shook his head, then he sat opposite Zhuo Jingren and pulled out his phone and began to call his contacts.

    This gesture earned a small smile from Zhuo Jingren. Bei Tian was noisy and bubbly, however, this was just a fa?ade. On the outside, the man loved to wear colorful clothing andughed at everything. But only Zhuo Jingren know how coldblooded his friend could be. Bei Tian was the type of person who would never hesitate to kill a man just to satisfy his need to right a wrong.

    He might be warm, and some people might even think that he was weak, but his martial arts and gun expertise were topnotch. This is the reason why Zhuo Jingren¡¯s adoptive father liked Bei Tian so much. His adoptive father thought that Bei Tian¡¯s coldblooded nature was an excellent match for Zhuo Jingren¡¯s cunning and calm personality. While he only chose to adopt Zhuo Jingren, for some reason that only he knows, the man raised Zhuo Jingren and Bei Tian together.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Zhuo Jingren asked when he noticed that Bei Tian turned quiet, something that only happens if he is angry.

    "The orphanage," he answered shortly. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s brows furrowed instantly when he heard Bei Tian¡¯s words.

    "What happened?" Zhuo Jingren asked.

    "Someone bought thend where the orphanage was built."

    "But it¡¯s the government property. How could someone..." Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words drifted to an end as his face started to darken. "Who?" he asked in a cold tone.

    "Mu Lihua, the CEO of Scarlet City," Bei Tian answered as he met Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes. Bei Tian¡¯s face was nk before his lips lifted in a sinister smile. "It seems that you and your wife¡¯s enemy wants me to get involved too, Jingren."

    Bei Tian slowly sipped the ck coffee ced near him. "Say, who should I dispose of first? The father, or her sister abroad?"

 Chapter 236 Slow in the Brains Departmen

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 236 Slow in the Brains Departmen</h4>

    Sky City

    "So she is iming that she doesn¡¯t know?" Lily asked while propping her chin on her palm. She was sittingfortably at the ind in their kitchen as she listened to Bei Tian talk about skinning people alive while they were eating. Although Lily does not feel any deep disgust towards the topic, she still finds it ufortable to talk about something like this while eating. She nced at Zhuo Jingren, who was dining across from Bei Tian as.

    Thetter was also listening to Bei Tian¡¯s ranting.

    "Yes, that woman surely wanted to get Jingren¡¯s attention! Years ago, after Jingren saved their mall, there had been rumors of her being engaged to my friend. It is obvious that her father, that Mu Huang, is the culprit. He wanted to use Zhuo Jingren¡¯s name to build more connections. What a cunning old man," Bei Tian said before he shoveled a huge load of vegetable sd into his mouth. He must be either really hungry or really angry to act this way, Lily mused.

    "So she wants attention," Lily nodded in understanding before she looked at Zhuo Jingren. "Imend her guts. She really targeted the ce where you grew up?"

    "I will take care of her," Zhuo Jingren answered.

    "You¡¯d better," Lily countered. "Howe I still need to deal with women trying to climb into my husband¡¯s bed? I am already too tired at work, ah."

    In response, Zhuo Jingren slowly put down his fork and walked towards Lily. "Too tired? How about I give you a massageter?" He smiled gently before he started massaging Lily¡¯s shoulders.

    "Oi! What are you two doing?" Bei Tian widened his eyes as he stared at the couple. "You two... stop. Stop this PDA in front of me. This won¡¯t make me jealous at all. I already vowed to be chaste forever and no PDA will make me change my mind!"

    When Bei Tian saw Lily and Jingren just eyeing each other as they continued to ignore him, he wasn¡¯t putting up with it."We need a n people! I know I already said that I want to kill that woman but I cannot ruin my godly reputation in front of Lily. If I kill that woman now, Lily¡¯s only thought will be that I am a psychopath dressed like an angel. I¡¯ll never get to hold my nephews," Bei Tian exined while giving Zhuo Jingren a stern look.

    "I thought we already had a n?" Lily asked before she pointed at the nape of her neck. "Here... harder please..."

    "What n?" Bei Tian asked. They haven¡¯t talked about any n at all! Did he miss something?

    "Jingren already said that he will deal with her. And to be honest, I don¡¯t have the time to y chase with women who like my husband. I can¡¯t waste my time fending off all of the women who want to snatch him away from me," Lily said. With the issues that she is currently facing, worrying about some misguided women was the least of her concerns. True, Lily is possessive and jealous - but after spending some time with Zhuo Jingren she realized that her jealous tendencies and paranoia about being alone again would not stop the man from leaving if he wanted to.

    Both of them are powerful individuals in the business world. If Zhuo Jingren chose to cheat, Lily wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to stop him. However, she also knew deep within her that this is something that Zhuo Jingren would never do.

    Of course, this does not mean that Lily won¡¯t face p these people. But this time, she won¡¯t be doing it with her own hands. With this in mind, she looked at Zhuo Jingren while pointing her slim finger of me directly at him as she built up steam. "This is because of you. I already told you to stay at home and hide your face from women. And yet, you insist on working to earn some money for me," she said, making Bei Tian widen his eyes again.

    "Hold on, people! What is the n? You can¡¯t just say that he will deal with her! How? Will he kill her? Anger her to death? Torture her? I want to know how?" What are these two doing? This is not how I work, thought Bei Tian.

    Lily blinked her eyes at Bei Tian. Then she blinked them again. Was this man serious? Lily slowly nodded as a realization hit her. So Bei Tian was Zhuo Jingren right hand man for a reason, she thought. He must be the one doing all the dirty work behind everyone¡¯s back while Zhuo Jingren was the one who made all the ns. Lily took pity on him and caved in, "Alright. Since you are so pitiful, I will help you."

    "Mu Lihua wanted Zhuo Jingren¡¯s attention so he won¡¯t give her that. In this case, we are going to use her scheme against her. First, we will not make any movements to try and meet up with her or entertain her request for a meeting. Then we will use this opportunity to increase our poprity and reputation by moving the orphanage to another location. I have a big chunk ofnd from the Qin Family, that should be useful. After this, we will create chaos in the media. Ruin her reputation by painting her as the evil person who wanted to develop thend the orphanage sits on while we transfer the kids to a much better location," she smiled at Bei Tian. "Do you get it now, Master Bei?"

    "Hold on... how do you know that she will call us? What if she¡¯s waiting for our call? What if she is waiting for Go Jichen to call her and schedule for a meeting?" Bei Tian asked. To be honest, Bei Tian was a little slow in the brains department but he¡¯s very good in art and he excels at killing! Still, it wouldn¡¯t be a wise move to underestimate him, ah.

    "Zhuo Jingren can solve this without needing to see her and that woman is smart enough to know this," Lily exined. "So what she will do is use this as an excuse to meet with Zhuo Jingren under the pretense of being apologetic. She¡¯ll ask for a meeting or a coffee to talk about the orphanage and then she will try offering to sell it to him for a very low price," Bei Tian slowly nodded his head inprehension after Lily¡¯s spoke.

    "So it is like this..." Bei Tian said as he eyed Zhuo Jingren, who was massaging Lily¡¯s shoulders. Then he shifted his gaze to Lily. "So how did you know all this? Do you have a spy in her office?"

    "No, Master Bei..." Lily stifled augh. "Knowing things like this is what I do."

 Chapter 237 Self-Satisfied Tomca

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 237 Self-Satisfied Tomca</h4>

    August 17, Wednesday

    Days passed since Mu Lihua bought the property.

    "So his Secretary still refused a meeting?" Mu Lihua raised an eyebrow at her secretary. Seeing her secretary give an affirmative nod in response to her question, Mu Lihua¡¯s brows instantly knitted. Zhuo Jingren valued the orphanage where he grew up. In fact, he had set up various agencies andpanies to help the kids when they be adults. Zhuo Jingren arranged everything for these kids, fromnding a job to finding amodation in the first few months after they left the orphanage.

    Any logical person would have already agreed to see her. Howe Zhuo Jingren is not budging? "Did you ask someone to check for any deed transfers or change of use documents that might have been filed on any of Presidents Zhuo Jingren¡¯s propertiestely? Do you know if he is perhaps nning to relocate the orphanage?"

    "Of course, CEO Mu. But we found nothing. No movements. No surveys nor any new construction," the secretary replied while staring at Mu Lihua¡¯s beautiful face. For some reason, Mu Lihua¡¯s furrowed brows only added to her cold air of unattainable beauty. This instantly doubled her charm.

    "Strange," Mu Lihua thought out loud. At first, she really wasn¡¯t interested in a married man. Why waste time chasing after a man who is already in love with some other woman? Her pride wouldn¡¯t allow her to lower herself like that. However, Qi Xia¡¯s request is something that she cannot refuse. Initially, she only nned to keep Zhuo Jingren upied. She was not nning to create any drama or entangled herself in a rtionship with a married man.

    She nned to use the orphanage to at least give the man some headaches as distractions. Maybe this would divert his attention away from his wife, creating an opportunity for Qi Xia to get closer to Lily Zhuo, however, she did not expect that Zhuo Jingren would choose to deliberately ignore her.

    "Alright. I guess I have no choice. Go release the news that I told you about. I want this on the front page of the tabloids tomorrow," she said. "He is a businessman who grew up in an orphanage. He is also known for his constant support of orphanages and other organizations that benefit children. How could he ignore this?"

    "I understand," her secretary nodded before she slowly exiting the room, leaving Mu Lihua lost lost in contemtion. After making sure that her secretary was gone, Mu Lihua¡¯s face slowly shifted into something morose. She could understand Zhuo Jingren ignoring her, however, she could not understand why he ignored the orphanage. This should be a very important ce for Zhuo Jingren, so why do this?

    .....

    Meanwhile, Zhuo Jingren and Lily were having lunch together in one of the few Michelin starred restaurants in Hong Kong. The duo both had meetings out of office so they decided to get together after their meetings and have lunch together. They are dining dining in a VIP room at a table big enough tofortably amodate ten people.

    "I actually prefer this room over the more intimate, smaller VIP rooms," Lily admitted. Lily found it nice to have both Yang Mi and Go Jichen as well as Daohu joininging them for a change.

    "Hmmm," Zhuo Jingren nodded while adding vegetables toto Lily¡¯s bowl. "Eat some more. You have to eat more foods that are especially good for your brain and your body."

    "True. Thank you. I have been experiencing some killer headachestely. Must be from the stress of work," she said nonchntly. "My contract with the Wang Group in China is done. I¡¯ve already asked Mr. Rossi to take over so I hope I will get some free time to rx this weekend."

    "Mr. Wang is a very cunning person. I want you to be careful around him. He may look like a like a weak and a kind uncle but he is nothing like that in reality."

    "Hmmm,," Lily nodded. "He underestimated me. The poor man doesn¡¯t realise that doing so is a grave mistake."

    "Smart as always," Zhuo Jingren smiled gently, making the other people eating with them lower their heads even more. President Zhuo Jingren¡¯s smile was so dazzling it made them feel fear. By now they should be used to this extreme show of affection from the couple, but these three still found it hard to believe how their bosses could change from being cold and ruthless in the business world to being this... sweet, gentle and loving couple.

    Is this the amazing power of love?

    "What do you mean?" Lily asked. "A man will always find it hard to believe that a woman could be smarter than him. We women are ustomed to being underestimated, so we should use this to our advantage. In this case, it is only normal for me to use hisck of respect for women to my advantage."

    "Maind China used to be a very male dominant nation. It is no wonder that some of these traits are still passed down to this generation. Though this dominance is virtually nonexistent in the major cities right now, some ces that value tradition are still clinging to these beliefs," he noted.

    "True. Which is why the best approach in dealing with these people is to act weak," Lily agreed while giving him a devious smile. "Make them think that you are dumb, make them lower their guard."

    "True... That is true," Zhuo Jingren said, his chin in the air like a self-satisfied tomcat high on full-fat cream, his pride in his wife visible to anyone who nced his way. Who wouldn¡¯t be proud to have a woman like Lily? Moreover, out of all the people who wanted to marry her, she chose him. An exceptional woman would only chose an equally exceptional man, ah. Meaning...

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s train of thought was interrupted when his secretary politely stood up and answered a call. After the call, Go Jichen hastily walked towards Zhuo Jingren and whispered something to him. In response, a sly smile appeared on his face as he stared at Lily. "Seems that your second guess was right. She is nning to ruin my reputation."

    "Oh?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "If that is the case then... my initial conclusion was wrong. She is not trying to attract your attention," she smiled at him. "She is trying to take your focus away from me."

    "Then shall we go ahead with the n?" he asked as he propped his chin on his palm, his gaze straight towards his wife.

    "We shall," Lily answered with a smile on her beautiful face.

 Chapter 238 Every Part of the World

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 238 Every Part of the World</h4>

    The very next day, all of the tabloids and online news sites were headlined with Zhuo Jingren¡¯s name. ording to the news, thetter was a ruthless businessman who only used the fact that he was raised in an orphanage to build his reputation. In reality, he doesn¡¯t care about the children at all. He was just using the orphanage as a means to paint himself as someone who never forgot where he came from.

    The news also stated that thend where the orphanage rested on was being purchased by a privatepany for property development. Of course, this news created a buzz - after all, Zhuo Capital is a very influential bank in Asia. Some people were quick to judge him, while others just said that it was only normal for a businessman like him to consider profits first. Who knows how much that privatepany paid him to buy the property?

    "Ah, being a journalist sounds tough," Lily remarkednguidly as she stifled a yawn. "Imagine creating all these stories just to attract the eyes of the people." She handed the tablet to her husband and snuggled towards him. She ced her head on the crook on his neck and inhaled his tantalizing scent while snaking her arms around his waist so she could snuggle even closer to him. It was only six in the morning and she really wanted to snuggle into her Jingren nket and sleep for another hour.

    "I want a vacation," she whispered. "After we find He Xin, we should go and take a vacation."

    "Alright, where do you want to go?" He put the tablet away and hugged Lily with one arm while his other arm served as Lily¡¯s pillow.

    "I always travel for business. This time, I want to see the ancient pces and viges in Korea, and maybe even wear a Hanbok too."

    "Ah, then why don¡¯t we get married in Korea? Like have the celebration wearing their traditional clothing?" he said.

    "Can we?"

    "Of course!" he chuckled. "We should do this in every country too. We should start with Japan, and then Korea, India, the US, Europe... and everywhere we go for work."

    "So, we will have a marriage ceremony in every country that we go to?" Lilyughed a little. This man is very creative ah.

    "Hmmm... that way, once we reincarnate into other people we will still find ourselves no matter our race and country," he answered earnestly, sending a warm andforting feeling through Lily¡¯s heart. For some reason, his words made her want to cry. Why is she being emotional? Must be that time of the month, Lily concluded. With this in mind, she shut her eyes and chose not to say anything.

    After a few minutes, a small smile blossomed on Lily¡¯s face as she lifted her head and looked at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes. "Alright, let¡¯s get married in every part of the world," she beamed before leaning in for a kiss.

    .....

    Both Lily and Zhuo Jingren received a lot of calls from their subordinates about the orphanage issue. Even George called her asking if she wanted his help in eliminating the news. However, both of them refused all offers of assistance. They just assured everyone that it was under control and that they needn¡¯t worry about it.

    However, after a few hours, a blog site came forward debunking the tabloids¡¯ ims. The owner of the blog site was someone from the orphanage and she even provided proof of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s kindness towards them. She exined how thetter helped them a lot by providing them with jobs and amodation after leaving the orphanage. She said that Zhuo Jingren never asked them to pay for anything and even offered one orphan a permanent job with his security detail.

    How could these tabloids nder the person that they considered to be their savior? After the blog became one of the trending topics, another person came forward saying the same thing. Thismenter was actually the former orphan who Zhuo Jingren had rmended for the security job. Then one after another, people who Zhuo Jingren had helped turned up¡ª some even made videos of themselves talking about Zhuo Jingren¡¯s good deeds.

    Some people who were sessfully adopted also came forward and shared their experiences in the orphanage, telling everyone how Zhuo Jingren was not a fake that only used them to create a reputation. He was someone who never cared about media opinions and even refused a picture and interview. He is a private person who never cares if his aplishments are recognized by other people because he never looks to others for validation of his morals or worth as a person because he lives a just life.

    To them, Zhuo Jingren was their savior. Their saint.

    Of course, not everyone believed those ims and immediately responded to the updates by calling them liars. Some even called it a PR stunt to salvage Zhuo Jingren¡¯s name. It created so much online chaos that many people joined in the argument.

    The turn of events was extremely surprising for Lily. She never expected that her own husband was this kind of person. Obviously, this made Lily extremely proud to be his wife.

    "Yang Mi," she used her office phone to call her secretary. After a few secondster, Yang Mi entered her office. "Did you coordinate with Secretary Go about the news article that we will releaseter tonight?"

    "Yes, President," Yang Mi nodded.

    "Is Secretary Go still alive?" Lily asked, interest apparent in her eyes. In response, Yang Mi widened her eyes in a vain attempt to appear innocent.

    "I did not kill him..." she answered seriously. ¡¯Yet,¡¯ she thought.

    "Good." Lily smiled. "So? Is the ce ready?"

    "Yes, President. Master Bei will also attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony tomorrow morning. After that we will transfer all of the kids to their new residence," Yang Mi exined. The new orphanage was actually one of the properties that Lily received from her Grandmother Ye. It was a very big vi located in the northern part of Hong Kong. Since this was not big enough to amodate everyone¡¯s needs, another building that will serve as their ssrooms would start construction tomorrow. This was a very big project, but President Zhuo Jingren did not bat an eysh as he just nodded in agreement with everything that President Lily suggested.

    "Very good," Lily smiled before she gestured for Yang Mi to leave. Then she eyed the date on herptop.

    August Eighteenth.

    Two more days and it would be their second wedding monthiversary. Lily instantly bit her lip as a sudden surge of excitement burst within her. She couldn¡¯t wait to see his reaction to her surprise.

 Chapter 239 Shallow

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 239 Shallow</h4>

    Night came and the news about Zhuo Jingren was still trending. Arguments and various assumptions were everywhere. However, despite all this, not one clear image of Zhuo Jingren was posted. Some images were of his side profile while some were blurry images of him taken during various ceremonies. This made Lily a little curious.

    She remembered that at herunch, Zhuo Jingren did not allow his photograph to be taken or posted by the reporters. In the end, only Lily¡¯s image appeared in the business section of the newspapers and online news sites. Not that she cared either way, but she was really curious as to why he hated posting his image online.

    Before meeting him in person, Lily already knew that Zhuo Jingren was a good looking man, mostly because this was a widely known fact in Hong Kong. In spite of this, she never found a single picture of him online. Of course, at that time, she did not find this weird. Many wealthy people who wield an immense amount of influence always prefer to maintain a certain level of privacy. In fact, some heirs and heiresses in Europe hated it when people posted their images online as it made them feel their privacy had been invaded. At first, Lily assumed that Zhuo Jingren was of those types.

    However... now that Lily thought about it, she felt that something else must be going on.

    Lily continue to swipe at the news and blogs about Zhuo Jingren. She looked at the time. Only two more minutes before the article about Mu Lihua will be posted.

    "Hey, what are you thinking about?" Zhuo Jingren kissed her cheeks before he sat down beside her. They were currently sitting in the living room in the Sky City.

    In response, Lily gave him a small smile before she examined him. It was almost nine in the evening. Zhuo Jingren arrivedte tonight because he had a lot of meetings. However, despite his busy schedule, thetter still looked fresh. A small smile was on his face as he opened the button on his suit and took off his jacket. He then pulled Lily closer to him.

    "Did you have dinner?" Lily asked. She actually did not eat dinner because she was waiting for him. She wondered if he already ate without her.

    "No. I bought some take out. Let¡¯s eat together?" He eyed the carefully wrapped food boxes in front of them.

    "Alright." Lily grinned at him. The couple then walked towards the kitchen and started to eat.

    "The news should be out by now," Lily said. Zhuo Jingren actually bought a bento meal for both of them. Of course, she did not have anyints as she really like Japanese food.

    "Yeah," he answered shortly. "Bei Tian has been bugging metely. He keeps asking me what his part is. I told him he can deal with the Mu Family once we are done with them."

    "Oh..." Lily just nodded. Based on the way Zhuo Jingren and Bei Tian talkedst time, it was obvious that Bei Tian was well versed in killing. Lily had not asked Zhuo Jingren about this and he did not volunteer any information on the subject. It was her guess that Zhuo Jingren must have feared that it would scare her.

    "What do you want to ask?" Zhuo Jingren suddenly blurted out. When Lily raised an eyebrow at him, he chuckled. "I can hear your thoughts from here," he joked.

    Lily only give him a little pout before she smiled and shook her head. Yeah, her face must have said it all. "Bei Tian... he is not a sculptor. Am I right?"

    "He is... in a way."

    "Oh... does his art... involve dead people?" Lily asked.

    "It does," he answered truthfully. After his adoptive father gave Zhuo Jingren thepany, he also gave the remaining people under him to Bei Tian. If Zhuo Jingren was the legal one managing a business, Bei Tian was the opposite of him. Truthfully, Bei Tian was extremely talented in sculpting. His pieces were all beautifully crafted and always received high remarks from art critics. But... he mostly uses this skill on his enemies.

    Lily just nodded at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words. She remembered how Bei Tian was a very happy kid when they were younger. He would always entertain everyone with his endless chatter, making it¡¯s very easy for him to gain friends. In fact, many girls in the orphanage liked him. The man was handsome and funny. Though he is on the dumb side, everyone still loves someone who could easily make them feel better.

    Bei Tian was the exact opposite of the studious Zhuo Jingren. Her husband was quiet and he generally preferred to be alone. Instead of socializing and ying games with everyone, Zhuo Jingren would just sit there and read a book. Though Bei Tian and Zhuo Jingren were the exact opposite, they still grew up to be best friends. The two arrived at the orphanage as infants at almost the same time, so basically they had been together for just shy of thirty years.

    "Hey... why did you like Bei Tian back then?" Zhuo Jingren suddenly asked, surprising Lily.

    "Ohh... Everyone liked him back then. So I decided to like him too," she answered. Back then, she didn¡¯t even understand what the word meant. But when all of her ymates said they liked him, Lily decided to like him too. There should be nothing wrong with that, right?

    Her answer instantly made Zhuo Jingrenugh out loud, his voice echoing through the whole house, instantly making Lily frown. She red at him as she furiously bit the shrimp tempura. "What are youughing at?"

    "Well... I did not expect that you would be that shallow back then," Zhuo Jingren continue tough.

    "I was ten! Are you expecting me to know what ¡¯like¡¯ is at that age?" she countered. She was perfectly normal, alright?

    "Back then I was more handsome than Bei Tian - and smarter too... Why didn¡¯t you like me?"

    "..." If Lily were to tell him that it was because he was too smart, she was sure that Zhuo Jingren would justugh at her and say that it justified his previousment about her being shallow when she was a child, so Lily chose to narrow her eyes at him instead. She pped a stern expression on her face before she said in a cold tone, "How bold of you to call your own wife shallow. " Then she slowly rose from her seat, her gaze never leaving him. "You, my dear President Zhuo, will sleep in the living room tonight," she said before running out of the dining room. Her evilughter echoed through the whole apartment.

    While the couple was having another sweet night together, the inte exploded when one of the online news sites published an article showing that it was CEO Mu Lihua of Scarlet City who bought thend.

    How could a woman attempt to destroy an orphanage for development? Just what kind of ruthless woman would do this? A lot of people immediately started criticizing her. Mu Lihua was an extremely beautiful woman who was known for her talents in business. On the outside, she looked like an angel. Who would have thought that she was actually just another greedy profiteer?

    While some people defended her, even more people started causing chaos and even said they would boycott Scarlett City. No matter what, something like that should not be tolerated.

 Chapter 240 Complicated Creatures

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 240 Complicated Creatures</h4>

    Mu Lihua instantly furrowed her brows when she received the news about the posts online.

    "That quick?" she thought out loud as she opened the site on herptop and started reading the news. She was actually expecting Zhuo Jingren to counter her like this but she thought it would take him at least twenty-four hours to do so. "He must love his goody-goody reputation so much," she said before she nced at her secretary. "Leak the news. Show the floorn of the orphanage that I designed myself. Tell the reporters camping outside that we¡¯ve already made arrangements to transfer the kids."

    "CEO Mu, the deed is not yet ready, I¡¯m afraid that..."

    "Just do as I say. We can¡¯t let this news continue past tonight.People have already decided to boycott the mall. I don¡¯t want this to affect mypany," she said calmly. She was hoping that the mess that she made for Zhuo Jingren would be enough to keep him upied for the next few days. However, a few minutester her secretary came back, in full panic mode.

    "CEO Mu, the Patriarch called. He wants you to go home so you can exin your next course of action."

    "I already have my ns. Tell him I will go home this weekend," she answered coldly. In response, the secretary could only sigh inwardly while nodding her head. Mu Lihua¡¯s parents doted on her excessively but she was still very cold towards them. While it was very obvious that they preferred her over her younger sister, Mu Lihua had always behaved indifferently towards her parents.

    The secretary immediately called Mu Lihua¡¯s father and informed him of the things that Mu Lihua said. After that, she leaked the news about Mu Lihua¡¯s initial n.

    ....

    Meanwhile, Mu Huang, the patriarch of the Mu Family, instantly cursed after he ended the call with his daughter¡¯s secretary.

    How could his daughter dare to attack Zhuo Jingren and his wife like this? Is she looking for death?

    Mu Huang cursed again before he called another number on his phone. "Inform Xin that her daughter is trying to attract Zhuo Jingren¡¯s attention." He gritted his teeth before he continued, "She is courting death." He ended the call without waiting for the other party to say anything. Since his wife was in hiding, Mu Huang made sure not to contact her directly and he even kept the calls as brief as possible in case anyone was tracing their calls.

    Mu Huang then sat on his office chair as he tried to dial Mu Lihua¡¯s personal number again. Still unreachable. His daughter¡¯s habit of turning off her personal phone while working was really making him lose control of his anger.

    That night, another news report exploded just minutes after the news exposing Mu Lihua as the buyer. Mu Lihua is said to have already implemented her ns for the orphanage and the children. She even personally designed floor ns for the future orphanage! Sources say that Mu Lihua wanted to create an even bigger orphanage to give the children more personal space.

    This made many people apud her! It seems they misunderstood Mu Lihua¡¯s intentions all along. This cold goddess truly has a pure heart, unlike the owner of Zhuo Capital. Once again, people started criticizing Zhuo Jingren for forgetting his roots.

    However, someone actually brought up the topic of Zhuo Jingren saving Scarlet City from bankruptcy. Finance types were always watching the business news so they actually remembered the rumors of Scarlet City in Hong Kong filing for bankruptcy because of some corruption issues. This was big news back then as there are many branded stores in Scarlet City. If he helped the Mu Family in the past, why would CEO Mu buy the orphanage where President Zhuo grew up? Was she being ungrateful, or did she simply forget that Zhuo Jingren was the person who saved herpany?

    "She is smart," Lilymented while holding her tablet and skimming through the various posts online.

    "Sleep. It¡¯ste now," Zhuo Jingren said as he hugged Lily¡¯s waist. His eyes were already closed and his breathing quickly became even. Lily was leaning on the headboard as she continued to read thements, while the exhausted Zhuo Jingren was already sleeping.

    In response, Lily just smirked before she continued scrolling down the tablet. Zhuo Jingren must have tired himself out when he administered her... punishment. Lilyughed inwardly before her gaze turned serious. A woman who made it in the business industry is someone who should not be underestimated, just like this Mu Lihua.

    Unlike the previous women that Lily had schemed against, Mu Lihua had been thriving in the business industry. As expected, her schemes came inyers and she was fully prepared to counter-attack Zhuo Jingren. Actually, what Lily was wondering right now was why is Mu Lihua doing this? Why is she risking her reputation to pick a fight with someone like Zhuo Jingren?

    Lily slowly removed Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hands from her waist and she donned a robe on top of her silk pyjamas before slowly walking out of their room. She wanted to go to her office to check out something. In less than a minute, Lily was already on herptop reading some documents. Her brain wouldn¡¯t shut down tonight without having some form of a conclusion about Mu Lihua¡¯s illogical behavior.

    Based on Mu Lihua¡¯s intellect and even her schemes, she should be smart enough to realize that everything would eventually backfire on her. So why do it? After a few minutes, Lily frowned as she did not find anything suspicious about Mu Lihua.

    Lily leaned back in her chair as she tried to analyze the woman, but she kepting up with nothing. Women areplicated creatures indeed. Lily let out a sigh. This was the first time that she and Zhuo Jingren had been working together to cook up a scheme, and even she couldn¡¯t help but apud her own husband¡¯s ruthless ways.

    Lily was the type of person that needed facts first before creating a n whereas Zhuo Jingren just made something up out of nowhere. Before he could read the information that the Yang Family provided about the Mu Family, Zhuo Jingren had already advised her that using Mu Lihua and Mu Qingling would be the best way to make He Xin show herself. Not that she disagreed with the idea. In fact, Lily thought that she was lucky to meet someone who is as scheming as she is.

 Chapter 241 A Sinister Tone

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 241 A Sinister Tone</h4>

    Mu Lihua woke up with a little smile of satisfaction on her face. Today is Friday and she can already feel the sess of her n. After choosing a very nice outfit, Mu Lihua immediately left for her office as soon as her secretary arrived to escort her. When she saw a group of reporters camping outside of their mall, she instantly stered a cold look on her face.

    Mu Lihua stepped out of the car and was instantly swarmed by the reporters. She had been expecting this as the news she¡¯d releasedst night was considered a sess for the Mu Group. She gave them a faint smile as she took off her sunsses, revealing her beautiful dark brown eyes.

    "CEO Mu, what is your opinion regarding thetest news about the orphanage issue?" one of the reporters asked.

    "I feel that this is only the right thing to do. The Mu Group does not employ any heartless people. We took pity on the kids and wanted to give them something better, so we chose to buy thend, transfer the kids into a temporary shelter, and then enhance the orphanage," shemented in a stern and professional tone that left little scope for follow-up questions..

    "CEO Mu, are you saying that this move was not meant to antagonize President Zhuo of Zhuo Capital?"

    "Of course not. Why would I show hostility towards the person who saved Scarlet City years ago? I am not an ungrateful person," she answered.

    "Then what can you say about the current events in the North of Hong Kong? Do you think this was the reason why President Zhuo did not ept any interviews? What about the fact that you don¡¯t have and deed for the temporary shelter of the kids? Are you perhaps just lying to get some attention and intentionally cause trouble for Zhuo Capital?" the nderous words from the reporter left Mu Lihua speechless. She looked at the people surrounding her, and when she saw that everyone seemed to be waiting for her to answer she immediately put her sunsses back on again.

    "I will have a press conference tomorrow. That is all for today," she answered as she signaled the security detail to clear the path for her. She immediately went inside the mall while trying to avoid another yet another group of reporters who were rushing towards her.

    "What is happening?" she asked the moment she boarded the elevator with her secretary.

    "CEO Mu, look." Her secretary gave her a tablet. Mu Lihua¡¯s beautiful eyes instantly widened dramatically as she read the online news article.

    The featured photo above the article was an image of some people cutting a ribbon with lots of kids in the background. There were more captioned photos throughout the body of the article.

    [Zhuo Capital on Orphanage: "Since they bought it, we¡¯ll build a new one."]

    [President Zhuo transfers hundreds of kids to a private mansion.]

    [New orphanage sponsored by Zhuo Capital, amidst online drama .]

    [President Zhuo refuses to be interviewed in spite of his good deeds.]

    [CEO Mu of Mu Group found lying: There is no deed for the temporary orphanage.]

    [CEO Mu used of lying, using orphans for publicity stunt.]

    [The truth about CEO Mu¡¯s lies; Ungratefulness towards Zhuo Capital]

    [CEO Mu ruthlessly attempted to destroy orphanage without proper temporary shelter for the kids.]

    Mu Lihua¡¯s hands shook so violently that she almost dropped the tablet. It was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her head. She could literally feel waves of cold travelling down her body from her head to her toes. Her heart seemed to stop beating as she thought about what she¡¯d just read. What is happening?!

    *DING*

    "CEO Mu, we are here." Her secretary woke her up from her stupor. Mu Lihua instantly exited the elevator, her hands clenched, and her beautiful face dark as she walked directly into her office.

    "Close the door when you leave," she immediately said after her secretary ced the day¡¯s documents on her desk. After watching her secretary leave without another word, she rummaged through her bag to find her phone and quickly dialed a number. "Brother Xia, have you read the news?"

    Mu Lihua heard someone yawn on the other end of the line, instantly making her more irritated. "Hm? What are you talking about?"

    "Zhuo Jingren is set to ruin me! He will ruin me!" She gritted her teeth as she gave him the facts: "I can try and remedy this, but from now on I won¡¯t be able to help you."

    "What do you mean?" Qi Xia¡¯s voice turned serious.

    "He set up a trap and I fell right into it. He had all of this nned in advance. I am sure that there is moreing. The timing is just too coincidental. I know he..."

    "Slow down. Let me check the inte," he answered. Mu Lihua could hear him typing on his keyboard. After a few minutes, she heard him sigh with exasperation.

    "This is not Zhuo Jingren¡¯s work," he said. "Zhuo Jingren hates the spotlight. Since when did you ever hear of him doing something like this?"

    "Then who?"

    "His wife, Lily Zhuo. This is straight up Lily¡¯s MO," Qi Xia answered. "I¡¯lle by your office today. Don¡¯t panic Lihua, we are already in this together."

    "I was not nning to provoke them and you know that..."

    "Don¡¯t forget what you owe me, Lihua, he said cutting off Mu Lihua¡¯s words. "I will arrive in less than an hour. Let¡¯s talk then." He ended the call without waiting for her answer. In response, her grip on the phone tightened as her face reddened in anger. Qi Xia... how dare you put me in this situation!

    Just as Qi Xia promised, he did in fact arrive at Mu Lihua¡¯s office in less than an hour. The two began discussing their options.

    "My father has been calling me sincest night. You should know how much work I put in to make a name for myself and to build my reputation in Maind China. I cannot let this ruin me!" she said. She had been working her ass off to prove that she deserves this position. She cannot let Zhuo Jingren ruin her.

    "You should have thought about that before you agreed to help me," Qi Xia said calmly. "Not that you had the option to refuse me. I helped you with Mu Qingling before, remember? It is only fair that you do this topensate me."

    "That was different," she hissed.

    "Is it?" he raised an eyebrow, rendering Mu Lihua speechless.

    "You- " Mu Lihua wanted to say something but she ended up closing her mouth. "I have a meeting in an hour with my board members. I will fix this," she said confidently while wearing a serene expression.On the inside, however, all she wanted was to strangle the man in front of her with the chav gold chain around his neck..

    ....

    "Oh?" Lily listened to Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words, raising an eyebrow as her lips lifted into a self-satisfied smirk . "Qi Xia, huh."

    "Should I assume that they are working together so he can try to get close to you?"

    "Is President Zhuo jealous?"

    "Not jealous. Just angry," he answered, earning a smile from Lily. "How could he think that someone like him deserves to get anywhere near being close to you?"

    "So what are you nning now, President Zhuo?" Lily asked, mirth apparent in her tone.

    "The n continues. We will ruin Mu Lihua. Someone else¡¯s loss will be another¡¯s gain. Once Mu Qinglinges back, we will deal with her, and then we¡¯ll lure their mother out."

    "Then I will deal with that Qi Xia myself," Zhuo Jingren said in a sinister tone.

 Chapter 242 Celebration

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 242 Celebration</h4>

    "Lihua! I already told you to be as low-key as possible. We cannot afford to antagonize Zhuo Jingren right now!" Mu Huang said, his face cold and rigid as he eyed his daughter.

    "I don¡¯t see any problems. I will have it fixed by tomorrow," Mu Lihua answered calmly. "And I will visit President Zhuo to discuss things with him personally."

    "Discuss? Can you even talk to him? His secretary has been telling me that he is not avable for a meeting!"

    "That¡¯s because you have been kissing his *ss all this time!" Mu Lihua countered. The thing that she hates most about this father of hers is hisck of principles. Mu Huang is a two faced person who loves to curry favor with everyone just to expand his connections. He is a coward who always avoids confrontation. Okay, if she¡¯s being kind she¡¯d say that he would rather use diplomacy and would choose to talk to his rivals andpromise.

    This is where Mu Lihua was different from her father. She likes to challenge herself and she wants to seed without being subservient to the ns of others.

    "I really don¡¯t understand. Lihua... I have raised you well. Why don¡¯t you listen to me for once? I know you are smart enough to know that we cannot afford to offend him. I don¡¯t understand why you did it." Mu Huang sat across his daughter, sighing heavily. All he wanted was to avoid a direct confrontation with Zhuo Jingren. Mu Huang was sure that thetter would not let them go because of He Xin.

    "It was just a business decision," she answered. She didn¡¯t want to reveal her ns to her own father as she still wasn¡¯tpletely confident that her n would work out. "Anyway, I will see him tonight at dinner."

    Mu Huang narrowed his eyes on his daughter. "You got hold of his schedule?" When his daughter did not answer him, he continued with a panicked expression, "President Zhuo has always loved his privacy. If you do this, you will only earn his ire."

    "I can handle it." Mu Lihua wanted to say that she doesn¡¯t have a choice, but she knew that she couldn¡¯t say that in front of her father. "I still have a meeting. Please leave. I will visit you and mother- wait, is she back from Germany?"

    "No, she decided to stop by to see her rtives in Europe."

    "Oh," Mu Lihua nodded as she watched her father leaver with a sullen expression on his face. Mu Lihua then clenched her jaw as she thought about Qi Xia and the sinister look in his eyes as he mentioned what they did to Mu Qingling. She needed to dispose of that man. She could not afford to let this happen again in the future.

    Mu Lihua closed her eyes as she thought about what had happened to her own sister. She took a deep breath and exhaled slow and loud as memories flowed through her mind. Months ago, someone released a scandal about Mu Qingling. It not only ruined her reputation, it shamed the whole Mu Family. This left Mu Lihua furious and fuming with anger. She would not let anyone brand her as ¡¯the sl*t¡¯s sister¡¯.

    So she asked Qi Xia for help. Mu Lihua and Qi Xia were quite close as they were once ssmates. When Mu Lihua asked Qi Xia to help her deal with Mu Qingling, he immediately agreed with the condition that she invests in his business. All Mu Lihua wanted was to make sure that Mu Qingling would note back to China. She and Qi Xia schemed to get Mu Qingling¡¯s naked photos. Once they had her photos in hand, they told her that they would send them to her school abroad if she even thought abouting back to China ever again.

    Of course, this devastated Mu Qingling. All she had left was her school in Europe, and Mu Lihua threatened her to take that away from her as well. Mu Qingling instantly agreed not toe back to China. She even signed a document stating that she would not ept anything from the Mu Family¡¯s inheritance, and furthermore, she pledged to give everything to her sister topensate for the embarrassment that she had caused her.

    Now that Mu Lihua has thought about everything she regretted calling Qi Xia at that time. After the scandal was released online, Mu Lihua panicked and called the first person that she could think of and that was Qi Xia. Now she is regretting ever asking for the man¡¯s help. She always knew that Qi Xia was a scheming man and yet she still asked for his help. How foolish.

    Mu Lihua looked at her watch and realized that it was already lunchtime. ording to Qi Xia, he will be seeing Lily today at lunch. Moreover, Qi Xia also asked for some paparazzi to secretly take pictures of them eating together to create a few rumors. He was sure that this would eventually divert the public¡¯s attention towards Lily and him.

    Of course, they had no idea that Lily had already foreseen the urrence of this ¡¯idental¡¯ meeting. It was not a guess, but something that she concluded after learning that Mr. Wang, Qi Xia¡¯s uncle, had scheduled for a lunch meeting today. They¡¯ve already signed the contract, so Lily did not see any other reason for Mr. Wang to contact her as she¡¯d already put Mr. Rossi in charge of this project.

    "President Zhuo... I..." Qi Xia¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at Lily, who was sitting next to Zhuo Jingren. He¡¯d just arrived at the private restaurant in a good mood as he thought that his n would seed this time. Who would have thought that Zhuo Jingren would apany Lily today?

    "Mr. Qi? I was not expecting you here. Is this another coincidence?" Lily smiled at him.

    "Oh. I am here on behalf of my uncle," he said, as his expression returned to its usual coldness. He never expected Zhuo Jingren¡¯s presence but this did not mean that he would fail. "I was not expecting that you would bring another person here. This was supposed to be a private meeting," he said, his fingers tightening on the bouquet of flowers in his hand.

    Lily feigned ignorance, "Really? I thought this was a celebration for the sessful signing of the contract?" Before she could utter another word, Zhuo Jingren had already butted in.

    "It is pretty normal for businessmen to bring other businessmen to celebrations like this. This is to broaden ourwork as we interact with one another, so it¡¯s pretty normal for my wife to bring me along," Zhuo Jingren said in a cold tone. "Since you are already here,e... sit down so we can start the celebration."

 Chapter 243 A Ruthless World

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 243 A Ruthless World</h4>

    "Ah... I actually pity this CEO Mu of the Mu Group," Lily smiled at Zhuo Jingren as she watched him pour red wine into her ss. "How could she have the guts to try and go against you and Zhuo Capital? I think she is a bit dumb, no?"

    "Stop talking about insignificant people," Zhuo Jingren said, his gaze fixed on Qi Xia. He gave him a cold smile before adding, "But I do agree, she is indeed very dumb."

    "That is true. I wonder if her business willst very long after this?" Lily mused, her gazending on the food in front of them. Since Qi Xia arrived, Lily had not looked at the man once. This made Qi Xia even more irritated but he could only grit his teeth in silence.

    "It won¡¯t," Zhuo Jingren answered. "Why don¡¯t we talk about Mr.Qi instead? I wonder why Mr. Wang was not able toe?"

    "He had ast minute emergency," Qi Xia answered, his face devoid of any expression. On the inside, however, Qi Xia began to feel a little ufortable. Zhuo Jingren was calmly looking at him, however, he didn¡¯t miss thetter¡¯s provoking smile when he agreed that Mu Lihua is dumb. He instantly wondered if Zhuo Jingren knows that Mu Lihua is working for him.

    "That is too unfortunate," Zhuo Jingren noted. "I originally came here to talk about making some investments, but I guess this opportunity is not for Mr. Wang after all."

    "It¡¯s okay. Why don¡¯t you invest in mypany instead? I can assure you good profits and some other... advantages," Lily yfully winked at her husband, still ignoring Qi Xia.

    "Oh... that is a very good idea indeed. We should discuss this further, perhapster, over a ss of wine?"

    "Perfect idea. I want your Cheval nc."

    "You¡¯ve seen it?" Zhuo Jingren gave Lily a surprised look.

    "Of course," Lily dazzling smile was especially blinding to Qi Xia. Until now, he still could not understand why Zhuo Jingren joined them. Using an investment as a reason was just too... unbelievable for Qi Xia. However, the thing that he found even more confusing was Lily¡¯s attitude towards Zhuo Jingren.

    She wasughing and talking amiably with the man. The coldness that Lily showedQi Xia before was nowhere to be found. The Lily right now was too dazzling. How could this Lily bepared with the arctic cow that he¡¯d met previously ? Qi Xia¡¯s mind then retrieved the information that he¡¯d just received about Lily.

    There had been some spection that Lily was the one responsible for her ex-fianc¨¦¡¯s fall from grace inthe Arison Family. After all, she is a woman. The fact that her arranged marriage fianc¨¦ was already cheating on her would definitely count as an insult to her.

    At first, Qi Xia felt that he knew Lily simply because of the information that he¡¯d received about her. He was able to analyze her MO¡¯s and even her critical mind. In some ways, he found Lily to be a little simr to Mu Lihua. Both women valued their names and reputations, both were cold and calcting, and he was also sure that both would betray anyone to gain an advantage.

    Qi Xia thought that both women were ruthless in their own way. The key difference between the two is that Lily¡¯s calcting nature is just too... sinister. While, he can¡¯t deny that Mu Lihua is indeed a very ruthless individual, he still thought that Lily was hiding a lot of skeletons in her closet. After all, her sess in the West is something that even older businessmen have to acknowledge. Qi Xia was sure that Lily had been exposed to a lot of corruption, lying, maniption and even death to achieve this sess.

    This could only mean that Lily was therefore much scarier than Mu Lihua.

    However, this... watching Lily like this was a little confusing. He remembered how Mu Lihua was always cold, even to her parents and her past lovers. Just like Mu Lihua, Qi Xia expected that Lily would also act the same ¨C if not even colder and more evil. But this was different. Way different from what he had expected.

    Could it be that she was only acting right now just to make Zhuo Jingren feel better? No, Qi Xia shook his head inwardly. The spark in Lily¡¯s eyes was not a lie. The way the couple teased each other was just too... natural. It was as if they had been doing this for years!

    Qi Xia continued to watch, observing the couple¡¯s interactions. Was Zhuo Jingren here to show this side of Lily to him? All this time, Lily never even nced at him, totally ignoring his presence. Qi Xia can¡¯t deny that he really felt ufortable with this action, however, at the same time, he also felt a little more interested in Lily.

    He thought that hepletely understood her, then all of a sudden Lily showed him something that was not written in her background check. This side of Lily was aplete surprise to him!

    "Look at this!" Lily gave Zhuo Jingren a tablet. "Zhuo Capital is dering disappointment in the Mu Group? Devious."

    "The Mu Group has forgotten that it was Zhuo Capital who helped them up when they were down. Such ungrateful people only deserve to go back where they belong," Zhuo Jingren answered as he eyed Qi Xia. "Do you agree with me, Mr. Qi?"

    "Where do you think they belong, President Zhuo?" Qi Xia asked, raising an eyebrow at Zhuo Jingren. From the looks of it, Zhuo Jingren wanted to send the Mu Group¡¯s stock prices down. As someone who had been in the financial industry, he knew that onement from Zhuo Capital could send apany down the drain. If Zhuo Jingren issued a statement about his disappointment, then the Mu Group¡¯s investors would take this as a sign that Zhuo Capital might soon sell all their shares in thepany.

    This would make the investors panic. A move like this would immediately crash the stock price of apany.

    In response to Qi Xia¡¯s question, Zhuo Jingren lips slowly lifted into smirk. He scoffed lightly before taking a sip of wine."In essence, Mr. Qi, I believe that ungrateful people need to be reminded how easily I can make them crash to the ground."

    "Don¡¯t you think that this is too ruthless?" Qi Xia answered. How could Zhuo Jingren destroy apany just because Mu Lihua bought a piece ofnd? Wasn¡¯t that too illogical?

    "This is a ruthless world. People need to adapt to survive," Zhuo Jingren answered with a small smile stered on his handsome face.

    "Ruining apany would not only ruin the owner, President Zhuo. Let me remind you of the countless people who will lose their jobs once Mu Groupes crashing down," Qi Xia said righteously, his eyes shifting from Lily then back to Zhuo Jingren. "You businessmen are always like this, always prioritizing your own egos instead of the needs of the people who work for you."

    "You have a point. But you should tell this to CEO Mu of the Mu Group. It was her choice to cross someone she is incapable of beating. If you want to me anyone, me her for her inability to analyze things properly. Herme strategy will lead to the bankruptcy of her ownpany. Her selfishness will ruin families and possibly kill people. Why me me for reacting this way and not me her for antagonizing me?" Zhuo Jingren¡¯s gaze held Qi Xia¡¯s, leaving thetter unable to look away. His words were a tant reminder that he was not the one who antagonized the Mu Group and that he was simply retaliating.

    But how could Qi Xia miss the warning behind Zhuo Jingren¡¯s tone?

 Chapter 244 As Easy As Breathing

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 244 As Easy As Breathing</h4>

    "I guess the media was right to paint you as a ruthless businessman," Qi Xia said calmly. His words only earned a snort of derision from Zhuo Jingren.

    "I am indeed ruthless to my enemies," Zhuo Jingren nodded. "The things that Miss Mu did... I¡¯ve killed people for less."

    Qi Xia turned speechless at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words. Even now, he still can¡¯tprehend why Zhuo Jingren is reacting with such intensity. "Your words baffle me, President Zhuo. How could someone like you talk about killing people as easily as breathing?"

    "Because it is as easy as breathing," Zhuo Jingren countered, his dark eyes sending shivers down Qi Xia¡¯s spine. How could someone casually talk about killing people? This man... His gaze shifted towards Lily, whose face did not show a single reaction to her husband¡¯s chilling words.

    "I think this conversation has be highly ufortable. We have different principles, and the fact that you are talking about this in front of me is very disturbing." Qi Xia rose from his seat before ncing at Lily. "You have one dangerous man, Miss Lily," he uttered before walking out of the room with a grim expression. By now, Qi Xia fully understood that he is very inferior whenpared to Zhuo Jingren. Unbeknownst to him, he was also inferior in terms of intelligence. As with all idiots, this inferiority just made him want to strive harder.

    For some reason, seeing Lily happy with a man like that made him a little irritated. Lily doesn¡¯t deserve someone as ruthless as Zhuo Jingren. She deserves someone better, someone like him, he thought beforeughing inwardly. Right now he could not offer anything to Lily. She already has everything.

    Moreover, it was obvious that Zhuo Jingren was leagues above him. Right now, hecked the capability to stand against Zhuo Jingren. But would he allow the scenario to stay like this forever? No. Qi Xia does not like being defeated.

    Qi Xia dialed Qin Liwei¡¯s number. After a few rings, Qin Liwei answered.

    "I failed. I won¡¯t be able to seduce your sister," he said. He wanted to add ¡¯yet,¡¯ but he was hesitant to inform Qin Liwei of his future ns. "You don¡¯t have to invest in my team," he added before ending the call. Then he stood in front of his car for a moment as he gazed back at the restaurant. Lily¡¯s smile suddenly appeared in his mind. He can¡¯t seem to forget Lily¡¯s dazzling eyes as she bantered with Zhuo Jingren.

    Right now, he has nothing of any value that he could offer to Lily. In fact, he has nothing but his family name and his extremely big ego. However, he wille back soon. One day, Qi Xia knew in his heart, he woulde back and make that woman his.

    ....

    "I wonder what kind of dirt this guy has on Mu Lihua," Lily thought out loud after Qi Xia left. "This is practically suicide on her part. Why would she allow Qi Xia to influence her decision?"

    "That guy is a fox," Zhuo Jingren noted. "He should be smart enough to stay away for now while waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike."

    "It doesn¡¯t matter," Lily answered. "I don¡¯t like him."

    Her words only earned a teasing smile from Zhuo Jingren. "He is a little good-looking and he¡¯s rich too. What¡¯s not to like about him?"

    "He has dime eyes.Tiny little rat-like dime eyes. His eyes are too small and evil. He is not as tall as you and his skin is tanner than that of theziest of trust fund kids," Lily answered.

    "Very superficial, I see," Zhuo Jingrenughed.

    "I told you my standards are high."

    "Does this mean that I passed this ¡¯very high standard¡¯ that you speak of?"

    "Barely," Lily answered, earning a boisterousugh from her husband. In response she rolled her eyes before drinking the remaining wine from her ss. What can she say? Lily has always been the type of person who loves beauties.

    Meanwhile, Mu Lihua¡¯s face was deep red from the fury that she felt right now. When she epted the interview this morning, she clearly stated that she was not targeting Zhuo Capital. However, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s spokesperson just epted an interview and clearly expressed his disappointment in her and her thoughtless actions. That orphanage was very important to Zhuo Jingren. How could the Mu Group do something so stupid?

    Furthermore, the spokesperson also highlighted the fact that this was originally a government property. That was the reason why Zhuo Jingren did not buy it. So how could Mu Lihua buy it? The spokesperson¡¯s words were very vague but only a very stupid person would not be able to guess the underlying meaning.

    Mu Lihua must have contacted a dodgy official and paid a big amount to buy the property. This could involve some senior government officials!

    The most infuriating thing right now was that Qi Xia actually dared to block her number! He left her hanging! Alone! Mu Lihua instantly gritted her teeth as she looked at her personal phone. She¡¯d already received 14 missed calls from her father and some of the other biggest shareholders.

    "This should not have happened!" she said while pacing inside her office. Then she remembered Qi Xia telling her that this was not Zhuo Jingren¡¯s MO. It was his wife¡¯s n.

    With this in mind, she immediately called her secretary to try and contact Fi Group¡¯s CEO. Since Qi Xia left her hanging, she would not hesitate to betray him as well.

 Chapter 245 Compromise

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 245 Compromise</h4>

    Mu Lihua waited endlessly for her secretary to inform her that she was able to schedule a meeting with Lily, but that never happened . In the end, Mu Lihua spent the whole night contacting her close friends and business partners to see if they could help her contact Lily.

    It was already Friday and Mu Lihua did not want to drag the issue until Monday. She needed to see Lily as soon as possible so she could exin her side of the story. If Lily would listen to her exnation, that is.

    Furthermore, it was already the neenth. Little did Mu Lihua know that Lily would not have time to focus on any other matters as she needed to prepare herself for her performance the next day.

    August 20, Saturday.

    Lily woke up with a smile on her face. As expected, Zhuo Jingren had prepared breakfast for her with a few festive flowers and choctes added with care. Simple, but Lily liked it a lot.

    "What¡¯s your n for today?" Lily asked as an unfathomable glint shed in her eyes.

    "Something special," he answered while reaching over to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

    "Hmmm... Let me guess? Does it involve a special dinner?"

    "No," Zhuo Jingren shook his head. "I was nning something more adventurous. Skydiving maybe? What do you think?"

    Lily¡¯s head instantly spun towards Zhuo Jingren. "You know that I am not very good with heights. I might faint."

    "Oh... then how about we ride a hot air balloon and watch the sunset together?" he asked, feeling a little depressed. He knew that Lily was not fond of heights, but he thought he could convince her to try something different. "Actually, I have a surprise for you but I felt that you deserve more, so I was nning to do something extra. That¡¯s why I thought we could go skydiving this weekend."

    "No to a hot air balloon," Lily replied firmly. Watching the sunset together was fine, but anything else would only dy her ns for tonight. Lily¡¯s fear of heights isn¡¯t really that extreme, she just finds it ufortable to be in such high ces. That did not mean, however, that she would not like to go skydiving with Zhuo Jingren. Just the thought of it is somehow made her heart a little giddy - but Lily still needed energy for her performance for tonight. "Let¡¯s skydive tomorrow instead," she suggested. "What do you think?"

    "Alright!" Zhuo Jingren beamed before handing her a small brown velvet box. "Here."

    Lily instantly epted the box and opened it. "A key?" she asked.

    "Hmmm... I will take you to see it after breakfast."

    "What is it? A house?"

    "You are really bad at guessing things," Zhuo Jingren chuckled. "It¡¯s a surprise."

    "..." Lily just rolled her eyes as she continued to eat. She knew it would not be a house, maybe some storage space or a garage. Lily was thinking a garage would be the most reasonable thing that he could give her, but she wouldn¡¯t say that in front of Zhuo Jingren as it would only ruin his current bubbly mood.

    Lily was not a dense woman. She immediately felt thetter¡¯s excitement when he said he wanted to go skydiving. She did not miss the hint of disappointment in his eyes when she said no, and to be honest, she hated seeing him like that. It made Lily a little ufortable.

    After the couple finished their breakfast, they immediately went for a drive. And just as Lily initially thought, Zhuo Jingren did give her a garage. It was an underground garage. Her Beetle was already parked inside, of course.

    "Thank you," she smiled. "This is really a surprise."

    "You are really bad at acting," Zhuo Jingren noted before hugging her from behind. "Thank you," he uttered behind her ears.

    "What are you thanking me for?" she asked. "I was the one who received a gift."

    "I knew you knew," he answered while hugging her a little tighter. Zhuo Jingren knew his wife. He knew that she¡¯d already guessed what his gift would be, but she chose not to say anything to avoid ruining his mood. Two months ago, this would not be something that Lily would do for him. He knew that the Lily before would never consider his feelings. The Lily that he met two months ago would neverpromise just to avoid ruining his excitement. But this...

    Today, he felt that she was closer, a little closer to him.

    "Hmmm...I can see you are bing bolder and bolder every day. How could a husband call his wife a bad actress? Wouldn¡¯t that hurt a wife¡¯s feelings?" Lily diverted the topic. To be honest, a topic that involves emotions is something that she is trying to avoid.

    It¡¯s not that Lily was in denial. In fact, Lily was very clear that she had already fallen madly in love with this man. This was the only exnation that she coulde up with after all thepromises that she¡¯d made, from trusting him to telling him her secrets and worries. She knew that she was already in too deep. However, she chose not to tell him this. At least not now.

    "My apologies, Your Highness. Your Highness indeed has an outstanding talent for acting," he said. Lily could feel his hot breath against her ears.

    "Since you are so kind as to call me Your Highness, I will tell you a little secret," she smiled.

    "Hm?"

    "I know how to drive," Lily blurted. "But I am toozy."

    Her words earned another chuckle from Zhuo Jingren. "Then just continue pretending that you don¡¯t know how to drive. So..."

    "Please don¡¯t say ¡¯so you can be my driver forever.¡¯ That would be too cheesy," she interrupted him as they both broke intoughter.

    "Now, you can not only guess my gifts, but evenplete my sentences?. I wonder if there is a bit of telepathy between our hearts?"

    Lily involuntarily shivered at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words. "You are making me cringe, President Zhuo. Stop being so..."Lily turned around to look at the man who was smiling behind her.

    "So... what?"

    Lily stared at him, "Being cute does not suit you at all."

    "Ah... please don¡¯t call me cute. I would rather you call me ¡¯mine¡¯ instead," he said in a serious tone, making Lily stifle augh.

    "Alright..." Lily nodded as she snaked her arms around his neck. Then she rose up on her tiptoes, brushing her lips against his. "Mine," she whispered.

 Chapter 246 Enjoy Your Gift, President Zhuo

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 246 Enjoy Your Gift, President Zhuo</h4>

    WARNING: R18

    Slow music instantly filled the air as Lily switched the lights off, leaving the room illuminated only by the candles that she lit earlier. She slowly eyed Zhuo Jingren whose eyes were covered with a silk blindfold. She walked towards him, stopping just before she reached him to establish the rules: "I will remove your blindfold but you are not allowed to speak," she stated firmly. "Got it?"

    In response, Zhuo Jingren nodded. Slowly, Lily lifted the blindfold and gave Zhuo Jingren a smirk. She watched as his eyes roamed the dimly lit room beforeing to a halt when his eyesnded on Lily. Zhuo Jingren swallowed repeatedly as his mouth went dry while mentally he was drooling over the vision his wife presented to him. Lily was wearing his white shirt with the buttons half-done, revealing glimpses of the sexy red balcony bra that she was wearing underneath.

    Below the hem of the shirt he could see the gorgeous length of her legs, d in the finest ck silk stockings. A heart attack in the form of a glimpse of her red suspender belt at the top of her stockings and the ¡¯F*ck Me Red¡¯ Louboutin stilettos on her finely arched feet nearly did him in before the show even started.

    He watched hungrily as Lily leaned towards him, giving him a tantalising glimpse of her softly scented cleavage in the process. His eyes travelled from her slender neck towards her slightly wet lips beforending on her enticing eyes. Then...

    ¡¯Click¡¯

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s attention instantly shifted to take in his stealthily handcuffed hands. A sly smile escaped his lips as he shifted his gaze towards Lily in full appreciation of her bit of bait and switch that left him unable to touch everything he wanted to touch.

    "Enjoy your gift, President Zhuo," Lily said before she lowered her head and yfully bit his neck. Then, without saying anything else, Lily turned her back on him. Zhuo Jingren swallowed a mouthful of saliva as he watched his wife slowly turn her head, her hair spilling aside to give him a glimpse of her inviting neck as she looked over her shoulder and gave him the trademark Lily smirk. Can men swoon? Zhuo Jingren believed that he¡¯d just swooned. Thank God he was already seated.

    Then Lily changed the music. [ SUGGESTION: Listen to Se Deja Llevar by antonio orozco before you read the next lines. The choreography is based on that song. I will put the link of the youtube video below.]

    A slow sensual tune soared through the air. It slithered sexily across the walls and into his ears before it slowly travelled through his veins, instantly making his heart drum. His eyes locked on his ethereally sexy wife as her gaze crashed into his. Lily held his gaze as she slowly lowered herself to the floor.

    On all fours, Lily began seductively crawling towards him, arching her back, the muscles of her silk d legs glistening with every move, firing his imagination. Her gaze was demanding, craving his full attention.

    It did not take her long to reach him in real time, but he felt as if 30 years had passed. She slowly sank back on her heels, kneeling before him when suddenly she grabbed his knees and roughly thrust his legs apart. Her eyes then travelled from his neck and down his shirt and finally to his bulging crotch. Lily shifted her gaze back to Zhuo Jingren¡¯s before she flicked her tongue and traced the outline of her scarlet lips.

    Hell-bent on torturing him, Lily slowly stood in front of him as she ced her hands on her hips, slowly swaying from left to right with the pulsing beat of the music, her hands skimming the white shirt as she caressed herself through the fabric. She yfully grabbed the hem of the shirt, pulling it up, teasing him, giving him a brief glimpse of her dark red suspender belt, showing a little more of her flesh beneath her shirt.

    She seductively opened one of the buttons as she turned her back towards Zhuo Jingren. She walked two steps away from him before slowly bending over, her messy hair cascading forward erotically and exposing her slim white neck as she caressed the length of her silk d leg from her slim ankle to her luscious thigh, the pose exposing off her gorgeously taut buttocks highlighted by wisps of red silk andce.

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes trailed down, following Lily¡¯s hands as she continued to control his desire, his breath catching as she brought her hands back up, showing a little of her behind. The music continued as Lily walked a few steps further before she stopped, made a sexy turn and leaned against the wall. Her eyes met his as she sensually bit her lip and started swaying her hips again. Lily¡¯s hands slowly opened another button, leaving thest one before gliding her hands over her body.

    She rocked her hips forward, arching her back before bringing it back down, creating a sensual rhythm. Her arms moved fluidly as she caressed her body and bit her lips until they were invitingly swollen. She dropped her gaze to Zhuo Jingren¡¯s shirt where she could clearly see his heart thumping as she carefully openedst button of her shirt, making sure that he was watching her every move.

    Lily¡¯s lips lifted into an enticing smile, her eyes staring straight into his as she slowly shook off her shoulders, allowing his oversized shirt to skim off her body on a path he would love to follow with his hands. Lily heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s breath hitch when the shirt finally touched the floor, revealing her dark redcy lingerie.

    Lily swayed her hips again as she took a step towards Zhuo Jingren. She stopped in front of him, stepped out and straddled him as she started to grind her hips on top of his crotch. She lowered her body, her hips barely touching his pants as she circled her waist and started caressing her lusciously full breasts through the dark red balcony bra that served them up like a delicacy only inches away from his face.

    Once again, Lily bit her lip as she closed her eyes, The sensual music seemed to flow inside her as she tantalised Zhuo Jingren, so very close but millimetres away from making actual contact with his pulsating body. There was not a single part of Zhuo Jingren that wasn¡¯t throbbing in anticipation at this moment. She then slowly opened her eyes as she reached behind Zhuo Jingren and grabbed a couple of ice cubes. Her light brown eyes stared at his bobbing Adam¡¯s apple as she slowly rubbed the ice cubes all over her chest until she was dripping wet. The coldness of the ice against her skin made her shiver even more when she felt his hot breath brushing against her chest, but before Zhuo Jingren could touch her in any way, Lily suddenly stood up and circled around him.

    She stopped behind Zhuo Jingren and caressed his shoulders as she lowered herself and leaned in to kissed his neck. Lily then slowly opened a button of his shirt and sensually ran her hands across his chest, her nails lightly scraping his skin, making him quiver with pleasure. Once again, she walked in front of him and slowly sank to her knees, positioning herself between his thighs before she swayed her hips and used her hands to unsp her bra.

    She used her hands to cover her two peaks as the sexy bra fell to the floor like a distant memory while her hips swayed sexily, moving to the rhythm like an odalisque. Before she turned around to tease him with her perfect curves, Lily began rolling her hips to the faster tempo of the music as she lowered her buttocks over his crotch, just enough to feel his bulge before she naughtily withdrew only to yfully push her buttocks towards him as she sexily stood up.

    Lily took a step away from him, hips swaying before she turned and slowly removed her hands from her breasts, gliding them over her skin, along her neck, and into her tousled hair. She stared at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face intently as she felt the heat of his gaze.

    Lily give him a small enticing smile before she put her hands on her hips and let him watch as her hands slipped over her body and towards her panties. Swaying her hips in a figure eight, Lily rolled her hips and withdrew her hands, teasing him. Seeing a bead of sweat trickle down from Zhuo Jingren¡¯s forehead, Lily took a step closer before she leaned down, her lips brushing his as she said, "Tell me, President Zhuo," deliberately pausing so her warm breath caressed his lips before she erotically bit his lower lip. "Tell me, where do you want to touch me first?"

    As expected, Zhuo Jingren leaned forward to capture her lips. A fiery kiss followed, and before she knew it, Zhuo Jingren had already lifted her and pinned her against the wall. Lily joyfully and instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as her eyes widened when she suddenly realised that the cuffs were long gone and he was already freely moving his hands around her body.

    She felt him slide his thumbs along her hips, brushing against her silk panties before he expertly flicked his thums and ripped her panties. They slid to the floor like red petals as he ran his thumb down her aching core. "Ohh..." Lily moaned as she slowly snaked her arms around his neck.

    She felt his hands brushing the back of her thighs as she tightened her legs around his waist. His every move as she felt him remove his pants and hastily remove his shirt tantalised her until he stood holding her whilepletely naked. For some reason his brutish actions turned her on even more. She could practically feel herself dripping against his thumb.

    Zhuo Jingren leaned in and lightly bit her neck as his other hand fondled her breast, teasing and pulling her nipple. He kissed her again, deeply, before slightly angling her and eagerly thrusting his length deep inside of her throbbing wet warmth, their tongues matching the rhythm of their bodies.

    Lily let out a loud moan, her arms tightening around him even more as the scandalous nature of their position increased the level of her arousal. The feeling of being pinned against the wall, in his arms, andpletely open for himpletely eroticised Lily and made her murmur his name over and over as he began thrusting deep inside her. She pushed back against the wall and swayed her hips to meet his every thrust, both of them unconsciously following the rhythm of the sensual music that was still ying in the background.

    Lily instantly felt the friction, felt the heat building inside her. The seducer was seduced as she grabbed his hair at the height of her passion, "Oh... please... just like that..." she managed to say in between her ragged breathing.

    "You feel so good," he said, his voice echoing in her ears, filling her heart, filling her with passion, making Lily gently bite his shoulder as words failed her.

    "I¡¯m about to..." she said as she grabbed his hips to pull him closer.

    "Together," he murmured.

 Chapter 247 An Unstoppable Force

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 247 An Unstoppable Force</h4>

    "Tell me one thing," Lily paused deliberately as she stifled a yawn. "How did you remove the cuffs from your wrists?" she asked Zhuo Jingren, who was sitting on the couch just a few feet away from her. He was drinking a cup of coffee while reading some documents. Lilyzily stretched her sore body before she pulled the sheets up to cover herself.

    "I broke them," he answered as he lifted his gaze. He ced his cup and the documents down and walked towards the bed. "Next time, buy something more... durable." He sat next to her and kissed her forehead. "How are you? Do we need to take you to be seen by a physical therapist?" he enquired as he gave her a sly smile.

    "Oh... shut up," Lily rolled her eyes. The cuffs that she¡¯d ordered online were indeed made of some weak velvet material that was not meant to restrain a beast. They were the kind of cuffs made for forey with Velcro fastening straps and metal hook clips. If her guess was right, Zhuo Jingren must have just torn them apartst night. Lily instantly made a mental note to buy something made of metal next time while hoping Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t know how to pick locks. "I¡¯m not leaving this bed today. We¡¯ll have to cancel the skydiving and do it some other time."

    "Hmmm... Staying in bed is always better than skydiving." He leaned in and slowly positioned himself on top of Lily. Using his arms to support himself, Zhuo Jingren then started giving her small kisses all over her face.

    "What you didst night... these small kisses aren¡¯t enough topensate for that," she informed him with a smile on her face.

    "Hmmmm... You are making it sound as If I was the one who took advantage of you," He countered, still raining kisses all over her face. "It¡¯s not my fault that I have amazing stamina, alright?"

    In response, Lily yfully pped his arms. "Alright, you have a point. I wasn¡¯t exactly innocentst night," Sheughed.

    "You are not exactly innocent every day, Mrs. Naughty Zhuo." Zhuo Jingren answered as he stopped kissing her and gently looked at her face. "I made some breakfast for you. Do you want me to bring it here? Or should I carry you to the table?"

    "Here of course," Lily smiled. When Zhuo Jingren did not get off of her, she asked, "What are you looking at? Have you gone crazy because you think I am so beautiful?" she teased.

    "Hmmm... In fact, I was about to say that for a foreigner your nose is a little short... Aw! Stop pinching me!" he said whileughing. He then used his hand to rub his waist.

    "How dare you call me ugly!" Lily said. "That is like a criminal offense! What kind of..."

    "I was going to say that despite this, you are still the most beautiful woman that I know." His words interrupted Lily as she stared at his eyes. Before his words fully registered, her face turned so hot and red that it instantly made her furious. Why the hell is she blushing?

    "Go and get me my food or I will kick you out of this bed!" she hissed before pulling the sheets up to cover her face. My... is she going to start acting like a love sick teenager now?

    Lily heard Zhuo Jingrenughing before she felt him kiss her forehead through the sheets. He got off the bed and left to get her food, hisughter echoing throughout their room.

    After a few minutes, he came back with a tray and carefully ced it on the bed. The couple then started eating as they asionally bantered andughed together. After they finished eating brunch, Zhuo Jingren suggested that they watch some movies. Of course, Lily instantly agreed and insisted that he carry her to his Batman-themed entertainment room.

    Zhuo Jingren happilyplied and even chose a movie for them to watch. However, Lily was worn out from the previous night¡¯s activities so she ended up sleeping in his arms.

    When Lily woke up, it was already time for dinner. Once again, she insisted on eating in bed whileughing inwardly. She totally felt like a spoiled little Wang Fei.

    "Yang Mi called me a while ago. Your personal phone was low bat so she called me instead," Zhuo Jingren said.

    "Oh... does she need something? I told her to call Mr. Rossi if something important came up. He can handle it."

    "Apparently, Mu Lihua had been calling since Friday. She wants to speak with you personally."

    "She wants to talk to me?" Lily asked before she took a big mouthful of rice with some beef.

    "Yes. I told her to ignore her."

    "That¡¯s good," Lily nodded. "Do we have any news about Mu Qingling?"

    "Yes, Bei Tian informed me earlier that he found a way to tell Mu Qingling that Mu Lihua is struggling. She will surelye back and try to prove herself to their parents again," Zhuo Jingren said.

    In response, Lily nodded. Right now, they are counting on Mu Qingling toe back and try to take back what was hers. Once they discover that Mu Qingling signed an agreement with Mu Lihua to forfeit her inheritance, both Lily and Zhuo Jingren instantly knew that something was off about it. They knew that Mu Lihua is a very selfish person who only cares about her own face, so they knew that she must have done something to threaten her own sister.

    With these deductions, Lily came up with a n to ruin both Mu Lihua and lure He Xin out. It was actually a pretty simple n. All they needed was for Mu Qingling toe back in Hong Kong and cause chaos. With both Lily, Zhuo Jingren and Mu Qingling in the picture, Mu Lihua would surely face a lot of problems.

    In the heat of a battle, Lily was sure that Mu Lihua¡¯s mind will lose its focus. After all, Lily and Zhuo Jingren are already an unstoppable force, so adding someone like Mu Qingling to the mix would only irritate her sister even more. And once Mu Lihua loses her presence of mind, it would be easy for Lily to strike for the kill ¨C not literally of course.

    All Lily wanted was to threaten Mu Lihua enough to make their mother show herself as she tried to protect her favorite daughter.

    After all, no mother could stand watching their beloved child suffer because of something that they once did.

 Chapter 248 Everything Had A Price

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 248 Everything Had A Price</h4>

    Days passed and Scarlet City suffered tremendous losses from its falling stock prices. It was absolute chaos for Mu Lihua. She had repeatedly requested meetings with both Lily and Zhuo Jingren, and both of them steadfastly refused to see her.

    While the fall of the stocks was a big problem, the matter that Mu Lihua had been struggling with the most was actually her reputation. After Zhuo Jingren¡¯s spokesperson announced their disappointment with her actions, many businessmen and other influential members of society instantly used her of being ruthless, calling her names behind her back andughing at her downfall.

    How could Mu Lihua take this insult?

    "CEO Mu... I really cannot help you. Right now, I don¡¯t want to antagonize either Lily or President Zhuo," Xuan Hui answered as he looked straight into Mu Lihua¡¯s eyes. He and Mu Lihua had been close in the past because of her aunt being a part of the Yang Family. In fact, Mu Lihua was one of the girls that Yang Lina asked Xuan Hui to marry after his failed engagement to Qin Jinghua.

    In response, Mu Lihua let out a sigh as she shifted her gaze away from Xuan Hui. She truly couldn¡¯t figure out why she even bothereding here to see Xuan Hui. She knew that Xuan Hui was struggling due to his mother¡¯s imprisonment, and yet Mu Lihua still put her needs first and came here to ask him if he could think of a way to reach out to Lily and Zhuo Jingren.

    Inwardly, Mu Lihua was actually hoping that he would introduce her to Lily¡¯s father, however, Xuan Hui instantly refused to help her. "Well... I think I should just stop trying to request a meeting," she said while mentally gnashing her teeth. All she wanted was to tell them about Qi Xia¡¯s n so she could use Lily and Zhuo Jingren against him.

    Mu Lihua¡¯s jaw clenched the second she thought of that despicable man! She really would not stop until that user Qi Xia paid for leaving her mired in a failed n.

    "Well... I apologize for not being able to help. However, be careful of Lily. She is a very treacherous individual. I won¡¯t go into details, but she was the one responsible for what happened to my family just a few weeks ago," Xuan Hui said. Mu Lihua had been close to him in the past; it is only fair that he warn her about Lily¡¯s sinister personality.

    "What do you mean? Did she frame Aunt Lina? Why would...." Mu Lihua stared at Xuan Hui as the realization hit her. "Is this because of what happened years ago? Because you did not marry her?"

    "Probably," Xuan Hui lied with a straight face. "All I know is she was the one responsible for our family issues, while her husband is responsible for the big trouble that the Qin Industries are facing now. They are ruthless people who wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kick you even if you were already down."

    Mu Lihua¡¯s face turned even darker when she heard Xuan Hui¡¯s statement. If only she had a choice back then, she would not have offended Zhuo Jingren. However, it is toote for her to regret her decisions now. All she could do was try and fix the damage caused by her actions. "Alright, I won¡¯t take any more of your time. Thank you so much for agreeing to see me." Mu Lihua rose from her seat and held out her hand to shake Xuan Hui¡¯s hand. Though they were longtime friends, Mu Lihua still wanted to be formal. In response, Xuan Hui rose from his seat and shook her hand while giving Mu Lihua a smile.

    And this is the scene that Qin Fei saw when she opened the door of Xuan Hui¡¯s office. Her husband shaking the hand of a beautiful woman. Qin Fei instantly felt irritated as she walked towards them with a smile on her face.

    "Hey... why are you here?" Xuan Hui instantly let go of Mu Lihua¡¯s hand and walked towards his wife. "You need to get lots of rest. Why are you..."

    "I was so bored at home so I asked mother to take care of my son. Don¡¯t worry so much," she smiled sweetly before looking at Mu Lihua. "And this is?"

    ....

    Meanwhile, Mu Qingling slowly made her way to her room while carrying a big duffel bag. She justnded in Hong Kong using a different ID and passport, in an effort to avoid informing her sister.

    After a little while, Mu Qingling arrived at the room and was about to open the door with her key when someone opened the door from the inside for her to enter. Her instincts instantly became alert as she narrowed her eyes at the person who was elegantly seated on the small bed.

    "Who are you?" she asked, her eyes shifting to the tall man who opened the door for her.

    "Call me Mr. B," the man who was sitting on her bed answered while giving her a smile. "I was the one who sent you the passport and ID or... do you still need reminding?" he lifted his eyebrows, instantly giving off a cold aura.

    Mu Qingling stared at the man who called himself Mr. B before slowly walking into the room. Mr. B was wearing a three-piece suit and a small smile on his pink lips. His hair was brushed back, making him looked professional and... a little scary. She stood in front of Mr. B. and bravely enquired, "What do you want from me?" The information that she received about Mu Lihua, together with the passport and ID all came from someone named Mr. B. While Mu Qingling does not trust this man, she is still more than a little interested to know the reason why he wanted her back in Hong Kong.

    "Take a seat, Miss Mu." Mr. B signaled hispanion to offer her a seat. The man instantlyplied and positioned a chair so that she could sitfortably. After making sure that Mu Qingling was settled, Mr. B continued, "I¡¯m sure you already know that this meeting has something to do with your sister."

    In response, Mu Qingling nodded. "I am not supposed to be here. If Mu Lihua knew that I was here then she would..." she made a paused and bit her lip before she lowered her head. At Mu Qingling¡¯s lowest point, Mu Lihua happily kicked her and made sure that she would not receive a penny of her parent¡¯s money. With such a ruthless sister, Mu Qingling couldn¡¯t help but pity herself. Why was she so unlucky as to be born a member of a very ruthless family?

    "I will help you destroy your sister," Mr. B said, making Mu Qingling quickly lift her head and stare at the handsome man in front of her.

    "Why?" Mu Qingling asked in confusion. After what happened in the past with Zhuo Jingren and his wife, Mu Qingling believed that everything had a price. Every scheme has its own effect. Nothing in this world is free, and karma has a special way of asking people to pay their debts.

    "Your sister brought the orphanage where I grew up. She wanted to build some infrastructure for her empire. I would love to exin the details but it would only bore you," Mr. B crossed his legs and stared at Mu Qingling intently. "I am not the type of person who would let something like this pass, Miss Mu. Your sister offended me and I would like to make her pay."

    "I read the news. Does this mean that you are acquainted with Zhuo Jingren?" she asked. To be honest, Mu Qingling does not want anything to do with that man anymore. Zhuo Jingren is a monster and no one would convince her otherwise.

 Chapter 249 Teamwork with Mutual Respec

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 249 Teamwork with Mutual Respec</h4>

    "I am not working for him," Mr. B said. "If that is what you want to know." He smiled before adding, "Zhuo Jingren and I arepletely different entities. We know each other, yes. But... I follow my own rules."

    "How do I know that you are telling the truth?" she asked.

    "You don¡¯t... but you don¡¯t have a choice. Do you?" he quipped.

    In response, Mu Qingling stared at him. She had no other options at the moment. If she wanted revenge, Mr. B could be her only weapon to use against her sister. "As long as you are not working for Zhuo Jingren then I will help you."

    "You seem to hate him very much, eh?"

    "I don¡¯t hate him," Mu Qingling countered. "I am afraid of him. There is a difference." Mu Qingling would never forget Zhuo Jingren¡¯s sinister smile as he talked about what she did to Lily. Even now, remembering those things still made her shiver.

    "Hmmm... he is indeed a very scary man," Mr. B nodded in agreement as he rose from his seat. "I will contact you and give you the details of the n. You are a Mu... fight for what is rightfully yours," he advised before walking out of Mu Qingling¡¯s small room.

    After checking to make sure that he was really gone, Mu Qingling clutched her chest andy on the bed. For some reason, she felt that the man who called himself Mr. B was not as angelic or benevolent as he made himself out to be. She felt that he was even more dangerous than Zhuo Jingren.

    ....

    After Mr. B left the motel, he instantly entered his car and dialed a number. "Jingren? Hmmm... Yes. The fish took the bait. Your wife must be very devious toe up with this n. No! Of course, not. I am a professional! Alright... I will see youter." He ended the call with a devilish grin on his face as he shook his head and tousled his slicked back hair.

    "Where to boss?"

    "To the Fi Group Tower. I want to see the big boss¡¯ wife," he said with a smile. Right now, Lily is the most dangerous person that Bei Tian has to deal with, and he wanted to make sure that they are absolutely on the same page.

    Bei Tian gazed out of the car window as he thought about Lily¡¯s capabilities. A woman capable of reading your facial expression is nothing as every woman is hyper-sensitive to nuances. However, Lily was different. Bei Tian had been observing Lily¡¯s actions and ns since they met, and he was surprised to learn that such a woman exists.

    Lily was not that strong physically, or at least ording to what he had gathered. She might not even know how to use a gun properly or how to kill a person with her bare hands, but she is far more lethal than most of the men that Bei Tian knows. Lily is capable of creating scenarios in her mind. She could create countermeasures for twenty different potential reactions of her enemies. She could do this in a matter of hours and then just sit back and rx while watching her enemy run around like a headless chicken.

    As a single entity, Lily is actually not that scary. However, whenbined with Zhuo Jingren¡¯s influence and crazy connections in the underground, Lily could be... unstoppable. And this is what he was worried about. Bei Tian knew that Zhuo Jingren was head over heels in love with Lily. He knows that his friend would not hesitate to cut his heart from his chest if Lily hinted that she might want it. Of all the people that Zhuo Jingren had met in his lifetime, only Bei Tian knows how much he has treasured Lily since he was a teenager.

    All of this... everything that he has built was created for this woman and this woman alone, and Lily could easily use this to take advantage of Zhuo Jingren. While Bei Tian was very supportive of their rtionship, he still wanted to speak with Lily man to man.

    After a few minutes, Bei Tian arrived at Lily¡¯s office. After giving his name to the receptionist, someone - or rather, one of Lily¡¯s secretaries - immediately came down to reception to escort him to Lily¡¯s office.

    "I can¡¯t say that I predicted this happening," Lily¡¯s voice echoed the moment Bei Tian entered her office. "What brings you here, Master Bei?" she asked as she gestured for him to take a seat across her. In response, Bei Tian made himselffortable without saying a thing. This power y instantly made Lily peel her eyes from herptop. She stared at the man, who was also seriously staring at her.

    "What you said about Mu Qingling... was true," he admitted. "There is a reason why she stays in Germany and i is not because of Jingren. It¡¯s something else entirely. Something that is rted to her sister. Your guess was right. Mu Lihua must have threatened her with something."

    "And?" she raised an eyebrow at him. "That is not the reason why you are here," she said as her lips slowly curved upwards.

    "A woman capable of this level of strategizing is one of a kind," he stated, his jaw clenched, his dark eyes staring straight into Lily¡¯s light brown ones. "You were not like this when we were growing up. You even fell victim to someone¡¯s petty scheme seven years ago."

    "So?"

    "I want to ask you... Lily... why did you agree to marry Jingren?" he asked directly, earning another raised eyebrow from Lily.

    His question was immediately followed by an ufortable silence as Lily just stared at him, her eyes staring straight into his as a small smile was stered into her face. "I was not expecting that you would ask me this question," she said, amusement apparent in her eyes. Zhuo Jingren was lucky to have a friend like Bei Tian.

    "I married him because our marriage would only give me advantages." Seeing the look of surprise in Bei Tian¡¯s eyes, Lily continued, "Does that answer your question?"

    "You- "

    "Please spare me the bullshit," Lily interrupted him. "Zhuo Jingren is the most influential individual in Hong Kong, that is one of the reasons why I married him. I won¡¯t lie and say it was love at first sight, or that it was because I was head over heels in love with him. I married him because I saw an opportunity and I am a very greedy person."

    Bei Tian stared at Lily, his eyes wide, mouth agape. How could she be this direct? He was expecting her to at least say that she wanted to give Zhuo Jingren a chance and that she was willing to prove that she is not using him. A normal woman would say these things! This...This woman is making him speechless!

    "You asked the wrong question, Master Bei. You should not ask me about why I married him. You should¡¯ve asked me what I think of him now," Lily smiled gently before she leaned back in her chair. "Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar,"[1] she quoted.

    "Wayfarer, there is no way. Make your way by going farther," she tranted as her gaze turned towards the painting that was given by Zhuo Jingren.

    "I always believe that there is no other road than the one that we create as we keep on walking, Master Bei. Months ago, my marriage to Jingren was merely a partnership. Now... however..." she paused deliberately as she shifted her gaze back to Bei Tian, "...I believe that our marriage is more about teamwork with mutual respect, a good dose of admiration, and endless love, grace... and sex."

    [1] From the poem Caminante, No Hay Camino / Traveler, There Is No Road by Antonio Machado

 Chapter 250 I am the Boss of Your Boss

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 250 I am the Boss of Your Boss</h4>

    Bei Tian¡¯s eyes widened even more. "Did you have to say that?!" he asked, his serious fa?ade was nowhere to be found. This woman is so shameless!

    "I am telling the truth," Lily shrugged, inwardly she was alreadyughing at the man¡¯s reaction. "What¡¯s wrong Master Bei... We are adults - and I am not the type to lie to someone just to make them feel better."

    "You- "

    "Don¡¯t worry so much about your friend, Master Bei. Why are you treating him like a damsel in distress? Do you really see me as such a ruthless person that I would break his fragile heart?"

    Bei Tian did not answer. How could he tell Lily that losing her would make Zhuo Jingren go insane? "When... when we found out that you¡¯d disappeared years ago, Zhuo Jingren changed," he said. "The Zhuo Jingren that you see now was his previous... self. Before you disappeared."

    "I am happy for my friend. I have seen him at his lowest point, and I don¡¯t want him to experience losing you again. I know you are smart enough to understand this," he added before he lowered his head. "I hope this conversation will not reach his ears."

    His words instantly earned a scoff from Lily. "I have stopped keeping secrets from him, Master Bei. He will know this and he will feel thankful to have a brother like you." Lily then rose from her seat and looked towards the Zhuo Capital¡¯s building. "If you think that I will use him for revenge, you are wrong. I have stopped relying on just anyone to get things done, Master Bei. You can trust me on that.

    "However, justtely, I havee to realize that he is not ¡¯just anyone¡¯. He is mine, and I am looking forward to spending my whole life with him." Silence followed her words as Lily continued to stare in the direction of Zhuo Capital.

    After a few minutes, Lily heard Bei Tian sigh. "So, what are you nning to do now?" he asked.

    "Why are you asking me? I am not your boss," Lilyughed.

    "Yeah... well... you are the Boss of my Boss. It is only right to ask you this question." His words instantly made Lilyugh, creating a light atmosphere between the two.

    "He Xin... is somewhere near. A feud between her two daughters will lure her out."

    "You are trying to hit her only weakness. This is a pretty obvious move don¡¯t you think?" he asked.

    "Actually, that was Zhuo Jingren¡¯s n." Lily returned to her seat. "I don¡¯t like attacking from the front Master Bei. That¡¯s too predictable. Your friend is pretty bold and direct. His style is very different from mine."

    "That¡¯s because you love to trick people," Bei Tian spelled it out for her.

    "Jingren¡¯s ns involve kidnapping He Xin and torturing the information out of her," Lily continued. "I hate blood and I am toozy for that, so I suggested making here to me instead."

    "Mu Lihua and Mu Qingling will be the decoys," Bei Tian said as the realization hit him.

    "Smart," Lily smiled. "Now... I still have a lot of things to do, Master Bei. "

    "Will you not tell me? Ah... I will ask Jingren instead."

    "He won¡¯t tell you either," Lily said as she arched a brow. "Or did you forget that I am the Boss of your Boss?"

    "Makes sense... so why don¡¯t you tell me instead? You hate blood... does that mean that you could kill her without spilling any blood? How will you do that? Strangle her.. or you could..."

    "Master Bei is truly brutal," Lily interrupted him. "Death is too easy, I don¡¯t like that."

    "So?"

    "Well... are you familiar with the center of gravity strategy?" Lily said. She really didn¡¯t feel like exining things to Bei Tian but she knew that this man would not stop until she said something.

    "Oh... strategies of war?" he asked. In response Lily nodded.

    "I don¡¯t have the time to exin. You think about it carefully tonight, then you tell me something next time we see each other, alright?" Lily smiled. "Think about it. If Zhuo Jingren hears you talking about this, he will surely think that you have be brilliant overnight."

    Bei Tian¡¯s eyes widened before he narrowed them at Lily. "You have a point. You smart people have been underestimating metely. I need to show my capabilities too," he nodded while stroking his chin as the concept took root in his head. Bei Tian rose from his seat and gave Lily a smile. "I will go ahead and think about it, then." With that, he left Lily¡¯s office without waiting for her to answer.

    Bei Tian was grinning as he walked towards the elevator, only to stop midway. His eyes widened once again as he turned his head towards Lily¡¯s office. That woman tricked him into leaving! How could he fall for a cheap trick like that?

    "Ah!" he forced himself to calm down. Lily did not tell him anything at all! She just let him think that he could think about it all by himself! Appealing to his own intellect! How frustrating! Bei Tian gritted his teeth as he sullenly slunk into the elevator. He needed to talk to his friend and reveal how his wife had tricked him like a fool!

    ....

    Meanwhile, in the East of China, a woman wearing a red sundress was reading a book as she asionally nced at the TV in front of her. She lifted her gaze to take in the elegant woman who was leisurely drinking a ss of juice just a few feet away from her.

    "Are you really nning to leave your family?" she asked.

    "This is temporary. Once I find a good ce to hide, then... I can ask my husband and Lihua to follow me," The woman answered.

    "Xin... what you did seven years ago was wrong... I would not..."

    "You were the one who said that the woman was my husband¡¯s mistress. If I had known that she was not the right woman then... I would not have used the car to attack her," He Xin hissed before calming herself down. "Yuyan and Lina are already in prison. I can¡¯t go to prison with them. I have no choice but to leave my family for now."

 Chapter 251 A True Friend

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 251 A True Friend</h4>

    An audible sigh drifted over from the woman in the red dress. "I heard that your daughter has been facing a lot of troubletely. It¡¯s all over the news. Aren¡¯t you concerned?" she asked.

    "I am... but what can I do?" He Xin nced down as she bit her lips, looking very long-suffering. Mu Lihua is smart and strong, so she should know how to deal with a scandal like this. Of course, He Xin was not truly confident that her daughter could spin this. After all, her enemy is Zhuo Jingren.

    "Don¡¯t worry about it. I will help you out onest time."

    "Really?" He Xin instantly beamed.

    "Of course, I am your friend. I will create some trouble for that woman to lessen their pressure on your daughter."

    "I..." tears instantly pooled in He Xin¡¯s eyes. In the midst of all this, she was still lucky enough to have a friend- a true friend at that.

    .....

    After Mu Lihua¡¯s ruthlessness had been questioned by theizens, numerous board members expressed their concerns about the matter. After all, many people had chosen to boycott Scarlet City and this consumer action had negatively impacted their sales. This was not something a savvy investor would allow.

    After a few days, a Special Board Meeting was called at the investors¡¯ requests. For once, Mu Lihua chose to deal with everything openly and bepletely transparent about the matter. However, before the meeting, Mu Lihua scheduled a press conference to exin to everyone her side of the story to the media.

    "Why did you wait this long to address the matter?" one of Mu Lihua¡¯s advisers asked in exasperation. This is not considered a small matter. Why wait for close to two weeks to hold a press conference?

    "I was waiting for Zhuo Capital to clear up the misunderstanding," she exined. "The bankruptcy of Scarlet City would mean a loss of profit for Zhuo Jingren. As a businessman, he should have made an announcement about the matter, unless he doesn¡¯t care about the millions of dors that he¡¯s invested in thepany." In Mu Lihua¡¯s analysis, Zhuo Jingren was simply trying to teach her a lesson and to send her a firm warning against interfering with his business ever again. She thought that after a day or two he would issue a statement about the matter to rify things, however, that did not happen. Instead, manyizens had been throwing curses at her and using her of other things.

    While this was all hearsay, she was certain that Zhuo Jingren had some involvement in this matter. It seems that Xuan Hui¡¯s words about the Zhuo couple were indeed true. They would not hesitate to kick you when you are down, even if it meant they stood to lose millions of dors.

    "Well, that is not the case now," her adviser said. "You touched his bottom line. Did you really expect him to care about a few lousy millions?"

    "ming me won¡¯t resolve the situation. The press conference is about to start." She rose from her seat backstage. As she walked towards the stage she looked at the excited reporters who were busily talking amongst themselves. Mu Lihua mentally sneered at the sight of these people. The media would not hesitate to fabricate lies that could ruin someone else¡¯s life. Mu Lihua wondered if these people had a conscience at all.

    After a few minutes, Mu Lihua heard the host call her name. She immediately walked towards the stage, her face devoid of any expression.

    "Good morning," she said. It was only ten in the morning. Her n was to stay here for at least an hour before returning to her office for the Special Board Meeting at one in the afternoon. "Thank you for giving me the chance to exin my side of the story. I want to exin everything from my perspective. I will ept questions when I have finished," she said as she expertly established eye contact with the crowd before her.

    "First and foremost, let me inform you that I had no ill intentions towards the orphanage. I sincerely bought it with a view to creating a new one. My only mistake was not discussing the matter with President Zhuo. We all know that President Zhuo is very influential and his capabilities are far greater than mine. I was not expecting that over the span of a few days, he would securend and transfer the children to a new facility. This all happened due to ack ofmunication. This is my mistake and I take responsibility for it."

    Mu Lihua¡¯s gaze was clear and her voice was full of confidence. Her words instantly caused a few murmurs to arise from the audience.

    "Please let me rify one point in particr. I am not an ungrateful individual. I recognize President Zhuo¡¯s capabilities, and I am very grateful for his assistance and expertise in dealing with Scarlet City¡¯s situation several years ago. My actual reason for buying the orphanage was not to antagonize him, but to create better opportunities for the children." Mu Lihua paused for effect before select documents were shown on the screen behind her.

    "What you see here is documentation of my every attempt to reach out to President Zhuo before I bought the orphanage. I wanted to speak with him regarding a potential coboration with various children¡¯s charities, but I was not given the opportunity to speak with him. I understand that he is truly busy, so I made the decision to stop reaching out and instead be proactive."

    The murmurs only got louder and louder, prompting Mu Lihua to stop talking as she waited for the media to calm down when suddenly a shrill voice interrupted her train of thought.

    "Are you ming President Zhuo for what you did?" Everyone turned their heads only to see another cold beauty walking confidently towards the stage. "Is the mimunication really because of President Zhuo? Or is it because of your heartless and greedy nature? Are you going to deny that you knew he grew up in that orphanage, yet you still chose to use your connections to obtain it despite the fact that it is a government owned property?"

    "Why don¡¯t you tell everyone about your ns to construct another Scarlet City mall in Hong Kong, sister?" Mu Qingling beamed at Mu Lihua, who stood there speechless and unprepared for this onught of questions and usations.

    Why the hell is Mu Qingling here?! Mu Lihua asked herself before the realization hit her. It seems that Zhuo Jingren was not nning to let this go after all.

 Chapter 252 Name and Reputation!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 252 Name and Reputation!</h4>

    [Who is that woman?]

    [Actually, I think I have seen her before.]

    [She called her sister!]

    [Ah? That is her scandalous sister?]

    Mu Lihua furrowed her brows when she heard people¡¯s chatter below the stage. She looked at Mu Qingling who was confidently standing in front of her. The smile on her sister¡¯s face only made her more irritated.

    "Sister? Why are you here?" she asked with a straight face. Inwardly, Mu Lihua was already cursing her sister.

    "I am here to reveal everything that you did, naturally," Mu Qingling said before facing the reporters. "I am Mu Qingling, Mu Lihua¡¯s younger sister." She gave a slight bow then continued, "I am here..."

    "Qingling! What are you doing? Why are you causing more chaos?" Mu Lihua instantly signaled her guards to surround her sister. However, before they could even reach her, fourrge men in ck suits appeared and protected Mu Qingling.

    "What are you afraid of elder sister?" Mu Qingling taunted with a smirk on her face. "Why are you trying to stop me from speaking to the media?"

    "Miss Mu... Miss Mu... Can you tell us more about your sister?" a tall andnky reporter asked Mu Qingling, his face full of interest. This could make the headlines! !

    "Miss Mu? We heard that you fled to Germany after your scandal? Why did you return to Hong Kong?"

    "Miss Mu...."

    "Miss Mu...."

    The reporters instantly surrounded Mu Qingling. She paid them no attention as she stared at Mu Lihua as she gave her a provoking smile. Months ago, Mu Lihua forced her to sign an agreement relinquishing all rights to any inheritance left by their parents. Moreover, she also made sure to gain control of Mu Qingling¡¯s trust fund, controlling the money from Hong Kong. Mu Lihua limited the number of withdrawals Qingling could take from the fund and even restricted her ess to her own bank ount! What kind of sister would do this to their younger sibling? Of course, she knew that this was Mu Lihua¡¯s way to stop her from going back home. Mu Lihua clearly does not want her sister to have a good life!

    "I am here to tell everyone not to believe in my sister¡¯s words. She is a liar and a maniptor who only wants profits and money."

    "Mu Qingling! Stop ndering me this instant!" Mu Lihua said sternly, however, no one paid attention to her as they were all waiting for some juicy details from Mu Qingling. Seeing everyone ignoring her, Mu Lihua looked at her adviser and the staff lurking idly behind her before she gritted her teeth. Everyone around her is so useless! She thought as she mentally cursed them all before she hastily walked down the stairs.

    "Months ago, I was one of the most talked about person here in Hong Kong because an error in judgement led me to make a costly mistakes. I was devastated and publicly shamed. Instead of supporting me, my sister made me sign an agreement transferring all of my inheritance to her. She chased me out of Hong Kong, and even my trust fund to make sure that I wouldn¡¯t be able to book a ticket back here." Mu Qingling took a piece of paper and handed it to one of the reporters. "Here is proof from my bank. This will show you that she restricted all my bank ounts and controlled all of my finances."

    At this point, Mu Qingling was already crying. Her strong words could not hide the pain that she felt in her heart as her tears continued to stream down her cheeks. "She asked me not toe back so that she could protect her name. What kind of cold-hearted woman would do such a thing?"

    "Miss Mu, what about the scandal that urred months ago? Do you know who released it to the media?" one of the reporters asked. Of course, they were waiting for Mu Qingling to say that it was also Mu Lihua who released details of the scandal to the press, causing her sister¡¯s public downfall and ruining her name.

    "I do not know," Mu Qingling said before her gaze shifted towards Mu Lihua. "But considering who profited from the scandal, I would not be too surprised to discover that it was my sister who ruined my name."

    "Lies!" Mu Lihua blurted. She tried to squeeze past the reporters to refute any of her sister¡¯s ims but she couldn¡¯t move an inch.. "Mu Qingling! How could you lie in front of everyone?" she bellowed, her voice cold, her face still devoid of any expression.

    "Lie? Do I really need to lie? You threatened to show those photos to my European schoolmates and to the people who took care of me when mother and father did not even care if I lived or died abroad! You kicked me when I was down! What kind of sister are you? How could you be this vicious?"

    ¡¯Pah!¡¯

    A loud p echoed throughout the whole venue.

    "You are a liar!" Mu Lihua said as she clutched her hand. "That p is to wake you up from your hallucinations!"

    In response, Mu Qingling only held her red swollen face. She stared at Mu Lihua with a hurtful expression in her eyes. "Why do you hate me so much?" she asked weakly, her voice so meek that it instantly earned everyone¡¯s pity. "I did not do anything to you nor have I ever tried to snatch anything from you, and yet you repeatedly target me. You even told our parents to send me abroad, alone."

    "That is not true!" Mu Lihua wanted to scream and hit her sister again, however, she forced herself to stop and be reasonable. Most of the things that Mu Qingling said was lies. How could this woman act so weak while lying and trying to ruin her name?

    Mu Lihua clenched her fist as she stared daggers at her sister. All she wanted right now was to silence her sister, strangle her and make her shut her mouth. Mu Qingling is publicly ndering her, ruining her name and reputation!

    This is something that she would not allow to happen!

 Chapter 253 Punish Her in Public

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 253 Punish Her in Public</h4>

    Mu Qingling¡¯s sobbing became even more audible. Her tears flowed like a stream as her shoulders shook. She looked at her sister in despair.

    "Stop ndering me," Mu Lihua said as she took a step closer to her sister. In response, Mu Qingling took a step back, fear apparent in her eyes.

    "Don¡¯te near me. Are you going to hurt me again? I know that you¡¯ve always loved hitting me, even when we were children, but I have enough of your dreadful treatment. This is where it ends. I am not going to take your abuse anymore!"

    Mu Qingling¡¯s words instantly earned a lot of astonished gasps from the reporters.

    "Hey, what is this?" The tall andnky reporter who was standing near Mu Qingling made the inquiry as he picked up a piece of paper that was ¡¯identally¡¯ dropped when she backed away from Mu Lihua in fear

    "Is this... a summary of hospital records?" another woman chimed in, before she stared at Mu Qingling. "This is ..." Everyone craned their necks to get a look at the paper before their eyes widened and they looked at Mu Lihua in shock. "This shows how many broken bones she¡¯s had!"

    "Oh my god! She was being physically abused by her own sister!"

    "Is this true? Let me take a look!"

    Everyone¡¯s gaze instantly turned towards Mu Lihua, disgust apparent in their eyes. The paper clearly listed the numerous injuries Mu Qingling¡¯s body had sustained since she was young. The reporters did not even ask if it was a legitimate document; they instantly believed Mu Qingling¡¯s words. They looked at Mu Lihua, their gazes full of uneasiness.

    How could a woman do that to her sister? What kind of vicious woman would hit her sister to the point of breaking her bones.

    "What is that?" Mu Lihua asked as she tried to snatch the paper, but the reporter did not give her a chance to grab it.

    "Miss Mu, this clearly shows how vicious you are. We will keep this as evidence and help your sister file a case against you," a middle aged woman said. "You might be rich but you cannot escape thew."

    Mu Lihua widened her eyes as she shifted her gaze towards the fragile and helpless looking Mu Qingling, who was still trembling as she continued to cry. What is happening? Case? What case? " What are you saying?" she asked, unable to understand why everyone was looking at her with disgust.

    "Miss Mu, are you going to deny that you abused your sister while growing up?"

    "Miss Mu how could you hurt your sister physically? How could your parents tolerate this behavior and even favor you?" another woman asked. How could someone stomach Mu Qingling¡¯s pitiful state? She was abused while growing up and even financially abused as an adult. Mu Qingling instantly earned everyone¡¯s pity. Some people even tried to shield her from Mu Lihua, preventing thetter from pping her again.

    "CEO Mu, I suggest we leave now," Mu Lihua¡¯s adviser muttered under his breath. "These people won¡¯t listen to anything that you say. They will only add fuel to the fire. Let¡¯s get back to your office and think of countermeasures to spin this move," he whispered as he tugged Mu Lihua¡¯s arm with a measure of urgency.

    "You are ndering me," Mu Lihua stated. This time, the panic in her eyes was long gone. Her face was cold as she stared at Mu Qingling. "Qingling... I did not expect you to have the guts to nder me."

    " I will let mywyer handle this. Prepare yourself. I will file a case against you," she added before raising her chin in defiance as her eyes took stock of the reporters who were looking at her apprehensively. "I will file a case against everyone who used nderous words in this attempt to ruin my name," she dered before she turned her back on them. Did Zhuo Jingren think that this would be enough to ruin her?

    However, before Mu Lihua could even take ten steps away from Mu Qingling, she heard her sister calling out her name. She wanted to ignore Mu Qingling but ended up stopping in her tracks and turning to face her sister.

    "I always knew you were heartless. What you did to me and what you were nning to do to the children in the orphanage is enough to prove this. I will not file a case against you as I believe that the past should stay in the past. However, you cannot escape your responsibilities." Mu Qingling turned her head and looked at three people who just entered the venue then she shifted her gaze back to Mu Lihua. "You illegally purchased a government owned property, sister. Did you think that the government would let that pass?"

    The realization instantly hit Mu Lihua. She gulped in fear as she looked at the officials who were approaching her. She then looked at her sister whose make up had been ruined during her earlier emotional breakdown. She had never once hurt Mu Qingling. True, she was vicious and cold, but she had never physically hurt her sister, not even once.

    Mu Lihua was just controlling by nature, and she would often control the affairs of her sister because no one stopped her from doing as she liked. But never once did she strike her. She knew that this was Zhuo Jingren¡¯s way of discrediting her before the Board meeting. He must have wanted to drag her name through the mud so the board of members would ask her to resign. However, his ruthlessness did not end there. He also wanted the government to get involved.

    Mu Lihua clenched her jaw and balled her fists. Anger was erupting inside of her but she chose to control herself as she looked at the three people. "Come, follow me. Let¡¯s discuss this matter in private," she said. She knew that the government would investigate her sooner orter. What she did not expect was the timing.

    He wanted Mu Qingling to show up and gain the pity of the people, then he wanted the government officials to show up for an investigation. Zhuo Jingren must have waited for her to make a statement so he could deliver a face p in front of the media. He wanted a stage so he could punish her in public, and she created the perfect opportunity for him to do that.

    This viciousness and scheming was indeed topnotch.

    However, this made Mu Lihua curious. Why target her to this degree? She did not do anything that would ruin Zhuo Jingren or even hurt him and his wife. For some reason, Mu Lihua couldn¡¯t help thinking that there is something more to this scheme.

 Chapter 254 Plot Against Everyone

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 254 Plot Against Everyone</h4>

    "See? I told you everyone loves a sad story." Lily turned off the tablet that was live streaming the Mu sisters scandal . She then looked at Zhuo Jingren who was sitting opposite to her. "President Zhuo is really idle. Can you please remind me why you are here staring at me, instead of your office? It¡¯s not even lunch break, yet." She smiled.

    "I thought you wanted me to stop working and just stay with you?"

    "When did I say that I want you to stay with me twenty-four hours? I said, stay at home and hide your beautiful face." She countered, mirth apparent in her eyes before she leaned on her chair.

    "Why do I feel like a wife being told by her husband to obediently stay at home while he earns some money for her to shop?"

    "Because that is exactly what I was saying." Lily chuckled. "Seriously, If you don¡¯t like working in yourpany, why don¡¯t we do a merger and have me manage yourpany as well?"

    "If that happens, people will say that you married me because of mypany."

    "I did marry you because of yourpany. Those people are just too dumb not to figure it out." Sheughed, creating a light environment as Zhuo Jingren joined her.

    "Now you sound like a money grabbing, greedy gold digger who married me for my wealth."

    "And body." Lily smirked and before she could react, Zhuo Jingren already rose from his seat and suddenly scooped her up into a princess carry her towards the couch. "Hey... stop it. We should not be doing things like these in broad daylight."

    Her words only earned a chuckle from her husband. "Then what should we be doing in broad daylight?" she heard him whispered in her ear as she felt him sat down on the couch, with her on hisp.

    "Plotting against our enemies, of course. We are viins, we are supposed to plot against everyone." She answered.

    Another boisterousughter erupted inside Lily¡¯s office. "I actually came here to watch the video with you and to celebrate." Zhuo Jingren said before he kissed her neck.

    "What are we going to celebrate? Mu Lihua didn¡¯t see me yet."

    "She will... once a rat is cornered they will be forced to fight and a confrontation is inevitable." He answered. "I already assigned two other people to always follow you around. Secretly of course."

    "Days ago, you wanted to kidnap Mu Lihua to flush out her mother. Then kidnap her mother and torture her for information, now you are praising me for my ns and even agreed that Mu Lihua will see me soon. Say, is this you being a supportive husband or are you just impressed by my ssy methods? "

    "Impressed." He answered shortly. "My methods are not ssy to say the least. I don¡¯t need ss to rule my empire."

    "How brute." Lily noted before she grinned. "I love it."

    "Hmmm..." he nodded as he started trailing kisses down her neck. However, their moment was interrupted when someone knocked on the door and before they could answer, Bei Tian came in with Secretary Go and Yang Mi, bringing boxes of food.

    "Hey... to my favorite couple." Bei Tian grinned and ignored the fact that he just interrupted them. "I am here to freeload." He dered as he took a seat on another couch and instructed Yang Mi and Secretary Go to ce the food on the center table.

    "Why are you here?" Zhuo Jingren instantly asked, his brows knitted.

    "I heard we will celebrate."

    "What¡¯s there to celebrate?" Lily asked. "Mu Lihua was not my target."

    "Oh... then I am here to eat." Bei Tian answered, ignoring his friends dark face. Inwardly Bei Tian was alreadyughing. Who would have thought that he would disturb a making out session? Good for them, he thought while inwardlyughing.

    ...

    Meanwhile, Mu Lihua¡¯s face was hot and scarlet red. She could practically feel her veins bulging, threatening to burst anytime from too much anger. She clenched her fist as she continued to pace inside her office.

    She could not postpone her meeting and her advisers told her it is best to resign and have her father take over thepany. How could she let her father take over? She worked so hard to have this position, to be respected in an industry that is ruled by men. She had nned and schemed carefully. She had it all under control. And yet now.... She is watching her name crumble and get destroyed in a span of weeks.

    Her reputation is in shambles and people would forever brand her as the vicious sister. While everyone pitied Mu Qingling!

    "Lihua, I think you should listen to Chairman Mu. He can handle this and save the mall. Just let him take over for now. You are not in the right state to handle a business. I¡¯m sure that the investors would agree. It is better to resign on your own than being kicked out from thepany. We all know that would be more embarrassing for you." The voice of his adviser echoed inside her mind again. She already ordered them to leave her and yet, that voice seemed to follow her around.

    Mu Lihua took a deep breath as she tried to call her mother¡¯s number. She knew her mother would be able to stop her father. She knew her mother would always defend her.

    ¡¯Unreachable¡¯

    Mu Lihua was not able to stop herself from cursing. Why is her mother unreachable at this time? She sat on her swivel chair and drummed her fingers on the table before she raked her fingers into her hair. The current situation is making her so confused.

    After a few seconds of thinking for a possible reason why Zhuo Jingren would go all out in targeting her, Mu Lihua gave up. Thest time she interacted with Zhuo Jingren was years ago. She does not remember offending him to the point of him destroying her name like this.

    Mu Lihua¡¯s train of thoughts were interrupted when the door of her office opened, revealing her father.

    She narrowed her eyes at the man. "Father..." She said as suspicion started to drown her mind.. "Tell me... do you know why Zhuo Jingren is targeting me like this?"

 Chapter 255 A Sociopath

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 255 A Sociopath</h4>

    Mu Huang¡¯s face instantly contorted when he heard Mu Lihua¡¯s question. "What do you mean? Isn¡¯t this just because he is petty?"

    "Father... I am not stupid enough to think that this was all because of the orphanage. There must be something else." She said in a serious tone. She did not miss the change in her father¡¯s expression the moment she asked the question.

    "Zhuo Jingren is just like a whale. Judging by his greedy nature it is obvious that he wanted to swallow scarlet city." Mu Huang said. "Though they did not announce it publicly, there are some spections that he married Lily Fi from the Fi Group. I am sure many businessmen are aware of this fact. Lily is working on a new mall. It¡¯s only natural for Zhuo Jingren to target you to pave a way for his wife." Mu Huang exined. Mu Lihua was not aware of what He Xin did and he was nning to keep it that way.

    "Lily Fi is different." Mu Lihua said. "She was already powerful beforeing here. She does not need Zhuo Jingren to help pave her way." She then stared at her father intently. "I know you are hiding something and I warn you, if... If I discover what is this from someone else... I swear... I will not hesitate to side with Zhuo Jingren."

    "Lihua! How could you say such things?"

    "Don¡¯t worry. We will know soon enough if you are indeed telling the truth." She added. In everyone¡¯s eyes, Mu Lihua was the favored daughter, however, only she knew how much effort she put into creating a good reputation and winning the hearts of the investors. If these people thought that the Scarlet City was handed to her like a dish, they were wrong.

    Scarlet City is with her now because she worked hard to convince the investors and have them vote for her to be the new CEO. She practically kicked her father out of thepany. Of course, this was all thanks to her capabilities and hard work. However, her father made it look as if he handed the Scarlet City to his daughter in public.

    While, Mu Lihua knew that her parents favored her because of her intelligence, she also knew that this was all a fa?ade by her profiteer father. She knew that only her mother loved her wholeheartedly.

    "I am telling the truth." Mu Huang insisted before taking a seat opposite to his daughter. "Now, let¡¯s talk about your resignation..."

    "I will not write a resignation letter." Mu Lihua dered, her voice stern. "I will not let Zhuo Jingren win."

    "What are you talking about? He is already winning... don¡¯t you see it? This is the only way to save thepany."

    "No! It is you who is blinded by power. You don¡¯t understand any of this. The public loves sorrowful stories! I am innocent and yet the public was quick to judge me without even rifying the document that Mu Qingling provided. Don¡¯t you understand it? Zhuo Jingren is waiting for me to resign out of embarrassment! He thinks that I will let the pressure destroy me and resign! If I do that, he will win."

    "Lihua... are you really going to let your pride drag ourpany down?"

    "Well... If you tell me everything you know, then I might decide to follow your advice."

    "I already told you..."

    "And I don¡¯t believe you." Mu Lihua rose from her seat. "I will find a way to find out the truth . Go ahead and attend the meeting. You can snatch the position away from me but I swear, once I¡¯ve cleared my name, I will do my best to get it back from you." She said before taking her hand bag and rushing out of her office. She needed to know the truth.

    .....

    After having a sumptuous lunch, Lily forced Zhuo Jingren to go back to his office. How could Lily not know that Zhuo Jingren was trying to apany her as he is afraid that Mu Lihua might do something crazy to her? Zhuo Jingren thought that a cornered animal would always strike back and he was worried that Mu Lihua would do something that would hurt Lily.

    While he did not voice out his concerns, Lily already realized that the moment he mentioned about the security that he added just to keep her safe. This action instantly filled her heart with warmth. For some reason, the fact that Zhuo Jingren is so worried about her safety is making her giddy. Is this a normal feeling? Lily does not think so. This made her wonder if she was sadist or maybe even a sociopath.

    "President, Daohu just told me that Miss Mu Lihua left her office a few minutes ago, they are tailing her now." Yang Mi¡¯s voice interrupted Lily¡¯s thoughts.

    "Alright." She nodded. "It¡¯s already September, how is the Qin Industries doing? I have not heard any news from them."

    "After Mr. Xuan bought arge portion of their stock, their prices did not continue to drop but it also did not increase. Mr. Xuan Hui is still struggling with his own filmpany, and he still chose to invest in another strugglingpany."

    "Xuan Hui is too impulsive. Without his mother, he will be useless soon." The calmness in Lily¡¯s voice instantly made Yang Mi smile. Her eyes were full of pride as she continued to stare at Lily. "By now, I am expecting that the stocks that Liam Arison invested into Xuan Hui¡¯spany was already under the name of one of my subsidiary."

    "Yes President." Yang Mi nodded.

    "Good. Sooner orter Xuan Hui... just like everyone else, will just stand there as they watch their empire crumble." Lily then looked at herptop and started working. A small smile was on her lips, her face was calm and serene, as if she did not just talk about someone¡¯s future misery.

    "By the way... I want you to add something to my schedule next week. September 10, Friday. I will go ahead and see Yang Lina in China. Go coordinate with Go Jichen, Jingren will also being with me." She said. Next week, He Xin would suree and see her. By then... she would find out the truth about what happened seven years ago.

 Chapter 256 Cultural Differences

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 256 Cultural Differences</h4>

    After another busy day, Lily still managed to walk out of the office with a smile on her face.

    "Have you been waiting long?" Lily asked the woman who was blocking her way when she, Yang Mi and Daohu reached the parking lot.

    "You wereexpecting me?" Mu Lihua surmised. "So you are the one who asked those people to follow me," she thought out loud. She knew someone was following her and monitoring her every move, but she thought it was Zhuo Jingren.

    "My throat is a little dry. Let¡¯s have some coffee," Lily said as she continued to walk towards her car. In response, Mu Lihua raised an eyebrow and did not hesitate to follow Lily. She can¡¯t remember thest time her enemy invited her out for coffee. After watching Lily get settled in her car, Mu Lihua joined her without hesitation.

    Once seated, Mu Lihua and Lily did not utter a single word. Both women knew that this is not the ideal ce for them to settle their business . Mu Lihua looked at Lily and was utterly surprised when she saw her ying games on her phone. Wasn¡¯t she just too idle? Mu Lihuastruggled to remember thest time sherxed and idle enoughto y games on her phone.

    Never.

    Mu Lihua doesn¡¯t remember ever ying games. For some reason, her gaze traveled to Lily¡¯s face. Lily¡¯s beautiful brows were furrowed as she asionally bit her lower lip while ying the game. It seemed as if she¡¯d just encountered a difficult situation in the game.

    This was the first time that Mu Lihua had seen Lily in person, and to be honest, she was a little surprised to find that Lily¡¯s demeanor was very different from what she expected. She always thought that Lily would be an ice goddess. This description would fit her achievements in the business world. She should be cold with a stern expression on her face, but this....

    Mu Lihua always thought that being cold and stern was the only way to make all those businessmen take her seriously. However, Lily seemed to be very different in person. She appeared so... rxed. This would lead people to underestimate her and make them think that she was a weak woman. Mu Lihua instantly wondered if this was how Lily won all her battles, by making people underestimate her capabilities.

    "What are you looking at? Don¡¯t tell me you are..." Lily narrowed her eyes at her. "You like girls?"

    "What? Of course not!" Mu Lihua instantly shifted her gaze. She didn¡¯t even notice that Lily wasaware of her gaze and staring at Mu Lihua in return. "I was wondering what you are ying."

    "Oh... It¡¯s called Candy Crush. Jingren installed it on my phone weeks ago," Lily answered. "He thought I would like it because of the sparkly stones."

    Mu Lihua only nodded at her words. Her eyes then examined Lily¡¯s clothing. Her heels had little sparkling stones that matched the gems on her handbag. Lily really seems to be into glittery and sparkly things . Mu Lihua instantly shifted her gaze to look out of the window at the passing view as she fell into a deep thought.

    In this industry, Mu Lihua was forced to be as ruthless as she could be. She¡¯d made decisions that hurt people, and she never regretted anything. Her expression was always cold and uninviting, and she always opted to wear white, ck, or beige clothing. She stopped liking sparkles and pink nail polish. She wanted people to view her as a smart businesswoman instead of just another pretty face.

    They always say that men rule the world, and if you want to seed the business you need to act like a man.

    But Lily was nothing like that.

    Her lipstick was red - too red for Mu Lihua¡¯s liking. Her nail polish was pale pink, and she was wearing a red suit and she even had a little smile on her face. This... this is the opposite of what Mu Lihua learned from being surrounded by men. In her opinion, men loved to sexualize women and take advantage of them. They underestimate women and think they are weaker and dumber than men.

    Was this because Lily was influenced by European culture? Was this because her grandmother trained her? This should be because of cultural differences, right?

    "We¡¯re here," she heard Lily say. Mu Lihua instantly looked at the pastry store and followed Lily inside. If memory serves her right, this was a small pastry shop before, but it has since changed. The small pastry shop is now a caf¨¦ with a peaceful and happy ambiance.

    "This is the only booth that they have for now. The construction isn¡¯tplete, so expect a little noise in the background," Lily said as she led her to a booth with paneled seats and an elegant mahogany table. Mu Lihua sat opposite Lily and watched thetter ce her order.

    Doughnuts?

    "This is the best pastry shop in all of Asia," Lily said with exaggeration. "Order something... my treat. You should indulge yourself from time to time, Miss Mu."

    "I¡¯ll take whatever she ordered," Mu Lihua told the attendant before she looked at Lily. "I am not sure why you brought me here, but I want to know why are you and your husband are doing this to me."

    "Ah... let me eat first," Lily said. "I seem to forget things when I am hungry."

    "Stop ying games with me," Mu Lihua hissed. For some reason, Lily¡¯s smiling face and the amusement in her eyes only made Mu Lihua more furious and somewhat confused. Why is Lily being so friendly? Is this woman serious?

    "Hmmm... Too impatient," Lily nodded as she shifted her gaze towards the attendant, who was arriving with their doughnuts. "You didn¡¯t offend me in any way," Lily informed her as she slowly looked at Mu Lihua, staring straight into her eyes.

    "Then why are you trying to ruin me?"

    "I am not trying to ruin you," Lily gave her another smile as she happily epted a cup of coffee while her eyes were glued to a doughnut with gold leaf on top. "I am not trying... I am doing it. I am ruining you. There should be a difference, no?" Lily said before she took a small sip from her cup of coffee, her eyes full of mirth as she stared at Mu Lihua.

 Chapter 257 Collateral Damage

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 257 Coteral Damage</h4>

    Unedited

    ...

    "I have done nothing to you."

    "Really?" Lily raised an eyebrow before she unceremoniously took a small bite of her doughnut. "Last time I heard..."

    "It was all Qi Xia. He wanted to attract your attention and wanted to use me to divert Zhuo Jingren¡¯s focus away from you. I never thought that it would blow up like this." Mu Lihua exined. Since Qi Xia already left her, she will make sure to drag him along into this misery.

    "Oh... Mr. Qi... why would he do that?" Lily asked.

    "I have no idea. He never told me. It was obvious that he was not interested in you, so someone else must have asked him to do it." She said. Qi Xia was actually acting mysterious and never talked to her directly about the reasons behind his actions.

    "Alright." Lily nodded.

    "The things that you and Zhuo Jingren did was a bit too much. This made me wonder if I have done something that deserves something as harsh as your methods." Mu Lihua said. All she wanted right now is to know the truth behind this scheme. "I wanted to know the real reason why you are doing this. Was it because of the Scarlet City? Was it because you are creating your own chain of malls in Asia?"

    Before Lily could even answer her, Mu Lihua already added, "I never thought that you would be this shrewd."

    "Oh... I am shrewd, alright." Lily said nonchntly. "If I want your business... I can easily obtain it even before I arrived in Hong Kong months ago."

    "Then, what are you doing? You of all people should know the effort and sacrifices that I made for this position. This was not handed to me. I work my ass off to prove that I am worth it. Why are you doing this?"

    "I know... and that was the reason why I chose to talk to you." Lily smiled. "I am looking for your mother."

    "My mother? She is in..." Mu Lihua did not continue her words as she furrowed her brows. She haven¡¯t talked to her mother for weeks now, and she did not even know where she was.

    "You don¡¯t know," Lily stated when she saw Mu Lihua¡¯s reaction. "I know you don¡¯t know."

    "What did my mother ever do to you? I don¡¯t remember you..."

    "Your mother, along with your Aunt Yuyan and Yang Lina, killed my mother seven years ago," Lily said as she passed a sh drive towards Mu Lihua. "Inside that, you will see Yang Lina¡¯s confession as well as He Yuyan¡¯s written one. If you don¡¯t believe me... then you should see your aunt for yourself."

    Mu Lihua only stared at Lily, confused. "My mother..." Was her mother capable of killing someone? Of all people, Mu Lihua knew that He Xin was indeed capable of murder. "What are you nning to do? Are you nning to make me suffer to sh out my mother?"

    Lily¡¯s lips slowly turned upwards into a smile as she stared at Mu Lihua. "Secret." She said. Seeing Mu Lihua¡¯s face darkened, Lily instantlyughed. "I am kidding." She uttered while waving her hand and shaking her head. "I am just amused... I mean... you, my dear... delivered yourself in my doorstep ¨C in a silver tter. I was looking for a way to provoke you and create some trouble, but you just have to agree to Mr. Qi¡¯s request and provoked us first."

    "Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s funny too?" Lily added. "Ah... theplexities of human nature. You owe Qi Xia and you were just paying a debt. You were unaware that you are already walking into a trap that was capable of ruining you."

    "You see? This is why I don¡¯t like owing people." Lily¡¯s words were only met with silence as Mu Lihua stared at her intently. Lily was calmlyughing and talking, her tone was as friendly as her face. It was as if she was not talking about her scheme and was instead talking to a long-time friend.

    "If I give you my mother... will you stop creating trouble for me?" Mu Lihua asked after a few minutes.

    "For some reason, I was already expecting that you will sell out your parents. Maybe it was because I can sense your cruelty even from your photos."

    "In this world, the only people that are capable of backstabbing you are your family." Mu Lihua answered. "But you already know that. In fact, I would assume that you already know the reason why my parents do not favor Mu Qingling. Am I right, President Zhuo?"

    Lily instantly scoffed at her words. "Oh... Please... Call me Lily." Lilyughed before she continued. "Miss Mu is truly vicious. Mu Qingling... the true heiress of the Mu Group was your cousin. Yes... I already know this. However, this makes me wonder... Is this the reason why you are always trying to prove that you are worthy of the CEO position? The position that you stole from Mu Qingling?"

    "I did not steal anything from her. It was my parents. I have nothing to do with it." Mu Qingling instantly answered. All along, she had been aware that Mu Qingling is the daughter of her uncle. The one who died under He Xin¡¯s scalpel.

    The person who truly owned the Mu Group.

    However, this did not make her feel any guilt about obtaining the CEO Position. After all, she genuinely felt that she was worthy and worked hard for it. Heiress or not, Mu Lihua believed that Mu Group should belong to her.

    "Your mother was a vicious woman Miss Mu. I have enough proof that would make her go to jail from malpractice and murder. She killed Mu Qingling¡¯s father during surgery, just like how she killed my mother years ago. It was truly a pity that you have been born into such kind of mother." Lily said as the smile on her face slowly disappeared.

    "However, the choice of bullying your sister and teaching her dancing instead of business management was on you. You fear that she will be as brilliant as her father and so you make her believe that she loved dancing so much. You controlled everything around her, making her hate your parents for always favoring you. You are brilliant... even I would apud the level of maniption and brains that you put into your actions." Lily scoffed before she smirked. "Too bad in my book... you are nothing but coteral damage. Someone dispensable..." Lily made a deliberate paused as her eyes bore into Mu Lihua¡¯s. "Disposable."

 Chapter 258 Pain of Losing

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 258 Pain of Losing</h4>

    "I have nothing to do with their crimes," Mu Lihua said, ignoring Lily¡¯s mockery.

    "Alright," Lily nodded as she ate thest piece of her doughnut. "I believe we are done talking? Ah... look at that. You didn¡¯t even touch your food. What a waste."

    "Stop targeting me," Mu Lihua said as she continued to ignore Lily¡¯s nonchnce. "I have nothing to do with what she did. My mother is a selfish person. Seeing me like this won¡¯t make her reveal herself. If you continue to target me, I will be forced to fight back and... it would not be very good to have a war in the business industry."

    "Oh..." Lily slowly nodded before she smiled at Mu Lihua. "Is this a joke?"

    "I have no time to joke with you," Mu Lihua said in a serious tone as she put the sh drive in her bag. "If you won¡¯t stop then I will do my best to fight back."

    "Hmmm... dering war against me. How bold. It makes me wonder if you¡¯re crazy or stupid? Which one is it?" Lily said before her expression also turned serious. "It is your mother who owes me, Miss Mu. Your family owes me a lot. You don¡¯t get to have a say about my ns. As I said, you are nothing but a decoy. I want your mother, and I will get her even if that means destroying your pretty little face."

    "If I give my mother to you... will you stop attacking mypany?"

    "First and foremost... it is not yourpany, and... No. I will not," Lily answered without batting an eyelid.

    "Why? Don¡¯t you think you have done enough damage? I am just a bystander in this... whatever it is that you want from my mother. Moreover, Mu Qingling... she might be the true heir as her father was the one who owned Mu Group before my father took over, but she does not have the ability to run thepany. She is just a simple entertainer who wanted to be famous by selling her body. She doesn¡¯t have the brains or the qualifications to be a CEO."

    "Of course she doesn¡¯t. You made sure that she didn¡¯t learn anything rted to business," Lily answered. Mu Lihua was four years older than Mu Qingling so she had been aware when Mu Qingling and her family got into an ident that killed both of her parents.

    After the death of the Mu couple, Mu Huang and He Yuyan adopted Mu Qingling and chose not to inform her of her true origins. This was because they feared that she would try to im ownership of thepany that her father built. They also asked Mu Huang¡¯s influential friends to keep this knowledge a secret from everyone.

    After some time, people forgot who originally started thepany just as they forgot how and when Mu Qingling appeared. She was the forgotten heir of the Mu Group and her father, who grew up abroad and only came back to China to im his inheritance, was killed without even knowing the extent of his wealth.

    "A vicious woman like you... does not deserve any pity. You might not hurt your sister physically but you made sure that she learned nothing that could help her run thepany that was supposed to be under her name. This alone... shows your ruthlessness and the type of person that you are. However, I can¡¯t deny the fact that I am really enjoying this game," Lily added when Mu Lihua did not respond to her taunts.

    "I am enjoying this game, Miss Mu, and I don¡¯t easily let go of the things that I enjoy," Lily said as she rose from her seat. "The purpose of this conversation has been achieved. You now know the reason why I am targeting you. See you soon, Miss Mu. I will send your regards to your pretty little cousin," Lily promised with a smile as sheleft Mu Lihua behind.

    After Lily boarded the car, she instantly ordered them to take her to Sky City. Zhuo Jingren mentioned that he has a few meetings today and that he might bete, so Lily decided to cook dinner so he could eat the moment that he reached home.

    "Yang Mi... can you drop by the grocery store and buy some chicken? I¡¯m making a chicken casserole for dinner tonight," Lily requested as she handed the list of ingredients to Yang Mi. "Make sure to buy everything on the list... I will stay in the car and take a nap," she said after handing her credit card to Yang Mi. Dinner sorted, Lily kneaded her temples and closed her eyes.

    Lily anticipated that Mu Lihua would confront her father after this. She would surely panic and tell her father about the fact that Lily knows exactly what happened to Mu Qingling¡¯s parents. This fact alone was enough to ruin them, so it was reasonable for Mu Lihua to take this seriously. Lily was pretty sure that Mu Huang had regr contact with He Xin, so it was a given that he would surely pass this information on to He Xin.

    Lily, on the other hand, had no ns to stop attacking Mu Lihua.

    What she wants to see right now is for Mu Lihua to me everything on He Xin. With Mu Lihua¡¯s ruthless nature, it wouldn¡¯t be too surprising if she brought He Xin to Lily on a tter. Because of He Xin, Mu Lihua had been targeted, and the name that she¡¯d painstakingly made for herself was ruined. Lily was sure that Mu Lihua would not let this pass.

    All Lily wanted to do was to make He Xin feel the pain of losing. She would lose her daughter... someone that she loved and cherished. Then Lily would make sure that she would lose her medical license, her hospital, her husband, and everything else that she adored. By then... her mental defenses would be too weak and it would be easier for Lily to flush her out.

 Chapter 259 Selfish Nature

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 259 Selfish Nature</h4>

    Sky City

    "I heard that Mu Lihua was on her way to China?" Zhuo Jingren asked as he ate the chicken casserole that his lovely wife had prepared for him. "She probably has connections. I am sure she¡¯ll be able to see her aunt tonight."

    "First... let¡¯s talk about my chicken casserole," Lily chose not to answer him. "Do you like it? How was it? Creamy?"

    "This is a chicken and mushroom casserole," Zhuo Jingren said.

    "Oh yeah... I added some mushrooms to the recipe," she instantly nodded. The recipe was only for chicken casserole but she found some mushrooms in the fridge so she decided to add those as well.

    "I¡¯ve already told you not to change the recipes just because you feel like it," Zhuo Jingren said. Seeing the smile on Lily¡¯s face slowly vanish, Zhuo Jingren instantly added, "But this one tastes really good. I think it would be a good idea to write your own recipes instead of changing recipes that you find online."

    As expected, Lily¡¯s face instantly lit up. "Really? You think I should publish a recipe book?"

    "Ehem... not publish. Just write one for us," He answered.

    "Oh... Okay." Lily used a fork to spear some mushrooms. "I love mushrooms. I should write recipes about mushrooms."

    "Hmmm... Good idea," he nodded. "Tell me... are you nning something evil again?"

    Lily only raised an eyebrow at him before eating another mushroom. "First... I don¡¯t have evil ideas, alright? Second..." She paused as she slowly leaned towards Zhuo Jingren. "How did you know that I wanted something? Am I being too obvious?"

    "First, all of your ideas are evil, and second, you are too obvious," he grinned before pinching Lily¡¯s nose.

    "Aw! And here I thought I could get away with just being pretty and my wonderful cooking skills," she stroked her nose yfully.

    "So?"

    "Well... I want to see Mu Qingling," Lily answered. "I want to talk to her, personally."

    "Why?" Zhuo Jingren¡¯s brows instantly furrowed. To be honest, he does not want Lily to be this hands on with her ns. He does not want to put her in danger at all. Zhuo Jingren decided long ago to stand in front of Lily, to be the face behind all of these ruthless schemes to protect her identity and to protect her personally.

    "I know you are aware that I met with Mu Lihua earlier and... Mu Qingling is not yet ready. She is not yet prepared to face the things that Mu Lihua will do after today."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Mu Lihua will reveal to the public that her mother and father killed Mu Qingling¡¯s parents," Lily said. "She is the type of person who would not even think twice about sacrificing her own parents for her personal gain."

    Seeing Zhuo Jingren fall into deep contemtion, Lily continued. "Mu Lihua hates her father for being incapable and for stealing thepany. She hates him for not being smart enough to convince their grandfather to make him the heir instead of Mu Qingling¡¯s intelligent father. She would not hesitate to ruin his name just to make the investors kick him out of thepany."

    "While she is close with her mother... Mu Lihua is ruthless. She would use this opportunity to lure her mother and she would even drag He Xin towards me just to save herself," Lily added before she scooped some of the creamy sauce and put it on top of her rice.

    "How do you know this?" Zhuo Jingren asked. This is a detailed reaction- something that should be very hard to calcte just from Mu Lihua and Lily¡¯s conversation.

    "Because President Zhuo..." Lily gave him a sly smile as she paused and stared into his eyes, "That is exactly what I would do if I were in her shoes."

    Zhuo Jingren instantly nodded. "Why don¡¯t we just kidnap Mu Lihua and make Mu Huang call He Xin to retrieve her?"

    "What are you talking about? We, my dear are not criminals, alright?" Lily said before she leaned towards Zhuo Jingren again. "After Mu Lihua sees He Yuyan, she might or might not confront her father. I am not yet sure about that. But what I am sure about is her revealing this news to the public. She will act as if... she just got hold of this information, and then she¡¯ll condemn her parents for their ruthlessness."

    "She might even do this first thing tomorrow. That¡¯s why I need to prepare Mu Qingling for this, and only I can do this. Not you, and certainly not Bei Tian," she added. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s ways are a bit to brutal and direct while Bei Tian is a little bloodthirsty goofball. Lily was sure that both men would not be able to handle a woman breaking down in front of them. What if they ended up leaving Mu Qingling without telling her the n? That would just ruin everything.

    "So you want to manipte her while her mental state is weak?" Zhuo Jingren surmised.

    "What manipte?" Lily sighed dramatically. "Her mental state has always been weak. She didn¡¯t have anyone who loved and could supported her, she was manipted by her sister from an early age, she was alone, and no one was there for her. This is why she seeks male attention just to make herself feel worthy. A woman who is already weak mentally... doesn¡¯t need to be manipted She will do what you want to gain your approval."

    Zhuo Jingren could only sigh at his wife¡¯s words before he shook his head in defeat. "Alright, I will apany you to see her. I am curious about something... Are you nning to help Mu Qingling?" Lily once mentioned to him how Mu Qingling reminded her of her previous self. This was before he released all of her videos online. Moreover, Lily also made sure that he would not kill Mu Qingling.

    This made him curious about whether Lily wanted to help Mu Qingling recover everything that she had lost.

    In response, Lily smiled at Zhuo Jingren. She did say that Mu Qingling reminded her of her previous weak self, and to be honest she would love to help the woman reim everything that was taken from her, but... "I have no time for that," she answered. Her priority is the murderer of her unborn child and mother. "Mu Qingling does not have the skills to manage apany but the shares that she¡¯s supposed to have, the trust fund... she should have control of that."

    Zhuo Jingren only nodded at her words. This made sense. Lily was not some self-righteous heroine who would save everyone who was treated unfairly in this world. This was not her battle and he would rather keep it that way. Zhuo Jingren would not want Lily to get involved in some other family¡¯s matter. Call him selfish, but he is only thinking about the safety of his wife. "When would you like to talk to her?" he asked.

    "After we finish dinner," she answered, her gaze lingering on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s handsome face before she shifted it towards her food. Unlike Mu Qingling, Lily was lucky to have been found by her grandmother. She was lucky to meet Zhuo Jingren. She was lucky that despite everything... she was still loved by a lot of people who would not hesitate to protect her.

    While, she wanted to help the woman, Lily would not act as a hypocrite. She would not pretend that she was righteous. She had her own priorities and she was not nning to slow down her ns just to help someone else. She is selfish by nature so Lily will always prioritize herself... and Zhuo Jingren... above everything else.

 Chapter 260 Offer

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 260 Offer</h4>

    Mu Qingling stared at the photo that Lily gave her. She bit her lips as her hands started to shake. "This is..."

    "Mu Huang¡¯s brother and his wife, and that infant is their daughter," Lily answered. "Do you think the man looks familiar?"

    "I... I look like him?" Mu Qingling said as she shifted her gaze towards Lily, her eyes full of wariness. "Is he... Am I... adopted?"

    "Let me tell you a story, Miss Mu," Lily shifted as she sat on the edge of the small hotel bed as she smiled at Mu Qingling. "Let me start with the ssics. Once upon a time, there was a dysfunctional family in Maind China. As with most influential families, theirs was also full of poisonous mistresses and bastard children. One day, the patriarch of the family met a beautiful young woman who instantly caught his attention. It was love at first sight and well... that woman quickly fell pregnant."

    "The patriarch loved this woman so much that he bought a mansion abroad just to keep this woman safe from his...legal wife. He also stopped seeing his other mistresses and gave all of his attention to this pregnant woman. Nine monthster, the woman gave birth to a beautiful boy."

    "The patriarch was ecstatic! The boy looked a lot like him! He instantly changed his will and gave this boy hispany and many of his finest properties. He even named the child after him. See?The man in the photo was that much loved little boy. After the patriarch¡¯s death, that boy went to Maind China to im his tremendous inheritance. But... this is not a fairytale. The man died. ording to the news, he died along with his wife and his infant daughter."."

    "However... the baby in that picture survived. You see where I am going with this?" Lily raised an eyebrow. At this point, Mu Qingling was already a mess. Her tears were flowing down her cheeks like an unstoppable stream. She stared at the photo then looked at Lily, her gaze full of undisguised pain and sadness. "That child is you, Miss Mu, and your father was the sole owner with a staggering 35% ownership of Mu Group shares.This is based on the will written by your grandfather before he died."

    "They... adopted me?" Mu Qingling stuttered. "How... why should I believe you? Are you trying to manipte me as well?"

    "I see you have gotten a little smarter," Lily gave a joylessugh. "DNA test, of course. I took the liberty of stealing Mu Lihua¡¯s hair andpared it to yours. Take a look in the envelope. Inside you¡¯ll see DNA results that prove you are cousins, not siblings." In response, Mu Qingling examined the results before studying the photo once again.

    The man in the photo looked a lot like Mu Huang. No one would be able to deny that they are brothers. However... the woman who was holding the child... the woman¡¯s eyes was obviously a copy of what Mu Qingling have. Her tears continue to fall as she remembered how her childhood was nothing like the fairytale that everyone thought it would be. Was such treatment because she was only their adopted daughter?

    She thought about how Mu Lihua never fail to show off how smart she was in front of her. Mu Qingling could never forget how... she had always felt like an outsider. The dumb one, the ugly duckling. Her mother, He Xin, favored Mu Lihua and would always give her the cold shoulder.

    As a child, all she remembered was Mu Lihua giving her things, second-hand toys and even clothes. She remembered how her sister was the only one who supported and protected her. Mu Lihua supported her love of dance over practical knowledge.

    Mu Qingling used to think that it was she who was the evil one for being jealous of her sister. She was a jealous person who wanted what her sister have. Mu Lihua did nothing but support her, yet all she seemed to do waspete with her. However,this all changed when she realized that all she ever learned was the exact opposite of what Mu Lihua was being taught. She learned arts instead of science. She learned how to dance instead of how to manage theirpany.

    When she asked her father to at least hire her as an assistant, he would never agree and would always use the reason that shecked the knowledge to be one. Of course, shecked the knowledge! She never even had an interest in learning this as she was so focused on her dancing!

    "Mu Lihua... she..." Mu Qingling was unable to continue speaking as she recalled how Mu Lihua helped her kept this hobby a secret from her parents. She was also the one who gave her cash so she could take dancing sses. She even helped her register forpetitions abroad!

    She used to think that Mu Lihua was being generous in helping her, but now... she felt that this was all a scheme! A deep scheme to keep her useless and uninformed when ites topany matters. How could a small child even think of something like this? How could she even think that her sister- the person that she considered her only ally before would be capable of doing such a thing at such an early age?

    "Calm yourself." Mu Qingling heard Lily¡¯s voice. She instantly shifted her gaze towards Lily.

    "You want to use me against the Mu Family," Mu Qingling realized.

    *p*

    *p*

    *p*

    Lily¡¯s slow p reached Mu Qingling¡¯s ears and before she could even say anything, Lily acknowledge her words. "You are correct," Lily nodded.

    "I would love to use you to destroy your sister. However, I am not here because of that," Lily said as she handed a small recorder to Mu Qingling. "I always have one of these on hand whenever I go out. This contains Mu Lihua¡¯s confession of how she already knew that you are not her sister. Tomorrow... or maybe in theing days, she will reveal this fact to the public and would sell out her mother and father for killing your family."

    "She will say that she just discovered this fact and will act righteous in front of everyone. This will make the investors kick My Huang out of thepany while they apud Mu Lihua¡¯s bravery. Mu Lihua is smart. She is nning to turn the table and make herself look good. She will then attempt to reconcile with you and will let the world watch as you insult her, the one woman who did not hesitate to turn her parents in for the wrongs theymitted against you."

    "By then... people willbel you as ungrateful while they will apud Mu Lihua¡¯s righteous ways," Lily added as a smile bloomed on her face. "See, I would offer to help you destroy Mu Lihua. In return... you make her suffer and give her what she deserves."

    "If you hate Mu Lihua so much... why not just destroy her on your own? I am... useless. I don¡¯t have money or influence. Why are you still nning to help me? I can¡¯t give you anything," Mu Qingling was truly reluctant as she is scared - very scared of Lily and Zhuo Jingren.

    "I amzy. I would rather sit and watch than do it on myself," Lily shrugged. "You have one minute to think about it," she dered as she checked the time on her phone.

    Mu Qingling stared at the smiling woman in front of her. She was elegantly sitting on the bed while waiting for her answer. Mu Qingling opened her mouth in an attempt to answer but ended up closing it again. She looked at the photo in her shaking hands as another stream of tears tumbled down her cheeks. "I¡¯ll take it," she said.

 Chapter 261 Jealousy

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 261 Jealousy</h4>

    Just like what Lily expected, the first thing that Mu Lihua did was to confirm this to her own aunt. She went to Maind China and used her connections to see her Aunt Yuyan. After confirming everything with her Aunt, Mu Lihua went to the Mu Family¡¯s mansion and confronted her father about what she had learned.

    It was a total chaos as Mu Lihua med her parents for hiding away this information from her. She went all out in criticizing her father and ming him for everything. This conversation ended with her walking out in rage, her eyes were red from the tears that she tried to stop from falling. Mu Lihua felt that she was extremely unlucky to be born into such a family and she hated every part of it.

    Of course, the first thing that Mu Lihua did after leaving the Mu mansion was to n. She wanted a solid counter attack. Mu Lihua was aware that she could be inferior to Lily. However, this would not stop her from trying to retaliate. She would never go down without a fight.

    Meanwhile, after Mu Lihua left the Mu Mansion, Mu Huang immediately tried to call He Xin. This time he used a satellite phone that he just obtained from one of his friends in the military and called He Xin directly.

    After informing He Xin that Mu Lihua already knew everything, he ended the call and continued to n on how to silence Mu Qingling permanently. ording to Mu Lihua, Mu Qingling might already be aware of what they did before and a normal person would immediately retaliate and try to expose this in the media.

    "Are you sure that she is in that motel?" he asked the other person on the phone.

    "Positive."

    "Then... kill her. I want you to make it look like she could not take the guilt from lying about what Mu Lihua did to her and killed herself. Mu Lihua treated her properly and she still backstabbed her own sister. This should be enough to make her kill herself. Have her write this into a suicide note before you finish her off." He ordered before dropping the call. He then heaved a sigh as he thought about the chaos that had been happeningtely.

    ....

    When Zhuo Jingren received the news that Mu Lihua wanted a press conference, the first thing that he did was let out a surprised gasp. Once again, his wife had proven him that she was indeed a very capable strategist. Even he, would not be capable of that.

    "That is because you only know how to kill people." Bei Tian chimed in, as if he was able to guess his thoughts. "Sister inw is indeed the best. I should find a wife like her- ah... should find one better than her."

    "Now you are calling her sister inw." Zhuo Jingren mused before he ended the call with one of his men. "I can see the sparkle in your eyes from here. Don¡¯t think of admiring my wife too much. She is already mine."

    In response, Bei Tian¡¯s eyes widened. "Ah... of course not. She is even scarier than you. I would rather not have someone who can read my mind like an open book!"

    "You just said that you wanted someone like her." Zhuo Jingren countered.

    "Hmmmm..." Bei Tian stroked his chin in contemtion. "Now that I think about it. I don¡¯t think I am brave enough to talk to someone like her everyday. My brains would not be able to handle it. It might explode or decide to leave me one day. Ah... not that it matters, my good looks is still my number one selling point. Of course, there is also my skills and..." Bei Tian continued to talk as Zhuo Jingren shook his head in amusement.

    "How was Mu Qingling?" Zhuo Jingren interrupted his friend.

    "As expected, that despicable Mu Huang sent someone to kill her." Bei Tian said. "Of course, this is my expertise, I won¡¯t bore you with the details. I already took care of it."

    "Hmmm... Alright. Once Mu Lihua¡¯s press conference start we will reveal everything. By now, He Xin should be on her way to save her daughter, unaware that Mu Lihua has already nned to sell her out." Zhuo Jingren said.

    "Why are you so sure that she woulde? Sister inw is not a god, alright? Her words should not be that urate?" Bei Tian said.

    "It is not urate. However she analyzed He Xin¡¯s state of mind and deduced that thetter would act if she heard that Mu Qingling already knew about this. Her medical career is very important to her. This is something that she is very proud of, if Mu Qingling tried to retaliate by filing a case against her, she would surely lose her license and reputation." Zhuo Jingren exined patiently, his tone very gentle, as if he was talking to a child. "Moreover, she would never let her own daughter hate her and would try to reach out to exin why she made such decisions."

    "Oh... then what if Mu Huang did not call her? What if she was not aware?"

    "He did. He made a callst night just after Mu Lihua did. Two calls actually. One was to an untraceable number while the other Is to his men." Zhuo Jingren answered. In response, Bei Tian nodded, a chill slowly ran down his spine. This couple... Lily and Zhuo Jingren were very capable to the point that they are extremely scary. Then he slowly nodded, he is extremely lucky that he is on good terms with this couple, ah.

    .....

    Just as they predicted, He Xin was indeed on her way to Hongkong. After she heard the news from Mu Huangst night, she was not able to stop herself froming home. How could she let her daughter hate her? All she wanted now was to exin her side of the story. She needed to tell Mu Lihua how she thought that Bec was Mu Huang¡¯s mistress. She needed to clear things out and tell her how her emotions got to her when she saw Lily cross the street one night.

    Lily and Bec¡¯s simrities were so uncanny that she immediately thought that Lily was Mu Huang¡¯s daughter. This was the very reason why she hit the gas and sped towards Lily. She was furious and she felt that her husband betrayed her. How could her husband have a child with his mistress? He Xin was just too angry and confused.

    At the hospital, she used the reason that Yang Lina gave her to kill Bec. She wanted her gone. Women like her who loved to climb into somebody else¡¯s bed deserved to die and rot in hell!

    She wanted her daughter to understand her side of the story and at least empathize with her. She was a mother and a woman with insecurities. She loved her husband too much and it was normal for a woman like her to get jealous.

    Jealousy.

    That was the reason why she did what she did seven years ago. Jealousy and nothing more.

 Chapter 262 Once Upon A Time

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 262 Once Upon A Time</h4>

    Mu Lihua smiled at everyone sitting before her. The police stood on the sidelines.. This made the reporters and some of the audience a bit nervous. Why did she invite the police at this time?

    It was8:58am and everyone was excited to hear Mu Lihua¡¯s announcement.

    ¡¯What do you think will she announce?¡¯

    ¡¯This should be about her father taking over thepany. I heard from a source that Mu Huang is already the new CEO.¡¯

    ¡¯This is an attempt to save their malls. People are now saying they will boycott Scarlet City because of Mu Lihua¡¯s ruthless behavior.¡¯

    ¡¯I think it¡¯s something different.¡¯

    Audience members began debating amongst themselves. What could be the reasons for this press conference, and why have the authorities on standby?

    The sound of mic feedback echoed in the hall, a signal that Mu Lihua was about to start speaking.

    "Good Morning," she said, her voice a little crisp. It was as if she was trying her best to hold back tears. This instantly raised a lot of eyebrows. Was she going to cry?

    "My name is Mu Lihua. I represent the Mu Group, and today I will..." Before she couldplete her sentence, someone¡¯s gasp echoed through the hall.

    "Mu Qingling posted a video online!" one of the reporters said. "Look, it is about the Mu family!"

    Mu Lihua¡¯s beautiful eyes instantly widened. She tried to continue with what she was saying but most of the people in front of her were already looking at their phones. "Ehem..." she cleared her throat to try and gain their attention but it seemed that no one heard her. "Today I am here to..."

    "Arrest her!" One person from the back shouted. "She is a despicable woman! Arrest her!"

    Mu Lihua¡¯s face instantly paled when she heard those words, however, she tried her best to look calm on the outside.

    "Her parents killed Mu Qingling¡¯s parents and she knew it! She bullied Mu Qingling because of it!"

    "My Goodness! What a ruthless woman!" Everyone¡¯s judging res turned towards Mu Lihua, making her cringe under their censuring looks. How could these people judge her like this?

    "Stop this," Mu Lihua said as she turned her eyes to the authorities, trying to ask them to help her. However, it was toote. One person came out of nowhere and threw something at her.

    ¡¯Pak¡¯

    ¡¯Pak¡¯

    Eggs? Tomatoes?

    Where did thise from? Mu Lihua tried to duck but her movements were too slow. She was hit by an egg and then some other nasty things. She felt some form of cold liquid flowing from her head and realized that someone even threw an ice-cream cone at her!

    What is this situation! Even the authorities were dumbfounded! They instantly tried to catch the people who were throwing things at Mu Lihua but the culprits were quick enough to evade the authorities.

    "Murderer!" another person shouted before running in the opposite direction. The scene was absolute chaos! Mu Lihua was now being protected by her security detail who were helping her leave the premises, and then someone yed Mu Qingling¡¯s video on therge screen.

    ¡¯Once upon a time there was a family in Maind China..." Those were thest words that Mu Lihua heard before her security detail took her out via the back door of the venue. She was curious about Mu Qingling¡¯s statement but her safety was more important right now.

    "Give me your tablet," she hissed the moment she got into her car. She did not even bother cleaning herself up as she snatched her secretary¡¯s tablet. She instantly looked at the trending videos and furrowed her brows even more when she saw Mu Qingling¡¯s views climbing. Ten thousand people? In just a few seconds?

    "Call someone. Take this down!" she ordered her secretary. "Have them take this video down!" she yelled before she started ying the video. The video started with Mu Qingling¡¯s calm tone as she told the story about her father being a bastard as well as how her grandfather left thepany to him.

    "Shut this down!" Mu Lihua hissed at her secretary who was already panicking. "Shut this down now!"

    "CEO Mu, the social media tform that I talked to just now said they could not do anything about it," her secretary answered. This was the first time that she saw Mu Lihua acting like this and she was truly afraid.

    "Useless! Take me to see my father! I know he sent someone to kill this womanst night! Why is she still alive?" Mu Lihua said as she continued to look at the video. At this point, Mu Qingling started crying as she talked about how Mu Lihua spoiled her when she was a kid. Mu Lihua could only grit her teeth as she continued to watch the video.

    With the truth out in the open, what will happen to her? Her mother and father would surely be investigated. However, this was not her concern at this moment. All she could think about was the fact that her position would bepromised. With Zhuo Jingren and Lily targeting her and Mu Qingling joining in the game, Mu Lihua felt that she really needed to up her game.

    These people would not stop until she gave them her mother. She needed to find her mother and personally deliver her to Lily! The only thing that Mu Lihua was thinking of was how to save her own self. To her, she was just someone who got dragged because of her parent¡¯s viciousness. She did not deserve to suffer like this!

    "CEO Mu, someone just called your personal phone," her secretary said meekly. "It is the Madam."

    Mu Lihua¡¯s eyes instantly narrowed as she snatched the phone from her secretary¡¯s hand. She was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she did not even notice her phone ringing. "It¡¯s me," she said coldly. He Xin was the reason why she was suffering right now. There is no way that she would let this woman go for creating trouble and making her lose her reputation in the process.

 Chapter 263 Targeted

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 263 Targeted</h4>

    Mu Lihua was livid.

    She was angry and shaking as she and Mu Huang watch the video again. "How did she survive?" Mu Lihua asked. While she did not participate in any of the criminal activities that her father condoned, she was aware of the Mu Family¡¯s connections to the ck market. She was also aware that the military in China had been constantly monitoring their activities for some time now.

    "Zhuo Jingren is protecting her," Mu Huang answered. "It is very important to note that Zhuo Jingren¡¯s influence is far greater than mine. His banking clients are both government officials and people from the ck market."

    "The investors have been calling me. At any time today or tomorrow, the cops will knock on our door and will probably start an investigation as a lot of people have already seen the video," he added, his face solemn.

    This instantly made Mu Lihua fall into a deep silence as she thought about her next move. She needed to tread carefully and be mindful from now on. She was sure that Lily had something more in store for her, however, He Xin was already making her way to Mu Lihua¡¯s house. This mother and daughter pair would meet soon, and when they did, Mu Lihua would bring her mother to see Lily.

    In Mu Lihua¡¯s thinking, only Zhuo Jingren and Lily were capable of stopping this downward spiral that she was in.

    After talking to her father, Mu Lihua chose to go back to her house and wait for her mother¡¯s arrival. ording to He Xin it would take her a day to arrive because she was using the safest way to enter the city so her presence would not be detected.

    Of course, Mu Lihua was unaware that He Xin had been taken captive by Bei Tian the moment she stepped inside the city.

    ...

    Meanwhile, Lily was not exactly ecstatic when she heard the news about He Xin. She should have at least felt relieved knowing thatst night, Bei Tian had captured He Xin.

    Yesterday, when Mu Qingling¡¯s video started trending, Lily expected He Xin to arrive at any moment, and as usual she was right. However, she didn¡¯t have the time to celebrate this feat right now.

    Lily¡¯s brows were furrowed as she continued to listen to Yang Mi¡¯s report. She massaged her temples and looked at the various files in front of her. "So, we have twenty wounded people, and two are fighting for their lives," she repeated.

    In response, Mr. Rossi and Mr. Han, who was standing next to Yang Mi, nodded at the same time.

    "The ident this time... was truly unexpected. This will dy the opening of the new Harmony Isle for another month," Mr. Rossi reported. Though he was away for a few months, he was still aware of the new vestures that Lily made over the past few weeks.

    "Talk to the families. We will shoulder the hospital expenses. Pay all the employees to keep their mouths shut. This ident has already reached the ears of the media. I don¡¯t want them to say that the mall has attracted bad luck," Lily said. This part of the world was extremely superstitious. If an ident happened in a building, some people would immediately conclude that space had attracted some sort of bad spirit and would advise purification of the space by a Daoist Priest. Lily¡¯s words only earned some nods before silence followed.

    Because Lily wanted to get things done faster, the construction of Harmony Isle was on a twenty-four hours work cycle. Everything had been going well for the past few weeks. In fact, their progress was extremely fast. However,st night an equipment failure caused problems and this eventually led to a workce ident. Many men were wounded and this would surely dy the progress of the opening.

    "I want you to investigate this ident. An instrument malfunction is quite normal, but all of our instruments here are new. A malfunction like this is... too impossible to believe," she added.

    "I¡¯ve already asked someone to investigate the malfunction," Mr. Han answered as he pursed his lips. His face was stern while he waited for Lily¡¯s answer.

    "Reporters will be itching to interview you two," Lily answered. "You should already have your statements prepared." This was not the first time that their constructionpany had encountered something like this, so Lily was confident that both men would be capable enough to handle this on their own.

    "Absolutely," Mr. Rossi nodded. "However, I have reason to believe that we are deliberately being targeted this time." He then handed the folder that he was holding to Lily. "CCTV footage of people observing us from afar," he said as Lily started to examine the photos inside the folder.

    "You think that someone wants to dy the opening of Harmony Isle?" She raised an eyebrow in contemtion.

    "It¡¯s possible," Mr. Rossi answered. "Of course, I don¡¯t have any proof right now. I only have these CCTV images. Aside from that... we still need to wait for the result of the investigation."

    "Let me take care of it," Lily answered. "Take care of our worker¡¯s welfare. I don¡¯t want people creating rumors about us as apany," she said. As apany that did not have a solid footing in the Far East, it was normal for Lily to care about a country¡¯s customs and beliefs. Though Hong Kong was influenced by western culture as they were colonized by a country in the West, there are still some citizens who hail from Maind China where the culture is very different from that of the west.

    "If this was indeed nned then I would not be surprised if they nted a spy in ourpany," she said while leaning back in her chair. "Awsuit and losing a chunk of cash are the only two possible oues of this ident."

    "What do you have in mind?" Mr. Rossi was used to asking Lily about her ns. After all, he had witnessed her disy her shrewd business acumen many times now. He was confident that Lily would be able to handle a simplewsuit and underhanded schemes like this.

    "I don¡¯t have a n," Lily answered. Shecked facts, and without proper information she was unwilling to risk anything. "I am not going to fight a war without bullets," she said. "Investigate. I want it done today."

    The two men nodded as they watched Lily rise from her seat. "Now... let¡¯s go talk to the investors," she smiled as she straightened her blue pantsuit. "Someone dared to scheme behind my back, gentlemen. Maybe I should show my ws every now and then to remind people who they should be afraid of."

    Yang Mi and the two men just nodded their heads as they heaved a sigh of relief. Seeing Lily smile meant that she already had an idea of who was behind this. However, she was still cautious and wouldn¡¯t easily jump to conclusions. Lily wanted to make sure that she was right before making ns, before making people pay.

    The three looked at each other before a small smile escaped their lips, then they followed Lily out of the office and towards the board room. Their heads were held high and their backs were straight as they walked behind Lily. This should not be the right time to feel proud but these three could not help themselves.

    Situations like this always made them think that working with Lily was a very great opportunity that anyone in the business industry would be lucky to have. This was a reminder of how fortunate they were to work alongside a woman like her.

 Chapter 264 On Your Deathbed

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 264 On Your Deathbed</h4>

    Pain.

    That was thest thing He Xin remembered before consciousness left her. She was greeted by the same pain the moment she opened her eyes.

    It was dark. She couldn¡¯t make out anything of her surroundings. Instantly, fear rose from the deepest parts of her heart when she realized that she was feeling numb and was unable to move. She guessed that she was tied up to a chair. She squeezed her eyes shut before slowly opening them again, hoping that she could somehow see at least a silhouette of her surroundings.

    Still nothing.

    He Xin bit her lips. Pain... she felt blood trickling down her face, to her lips and eventually her mouth. The taste of iron assaulted her taste buds as soon as the blood seeped into her mouth.

    This was not a dream.

    Earlier, she had tried to use her maximum strength to move her arms but quickly stopped when she felt something tighten around her wrists. Was it a rope, or maybe some wires? She had no idea.

    She tried to extend her awareness as she listened, but she could not hear anything aside from her fast heartbeat and the sound of a generator buzzing in the distance.

    "You¡¯re awake.¡¯ A cold voice echoed inside the room, followed by blinding light. He Xin instantly closed her eyes as the light assaulted her senses. "I thought you were dead," the voice echoed before she heard soft footstepsing towards her. Then she heard something being dragged- a chair?

    He Xin slowly opened her eyes and tried to adjust her vision to the now lit room - No! It was more like a box. The first thing that He Xin noticed was the absence of a window. Underground? Could be, she thought. She squinted her eyes as she tried to make out of the silhouette of the man sitting in front of her.

    "Who are you?" she mustered all of her courage to ask because it would not be wise to appear weak at this moment. Her question, however, remained unanswered as the man did not respond. He Xin once again squinted her eyes to adjust to light emanating from the old fashioned bulb that was ced just above her head. "Why did you bring me here?"

    Once again the man did not answer. He Xin could now clearly see the man¡¯s features. The man was wearing ck cargo pants paired withbat boots. He was also wearing a ck shirt that fit close enough to show off his lean and muscr body. His skin was pale and his looks were good enough tond him a modelling job on a billboard. This instantly made her wonder who this person was.

    "Who are you?" she asked one more time, her gaze directed straight at the man¡¯s stern face. She watched as a smile crept over the man¡¯s young features. It was a beautiful smile but He Xin found it a little disturbing. The man simply tilted his head without answering. For some reason, this gesture instantly sent shivers down her spine. He Xin felt goosebumps all over her body as if... as if a deadly predator was lurking behind her back.

    Her shoulders curved forward and she hunched down in the age-old reflex of humans when facing lethal threats, but trying to reduce her presence did nothing to quiet her racing heart. "What do you want from me?"

    "Guess?" the man suddenly rose from his seat, making He Xin shiver in fright.

    "Stay away!" she struggled to shout, but as in nightmares she could not increase the volume of her voice. She turned her head aside and closed her eyes like a child who believes that what you can¡¯t see won¡¯t hurt you.

    "Look at you, shivering in fear just because I am dangerously handsome," she heard him chuckle ominously right next to her ear. He Xin shivered even more. She did not know whether the man was joking or if he was being serious.

    "Please... stay away from me," she whimpered. "Don¡¯t kill me."

    "A murderer, begging for her life... How ironic," the man mused. "Listen here, old woman..."

    "Stop acting as if I am a rapist or something," the man scoffed. He seemed to be highly amused by his own words. "I am a pure young master who would nevery a finger on a filthy piece of trash like you, so..."

    "Quit dreaming," he added. He Xin felt the man move to stand in front of her and slowly she felt him leave, his footsteps falling farther and farther away from her. "There are a couple of people who are far scarier than me, so you¡¯d better prepare your heart, old woman," he warned. "Oh... and you can call me Mr. B. Don¡¯t forget to remember me when you are on your deathbed."

    After she heard the door close, He Xin instantly turned her head and looked at the now vacant seat in front of her. Who was that man? At this point, only Lily and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s names popped into her mind. They were the only people capable of kidnapping her.

    A single tear rolled down her cheek as she thought about the possibility of dying in their hands. She had been careful and her friend made sure to keep her safe, but the couple was still able to track her down. What if... What if they were tracking down her daughter too?

    ....

    Sky City

    It was already September 7th, Tuesday. Last week, Mu Qingling¡¯s video broke the inte and the ident urred on Harmony Isle construction site. Just as Lily expected, it created a little trouble for herpany as some families held them responsible for choosing substandard equipment for the construction. Some even took it to the extreme and held cards in front of the FC Group¡¯s building asking them to stop their construction until a safety inspection could be done.

    Actually, Lily did not see anything wrong with this request. They had already passed the inspection before they started the construction. Moreover, the constructionpany that was tasked withpleting Harmony Isle was one of FC Group¡¯s subsidiaries, meaning its standard with all of its materials and equipment were even higher than the rest of the local constructionpanies in China and Hong Kong.

    FC Group¡¯s constructionpany had been around for a very long time, and they held the requisite certificates and expert engineers. How could they miss a broken piece of equipment and make such a deadly mistake?

    This issue prevented Lily from being able to see He Xin who had already been captured by Bei Tian and his men. She really wanted to spare some time to see the woman, however, Lily decided to postpone their meeting as her priority was still making money. She is a business tycoon and she has responsibilities.

 Chapter 265 Suffer

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 265 Suffer</h4>

    September 8, Wednesday

    "Still nothing?" Lily asked Bei Tian the moment she arrived in what seemed to be a second-hand shop at Tsing Yi Ind. Her eyes roamed around the store and she was not surprised to see that it looked like a typical run-down shop. No one would suspect that it had a secret prison downstairs.

    Bei Tian shook his head as he eyed Zhuo Jingren, who was in his usual position by Lily¡¯s side. "This way," he said as he turned around to lead them below.

    Hand in hand, Lily and Zhuo Jingren followed him without a word.

    The interior of the shop was more authentic than Lily expected it to be. She could see boxes and mirrors encrusted with shells, in addition to hand sewn dolls that were too scary to even look at. She instantly wondered if the creepy items for sale were ced here deliberately to scare possible customers into leaving quickly. There were also macabre-lookingrge books stacked in the corner with a miniature porcupine on top. Bei Tian...just... wow.

    She followed Bei Tian into the manager¡¯s office and waited for him to open a door using an iris scanner.

    "Inside," Bei Tian said as he extended his hand towards the elevator door. In response, Lily raised an eyebrow at him as she stepped inside the elevator with her husband. The elevator waspletely out of ce in this shop. It looked too modern. It was very high-tech with pale blue lighting on its walls. Bei Tian followed the couple inside and closed the elevator door.

    After a few seconds the elevator door opened again, and the first thing Lily saw was an old library with dusty books on the shelves. She instantly wondered what the purpose of this old library was. Of course, this was just a passing thought as she continued to follow Bei Tian inside.

    "This is it," Bei Tian stopped in front of a metal door. Next to it was a man who was standing like a statue while staring straight at them. "Wei... open the door," he ordered the guard who was so tall even Zhuo Jingren had to look up at the man. Upon being given an order, the man used a key to open the door, revealing a small concrete room.

    The noise of the door being opened instantly attracted the eyes of the woman who was sitting in the corner of the room, hugging her knees. Her eyes were already swollen, her lips pale. Her once beautiful ck hair was an absolute mess.

    "I am not talking," the woman who was obviously He Xin said hoarsely. She did not have the energy to squint her eyes to look at the people outside of the room. "Leave me," she demanded as she shifted her head towards the floor, her simple movement creating a small nking sound from the chains on her hands and feet.

    "You sure about that?" the cold voice, instantly made He Xin lift her head. She looked at the woman standing a few feet away from her who was wearing a beige knee-length coat As expected, seeing Lily again sent fury down her spine. However, He Xin did not show this on the outside. All she wanted right now was for this b*tch to walk closer to her, close enough for her to use her chains to strangle Lily.

    However, this thought did notst long when she noticed another person enter the room.

    Zhuo Jingren.

    As expected, these two were the ones responsible for her captivity. She watched as Zhuo Jingren calmly brought a chair and ced it behind Lily. In response, thetter elegantly took a seat with a small smile on her face.

    "He and his friend suggested more than ten ways to torture you," Lily said as she shifted her gaze back to He Xin. This statement only made He Xin swallow a mouthful of saliva. She already expected them to torture her, maybe even cut a finger or two. "But that would be too bloody." Lily continued.

    "I hate blood," she added. "I hope you have been eating well?"

    Lily¡¯s words only earned a snort of derision from He Xin. However, this did not affect Lily¡¯s smile.

    "Mu Lihua is already suffering." As expected, these words were enough to make He Xin look at Lily. "Your husband and daughter were kicked out of their ownpany. Yesterday, the investors elected a new CEO."

    "If you think you can use Mu Lihua against me then you are seriously mistaken, b*tch," He Xin spouted.

    "Calm down," Lily lifted her hand, her voice obviously gentler this time as she looked at the man standing behind her. "I have been called worse," she smiled before looking back at He Xin.

    "Really?" Lily lifted an eyebrow.

    "Authorities are already looking for you, by the way. Of course, they will never find you... alive. But that is not the point."

    "Then kill me! What are you waiting for? Kill me!" He Xin screamed. If Lily wanted to kill her, then she should just do it and stop talking!

    "I would love to do that. After what you did to my mother and unborn child, you deserve to die the most painful death possible," Lily countered. Her eyes were in crescents, but the ice in her tone was patently obvious. It made He Xin shiver inwardly. "However... I know that you, your sister, and Yang Lina have all been used by someone else. So... would you be so kind as to tell me who wanted my mother and me dead?

    A burst of crispughter echoed through the room as He Xin tried to stop herself fromughing so much. "Ah.... Why do you think that someone asked me to kill you and your mother? It was all me! I killed your mother and your child. It was me. Why are you looking for someone else? Why don¡¯t you kill me instead? Or don¡¯t you care about your mother at all? How about your fetus?"

    Contrary to He Xin¡¯s expectations, her taunting words did not have any effect on Lily. At least not on her face as Lily continued to smile at her. "Fool," Lily uttered before she crossed her legs and stared intently at He Xin. Then she held her hand towards Zhuo Jingren. Without saying anything, Zhuo Jingren handed Lily a phone.

    "I know torture won¡¯t make you talk," Lily said. "I mean... I have no personal grudge towards your daughter. But... I know a person who does," she said as she slowly turned the screen towards He Xin. "For every two minutes that you chose not to talk... You will watch as Mu Lihua suffers in the next room."

 Chapter 266 Cruel and Brutal

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 266 Cruel and Brutal</h4>

    He Xin stared in horror at Lily¡¯s phone, however she quickly masked her fear with indifference. Her heart was hammering in her chest but she tried her best to maintain a poker face. She could not reveal any sign of weakness. Not at times like this.

    "Too small," Lily stated before she nced over her shoulder at Zhuo Jingren. "Have them put a sound system in here, and maybe a big TV? We can¡¯t miss the big show, can we?"

    "What are you going to do?" He Xin asked. Lily¡¯s phone was too small and the only thing that she could see was Mu Lihua sitting at a table. Judging from her clean state and free arms, it is obvious that Lily did not capture her or used any force to restrain her. This instantly made her wonder what was Lily nning to do.

    "You see... my husband is not a very good man," Lily pouted before she dramatically widened her eyes. "Your daughter actually offended him so he suggested torturing your daughter instead. Imagine my horror when he told me that he could have her raped and humiliated in front of you?"

    Lily¡¯s light tone paired with a small smile on her face made it seem as if she was talking to a friend. However, the effects of her words were akin to a sharp knife, slowly slicing a little part of He Xin¡¯s heart. What kind of mother would be able to stomach the scene that Lily described? She might be a monster... a murderer, but she would not be able to watch as her own daughter was humiliated like that.

    Still, He Xin maintained a stern expression as she scoffed. A moment of weakness would be very disadvantageous for her. She could not let Lily know how much she cared for her daughter. She could not let her know how much she cared for Mu Huang. If she did, Lily would use these two against her. The fact that Mu Lihua was still alive and safe in that video was enough to prove that this was all a test.

    In He Xin¡¯s mind, Lily and Zhuo Jingren could not just abduct a person without repercussions. Mu Lihua and even Mu Huang are well- known business people . Their disappearance wouldn¡¯t go unnoticed . Lily and Zhuo Jingren do not own Hong Kong. They could not just ignore thew and kill people as they wished.

    "Of course, I instantly disagreed. How could I watch someone get humiliated like that?" Lily smiled before the door opened and the one called Mr. B strode inside with his men. They were carrying a big TV with a sound system.

    "Is this enough?" Mr. B asked as he lifted an eyebrow.

    "Enough. You can put it there. This room is not that big to start with." Lily said before she rose from her seat. Zhuo Jingren instantly lifted the chair and positioned it near the wall to make enough space for the TV that was in the center of the small concrete room.

    Once everything was ready, Bei Tian turned on the TV showing Mu Lihua wearing the same outfit and sitting in the same ce. Her face was propped on her palms, elbows on the table. She seemed rxed and bored at the same time.

    "Alright... we can start now." Lily said as she returned to her seat. On the TV, Mu Lihua¡¯s head lifted, her gaze was attracted to something. Then a person... a woman who was wearing a white suit sat in front of Mu Lihua.

    "Where is Lily?" Mu Lihua¡¯s voice echoed inside the room.

    "Busy," The woman answered. If one were to look closely, you would see that this was the same woman who was humiliated by Tang Wei Dong. This was also one of the women who filed a formalint against him for rape and physical abuse. This woman was the one that Lily saved two years ago- the same woman who helped Lily with her ns against the Tang Family.

    "I already told you, I don¡¯t know where my mother is," Mu Lihua said as impatienceced her tone. "I want to see Lily or Zhuo Jingren. I want to see anyone with authority," she demanded.

    "I have enough authority to deal with you," he woman said calmly. "Again, where is your mother?"

    "I said..." Mu Lihua did not continue her words as she lifted her gaze towards the CCTV in the room. "I know you are watching Lily! I already told you I don¡¯t know where my mother is. We were supposed to meetst week but she did not show her face! That woman is a murderer and a liar! I would not hesitate to turn her over to you if she ever lets me see her face again."

    "If you don¡¯t believe me, I can always give you the number that she used to call mest time. I am not sure if you can trace it... but I really don¡¯t know! You have to let me go!" Mu Lihua added. Then the video froze.

    "I paused it." Lily said revealing a small remote in her hand, her face was as calm as when she first walked into the room. The smile on her face never disappeared as shemented. "What a cruel daughter..." she dramatically shook her head, her gaze full of provocation as she slowly crossed her legs and continued the video.

    "And you think... we will believe that you will give us your mother? We know you are quite close. How could you betray your mother like that?" the woman asked Mu Lihua.

    "If giving her to you would make this attack stop... then I would do it without even batting an eyelid," Mu Lihua said, her gaze was on the woman in front of her. "My mother is a murderer... a hopeless case. Do you expect me to sacrifice what I have to protect her? She is a ruthless woman who would not hesitate to stab me in the back if it would benefit her." Seeing the woman did not react to her words, she continued. "I am a ruthless woman as well... I would always prioritize myself above everything else. I am young and I still have a long way to go. Would you expect me to sacrifice this just because of a woman like her?"

    "Ruthless," the woman stated.

    "Oh please... Morals and integrity won¡¯t save you once you are down. This world is cruel and brutal. It requires ruthlessness and savagery to be able to reach the top," Mu Lihua answered. She felt nothing but disgust for hypocrites like the woman in front of her. In this world, the ruthless and the most heartless people always prevail. "Your boss is an example of a ruthless person, you really should not look at me as if I am the most ruthless person that you ever met."

    However, the woman did not answer her anymore. She had heard enough. Mu Lihua was a monster- someone that this society had created. She rose from her seat and slowly turned her back on Mu Lihua, her eyes looking straight at the CCTV. Then she slowly nodded and smiled.

    Seeing this, Lily switched off the TV and stared at the shivering He Xin in front of her. "It seems that you have raised a monster, Mrs. Mu."

 Chapter 267 A Mistress

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 267 A Mistress</h4>

    Lily¡¯s smile became even more brilliant as she stared at He Xin¡¯s tear strained face. "Say, if I ask MuLihua to bring your head to me... do you think she would agree?"

    "Stop this nonsense!" He Xin hissed while her eyes were still glued to the TV. "Kill me... Since you are so angry with me, then kill me!"

    "Oh... death wille to you soon," Lily said. "I may not like to kill people but that fetus did not belong to me alone. It was mine and my husband¡¯s . I won¡¯t stop him from causing you a simr or greater amount of painpared to the grief, loss, and pain that you caused him when you killed his child just because you felt like doing so."

    "You and..." He Xin looked at Zhuo Jingren, then back at Lily. Zhuo Jingren was the father of Lily¡¯s unborn child? "Ah... I forgot. You are a slut.I¡¯m not surprised that the child was not Xuan Hui¡¯s... After all, you have a habit of sleeping around, don¡¯t you?"

    "True," Lily nodded before she smiled. "It is only right that he was not the father of my child."

    "One more minute," Lily added. "You can choose to stay silent, but I can¡¯t promise you that your daughter will remain safe."

    "Do you think I would care about a daughter like that?" He Xin countered. "She would even dare to betray me?! The person who raised her? Do you think I would care if she died?"

    "I see," Lily said as she turned to face Zhuo Jingren. He spoke not one word before he left the room. "Since you couldn¡¯t appreciate me being nice then... let me show you how cruel this world is," she said before turning on the TV again.

    On the screen, Mu Lihua could be seen sitting as before when suddenly two men entered the room with an air of menace and directly restrained her. Since Lily hadn¡¯t turned on the audio, He Xin could not hear what, if anything, the men might have said. What she could see clearly, however, was Mu Lihua staring daggers at the men who just arrived. Her poisonous gaze proved ineffective so she resorted to yelling pointlessly.

    "What are you going to do?" He Xin asked. A little fear started to creep into her heart. Mu Lihia is an influential figure in Hong Kong. Killing her would not be that easy. He Xin was sure that people would question her sudden disappearance, even in light of her ongoing scandal. A normal person would know this. "What are you going to do? You people know that Mu Lihua is influential in Hong Kong. You can¡¯t kill her just because you want to!"

    "I won¡¯t kill her," Lily rified. "You see... I don¡¯t have any personal problems with your daughter. But I know someone who would love to see her dead."As if on cue, a woman suddenly appeared onscreen entering the room where Mu Lihua was being held just as Lily finished speaking The mere sight of this woman made Mu Lihua struggle violently against her restraints.

    "Mu Qingling?" He Xin asked, her eyes wide and her jaw ck as she gaped at the screen. She had been struggling to control her emotions since she heard her daughter¡¯s words, but now this... Seeing Mu Qingling appear before Mu Lihua finally made her show the fear that she¡¯d struggled so hard to suppress. "Why is she here? What is she going to do?"

    "She is here because I asked her to be. As to... what she is going to do, I have absolutely no idea," Lily answered. "I am not some psychic. Who knows what will she do to your daughter."

    "You-"

    "Well... Mu Qingling hates Mu Lihua so much so that it would not surprise me if she really made her suffer. What do you think?"

    "You are cruel!"

    "Says the woman who killed people for her own gain."

    "Let my daughter go!" He Xin said when she saw Mu Qingling approaching Mu Lihua on the TV. "Mu Lihua does not have anything to do with this!"

    "Hmmm... I could probably let her go," Lily said. "But I am not sure if Mu Qingling would be so generous as to allow her to leave." She shed a smile at He Xin. "Your daughter is a cruel, maniptive person. She has controlled and manipted Mu Qingling since they were children. Can you imagine Mu Qingling¡¯s reaction once she realized all this was the result of...? I mean... I would not be surprised if she..."

    "Stop! Let her go! Stop Mu Qingling... What is she doing? Stop her!" Seeing Lily¡¯sck of reaction to her words, He Xin continued, "Mu Lihua did not offend you. You said it yourself. Stop this. Stop it!" How could He Xin continue to watch Mu Qingling hurt her one and only daughter?

    "Life is like a ferris wheel Mrs. Mu. Sometimes you are up high, sometimes you are down low. Moments like these are a good example of when you are down low. Of course... there is no way that you will go back up there. But that is not the point here." Lily only smiled at He Xin. "When you killed Mu Qingling¡¯s father... did you ever think that something like this would happen in the future?"

    "How about when you killed my mother? Hm?" Lily asked.

    "I killed your mother because she was a slut! Just like you! If you hate me so much because I killed your mother then why don¡¯t you kill me too?" He Xin countered. "Your... I know I made a mistake by killing your mother but it was not entirely my fault! She looked like my husband¡¯s mistress alright?"

    Lily instantly raised an eyebrow at He Xin. A mistress?

    "Bec Fi looked like my husband¡¯s mistress and you look like your mother, so when I saw you crossing the street I thought you were your mother," He Xin continued, her eyes glued to Mu Lihua. "Now... let my daughter go!"

    "Who... told you that your husband had a mistress?" Lily asked. ording to her research, Mu Huang never had a mistress. Mu Huang¡¯s father was a known womanizer and obviously this created a lot of problems. Because of this, he never engaged in activities like that. This instantly made Lily wonder where He Xin got her information. "Did someone show you a photo of my mother and tell you that she was your husband¡¯s mistress?"

 Chapter 268 Mistaken Identity

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 268 Mistaken Identity</h4>

    "No one! No one showed me!" He Xin said. How could she betray the only person who helped her when she was in trouble? "I just heard about it."

    Lily slowly narrowed her eyes at He Xin, before she dialed a number on her phone. On the video, Mu Qingling¡¯s phone also rang, prompting thetter to stop doing what she was about to do so she could answer the phone.

    "What are you nning to do?" Lily pressed the loud speaker so He Xin could hear their conversation.

    "You cannot stop me. I am going to make this woman suffer," Mu Qingling¡¯s sinister voice echoed.

    "Oh... I am not nning to stop you. On the contrary, I would like you to remove her nails slowly. Start with her toes," Lily said, her gaze straight on He Xin. "Ask Mr. B... he will help you. If Mu Lihua faints... Mr. B has a way to wake her up. Make her feel the pain all over again. If her heart bes weak... pump some adrenaline into her system," Lily said with an unfathomable glint shing in her eyes before she ended the call and grinned at He Xin.

    "Since it was all your idea then I don¡¯t have anything to talk to you about," Lily said. "I hope you enjoy watching your daughter die, Mrs. Mu."

    "NO! No! Wait! Wait... I..." He Xin shook her head. "No... I lied. I lied. It was not me. I... someone showed it to me. Alright? Now... can you let my daughter go?" she eyed the TV that showed three people trying to restrain Mu Lihua. Her eyes instantly widen with rm. She is a doctor, she knows the degree of pain that this torture will give to someone.

    She was sure that Mu Lihua would faint from the pain, however anyone with experience would know how to wake her up. Once this happened she would experience the painall over again. There would be aendless torture until her heart weakened, but Lily was not nning to stop. This much was clear as she told Mu Qingling to pump adrenaline into Mu Lihua system. This would be an endless loop of torture... How could she stand seeing her daughter like this?

    He Xin was helpless. Watching someone that you love the most being tortured is something that she knew she could not do. However, knowing that Mu Lihua was suffering because of her and she couldn¡¯t do anything about it... that was even worse.

    "So???" Lily raised an eyebrow, her tonenguid and her face was once again stered with a smile.

    "It was the Madam of the Qin Family," He Xin said. "Zhang Yifei, the Madam of the Qin family, showed me an image of someone she thought was Mu Huang¡¯s mistress! Mu Huang never cheated on me once. I trusted him. However... when Yifei told me that she saw Mu Huang with a woman, I believed her. She was my best friend and I trust her. At that time... I felt that she would not lie to me."

    At this point, He Xin was already crying so hard she could barely speak. She was forced to betray the woman who had helped her every time that she had a problem. Of course... she didn¡¯t have a choice anymore. She loved her best friend and her daughter but at the end of the day... she is a mother. Her heart will always be with her daughter.

    "Tell me what happened seven years ago," Lily said. The smile on her face was long gone. Zhang Yifei... she didn¡¯t remember ever meeting this woman. Her mother never mentioned anyone named Zhang Yifei either. Lily had the photo showing that woman having coffee together with He Xin and Tang Lingyun, but aside from that... she had never seen that woman before as far as she could recall.

    "I was drunk," He Xin started, her eyes was on the screen. "Make it stop! I will tell you everything. Make Mu Qingling stop!"

    Lily narrowed her eyes at the woman. Mu Qingling had already started working hard and to remove one of Mu Lihua¡¯s toenails. Thetter was already writhing in pain as she continued to struggle harder. Seeing this, Lily instantly dialed Bei Tian¡¯s number and asked him to stop Mu Qingling. She needed to know the truth now.

    The video showed Bei Tian and his men restraining Mu Qingling and slowly dragging her out of the room. This made He Xin let out a sigh of relief.

    "You can start," Lily¡¯s cold voice echoed inside the room. Her face was rigid and cold as she stared at He Xin. Thenguid and carefree attitude that she¡¯d disyed earlier was gone. It was as if Lily¡¯s personality had undergone a change... The woman in front of He Xin now was so different from the Lily who was smiling at her earlier.

    "I... I was drunk, I had been drinking with Yuyan and Lina. I¡¯d just received the photo from Zhang Yifei and I was so devastated. As I said... My husband might be a cowardly man, but he never had a mistress before. Or at least that¡¯s what I thought. On that night, Yifei suggested that we visit a private bar to celebrate her son¡¯s birthday. She told us not to bring any cars as she will drive us all home." He Xin paused, lost in memories. "At the bar, she told me about Mu Huang and showed me your mother¡¯s picture. Or... someone that looked like her."

    "But then... then she got drunk and in the end... one of her husband¡¯s men fetched her and we were left to drive ourselves. Lina insisted that we wait for her husband to get us but I insisted on driving. I was not really that drunk. I... I was just angry and I wanted to get some fresh air. It was already the middle of the night, so I knew there would be fewer cars and people. In the end, Lina and Yuyan agreed."

    "And then... I saw you arguing with someone. Of course... I instantly thought that you were bBec. You were wearing a tight little dress that made you look like a hooker. And... well... I was not able to control my anger and I hit the gas and sped towards you. I didn¡¯t even realize that your mother had jumped in front of you! I was so angry. I felt so betrayed and jealous. I know I didn¡¯t have any proof, but still... I trust Zhang Yifei."

    "When I realized that I... when I..." He Xin burst into tears as she used her hands to cover her face before she continued. "I called Zhang Yifei the moment I realized that I hit you and your mother. She told me to do what would make me feel better and I... I just lost control of my emotions and killed your mother."

    Lily did not say anything. She continued to watch He Xin. Her eyes were devoid of any expression. Lost control of her emotions? Her mother was killed because of mistaken identity? What the hell is this? "Where did you celebrate her son¡¯s birthday?" Lily asked after a few minutes of silence.

    "The bar is closed now... but it was located on the Main street near Kowloon. I forgot the name... it was..."

    "Was it the one across the Siren Casino?" Lily clenched her fist, her knuckles turning white. Siren Casino was the bar and casino where she was epted for the escort job.

    "Yes... across Siren Casino," He Xin nodded, tears in her eyes. It was truly a mistake. Something that she never anticipated happening. However, that was not her first time killing someone... so she did not feel any guilt and continued with her life. Who would have thought that yearster, Lily woulde back and haunt her for what she did?

    "Then... what about my child?" Lily asked as her light brown eyes met with He Xin¡¯s dark brown orbs. "Why kill an innocent fetus?"

 Chapter 269 Habit of Killing People

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 269 Habit of Killing People</h4>

    "It wasn¡¯t me," He Xin uttered before she shifted her gaze from the TV to Lily. "It wasn¡¯t me. It was Qin Mo. Your father asked me to do it. He said... He said it would be too embarrassing for you to have the child."

    As expected, Lily¡¯s eyes went wide when she heard He Xin¡¯s words. However, she was quick enough to change her expression into a stern one. She pursed her lips and stared at the woman intently. Qin Mo? It was him?

    Lily instantly remembered the moment when Qin Mo met with her a few weeks back. She remembered how tense Qin Mo was, especially when she asked about what happened at the mental facility. Is it possible that he was tense partly because he thought Lily was aware of this fact? "Who else knows this?" she asked.

    "Me and Qin Mo and the doctor," He Xin answered. "He asked... He asked the doctor to make you unable to bear a child in the future. I was not too sure about what the doctor did after that, or if he did something to your ovaries. I swear... that is all I know! You really have to believe me. I am telling the truth."

    Lily did not utter a word, but she turned towards her shoulders, and instantly, Zhuo Jingren came inside and approached her. He stood behind her and slowly stroked Lily¡¯s back. "Where is this doctor?" He asked.

    Zhuo Jingren remembered how someone actually led them and had them search ces over and over again only to find out that the doctor was not really there. This could only mean that the one who hid the doctor was pretty influential.

    "Dead," He Xin said. "I am sure he is dead. I heard Qin Mo ask someone over the phone to dispose of him."

    "Hey... Why is Mu Qingling back in the room?" He Xin asked in a demanding fashion as her gaze was drawn back to the TV. "Why is she back in the room? You told me she would stop! Hey! Look at me!"

    Seeing that both Lily and Zhuo Jingren were ignoring her, He Xin¡¯s shrill voice reverberated piercingly around the room. "Lily! How dare you! Make Mu Qingling stop! I beg of you! Please! I already gave you everything. I already told you everything that I know! It was all Zhang Yifei... She also caused the constructionpany ident. She told me she would make some trouble for you!"

    This instantly earned Lily¡¯s attention as she shifted her gaze back to He Xin. Now that she had Lily¡¯s attention He Xin immediately continued, "You can kill me... Just kill me instead of my daughter! Please... Lily just listen to me. Why are you doing this? Why are you being a hypocrite? She has nothing to do with this!"

    "Mrs. Mu... I already told you. I cannot control Mu Qingling. Mu Lihua does not have anything to do with me... but this does not mean that she is innocent," Lily said calmly, the trouble in her eyes just a while ago was gone. Zhang Yifei... There is indeed a possibility that the problem in herpany was made by someone like her to divert Lily¡¯s attention and... they seeded. "You better have someone check her blood," Lily said, her words were obviously directed to Zhuo Jingren.

    "Why?" he asked, his tone cold.

    "If I was Zhang Yifei... I would try to silence her. Poison would be the best way to do that. "I¡¯ll bet..." Lily looked at He Xin¡¯s pale face. "I¡¯ll bet Zhang Yifei has already started poisoning her. But... this n won¡¯t be sessful because He Xin sent everything awry when she changed all of her ns to race to her daughter¡¯s rescue."

    He Xin¡¯s eyes instantly widened as she processed Lily¡¯s words. How could Zhang Yifei poison her? However, when she thought about all of this... she realized that Zhang Yifei did her best to stop her from leaving. But it was all because she was concerned about her well-being, right? He Xin saw Zhuo Jingren slowly nod. "What are we going to do with her?" he asked.

    "Thoughts?" Lily asked in response. "I¡¯m not in the habit of killing people, but... what I don¡¯t know won¡¯t hurt me."

    "You-" He Xin was speechless. How could these people talk about this so casually in front of her? Actually, she wasn¡¯t surprised to hear Lily¡¯s answer, either. She already expected that Lily would kill her after all. While she did not regret anything that she did, He Xin was still concerned about Mu Lihua.

    She knew that Mu Qingling was weak, but with Zhuo Jingren and Lily backing her she would have the confidence to hurt her daughter. He Xin let out a sob as she looked at the TV. Her daughter was already screaming in pain, and she could already see some blood on the floor. "Lily... You told me that you would not hurt her if I told you everything."

    "I am not hurting her," Lily answered. "I could always do worse, but I chose not to." Then Lily slowly rose from her seat before she let out a long sigh. "Eventually, we will all pay for everything that we did, He Xin. We are in the world that we created. Whatever is happening around us is the product of our choices, our actions in the past. A boomerang is what they call it."

    "Secrets won¡¯t just stay as secrets for long. Someday... someone else will eventually uncover them,." she added, her gaze locked on the woman in front of her. "When you killed Mu Qingling¡¯s parents, you did not think about the possible consequences. Revenge is a cycle; it will alwayse back for you. You could have killed their daughter to eliminate that possibility, but you chose to let her live. Now... you have to suffer the consequences of this mistake."

    "You-" He Xin was not able to utter a single word. Was Lily suggesting that they should have killed Mu Qingling back then?

    "The only thing that I can assure you of is that I have never murdered anyone using my own hands," Lily said. "But my husband is different." She then turned her gaze back to Zhuo Jingren and gave him a mirthless smile. "Let¡¯s go?"

 Chapter 270 Stronger

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 270 Stronger</h4>

    "I am supposed to be angry." Lily dered calmly the moment Zhuo Jingren boarded the car with her. She felt the car started to move as she watched the street lights in front of her. She then let out a sigh, something so gentle and soft that it was immediately drawn by the sound of the traffic ahead of them. "But all I feel is deep sadness." She added before she leaned her head on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s shoulders.

    In response, Zhuo Jingren reached out and held Lily¡¯s hand. He went ahead and slowly squeezed Lily¡¯s hand. It was like a gentle reminder that he¡¯s here for her- he would always be there for her.

    Sadness is something that Zhuo Jingren never understood. He always used to wonder why he would feel sad over something that was already done? There is no use in crying over spilled milk. However, this all changed when he heard about Lily¡¯s disappearance seven years ago.

    You could convince yourself not to feel it. You could try and talk to yourself over and over again. Mind over matter as they always call it. However, we all know how useless this is. In the end, we can only watch as our hearts get stabbed by that sadness. Slowly, painfully... We can only watch as our hearts bleed without dying. This is the reason why people deal with sadness using different methods. Some choose to forget, some want to drown in their ocean of tears while some... some choose to end their lives.

    This is what happened to his wife seven years ago. Lily wanted to end her life not because of shame but because of sadness and guilt. She was alone and she med herself for everything that happened to her. Knowing this was just... too painful for Zhuo Jingren. He could not imagine how much she had suffered. He couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine the measures she would¡¯ve taken to forget all these things.

    From the guilt of her mother¡¯s death to her unborn child, to the possibility that she could not conceive again. Zhuo Jingren could not even fathom the pain that she must¡¯ve been through. The pain that caused her to change so much. The same pain that is stopping her from feeling angry right at this moment.

    Zhuo Jingren understood. He understood how Lily had been angry for so long... too long. She had been angry and had been masking all the emotions that she was unable to show in front of other people. From guilt to sadness to misery. He knew that anger was her defense mechanism. Her way to conceal what was hidden behind her thick walls. Zhuo Jingren also knew that Lily had never healed. There was never a scar as until now... she continued to bleed. Inside.

    His wife was bleeding silently.

    However, Zhuo Jingren knew how his presence had changed all this. He was not that confident to say that she loved him. But he knows that she trusts him. Otherwise she would not show him all of the emotions that she had been trying to hide for so long.

    If this was the old Lily, Zhuo Jingren knew that she would rage. She might even lose control of her anger, of herself. But the Lily in his arms right now is different. She is stronger than the previous angry Lily- stronger than her past self. And he would do everything to keep it that way.

    "I have the DNA results." He said after a few minutes offortable silence. He then felt Lily shift in his arms before she opened her eyes and moved her head away from his shoulders. She looked at him- straight at his face.

    "And?" she asked.

    "He is not your father." Zhuo Jingren said. "He is a rtive, perhaps an uncle."

    "I can¡¯t say that I am surprised." Lily said before she leaned on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s shoulders again. "I¡¯m likely someone from the Main n of the Qin Family." She said, her eyes closed again, her face was calm but the asional lines in between her brows showed that she was deeply troubled by something.

    "I already asked Bei Tian to get me Zhang Yifei¡¯s file." Zhuo Jingren said. "Do you want to know what I will do with He Xin?"

    "No." Lily answered. "Do what you want to do."

    "Hmmmm...." He nodded, his gaze unfathomable. He already told Bei Tian to keep He Xin alive as long as he could before Zhuo Jingren will start giving her a dose of what she deserves.

    Zhuo Jingren felt Lily¡¯s breathing slow down before falling into a continuous rhythm. She must have been too tired, he thought as he slowly shifted his body to make Lily a little morefortable. After almost an hour drive, Zhuo Jingren and Lily finally arrived in Sky City. He chose not to wake her up and carried her into their apartment. Then he slowlyid her down on their bed and changed her clothes.

    After making sure that Lily is lyingfortably , Zhuo Jingren silently kissed her forehead before he made his way into his study. Then he got his phone that was stored in his secret vault and dialed a number.

    "Give me an update." He said the moment, the person on the line answered.

    "Qin Mo made Tang Lingyun see two producers and she has slept with both of them." The other person responded. "Qin Mo has also been acting suspicious and is always alone in his study. My guess is he is talking to someone. However, I was not able to trace any activity from his phone. He could be using a satellite phone or something disposable."

    "Qin Liwei?" Zhuo Jingren asked after a few seconds.

    "He is a devious businessman. He already acquired all the approval of the clients and he might even contend with the CEO position against his father. He does not know that the Qin Industries owe the madam a huge amount of money as he was too busy building his connections. This should be because of Tang Lingyun¡¯s advice. He is also getting closer to Xuan Hui and Qin Fei."

    Those words instantly made Zhuo Jingren scoff. "My wife has been too soft. That Xuan Hui... is too idle. Create some trouble for him."

    "What kind of trouble?"

    "A deadly one." Zhuo Jingren uttered, his voice cold as his gaze was glued to the framed picture of Lily in front of him.

 Chapter 271 Live and Fix Yourself

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 271 Live and Fix Yourself</h4>

    Not many people knew what Zhuo Jingren looked like.

    To some people, he was just a name, someone who helped boost Hong Kong¡¯s economy. Some heard that he was smart and cunning, while others squealed at his good looks. Regardless of those spections there is one thing you can be sure of: Zhuo Jingren is just another devious businessman in Asia.

    Unlike Lily, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s scheming was lessplicated. He doesn¡¯t like to spin a web ofplications because he prefers to strike directly. Most of the time, his enemies immediately know that he is attacking them.

    Zhuo Jingren is the type of person who would rather stab his enemies up front rather than give them the chance to strike back at him. He would act quickly, not out ofziness or stupidity but because he would rather use his brain to grow his business instead of wasting it on such trivial things.

    However, Lily¡¯s case was always the exception. When Lily disappeared years ago, Zhuo Jingren made Qin Mo and his family suffer not because he enjoyed it, but because deep down he had always believed that they deserved it. He always suspected the Qin Family was behind Lily¡¯s disappearance and he felt that making them suffer until theirst breath would be the only thing that would satisfy his thirst for revenge.

    Together with Bei Tian, Zhuo Jingren had schemed against the Qin family for absolute ages. The pair dabbled in everything from sabotaging Qin Industries to nting spies to monitor each and every move that Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun made. However, these attacks stopped after he found Lily. Zhuo Jingren was not unreasonable. He knew that Lily had her own ns when she arrived. He could sense it from the way she smiled at the mere mention of her family.

    This made him take a step back. He assisted Lily inpleting her ns by supporting her from behind closed doors. He knew that she hade prepared and he was always willing to give her the stage, but... tonight? Tonight was different.

    Zhuo Jingren and Lily¡¯s unborn child was a different matter. He would not just stand there and act like a bystander while watching his own wife deal with the people who had caused her misfortune. Tonight, Zhuo Jingren decided that it was time for him to step up. Not to outshine his wife, but to amplify the effects of her ns.

    ....

    Meanwhile, Zhuo Jingren was not the only person who was thinking about the past at that time of night.

    Mu Qingling was doing the exact same thing as she stared at Mu Lihua who had just fainted in front of her like a lightweight. She clenched her jaw as she balled her hands into fists. She was oblivious as a tear rolled down her cheek. She watched as the people whom Mr. B had given her put Mu Lihua back on a chair and tied her bloodied arms and legs securely.

    "How does it feel?" She heard a cold voice echoing through the room, almost making her jump out of her seat. She immediately turned around and saw the woman Mu Lihua was speaking with earlier, however Mu Qingling chose not to respond to the woman. How does she feel? To be honest... she doesn¡¯t know. She looked down and studied her own bloodied hands. Mu Lihua was not dead, yet. Is this the reason why she doesn¡¯t feel a thing right now?

    "I know the feeling," the woman said. Hernguid tone made Mu Qingling look at her once again. "Lily saved me once too."

    Still, Mu Qingling chose not to answer. Lily is... someone that she fears. Until now, she was not sure if Lily saved her, or if Lily is just one more person trying to manipte her and profit from her life. Again. Lily and Zhuo Jingren are two people who she never wants to cross paths with ever again in life.

    "I understand that you are afraid of her," the woman continued. "To be honest... I was scared of her, too. Until now." She shed her a smile. Mu Qingling instantly let out a sigh. The woman in front of her was confident. She was beautiful and her smile made her look like a gentle woman. However, Mu Qingling was sure that this was all a fa?ade. This woman was working with Lily Zhuo. She is probably as devious as her boss.

    "Why are you here?" Mu Qingling managed to ask after a few minutes of ufortable silence.

    "To let you know that He Xin was watching as you tortured her daughter... and please, call me Cecile," she answered.

    "He Xin?" Mu Qingling was obviously very surprised by this. When Mr. B told her that he would help her get everything that was hers, she never thought that she would have the chance to touch even a strand of Mu Lihua¡¯s hair. She thought the best that she could do was ruin Mu Lihua¡¯s reputation using the inte.

    However, all of this changedst night when Mr. B told her that she could do whatever she wanted to Mu Lihua. She felt that this would be a very good opportunity to satisfy her need for revenge, a need that she never thought would be met. But... she never expected that He Xin would be watching as she did it. Bonus! Wasn¡¯t this just the absolute best torture for He Xin?

    The torture for He Xin was making her watch as the person whom she¡¯d robbed, ignored, and neglected while growing up slowly and methodically hurt her daughter. Mu Qingling lifted her gaze and stared at Cecile intently. This only proves how evil Lily is.

    "Lily has always believed that staying alive while wishing to be dead is the greatest punishment that could be given to someone," Cecile exined when she saw Mu Qingling¡¯s expression. She took a step towards Mu Qingling, "Don¡¯t think too much about it. Lily is not helping you out ofpassion."

    "Oh..." Mu Qingling nodded in understanding. Cecile was right. Why would Lily help someone like her? She even tried to snatch her husband once. Now... she was nothing but an orphan. She is worthless and an embarrassment. How could anyone like her...?

    "And before you start telling yourself how pitiful you are... here," Cecile handed her a card . "If you need someone to talk to, call me. I work with an agency abroad that helps women get back on their feet again after... falling into a pit of misery."

    Mu Qingling looked at the card. It had Cecile¡¯s name on it with a logo that she did not recognize.

    "It was founded by Lily and her grandmother years ago. We exist to help women who have been raped, abused, and psychologically mistreated. So far we only have ten branches in ten different countries around the world, but Lily¡¯s funded a lot of women¡¯s aid charities and helped thousands of women." Cecile gave Mu Qingling another beautiful smile. "I¡¯ve already arranged for awyer who will build a firm case so that you can legally take back what is rightfully yours from Mu Huang and his daughter. However... you still need to heal."

    Mu Qingling lowered her head and looked at her bloodied hands once more. Then she felt tears starting to fall down her cheeks. Lily might not have met her or spared her another nce after informing her about her devastating past, but she... Mu Qingling was sure that this was all part of Lily¡¯s grand scheme.

    "You can call me once you¡¯ve made a decision," Cecile turned her back on Mu Qingling. However, before she could walk out of the room, Mu Qingling¡¯s voice interrupted her.

    "Thank you," Mu Qingling uttered.

    "Please... Don¡¯t thank me. Thank her," Cecile said as she turned to face Mu Qingling again. "Lily and I... neither of us could be considered one of the good guys. But I can tell you with confidence that we are good at helping people rebuild their lives. You can¡¯t expect and you don¡¯t need another person to fix your life. You are the only person who can do that."

    "I..." Mu Qingling was speechless as she felt truly grateful right now. If Lily did not decide to do this then who knows if Mu Qingling would survive another month with Mu Huang after her? She bit her lip in an attempt to control her emotions. "Please give Lily my thanks," she said. "I don¡¯t think... I don¡¯t think I deserve to see her again."

    "Look at you... looking down on yourself like a dirty rug. When Lily found me... she told me something that I will never forget. ¡¯You are only broken, not dead. Live and fix yourself,¡¯ Cecile quoted. "You are lucky that she decided to help you. Right now, you truly look like crap... Go and wipe those tears and snot off your face. Raise your head a little, my girl. This is the start of your new journey."

 Chapter 272 Our Choices and the Grays

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 272 Our Choices and the Grays</h4>

    He Xin was a cruel person.

    She was selfish and ruthless, and she would not hesitate to kill anyone that she deemed a nuisance or as being capable of hindering her goals. As someone who had worked in the medical profession for years, He Xin was almost immune to seeing people suffer and die, but then she never expected that she would one day see her daughter suffer to this extent.

    He Xin¡¯s tears burst forth like an unstoppable dam as she watched her own daughter being tortured. Her chin trembled as she tried to touch the screen of the TV, then she tried shutting her eyes and covering her ears in an attempt to block all of her senses. He Xin sobbed unceasingly.

    She could feel it.

    She could feel what Mu Lihua was going through. "Stop it!" she yelled, hoping that someone was listening to her. "Stop!!! Please stop!"

    He Xin¡¯s deste crying continued. Her shoulders shook, the despair and hopelessness apparent in her eyes. She sank to her knees as she continued to beg. "Please... stop," her desperate cries echoed inside the room. She could feel her heart bleeding and her limbs shaking every time she heard Mu Lihua scream.

    Nevertheless, who could she me other than herself? No one. She was the one who brought this upon herself... upon her daughter.

    Until now, He Xin could not believe that her best friend would trick her. Zhang Yifei was a kind woman who always had a gentle smile gracing her face. She was the one who never failed to help her every time she encountered a problem. However, she also could not forget the look in Lily¡¯s eyes as she looked at her. There was not an ounce of pity or ruthlessness in Lily¡¯s eyes.

    All she could see was her looking down on He Xin. Lily must have thought she was truly stupid for believing something that she did not witness herself. How could Lily look at her that way? Did she have a friend whom she had been with for years? He Xin, He Yuyan and Zhang Yifei were like that. They were childhood best friends who had always supported each other practically since they were in diapers.

    If she could trust any other person with her life aside from her sister then it would be Zhang Yifei. He Xin was sure that Zhang Yifei would not hesitate to save her no matter what happened, just as she would not hesitate to save her friend.

    Through the years, both He Xin and Zhang Yifei had been through a lot. Zhang Yifei was the one who helped her have a marriage alliance with Mu Huang, while she, He Xin, was the one who helped her friend every time Zhang Yifei¡¯s husband ignored her. Their friendship had been through thick and thin already, so how could Zhang Yifei use her like that? Why would He Xin doubt a picture that was given to her by the friend that she trusted the most?

    He Xin could only continue to scream at the TV, hoping that someone would hear her entreaties. "P...please."

    "My boss told me not to kill you." He Xin instantly jumped to her feet as she staggered back against the wall. She tried her best to move as far as possible away from the person who entered the room silently. "He also told me not to make you bleed." He Xin stared in horror at the person who casually strode closer with his hands shoved nonchntly in his pockets.

    This was the first man she¡¯d encountered after arriving in this godforsaken ce. "I know that someone used you but..." the man hesitated deliberately and shed her a sly grin. "I still think that you deserve to die in the most painful way that I can think of."

    "S...She would not use me like... like that," He Xin managed to say. "She... she is like a sister to me."

    "Ah??? Still in denial?" The man faked a shocked expression, "You are so incredibly stupid. No wonder someone smarter was able to manipte you into doing their killing."

    "She..." He Xin was about to argue, but suddenly she was unable to utter a single word that would rebut what this man just said. What if it was true? What if Zhang Yifei really did manipte her? But if she was the one responsible for this, then why did Zhang Yifei still decide to help her by creating problems for Lily¡¯spany?

    Was it to make her believe that she was her friend?

    "Fool," Bei Tian uttered while rolling his eyes. "She was helping you because she wanted you to be even more dependent on her."

    "Aiyo... howe you did not realize this?" Bei Tian added with a smug smile on his face. Even he was able to see through such a basic scheme. Really, how did this woman be a doctor? "Hey... are you sure you passed the medical exam? Did you bribe someone to take the test for you?" Seeing He Xin¡¯s contorted face, Bei Tian continued, "That is not the point here. Nevermind. You don¡¯t have to answer my question. I understand that most people are positively subterranean when ites to thinking on the level of my brilliant mind."

    He Xin stared at the man,pletely dumbfounded. This... this person was extremely different from the one who talked to her the other day. Could this be his twin?

    "Anyway... your daughter will live," Bei Tian said, his expression now serious. "We decided to put her in a white room. As a doctor you already know what will happen to her, right?"

    This words instantly made He Xin widen her eyes. For a moment, she had forgotten that this man was actually Lily and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s aplice. His personality might be a bit peculiar but this did not change the fact that he was still on the side of those ruthless people.

    White room.

    This was a very ruthless torture method that was known to be used by the CIA and othermoral-free organizations. The purpose of this torture was not to kill someone. Rather, this torture was designed to make someone slowly lose their mind. Just as the name implied, this torture involved putting a person in a room or cell withpletely white walls, bedsheets, door, lights...everything inside the room was white. The prisoner would be given white tasteless rice in a white paper towel, white clothes and would be confined to apletely silent room. The purpose was to deprive the prisoner of using their senses.

    This method was known to change the mindset of prisoners without even touching them, inducing hallucinations and making them crazy.

    A single tear made its way down He Xin¡¯s face as she continued to think about her poor daughter. This torture was made to make the prisoner¡¯s sanity slip away. "She is innocent. Why do this? She did not hurt anyone. Please... you can hurt me. Make me suffer. You can cut me a thousand times and I would not evenin. Just please... let my daughter go," she begged. Mu Lihua never hurt Lily or Zhuo Jingren. How could they be so ruthless?

    "Ah... the sound of someone begging always makes me a little giddy." Bei Tian smiled. "Why don¡¯t you do it again?"

    "Please... Just please... let her go. She had nothing to do with this," she repeated. In return, Bei Tian only gave her a smile.

    "We are all innocent in someone¡¯s eyes," he uttered. "The line between the viin and the hero is absolutely thin. Of course, from our own perspective, we are always the heroes. The protagonist in our own story, when actually..." Bei Tian tilted his head as he paused dramatically. He stared at He Xin for a few minutes before he continued, "In this world, there is no good or evil, there is no ck or white. There are only our choices and the grays."

 Chapter 273 A Familiar Face

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 273 A Familiar Face</h4>

    "Now, as for you..." He Xin was woken up from her terror when she heard Bei Tian¡¯s voice. "They told me not to kill you. Yet." He gave her a smile. "But I can do everything that I see fit." Bei Tian then rose from his seat and turned towards the door. As if on cue, a man entered the room with a weird looking instrument in his hand.

    "Are you familiar with this?" Bei Tian asked as he turned to look at the wide-eyed He Xin. Who wouldn¡¯t be familiar with a Di Lao device? This was a famous instrument used in Chinese prisons!

    The device had a pair of cuffs and shackles connected by a criss cross iron chain that was only a foot long. This device restricted movement by leaving the prisoner on a t surface with their arms and legs spread for a week or longer. Sometimes the victims are stripped naked so it¡¯s easier to hose them off after they urinate and empty their bowels.Often a window is left open during winter. Muscle atrophy sets in and the person can be left paralysed from the waist down or can be unable to move their arms to care for themselves.. Of course, in He Xin¡¯s mind she was still the victim.

    A Di Lao torture device is also known as Hell Confinement. It¡¯s popr in Chinese prisons for its long-term effect on its victim, as it was designed to leave them unable to eat, walk or even use the toilet. As a doctor, He Xin had read about this type of torture that became famous in the nies. Based on those articles, this torture would damage the person¡¯s limbs but did not result in fatalities..

    Unless.... She refuses to eat in an attempt to kill herself. But how could Bei Tian miss this information? Seeing He Xin¡¯s expression, Bei Tian instantly scoffed. "They told me to keep you alive, so if you refuse to eat... I would have to force-feed you feces," he chuckled. "Alright..." He turned towards the man and instructed, "Do it fast. I still need to sleep." He then left the room without sparing He Xin another nce.

    In less than a minute, He Xin¡¯s screams once again echoed inside the room. If they wanted to kill her, why not just do it now? Why make her suffer like this? They¡¯d already made her witness her daughter¡¯s torture, so why do they have to make her experience pain again?

    Until now, He Xin did not understand the mental torture that Lily had suffered over the years. The thought of being her own mother¡¯s killer had haunted her for years, preventing her from sleeping. This was something that He Xin never understood. After all, Lily did not inform her of any of this. In He Xin¡¯s mind, she did not deserve this kind of agony.

    What He Xin didn¡¯t know was that Lily deliberately did not tell her anything about her own demons. She wanted He Xin to feel pain, the pain of not knowing what she did to deserve to suffer like this. The pain of being hopeful that someday she would survive and get her revenge. The pain of thinking that she can¡¯t do anything about it. Lily wanted He Xin to doubt the heavens. She wanted He Xin to question herself over and over again, asking the universe ¡¯Why?¡¯ Why does she have to suffer like this?

    To Lily, there was no point in exining things to someone if they were convinced that they¡¯d done nothing wrong. Lily knew that it would be hard to change He Xin¡¯s perception of Zhang Yifei. Lily knew that she could not change He Xin¡¯s perception since He Xin had never seen anything wrong or criminal in her actions in the first ce.

    So, until He Xin dies, she would think and wonder what had gone wrong. She would continue to wonder if Zhang Yifei was indeed someone who had used her, and there is nothing more agonizing than dying without knowing the truth.

    ....

    September 10, Friday

    On this day, Lily was supposed to see Yang Lina in China, however, she was forced to change her schedule when someone called her using Li Shanshan¡¯s number.

    It was five in the morning and Lily woke up with a very sour expression on her face. Who would dare to call on her personal phone at this hour? However, when she saw that it was Li Shanshan, she instantly answered the call.

    As a director who was based in London, it was normal for Li Shanshan to disappear from Hong Kong for weeks, even months. After all, her livelihood was located on the other side of the world. Moreover, she was working on various international films right now, and Lily totally understood this fact. She and Li Shanshan were not the type of friends who needed to update each other all the time.

    When she was still in London, they would be lucky if they could saw or spoke to each other once a month. This was because both of them were very busy with their own lives. However, this did not mean that the mutual respect they shared wasckingpared to those ¡¯#bff aka hashtag best friends forever¡¯ seen on Instagram and other social media tforms.

    Moreover, Lily understood that Li Shanshan was deliberately not talking to her for two reasons. First was because she wanted Lily to enjoy her marriage to the fullest without Li Shanshan¡¯s constant nagging, and second, because of her situation with Fernando.

    So when Lily received a call from Li Shanshan, she could not hide the excitement in her eyes, but contrary to her expectations the person who called her was not Li Shanshan but a guy who told her that he found Li Shanshan sleeping in the men¡¯s bathroom. She was so drunk she must have mistaken the men¡¯s bathroom for thedies¡¯ room, then she just fell asleep while hugging the bowl.

    What was this situation? Even Lily was... bbergasted. She instantly changed her clothes and asked her husband to drive her to the club where Li Shanshan had been found.

    "Your friend is very reckless," Zhuo Jingrenmented, his brows furrowed. How could a woman fall asleep in the men¡¯s bathroom while drunk? "I already called Fernando but I can¡¯t reach him either. These two are so troublesome."

    "Hmmm..." Lily only nodded. Li Shanshan does not have the habit of drinking unless she has a problem that she can¡¯t handle. Before Li Shanshan met Lily six years ago, Lily used to drink a lot. However, this all changed when they went to therapy together. Of course, Li Shanshan failed to get rid of this habitpletely.

    Li Shanshan was always travelling and her only outlet when she encountered something difficult to handle was the artificial relief that alcohol provides. While Lily told her friend over and over again to stop, Li Shanshan never listened to her. She would justify her drinking by saying that her life was lonely and sometimes the stress from the people around her was so overwhelming that she needed something to numb her senses so she could cope with it all.

    In the end, Lily could only shake her head and keep her thoughts to herself. Li Shanshan was even more stubborn than Lily.

    ...

    It was still early in the morning and there was no traffic so Lily was able to reach the club in less than an hour. She instantly ran towards the men¡¯s bathroom with Zhuo Jingren in tow and immediately found the guy who was crouching beside one of the cubicles.

    "Hey... Are you..." However, Lily was unable to finish her sentence when she saw the man who turned to face her. The man¡¯s tall stature was as familiar as his face. "It¡¯s you?"

    The man¡¯s eyes also widened when he saw Lily. "Hey... I... uh are you Lily, her friend?" he asked as he stared at the woman¡¯s face that was almost identical to his.

    His questions instantly brought Lily back to her senses. She did not answer the man. Instead, she turned towards Li Shanshan who was sound asleep inside the cubicle. She then let out a sigh before looking at Zhuo Jingren. "Help me carry her."

 Chapter 274 Lover Boy

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 274 Lover Boy</h4>

    "Put her over there," Lily said as she pointed to Li Shanshan¡¯s bed. They are currently in Lily¡¯s previous apartment. This is where Li Shanshan would stay every time she was in Hong Kong. Lily then eyed the man who was carrying Li Shanshan.

    A while ago, when she asked Zhuo Jingren to help carry Li Shanshan, this man was quick enough to do it for him. Since Lily does not want to disturb Li Shanshan any further, she just let the man carry her until they reached her old apartment. Seeing Li Shanshan resting safely in bed, Lily instantly ushered the two men out of the room as she changed her friend¡¯s clothes.

    "Look at you... so smelly," Lily thought out loud as she changed her friend¡¯s clothing. This was actually not the first time that Lily had to do this for her friend. She wondered when will Li Shanshan would realize that she is damaging no one but herself by doing this.

    After making sure that her friend was clean, Lily left the room and was surprised to see the man still there and was looking at Zhuo Jingren with a very strange expression on his face. Meanwhile, Zhuo Jingren was also staring at the man with his usual cold expression. "What is happening here?" Lily asked. She could already smell soup simmering in the kitchen. If her guess was correct then the ever proactive Zhuo Jingren had made something for Li Shanshan to eat to settle her stomach once she finally woke up.

    "Why are you still here?" Lily asked the man with her brows furrowed.

    "Aren¡¯t you even going to thank me?" the man smirked at her. "You know I remember you, right? You live directly above my ce here in Hong Kong."

    "How much do you want?" Lily instantly asked. To Lily, the best way to thank someone was by throwing cash at them, of course.

    "I don¡¯t want money," the man said as he walked towards Lily, however, Zhuo Jingren was quick enough to block him. The two men were once again sizing each other up , creating a tense atmosphere.

    "Leave now," Zhuo Jingren said shortly.

    "What is your problem?" the man said as he tried to extend his neck to look at Lily. "I was talking to her. Why are you being disrespectful?"

    "I said leave!"

    "Yeah.... Father," the man chuckled before he rolled his eyes. Then he looked at straight to Zhuo Jingren and said, "I am not going to sleep with someone who looks like me. Now... move. I want to talk to her."

    "Make me," Zhuo Jingren challenged, unfazed with the man¡¯s change of behavior.

    "Alright. Enough of this," Lily let out a sigh before stepping out from behind Zhuo Jingren¡¯s back. "What do you want?" she asked the man in front of her as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

    "Oh... you know what I want! Why the hell do you look like me?" the man asked. Lily only furrowed her brows. She remembered meeting this man before. He was named Qin... something.

    "You are drunk," Lily sneered. She could smell the alcohol on the man¡¯s breath. "If you want to talk to me then wait until the alcohol is no longer your system."

    "I want to talk now. And Call me Qin Yuanfeng," Qin Yuanfeng uttered.

    "Well... Mr. Qin out of more than 1.3 billion Chinese people in the world, it is normal for people to run into someone who looks like them. Just like cards. Shuffle them too many times and at one point you will get the same card dealt to you twice."

    "Bullshit," Qin Yuanfeng cursed, instantly making Zhuo Jingren walk in front of Lily again. His eyes instantly turned towards Zhuo Jingren. "You are so troublesome. I already told you not to..."

    "The next time you curse in front of her I will wring your neck, and trust me... no one would even know that I did it," Zhuo Jingren said. His tone was calm but his words were cold enough to send shivers down anyone¡¯s spine.

    "Alright... lover boy. I won¡¯t do it again," he said before he extended his neck to look at Lily. "Stop lying. The cases of those look alikes came from a certain number of genes that contribute to establishing things like facial structure, eyes and nose. Meaning that these people are rtives, people who share a little bit of DNA with each other. Some of these people are also of the same ethnicity. However, a case where a man and a woman who look exactly alike but are unrted is something that no one has ever heard of. I am not a pure Chinese and neither are you. Judging by your looks I would conclude that we are of the same age. Our eyes are the same color and so is our hair", Qin Yuanfeng exined.

    Seeing Lily¡¯s dumbfounded look, Qin Yuanfeng continued, "Because of modernization, people have mated with other people around the world, so having someone who resembles you is highly likely. But... that dimple on your left cheek makes it impossible to deny the fact that we are somehow rted, if not... twins."

    Qin Yuanfeng then suddenly touched his chin and tried to look at Lily again. "The probability of us being twins is very likely as I know I was born with a twin. However... this confuses me. You are clearly someone educated with a good background, whereas I was told that my twin was nothing like who you are." He furrowed his brows before he looked at Zhuo Jingren.

    "A handsome man..." he deliberately hesitated as he looked down at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s fingers. "A husband who was staring at me like he wanted to kill me minutes ago and is now trying to protect his woman from my eyes. You guys are hiding something," he then used all his might to push Zhuo Jingren away from Lily. His eyes instantly met with her familiar light brown ones. The uncanny resemnce between them was making him a little giddy. Qin Yuanfeng then gave Lily a smile as he asked,

    "Tell me, woman... Are you Qin Jinghua?"

 Chapter 275 Things That She Had No Control Over

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 275 Things That She Had No Control Over</h4>

    "First of all..." Lily held her hand to stop whatever it was that Zhuo Jingren was about to do, then she stared intently at Qin Yuanfeng in front of her. "First of all... you are one weird man."

    Lily walked towards the living room and sat on the couch. She crossed her legs and smiled at Qin Yuanfeng. "Second, I am not Qin Jinghua. My name is Lily Zhuo. I am a foreigner who was raised abroad. If you think that we look the same then... it¡¯s either that you are drunk, or that you are really drunk," Lily said. She knew that their resemnce was truly uncanny. The sharedst name was also a dead giveaway that they were somehow rted, however, this does not mean that she would ept it right away.

    Does this man expect her to hug him and have an emotional reunion with a rtive? Lily was better than that. Moreover, she would not draw any conclusions or act rashly just because of an impulse and artificial emotions.

    The man just stared at Lily for a while before he let out a grunt. No matter how he looked at it, this woman looked a lot like him. "I am here because I am looking for my sister. Presumably she is already dead because she has been missing for so long. I have also used all my connections to look for her. Although the probability of someone as stupid as her being alive is quiet low, I still believe that I will find her corpse one day."

    "Since my wife has already told you that she is not your sister, leave now." Zhuo Jingren strode towards Lily and sat next to her. Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s words were actually true; he and Lily looked extremely simr. However, Zhuo Jingren also understood Lily¡¯s predicament.

    "Hah... If you were my sister, I would never have allowed you to marry this type of man," Qin Yuanfengmented as he struggled to retrieve something from his wallet. "Here is my card. As you can see... in China I am considered a good actor. Not the best... but I am confident enough to say that I am better than 60% of the actors there. I have not received any awards, but that is only because my mother..."

    "Alright. Please leave," Lily interrupted as she epted Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s card.

    "Okay. But before I leave... can I at least have a strand of your hair? I want to perform a DNA. Maybe this will confirm that you are my long lost sister?"

    "No," Lily answered before she gestured for that man to leave the apartment. If this was indeed her brother then... First of all... why does she have such a weird brother? Seeing Lily¡¯s resolute expression, Qin Yuanfeng could only shake his head in defeat. A stubborn character just like him. This woman has to be his long lost sister.

    After leaving Lily¡¯s apartment, Qin Yuanfeng made sure to call his father¡¯s people to check out Lily.

    "It won¡¯t take him long," Zhuo Jingren said. "He will find out soon that you are Qin Jinghua."

    "Yeah... well that should be enough time for me to investigate him too," Lily answered as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the couch.

    "You are not surprised?"

    "At this point, nothing about my mother suprises me anymore," Lily said, exhaustion apparent in her voice. "I used to wonder why she chose her pride over my welfare," Lily let out a sigh. "I mean... she was rich. If she came back, my grandmother would have epted her without asking any questions. So I was wondering why chose her pride over me. Then I thought... well... we all make mistakes. Maybe she miscalcted or something..." Lily paused as she ran through her justifications and assumptions about her mother before admitting in defeat, "Now... her decision is just a mystery to me."

    "At this point, I would not be surprised if I discovered that my mother was the mistress of the king," she said before she let out a mockingugh. To be honest, she didn¡¯t want to think about the things that she had no control over- like the past. She wanted to think about the things that were going to happen instead of focusing on what had already happened.

    "Yeah..."Zhuo Jingren only nodded at her words. Whatever Lily discovers doesn¡¯t really matter to him. They are together and that is the most important thing for Zhuo Jingren. All he can do is support her and give her the best in everything. "Have some breakfast first then you can sleep. I will give you a massage to help you sleep better."

    "Yeah... I am so tired. I don¡¯t think I can move a muscle to head to the table any more. Why don¡¯t you bring the food here so you can feed me?" Lily opened her eyes and smirked at Zhuo Jingren. Seeing thetter stand up and head towards the kitchen, she instantly moved and held his hand. "I was kidding! Why are you so serious?"

    "I can feed you if you want," he answered. If Lily says that she is cold, he would dly warm her. If she is warm he would do everything to make her feel cooler. Zhuo Jingren was really simple. All he wanted was to serve the woman that he loves.

    "Henpecked." She rolled her eyes before she rose from her seat. "Let¡¯s go. I am really hungry," she said before she clutched Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hands and led him into the kitchen. The warmth that he provided in her dark world was something that she had gotten used to. All Lily wanted right now was to spend more time with him.... with her sunshine.

    Seeing Lily pout while dragging him, Zhuo Jingren only shook his head and gave her a smile as he followed her.

    After Lily finished her food, she instantly went to the guest room and slept while Zhuo Jingren made some calls about Zhang Yifei¡¯s connection to the man named Qin Yuanfeng, then he climbed into bed andid beside Lily and enveloped her in his arms. A small smile of contentment could be seen on his face before he closed his eyes and hugged her tighter.

 Chapter 276 You Are Fortunate

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 276 You Are Fortunate</h4>

    Lily crossed her arms as she asked Li Shanshan, "So? Are you nning to keep quiet all day?" In response, thetter just lowered her head even more while biting her lips. This scenario instantly reminded Lily of a mother talking to her child abouting home drunk. "Ah Shan?" Lily let out a sigh before she rose from her seat. "Since you are not nning to talk I will leave now. I still have a mountain of paperwork to finish and millions to earn."

    "I¡¯m sorry," Li Shanshan uttered meekly.

    "You should be. I was forced to cancel my whole schedule - which is worth millions by the way - and I was not able to sleep properly." Lily sat back on the couch, feeling amused by the current familiar situation. Thest time this happened was exactly six months ago when Li Shanshan got drunk in London.

    "Yeah... Yeah.. Money," Li Shanshan nodded. "Please don¡¯t ask me forpensation. I have no millions."

    "Liar," Lily rolled her eyes before she lifted an eyebrow. "So?"

    In response, Li Shanshan let out a loud sigh before staring straight into Lily¡¯s eyes. "I think... I think I like Fernando."

    "Hmmm... After sleeping with him? That is so surprising," Lily responded sarcastically. However, when she saw Li Shanshan lower her head, she instantly chuckled, "He is single and so are you. Why are you getting wasted over liking him?"

    "I don¡¯t think he likes me."

    "Eh?" Lily instantly froze. "What did you say???"

    "I don¡¯t think he likes me," Li Shanshan repeated as her ears started to redden.

    "Excuse me? So when you went to New York and spent some time with each other... but you didn¡¯t talk about your feelings or your rtionship?" Lily asked. So Fernando likes Li Shanshan and the other way around, and the two aren¡¯t aware of this? What kind of situation is this? Lily heaved another breath before she closed her eyes in an attempt to control herself. All she wanted to do was to smack these two right now.

    "No." she answered. "I thought... I think both of us had a good time and it was like um ... you know, friends with benefits. So after we went to New York, well... I told him it was fun but we should stop it. I mean... he doesn¡¯t have any feelings for me and at that time I didn¡¯t think that I liked him like that."

    "Thenter... you realized that you were lying to yourself and you really like him? But it was already toote because he was gone!" Lily dramatically continued. "First of all... I would love to smack you and Fernando right now, but my husband is just outside and I don¡¯t want him to know that I have violent tendencies..." Li Shanshan only rolled her eyes at Lily¡¯s words. Seeing Shan¡¯s mood begin to lighten, Lily continued, "...and second of all... how old you are you?"

    "I will turn twenty eight this October."

    "And how old is he?"

    "Thirty-one," Li Shanshan answered.

    "Good... I just wanted to make sure that I am not talking to teenagers right now," Lily said.

    "You are only saying that because you¡¯re already married," Li Shanshan chimed in. "You are the teenager!"

    "That is not the point okay?" Lily countered. "I am already married while you are still single. So... I have the right to give advice about love and rtionships.... Something that a leftover women don¡¯t!"

    "Yeah... says the one who..."

    "Nope... enough talking about me. Let¡¯s talk about this rtionship that you have with him instead," Lily interrupted her friend. What if Zhuo Jingren was ¡¯gathering some information¡¯ right now? She could not risk having her friend blurt out her dirty little secrets, alright? "Okay, let¡¯s talk about this feeling... So you like him and he is MIA. This does not answer the question? Why did you get drunk to the point of passing out in the men¡¯s room? What if a really bad man saw you? What if they robbed you? Or hurt you? Worst case scenario, what if they raped you! Did you even think about these things before you decided to visit a club?"

    When Li Shanshan lowered her head again, Lily continued. "Ah Shan... You are already twenty eight. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time to stop ying around and get serious about things? I mean..."

    "I think I¡¯m pregnant," Li Shanshan blurted, interrupting Lily¡¯s words. "I am already dyed for three days and this has never happened before. I have not engaged in unprotected sex with anyone ever, not even with Fernando, however... mistakes happen. I don¡¯t know... Maybe I am being paranoid, but he is nowhere to be found. I never called him again after thest time I saw him. I was expecting him to call me and maybe ... I don¡¯t know, maybe confess that he likes me. But he never did and I am not ready to be a mother. I don¡¯t think..."

    "Calm down," Lily said. "Breathe..." she said when she noticed Li Shanshan¡¯s panicked expression.

    "Please tell me that you understand me. Ah Li, I am so sorry. I was so confused. Don¡¯t stare at me like that. I ..."

    "You suspect that you are pregnant and you decided to get wasted?" Lily asked calmly. "I won¡¯t judge you and think that you were trying to get rid of..." Her words drifted off and avoided Li Shanshan¡¯s eyes. "You are a mess."

    "I am." Li Shanshan said as she moved towards Lily and hugged her. "I¡¯m sorry. I will not do it again. I promise I will talk to him about this."

    "Don¡¯t talk to him," Lily answered. Fernando knew that Li Shanshan had a troubled childhood. How could he just disappear and ignore her after hiding his feelings for years? "You two are too troublesome." She moved away from Li Shanshan¡¯s hug. "Are you sure that you are pregnant?"

    "No."

    "So you haven¡¯t taken a test, yet?"

    "I haven¡¯t. I am afraid," Li Shanshan answered. This made Lily want to facepalm herself.

    "So you are reacting this way and you don¡¯t even know for certain if you are pregnant orr not?" Lily asked while wondering how she managed to befriendplete idiots.

    "I... I was overthinking," Li Shanshan answered, earning another heartfelt sigh from Lily.

    "Go take the test. If you are pregnant, don¡¯t call Fernando, that stupid jerk. I will have Jingren punch him the next time I see him!" she said. This misunderstanding was simply because of mimunication. Something that could have been avoided if they talked about their feelings. "And next time... Please don¡¯t create problems based on your wild imagination. Gather the facts first before you saunter to the club and do something crazy, you stupid woman."

    "What would I do without you?" Li Shanshan asked with a small smile on her face.

    "You¡¯d probably die of terminal cowardice without me," Lily answered, her gaze serious. "If you are pregnant... do you have a n?"

    "I don¡¯t know," Li Shanshan shrugged. Seeing Lily¡¯s scrutinizing gaze, Li Shanshan could only lower her head in embarrassment. She was stupid and careless. Lily was right. Without Lily, who knows what might have happened to her?

    "Ah Shan?"

    "Hmmm?" Li Shanshan lifted her head and met Lily¡¯s eyes.

    "If you are pregnant. Please don¡¯t try to abort your child." Lily said gently. "You are fortunate to have one."

 Chapter 277 A Win-Win Situation

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 277 A Win-Win Situation</h4>

    After another uneventful weekend, Lily had to deal with the ident that happened in Harmony Isle once again.

    "Alright then, I guess everything is settled," said Lily as she shed a smile at the gentlemen in front of her. In less than a week, the ¡¯manufactured¡¯ trouble they¡¯d faced on the Harmony Isle construction site was fixed. Of course, the speed with which this was achieved had something to do with money. After all, it was very easy for Lily to use a little bit of her profits to silence everyone who wanted to cause herpany harm.

    "Yes... however, I am still ufortable with the results of our investigations. My instincts tell me that this isn¡¯t a simple ident. This leads me to believe that whoever was targeting us might be influential enough to avoid our investigation," Mr. Rossi said before heaving a sigh. He stared at Lily and wondered if she¡¯d already asked her husband for help. After all, President Zhuo Jingren¡¯s influence in Hong Kong is still greater than what they currently have.

    "Hmmm," Lily murmured nonchntly in agreement. "Whoever was responsible will surely pay. The millions that I lost... they willpensate me three times that amount," She said with a calcting little smile. Of course, Lily¡¯s concern was still the amount of money that she¡¯d lost. "You can go now," she concluded as she ushered Mr. Han, Mr. Rossi, and Mr. Beau out of her office.

    "President," Yang Mi immediately approached Lily the moment the three men left. "Mr. Mu Huang is here again, and this time he is with hiswyer. He said he will file a case against us regarding the disappearance of Miss Mu Lihua."

    "Oh?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. "He is not giving up? Did Cecile already arrange someone to file embezzlement and fraud charges against him? How about the murder of Mu Qingling¡¯s parents? Where is she now, by the way?"

    "Miss Mu is still in Hong Kong with Miss Cecile," Yang Mi answered. "They already filed charges but Mr. Mu Huang is very influential. He has a lot of connections both in Hong Kong and Maind China. I think it will be difficult for us to..." Yang Mi did not continue. It would be very difficult for them to win this case because Mu Huang¡¯s influence runs deep.

    "Then let¡¯s use the people against him," Lily instantly answered. "The media always loves a tragic story. Once they get a hold of Mu Qingling, they won¡¯t stop until they get all the juicy details from her. Arrange a press conference for her. Ask her to appeal to the sympathy of the masses. I am sure that everyone will pity a poor little rich girl turned bullied orphan like her," Lily said before she turned her attention to her phone. She sent a few text messages to her husband and rose from her seat.

    "Arrange conference room one for the meeting. I would love to see what kind ofwyer this Mu Huang found for me," she smirked. "Let them wait for twenty minutes. I have to call someone first."

    ...

    Xuan Films, Xuan Hui Office

    The sound of a ss breaking echoed inside the room, followed by someone¡¯s thunderous voice.

    "OUT!" Xuan Hui yelled again as he pointed at the half-naked woman in front of him. "How dare you attempt to poison me! Out! Now!" He gritted his teeth and watched as his secretary ran out of his office.

    He slumped into his seat and exhaled sharply. He closed his eyes and raked his fingers through his hair. Xuan Hui looked askance at the broken ss that wasced with aphrodisiacs before closing his eyes once again. He had been trying to get rid of his secretary since he had identally slept with months ago.

    Unfortunately, the shameless woman would just threaten him every time he attempted to fire her. She told him that once he fires her - or if she dies - her friend will send their sex videos and some images to his wife. Obviously Xuan Hui couldn¡¯t let that happen. The past month had been a struggle for Xuan Hui as he was sandwiched between giving his wife the right amount of attention and the stress of managing his ownpany.

    "CEO Xuan?" Another voice called to him from just outside the room. Seeing that it was his other secretary, Xuan Hui only nodded at the man, a signal for him toe inside.

    "Here are the contracts that require your signature. These are the newly scouted talents from the art and music schools. I also have details on apany who wants us to endorse their products... but..." the secretary lowered his head.

    "But what?" Xuan Hui asked, his toneced with impatience.

    "But... they wanted to... they said they wanted to talk to you about our newly acquired artists. The person in charge also said we should bring a few young and beautiful artists so he can choose the perfect candidate for the advertisements from the artists on our roster."

    Xuan Hui instantly furrowed his brows when he heard his secretary¡¯s words. Perfect candidate? Did these people think that he would allow his artists to be used by them? Before he could answer, Qin Fei arrived unexpectedly with a satisfied smile on her face and two men in tow who clearly had been following all day simply to carry her many and various shopping bags.

    "Put them right there," Qin Fei beamed before she sat on Xuan Hui¡¯sp. "Hey Handsome," she said. "I bought something for you."

    Seeing Xuan Hui¡¯s furrowed brows, Qin Fei instantly asked what is going on. Her husband immediately exined what was going on and the reason behind his decision to refuse this contract.

    "Don¡¯t refuse him," Qin Fei instantly answered. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she stared at her handsome husband. "Why are you refusing your clients? It is only natural for artists to make some... sacrifices," Having said this, she looked to the secretary who was still standing near them. "Go ahead and chose the prettiest girls that you can find and bring them with you."

    "Fei, what are you..."

    "Hui, this practice is normal in this industry. I was only lucky because I had you. These girls want fame, so let¡¯s give it to them. You get a contract for a million and these girls can choose to grab the fame that they¡¯ve always wanted. It is a win-win situation," Qin Fei said. "Xuan Films is not doing very welltely. We should grab this opportunity to make aeback."

    "Think about it. Once those old businessmen hear about this, they will surelye to you seeking the services of all of your artists," she added with the same smug smile on her face, however Xuan Hui was still frowning.

    Qin Fei¡¯s words were actually true. In this industry, it was normal for girls to be taken advantage of. Nevertheless, he never wanted to be the type of person who would do something like this, but the circumstances had been very much against him these past few weeks. He let out a sigh, his face full of helplessness as he clenched his jaw. "Alright, chose the most beautiful ones," he said in a grim tone. Lately, almost every choice he made left him with a bad feeling about every aspect of everything.

    Xuan Hui thought that this was just because of his experience with his parents and with everything that had been going on in his life in the past few weeks. He felt as if someone was pushing him into making the wrong moves. Someone...or something unknown. Or maybe he was just overthinking everything because of stress.

    "What a smart businessman," Qin Fei beamed upon hearing Xuan Hui¡¯s consent.

 Chapter 278 Top Priority

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 278 Top Priority</h4>

    Qin Fei continued to smile all day. She couldn¡¯t help it. As someone who had been in the industry for years, Qin Fei was extremely familiar with the way everything worked. In the film industry it was perfectly normal for a few new talents to be taken advantage of like this. "Oh, by the way..." she began as she gave Xuan Hui a big smile. "My car broke downo I decided to buy a new one that would be more convenient for transporting our son."

    "Which car?" Xuan Hui asked.

    "It¡¯s the new BMW. It¡¯s not even avable in Hong Kong yet. My friend knows someone from Europe who helped me order it. Isn¡¯t that amazing?"

    Xuan Hui only nodded at Qin Fei¡¯s words. "You have been spending a lottely," hemented. "You should focus on your health instead of shopping almost every day."

    Qin Fei instantly sulked upon hearing her husband¡¯s words. "So you just want me to stay at home all day?"

    "Feifei... stop acting like a spoiled child. You are still healing from an operation. You can always shop once you¡¯re feeling better. Plus, our son needs you. You have been spending an awful lot of time outside while our son is always with his nanny. At this stage he still needs you," Xuan Hui exined. He had read a lot of books about about postnatal care and the changes a woman¡¯s body undergoes both physically and mentally after birth, so he understood Qin Fei¡¯s behavioral changes.

    ording to the books he read, it¡¯s normal for a woman to feel a little insecure and even depressed after giving birth.Therefore it is very important for the husband to take care of his wife¡¯s mental health.

    "Hmph! If that¡¯s the case I will go home and just sit there all day,every day!" Qin Fei rose from her seat in a sulk with no ns to listen to anythingXuan Hui had to say. She immediately strode out of the room with a big pout on her face. She had only left the house to have some ¡¯me¡¯ time was just having and to spend some quality time with her husband and he was already telling her that she should stay at home. Qin Fei instantly felt that it was absolutely unfair..

    As a new mother, Qin Fei had her own issues and struggles. She had been a good daughter-inw and she¡¯d always followed Yang Lina¡¯s orders, so the first thing she thought about after giving birth was gaining the approval of her mother-inw. This pressure made her feel even more stressed out, but now that Yang Lina was gone Qin Fei felt that she should celebrate and do the things that she wasn¡¯t allowed to do when Yang Lina was present.

    Of course, Qin Fei knew that Xuan Hui would set aside his work to coax her and maybe even buy her some gifts. She knew that her husband could not stand seeing her mad. With this in mind, Qin Fei marched out of the building,pletely oblivious of the deathly stare Xuan Hui¡¯s secretary had given her.

    .....

    Meanwhile, Lily just smiled as she listened to Mu Huang¡¯swyer stated thews that she had ¡¯vited¡¯. How could Mu Huang be so dumb to waltz into the tiger¡¯s den with a third-ratewyer? Lily wondered if the man had be muddle headed because of losing his favorite daughter and not being able to contact his wife.

    "First, mywyer is on her way," Lily interrupted thewyer. "Second, Mu Lihua¡¯s disappearance won¡¯t benefit me in anyway. She was never a threat to my existence in any way whatsoever. Third, she was not a threat to my marriage either. Fourth, I was busy dealing with an ident in mypany. Fifth, I don¡¯t even know Mu Lihua¡¯s mother, and this is my first time seeing Mr. Mu Huang. Therefore, I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯re here, barking like a dog."

    "Miss Zhuo..."

    "President," Lily interrupted thewyer with the same cordial smile on her face. Seeing thewyer¡¯s confused expression, Lily instantly added "Call me President."

    "President Zhuo... I don¡¯t understand how my family offended you, but my daughter is very important to me. I would appreciate it if..."

    "Mr. Mu, I am wondering... The cases against you have been piling up. Aren¡¯t you even worried about those cases?" Lily interrupted the man. "If I were you I would try to gatherf some solid evidence to avoid being prosecuted."

    "Those are baseless usations."

    "Are they?" Lily smirked at Mu Huang.

    "I can assure you that I¡¯m innocent and all the usations against me are baseless!"" Mu Huang said, his tone of voice loud and bombastic with the righteous fervor of the obviously guilty. However, Lily continued to smile knowingly, which instantly irked him massively.made him a little irritated.

    "I think we are just wasting each other¡¯s time right now," Lily concluded. "If you want to file a case then... you can try to talk about the boring details with mywyer, or you could go and file one right now. Either way, we are done here. I¡¯m done counting the seconds of my life that have bee wasted talking both of you. I don¡¯t want to die from boredom."

    Both thewyer and Mu Huang were rendered speechless by Lily words. In the end, they could only look at each other with an unspoken understanding visible in their eyes. They then rose from their seats and proceeded to leave. Just as Mu Huang thought, a singlewsuit would not really scare Lily. He clenched his fists in exasperation as he walked out of the FC Group¡¯s tower.

    His brows were knitted as he thought about his missing wife and daughter. The only people capable of doing this is Lily and Zhuo Jingren. Unfortunately, he could not find anything that could tie them to his family¡¯s disappearance. Once again, Mu Qingling¡¯s face shed through his mind.

    Mu Qingling had been giving him trouble these past few days. It was so annoying because he had already ordered his men to find Mu Qingling and eliminate her. However, it seemed that thetter was hiding in a rat¡¯s hole or something. Itwas extremely difficult to even see a glimpse of her hair!

    ....

    On the other hand, Zhuo Jingren was not having a very good day. His brows were furrowed and his face was getting darker by the minute as he continued listening to Secretary Go¡¯s report about the man named Qin Yuanfeng.

    "A stepmother,, huh." Zhuo Jingren thought out loud. The report clearly states that Qin Yuanfeng is Zhang Yifei¡¯s stepson. He is also twenty seven and was born a day after Lily. If his guess was correct then the man was indeed Lily¡¯s twin.

    Now the question is... why were they separated? Was it intentional? And who was responsible for this separation?

    Zhuo Jingren clearly remembered how Qin Yuanfeng mentioned that he was told that his twin was dumb, unlike Lily. Who could have given him this information and why is he even looking for Lily?

    There were a lot of questions that needed answers. Zhuo Jingren felt that Lily¡¯s background was even moreplicated than he had originally thought.

    "Shall I go ahead and send this to the madam?" Secretary Go asked with a serious expression on his face.

    "Do you know when Qin Chuan married Zhang Yifei?" Zhuo Jingren asked, ignoring Secretary Go¡¯s question.

    "Ah... exactly twenty six year ago," Secretary Go answered.

    "Alright. You don¡¯t have to send it to her because I want you to gather more information first. I want you to research everything about Qin Chuan and Zhang Yifei. Why did they get married? Were they lovers, or just betrothed to each other? I want you to be thorough. Make this your top priority."

 Chapter 279 More Money andâ€¦ You

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 279 More Money and... You</h4>

    "After days of waiting, Shanshan finally did a pregnancy test and it turned out negative. She was just over reacting," Lily said before sheid back on the bed and turned tot Zhuo Jingren with her most serious expression. "Don¡¯t forget to punch that Fernando the next time you see him, and no more texting him. He is a bad influence through and through."

    "Are you afraid that I will ghost you as well?" Zhuo Jingren turned to lily and rested his head on his hand while a devilish smile graced his handsome face.

    "Of course not! However, it is always best to take precautions. Who knows what will happen in the future? What if you discover that I am an extremely evil witch and you decide to leave me? It¡¯s always better to avoid talking to people who might influence your decision to leave," Lily said with the same stern expression on her face. What if Fernando¡¯s mental sickness is contagious? Lily would not want her husband to be a coward like her friend.

    "You don¡¯t even know why Fernando did it. You need to listen to his exnation before hating him first." Zhuo Jingren said, making Lily narrow her eyes at him.

    "You definitely need to stay away from him. You know what? You are also not allowed to see him again. I will punch him myself once I see him." She then put her head on the crook of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s neck. "Men are human being and we are all unreliable. Our emotions are not permanent as well... there will always be changes in the future."

    "Hmmm... that is normal." Lily felt Zhuo Jingren nod.

    "Why are you agreeing with me?" she instantly withdrew from his neck and stared at him.

    "If I won¡¯t agree with you..." he made a deliberate pause before he gave her a silly smile. "You will only say that I am a hypocrite and would argue about the nature of humans. It is still seven in the morning. Too early to argue about something insignificant about our rtionship."

    Lily instantly widened her eyes at him. However... she chose to put her head back into Zhuo Jingren¡¯s neck and cuddled with him. His words were actually true. It is normal for emotions to change... and it is definitely too early for them to argue. What amuses Lily right now, is Zhuo Jingren¡¯s ability to read her thoughts. Lily felt amused and of course, happy that the connection that they both have already reached this level.

    "Alright spill it out," she said after a few minutes offortable silence then continued, "You are hiding something.". How could Lily not miss the sudden change in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s tone? She felt him shift before he answered.

    "I am not hiding something." Zhuo Jingren said.

    "You are a bad liar, President Zhuo."

    "I am not. I just felt that what I found out is not yet enough. I already asked Go Jichen to focus on these matters. I am pretty confident that we can expect a result from him this week."

    "So? You are not going to tell me what you found out?" Lily raised an eyebrow at Zhuo Jingren, her lips lifted into a small smile as she leaned in closer to him. "You can¡¯t hide anything from me. I can literally smell it from you."

    "So you are not only a profiteer but also a bear." Zhuo Jingren said before heughed lightly.

    "What bear?"

    "Bears are known to have the best sense of smell in the world." Zhuo Jingren answered.

    "Oh... I have no idea and I won¡¯t fall for it. Stop changing the topic." Lily said before she yfully pped her husband¡¯s arms. "I want to know everything that you found out."

    "That¡¯s the problem, I haven¡¯t found out everything yet." Zhuo Jingren answered, making Lily stare intently at him. He then continued, "But it was positive. He is your twin brother. A DNA will settle everything. I am already working on that. However, all the clue adds up to this conclusion."

    "Alright... tell me about it." Lily said. She heard Zhuo Jingren let out a small sigh of helplessness. Lily knew that he could not really hiding anything from her. He just wanted to know more details to avoid confusion about the current situation.

    "Qin Chuan and Zhang Yifei married twenty-six year ago." Zhuo Jingren nodded. "This only means that if he is your father then... he met your mother first before he got married. He was not a cheating man and your mother was not a mistress."

    "Oh... but if Qin Chuan and Zhang Yifei are already lovers at that time then... my mother can still be considered a mistress. No one knew of her real identity here so... they might havebeled her as someone who wanted to climb into a rich man¡¯s bed." Lily continued before letting out a sigh.

    "That is right. Anyway... the second thing that I want to talk to you about is that Qin Yuang Feng was born one day after you."

    Lily only nodded at his words before she furrowed her brows. "Does this mean that someone separated us after my mother gave birth? If we were twins... being born on a different day is extremely rare. So it¡¯s either... he was registered a dayter than me that would lead me to believe that..." Lily stared at Zhuo Jingren for a few seconds before she continued, "he was stolen away from my mother after she gave birth."

    "Or we were really born on different dates and the Qin Family only cared about the baby boy and chose to abandon the baby girl that was born from a foreigner. Which one do you think it is?" Lily asked Zhuo Jingren.

    "See? We still have a lot of questions. This is the reason why I don¡¯t want to give an iplete information to you." Zhuo Jingren slowly pinched Lily¡¯s nose. "You tend to overthink things. I don¡¯t want this to be the reason why you can¡¯t sleep at night."

    "If I can¡¯t sleep... you can always tire me out. So don¡¯t worry about that." Lily instantly countered before her eyes turned gentle towards her husband. "I understand your concern. Thank you but I can assure you that this will not affect my way of sleeping in anyway. Right now, my priority is not in the past but in the future and that only involves making more money and... you."

 Chapter 280 Absolute Cruelty

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 280 Absolute Cruelty</h4>

    "Hmmm..." Zhuo Jingren nodded at Lily¡¯s words, a small smile evident on his face. At least, this time, Lily included him in her future ns. Of course, inwardly President Zhuo was already jumping from happiness. Lily had always been honest about her priorities which only involved earning more and more money. However, this time, she included him! He had a hard time controlling his happiness, ah. But he didn¡¯t dare to show it to Lily. That would be too much for her to handle.

    "Alright, just inform me once you have that information. I will talk to someone as well. I feel like... I don¡¯t know... I have this gut feeling that has been bugging me for a long time now." She said. While she could not wait to find out the truth about everything, Lily would never make this her priority. She had apany to run with thousands of people working for her. People who were feeding their families from their monthly wages. She could not afford to prioritize something that has happened in the past over the more important and practical things.

    The past does not and will not define her future now. They were there for a reason. Of course, she would not act as a hypocrite and avoid making people pay. The debt that was owed is always meant to be paid. But... revenge does not have a timeframe. She could always do this whenever she feels bored.

    Lily let out a sigh before she cuddled into her husband¡¯s arms again. Who is she kidding? When she came here all she thought about was killing people and making them suffer. Maybe this is... the legendary power of love?

    With this in mind, she giggled before she closed her eyes as she tried to sleep.

    ...

    On the other side of the City, Tang Lingyun was already fixing her makeup. It was still early in the morning and yet, she was already in a hurry to leave as soon as she can. She hastilybed her long hair and grabbed her high-heeled stiletto from the floor.

    "In a hurry to leave?" An old croaky voice echoed inside the room. "You haven¡¯t even asked me for the script and yet, here you are already sneaking out. Ah... Miss Tang is really different from those women that I have met before."

    "Mr. Ang... I..." Tang Lingyun instantly avoided the old man¡¯s fiery gaze as she took a single step back. "I just wanted to order some food. I tried calling the front desk but it seems that the phone is not working. So... I... I decided to go down to get some food."

    "Is that so?" the old man raised an eyebrow. "You know... I am hungry but it is for something else."

    "Mr. Ang... this... this is not a part of the deal!" Tang Lingyun said while stepping back until she hit the wall.

    "Oh? I don¡¯t even remember making a deal with you. On the other hand, I remember Mr. Qin saying that you needed a role in the new film that I am producing. Miss Tang... do you still need that role?"

    "No wait. Don¡¯te near me. I already did everything that you asked mest night. I cannot... NO! Let go!"

    "Miss Tang... your husband has already sold you for a role. So stop acting like you are still a young actress and just go with the flow, alright?" Mr. Ang let out a sinister chuckle as lust shed in his eyes.

    ....

    It was already afternoon when Tang Lingyun checked out of the hotel. With her big shades and ck hat, Tang Lingyun rushed to her car and instantly closed the door. She made sure that no one saw her before she let out a sigh of relief.

    She instantly teared up and broke down. This was her third time... the third time when Qin Mo told her to go and meet a producer for a role which ended up with her having to do whatever they wanted. In the end, they would give her a script for a role that she wanted. The previous two producers only gave her a short role in a series. A cannon fodder who would eventually die after fifteen minutes of taping.

    Of course, Tang Lingyun could not decline any of it. After all, no one really wanted to work with an actress who was associated with the people from the underworld. Though the Tang Family was already gone for good, some actors were still cautious and notfortable working with her.

    "Hypocrites!" she hissed under her breath. Because of the fall of the Tang Family she found it hard to recover as well. She had already issued an apology but still, people refused to hire her for a decent role. Tang Lingyun could not help but hit the steering wheel of her car out of frustration and anger.

    Since Qin Mo knew about Lily¡¯s background, his treatment towards her totally changed. He was not the same Qin Mo that Tang Lingyun once loved. At first, Tang Lingyun tried to fix their rtionship and acted meekly. However, Qin Mo did not even bother to look her in the eyes anymore. Tang Lingyun was confident that all this was because of the evidence that Lily had showed during herunch. She was sure that this was all Lily¡¯s fault.

    As time passed, Qin Mo had even gotten colder and secretive. He would not let Tang Lingyun enter his study anymore. This made her so angry, she almost broke her kind and magnanimous fa?ade around Qin Mo. However, she managed to keep a control over her emotions and even asked her son Qin Liwei, to get on the good side of the investors so he would be able to contest the CEO position once Qin Mo decided to make Lily, the heir.

    That was the only thing that Tang Lingyun could think of to help his son. She thought that Qin Mo would just keep on ignoring her. However, thetter made another ruthless decision; he made her sleep with the producers to get a role. How could a husband do this to the woman whom he had promised to spend a lifetime with? If this was not absolute cruelty, then what was?

    Lets chat! Join Discord: https://discord.gg/nz37GEZ

 Chapter 281 Qin Family Tree

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 281 Qin Family Tree</h4>

    "Really?" Lily¡¯s eyebrows shot up in amusement the second she heard Yang Mi¡¯s report about Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun. She originally thought that it would take a little longer before Qin Mo would decide to make his own wife suffer just to score a few points with Lily. "A murderer, trying to make me watch as he mistreats his own wife. Isn¡¯t this just absolutely ridiculous?" Lily thought out loud. Qin Mo was now the primary suspect of murdering her child. Does this man think that he will still be on good terms with Lily after what he did?

    "Because of this, she was able tond a good role for a film that is set to hit theaters next year," Yang Mi continued.

    "Hmmm... the only thing that makes me curious is why Tang Lingyun never bothered to ask Xuan Hui for help. Do we have anything about Tang Lingyun seeing Qin Feitely?"

    "Thest time that she saw Qin Fei was three weeks ago," Yang Mi answered.

    "Strange," Lily noted before looking at the stack of papers in front of her. "Alright. Let¡¯s observe for now. Right now... I want you to get Mr. Beau¡¯s report for me. September is about to end. I want to finalize Harmony Isle by the end of this quarter. Arrange another meeting with Mr. Han and Mr. Rossi. I need them to update me regarding their cooperation with Mr. Wang on thebidding."

    "Copy that," Yang Mi nodded. "Also... here is President Zhuo Jingren¡¯s travel schedule until the year ends. Secretary Go asked me to check if you two n to travel on the same dates since both Zhuo Capital and FC Group have branches in the US. He also mentioned going to Singapore and Maind China to help you with the Harmony Isle branches in those areas."

    "He must be really bored," Lily quipped as she epted the tablet. At a nce she could see all of the dates and ces Zhuo Jingren was scheduled to visit as well as the the people he intended to meet. "Lee Group?" Lily thought out loud. "Why would a hospital and apany want to schedule meetings with him over and over again?"

    "Ah... I already asked Go Jichen about it. He said that President Zhuo keeps cancelling on them at thest minute. The CEO of thispany even offered to visit Zhuo Capital¡¯s main office but... ummm..."

    Lily raised an eyebrow as she stared at Yang Mi. "Ummm? What?"

    "President Zhuo keeps refusing because he said... he can¡¯tmit to any partnerships right now as he is still enjoying his honeymoon phase." Boisterousughter rang out in Lily¡¯s office as soon as she heard Yang Mi¡¯s words.

    "Shameless," she shook her head. What kind of businessman would do this just because he got married? This was the first time that Lily had heard of anything like this!

    "That is what Go Jichen said too... but President Zhuo just said that he wanted to spend more time with you," Yang Mi answered. What kind of President would pass up an opportunity to have a coboration with a prestigiouspany like the Lee Group? Both Yang Mi and Secretary Go thought that passing up this opportunity was incredibly stupid.

    However, just seeing the twinkling eyes of both of their bosses somehow changed their views and opinions. Both Lily and Zhuo Jingren are happy. And that is what¡¯s important.

    "Yeah... That would be his exact answer," Lily smiled before she stared at Yang Mi with interest. "You seemed to have be even prettier. Did you get a facialtely?"

    "I... No," Yang Mi instantly lowered her head, making Lily chuckle.

    "And you changed your lipstick too," she continued as she teased her secretary mercilessly. "Do you have a new boyfriend?"

    "President! That is not possible. I just thought that the shade looked good on me so I bought it."

    "Really?"

    "Really," Yang Mi nodded. "President, if there is nothing else... I would like to go and do the things that you requested."

    "Alright. Here," Lily handed the tablet back to Yang Mi. "The death anniversary of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s mother ising up so I will take at least a one-day vacation to apany him to Japan for the weekend. Add it to my schedule."

    "Also... a man named Qin Yuanfeng will visit thepany or try to see me in the next few days. Let him in. No questions asked," Lily added. Since Zhuo Jingren already found out that they were in fact siblings, then it would be reasonable to assume that he will visit her soon.

    "President, that reminds me. The personal file of Mr. Qin was already emailed. I forwarded it this morning. It was sent to me by Mr. Arison¡¯s secretary. He said this was the only thing that they could find about him," Yang Mi said.

    "Oh. That was quick." Lily instantly went to open her email to check the file. While Zhuo Jingren had alreadyunched his operation, Lilyunched one of her own to make sure that they covered everything. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s investigation focused more on Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s parents, Qin Chuan and Zhang Yifei, while Lily¡¯s investigation was focused on her brother.

    "Huh?" Three unhappy lines snaked across Lily¡¯s brow when she opened the file. "A what?" she reacted after reading the first paragraph. To Lily, this was an incredibly shocking piece of information, ah.

    "A genius with an IQ of 142. He excelled in both physics and math and even represented China in some international mathematics quizzes, but he ended up as an actor?" Lily thought out loud before she lifted her head to look at Yang Mi. "Are you sure this is the document that was sent to you?"

    "I am absolutely positive," Yang Mi answered. She didn¡¯t even open this file as it was password encrypted. Only Lily knows the password for the files that George Arison sends. "Is there something wrong, President?"

    Lily did not answer Yang Mi. Her brows were furrowed as she continued to read her sibling¡¯s file. A genius who chose to be an actor. This is something that Lily finds really strange. How could someone who excelled in math love art and dancing all of a sudden? The investigation did not show any record of Qin Yuanfeng receiving any acting or dancing lessons. Moreover, how could Qin Chuan agree to his son flitting around on a set when he was heir to the Qin Familypany?

    "What the hell..." Lily was unable to continue speaking as her brain raced ahead of her mouth as it stumbled upon a suspicion.

    Someone must have been trying to suppress her brother. Make him an actor so he willck the skills to manage the business interests of the Qin Family.

    "Yang Mi?"

    "Yes President?"

    "Make my trip to China a week earlier... that would be thest week of October," Lily said. Yang Mi tried to read Lily¡¯s motive for bringing the trip forward, but her gaze was unfathomable. There are only two reason why her brother would choose to act. Either someone told him to do so, or he was doing someone a favor - and Lily¡¯s brain is already thinking that Zhang Yifei is the one responsible for this. "Also... can you ask Secretary Go to give me a list or maybe even an illustration of the Qin Family Tree. I want to familiarize myself with everyone before I see them. Include some pictures too."

    "Got it President."

 Chapter 282 Swindle Our Enemies

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 282 Swindle Our Enemies</h4>

    Meanwhile, Qin Yuanfeng was also frowning as he listened to the person on the phone. His handsome face became even more contorted when the other person started to name all the achievements and awards that Lily had received, abroad. "Are you sure she is Qin Jinghua?"

    "I¡¯m positive, Young Master. She is. Even though these facts are not readily avable in the media but a lot of people witnessed and heard about what happened at theunch. Her previous scandal was brought to light and she mentioned how she was alone seven years ago. The media was not able to release these information because of her husband. They are afraid of Zhuo Jingren." Silence followed the other person¡¯s words, before Qin Yuanfeng let out a grunt.

    "And why does my father not know about this? Did that mean he isn¡¯t aware of our mother¡¯s real family?" Qin Yuanfeng asked. What kind of man would fall in love with a person and not be aware of who they are or their background? Qin Yuanfeng found it hard to believe in this information.

    "The master was not able to do a lot of investigating. Under the eyes of the patriarch and the Madam, the master was powerless."

    "Powerless." Qin Yuanfeng instantly sneered. "Don¡¯t tell father about any of this, yet. I don¡¯t want other people especially that woman knowing about our investigation and that i have found her. Her spies are everywhere, so you have to be careful of your words."

    "The madam is already asking your whereabouts," the man on the other line said. "I was able to dodge her by saying that you were busy with your acting school abroad. Also... the one that you paid to be your recement is doing a good job in pretending to be you. So we don¡¯t have a problem for now. But... she mighte to your school next month or do a surprise visit. We need to be very careful as we don¡¯t want her to suspect that anything is wrong."

    "Got it." Qin Yuanfeng said and ended the call without waiting for the other person to speak. He then looked at the series of codes and numbers in front of him. "Shall I hack into yourputer?" he thought out loud.

    "Nah!" he shook his head and removed his fingers from the keyboard. He was here to reunite with his sister and not to make an enemy out of her. With this in mind, he hacked into Zhuo Jingren¡¯sputer instead. It was time to check out the man that his sister had chosen to marry.

    ....

    "A genius? He does not look like one." Zhuo Jingren instantly said. Before his eyes went back to hisptop. "And for your information, my IQ is higher than his. Hence, you should not act like this is your first time talking to a genius."

    Lily¡¯s eyes instantly widened, disbeliefced her gaze. "What is your problem with him?"

    "He is a jerk."

    "He didn¡¯t do anything to you." Lily reasoned.

    "I don¡¯t like him." Zhuo Jingren said. A man with the same face as his wife was absolutely disturbing for Zhuo Jingren.

    "Why are you acting like a child? Did he threaten to take away your candy?" Lily teased as she put her hand on her hips. She was standing behind Zhuo Jingren, her gaze was also on the screen full of codes and numbers. "What is that?"

    "Someone is trying to attack our security software." Zhuo Jingren said as his fingers flew across the keyboard.

    "Oh... am I disturbing you? I could just go back and sleep first."

    "It¡¯s fine. This person is dumb. Attacking the security system of a bank. Must be another clown." Hemented, with a serious face. This was not the first time that someone had attempted to hack into their system and though, Zhuo Jingren was not really in charge of this but he still loved to check around and see what was going on.

    While he was not that gifted withputers, Zhuo Jingren was absolutely confident with his numbers and hacking was just another game of numbers. "Stay, my security personnel can take care of it." He said before he turned towards Lily and pulled her into hisp.

    "As expected, I really sound so dumb next to you." She smiled. "How do you know about these things? I can¡¯t even understand a single code or anything from your screen."

    "I am not aputer expert but I am good with math and numbers per se." Zhuo Jingren answered. "It wasn¡¯t that difficult to learn."

    "Oh..." Lily could only nod. If it was that easy, then she would have learnt this skill a long time ago and hack into her enemiesputers. Lilyughed inwardly. She was not really that smart to begin with and it took her a lot of reading and understanding to grasp the intricacies of business management and marketing. "This is good. You can hack... hehehe... Why don¡¯t you..."

    "Nope." Zhuo Jingren instantly cut off her words. "No hacking into some people¡¯sputer." Seeing Lily pout Zhuo Jingren instantly pat her head. "I thought you said we are not criminals?"

    "Well... hacking is a good skill to earn money!" Lily instantly said. "If you just listened to my proposal. I already thought of five ways to earn millions through hacking! Moreover, isn¡¯t it fun to swindle our enemies?"

    "No. I don¡¯t really know how to hack. I just know how to write codes and I have never tried hacking before." Zhuo Jingren said honestly.

    "Oh. Really?" she lifted an eyebrow.

    "Yes. Now... it¡¯s alreadyte. Let¡¯s go and sleep?" he smiled at her before carrying her out of his office.

    "I don¡¯t feel like sleeping." Lily said, mirth apparent in her eyes. "I am not tired enough."

    "Then I will tire you out." He chuckled before kissing her cheeks.

    "You are really good at changing the topic, President Zhuo. I was talking about my twin brother and yet you are already talking about naughty things."

    "What naughty things? I was talking about exercise. I will apany you as you exercise." Zhuo Jingrenughed out loud when he saw Lily purse her lips in response. "Alright... I will stop. What about your brother? If he is indeed smart then he should be the exact opposite of you? Twins are often like that. Someone is always smarter than the other."

    "Stop calling me dumb!" Lily pped Zhuo Jingren¡¯s shoulders. "I am not dumb, alright!"

    "Yes... my wife is the smartest, a genius. Or else, she would not have married me." He said before both of them startedughing together. Creating a light atmosphere in the whole apartment.

    Zhuo Jingrenid Lily on the bed before he kissed her forehead.

    "Now... President Zhuo, why don¡¯t we talk about your ability to hack intoputers? Hm?" she smiled at the man in front of her.

    "I already told you, I don¡¯t have the skill to do that." Zhuo Jingren chuckled.

    "Hmmm... I don¡¯t believe you. Think about it... we could create some trouble for our enemies and ask some millions to solve it. We swindle them and give them headache at the same time. Isn¡¯t this just the best idea ever created by my brilliant mind?"

 Chapter 283 Race of Who Dies Firs

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 283 Race of Who Dies Firs</h4>

    After processing all the information about her brother, all Lily needed to do was to wait. She wanted to wait for him toe and approach her. On the other hand, she also made sure to find the time to familiarize herself with everyone in the Qin Family. She needed all the data that she could get before she would begin plotting against someone.

    Meanwhile, Lily was also monitoring the Qin and Xuan Families. She was using the Yang Family to monitor the movements of the Qin Family¡¯s main branch. Lily had been really busy with thepany as well because of the uing soft opening of Harmony Isle. Together with her trusted associates, Lily had been really meticulous in her nning.

    Harmony Isle will be the first property of the FC Group in the Far East and she would like it to be as perfect as possible.

    "Here is the proposal from the PR team. I¡¯ve already look at it. The strategy is to focus on advertisements on Social Media. Since you want an online store that is connected to our new mall, we need to do a lot of prep work when ites to our social media presence. Our shopping mobile app is also ready. We are currently testing it using different types of phones. You can check it out if you have the time. Our development team is working their ass off to give our customers a seamless experience. Anyway..." Cathy did not continue speaking when she saw that Lily had started massaging her temples. Cathy let out a sigh before she asked, "When was thest time that you had a good night¡¯s sleep?"

    "What is a good night¡¯s sleep?" Lily chuckled. Even Zhuo Jingren had been nagging her about her behaviortely, however he was still helpless in the end. Lily was stubborn, and even her husband had no power to change this aspect of her character.

    "Your husband just lets you stay up all night, working?"

    "He was working too," Lily answered before she epted the bottle of water that Cathy handed to her. "We can¡¯t make any mistakes. The opening is..."

    "You really need to take care of yourself Lily. We don¡¯t want our own CEO getting sick on the day of the opening," Cathy said. Her brows were furrowed in displeasure as she stared at Lily who had her eyes closed.

    "We¡¯ve already encountered some dys because of the ident. I don¡¯t want to extend our opening again. Christmas will be the final date. I just want to make everything perfect. We can¡¯t afford to have another problem," Lily exined. She had enemies lurking around, waiting for her to make a single mistake. She could not afford to ck even for a minute.

    "You are exhausting yourself and doing far too much. Why are you in a hurry anyway? Is this some race of who dies first?" Cathy said sarcastically before sighing. "You remind me so much of Lilian."

    "She trained me."

    "Yeah... right," Cathy answered. "On a serious note, you need to spend more time with your husband. Have a little fun away from all this."

    "I am spending a lot of time with him." If Lily chose to work overnight, Zhuo Jingren would silently work next to her, too. If she decided to sleep, then he would also stop working and go to sleep with her. Of course, sex- ehem- making love was always there as well.

    "Then... why don¡¯t you take a vacation with him? Lily, you are what? Twenty-seven? You just got married and you¡¯re burying yourself in work again."

    "In my defense, this is a very crucial part of ourpany. We need to establish a solid footing in Hong Kong and I want it done this year," Lily answered. Her eyes were still closed. She was actually suffering from a terrible headache at the moment. She could only me it on the fact that she¡¯d been suffering from ack of sleep for almost three days now.

    Another sigh echoed inside the room. Cathy wanted to say that with Lily¡¯s husband around, their footing was already solid here in Hong Kong, but she knew how much Lily hated depending on others. "As someone who has been divorced twice, I think I have the qualification to tell you this," Cathy started. "Your husband dotes on you so much. Don¡¯t ignore him. Spend more time with each other, without thinking of money or business. Have you even had a proper honeymoon? On a beach? Just the two of you, without thinking about other people?"

    At this point, Lily had already opened her eyes and was staring at Cathy.

    "From the look on your face, I would assume that you¡¯ve not had a honeymoon," Cathy continued. "Alright, I think I have said enough. You are an adult. I know you¡¯re already aware of what you are doing. However, all I can say is that a rtionship is just like a nt. You needed to nurture it to keep it alive."

    "I understand," Lily nodded. "Thank you for the advice. After the soft opening, I will go ahead and take a vacation. Of course, I need to find someone capable of running thepany first," she answered with a little smile on her face. When was thest time that Lily ever stopped thinking about making more money? Uhhh... never. She never stopped thinking about money and schemes. Her brain has worked overtime while she thought of ways to expand her business. She had even forgotten that she and Zhuo Jingren had never have a proper honeymoon. Of course, a honeymoon was very different from the hot sex that they had almost every day.

    Lily once again closed her eyes as she thought of the things that she still needed to aplish and then she instantly furrowed her brows at the thought of her unaplished tasks. It seems that thinking about it only made her headache worse, ah. Lily¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when someone knocked on the door and opened it without even waiting for Lily¡¯s response.

    "President, we have an emergency."

    Lily instantly opened her eyes and looked at Mr. Han who- judging from his flushed cheeks- was obviously in a hurry to reach her office. "What¡¯s wrong?" she asked.

    "I wanted to call you but I decided to talk about this matter in person," he blurted before he eyed Cathy. Cathy had been Lilian and Lily¡¯s subordinate for a long time now, so Mr. Han just continued, "Mr. Wang breached our contract. He is willing to pay millions just to cancel it. I think... I think we will have a hard time getting into Maind China¡¯s market this year."

 Chapter 284 A Planned Betrayal

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 284 A nned Betrayal</h4>

    Surprisingly, Lily¡¯s face didn¡¯t show even a single tinge of surprise or any reaction whatsoever.

    "President, I have been working on the proposal and even discussed all the details with Mr. Wang. I¡¯m afraid that..."

    "Let him," Lily answered. "If he wants to steal your ideas then let him."

    "But..."

    "Mr. Han? Let him do it," Lily answered. "I want you to make sure he pays all the penalties for breaching the contract. The damages that he caused will be paid in double."

    Seeing Lily¡¯s resolute expression, Mr. Han instantly calmed down. For a while, he had forgotten what kind of CEO Lily is. He let out a loud sigh before taking a seat opposite Cathy. "Alright, I will do that, but it won¡¯t make me feel any better at all."

    "I understand," Lily nodded. "But, if Mr. Wang hadn¡¯t breached the contract then it would be harder for us to get into the Chinese market," she smiled at the man in front of her. Mr. Wang had been underestimating her since they met, so it was not surprising for him to betray her at thest minute. "He is a shrewd businessman and he is only looking out for his own best interests. Too bad he met someone like me."

    Both Cathy and Mr. Han instantly lifted their gazes and stared at Lily. The captivating smile on her face was enough for them to know that Lily had been expecting this and had already made a contingency n to lessen the damage. Neither of them would be surprised if Lily informed them that she¡¯d already nned for this betrayal before even meeting with Mr. Wang.

    "Alright, you can go now. I still have a lot of things to do," Lily said after a few seconds. She waited for them to leave before she made a call to George Arison. After taking over the Tang Family¡¯s empire, George Arison had been in and out of Hong Kong and even Maind China, however, he and Lily seldom met because he didn¡¯t want to implicate Lily in his illegal dealings.

    George had many enemies and he would not want to give them the idea that he was close to Lily. He wanted to keep Lily safe and away from the danger of the ck market.

    "Hey..." Lily said the moment he answered. "Am I disturbing you?"

    "Of course not. How may I help you?" George¡¯s voice was a little breathy. Lily looked at the time and realized that it was morning in London right now, so George must have been exercising.

    "May I know the value of diamonds on the ck market right now?"

    "May I ask why you want to know?" George asked.

    "Gathering information," was Lily¡¯s short reply.

    "Then you¡¯d better ask your husband instead . He is an expert when ites to diamonds."

    "Oh..."

    "Let me guess... are you nning to acquire a miningpany?" George chuckled. "Are you afraid that he might think that you are too greedy?"

    "Of course not," she instantly answered before letting out a sigh. "Alright, I still need to finish a lot of things." She instantly bid goodbye to George before turning her attention to herptop. She narrowed her eyes at the Qin¡¯s family tree in front of her then looked at each descendant¡¯s corresponding filewhich had been printed for her convenience.

    The Qin Family is known for their mines and jewelry. While they don¡¯t have a diamond mine, the Qin family¡¯s jewelry store is well known for their expensive diamonds. A small smile escaped Lily¡¯s lips as she thought about what Mr. Wang did. She was sure that someone from the Qin family approached him and offered a hefty sum just topromise Lily¡¯s ns for branching out in China.

    This was actually a good n as it would dy her progress and might even stop her constructionpany from participating in the bidding. Moreover, Mr. Wang could easily steal their ideas for the bidding so that even if they joined the bidding they would not have a way of winning.

    As an internationalpany this was very likely to happen, and they would be aughing stock throughout the Chinese construction industry.

    Lily leaned back in her chair. Her eyes were still on Zhang Yifei¡¯s image on theputer, and her husband, Qin Chuan. ording to these reports, Qin Chuan can¡¯t walk and has been in a wheelchair for a long time now. This was the result of an ident that happened more than twenty years ago. This was the reason why, even though he was the eldest son of the current patriarch, their miningpany was given to the second son, Qin Hao.

    Lily stared at both Qin Hao and Qin Chuan. They were only half-brothers as Qin Hao was the son of the patriarch¡¯s second wife. However, the gap in terms of physical appearance was pretty obvious. Qin Chuan was even more good-looking and taller than his brother. He had also maintained a fit physique even though he had been in a wheelchair for years now.

    Compared to his brother¡¯s fat belly, Qin Chuan seemed healthier, and smarter too. Lily¡¯s eyes then turned to the woman who had killed her mother.

    Zhang Yifei...

    An orphan.

    Her father was the patriarch¡¯s old buddy in the military and had sacrificed his life to save the patriarch. Because of this, the patriarch promised to give Zhang Yifei a decent home and even bethroated her to his eldest son.

    In the image, Zhang Yifei was smiling gently. Her hands were around Qin Chuan¡¯s shoulders and on her side was Qin Yuanfeng who looked like... Lily could not even exined what her own brother looked like. In their family picture, he looked like a happy,d grinning child. His smile was innocent, too innocent. That instantly made Lily conclude that he was pretending.

    But why pretend? Did he know about Zhang Yifei¡¯s sinister nature?

    Lily continue to read about Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s childhood and she did not find anything wrong with it. He had a healthy childhood and Zhang Yifei had raised him well. They even seemed close - like a real mother and son. If she followed this train of thought, then... it would only be reasonable that Qin Yuanfeng would like Zhang Yifei, making him gullible to thetter¡¯s brainwashing.

    So... is it possible that Zhang Yifei wanted Qin Yuanfeng to be Lily¡¯s enemy?

    "I bought you your favorite." Zhou Jingren¡¯s words made Lily jump out of her seat. She instantly clutched her chest in an attempt to calm her heart. "How many coffees have you haf today?" he asked as he frowned at her.

    "No idea," she answered, turning her attention back to herputer. "Don¡¯t do that again. I might have a heart attack next time."

    "Come," Zhuo Jingren said before pulling her towards her couch. He didn¡¯t even wait for Lily to answer his question as he made her sit on the couch next to him. "This is bad. I think... I am doting on you too much. You have be even more stubborn," his words were stern, the exact opposite of his gentle gaze.

    "I still have..." Lily¡¯s words were interrupted when Zhuo Jingren pulled her in for a kiss. But then he instantly ended it as he stared straight at her.

    "Yourpany won¡¯t go away. It will be there once you wake up and the day after tomorrow as well as ten years from now," he said. "Your health won¡¯t stay as it is if you keep on doing this."

    "I..."

    "Sleep," Zhuo Jingren said coldly as heid on the couch with Lily on his arms. "Don¡¯t make me say it again."

    In the end, Lily let out a sigh before she made herselffortable in his arms. She breathed into his scent before closing her eyes. In less than five minutes her breathing had be even, prompting Zhuo Jingren to call Secretary Go and ask for something that could cover both of them. A gentle look was on his face as he kissed Lily¡¯s forehead.

    Today was supposed to be their wedding monthsary. He was here to surprise her and he even bought some food for them to enjoy. However, the exhaustion in her eyes had been so obvious that he instantly cancelled all of his ns for today.

    Zhuo Jingren was sure that Lily had forgotten about this day. Of course, he already expected this when he noticed her hectic schedule in thest few days. She had been so busy running around that he was sure she didn¡¯t have the time to think about him. Not that he had a problem with this.

    All he wanted was to make her happy. He knows that Lily¡¯s passion is her business and her sess makes her happy. He is always there to support...

    "Hey... don¡¯t forget the ck velvet box in my left drawer. It¡¯s for you. Happy monthsary," she uttered in a soft voice before she snuggled into his arms and drifted off to sleep.

    "..."

 Chapter 285 Lost In a Daze

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 285 Lost In a Daze</h4>

    Zhuo Jingren was all smiles as he continued to stare at Lily¡¯s sleeping profile. He could not forget herst words before she finally drifted off to sleep. She remembered. Is it safe to say that Lily has finally figured out her feelings for him?

    What if he was overthinking? Zhuo Jingren instantly scolded himself and tried to maintain a calm expression. He should just ask her when she wakes up. After all, Lily has always been honest with him. Asking her shouldn¡¯t do any harm, right?

    After a few more minutes, Zhuo Jingren also drifted off to sleep.

    ....

    Seconds turned to minutes, and eventually hours passed. Afternoon became evening and everyone in Lily¡¯s office had already called it a day.

    "Hey... wake up," Lily said the moment she realized that she had slept for hours. "Hey..." she patted Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arms.

    "Hm?"

    "I think we overslept," Lily said. The obviously dim office was proof that she was right.

    "No. We didn¡¯t," he said before giving her a light kiss on the lips. Lily pursed her lips as she sat on the plush sofa and eyed themp that was in the far corner of the room. Its soft glow created a romantic ambiance in the quiet office. Her gaze moved on to the beautiful view beyond the floor to ceiling windows in her office. Perfect. Romantic.

    As Lily felt Zhuo Jingren rise from the sofa, her eyes were immediately drawn to his silhouette as he walked towards her conference table. Her eyebrows fluttered up adorably in surprise when she noticed a number of boxes of various sizes strewn across the surface of her table but she chose not to say anything as she watched Zhuo Jingren pour her a ss of wine. He then casually lifted the lid of one of the boxes and carefully removed an elegant circr cake.

    It was already dark so Lily could not really make out the type of cake that he was slicing. "Chocte?" Lily guessed when Zhuo Jingren strolled back to the sofa with a small te bearing a tempting slice of chocte cake and a ss of red wine.

    "Hmmm... It¡¯s from your favorite shop," he said as he lifted the fork to sink it into the corner of the sinfully moist cake. Zhuo Jingren indulgently raised the fork and held it poised in front of Lily¡¯s luscious lips, waiting for her to open her mouth. Of course, Lily didn¡¯t hesitate as she parted her lips and let him fill her mouth with the indescribably rich cake as her eyes sparkled and her lips curved up in a very satisfied smile for him.

    "Good, as always," she said before a mischievous gleam shed in her eyes. "Here, have some as well," she offered as she used a finger to scoop a decorative swirl of icing before she yfully smeared it on his cheek. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s frozen expression was everything! Lily instantly let out a loud peal ofughter. She clutched her stomach andughed even harder when she saw Zhuo Jingren narrowing his eyes at her.

    Lily suddenly rose from the sofa and tried to run when she saw Zhuo Jingren use two fingers to scoop up an unfairlyrge dollop of icing. She thought she was quick, but he was quicker. He managed to catch hold of her arm, pulling her towards him and smearing the cake across her cheek and down her elegant neck.

    "Hey! That is not fair!" Lily grumbled when she felt the icing on her cheeks and chin. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s fingers were longer, meaning the amount of icing that he scooped up was naturally bigger. Moreover, he¡¯d also used two of his fingers.

    "Oh... now you¡¯reining?" he asked as his lips curled into a sly smile. "You were the one who started it."

    "Still, this is a lot," she said as she tried to scoop it off her face, but once again Zhuo Jingren held her hand before leaning over and licking icing fom her neck without saying a word.

    "You..." Lily lost the ability to speak when his warm and sweet lips crashed onto hers. Her eyes grew wide with surprise before pleasure made them gentle and dewy. Their kiss was steamy, instantly sending small pulses of pleasure racing down to her stomach. Lost in his kiss, Lily suddenly realised that she wasn¡¯t floating in pleasure but being carried as Zhuo Jingren gentlyid her on the sofa, his hand cradling the back of her head.

    "You¡¯re beautiful," Zhuo Jingren said as he stared into her eyes.

    "I wonder why you only call me beautiful when it¡¯s dark," Lily teased. Her eyes hungrily roamed his partially lit face.

    Zhuo Jingren did not respond. Instead, he stared at her with a heartfelt intensity, his heart drumming against his chest, threatening to jump out of his body. "Can I ask you something?" he said as he gathered all the courage inside him. He swallowed nervously while waiting for her to answer.

    "I can hear your heartbeat," Lily whispered, her eyes full of gentleness as her blissful gaze met his anxious one. "What do you want to know?" she asked. She allowed herself to study his breathtakingly handsome face, her eyes indulgently taking in the beauty of his firm sculpted jaw and the contrast of his invitingly pink lips. The perfectly curled eyshes that framed his dark brown eyes fluttered as he hesitated nervously. "Hm?" she tilted her head and smiled at him. "Why are you so nervous?"

    "I just want to know if..."

    "If I like you?" Lily interrupted him. However, Zhuo Jingren quickly shook his head. Seeing this, Lily grinned at him. "Do you want to know if I am already in love with you?" Being the impulsive and impatient Lily, she did not wait for him to confirm that this is what he needed to know. Before he could speak, Lily slowly nodded. "I am," she answered her own question. "I think I am in love with you."

    "You think?" he managed to ask as he tried to calm his racing heart.

    "I know," Lily corrected herself and reassured him. Her gaze collided with his as she prayed that Zhuo Jingren would not lose consciousness from the shock or from an overdose of happiness. "I know I love you," she said definitively, feeling surprised by how she wasfortable she felt with saying those words.

    "I know I love you, President Zhuo," she repeated once again when Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t move a muscle or utter a single word. Was he going to faint again? Of course, this was the first worry that Lily had. Zhuo Jingren was on top of her. If he fainted, then she would have a hard time wriggling out from under him in order to save him.

    Her man was frozen,pletely lost in a daze. Lily couldn¡¯t resist pinching his side in an attempt to wake him up from his stupor.

    "I said, ¡¯I love you, President Zhuo¡¯! Why are you still in a daze? Are you going to faint again? Ha! If you are going to faint, then I will use that icing to write my name all over your body because you belong to me. I¡¯m going top up the icing like a hungry little kitten and tickle you senseless while youy there in your...swoon. Can men swoon? Trust me, I will... Hmmm..." Her happy patter and chatter was abruptly cut off by yet another deliciously dreamy kiss from her handsome husband Zhuo Jingren.

    "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," he uttered between kisses so soft and so full of promise that they stole her soul. "I love you", he said as he felt his heart burst with happiness. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me." Zhuo Jingren felt the heat of tears behind his eyes as he steadied his jaw against the tremor of tears of gratitude that were moments away because Lily brought him the peace of being loved.

    He greedily pulled Lily into a hug, no smooth moves, just an urgent desire to feel her heart against his. No words... there were just no words... No word exists that wasprehensive enough to convey every emotion that he felt right now, in this very moment, with his Lily -who knows that she loves him - in his arms.

    He pursed his lips as he felt a tear fall from hisshes and crash against his angr cheek. When Zhuo Jingren felt Lily¡¯s arms snaked around him even tighter, another tear fell from his eyes. He let out a chuckle ¡ª a victorious one. He remembered how very much he had adored her when they were still in their youth, and on to that incredible night after they met in the bar...all the way to the not so distant past when Lily arrived in Hong Kong, when she assumed that he was her driver and she ruthlessly made him be a contortionist to fit his glorious height into that tiny Beetle that she insisted on being chauffeured in.

    Gratitude, happiness and love... so much love. Those are the three words that came closest to describing the emotions crashing about in his heart right now.

 Chapter 286 A Very Complicated Family

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 286 A Very Complicated Family</h4>

    Lily smiled the moment she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was her husband staring at her lovingly. The fact that his head was propped on his hand as a blissful smile graced his face suggested that he¡¯d been up worshipping her for some time. "Are you going to just stare at me all day? What about breakfast?" Lily asked withughter apparent in her tone.

    "Done," he answered before his lips captured hers. "Do you have ns for today?" he asked.

    "What kind of question is that? It¡¯s Tuesday, I am nning to go to work. Don¡¯t you have ns to go to work today?"

    "I¡¯m not talking about work," he rified before handing a folder to Lily. Shezily arched an eyebrow as she epted the folder and opened it.

    "Qin Yuanfeng hacked into yourputer?"

    Zhuo Jingren nodded. "He made sure to let me know that it was him. What a jerk."

    "And did he find anything important?" she asked.

    "Nah... the jerkcked the skills to breach my firewall. Turns out that the trouble that I encountered with the back security yesterday was also him. I was able to trace it to his ce. The jerk happily sent me some emojis. I can see him enjoying this. Aside from having mental issues, he must not be in demand as an actor as he clearly has loads of free time," Zhuo Jingren said as he let his petty side roam freely.

    Lily remained silent as she continued reading the contents of the file. A bit of intel piqued her interest: "Zhang Yifei is nning to visit the Qin Family in Hong Kong?" she asked.

    "She ising with her husband, Qin Chuan, as well as Qin Hao and the Patriarch of the family. For some reason... I have the impression that they don¡¯t know that Qin Yuanfeng is here," he answered.

    Lily went silent for a second, her gaze on the ceiling as she pressed the folder to her chest. Zhuo Jingren assumed that she would start scheming with this new bit of intel, and he was right. Lily needed to know what Qin Yuanfeng wanted from her, and she needed to know as soon as possible.

    "First and foremost, China is a patriarchal country. Certain roles are firmly established in most of the prominent families, so allowing or encouraging Qin Yuanfeng to pursue acting instead of forcing him to study business management makes no sense at all, especially when you consider the fact that he is the only male in his generation. All of his cousins are females. He is also the only legitimate heir, but instead of using him and his brilliant mind they chose a mediocre female cousin to be the CEO of theirpany. This makes no sense at all," Lily said. Most families would unanimously choose a genius male over a mediocre female to run theirpany.

    Some families force their heirs to study business, even if they love and their passion for a profession lies in another direction.. How could the Qin Family be any different? Moreover, Qin Yuanfeng is the son of the eldest son of the patriarch. He is a senior in both intelligence and birthright. So how could he chose acting instead of running apany that he was born to manage? Why would the Qin Family allow such a thing to happen?

    "This family is veryplicated," Zhuo Jingren said. "However, I believe it has something to do with Qin Chuan¡¯s inability to walk. If my guess is right, then after his ident years ago, his father ced all of his hope son his second son, Qin Hao, and now that Qin Hao is too old to be truly impactful as a leader, he¡¯s given the position to his only daughter. While she is mediocre andcks any outstanding talents, she is very shrewd and cruel. With her father as her adviser, she is qualified enough to run apany."

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded. "Well... I will take this one step at a time. Someday, the truth will reveal itself." The first thing she needed to do was talk with Qin Yuanfeng and rify his purpose in looking for her.

    "Do you know where he¡¯s staying?" she asked while staring straight into Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes. Lily had seen Qin Yuanfeng in Sky City a few months back, but who knows if her brother had already shifted to some other ce?

    ....

    Qin Yuanfeng was livid.

    He looked at the series of documents that were on his table and furiously started cursing. "Stupid," he sneered. How could Zhang Yifei assume that he was still unaware of the number of people that she had following him around? He was lucky that he was able to evade them and switch ces with another person who was using prosthetics to look like him.

    A few months ago, Qin Yuanfeng decided to visit Hong Kong to look for Qin Jinghua. He wanted to know everything about her, but he couldn¡¯t investigate while he was still in Maind China being treated as an imbecile by his own grandfather and stepmother. He needed a way out, and the only thing that he coulde up with was to study abroad. He used his garbage acting skills so he could enrol at a prominent acting school abroad.

    Of course, Zhang Yifei instantly fell for it. It was a great opportunity for her to make Qin Yuanfeng leave Maind China. Moreover, she had nned to have her men follow her stepson around 24/7. She was sure that Qin Yuanfeng would listen to whatever she had to say and would even feel thankful that she agreed to have him take lessons abroad.

    The more thankful and dependent Qin Yuanfeng was,the more opportunities there were for her to control him.

    Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s n was smooth sailing, as expected. He had calcted everything and was sure that no one would find out that the Qin Yuanfeng studying abroad was a fake. However, he never expected that Zhang Yifei would visit the Qin Family in Hong Kong.

    Is it possible that her people saw him when he was with Lily a few days ago? But that¡¯s impossible! He made sure to delete his traces on all of the CCTVs, and he even hacked into the mobile system in Hong Kong to check the cell phone activity of the people around him when he was with Lily.

    On that day, no one who saw him made a call to Maind China. Moreover, that was the second time that he¡¯d walked out of the building wearing a prosthetic jawline, subtly altering a memorable detail about his appearance, making him look a bit different than his usual face.

    On typical days, his disguise was perfect. He had been switching his disguise so no one would be able to recognize him.

    The only reason Lily recognized him was because he was wearing the same disguise as when he first met her in the elevator and when he visited the bar. It was all a coincidence ¡ª a lucky coincidence.

    Qin Yuanfeng let out a loud sigh of frustration as he eyed the different set of wigs and prosthetic materials on one of his tables. He then looked at his face in the mirror. The face that was identical to Lily¡¯s.

    "Fraternal twins," he uttered before he stroking his jaw. He narrowed his eyes as he remembered Lily¡¯s expression when she saw him. She had suffered so much, he thought inwardly. The na?ve and dumb woman as described by his uncle was nowhere to be seen. In her ce was someone calm and collected, smart and cunning, kind but devious.

    Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone knock loudly on his door. Who the hell would knock at this time of the day? He let out another curse before grabbing one of his wigs and a ck contact lenses to hide his true eye color. He quickly donned a pair of sses and a baggy knitted sweater with ¡¯Made by mom¡¯ knitted into the pattern in arger than life size.

    He heard another loud knock as he examined himself. He looked just like the nerdy mama¡¯s boy that he wanted to portray when he rented this ce months ago. He checked hisptop one more time and made sure that no one was standing in the corridor before he decided to walk out of his room.

    A loud knock echoed for the third time. "What the..." he did notplete his sentence. Was someone trying to destroy his door? He hastily closed the door and proceeded to walk towards the living room to check the front door.

    He looked through the peephole, and just as he expected the owner was standing there with a slight smile on his chubby face. Without a second thought he opened the door, "It is still early in the morning. What are you..."

    "Hello... brother."

    Qin Yuanfeng was unable toplete his sentence as his eyes widened at the woman who was smiling sweetly at him.

 Chapter 287 Uninvited

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 287 Uninvited</h4>

    "Why are you here?" Qin Yuanfeng carefully checked both ends of the hallway and nearby doorways for any evidence that Lily was being followed before pulling her inside, ncing around once again to make sure that no one else was aware of them. He nailed hisndlord with a deadly stare before mming the apartment door in his face.

    "I own this ce... I mean my husband does," Lily exined before her greedy side kicked in. "But well... it¡¯s mine now," She beamed with the glowing smile of a true money lover.

    "Why are you here? And why are you acting all friendly with me?" he asked, irritation evident in his tone. His n was to visit Lily after learning that Zhang Yifei intends to bring everyone to Hong Kong. Moreover, Qin Yuanfeng does not like it when his machinations are interrupted or changed by others. In this case, Lily¡¯s unexpected arrivalpletely ruined the grandiose way in which he¡¯d nned to reveal his true identity.

    "First of all... you are just weird," Lily said as she eyed Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s living room. There were two shoes that were neatly ced just below the TV. On the walls hung two frames that were perfectly aligned in a geometrically symmetrical proximity to each other. Lily¡¯s expressive eyebrow lifted in silent judgement. Everything was neatly arranged - too neatly. Everything was also grouped by two¡¯s. "Second, well there is no second. You are just weird. Period."

    Lily sat, uninvited, on his couch and smiled at him. "I was not expecting that you would look exactly like me." The first thing she noticed the moment she saw him was their resemnce. This was not the case when she saw him days ago. Now, however, the man had simply donned a wig and some sses and suddenly the resemnce was just too uncanny.

    "That is not the answer to my question...," he said as he sat across from Lily. "...but I would assume that you¡¯ve already found out about me being your brother. With your husband¡¯s influence, how long did it take? Twelve? Or twenty-four hours?"

    Lily didn¡¯t answer him. Instead, she just stared at Qin Yuanfeng as he removed his disguise. He carefully ced his wig on the coffee table in front of them, then he aligned the sses neatly below the wig so that they were perfectly centered under the tips of the wig. His movements were quick and precise, making Lily realise that he was experienced in frequently removing his disguises with speed and with great attention to detail to avoid being found out. Clearly he¡¯s been doing this for quite some time.

    This man must be a neat freak too, Lily thought as she continued to stare at his little ritual.

    "Staring is kind of rude," he said. "Aren¡¯t you going to give me a hug? A tear, maybe? You¡¯ve finally found your long lost rtive."

    "You are such a jerk," Lily belittled him as a sister would do.

    "And you are stupid toe here alone. Who knows if I am your enemy? I could kill you right now and your lover boy wouldn¡¯t be able to save you from me," he countered, earning a chuckle from Lily.

    "He is just outside. But... because of what you said..." Lily tilted her head and looked at the door that was just kicked in, revealing Zhuo Jingren with a murderous look on his face. "See?" Lily lifted an eyebrow at her brother¡¯s reaction.

    She wanted to have a private conversation with Qin Yuanfeng but Zhuo Jingren insisted oning along for protection. Lily felt that a conversation with just her and Qin Yuanfeng would be much more productive without her husband, however Zhuo Jingren had no interest in going along with that n and insisted on tagging along. To be fair, neither of them knew what Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s agenda was so it was best to follow him to ensure her safety.

    The only reason why she entered alone was because she agreed to bring a Taser and an audio recorder, allowing her husband to monitor her conversation with Qin Yuanfeng. The second Qin Yuanfeng uttered those words, Lily knew that Zhuo Jingren would not let it pass.

    Lily heaved a weary sigh as she watched Zhuo Jingren approach and take a seat, uninvited, next to her on Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s sofa. "You alright?" he asked gruffly.

    "Yeah," she answered. It was only reasonable for Zhuo Jingren to be worried. Lily was talking to someone who was a potential enemy.

    "Pay for my door," Qin Yuanfeng said In a money-grubbing tone that proved that they were twins.

    However, Zhuo Jingren did not respond to him. He never even nced at Qin Yuanfeng. He was about to curse Zhuo Jingren out when he heard someone moving behind them. He instantly turned his head towards the door and was somehow not surprised to see a man trying to close the door to give them a degree of privacy. The man looked at Zhuo Jingren and Lily as he said, "I will be right outside." He eyed Qin Yuanfeng suspiciously before he walked out of the room.

    "Why is he looking at me like I am a criminal?" he asked.

    "You are a criminal," Zhuo Jingren answered.

    "Yeah... says the man whounders money for notorious people," Qin Yuanfeng answered. How could he not realise exactly how Zhuo Jingren gained power and built his empire? Qin Yuanfeng hadpleted veryprehensive study of the man who¡¯d pursued and married his sister once he hacked his way into Jingren¡¯sputer.

    As expected, Zhuo Jingren did not answer him. Instead he continued to avoid looking at Qin Yuanfeng.

    "So... Why are you here looking for me?" This time it was Lily who asked the question. She couldn¡¯t understand why these two hated each other so much, but that was their problem. She would not let it get in the way of her goal ining here.

    "You were the one who came here looking for me. I am supposed to ask you this question," Qin Yuanfeng quipped snarkily. There was absolutely no point in asking Lily how she knew that he was looking for her when his reaction the second time they met was a clear indication that he already knew everything about Qin Jinhua - well, not everything.

    "I was never expected that you would be this difficult to talk to," Lily said as her face turned serious. "As you can see, you are clearly outnumbered. Tell me the truth or I won¡¯t hesitate to make you suffer."

    "What?" Qin Yuanfeng wide eyed stare was evidence of his disbelief at Lily¡¯s bare threat. "I am your BROTHER. Why are you threatening me?!! Are you out of your mind?"

    "So what if I am? Does it matter? Stop worrying about my state of mind. Worry about yourself. I am not sure why you are here. I don¡¯t believe in coincidences and I am a very direct person. I don¡¯t like to waste my time investigating... goose chases, so... Let¡¯s do this again. Hi, my name is Lily. I am your sister. Why are you looking for me?" she asked as her lips curved into a sinister smile, instantly making Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobble as he swallowed in fear.

    Who IS this woman? His reports never mentioned a word about her being ruthless to her friends and family. He was her brother! A twin! Someone with almost identical DNA as her, yet she didn¡¯t think twice about threatening to hurt him just to make him talk? However, the shock didn¡¯tst for long when he factored in every detail about the things ¡¯family¡¯ had done to her seven years ago.

    She had been through a lot. This... This ruthlessness would be a normal reaction from someone who¡¯d experienced what she went through. If he was in her shoes, he would think exactly the same way as her. Qin Yuanfeng let out a long sigh as he stared straight into Lily¡¯s eyes.

    "I am here to know what happened to my sister who disappeared seven years ago. I am here to know if our mother was really murdered," then he lowered his head and clenched his jaw. He was here to know if... if Bec even knew that he existed.

    He was here to find out why she left him with those monsters. Why him?

    Qin Yuanfeng chuckled inwardly. Who was he kidding? Who cares about Bec Fi¡¯s thoughts? He was only here for revenge.

 Chapter 288 A Test of Who is More Cunning

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 288 A Test of Who is More Cunning</h4>

    Unedited: Edited Version will be uploaded in a few hours.

    Lily narrowed her eyes at Qin Yuanfeng, but she chose not to say anything. She knew he was lying. For some reason, she could feel some... anger in his eyes. She instantly wonder if this anger was directed to her mother or maybe even her.

    "Well... why don¡¯t you tell me your story? Then I will tell you what happened seven years ago and everything about our mother?" Lily asked. She was still not sure if he was a friend or a foe. However, she would not waste this opportunity to know more about the Qin Family.

    "Boring question. If you want to know more about the Qin Family, then I can help you, but..." Qin Yuanfeng made a deliberate pause as he stared at Lily. "Nothing about my past will help you in any way." He answered, his jaws clenched.

    This earned another raised eyebrow from Lily. "Zhang Yifei ising to Hong Kong. She must have known that I am here in Hong Kong," he added.

    "Maybe she wanted to bring you back to China?" Lily asked. If this man was indeed a genius in theputer, then it would be hard to find him if they chose to use modern technology. Moreover, based on his appearance now and the other time that she saw him, Lily was sure that he did something to disguise himself.

    Qin Yuanfeng turned silent at her words. After a few seconds, he added, "I want to help you."

    "With what?" Lily asked her brother.

    "I can help you with whatever it is that you want." Qin Yuanfeng answered. "Don¡¯t you want to get revenge on the people who separated our parents? Don¡¯t you want to make them suffer? The people who schemed against our mother and father are out there living the best of their lives. Are you going to allow this to happen?"

    "No," Lily answered, the smile on her face was long gone. Bec and Qin Chuan were separated? This was new to her. "I don¡¯t want revenge."

    "What kind of daughter are you? Aren¡¯t you even going to make them feel what our parents felt? When our father lost his ability to walk because of a scheme. I know that you don¡¯t know him, but... he never did touch that Zhang Yifei. Not even a hug. I can assure you this."

    "Qin Yuanfeng... let me asked you something." Lily said as she crossed her legs. "Why are you trying to rile me up? What are your intentions? Why do you want to make me angry? Do you want to manipte me? What for?" Obviously, Lily¡¯s question came as a surprise to Qin Yuanfeng. However, instead of getting angry, he let out a deepugh of amusement. His eyes were in a crescent as he shook his head.

    "You are smart."

    "I am not. You just underestimated me." She countered.

    "The most dangerous people are those who downgrade their own intelligence." He answered. Seeing Lily just smiled at him, he continued, "You are indeed my sister."

    His reaction instantly earned a scoffed from Zhuo Jingren. "Fool." He uttered.

    "This fool can hack into yourputer, loverboy. Don¡¯t you ever forget that."Qin Yuafeng quipped.

    "This lover boy can kill you in seconds. Don¡¯t ever forget that."

    "Oh? Is that a challenge?" Qin Yuanfeng rose from his seat. "Why don¡¯t you give it a try?"

    "You think too highly of yourself. You think you stand a chance against me?" Zhuo Jingren also rose from his seat. He stood in front of Qin Yuanfeng. He sneered before he continued. "Weak."

    And this was Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s undoing. He released a fist towards Zhuo Jingren¡¯s jaw however, thetter was quick enough to shift his weight and avoid the punch. "Is that all you¡¯ve got? You can¡¯t even hit a strand of my hair."

    Themotion instantly made Lily rose from her seat. With wide eyes, she stared at the duo, who were now exchanging some blows with each other. What is their problem? Lily furrowed her brows. Irritation was apparent in her eyes. She walked towards the kitchen and grabbed two chef¡¯s knives of the same size and color and brought it to the living room.

    The smell of testosterone was all over the air as Lily saw Daohu enter and was about to join the fight. "Daohu. Go get two first aid kit." She ordered, leaving thetter with no choice but toply. The madam¡¯s words were to be followed all the time, this was what Zhuo Jingren told all of them.

    "Here," Lily said as she spread her arms, one knife on each hand. Seeing the two stopped moving and stared at her, she continued. "You want to kill each other? Then please go ahead." She put one knife to Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s hands and the other to Zhuo Jingren.

    "I will be waiting outside with the first aid kit. Pleasee see me once you are already wounded."

    "What happens if the wound is too big?" Qin Yuanfeng dared to ask.

    Lily stared at him intently, a small blood was already on his lips, whereas Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face was still wless. The result of this fight was already too obvious. "Hospital." She answered shortly. "Go on. Kill each other. Just don¡¯t let me see it. I hate blood." She said calmly before walking out of the living room.

    "Madam... what if Mr. Qin will hurt the President?" this was the first question that Daohu asked Lily. He had already called Bei Tian, so he is confident that Mr. Qin won¡¯t be able to run away after this, but he was still worried that he would hurt President Zhuo.

    "No, he won¡¯t," Lily answered with confidence. "I trust him." She said with a small smile on her face. Would she give them a knife if she does not know that Zhuo Jingren woulde out victorious? He would not risk his life like that.

    Moreover, she had witnessed Zhuo Jingren¡¯sbat ability every time he would spar with Daohu or even Bei Tian as a part of his work out. He was knowledgeable in both Karate and Brazilian Jiujitsu. While Lily was not familiar with the kind of martial arts that Qin Yuanfeng knew, she still trusted her husband.

    Additionally, Lily knew that Qin Yuanfeng would be too scared to attack Zhuo Jingren now. He knew that the risk of him ending up in a hospital is too big. And being in the hospital is akin to calling Zhang Yifei and letting her know that he was in Hong Kong. This would ruin everything that he had nned.

    Of course, this scenario is only applicable if Qin Yuanfeng was indeed here without the knowledge of Zhang Yifei. Still, Lily could not see any reason for Qin Yuanfeng to attack Zhuo Jingren anymore. Surely, he would not be that dumb to realize this.

    Just as Lily expected, Zhuo Jingren walked out of the room unscathed. He had a smile on his face as he handed two clean chef¡¯s knife to Daohu. Then he looked at Lily. "Your n worked. You can talk to him now." He said before he gave Lily a small kiss on the forehead. "Don¡¯t forget, always to put your hand on your Taser. In case he still tries to do something to you." He reminded as he walked to the next room with Daohu in tow.

    Lily only smiled at her husband, an unfathomable emotion shed in her eyes. To Lily, everything is a test- a test of who is more cunning.

 Chapter 289 Believe in Your Ruthlessness

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 289 Believe in Your Ruthlessness</h4>

    Silence weed Lily the moment she entered the apartment. She could see Qin Yuanfeng sitting on the couch, his expression dark and defensive as he stared at the TV in front of him. "Do you ever wonder why Bec neverined, even when she was being treated unfairly by everyone?" he asked after Lily took a seat on his right.

    "I did," she answered honestly. "I thought it was because she just wanted to spend more time with me."

    "Someone threatened her," Qin Yuanfeng said as he slowly took his sweatshirt off, revealing a white V- neck tee shirt underneath. After he carefully ced the sweatshirt on the table, he looked at Lily intently before he continued, "Our father was threatened too."

    "At first, I thought he was a coward. How could he just watch me getting flogged by someone without stopping them? A child, being punished severely in front of his father and the father does nothing. What kind of father would have the stomach to watch a helpless child being whipped?" Qin Yuanfeng shifted his gaze away from Lily. "The only person who loved me back then was my stepmother. She supported me more than my father ever did."

    "What a bitch!" he muttered under his breath before he continued. "A few months ago I discovered that he had been threatened. One refusal of their request and they will hurt you. Ba was threatened the same way. One refusal of their request and they will hurt me."

    Lily¡¯s breath hitched before she pursed her lips in an attempt to calm her nerves. She could not react and be emotional right now. She needed to be logical about everything. "Why should I believe you?" she asked.

    Without saying anything, Qin Yuanfeng lifted his shirt as he showed his scarred back to Lily. Then he quickly put his shirt back down. "A pretty face who refuses to go shirtless on camera is useless in my industry. This is the reason why I only made a few films." He let out a smallugh. "Not that I cared. I never had it removed. I saw it as a reminder of how cruel people can be."

    Lily¡¯s eyes were still wide as she stared at Qin Yuanfeng. "Why did they hurt you?"

    "Well... I originally came here to find out why, and guess what? After investigating you, I found the answer to my questions," he said. "Bec tried to contact her mother- your- our grandmother, Lilian Fi."

    It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on Lily. She swallowed nervously and waited for her brother to continue speaking.

    "Guess what else I found out," he continued. "Qin Chuan, our father, the Eldest Young Master of the Qin Family, is the brains behind the Qin Group in Maind China."

    "What do you mean?" she furrowed her brows.

    "His brother was forcing him to manage thepany. Qin Hao was taking all the credit while our father was ridiculed for being useless." Qin Yuanfeng gritted his teeth before letting out a mirthlessugh. "Our father, the person who I loathed for being such a spineless man, is the person behind the Qin Group¡¯s sess, not his dumb brother as everyone believes. I don¡¯t know how Qin Hao got our father to do his bidding, but my guess is that he is working with Zhang Yifei. I suspect the pair were involved in threatening our father and mother together."

    "How do you know that they were threatened?"

    "I am sure that you are aware of this: There are two Generals in the Qin Family. First is the current patriarch while the second is his brother, Qin Wuyang. After meeting you, I searched all of Hong Kong government¡¯s agencies to check you out. I found out that a lot of properties in Maind China had been transferred to your name a few months ago. Then I used my skills to hack into a few systems and discovered that the witness of the will was Qin Wuyang. He was the same person who told me about it."

    "And you believed him just because he said so?" Lily asked. Her guess is Qin Wuyang told her brother this tale after discovering the existence of the will. She was certain that he¡¯d been informed of Lily¡¯s appearance, but it suited his purposes to let Qin Yuanfeng find out everything for himself so he set the stage so Qin Yuanfeng could go in search of Lily.

    His sister¡¯s assumption that he was gullible pissed him off. "Of course not! How could I believe Qin Wuyang when my own grandfather hated him so much? Anyway... I installed a few devices in Qin Chuan¡¯s room and I heard Zhang Yifei talking to him about these things. She was clueless about my hacking skills. She thinks that my only hobbies are ying games and watching p*rn. Stupid bitch," he scoffed.

    "I would assume that Zhang Yifei was watching you all the time?" Lily confirmed. "Where did you get those recorders?"

    "I made them," he answered. "I love making stuff."

    "Oh..." Lily was silent as she considered what he¡¯d said, but the sight of his scarred back was stuck in the forefront of her mind. They were old scars, but judging by the intensity of the scarring, Lily believed that the whipping did not happen once. "Who whipped you?" she asked.

    "An attendant. And everyone just watched me getting whipped without even asking why he had to do it."

    "Where is the attendant now? Did you found out who ordered him to do it?"

    "No. I am working behind the scenes, and for now Ick the resources to fight face to face against them. The attendant is still around. You could always ask your dear husband to kidnap him and make him talk," he suggested sarcastically.

    Lily did not answer Qin Yuanfeng. All of these revtions were like forks of lightning shing through her brain. The knowledge and images were too quick and too devastating, too shocking and far too brutal. "So, you are nning to use me against them?" she asked directly.

    "That was my n, yes. That was the reason why I wanted to make you angry a while ago," he answered truthfully. "But I underestimated our DNA. It seems that we are more simr than I¡¯d originally thought."

    "What makes you say that now? What did Zhuo Jingren say to you?" she asked. Lily wanted to confirm something.

    "Not say... showed," he corrected. "He showed me He Xin¡¯s state and told me that the same will happen to me if I lie."

    "And you believed him?"

    "I didn¡¯t,." Qin Yuanfeng shook his head. "But I do believe in your ruthlessness."

    "I am not as ruthless as you think," Lily said. "If I was... I would have used all of my resources to have the Qin Family in Hong Kong massacred a long time ago."

    "Yeah... right," he scoffed. "The only reason they¡¯re still alive right now is because you want to see them suffer instead of killing them outright. If that is not ruthlessness then what is?" Seeing Lily just smile at him, QIn Yuanfeng continued, "Also.. I¡¯m not so dumb that I wouldn¡¯t realise that you orchestrated that fight earlier. Really, Lily? A knife? Wouldn¡¯t you care if I identally cut your husband¡¯s face?"

    "Hmmm... Maybe you are really my brother after all," she mused.

    "Maybe?"

    "Oh. Did you think I would believe you just because you look like me?" She rose from her seat. "I will contact you after making sure that your words were true. See you around... Qin Yuanfeng." she said as she walked towards the door. "I will see you around.

 Chapter 290 Paralyzed From the Waist Down

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 290 Paralyzed From the Waist Down</h4>

    "He was partly lying," Lily said the moment she and Zhuo Jingren boarded the car to make their way to the office. They hadn¡¯t spoken a word since Lily left the apartment. Zhuo Jingren understood Lily¡¯s need to absorb everything she¡¯d heard.

    "How do you know that?" Zhou Jingren asked. "His story sounds legit."

    "I can feel that he is still hiding something. He doesn¡¯t trust me enough yet," she said. Her gaze was on the passing view as she slowly pursed her lips. It is understandable for two strangers to mistrust each other, and in Lily¡¯s opinion, she and her brother are strangers to each other¡¯s lives.

    Zhuo Jingren nodded to indicate his eptance of her viewpoint. After considering her words he asked, "Do you think the threatening part was true?"

    "It is," Lily said. "It all makes sense to me now. It would be reasonable for her to endure instead of trying to contact my grandmother. At that time, she had no ess to a decent means ofmunication. She was alone and someone was monitoring her closely. They had the ability to practically kill Qin Yuanfeng before a call even connected and she could say hello to my grandma."

    "I remember he said that Bec tried to contact your grandmother."

    "But she didn¡¯t. She was unable to do so," Lily replied swiftly as her gaze became dark. "She was, however, able to contact someone else."

    "Think about it... she was killed almost instantly after we left Qin Mansion. I don¡¯t believe in coincidences. Let me start with He Xin and Zhang Yifei partying just across the street from where I was supposed to work. Coincidence? No. Then while I was fighting with my mother, she suddenly mentions going back to Europe and giving me what I deserve. Coincidence? No. Her tone was too sure. She was not lying at that time. That was because she had already contacted someone. Someone assured her that she coulde back. Someone close to my grandmother."

    "You mean..." Zhuo Jingren was interrupted when Lily suddenly instructed Daohu to turn around.

    "Go to Mr. Rossi¡¯s address," she instructed Daohu before she turned to face Zhuo Jingren. "Send Bei Tian and your men to this address. Prevent them from letting him leave. I think it¡¯s time that he and I have a good talk."

    Her husband gave a curt nod before immediately making a call to Bei Tian. Thetter was still in Sky City with his men as he was in the midst of giving instructions on how to observe and react to Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s activities.He finished the call before asking Lily: "And Qin Mo?"

    The mere mention of his name was going to make Lily grind her teeth into a fine dust. Qin Mo.The person who killed her child, the person who made her mother suffer. It would only make sense to assume that he is someone that Zhang Yifei trusts. He must have called her and told her about Lily¡¯s unstoppable force so she decided toe and visit to see for herself. Moreover, Zhang Yifei must be curious about He Xin¡¯s disappearance. "Is there a way to make him paralyzed from the waist down?" she asked.

    "There is," he answered without batting an eyelid.

    "Then do it," she said. "ording to our research, Zhang Yifei¡¯s father saved the patriarch¡¯s life when they were in the military. Have you investigated this?"

    "Hmmm... he was still young when that happened. Basically, Zhang Yifei has been with them since she was a child. Taking her in after her father¡¯s death was a means of expressing gratitude for the fact that her father saved the patriarch¡¯s life in the military."

    "Any family members?" she asked.

    "A sister. She is a school teacher in the provinces. Their brother died when they were children," he answered. Seeing Lily fall silent, he slowly held her hand and gave it a little squeeze. "What are you nning to do?" he asked.

    "I have never met anyone as ruthless as that woman," Lily said. "I¡¯m trying to understand why would she do it. Was it greed? Did she want to have the Qin Family under her thumb?"

    "If she is working with the future patriarch, who is Qin Hao, then... greed could be her only motive for doing this." She added, "Greed is such a powerful motivation."

    "If she had been with the Qins since she was a child, it is also possible that she may have developed feelings for Qin Chuan," Zhuo Jingren suggested. "They were betrothed after all. Watching Qin Chuan fall in love with someone else must have broken her heart," Zhuo Jingren added. "Knowing that Qin Chuan and Bec already had a child, she still agreed to marry him. She knew he didn¡¯t love her and yet she still agreed to be bound to him by marriage."

    Lily slowly turned her head towards Zhuo Jingren. "Makes sense," she smiled. "Too many possibilities for now. I am taking this slowly. I willunch an attack the moment she arrives.I even intend to join her for dinner."

    "What made you so brave all of a sudden?" he asked.

    "I was never afraid," Lily retorted. "They need to fully understand that I aming for them. I have the Yang Family working under me. You and George can handle the ck Market and suppress them there. I am confident that I can take them head on."

    "This is not your style? Why are you in such a hurry to destroy them?"

    "I am not in a hurry. But if Zhang Yifei¡¯s motivation is indeed greed then I will take away what she loves the most: the Qin Family¡¯s money," Lily exined.

    "Well then... Mrs. Zhuo, I am on board. Just tell me what you need from me," Zhuo Jingren said with a smile that was just civilised enough to hide the brewing savagery in his eyes.

    Lily nodded in agreement. She knew he would always be there for her. "Zhang Yifei ising... The tiger is going to leave the mountain." Lily narrowed her eyes as her lips curled into a sinister smile. "Wrong move," she said softly with a sinister grin.

    ....

    Meanwhile, the moment Lily left, Qin Yuanfeng instantly took a bath and started rubbing salt onto his skin. His arms turned red as he continued to rub them as if he was trying to remove something. His showersted for hours as he repeated the process again and again.

    By the time Qin Yuanfeng finished his shower, it was already dark outside and his door had been repaired. He sat on his bed and stared nkly at hisputer array of dual monitors as well as keyboards before letting out a huge sigh. Lily did not believe him, he thought before he lowered his head. He could see it in her eyes. She does not believe him.

    He had underestimated Lily¡¯s capability and he regretted it. He should have just told her everything. He regretted thinking that she would believe whatever he told her because of his sad childhood. He had forgotten that she was his sister and not some tool that he could use for revenge.

    Qin Yuanfeng clenched his jaw as he felt a familiar anger rising from his chest. His breathing became quicker as he tried his best to suppress himself. He ran to his bedside table and used all the strength he had to inject himself with something that could make him feel calm. He needed to calm himself and avoid having another aggressive outburst. After sensing that his anger had subsided a little, Qin Yuanfeng took a pill and swallowed it with water.

    He needed to sleep. Tomorrow, he will visit Lily and talk to her again. Right now, she is the only one who can help him. This time... This time he will tell her everything that she needs to know.

 Chapter 291 Trusting the Right People

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 291 Trusting the Right People</h4>

    "This ce is quiet," Lily said the moment she sat down on the sleek white couch inside Mr. Rossi¡¯s condominium.

    "It is. That is the reason why I love the ce and immediately rented it," Mr. Rossi smiled at Lily. "I am guessing that you are not here because of business?" he said as he eyed Zhuo Jingren. It was almost nine in the morning and Mr. Rossi was about to go to FC Group when Zhuo Jingren¡¯s men asked him to remain in his apartment.

    "I want to know everything that you know about my mother," Lily stated bluntly.

    "Your bluntness truly reminds me of your grandmother," Mr. Rossi mused. "She always believed that it is better to be direct and spend less time talking and more time earning money. You are just like a younger version of her." When there was no change in Lily¡¯s expression, Mr. Rossiughed softly. "She always knew that this day woulde."

    "What do you mean? My grandmother knew about this?"

    "She did. However, the Fi Group¡¯s name was not as prominent in the Far East back then. Going to China to seek revenge would have been useless, it would have been akin to suicide, so... she waited." Mr. Rossi gave Lily a gentle smile. Lily narrowed her eyes at Mr. Rossi. So her grandmother knew what happened back then? This was just unbelievable! What kind of mother would be able to sit back and ept the injustice that her child had suffered?

    However, when Lily thought about the thousands of people that worked for her grandmother, she instantly understood her reasoning. A CEO is a person responsible not just for growing the stockholders money, but also for the people working for thepany. A CEO should meet the needs of both the shareholders and the employees. Of course, this has been the subject of debate in the businessmunity for many years.

    Should a CEO prioritize growing money? Or taking care of their employees?

    Female CEOs need to face an additional challenge aside from these two,a ¡ªand that is family. Being a woman in the business world is very challenging. Should a woman act like an irondy and prioritize business above everything else? Be it a man or a woman, prioritizing investors,employees, and family equitably will always be a challenge for anyone. Of course, Lily knew that her grandmother was the type of person who would always think logically. She would not let her emotions hinder her decision making.

    Lily knew that her grandmother chose to wait because she wouldn¡¯t want to fight a war that she couldn¡¯t win. She knew that the responsibility on her shoulders was big and she did not want to risk it.

    "When you said you were dropping by and then Zhuo Jingren¡¯s men appeared, I suspected you wereing here to discover more information about your mother and it seems that I was right. Your grandmother always told me to wait. Even though George and I wanted to retaliate, Lilian... she always told us that timing is everything. Well... I guess she knew that eventually this day woulde."

    Once again, Lily had no response. What did she expect from her grandmother? Lilian had always wanted her to grow, not focus on revenge. She had always emphasized the importance of personal growth and learning. She wanted Lily to learn everything, to wrack her brains in trying to understand every miniscule detail of Lilian¡¯s schemes and teachings.

    All along, she must have known that Lily would one daye back to Hong Kong to try digging into things that happened years ago to find the answers she needed about her past.

    "Did my mother contact you on the night of the ident?" Lily asked. In Lily¡¯s analysis, there was no way that Bec would have been so certain unless she had spoken to someone who knew her well. If her guess was right, then that person could only be Mr. Rossi as he was known to be Lilian¡¯s right hand man. Bec must have been too afraid of the repercussions from contacting Lillian directly, or perhaps she didn¡¯t have the means to contact her mother personally, so she chose instead to contact the person whose email was all over thepany¡¯s website.

    "Yes, she did," Mr. Rossi confirmed before lowering his gaze. "I was also the one who told George about it."

    "If I was quick enough... I... she would not have encountered the ident back then," he said, his sorrow clearly evident in his voice.

    "What did she tell you?" Lily asked calmly, her mind is racing to grasp every little detail that Mr. Rossi might know. She remembered the man breaking down on their first meeting. Lily clearly remembered Mr. Rossi crying as he apologized to her over and over again.

    At first she thought it was because he was ming himself. He had a lover and this was the reason why Bec wouldn¡¯t marry him. Bec fought with Lillian over this matter and then subsequently ran away from home, only for everything to end like this. The marriage fiasco was the reason why he felt guilty. Bec really did call him on the night of the ident, but the schemes of others were already in motion and it was all toote.

    "She told me the reason she was unable to contact me earlier was because she was being threatened. She said... she said they were going to kill her and that is the reason why they agreed to let her go. She said... they were going to kill you as well." At this point in the story he heaved a huge sigh and collected himself before continuing. "I wanted to ask her the details. After all, she¡¯d disappeared for twenty years. But she refused to talk. She only asked me... to save her son from them."

    "Did she tell you who they were? The people who wanted her dead?"

    "Qin Family," he answered. "I remember her saying that it was... it was the Qin Family."

    "So you were also the one who told my grandmother about it?"

    "I was. Lilian knew about it because of me... Of course, she needed to have George investigate first. By the time that we discovered Bec¡¯s location, well... she was already dead," Mr. Rossi answered before rising from his seat. "I always knew this day woulde. Years ago, after your mother¡¯s death, Ipiled everything that I have learned about the situation. Of course, everything was reported to your grandmother. She had me keep a file... lots of them, actually." His voice faded as he walked towards his room. After a few minutes, he came back carrying a big ck attach¨¦ case.

    "Take it. She said you will need this once you visit China. She said... well... she knew that you would make them pay. I believe there is also a letter in that case. The only people who knew the code of that lock were Lilian and I. She passed me this case just a few months before she died and told me to add everything that I have gathered over the years." He handed the case to Zhuo Jingren. "The only thing that I want is for you to take care of yourself. No matter what... we are here for you. We might not show it every day, but you should know that we will always be here, ready to fight for you and Bec."

    Lily eyed the case before she looked at Mr. Rossi. "Thank you," she said. Her grandmother always emphasized trusting the right people. And Lily knew that Mr. Rossi is one of those right people that Lilian always mentioned.

 Chapter 292 Gratitude Requires Sincerity

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 292 Gratitude Requires Sincerity</h4>

    "You believe him?" Zhuo Jingren asked. His thoughts were unfathomable as he stared at the road ahead.

    "I will see," Lily answered. "I¡¯ll spend the rest of my day at home as I sort through things. I¡¯ve already contacted Yang Mi. She will bring any files requiring my signatureter in the day."

    "I don¡¯t like what your grandmother did," Zhuo Jingren blurted out as he turned his gaze towards Lily. "How could she not do a thing to the Qins? If I were in her ce, I would have hired some people to burn them alive. Bec was her only daughter and because of the Qin family, Lilian missed more than twenty years of her daughter¡¯s life. Why did she not do a thing about it?" This was his honest opinion and he wanted his wife to know how he really felt.

    "If I were Lilian..." Lily paused deliberately to make sure that she had his full attention. She looked deeply into his eyes before she said clearly, "I would have done the same thing."

    "Why?" he asked, his face showing his unmasked confusion. Zhuo Jingren did not understand why Lilian didn¡¯t do anything to avenge her daughter and granddaughter when she had enough money to pay some people to kill the Qin Family. What was she afraid of?

    "You see? This is where we are different," Lily answered. "If Lilian became impulsive and did everything that suggested, then... the Fi Group would have already fallen. Back then... I was not ready to manage thepany. Back then... our influence was not great enough to breach the protective walls that Maind China erects against foreigners. Even George, who had been working with the Mafia, found it hard to integrate himself with the Triad. The Qin Family¡¯s miningpany is a Triad favorite.

    At that time... if she confronted the Qin Family... I am almost a hundred percent sure that she would have lost. Compared to ourpany, the Qin Family¡¯s underground connections with Chinese Triad are stronger. What do you think would have happened to my grandmother if they decided to retaliate?" she asked. "What do you think would have happened to me? At that time, the only thing I did was stare nkly at the wall all day long. You think I would have survived?"

    "My grandmother was not afraid for herself, Jingren. She was afraid for me," Lily continued as she raised her chin. "I am not mad at her because I understand the logic behind her actions. In fact, I apud her ability to foresee my future ns. She knew I would being for the Qin Family and she did her best to pave a way for me to do that." Lily was proud of her grandmother. No matter what she did, Lily knew that her grandmother only thought of her well being and nothing more.

    "After I took over thepany, she asked me to focus on extending our influence internationally. Our goal was to be global. She did her best to prepare me for what was toe. And well... here I am today," she said with a smile. "Moreover... this fight is not my grandmother¡¯s. It is mine."

    "Ours," he corrected. "This fight is ours."

    Lily instantly beamed at her husband, "Ours. This fight is indeed ours," she said as she felt her fingers being intertwined with his.

    ....

    After Lily and Zhuo Jingren arrived at Sky City, Lily did not immediately check the contents of the case that was given to her by Mr. Rossi. She didn¡¯t know what she would see in the case and she didn¡¯t want her mood to be negatively affected all day by what she might see in its contents. Instead, Lily buried herself in routine paperwork. She wanted to finish most of her work so she could focus on Zhang Yifei¡¯s arrival.

    "It¡¯s done," Zhuo Jingren said the moment he entered the room.

    "What is?" Lily asked.

    "Qin Mo. He got into an ident a few minutes ago. Impact should be enough to cripple him. This could affect Zhang Yifei¡¯s visit too," Zhuo Jingren casually slid into the chair opposite Lily and positioned hisptop across hers.

    "That fast?" Lily was naturally surprised. A day hadn¡¯t passed yet and Zhuo Jingren had already done what she¡¯d asked.

    "Oh... would you have preferred the ident to happen tomorrow?"

    "That wasn¡¯t my point," she countered before asking, "You have people in the Qin Family?"

    "Lots... lots of people."

    "And the Xuan¡¯s?" Lily wanted to know the extent of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s capabilities.

    "Same," he answered. "I could have them killed if you like."

    Lily nodded as if any of this was ordinary. Qin Mo¡¯s ident would actually result in one of the two things: First, Zhang Yifei will visit and try to kill Qin Mo. Zhang Yifei should know by now that Lily was targeting her, and well... Qin Mo was a loose end. Or... she might cancel her trip entirely and just have her people kill Qin Mo. Either way... the end result will be Qin Mo¡¯s death.

    "I don¡¯t want Qin Mo to die," Lily answered. "Dying is too easy."

    "I can assure you that he won¡¯t die. I¡¯ve already asked Bei Tian to assign more people to the hospital. We can also go and see him once he regains consciousness."

    "Good. Then I will go and see him soon," Lily said. Actually there was one more possibility: Zhang Yifei could try to sabotage Lily¡¯s business. She would want Lily to be upied, very upied. This would give Zhang Yifei the chance to enact her ns.

    "I only have one question right now," Zhuo Jingren said. "ording to Mr. Rossi, the Qin Family in Maind China was unaware that you were alive back then. However, he was not sure if Zhang Yifei already knew of your existence before you arrived in Hong Kong. She probably did. I still don¡¯t understand why she didn¡¯t do anything back then. Was it because she was confident that you wouldn¡¯t discover the events surrounding your mother¡¯s death?"

    "She probably was. After all, I never showed any interest in branching out in the east before. But... let¡¯s not forget that she already took some measures to mislead us from the start. The doctor was already dead but... she still lead us to believe that he was alive. She must have done this in case I decided to go after the people who hurt me back then," Lily exined to Zhuo Jingren. "The only possible exnation is that... she underestimated me. I mean... back then I was really clueless and stupid. She had enough reason to think that I would be the same as I was before the ident."

    "True... underestimating you... should be her greatest mistake."

    "Wrong," Lily shook her head. "Her greatest mistake is not knowing that I married you." She gave him a smug smile. Sure, Lily could aplish all her ns without Zhuo Jingren, but his support was a great boost.

    "Hmmm... I don¡¯t think you are sincere enough. Gratitude requires sincerity, my dear wife," he smiled slyly.

    "Does it?" Lily countered while raising an eyebrow. "Well then... how do you want me to show my... sincerity?"

    "Aren¡¯t you smart enough to know how?" his lips lifted into a beautiful smirk as his eyes sweep the length of her neck, lingering on her lips, only to settle back on her eyes.

 Chapter 293 Showing Sincerity is Exhausting

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 293 Showing Sincerity is Exhausting</h4>

    Warning: R18

    .....

    Lily, bending forward at the waist to tantalise Jingren with the view of her curvy bottom, smiled as she felt Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hands gliding lightly over the backs of her hands then swirling up and around her wrists, making her pulse race even more - a fact that he noted with satisfaction as he trailed his fingertips lightly and sensuously up her arms, teasing the sensitive skin of her inner elbow, moving up to lightly brush her inner arm, making Lily tense for a moment at the thought of being tickled before his slightly calloused palms slid under and over her smooth shoulders. Jingren then used the fingertips of both hands to slowly trace Lily¡¯s vicle.

    Just when Lily thought sweet romance was the order of the day, Jingren¡¯s hands surprisingly cupped the fullness of her wet, soap-slick breasts, sliding under, circling their fullness, and finally cupping their weight in his hands as his fingertips flicked and teased her nipples. Lily was grateful that her hands were currently pressed against the wall of the shower because her knees were weak just from his caresses.

    Zhou Jingren continued to tantalise her breasts as the water cascaded over their bodies and she felt the warmth of his breath on the nape of her neck as he took his infinite time leaving a trail of little kisses down her spine. Some were pecks while others were little more than his open mouth leaving a trail of heat on her skin, while at other times the tip of his tonguepped at her spine or swirled around the odd vertebrae. When he traced his tongue around the ridges of her spine like a lom skier,Lily was thankful that his hands were on her breasts to hold her up as she admitted to herself that this man was making her utterly weak with passion.

    Jingren¡¯s lips raced back up her spine as he took the bud of one nipple between his thumb and forefinger and gently rolled it, teased it, flicked it, soothed it and then lightly pinched it while his other hand lifted her up slightly so he could use his warm mouth to suck firmly on the curve of Lily¡¯s neck with the same rhythm and intensity that he was using to tease her nipples. Lily felt electric shocks of pleasure racing from the curve of her neck to her incredibly erect nipples and racing down to pool at her core in waves of pleasure. Jingren¡¯s lips were still on Lily¡¯s neck as she let out a moan of pleasure, biting her lower lip to silence herself as the pulses zooming to her stomach intensified. Want... she has always wanted him...

    While Lily was lost in the intensity of sensations that Zhuo Jingrenvished upon her, his hand slid from her right breast, skimmed her side, and glided around to her shoulder de as he slowly pressed forward. Catching the hint, Lily slowly and erotically bent over again, tossing him a look over her shoulder that reminded him of her striptease..She felt his hands moving slowly down her body. He traced the curve of her waist, cing both hands around her waist while wondering who was still built with gorgeous full breasts, a little waist, and a gorgeously full bottom. He married and got his own, personal Vargas girl as a gift with purchase...His hands moved from the curves of her waist and caressed the outer curves of her thighs. His firm palms slid down her water-slick legs and then back up to her hips, making small little circles along the way. He gave a sexy little smirk when he recalled thinking that their heights were a bit mismatched. Now he revelled in the ess that their height difference gave him to all of her lusciously wet body as his hands continued drawing circles on her silky skin.

    "I¡¯m not ticklish, Lily whispered before yet another moan slipped out of her mouth. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hand had moved to her core, teasing the skin of her lower belly and inner thighs before Lily guided his hand to where she wanted it most. He acquiesced, resting his big hand on her mound, but not moving. As she pressed forward against his hand, he stopped teasing and began touching her. Two of his fingers traced her slit from top to bottom before he slowly parted her lips and began caressing her gently. Lily realised that she had forgotten to breathe. Who knew how long she had been holding her breath? All she knew was that her mind was spiraling out of control as his two fingers glided up, down, in, and out of her wet folds.

    At the thought that she was bent over, and while knowing the view she presented as he yed with her as he pleased, Lily felt that she coulde at any moment. He always does this, she thought, using his long fingers to tantalize her folds, his other hand sliding down to her entrance. In and out, slow, fast, sometimes with a twist, bringing Lily closer to the edge. Lily bit her lip again as she felt him use two of his fingers, sliding them around her bud, earning another moan from her. His other hand moved up her body to massage her nipples as she moved a little closer to him, allowing her to feel his thick arousal against her bottom.

    Then she could feel it. She could feel those little pulses start to burst inside, sending her intoplete ecstasy. Lily did not hold back as waves of pure bliss washed over her. Pleasure ripped through her body as she felt his hands wrap around her waist, steadying her. She closed her eyes and let out a satisfied moan. She was so upied with her own orgasm that she didn¡¯t even notice as he raised her up and turned her around to face him.

    He wasn¡¯t done with her.

    Lily let out a surprised squeal when he suddenly lifted her, cing her back against the wall. She was still in a daze when she felt his warm tonguepping between her legs. His hand guided her legs, draping them over his shoulders as her back rested against the wall. When Lily felt the tip of his tongue against her clit, her hands tried to clutch at the water-slick wall of the shower. That didn¡¯t work, so Lily buried her hands in his hair.

    He continued suck on her little bud, kissing and licking his way down to her wet slit. Lily instantly felt lost in what felt like hours of pure pleasure. This time, Zhuo Jingren did not tease her. He let here for the second time before he raised his head, staring straight into her eyes. "Let¡¯s go to bed," he said, his gaze filled with undisguised lust.

    In response, Lily could only give him a blissed out smile of agreement. Zhuo Jingren, on the other hand, was intensely...alert. He slowly let her down before giving her a kiss. "Let¡¯s go," he said, once again.

    "No," she grinned as she sank to her knees without saying another word.

    "The water is getting colder. Let¡¯s go to the bed instead," he said, trying to stop her. However, it wasn¡¯t enough to convince Lily. She had always believed that sometimes men have no idea of what they really want. But Lily was different. She always knew exactly what she wanted. And well... she always worked hard to get it.

    sping her hands around the back of his thighs, Lily ignored his protest as she took him in her mouth. She looked up and held his gaze as her hands stroked the back of his thighs and she worshipped him slowly using only her mouth. As Lily felt tremors make Jingren¡¯s thighs quiver, she used her right hand to stroke his length as her mouth continued to indulge his manhood.

    Lily felt Zhuo Jingen curse under his breath as she used her tongue to draw circles around the head of his erection. When he opened his eyes and saw that her gaze was locked on his, he simply felt utterly spoiled and loved, and that was before she slowly took him into her mouth again. Zhuo Jingren leaned his head back, his hands threading through Lily¡¯s hair as she began moving her head back and forth. There was no sign of the expected gag reflex because Lily was feeling pleasure from giving pleasure. With each stroke she took even more of his length each time. She felt his hands begin to control the movement of her head, but before he coulde he suddenly stopped Lily.

    "The water is already cold," he said as he lifted her up without waiting for Lily to answer. Her lips curved into a smile as she happily snaked her arms around his neck. She could feel something warm wrapping around her heart as she thought of how he always prioritized her welfare above everything else.

    Jingrenid Lily down on bed and used a towel to dry her off. He trailed his eyes over her glistening body before he started kissing her again. He started at her hips and kissed his way upwards, until his lips met hers. Lily could still taste herself on his lips.

    Without another word, he slid his thick length into her core before he grabbed her thighs to raise her bottom off the bed as he began thrusting deep inside of her. Lily instantly matched his rhythm as she felt another orgasm building, threatening to burst at any minute.

    She felt her breathing be ragged as she gripped Zhuo Jingren¡¯s well-muscled arms, her nails scraping his skin. She wasn¡¯t sure if she could hold back any longer. She could feel herself tighten around his length as she started to quiver in pure delight.

    "Come for me," he whispered in between thrusts. As if on cue, Lily burst into ecstasy as he thrust even faster into her. After a few seconds, his thrusts had be deeper and less graceful, just deep and faster and even more eager as before he knew it, he was filling Lily with jet after jet as her muscles continued to milk him, filling her up with his hot juices.

    "Sincere enough?" Lily teased after Zhuo Jingren¡¯s breathing finally slowed and he rolled over on his side.

    "No. You need to try harder, Mrs. Zhuo. That was not enough," he answered, his breathing steady as he gave her a scious grin.

    Who knew that showing sincerity would be this... exhausting?

 Chapter 294 Hidden Boss

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 294 Hidden Boss</h4>

    Zhuo Jingren woke up with a smile on his face. He instantly moved a little closer to Lily and breathed in her scent. After a couple of minutes, Zhuo Jingren checked the time and decided it was time for him to prepare breakfast.

    After getting out of bed, Zhuo Jingren checked his phone and emails before he went to the kitchen to start cooking. However, he was interrupted when his phone rang.

    "What?"

    "It¡¯s early in the morning and you¡¯re already grumpy?" Zhuo Jingren heard Bei Tian ask before he chuckled. "Why so grumpy, President Zhuo? Didn¡¯t you get what you wantedst night?"

    "What do you want? You are disturbing me," said Zhuo Jingren.

    "Ha... are you cooking breakfast? I aming up. Open the door."

    "No."

    "Open up. I¡¯m hungry."

    "I said no."

    "I have information for the boss."

    "I am your boss. You can give it to meter."

    "Nah... not you. I meant the hidden boss," Bei Tianughed again. "Open the door."

    Zhuo Jingren helplessly shook his head. "Alright. No breakfast. Just give the file."

    "Stingy. I need some food or I won¡¯t be able to function efficiently."

    Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t bother replying to Bei Tian as he was already at the door. He opened it and without a word, Bei Tian strode inside without even greeting him. "Where is the food?" he asked as he walked directly to the kitchen. "Huh? You are still cooking? I thought it was already done?"

    "Come and help me," Zhuo Jingren said. "I am not cooking anything for you. You have to make something for yourself."

    "Mean. You have been ve driving me and you can¡¯t even give me food?" Bei Tian asked, his tone light as he walked towards the cupboard and put on a purple apron. His moves clearly indicated that he had been doing this for a long time now.

    "What do you have for me?" Zhuo Jingren asked as he started beating the eggs.

    "Lily¡¯s brother," Bei Tian said. "That poor man is mentally ill."

    "He is a genius," Zhuo Jingren said.

    "He was abused when he was young. Not sexually, but people often whipped him. How could those people do that to a child?¡¯ he dramatically widened his eyes before he continued. "He grew up lonely. While he did practice Kung Fu and other martial arts, he really does not have any close friends. I mean... he had some attitude problems and would always get into brawls and fights."

    "Hmmm..." Zhuo Jingren nodded.

    "That was until a year ago," Bei Tian continued. "He had a girlfriend."

    "Oh? Where is she now?"

    "No idea. She disappeared just a few months after they began dating. However, her family never searched for her and neither did Qin Yuanfeng. He acted as if she never disappeared and just continued with his life as if nothing happened."

    "So you think that the Qin Family killed her? And now he is here to find an ally?"

    "Man... Why do you always have to prove that you are smarter than me?" Bei Tian sighef. "You are right. Maybe it was not really that hard to analyze?" he thought out loud before he continued. "I was unable to confirm the threats that he was making about but I was truly surprised to find out that the brains behind the mining and jewelry of Qin Group is actually Qin Chuan¡¯s. I have no solid proof yet as everything that I have for now is all circumstantial, but if we add everything up, I could maybe say 40% of what Qin Yuanfeng said was true."

    "Hmmm... have you talked to Qin Yuanfeng?"

    "Why do you ask? I actually met him when I was going up. He was wearing very weird white hair. It¡¯s either he colored his hair or he was wearing a wig. So how did you know that I met him?"

    "You don¡¯t understand percentages. and you were talking about them. That is totally not your style," Zhuo Jingren said.

    "Hah? Did I say something about percentages? I don¡¯t remember at all," he said before he chuckled. "However, knowing Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s story made me feel so lucky that I grew up in an orphanage. I used to think that I was quite unlucky but... man these people have money and yet they were being abused and trying to kill each other."

    "We are lucky," Zhuo Jingren said as he started making omelets. Though they did not grow up in luxury, they still had a lot of people who took care of them. They were happy and had friends- people who were not only close to them because of their influence and money.

    "You know... I used to see Qin Jinghua as really lucky. She came from a rich family and wore nice clothes. She also attended a private school, but I realize she was no different from us unlucky people in the orphanage. Ah... the world is indeed fair in making all of our lives unfair."

    "You have be smarter," Lily¡¯s voice echoed, making the two men turn their heads towards her. "What are you making?" she tiptoed and kissed Zhuo Jingren on the cheek.

    "Omelets," he answered.

    "Smells yummy," she smiled before looking at Bei Tian. "Good Morning Master Bei."

    In response, Bei Tian rolled his eyes and did not utter a word as he handed her a file. "I found something about your twin."

    "Well... thank you. Why don¡¯t you stay for breakfast?" she asked.

    "Of course, I will." Bei Tian said as he also turned his attention to his own omelet.

    Lily smiled at Bei Tian before she started reading the files that thetter handed to her. Her face turned serious as she continued to read through the pages. She had always thought that she had suffered so much at the hands of Tang Lingyun. Who would have thought that Qin Yuanfeng would experience these things as well?

    ....

    Meanwhile, Tang Lingyun was staring at Qin Mo who was still unconscious on the hospital bed next to hers. Tears continue to stream down her cheeks as she thought of the things that happened yesterday. The ident, the pain and shock was something that she had never experienced before. She let out another sobbed when she thought of Qin Mo¡¯s amputated right leg. He would not be able to walk normally again.

    While the doctor assured her and Qin Liwei that there are artificial ways to make Qin Mo walk, it would still be difficult as his spine also needed some operation. The said operation may affect Qin Mo¡¯s lower body functions.

    However, for some reason, Tang Lingyun also felt a little liberated because of what happened. She does not understand if it was because Qin Mo won¡¯t be able to ask her to sleep with someone again or if it was because after this ident, Tang Lingyun would be the one taking care of her husband. Either way, Tang Lingyin really felt that this ident was also a blessing in some way.

    "Mother! Mother! Oh my god I was so worried..." Qin Fei¡¯s voice interrupted Tang LIngyun¡¯s thought as she suddenly strode inside the room with tears all over her face. Last night, her son had a fever and she could not leave him so she did not have the chance toe here and see her parents. Good thing that the fever subsided just this morning.

 Chapter 295 Teaming up to Destroy Lily

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 295 Teaming up to Destroy Lily</h4>

    "Fei... Fei... Your father..." Tang Lingyun sobbed as she hugged Qin Fei tighter. "I was not expecting that something like this would happen to him. This... This is just..."

    "It¡¯s okay mother... shhh..." Qin Fei gently patted her mother¡¯s back. "Shhh..."

    Tang Lingyun instantly shook her head in dismay. "How could it be okay? Your father won¡¯t be able to walk in the future?" she said before her shoulders trembled from extreme sorrow. Of course, Tang Lingyun would not show the emotions that she felt inside.

    "Mother... you have to be strong," Qin Fei said. "When father wakes up... You have to be there for him. He might struggle to resign himself to this situation."

    Qin Fei continued tofort her mother for a few minutes until thetter calmed down. She gave her mother a bottle of water and stayed until Tang Lingyun had fallen asleep. After a few minutes, Qin Fei decided to leave ande back when her father was awake.

    "Yes, I was about to go home but then Liwei called me. I¡¯m going to meet him for lunch before I go home... Alright, take care.Will I see you for dinner? Okay. Bye." She ended the call with Xuan Hui. After they¡¯d argued about her excessive shopping and always going out, she decided to listen to her husband and recover as fast as she could. She nned to start acting again after they celebrated the 100th day mark of her son¡¯s birth.

    Qin Fei had always loved acting and she did not want being a mother to hinder her dreams. Because of this, she decided to be good for now so she could convince her husband to let her return to the entertainment industry. She had even learned some cooking skills just to impress him!

    While it was true that she was doing this because she was nning to ask him something, Qin Fei thought her actions were reasonable. After all, once she focused on acting, she would no longer have time to cook for her husband.

    "Alright, take me to see Liwei," she ordered her driver as she boarded the car, closed her eyes and rxed herself. Learning something new can bepletely exhausting.

    ....

    "Hold on! I don¡¯t understand... Are you saying that Qin Industries is in debt to Qin Jinghua¡¯spany?" Qin Fei was not able to stop her voice from rising the moment she heard her brother¡¯s words.

    "Yes. I didn¡¯t know about this either. Father told me about thisst night before he and mother went out. I was surprised too, but he said not to worry as the main family might help us out if we ask them to," Qin Liwei said. His sombre expression reflected how serious this matter is for both him and thepany.

    "How did it happen? Did this happen before she even arrived in Hong Kong? Did she trick us? Why did father allow this to happen?"

    "Well... apparently it was because of Zhuo Jingren," Qin Liwei said. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s name alone left a sour taste in his mouth. "He used his reputation and business acumen to convince the board to sign it. Father couldn¡¯t do anything but agree with them. Moreover, at that time he didn¡¯t notice anything suspicious so he agreed, - then he discovered this a few weeks ago. He tried talking to Qin Jinghua but she isn¡¯t budging. She even asked him to beg," Qin Liwei decided to add some details that his father had never mentioned.

    "What? How dare she?" As expected, Qin Fei¡¯s face instantly contorted in anger. "How dare she do this? You know what? I¡¯m going to see that woman. She has been acting boldly because of her husband! She is nothing but..."

    "Stop it," Qin Liwei interrupted her. "Calm down and listen to me." When he saw his sister had calmed down, Qin Liwei instantly continued, "The Qins areing. I don¡¯t want father¡¯s ident to change their ns to visit."

    "So you¡¯re not going to cancel their visit?" she asked. Qin Mo, the patriarch of the Hong Kong branch of the Qin Family, is currently not any condition to entertain guests so Qin Fei was sure that Qin Liwei would ask the guests from Maind China to postpone this meeting.

    "I am the future patriarch of the Qin Family," he dered. "I need to step up my game and act like the next patriarch. Once father wakes up, I will ask him to transfer the patriarch position to me." His words instantly earned a raised eyebrow from his sister. Her brother actually had a point, but Qin Fei has been aware of her brother¡¯s skills and abilities since they were children. She knows that his ability to manage people is not as good as their father¡¯s.

    Qin Liwei is not yet ready to be a patriarch and she was sure of that.

    "What are you nning to do?" she asked.

    "Well, I want to start by asking for their help. The people from Maind China are very influential, and I am positive that they can help us out," he said confidently.

    "And? That¡¯s it?"

    "Well... I asked to meet you because I want you to tell this to Xuan Hui as well," Qin Liwei said. "I want us to unite against that spiteful woman."

    "Unite? As in us, the Main Qin family, and Xuan Hui teaming up to destroy Lily?"

    "Yes. She has been wreaking havoc and causing chaos within our family! She wanted to show us that she is powerful and has been bullying us since she arrived. I am sure that the people from the Maind would also agree with me on this. We need a way to eliminate her" he said. In Qin Liwei¡¯s mind, his n was actually genius. Uniting against Lily is a very bold move. He knows that this only proves how powerful she has be.

    However, she was also aware that he couldn¡¯t defeat her alone. He needed allies, and he nned to start by convincing the Qin Family to side with him.

    "Brother... what about her husband? I heard that he is pretty powerful in the ck Market too. I mean... the people from the Maind have good connections in the ck market. You think they will risk this just to side with us?"

    "Of course they will! Qin Jinghua got a lot of property from grandfather¡¯s inheritance! She received some properties that have great potential as mining sites! Don¡¯t you think this is enough to entice that old man from the Qin Family?" Qin Liwei reasoned. Greed was always a very good motivation and he nned to use this fact to make them agree with his n.

    "But... Qin Wuyang, the one who witnessed grandfather¡¯s will, would not allow that to happen!" Qin Fei said immediately. Qin Wuyang was not on good terms with his own brother, the current patriarch of the Qin Family¡¯s main branch. She was sure that Qin Wuyang would do his best to go against this idea.

    "Who cares about him? He might be rich but he does not have enough influence inside the Qin Family! Remember that one time when he argued with the patriarch about the punishment that they gave to Qin Yuanfeng? I overheard them talking about that matter and the patriarch even challenged Qin Wuyang to use all of his money to try to go against him so he could have a reason to have him killed," Qin Liwei snorted. "As expected, he backed out. That old Qin Wuyang is nothing but a coward. Even his money is not enough to change that fact."

 Chapter 296 Trust and Loyalty

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 296 Trust and Loyalty</h4>

    "Qin Yuanfeng?" Three deep lines appeared across Qin Fei¡¯s brow at the thought of the cousin they rarely even saw when they visited the main branch of the family. Qin Fei always thought Qin Yuanfeng was abnormal because he always hid whenever they were there. He didn¡¯t even join the family banquets. "I can barely remember what he looks like," she thought out loud.

    "That¡¯s because he was sick - or at least that¡¯s what Aunt Yifei told us. I¡¯m not sure if you remember him, but he was a quiet little kid who really didn¡¯t like talking to other people. Recently I heard that he¡¯s been pursuing a career in acting, but for some reason he is using makeup and prosthetics to hide his true appearance when he takes on roles. My guess is that this was Aunt Yifei¡¯s idea, a measure to ensure his safety, I would imagine," Qin Liwei exined.

    "Oh..." she nodded. "Well then, since you¡¯re saying that Qin Wuyang is useless,I guess I¡¯ll have to agree with your n. We are family after all so we should all work together against Lily. I am actually quite confident that they will assist us once we exin the situation to them."

    "You¡¯re right. I remember how much Aunt Yifei cares about face. She would not let Lily ruin us and risk ruining their reputation in Maind China," Qin Liwei reasoned.

    ....

    Meanwhile, Lily¡¯s face showed not a hint of expression as she stared at her ¡¯surprise¡¯ visitor. It was Qin Yuanfeng, and his demeanour waspletely different from the way he¡¯d had acted when theyst met.

    "You are making me nervous," he confessed, gazing briefly at Lily before gazing at the floor.

    "Why are you here? In my house?" Lily asked, her arms are crossed in front of her. Yesterday when she saw Qin Yuanfeng, he exhibited nothing but confidence. There wasn¡¯t a hint of nervousness in anything he said or did. That behaviour waspletely different from the behaviour that he was exhibiting today. Lily instantly wondered if Bei Tian was right about Qin Yuanfeng having a problem.

    Lily knew that abuse could damage a person¡¯s mental health, however, there was no diagnosis about this in any of the investigations rted to Qin Yuanfeng. She didn¡¯t want to make any assumptions and pity him without any proof at all.

    "I need your help," he blurted as he eyed Zhuo Jingren who was sitting right next to Lily. Beside Zhuo Jingren was the man he¡¯d encountered on the elevator earlier. This guy was most likely Zhuo Jingren¡¯s right hand man, Bei Tian, a rather well-known sculptor in Hong Kong who was known for his peculiar artworks.

    "My help, or my husband¡¯s?" Lily asked. Of course, she did not miss it when Qin Yuanfeng nced at Zhuo Jingren.

    "Yours. I know if you help me, he will help me too," Qin Yuanfeng answered, disying his understanding of their dynamic. Zhuo Jingren would surely not let his sister encounter danger. He was sure that once Lily decided to help him then Zhuo Jingren would also join them in order to protect her.

    "And why should I help you? You did nothing but lie to me," Lily asked the man who was now sporting either a white wig or bleached white hair.

    "I did not lie. I omitted some information but that is not lying."

    "Is that not called lying by omission?"

    "Lying by omission implies that I lied to protect you from pain and embarrassment. It is considered a white lie to protect someone¡¯s feelings. I know I was not being straightforward, but... I didn¡¯t omit any important information by hiding things. I deliberately withheld some things you may have wanted to know because I did not think that it concerned you, or your quest for revenge at any rate. It is my fight and I wanted to do it without your help."

    His words only earned an arched eyebrow from Lily as she sent Zhuo Jingren a meaningful gaze. "You omitted some information because you were afraid that I might not help you with your ¡¯revenge¡¯. Did you not?"

    "I did." Qin Yuanfeng nodded.

    "Then you lied by omission. You left out things you should have said to me. You intend to use me by appealing to my femininity. I am a woman, therefore I¡¯m likely to be more emotional than logical," Lily surmised. "But you did not anticipate my heartless nature so now you are here now with ¡¯the truth¡¯. Am I correct?"

    Once again, he nodded. "As your twin, you should have pitied me and acted based on emotion. But you didn¡¯t. It was surprising, but given the things that you yourself have suffered it¡¯s only logical that you would be cautious against someone that you¡¯ve just met. You are my twin sister and you did not fail me."

    "You think too highly of yourself, and you have been saying that I am indeed your sister since yesterday. Yesterday you thought that I was beneath you, and now... you keep on saying these things... It¡¯s as if you¡¯re trying to convince me ¡ª or yourself ¡ª that I am worthy of you but this could also be the other way around. It¡¯s either your level of self-importance is... almost simr to mine, or you think too little of your own capabilities so you have been trying to convince yourself that you are my equal. You are doubting yourself," Lily said. "ording to my logic, your presence would not benefit me in any way, therefore I should not help you."

    "Wow...." Bei Tian¡¯s mind-blown voice instantly ruined the tense atmosphere. He looked at Lily and then Qin Yuanfeng. "You guys are different," he observed brilliantly as he shook his head and nudged Zhuo Jingren¡¯s elbow. "I am out of here. Call me if you need anything." He did not wait for them to reply as he strolled out of their apartment.

    He¡¯d just got out of bed and had breakfast. This level of conversation was... quite confusing to his simple brain. It was way too early to try to figure those two out. His time would be better spent by going out and antagonizing old enemies and maybe making a few new ones!

    "I understand the level of your cautiousness. I am still considered a stranger but I actually like the fact that you are very blunt," Qin Yuanfeng said as he stared straight into Lily¡¯s eyes. "I know you will forever doubt me until I prove that I am loyal to you. However, I don¡¯t have the time to do that right now. Zhang Yifei ising to Hong Kong and I need your help in ruining her ns. I am not sure if you would help me just to ruin her schemes. I know you are ruthless, but I am hoping that we could at least stand on the same side."

    "And which side is that?" Zhuo Jingren asked.

    "Against her." Qin Yuanfeng answered without hesitation. "If... If you won¡¯t help me then I would ask you not to interfere with my ns."

    Zhou Jingren studied Qin Yuanfeng. If Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s mind was indeed unstable then it would really be hard for them to work together. Trust and loyalty have not been established, and no matter how much DNA Lily and Qin Yuanfeng share, trust is still the most important thing for both Lily and Zhuo Jingren.

    How could someone work with people whom they don¡¯t fully trust? Lily¡¯s schemes were deep and his were sinister. Both of them required absolute trust and loyalty for their partnership to work.

    "And if I stand against you?" Lily asked.

    "Then I would not hesitate to ruin you along with the Qin Family," Qin Yuanfeng dered boldly. Ruining Lily and Zhuo Jingren waspletely far fetched, he knew it. But he didn¡¯t have a choice. Their intervention could change everything that he had nned.

    "And why would you risk it? You know you won¡¯t win against me. Do you think it¡¯s worth it?"

    After a few minutes of silence, Qin Yuanfeng slowly nodded. "It would be. It¡¯s either... I die or I go all out. There is no in-between."

    Lily could only stare at Qin Yuanfeng, her eyes calm as she looked at the determination shing in his eyes before he pursed his lips and stared at her in return. "Why?" she asked.

    "Because... she was worth it."

 Chapter 297 A Proper Welcome

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 297 A Proper Wee</h4>

    "Judging from your expression I would assume that you already know," he quickly added when Lily failed to react to his words.

    "Not really," she saidnguidly. "Are you going to tell me the details?"

    "Not really. I know you have the means to find out anyway." Once again, his eyes locked onto Zhuo Jingren. Qin Yuanfeng knew that this man had his own way of doing things, and if his guess is right then Zhuo Jingren¡¯s people are already digging his past.

    "Good. I¡¯m not interested in knowing the details anyway," she answered. "Tell me what you can bring to the table."

    "I am really good at hacking," he offered.

    "Good at hacking is not good enough. My husband is good at hacking too." Lily¡¯s answer caused Qin Yuanfeng to arch a brow in skepticism. Zhuo Jingren knows how to hack? Of course, Qin Yuanfeng had no idea that Lily was lying. "He is the best," Lily added. "I need something else."

    "Well... I know... I know everything about the Qin Family."

    "Everything?"

    "Everything. The time that they have their coffee, how many sugars, and whether or not they take cream. What time they exercise and what time they bathe. Their routine before they sleep and when they wake. I know every little detail, as well as their deepest darkest secrets," Qin Yuanfeng said with confidence. People always thought that he didn¡¯t care about anything, especially if it involved family matters. He always chose to stay inside his room yingputer games. He really only went out when he was scheduled to film projects. He also wasn¡¯t a famous actor because of his short temper. This fact presented many limitations when it came to his acting career. People always thought that he was useless, just like his father.

    But what they didn¡¯t know was that he was watching everything that they did- well, almost everything.

    "Convince me," Lily said with a serious expression. This is what she had been waiting for. She knew that Qin Yuanfeng was a genius so he probably had a really good memory as well. Since he had been living in the Qin family for most of his life he should know a lot of their secrets.

    "Zhang Yifei is Qin Hao¡¯s lover. She agreed to marry my father because he was the eldest. He was the heir. However, after the ident, my grandfather¡¯s attitude towards my father drastically changed. This made Zhang Yifei look for some... alternatives," Qin Yuanfeng scoffed. Qin Hao was not even as good looking as his father, However, he made up for this shortfall by being much more cunning and extremely evil. "Qin Hao was also the one responsible for our father¡¯s ident. His daughter, who is the current CEO of the Qin Group, got married out for convenience. Her husband is gay and does not want to impregnate her. This is making her extremely frustrated as she is getting older and so are her eggs. I can go on and on and on. One day is not enough to tell you everything about them."

    Lily and Zhuo Jingren eyed each other before they looked at him intently. As expected, the things that he mentioned weren¡¯t covered in detail in their files. However, they really didn¡¯t have any way to confirm what he was saying either.

    After a few minutes Zhuo Jingren saidnguidly, "Listen here, Qin Yuanfeng. Working with us will result in one of the two things. One, if you betray us we ruthlessly kill you and move on. We won¡¯t even think about you and we¡¯ll forget you after a day or so. Two... if you prove yourself and earn our trust then we will help you with everything that we have. But the thing is... earning our trust is quite difficult."

    "I know," he nodded. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s questions instantly made him realize how in sync these two were. Lily was the one asking questions all the time and yet, when it came to threats, it was Zhuo Jingren who talked to him. Even his threats were unconventional. He talked about killing him then forgetting him like a bug, and then secondster he extolled the benefits of being loyal to them.

    The ssic strategy of mafia bosses. Threats and candies in the same paragraph. This, coupled with Lily¡¯s smiling face, would immediately intimidate anyone. This was one scary couple is what he was thinking as he stared at Lily¡¯s eyes. She did not even flinch at the mention of Zhuo Jingren killing her twin. It was as if she really did not care about him at all.

    But what could he expect from Lily and Zhuo Jingren? They were not na?ve people. They have been thriving in the industry because of their cunning personalities. This fact alone was enough to make them formidable allies. Qin Yuanfeng was confident that if Lily and Zhuo Jingren decided to help him out, they would surely win.

    "Well then... we will give you a chance," Zhuo Jingren said as he fetched a card from his pocket. "Call Bei Tian. He will help you settle in Hong Kong. Zhang Yifei ising in a day or two. By then we need to know everything about her and her ns."

    "ns?" Qin Yuanfeng raised an eyebrow as he epted the card. He then looked at Lily. "You are going to confront her?"

    "Of course," Lily said. "She can¡¯t just march in here and try to show a level of dominance that she does not have."

    "But that would give her some idea of your existence. She might..."

    "That is exactly what I am nning to do," Lily interrupted him. "I want to give her ideas." Seeing Qin Yuanfeng stare at her as if he didn¡¯t understand a thing, Lily continued enlightening him. "I am not the type of person to wait until my enemies attack me. I prefer to strike before they even think about making their ns against me."

    "She might be here because of me. Showing yourself to her for a confrontation might indicate that you already know me."

    Lily looked at him for a few seconds. "She is not here for you."

    "What do you mean? I have been away for a long time... she must have..."

    "She already knows I aming for her," Lily said. "This time... I¡¯m just making it obvious for all involved."

    "So you are going to barge into the Qin Family¡¯s estate and confront them?" Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s eyes bulged as he realized what Lily wanted to do. Just how bold is this woman?!

    "Barging is the wrong word," she answeredzily. "Call it... a housewarming. I own the Qin Mansion and everything around it. Legally. This was included in the will. You see... I am just an excellent hostess giving my visitors a proper wee," she said as her lips curled into a smirk, instantly sending shivers into her brother¡¯s spine.

    Her words spooked Qin Yuanfeng into being silent. He had been working in the shadows for so long that he really wasn¡¯t used to confronting people. "What about the patriarch, father and Qin Hao?" he asked. Zhang Yifei¡¯s words and tears would instantly make the patriarch side with her. If Lily bullies Zhang Yifei in front of both Qin Hao and the Patriarch then they will surely react against her.

    "What about them?" Zhuo Jingren snorted. "They are nothing but weaklings who are taking advantage of your father. We don¡¯t waste our time with people who are easily manipted. It¡¯s either we manipte them to our advantage or we kill them. Simple."

 Chapter 298 Revenge is Good, But Money is Always Better

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 298 Revenge is Good, But Money is Always Better</h4>

    "Are you going to see your father soon?" Zhuo Jingren asked as he gave Lily a cup of coffee and took a seat across from her. He wore a serious expression as he waited for her response.

    "I am," she nodded. "Zhang Yifei and the Qin family will visit three days from now."

    "Seeing them would mean that you are dering war? Right?" he asked as a tinge of worryced his voice.

    "Right," she confirmed as her eyes met his. "You¡¯re worried," she observed.

    "A normal person would always worry about their loved ones."

    "But you are not normal. You¡¯re in this fight with me, so what are you worried about?" she asked.

    "Do you think we¡¯re overestimating our capabilities? For some reason I feel that Zhang Yifei is hiding something from us and we don¡¯t haveplete information about them. I don¡¯t think we can blindly enter this situation without knowing everything." His words instantly earned a raised eyebrow from Lily before she smiled at him.

    "Who says that I am going in blindly?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "I am not the type to go in blindly, and you know that." She took a sip of her coffee. "Do you think I would dere a war that I could not win? I am not na?ve, Jingren. I have a lot of things to fight for and I don¡¯t want my efforts to go to waste." Seeing that Zhuo Jingren just stared at her, Lily continued. "Zhang Yifei¡¯s father saved the Patriarch. Because of that, he felt indebted to her and had a tendency to spoil her since she was a child. He loves her like a true daughter. He would even believe her word over that of his eldest son."

    She handed Zhuo Jingren her tablet. "This information was sent to mest night. I asked George to find peculiarities in Zhang Yifei¡¯s daily schedule. In return, I will take over their diamond business on the ck market, giving him the advantage over others in Maind China."

    "You mean me, right? You mean I will take over the business?" he smiled. How could he miss the mirth in Lily¡¯s eyes as she looked at him?

    "Of course? I have enough things to do as it is. That diamond business will be ours, but you will manage it. Revenge is good, but money is always better." Lily giggled a bit before taking a sip of her coffee. "I asked Yang Sen to coordinate with George on this as his word carries a lot of weight in China."

    "And?" he asked as he eyed the images on the tablet.

    "Every Sunday, Zhang Yifei visits the graves of father and brother. She reces their flowers and stays for a few minutes. After that she goes to a salon to pamper herself. When I received this information yesterday, I immediately asked Yang Sen to check the CCTV we have trained on the graves and I hit the jackpot," she grinned. "Each time Zhang Yifei leaves, a man who appears to be a few years older than heres and visits the graves as well. The weird thing about his visits is that he picks up the flowers that Zhang Yifei leaves on graves. They tried using the CCTV footage to follow the man so they could identify him, but they failed. He was extremely cautious and he used a lot of methods to hide himself after walking away from the graves."

    "And you think this man is her brother who supposedly died when they were children?" he said, earning an excited nod from Lily. It is always nice to talk to smart people ah. Lily does not need to force feed them everything and they will instantly guess the rest.

    "Bingo," she grinned. "If my guess is right... their father is alive, too."

    "Don¡¯t you think that is too far fetched?"

    "Nah. After saving Old Man Qin, her father didn¡¯t die on the battlefield. He stayed in the hospital for a few weeks where he found an opportunity to ask Old Man Qin to take care of his beloved daughter after his death. Think about it. He had 3 children, but he only asked Old Man Qin to take care of Zhang Yifei? After his death, the oldest child also died by drowning. They never found his body, and the second daughter didn¡¯t go to Old Man Qin. That girl was adopted by a rtive of Zhang Yifei¡¯s."

    "I mean... this is mere spection on my part...," Lily added before shrugging. An evil glint could be seen shing in her eyes as her smile became even more brilliant. "...but what if I make them believe it?"

    "Good story," Zhuo Jingren grinned at her as he leaned back on the couch. His expression was noticeably more rxed than it was earlier. "So you n to sow confusion between them by feeding them this story. Evil," he mused. If Lily says something like this, they¡¯ll think that she¡¯s obtained proof and is making fun of their ignorance. How could people as proud and arrogant as them allow this to happen?

    The only result of this is would be pure chaos.

    "Of course," Lily said. "You see? I am not overestimating myself. I am simply...very experienced in ying mind games with people."

    "Personally, I¡¯d say that you are over experienced, but that¡¯s just me. But... once they find out that you are lying then they will surely target you. Old Man Qin was saved by that man, and in return he took care of his daughter. That was the right thing to do. If they found out that you made them confused and caused them to harbour suspicions against each other, Old Man Qin and even Qin Hao will surely retaliate."

    "Let them," Lily answered. "Without them fighting back... the war would be so boring."

    "Spoken like a true Viin," he said as he moved to sit next to her and began kissing and nuzzling her neck.

    "Every Viin is a hero in their own mind. I know I am twisted but I don¡¯t care. I already have you. After this we can travel around the world and maybe do that marrying in every country thing that you mentioned before," she giggled as she felt his hand draw circles on her hips.

    "Really? You would travel with me and stop managing yourpany from day to day?" he asked.

    "Of course not! Money is still the most important thing! I would find someone to manage it though. I mean... if Qin Yuanfeng is really with us then it would be good to have him manage the Fi Group. He is a Fi by blood, and just like me, he has been through a lot. He deserves to at least experience some happy things."

    "How could managing a conglomerate be a happy thing? You are only passing your responsibilities on to him."

    "I am not. I am just being a good sister."

    Her words instantly earned augh from Zhuo Jingren as he hugged her a little tighter. To the outside world, Lily was ruthless and decisive. It looked like she didn¡¯t care about anything other than profits. However, only he knows that she has a hard time showing her true emotions.

    Just like when she said she wouldn¡¯t help Mu Qingling but then asked Cecile to help her, Zhuo Jingren was sure that she would not abandon her own brother. He knows that Lily is already nning to help him get the revenge that he deserves. Of course, this will only happen if he passes their test.

    A test that would determine if he lives or dies.

    Edited by Ocelot

 Chapter 299 Undisguised Disgus

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 299 Undisguised Disgus</h4>

    "Then we kill him." Zhang Yifei giggled seductively as she felt Qin Hao raining kisses all over her back and inching up towards her shoulders. "Without Zhuo Jingren, Lily is not as influential as she thinks she is."

    "If it were that easy to kill him, do you think he would still be alive?" Qin Hao asked as his hands caressed Zhang Yifei¡¯s naked body. "That man is cruel. We need to keep our guard up in Hong Kong."

    "He won¡¯t kill us, nor will he attack us. That is something that will never happen in Hong Kong," she answered confidently. "This is why I told you that we should visit the Qins to let them know that we are not afraid of the Zhuo couple," she sneered. "If she¡¯s so smart and talented then why did she have to wait years beforeing back?"

    "She is a coward, and greedy too. If she hadn¡¯t inherited those properties then there¡¯s no way that she would have settled in Hong Kong. I mean, she is practically useless. She can¡¯t bear a child and she doesn¡¯t have anyone. Why bother with this revenge nonsense?" she added as she turned around to face Qin Hao. "Lily Qin is just like her brother. She, too, will be easy to manipte. I¡¯m sure that my charisma will be enough to convince her that I mean no harm."

    "I¡¯ve already told you not to underestimate her. She¡¯s survived this long because of her resilience. Moreover, her grandmother¡¯s people are protecting her as well. That Lilian Fi had such a strong influence on her character that I am sure Lily¡¯s already changed her na?ve ways."

    "Nope. She did not," Zhang Yifei answered confidently. "She is still the same greedy slut that she always was. Look at who she married? A CEO whom she only met once or twice. She is greedy, and she¡¯s impossibly stupid for thinking that she could use him for her own benefit."

    "Speaking of benefits, have you called Yuanfeng and told him toe home already? With Lily trying to uncover around our secrets, it won¡¯t be long before she realizes that she has a twin brother. She might even approach him and try to get him to work against us. I am worried that..."

    "Hao... please. Do you really think that Qin Yuanfeng is a threat to us? I mean... he¡¯s an idiot who doesn¡¯t even have a social life. He is practically useless. Moreover, he is extremely gullible. I can always convince him to side with us and to feed him stories about how their biological mother ran away with Qin Mo because she thought he was more influential that Qin Chuan," Zhang Yifei said. Her undisguised disgust for Qin Yuanfeng was evident in the sour tone of her voice. That boy was nothing but a pretty face. Aside from that he waspletely useless. With this in mind, Zhang Yifei began kissing Qin Hao¡¯s neck as she stroked his chest. "How¡¯s the will?"

    "Don¡¯t get too impatient. I am working on it. I still need some time before I can convince Father that I am indeed very capable of running thepany," he replied before he captured Zhang Yifei¡¯s lips and sensually bit her lower lip. His hand made its way to her breast as he began teasing her. "Father is not dumb. The only reason he favors you is because your father saved him and he thought that Qin Chuan was useless. If he finds out that you have been manipting him for years... he would surely explode in anger."

    "That will never happen," she grinned. "I am holding Qin Yuanfeng hostage. This means that Qin Chuan won¡¯t say a thing. As long as I have Qin Yuanfeng in my hands then we are safe."

    "Hmmm... I only hope that Father alters his will and leaves everything in my name soon. He is not getting any younger and he¡¯s growing weaker by the day."

    "He will... let¡¯s just wait. He already pities me for not being able to bear a child because of Qin Chuan¡¯s disability. Moreover, he is visiting the Qin Family in Hong Kong soon. I will create some dramatic story involving Lily and Bec. I¡¯ll paint them as enemies and convince Father to do something about her. I believe that he would grant my request as Lily¡¯s possessions are very attractive to his greedy eyes," she smiled. Old Man Qin is just another greedy businessman. If he knows how rich Lily is, then he would surely try and talk to her to convince her of the importance of family and her roots before attempting to use her to his advantage.

    Once this happens, Zhang Yifei knows that it will be easier for her to defeat Lily. Old Man Qin always favored Zhang Yifei because he was saved by her father. Moreover, he also pities her because she is treated as if she doesn¡¯t exist by her own husband, Qin Chuan. These two reasons are enough for her to manipte the old man and make him do whatever she wishes.

    ....

    Meanwhile, after a day of sleeping post-operation, Qin Mo woke up feeling numbness in his lower body. At first, he was unable toprehend what was happening, however, when he remembered what urred he instantly began to panic. His yelling was so loud it woke Tang Lingyun from her sleep.

    "Shhhh... Mo. Please calm down," Tang Lingyun instantly hugged her husband as she called a nurse for assistance. "Calm down, it¡¯s me. It¡¯s me. Hey! You are safe. Calm down," She hugged her husband even tighter as tears started to roll down her cheeks. No matter how disrespectfully Qin Mo had treated her, she still couldn¡¯t deny that she loved him, and seeing him like this was just... heartbreaking.

    After a few seconds, a group of doctors and nurses arrived and instantly calmed him down with a mild sedative before telling him of what they had to do to save him. At first Qin Mo showed no reaction. He stared straight at the ceiling as he continued listening to the doctors speak. He actually could not believe it. Him? Crippled?

    Was this a dream? A nightmare perhaps?

    With this in mind, he pinched his arm and shut his eyes tight. He needed to wake up from this dream. Sadly, he was only met with Tang Lingyun¡¯s sobs as he opened his eyes.

    "Mo... I am so sorry," she sobbed, earning a frown of displeasure from Qin Mo.

    "Get out of my face," he said, his voice a little croaky. "Don¡¯t let me see you! Get out of my face!" he yelled.

    "But... Mo... I... I am also wounded and I¡¯m staying in this room too. I can¡¯t just..."

    "Then go to your bed and stop crying in front of me! You are too noisy!" he said while avoiding Tang Lingyun¡¯s eyes. This woman must have been jumping for joy inwardly because this once powerful man was now disabled. "Also, call Liwei. I want to talk to him about thepany," he ordered.

    "I... Okay. I will call him," she answered, tears silently falling from her cheeks as she gave him onest look before turning towards her bed. Qin Mo was under a lot of stress because of the revtion of his condition, she thought. That¡¯s probably why he was treating her so horribly.

    Tang Lingyun sighed heavily as she convinced herself that everything was just due to his stress over the matter of his lower body paralysis.

 Chapter 300 We Only Strike Once

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 300 We Only Strike Once</h4>

    Zhang Yifei gave an exaggerated grunt as she sessfully heaved Qin Hao¡¯s beefy arm from across her waist because she found it to be as romantic as a bear trap. She red at him, her gaze full of disgust as she climbed out of bed in the stealthiest yet surliest fashion imaginable. She made sure that no one was outside of Qin Hao¡¯s apartment before she made her way to her car, which was parked in the basement of his building.

    She drove out of the building and picked up bouquets before heading to the cemetery toy flowers on the graves of her brother and father.

    Today was a special day for Zhang Yifei. It was her father¡¯s death anniversary so she decided to buy some expensive flowers to bring to his grave. Of course, she¡¯d be visiting the graves againter today with Old Man Qin and the other people in the Qin Family. Because of this, she decided to visit ahead of time all by herself so she could spend some time alone at her family¡¯s graves.

    "You are especially early today." A deep dark voice echoed the moment she put the carefully arranged flowers next to her father¡¯s picture.

    "Why are you here?" she asked, panic evident in her voice. She did not need to turn around to know who was standing behind her. The man¡¯s voice alone was enough to tell her that it was her brother.

    "I need more money."

    "But I just gave you some moneyst week!" she hissed, her gaze focused on her father¡¯s stern face and the military uniform he wore in the photo.

    "My daughter is sick again. She needs another blood transfusion," he replied simply. This time his voice was tinged with sorrow. It was heartbreaking.

    In response, Zhang Yifei let out a sigh. "Alright. I will leave an envelope here. Pick it up after I leave. I don¡¯t have much cash with me right now. I will deliver another set of flowers to father¡¯s grave tomorrow. How is your son?"

    "He is still giving me trouble. I don¡¯t know what to do with him anymore. I told him to wait but he seems to be in a hurry and is treating me like a cash cow. I already told him that everything will be better soon, but he doesn¡¯t seem to hear me because his focus is on getting his next hit of drugs," the man exhaled wearily. "Yifei... we need to ess the Qin Family¡¯s money as soon as possible. My daughter doesn¡¯t have a lot of time. Did the old man sign the will yet?"

    "No. That cunning old man is prolonging our agony, but you really don¡¯t have to worry. I have all the Qin men wrapped around my finger. I control them and I can make them do whatever I want."

    "What about Qin Hao? He is another thorn in our side. We need to eliminate him."

    "I have been doing my best to get close to his daughter these past few months. I¡¯ve allowed him to think that I am stupid and that Ick foresight. He thinks that I am overestimating my capabilities and just going in blindly. After the old man signs the will, I¡¯ll start poisoning his mind against his daughter and make him abandon her altogether," Zhang Yifei said coldly. Men always underestimate women, and that is the reason why she has seeded all this time.

    "Have you started turning his daughter against her father as well?"

    "I have," she nodded. "You don¡¯t have to know about these things. Leave now. I will hide the envelope just before I leave... then you cane back and get it as usual."

    "Yifei... I am worried about you. Your letter about Lily was highly disturbing... What if she knows that your brother is still alive and she decides to target me and my family?"

    His words instantly made Zhang Yifei fall silent as she continued to stare at her father¡¯s picture. "That Old Man Qin... killed our father. He was the one who was supposed to die, and yet... he destroyed our family instead," she seethed in anger as her breathing quickened, rage apparent in her eyes. "I vowed to make everyone from the Qin Family suffer, and that Lily is no exception. Don¡¯t worry about her. My ns are already in motion. She won¡¯t have the chance to touch even a strand of my family¡¯s hair."

    "I trust you," the man said heavily before Zhang Yifei heard his footsteps moving away. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn¡¯t even notice the tears in her eyes. If it were not for the Qin Family then her own family would beplete right now.

    She would have been happily living with her mother and father as well as her brother and sister, but because of Old Man Qin¡¯s selfishness she had to suffer, as did her sister and brother.

    Zhang Yifei used to think that revenge was not the solution to everything. She used to think that it would only be a never ending loop for everyone involved. However... this changed when she saw how happy Qin Chuan was with Bec years ago.

    Everyone in the Qin Family deserved to be miserable. They are sinners! Killers! They don¡¯t deserve any happiness at all. Zhang Yifei swallowed all her frustrations and quickly wiped the tears from her face. She retouched her make-up a little before leaving a white envelope right next to the flowers. She put a gentle smile on her face and left the cemetery with her head held high.

    Soon... everything will be over. Soon... she will drop a big bomb on the Qin Family and watch as horror registers on their faces. The only thing that she needs to deal with right now is Lily Qin.

    That¡¯s right... the only variable that she was unable to calcte was Lily and her scheming mind. Zhang Yifei narrowed her eyes as she started her car. She fetched a burner phone from her bag and dialed a number. After a few rings, a croaky voice answered.

    "What did you find out?" she asked.

    "I found out that her friends - close friends - are only two people. I¡¯ve emailed you the file on them. One is a director and the other one is jewelry designer and the heir of GC Jewels. Neither is in in Hong Kong right now, but the director might visit Hong Kong over the next few days." The woman on the phone then asked: "Shall we target her?"

    "Don¡¯t be hasty," Zhang Yifei replied. "I will call you back once I finalize my ns."

    "Yifei... you don¡¯t understand. That Zhuo Jingren and his people are very difficult to deal with. Do you know how much time it took for me to get information about his wife? He is doing everything to protect his wife as if she¡¯s some fragile Barbie doll."

    "No. Just listen to me and don¡¯t be so impatient. We can¡¯t underestimate Lily Qin. Her smile alone is enough to trouble my mind. We need to be thorough and we need to make sure that we seed. If we strike... we only strike once and we don¡¯t give them an opportunity to retaliate or we are doomed," she rified. "I have to go now. Let¡¯s talk again soon." She instantly dropped the call and tried to break the phone into two. Once she saw a crack appear, she quickly threw the phone out of her window and drove away.

    ....

    Happy 300th chapter!!!

    Edited by Ocelot

 Chapter 301 Pretty Violent and Unstable

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 301 Pretty Violent and Unstable</h4>

    Zhuo Capital

    September 31, Friday

    "Really?" Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyebrows lifted in surprise as he heard Bei Tian¡¯s report.

    "I told you that woman was hiding something. Ahhhh... I am so frustrated! Do you know how humiliating it is for me to find this out from Lily¡¯s minions? I feel as if my special skills and talents are useless! How did they find out before us? We have more influence than them! Jingren ah... I think your wife is intentionally making me look like I¡¯m useless!"

    "You think she was thinking of you when she did this?" he asked.

    "Ehem... that is not my point. Not my point at all. Why would she even think of me? I... You know that I am verypetitive, and knowing that her men are slightly faster than me is highly infuriating. How did she do it?"

    "She knew what she was looking for and specifically asked them to find it. It is that simple," Zhuo Jingren exined.

    "So she is not targeting me?"

    "Why would she target you?" Zhuo Jingren asked.

    "I don¡¯t know. Who knows what is she thinking? You know... your wife¡¯s presence scares me. It¡¯s like she is this entity that watches over my every move. Jingren... just look at the way she smiles. It¡¯s as if she knows my deepest darkest secrets. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s scary?"

    "I don¡¯t know," He shrugged. "However, what I do want to know is why you keep thinking about my wife?" Zhuo Jingren arched a brow sardonically as he waited for an answer.

    "I was not."

    "Yes you are."

    "Well... it¡¯s only because I¡¯m afraid of her."

    "She hasn¡¯t hurt you and she never will. But I might." He narrowed his eyes at Bei Tian. "Aren¡¯t you afraid of me?"

    "Ahhh... you two are crazy people. Crazy people!" Bei Tian said as he handed another folder to Zhuo Jingren. "Lily is already something else and her brother is also different. Hey... did you know that he always has two of everything with him? Same color, same model? Even his shoes are the exact same pairs. It¡¯s the same with his shirts, too. Everything that belongs to him is always doubled. Do you think he has some sort of... problem here?" he pointed at his head.

    "He has been through a lot. Who knows what¡¯s going on in his mind. I remembered the knives that Lily handed us were also of the same size and color. That should also tell you that he keeps a sets of knives with him. They will be amongst his possessions. I mean... If he knew that you were calling him crazy behind his back..." Zhuo Jingren gave his friend a meaningful look. "If you anger him... who knows how many set of knives he has on him."

    "Eh... you are scaring me. Do you think I should have my men check his things?"

    "Don¡¯t do that," Zhuo Jingren said, amused at his friend¡¯s expression. "Just work with him. I don¡¯t think he is harmful to those who are helping him." In response, Bei Tian let out a deep sigh.

    "Anyway... I found this because of him. I can say with certainty that his skills are top notch. He exceeds every hacker that we¡¯ve ever worked with before. He is also very intelligent and can remember things after seeing them only one time, but his interpersonal skills are very low." Bei Tian said.

    "Last night, he got into a fight with one of my men. I had to break it up myself as both of them were skilled in martial arts. He was pretty difficult to deal with. I don¡¯t think the guy has any concept of how to control his anger. Once he got angry, he just attacked. He tried to kill my man. While he ended up with a broken rib, Tianyu broke three of his, has a broken nose and a lot of minor injuries. Qin Yuanfeng is pretty violent and unstable," BeiTian concluded with a sigh. Bei Tian knows that he too is violent and unstable most of the time, but at least he can control himself.

    "Why did he get angry?" Zhuo Jingren asked curiously.

    "Tianyu was mocking an idol on TV with really blond hair," Bei Tian answered. "It must be because his previous girlfriend also had blonde hair. But man... Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s pretty shallow?"

    Zhuo Jingren did not answer him. Instead he stared at the files in his hand. If memory serves him right, Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s girlfriend disappeared overnight. He remembered how Qin Yuanfeng said that she was worth the risks during his conversation with Lily, and even he felt Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s deep emotion towards the woman.

    He quickly made a mental note to let Lily deal with this situation. She needed to talk to him and ask him about the details or there was no way that he would agree to working with someone as unstable as Qin Yuanfeng.

    "How was Xuan Hui?" he asked after a few minutes.

    "Hmmm... well I believe the pressure we put on him was too much. He finally sumbed to temptation and slept with his secretary again."

    "And?"

    "Well... don¡¯t worry about the pregnancy. We can make it happen," Bei Tian grinned at him. "No matter what, that secretary will get pregnant and wreak havoc on his marriage."

    "Hmmm," he nodded. "Lily said that Qin Mo has woken up. Zhang Yifei and his family will arrive tomorrow. Prepare some gifts for their visit."

    "Gifts? How much are we talking about?"

    "I want something grand. Make it big," he said, his tone sinister as he recalled Lily¡¯s crying face as she told him how she lost their child as they sat on that cliff right before she agreed to marry him. While what happened seven years ago molded Lily into the woman she is today, Zhuo Jingren could not forget the pain that losing their child had caused her.

    The trauma and nightmares that she had gone through... those were things that he would never want her experience again. He will protect her, stand beside her, and make sure that whatever happened in the past won¡¯t happen again in the future.

    Edited by: Ocelot

 Chapter 302 Not Worth My Time

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 302 Not Worth My Time</h4>

    Sky City

    "What are you thinking?" Zhuo Jingren hugged Lily from behind and looked at the cloudless sky in front of them.

    "Qin Yuanfeng," she answered shortly. "What do you think happened to him?"

    "This question makes me wonder why you chose not to ask him about the details. Are you afraid that he might lose control of himself?"

    "Yes... I am," she said. She didn¡¯t want to make him unstable at an important moment like this. "After the Qin Family leaves, I will ask him."

    "Hmmm... But I think you should wait a bit longer and observe him. Bei Tian told me that he was acting a little weird the day after we met with him, and apparently he¡¯s even tried talking to some people so we are not sure what is going on with him. At first I thought talking to him would be our best option, but after knowing about the changes in his behaviour I think we should wait a bit more."

    "Are you thinking the same thing as me?" Lily asked.

    "Yes. I am," he nodded without even asking what Lily thought. Qin Yuanfeng might have Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), and Lily didn¡¯t have to say it out loud for him to guess her thoughts. The reports showed that Qin Yuanfeng had suffered a severe trauma, and that is one of the main contributing factors in developing DID, or multiple personality disorder as it was formerly known.

    "I don¡¯t think there is a way to cure that. Am I wrong?" she asked.

    "You are right," he answered. "However, if you want to know if he can live normally then the answer would be yes, he can. There are some therapies that canst for years. But... let¡¯s not discuss the worst possible oues, alright? For some reason, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s on the worst end of the spectrum as his memories are still intact. ording to Bei Tian, his ability to remember things is top notch."

    When Lily did not answer him, he continued, "We aren¡¯t doctors so we can¡¯t diagnose cases like this, but from one of the journals I read, it listed a symptom of Dissociative Identity Disorder as being super forgetful to the point of having amnesia, which is not the case with Qin Yuanfeng as his memory is extremely sharp."

    Lily slowly sighed before she responded. "I shouldn¡¯t think about him at all but I find this extremely disturbing. What could have happened to him? Why is he showing me things like that?" She sighed again as she closed her eyes and leaned her head on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s chest. "Zhang Yifei ising tomorrow."

    "Are you thinking about her or your father?"

    "Hey! That¡¯s not fair! Stop guessing what I¡¯m thinking," sheughed as she yfully pped the arm he had wrapped around her waist as a smile lingered on her face. "Qin Mo is not out in the hospital yet and his son is already hosting a banquet for the Qins from the Main Branch. Don¡¯t you think he is pathetic?" she scoffed.

    "I heard that Qin Fei and Xuan Hui are attending as well. Too bad Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun won¡¯t be there," he mused.

    "Don¡¯t get too excited. Qin Mo will have his own share of misery soon. As for Xuan Hui and Qin Fei... I don¡¯t really think they are worth my time. I can y with them when I get bored. For now... let¡¯s focus on Zhang Yifei and her schemes," Lily said as she made herselffortable in her husband¡¯s arms.

    .....

    October 1, Saturday

    Although Qin Mo was still at the hospital, Qin Liwei still chose not to postpone the Qin Family¡¯s visit. His father agreed that he should not dy meeting with their rtives from the Qin Family as that would be offensive if his agenda was to ask them for help.

    Old Man Qin, Qin Hao, Qin Chuan and Zhang Yifei arrived in Hong Kong at ten in the morning. Since it was almost lunch, Qin Liwei together with Qin Fei, prepared lunch for everyone so they could eat the moment they arrived at the Qin Family¡¯s estate.

    "Ah! Thest time that I saw you two... you were only this big," Qin Haoughed loudly as he gestured towards the level of his bulging stomach. "Now you are already so tall, and good looking too! Liwei and Feifei... you two really have the Qin Family¡¯s genes."

    "Uncle Hao stop mocking me." Qin Fei said before she looked at everyone else. "Aunt Yifei is the true beauty here. She hasn¡¯t aged a bit since thest time that I saw her."

    "Really?" Zhang Yifei smiled gently as she touched her face. Her smile lifted her eyes into crescents before sheughed softly. "I see that your ability to tter people has improved drastically, Feifei..." This exchange earned a chuckle from Old Man Qin who was sitting in the chair that Qin Mo normally upied as the head of the family.

    "Everyone should just stop ttering each other and eat. I am nning to get some rest before the banquet that Liwei has prepared for uster tonight. Young people these days are so energetic." He shook his head as he eyed everyone¡¯s smiling face.

    "Speaking of young people, I can¡¯t remember thest time that I saw Qin Yuanfeng and Cousin Mimi," Qin Liwei said with a big smile on his face. "How are they? Are theying to visit us in Hong Kong soon?"

    "Oh... they will. Yuanfeng is very busy with his acting career, and well you know Mimi is as hardworking as ever. She doesn¡¯t like to leave thepany in other people¡¯s hands and she prefers to manage it all the time," Qin Hao answered, a tinge of pride apparent in his voice. His daughter Mimi might not be that smart, but she is hardworking and is very interested in learning more about the ins and outs of their business.

    Just like him, Qin Mimi also wanted to manage the business one day after the current leader retired. Qin Hao gave everyone a proud smile before his eyesnded on the quiet Qin Chuan. He sneered inwardly before shifting his gaze and continuing his conversation with Qin Liwei. He wondered why this cripple decided toe with them at a time like this. However, he does not have to think about this matter for now as he needed to assess how this Qin Liwei could help them in their ns against Lily.

    Qin Chuan was useless. He is someone who doesn¡¯t deserve his or anyone else¡¯s attention. Just like Qin Yuanfeng, Qin Chuan is so easy to threaten and manipte. He might be the smartest man in this room but... he was nothingpared to Qin Hao¡¯s schemes.

 Chapter 303 Worth Billions

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 303 Worth Billions</h4>

    "How was it?" Qin Liwei asked with a smile on his face before he savored the wine in his ss. "Delicious right?"

    "Very good. The aroma is top notch," Old Man Qin said with a smile. "I was not expecting to be served with such an exquisite ss of wine. Truly unexpected."

    "I know you love wine so I called a friend who has a winery in Yunnan Province who knows a lot of people who sell very old wine like this."

    "Ah... Liwei has really grown up. He is actually talking about connections now! Tell me... how is the businesstely? Is everything going well with Qin Industries?" Qin Hao asked before he sliced the steak on his te, a small smile was on his face.

    "Why are we talking about business at dinner?" Old Man Qin butted in. "Qin Hao thinks about business all the time, he doesn¡¯t even think about other matters anymore. Even when he is supposed to be having fun or visiting a rtive, the only thing that is on his mind is the business." Old Man Qinughed merrily at the thought of his brilliant son¡¯s business mindedness.

    "Don¡¯t tter me Father. You know that I inherited these traits from you. Without you I would be nothing," Qin Hao said humbly beforeughing. "Ah... too bad Qin Mo was not able to join us tonight. I¡¯m sure that he would have enjoyed conversations like this and proudly boast about Liwei¡¯s talents in business again and again."

    His words instantly earnedughter from everyone including Qin Fei and Xuan Hui who just arrived to join them for dinner. The atmosphere in the Qin residence was pretty light as everyone enjoyed thepany of one another and engaging in merry conversations over wine. Qin Liwei had nned a perfect night for everyone. He thoughtfully prepared some entertainment at the back area of the mansion for the women to enjoy when the men talk about business in his office. Everything was supposed to be perfect.

    Of course, that is until one of the attendants ran towards Qin Liwei and whispered something into his ear which instantly earned a frown from him. "Stop her," he hissed. How could Lily visit at this time? Her presence would ruin everything!

    "Young master... I¡¯ve already tried..." the attendant¡¯s words were interrupted when the door opened, revealing a smiling Lily followed by men in ck bearing gifts? Hold on... why is Lily bringing gifts? Qin Liwei instantly rose from his seat and ran towards her.

    "You are not wee here!" he hissed, just enough for Lily to hear.

    "Says who?" she grinned at him before gently pushing him aside. Then she confidently walked towards the dining table which was filled with an array of international cuisines cuisine and expensive wine - it was rather extravagant. "Ladies and gents... Good morning, I apologize for beingte. I was too busy with mypany today," she said, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

    "Why are you here?" Qin Fei asked, her face showed an obvious surprise as she watched one of the men preparing a seat for Lily as well as her own table just across Old Man Qin. Did she bring her own food? Even Xuan Hui was surprised to see the group of men set Lily¡¯s small table.

    At this point, everyone was already staring at her. Some were surprised just like Qin Hao and Old Man Qin, while others such as Zhang Yifei was not showing any expression as she stared at Lily. Meanwhile, Qin Chuan seemed to have frozen, his eyes bore straight into Lily¡¯s familiar small face.

    "Why are you all standing? You can sit down now." Lily ignored Qin Fei¡¯s question and gestured for them to take their seats. "Come on... no need to be polite. I¡¯ve already forgiven you for starting the party without me. Take your seats." She gave a brilliant smile to everyone as her gaze linger towards Zhang Yifei.

    "Who are you?" It was Old Man Qin. His face instantly showed confusion as he looked at Qin Chuan then Zhang Yifei. This woman¡¯s face was very simr to Qin Yuanfeng. How could it not confuse him? "Who are you?" he asked, his voice stern.

    "Now that is a little bit rude," Lily said before she turned towards Qin Liwei. "Liwei... why don¡¯t you tell him who I am?"

    "Ah?" Qin Liwei was woken up from his stupor and that¡¯s when realized that he must have looked silly just standing there in a daze. He collected his thoughts and stared at Lily who was smiling back at him. "I uh... this is our sister. She is uh... Qin Jinghua but she changed her name to Lily Qin and is now Lily Zhuo after she got married," he briefly introduced.

    "Thank you for the introduction. Now... listen to the host of this party and take your seat will you?" she saidzily before she took a sip of the wine poured by one of the men who came along with her. "I am Lily Zhuo and technically, I own this house. So... it is only proper for me to wee everyone isn¡¯t it?"

    "Lily Zhuo... I believe we have not met you before. You must be the one who was born from a mistress of Qin Mo?" Qin Hao remarked with a sneer. His father did not have any idea that Qin Yuanfeng had a twin and he would like to keep it that way. So, he chose to emphasize that Lily was born from a mistress.

    "Am I?"

    "Oh... are you saying that you are not Qin Mo¡¯s illegitimate daughter?" Qin Hao said beforeughing. "Interesting. Interesting. Liwei... you did not tell me that you actually have a sister like her."

    "Uncle... she left the Qin Family a long time ago and even had her name removed from our registry. She did this right after obtaining grandmother and grandfather¡¯s inheritance." Of course, Qin Fei would not miss the chance to add fuel to the fire. She wanted to emphasize that Lily was not raised well... unlike them.

    "Really?" Old Man Qin¡¯s face instantly contorted as he stared at Lily. The people that he hated the most are the type who would bite the hand that feeds them. Qin Fei¡¯s words coupled with her kind and gentle demeanor as well as Lily¡¯s cocky entrance instantly convinced him that thetter was indeed someone who valued money more than blood.

    "Yes. My dear sister actually had her tycoon husband ask our father to remove her name from our registry months ago. This happened shortly after she married him. I am not sure if you are familiar with the name ¡¯Zhuo Jignren¡¯, he owns a lot of banks in Maind China too," Qin Fei added, her expression seemed to show that she was truly hurt by what Lily did.

    "So she married a rich man and abandoned her family?" Zhang Yifei faked a shocked look on her face, prompting the old man to frown even more. How could he allow someone of the Qin blood to embarrass him like this?

    "My... my... what an award winning act." Lily¡¯sughter made everyone look at her as if she had lost her mind. "Why don¡¯t you tell them... that I am also worth billions even before I met my husband? Of course... now... my worth is even more than everyone herebined. But that is not the point here," she grinned before she took another sip of the wine in her hand.

 Chapter 304 Causing Chaos

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 304 Causing Chaos</h4>

    As expected, Lily¡¯s words instantly made Old Man Qin more confused. What is she saying? He looked at Qin Hao with a raised eyebrow and thetter instantly pretended to text someone as if he was trying to get background information of Lily.

    "Well... as you said, that is not the point here," Zhang Yifei said with her signature gentle smile. "We are family so the past should just be left in the past. We should stop talking about these things or Liwei¡¯s effort to prepare us this scrumptious dinner will go to waste," she said, earning an approving nod from Xuan Hui and Qin Hao. However, others such as Qin Chuan was still frozen while Qin Fei was sending daggers at Lily.

    "As usual, Yifei is the most sensible one," Old Man Qin praised Zhang Yifei, however, his eyes were still glued on Lily. Her resemnce to Qin Yuanfeng and Qin Chuan¡¯s weird reaction told him that something else is going on here. "I have never met you before," he stated. He knew that Qin Mo had a daughter from a mistress but he didn¡¯t have much information about her. "You look very familiar. May I have the name of your mother?"

    "I don¡¯t really think that¡¯s important Father," Qin Hao butted in. "We are here to enjoy ourselves and clearly her presence had ruined Qin Liwei and Qin Fei¡¯s mood. Why don¡¯t we all go to the study to talk and we leave the women here to enjoy the entertainment that Qin Liwei had prepared for everyone?"

    "Why don¡¯t you let me answer his question Mr. Qin?" Lily said. "Are you afraid of something?"

    "You- What kind of woman would talk to an elder like this?" Qin Hao chided, in an attempt to change the topic. He could not let his father know that Qin Yuanfeng has a twin. "I am still your elder and you are from the Qin Family. No matter what, you are still expected to show your respect. And the fact that you are an illegitimate child does not exempt you from this rule."

    "Well..." Lily tilted her head and ignored Qin Hao who was berating her. She looked straight into Old Man Qin¡¯s eyes and said, "Okay." Lily smiled. "Point taken. I shall continue to let everyone think that I am a daughter of a mistress even when we already know that I am not. Isn¡¯t that right... Old Man Qin?"

    "You-" Qin Hao was speechless while Qin Fei and Qin Liwei¡¯s temper instantly spiked.

    "What do you mean by that?" Qin Liwei asked. "Your mother was my father¡¯s mistress! Stop being shameless!"

    "What a shameless woman. I believe removing her from the registry was the right thing to do," Qin Hao added, while hoping that his father would forget Lily¡¯s words. However, just who was Old Man Qin? He was not only a businessman but he was also in the military for a long time in his youth. He is not as gullible as everyone thought him to be.

    However, Old Man Qin remained silent as he stared at Lily intently. This woman is the exact replica of Bec Fi and even he could not deny that. A sudden shiver run down Old Man Qin¡¯s spine as he shifted his gaze towards the silent Qin Chuan. Until now, thetter did not show any expression on his face other than staring nkly at Lily.

    Was the Old Man really that dumb that he couldn¡¯t guess what was going on?

    No. He already had his suspicions a long time ago. However, he had no way to confirm this until now.

    "I guess this dinner is pretty much over?" Lily smiled at the old man before she shifted her gaze to Qin Hao then to Zhang Yifei. "I mean...Did you get my point? You must be pretty dumb or else... how could a woman manipte you all these years? So I want to make sure that you get it or I will have to force fed it to you myself."

    "What do you mean?" Old Man Qin asked while gesturing with his hand to stop Qin Hao from butting in again.

    "What do you mean by that?" This time it was Zhang Yifei. Her eyes were already teary as she stared at Lily. "Are you saying that I am the one who is manipting them?"

    "Old man..." Lily made a deliberate pause as she let her own attendant add more wine into her ss. "Let me ask you this. Why did you adopt Zhang Yifei?"

    "You already know the answer to your question. Why bother asking?" Old Man Qin replied. While he is still confused about everything, he already had some assumptions about the possible schemes going on. From Lily to Qin Yuanfeng to Qin Chuan¡¯s ident. To him... everything was too connected. Of course, in his mind, the not likely person who had schemed against Qin Chuan was none other than Qin Hao. After all, he was the one who benefited the most when Qin Chuan got depressed after his marriage with Zhang Yifei and when he was eventually removed as the heir of the Qin Group.

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded as she gestured one of her attendants to give the old man a folder. Then she eyed Zhang Yifei, her eyes sparkling from mischief. "Take a look. Does that old man look familiar to you?"

    Qin Hao and Zhang Yifei also tried to look at the file and since the old man had no intentions of hiding it, they were able to see a very clearly taken picture of an old man fishing near the mountains. Just like Old Man Qin, his hair was already white and his face wizened. When the old man saw the picture, his eyes instantly widened in surprise. "Isn¡¯t this..." his eyes examined the picture and zeroed in on the man¡¯s metal legs.

    "Imagine... being an amputee with no money. Small pension with young children to fed. Won¡¯t you do the same thing as well?"

    "What are you trying to say?" Zhang Yifei was the first to react as she snatched the pictures from Old Man Qin. "You are ndering the dead! Why are you doing this to my family?" Tears instantly started flowing from her cheeks as she walked towards Lily. However, Lily¡¯s guards instantly stopped her from approaching their boss.

    "What are you doing here Lily? Why are you causing chaos in our family?" Qin Fei also stood. Though she did not understand anything, she would not hesitate to make Lily look more devious than she already is.

 Chapter 305 Frankenstein

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 305 Frankenstein</h4>

    "Please... take your seats. Don¡¯t get too excited. These are just appetizers," Lily mused before she looked at her men. "If they refuse to return to their seats... drag them."

    "You-" Xuan Hui instantly made his way towards Qin Fei and tried to protect her but another uniformed man approached from behind and overpowered him instantly. "You are going overboard! How could you do this to the Qin Family?"

    "Mr. Xuan... yours wille soon. Take a seat before I identally open another can of worms. We don¡¯t want another level of chaos right now. Do we?"

    As expected, Xuan Hui was rendered speechless. Guilt instantly shed in his eyes but it was too quick for Qin Fei too notice as her back was facing her husband. Qin Fei only narrowed her eyes at Lily as she gritted her teeth. The most frustrating thing for Qin Fei was knowing that Lily knows something important about her husband but she could not simply ask her to reveal everything.

    With this in mind, Qin Fei marched to her seat and eyed Zhang Yifei who was crying and still trying to go over to Lily. Qin Fei didn¡¯t understand what was going on but if her guess was right, Lily must have known about their n to request assistance from the Qin Family, which was why she chose to attack first. After all, that is totally Lily¡¯s style.

    "How sad," Lily mocked the Qin Family, her gaze was fixed on Zhang Yifei. "You knew that your father was alive and yet you didn¡¯t say a thing? Come on Miss Zhang... was it the money?"

    "What nonsense are you sprouting?" Zhang Yifei said. While she appeared emotional and tear-stricken on the outside, inwardly she was calmly nning her next move. Did Lily think that she was the only one bearing a wee gift? She sneered inwardly as she eyed everyone¡¯s reaction. Old Man Qin was frowning and seemed to be analyzing everything while Qin Hao was staring at her, as if waiting for her to exin herself.

    But what could she do? Her father was already dead! If her guess was right, then Lily was only trying to create doubts and distrust within the Qin Family. This would then prompt the old man to investigate her and ultimately cause a dy in her initial ns. Zhang Yifei cursed inwardly. What a cunning enemy. Too bad Lily is not ruthless enough. "My father is already dead. How could you mock him like this?"

    "Come on Miss Zhang... Are you saying that the wealth of the Qin Family isn¡¯t enough to make your heart beat a little faster?" Lily asked as she eyed the old man. "Check out the next document which show the times that Zhang Yifei withdrew cash from her offshore ounts. Now why would she do that? Unless... she is giving money to a debt collector, or someone who needs money... Like an ill and aging father, for example. Am I right, Miss Zhang?"

    "That... that is not true!" Zhang Yifei retorted. What convincing evidence could Lily show? All of this was circumstantial evidence. There is no way that she can persuade the old man to believe this nonsense. "Father... that is not true."

    "I know," Old Man Qin said as he stared intently at Lily. "I saw him die in the hospital. There is no way that he is still alive."

    "Well...it¡¯s up to you whether to believe me or not," Lily shrugged as if she expected this. "But remember this... I won¡¯t stop until I destroy the people who ruined my family." Now that she had poked the tiger, she was also expecting a counter-attack from Zhang Yifei at any time. "I¡¯ll bide my time. I believe that you all wille to believe my words soon enough."

    "I don¡¯t get the purpose of any of this," Old Man Qin said. "Are you trying to ruin my family? Aren¡¯t you also a Qin? You are my Qin Chuan¡¯s daughter. What happened to you? How could you betray your own family?"

    "Not really," Lily said. Seeing that the old man seemed not to understand her words, she instantly rified, "I mean... I am not nning to ruin everyone. One or two should be enough. But if someone dared to stand in my path then... I will destroy them too."

    "Lily Qin... I don¡¯t understand. Why are you targeting me? Why us? I don¡¯t even remember meeting you! How could you just barge in here and dere that you areing for us out of nowhere? Your mother... she... Bec... Fi was my husband¡¯s first love and Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s mother. But she left after giving birth to Yuanfeng. She left him! If my guess was right, she ran away knowing that she was still carrying Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s twin in her womb. Then she poisoned your mind so you would fight against us." Zhang Yifei instantly retaliated with her own made up story. Does Lily think that she is the only one capable of making a believable story?

    How na?ve, Zhang Yifei smiled inwardly. It wasmon knowledge in the family that Bec run away. This only made her story more credible!

    "If you think that your life has been unfair because you were raised in a branch family instead of the main family then... you can only me your mother and not the Qin Family!" she said as she looked at Old Man Qin. "If you think that this was all my fault then... I am willing to leave the Qin Family and never return again. I knew Bec was jealous of me back then. I knew she loved Qin Chuan and was devastated when you informed her about the betrothal. This was all my fault."

    "If the Qin Family will be punished because of me... then... I would rather leave and face the punishment alone! I refused to let the whole family suffer because of me!" Zhang Yifei dramatically shook her head, instantly earning kudos from Lily. It seems that Zhang Yifei has been controlling the men in the Qin Family for decades with her delicate and gentle persona that made her appear ever so sincere and genuine.

    On the outside, Lily was all smiles. On the inside, she was truly surprised by Zhang Yifei¡¯s cunning and the amount of thought she put into her choice of words in order to draw sympathy. Anyone who knew Qin Chuan and Zhang Yifei¡¯s story would swallow that version! How amazing was that? Of course, Lily did not reveal a hint of surprise as she focused on Zhang Yifei as she continued her monologue.

    It seems Zhang Yifei has truly perfected her craft. Her aggrieved and gentle expression instantly earned the pity of everyone.

    "Qin Chuan and I never slept with each other, even though we are married. This is why I was unable to bear a child for the Qin Family. I respected your father¡¯s love for your mother, and yet... you..." she paused deliberately and looked at Lily, despair and sorrow apparent in her eyes. Her pitiful look instantly gained the pity from everyone. Even Qin Fei was shedding some tears as if she was truly touched by her story. "Youe in here and dare to nder my family in front of the people who raised me since I was a child. What kind of monster are you?"

    *p*

    *p*

    *p*

    "To say that I was not surprised with all this would be a lie," Lily smiled, her eyes turned into crescents. "Even I could not achieve that level of acting. I mean... you deserve an Oscar!" she mocked. "But... Please... Stop asking what kind of monster I am. Aren¡¯t you the one who created me? Are you not my Frankenstein?" she made a deliberate pause as she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at Zhang Yifei. "Am I not your monster? Frankenstein?"

 Chapter 306 Strategy vs Experience

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 306 Strategy vs Experience</h4>

    Lily is crazy.

    That is the first thing thing that went through Zhang Yifei¡¯s mind while she was listening to Lily speak. Sadly, she wasn¡¯t crazy enough. Before Zhang Yifei could say anything, the smile on Lily¡¯s face disappeared. "You know.... Your story really doesn¡¯t make sense," Lily said as she began to eat the spaghetti and meatballs that Zhuo Jingren made for her. Sensing that everyone was still looking at her, Lily closed her eyes as she savoured the vour of the meatballs.

    As expected of her husband¡¯s cooking, it really is the best.

    "First you said... my mother left after giving birth to my twin brother. Do you think a pregnant woman inbor would be able to leave China and travel to Hong Kong all by herself? Do you think she was a superhuman or something?"

    "Then she must have had an aplice!" Zhang Yifei said. In her mind this was the best story that she coulde up with on the spot. She hadn¡¯t really thought about the technicalities, logistics, or the gaping hole in her story. "Or she could have given birth in China and left immediately after that! Who knows?! When we arrived at the hospital she was no longer there. She left Qin Yuanfeng alone. I am just making assumptions here as this is the only way to exin your existence, an existence that we were all unaware of!"

    "Hmmm... you have a point. However... why would my mother do that? Why would she suffer at the hands of these people instead of being with the man she loved? Why do you think she would choose to leave her newborn son and the man that she loved?"

    "How should I know? As I said... if you want to me anyone, me her and not the Qin Family," Zhang Yifei answered. She had finally stopped crying and was talking to Lily in a calm manner. When dealing with a woman like Lily, the best counterattack was none at all. You only had to remain calm to assess the situation properly.

    This is actually Lily¡¯s greatest strength. From Zhang Yifei¡¯s research alone, she could clearly see that Lily had a special talent for pissing people off with her sharp tongue. This would allow her to gain the upper hand as everyone who she¡¯d enraged would lose control of their emotions and thisck of control would make them be impulsive. Of course, this technique would not work on Zhang Yifei.

    Could Lily¡¯s cunning strategy really work against her decades of experience in manipting people? Zhang Yifei might look weak on the outside, making people pity her, but her mental health was her greatest asset. She had the ability to remain calm at all times.

    And this... is what will guarantee her win against a formidable opponent like Lily.

    "Yifei actually has a point," Qin Hao added. Seeing that Zhang Yifei was calm, he also calmed down and thought about the consequences of raging in front of the old man now. That would only make him suspicious. "When we arrived at the hospital, Bec Fi was no longer there and we only saw one child. How could we know how she left China and arrived here in Hong Kong? I understand that you are upset, but you really shouldn¡¯t me us for this situation," he said. His words were magnanimous as this was what he wanted his father to hear.

    "If you want toe with us to Maind China we would ept you and give you everything that you deserve. However... you can¡¯t just say that you will make an enemy of us. Just because your husband is influential does not mean that you just get to threaten us any time that you want to," he added while eyeing his father. He wanted to assess the old man¡¯s reaction but he instantly knew he was failing when he saw the old man¡¯s stern expression.

    His words earned some nods from everyone, including Qin Liwei, Qin Fei, and even Xuan Hui. As of now, they already knew a bit about what was going on and they were actually very surprised to learn about the truth. Their interest in the events unfolding before them intrigued the three as they felt that this would be a great opportunity to make the Qin Family deal with Lily.

    What could be better than watching your enemy get defeated in front of you?

    WhenLily only smiled it instantly made them realize that there was no way Lily would show her true emotions in front of them.

    "You know the biggest mistake that you made bying here?" Lily asked after a few seconds of staring at Zhang Yifei. Lily gave them a mysterious smile as she typed something on her phone.

    "Don¡¯t you dare try to hurt our family in Maind China." Zhang Yifei stood, her face defensive. However, she was sneering on the inside as if she were watching a clown performing in front of her. Yes, Lily was nothing more than a clown in her eyes ¨C a smart clown. But a clown nheless.

    Lily only existed for her entertainment. Lily only existed as a little challenge to her ns.

    "I am not like you," Lily countered. "I don¡¯t have a tendency to hurt the innocent... You see, this is why justice is different from revenge, but both of us know how thin the line between the two really is, don¡¯t we?"

    Seeing Lily¡¯s smile instantly made Qin Hao and even the old man alert. There was something different about the way Lily was looking at them. A while ago, her gaze was full of mockery, but now... there was something different about her. "Don¡¯t you dare touch our family!" Qin Hao warned as he dialed his daughter¡¯s Maind number.

    "Please... I was not the one killing unborn children and manipting people," Lily said as she propped her head on her palm. "You came here all proud and left your mountain with your... cub as a guard," Lily scoffed.

    "Lily... we really should not go there," Old Man Qin said calmly. "Stop this and we will talk... If you think that you have received an injustice then we willpensate you. No need for petty revenge; it will only damage both parties in the end."

    "I am petty," Lily said. "I prepared these gifts the moment. I knew that you wereing to my town. Call it house warming," she said as she gestured for her men to bring the gifts that she¡¯d prepared. "All of these antiques were chosen to bring you more luck!"

    However, no one moved to open their gift. Of course, Lily had anticipated this. But... what she did not anticipate was her ns being seen through by Zhang Yifei.

    The smile on Lily¡¯s face instantly disappeared when she read the text on her phone. She then eyed Zhang Yifei and gave her a provoking smile. "I wanted to blow up your mines," she dered. "Since you want the Qin Family¡¯s money... then I am taking it all away from them."

    "You-"

    Bam!

    Qin Hao mmed his hand on the table as he heard Lily¡¯s words, interrupting Zhang Yifei. "What are you-"

    "But it seems that I still underestimated you," Lily said, interrupting Qin Hao. She had truly underestimated Zhang Yifei¡¯s mind and her ability to deal rationally. "Good counter."

    Of course, no one else understood Lily¡¯s words other than her and Zhang Yifei.

    Lily slowly rose from her seat, her eyes bore straight into Zhang Yifei¡¯s. Her initial n failed. Her trap was sessful at the cost of her original n. She stared at Zhang Yifei intently before her lips curled into a smile. "But did you really think that was the only thing that I prepared for you?"

    "The game of chess has just begun. Don¡¯t ever think that a single mistake will happen again in the future," she added before her gaze shifted to Qin Hao and Old Man Qin who¡¯d just received a call. She watched as their faces morphed into ugly scowls as they rose from their seats and walked away from the table.

    Lily then walked towards Zhang Yifei and asked her men to make her stand upr. "You are controlling Qin Yuanfeng," Lily stated with an unfathomable gleam shing in her eyes. "Did you think I would not consider this fact and trust him just because we have the same DNA?"

    "You might be smart but I am more experienced than you, Lily. Give up now and just watch as I destroy the family who ruined mine," Zhang Yifei whispered. Her tone was sinister but her expression was still as gentle as ever. She met Lily¡¯s light brown orbs as her lips morphed into a gentle smile. "You cannot defeat me," she dered boldly, her soft voice contrasting with her words and intentions.

 Chapter 307 Burn Your Castle

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 307 Burn Your Castle</h4>

    Lily instantly narrowed her eyes at Zhang Yifei as she took another step towards her; their faces just inches away from each other. "So you wanted the Qin Family to suffer," she stated. "What about my family? Zhang Yifei? Did you just unintentionally ruin mine to have what you want?"

    "Everyone in the Qin Family does not deserve to be happy," she answered in a low voice that Lily does not recognize. "You and your brother... your father and mother and everyone with the Qin bloodline deserve to suffer."

    "You are pathetic," Lily sneered. "If you think you have won just because you were able to use someone around me... then you are wrong," she said. She had truly underestimated Zhang Yifei. "Your first mistake is thinking that I care about Qin Yuanfeng. Your second .."

    "Please... spare me the bullshit," Zhang Yifei interrupted Lily. "If you don¡¯t care about him then you wouldn¡¯t have given him a chance. You wouldn¡¯t have let him into your turf and even asked your men to treat him well. You lost Lily. And you know that."

    Seeing Lily just smile at her, Zhang Yifei continued to taunt her. "Qin Yuanfeng is unstable. He is the easiest one to control. If you take away his candy, he will surelysh out on you. He might even kill you. Can you imagine that? A brother and a sister... trying to kill each other. That would be tragic.... Right?"

    "And you think I don¡¯t have the guts to kill him?" Lily scoffed. Everything around them seemed to have blurred as they locked on to each other, ignoring everyone surrounding them. "He is but a stranger to me. A stranger with the same face."

    "Really Lily? Do you have the heart to kill the only blood rted person that you have left?" She faked a look of horror, making everyone think that Lily said something horrible to her. "Would you be able to carry the guilt of killing your brother forever?"

    Zhang Yifei¡¯s n was actually simple- very simple. In fact, she came up with this one with her eyes closed. Was it her fault that Lily is weak? Was it her fault that everyone around her was easy to manipte? No... She was smart and she was born to seed in everything that she does. Including... killing people. "Admit it. You lost... and you will never win against me. If you do that... I might pity you and not kill you and your husband."

    "How bold," Lily noted before she chuckled. "If you think you won... then think again. You might be hallucinating."

    "You are really..."

    However, Zhang Yifei¡¯s words were interrupted when she saw Qin Hao approached them with an angry expression on his face. "How dare you!" he yelled at Lily as he raised his hand to p her.

    However, before his hand could even touch Lily¡¯s cheeks, someone suddenly grabbed his hand, and threw him to the floor. "Try it one more time and I will burn you alive with everyone that you love," a cold voice echoed, making Lily flinched in surprise. This was her first time seeing her own husband¡¯s anger.

    "Are you alright?" Zhuo Jingren turned around and looked at Lily.

    "I am. Thank you for protecting me." Though she was sure that she could have avoided that p, she was still thankful at his gesture. "Is it done?" she asked.

    "It is," he nodded. "We should go now."

    Lily did not answer him. Instead she looked at Zhang Yifei as her lips lifted into a sinister smile. "You surprised me," she said. "However... let me tell you something. Overconfidence will ruin you just like how it will ruin your ns today."

    It was Zhang Yifei¡¯s turn to narrow her eyes at Lily. Why would Qin Hao try to p Lily? Why was he so angry? The only thing that could make Qin Haoshed out like that is...if anything happened to his business and his daughter. What could have happened?

    As her mind was racing to analyze Lily¡¯s move, Lily was once again looking at her like an eagle staring at its prey. "I will crush you. This is just a taste of the things that I can do. The Qin Group will end up in my hands and I promise you... you cannot do anything about it. You will only watch as I burn your castle and ruin everything that you had created. Your family will go down with you. And you won¡¯t even realize that you are supposed to fight back until you are already bleeding to death."

    "This is my promise," she added, her eyes were not showing any emotion as she continued to stare at Zhang Yifei¡¯s eyes.

    "Yifei... Yifei... stay away from this woman." It was Qin Hao. He just stood up and he instantly tried to protect her from Lily and Zhuo Jingren.

    "What happened?" Zhang Yifei asked, her voice was gentle and her face full of confusion.

    "They blow up three of our mines," he stated as he red at Lily. "You will pay for this."

    His words seemed to echoed inside Zhang Yifei¡¯s mind. They bombed the mines? But... she already inform her people about this. She was sure that they were able to stop the bombs! She looked at Lily¡¯s smiling face then to Qin Hao¡¯s angry one. "How did it happen? Our security?" she asked.

    "Diamond mines. They destroyed our diamond mines," he murmured, enough for Zhang Yifei to hear.

    Diamond mines? How did Lily know about those mines? Not even the government knows about it! The Qin Family were known for its mines and precious stones on Maind China. But not many people know that they also deal with diamonds and even have their own mines.

    Then Zhang Yifei¡¯s narrowed eyes as realization hit her. Lily... Lily must have given Qin Yuanfeng the wrong information! She must have done it to trap him. She stared at Lily as she let out a cursed inwardly.

    "What experience?" Lily smiled at them, her words were directed to Zhang Yifei. "Fool," she uttered as she looked at Qin Hao.

    "I heard that you and your daughter are really good at business. I hope... you can deal with the damages and effects of this... ident," Lily said before she turned her head to look at her father. "As for you... You areing with me. You are already useless... I¡¯m sure it wouldn¡¯t be a loss for the Qin Family to lose you at times like this. Isn¡¯t that right... Uncle Qin?" She looked at Qin Hao before letting out another scoff as she signaled her men to take Qin Chuan with them.

    Then she looked at Zhang Yifei again and shed her a smile. She would love to see how Qin Hao will handle theirpany without Qin Chuan.

    "I will see you again, Aunt Yifei. We should y Chess the next time we see each other." Lily¡¯sughter echoed as she strutted her way out of the Qin Residence, giving the atmosphere a sinister vibe.

    "To Yuanfeng," Zhuo Jingren instantly ordered the driver to drive them towards Bei Tian¡¯s base. Then he called someone to make sure that Qin Chuan would befortable for the night. "Here," he handed another set of file to Lily. "Bei Tian is already restraining him."

    "Hmmm..." Lily only nodded, an unfathomable expression was on her face. She was not able to see Zhang Yifei¡¯s calctions as she was too engrossed in micro managing a little bit of everything around her. She underestimated her ruthlessness and ability to manipte people with certain strategies that suited her.

    "Did the ident of the mines injure anyone?" she asked.

    "Two guards received minor injuries. Aside from that, none."

    "Good," Lily nodded before she leaned her head on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s shoulders. "It will be a long night," she uttered.

 Chapter 308 Two Brains

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 308 Two Brains</h4>

    *PAK*

    A resounding p echoed inside the room. "Where is she?" Lily asked before she took a seat across from to Qin Yuanfeng.

    "Who?" he asked, his expression indicating his confusion.

    "Your girl. Where is she," Lily asked calmly as if she hadn¡¯t just hit the man. "You can tell me... or I will find her myself, and once I do... I guess you already know what will happen?"

    As expected, Qin Yuanfeng instantly frowned. His confusion seemed to have disappeared and was reced by an ugly scowl. "You wouldn¡¯t dare..." he said unimpressed, however his words only earned a snort of derisiveughter from Lily.

    "Why wouldn¡¯t I? Do you think you scare me?" she taunted. "You are the stupidest person I have ever met, Qin Yuanfeng. You have truly disappointed me."

    "How did I disappoint you?" he asked. "All I wanted was to be free. I wanted to be rid of the Qin Family, including Zhang Yifei! What¡¯s so wrong about that?"

    "Stupidity at its finest," Lily said as she extended her hand and had a peeling knife and an apple handed to her by Bei Tian, who was watching this encounter from the corner of the room. Lily shook her head as she started peeling the apple. "Too bad... I don¡¯t like killing people. If I did... you would be the first one that I would kill right now."

    "What are you talking about? I did not betray you! What is wrong with you?"

    His words instantly earned a snort of derision from Lily. "Where is she?" Lily asked again. "Why hide her?"

    "Zhang Yifei will kill her if she knows that she is alive," Qin Yuanfeng answered.

    "Stupid! Did it ur to you that your woman was the person ying you?" Lily asked. Seeing Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s clueless expression, she continued. "You moron... Who asked you to find me? Who instigated you to go against Zhang Yifei? Who has been asking you about everything that you¡¯ve learned about my ns?"

    "What are you trying to say?"

    "I am saying that every man in the Qin Family is stupid when ites to women!" Lily said. "Including you!"

    "She would not betray me like that."

    "The only person aside from my people who knew that I would bomb the Qin Group¡¯s mines in Hunan was you. If my guess is right... she asked you about my ns against Zhang Yifei. Tell me... did she pretend that she was anxious? Did she ask you to tell me to hurry and destroy Zhang Yifei so you two could be together forever?"

    Qin Yuanfeng opened his mouth as he tried his best to utter a coherent response using actual sentences to answer Lily, but he came up with nothing. Lily was right. Ziyi did ask him about Lily¡¯s ns. She wanted Lily to destroy Zhang Yifei as soon as possible so they could be together. Ziyi was always watching her back and was afraid that Zhang Yifei would kill her. She needed constant assurances that Lily would help them.

    So he told her Lily¡¯s ns. The bombing and all of the details of the n which Bei Tian had shared with him as they researched the mines¡¯ structure. Qin Yuanfeng wanted to reassure Ziyi, so he told her everything about the n.

    "You know... Zhang Yifei is quite confident that we will kill each other after this betrayal," Lily remarked breezily as she elegantly lifted the apple towards her mouth and slowly took a bite. The crisp sound of her bite was followed by a deafening silence that engulfed the room. "If I were to kill her... would you try and stop me?"

    Her question only earned a nk stare from Qin Yuanfeng as his mind was busy analyzing everything that had happened in the past. Ziyi was the one who told him about the people who seemed to be observing her apartment. She said that someone was following her, and Qin Yuanfeng instantly assumed that it was Zhang Yifei¡¯s men.

    So he helped her disappear. With his agility on theputer, erasing an identity wasn¡¯t really a problem for Qin Yuanfeng So he did it and then got her a new passport and sent her abroad. Give her a new life while he seeks Lily to ask for her help. He was in love, and just like everyone else, he did not want to put her in any danger just because she was with him. Could Ziyi really betray him like this?

    After some thought, Qin Yuanfeng still could not believe that she would betray him. Was everything about their rtionship a lie as well? His breath started to quicken as his eyes honed in on Lily, who was munching elegantly on the peeled apple. Was Lily lying? Was she trying to manipte him?

    Qin Yuanfeng clenched his fist. "How did you know that she betrayed me?" he asked. Ziyi was his first love and he was also her first in everything. They had been together for a few months now and she had never failed to show him how much she loved him. All she wanted was to be together with him, and even he could feel the sincerity in her words. How could she lie to him?

    "You know... when Zhuo Jingren said that you are stupid... Iughed at him. Now however... well... you are living proof that men really have two brains. One in your head and one down there," Lily said. "This time you were not thinking with your good head. How about..." Lily¡¯s sudden move was fast... Not perfect, but it was swift as she suddenly threw the knife towards Qin Yuanfeng.

    "AHHH... What the hell is wrong with you!" Qin Yuanfeng instantly clutched his leg where the small peeling knife was buried. The anger that he felt a while ago seemed to multiply as he hissed and let out a curse.

    "I was aiming for your crotch...," Lily said nonchntly, "...but my aim is really bad."

    Watching as Qin Yuanfeng flinched in pain, she continued, "You see? I hate blood because it always reminds me of what happened years ago. I am making an exception today only because our father is also in this building waiting for me to talk to him. I would not want to have to tell him that you are already dead. I truly hope the pain is enough to wake you up and make you think from here..." she gestured at her head. "You are the only genius that I know who did not even take the time to check her out thoroughly... Was it because she was a little pretty? Did she act fragile? Did she make you feel manly, and that boosted your ego?"

    "That Ziyi is Zhang Yifei¡¯s niece. She is the daughter of Zhang Yifei¡¯s brother. Right now she is lying in a hospital because apparently... she has some disease. She is not abroad and that girl has been fooling you for a long time now." Lily threw a file towards him. "You have been fooled brother... you have been manipted by the people you are fighting against. They wanted us to fight...they wanted you to lose control of whatever it is that is wrong with you and attack me."

    "They thought I would not have the guts to attack you first. They thought that I would even get attached to someone just because he has the same face as me. They have truly underestimated me," she sneered. "Now... let me return to my earlier question: Are you going to do what they said and attack me because I took away your candy?"

 Chapter 309 Easy to Manipulate

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 309 Easy to Manipte</h4>

    "I..."

    "I what?" Lily said sternly. "Don¡¯t you daresh out at me right now... because I swear... I will ask Bei Tian to skin your girl alive while you watch!"

    Once again, Lily¡¯s provoking words spiked Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s short temper, but he did his best to control it. He closed his eyes and began chanting words that Lily didn¡¯t recognize. He kept repeating those words as he tried to calm himself. He will not lose control. He will not... He will not hurt his sister.

    "I what... Qin Yuanfeng?"

    "I don¡¯t think she is doing it because she wants to," Qin Yuanfeng said. What if Ziyi was also threatened by Zhang Yifei? What if she truly loved him but couldn¡¯t do anything about it because Zhang Yifei also threatened her family? He clutched the file in his hand tightly as he thought of how Zhang Yifei must have manipted Ziyi as well.

    "Bei Tian. Get me another knife. This time... I won¡¯t miss," Lily said, making Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s eyes widen.

    "Are you crazy?" he asked.

    "So what if I am?" she countered. "Look at the file that I gave you and think with your head! Don¡¯t make me lose my patience, Yuanfeng... You wouldn¡¯t want to see me angry." She understood that all this man craved was love and eptance. She knew that he had been abused and that all he wanted was for someone to show him that he is loved.

    Ziyi was his candy. The only thing that gave him a taste of how sweet the world could be, so taking her away would be... challenging. Lily must find a method that would counter his need to protect Ziyi. She needed to get him to throw away his candy on his own.

    Qin Yuanfeng looked at Lily for a while before shifting his gaze towards the file in his hand. It contained a few photos and some files from the registry.

    "She was adopted. She was originally a Zhang but when a young couple adopted her, they changed her name to Li Ziyi," Lily said. "I don¡¯t have theplete information, but one thing is for sure: she is still talking to her biological father and he is still talking to Zhang Yifei. You see where I¡¯m going with this?"

    Qin Yuanfeng did not answer her as he continued to read the file. It was very detailed. It even showed how Mr. Zhang put Li Ziyi up for adoption because hecked the means to raise her. Mr. Zhang must have approached Ziyi when she was older, Qin Yuanfeng concluded as his hand started to tremble.

    "I think you are smart enough to understand what happened next," Lily added before finishing thest of the apple.. "Now... I want to know your..."

    "How did you know that it was me?" Qin Yuanfeng interrupted her. "It could have been anyone here, anyone else. How did you know that it was me? It could have been an ident! What if Zhang Yifei was already suspicious and predicted your moves?"

    "After what happened seven years ago, I learned that there are no idents around me, brother." Lily paused deliberately before adding, "Unless of course... it¡¯s on purpose."

    "Only Bei Tian knew about the n. Did you think I would really attack a ce with hundreds of people working day and night?" Lily asked, making his brother speechless. That is indeed true. ording to his information, Lily didn¡¯t like hurting the innocent. "However, a diamond mine is different. It¡¯s existence is a secret and the workers were not required to work twenty-four seven to avoid arousing suspicions."

    "So you gave me the wrong information."

    "Not really. I said we were going to bomb their mines. I never said which mine," Lily beamed. "Now.. my question is. Do you want me to take away your candy? Or will you spit her out on your own?" Lily knew that it was never Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s intention to betray her. However, she found Qin Yuanfeng to be truly weak and far too easy to manipte. Having someone like him around is... a very dangerous thing.

    "I... I just can¡¯t believe it. I... she would not, I think someone is manipting her." Qin Yuanfeng still felt that Ziyi was being manipted. How could she betray him? She was his everything! How could she...

    Lily let out a loud sigh as she stared at her own brother. It seems that love really is a dangerous thing. Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s IQ might be high but his EQ was rock bottom, which was really a pity. "Tell me one thing, Yuanfeng. Why did yoush out when someone mocked the blond girl on TV?"

    "I..." Qin Yuanfeng instantly lowered his gaze and avoided Lily¡¯s eyes.

    "Why did you do it? Did Ziyi tell you to pretend to be mentally ill to make me pity you?" Lily asked. "The things that were neatly arranged by two¡¯s, was it her idea? Did she ask you to pretend that you were mentally disturbed to arouse my pity for you to the point where I feel I must avenge you?"

    Once again, he was rendered speechless. The fight was indeed Ziyi¡¯s idea, but the things that were arranged by two¡¯s had always been his habit and it had nothing to do with Ziyi. He was naturally a neat freak. In fact, this was also the reason why he bathed with salt every single day. He wanted to be as clean as possible. But this wasn¡¯t the point... the point is that Ziyi is riling him up and putting ideas in his head, but he always thought it was because she wanted to get rid of Zhang Yifei as soon as possible.

    "She did... didn¡¯t she?" Lily¡¯s smile was sinister, to say the least. She continued to stare at Qin Yuanfeng, making him lower his head even more. Her gaze was making him ufortable. "I am right. She is your weakness. The moment Zhang Yifei knows that we had this conversation, she will act as if she has kidnapped Ziyi and she will ckmail you to do her bidding."

    "Of course... that is only if she thinks that you are still alive," she added, her gaze full of meaning.

 Chapter 310 Will I ever see you again?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 310 Will I ever see you again?</h4>

    "What do you..."

    "I will kill you," Lily dered. "Or at least that¡¯s what I will tell them," she said. "How about this... we make a bet."

    "What bet?" Qin Yuanfeng asked.

    "First, let me tell you that the only reason why you are breathing right now is because I asked my husband topromise. He wanted you dead... but I wanted to use you instead. The dead won¡¯t bring me any benefits," Lily said before she crossed her legs. "Let¡¯s make a bet, Qin Yuanfeng. If your girl was indeed the person who betrayed you, I will let you go. If I am wrong then I will give you the Fi Group so you¡¯ll have all the resources to kill Zhang Yifei while I enjoy my honeymoon in the Maldives."

    "What do you think?"

    "I... What assurance could you give me that you will indeed give me the Fi Group?" he asked.

    "Eh? You are that confident that she did not betray you?" Lily scoffed. This man was indeed in love. Zhang Yifei¡¯s calction of using her own niece to control and spy on Qin Yuanfeng was indeed very good. It was very ruthless and a good n. However... she still miscalcted something.

    "I am tired of managing a business. I can give you Fi Group if you win against me," Lily said. "If you don¡¯t believe me then either... I kill you or I kill her. You choose."

    Qin Yuanfeng stared at Lily, speechless. He opened his mouth before he closed it again. What is this situation? Why is Lily giving him crazy choices? For some reason, his mind could notprehend it. Was Lily trying to trap him? Was she being bold and trying to make him confused? He stared at her ¡ª really stared at Lily¡¯s smiling face.

    The woman across from him certainly is both smart and cunning. She¡¯s ruthless, and also a bit crazy. Her decisions were based on logic, not emotions. He was sure that, Lily was also rational... If she wasn¡¯t then he have been dead by now. Lily had the exact opposite of his impulsive and emotional nature. Unlike his emotional self... Lily had been calm and did not even flinch as she inflicted pain on him. This only served as proof that she is fully in control of the situation.

    "I¡¯ll take it," he said. His voice contained certainty with a tinge of hope, hope that he was right. What if he wasn¡¯t? What would happen to Ziyi? Qin Yuanfeng noticed his hands shaking yet again as he thought of the possibility that Ziyi was really lying to him. Li Ziyi ¡ª the only person who cared about him, lied to him. After this... what else could possibly happen in his life?

    Qin Yuanfeng felt his heart ache as he clenched his fist in an attempt to control himself. "What are we going to do?"

    Lily suddenly rose from her seat and walked towards him. Her face full of smiles as she suddenly gave him a phone.

    "Call her," she said as her big smile made here eyes turn into crescents as if she was truly enjoying the show. "Tell her toe and get you as you are dying. Tell her I am out to kill you."

    "What?"

    "Come on. Call her," Lily said as she gestured her head for him to ept the phone.

    After a few seconds, Qin Yuanfeng epted the phone and instantly dialed her number.

    "Tell her toe and rescue you at this address." Lily handed her a piece of paper.

    "She is not in this country. She is somewhere far away!" Qin Yuanfeng said, while gritting his teeth. How could Li Ziyi rescue him? She was not in China or Hong Kong! Qin Yuanfeng had sent her to Mysia!

    "Try it."

    Qin Yuanfeng clenched his jaws and continued to dial Li Ziyi¡¯s international number. His hope was getting a little bit bigger as time passed. He instantly pressed the loud speak button, confident that he would like what he is going to hear from his lover. After a few rings... a sweet feminine voice answered. However, when Qin Yuanfeng was about to answer, Lily suddenly get a hold of the knife in his leg and twisted it, making him yell in pain.

    "Yuanfeng?" Li Ziyi¡¯s voice echoed. "Yuanfeng is that you?"

    "Ziyi..." Qin Yuanfeng looked at Lily, his eyes were red and teary as he tried to control the bleeding in his leg. He looked at Lily and only met her smiling face. "Ziyi... I think... I might die."

    "Yuanfeng! What are you saying? What happened? What is going on!?" Li Ziyi¡¯s panicked voice echoed in the room.

    "Ahhrg...." Qin Yuanfeng let out another painful grunt when Lily suddenly kicked his wounded leg. "Ziyi... save me. Lily... she... she will kill me!" He red at his smiling sister and instantly regretted agreeing to this bet. How could this woman be this ruthless?

    "Where are you? Are you still in their base? Yuanfeng! Where are you?"

    "No... I... I was able to run away. I am no longer at their base... but I got shot and ...and I have a knife wound in my leg... I... I cannot run far."

    "I... Yuanfeng hold on... I will get you. Just tell me your address. I wille and get you!"

    As expected, Qin Yuanfeng instantly frowned at her words. What does she mean by she will get him?How? She isn¡¯t even in Hong Kong. If he had to wait for her toe, wouldn¡¯t it be the same waiting for death toe and get him?

    "Yuanfeng? Are you there? Yuanfeng!"

    "I... Ziyi.. I am at... 123 Main..." Qin Yuanfeng proceeded to give her the address that Lily had given him. However, as the time went by, his voice got colder and colder as he narrowed his eyes at Lily. How could he miss the tinge of glee in Li Ziyi¡¯s voice? Now that he suspected her, it was very easy to detect subtle changes like these.

    Slowly, pain and sorrow became apparent in his eyes as his breath quickened. Did she really betray him? Was it all a lie? Questions like these started rising inside his head as tears were threatening to burst from his eyes. Was everything a lie after all?

    "Yuanfeng... Please hold on... I love you. Please hold on," Li Ziyi¡¯s cries echoed, over and over again.

    "Ziyi..." Qin Yuanfeng let out a deep sigh before he closed his eyes. "Will I ever see you again?"

 Chapter 311 That is Enough

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 311 That is Enough</h4>

    Qin Residence, Hong Kong

    "How could this have happened?" Old Man Qin furrowed his brows as he listened to his men report the details of the explosion. "Our security is pretty tight! There is no way that a bomb could even get inside our facilities, okay! Qin Hao will take care of everything once we return to China! Keep me updated," he said before he ended the call. His face was dark as he shifted his gaze to Zhang Yifei.

    "What was that all about, Yifei?" he asked.

    "Father... what are you... I don¡¯t understand." Zhang Yifei¡¯s tears appeared instantaneously. She blinked and streams of tears instantly fell down her cheeks. She grew pale while her eyes grew red and a sorrowful expression was stered all over her face. "She was the one who ndered my father like that. She does not even show respect for the dead. How... how could she?"

    "Yifei..." Qin Hao instantly consoled his woman as he stroked her back. He badly wanted to hug her right now and protect her from the world, but they could not show their affection in front of Old Man Qin. "You should stop crying and think about how to make that woman pay instead."

    "Hao... she mes me and I understand that. I truly do. I, too, grew up without my parents. But... she wants to ruin my reputation and even worse, she wants the people who raised me to abandon me. I can¡¯t... I don¡¯t know... I am afraid. I am afraid of what Lily might be capable of."

    "We cannot underestimate her," Old Man Qin said with a sigh. "You and Qin Hao should go home tonight. I want this resolved in three days at most. I don¡¯t want this incident to attract the government¡¯s attention."

    "What about you, Father?" Qin Hao¡¯s face instantly showed an expression of rm. Did his father n to stay here? Did he n to have a conversation with Lily? Qin Hao instantly frowned at the thought of them meeting. He would never allow that to happen!

    "I will wait for Qin Chuan," Old Man Qin said. "Lily is very dangerous. I want to see that my son is safe and sound before I return to China."

    "But Father... you just said it: Lily is dangerous and unpredictable. She is extremely ruthless andpletely crazy. You shouldn¡¯t risk your safety by staying here. How about you go back to China while I stay here and ensure that Elder Brother is safe?"

    "Father, I think Qin Hao has a point. You are still our patriarch. Your safety is our top priority. We should not..."

    "I already said what I wanted. Go home. I can handle this myself," Old Man Qin said, cutting Zhang Yifei off. "I would also like to see what kind of person this Lily is. She is still my granddaughter after all."

    "But..."

    "No buts," Old Man Qin interrupted Qin Hao again. "You and Yifei are to go home and make sure that everyone is safe. You and Mimi should manage thepany well at times like this. I am counting on you and your daughter to resolve this issue as soon as possible."

    A sinister glint instantly shed in Qin Hao¡¯s eyes as he lowered his head. Could he really allow his father to talk to Lily and discover the truth? He knew that the old man already suspected something. Qin Hao mentally swore at Lily as he gritted his teeth. "Alright, I¡¯ll do as you suggest...," he agreed as he raised his chin and gave his father a serious look, "...but if anything happens to you, I swear... I will kill that Lily and whoever is helping her," he dered, his voice full of conviction. He had already made up his mind and was nning to use this to win the war against Lily.

    After Qin Hao agreed to his ns, the old man nodded in understanding before sending the two out of his room. He wanted to rest - and of course - call his contacts to investigate. A person who as influential as Lily Qin would never act irrationally or risk wasting her time without a valid reason. There is just no way that Lily would do this to them just because she wanted to ruin them.

    For some reason, the old man recalled Lily¡¯s smile and instantly remembered Qin Chuan¡¯s nk expression. When Lily took Qin Chuan, his son didn¡¯t even bother to say anything. He just lowered his head, his facepletely unfathomable. Did that mean he¡¯d been expecting this to happen?

    What about Qin Yuanfeng? Does Lily also know about her twin brother? If so... is it possible that she already has him in captivity?

    ....

    Meanwhile, the atmosphere between Lily and her father waspletely awkward. While Lily was smiling as she ate the peeled grapes offered by Zhuo Jingren, Qin Chuan merely stared at her. No words, no tears, no interaction whatsoever. It was as if he was trying to memorize her features, her actions and everything about her.

    "Aren¡¯t..."

    "How..." Lily¡¯s words came to a halt when both of them spoke at the same time. Seeing Lily pause and slowly nod at him, Qin Chuan continued. "How did she die? Your... Your mother... Bec, how did she die?"

    Lily arched a brow at his question. No ¡¯hello¡¯s or hi¡¯s... no how are you¡¯s either. He didn¡¯t even ask if she was aware of who he is?! But what did she expect from someone with Qin blood? Aren¡¯t they all crazy when ites to their lovers?

    "Do you want me to lie to you to make you feel better? Or hurt you with the truth?" Lily asked in response. Lily sighed as Qin Chuan continued to look at her nkly. "I don¡¯t know," she said, earning a small reaction from her father. "They only gave me her ashes. I don¡¯t know if she died of blood loss or from the impact. Or if they took her heart out of her. I really don¡¯t know," Lily said as she met his eyes.

    "The only thing that I know for certain is that she was murdered due to a case of mistaken identity," Lily added. Her words were cold and detached as if she were rying facts to someone that she didn¡¯t know. Like a stranger. And as expected, her words caused Qin Chuan to frown immediately.

    "Was it Zhang Yifei?" he asked, his jaw clenched.

    "Yes." Lily nodded. "It was her."

    "Where is Yuanfeng? Is he alive?"

    "Yes..." Once again she nodded. This time, Qin Chuan¡¯s eyes showed gentleness as he gave Lily a nod of approval. "It has been so long- I can¡¯t even remember thest time that I felt relieved. Knowing that you and your brother are together and alive is enough for me. I would like to retire now. If you don¡¯t mind, please leave me."

    "That¡¯s it?" Lily asked. Seeing her father remain silent, Lily balled her hands into fists and rose from her seat. "I will talk to you once you are ready," she said before walking out of the room with an unfathomable expression on her face.

    Once upon a time, when she was a little girl, all she wished for and all that she wanted was to be happy, marry a prince, give birth and take care of her parents. Obviously, her life story was not like those fairytales that her mother used to read to her.

    Now that she thought about it. Lily felt that was alone. She had no one. Everyone who cared for her was dead and now, her brother and father... well she could not even see a tinge of emotion from their eyes.

    A small tear slowly made its way down her cheek as she walked until she hit something hard. Lily was about to swear when she realized that she had bumped into Zhuo Jingren. She met his dark brown eyes as she swallowed all of the emotions that were erupting inside her. She felt him wipe the tear from her cheek and lift her chin a little higher.

    "You have me," he said. "I have you." Then he smiled at her, his eyes gentle, full of unspoken emotions. "We already have each other. That is enough."

 Chapter 312 No Second Chances

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 312 No Second Chances</h4>

    "We can¡¯t find the body," a tall man approached the man wearing an all-ck outfit. "There was blood everywhere and we found some bullet cases. That man must have been killed here. They tried to clean up the ce and remove traces of blood but we all know how hard that is. It was a mess."

    The man in the ck outfit looked towards the sea and remained silent for a moment as he watched the iing tides crash against the rocks near the shore. His expression unfathomable. "Are there any other possibilities?"

    "Yes," the tall man nodded. "He could have dragged his body towards the sea. From the traces of blood we found, we are pretty sure that he had sustained some fatal wounds. So... I believe there is no way that he would be able to survive this."

    "Thank you, Dong. Don¡¯t forget to take some pictures of the scene so we can show it to Yifei. Come back here when you are done and then we¡¯ll leave," Zhang Chen said, his face dark as he fetched his phone from his pocket. He then dialed a number and waited for his daughter to answer.

    "Did you find him?" Ziyi asked the moment she answered the phone.

    "No. But we saw a lot of blood here. A normal person wouldn¡¯t survive after losing so much blood," he said, letting out a sigh. Lily Zhuo was indeed a Qin. She was ruthless and she did not even spare her own brother.

    "Then it¡¯s good," Ziyi answered. "He is unstable anyway, a loose end. It is only good that he died."

    "Alright, don¡¯t forget to drink your medicine and ask the cook to prepare some nutritious soup for you," Zhang Chen reminded in concern before he bid goodbye to his daughter. Qin Yuanfeng is dead. At least now he doesn¡¯t have to worry about that psychopath anymore.

    After a few minutes, his right-hand man, Dong approached him and told him that everything had been taken care of. Zhang Chen instantly left the ind with his men. He needed to report to Zhang Yifei and inform her about Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s death.

    .....

    "Were you able to trace the call?" Lily asked Qin Yuanfeng who seemed to be in deep thoughts. She then smiled and started taunting Qin Yuanfeng again, "I won the bet, Yuanfeng. As promised, I will let you go so you can see your lover."

    "What for?" he asked as he lowered his head. "You know I will not survive on my own. You know I don¡¯t have the power to do that. They think that I am dead. If they see me again, I¡¯m sure they will not hesitate to kill me."

    "Well... I don¡¯t have any interest in keeping someone like you here," Lily answered truthfully. After her conversation with Zhuo Jingren, she found the answer to her long train of questions. She actually stopped needing other people a long time ago and her brother and father were just one of those people.

    Lily could not deny that she still has a soft spot for them. After all, they were separated not because they wanted to but because of people scheming behind their backs. However, this does not mean that she would sumb to her emotions. Last night, Zhuo Jingren made her realize that they indeed already have each other, and that was enough.

    "Does it make you feel good?" Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s question woke Lily from her stupor. She watched as thetter turn away from hisputer to face her. "Being alone. Does it make you feel good?"

    "I am not alone," Lily answered.

    "Please, Lily... do you even trust anyone else other than yourself? How do you sleep at night, knowing that anytime, your enemies coulde and kill you? Tell me... how do you keep your smile after all that? After all the betrayals and schemes that you have been through."

    Lily lifted an eyebrow at Qin Yuanfeng, whose face had turned pale from the blood loss, then her lips slowly lifted into a smile. "Did you expect me to be like you? To just sit here andment about how unfair life is?" Lily let out a scoff. "Did you expect me to cry about everything, to feel sorry for myself?"

    "Yuanfeng... both of us had been through a lot. I am quite lucky that our grandmother found me and molded me into the person I am today. That is the only difference between us.. I would not be a hypocrite and im that I was born confident and strong. I was not. I was just like you... alone and weak." Her brother might be smart but his emotions were his weaknesses. And just like every human being, he was also struggling with this weakness.

    "And to be honest, I used to spend a lot of time thinking about those people that I hurt. People who I schemed against. And you were right, I had a hard time sleeping and never trusted anyone but myself. I am not going to say that I am different now as that would be a lie. I still have those thoughts, worries and sleepless nights." She wanted to add how she had actually grown to trust Zhuo Jingren slowly but she thought that this doesn¡¯t concern her brother anymore.

    "Then, do you like it? After this... you know that I have nowhere to go. And yet you did not hesitate to ask me to leave. Do you really want me gone in your life? Are you going to do the same to our father?" he asked. He made a mistake and now... he was suffering for the consequences of his actions. Hepromised Lily¡¯s safety over his own selfish goals. He lied to her and he deserved to be punished.

    "Your emotionspromises you, brother. I can¡¯t work with someone as gullible as you." Lily ignored his question. Was she nning to hurt her brother because of what happened? The answer would be NO. Just like her, Qin Yuanfeng was also a victim. His heart and hope, the only two things that he had, had been shattered. Itid on the floor broken as he struggled against himself.

    Just like her, Qin Yuanfeng was a victim and no matter how cruel she is... she would not hurt someone like him.

    "Can you give me one more chance?" he asked. "Just one. Last chance. If you could..."

    "I don¡¯t give second chances," Lily interrupted him. "Fix yourself and I might consider it. But that is not going to happen anytime now."

    .....

    Be updated for news and contest!

    Discord: https://discord.gg/nz37GEZ

    Instagram: blips01

 Chapter 313 Investing in the Future

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 313 Investing in the Future</h4>

    "You are being too soft," Zhuo Jingren noted the moment Lily walked inside their room. He was sitting on the couch as he stared at the dark night outside through the floor to ceiling window.

    "What do you mean?" Lily instantly asked as she approached him and leaned in for a kiss.

    "Your hard exterior is the exact opposite of what you feel inside," he said before he pulled Lily towards him.

    "I need to change first," she said.

    "I can do it for you," he answered before kissing her again. "Why did you let him go?" he asked.

    "He is too weak to fight and you know that," she answered. "And I wasn¡¯t being soft. I did what I thought to be the most logical thing to do. Plus... I¡¯ll be arranging for him to work with both George and Jack Arison while he undergoes some therapy. He doesn¡¯t know that I am associated with them, so he will probably think that he just got lucky. This is also my way of monitoring him and his progress."

    "Softie."

    "I am not," Lily disagreed. "Qin Yuanfeng was just like me before. Do you expect me to abandon him at a time like this?"

    "That¡¯s what you made him think."

    "Once he is sane enough, he will realize that I only did that to protect him," Lily said. "There are two sides to every coin and once he realizes that, he will eventuallye to me."

    "So you were thinking about profits when you nned all this?" Zhuo Jingren smiled at her. Once Qin Yuanfeng realizes that Lily helped him instead of abandoning him, he would feel grateful and in turn he would feel that he owed her for saving his life. Once this happens, Lily will gain another formidable ally on her side.

    "Hacking is an extremely profitable business," she chuckled and evil gleam could be seen in her eyes. "I wouldn¡¯t say that I was scheming behind his back. Rather... let¡¯s put it this way, I am... investing," Lily said righteously. She always wanted to invest for the future and that is what she is doing right now. Lilyughed inwardly. Who was she kidding? Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s talents are extremely useful in earning money, alright? Would she really let someone talented like him go just like that?

    No way!

    "And your father?"

    "He hasn¡¯t requested to speak with me nor has he requested to return to the Qin Family," Lily answered with a shrug. "I think he just wants some time alone for himself. I can¡¯t me him though. Living with people like Qin Hao and Zhang Yifei must have given him sleepless nights. It¡¯s only natural for him to act like this."

    "Why are you being understanding all of a sudden? Tell me... little wife? Are you nning on investing once again?"

    "I already told you not to call me ¡¯little¡¯!" Lily said as she yfully pinched his arm. "And you are making it sound as if I am always scheming behind someone else¡¯s back. I only scheme against my enemies alright?"

    "I didn¡¯t say that you are scheming," heughed at Lily¡¯s face.

    "You are really underestimating me! Did you think I wouldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind your words! Hmp! You shall sleep outside tonight." She made an attempt to stand only to be pulled down by Zhuo Jingren.

    "Alright, let¡¯s sleep outside tonight," he agreed before nuzzling her neck.

    "Not me, idiot. Only you!"

    "Well... you and me. We are already one, not just in our wedding documents but in wealth, heart, body and soul. We should do everything together no?"

    "You, President Zhuo, is being shameless again. Don¡¯t make me angry or I will..." Lily made a deliberate pause as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Or I will not sleep with you for one whole month."

    "Really?" he lifted an eyebrow, mirth apparent in his eyes.

    "Hmmm." She nodded. "No making love, no cuddling for a month!"

    "Really?" he repeated.

    "Okay maybe 3 weeks?" Lily said as she red at the man who was trying to contain his amusement. "Two weeks."

    "Two weeks? Can you do it?"

    Lily did not answer him as her gaze trailed to his bobbing adam¡¯s apple down to his neck. "Maybe one?"

    "One week?"

    "One day," Lily said before she burst outughing.

    .....

    As expected, Qin Hao and Qin Mimi couldn¡¯t resolve the trouble they are facing with the mines. How could they? They were practically clueless on the ins and outs of the business.

    "Did Father call? Does he have any news about Qin Chuan?" Qin Hao asked Zhang Yifei.

    "No. Nothing. How is everything?"

    "Well.... As expected, the government got wind of it!" he said before letting out another curse. "How did I miss this? That Lily should be dealt with as soon as possible!"

    "No one can touch her in Hong Kong," Zhang Yifei resigned before she lowered her head. "Hao... I am afraid of her. I underestimated her and I truly regret it."

    "Stop thinking about it. I never thought that this would happen as well," Qin Hao said before he took his seat and pondered about what Zhang Yifei said. Lily is indeed invincible in Hong Kong because of her husband. He was too engrossed in his own thoughts that he missed the sinister gleam in Zhang Yifei¡¯s eyes.

    Until now, Qin Hao was still clueless that Zhang Yifei has been manipting him and giving him ideas because she has always been acting weak and fragile in front of him. In his mind, Zhang Yifei was too innocent and stupid to scheme against him.

    After a few minutes, Qin Hao asked Zhang Yifei to leave the matter in his hands and not to worry as he hase to a decision about his next course of action. Then he asked her to take a rest and leave him alone.

    "Tell me everything," Zhang Yifei asked the moment she closed her bedroom door. Then she faced the old man in the room who was wearing the butler¡¯s uniform. "I told you not to find me like this unless there is an emergency," she said.

    "Qin Yuanfeng is dead," the butler cut to the chase. "They never found his body but we found out that he made a call to Li Ziyi before he died. There was a lot of blood at the scene and there is just no way that he could have survived."

    "Really?" Zhang Yifei instantly gave the man a bright smile as she walked towards her bed. As expected, Lily did not disappoint her. She actually killed her own brother and made it so obvious so she could send a message to Zhang Yifei. Lily surely wanted her to know that she is not someone to be messed with. However... this warning is useless to her, she thought as her innocent smile morphed into a sinister one.

 Chapter 314 Incredibly Fun

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 314 Incredibly Fun</h4>

    "That is perfect," Zhang Yifei uttered after a few seconds of silence. "Tell my brother to prepare. Qin Hao is nning to kill the old man to prevent him from talking to Lily and learning the truth."

    "Understood."

    "Also... Qin Hao might have ns to lure Lily to China. Hong Kong is like a kingdom for her and her husband. Maind China is different," she smiled as she sat on the edge of her bed. "Once Lily is here, Qin Hao won¡¯t stop until she is dead." Once Lily and the Old Man are dead it will be easier for Zhang Yifei to get what she wants as Qin Hao is truly gullible.

    Zhang Yifei watched as the butler nodded in understanding before she gave him more instructions and asked him to leave. As the door closed, she slowlyy back on the bed, her eyes on the ceiling. The same sinister smile was still stered on her face. She had truly thought that Qin Yuanfeng would be able to control himself, but it seems that she¡¯d overestimated him.

    Zhang Yifei originally thought that there was no way that Lily would kill her brother. However, she knew that was subject to change if Qin Yuanfeng made any attempt to harm Lily as Zhuo Jingren would surely protect her. He would do everything to keep her safe, and eventually he would be the one to kill Yuanfeng.

    And it seems that she actually got it right. Qin Yuanfeng must have tried to harm Lily for him to have ended up dead. Zhang Yifei beamed at the thought of her n being sessful before her face turned serious. Was this all a bit too easy?

    She slowly sat up as she narrowed her eyes. Everything seemed so easy. Was Lily really the type of person to follow a script and do what her enemy would expect her to do? Zhang Yifei rose from her bed and walked towards her secret vault to retrieve a new burner phone.

    She dialed a number and waited for someone to answer.

    She wanted to ensure that everything goes well with her ns. If Lily was trying to trap her by making her think that Qin Yuanfeng was dead, then she needed a new n. A safety, one that she could use against Lily if her initial n failed.

    "Yes... I want you to do something for me," she said the moment someone answered her call. She needed to push Lily further down, to create chaos in herpany to shift her focus away from the Qin Family.

    If Qin Hao would actually get her hints that framing Lily would be the best thing that they could do, then Zhang Yifei would surely seed. In this way, she could get rid of Old Man Qin and Lily at the same time, and the best part of the whole n is that she was not the actual person doing it, but Qin Hao.

    If the n failed, everything will be pinned on Qin Hao alone. Isn¡¯t manipting people to do her bidding just... incredibly fun?

    After she ended the call, Zhang Yifei made sure to dispose of the phone properly before she sat on her bed again.

    The Qin Family¡¯s downfall was about to happen and she was getting excited. Finally, the Qin Family would get the Karma that they deserved.

    ....

    As Lily and Zhang Yifei were plotting against each other, the side branch of the Qin Family in Hong Kong was also in chaos as they discussed Lily¡¯s true identity.

    "So you are saying that she was not really our sister?" Qin Fei frowned at her brother.

    "That¡¯s what father said. He said that this was the mistake that our grandfather mentioned in his will. Father believes that Qin Wuyang, the one who witnessed our grandfather¡¯s will, must have forced him to make Lily heir to all of his properties. Qin Wuyang had always been seen as an enemy of the Patriarch. It would make sense if he already knows this and is trying to take advantage of the situation to create chaos within the Qin Family in Shanghai."

    "Don¡¯t you think we should have Lily give the properties back to us?" Qin Fei asked. "Her identity should make it illegal for her to be the legal owner of those properties!" Even now, Qin Fei still could not believe that Lily actually got everything that she wanted from both her Grandmother Ye¡¯s and her Grandfather Qin¡¯s wills. Now that they know that Lily is not actually from the side branch, wouldn¡¯t it be logical for them to demand that she give it all back?

    "I don¡¯t think that is possible. I mean... Lily is already rich but I don¡¯t think she would give them back to us. She would rather anger us to death than give everything back," Qin Liwei reasoned. Lily had this habit of making them puke blood from too much anger. He was sure that this was her standard operating procedure for dealing with them. He wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she angered them again if they tried approaching her about those properties.

    "So what are we going to do? Are we just going to let her have them? We are the rightful owners of those properties, plus... they are worth billions! Liwei... how can you allow her to keep them?"

    "What can we do, Feifei? Father warned me not to spite Lily right now. He told me to wait and refrain from attacking her or she will surely destroy us, or worse, we will end up as coteral damage in her war against the main family!" Qin Liwei shouted.

    "So we just let her take everything from us? You didn¡¯t get the support of the Qin Family, and you and Xuan Huibined don¡¯t have the power to defeat her. Soon, she will also get hold of ourpany because of that debt! Are we just going to let her have everything that is ours?" Qin Fei widened her eyes at her brother. Were they really just going to stand there and spectate as Lily destroyed everything and acquired everything that was supposed to be theirs?

    "Just... Just listen to me Feifei.... Don¡¯t make Lily angry right now. We need to lessen our presence. Don¡¯t be hasty. Just listen to me and father. I¡¯m sure she will make a mistake soon, and then... we will get what is rightfully ours. Alright?"

 Chapter 315 Honeymoon

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 315 Honeymoon</h4>

    Zhuo Jingren eyed Lily as she made him a cup of coffee, "You know he¡¯s been waiting for a few hours already. Are you not nning to see him?" he asked. He didn¡¯t really mind Lily being at Zhuo Capital instead of her own office, but he wanted to finish this as his mother¡¯s death anniversary is this weekend so they¡¯re leaving for Japan for the weekend.

    Zhuo Jingren wanted to take care of these people as soon as possible but Lily¡¯s ns were different. He didn¡¯t know if his wife was a sadist who enjoyed seeing people suffer for ages, or if she¡¯s doing this because she wants to make them suffer as much as possible. Either way, he would never say no to her decisions.

    Regardless, his decision to end Zhang Yifei, Qin Hao and the rest of the Qin Family in Hong Kong as soon as possible still stood. In fact, his men are only awaiting Lily¡¯s orders and everything will be done.

    If only life were that easy... Zhuo Jingren could only sigh inwardly.

    "Don¡¯t you want me here?" Lily enquired as she gave him the coffee. In response, Zhuo Jingren smiled and gave her a long look. His wife had an amazing talent for bestowing hidden meanings in his words.

    "Why don¡¯t you move your office here so we can work together every day?" he asked as he lifted his brows. Since Lily onlyughed at his suggestion Zhuo Jingren shook his head and took a sip of coffee. He wondered just how long Lily nned to let Old Man Qin wait in her office.

    "He deserves to wait for a few more hours Just for being such a fool, she said. Old Man Qin was a stupid father. He was weak enough to be manipted, and he even chose to believe another person¡¯s words over those of his own son.

    Moreover, he abandoned Qin Chuan when he became disabled. Maybe if it was just a business decision, Lily could understand that. However, the fact that Old Man Qin was able to abandon his son was enough to tell Lily that the Old Man was just another greedy human being.

    And in Lily¡¯s dictionary, greedy people - such as herself - can never be trusted.

    "It has been three hours."

    "No worries. I already asked Yang Mi to prepare lunch for him," Lily immediately countered. "I am busy ... I can¡¯t just cancel my meeting with you."

    "Hmmm... you do have a point," Zhuo Jingren nodded with a smile. Lily had been in his office since morning and had been continually saying that she is busy. "You keep on saying that you are busy but you are doing nothing but sitting in front of me all day as you sh your cleavage. Mrs. Zhuo are you trying to seduce me in broad daylight?"

    "That is a very tempting idea," Lily smirked at him. "Too bad, I don¡¯t have any extra clothing with me right now. It wouldn¡¯t be..."

    Lily¡¯s words were interrupted when Secretary Go suddenly open the door with a smile on his face. "President, Madam..." he greeted, unaware of the waves of coldness emanating from Zhuo Jingren. "A representative from the Lee Group in Singapore is waiting for you in the boardroom..."

    "I won¡¯t be avable for the next few hours."

    "Eh?" Secretary stared at Zhuo Jingren in confusion. "But this..."

    "I am apanying my wife today," he said as he slowly shifted his eyes from Lily to Secretary Go. "Honeymoon," he said curtly.

    "I..." The words in Secretary Go¡¯s mouth turned to dust. Honeymoon? Again? "President, the Lee Group has been..."

    "I already told you that I don¡¯t want to see them. I am a very busy man, Jichen. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware of that," Zhuo Jingren said. "Haven¡¯t you conveyed to them that I am not interested in a partnership right now? You should inform them where my priorities lie."

    "President... I can¡¯t just tell them that. I am just a mere secretary and the person who came this time is their COO. I couldn¡¯t just..."

    "Do I know him?"

    "No... but he is from..."

    "Then he is not important," Zhuo Jingren said as he took another sip of coffee. "I am not interested in this Lee Group, Jichen. I am busy and I have no time for random meetings and conversations that do not benefit me."

    Secretary Go stared at Zhuo Jingren as he tried to digest everything that was said. Lately President Zhuo had been using this reason over and over again to avoid the Lee Group. By now, Go Jichen was well aware that Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t have any interest in talking to them. However, how could he inform the other party of this matter? He is just a mere secretary!

    He looked at Lily, who shed a smile at him before he slowly nodded. Any man lucky enough to have the Madam would genuinely want to spend more time on their honeymoon. Still, he couldn¡¯t understand why Zhuo Jingren repeatedly refused to talk to the people from the Lee Group. The Lee Group was one of the biggestpanies in Asia! How could the President ignore this fact? "I will take care of it," He answered with resignation as he gathered his courage to talk to the COO.

    He walked out of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s office with a determined expression on his face when suddenly Yang Mi¡¯s frowning face popped into his mind. Right! he eximed inwardly. If he had the ability to handle a woman like Miss Yang... surely he could handle a meree COO from one of the biggest conglomerates in Asia, right?

    ....

    "Really?" Lily asked the moment Secretary Go left the room. "Honeymoon?"

    "Didn¡¯t I promise to court you forever? This is just a part of that promise," he replied whileughing at her reaction. Zhuo Jingren felt that he could spend a lifetime on a honeymoon with the woman that he loves. Was there something wrong with that?

    "You are making me cringe," Lily said before she rose from her seat. "But since you promised to apany me today, then I guess we should go now."

    "Of course." Zhuo Jingren also stood up and put on his coat. However, before they could step out of his office, Lily received a call and her expression instantly became dark.

    "Alright," she said. "Call me if there is any progress." She ended the call and looked at Zhuo Jingren.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" he asked.

    "You were right," she said. "Old Man Qin¡¯s life was targeted today, and they wanted to pin it on me."

    Zhuo Jingren only raised an eyebrow as he stared at Lily. "Did he die?"

    "He didn¡¯t. He copsed in my office. They suspect he was poisoned," she said.

    "Well? It¡¯s good that he is still alive. Are we going to talk to Qin Chuan now?"

    "Yes," Lily answered as they started walking towards the elevator. "Is everything ready?"

    "Hmmm." Zhuo Jingren nodded. "You ready to talk to him?"

    "I am not," Lily answered as she looked at him, her light brown eyes meeting his dark brown eyes. "But I don¡¯t have a choice. This is the best time to take back everything that was taken away from me and my family. Everything that was taken from us."

 Chapter 316 Counter Attack

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 316 Counter Attack</h4>

    "He is alive?" Zhuo Jingren asked the moment Lily walked out of the hospital room. His face was solemn as he awaited Lily¡¯s reply.

    "He is," she answered. "And the ident?"

    "Sessful. The world will know in a bit that you got into an ident just a few minutes ago," he said as he draped his coat over Lily¡¯s shoulders. "We can¡¯t let anyone see you right now."

    "Alright," she nodded before she watched as Zhuo Jingren gave instructions to his people in charge of watching over Old Man Qin. Zhang Yifei¡¯s counter attack was unexpected. To be honest, Lily did not anticipate the poisoning. While Zhuo Jingren had already hinted to her that Qin Hao might attack his father sooner orter, Lily did not predict that they would try to poison him just two days after they left Hong Kong.

    Were they that afraid that the Old Man would discover everything that they¡¯d done?

    Of course, Lily¡¯s counter attack was just as unexpected. Since they wanted to frame Lily, why not ride the opportunity and frame them back? Lily was sure that once the media found out that Old Man Qin had been poisoned in her office they woulde up with hundreds of theories.

    Lily was sure that Qin Hao would use this opportunity to reveal that she is a Qin from the Maind. He would surely pin the me on Lily, and he might evenbel her as someone who wanted the Old Man dead in order to get his money. He might even say that the Old Man was there to discuss his will. Obviously Lily anticipated Qin Hao¡¯s every move so she asked Zhuo Jingren to make it appear that she also encountered an ident just a few minutes after the Old Man was poisoned.

    This would counter two things. First, this would stop Qin Hao from revealing that she is a Qin from the main branch. Revealing this could only mean that someone¡¯s after both the Old Man and Lily¡¯s lives, and people would eventually specte that it has something to do with the inheritance. Of course, the me would be pinned on Qin Hao as without Lily and the Old Man, Qin Hao stood to reap the most benefits of them all.

    Second, this would stop Qin Hao from framing Lily. How could he frame someone who was currently lying on a hospital bed because someone tried to kill them? Wouldn¡¯t that only show how ruthless he is?

    "We¡¯re done," Zhuo Jingren said. "The CCTVs will be cleared once we leave. The Qins might arrive at any time. After that, I will reveal what happened to you," he said as he draped his arm around Lily¡¯s shoulders.

    The war of schemes has just begun.

    ....

    "ident?" Naturally, Zhang Yifei would be the first person to know this as she had her eyes on Lily. Unlike Qin Hao who is careless and impulsive, Zhang Yifei wanted to make sure that she had everything covered so she used her resources to spy on Lily. "Cunning brat," she hissed. How could she fail to calcte Lily¡¯s logic behind this ident?

    "And Qin Hao?" she asked the person on the other side of the phone.

    "Clueless," replied the feminine voice. "Listen, I think this is bing more dangerous. I¡¯m afraid that..."

    "No," Zhang Yifei swiftly answered. "I am not letting her win," she dered.

    "I am not saying that we let her win. All I¡¯m saying is we devise something more solid against her. Framing Lily didn¡¯t work, and if Qin Hao continues to follow his initial n the world will turn against him."

    Zhang Yifei¡¯s mood became solemn as she continued listening to the person on the other line. "I will contact you soon," Zhang Yifei said before she destroyed yet another burner phone. She clenched her jaw as she studied at her appearance in the mirror. Will she really allow a child to defeat her?

    Zhang Yifei narrowed her eyes at the woman in the reflection, then she adjusted her expression to make it look a little gentler.

    Once upon a time, she was but a child when she first joined this family. At first she felt grateful for Old Man Qin¡¯s kindness, however this all changed when she met her brother in her teens. When her brother informed her of the facts regarding their father¡¯s death, Zhang Yifei learned that he died not because he tried to save the old man but it was because the old man used him as a shield. Zhang Yifei almost lost it! How could Old Man Qin do that to his best friend?

    At first she didn¡¯t believe Zhang Chen, but everything changed when she heard Old Man Qin apologizing at their father¡¯s grave. It all changed when she heard him admit that he was such an incredible coward back then and that he regretted everything that he¡¯d done.

    Was an apology really enough?

    Old Man Qin ruined Zhang Yifei¡¯s family! He was a ruthless man who deserved nothing but the worst of everything. And so she begun scheming... She wanted the Qin Family ruined. She wanted them to suffer day after day without knowing why or how this could have happened.

    The Qin Family were people with money and influence. They were men who carried themselves with grace, earning the respect and admiration of people everywhere they went. What better way to make them suffer than tormenting them while they ate from the palm of her hand? Zhang Yifei wanted to show them how vulnerable they were. In spite of their money and education, they were still insipid men who someone as meek and feminine as her could easily manipte.

    She wanted to manipte them onto the path of their destruction! Everyst one of them!

    That was until a variable called Lily showed up. How could Zhang Yifei ignore the two groups of people who were searching for the doctor who ruined Lily? How could she ignore the evil deeds that Lily did to Qin Mo and He Xin? Lily¡¯s unpredictability was a danger to her ns, and then Zhuo Jingren entered the picture as well.

    How could she fight against two entities as powerful as that pair? Of course, their power doesn¡¯t really mean anything unless they know how to use it - and that was actually the scariest part of it all. Lily and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s synced behavior was truly unexpected.

    Zhang Yifei couldn¡¯t determine if this was all Lily¡¯s n or if it was the work of Zhuo Jingren. Or maybe even both. Nevertheless, Zhang Yifei was sure of one thing and one thing only, and that is... she has encountered a very capable enemy who could topple all of her hard work and schemes.

 Chapter 317 Father

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 317 Father</h4>

    *Bam!*

    "That bitch!" Qin Hao mmed his hand on the wall before he cursed Lily for the umpteenth time!

    "Father, I think she will release the news that she is a Qin soon. If that happens then..." Qin Mimi bit her lip as she thought about how their shareholders would react. With the problems that they were currently facing, she was sure that they would try to kick them out and vote in favor of Lily managing the Qin Group!

    Qin Hao did not answer his daughter as he eyed at his father who was lying unconscious on the hospital bed, struggling for his life. He narrowed his eyes and wondered why the old man is still alive after ingesting as much poison as he¡¯d asked his men to feed him. Could it be possible that this was because of Lily too?

    Not possible. He shook his head before he clenched his jaws. How could Lily know all of his ns?

    "What are going to do now?" Zhang Yifei asked, her face full of worry.

    "We are going to transfer Father to China and keep this a secret for as long as we can," Qin Hao said.

    "But... what if Lily reveals this to the media?" Qin Mimi asked.

    Zhang Yifei instantly rolled her eyes inwardly at this dumb woman next to her. Really? Lily released news that she¡¯d been in an ident? How could she possibly reveal this ident to the public? Disgust instantly shed in Zhang Yifei¡¯s eyes before she lowered her gaze and remained silent. She could barely stomach the stupidity of these people. If these people were of no use to her then she would have killed them already!

    "Mimi... Can... Can you just use your brain for like a minute? How will she reveal this? News of her ident is all over the ce! She can¡¯t just march out of her hospital room and say that she is a Qin!" Qin Hao said as his expression grew dark. No matter how much time he¡¯d spent training his daughter, it was still clear that Qin Mimi is quitecking in the brains department!

    This is the exact opposite of Qin Chuan. While Qin Hao is doing his best to train his daughter to take over thepany, Qin Chuan has been ignoring his son and did not even meet his daughter until recently. And yet, his children were both highly intelligent!

    A tinge of jealousy suddenly appeared in his eyes as he thought about the fact that Qin Chuan was actually very luckypared to him. Aside from the fact that Qin Chuan was more good-looking than him, he was also smarter, and even his children are more excellent than his. The only thing that he has are praises from his father and a bunch of other people whom he does not even remember!

    Qin Hao chose not to think about it anymore as he narrowed his eyes at his daughter. "Fix yourself. I will arrange for them to transfer father to our house and have some prominent physicians take care of him." He then refused to look at his daughter and walked out of the room with the same dark expression on his face.

    "Why does he have to be so harsh?" Tears suddenly streamed down Qin Mimi¡¯s face as she looked at Zhang Yifei. In response, Zhang Yifei immediately hugged her and patted her back. Stupidity really has no limits.

    ....

    Meanwhile, the moment Qin Hao stepped away from the corridor where the private rooms were located he was hastily swarmed by reporters. "Noment," he frowned. It seems that Zhuo Jingren released news about the old man¡¯s ident after all.

    "Mr. Qin... are you saying that your father is already dead?"

    "Mr. Qin? Was this an ident? Is someone trying to kill the Patriarch of your family?"

    "Mr. Qin... this ident will surely affect your business in Maind China. How do you n to deal with the damage?"

    Qin Hao was about to yell for them to stop pushing him when his bodyguards finally decided to help him out. He rapidly made a mental note to fire all of these people as soon as he returned to China.

    "Mr. Qin..."

    "Mr. Qin..."

    The reporters¡¯ voices continued to echo down the hall as Qin Hao made his way back to the room. Since people were already aware of the current situation it was time for him to devise a new n.

    "What happened?" Zhang Yifei asked as soon as he entered.

    "It must be Zhuo Jingren, or maybe even Lily! People know that father is ill and that he¡¯s had an ident. That dumb bi..."

    "Hao.... Calm down. We need to be logical about this," Zhang Yifei said. This is exactly what she¡¯d expected! All she needs to do now is to continue manipting Qin Hao to do her bidding. "I guess... I guess our only hope is Qin Chuan?"

    "That damn coward is nowhere to be found! I had my people check Lily and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s house, as well as some of Lily¡¯s properties from her inheritance. There was no activity in any of those ces, and I couldn¡¯t really ask them to check out Zhuo Jingren as he wields far more power in Hong Kong than we do! Once he discovers that I have my men spying on him, he might do something crazy like blowing up some mines again!" Qin Hao ranted. In his opinion, it was Zhuo Jingren who had the ability to find the location of their diamond mines.

    Qin Hao was unaware that Lily has a connection with the Yang Family, so he would never be able to guess that it was all Lily¡¯s n.

    "Maybe we can do something to get him back?" Zhang Yifei said meekly before she demurely lowered her head. If only she could just shove her ns into Qin Hao¡¯s thick skull... Sadly, she could only keep up the weak and delicate act in front of him for now.

    "You know what? You are right! I need to find a way to get back at him," Qin Hao said beforepsing into deep thought. He needs a way to get Qin Chuan back and he needs toe up with a n fast.

    ...

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s base.

    "You faked an ident," It was not a question. It was more like a confirmation of Qin Chuan¡¯s suspicions.

    "They wanted to frame me for the Old Man¡¯s death," Lily answered as she noticed the tinge of guilt that quickly shed in her father¡¯s eyes. "So I had to do something." Lily watched as her father remained silent after she shared that bit of information.

    "If you don¡¯t want me here I can always leave," she said as she rose from her seat. Why force herself to be with people who don¡¯t like being with her? Wasn¡¯t that akin to slicing your own skin with your own knife?

    "I... No, please stay," he said as he lifted his head and stared at Lily. "Please stay." As Lily returned to her seat, Qin Chuan took a sip of the water that was ced on his bedside table. "I don¡¯t know how to talk to you," he said as he carefully ced the empty ss back on the table.

    "I don¡¯t know what to call you or how to look at you," he added, his gaze lingering on Lily¡¯s face for a few seconds before he shifted his gaze to avoid hers. "I am such an ipetent father, a weak lover, and a coward. I don¡¯t really think... I even deserve to be called your father."

 Chapter 318 Hate is a Very Strong Word

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 318 Hate is a Very Strong Word</h4>

    "I don¡¯t me you," Lily said the moment Qin Chuan finished speaking. "I want you to know that I don¡¯t me you." Lily pursed her lips as she looked at her father. She wanted to add that she does not hate him either, but she chose to keep this information to herself. She did not hate him or me him because he was a victim ¨C just like Qin Yuanfeng. However, she could not deny that she was disappointed in him.

    Of course, she was also aware that her disappointment would not benefit anyone in this situation. Lily chose to not let her emotions hinder her from achieving her goals.

    "I... I was expecting you to hate me," Qin Chuan answered.

    "Why should I hate you?" Lily asked before continuing, "Hate is a very strong word. It requires a lot of emotional investment which I don¡¯t have right now." When Qin Chuan remained silent, Lily continued, "I can¡¯t really hate someone if I don¡¯t know their story. This is why I don¡¯t hate my mother even though I know that she sacrificed my childhood instead of going back to her family in Europe."

    "I understand," Qin Chuan nodded as he swallowed all the other words that he wanted to say. Did he even have the right to ask her how she¡¯d been? Qin Chuan still refused to look at his daughter as he thought of how, for so many years, he was just like everyone else who believed that Bec left him and Qin Yuanfeng after giving birth.

    As someone who prided himself on his intelligence and his ability to think rationally, Qin Chuan made the biggest mistake by letting his emotions get the better of him when he cursed the woman he loved and married Zhang Yifei just to make Bec feel terrible for leaving him. How could he be so dense?

    Qin Chuan could onlyment the fact that he was utterly weak and useless against his own emotions, leading him to be trapped by Zhang Yifei and eventually Qin Hao.

    "Your mother was so like you," he managed to say after a few seconds of being silent. "She was strong and brilliant. She was really hard-working too." He paused deliberately as he closed his eyes and reminisced about the past. "She was not some damsel in distress who would act weak in front of a man. She was the exact opposite. In fact, when I met her... she was trying to beat up a person who had attempted to rob her," he chuckled as he reminisced about Reba¡¯s expression as she cursed like a sailor while kicking the poor man.

    "We... Funny how I thought she was the one mugging him, so I tried to help the man," heughed. "Of course, your mother beat me up too... I mean... I was..." Qin Chuan did not continue his sentence as he pursed his lips.

    All those memories... those funny interactions and wittyebacks from Bec; everything that eventually made him fall for her... It was all still so clear. Everything was so clear that it was as if it happened yesterday. But what right does he have to remember any of it? He was useless. Despite having money and influence, he was still useless.

    "I really don¡¯t think the past is important," Lily said when she realized that the man in front of her was crying silently. With his head lowered, Qin Chuan did not utter a single word of sorrow as he let his tears fall freely from his eyes. "Maybe you could share your memories with me in the future. But for now... I would prefer if you tell me how Zhang Yifei was able to manipte a man like you and everyone else in the Qin Family. How was she able to make you all her puppets?"

    Lily could listen to Qin Chuan¡¯s stories all day long but she chose not to at the moment. She had priorities to attend to right now, and her parents¡¯ love story wasn¡¯t one of them. Moreover, she also wanted to create some boundaries between her and Qin Chuan. Since there were a lot of things about their story that Lily was still unaware of, she didn¡¯t want to trust a person who had been close to Zhang Yifei for more than twenty years.

    Maybe she was being ruthless for not empathizing with her own father, but Lily chose to err on the side of caution. After all... you could only call something a betrayal if it was done by someone close to you.

    Qin Chuan looked at Lily, his expression unfathomable before his lips curved into a small smile. As he nodded in satisfaction, a tinge of pride could be seen in his eyes.

    "Your mother and I... We were already fighting because my father told her that I was engaged to Zhang Yifei after Bec got pregnant. I didn¡¯t inform her about this engagement because I thought that it was all a joke. Moreover, Yifei and I... we don¡¯t like each other like that. I didn¡¯t know that Zhang Yifei went to my father and cried about this matter ¨C about how she felt all alone now that I found someone else."

    "Of course, my father instantly talked to me and asked me about Bec¡¯s family and for other information about her. My father... I mean... We were all clueless about Bec when it came to her family background and where she came from. Not that it mattered to me, but it mattered to them ¨C my father and everyone else in the Qin Family," he said, gazing straight into Lily¡¯s eyes. "After we had another misunderstanding...one day... she just disappeared and we only received a call that she was at the hospital giving birth. But... when we arrived, she was already gone. We only saw Yuanfeng."

    "I immediately asked my father¡¯s men to find her. After all, she¡¯d just given birth so there was no way that she could have walked or travelled very far, but we never found her. My guess was that she left Shanghai and moved elsewhere in China," he said as he paused and waited for Lily to say something. When she only stared at him in silence, Qin Chuan decided to continue.

    "I asked them to search for her. Weeks and eventually months passed. I took care of Yuanfeng... I... until the stress of the business, being alone, and taking care of a child took its toll on me. Sure, we had staff who helped care for Yuanfeng but... his face alone was a constant reminder that Bec left me. It made me angry and I became even angrier as the days passed."

    "I got crazy and went drinking every night, leaving Zhang Yifei to take care of Yuanfeng. Until... I realized that maybe Bec was just somewhere nearby. Maybe she was just observing me. I don¡¯t know what kind of spirit possessed me to decide to marry Zhang Yifei. But I did because I thought it would be the best way to make Bec jealous. I mean... she was... your mother was always the possessive type. I was sure she would reveal herself once I announced my wedding to the public."

    "I was so sure she woulde back to me. She woulde back and dere that I was hers," Qin Chuan said, his eyes full of sorrow. "I waited... and waited and well... she never came."

 Chapter 319 A Sinister Human Being

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 319 A Sinister Human Being</h4>

    "At first, I thought... well Bec must have really decided to leave me. I med her and her narrowmindedness. I be addicted to drinking and buried myself in work. Until I got into an ident, that is, and then I started receiving images of her and you. You and Yuanfeng looked so much alike that it only took me a second to realize that you were twins. That¡¯s when I started receiving threats," he continued.

    "Threatening messages would be hidden everywhere... telling me to listen to Qin Hao¡¯s instructions or... they will kill you and your mother." Qin Chuan shifted his gaze away from Lily. "It took me a while to realize that Zhang Yifei was also a part of this scheme and it took me another few years to realize that she was the mastermind behind all the things that happened to me... to our family."

    "Do you know why she did it?" Lily asked, Zhang Yifei told her that she wanted to destroy the people that destroyed her family. That statement alone was a big clue but she still wanted to know everything about Zhang Yifei¡¯s motives.

    "She thought her father was murdered by Father. That¡¯s the only thing that she told me," Qin Chuan said. "Of course, I couldn¡¯t reveal any of this to my father because I didn¡¯t know where Bec and you were and I feared for your safety. I also didn¡¯t have the resources to call a search for you two as Qin Hao already took them all away from me. They were smart enough to cripple me first before sending all those threats, making me feel helpless... useless."

    Lily only stared at Qin Chuan. Maybe Qin Yuanfeng was just like him. They were intelligent but their emotions are their weakness.

    "Do you me me now?" Qin Chuan asked.

    "Yes and no," she answered instantly. "I med you for being too shallow and thinking that your lover just left you and your son for no rhyme or reason. I med you for not trusting her and acting like a useless jerk when she disappeared. But I don¡¯t me you for being helpless," she borated as she shrugged. "Because you were unlucky enough to have a father who only values the people who will give them the most benefits. You were also unlucky for having such a bastard brother."

    "I..." Qin Chuan turned speechless at her words. He stared at Lily¡¯s face which looked serene. There wasn¡¯t even a hint of emotion present in her eyes. For a few minutes now, Lily had not shown him any emotions at all. It was as if she was talking to another business partner and was calmly listening to their story. It was as if this story was not her own. This made him think that Lily must be really good at hiding her emotions, coupled with the ability to think rationally every single time.

    For some reason, a warm feeling of pride began to spread inside his chest. However, who was he to feel this way? Qin Chuan felt that he did not have the right to feel this way. With this in mind, he lowered his head and avoided Lily¡¯s gaze once again.

    "When did you know about me?" Lily¡¯s sudden question made Qin Chuan lift his head to look at her again. "When did you know about my mother?"

    "How... How did you know that I knew about you?" he asked, earning a small smirk from Lily.

    "Qin Yuanfeng told me that Qin Wuyang was the one who informed him that he has a sister. He might be smart but he doesn¡¯t really have a scheming mind given how he was easily manipted by Zhang Yifei¡¯s niece. Moreover... he mentioned that he had overheard Zhang Yifei talking about it. My guess is... you deliberately leaked the information to him. You knew that he had installed some listening device in your room. So you taunted Zhang Yifei to make her spill it out for him to hear," Lily said.

    "Am I right?" Lily lifted a brow and smiled at him.

    "I..." Qin Chuan didn¡¯t even realize that he was holding his breath until Lily asked him if she was right. Because she was! She was so urate that it felt like Lily was actually monitoring him! A sudden chill ran down his spine as he continued to stare at his daughter in surprise.

    "Am I right?" Lily repeated her question, prompting thetter to give her a nod.

    "Yes. You are correct. Ten years ago... My uncle, Qin Wuyang... told me about Bec Fi¡¯s real identity. He said... he said some people were looking for her, people from Europe," he answered truthfully. "Then he told me he will help me get my revenge against Zhang Yifei and my father."

    This new information caught Lily¡¯s interest and it reflected in her eyes. Qin Wuyang was also the same person who made her the heir of the side branch¡¯s properties. His identity was a mystery to Lily until now. "Why didn¡¯t you contact the Fi Family? They could have helped you."

    "No... At that time... the Fi Family was not really influential in any other part of the world aside from Europe. Plus your grandmother didn¡¯t have any ties in the ck market. If she... If she came to China or Hong Kong and tried to rescue you and your mother then.... I am sure she would have been killed by Qin Hao¡¯s men," Qin Chuan answered, his gaze solemn.

    Seeing Lily turned silent at his words, Qin Chuan continued, "So I epted his offer and we agreed that we would wait for the right time to have our revenge. I didn¡¯t even ask him why he was doing this and he also didn¡¯t tell me why. I always knew that he had some grudges with my father, but I don¡¯t know why and I chose not to ask him about it. All I wanted was revenge, all I wanted was to have you and your mother back. He was the one giving me information about what was happening with you and Bec. Three year after that... after your ident... I got angry and impatient. So I tried to send some of our men to get you and your mother. But... I think Zhang Yifei got a hold of the information so..."

    "So she decided it was time to dispose of my mother," Lily interrupted him. At first, killing Bec didn¡¯t really make any sense to Lily as she and her mother were their hostages. This fact puzzled her for a while. However... now... everything became a little clearer for Lily. "My mother called someone in Europe and told him that the Qin Family was out to kill her. And that they only let her go so they could kill her and me," Lily said as her face became solemn.

    Zhang Yifei...

    Lily could not even mention her name right now as she felt herself raging from the inside. She slowly balled her hands into fists as she looked at Qin Chuan. "She decided to kill Mother so she could show you who is more dominant. She wanted to stop my mother from contacting the Fi Family. She destroyed me to make you hopeless about everything. Then... after I disappeared, she became closer to Qin Yuanfeng as he was the only one whom she could hold as hostage to control you."

    "What a sinister human being." Lily noted while her gaze turned pitch ck dark as she looked at her father intently.

 Chapter 320 Glock

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 320 Glock</h4>

    "You have to understand that Zhang Yifei and Qin Hao threatened me. One wrong move and they would¡¯ve hurt you, your mother and also Yuanfeng," Qin Chuan said. "I know I sound cowardly right now... but my hands were tied. Moreover, my father - your grandfather - is wary of me now. I believe he thinks that I am out to take thepany from Qin Hao. I¡¯ll bet it¡¯s all because of Zhang Yifei¡¯s or Qin Hao¡¯s lies..."

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded in agreement. Everything that she heard from Qin Chuan and Qin Yuanfeng actually made sense. It connected the dots and answered her remaining questions.

    "Moreover, Zhang Yifei¡¯s maniption worked because my father always felt guilty about the things that happened to her family. I have no idea why she resents my father and continues to me him. All I know is that my father has given her everything. He even made her my fianc¨¦e as a goodwill gesture, to ensure that she has a good life," Qin Chuan said. He could not understand his father¡¯s generosity towards Zhang Yifei for all these years and this was the only exnation that he coulde up with.

    "I understand," Lily answered shortly. There was only one reason why Old Man Qin would feel guilt and pity towards Zhang Yifei and that was if he really did use her father as a shield and his conscience couldn¡¯t take it. Topensate, he gave her everything he possibly could.

    "Here," Qin Chuan interrupted Lily¡¯s thoughts when he handed her a sh drive. "I kept this with me all the time. I knew... I knew that we would meet soon. This contains all the information that I have gathered against her and Qin Hao. This also contains the addresses of her brother, their bases and their men."

    "So thorough. How did you obtain it?" Lily asked as she epted the sh drive.

    "My uncle," he answered.

    "Qin Wuyang..." Lily uttered slowly. "Do you trust him?" she asked.

    "I... I can¡¯t say that I fully trust him but he is the only one who has helped me," Qin Chuan said.

    "He must have really hated his own brother to have chosen you over him," Lily thought out loud. If Qin Wuyang was really concerned about the Qin Family, then he would have warned his brother instead of Qin Chuan. After all, without Old Man Qin¡¯s support, Zhang Yifei and Qin Hao would have been useless. However, this Qin Wuyang chose to work with Qin Chuan instead.

    "Actually, I have heard stories about how much he hates my father," Qin Chuan said. "But I never thought that it was important enough to take a deeper look into it. I was desperate for anyone¡¯s help and he was the only one who offered a hand."

    "Makes sense," Lily nodded before she rose from her seat. "Thank you for the talk. I will see you again soon."

    "You¡¯re making it sound as if I am your prisoner."

    "You are indeed my prisoner," Lily said with augh. "I¡¯m kidding. You can leave this ce any time you want to, and I think it¡¯s high time that you stop pretending to be a cripple. It bugs me to see how good you are at acting weak," she exposed him casually as she walked towards the door. "I don¡¯t want to see you sitting in that wheelchair anymore. It doesn¡¯t suit you at all."

    "How did you..."

    "Secret," Lily interjected before leaving the room. It was actually very easy for her to see through her father¡¯s act. Lily¡¯s eyes had been trained to notice minute details, especially when it came to bodynguage. She could detect subtle changes in people¡¯s reactions and interpret them on the spot. This ability of hers was especially useful when it came to dealing with her enemies. Micro expressions is what they are called. She was used to studying people¡¯s faces. She noticed every little twitch and muscle movement that usually went unnoticed by most people.

    This was a skill that Lilian had drilled into her head. Lilian wanted her to hone this skill so she could use it to assess her opponents.

    So she applied her skills on Qin Chuan. She observed that he would unknowingly move his feet every time Lily didn¡¯t show any reaction to what he¡¯d said. Now, how could a paralyzed man move his feet?

    ...

    "It¡¯s Qin Wuyang," Lily dered the second she slid into the passenger seat of the car. She watched as Zhuo Jingren started driving before she continued, "That man is causing chaos within the entire Qin Family. I¡¯m not sure why he is acting like a god and ying with the fate of everyone in the Qin Family, but I will find out as soon as possible."

    "So your suspicions were correct after all. Someone else is behind it," he murmured.

    "Yes... he was directing everything behind the scenes, and I would not be surprised if he was the one who told Zhang Chen about their father¡¯s death, creating hatred in Zhang Yifei," Lily said.

    "Are we still going to continue with our ns against Zhang Yifei and Qin Hao?" he asked.

    "Of course. Qin Wuyang only instigated this chaos. He gave them the knife and they chose to wield it to stab people. All of them deserve their own punishment," Lily answered. "However, if we kill them... it would only satisfy Qin Wuyang¡¯s ns to use us as leverage against them. And I don¡¯t want that to happen."

    "You think he wants to use us against them?"

    "Isn¡¯t he using each and every one of them like a pawn in his game already? He wants to turn everyone in the Qin Family against each other. Brother against brother. Wife against husband. Brother against sister. Father against daughter. This time he wants to include me, us against them."

    "Hmmm... I had my men locate him before you even started talking to Qin Chuan. With his cunning mind, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he¡¯d decided not to stay at his listed address and instead was hiding somewhere safe," Zhuo Jingren said. "Regardless, once they locate him, I will have them pick him up and transport him to another location. Then we can deal with him as fast as possible."

    "You are getting impatient," Lily stated.

    "I don¡¯t like prolonging this game. A person like that is extremely treacherous. It would not be good to fight him face to face. We don¡¯t know what he is capable of and he has been watching us for far too long. I don¡¯t want to risk anything," he answered. An enemy who has been lurking in the dark for years is extremely dangerous. Their patience is what makes them really frightening.

    "I would have to agree with you this time," Lily nodded at her husband¡¯s words. "As for Zhang Yifei... I would not give Qin Wuyang the satisfaction of making me do what he desires."

    "So you are nning to have Zhang Yifei fight Qin Hao?"

    "Nah..." Lily smiled at Zhuo Jingren. "That would be too boring. Let me give her a taste of her own medicine by having her fight her own brother and sister."

    "Cunning," he said, as a tinge of pride could be seen swirling in his dark brown orbs. "I want to finish this as soon as possible so we can enjoy a vacation. How about Bali?" Zhuo Jingren changed the topic as he found talks about killing people a little boring. However, before Lily could answer him, his face morphed into a frown.

    He hit the pedal as the car elerated, prompting Lily to look at him. "What¡¯s wrong?" she asked.

    "Someone is following us," he said. "Check out the secretpartment beneath your seat. You will find a Glock there..."

    "I... uhh..." Lily stared at Zhuo Jingren for a while as she swallowed her nonexistent saliva. "What am I going to do with a gun?"

 Chapter 321 Who Are You?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 321 Who Are You?</h4>

    "Give it to me. My phone is in my left jacket pocket, call Go Jichen and Bei Tian. Speed dial number two and three."

    Lily did not say anything as she looked at the ck car that was indeed following them. The revving of their own engine made her realize that Zhuo Jingren was already driving above the limit. Without a second thought she followed his instructions and calmly called Bei Tian as well as Go Jichen, informing them of their current situation. Lily did not panic as she got the gun from the secretpartment and held it in her hands.

    "How can you drive and shoot the same time?" she asked, her mind started racing as she felt her heartbeat slowly elerate.

    "Do you know how to shoot?" he asked.

    "I do. But my aim is really bad," Lily answered honestly. She¡¯d actually tried shooting once but it did not end well as she was really bad at aiming.

    He stepped on the elerator and felt the engine purr. Their speed instantly increased, prompting the car behind them to increase its speed as well. "Can you drive?" he asked as he eyed Lily before shifting his gaze back to the road

    "I can..." Lily answered, her eyes on the side mirror as she watched the car behind them. "...but I am not familiar with the roads," she answered. While she was born in Hong Kong, she had not been able to travel a lot. Moreover, when she came back, she made no attempt to familiarise herself with the city as she relied on Yang Mi and her driver to get around.

    For some reason Lily started to feel that herck of emergency preparedness was her greatest weakness. A little embarrassment shed in her eyes, but it quickly disappeared before Zhuo Jingren could notice it. She was not afraid nor nervous but... she felt that she was useless.

    "Don¡¯t worry," he reassured her. "Bei Tian and Jichen should be on their way now."

    Lily stared at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s serious expression before she shifted her eyes to look at the car behind them. "I can drive. Just give me instructions," she said. She might not be familiar with the roads or with every corner of this part of the ind, but she was confident that she could follow his directions.

    "Good. Let¡¯s change seats." Zhuo Jingren quickly adjusted his seat so Lily could sit on hisp first before he moved to the passenger seat. Lily did not wait for him to give another batch of instructions. She carefully sat on hisp and took over the wheel. "What are you doing?" Lily asked when she noticed that Zhuo Jingren did not move and was just looking at the side mirror.

    "They disappeared," he stated, his face stern as he began dialling a number on his phone. "The car that was chasing us took a left turn at Yi Street. It was a ck Mercedes, te number..." Lily listened as Zhuo Jingren gave instructions to the person he was talking to. After a few seconds, he ended the call and made sure that no one was following them anymore. He then asked Lily to move back to her seat.

    "That was probably Qin Hao. He must have been furious because he wasn¡¯t able to frame you," Zhuo Jingren said. "Your games are starting to be dangerous," he frowned. "In my personal opinion, we need to take care of these people as soon as possible to avoid further damage. Just say the word."

    Lily did not answer Zhuo Jingren as she was lost in thought. The only possibility would be Qin Hao as Zhang Yifei was not that bold when it came to her attacks. True, she was scheming but she wasn¡¯t the type of person that would attack you from the front as she prefers backstabbing people and working behind everyone¡¯s back. Lily gazed at her husband whose attention was on the road as she thought about what he just said.

    "Do it," she uttered after a few minutes.

    "Alright," he replied before calling another number again. "I¡¯ll prepare my men. I am going to attack Zhang Chen¡¯s base."

    "I thought you were going to attack Qin Hao?"

    "Let¡¯s just cut off the head of the snake before we deal with the tail," he said. This is the reason why Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t like to prolong his actions. To him, this would only give the enemy a chance to retaliate, which was something he tried to avoid as he really didn¡¯t want to deal with the secondary issues that always arose while dawdling, plus dying only led to more coteral damage.

    "Okay," Lily said with a nod. "Get his daughter and kill his men. Leave him alive if you can."

    "I already said..."

    "I have to disagree with you on this one," Lily said. Her voice was gentle yet it still had a hint of authority. "I want him to me his own sister. If you take his daughter... he will immediately ask for Zhang Yifei¡¯s assistance, and when she tells him she can¡¯t do anything about it... I am sure Zhang Chen will lose it."

    "That is only possible if he loves his daughter," Zhuo Jingren said. Lily¡¯s scheming nature and his direct ways were always bound to sh. This was already within his expectations. However, Zhuo Jingren was not nning to get soft and give Lily what she wanted, especially when it risked putting her in danger. "I don¡¯t want to risk it. I don¡¯t ever want to give them the chance to retaliate."

    Lily stared at Zhuo Jingren intently. She understood that he was just thinking about her safety and she truly appreciated that. "I want them to experience what I experienced before."

    "I didn¡¯t say that you couldn¡¯t let them experience that, but don¡¯t get blinded by your anger," Zhuo Jingren advised. "I¡¯m not preventing you from scheming but I want you to know that I am very worried about all of this. I want you to listen to the words that I am saying and stop being stubborn. The time for making them suffer will eventuallye, but for now I want you to consider my ns. Your safety is my number one priority, and I won¡¯t hesitate to stop you from doing whatever you are doing in order to ensure that you are safe."

    Lily instantly frowned at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words. She shifted her gaze unto the road before looking at his handsome face again. "Who are you? And where did my henpecked husband go?"

 Chapter 322 Aphrodite

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 322 Aphrodite</h4>

    Lily was pouting.

    She looked at her reflection in the mirror as she practiced pouting once again. She was really bad at it, she concluded. Maybe it was because she had been cold-hearted for so long that acting cute didn¡¯t suit her at all. Lily narrowed her eyes and smirked at her reflection.

    "See?" she said out loud. Being evil suited her best, she thought as she nodded in appreciation. Micro expressions that gave off a cold aura suited her best, while pouting suggested a weakness that was the exact opposite of what she wanted to convey.

    "Are you okay?" Zhuo Jingren asked as he wrapped the towel around his hips. He had just finished taking a bath when he noticed that Lily was standing before the double vanity sink, holding a toothbrush while staring at herself in the mirror. "Are you sick?" he asked as he put his palm on Lily¡¯s forehead.

    "I¡¯m good," she replied as she started brushing her teeth. Her eyes were fixed on her husband who was holding his toothbrush as he prepared to brush his teeth at the vanity sink next to hers. "I was wondering why you don¡¯t find me cute when I pout."

    "Hmm?" Zhuo Jingren raised his eyebrow at Lily as he shook his head. He wondered why Lily¡¯s way of thinking was always so... peculiar.

    "Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m cute?" Lily asked again when she finished brushing her teeth. Lily turned towards Zhuo Jingren and visually savoured his abs while she asked idly, "Do you think I¡¯m ugly?"

    "Why are you being so silly?" he countered after he finished brushing his teeth. "We both know that you are not ¡¯cute¡¯. Being cute does not suit you. You are beautiful... and there is a difference," he said as he turned to her and wrapped hisrge hands around her tiny waist.

    "Are you saying that because you know those are the words that I want to hear?" Lily asked as she narrowed her eyes. Zhuo Jingren responded with augh. He couldn¡¯t say that she was cute because she would start saying that cute was an adjective best used to describe babies and dogs. He also couldn¡¯t say that she was even more beautiful than the Goddess of Beauty, Aphrodite herself, or she would say that he was just saying it to make her happy.

    Zhuo Jingren also couldn¡¯t say that his wife was ugly or his lovely wife wouldn¡¯t let him set foot in the house. Every possible answer would surely receive another round of wittyebacks from Lily. With this in mind, Zhuo Jingrenughed affectionately before kissing her lips.

    It was better to remain silent and just kiss her, he concluded as he kissed her again.

    "Let¡¯s sleep," Zhuo Jingren suggested lightly. "We had a rough day today and we were chased by some very dangerous people, yet your main concern is whether I find you cute or not. I think your priorities lie elsewhere, my dear wife."

    Lily chose not to respond to her husband¡¯s words. Instead, she kissed him back. For some reason she thought that meeting Zhuo Jingren had actually changed her priorities a lot. Of course, she wasn¡¯t going to let him know that. "Did they find Zhang Chen¡¯s location?" she asked.

    "Zhang Chen¡¯s and Qin Wuyang¡¯s," he replied as he carried Lily out of the bathroom. "They already got Qin Wuyang. As for Zhang Chen.... I chose to hold him and his daughter hostage. If you want Zhang Yifei to experience what it feels like to be controlled, then this is the best option. I also... "

    "You also what?"

    "I asked Bei Tian to get Qin Mimi. Since Qin Hao spent a lot of time and effort on using you and Qin Yuanfeng to control your father... I thought why not do the same to him?" Zhuo Jingren exined as heid Lily on the bed.

    "Meaning?" Lily asked.

    "Qin Hao took Zhang Yifei¡¯s family while Zhang Yifei took his only family," he said as heid down next to her. "Since they love to manipte people so much, why don¡¯t we let them experience being manipted for themselves?"

    Lily silently absorbed her husband¡¯s suggestion. It was so devious and direct that it was a wonder that Lily hadn¡¯te up with this n herself. It hadn¡¯t even crossed her mind. Lily initially thought that her n to make them suffer was good enough. She wouldn¡¯t say that she had miscalcted as that would not be entirely true, but Zhuo Jingren¡¯s n to avoid coteral damage by simply letting them fight each other actually sounded more exciting.

    With that in mind, Lily gave a Zhuo Jingren a sweet little smile. She was enjoying the game so much that she¡¯d actually forgotten about the inherent risks of involving innocents and dealing with the ramifications of her game. She knew that revenge made people blind. She also knew that her n would hurt other people, but in the end she didn¡¯t care about any of that.

    She was honestly too selfish to think about how her ns were so dangerous that they even made her husband worried. Lily had actually forgotten that she was not alone anymore. She¡¯d forgotten that she has him.

    "Alright, let¡¯s go to sleep," Lily smiled as she felt him lean in for another kiss. She trusted him and she knew that whatever his n was, Zhuo Jingren would always consider both her opinion and her emotions. Lily also knew that Zhuo Jingren would never act without telling her his ns in advance to ensure that she approved of everything he nned to do. After all... this was their fight. Maybepromising her ns wasn¡¯t so bad after all, she thought before closing her eyes.

    ....

    Qin Mansion, Shanghai China

    Zhang Yifei paled as she listened to the person reporting to her over the phone. Her expression became even more sour the longer she listened to the reports. Without saying anything, Zhang Yifei ended the call before ncing at the clock on her bedside table.

    Although it was a quarter past three in the morning , Zhang Yifeing was still wide awake. She slowly sat up in bed as her hands clenched into fists. She exhaled sharply before hurling the phone at the wall in frustration. She wanted to scream. She wanted to curse and break everything in the room, but she couldn¡¯t. She needed to control her emotions, be logical, and make some rational decisions.

    Her brother¡¯s base had been discovered. She wasn¡¯t sure if it was the work of Lily or Zhuo Jingren - or even Qin Hao. All she knew was that those people burned everything that her brother owned. His house, the warehouse... everything he owned had been burned to the ground! Hatred instantly coursed through her veins as she thought of her missing brother.

    Lily was the only person who¡¯d done any research on this. Only Lily was ruthless enough to burn everything to the ground! With that in mind, Zhang Yifei rose from her seat and walked out of her room. She headed towards Qin Hao¡¯s study and was about to knock when an attendant stopped her.

    "Madam... The second master said that he wants to be alone for a while," the attendant said respectfully.

    "I¡¯m sorry?" she asked. Did Qin Hao just refuse to see her?

    "The Second Master said not to let anyone in as he has some important business to attend to," the attendant answered.

    "At this hour?" Zhang Yifei asked as suspicion clouded her vision. What sort of business could be more important than her? Zhang Yifei turned around and walked back to her room with her eyes narrowed. Was it possible that Qin Hao may have discovered some information about her?

 Chapter 323 Qin Haos Ruthless Nature

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 323 Qin Hao¡¯s Ruthless Nature</h4>

    Qin Hao clenched his fist as he took another deep breath. The he stared at the group of photos on his table.

    Once again, he tried to align the time stamps in those photos with the withdrawals that Zhang Yifei had made throughout the years. He realized the results were going to be the same no matter how many times he re-examined the photos.

    In front of himy not one or two but hundreds of photographs that served as proof of how Zhang Yifei had manipted him and the Qin Family over the years. There were even photos that illustrated how she¡¯d used her own niece to seduce Qin Yuanfeng, and also the fact that Zhang Yifei had been meeting with her brother fairly often. Moreover, she was the one who caused the death of Qin Hao¡¯ste wife.

    Qin Hao gritted his teeth as his rage threatened to consume his sanity. He wanted her dead. He wanted to strangle her until she lost the light in her eyes. He wanted to make her suffer for betraying him. He wanted to severely punish Zhang Yifei.

    The moment Qin Hao felt his phone vibrating in his pocket he roughly grabbed it and barked "What?!" by way of greeting. "What do you mean she didn¡¯te home?" His already stormy expression morphed into something even darker as he heard Qin Mimi¡¯s butler say that he could not reach Qin Mimi or her driver. "She left the mansion around 11pm so how is that possible that she hasn¡¯t reached home yet? And what about her husband?" Qin Hao demanded.

    "Drunk again? That man is such a jerk!" he added when the butler informed him that his daughter¡¯s husband just staggered home, beyond drunk and currently passed out in the living room. "I will try calling Mimi," he said before ending the call. The butler was one of Qin Hao¡¯s people who he¡¯d entrusted with taking care of his daughter. It was only natural for him to call Qin Hao the moment he felt that something was wrong.

    Qin Hao rose from his seat and started calling his people to look for his daughter. Even though Qin Mimi was already twenty-eight years old and married for some time, she still loved to party and spend a lot of time with her friends. Most of the time she would spend all night partying somewhere. This actually posed no problem for Qin Hao. After all, his daughter was already a grown woman.

    Right now, however, he couldn¡¯t allow her to indulge in this carefree lifestyle and have her doing things like this, especially at a time like this. Old Man Qin was still lying in a hospital bed, and if the media got hold of news that Qin Mimi was partying at this hour, it would only lead to more chaos and problems for Qin Hao to handle.

    "Sh*t," Qin Hao cursed when even serial calling Qin Mimi¡¯s phone and listening to the endless ringing of his unanswered calls failed to prompt her to stop doing whatever she was doing and pick up the phone.He really did not have the time to deal with this right now but he couldn¡¯t go to bed and ignore the situation because he also needed to protect the reputation of his daughter, and of course, thepany.

    Once again, Qin Hao failed to get Qin Mimi on the phone. After a few more calls, he decided to have his people find her by tracking the location of her car.

    Then Qin Hao decided to examine the documents again. He clearly remembered Lily informing them that Zhang Yifei had been manipting them over the years but he didn¡¯t believe Lily at all.

    Zhang Yifei has been living with the Qin¡¯s for so long that he found it hard to believe any of Lily¡¯s story. But after examining the evidence for the umpteenth time, Qin Hao reached the conclusion that Zhang Yifei had indeed been toying with them for a long time now.

    He let loose another string of profanities before ncing at the wall clock to his right. It was almost five in the morning and he had spent most of his night analyzing the items that were delivered to his door by some random courier, and every time he studied andpared the evidence and dates he ended up with the same result, again and again and again...

    Zhang Yifei was the sole reason why the Qin Family had fallen into chaos.

    ...

    After a sleepless night, Zhang Yifei walked out of her room wearing the same light make-up and a gentle smile on her face. Her first priority was to check on Old Man Qin to make sure that he was okay. After that she made sure she gave the doctors and nurses caring for the old man a list of things they should pay close attention to.

    On the outside, Zhang Yifei appeared to be normal. On the inside, however, her heart was raging like an erupting volcano. Her anger had been coursing through her veins like moltenva all night long and she was finding it really difficult to think rationally. How could she? Her men have been unable to locate her brother and her niece, either dead or alive, and she couldn¡¯t seem to take her mind off of this problem so she coulde up with a counterattack.

    "Where is Qin Hao?" she asked the moment she walked into the dining room and found that no one was there.

    "The second master left early this morning to deal with another emergency," one of the maids informed her.

    "What emergency?" she asked.

    "The master did not say," the maid said as she lowered her eyes.

    Zhang Yifei¡¯s goal today was very simple. She wanted to make Qin Hao do her bidding and kidnap Li Shanshan - one of Lily¡¯s friends - so she could do a prisoner exchange with Lily. Zhang Yifei had nned everything in regard to what she had to say to convince Qin Hao to do her bidding.

    Zhang Yifei merely nodded before she asking them to serve her breakfast. How could Qin Hao leave without even saying good morning to her? In the past few years, Qin Hao had been acting boldly, to the point of visiting her room every morning. He was lucky that Qin Chuan and Zhang Yifei did not sleep together, or even in the same room, otherwise he would never have an opportunity to do that.

    Qin Hao had also been very vocal about his affection for her in the past few weeks. It was as if his confidence in their rtionship had actually increased. Yet for some reason, Zhang Yifei had the feeling that something was off. She felt if there was a problem lurking between her and Qin Hao. After contemting the current situation for a few minutes, Zhang Yifei dialed Qin Hao¡¯s number.

    Unfortunately, all she heard was a busy signal. Zhang Yifei frowned as she helplessly closed her phone and stared at the sumptuous breakfast in front of her. A sudden chill ran down her spine as she thought about Qin Hao¡¯s actions sincest night.

    Last night... her brother¡¯s base was burned, he went missing, and coincidentally, Qin Hao also started avoiding her. Of course, she could not stop herself from thinking that these two incidents were actually connected after all.

    Is it possible that Qin Hao was the one who attacked her brother¡¯s basest night? Zhang Yifei contemted in great depth. The current situation suggested that Lily and Zhuo Jingren were not involved in her brother¡¯s ident, Yet she had to admit that there is a possibility that Lily may have sent all of the evidence of her activities to Qin Hao to inform him of Zhang Yifei¡¯s past deeds.

    Zhang Yifei clenched her jaw as she thought about Qin Hao¡¯s ruthless nature. If he discovered that Zhang Yifei¡¯s brother is alive and that she has been fooling him for quite a long time now...Zhang Yifei was dead certain that Qin Hao would not stop until he ruined her and her entire family.

 Chapter 324 Just Injured; Not Dead

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 324 Just Injured; Not Dead</h4>

    "Zhang Yifei is scary smart," Lily noted before taking a seat across from Zhuo Jingren. It has been three days since news about her ident saturated the media. Since then, she has been staying in Sky City. Of course, Zhuo Jingren also skipped work to ¡¯take care of his injured wife¡¯.

    He was lucky that he had capable VP¡¯s as well as Bei Tian to take over in his absence.

    "However, her mind is her weakness. I¡¯m sure she could not stop overthinking, especially now that Qin Hao has started avoiding her."

    "Qin Hao paid a visit to the warehouse of Zhang Yifei¡¯s brother this morning," Zhuo Jingren said. "Seeing that it was already burned to the ground, he would only assume that it was Zhang Yifei¡¯s way of hiding the truth from everyone. He might even think that Zhang Yifei killed her own brother to silence everyone that is involved in her schemes."

    "Very smart move." Lily nodded in satisfaction. To be honest, her original ns and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s were actually not that different. In fact, their ns have the same oue: Zhang Yifei being manipted and ending up alone. The only problem in Lily¡¯s n is that it requires time and patience.

    With this in mind, Lily opened herptop and put it just across Zhuo Jingren¡¯s ownputer.

    "You are working?" he asked, interest filled his eyes.

    "Of course!" she beamed before a knock was heard on the door. Without waiting for them to answer, Yang Mi came in with a bunch of folders in her hand. "I am just injured; not dead.... I can surely sign a document or two, right?" she gave him a mischievous wink.

    Seeing her start to open the files, Zhuo Jingren could only shake his head in helplessness. He was happy that she was the one who offered to fake an ident because he thought this would be Lily¡¯s chance to just rx and not think about her business for a few days. He thought she would have a mini-vacation in their own home! Who would have thought that she would have no qualms in bringing her work in their house?

    "Mr. Rossi is actually doing a good job of helping out with thepany, so why don¡¯t you just take a step back for a few days... until you ¡¯recuperate¡¯pletely."

    "I can¡¯t sleep without thinking about the stuff happening to thepany while I¡¯m away." Lily replied before she started to ask Yang Mi about thepany. What else can Lily say? Earning money had been her release for a long time now. It had been ingrained in her bones that it would be hard to not think about it even for a second.

    "The Force acquisition that you nned for the Wang Construction Company in Maind China is almost on its final stages. Mr. Wang had been threatening to sue us but it was useless. Mr. Rossi and Mr. Han are actually quite good at handling things. Mr. Rossi said that we could have thepany under us by the first week of November." Yang Mi said, her chin a little high, showing how proud she was to have worked with such a capable team under Lily.

    "Really? I was not expecting it to go these smoothly." Lily raised an eyebrow before she looked at Zhuo Jingren. "This is the reason why I can¡¯t just leave thepany for a few days. We are working on acquiring a lot ofpanies. I don¡¯t want to miss anything. But I¡¯m sure you understand that, right?" Lily asked, she actually did not miss Zhuo Jingren¡¯s helpless expression a while ago.

    "Hmmm... Of course. " Zhuo Jingren nodded before he shook his head. Fi Group had been known in the West because of how they would force acquirepanies,pletely surprising everyone with their devious strategies. Everyone actually said that this would eventually be the downfall of the Fi Group. That Lily¡¯s greedy nature is her weakness. However, Lily had proven them time and time again how she was able to increase thepany¡¯s profits by leaps and bounds after a year of acquiring it.

    So knowing that Lily had been working on acquiring a lot ofpanies in the Far East is actually not a surprise to him.

    "Lee Group?"

    Lily¡¯s voice woke him up from his stupor as he lifted his head and stared at her.

    "Why would they want to coborate with us? They are in the medical field. I don¡¯t think we have an industry that is inmon with them?" Lily asked. Maybe they wanted to invite her constructionpany for a bidding?

    "They actually sent some proposals to Mr. Beau for our Harmony Isle branch in Singapore. I have included the proposal in the folders. It is the fourth one." Yang Mi said.

    "Oh. I will review itter. How about the shares that I wanted to acquire from the Qin Group in Maind China?" she asked. Of course, Lily would want to buy some shares in the Qin Group, after all, she already promised George a coboration in their diamond trade.

    "It was actually quite hard. Cathy was having a hard time buying shares. However, after the ident of the old man, a lot of people chose to sell their shares as they felt that thepany will sink without him. Moreover, arge investmentpany from South Korea agreed to sell their shares to us at a good price. Cathy is already working on everything. I believe she will contact you anytime this week for an update." Yang Mi answered.

    "South Korea?" Lily said out loud before she focused her attention back to the files in front of her. "Alright. I will sign these then I will forward it to you once I¡¯m done. Please give me a cup of coffee. Thank you." She said, her attention was glued to the papers in front of her. After making sure that Yang Mi already left, Lily lifted her head and looked at Zhuo Jingren.

    "What¡¯s wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked.

    "I was just thinking about what would happen to the Qin Family if they knew that Qin Wuyang was just ying them like dispensable chess pieces." Zhuo Jingren answered before he shifted his gaze away from her.

    "Liar." Lily instantly noted. "What are you thinking?" she asked, interest filled her eyes as she intently stared at his handsome face.

 Chapter 325 Dead?!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 325 Dead?!</h4>

    "Well... I didn¡¯t expect that you would have any connection to the Lee Group in Singapore," Zhuo Jingren said. "Avoid them," he added.

    "They can bring me profits," Lily said. "I always connect with people who can increase my profits," she smiled. "Plus I¡¯m using the term ¡¯connections¡¯ very loosely. I have not met with any of them in person."

    "The Lee Group are not good people. You don¡¯t want to involve yourself with them," he said, his tone serious as he stared into her eyes. "I don¡¯t want you to involve yourself with people like them."

    In response, Lily stared at her husband in return. She studied his expression for a while before she gave him an affirmative nod. "Alright. Tell me about it when you are ready" she offered. "I won¡¯t ept any of their proposals." When she saw a sh of relief in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes, Lily continued, "Of course... this is not for free. Those people are like a money tree. I need some form ofpensation for saying no to them."

    "Hmmm... Name your price," Zhuo Jingren offered.

    "A hotpot," Lily demanded. "A seafood one! The ce on the corner by my previous school, near the orphanage," she suggested. "Then an ice cream."

    "Like a date?" he asked lightly. This instantly warmed the previously cold atmosphere in the room.

    "It is a date," Lily confirmed before her expression became serious. "But we can only do this once we are sure that everything is safe," she said. "Now that you have Qin Mimi and Zhang Yifei¡¯s family what are you nning to do with them?"

    "Throw them in the sea," was his curt reply. "Do you really want to know the details?"

    "No", Lily answered.

    "Then... let¡¯s just leave it at that," he smiled.

    ....

    "When was thest time you saw Zhang Yifei?" Qin Hao asked the maid as he made his way to Old Man Qin¡¯s room. His expression was still dark as ever and it only got darker every time he mentioned Zhang Yifei¡¯s name.

    "Maybe three hours ago. She went inside to check on the Patriarch and asked us to leave. She said she had something to say to him in private."

    "And after that... the Patriarch was still fine?" he gritted his teeth. "I¡¯ve already asked you and everyone else not to let anyone go inside alone! Where was the butler? I gave him specific instructions!"

    "We could not find him."

    "So what happened after she left? Was the Patriarch still fine?"

    "Yes. The Patriarch was still unconscious when the doctors and nurses checked him."

    "B*tch," Qin Hao cursed in disgust. "Did the doctore out yet?" he asked. Hours ago, someone informed him that his father¡¯s condition worsened. At that time, he was so busy looking for information about Zhang Yifei¡¯s other lies as well as her brother who had gone missing after the fire that consumed his property just a few days ago to remember to check back with the Patriarch¡¯s medical staff.

    "No, the doctor hasn¡¯te out yet. It¡¯s been more than two hours already," the maid volunteered as she came to a halt. They¡¯d just reached the door of the Patriarch¡¯s room.

    Qin Hao didn¡¯t reply to the maid as he began pacing outside the room. After discovering that Zhang Yifei was someone who wanted to ruin his family, he immediately informed the butler not to let anyone inside his father¡¯s room alone, especially not Zhang Yifei!

    Qin Hao gritted his teeth as he thought of all the things that he¡¯d discoveredtely. First was the fact that Zhang Yifei¡¯s brother is still alive. Second is the fact that her brother¡¯s warehouse had been burned to the ground by the time he found the ce. Coincidentally, the warehouse was burned at the same time that he discovered Zhang Yifei¡¯s lies. Was the fire possibly Zhang Yifei¡¯s handiwork to cover up her evil deeds?

    Then...this happened. The Patriarch¡¯s situation got worse just after Zhang Yifei left! How could he not think that this was all her doing? From the information that he had gathered so far, Zhang Yifei wanted revenge! It would be logical for her to hurt the old man just before leaving so she could aplish her goal.

    However, he also knew that Zhang Yifei had a side to her nature that he is unfamiliar with. She was so good at masking her true personality that he was unable to see through theyers to the real Zhang Yifei.

    Qin Hao was still in his thoughts when he notice his phone vibrate. He instantly answered it.

    "Yes? Is there a problem?" he asked. "Ten percent? How much does she have now?"

    "Twenty? That is big! How did she obtain that many shares? She only had five a few days ago?!" Qin Hao¡¯s face immediately reddened in anger as he continued listening to the man over the phone. "What? That is... How is that possible?" Qin Hao¡¯s mind was in shambles as he thought about the situation before him.

    Zhang Yifei just obtained another ten percent of shares in the Qin Group! This means that her shares are now equal to his! Now... for Qin Hao this is not very good news at all. How could he allow the person who ruined their family to obtain theirpany just like that?

    "Didn¡¯t I already tell you to watch her? What happened?" However, Qin Hao found his question truly stupid. Zhang Yifei had been ying with them for years now. It is to be expected that she would have connections inside thepany as well. After some thinking Qin Hao¡¯s face grew pale. Even now... Even now his daughter, Qin Mimi, is still missing.

    At first he thought his daughter and her husband had yet another petty argument and she chose to head off for a vacation on some beach in the Philippines or maybe Indonesia. This is not the first time that this has happened so Qin Hao was not really that worried. Even when his men was unable to locate her, he was not that worried at all. He even thought that it would be better for her to be out of the country this time.

    Moreover, if Qin Mimi was out of the country, the media would find it hard to take controversial photos of her. After all, it¡¯s not as if she is a celebrity or someone really famous.

    Unfortunately, the current situation led him to believe that Qin Mimi had been taken by Zhang Yifei. For some reason, Qin Mimi¡¯s seven percent shares in thepany came into his mind. What if Zhang Yifei wanted to obtain those shares as well?

    Zhang Yifei wanted revenge. Inexplicably, she thought that the Qin Family owed her something so she¡¯s been manipting them for more than twenty years now! It would only be normal for her to want to obtain the Qin Family¡¯s wealth as well! Qin Hao suddenly recalled the time when Lily asked Zhang Yifei during dinner in Hong Kong if it was all about the Qin Family¡¯s money.

    Now that he thought about it, Lily¡¯s words at that time were truly urate, but they were the ones who chose not to believe her.

    "Mr. Qin?" The doctor¡¯s voice interrupted him from his stupor. Qin Hao instantly stopped pacing and approached the doctor.

    "How is he?"

    "We apologize Mr. Qin... We did our best to save the Patriarch but the poison has severely damaged his internal organs and we could not do anything to reverse the damage. The official time of death is..."

    Qin Hao did not appear to haveprehended the doctor¡¯s words yet his body involuntarily shivered. The doctor¡¯s words seemed to echo inside his mind over and over again. Qin Hao¡¯s face paled before turning purple and then green before it finally became extremely white. His father... His father...Old Man Qin is dead?!

 Chapter 326 This Was All Wrong!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 326 This Was All Wrong!</h4>

    Of course, this was all an act, Qin Hao¡¯s way of expressing his fake grief. He couldn¡¯t just smile and say that he was happy about his father¡¯s death in front of everyone. He couldn¡¯t leap into the air with glee and thank the heavens that his father had died without discovering the facts about Lily and Qin Chuan.

    "I..." Qin Hao clutched his chest dramatically. "Father? Are you saying that my father is dead?" As if on cue, a single tear instantly rolled down his cheek.

    "Mr. Qin? Are you alright?" the doctor asked. His concern evident from the expression on his face. "Go get Mr. Qin a ss of water," he instructed the maid. As the maid raced off to do his bidding, the doctor asked again, "Mr. Qin? Are you alright?"

    "I... I need some air," Qin Hao said as he staggered towards his office. "Find the butler and try to call Zhang Yifei. Inform them of the Patriarch¡¯s death. Aside from them... I don¡¯t want anyone else to know yet," he said before disappearing down the hallway.

    "What do you think will happen now?" one maid asked another as they looked at the now deserted hallway.

    "I don¡¯t know. The Second Master seems to be grief stricken by the death of the Patriarch. The only thing that we can do now is wait," she replied.

    ....

    "Really?" Lily asked. "You had him killed?"

    "Him dying while still wondering what went wrong was the best oue," Zhuo Jingren shrugged dismissively. "I am no God, but his behaviour and actions towards his son after he became disabled were a big indication that his death would not be a loss because the world can stand to lose one more greedy jerk who also happens to be a bad father. I mean... I know that most people would choose a talented and able-bodied person over a disabled one even while knowing how biased and prejudiced that way of thinking is, but he was a father and Qin Chuan was not just any ¡¯cripple¡¯, he was his son." He made a paused as he stared at Lily¡¯s reaction. Seeing that there is none, he continued.

    "The Old Man should have been the first person to support Qin Chuan, not the first person to dismiss his intelligence with the ignorant misconception that a broken body equates with an inferior intellect. He was supposed to act like a father, especially at a time like that. How could he believe a stranger over his own son? How could he neglect and discard his own child? If Old Man Qin didn¡¯t exist then Zhang Yifei¡¯s maniption and Qin Hao¡¯s lying woulde to an end."

    "Well... I trust you on this. Really." Lily answered. "But... you know... I still think that it would have been better if he had survived. Imagine the look on his face once..."

    "There you go again, hatching scenarios and ying games," Zhuo Jingren said seriously. "At this point. I¡¯m not gonna let you start with all that again. I agree, my methods are different from yours but my way will save us time, effort and brain cells. Nevertheless, we both know that the oue of your n and mine are pretty much the same. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll regret allowing me to take the lead in this matter."

    "I¡¯m not going to regret it," Lily replied swiftly. "I was just... a little surprised, that¡¯s all."

    "Hmmm," Zhuo Jingren nodded. "At the time of his death, I sent Zhang Yifei a few messages that prompted her to leave the mansion. Then I transferred the shares that I was able to obtain to her name. If Qin Hao is smart, he will connect the dots and think that it was Zhang Yifei who killed his father, acquired the stocks, and ran away. This will incite him to chase after her. I also made Zhang Yifei think that it was Qin Hao who kidnapped her family."

    "Perfect," Lily responded with a nod. "And Qin Wuyang?"

    "I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ll still be interested in talking to him. It¡¯s been two days since we caught him and... he has been suffering," Zhuo Jingren said.

    "Oh...What about the others?"

    "Dead," he answered without batting an eye. "Qin Mimi, Zhang Chen, and his daughter Ziyi, aka Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s fake girlfriend. They were all pawns, pawns who were given a knife by Zhang Yifei which they then wielded against others. All of them deserve one thing... one ending."

    Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words left Lily speechless. She stared at his serious expression as she bit her lower lip lightly. "So what are we going to do next?" she asked. Lily couldn¡¯t deny that Zhuo Jingren was capable - very capable. And for some reason, him being so protective of her was making her feel something she didn¡¯t recognize.

    Maybe it was wrong- hell. She knows it was wrong. Him killing people to protect her. This was all wrong! But for some reason it made her feel emotions that she didn¡¯t know she was capable of feeling.

    Lily remembered how helpless she had been seven years ago. After that, she had learned not to rely on anyone, but then Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words floated through her thoughts: ¡¯You can always rely on me to meet you halfway.¡¯ This statement seemed to have given her the assurance that this rtionship, this marriage, and this partnership would not be one that would suppress her. Instead, it will enhance her work and her life. This rtionship is capable of multiplying her blessings, leaving Lily rich in wealth and rich in love.

    "What¡¯s next? You decide," Zhuo Jingren said in all seriously. His task is done. Now it¡¯s his wife¡¯s turn to decide. "I have taken care of the people who could cause you the greatest harm. Now... it¡¯s your turn to decide."

    "Ohhh... then I guess you already know what I want, don¡¯t you?" Lilyughed softly as he eyes drifted to the beautiful painting of her which graced their living room. Shezily leaned back, her head resting on the back of the couch. Unhurriedly, she shifted her gaze towards Zhuo Jingren, who was steeping tea in front of her.

    "You want the Qin Group," he stated as his lips lifted into a smile. "How will you manage all of thesepanies? You have been running around and working your ass off with the Fi Group. You are about to obtain Wang Construction, followed by the Qin Group," Zhuo Jingren paused to make sure that he had her full attention. "With this schedule it will be hard to maintain a good rtionship. When will you find time for me?"

    "Oh... Shut up!" Lily rolled her eyes as she burst intoughter. "You sound like a white lotus wife and please.... Please stop pouting! Please don¡¯t..." She held her hand up as she looked at his pouty face andughed even more.

    "What else can I do? Once you have anotherpany under your umbre... When will we find time to... cultivate our marriage?" he asked. His mncholy could be heard in his tone of voice but a small smile was ying on his gorgeous lips. "You still owe me a marriage. Don¡¯t forget that."

    "Excuse me?" Lily asked as she dramatically widened her eyes. "Aren¡¯t we already married?"

    "Ah... so you think a marriage on paper is enough to pay for my first?" he said as he sat next to her. "You promised to marry me all over the world, my dear." He pulled her towards him and kissed her temple. "If you¡¯re managing anotherpany as big as the Qin Group, how will you find the time to marry me on every continent on the?"

 Chapter 327 Pillow Talk

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 327 Pillow Talk</h4>

    "Is it really that easy to kill a person?" Lily shifted her gaze towards Zhuo Jingren as she wrapped the sheet around her naked body.

    "Why are you talking about this while you¡¯re naked with me?" he asked, mirth apparent in his voice.

    "I¡¯m serious," Lily said. "I know this isn¡¯t the right time to talk about it but I think... I won¡¯t be able to sleep without knowing the answer to my question. I mean... I¡¯m not a saint, but I always... tried to avoid causing anyone¡¯s death. I find it... I don¡¯t know. Killing innocents is..."

    "They were not innocents. No one is," Zhuo Jingren rified. He sighed as he realised that his blunt and detachedments left Lily speechless. "Two hundred and thirteen people," he uttered, sending Lily¡¯s eyebrow flying towards her hairline. Was he going to tell her about himself? This was actually the first time that Lily heard him talk about this. To be exact, it was the first time that he¡¯d ever opened up about his life.

    "I¡¯ve ordered my father¡¯s... my men... to kill a total of two hundred and thirteen people. I know their names, ages, jobs, why I had them killed, when, and where...

    "I didn¡¯t hold the gun or slit their throats, and yet... I was the one who ordered it. Now... let me tell you the difference between being the one who ordered a kill and being the one who personally pulled the trigger." Zhuo Jingren paused to find the right words. "When you pull the trigger, it¡¯s not on you. You are just following an order, so if you don¡¯t do it someone else will That¡¯s it. Can you see the difference? As the person who ordered the massacre, I¡¯m the one responsible for everyone¡¯s death. Not my men who were pulling the triggers. Not the people who burned all the dead bodies. Just me."

    "All the responsibility falls on me," he repeated as his hand slowly made its way into Lily¡¯s. He slowly slid her fingers between his and lifted their joined hands, casting a shadow over part of his face. "Years ago... when... my adoptive father wanted to leave the world of the Yakuzas, he was killed."

    "That was around the same time as when... you were supposed to get married. So, when you disappeared, I was so upied with my father¡¯s death and its aftermath that I was unable to focus on you. During that time, a lot of blood was spilled and a lot of people were killed, entire Yakuza families were obliterated as if they¡¯d never existed, burned to the ground..."

    "It was on me. Do I regret it? No. Do I think about it? Yes. Do I think it¡¯s wrong? No. You need to understand, the moment they decided to kill my father is the moment in which they signed their own death certificates.The moment they decided to touch you is the moment in which they deserved to die. Now...is it really easy to kill someone? " Zhuo Jingren slowly put their hands down and turned to face Lily. "Pulling the trigger was easy. Deciding to pull the trigger is also easy. The gravity of it... the responsibility... the stain, now that will never leave me. It will remain with me forever. It marks me... every single time I decide to kill someone... it changes me a little. The weight of each life... knowing that there are people who will miss them... It just... changes me. Maybe it¡¯s the same for everyone who has made the same decision."

    Silence followed Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words as the tension began to slowly build within their room. Lily could feel her heart pumping, elerating... racing.

    "If you were to ask me if I regret killing the people that you deem ¡¯innocents¡¯... my answer would be ¡¯no¡¯. I will never regret any decision made or action taken if it was made to ensure your safety and protect our future." Once again, a deafening silence followed his words. "I¡¯ll understand if you are afraid of me. I¡¯ll understand..."

    "I¡¯m not," Lily interrupted him as she suddenly sat up in bed, her hand clutching the sheets around her body. Lily turned to look at him, her eyes meeting his dark brown orbs. "Thank you for sharing your past with me," she said, just barely above a whisper, her voice soft and gentle. "I¡¯m not judging you, I don¡¯t me you for your choices, and I would never be afraid of you."

    Lily slowly lowered her head as she bit her lip. This brutally frank conversation was exactly what she needed to hear. His sincerity, his solemn words...were akin to an assurance, a promise...confirmation that they were in this together.. "Revenge was easy when I had no one," Lily admitted hesitantly. "But all this... all this killing and disposing of people like they are nothing... like they don¡¯t matter is honestly making me scared. I¡¯m afraid that someday... somehow all this wille back to bite me, bite us... our family, and all that might ultimately lead to a never ending cycle."

    "Revenge was easy when I had no one. But now... now that I have you. I..." she lifted her head and stared at him. "I don¡¯t know if all this is worth it anymore."

    "All these things just made me realize that at the end of the day... despite having all this money and luxury, all we really have is each other, but... I fear that I might lose that. I fear that I might lose you in some endless cycle of revenge. I am scared, Jingren. For the first time... since seven years ago, I feel scared." Lily¡¯s hands nervously pleated the nket that was slowly sliding down due to Jingren sitting up and shifting to face her. She continued to look at him as he watched her, his eyes gentle as he looked into the depths of her soul.

    "This was not revenge," he stated. "This was justice."

    When Lily did not answer him, Zhuo Jingren lifted his hand and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I know the line between the two is often blurred. Some say that revenge is just wild justice, while others say the two arepletely different. But think about it... we are not doing this just to satisfy ourselves. We were not here to get even. No. We are fighting for what they took from you - from us. Our child, your father and mother, as well as your brother. This is not retaliation. This... is us setting everything right."

    "With interest," Lily suddenly blurted out as her lips lifted into a smile. She used her other hand to wipe away her tears before she continued, "Let¡¯s not forget the fact that my motivation has always been money and growing my grandmother¡¯spany."

    "Yeah..." he chuckled. "Of course. How could you ever forget about the money part?"

 Chapter 328 All About Wealth

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 328 All About Wealth</h4>

    While Lily and Zhuo Jingren were busy having an emotionally charged conversation with each other, Zhang Yifei was busy having one with herself as she relentlessly paced back and forth in her hotel room. A quick nce at her watch showed her that it was almost ten in the evening... She had been in the hotel for almost twenty four hours yet she was still no closer toing up with a solution to solve the problems at hand.

    By now, Zhang Yifei had guessed that Lily was the one responsible for all of this. It had to be Lily. She was clearly the person who informed Qin Hao about all of her misdeeds. Lily wanted to pit them against each other and there was no better way to start than providing Qin Hao with Zhang Chen¡¯s address so he could confirm his suspicions

    Moreover, after analyzing all of the facts, she realised that Lily had also framed her for the old man¡¯s demise. Zhang Yifei gritted her teeth as she recalled receiving cryptic messages telling her to pay a visit to her father¡¯s grave. At first she thought that it was Zhang Cheng¡¯s way of leaving her clues. She thought that it was his way of telling her that he was somewhere safe.

    But no! It was all a part of an borate n to trap her; to lure her out of the house to make it look like she ran away after killing the old man and buying as many shares in the Qin Group as she possibly could. Every scenario, every hurdle that she¡¯d encountered so far was meticulously calcted. It was all part of a grand n to make Qin Hao think that she was the enemy and not Lily.

    Zhang Yifei¡¯s fingers curled into a fist before she picked her phone and tried calling Qin Hao again. She was sure that if he returned home now, he would not give her a chance to exin herself. Zhang Yifei was sure that Qin Hao would definitely urt her or even have her killed!

    When Zhang Yifei heard the phone continue to ring on his side she sighed in frustration. Zhang Yifei wanted Qin Hao to know that all of this- everything that has happened - was all Lily¡¯s fault and not hers.

    "And... you really dared to call me. Very good!" Qin Hao¡¯s cold voice suddenly boomed across the line.

    "Hao...you have to listen to me," Zhang Yifei pleaded. "I was framed... I did not kill Father." There was no point in prolonging this situation anymore, so she came rightto the point. All she wanted right now was to make it clear to Qin Hao that she was innocent.

    "Ohhh... Shut up! I know you did it! I know this was your revenge... everything was! I should have believed... or at least given the benefit of the doubt to Lily and the things she said about you at that dinner!" he bellowed.

    "Listen... this is all Lily¡¯s fault. I did not kill Father and I have nothing to do with the stocks purchased in my name. I am..."

    "Listen to yourself Zhang Yifei!" Qin Hao hissed. "You sound like you are a truly innocent soul! B*tch! You have been controlling my family for more than twenty years and yet you still have the audacity to me this on someone else?"

    "Qin Hao... this was not my fault! I was framed. I did not transfer those stocks to my name and I did not kill Father. Whatever information you have is all made up by Lily to turn us against each other!" Zhang Yifei tried her best to reason with him. While she didn¡¯t really care about what would happen to the Qin Family personally, she did care about her image and the status of the Qin Group. Now that Qin Hao already knows the truth, it would be really easy for him to ruin her or cause trouble for her.

    "Do you really see me as a fool? Why don¡¯t you show your true colors to me? Huh! Show your pathetic self to me! You ingrate! My father clothed you and fed you! He helped you in every way possible and yet this is how you repay him?? You have him killed!"

    "You were the one who poisoned him!" Zhang Yifei suddenly blurted out. The tone of her voice was extremely different from her usual meek way of speaking. "Why are you ming me when you were the one who wanted him dead?"

    "Don¡¯t forget that you are the one who gave me the idea to frame Lily! You are also thest person to visit Father before he died! You think you can get away with this? You think the shares that you have will still be yours once I report this to the authorities?" Qin Hao countered.

    "You -"

    "Yes! Do you think I will let you have those shares forever? You are not only pathetic, you¡¯re also delusional!" Qin Hao might not be intelligent but he is most definitely cunning. He would never let Zhang Yifei have those shares.

    "Can you just stop being stupid? This is all Lily¡¯s n! She wants us to fight against each other! What the hell is wrong with you?"

    In response, Zhang Yifei heard a snort of derisione down line. "If you still think you can get any part of the Qin Family¡¯s wealth then you are wrong. You are so damn wrong! Zhang Yifei... I will ruin you! I will make sure that you will be left with nothing!"

    "Is this why you took my brother?" Zhang Yifei suddenly asked, her face red with anger and frustration. "Is that why you took the only people that I love?"

    "And you¡¯re still trying to appeal to my emotions to earn my pity again?" Qin Hao only scoffed at her words. "You really think too little of me. I know that you arranged your brother¡¯s escape. I also know that you asked him to take a step back and leave the country."

    "I did not!"

    "Shut up! Shut your trap and listen to me Zhang Yifei! I¡¯m aware of things now... I know that you hid your brother and your niece for all of these years. I also know that you kidnapped my daughter to obtain her shares in thepany.Do you think that I would be dumb enough to still see you as a weak damsel who needs to be saved?" Qin Hao¡¯s voice grew colder and colder as he continued to speak. "Did you really think that you could use my daughter to make me transfer my shares to you?"

    Zhang Yifei¡¯s eyes widened as she continued to listen to Qin Hao speak. How did he evene up with all this? What has Lily given to him? "So.. this is all about wealth," Zhang Yifei uttered slowly as she realized why Qin Hao¡¯s behavior had be so strange. "All this talk about how pathetic I am, yet you... you are only doing this for money," Zhang Yifei said with disdain. It was all about the money. Did Qin Hao even care about his father¡¯s death? His brother? Or even his daughter? Was there anything in this world more important to him than his shares of Qin Industry?

    "Stop being a hypocrite!" Qin Hao immediately countered. "Aren¡¯t you doing this for money as well? Lily was right... you were only interested in obtaining control of the Qin Group so you manipted us all! You are just another greedy b*tch in search of fast cash!"

    "I am nothing like that!" Zhang Yifei said, her voice a little higher as she really wanted to emphasize her point. "I am only here because your father killed mine! Instead of condemning him for causing the death of a fellowrade and friend, all of you worshipped him like a hero! Everyone overlooked his crime and kept quiet about it. He was nothing but a murderer who destroyed people¡¯s lives, and yet everyone in the Qin Family worshipped him like a f*cking god!"

    "For that reason alone everyone in the Qin Family deserves to suffer!" Zhang Yifei gritted her teeth as she tried to control her anger. The only thing that could satisfy her would be to have everything that the Qin Family has:- their wealth, their influence, everything!

 Chapter 329 Gossip

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 329 Gossip</h4>

    "You are pathetic!" Qin Hao yelled. He could barely contain his anger as he tightened his grip on the phone. This woman had been ying him for years! YEARS! All he wanted now was to kill her, to make her suffer before finally slitting her throat! "You are so damn pathetic! If you think you can win against me then you are sadly mistaken, Zhang Yifei! Your biggest mistake was underestimating me!" Qin Hao ended the call before Zhang Yifei could think of a suitable response.

    "Did you get that? Did you track her?" he asked as he threw his phone on the couch.

    "Yes, Master... her current location is the Iconic Hotel downtown. Shall we send our men to get her?"

    Qin Hao narrowed his eyes as he walked towards the window in his office. He shoved his hands in his pockets and asked, "How are the preparationsing along for the press conference tomorrow?"

    "Everything is ready. However... our investors are still in panic mode. After the explosion, investors were concerned about the future of the Qin Group. When you couple that with the unfortunate passing of the Qin patriarch, it has be increasingly difficult to pacify them."

    "Hmmm..." Qin Hao nodded. "Then... don¡¯t touch Zhang Yifei for now. Just send a few of our men there to observe her. Follow her everywhere she goes, and take photographs of everything! I want to know everything that she might still be hiding or lying about," Qin Hao ordered. "Also... the press release about me taking over as the CEO - is it ready?"

    "Yes, Master," theckey said with a deferential nod of his head. He bid Qin Hao goodbye before heading out to ry Qin Hao¡¯s orders to the rest of the men.

    Once he was alone, Qin Haopsed into a sea of memories yet again.

    All this time...he was constantly being manipted. All this time, he had been listening to her observations and treating them as excellent suggestions! Qin Hao gnashed his teeth as he thought about all of the things that had been going ontely. Every aspect of his family¡¯s existence was aplete mess!

    After a few seconds of contemtion, Qin Hao picked up his phone and dialled a number. Another thing that he needed to take care of was Qin Chuan. While he couldn¡¯t deny that dealing with Zhang Yifei was his utmost priority, that brother of his had not slipped his mind.

    Qin Hao has been managing thepany since forever! He could not allow people to discover Qin Chuan¡¯s role in thepany!

    ....

    "This is why I told you to stop acting like a cripple already," Lily said nonchntly. She stared at Qin Chuan for a few seconds. "Your brother is nning to make you look bad in front of the press. After all... you didn¡¯t even bother to show your face when your father was hospitalised."

    "I am still surprised by the fact that Qin Wuyang is the reason why all this happened," Qin Chuan said as he met Lily¡¯s eyes. This time his gaze was different as it contained a hint of confidence. "Qin Wuyang has given me everything. For years, he was the only...He supported me. I can¡¯t believe that..."

    "I¡¯m not really sure if I can arrange for us to talk. Just the three of us," Lily said. "I¡¯m very much interested in finding out why he would want to ruin his own brother. I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t because of money as that man has more money than the whole Qin Group. There has to be something else," Lily said. The coldness and detachment in Lily¡¯s voice instantly caused a tinge of guilt and sadness to sh in Qin Chuan¡¯s eyes. Qin Chuan sighed heavily. Had he really expected his daughter to act a little warmer towards him? After his epic level of stupidity and gullibility?

    Qin Chuan returned his focus to the matter at hand. "I expected this much from Qin Hao. After all, he is a very greedy man. He definitely would not care to have me show up at a meeting one day and tell everyone that I¡¯m the one who has been making the lucrative decisions while everyone believes that Qin Hao is running thepany and all the credit for sess falls under his name."

    "Well... he called a mediapanyst night. He asked them to leak the news about how ungrateful you are and the fact that you haven¡¯t even shown your face since the old man¡¯s ident. This news will be released on the inte at noon today. We have..." Lily paused as she checked her watch. "We have approximately an hour to stop it. I can ask my contacts to do it."

    "You want my opinion?" Qin Chuan asked as he stared at Lily. He was not expecting this at all.

    "The fight against Qin Hao is yours. My fight is with Zhang Yifei and her... people," she said as she thought about how Qin Mo has been suffering since bing disabled. She wondered how that man was doing these days given that hispany is still on the verge of bankruptcy, even after Xuan Hui bailed them out.

    "Then... let them go ahead and release the news," Qin Chuan said. "I will show myself after theyy my father to rest. I will also attend the next board meeting. I still have shares in the Qin Group so I have the right to attend the meetings."

    "Actually, if you appear immediately after your father¡¯s death, you will paint yourself as a greedy man who is only interested in fighting for control of thepany now that your father is dead," Lily countered before she narrowed her eyes spectively. "You want to reveal to everyone that Qin Hao is useless and that you¡¯re actually the one who was running thepany all these years? Okay, but do you have anything to prove this fact?"

    "I do," he confirmed. "Now that I¡¯m am certain that you and Yuanfeng are safe I can run thepany openly and give you everything that you deserve."

    "Alright," Lily said in a throwaway fashion. If he really wanted to give her something she would neitherin nor decline. Since Lily nned on taking over thepany in the first ce, it would not be a big deal to have Qin Chuan handle it for a few more years. "Qin Yuanfeng is safe and alive. I mean... if you are curious."

    "I know you wouldn¡¯t have hurt him," Qin Chuan said breezily. "You are not as heartless as you think or portray yourself to be."

    ....

    After Qin Hao called his contacts in the mediapany, the news about Qin Chuan¡¯s ungrateful behavior instantly spread across the business industry. More noteworthy than that was the news that Zhang Yifei was the one responsible for the old man¡¯s death. Of course... the thing about Zhang Yifei was not openly reported on the reputable news sites - but it was in constant rotation on the online gossip sites.

    Since Zhang Yifei was the mother Qin Yuanfeng, a minor celebrity with a decent sized fanbase, people actually knew of her and even started discussing the topic. How could an idol have such a shameless mother and father? Most of these people weren¡¯t even aware of the fact that Qin Yuanfeng was missing. They were all under the impression that he was abroad for acting sses, so when they heard the news about him they instantly reacted and searched for more information about his family.

    ....

    "The police? Why would they want to see me?" Qin Hao instantly furrowed his brows when he heard the maid¡¯s words. He did not wait for her answer but strode out of his office and straight into the living room.

    "Mr. Qin," a man in a police uniform greeted him. "Good afternoon. We would like to invite you to the precinct to answer a few questions regarding a case filed by Miss Zhang Yifei against you."

    "A what? I¡¯m sorry... I think I heard you wrong. What case are you talking about?" he asked, confused. What are you up to this time, Zhang Yifei? he wondered.

    "Physical assault and rape."

    "What did you say?" Qin Hao¡¯s brain shortcircuited as he heard the police officers words. "Physical assault and rape? I did not touch her! She was the one who murdered my father!"

    .....

    If you want to buy me some coffee here is the link: https://ko-fi/theblips

    After you buy pls include your name in the message so I can thank you properly in my authors notes.

    #shamelessauthor

 Chapter 330 I Am That Terrible

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 330 I Am That Terrible</h4>

    Police Station

    Qin Hao had a very dark look on his face as he had his arms folded on his chest. As he continued to listen to hiswyer talking to the police, his face became darker. Zhang Yifei is really gutsy to file aint of sexual assault against him.

    "I did not touch her," he said. "She tried to seduce me many times but I didn¡¯t touch her. She is my brother¡¯s wife! I would not touch her! Never! That woman..."

    "Mr. Qin, its okay. I can handle this," hiswyer interrupted him. "There are no evidence against us. We are free to go."

    Qin Hao scoffed instantly which echoed inside the interrogation room. Just as he expected, this was all that woman¡¯s scheme to get him into the police station. By now, the media should be waiting outside of this station to interview him. Cunning bitch, he cursed inwardly.

    After a few more minutes, the police officer allowed them to leave after signing some paperwork.

    "Mr. Qin, a few media personnel are waiting for us outside but I have already arranged for our men to block them," said Mr. Cheng, the Qin Family¡¯swyer.

    "Good." Qin Hao nodded before he texted one of his men. Zhang Yifei will only cause more damage if he let her run free. It was pretty obvious that the woman¡¯s intelligence was above his. Moreover, she was also very resourceful and her ability to manipte people is top notch. He needed to get rid of her as fast as possible.

    After a few seconds, Qin Hao received a text of confirmation which instantly lit up his face. "Alright. Tell me once we are ready to go," he uttered towards hiswyer, while he tried to look calm and stern on the outside. He had just instructed his men to pick up Zhang Yifei and they told him that they will execute his order immediately. Tonight, he will have a good talk with that woman.

    ....

    When Lily found out that Qin Hao had taken Zhang Yifei, she couldn¡¯t help but knit her brows. That man is truly stupid for doing this just a few days after the Old Man¡¯s funeral. What was he thinking? However, Lily had another matter to deal with right now, so she just silently instructed Secretary Go to leave her.

    "When I received the news that you are injured, I instantly rushed here to see you! How could you do this to me? Lily?" Fernando red at her. He clenched his jaw as his face slowly reddened from the anger boiling inside him.

    "To be honest, I never thought of informing you about it since I thought you had already forgotten our friendship. I never expected to see you here as well," she said frankly, her face devoid of any emotions. The people that she hated the most in these world were dumb-ass men like this one in front of her.

    "Why are you being harsh on me? I was merely absent for a few weeks and you are already acting like a stranger to me."

    "The only reason why I let you inside my house is because I still have investments in yourpany," Lily said, which made Fernando widened his eyes even more.

    "Can you at least let me exin?"

    "Why are you exining to me? Am I your girlfriend or something?" Lily sarcastically countered. "You should exin yourself to the woman that you have been sleeping with and not me."

    "Come on Lily. Let¡¯s not be childish... I was away because of a very important matter which I couldn¡¯t inform Shanshan or you about it." How could Fernando not understand Lily¡¯s words. He knew that Lily is very well informed about things, so it is normal for her to know that he has been sleeping with Li Shanshan or anything that happened between them.

    "Oh... is this another excuse for being a jerk?" Lily said as she stared hard at Fernando.

    "My father is in aa," Fernando blurted. "I was legally adopted and I am the sole heir of his assets. Imagine my surprise when a lot of people suddenly turned up to talk about his will when he was only in aa?"

    "And I did not hear about this because?" Lily still asked even though she could already guess the answer.

    "I was doing my best to hide this from the media or GC Jewels will suffer. Plus I was so busy handling thepany and all the people who wanted a piece of his wealth," he said grimly. "This is the reason why I didn¡¯t tell Shanshan anything. I don¡¯t want to involve her in this mess or worse, turning her into a target for those people. I mean... you and her are practically the only family I have."

    Lily didn¡¯t answer Fernando as she pursed her lips at the man. It was a fact that Fernando was adopted and this was not a secret to the fashion world. While the man was low key and did not have any scandals, it¡¯s not surprising that there would be people who are jealous of a talented man like him. "Funny how you guys are already discussing his will while he is still alive," Lily noted.

    "Apparently my adoptive father has a very... prominent and high-end client as well. And I have been working my ass off to pacify them as they yelled at me for updates about my father¡¯s health. When Li Shanshan told me that she didn¡¯t want to be in a rtionship with me, it was also the same time that I received a call informing me about my father¡¯s heart attack. I packed my bags and flew to my father immediately and well... I thought I would also give her some time to think things through," he said.

    Lily¡¯s lips instantly lifted into a fake smile. "You two are only causing trouble for each other. For f*cks sake be an adult and stop running around and giving each other time to think things through! What?! Are you teenagers?" Her words were spoken softly, contrary to its meaning. In fact to some, Lily¡¯s words sounded sweet. Coupled with her iconic smile on her face, Fernando was not able to stop himself from shivering. "Don¡¯t tell me your brains cannot handle a mature conversation? Did I miss something here? Are you two some kids who just got out of the nursery?"

    "Alright... that was a bit harsh." Fernando instantly held his hand as if he was trying to defend himself. "But I think you are right." He rose from his seat and eyed Lily. "I heard she is still in Hong Kong. I will talk to her and settle things with her. I will bring her to Berlin to see my father and marry her there. I don¡¯t want to wait around or second guess our rtionship anymore as it is honestly too tiring both emotionally and mentally. I like her so it is not..."

    "Hold on!" Lily also rose from her seat and walked towards him. "You said you will marry her? Why are you doing this? Because you are afraid I will pull out my shares in yourpany?"

    "What? No! I don¡¯t think you are that terrible."

    "That was my initial n," Lily interjected before she smiled sweetly. "And yes, I am that terrible."

    "..." Do you really have to be so blunt? Fernando asked himself inwardly, before shaking his head. "I am tired of running around. I will marry her whenever she is ready and she can make all the major decisions when ites to our wedding."

    In response Lily only rolled her eyes. "Send me an invitation. I will sponsor the wedding if you can convince her to marry you. "

    "I will remember that!" Fernando walked towards the door and waved his hand. "And Lily?"

    "Hm?"

    "I¡¯m d that you are safe."

    ...

    If you want to buy me some coffee here is the link: https://ko-fi/theblips

    After you buy pls include your name in the message so I can thank you properly in my authors notes.

    #shamelessauthor

 Chapter 331 Stingy Couple

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 331 Stingy Couple</h4>

    "That man is so stupid. Why would he kidnap her now? Man... I really can¡¯t fathom the stupidity of people like him. I¡¯m wondering how on earth someone like him survived this long" Bei Tian guffawed before he swallowed a bite of his sandwich. He then made sure that he had Zhuo Jingren¡¯s attention before he continued. "Anyway... I have my men watching over Qin Hao¡¯s base, which is where Zhang Yifei is being held. We can go there whenever you want," he said between bites.

    "I wasn¡¯t expecting him to do it at a time like this. But... we can¡¯t really understand how someone as dim as him thinks, can we?" Zhuo Jingren asked as he sliced the Monte Cristo sandwich he¡¯d just made for Lily. He dusted it with powdered sugar and served it with the French raspberry conserve that Lily loved so much.

    "What cheese did you use?" Lily asked. Her eyes lingered on the sandwich for a moment before she turned her attention to Bei Tian. The man arrived just after Fernando left and was apparently starving like the apocalypse had happened and the grocery stores were closed. He¡¯d already had his second sandwich and was still eyeing Zhuo Jingren¡¯s food.

    "Emmental," Zhuo Jingren answered as he sliced his sandwich. He ignored Bei Tian who was already drooling over the mere mention of any type of Swiss cheese."I know you love Swiss cheese."

    "Hmmm... Thank you," Lily answered before raising half of the sandwich to her mouth. "Qin Hao won¡¯t kill Zhang Yifei," she concluded, making Bei Tian looked in her direction. Lily was currently sitting at the kitchen ind with her hand propping up her chin. He studied her as shezily took a bite of the sandwich.

    "How do you know that?" Bei Tian asked.

    "Qin Hao would ask for the shares first, and he would probably torture her to get her to give them to him. And she obviously isn¡¯t giving up anything she schemed to get, ever, " Zhuo Jingren answered. "She¡¯s been ying a long hand. She wouldn¡¯t let him win just like that."

    "Oh..." Bei Tian nodded as he processed that intel. "But what if he believes her stories? What if Qin Hao attacks us instead?"

    "He won¡¯t," Lily answered, feeling a little irritated because she had to exin stuff to Bei Tian every single time. When she thought about him doing all the dirty work, she realized that maybe it really was only fair to exin everything to him after all. "We fed him enough proof for him not to believe her lies anymore."

    "Got it," Bei Tian nodded as he attempted to snatch half of the sliced sandwich from Zhuo Jingren. Unfortunately, Lily was quick enough to p his hand and re at him like a disciplinarian. In the end Bei Tian could only swallow his grievances as he made another unimpressive sandwich for himself. This couple was really too stingy, he thought inwardly while shaking his head.

    Meanwhile, after Qin Hao received news that his men had Zhang Yifei, he instantly left to see her. The board meeting was approaching and news of the sexual assault charges that were filed against him had already reached the ears of some prominent people. He could not let that woman run amok and cause any more scenes that negatively impacted him.

    Moreover, he had been waiting to torture this woman until she spilled the details about where she was hiding Qin Mimi and her brother, Zhang Cheng. In Qin Hao¡¯s mind, the only thing that would appease his anger would be to kill Zhang Yifei¡¯s family in front of her. This would be his revenge for manipting him all these years. Of course, Qin Hao¡¯s extreme hatred stemmed from the fact that he had been used and underestimated by a woman who he¡¯d deemed beneath him.

    His anger was not about her manipting his father, or her ruining the Qin family. It was about the fact that this woman actually fooled him! It was because Zhang Yifei was smart enough to f*cking y him like a fool for years!

    Plus, Zhang Yifei had obtained a lot of shares. He would want to obtain those shares and keep them for himself in case Qin Chuan appeared. With a whooping forty percent of shares in his hand, it would be difficult for Qin Chuan to dethrone him, even with Lily by his side.

    "Stupidity really does not have a limit," Zhang Yifei¡¯s mocking voice was the first thing that Qin Hao heard the moment he entered the room. His face instantly darkened at her provocation.

    "Are you calling me stupid?" he asked the woman in chains who was restrained across him.

    "No matter how smart you are... you can never really convince a moron that he¡¯s a moron," Zhang Yifei said as she slowly regretted not taking her brother¡¯s advice and disposing of Qin Hao as soon as possible. She guessed that her brother knew that stupid was as unpredictable as a f*cking earthquake.

    "Hah! Your calling me stupid is like the pot calling the kettle ck! If you think I am stupid, then why am I not the one sitting with chains around my wrists right now?" he smirked before his rage spiked. Seeing the calm expression on Zhang Yifei¡¯s face really irritated him. With this in mind, he looked at one of his men and signaled him toe forward.

    "Burn her," he said as he gestured for the minion to leave and get the tools that they needed. He then shifted his gaze to the surprisingly calm Zhang Yifei. "Aren¡¯t you scared now?"

    Contrary to his expectations, Zhang Yifei did not even flinch at his words. "No wonder Lily chose to use you against me," she thought out loud. "Your stupidity knows no bounds."

    "You-" Qin Hao controlled his anger as he red at Zhang Yifei. "You are the one who is stupid to think that you can still use me after all that has happened!"

    "And you are stupid to be so easily manipted by Lily!" Zhang Yifei hissed. "You still don¡¯t understand that this is what she wants! She wants us to kill each other while she watches with amusement!"

    "Shut your mouth! You sl*t!" Qin Hao¡¯s movements were not quick but Zhang Yifei did not expect him to actually hit her.

    *Pak*

    The p was instantly followed with a ringing silence as Zhang Yifei stared in disbelief at Qin Hao. He hurt her? He actually had the guts to raise his hand to her?

 Chapter 332 Lover

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 332 Lover</h4>

    Eyes wide and incredulous, Zhang Yifei asked, "You dared to p me?" in a shrill voice, her face red from anger.

    "Why wouldn¡¯t I?" Qin Hao said dismissively. "You think your pitiful look will still work on me? Stop dreaming! That¡¯s what you get for underestimating me!"

    "You stupid piece of..."

    "Of what?" Qin Hao interrupted. "Look at you raging now. You are losing your control, Yifei," he mocked before turning his attention to one of his men who was wheeling in a cart filled with equipment. "Do you have the torch?"

    In response, the man handed him a simple torch that was attached to a bigger tank. A look of satisfaction shed in Qin Hao¡¯s eyes before he smugly shifted his gaze to Zhang Yifei. "Are you scared now?"

    Zhang Yifei narrowed her eyes at Qin Hao. He¡¯s nning on torturing me, she thought before cursing inwardly. She wondered when her own people woulde and rescue her. She was certain that they knew where she was by now and they should be strategizing her rescue. "Go ahead," she sneered. "Hurt me. Then I can show the world how evil you are after I get out of here. Imagine what nasty things the news will say about you? That you tortured a woman, your brother¡¯s wife, family. I¡¯ll beuded as a survivor whereas you will be condemned."

    "Get out?" Qin Hao gave a deep sinisterugh that bounced off the walls of the sparsely furnished room. His shoulders shook as he continued tough merrily. "You think you can still get out? You have truly underestimated me, woman!"

    "Don¡¯t call me woman!" Zhang Yifei hissed. She was losing control of her emotions as she realised that Qin Hao must have found out about her spies in the Qin Group.

    "You think I wouldn¡¯t know, huh?" Qin Haoughed again before rising from his seat. "Ah... fool me once, shame on me... fool me twice, shame on you!"

    "I have fooled you more than a thousand times, Qin Hao. The shame is on you! It has always been on you and everyone in the Qin Family!"

    "Shut up!" Qin Hao snapped as he walked towards her. In his hand was a torch, a type that was used for welding. "Shut the f*ck up!"

    Surprisingly, Zhang Yifei stopped talking. She stared at him and then shifted her gaze to the equipment in his hand. For some reason, she really didn¡¯t believe that Qin Hao would hurt her. Maybe it was her confidence in her ability to manipte others. She had been manipting people for so long that she thought it would be easy to sway Qin Hao yet again.

    "When you and the butler disappeared on the same day, I immediately had my people conduct background checks on all the employees in the Qin Group. And guess what?" Qin Hao said, his tone full of derision, "You are truly bold for nting a spy in the office, right under my father¡¯s nose. Yifei ah... you are smart, truly smart, I will give you that. Too bad... being smart is not enough. I mean... just look at my brother."

    "You-" Zhang Yifei¡¯s eyes widened at the mention of the spy that she had nted by Old Man Qin¡¯s side. "What did you do to Yu Man?" she asked. Yu Man was another woman who had been a victim of the Qin Group¡¯s ruthlessness. Just like Zhang Yifei, she had been working to bring the Qin Group down for years.

    Yu Man was one of their corporate people and was quite close to the old man. Since Yu Man was also very good withputers, she was also responsible for getting all the information that Zhang Yifei needed. Moreover, Yu Man was pretty good at swaying opinions and getting people follow her orders. This skill of hers was vital in convincing the shareholders to sell their stocks to Zhang Yifei. Yu Man even made sure that Lily wouldn¡¯t be able to go to China and threaten Mr. Wang to do her bidding.

    Yu Man was Zhang Yifei¡¯s right-hand woman. They had schemed and nned a lot of things together. In fact, a while ago, she was confident that Yu Man would be able to track her because of her expertise in hacking into the Qin men¡¯s devices.

    But now...

    "What did you do to Yu Man?" Zhang Yifei asked as she grew pale. Judging from the way Qin Hao spoke, it was pretty obvious that he was indeed the one responsible for burning her brother¡¯s base to the ground. "You- you took them away didn¡¯t you? You are the one who took them away!"

    shes of hatred were instantly visible in her eyes. At first she didn¡¯t want to mention anything about her brother as she was afraid that Qin Hao was not the one responsible, and telling him would only inform him if the existence of family members he thought long dead. However, now...

    Zhang Yifei struggled to wriggle her wrist free from the chains that held her immobile. "How dare you!?" she yelled. "How dare you?!"

    "Why wouldn¡¯t I dare, Zhang Yifei?" Qin Hao asked. "You are nothing but an ant that my father fed. Without the Qin Family, you are nothing! Do you hear me? You are nothing but an ant! Your bite might sting but it¡¯s too small! You are too small! You are not enough to bring us down!" Qin Hao sneered before instructing his men to turn on the device in his hand.

    A buzzing sound echoed through the room as Qin Hao approached, his gaze maniacal. This woman had called him stupid and underestimated him. For more than twenty years, Zhang Yifei made him dance under her hands like a puppet! "Where¡¯s your scheming brain now he mocked as he stared at the device in his hand. The fireing from the device did not look scary at all. It did not look like it could burn someone, however... that was his purpose all along.

    He wanted to kill her. True.

    But first, he wanted to make her suffer.

    "Now... let¡¯s get down to business," he smiled at her. "I have some share transfer agreements here stating that you are willingly giving me your shares. Sign them and I will kill you in thirty minutes. If you won¡¯t, then... I guess you already know what will happen, don¡¯t you? Lover?"

    ................................

 Chapter 333 What Went Wrong?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 333 What Went Wrong?</h4>

    It had been two hours or maybe even two days - Hell, she didn¡¯t know anymore - since Qin Hao captured Zhang Yifei. No matter how much time had passed, Zhang Yife still refused to sign the documents. She had been through a lot and she would not give up now, or at least that¡¯s what Zhang Yifei kept telling herself.

    Why would she refuse to sign even though she could barely endure the sickeningly inventive torture that she had suffered? It was because, for some reason, she thought that Lily would magicallye and get her. Zhang Yifei was sure that Lily would not save her, but for some reason she believed that Lily woulde.

    Lily was the mastermind behind all this, and for Zhang Yifei, everything would be pointless unless Lily saw her in this miserable state. Of course Zhang Yifei still refused to give up. She had been in this game long enough to know that someone should¡¯ve noticed her disappearance by now.

    ¡¯You have no one left,¡¯ a mocking voice seemed to echo in her mind, a voice she scoffed at dismissively.

    NO ONE.

    Yes. Without her brother and Yu Man, she actually had no one left. She had a sister who didn¡¯t want to be a part of her ns for revenge, and Zhang Yifei actually doubted that her sister would even look for her after realizing that she¡¯d disappeared. Aside from that she actually had no one left.

    How ironic, she thought. Right now, all her hopes were ced on Lily. She just knew in her heart that Lily woulde. It might not be because she wanted to save her, but still, Zhang Yifei knew she woulde. Lily woulde and end her misery - not that she wanted this - but Zhang Yifei knew she didn¡¯t have any other options right now.

    ¡¯What went wrong?¡¯ she asked herself as she contemted her original n. In Zhang Yifei¡¯s mind, the people in the Qin Family had to be criminals, otherwise why would they tolerate what the old man did to her father? They were hypocrites who only wanted more influence, more money and more power.

    Everything about her n was supposed to be perfect. It was so perfect that she couldn¡¯t hide her pride in her cleverness and her ability to manipte and scheme. Old Man Qin was supposed to change his will and make Qin Hao his legal heir. All of his properties were supposed to be Qin Hao¡¯s as Zhang Yifei worked in the shadows to suppress Qin Chuan.

    Then she would instigate Qin Hao to kill the old man while also slowly poisoning Qin Mimi¡¯s mind so that the young woman turned against her father. It was all nned. Everything from what she was going to say to her orchestrated tears were nned to a T. She wanted to cause chaos and make the Qin Family suffer so that in the end, she would emerge as the victorious one. She would have avenged her father and the family that was taken away from her.

    She would have ended Old Man Qin¡¯s greedy nature and the Qin Family¡¯s reign. This was all in her calctions. ¡¯So where did it go wrong?¡¯ she asked herself again before a self-mockingugh escaped her lips.

    Ah.... Lily Qin.

    Lily Qin came back and ruined everything that she had painstakingly nned for years! Zhang Yifei had spent more than thirty years of her life nning, biding her time, and slowly acting in the shadows only to be destroyed by Lily f*cking Qin!

    ¡¯I should have killed her,¡¯ Zhang Yifei said to herself. She should have killed Lily when Bec Fi threatened to return to Europe and have her mother block Zhang Yifei¡¯s schemes against the Qin family. Hell - she should have killed both Bec and Lily and she could have avoided all of this!

    Why the heck did she let them live? Why the heck did she stand by idly and watch them suffer when she could have ended both mother and daughter using two bullets?

    Right, it was because she had been enjoying it. She had enjoyed the game so much that she¡¯d forgotten that life has always been a cycle. She¡¯d forgotten that one day someone more capable, younger, and more powerful woulde and bite her for the things that she¡¯d done.

    She had actually enjoyed the game too much! This was her grave mistake. She¡¯d wanted revenge... she could have poisoned everyone in the Qin Family and gotten away with it. But no... she chose to walk the long and winding road of revenge against them.

    "I can see that you are awake," a cold voice echoed, followed by the clicking sound of a switch being flicked on. Zhang Yifei instantly shut her eyes tightly as the light assaulted her. "This could be really easy... Zhang Yifei... Why don¡¯t you sign the documents so I can end your misery now?" Qin Hao¡¯s voice echoed once again, followed by hisughter.

    "Screw you!" She should have killed this lunatic and dealt with him way before she killed his wife! "Do you really think that you can get away with this?" Zhang Yifei steeled herself to speak confidently. "Do you really think Lily will let you get away after what you did to her father?"

    "Ah.... So you think she will kill me for killing you? If this is what she wants then what¡¯s the problem?" Qin Hao asked. "I am going to hurt you and kill you slowly because it¡¯s the only thing that will satisfy me! Now..." Qin Hao dragged a chair in front of Zhang Yifei and continued, "Why don¡¯t you tell me where you¡¯ve hidden my daughter? Tell me... did you kill her? Did you get her shares? Tell me so I can get mywyer to draft another form to include those shares. Then you can sign it and transfer them to me before you die."

    Zhang Yifei stared at Qin Hao intently, her lower lip trembling as she tried to control her anger. "What a ruthless man," she stated. "Don¡¯t you even care if your daughter lives or dies?" she asked. Zhang Yifei might be a monster, but unlike Qin Hao... she cared about her family. She cared about the people whom she considered her family.

    While Zhang Yifei thought that she was doing this for revenge and to avenge her family, Qin Hao was doing all this because of pure greed. The only motivation this man has for all of his actions was greed and nothing more. Zhang Yifei swallowed her saliva as she continued to stare at the man - no... This was a monster. The man in front of her was a monster, nothing more and nothing less.

    "Do you think you have the right to ask questions here?" Qin Hao asked as he slowly smiled at her. "No... you don¡¯t have that privilege."

    "You are a monster!" Zhang Yifei said, her voice a little raspy as she felt her throat burn. She couldn¡¯t even remember thest time she drank something! Was this really her end? Is she really going to end like this?

    "Oh... I am a monster, alright?" Qin Hao said. "But unlike you... I don¡¯t get attached to everything, only the things that I truly want."

    His words only earned a sneer from Zhang Yifei. "You are too stupid to get attached to anything aside from money! Stop making it sound like you have brains because you don¡¯t!" she countered. "The only reason why you¡¯re so angry right now is because I bruised your ego. Aside from that... everything else is fueled by your greed."

    "And yes... you are a different kind of monster," Zhang Yifei said when she noticed that Qin Hao¡¯s face had started to get darker. "A stupid egotistical monster who is just a pawn waiting to be controlled by the smarter ones out there!"

    .........

 Chapter 334 Break Her

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 334 Break Her</h4>

    Sky City

    "The Qin Group¡¯s board meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. Do you n to attend?" Zhuo Jingren asked while watching Lily do paperwork. Lily wore a frown as she read the report in her hands.

    "No. I¡¯m going back to work tomorrow," she answered, her eyes still on the files. "I¡¯ve been absent for more than a week. I can¡¯t neglect my job just because I want to make someone suffer."

    "You have been working from here ever since you had your ¡¯ident¡¯. What are you so worried about?"

    "President Zhuo... Please take note that I am not like you. I have to study every project thoroughly. Numbers make my brain hurt, and the only reason why I¡¯m still motivated to do my job is because I like to see the numbers in my bank ount increase. If it weren¡¯t for seeing profits rise every time Iplete a deal, I would have already run away and let some minion manage thepany in my stead." Now that Lily thought about it, if she were as smart as Zhuo Jingren, she could actually increase her profits and maybe expand herpany faster. With this in mind, she turned her gaze towards Zhuo Jingren.

    "What are you thinking?" he asked when he sensed the peculiarity in Lily¡¯s gaze.

    "Do you think... you could give your brain to me?" Lily asked seriously before shaking her head when she realized that it was impossible. "I¡¯m kidding," she said the moment she saw Zhuo Jingren opening his mouth to answer her.

    "Oh..." Zhuo Jingren nodded before changing the subject. He was actually considering agreeing to Lily¡¯s request, ah. "Do you think Zhang Yifei is still alive?"

    "We will know that tomorrow."

    "So your n is to make your father confront Qin Hao at the board meeting while he has the police save Zhang Yifei?" Zhuo Jingren confirmed.

    "Hmmm," she nodded. "Did you expect me to just let her die?" She raised her eyes and their gazes met. A tinge of understanding instantly shed in his eyes as Lily¡¯s lips lifted into a smile.

    "No. I knew you would let her suffer, but... it has been three days and I was actually wondering if she¡¯s already signed the documents just to end her misery."

    "She wouldn¡¯t," Lily said with absolute certainty. "She and I... we are the same - almost the same."

    Zhuo Jingren did not answer Lily, he merely nodded. Zhang Yifei and Lily were not the same, at least not in the way they chose to deal with their enemies. However, he also understood that Lily wasn¡¯t equally heartless only because of the positive influence of the people who saved her. If she had been saved by someone who didn¡¯t have a moralpass, circumstances might have culminated in Lily bing a murderer, and then she would have been no better or different than Zhang Yifei.

    "You know... now that I think about it, Zhang Yifei¡¯s story is like... those reincarnation novels I used to read where the leads destroy the lives of the seemingly innocent because it turns out that they will harm her in the future. I find her story simr to that, her murderous streak and her habit of involving innocents and their entire families. She thought the Qin Family destroyed her family. I mean... I don¡¯t really know the entire story." Lily shrugged before she continued, "But what if this was all a plot twist in her story? What if she really came from the future? What if she died by my child¡¯s hands or even my hands and wanted to end me before it happens so she decided to destroy my family first?"

    "Well... I think you have a very vivid imagination, Mrs. Zhuo," Zhuo Jingren said with augh. "But I think in Zhang Yifei¡¯s mind everything that she is doing is the right thing to do. She didn¡¯t think about the innocents that she used or had killed. All she thought about was avenging her family. But now that I think about it... what if she is a cultivator from another dimension who came to..."

    "Alright... stop," Lily interrupted him. "I think we should just stick to my story." What cultivator is this man talking about?

    .....

    The day of the board meeting came...

    Just as Lily expected, Zhang Yifei really did not sign the documents that Qin Hao presented. Why would she? She would rather die than see a satisfied smile stered all over Qin Hao¡¯s face!

    Because of this, Qin Hao had been exhibiting a very bad temper for the past few days. He originally anticipated that Zhang Yifei would give in to his demands after a few hours, yet she didn¡¯t cave in or show a tinge of regret!

    This made him do a lot of things to the woman - inhumane things. Despite all the pain and suffering, Zhang Yifei would only curse and cry but she never asked him to stop. She never even begged him! This infuriated him even more!

    "Do anything it takes to make her sign that document!" Qin Hao said while gritting his teeth.

    "With all due respect, Master, we¡¯ve already used some pretty coercive methods on this woman but she is still not budging. I don¡¯t think physical pain can ruin her willpower," one of his trusted men said.

    Qin Hao¡¯s face darkened even more when he heard this. "How many men do we have in thisplex?"

    "Eight, including me and our guards," he answered.

    "Then take turns and rape her!" Qin Hao said, his face full of disgust. "Since she loves to use her body to manipte men, then rape her! All of you."

    "But Master... I..."

    "No buts! She deserves it for manipting everyone in my family! She deserves everything that¡¯s going to happen to her!" Qin Hao said. Willpower is a very powerful thing. Since no physical torture could break her then he would use the only method that would ruin Zhang Yifei¡¯s pride. He wanted her to feel low... he wanted her to suffer and feel hopeless. He wanted her to beg, to apologize while kneeling in front of him.

    He wanted to break her.

 Chapter 335 Gentle and yet so Dangerous

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 335 Gentle and yet so Dangerous</h4>

    [The Cloudy Future of the Qin Group]

    [After the Chairman of the Qin Group was put to rest two days ago, reports of chaos erupting inside the boardroom continued to trend as the shareholders demanded answers about the future of the Qin Group. Everyone was aware of the influence that Chairman Qin held, and his passing could only mean trouble for the Qin Group and its five affiliates. There is much spection that his second son, Mr. Qin Hao, will take over as he is the only Qin currently working for thepany. There is still no news of Mr. Qin Chuan or his wife as neither of them attended...]

    "This is what the world thinks about us," Qin Hao said as he turned towards the group of men and women who were sitting at the long rectangr conference table in front of him. "Everyone thinks that we are in chaos and the shares instantly dropped by 3%." Qin Hao rose from his seat and he muted the LED TV that was located behind him.

    "As a businessman," he began, "I understand the unrest that you might be feeling. However, I can assure you that once I take over as Chairman, order will be restored."

    "Mr. Qin, with the scandals currently facing each member of the Qin Family, I don¡¯t think this is the right time for you to take over as Chairman. I suggest that Vice President Dongfang take over for now while we address the usations hurled against you by Miss Zhang," said a prominent board member. "Mr. Dongfang also holds twelve percent of the shares in thepany. Although it is not as big as what you hold, the man has worked with thepany for more than thirty years. I am confident that he will bring much needed confidence and stability to thepany."

    "Mr. Qin, I agree with Mr. Tsui. Mr. Dongfang is someone that the Chairman trusted... I am sure that..."

    As expected, Zhang Yifei¡¯s ims actually had a negative effect on him. This was something that he could not ept. "I have been with thispany for more than thirty years," Qin Hao retorted as rage started to build within him. "And my aplishments speak for themselves," he said with his chin in the air as he was truly proud of ¡¯his¡¯ achievements.

    "Gentlemen, thispany has been in our family for years. My family built thispany from scratch. Are you really going to ignore this fact just because of that woman¡¯s ims?" he asked with a calm yet stern expression on his face. "Ten years ago when ourpany encountered trouble in Hunan Province, I, personally, was the one who resolved the issues in less than forty-eight hours. Fifteen years ago, when one of us..." Qin Hao continued to remind them of the aplishments and sacrifices he¡¯d made on behalf of the Qin Group..

    This immediately swayed divisions amongst the board members. After all, Qin Hao was telling the truth. He had been with thispany for more than thirty years. How could they ignore all of his aplishments in the face of what could simply be a calcted usation?

    "Mr. Qin... I apologize for interrupting but I have something to say," anky man in his forties said as he raised his hand. When Qin Hao nodded at him, he continued, "I agree with Mr. Tsui on this, not merely because of your scandal, but because of our market. We take pride in creating exclusive high-end jewelry designs and other branded essories for women. How can we let the public assume that our Chairman has a history of assaulting women and we, the Board, have no objection to that and are happy to proceed as usual?"

    Silence instantly followed as some of the board members slowly shook their heads. It seems that the speaker was in fact a representative sent by a shareholder based abroad.

    "You have a point," Qin Hao conceded. "However, I have a way to clear my name. Mywyer is already taking care of it. These are all rumors and we all know that I am not the type of person who would do that to a woman. I am certain that my name will be cleared soon."

    Some of the board members nodded in agreement. Weren¡¯t these all rumors? They can give him a chance once his name is cleared.

    ....

    Meanwhile, on the ground floor of the Qin Group¡¯s main office, a tall man wearing a dark blue tuxedo strode into the building followed by two men in police uniforms and another man wearing a ck suit.

    "Good morning," the man in a dark blue tuxedo said to the receptionist. "I am here to see Mr. Qin Hao, please."

    "Do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked with her eyes glued to theputer screen in front of her.

    "No, but I believe Mr. Qin will agree to see me immediately once you tell him my name," the man smiled.

    "Your name please?" the receptionist asked before she raised her head and gasped audibly. "Mr... Mr... Qin..." she said as she rose from her seat. "Mr. Qin Chuan, sir, I... I apologize for not recognizing your voice," she stammered before giving him a small bow. Although the attendant was young and new, she still recognized Qin Chuan as his name was an illustrious part of thepany¡¯s past.

    This man¡¯s business acumen and talent in jewelry design was known throughout the industry. However, Mr. Qin was said to be paralyzed... The attendant seemed to realize something as she froze and stared at Qin Chuan intently. Wasn¡¯t he paralyzed? Why is he standing tall in front of her now?

    "So are you going to allow me to go to my brother¡¯s office?" Qin Chuan asked with a hint of a smile on his face. His gaze was gentle, but at the same time it made the receptionist shiver. How could a face be so gentle and yet so dangerous at the same time?

 Chapter 336 I am Innocent!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 336 I am Innocent!</h4>

    "So?" Qin Chuan gave the attendant another smile as he lifted an eyebrow at her. "Are you going to let me see my brother?"

    "I... I... Of course. Of course, Mr. Qin. I¡¯ll have someone escort you to..."

    "No need. I can manage," he said before walking towards the elevator with the two policemen.

    .....

    "As I said... all of my aplishments in thispany and the fact that I personally groomed my daughter for the CEO position can attest to my capabilities and prove that I¡¯m more than qualified for the Chairman position, yes?" Qin Hao gave everyone a cold and chilling smile. The Chairman position can only be his and no one else¡¯s. Sensing that he was swaying the opinions of the businessmen in front of him who were nodding their heads, he continued, "As someone from the Qin bloodline, coupled with all my notable aplishments in thepany, I am the most qualified person in this room to be the next Chairman. Isn¡¯t that right, Mr. Dongfang?" he sent Dongfang a provoking smile.

    If his guess was right then this Mr. Dongfang could be one of Lily¡¯s people or else it wouldn¡¯t make sense for a mere VP to vie for the Chairman position unless he had a strong backer. It would then exin why he had the guts to garner votes from other shareholders to make him the next Chairman.

    "Wrong," a sudden voice interrupted Qin Hao¡¯s train of thoughts, attracting everyone¡¯s attention as the door swung open and in came Qin Chuan followed by hispanions. His presence instantly earned many surprised gasps from everyone, including Qin Hao. Of course, in his case he was surprised to see that Qin Chuan was not in a wheelchair. Was he pretending to be handicapped all this time?

    Qin Hao instantly stiffened at the realization that Qin Chuan wasn¡¯t crippled. His eyes lingered on Qin Chuan¡¯s healthy legs before he finally met his brother¡¯s eyes.

    "Surprised?" Qin Chuan asked as he opened the first button of his suit before walking towards the vacant seat on Qin Chuan¡¯s left. This seat was supposed to be Qin Mimi¡¯s.

    "At this point, nothing surprises me anymore," Qin Hao said calmly. "You disappeared days before Father¡¯s death which I must add, your wife was responsible for. I believe everyone already know why you are here." he said, his face showed a tinge of disappointment and superficial sorrow.

    Meanwhile, everyone who heard what Qin Hao said instantly knitted their brows. This was supposed to be their family issue and not many of them were made aware that Qin Chuan had disappeared days before his father¡¯s death. When Qin Chuan didn¡¯t show himself at his father¡¯s wake, everyone just assumed that he was being difficult because he had some issues with the will. However now...

    "Aren¡¯t you even wondering why the police are here?" Qin Chuan ignored Qin Hao¡¯s empty words. He was already used to the man¡¯s acting and was also immuned to his lies. Seeing Qin Hao furrowing his brows, Qin Chuan knew he got his brother¡¯s attention. Henguidly leaned on the chair and gave Qin Hao a small smile. "When the media - I mean the online world said something about my wife being the one responsible for my father¡¯s death, I instantly wondered why she would do such a thing. She was practically raised by Father and had been living with us for years. She had shown nothing but love and gentleness to our family. So how could she do this?"

    "So I... even my daughter whom I was meeting during the period you imed that I had disappeared, didn¡¯t believe it," Qin Chuan said before he reached out for the remote that was in front of Qin Hao. Then with the same smile on his face, he switched the channel and increased the volume.

    [Until now, we don¡¯t have any news regarding Miss Zhang Yifei and whether she is still alive. However, we have already confirmed that this ce indeed belonged to Mr. Qin Hao, the son of the recently deceased Chairman of the Qin Group. The police are already on their way to invite Mr. Qin Hao for questioning.]

    Qin Hao¡¯s world seemed to shake as his eyes widened at the familiar location shown on the TV.

    [Earlier this week, Miss Zhang filed aint of sexual assault against her husband¡¯s brother but the police was not able to obtain solid evidence. After that, Miss Zhang disappeared and everyone thought that she ran away from the Qin Family... oh.... We have the captain... Captain...Captain can you answer a few of our questions about this brutal crime?]

    At this juncture, Qin Chuan muted the TV and stared at the frozen Qin Hao. "When everyone said that she disappeared after she filed aint against you... I already knew that you have captured her. I guess I was right?"

    "You-" It was as if a bucket of cold water was poured on Qin Hao as he stared at Qin Chuan and was rendered speechless for a few seconds. "You are framing me!" he yelled before he lunged towards his brother, his eyes full of rage. However, the two police officers that was escorting Qin Chuan was quick enough to stop him. "You coward!" Qin Hao hissed as he red at Qin Chuan¡¯s smiling face. He struggled against the grip of the police officers on his arms and tried to attack thetter but one of the policemen suddenly pinned him down to the floor.

    "Mr. Qin, please do not resort to violence. We don¡¯t want to hurt you," the policeman warned. "We are only here to invite you to the police..."

    "I am innocent! Why would you invite me and not this man? He was the one who kidnapped his own wife, not me."

    "Please... Second Brother," Qin Chuan said, "At this point it is futile for you to keep up with this pretense. Do you think anyone will believe you? Please stop deluding yourself. The police have evidence that you were at that ce this past few days while I was at my daughter¡¯s ce spending some time with her."

    "You liar! I dare you to fight me! Fight me without your schemes and these people around you! Qin Chuan, you are the worst person I have ever met!" Of course, Qin Hao still decided to put on a show. After all, a lot of shareholders were watching. He thought he could still use this situation to gain everyone¡¯s sympathy.

    "Mr. Qin, please stop struggling and juste peacefully with us."

    "NO! Call mywyer! Can someone call mywyer? I have the right not to go with the police! Let go of me or I am suing the whole police department! You hear me? Let me go!"

 Chapter 337 Death Penalty

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 337 Death Penalty</h4>

    "Second brother... I¡¯ve already told you they have enough evidence to request the death penalty. Stop struggling... you are only hurting yourself." Qin Chuan¡¯s provocation only made Qin Hao angrier and caused him to struggle even more. How could he allow Qin Chuan to mock him like this?

    "Mr. Qin, if you are innocent then please just leave with the police officers. Please... let¡¯s not create any more scandals," suggested one of the board members. While they haven¡¯t heard the whole story, they also did not want thepany to be implicated in Qin Hao¡¯s crimes. "Please Mr. Qin. This is for thepany."

    "You- Are you really going to let this imbecile do this to me?"

    Before any of the board members could answer him, Qin Chuan¡¯s scoff rang out. He gestured for the police to make Qin Hao return to his seat. "The way you called me an imbecile is just insulting yourself. If I am an imbecile, then what are you?"

    "Sh*t up! How dare you frame..."

    "Tsk... Tsk... Qin Hao, stop being shameless. Do you really dare to discuss this in front of me?" Qin Chuan taunted with a smile. "We all know that you are useless in front of me. You were useless then and you are useless now. Do you really want to y this game with me?"

    Qin Hao stared intently at his brother. He could feel his insides churning from unreleased aggression. He was sure that if he said one more thing, Qin Chuan would reveal how he was the one devising and implementing all of the projects while Qin Hao greedily took credit for them. Qin Hao gnashed his teeth before snarling, "You are such a despicable person!"

    "Coming from you... despicable doesn¡¯t sound bad at all," Qin Chuan countered before leaning towards his brother. "Now... you sit right there and watch."

    "What are you going to do?"

    In response, Qin Chuan patted his brother¡¯s shoulders and gave him a fake smile. "Reiming what¡¯s mine," he said as his gaze turned to the group of men and women before them.

    .....

    "She was raped?" Lily¡¯s brows instantly furrowed when she heard Bei Tian¡¯s report. Initially Lily was nning to go to work today, but because she wanted to visit Zhang Yifei, she cancelled her original ns.

    "Yes, and her face was badly burned too," Bei Tian said. "The police also found some unsigned documents for the transfer of her shares to Qin Hao. Everything is going rather well. The news has gone viral and a lot of women are already screaming for death penalty."

    "That man deserves to suffer," Lily concurred. Rape? Really? Qin Hao was truly a ruthless human being. Lily could only shake her head. "Is Zhang Yifei still alive though?"

    "She is. She was conscious when the police found her. But as I said... she was badly ruined. Man... I know I am ruthless but I have never done that to my enemies, no matter how evil they were. I believe skinning them alive is still the best choice possible..."

    "Since she is conscious... I will go and see her," Lily interrupted Bei Tian as she looked towards the silent Zhuo Jingren. "Are youing with me?"

    "Hmmm," Zhuo Jingren nodded as he rose from his seat. Because HongKong is quite far from Shaghai, they chose to go to the maind and stay in a hotel first before going to the hospital. Moreover, Lily already decided to postpone her original n of going back to work..

    Of course, Bei Tian decided to go with them.

    "I never expected Qin Hao to be this... inhumane," Lily said, her gaze focused on the passing scenery.

    "Qin Hao¡¯s intellect is low. Such behavior is actually to be expected of a man like him," Zhuo Jingren said. "This type of man exists in every country in the world. They are dumb as a rock, but their egos convince them that they far more intelligent and crafty than they are in reality. It¡¯s extremely easy to seduce them and manipte them. The best way to do this is to stroke their ego and make it bloat even more."

    "Hmmm... I know but... really? Rape? Didn¡¯t he ever love her? They used to sleep together, right? They were in a rtionship for ten years?" Lily turned her attention to Zhuo Jingren. How could people go so low?

    Lily hated Zhang Yifei. That was a fact, and Lily will hate her for a long time toe but the thought of having Zhang Yifei raped had never crossed her mind.

    "Neen," Bei Tian suddenly interrupted them. "Aiyo... Why are you even thinking that this would matter to a man like him? She was smarter than him, so he wanted to humiliate her and make her feel that he was somehow superior to her."

    Lily nodded at Bei Tian¡¯s words. Qin Hao was obviously self-centered, and the fact that Zhang Yifei was able to control him for years was an enormous blow to his ego.

    "Plus, Qin Hao wanted her signature," Zhuo Jingren said as he let Lily put her head on his shoulder. "He knew that Qin Chuan mighte, and with your backing he would get the board member¡¯s approval immediately. The only weapon that Qin Hao could use was to hold the most shares in thepany."

    "Hmm,." Lily agreed. While she didn¡¯t like the fact that Zhang Yifei was raped, she was not angry about it either. She wouldn¡¯t pretend that she truly felt that Zhang Yifei deserved everything that Qin Hao did to her because she was a ruthless woman who had no qualms about killing the innocent and manipting people.

    Eventually, someone like Qin Hao was bound to hurt Zhang Yifei because of her schemes. "How far are we from the hospital?" she asked.

    "Less than an hour," replied Zhuo Jingren. "Close your eyes and rx. I will let you know once we are there."

    "Alright," Lily said with a sigh as she felt Zhuo Jingren¡¯s fingers entwine with hers. She felt him squeeze her hand, silently sending her his support. She would see Zhang Yifei soon... She would see the woman who took everything away from her.

 Chapter 338 The Clown

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 338 The Clown</h4>

    Pain- a throbbing pain that seemed to doubled the moment she took another breath.

    That was the first thing that Zhang Yifei felt when she opened her eyes again. Where was she? She asked herself when she noticed that white ceiling that caught her eye when she opened it. Hospital?

    Zhang Yifei tried to recall thest thing that she remembered before losing consciousness. Guns and shouting. She remembered someone cursed and then footsteps, lots of them. Since the room was not dark in the first ce, it was easy for her to recognize uniformed mening into the room.

    Zhang Yifei tried to turn her head only to feel a searing pain. It was all over her body, she could feel almost every part of her body screaming, as if telling her not to move an inch.

    "I asked them to remove the pain reliever that they gave you." A voice echoed inside the room, making her flinch in the process. Another pain seemed to attacked her senses. "How do you feel? Being alive is such a great thing, isn¡¯t it?"

    "Li-" Zhang Yifei tried to call out Lily¡¯s name but her throat started to burn, making her grimace in pain. But she discovered that she could not really move her mouth. What is happening?

    "You are wrapped in bandages," Lily answered. "In case you didn¡¯t know, Qin Hao badly burnt your body including your hair."

    "Nooo...hmmmm." Zhang Yifei tried to utter another word but the pain in her throat reminded her that she couldn¡¯t do it now.

    "I could give you some water." Lily¡¯s voice echoed again before she heard some soft footsteps headed towards her. rm instantly registered in Zhang Yifei¡¯s eyes as she tried to scream, telling her not toe near her. But the only thing that she could do was to let out a grunt. "But I wouldn¡¯t." Lily¡¯s smiling face came into her view.

    That face... was the same smiling face that Lily gave her

    "You deserve it." Lily said her gaze was full of mockery. "You deserve everything that Qin Hao did to you. He was your monster, you created him, molded him to be like this. How does it feel to be humiliated like that in the hands of someone that you thought was below you?"

    "Hmmm.... Hmmmmm...." Zhang Yifei forced to shake her head, only to encounter another pain again. Tears- or if that¡¯s what it was- made its way into her cheeks as she remembered what Qin Hao¡¯s men did to her. She was humiliated. Dirtied and thrown away on the ground dying. But instantly a sh of victory could be seen in her eyes.

    So what? She did not sign the document! She still won in the end! And Lily- she was sure it was her- saved her. Lily saved her! A mixed of emotions shed into her eyes. Anger, humiliation, relief and sadness.

    Laughter seemed to build up inside Zhang Yifei followed by extreme anger. Why would sheugh? She was angry! So angry that she could feel her blood boil!

    "Still... I do pity you." Zhang Yifei¡¯s attention was once again attracted to Lily¡¯s smiling face. "You were used by someone. Even though you are so smart... someone still used you and until now... you are unaware. Isn¡¯t it a pity?"

    When Lily sense the confusion in Zhang Yifei¡¯s eyes she instantly continued, "Qin Wuyang." Lily said. "There are two generals in the Qin Mansion, Zhang Yifei. I¡¯m sure you already know this, right?" the disgust in Lily¡¯s voice was too apparent that it made Zhang Yifei opened her mouth again.

    "Miss Zhang... did you know that both generals served together with your father?" Lily asked.

    A sh of uncertainty can be seen in Zhang Yifei¡¯s eyes. There were indeed two military men in the Qin Family and both of them served with his father. However, what did it have to do with her revenge?

    "Oh... Miss Zhang... I did a lot of research on why you would spend all your life nning all these revenge against the people that raised you. I wondered what could push you to do all these things. And then... your brother came."

    At the mention of her brother, Zhang Yifei tried to lift her arms to hold Lily. She wanted to ask her where Zhang Chen was. She wanted to know where her niece was. But then the pain reminded her that Qin Hao burned her entire body and the only thing that was keeping her alive was the pain reliever that he would give her after everything to make her live another day.

    "Here..." Lily said as she held her phone. Then Zhang Chen¡¯s voice echoed inside the room.

    "If you want to kill someone just kill me and don¡¯t touch my daughter!" Zhang Chen was screaming as he pleaded to the other person on the recording. "Please... don¡¯t kill my daughter... I beg of you."

    "I... I will tell you everything that you want to know! Everything.... Please spare her."

    "It was Qin Wuyang... he was the one who supported me. He saved me. He saved me and told me that Old Man Qin killed my father and used him as a shield. So.... So I told Yifei about it. And gave her everything that Qin Wuyang told me."

    "It was my fault... I was the one who asked my daughter to control Qin Yuanfeng. Everything is my fault... please she is already sick... don¡¯t kill her. Please..."

    Then Lily paused the video as her eyes met Zhang Yifei¡¯s. The smile on her was even more brilliant. "Qin Wuyang was the same person who warn your brother about my mother¡¯s family. Your brother also informed you and you thought once Bec married into the Qin Family, there was a possibility that she would spoil your n. So you ruined her."

    "You poisoned everyone in the Qin Family, making them unable to give birth to end their lineage. Qin Mimi had the same thing. As well as both Qin Hao and Qin Chuan... I would not be surprised if Qin Yuanfeng would have the same poison running in his blood too." Lily continued. "That was also the reason why you asked Qin Mo to remove my child and tried to ruin my ovaries. Keyword: Try."

    Lily made a deliberate pause as she shifted her eyes away from Zhang YiFei. "Qin Wuyang used you against the whole Qin Family and you were not even aware of that. He was the one who killed your father, used your father to shield him from the bomb and Old Man Qin¡¯s conscience was not able to take it. He pitied you and raised you because he knew that his brother, the true culprit would never pity you or your siblings. He also sent some money to your sister and supported her study in secret."

    "Or so he thought. Your sister knew about this and that was the reason why she refused to take revenge. She knew that Old Man Qin was supporting her in secret, making sure that her future would be bright. And so when you approached her and told her about what you knew happened, she instantly refused and told you to forget about the past and worry about the future instead." Lily¡¯s words seemed to echo inside her mind over and over again. Qin Wuyang? It was him?

    "You thought you could act like a god and make everyone dance in your hands like puppets and yet you yourself danced in someone else¡¯s hands." Lily sneered. "How does it feel to be used and manipted by someone? To have you ruined so many lives, including yours. Huh? How does it feel to be the clown all along?"

 Chapter 339 A Smart Yet Angry Man

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 339 A Smart Yet Angry Man</h4>

    Zhang Yifei tried to furrow her brow to contemte and think about Lily¡¯s words. While she found the action really painful, it was nothingpared to the pain and confusion she felt inside. Qin Wuyang used her and her family?

    "I know it is very hard to believe. I mean... how could a man outsmart you? I know what you feel and to be honest, I understand most of your feelings. When my mother... when I discovered that my mother was murdered my gaze turned red." Lily said as she reminisces her feelings when the Yang Family informed her about her mother¡¯s murder.

    "I wanted to kill them. The people who killed her. I wanted to make them suffer... everyst one of them. And yet... I didn¡¯t. I honestly don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t." Lily shrugged. Of course she knew why she didn¡¯t but she refused to give Zhang YIfei the satisfaction to know how Zhuo Jingren¡¯s presence helped her a lot.

    "But let¡¯s stop talking about this and focus on the fact that you have been fooled." Lily said as she looked at Zhang Yifei¡¯s chest who had been steadily rising. "Qin Wuyang was the same person who told my father about you and he used my father, manipted him so he could go against you and Qin Hao."

    "Now that right there is one smart man. A smart yet angry man."

    "Hmmmm.... Hmmmm." Zhang Yifei once again tried to say something but again, it only came out as grunting and moaning.

    "If you want to know why Qin Wuyang did it... I don¡¯t know too." Lily said as she suddenly turned around and turn on the TV. "I almost forgot... about this. But Look..." she gestured to her to look at the TV and when she realized that Zhang Yifei could not lift her head, Lily helped moved Zhang Yifei¡¯s bed, making sure that she could see Qin Chuan being interviewed by the media.

    "Ahhh... how could I forget the volume?" Lily snickered before she increase the volume.

    [I have not heard anything about my wife yet. However, I can assure everyone that whoever did this will pay and I am prepared to give everything to ensure that justice will be serve.]

    [I did keep my recovery to a lot of people because of the threats that I have been receiving from Qin Hao. He threatened to hurt my daughter who was not yet aware that she was my daughter. He threatened to hurt her if I didn¡¯t manage thepany under his name. He was a despicable person and I have already filed a total of 8 cases, both administrative and criminal cases against him.]

    [Mr. Qin why did you decide to go forward now that your father is dead? Is this a move to get the sympathy of people?]

    [I didn¡¯t n to do this but when my wife disappeared, I did my best to reconcile with my daughter. It was all chaos and I won¡¯t bore you with the details. After everything that has happened, I want to put the past behind me and continue as the new chairman of thepany. As for my wife... I will take care of her and ept her no matter what she had gone through.]

    "You saw what will be happening now?" Lily¡¯s voice interrupted Zhang Yifei¡¯s thoughts. "My father will take care of you. Until you die. Isn¡¯t this just an epic ending... of your story?"

    "Hmmmm.... Hmmmm." Zhang Yifei tried her best to shake her head. The damages that she had done to Qin Chuan¡¯s family was the worst. How could Qin Chuan take care of her after this? Both Lily and Zhang Yifei knew what kind of ¡¯taking care¡¯ Qin Chuan was nning after this incident.

    "Boomerang Zhang Yifei... if you are wondering what is happening right now... this is called boomerang. Whatever we do will alwayse back to us." Lily said. "Now as for the despicable man named Qin Hao... he will not only rot in prison but I can assure you that he will suffer the same thing if not more than you. Then he will disappear... no one will remember him."

    "And you my dear? Well.... Do I really have to tell you what will happen to you? Oh... In case you are wondering... I won¡¯t kill you." Lily said. "You have been ying with my family for more than thirty years. And because of that I will give you another thirty years in the Qin Family¡¯s dungeon. Or are you familiar with the old basement in their mansion? My father told me about it. He said it was full of rats and cockroaches and spiders..." Seeing the fear slowly creep into Zhang Yifei¡¯s eyes, Lily smiled a brilliant smile. "It should be fun."

    "Hmmm..."

    "Oh... you don¡¯t have to struggle anymore." Lily said. "People wille for you after I leave and transfer you to the prestigious Qin Mansion. I mean... since you love to have the Qin Mansion so much.... You should just stay and live there the rest of your life inside the mansion." Lily then turned her back away from Zhang Yifei, her footsteps echoed inside the room.

    "As for Qin Mo... the person whom you asked to remove my child... you shall watch him suffer soon. Together with his wife... you will watch them suffer because of your wrong assumptions." Lily added. "And one more thing... I am not sure if Tang Lingyun informed her husband but that child¡¯s father is Zhuo Jingren. And believe me when I say this... he is not a very good man when ites to the people who hurt his loved ones."

    "Hmmm.. Li... Ly..." Zhang Yifei tried to call Lily out when she heard her footsteps again. Is she going to leave just like this? What about her brother and niece? Where are they? What did she do to them?

    "I won¡¯t tell you what happened to your brother." Lily said. "You will continue to live not knowing what happened to them."

 Chapter 340 Scared of Being Alive

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 340 Scared of Being Alive</h4>

    The beeping sound of the machine that was connected to Zhang Lifei¡¯s body continued as the door closed behind Lily. Then Lily¡¯sughter echoed in her mind. Was she hearing things? She tried to shake her head and empty her mind but it was useless. She couldn¡¯t forget Lily¡¯s smile or herughter before she walked away.

    It was neither a happyughter nor a victoriousughter. Lily¡¯sughter was different, it was sinister, as if telling her that whatever she had gone through was not enough and there was moreing for her.

    And for the first time, Zhang Yifei felt scared. For the first time... she felt scared of being alive. She was scared to live.

    Zhang Yifei felt her eyes watering while she tried to swallow her saliva with much difficulty. Then Qin Chuan¡¯s words echoed in her mind: I will take care of her... Zhang Yifei knew better than to take his words at face value. She knew that this ¡¯taking care¡¯ could only mean one thing and that was to make her suffer even more.

    Both Qin Chuan and Lily must have colluded to ¡¯save¡¯ her; make her live in pain as a bald, ugly and dirty woman. Then she thought about Lily¡¯s revtion of how she was used by Qin Wuyang. Was it really true?

    Of course, she also knew that Lily would not give her the satisfaction of knowing this. Lily would rather leave her mulling over this question her whole life. And maybe she deserved it... she deserved everything that wasing her way. Then she remembered the way Qin Hao looked at her, his gaze full of hatred and disgust. She remembered his cruelughter as he did all those things to her. It was cruel and ruthless.

    ¡¯You created him,¡¯ a voice echoed in her mind. It was because of her. She manipted a stupid man like him and she miscalcted his stupidity. She miscalcted his pride and the bruise that she had caused to the man¡¯s ego.

    Zhang Yifei felt a sudden burst ofughter building inside her. Lily was actually right, she was a clown who was used and manipted to hurt the innocent. Just how stupid was she? Zhang Yifei had always prided herself for her brains. Her ability to scheme was top notch, and yet... she became a clown in someone else¡¯s game. The stupid pawn that was used to attack a queen.

    But did she regret it? Zhang Yifei did not know. She could not honestly answer that question right now. Not when all she felt was anger... extreme anger.

    .....

    "Satisfied?" Zhuo Jingren asked the moment he opened the car door for Lily. However, instead of getting an answer, Lily only gave him a small and delicate smile. It wasn¡¯t a smile of victory or happiness. It was something else... something that he did not recognize.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" he asked after he got inside the car. He eyed Bei Tian on the mirror, urging him to ask the driver to start the car.

    "I realized that revenge did not improve my emotional and mental health or gave me any bit of satisfaction at all," Lily blurted. Sure, seeing Zhang Yifei wrapped in bandages gave her some sort of satisfaction, but still, Lily felt that it wasn¡¯t enough. Something was missing... something was not making her happy at all.

    Her words earned a sigh from Zhuo Jingren. "You are only feeling a little down because you did not get everything you wanted. Go ahead and take over the Qin Group," he said. He understood that revenge would not satisfy his wife because she was here for the money in the first ce. Lily came back to Hong Kong because she wanted to grow herpany, not for these long and winding schemes...

    "Huh?" Lily shifted her eyes towards him, her gaze full of confusion. What does he mean? She stared at his features intently. Could it be that she was not satisfied because she was not able to obtain the Qin Group? Lily fell into silence as she thought deeper into it. Wait...

    Could it be that this man understood her more than she understood herself?

    Lily watched as Zhuo Jingren¡¯s lips curled into a smile. "I won¡¯t hold you back. Go ahead and ask your father if you could have thepany. Then he could manage it under the Fi Group. Besides, since you are nning to have Qin Yuanfeng take over, you will only be managing thepany for a few more years and then you can retire."

    Lily instantly narrowed her eyes at Zhuo Jingren, the strange emotion that she felt earlier was now gone. She wanted to ask him how he could think about retirement so early? She was young - too young to retire. However, the look on his face was enough to stop her from protesting. Alright... retirement. Maybe it isn¡¯t as bad as it sounds?

    "You seemed to have been nning this all along President Zhuo," Lily noted. When Zhuo Jingren told her that obtaining morepanies would only mean more work for her, she actually considered taking a step back and slowing down. Lily agreed that she had been rushing. She wanted to grow as fast as possible and all of her decisions until now was fueled by that desire to grow and grow.

    "Well... I cany down my ns for our whole life but that will only bore you..."

    "Can you two please... Please consider the fact that you two are not the only ones in the car?" Bei Tian suddenly interrupted them and turned his head towards the couple who was smiling back at him. "What are you two smiling for? We still have a lot of things to uncover and mysteries to solve. We need to deal with a whole lot of evil people out there and yet you two are shamelessly flirting - which by the way is just grossing from both of you!" Bei Tian said in one breath before he took a deep breath. Being with these two people was such a torture. He felt that he would not survive if he has to apany them every day!

    Ugh! Can he unfriend these two people and move on with his life on the other side of the world?

 Chapter 341 Obsession in Defeating Lily

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 341 Obsession in Defeating Lily</h4>

    The news of Qin Hao being the one responsible for what happened to Zhang YIfei spread like a wild fire in the dead of the night. It was chaotic as the media people crowded outside the police station, anticipating a big scoop. They were eagerly waiting for any police officer to appear outside the station, hoping to get theirments about the case or just to get a glimpse of Qin Hao¡¯s current appearance.

    Meanwhile, Qin Mo and Tang Lingyun seemed to shiver in fright as they heard the news from the TV.

    "Turn it off," Qin Mo¡¯s order sounded like a bark. While the news about Zhang Yifei sent some unrecognizable emotions down to the pit of his stomach , his anger against his current uselessness was eating him up from the inside and he couldn¡¯t contain his rage. "I said turn it off!"

    "Now... you don¡¯t have to get all riled up over this," Tang Lingyun answered while turning off the TV. "This won¡¯t do anything good to your health," Tang Lingyun said gently, her eyes not revealing the fear that she had felt earlier.

    "Leave me... I don¡¯t want to see you."

    "Mo... I thought..."

    "Father... Father..." the door of their room abruptly opened, revealing a panic stricken Qin Liwei. His face was pale as he approached his father who was lying on the bed. "Did you see the news? It was Lily, wasn¡¯t it? She was the one responsible for this?" It wasn¡¯t really a question. Qin Liwei and everyone else in the room knew that whatever happened to the Qin Family in Shanghai was all Lily¡¯s doing.

    Qin Mo only stared at his son for a while before he gestured for Tang Lingyun to leave them. However, thetter still refused to do so and stubbornly sat next to Qin Mo. Seeing Tang Lingyun¡¯s refusal to leave, Qin Mo shook his head and clenched his jaws. "Lily ising for me... for us," he said gravely. He couldn¡¯t just reveal to them the truth about Lily¡¯s child; the truth about how he was the one who forcefully removed Lily¡¯s child out of her womb. Instead, Qin Mo used the word ¡¯us¡¯ to ensure that his son would help him to get rid of or at least try to get rid of Lily.

    "That woman..." Qin Liwei stared at his father speechlessly. Lily had be too powerful and sadly, he was aware of the fact that even afterbining forces with his father, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to destroy Lily, no matter what.

    Things would¡¯ve been different if they had only made an alliance with the main branch when they had visited here. But everything took a different turn when Lily had turned up in their doorstep... unannounced.

    "I have heard a lot of stories about the Fi Group trying to obtainpanies in China. Maybe Lily just wanted to branch out in China and would stop disturbing us now. Maybe she has moved on. I am sure we are just nobodies in her eyes," Tang Lingyun reasoned. The truth was hard to ept but they actually did not have any other choice but to ept it or they would perish.

    "Whatpanies?" Qin Liwei asked, interest instantly overflowed from his eyes as if he didn¡¯t hear the part about Tang Lingyun mentioning them as nobodies.

    "Wang Group? One of my friends had mentioned that they had to pull out their shares as it was too chaotic. It was a... I forgot the term but that¡¯s used when you forcibly take over apany."

    "Force acquisition?"

    "Yes. That¡¯s the right term." Tang Lingyun nodded at her husband¡¯s words. "Lily¡¯s representative was forcibly taking over thepany from the Wang Family and it was really chaotic."

    "Lily truly has a big appetite. Her greed will be her downfall one day," Qin Mo said. "However, this is not our concern. Liwei... I want you toy low. We should be invisible. Make our presence as small as possible. You shouldn¡¯t and I mean under no circumstances, should you provoke Lily in any possible way."

    "But father, Lily is preupied right now. Her focus is on branching out, so maybe we could use this opportunity to gain some advantage..."

    "Listen to yourself!" Qin Mo harshly interrupted Qin Liwei. "Did you just hear what I said? I said, DO NOT provoke her in any way. She is very dangerous and could wipe us out in mere days!"

    "Father I understand your point but..."

    "I said DAYS!" Qin Mo¡¯s voice boomed, echoing inside the whole room, making Tang Lingyun tremble. "And I mean TWO DAYS! Do you understand my words now? Lily could end us- you and me and your sister and mother in two days!"

    "How do you know that? We haven¡¯t even tried and you already think that we are defeated."

    Qin Mo helplessly looked at his stupid son. How did he have a son like this? He wanted to p the young man in front of him. How was he so dumb not to realize the extent of Lily¡¯s power? Instead he asked, "So what are you nning to do, Liwei?"

    "I..." Qin Liwei was caught off guard at his father¡¯s question. ns? He had none. "Maybe we could use their enemies against them Or maybe we could ally ourselves with one of her enemies from Europe."

    "She has no ties with the ck market," Qin Mo answered. "I had already researched about this in the past - The Fi Group has never involved themselves in the ck market nor any illegal stuff. They are clean."

    "But apany like that... they are bound to have some enemies. People who have been used as a stepping stone for their sess. Maybe we could ally with them and use them to destroy Lily," Qin Liwei said. He did not understand why he was so fixated in ruining Lily. Most of the time, he would just spend his days nning, making preparations against Lily. And every time he tried toe up with something, his father would only reject his ns and prove him wrong over and over again.

    Qin Mo would always rebuke his ns harshly, making him think that he was truly stupid. His old man would tell him how his n was not enough. How they needed something more to defeat her. More? What more could they do? Both the father and son were close to feeling useless whenpared to what Lily could do.

    While he found this tedious task rather funny and infuriating at the same time, his obsession in defeating Lily was bing stronger day by day.

    Maybe it was because of the provocation behind Lily¡¯s smile every time she talked to him. Or the amusement in her eyes every time he spoke to her. It was as if... she was mocking him, telling him that she was smarter, far more powerful and richer than him.

    Whatever it was, one thing was for sure... he wanted to ruin her. And he would do everything to achieve his goal.

    "Stupid!" Qin Mo spat almost suprising his son. How did he even get a son like him? Qin Mo asked while gritting his teeth. He instantly wonder if a donkey kicked Qin Liwei¡¯s head when he was born.

    .....

    Ko-fi/theblips

 Chapter 342 Jealousy is for the Weak

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 342 Jealousy is for the Weak</h4>

    "Surprisingly, Qin Chuan did not reveal that you are his daughter. Revealing your identity would have created a lot of ripples in the businessmunity." It has been days since Qin Hao¡¯s news and Zhang Yifei¡¯s kidnapping broke the inte and yet, no one knew of Lily¡¯s involvement until now. Also, apart from that no one has any clue that she was a Qin from the main branch.

    "He is a smart man," Lily answered while her gaze was fixed on the sd bowl that Zhuo Jingren had made for her. "I asked my father to talk to Qin Wuyang alone. Do you think... I made the right decision?"

    "You are asking me?" amusement instantly shed in his eyes. Lily was asking his opinion about something that she did. This...

    "I am. I know we have already talked about all this and for some reason, my curiosity is killing me but I also know that he will suffer soon. I don¡¯t really know if I want to face a man like him. Maybe I am just being emotional or something... I don¡¯t know." She shrugged. "The important thing is I want to move forward and leave everything behind."

    Zhuo Jingren nodded in satisfaction. Her words only meant that she wanted to spend more time with him, right? "I think what you did is right. We could have him deal with Qin Wuyang while we move forward. But don¡¯t you want to know why he wanted to ruin his own brother?"

    "Men are really simple," she answered. "It¡¯s either, jealousy, love or greed. I¡¯m sure the reason is one of those three."

    "Simple, huh."

    "I¡¯m sure my father would tell me about the reason and also ask my opinion about it. So... it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s almost the middle of October and the opening of Harmony Isle is fast approaching. I don¡¯t want to waste a lot of time being involved in the things that would not give me profits," she answered. "Speaking of which... Tomorrow is the day that we go to Japan for your mother¡¯s death anniversary, right?"

    "Hmmm... Bei Tian is alsoing."

    "He seemed to love your mother and father so much." She noticed just how Bei Tian would always act like a brother to Zhuo Jingren and judging from the man¡¯s reaction every time they talked about Zhuo Jingren¡¯s adoptive parents, Lily could say that Bei Tian truly respected them.

    "He does. He is especially close to my adoptive mother and usually does whatever she wants of him. Remember those 300 step stairs that I carried you towards the abandoned temple?"

    "Yes. Of course." How could Lily forget this man¡¯s antics when they had climbed the stairs towards the temple?

    "Well... didn¡¯t you ever wonder how could an old woman climb up and reach the temple? It was always Bei Tian. He would carry her on his back as he sang her favorite song," he said, his eyes seemed to sparkle as he reminisced the past. "He just spoils her too much," he shook his head.

    "I guess she was the only mother that Bei Tian knew," Zhuo Jingren added.

    "So why not adopt him as well?"

    "At that time... my father needed someone to work in the shadows. Bei Tian had a way with people. He was talkative and cheerful and no one would suspect someone like him. His charm is different," he exined. "By the way... why are you asking so many questions about him? Aren¡¯t you interested to know more about me, instead?"

    Lily lifted an eyebrow at the man in front of her. He was wearing a simple V-neck shirt and sweatpants with a towel thrown over his shoulders. Zhuo Jingren had just finished his work out and Lily could still see small beads of scattered sweat on his face. "Are you jealous?"

    "Jealousy is for the weak," he instantly denied it as he turned his back on her and walked towards the fridge to get a bottle of water.

    "Is it? Then... why don¡¯t you tell me more about him?"

    "Why should I?" he countered, meeting her gaze, his eyes had turned colder. But it wasn¡¯t enough to make Lily shiver. Instead it made herugh in glee. This was actually the first time that the man had showed her that he was jealous.

    "Alright." Lily nodded and turned her back on him.

    "Where are you going?"

    "Since you don¡¯t want to tell me... I will go and ask him myself," Lily said. However, before she could even take a step away from him, Zhuo Jingren had already stopped her with his hand hugging her from behind. Lily could feel his hot breath just behind her ear.

    "You wouldn¡¯t dare." It was not amand nor an order. However, the danger in his voice was just enough to make her stand frozen. But Lily easily recovered from her stunned state. She narrowed her eyes as she could hear his drumming heartbeat against her back.

    "You wouldn¡¯t do that." This time his voice had mellowed down. It was more gentle, subtle. It was as if he was coaxing a child. It was the exact opposite of the tone that he had used before.

    "Rx," Lily said, her hand subconsciously stroked his arms, calming him down. He was jealous and that was pretty obvious. However, Lily did not understand why he would actually get jealous over his friend and she would not ask him now. This was not the right time for that, she thought. "The best way to know someone better is to know thepany that they keep."

    "Hmmm..." She felt him nod behind her as she felt his breathing grow calmer. "I¡¯m sorry."

    ...

    "Master, we just found out that someone has taken over the Qin Family¡¯s diamond business in the ck market. They are foreigners. The same people who took over the Tang Empire in Hong Kong," the clean shaven burly man¡¯s voice reveberated inside the room, breaking the ominious silence as he announce his presence.

    The man in front of him, only nodded at his words. His gaze was glued in the newspaper in his hand. To his left sat an unfinished tobo that was still emitting some smoke. Beside the ashtray was a cup of hot tea that provided the room with the faint smell of jasmine, his superior¡¯s favorite.

    "Observe and report," the man¡¯s gentle voice echoed after a few seconds. It was soft and surpringly sweet to his ears.

    "I understand." the burly man replied and slowly left the room, as quietly as possible so as not to disturb his superior.

    After a few seconds, the man with the newspaper lifted his head, an unfathomable gleam shed his eyes as he looked at the news once again. In the newspaper, an image of Qin Hao being arrested could be seen.

    "Interesting," he muttered.

 Chapter 343 Fools When it Comes To Love

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 343 Fools When it Comes To Love</h4>

    "I still have a flight to catch early in the morning," Lily grunted while clutching to her robe a little tighter. Her gaze bore daggers into the man lying across from her. She was only being grumpy because her sleep had been interrupted.

    "Qin Wuyang told me everything." Qin Chuan continued while ignoring his daughter¡¯s dark face. He was standing facing the painting of Lily smiling in their living room with his hands in his pockets. "This is a very nice painting by the way. It suits you." Noticing Lily¡¯s silence, Qin Chuan let out a deep sigh and shifted his gaze towards Zhuo Jingren, approaching them.

    "I apologize for disturbing your rest. I just thought to let you know about this before you leave for Japan tomorrow," Qin Chuan said as he epted the cup of coffee that Zhuo Jingren handed to him. "Thank you."

    "Hmmm... take a seat." Zhuo Jingren sat beside Lily while he gestured with his hand for the older man to sit on the couch to their left.

    "It has something to do with my mother," Qin Chuan started after taking a sip of hot coffee, his voice was calm with a tinge of mncholy. He had trusted Qin Wuyang deeply but in the end, the man only used him. "Qin Wuyang loved my mother and she loved him. But... my father... he came between them. Qin Wuyang said that it was because my father relished taking everything that he had. In the end, my mother married my father because... she got pregnant with me. Qin Wuyang did not tell me if she was raped or anything... but the hatred in his voice was apparent. He hated my father for snatching away his beloved and hated me... the product of my father and mother¡¯s rtionship."

    Silence ensued after he finished his story. He quickly checked Lily¡¯s expression before shifting his gaze towards Zhuo Jingren. For some reason, the deafening silence made his heart race a little. Was he nervous? But why?

    "What did you do to him?" Zhuo Jingren was the first to ask. His breathing was steady as he clutched Lily¡¯s hand, cing her hand underneath his.

    "Nothing. I am here to ask you about that."

    "What are your ns?" Lily asked before sighing. All this... all the years of destruction and blood...everything was just because of a woman. At the thought of this, Lily let out another sigh. All men in the Qin Family are truly fools when ites to love.

    "He is dying," Qin Chuan said. "Cancer."

    Another round of silence followed. Great, a dying man who destroyed innocent lives because of his broken heart. Lily shook her head inwardly. "So what do you want to do with him?"

    "I don¡¯t n on killing him. That¡¯s for sure."

    "Huh!" Zhuo Jingren lifted an eyebrow, "Why?"

    "What do you mean, ¡¯why¡¯? He is already dying," Qin Chuan expressed his opinion honestly . After all the chaos and schemes, after all the meticulous nning and trying not to get killed, all he wanted now was to live peacefully. He wanted to move forward while watching Zhang Yifei suffer every now and then. Qin Chuan was actually contented. Lily and Qin Yuanfeng were finally safe and this was the only thing that mattered to him. While Lily was still rather cold towards him, it didn¡¯t bother him as he had vowed to himself, to work on his rtionship with his daughter as well as his son.

    "Irrespective of whether he is dying or not, he is the one responsible for the death of your wife and also for the sufferings of your son and daughter for all these years. Are you telling me that you are just going to ignore this fact and move on from this? We - your daughter and I lost our child because of that man." The tone in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s voice was cold and full of authority which instantly surprised both the father and the daughter.

    The mention of their child instantly made Lily¡¯s face fall as she tightened her grip on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hand. Because of these people, her child was taken away from her. Months ago, the mere mention of this incident would have thrown her into an emotional spiral. She would have cried or maybe thrown and smashed things or even drank some wine to cope with the pain. But now, however...

    Everything was different.

    She looked at the man next to her intently as she swallowed her nonexistent saliva. The beating of her heart had quickened before it slowed and eventually calmed. Then she slowly loosened her grip on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hand.

    She waited for Qin Chuan¡¯s answer, interest apparent in her eyes. "And killing him would do what?" Qin Chuan asked as he lowered his head. There was a certain calmness in his voice as he spoke, seemingly unaffected by Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words and attitude.

    Lily and Zhuo Jingren did not answer him immediately.

    "I agree with your n. Let him live," Lily said after a few seconds of silence. This was a deration of her inner feelings. A sign that all she wanted right now was to move on and start a new life with Zhuo Jingren. Let them live...

    It¡¯s not that she had forgiven them or that she had forgotten everything that they did to her and her family. No. In fact, she would never forgive any of them... she could never forget any of it. However, this did not mean that she would let these unhappy episodes hinder her growth and her rtionship with Zhuo Jingren and the people who mattered to her. Then Lily rose from her seat. "I won¡¯t send you out," she said as she left the two gentlemen to stare at each other.

    "You love her." This was the first time that Qin Chuan spoke to Zhuo Jingren in private.

    "I do." Zhuo Jingren nodded. "And I will not let anyone hurt her."

    "It¡¯s good that she found someone like you." Qin Chuan was aware that he didn¡¯t have any right to meddle in his daughter¡¯s personal life. However, he was truly thankful that Lily was able to find a man like Zhuo Jingren.

    "Hmmm... I know you are nning to get close to her," Zhuo Jingren said as he crossed his arms across his chest. "Family or not... I have to warn you not to hurt her."

    "I know." Qin Chuan stared at Zhuo Jingren, his gaze didn¡¯t contain any enmity. In fact, it was full of respect - almost reverence. Qin Chuan could see just how much Zhuo Jingren loved his daughter. By now, Qin Chuan already knew just how strong Lily¡¯s personality is. And to him, a weak man could never handle a strong and independent woman like his daughter.

 Chapter 344 Shopping

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 344 Shopping</h4>

    October in Japan also meant Autumn. Some say it¡¯s the best time to visit the country, to watch the spectacr fall foliage as the leaves changed into various shades of colors, creating a sea of golden background to the temples andkes.

    While some looked forward to the festivities and food during this time, the others loved to watch the moon with their families during the said month.

    However, Lily and Zhuo Jingren were not here for any of that.

    "I have never introduced you to her." Lily couldn¡¯t help but shiver from the cold wind that assaulted her senses as they stood in front of Zhuo Jingren¡¯ste adoptive mother¡¯s grave. She maintained her silence as she looked solemnly at the grave in front of her. They were currently in the Tanaka Family¡¯s grave site. A pile of polished marble tombstones could be seen near the grave, each and every one of them bore the Tanaka family¡¯s emblem on top.

    "This is my mother, Ida Tanaka," Zhuo Jingren added before he stood up and looked at Bei Tian beside him. Thetter also went andid a bunch of fresh flowers on the grave.

    Then they all fell into afortable silence.

    Ida Tanaka was a beautiful and kind woman. Contrary to her strict and stern appearance, she was like an angel who had helped a lot of people. While her husband was someone from the Yakuza, Ida worked well with a lot of charities and foundations that helped children. This was mostly because Ida lost her child once because of an ident.

    The woman wanted to have more children but she was not able to conceive again. That led to her falling into depression and losing a lot of weight. All thisplicated her health even more as she got sicker over the years and suffered from a series of diseases until her old age.

    Aside from this, Ida was a truly sweet woman. A small smile escaped Zhuo Jingren¡¯s lips when he remembered how Ida and Lily had a very simr characteristic i.e. both were soft hearted.

    Hence, no matter how stern or cold Lily and Ida Tanaka sounded, both women had an undeniable soft spot for children. And even when both women tend to say harsh things, their actions would always betray their words.

    He remembered how his mother would repeatedly remind him that no matter what happened, blood rted or not, he was her son and nothing..nothing could take that away from him.

    Now that Zhuo Jingren thought about it, he felt extremely lucky to have encountered both his adoptive parents. While they looked cold on the outside, both his adoptive parents were really genuine and kind when it came to him and Bei Tian. They truly showed them what it felt like to have parents - someone who truly loved them.

    After a few more minutes, the trio made their way out of the cemetery. Bei Tian decided to leave Lily and Zhuo Jingren alone and went to attend to his personal matters. But Lily and Zhuo Jingren decided to stay in Japan for the weekend because they had nned to get Lily¡¯s ovaries checked and to also spend some time shopping in Tokyo as well.

    A cloud of silence once again covered the graveyard followed by the soft sound of wind rustling through the beautiful golden leaves. It was already Autumn and the trees in the vicinity had turned gold, mesmerizing whoeverid their eyes on them.

    It was a magnificent view.

    However, this silence did notst long as it was broken by the sound of stilettos hitting against the concrete pathway. Then a woman wearing a ck dress and an oversized hat could be seen walking towards the Tanaka Family gravesite. She was followed by a man who was taller than her by a few inches, despite the woman wearing a pair of four inch heels. The man silently held an umbre, shielding the woman from the non-existent sunlight.

    After a few more steps the woman arrived in front of the tombstone and instantly smiled at Ida Tanaka¡¯s image. Then she slowly put the flowers in front of the tombstone, right next to the ones that Bei Tianid.

    A few seconds of silence passed. she stood up and her lips curled into a beautiful smile. "Hello, Ida. It¡¯s nice to see you again," she said, as her eyes turned scarlet as a single tear made its way into her cheeks.

    .....

    In one of the famous hotels in Tokyo.

    "He killed himself?" Lily¡¯s brows furrowed when Zhuo Jingren informed her about Qin Wuyang¡¯s suicide. It was truly a surprise to encounter a man who was able to do all these evil things over the years, to justmit suicide one night. However, Lily easily recovered from her shock as she tried to close the zipper of her dress. "It was definitely father," she stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

    "Hmmmm... or maybe Qin Wuyang just wanted to die." Zhuo Jingren approached to help her. "It was expected since the man was dying. He had every reason to kill himself after what happened with his brother and everyone in the Qin Family."

    Lily only let out a sigh before turning around. She snaked her arms around Zhuo Jingren¡¯s neck, slowly pulling his head for a kiss. "How do I look?" she asked.

    "Perfect." Zhuo Jingren smiled, giving Lily a kiss. "Where are we going today? I mean... where do you like to shop?"

    Lily instantly narrowed her eyes at him before she smiled. "I don¡¯t know. But I want some Japanese food and maybe go to a park and have some fun. Oh! Of course, I will shop too. Tokyo has lots of shopping centers. We should go and visit every one of them. Shopping... Ah... now that I think about it, I have to buy new slippers, and stock up on make-up wipes. Maybe we should get some matching pajamas too. What do you think?"

    Lily¡¯s words only earned a small nod from Zhuo Jingren before he gave her a wry smile. Shopping... something that Lily would never miss.

    "Why are you giving me that kind of smile?"

    "What smile?" Zhuo Jingren asked, feigning ignorance.

    "The one, I-will-once-again-act-as-the-chaperone-smile," Lily mused. She¡¯s a capable woman who earns her own money that a day of retail therapy was her avenue of release. Of course, she needed someone to carry all of her stuff too. Unfortunately, they did not bring Go Jichen and Yang Mi with them this time. Lily instantly made a mental note to bring them along, next time they visited a country.

    "Alright..." Lily held her hand up in the air before Zhuo Jingren could even open his mouth to answer her. "First and foremost, I want to inform you that shopping has been proven to strengthen a woman¡¯s immune system, making us more happy, less stressful thus, longer lives," she said all that while staring straight into her chaperone - ehem, husband¡¯s eyes.

    Okay, maybe she was lying but... duh.

 Chapter 345 A Way of Telling Her to Hurry

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 345 A Way of Telling Her to Hurry</h4>

    Chuo Dori, Ginza Japan

    "You know this is my first timeing to Japan and shopping like this," Lily said. She turned to look at the sea of people walking along the one kilometer street of Chuo Dori. Because of the influx of foreigners and locals shopping during the weekends, authorities had decided to just close the street during the weekends to allow pedestrians walk around freely.

    Massive department stores and boutiques lined along the streets of Ginza. Both high-end and fast fashion brands could be found. This was the reason why this ce is known as the best area to shop for both Japanese and international brands.

    "I thought you love shopping? If you have not shopped like this before... then how do you usually shop?" he asked, a bit curious about his wife¡¯s peculiar ways. He adjusted the paper bags in his left hand while his right was intertwined with Lily¡¯s as they continued to walk along one side of the street.

    "I usually shop with a goal in mind so I can go in and out of the store quickly. I don¡¯t window shop and walk around just for the fun of it," Lily exined. She remembered that most of the time she would just go inside one store, buy her stuff and then head out. She really didn¡¯t have that much time to shop so this was truly her first time walking down the street with a sea of strangers.

    "Well... you are a pretty busy woman after all. This is only understandable."

    "Look!" Lily almost jumped as she pointed at a Bulgari store in one of the buildings just across the street. Then she pull Zhuo Jingren over and hastily crossed the street towards the store. "I heard II Ristorante is really good but I haven¡¯t tried it yet. Maybe we could have dinner there after we buy some jewelry and bags too... I think I also need some new perfumes..."

    Zhuo Jingren could only shake his head helplessly as he listened to Lily mumbling excitedly as they walked towards the building. He eyed the building¡¯s impressive structure and recalled that this ce should be the biggest store and the head office of Bulgari in Japan. If his memory served him right, this was also the biggest Bulgari store in the world.

    The Ginza Bulgari tower was a ten storey building which showcases their impressive bestsellers, from purses to perfumes to handcrafted jewelry. It also had a popr restaurant which Lily mentioned a while ago and an impressive rooftop with an Italian style garden. This entire building screamed luxury and while not many people could afford to shop in this ce, most foreigners wouldn¡¯t miss the chance to go inside and take a peek at its grandiose interior.

    "Good afternoon, wee to Bulgari Japan. How may I assist you today?" a bubbly female sales attendant greeted and gave them a bow the moment they entered the store. The attendant¡¯s gaze lingered on Zhuo Jingren for a few seconds before she gave Lily a brilliant smile. It wasn¡¯t really rare for them to see a good-looking couple in their shop every now and then.

    Lily only responded with a nod as she roamed her eyes to take in the roman style interior of the first floor. The room had an Italian wood parquet flooring that contrasted with the marble walls. Around the first floor were many ss box disys of jewelry and watches. Coupled with the LED lights in each box, it made the the jewelry sparkle when one take a closer look at them.

    With a small smile on her face, Lily walked towards the ss box that featured some jewelry art pieces made of silver. "Eighteen hundreds silver?" she asked. Lily knew a little about antique and old designer jewelry only because of Fernando¡¯s obsession with them and he would go on and on about them in front of Lily.

    "Yes Madam. This piece is from thete eighteen hundred," Natasha, the attendant answered. Natasha was a tall blond woman who donned a purple dress that fits snugly to her body. She had a scarf wrapped around her neck which reminded Lily of a flight attendant. She spoke in perfect English and had an amiable smile stered on her face.

    "Beautiful." Lily nodded as she stared at the other pieces. Then her eyesnded on the next box that contained some watches that were set with diamond stones. The way the small sparkling diamonds glitter reminded Lily of the small sparkling stones that she used to collect near the orphanage when she was younger.

    "Do you have couple watches?" Zhuo Jingren asked, making the attendant and Lily stare at him. A tinge of amusement instantly shed in Lily¡¯s eyes, too quick for anyone to notice. Couple watches huh...

    "Of course. Our couple watches consist of a wrist watch for the woman and a pocket watch for the man. I can assure you that everything that we have here are just perfect and beautiful," Natasha answered as she led them to another disy box. "Would you like something with gold strap? Leather? Perhaps something with lots of jewels? We have quartz and rose gold and of course lots of watches with diamonds. And we all know that diamonds are always a great way to impress ady." Natasha smiled at Zhuo Jingren before she picked one watch.

    "This is a part of our timeless collections, it¡¯s a watch that looks like a bracelet. Just look at this brilliantly cut diamonds and gold case..."

    "I want the most expensive ones," Zhuo Jingren interrupted. "The serpent collection should be here somewhere? Do you have the custom made pocket watch thates with those?"

    Natasha¡¯s eyes instantly widened at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words and her mouth dropped in disbelief before she blinked her eyes at the couple as if she had misheard.. She looked at the couple¡¯s casual dress code; Zhuo Jingren was wearing a casual pair of Chinos and shirt while Lily was wearing a simple dress. Did she just hear him say Serpent collection? "I... I¡¯m sorry. I think I misheard you. Did you say serpent collection?" her voice came a little louder this time. Not because she wanted to attract anyone¡¯s attention but because of the price of the collection that Zhuo Jingren wanted.

    "Yes. Do we need to talk to the manager in order to see the collection? Would you mind calling him for me?" Zhuo Jingren said as his lips lifted into a smile.

    "I.... Yes. I mean... No I don¡¯t mind. I will call her," Natasha said before she hurriedly left them.

    "Do you really have to give the poor woman a shock like that?" Lily elbowed him, a smile was on her face.

    "I am hungry," he answered.

    "..." Lily only stared at him. What kind of excuse is this? Is this his way of telling her to hurry so he could eat?

 Chapter 346 The CEOs Son

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 346 The CEO¡¯s Son</h4>

    "This is our Serpent collection, the only remaining set of Serpent couple watch that we have currently avable in Asia." The manager was a middle-aged woman with a sleek French bun. Her perfectly shaped scarlet red lips lifted into a smile. "And this is the pocket watch - it¡¯s simple yet elegant, made with pure gold. This pair of couple watches is also our most expensive set in our Serpent collection."

    After examining the pocket watch briefly, Zhuo Jingren and Lily both took a closer look at the wrist watch for the woman. The strap of the watch was designed to look like a snake clinging onto the owner¡¯s wrist. It was embellished with various stones that sparkled - some of which even Lily couldn¡¯t recognize.

    Lily was familiar with the Serpent collection as it was the most expensive collection of watches that Bulgari offered its most prominent customers. However, she did not expect that the manager would so easily lead them into the VIP room to see the Serpent collection. While Lily was close with the owner of LV and Bulgari in Europe, she wasn¡¯t familiar with the manager here.

    Managers like these would not usually allow just about anyone to see their collection because one, it was an exclusive collection that was worth hundreds of thousands of US dors and two, only the VIP members could see it. Lily was a VIP but she hadn¡¯t introduced herself as one. Was Zhuo Jingren a VIP member as well? Or....could it be that the manager already knew who he was?

    "Miss Luo," another attendant came into the VIP room and approached the manager. "Please excuse me." She made a slight bow towards Lily and Zhuo Jingren then whispered something into the manager¡¯s ears.

    "Please tell them that I am attending an important client, right now," Miss Luo, the manager said softly. In response, the attendant nodded and left. Then Miss Luo stared at both Lily and Zhuo Jingren, "Please pardon the disturbance." She smiled apologetically.

    "I will be taking this, please get this packed," Zhuo Jingren answered before he handed his ck sleek card.

    "..." Lily was honestly speechless. How could this man just buy a couple of watches that cost half a million US dors so easily just because he was hungry?

    "Hey... do you like this?" he asked when Miss Luo left them to process the payment.

    "I thought you liked it?"

    "Who told you that I liked it?" Lily instantly countered before she nodded. "Alright, I liked it but... half a million? Really?"

    "You think it¡¯s cheap? No problem, I¡¯ll buy you something even more expensive than that... But the really expensive ones can only be bought when it¡¯s custom-made or you buy it through an auction. Nheless, I have heard there will be an auction soon..."

    "Hold on," Lily interrupted him. "Ah.... Never mind." She shook her head and made a mental note not to take Zhuo Jingren shopping when he was hungry again. "Do you want to go to the restaurant, upstairs?"

    In the end, they decided to dine at the restaurant upstairs before they continued their shopping. Or who knows if Zhuo Jingren would decide to buy everything in the whole store just because he couldn¡¯t wait and wanted Lily to finish her purchasing, a little faster?

    .....

    "What do you mean it¡¯s already taken?" A tall man with broad shoulders had raised his voice, prompting Lily and Zhuo Jingren as well as everyone on the ground floor to look at him.

    The man was around Zhuo Jingren¡¯s height and was wearing a dark blue suit. To his left was a woman who was wearing a yellow knee-length dress with a pastel blue silk scarf. She was also wearing what looked like a pair of five inches¡¯ wedge heels, making her look much taller.

    "I had already reserved it! I had even personally called Manager Kenzo this morning to have it ready for me! Why did you sell it someone else?" the man said in a deep voice, and he was even louder this time.

    "Let¡¯s go?" Lily turned her attention back to Zhuo Jingren as she gestured towards the elevator. In response, Zhuo Jingren held her hand and walked towards the elevator. However, as the couple were about to reach the elevator, they heard the man yell behind them once again.

    "Hey you!" the man¡¯s voice boomed inside the first floor. "You two!"

    Lily and Zhuo Jingren turned around to look at the man who was approaching them. The man had a dark look on his face, his jaws clenched. Lily only lifted an eyebrow at the man. Most people would consider this man handsome with this chiseled face, a high nose and beautiful brown eyes, butpared to her husband he was nothing.

    Lily smiled inwardly at how childish she was acting forparing Zhuo Jingren to every man she encountered. At first, it was merely to convince herself that she had a good catch but over time, it had be a habit of hers topare her husband¡¯s good looks with other men. It just made her so proud.

    "Adrian, let¡¯s not make a scene here. Let¡¯s go. We can buy it in another store anyway." The woman in yellow tried to stop the man from approaching Lily and Zhuo Jingren.

    "But that¡¯s thest Serpent collection avable in Asia and maybe in Europe. We have to wait for another year for them to make one." The man named Adrian shook the woman¡¯s hands from his shoulder as he continued to walk towards them. In response, Lily and Zhuo Jingren eyed each other, a tinge of understanding shed in their eyes before they shifted their gaze back to the man approaching them.

    "I hear that you are the ones who have bought thest set of couple watches from the Serpent collection." Adrian smiled as he eyed Lily and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s casual clothing. His tone was light, however Lily was still able to sense the disrespect in his voice. It was as if... he was talking to someone inferior than him. "I am Dr. Adrian Lee and this is my fianc¨¦ Samantha Chen." Seeing the curious look that Lily and Zhuo Jingren were giving him, he added, "We are from Singapore."

    Lily and Zhuo Jingren raised an eyebrow at the man. What was he doing? Was he waiting for Lily or Zhuo Jingren to recognize them?

    "I am sure... that¡¯s Miss Sam, the number one actress in Singapore," one staff remarked, loud enough to reach Lily¡¯s ears, earning a small smile from her. An actress, huh...

    "Then that must be her fianc¨¦, the son of the CEO of the Lee Group? Isn¡¯t he a very well-known doctor? Wow... I was not expecting for him to be this young," another voice echoed.

    This conversation continued as Samantha came and stood next to Adrian Lee. She was wearing a pair of big shades that covered almost all of her face but it was pretty obvious that she was very beautiful. And tall too, Lily noted.

    "Well? Is there a reason why I should recognize you?" Zhuo Jingren answered, his voice cold as he stared back at the man, named Adrian Lee. While the previous conversations of the attendants were not that loud, it was still loud enough for Zhuo Jingren to hear.

    Lee Group... that name caught his attention.

    The smile on Adrian¡¯s face instantly cracked when he heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words. "Well then... now that you are aware of who I am, I want to talk to you about the watches that you just purchased a while ago." He was now facing Zhuo Jingren, the smile that he gave them earlier was gone. "I want to buy them back. I will give you an extra twenty percent for the trouble as well. How does that sound?"

    "No," Zhuo Jingren answered curtly before shifting his gaze towards Lily, his hand was holding onto Lily¡¯s waist. "Shall we go?" he asked.

 Chapter 347 Play Along

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 347 y Along</h4>

    Adrian¡¯s face darkened at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s tant disrespect and he furrowed his brows at the man who looked a little familiar. He was sure that Zhuo Jingren was someone whom he saw before, as to where... he couldn¡¯t seem to remember. But judging from the man¡¯s good looks, he thought it might be possible that he was some star in Asia or China.

    He didn¡¯t stop Lily and Zhuo Jingren from walking away but chose to follow them instead.

    "Adrian, what are you doing?" Samantha hissed in exhaustion. "Since they said ¡¯no¡¯ to selling the watches to us. Let¡¯s just forget about it and go. I am too tired to keep walking."

    "High heels look good on you," Adrian answered before he leaned towards Samantha¡¯s ear. "Put a little smile on your face," Adrian said as he held Samantha¡¯s hand and pulled her towards the elevator. While he was curious about Zhuo Jingren¡¯s identity, he also couldn¡¯t deny that the man¡¯s arrogance and disrespect irked him.

    He, the famous Adrian Lee in Singapore was tantly disrespected by someone. How could he ept this insult? Of course, Adrian also didn¡¯t like the fact that Zhuo Jingren refused his generous offer. Not many people dare to refuse his request and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s refusal just made his blood boil.

    When the elevator opened, Lily and Zhuo Jingren walked inside leisurely followed by Adrian and Samantha. To Adrian¡¯s irritation, Zhuo Jingren and Lily did not acknowledge their presence. But he instantly recovered when he convinced himself that it¡¯s because these people somehow failed to recognise him and Samantha who were considered public figures.

    After a few seconds, they reached the ninth floor of the building where the Bulgari-owned restaurant was located. Zhuo Jingren instantly asked an attendant for a table for two that was preferably located near the window so that they could admire the view of the streets below in Ginza. It was already past six in the evening and the lights below were already glittering.

    When Adrian heard this, he instantly asked for a table next to theirs.

    "What do you think that man is doing?" Lily asked Zhuo Jingren when he pulled out a seat for her like a gentleman.

    "Ignore him" he answered shortly as he sat on the opposite chair. Without further dy, Zhuo Jingren ordered for both of them.

    "Have you dined in this ce before?" Lily asked when the waiter left after taking their orders.

    "No. But most managers in this ce know me." Zhuo Capital has been operating in Japan for ten years now so it was expected for people in more senior positions to recognize him.

    "Ohhh... Well, that exins it." Lily smiled at Zhuo Jingren. However, her smile faltered when she overheard Adrian at the next table.

    "You can¡¯t eat sweets. It will ruin your figure. Chose this one instead," he said in a low and gentle voice. "And let¡¯s pick this one for your appetizer."

    Lily instantly lifted a brow at the man¡¯s statements. ¡¯What is wrong with this person?¡¯ she asked inwardly. Lily was not nning to eavesdrop on their conversation but since Adrian insisted on sitting at the table next to them, it was inevitable that this happened.

    Of course, there was no such term as ¡¯eavesdropping¡¯ in Lily¡¯s dictionary, only information gathering and... research.

    "This ce is grand," Lily noted. She decided to focus her attention on the interior of the ce instead of the conversation going on at the next table. Located on the ninth floor of the Bulgari tower, this restaurant was known for being one of the top restaurants not just in Japan but in all of Asia.

    The floor to ceiling windows, coupled with its high ceilings added to the sophistication of the ce. From the bespoke chandelier hanging on the high ceilings to the cushioned tan seats, everything seemed to scream elegance and contemporary Italy.

    "Tell the Chef that Dr. Lee of the Lee Group is here." Once again, Adrian¡¯s voice reached Lily¡¯s ears, earning another smile from Lily. She instantly wondered why the man named Adrian seemed so adamant about announcing that he was from the Lee Group. He was not even someone important but the son of the CEO of the Lee Group. ¡¯This man is a joke,¡¯ she instantly concluded.

    "Bei Tian told me that an auction will be held tonight in one of the prominent auction houses here," Zhuo Jingren said with a sly smile on his face. His voice was not loud but Lily was sure that it was enough to reach Dr. Lee¡¯s ears.

    "Really? What items can we expect to see at the auction?"

    "Jewelry and some paintings. But there should be more," Zhuo Jingren answered. "I got an invite for two. You know, it¡¯s pretty difficult to get these invites so I think we should go."

    A tinge of surprise instantly shed on Lily¡¯s face. While she didn¡¯t understand why Zhuo Jingren wanted Adrian to go to this auction, she still decided to y along. There was no harm in having fun every now and then right? "Really? Then we should go! Do you think I should buy some new clothes?"

    On the outside, Lily seemed so excited that even Samantha couldn¡¯t help but eavesdrop on their conversation. And as expected, Adrian also heard what Zhuo Jingren said. After listening to Lily and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s conversation, Adrian instantly sent a text to his secretary to get him two invites for this auction.

    He wondered why he didn¡¯t receive an invite and concluded that maybe some of his contacts didn¡¯t know that he was in Tokyo. Adrian¡¯s second home was Tokyo because the Lee Group had a couple of branches operating in Japan and the one in Tokyo was his personal favorite.

    In fact, his name was actually quite famous in the medicinemunity in Japan. As a doctor who came from a prominent family, Adrian was used to people begging for his favors. People who came to know who he is would change their attitude instantly and start to treat him better - this would happen every time.

    "Excuse me Dr. Lee this is yourplimentary wine from the Chef." Adrian¡¯s neck instantly elongated when he heard the waiter¡¯s words. He slightly eyed Zhuo Jingren and Lily to make sure that they hadn¡¯t received the same treatment before smiling widely.

    "Thank you. You can put it here."

 Chapter 348 Being Petty

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 348 Being Petty</h4>

    Adrian¡¯s expression did not escape Lily¡¯s eyes. How could she allow such a person to snub her husband? Lily slightly narrowed her eyes before she called a waiter over.

    She gave Zhuo Jingren a wink before she lowered her voice and said, "Tell Chef Ri that Lily Fi Zhuo is here." She grinned at Zhuo Jingren before she added, "Tell him... I miss the choctes that he used to make in Italy, the one that he used to give my grandmother."

    Zhuo Jingren could only shake his head when he heard Lily¡¯s words. When it came to being petty, no one could beat his wife. That was a fact and he was pretty proud of it. The only thing that could make her act like this were if someone important to her were involved and in his logic, in this situation, it would be him. He gave a victoriousugh inwardly. This hrious side of Lily was just too much to handle, sometimes.

    However, when he thought about what had happened in the past few weeks, he instantly understood that maybe Lily just wanted to have some fun.

    "That was quick!" Zhuo Jingren heard Adrian¡¯s voice. For some reason this man reminded him of a kindergartener, who wanted to see who has the better snacks in school. He instantly wondered why a man from a prominent family would act this childish. "As expected of the Chef." Adrian¡¯s voice seemed to grow louder by the minute.

    Their orders actually came in after five minutes. Even Zhuo Jingren was a little surprised. Most restaurants did not have this kind of service. However, he still chose to ignore the man and concentrated on talking with Lily about random things.

    After a few minutes, the wine that they had ordered arrived.

    "Ah.... This is what I love every time I visit this country. People never forget the important individuals and they are always pretty respectful too." Adrian said. "Do you like the food?" he asked Samantha

    "Hmmm... I already know it will be good. I mean... I know you always prefer the best."

    A tinge of pride instantly flickered in Adrian¡¯s eyes. Of course, he always preferred the best. He gave her fianc¨¦ a smile that was as brilliant as the flickering lights that had started to cover the streets below. "Well... did you take some pictures before eating? You should post it on your social media and make your fans know that we are together now. I feel you should update more. Your career should be your first priority."

    "I did." Samantha said. She had the urge to roll her eyes but chose not to. She should get used to this- Adrian is going to be her future husband after all.

    "Good... Very Good! Hold on! The Chef ising our way." Adrian instantly rose from his seat and stered the best smile that he had as he took a step towards the chef who wasing their way, followed by two more junior chefs, both bringing tes. It should be anotherplimentary meal, Adrian mused. This time he was fairly certain that the couple he encountered earlier were not some prominent people or why would...

    "Picolina!" Chef Ri¡¯s booming voice echoed inside the restaurant, interrupting his thoughts. Chef Ri walked passed their table before Adrian heard Lily¡¯s voice.

    "I have already told you countless times to stop calling me ¡¯little¡¯." Her soft voice made Adrian froze. She knew the chef? He turned his head and looked at Lily and Zhuo Jingren, who were now greeting the Chef. Adrian looked back and forth at the Chef then to Lily who was being embraced by the Chef. Who is she? A rtive perhaps?

    Slowly, he took his seat and listened to their conversation.

    "And this is my husband..."

    "I am very much familiar with Mr. Zhuo." Chef Ri interrupted Lily after he let go of thetter, and then he smiled at Zhuo Jingren. "Mr. Zhuo... it is my honor to have you in my restaurant."

    A fine line appeared in between Adrian¡¯s brows as he clenched his fist. An honor? How is meeting that man, an honor?

    "Thank you. It¡¯s a pleasure meeting you as well." Zhuo Jingren¡¯s pleasant and respectful voice reached Adrian¡¯s ears, making him grit his teeth. Was this man trying to gloat that they actually knew the Chef?

    "Ah... let¡¯s have a private chat after you have guys finish your dinner. A lot of people who have reserved their seats in advance are about to arrive. Here... this is on me. Sorry it took me a while. I personally made it for the both of you." Chef Ri¡¯s words only made Adrian¡¯s face turn ck. He personally made it? Chef Ri, a very well-known Chef in Europe and Asia was personally making food for them?

    Adrian instantly lost his appetite.

    "Adrian... I think I have a headache. Can we just go..."

    "No." Adrian hissed.

    "Please... Adrian. Let¡¯s not create a scene. What about your image? Our image? If someone recognises us and takes a video then..."

    "Shut up", Adrian hissed once again as he red at the beautiful woman, sitting beside him holding his hand, trying to calm him down.

    "Please... what about your reputation? Your father..." Samantha¡¯s words seemed to have hit a nerve as Adrian¡¯s face started to lighten a bit. The embarrassment that he felt a while ago seemed to lessen at the mention of his father.

    Seeing the color of Adrian¡¯s face return, Samantha instantly asked for the bill. Leaving her immature fianc¨¦ with the couple who had bought Serpent collection watches a while ago was very dangerous.

    After the couple left, Lily instantly beamed at Zhuo Jingren. "What¡¯s up with you?" she asked.

    "Let¡¯s just wait for a good show tomorrow, alright?" Zhuo Jingren responded with a smile.

    ....

    As expected, Adrian¡¯s anger exploded the moment he locked the door of his car. He instantly punched the steering wheel and let out a curse. When he remembered the number of people who saw what happened earlier, his face darkened even more.

    "Hey... did you receive my text? I want you to get me into that Auction tomorrow. Front seat! I want you to do everything to get me into the front seat! Do you understand?"

    "I said... DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Adrian¡¯s voice echoed inside the car, making Samatha flinch. "Good. Prepare the best suit for me and Samantha," he said before starting the car.

 Chapter 349 Nothing Too Extravagan

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 349 Nothing Too Extravagan</h4>

    "I was not prepared for any auction," Lily said as she stared at herself in the full length mirror in their hotel room. She was wearing the dress that Zhuo Jingren had given her. It was not some extravagant gown but it was a simple off-shoulder cape dress in dirty white with a front slit that would show a little bit of Lily¡¯s legs. There were no expensive stones or gems on the dress, however, the softness and quality of the cloth was enough to tell Lily that it was an exquisite dress.

    She was also wearing a choker ne made of rubies, surrounded by delicately-cut diamonds; a piece that beautifully contrasted her white dress. To highlight her ne even more, Lily decided to do a simple and loose updo - letting some of her hair fall and frame her face.

    She shifted her gaze towards Zhuo Jingren who was also wearing an all-white suit. She narrowed her eyes at her husband before her lips curled into a smile. She then nodded in approval at his appearance. "What is the dress code?" she asked.

    "ck and white. Nothing too extravagant," he answered, mirth apparent in his eyes. "You look good."

    "Did you do something mischievous again?" Lily lifted an eyebrow at him. She did not know why but she could totally feel that her husband was up to something again.

    "No. No time for that."

    "Liar. What kind of an invite did you have your men give Dr. Lee?" Lily asked. Last night, Zhuo Jingren had already exined that he was not originally nning to attend this auction as the said auction was organized by Bei Tian and thus, Zhuo Jingren owned most of the things that would be auctioned anyway.

    "Just the same," Zhuo Jingren said. "Everyone received the same invitation."

    "Yeah.... You told him to wear something shy, didn¡¯t you?" she chuckled at the thought of making that arrogant Doctor a joke in front of everyone. "Lee Group, huh," Lily thought out loud while walking towards the bed to get her clutch. "Are you going to tell me about them? Or.... Shall I find it out by myself?" she asked as she looked over her shoulders.

    "You know I hate going to war without bullets, President Zhuo," she uttered as she turned towards him. "So? Where would you like to start?"

    "If I start to tell you the whole thing now... we would bete," Zhuo Jingren responded calmly. What more could he expect from his brilliant wife? He had already anticipated this moment. It¡¯s just that he didn¡¯t expect it to arrive this soon. "Why don¡¯t you enjoy yourself tonight and we talk about this after the auction, huh?"

    "Over some wine?" Lily walked towards him.

    "Over some wine," he answered as he stared straight into Lily¡¯s light brown eyes.

    ...

    Adrian¡¯s face was dark as he stared at his phone. He had received some information about the couple that he had met yesterday.

    "A power couple, huh," Samantha¡¯s voice echoed to his left. "They are actually CEOs. No wonder that chef knew them." Samantha was only trying to make Adrian feel better. How could hepare himself with CEOs who had been running multinationalpanies for years now?

    "We are of the same age," Adrian muttered. "And he is already a CEO."

    Samantha did not answer Adrian immediately but paused to give herself onest look in the mirror. "I think being close to them would bring you benefits. Businessmen always act like this, they will get close to people that will benefit them." She wanted to indirectly tell him to stopparing himself to a man who managed to create the Zhuo Capital in less than ten years.

    Seeing Adrian silent, Samantha could only let out a sigh. Adrian Lee... the son of Thomas Lee, the current CEO of Lee Group. While both Thomas and Adrian earned their position through hard work, the fact that Thomas was adopted and not the legal heir of the Lee Group still haunted both the father and son like a ghost in the night.

    Thomas being adopted was not a secret as the Chairman of the Lee Group had already made it clear to everyone that the heir to his throne would always be his only daughter. And as for the location of the Old Man¡¯s daughter... Well... no one really knew anything about it.

    Many had assumed that this said daughter, the mysterious heir was already dead due to her long history of absenteeism. However, the old man still insisted on making her his heir. Some were even of the opinion that the old man was not in his right mind as he chose to ignore the brilliant man standing next to him.

    However, this did not stop the old man from publicly dering to give all of his assets to his only daughter; the non-existent daughter that no one really saw nor recognized. No one was even aware of her real name!

    Because of this public announcement, Thomas and Adrian became aughing stock in their circle. Maybe it was because of this reason that Adrian always acted like a jerk and made everyone treat him as if he was someone really important. Not that he did not deserve it. Adrian¡¯s attitude andpetitive nature may be intolerable, but this could not change the fact that he was an outstanding surgeon who had received many awards both in Singapore and abroad.

    Samantha shifted her gaze towards the man. A tinge of pity shed in her eyes. "Hey... I think we should go now?" she gave him a smile while wondering when will he learn that life is unfair. Someday, someone better, smarter, richer and more influential would show up and put us all in our rightful ce - a fact that Adrian seemed to have difficulty epting.

    "I remember Father once told me that they were working on a partnership with the Zhuo Capital," Adrian uttered. He was a little irritated due to the fact that he could not do anything against the man or it will only sabotage the partnership that his father had always wanted. He was sure that Zhuo Jingren must have already known about his identity.

    "Then you have more reason to get close to him now," Samantha said.

    "Close?" Adrian snorted. "Yeah right."

 Chapter 350 An Evil Twin

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 350 An Evil Twin</h4>

    "The third item for the night is an exquisite piece of art by an unknown painter in thete thirteen hundreds. This particr piece has been with the King of Spain before it was gifted to his sister. Then it got stolen over the years but eventually recovered and given to the minister of U.K. who then gifted it to his daughter-inw, who hailed from Japan," the auctioneer shared this brief history as a very beautiful painting of a woman wearing a medieval dress was unveiled to the public. "Ladies and gentlemen...I present to you ¡¯The Maiden¡¯."

    Gasps and murmurs instantly filled the hall. A couple of men and women nodded their heads in appreciation while some looked at the auctioneer, waiting for him to reveal the starting price of this particr piece.

    "The bidding will start at one million USD. I have one point five million... two million over here... I got three million... three million...dies and gentlemen... three million... three point five..."

    Lily shifted her gaze away from the auctioneer as she took a little sip of sparkling wine. "I was totally not expecting an auction like this..."

    "What were you expecting?" he asked.

    Lily shrugged in response. She had been through a lot of auctions, and this was honestly her first time seeing one as grand as this. "Well... it¡¯s just so extravagant."

    "Half of the profits of this auction will go to the charities that my mother supported when she was still alive. We do this every year for her death anniversary," he answered, leaning on the soft cushion in his seat which looked like a throne in Lily¡¯s opinion.

    They were inside one of the private rooms where people could observe or participate in the auction anonymously. In these rooms were some oversized ck seats with redfortable cushions, a small table for refreshments in the middle and a telephone to the left of one of the seats.

    This telephone was connected to a professional bidder who would be the one bidding in their ce. In front of them was a big and tinted floor to ceiling ss wall that would give them a view of the auction that was taking ce below.

    They also ced an LED TV on one end of the room in case the guests cannot see or hear the bidding that was happening below. Of course, Lily and Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t need to turn on the TV as both of them could see what was happening below clearly.

    "He is at the front row," Lily uttered. "He is waiting for you to bid."

    "Hmmm... That painting is mine," he said. "It used to belong to my father."

    "Then bid for it. Don¡¯t you want to earn more?" she stifled augh.

    "Of course I do. But the price is not right yet," he said. After a couple of seconds, Zhuo Jingren unmuted his phone and uttered, "Twenty point five."

    .....

    Adrian¡¯s eyes instantly lit the moment he heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s bidder make a bid. Before the bidding even started he already asked his men to find out about Zhuo Jingren¡¯s bidder. He was already expecting thetter to be in one of those private room because of his status.

    "Twenty-one million from the gentleman over here..." the auctioneer held his hand towards Adrian when he saw thetter raised his hand. "Twenty-one point five million.... At Twenty-one point five million ... Twenty-one point five"

    "Twenty-three Million!" Adrian raised his voice even before the auctioneer could say it.

    "Twenty-three Million... Twenty-three Million anyone? Twenty-three point five! Twenty-three point five million...." The Auctioneer met Adrian¡¯s eyes. "Twenty-three point five million kind sir?"

    "Twenty four!" he answered before he sent a provocative re towards Zhuo Jingren¡¯s way. ording to his sources, Zhuo Jingren should be sitting in the third room. While it was tinted, he was sure that thetter was also staring at him. Adrian knew that he could not afford to offend Zhuo Jingren. So tonight, he does not really want to outbid him. All he wanted was to raise the price a little, making thetter pay for a much higher price.

    Adrian nce at the painting that should be worth around seven or eight million. If he will stop now, Zhuo Jingren could pay an more than ten million US dors of the original price. He looked at the VIP room once again a small smile was on his face. But this smile did notst long when he noticed that the auctioneer keep on repeating Twenty four million for a while now.

    "Twenty four million? Twenty fourst chance... Twenty four million!"

    "Last chance Twenty four million? Anyone? Okay, sold!"

    A boisterous apuse echoed inside the hall as something cold seemed to envelop Adrian¡¯s body. Twenty-three point five million?

    "Hey... are you alright?" Samantha asked, a smile was stered all over her face. Despite the fact that the couple received another embarrassment when they arrived earlier, Samantha was still smiling, seemingly unaffected by the looks that everyone was giving them.

    When they arrived a while ago, both Adrian and Samantha was shocked to find out that they actually got the dress code wrong! Both of them were wearing glittery and fancy mask with gown and three-piece suit! How embarrassing!

    Adrian originally came here because of three things. First, he wanted to show off his beautiful fianc¨¦ to everyone. Second, he wanted to build some connections as everyone who came here are all influential and third, he wanted to make Zhuo Jingren pay a few more millions- as a payback for embarrassing him.

    In Adrian¡¯s mind, what happened at the Bulgari was totally Zhuo Jingren¡¯s fault and not his. While Samantha would beg to disagree with this kind of reasoning, she really could not refute Adrian.

    "Congrattions to the kind sir with number L0551." The auctioneer¡¯s voice interrupted Samantha¡¯s stupor.

    "Hey... Are you alright?" Samantha¡¯s question only earned a re from Adrian. Samantha only responded his re with another smile before she excused herself and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

    Since Adrian does not want herfort, then why should she force herself? The man¡¯s attitude had been too muchtely, she almost could not take it. Samantha also knew that she does not have a choice right now.

    Samantha could only let out a sigh as she forced a smile on herself. She stared at her reflection on the mirror in front of her. And let out another sigh. She was already in the bathroom and to be honest, she does not feel like going back in the auction hall anymore.

    "That was quite a show." Samantha almost jumped out as she stared wide eyed at Lily.

    "Why are you here?" Samantha asked while trying to calm herself. She instantly washed her hands in an attempt to avoid Lily¡¯s gaze.

    "I could ask you the same... but then again... this ce is for women who would like to reapply their make up¡¯s no?" Lily was already standing next to Samantha. She was looking at her own reflection and smiled in approval. Lily then turned to look at Samantha a smile was on her face.

    "I... You are making me ufortable." Samantha instantly blurted out. This Lily Zhuo is extremely different from the woman that they met yesterday. For some reason, she felt that this is a different woman at all. Is it possible that Miss Lily Zhuo have an evil twin?

 Chapter 351 Always Replaceable

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 351 Always Receable</h4>

    Lily smiled at Samantha before leaving the room without replying. Lily originally came here because she wanted to confirm her suspicions and it seems that she was right!

    Yesterday, when Lily witnessed Adrian¡¯s chauvinistic treatment of Samantha, his fianc¨¦e, she suspected that he treated her callously and maybe she was even abused but Lily had no way to confirm it. When Lily saw Samantha arrive with an extravagant strapless ball gown, she had already made up her mind to try to get a closer look of thetter. And as expected, she noticed some discoloration on thetter¡¯s neck that was covered by some thick foundation. Of course, Lily did not jump into conclusion directly.

    What if... it was just sex? Maybe Adrian has a kink and Samantha loves it when he strangles her? Lilyughed at her own thoughts. She was not being nosy here... all she wanted was to do some research now about these people who could potentially be their enemies in the future.

    "How was it?" Lily instantly asked when she got back to the VIP room.

    "Second item. He still won. He must be feeling really lucky tonight," he answered, making Lily nod her head. She watched as Zhuo Jingren continued to make a bid against Adrian. Why was Zhuo Jingren ying against Adrian? Lily couldn¡¯t help but ask herself.

    It was pretty obvious that Zhuo Jingren did not like this Lee Group. However, she couldn¡¯t seem to understand the reason why. Is this all rted to his true family?

    Lily had so many questions... and she could hardly wait anymore. However, right now... she could only sigh. Zhuo Jingren had already promised to tell her everything, anyway. So right now... all she could do was wait and enjoy the show.

    .....

    "Someone from the Zhou Family is making some inquiries about Jingren."

    "I know," the woman wearing a Japanese kimono answered, her gaze was on the millions of lights that was making the streets of Tokyo glitter. "Tokyo is beautiful," she said.

    "Aren¡¯t you worried about him?" he asked in a mild tone.

    "I am. But... he already has everything that he needs. Ida taught him well." The woman smiled gently. "She was a better mother than I ever was." Sorrow and guiltced the woman¡¯s voice.

    "It wasn¡¯t your fault and we know that," he slowly stroked his beloved¡¯s arm, a small smile was visible on his face. "He is a smart one, he will understand."

    A loud sigh escaped the woman¡¯s mouth. "He has a lovely wife now. Seeing them.. seeing them in person is... is very different than watching him grow up in the photos. It was..." the woman could not continue what she was about to say. "I would like to meet him one day. Maybe I could..."

    "You are doing all this to protect him. One day... we will meet him and one day... he will call you what he used to call Ida." His hand intertwined with hers. "... Mother."

    ....

    China

    "Are you sure about this?" an old man with a wizened face and croaky voice asked, his brows were furrowed as he looked at his right-hand man.

    "I am sure. He... he looks a lot like the young master when he was of the same age," the man in a ck suit answered, his head low as he waited for the old man¡¯s answer.

    "And you say... he changed hisst name? The spelling is different now?"

    "Yes, Master."

    Silence instantly flooded the room as the old man stroked his chin in contemtion. "But... he was supposed to be dead!? How is it that he is still alive? And how could he escape our people¡¯s eyes?"

    "This man does not appear in front of the media. However, his presence in the spotlight increased when he married another CEO from Europe. Please take a look at the file... I believe they were the reason why the Qin Family in Shanghai fell."

    "You mean?"

    "His wife is from the Qin Family. She arrived in Hong Kong a few months back and started creating chaos wherever she went. A smart and capable woman but very dangerous, if left alive... I believe we should... eliminate her."

    "Her? And not both of them? Why only her?" the old man asked before he let out a series of coughs. Clutching his chest, he added, "Are you afraid of a woman?"

    "Master... he is a very prominent man with influences everywhere. So if we attempt to kill him, I¡¯m afraid he would retaliate. Whereas... a woman is always receable. It is fairly easy to rece his wife with someone younger, smarter, more influential..."

    "You want to kill his wife and nt a new queen beside him?" the old man snorted. "How confident are you that he won¡¯t retaliate after we kill his wife?"

    "I don¡¯t think she is worth it."

    "Really?" His statement instantly made the old manugh. "What a vicious man." He let out another series of cough before adding, "Go ahead and do a thorough investigation. I want to know everything by Monday. And don¡¯t do anything stupid before we ensure that he is indeed the old man¡¯s grandson."

    "I understand."

    "And oh... I want you to send someone younger and more beautiful. Let¡¯s see if he indeed treasures his wife," the old man said before he gestured the man to leave him alone.

    ....

    Meanwhile, the man in the center of all these was busy enjoying a cup of tea with his lovely wife.

    Zhuo Jingren gave Lily a sly smile. "So did you like it?" The auction was already over but they were still in the VIP room.

    "You are truly evil." Lily could only shake her head at the thought of Adrian¡¯s pale face when it was announced that everything that he had bought were actually properties of Zhuo Capital. "Why did you do that, though?" she asked.

    "That man is Adrian Lee... he is the only son of Thomas Lee, the adoptive son of the current chairman of the Lee Group," Zhuo Jingren started. "Isaac Lee... my grandfather." He shifted his gaze towards Lily.

    "This will be a long night," he uttered with an evil smile stered all over his face, a smile that Lily had never seen before.

 Chapter 352 Profits and Advantages

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 352 Profits and Advantages</h4>

    Lily sucked in the air as if it was the sweetest thing that she had tasted. She wrapped the robe around herself a little tighter, trying her best not to shiver from the cold. She stared at the dazzle of sunlight that started to light the horizon.

    Then she let out a loud sigh. Her face morose as she slowly folded her arms across her chest. The weight of the information that Zhuo Jingren gave herst night made her a little sullen. She bit her lip and slowly leaned against therge floor to ceiling door connecting to the balcony of their hotel room.

    Zhuo Jingren.

    Lee Group.

    Zhou Family.

    A story that is worthy of bing a makjang Korean Drama. Lilyughed at her own thoughts as memories flowed in her mind like a stream, reminding her of the lessons that her grandmother used to tell her.

    Lillian was not fond of killings. She was a principled woman who never involved herself with illegal matters. She was a workaholic and ruled her empire with an iron fist. And Lily... well she got most of her grandmother¡¯s characteristics. Maybe it was because Lillian personally trained her, molding her into whoever she was now. Or maybe it was gic.

    Because of Lillian, Lily was able to experience a lot of new things. She experienced cruelty, greed, jealousy and saw the ugliness of human nature. At this point in life, Lily could say that she had already encountered all kinds of people with their different personalities. However, until now, she still found it hard to urately analyze and fully understand how certain individuals think.

    Just like the Patriarch of the Lee Group.

    He was a husband and a father. And yet the way he thinks differ from most fathers and husbands that Lily knew - or maybe not. Lily chuckled at her own contradicting thoughts. Isaac Lee, the current patriarch of the Lee Group, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s grandfather was another greedy and ruthless man. That was the first statement that Zhuo Jingren uttered when he started telling Lily his story.

    That was not something unique. In fact, he was just like every businessman out there. Isaac Lee always thought about profits and advantages. His decisions were the product of his analysis using profits as its basis. And that was the crux of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s story.

    "Hey..." Zhuo Jingren suddenly interrupted Lily¡¯s thoughts when he hugged her from behind. Then she felt his kiss on her nape. "Good morning, beautiful." His voice was a little husky and warm which instantly reminded Lily of their passionate night.

    "Morning." She smoothly turned around to face him, reached out her arms and wrapped it around his neck. Then she stood on her tippy toes and gave him a light kiss on the lips.

    "You woke up so early. Aren¡¯t you tired?"

    "Why would I be?" Lily stifled augh. While she was physically tired, her mind refused to stop working and let her sleep. She watched as Zhuo Jingren¡¯s lips curled into a seductive smile, his eyes trailed its way from her eyes to her lips then to her neck.

    "Alright. Let¡¯s see if you can still say that tomorrow." He chuckled. "We will see Doctor Takashiter. He is someone from the U.S. An obstetrician and a friend."

    "Are you ready?" he asked.

    "Of course. I am," she responded. Lily had always wanted to have a child, however, the trauma and fear that she had after the ident stopped her from having herself checked. While her grandmother did get some specialist to check on her, she also didn¡¯t force Lily to see the results. Instead, she waited for her granddaughter to ovee her own fears but Lily never did.

    Lily was afraid. That was a fact. She was afraid that whatever the doctor said was actually true. She was afraid to experience what she felt all those years ago again. She was afraid that she might fall into another episode of depression. Lily was afraid to disappoint her grandmother and everyone who loved her. So she never asked.

    She was a coward, Lily thought andughed inwardly. However, everything is different now. Maybe it was because she already had someone like Zhuo Jingren, or because she finally knew what really happened seven years ago. Or maybe it was because for the first time in seven years, she found hope; something that she never had because of her tragic past.

    "Then let¡¯s have breakfast first," Zhuo Jingren said, his eyes seemed to sparkle as he stared at the woman he loved with his everything. His lips curled into a brilliant smile before he kissed her again. "I will confirm our appointment."

    .....

    In a Vi just on the outskirts of Tokyo

    Samantha pursed her lips as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Horror instantly shed in her eyes but as usual, she instantly controlled her emotion and lowered her head. A single tear made its way onto her cheeks. She quickly wiped it using her hand and looked at her reflection once again.

    ¡¯Beast,¡¯ she thought as she clenched her hands. Then she picked one of her full coverage foundations and started applying it on the purple bite marks on her chest. She instantlyforted herself, ¡¯This is for Father,for my family.¡¯

    After applying an extravagant amount of makeup over her bruises, Samantha applied a coat of concealer for her eye bags before she donned her signature smile for Adrian to see. Then she put on her favorite shade of lipstick and went out of the bathroom.

    "What took you so long?" Adrian asked, his expression was dark. The embarrassment that he feltst night was still written all over his face. It will take him a long time just to forget about it, Samantha thought inwardly. "It¡¯s almost nine. I have a conference at ten. I can¡¯t afford to bete just because of you." He was about to say more when he noticed the heavy make-up that Samantha put on her chest. He eyed her dress and his gaze instantly turned gentle. "Go change your clothing. It doesn¡¯t suit you. Wear something blue, pastel blue is best. It will make you look trustworthy and approachable."

    "Oh... Alright." Samantha nodded without saying another word. She was just a paid fianc¨¦e after all. This was her choice. Her reputation and beautiful face was something that Adrian needed to make him look good. His expertise in medicine and money were the things that Samantha needed to help her father.

    ¡¯It was a good exchange, it is worth it,¡¯ she convinced herself before she chose the pastel blue dress that would suit Adrian¡¯s taste.

 Chapter 353 Hormones

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 353 Hormones</h4>

    "I¡¯m sorry what?" Lily¡¯s surprise was apparent in her voice. She widened her eyes at the middle-aged doctor in front of them, anticipation, surprise, and glee swirled in her light brown orbs. She tightened her grasp on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arms - a thing that she subconsciously did in her nervousness. "I... Can you repeat what you just said?"

    "I said... aside from the fact that you have a little hormonal imbnce, everything else is normal," the doctor repeated patiently. This was not the first time that he had encountered a hopeful couple like them. Dr. Takashi eyed Zhuo Jingren before he gave thetter a small smile. When Zhuo Jingren informed him that they wanted to know if Lily was indeed incapable of conceiving, Doctor Takashi, couldn¡¯t help but expect the worst.

    However, this result differed greatly from his initial expectations. He watched as Lily froze, then tears started to stream down her cheeks before Zhuo Jingren hugged her.

    "I¡¯m alright." It was a whisper or maybe even a murmur, filled with relief and joy. She nestled herselffortable in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arms as she stamped this memory in her heart. She wanted to remember this until she grows old.

    Lily let the happiness sink in as she slowly closed her eyes. She could feel her tears running down her cheeks. She could feel her heart leaping with joy. "I¡¯m alright," she repeated.

    "You are," Zhuo Jingren said as his hand slowly stroke Lily¡¯s head. Waves of happiness and relief washed over him. He felt his heart soared before he closed his eyes, a small smile full of gentleness was on his face. Seeing Lily happy gave his heart a warm and light feeling. Lily was his everything.

    After a few moments, Zhuo Jingren asked the doctor, "You mentioned something about her hormones? Is there something wrong?"

    "Well... Mrs. Zhuo is far from being healthy. She is underweight. If she wants to get pregnant, please consider having a bnced diet. Exercise is good but she shouldn¡¯t overwork herrself. Sleep deprivation and stress are the two main culprits contributing to this abnormality. My guess is... she had been working a lot in the past few years with terrible diet and less than six hours of sleep every night," the doctor answered.

    "But you don¡¯t really have to worry, you just got married after all. Let me tell you this... eighty-five percent of couples get pregnant on the first year of their marriage. And you haven¡¯t even celebrated your first anniversary yet. You still have a lot of time to be part of this eighty-five percent," the doctor added before heughed. "Jingren... don¡¯t tire your wife too much. Maybe this is one reason for her stress as well," he teased his friend, earning aughter from both Lily and Zhuo Jingren.

    "But you don¡¯t really have to worry. There are a lot of ways to get pregnant nowadays. I can monitor your condition as well. I will be traveling back to the U.S. this month but after that I can visit Hong Kong and maybe check your wife once every month after that? How does that sound?"

    "That would be perfect!" Lily answered while beaming. "Thank you very much."

    "No problem! Jingren is a very good friend of mine," the older doctor said as he started to write a prescription for Lily. "Here... these vitamins are good for you. I¡¯m not sure if you can get them in Hong Kong but I¡¯m sure you can get them in Europe and U.S. Hmmm...and Japan as well, however, because of the high demand, you have to be very lucky to find them here. I¡¯ve also prescribed some stress-relieving medication. It¡¯s good for you to start eating some folic acid and also iron tablets since you have a little iron deficiency. Lastly, sleep well. Don¡¯t let your husband tire you out."

    The doctor continued to give them some advice on how to stay healthy. After their appointment, Lily and Zhuo Jingren had a sumptuous lunch in one of the restaurants in Tokyo before travelling back to Hong Kong.

    "Still feeling a little high?" Zhuo Jingren asked Lily who was in a daze as she stared at the clouds floating outside of their private jet.

    "Hmmm... What do you think bing a mother means?" Lily asked.

    "Being selfless? I think motherhood is a choice that someone makes every day."

    "Do you..." Lily decided not to continue the words she was about to say. Will she be a good mother? A question that every mother asked themselves. However, it is futile to ask this question as no one really knows the qualification of being a good mother.

    Was it providing everything for them? Was it raising a good, respectful, and kind child? Was it loving them unconditionally?

    To be honest, Lily couldn¡¯t answer that.

    "You will be." Zhuo Jingren¡¯s gentle voice reached her ears. It was soft and sweet, which reminded her of a melody that she used to listen with her grandmother. Lily responded with a smile. Their rtionship has alreadye to where they could already read each other¡¯s mind. Somehow, this brought aforting and warm feeling in Lily¡¯s heart.

    "Thank you," she uttered. Whatever the future holds, she was confident that she could go through it with her husband.

    "So? When would you like to have us arrange our wedding? And where? Maybe Italy?" he asked. "The gown that you chose a while back is almost done. In two months, they willplete it then you can have a fitting for the final touches."

    His words instantly earned a smile from Lily. "So you don¡¯t want me to get pregnant without having a grand ceremony first?" she asked, her eyes had a glimmer of hope, like a new spring.

    "Of course! You deserve the best." He beamed. "Let¡¯s do it in Italy. Your mother¡¯s ce. What do you think?"

    "Alright. We can talk about it when we reach home . But Italy is good. I am okay with it." Lily wanted to add that she will be okay as long as he is the one that she is going to marry. But she decided not to say it. She would only sound cheesy and hopelessly in love. And she wasn¡¯t ¨C not really.

 Chapter 354 My wife, my partner

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 354 My wife, my partner</h4>

    Tuesday, October 11

    After arriving from Japan, Lily decided to go back to work on the next day. Because of her fake ident, Lily could not go to her office for two weeks, making her feel a little nostalgic when she arrived in her office. But this did not hinder her from her responsibilities.

    Seeing Lily safe and sound instantly increased the mood of everyone in the FC Group. While some executives like Mr. Rossi insisted on celebrating her recovery, Lily thought it was only useless. She needed a lot of time to catch up with work and she wasn¡¯t really in an ident in the first ce. In the end, the old man was helpless and could only give Lily some choctes that she loved from Europe.

    "Most of our shareholders sent a bunch of flowers this morning when they knew that you wereing." Yang Mi said. "They also sent a lot of cards, congratting you from your recovery."

    "Hmmm... send everyone a thank-you card." Lily said as she frowned. "Mr. Han is scheduled to attend Skyhigh Lights bidding next week?"

    "Yes, President." Yang Mi answered, unperturbed by Lily¡¯s disinterest towards the people who sent her cards and gifts. This was not the first time that Lily received some cards and flowers and every time she would only asked Yang Mi to send a thank-you note to everyone.

    "I will join him. Add it to my schedule for next week." Lily said as she rose from her seat. She grabbed her phone and then she let Yang Mi carry herptop and other files. In less than five minutes, Lily had another meeting with the executives from the Harmony Isle led by Mr. Beau.

    She then walked out of her office and walked towards the elevator that will led her to the conference room.

    "The president is really hard working. She just got back from an ident and look at her now." One staff said after they watched Lily strutted out of the elevator with Yang Mi in tow.

    " Of course! Do you think ourpany will seed like this if we have azy president? Let me tell you... I have been working with the Fi for over ten years now. Before President Lily came, the Fi Group is not like this."

    "I know! I heard that the President is even more strong willed than her grandmother." Another staff member answered.

    "But isn¡¯t this because of her forcing everyone to sell their shares to her?" a condescending voice added. Making the staff looked at the tall woman who should be one of the secretaries under Head Secretary Yang. If they remember correctly, this woman should be called Miss Xi. One of President Lily¡¯s secretary.

    "What do you mean forcing? The President is brilliant. If they can¡¯t defend themselves against our president¡¯s strategies, then it only means that they are weak. They do not deserve to handle a business!" the middle-aged woman held her head high. Pride apparent in her eyes as she sent a provocative re at the secretary. What kind of Secretary would talk about their boss like that?

    ...

    Contrary to Lily¡¯s busy schedule, Zhuo Jingren was feeling rxed as he sat on his chair. He was reading some emails that his Vice President sent him, his hand silently drumming the table.

    "President... Mr. Qin Chuan is here. Shall I let him in?" Secretary Go¡¯s respectful voice echoed, earning a nod from Zhuo Jingren. In less than a minute, Qin Chuan came inside. His face sullen, deep marks appearing in between his brows.

    "You killed Qin Wuyang!" Qin Chuan spat out as he stood in front of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s table. "Why?"

    His statement only earned a raised eyebrow from Zhuo Jingren. "I presume you prefer some coffee?" he ignored thetter¡¯s outburst before he gestured Secretary Go to get them some coffee.

    "Why? Lily agreed not to kill him! Why did you have him drink a poison that made him suffer a lot before his death?" Qin Chuan gritted his teeth. His gaze was boring daggers at Zhuo Jingren. "All of his organs are damaged! Why?"

    "Feel free to take a seat." Zhuo Jingren calmly responded as he gestured for him to take his seat.

    "Stop ying games with me!" Qin Chuan hissed! "What do you think will Lily feel once she knows?"

    "Oh... how do you know that she doesn¡¯t know?" Zhuo Jingren asked, amusement apparent in his eyes. His words instantly made Qin Chuan speechless. "Now... don¡¯t make me say it again."

    Qin Chuan slowly balled his hand into a fist before he upied the seat across Zhuo Jingren. His gaze contained a mixture of fear, anger and confusion. "Why kill him?" he tried his best to calm himself as he repeated his question.

    "Why not?" Zhuo Jingren answered, his lips slowly curving up into an insidious smile. "Did you expect me to make a man who caused a lot of suffering towards my wife, survive and die of natural causes?" He chuckled.

    "But..."

    "Stop being a hypocrite Qin Chuan. We both know what kind of pain that man made Lily and your son experienced. He might not have wielded the knife, but he was the one who manipted everything. In football we call him the ymaker."

    Qin Chuan stared at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s smile as he swallowed his nonexistent saliva. He remembered how Lily said she does not want Qin Chuan dead. Why would Zhuo Jingren do something that was against Lily¡¯s will? "What about Lily?" he asked.

    "What about her?" Zhuo Jingren said as he eyed Secretary Go who was bringing two cups of coffee. The duo watched as Secretary Go put the coffee on the table and gave Zhuo Jingren a bow before leaving the office. "Do you think your daughter is dumb?" he asked.

    "I..."

    "Seems like you have a lot of things to know about your daughter." Zhuo Jingren lifted his cup and took a sip at his coffee. "Lily is not dumb. She didn¡¯t asked questions because she understood why I did it. She knows... but she does not want to talk about it."

    "How... how do you know that?"

    "She is my wife Mr. Qin. My partner. She is an equal. She knows every little thing that I do." Zhuo Jingren said with a gentle smile on his face. It was as if... the man didn¡¯t just talk about murder just a few seconds ago.

    For some reason, the fast shift in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s mood made Qin Chuan a little disconcerted. What kind of man would give a gentle smile while talking about murder and killing just a few seconds back?

    "Lily does not approve of murder and killing people. But that does not mean that she will do something to stop it. Qin Wuyang¡¯s deeds are far too big to be forgiven." Zhuo Jingren added, his gaze was unto the swirling hues of ck in his cup of coffee. "As someone who experienced the cruelty of the people who he manipted... you should already know that, right?"

    "Still, the man already suffered enough. He was dying of cancer. Plus, he never hurt us directly. True, he manipted everything, but he was already regretting it. He could not see the extent of his machinations. He gave them the knife, but it wasn¡¯t his fault they use it to stab someone else."

    "Fool." Zhuo Jingren uttered as coldness started to seep in his eyes. "Well... I won¡¯t judge you. We have different principles and I see no point in discussing people who is already dead."

    "One thing is for sure though..." Zhuo Jingren made a deliberate pause as he shifted his gaze towards Qin Chuan. His gaze darkening before he continued, "I don¡¯t have the habit of giving knives to people. I am the type of person who would wield it firmly and stab them to death myself."

 Chapter 355 A Queen Protecting her King

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 355 A Queen Protecting her King</h4>

    Unedited

    ....

    When Qin Chuan heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words, he instantly frowned at him. Does Lily know that she married a person like this? He opened his mouth, wanting to rebut Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words. "Killing him doesn¡¯t make everything right," he uttered, unable to stop himself.

    Zhuo Jingren did not respond to his words as he turned his attention to the smoke arising from his coffee. Its lingering aroma assaulting his nose, prompting him to close his eyes as he thought about everything that Lily went through. "Your daughter was bullied while growing up. She wasbelled as shameless, her mother a whore for climbing into Qin Mo¡¯s bed. In her early twenties, she lost our child, her mother and the family that she knew. She almost went crazy before her grandmother rescued her. Everything that had happened since she was born was orchestrated by that man."

    Slowly, Zhuo Jingren opened his eyes and stared at Qin Chuan. "As the person who loved her for over fifteen years... are you telling me that I should just step back and let the culprit of her misery go?"

    "Killing will not make any past deeds right..." Zhuo Jingren added, his gaze sharp almost piercing as he looked at the man in front of him. "And so is forgiveness."

    ...

    FC Group Tower

    "For our shopping app, I would like to change the color of the logo. Make it... red. I want something that immediately attracts the attention of the people. Something that they wouldn¡¯t miss the moment that they opened their phones." Lily said while staring at herptop. "Aside from that everything else is good. Since our opening will be in Christmas... there should be a big show. I want a concert. Something grand for the opening of the new Harmony Isle."

    "I understand." Mr Beau nodded, his eyes were glued unto his ownptop as he noted everything that Lily said.

    "Also... I want theplete list of the names of the people that we will invite for this show." Lily said.

    "Yes, president. I will have it on your table before this day ends."

    "Very good. I believe we are done for today. Ladies and gents. You can go now." Lily did not wait for any response as she walked out of the conference room, her face was serious while asking Yang Mi of her next meeting.

    "President. You have a Skype call scheduled with Mr. Tan from the logistics department of our..."

    "I remember. Call Jingren. Tell him I will bete for dinner. Tell me the situation about our Westward terminals." Westward Terminals is another subsidiary of Fi Group that focused on ports and freights. During the weekends, Lily received a lot of calls about the trouble that they encountered in their cargo ports in Mysia. Since she was away with Zhuo Jingren, Lily could not deal with the matter and asked Mr. Rossi to take over instead.

    "We have another collision. Two collisions in three days... I dont think it is a coincidence. I already asked our men to review everything on the ports around the time of the idents we should get a response soon." Yang Mi answered as she tried to catch up to Lily¡¯s steps.

    "Good." In porting business, sabotage and terrorism are not actually a new threat. In fact, they will encounter those every now and then. "You said ports? I thought it was only in Mysia?"

    "No... One is in Mysia and the other two is in South America."

    "Alright. I will talk to Mr. Tan... there is no such a thing as coincidences. We should prepare for a counter." Lily mumbled as she walked towards her office. However, to her surprise someone else is already sitting in the couch. Her face instantly lost all of its expression. "Who let you in?"

    "Is that how you greet your brother?" Qin Liwei a who wasnguidly sitting at the couch rose and walked towards Lily.

    "Who let you in?" Lily repeated as she looked at Yang Mi over her shoulders. "Call the security. I ..."

    "Hold on... now let¡¯s be polite here. I am not here to be your enemy sister." Qin Liwei said as he stood in front of Lily, his height towering over him. "I am here because I have something that you need."

    "And that is?" She asked.

    "Why don¡¯t you take a seat first? I will tell you everything once we are already rxed and in the right man to talk about things."

    "I have no time to deal with your bullshit. Leave now or I will have the security drag you out." She countered, irritation apparent in her eyes. She instantly made a mental note to fire the person who let this Qin Liwei in her office.

    "Your husband. I was lucky enough to know everything about him... my dear sister? Ah... I should not call you sister but maybe cousin? Still not good... we are rtives not cousin. Maybe I should just call you Lily? Right?"

    "Who told you that I wanted to know everything about him?" she furrowed her brows, wondering who gave Qin Liwei the guts to act this confident in front of her. "I am giving you three seconds to leave. Or I will..."

    "Come on Lily." Qin Liwei said. "Aren¡¯t you even interested to know how many people your husband murdered? How he asked his men to massacre a family back in Japan? I mean... If that does not interest you. I don¡¯t know what will."

    "What if it doesn¡¯t" Lily challenged. Really? She already knows all these things.

    "Well... what if I tell you that I have proof enough to make him rot in prison?" Qin Liwei lifted an eyebrow, making Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

    "What do you want?" Lily¡¯s already bad mood had be even worse when she heard thetter¡¯s statement. ckmail? ¡¯Is this man really that dumb?¡¯ Lily could not help but asked herself.

    "For starters... I want the Qin Industry back under my name." Qin Liwei beamed, victory apparent in his eyes. As expected of a Queen she will always try to protect her King.

 Chapter 356 Reverse Psychology

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 356 Reverse Psychology</h4>

    "The Qin Industries is not under my name." Lily walk passed Qin Liwei and sat on her chair. She then signaled Yang Mi to leave them.

    "But we have a debt and you know that we can¡¯t pay it. I... I mean not right now." Qin Liwei stuttered but when he remembered the promises that he received from that man if he ruined Lily and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s rtionship, he instantly calmed down and walked towards Lily¡¯s table. "Well aren¡¯t you even going to asked about the proof that I hold against your man?"

    "Are you going to show it to me?" Lily mused.

    "No."

    "Then... don¡¯t mind it. You can go now."

    "I thought you want to know everything about your husband? Or are you doing this because you are interested in his money once he is gone?" Qin Liwei sneered. Seven years ago, Lily had always wanted to marry Xuan Hui because of money. Seven yearster, Lily¡¯s record in the business industry is still making her look like the old greedy Lily that she was.

    "Hmmm... I would love to." She smiled. "Now that I think about it...It would be good to have the Zhuo Capital under Fi Group."

    "..." Disbelief shed in Qin Liwei¡¯s eyes as he stared at Lily. Slowly, he took a seat across her as he reminded himself that he was here because he wanted to bring this woman down. Heposed himself before he gritted his teeth. Lily was truly shameless! He had not met anyone as shameless as her!

    "So? Would you rather leave? Or are you going to let me know the information that you know?"

    Qin Liwei stared at Lily¡¯s smile, which made him even more irritated. How could she smile like this when he was the one with the advantages? "Alright then... first, your husband was involved in the Yakuza and killed a lot of people seven years ago. Man, women and children were killed in retaliation of his father¡¯s death."

    "Hmmm... that is insidious." Lily noted. "How sure are you that he was the one who killed them and not some psychopathic clown?"

    "He was the one who ordered it and we have witnesses. People who received the order. Now... If I release this news. I am not sure what will the government of Japan do. This would also ruin your husband¡¯s reputation."

    "I agree." Lily nodded. "So what are you nning to do?"

    "Well... I was nning to..." Qin Liwei did not continue the words that he was about to say. He widened his eyes at the woman in front of him. "Why are you asking me that!?" he hissed. He was about to fall into this woman¡¯s trap! Qin Liwei wanted to cursed, maybe curse Lily in her face. However, he decided to remain calm to achieve his mission. He shifted his tone and continued, "You see... we all know that Japan has a very strong economic ties with Hong Kong. So once this evidence reached their ears.. coupled with the media. I¡¯m sure you already know what will happen by then, right?"

    He gave her a smug smile, his eyes seemed to glimmer as she stared at her. Finally... with the help of that man. He would be able to defeat Lily and even Zhuo Jingren.

    "So? Are you going to leave the Qin Industry alone now?" he asked. Of course, he knows that Lily would immediately give him what he wanted.

    "You know... Liwei. I am not sure if you are stupid or overly stupid. I mean... you came in here. Marching with that smug smile in your face and ckmail me. Is this the best that you could do?" she asked. "The only reason why I have not deal with you yet is because I was too busy andtely... I have decided to move on with my life."

    "And yet... here you are. Itching to die, challenging me over and over again." Lily shook her head. "The Qin Family in Hong Kong... will suffer once you release that news. Then the Qin Industries will end up with me. I will ruin your sister, her family. Your father, mother and you."

    "You only say that now because I have all the evidence that I can use against you and your man! Do you think you can scare me? Do you think I am a fool?" Seeing Lily underestimate him repeatedly is really making Qin Liwei even more determine to destroy her. He wanted to wipe off that smile in Lily¡¯s face and make her realize how wrong it was for her to underestimate him.

    "I am not scaring you and yes... I think you are a fool."

    "You-" Qin Liwei could not continue her words when Lily throw a brown envelope towards him. He unconsciously grabbed the file.

    "That is not the original. I have kept many copies and videos. If you think you can just strode in here and ckmail me, then... think again. You can try to ruin Zhuo Jingren. In fact, I would dare you to try. Give him a reason to end your life. Oh... why don¡¯t you file a case now? try to ruin him... then watch as your family fall into chaos." She challenged. Reverse psychology usually works with the dumb ones, like Qin Liwei.

    Qin Liwei did not utter a word as he sent her another re. He opened the enveloped and instantly froze at its contents. The envelop is filled with images. One of Xuan Hui with his secretary, their cousin from the Tang Family. One of their mother kissing an old, obese man whom he recognized as a famous producer in the entertainment industry.

    Another photo is of Qin Liwei snorting some cocaine, which was taken three years ago before he stopped using drugs in the US. Qin Liwei¡¯s throat seemed to dried out. He started tearing one photo followed by another. His eyes were wide, ring and murderous.

    "Where did you get this?" he demanded. "Where the hell did you get this, Qin Jinghua? Answer me!?"

    "Oh... brother... should I call you brother? Maybe cousin? But we are rtives aren¡¯t we? We are not cousins." Lily¡¯s lips lifted into a smile.

    [reverse psychology- the principle or practice of subtly encouraging a behavior or belief by advocating its opposite. ]

    -Mr. Google

 Chapter 357 A Monsters Footstep

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 357 A Monster¡¯s Footstep</h4>

    Unedited

    .....

    "You- Where... who gave you those photos?" Qin Liwei asked, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. Those photos would be enough to make her sister crazy! It would be enough to shame everyone in his family, including him!

    "No idea." Lily shrugged. "Maybe you have offended someone influential enough to follow around in your family? Who knows?" Qin Liwei was too stupid not to realized that the one who took those photos was Lily and well... she does not have a n to tell him about it.

    "I don¡¯t believe you!" Qin Liwei rose from his seat and pointed a finger at Lily. "We are not done! This is not done!" Then he strode out of Lily¡¯s office with his jaws clenched.

    "Yang Mi?" Lily used the office telephone to call her secretary. After a few seconds, Yang Mi came inside. "Someone is backing Qin Liwei. Asked our people to find out. Call George if you have to. Also... someone told him about my schedule. Did you find out who let him in?"

    "President, for some reason someone added his name to your appointment today. I checked and found out that it was added around the time that you started your meeting a couple of hours ago. So when the receptionist saw his name, they instantly let them in."

    "I see." She nodded. "It seems that someone was able to nt a spy in ourpany." Lily stated as she leaned against her swivel chair, her elbows resting on it¡¯s arm as she intertwined her fingers in front of her. "Help me find out who it is." She uttered in a low voice.

    "Yes President. Also... I have tried calling Mr. George Arison already to check about the matter that you asked me to check when you arrived from Japanst night."

    "And?"

    "I was not able to talk to him. Instead, Mr Jack Arison was the one who answered me. He said... his father was sick and he asked if you will be avable in the next few days as he wille to Hong Kong to check some things."

    "Jack?" Lily repeated as she rummaged her memories, trying her best to remember herst encounter with the man. She wondered how George had affected the man¡¯s coward like personality before. Then she remembered how George mentioned Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s peculiar fast recovery. Lily shake her head at that memory of her brother. "What did you tell him?"

    "I did not reveal any information about your schedule." Yang Mi said sternly. No matter what Jack did, she refused to tell him about Lily¡¯s schedule. This was because she was trained to prioritize Lily¡¯s security at all costs. She would never do something that wouldpromise her.

    "Alright." Lily nodded. "Monitor Qin Liwei and Qin Fei." She said before she gestured for Yang Mi to leave so she could start her next conference with her people for her portpany.

    Lily knew that someone was trying to make her distance Zhuo Jingren. Surely, they have assumed that Lily does not know what kind of person her husband is. Now... all she wanted to know is who would want to distance him from her own husband. Who wanted to separate them... and why?

    .....

    "YOU DID WHAT?" Qin Mo roared, his voice echoed inside his study as he widened his eyes at his stupid son. "You... You are courting death!"

    "Father... you have to understand that I did it because the man¡¯s offer is extremely tempting and I thought I found a way to intimidate her! Make her bow down to me." Qin Liwei gritted his teeth. epting this fact is extremely embarrassing to him. But he does not have a choice. He needed to tell his father that Lily had a dirt on all of them.

    "Didn¡¯t you listen to everything that I told you days ago? I said...y low! Two simple words... Two words and you can¡¯t evenprehend that! How did you expect to beat her if you can¡¯t even understand two simple words?" Qin Mo asked as he eyed his table, looking for something- anything that he could throw towards his son. If he was able, he would have woken Qin Liwei up with a punch or two. Seeing a ball pen in his table, he abruptly reached out and threw it towards his son, hitting Qin Liwei¡¯s cheek in the process. "You moron!"

    "Father!"

    "You- Your stupidity will be the death of me!" Qin Mo yelled.

    "Father, let¡¯s not do this now alright? Can we just focus on the fact that those images will ruin everyone in this family? And that Xuan Hui... that man... How dare he cheat on Feifei?" As expected, Qin Mo calmed down a little when he heard his son¡¯s words. True! Their enemy is not each other, but a woman named Lily.

    "Do you want to know why I asked you toy low?" He asked, gaining a look from his son. He then sighed before he continued, "That¡¯s because... Zhuo Jingren was the man who impregnated Lily seven years ago. Your mother told me about this as well as her suspicion that the one who destroyed and took over the Tang empire was Zhuo Jingren."

    "So you are saying that Zhuo Jingren might deal with us soon because of what happened seven years ago?" Qin Liwei¡¯s face darkened. Of course, he was still unaware about the fact that his father was the person who made Lily lose her child.

    "Yes. That was exactly why I want you to make your presence as low as possible. I don¡¯t want to attract a beast like him." Qin Mo said. This statement is partly true. If Zhuo Jingren was really the father, then it would be very possible for him to ruin them because of their treatment towards Lily in the past. And without the backing of Zhang Yifei, the Qin Family in Hong Kong would be destroyed like an ant, squeezed to death by a monster¡¯s footstep.

    "Then? Then..." Qin Liwei did not continue his words as he widened his eyes. "I have to talk to him!" he stood up and turned his back to his father.

    "Talk to who?" Qin Mo asked, his brows furrowed.

    "I... I can¡¯t say for now. But... he is a powerful man. I can assure you that he can be trusted." He looked ever his shoulder and gave his father a determined smile. "Don¡¯t worry, father. I will fix this." He said before leaving the room.

 Chapter 358 Sweet and Sour Pork Over Some Wine

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 358 Sweet and Sour Pork Over Some Wine</h4>

    Thursday, October 13

    Lily narrowed her eyes as she stared at the news on herptop. Suspicions and conspiracy theories started churning inside her head as she continued to watch the news.

    Qin Liwei got into a fatal ident?

    Normally, this would not really concern Lily. However, this matter is different now that Qin Liwei just threatened her and Zhuo Jingren just a few days ago.

    "President, I am sorry to disturb you, but President Zhuo is calling. He said he had been calling on your personal phone but he couldn¡¯t go through," Yang Mi¡¯s voice interrupted her.

    "Alright." Lily held her hand out as she epted her personal phone from Yang Mi. "Are you seeing this?" she instantly asked the moment she answered the phone. She concluded that the reason of this phone call was rted to the news that she was watching.

    "I didn¡¯t do it," Zhou Jingren responded, his tone contained a hint of anxiety, surprising Lily. She lifted an eyebrow, amusement swirled in her eyes as she eyed Yang Mi, cueing the secretary to leave her office.

    "I know," she uttered.

    "No... you don¡¯t know that," he answered, unconvinced by her words. "I could have easily done it and lie to you. So I want to make it clear now that... I didn¡¯t do it. Qin Liwei doesn¡¯t have anything substantial that would be able to incriminate me."

    "He was a clown," Lily added. "A clown that will be used to frame you." Lily heard Zhuo Jingren sigh on the other line. She could still feel his anxiety about what had happened. For some reason, Lily found it cute that he was worried about what she would think. Wait... Why was she enjoying her man¡¯s misery?

    Lilyughed at her own thoughts before she closed the tab that was showing the news about Qin Liwei¡¯s ident. "Someone will think that you are responsible for all this. The timing is just... too convenient."

    "I know. But the important thing is that you believe me. Their opinions about me does not matter at all." He let out another sigh. "I aming over."

    "What for? Aren¡¯t you busy?" Lily asked.

    "Well... I have a catalogue for the most ideal ces to get married. Let¡¯s check it together."

    "Can¡¯t we do thister? Tonight?" she let out a small giggle at the fast shift of their conversation. Both of them knew that a storm was looming over them, threatening to destroy their peace, so the thought of discussing a wedding in the middle of all this was somewhat funny.

    "I want us to decide by the end of the day. Any of these venues would require us to make a reservation at least two months in advance."

    "Is that so?"

    "Hmmm... wait for me. I will bring you lunch," he said before he bid her goodbye.

    .....

    The news of Qin Liwei¡¯s car ident instantly caused unrest in Qin Industries. A lot of investors wondered what would happen to thepany now that Qin Mo and Qin Liwei could no longer manage the business. To everyone¡¯s surprise, Qin Mo suddenly dered that he would take back the CEO position now that his own son is unfit to run thepany.

    He especially mentioned how his current state won¡¯t hinder him from running their family¡¯spany. And just like what Lily predicted, he hinted that some powerful people were involved in his son¡¯s ident.

    Qin Mo said how it wasn¡¯t an ident as his son does not drink nor does drugs. How could his car have collided into one of the wall trees in Hong Kong in broad daylight? It wasn¡¯t an ident! Someone attempted to murder his son and he won¡¯t stop until he finds out the truth about the matter.

    "This Qin Mo is smart enough not to mention your name," Lily uttered as she sucked in another breath. She savored the sweet and sour smell that was wafting out of their kitchen and closed her eyes. Her elbows were resting on the counter as she continued to listen to the evening news. At the gentle sound of dining ware hitting against the counter, she opened her eyes and focused on the sweet and sour pork that was generously served with rice in front of her.

    Lily gave Zhuo Jingren a brilliant smile, her eyes were sparkling at the sight of her favorite sweet and sour pork.

    "He wouldn¡¯t do that," Zhuo Jingren said. "As I said... they don¡¯t have a lot of materials against me. Qin Liwei tried to ckmail you. He was banking on the possibility that you don¡¯t know enough details about me. He might have thought that our marriage is still because both of us found it convenient. A marriage because of money."

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded, her attention focused on the food in her bowl. She felt her mouth water. Lily did not hesitate anymore. She picked up her chopsticks to take a piece of pork and tried her best to act as elegantly as possible while eating in front of Zhuo Jingren. However, in less than a minute, her fa?ade broke down as she shoved another piece of pork in her mouth. "So good!" she said, before she closed her eyes, savoring every bite.

    Zhuo Jingren could only shake his head, helplessness and gentleness covered his face. He turned towards his food and started eating dinner. After they had decided on the ideal location for their wedding, they decided to just head home so he could cook her favorite dish for her.

    "Well... I expected that he wouldn¡¯t mention your name. At least not this early. I think... whoever is using Qin Liwei will also use Qin Mo soon," Lily said, her voice full of undisguised nonchnce. "I will strike first. I don¡¯t want them to drag your name into all of this."

    "Really? What do you have in mind?"

    "Just some things," Lily replied vaguely as she shifted her gaze away from her sweet and sour pork. She gave Zhuo Jingren a knowing look before she continued, "And don¡¯t worry. I am not nning to prolong this or go to the long and winding road that you hate so much. I will handle Qin Mo... your style."

    "You will kill him?"

    "Of course not! That man is evil and treacherous. I have my ns but for now... I want to rify that we do not have the motive to hurt his son."

    "And? How will you do that?" Zhuo Jingren asked. He always found Lily¡¯s ways pretty peculiar, it would always make him curious; make him want to guess what she was thinking behind that brain of hers.

    "I will make Qin Industries mine," she proudly dered before shoving another slice of pork in her mouth.

    "Uhhh... wouldn¡¯t that make people assume that you are the one responsible of Qin Liwei¡¯s ident? They will think that you asked someone to kill your brother so you could have thepany for yourself."

    "Not really," she answered. "Qin Mo will soon dere that Qin Liwei found a few incriminating evidence against you." Her lips curled into a smile as she used a napkin to dab on her lips. "He will not say that it was you who tried to murder his son and that he was simply stating a fact, leaving the people and the shareholders to connect the dots."

    "So he will make Qin Liwei the victim and I the viin."

    "Oh... he is a victim, alright. We are in a world where weak people almost always be the victim of evil schemes from the stronger ones, the smarter ones. But... once I get thepany from him, the opinion of the people will shift from you to me. They will think that I am the one responsible for what happened to my brother." Not many people know that Lily is someone from the main branch of the Qin Family.

    "Then?" Zhuo Jingren asked as he served a ss of red wine to his wife.

    "Then... I will show them that I don¡¯t need to kill people to acquirepanies." She beamed. "And face p Qin Mo with evidence that Qin Liwei was drunk at the time of the ident. Pictures of him doing drugs will spread like wildfire and you and me will sit here... enjoying another meal of sweet and sour pork over some wine."

 Chapter 359 Coincidental Meeting

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 359 Coincidental Meeting</h4>

    Unedited

    ...

    However, contrary to Lily¡¯s prediction, Qin Mo mentioned nothing about Zhuo Jingren nor his possible involvement to Qin Liwei¡¯s ident in the next few days. Instead, he never interacted with any media personnel and avoided having any interview. Of course, people from the media respected this matter and eventually stopped talking about Qin Liwei¡¯s ident.

    This was an unexpected response and Lily could only shake her head in the end. Maybe Qin Mo learned something because of what happened to Zhang Yifei and the Qin Family in Shanghai. Or maybe a smart backer finally gave him some advice about their stupid way of thinking. Either way, Lily does not want to focus on them alone.

    After all, she¡¯s got a business to run and a grand wedding to n.

    Because of this, Lily took a step back and watch in the sidelines. She decided to not do a thing and asked her people to observe everyone in the Qin Family. She knew that someone was backing Qin Liwei and she wanted to see what brilliant thing would that backere up soon.

    Lily and Zhuo Jingren continued their busy schedules as they focused on their business and preparing for their uing wedding.

    Zhuo Jingren wanted to give Lily a grand wedding. And he wanted to announce this in the world. This made both of their schedule even more hectic than that of the usual one. Still, the couple would try to find time to spend with each other.

    "A wedding?" Isaac Lee scrunched his brows as he listened to the exnation of his man. "And they will do it... January? Do you think she is pregnant?"

    "We have not confirmed this. But... a few weekends ago, they went to see an obstetrician in Japan. We have confirmed anything yet. But... there is a big possibility that she is indeed pregnant."

    The old man turned silent while stroking his chin. He fell into a deep contemtion. "Was this the same time that Adrian went to Japan and offended Zhuo Jingren?"

    "Yes Chairman."

    "Hmmm... the arrogance of that child is the reason why I didn¡¯t make him the heir of my empire." Isaac thought out loud. "What about the people who were trying to dig up some information about Zhuo Jingren? Did you found out who wanted to know about his past?"

    "Well... it seems that the Zhou Family in China has enemies capable of hiding their tracks and... they have already spotted Zhuo Jingren." The man answered. "Chairman... may I voice out my opinion about this matter?"

    "Yes. Please do... Allen we are family after all."

    "Chairman... I think it¡¯s high time that you introduce yourself to Mr. Zhuo Jingren. I don¡¯t think he would still refuse a meeting from the Chairman of the Lee Group. Mr. Jingren is a very smart man. There should be a reason why he refused a partnership with us. Both he and his wife made it clear that they do not want to associate themselves with us. I think that Mr. Zhuo Jingren already knows about us and his mother."

    "There is even a possibility that he already knew about himing from the Zhou Family in maind China. That should be the reason why he refused any pictures and interviews from the media. He does not want to attract anyone¡¯s attention, especially the Zhous and their enemies." The man named Allen added.

    "Hmmm... you actually have a point. Having Thomas contact both Zhuo Jingren and Lily Zhuo is futile. Maybe it is indeed time for me to introduce myself to my grandson and protect him this time." Isaac Lee nodded, an earnest expression shed in his face but it quickly disappeared as he furrowed his brows again.

    "You mentioned that the Zhous in China have enemies?"

    "Yes, Chairman.... All these years, they have offended many people in their industry. I could not find out the identity of the people who tried to dig something about Mr. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s past. I am not even sure if it was someone from the Zhou Family. All I know is that... they wanted to know more about him."

    "I see." The old man nodded, his gaze pensive before he looked at the smiling photo of the woman in his hands. He made a mistake in the past and he would make sure not to do it again with his grandson. "Alright... check out if we could arrange a meeting with Zhuo Jingren. Try if you can find his locations in the next few weeks. I would prefer a ¡¯coincidental meeting¡¯. "

    ....

    In one of the restaurants in Northern Heights, Hong Kong

    "This ce is perfect for real estate investments." Jack smiled at Lily. His gaze eyes were at the beautiful garden that was one of the main attractions of this restaurant. "Aren¡¯t you going to order something for lunch?"

    "I have a flight to maind China in five hours. I don¡¯t really have the time to talk about real estate over lunch." Lily went straight to the point. This was the day that she was scheduled to fly to Beijing for the bidding that she will attend with Mr. Han tomorrow. "How was George?"

    Just a few hours ago, Jack called Lily and asked for a meeting. He said he had something very important to inform Lily. Initially, Lily refused to see him as she does not have the time to do so. But when thetter, told her that it has something to do with George situation, Lily immediately changed her mind.

    "Not in the mood, eh?" Jack said, the same smile stered on his face before he slowly turned serious. "Well then... I guess there is no reason for me to dy telling you this information as well."

    "Someone attacked George one week ago." Jack said. "And everyone was suspecting your brother."

    Lily lifted an eyebrow at Jack, "Really? Is George alright? Did he sustain some fatal injuries?"

    "He is fine... but still unconscious. The culprit hit his head. We are not sure when he will wake up." Jack said his gaze darkening. "I have decided to closely monitor your brother for now. However... once I get a proof that he was the one responsible then... you should already know what will happen to him, right?"

    Lily crossed her arms across her chest. Her face devoid of any expression. Qin Yuanfeng ... a man with a peculiar andplicated personality that was caused by his upbringing. He might be many things by Lily was sure that being this stupid is not one of those.

 Chapter 360 Prequalification Stage

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 360 Prequalification Stage</h4>

    Wednesday, October 19

    Just like every other country, China had opened its doors to foreign constructionpanies, allowing them to bid in selected infrastructure projects in the country.

    "President Zhuo, it¡¯s a pleasure to have you here in China and congrattions for passing the pre-qualification stage." An old man who was wearing a blue suit smiled at Lily and held his hand out to congratte her. In response, Lily shook his hand, having a small smile stered on her face.

    "Thank you, Mr. Lin. This is all Director Han¡¯s efforts. I heard that you qualified for the final phase too? Congrattions!" Lily responded cordially. Mr. Lin is the Chairman of the Lin-Smith Construction Company, another powerhousepany that should be Lily¡¯s greatest rival in this bidding.

    The result of the pre-qualifying stage was announced just a while ago and those who passed the stage were invited to a banquet, giving everyone an opportunity to mingle andwork.

    "Ah, thank you, but this is all because I have a genius beside me." Mr Lin let out augh, his face wrinkling in glee. "This is all because of my daughter."

    "I¡¯ve heard about her! You are lucky to have a genius of a daughter," Lily said. Just before the pre-qualifications started, a lot of constructionpanies were talking about a genius who has been helping Mr. Lin with his estimatestely. They said his daughter is extremely smart and cunning too.

    "Speaking of..." Mr. Lin looked past Lily¡¯s shoulders and smiled warmly. This made Lily and everyone else around them turn their heads to look in the direction where Mr. Lin was looking. Then they saw a woman approaching them with a gentle smile on her face. "This is the genius that everyone has been talking about. Everyone... meet my daughter, Lin Yu Yan."

    Everyone smiled at the woman who was around the same age as Lily. "Mr. Lin, you are truly lucky to have a brilliant and beautiful daughter like Miss Lin. I wonder if she is already married?" a woman who was around Mr. Lin¡¯s age butted in. The directness in her question made Lin Yu Yan blush, but it disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

    "No... she is too young for that." Mr. Lin gave a stern look towards his daughter before he smiled. "And she already has someone in her heart. Isn¡¯t that right Little Yan?"

    "I don¡¯t think my love life is an appropriate topic to discuss here, Father," Lin Yu Yan pretended to scold her father, earning boisterousughter from the group of men and women around them.

    "Ah... Look at Mr. Lin being scolded by his daughter." One manughed. "I want to have a daughter-inw like her. Miss Lin are you single and avable? Maybe you and my son..."

    "What are you talking about? I was the first one who asked," the woman from earlier interrupted him. The group of men and women including Lily let out anotherugh at their banter. These people are the top executives and CEOs of constructionpanies and most of them were already acquainted and familiar with each other.

    Some were even business partners and had close family ties.

    "Ah... why are you only asking if Miss Lin is married when there is also President Zhuo who is also beautiful and capable? Let me guess... you old folks are afraid President Zhuo will end up intimidating your sons right?" A man whom Lily recognized as Mr. Dongfang joined in the conversation, his words earning nods from some people..

    "Ah... What are you talking about old man? President Zhuo is already married," the same woman from earlier countered.

    "Oh... you are?" Mr. Dongfang lifted an eyebrow as he stared at Lily before taking a sip of his wine.. Lily only smiled and nodded in response. She thought that these people were quite cunning. While Lily had not announced her marriage to Zhuo Jingren, many people could already make an educated guess based on her surname.

    "Too bad. I would have introduced my grandson to you otherwise. I¡¯ll be happy if he could find a woman as excellent as you," Mr. Dongfang praised Lily before he eyed Lin Yu Yan. Jumping in the bandwagon, he also asked if Yu Yan was single. The topic of Lily being married was quickly forgotten as the people moved on to talk about other things and another round of banter started among some of them.

    After a few minutes, Lily bid goodbye to everyone as it was alreadyte and she still needed to give a final review of the bidding documents that they would be submitting tomorrow. Moreover, tomorrow is their monthsary and she was excited about it. Alright, she was not really excited... just a little curious about whether her husband would remember it and give her something special.

    "President Zhuo," a soft voice stopped Lily in her tracks. She instantly turned around and saw Lin Yu Yan walking towards her. "Yes?" she asked.

    "I am Lin Yu Yan from the Lin-Smith Construction Company. Congrattions on qualifying," Lin Yuyan said. Lily only gave her a smile in response. She quickly scanned her eyes at Lin Yu Yan¡¯s purple cheongsam which had a long slit at the front, revealing her slender legs. UnlikeLily who had short hair, Lin Yuyan¡¯s hair was long, reaching to her waist. Thetter had braided her hair and adorned it with clips of a flowery design. Over all, looking at Li Yu Yan¡¯s appearance and aura, Lily was reminded of a fairy.

    This woman is truly a beauty ah, Lily noted inwardly. Lily might be considered a beauty herself but she couldn¡¯t deny the fact that Li Yu Yan was even more beautiful than her.

    "And for your marriage too," Lin Yu Yan added, interrupting Lily¡¯s thoughts. "When Bei Tian told me that Jingren got married, I was honestly curious about his wife. I never thought that his wife is just as sessful as him."

    "Oh..." Lily¡¯s eyes glinted with an unfathomable emotion, however, it was too quick for Lin Yu Yan to notice. "Thank you," Lily responded with a smile that reached her eyes, turning them into crescents.

    "Well... if you didn¡¯t know,Jingren, BeiBei and I grew up together in an orphanage before my parents found me. Naturally, we were close too. I always thought that Jingren would invite me to his wedding and I was honestly disappointed that he didn¡¯t."

    "Really? That sounds really disappointing indeed. However... you don¡¯t have to worry. I will make sure to send you an invitation to our wedding in Italy next year."

    "Oh? A wedding?"

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. "We will invite you to our wedding in London, U.S., Korea and of course, Japan. We might have a wedding somewhere in Southeast Asia as well, but we are not sure about this yet. We will let you know."

    "Oh... Wow... I never thought that you guys... would be this ... in love."

    Lily nodded before she leaned a little closer to Lin Yu Yan. "I know." She beamed, her brilliant smile almost blinding.

    "Are you surprised?" Lily asked when she saw Yu Yan¡¯s beautiful face turned pale.

    "Oh... No... I... I just never thought that Jingren would agree to have ummm... weddings." Li Yu Yan was truly confused. How could Zhuo Jingren agree to marry his wife such avish way?

    "What do you mean? He was the one who suggested it. In fact he forced me to agree to holding many wedding ceremonies."

 Chapter 361 Everything

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 361 Everything</h4>

    Thursday, October 20

    "President, I heard that the Lin- Smith Construction changed their estimatesst night." Mr. Han said as he pursed his lips.

    "Don¡¯t worry about it. I made some little changes in our document too," she smiled, her eyes were scanning the people who were busily talking as they waited for the result to be announced.

    The final phase of the bidding would take another three hours to half a day of deliberation. After that, the winner will be announced in public as well as online. While this is happening, every constructionpany that qualified were once again invited to a small banquet with snacks and a lot of cocktails.

    "Everyone is already anticipating that the LSC would win." Mr. Han murmured enough for Lily to hear.

    "Hmmm... let them anticipate," she only nodded as she recalled the things that Yang Sen told her about the Lin Familyst night. ording to thetter, the Lin Family are generous and upright. They have been getting all of their projects simply because of their brains and hard work. A smile instantly escaped Lily¡¯s lips.

    Mr. Han could only sigh when he heard Lily¡¯s words. He then eyed Lily¡¯s smile and Yang Mi who was sitting just beside Lily.

    "President Zhuo..." Lily turned towards the woman approaching them. Of course, it was no other than Lin Yu Yan. She held two sses of wine in her hands and give one to Lily. Thetter epted it and put it on the table in front of them.

    "Miss Lin." Lily nodded. She eyed Mr. Han and thetter only nodded before leaving. On the other hand, Yang Mi was still there sitting beside Lily.

    "Are you alright? I notice that you are alone in here so I decided toe. I hope you don¡¯t mind." Lin Yu Yan stered a smile on her face.

    "It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t mind."

    "So I heard that you just arrived in Hong Kong just a few months back? This made me wonder... how did you and Jingren met?" Lin Yu Yan¡¯s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she waited for Lily to answer. "Oh... I... I don¡¯t want to sound nosy. I just... Jingren is a very good friend and I..."

    "It¡¯s alright, Miss Lin. I get it." Lily interrupted her. "We met... huh.... Oh. I thought he was my driver and asked him to drive me home."

    "..." Lin Yu Yan stared at Lily, wanting to gauge if she was serious. However, Lily¡¯s face did not even twitch after saying those words. "Wow ... that... what a unique way to meet."

    "Hmmm... then when he told me he is President Zhuo, we decided to get married." Lily shamelessly lied. "It was love at first sight."

    "..."

    "He said he will kill himself if I won¡¯t marry him. So I have to agree." Lily let out a dramatic sigh before she pursed her lips. "How about you Miss Lin? I heard that your heart is already taken? Who is the lucky man?"

    "I... you don¡¯t know him." Lin Yu Yan answered as her lips curled into a smile that did not reach her eyes. "Me and him... is almost impossible. Sometimes... we can¡¯t really have everything that we want."

    "That is true."

    "I guess... I would just continue watching him from afar." Lin Yu Yan said. "This way... I won¡¯t hurt myself."

    "Smart move."

    Silence, followed Lily¡¯s words as the two women fell into each of their own thoughts.

    "I¡¯m sorry... you have to hear me like this." Lin Yu Yan said. "It¡¯s just that... sometimes... when you are high up in thedder. Everyone would say that you can get everything that you want. Be it money, love and influence. Everything." She let out a sigh, her gaze pensive as she stared at the group of older men and women interacting just a few feet away from them.

    "Actually.... I disagree with that statement. I always believe that we could have it all." Lily said. "The only thing that we should be aware of is knowing... The secret of having it all... is knowing when you already do."

    Lily¡¯s statement made Lin Yu Yan stared at her for a few seconds, trying to understand her words. Then she gave Lily a sincere smile. "I understand what you mean. But sometimes, having everything is not enough to make you happy."

    "The everything that you are speaking of... is subjective Miss Lin. You have the power to be happy regardless of what you have. "For some reason, Lily recalled Zhuo Jingren¡¯s smile as she uttered those words.

    A low chuckled escaped Lin Yu Yan¡¯s mouth. "That is true... that is true." She slowly shook her head. "I envy you President Zhuo. "

    "Why so? You are younger than me more beautiful too. You have money and influence. How could you envy someone like me?"

    Lin Yu Yan wanted to say that Lily have something that she will never have but chose to maintain her silence. Life had always been unfair to everyone. She let out another sigh before she finished her red wine. "I wish you a happy marriage President Zhuo... I truly do."

    "That is so sweet of you." Lily answered. "Thank you." Lily does not know the motive of Lin Yu Yan. However, she could hear thetter¡¯s sincerity just from her voice alone. Still, Lily chose not to drop her guard against her.

    Lin Yu Yan gave her another smile before she bid Lily goodbye. The result of the bidding will be announced soon and Lin Yu Yan chose to stood behind her father during the announcement.

    "Yang Mi?" Lily¡¯s eyes were still following Lin Yu Yan as she gracefully walked towards her father.

    "President?"

    "Did you found out anything about the matter that I asked a few days ago?" For some reason, Lily had a feeling- a weird one. Something that she cannot exin. It was as if... someone... something Is watching her every move, secretly. And she could not shake the feeling off.

    A while ago, when she was talking to Lin Yu Yan, her feeling only got weirder. Was she just being paranoid?

 Chapter 362 Cupcake

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 362 Cupcake</h4>

    [Congrattions to LSC for winning the bid for the first stage of the project and Fi Group for the second stage.]

    Apuse erupted inside the hall as the announcement was made. Businessmen swarmed Lily, Mr. Han and Mr. Lin to congratte them. For these investors, LSC and Fi Group winning the bid was not surprising at all. Bothpanies were reputable and had already worked on many big infrastructure projects abroad which speak volumes about their capabilities.

    After the announcement, Lily, Mr. Han and Yang Mi stayed behind for another briefing before proceeding to contract signing.

    "President, Mr. Zhuo is waiting for you downstairs." Yang Mi lowered her voice, careful not to disturb Lily as she read the contract with Mr. Han.

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded. She nced at her watch and noticed that it was already three in the afternoon. Lily continued to review the contract, paying close attention to the terms and conditions. After all, that¡¯s what she came here for.

    .....

    However, unlike Lily, Lin Yu Yan was not involved in reviewing the contract and her mind was also somewhere else. She wasn¡¯t sure if Zhuo Jingren would appearter to get his wife but she had a hunch that he woulde. So she waited at the coffee shop just across the street of the procurement building where Lily and her father were signing the contract.

    After a few hours of waiting, Lin Yu Yan was about to give up when she heard the door of the coffee shop open, revealing Zhuo Jingren in casual clothing. She remembered how Zhuo Jingren always loved to put his hair in ce, making him look more formal and put together. However, this time, thetter¡¯s hair was short and tousled, which made him look younger and easy-going. She continued to stare at the man, partly hopeful that he would notice her and partly checking him out.

    Lin Yu Yan could not remember thest time that she saw Zhuo Jingren in person. Was it eight or nine years back? Maybe ten? Yeah... probably ten, she thought as she recalled the time when Zhuo Jingren told her that he already liked someone and there was no chance for them to be together. How cruel, sheughed inwardly.

    What kind of man would so callously reject a woman who likes him? Apparently that was Zhuo Jingren, frank and direct. He didn¡¯t want to give any woman who liked him even a glimmer of hope.

    She recalled how a lot of girls liked Zhuo Jingren in the orphanage too. After all, he was smart, good-looking and quiet. Girls would attempt to give him some choctes or a gift, but he would outright refuse to ept it and tell them to stop doing it in the future every single time.

    He was always direct and didn¡¯t like to lead people on. He was someone who knows what he wants and would not settle for something... fleeting.

    Before Zhuo Jingren turned fifteen and left the orphanage with Bei Tian, Lin Yu Yan was the only person who could get close to him - or rather she was the only shameless one who wouldn¡¯t give up. And she was only able to get closer to him after Qin Jinghua disappeared.

    Qin Jinghua. Just the thought of her name instantly made Lin Yu Yan¡¯s mouth sour. How could Zhuo Jingren know what love is at that age? How could he like someone like Qin Jinghua? Was it because she was rich? She shook her head at her own thoughts. Everyone knew how he liked Qin Jinghua. Everyone... except Qin Jinghua herself. The Qin Jinghua who foolishly liked Bei Tian then.

    Lin Yu Yan could only shake her head as she stopped herself from thinking about the past. Yes, it was all in the past. Right now, Zhuo Jingren was already married to a capable woman. Lin Yu Yan pursed her lips. She should just find another man and stop hoping that he would even remember her. Maybe she could find someone who would make her happy, someone who will spoil her and love her as much as she loved him.

    Lin Yu Yan let out a sigh as she watched Zhuo Jingren approach the counter to ce an order. As she wasn¡¯t seated too far away, she could clearly see the bobbing of his Adam¡¯s apple and how his eyes shifted at the disy. Then he scanned the whole area as if he was looking for a vacant seat. Lin Yu Yan froze when Zhuo Jingren looked her way but his gaze did not linger long enough for him to notice her. She gave another sad smile. He must have forgotten about her a long time ago.

    After cing his order, Zhuo Jingren upied the vacant table just next to the floor to ceiling windows which gave him a clear view of the entrance of the procurement building across the street. Then he checked his watch and eyed the counter while waiting for his name to be called - something that these types of coffee shops do.

    Should she approach him? Lin Yu Yan furrowed her brows as she thought about it. She should introduce herself, right? Maybe say hi? She bit her lip and slowly gathered her courage to go for it. However, her thoughts were interrupted when Zhuo Jingren¡¯s name was called, prompting him to stand up and approach the counter to get his coffee.

    Lin Yu Yan chuckled inwardly, the courage that she had gathered seemed to have dissipated the moment she heard Zhuo Jingren¡¯s name being called. She could only watch as thetter walk out of the coffee shop, a pool of tears gathered in her eyes. She quickly lowered her head and berated herself. She was so pathetic. She should just move on.

    After Lily finished signing the contract, she promptly made her way out of the building while instructing Yang Mi and Mr. Han to return to the hotel with Daohu as their driver. Then she marched towards Zhuo Jingren who was leaning on his car.

    "Hey," she greeted before she tiptoed and kissed his lips. "Did you have coffee?"

    "Hmmm," he nodded as he snaked his hands around her waist and pulled her closer for another kiss. "I miss you."

    "Ummm... we just had a video call this morning." Lily chuckled.

    "Does this mean that you did not miss me? Not even a little?"

    "President Zhuo should really stop making cringe-worthy statements." Lily rolled her eyes before pulling something out from her bag. "Happy monthsary?" She passed him a ss box with an intricately-designed cupcake inside. It was decorated with edible gold and handcrafted small little pearls in the frosting. It was very pretty and looked delicious. "Aren¡¯t you going to say something?" she lifted an eyebrow when she saw Zhuo Jingren in a daze as he stared at the cupcake.

    "This was the first time that someone had given me a cupcake," he uttered as he shifted his loving gaze towards Lily.

    "Aw... stop being emotional..." Lily beamed. "How about you give me a list of the things that you never experienced before so I could fulfill it for you? Hmmm?"

    Zhuo Jingren let out an amusedughter before he pulled something out from his pocket. It was a simple velvet box. He opened it to reveal a simple round-shaped gold pendant, about the size of a small button. Small diamonds were neatly arranged around the edges of the pendant. "It¡¯s a locket with our picture inside. I want you to wear this every day," he said as he removed it from the box and wore it around Lily¡¯s neck.

    "Does it look good on me?" Lily asked.

    "Everything looks good on you," he uttered smoothly, making Lily giggle and p his arms yfully.

    "I was not expecting to see such a heartwarming scene," a loud deep voice interrupted the couple causing them to turn towards the source of the voice. It was none other than Mr. Dongfang, who was standing a few steps away from them. A group of businessmen who apanied him were also smiling towards the couple. Most of them wore a happy expression on their faces but the glint in their eyes were too apparent for someone like Zhuo Jingren and Lily to miss.

    While Zhuo Jingren never appeared in any news and articles before, his presence in the news had steadily increased after his marriage to Lily. Because of this, a lot of businessmen recognized him as the owner and CEO of Zhuo Capital.

    Moreover, Lily and Zhuo Jingren were standing out in the open without a care of the world around them. And two powerful, good-looking individuals kissing and showing their affection in public was just too hard to miss.

    Not that this was a problem. After all, it is normal for businessmen to aspire to grow their connections. And well... these two are like the epitome of influence that these businessmen dream to achieve.

    The group approached Zhuo Jingren and Lily, greetings andughter instantly followed as everyone tried their best to shower praises on the couple and offer congrattory words.

    Everyone was busy introducing themselves that they did not notice a woman staring at them from a few meters away. Stream of tears flowed from the woman¡¯s eyes. A sob escaped her as she chewed her lower lip to suppress her sobs.

    Then she turned her back on the smiling couple, feeling very bitter in her heart. She took a step forward but her footstep felt heavy. ncing at the paper bag in her hand, she sighed before she threw away the paper bag that contained a red velvet cupcake in the bin. Why did she even thought of giving him a cupcake? It was pointless after all.

    Lin Yu Yan dragged her feet and took another step away from the couple. She wanted to leave...to get away as far as possible before she would copse on the street crying because of a broken heart.

 Chapter 363 The Place

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 363 The ce</h4>

    Beijing is the capital of China that is known for its beautiful cultural architecture that includes the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and many others.

    "Where are we going?" Lily asked with her eyes closed. "You still owe me a dinner at the hot pot near the orphanage," she stated.

    "We can go to that hot pot restaurant for dinner this weekend. For now... let¡¯s go to ¡¯the ce¡¯."

    Lily opened her eyes when she heard Zhuo Jingren. "¡¯The ce¡¯ you mean the one with the LED screen in between two malls?" Lily knew of this ce as it was featured in a magazine she once read. It was said to be one of the most visited tourist destinations in China. If her memory serves her right, this ce should be called Sky Screen.

    "Hmmm... Let¡¯s have dinner first before going back to the hotel to get your things and then catching our flight back to Hong Kong."

    After a few minutes, they arrived at Guanghua Road where Sky Screen was located along other stores and restaurants.

    Since it was a weekday, the ce was not as crowded as it was during the weekends. The couple was able to choose a restaurant that was near the entrance of Sky Screen.

    "This ce is lit. Literally," Lily said as she stared at the swirling stars that seemed to dance on therge LED screen just above them. Soft music was ying in the background, its timbre ever-changing to match the dancing stars. "I was expecting something like futuristic cars or spaceships." She chuckled.

    "Oh... you would prefer cars and spaceships to seeing stars?" he asked while slicing Lily¡¯s ribeye steak. "You know when the doctor said you are underweight, I couldn¡¯t believe it." Just as he expected, Lily¡¯s head abruptly turned towards him, her gaze piercing, earning a heartyugh from Zhuo Jingren.

    The best way to attract her attention is to talk about things like her weight. "I was joking. I agree with Takashi. You need to eat more."

    "But you have been feeding me a lottely," Lily countered. "I think you must have told him in advance to advise me to eat more."

    Zhuo Jingren only beamed at her words. He continued to slice her steak before he put it on Lily¡¯s te. Lily uttered a word of thanks before digging into her steak. "I love steak. Let me tell you... I have never tasted a slice of steak before going to Europe." Going to Europe had exposed her to a lot of things - new things that she never thought she would experience, ever.

    "Then maybe I should teach you how to cook one?"

    "No need. I don¡¯t need to learn that. I already have you. No need to spend a lot of time learning something as menial as that." Lily¡¯s nonchnce earned another smile from her husband.

    ....

    However, not everyone was as rxed as Lily and Zhuo Jingren. In fact, Qin Mo was feeling the exact opposite. The deep turmoil in his eyes was so evident, it sent shivers down Tang Lingyun¡¯s spine.

    "So? We are just going to let this go? That man is a murderer! He wanted to murder our son because of the evidence that you said you found in his room. Mo... We can¡¯t just..."

    "Can you just shut your mouth for a while?" Qin Mo hissed. "This happened because he was too careless. How could he go and see Lily and inform her that he had something? Qin Liwei is stupid and whatever happened to him is all his fault!"

    "Mo! He is your son!"

    "A useless son!" Qin Mo¡¯s rage was surging in his veins as he looked at the unconscious Qin Liwei. The beeping sound of the machine seemed to rile him up even more. "Qin Liwei¡¯s approach was wrong! It was stupid!" he said.

    "Still! Qin Liwei deserves justice! Please, Qin Mo... you have to do something about it!"

    Qin Mo let out an exasperated sigh. Exhaustion apparent in his eyes before he looked at his phone. He recalled the phone call that he received earlier telling him the location of his son¡¯s meeting with the man who imed to be the one who provided his son the evidence. Until now, he was still undecided if he would see the said man.

    "Mo... Please, I am begging you. We need to make the people responsible for this pay. We need to make Zhuo Jingren pay."

    Tang Lingyun¡¯s pleading sobs interrupted his thoughts. Qin Mo clenched his jaw as he gazed at his unconscious son. A decision slowly shaped in his mind. If there was a chance that he could retaliate against Lily and Zhuo Jingren, would he really take the risk and take it?

    ...

    Lily was all smiles as she looked at the different shapes dancing on the Sky Screen; shapes of different sizes and colors twisted and turned, creating a 3D effect that illuminated the whole street below.

    "This is so beautiful."

    "It is." Zhuo Jingren nodded, his eyes were glued towards Lily¡¯s side profile. A small smile was on his lips. "How about we go under the LED screen?"

    "Sure." She nodded before she took his hand. Slowly, the pair made their way into the center of the street, giving them a view of the entire LED screen that was about two hundred and fifty meters long. Then slowly, the shapes turned into stars once again.

    Hundred of sparkling stars started to dance in her eyes as a piece of slow romantic music began to y. The melody was soft and gentle which reminded Lily of the gentle early morning breeze. It made her feel warm inside and brought out a myriad of emotions, particrly love as Zhuo Jingren started filling her mind.

    A smile escaped Lily¡¯s lips as she shifted her gaze away from the LED screen and turned towards the man next to her. Then she let out a surprised gasp.

    Surrounded by the lights illuminating from the LED screen, Zhuo Jingren got down on one knee holding a velvet box out on his hand. His eyes glistening with tears that were threatening to pour at any moment as he gave her a nervous smile. "I never gave you a proper proposal," he uttered just loud enough for Lily to hear. "Lily Fi-Qin..." Zhuo Jingren made a deliberate pause as he let out a chuckle. Seeing the surprised look on Lily¡¯s face was sending butterflies into his own heart. "Since I was fifteen... I always knew that you are the only one that I want to share my life with."

    "Marry me, will you?"

 Chapter 364 Drunk and Unaware

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 364 Drunk and Unaware</h4>

    WARNING: R18

    Lily stared at Zhuo Jingren, a mixture of surprise and glee apparent on her face. Happiness radiated from her entire being like the very first sunray breaking through the morning mist - it was surreal.

    "I would give up everything just to hear a ¡¯yes¡¯ from you right now." Zhuo Jingren¡¯s voice woke her up from her stupor. She let out a giggle before eyeing the diamond ring in the velvet box. Then she nodded shyly like a little girl.

    "I can¡¯t really imagine growing old with someone else, nor do I even want to even think about it." Sheughed at her sudden confession. In response, Zhuo Jingren took the ring out of the box and put it on her ring finger, stacking it next to their wedding band. Then he stood up and pulled Lily into a hug. It wasn¡¯t one of those quick and yful hugs that they always gave each other. This was like wrapping Lily in a cocoon, protecting her, giving her the security that she always wanted.

    .....

    R18 (THIS IS ONLY FICTION. PLEASE AVOID DOING THIS IRL. REMEMBER! SAFETY FIRST!)

    "I never thought that seeing you propose would be such a turn on," Lily said, her cheeks flushed as she rested her elbow on the window of the car, propping her chin up on her palm as she looked hungrily at Zhuo Jingren.

    "You are drunk," Zhuo Jingren noted. "I always thought that your alcohol tolerance is high."

    "It is high...just not as high as yours... or Li Shanshan. But it¡¯s good enough for one ss of whiskey," she beamed, shing her pearly white teeth at him.

    "I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t join you for a drink."

    "Hmmm... that¡¯s because you have to drive," Lily slurred. "It¡¯s fine... I can celebrate on my own," she said as she raised her hand in front of her. "Look at that. It looks so good on me."

    "It does. It suits you well." Zhuo Jingren eyed Lily¡¯s hands for a second before he turned his attention back on the road. "You shouldn¡¯t have drank so much wine. You are definitely having a headache tomorrow," he said, concern evident in his voice.

    "I just got engaged... I should celebrate!"

    "We are already married, you know."

    "Boo... But you never gave me a proper proposal before. You just held a gun and forced me to sign the marriage documents."

    "I didn¡¯t. You instantly agreed when you saw the dowry." Zhuo Jingren chuckled as he recalled the day that Lily agreed to marry him.

    "Are you saying that I love money more than you?"

    Zhuo Jingren wanted to roll his eyes andugh at her words. He instantly regretted that his car didn¡¯t have any hidden camera that could take a video of Lily being all cute when she¡¯s drunk. "I¡¯m saying you love both," he said, earning a nod from Lily.

    "Hehe... you¡¯re bing smarter, President Zhuo." Lily suddenly unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned in to kiss Zhuo Jingren¡¯s ears.

    "What are you doing? Buckle your seatbelt... we are still..." Zhuo Jingren shifted his gaze to Lily and that¡¯s when he saw her mischievous smile.

    "I have never done this before." She licked her lower lip and pushed her chair back. Then her hands flew towards Zhuo Jingren¡¯s pants, unbuckling it before she opened his zipper, revealing his dark blue silk boxers.

    "Lily! You are drunk... Stop it..."

    "Eyes on the road, President Zhuo." Lily pped his hand away when he tried to stop her from continuing what she was about to do. Ignoring Zhuo Jingren¡¯s protests, she bent over and tugged at the band of his boxers."

    "Lily...at this rate we are going to have an ident," Zhuo Jingren protested, but he leaned back in his seat.

    "Hmmm... I agree." Lily nodded before she let out a giggle. Was she drunk? Yeah... she was. She might not even remember this tomorrow. Still, Lily could not help herself. The temptation of her husband was just... too much. Alright, maybe it was the alcohol. She let out another giggle.

    "You should stop this."

    "Drive, President Zhuo... Or we will have an ident," she uttered, imitating his tone. Then without any warning she slowly sucked the tip of his manhood, licking it as her hand grip the base of his erection, earning a surprised gasp from her husband. Then she took him into her mouth, its tip hitting the back of her throat.

    Zhuo Jingren let out a deep moan as he stiffened,looking down at her with slightly widened eyes. Lily wanted to warn him to keep his eyes on the road but her mouth was too full to say anything. It was dangerous and for some reason, she didn¡¯t care at all. She closed her eyes as she relished in feeling his full size upy every inch of her mouth.

    Then she felt him grab her head abruptly, sinking his hand in her already loose hair, making her take more of him. Lily felt the veins of his erection pulse as she tasted his pre-cum. Then she started taking him in and out of her mouth, making their car jerk a little.

    "F*ck," he cursed as his hips jerked, matching Lily¡¯s rhythm as he thrust into her mouth. Then Zhuo Jingren¡¯s breathing hitched before he started to pant and without any warning, the car came to aplete stop as he poured himself inside her mouth. His fluid hit the back of her throat as she tried her best to suck him clean. Still, some of his juices were able to escape Lily¡¯s lips, trickling down her chin.

    By the time Lily decided to return to her seat, she was already clean and Zhuo Jingren was still panting heavily, shutting his eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut as she savored his taste in her mouth. Then she opened her eyes and shifted her gaze to the man who was panting heavily beside her. She beamed at the sight of his flushed face, sweat trickling down his neck.

    Then Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes suddenly flew open and he gave her a stern look. "I always knew you will be the death of me," he uttered, earning peels ofughter from Lily. He then zipped his pants and restarted the car.

    "I am innocent," Lily said while giggling. "In my defense... I was drunk and unaware. My inhibitions are lower and well... I found my husband really hot."

 Chapter 365 VIP Card

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 365 VIP Card</h4>

    Hong Kong

    "You have been trying to avoid talking to me for hours now. If you continue doing this... I will start assuming that you remember what you did yesterday," Zhuo Jingren said as he eyed Lily whose face was glued towards the newspaper. He then beamed when he remembered how Lily acted as if nothing had happened upon waking up the next day in their hotel room. However, she started acting weirdly the moment they got inside the car that would bring them to the airport.

    They are now on the way to Fi Group¡¯s tower, and Lily kept up on her pretense, reading a newspaper and refusing to say a thing.. And yet, Lily still acted shy, her face flushed - or maybe she was feeling guilty. Zhuo Jingrenughed inwardly.

    "Ehem... I am busy reading."

    "Yeah.... you totally remember," he chuckled. "That was too careless... I can¡¯t let you do that again."

    "Really?" Lily lifted her head to look at him. Realizing that she had asked the wrong question, her face instantly contorted into a frown. Her face cid before she continued, "Yes... I agree. Let¡¯s not do it again."

    This earned anotherughter from Zhuo Jingren.

    .....

    After the news got out that the Fi Group won the bidding, Mr. Beau and other executives sent their congrattory messages to both Lily and Mr. Han. After all, winning the bid was a big move, a big step for the future endeavors of the Fi Group as they continue to spread their influence in China.

    "I have decided that we should start developing the Harmony Isle in China and Singapore as well," Lily said. "Let¡¯s take advantage of the momentum and continue to gain a good footing in Maind China."

    "Does this mean that we are going to expand other businesses in China too?" one of the executives asked before continuing, "If so, we need to study the market as soon as possible. That could be our main focus next year."

    "You are right. I am indeed nning to do it next year. You don¡¯t have to worry.... everything will be discussed at our year-end, shareholders meeting. The new list of targets and proposals will be given to everyone. For now... I want all of us to focus on the problems that some of our businesses abroad have encounteredtely."

    Lily continued with the meeting for another hour before she left the conference room to read some of the reports that Yang Mi handed to her.

    "He is awake?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. Yang Mi just informed her that Qin Liwei had woken up from hisa.

    "Yes... he just gained consciousness this morning."

    "Good. Cancel my schedule for the rest of the day. I will go and talk to Qin Liwei. Prepare everything that we have. Today is a good day to cause chaos inside the Qin Family."

    Yang Mi did not utter a word as she nodded. This was not new. Yang Mi knew how Lily hated waiting so she would tend to strike first before her enemies could even scheme against her.

    "Send those images to Xuan Hui," she added. "I want to see how Qin Fei would feel seeing her husband¡¯s arm wrapped around another woman."

    "President... I also heard some news about that matter. The VIP card of that lingerie store is pretty normal on the surface. I have to ask some of our people in Europe to check its embedded microchip. At first, I was not sure if it¡¯s possible but apparently, we received results. I just heard it from Cathy this morning."

    "Oh?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. This VIP card in question was the one that Zhuo Jingren had for that lingerie shop where Lily felt a very strong negative vibe. This happened when they went inside the VIP fitting room that had weird lighting and a sofa that was too big for a single person to sit on. She recalled feeling a little defensive the moment she entered the room. Because of this, she left without fitting her lingerie and ended up asking Zhuo Jingren if she could have the card.

    While Lily had actually forgotten about this matter, Zhuo Jingren¡¯s story about the Lee Family and the Zhou Family in Maind China made her realize that she needed to have the card examined. She wanted to know if someone was trying to scheme against Zhuo Jingren using that VIP card.

    "Yes. Apparently, the code of that card was a series of algorithm that will inform another machine once used. Unfortunately, our team was not able to track the source."

    "And did you make sure to keep this a secret against George¡¯s people in our team?"

    Yang Mi nodded, "Positive. I didn¡¯t tell them a single thing. I also followed your order and asked Cathy to slowly distance ourselves from them."

    "Good. Very good." Lily nodded. While she would trust George with her life, Lily would never trust his son, Jack Arison. This was because of two reasons. One, she does not really know what happened to George and Jack is practically a stranger to her. Second, she found Jack too patient, almost like a cunning ambush predator that traps his prey by strategy. Jack already endured years and years of abuse from Sofia in the past. In the end, Jack still survived and is now the CEO of Arison Holdings. He was also smart and was very good at hiding his true intentions. Overall, this made Lily reluctant to even coborate with the man. After all, having brains and patience is the most deadlybination in the industry that they were in.

    .....

    City Hospital.

    "I have epted his proposal," Qin Mo said, his face dark and sullen as he looked at his son. "If we want to touch Lily¡¯s hair then we should target the person who is protecting her. That is her husband."

    Qin Liwei did not respond to his father¡¯s words. He only furrowed his brows and looked at the ceiling. For some reason, something was telling him that Lily was not the type of person that would have him killed. Qin Liwei found this belief absurd. In his mind, Lily was a ruthless woman who married a murderer. Hence, it was very possible for them to kill him just to silence him.

    Then Qin Liwei remember the crazed smile of that man. He shivered. What if it wasn¡¯t Lily after all?

 Chapter 366 Steal What Is Mine

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 366 Steal What Is Mine</h4>

    "No. I don¡¯t think we should do it," Qin Liwei¡¯s voice startled his father.

    "Why? He told me he found a witness. We could..."

    "No. Lily will reveal those photos to the media. Let¡¯s wait. I have my ways to get those photos from her," Qin Liwei uttered, confidence apparent in his eyes.

    Meanwhile, Qin Fei was busy with her new endeavor. As the only female in the Xuan Household, Qin Fei had been taking care of the household since Yang Lina was already in prison. Aside from this, she also decided to follow her original n and start her own fashion line.

    "I want you to change the fabric of that purple dress so that it¡¯s softer and morefortable. This dress is designed for pregnant women after all. Comfort should be the priority and when they wear mybel, I want them to feel beautiful and empowered," she instructed the group of men and women in front of her. "Also... just like my drawings... I want bright colors. This will be our brand¡¯s unique selling point. We won¡¯t make clothes that are white, ck, nude or any of those boring colors. I want our customers to see rainbows the moment they enter our store," she beamed at her own words.

    In response, the group of men and women nodded, their faces were serious. They would not want to disappoint their new boss.

    "Alright. You can go now." Qin Fei smiled before she walked back towards her desk. She then used her tablet to make a video call to the nanny of her son. She was all smiles as she watched her son from the video call.

    "Madam... I am sorry to disturb you. I saw someone deliver this to the front desk." Her newly hired secretary brought a rectangr box that looked almost like a shoebox.

    "Who is it from?" she asked.

    The secretary examined the box for a while before she shook her head. "I don¡¯t see any names. Would you like me to open it first before I give it to you just in case? What if it¡¯s something crazy from one of your fans?" The secretary was aware that Qin Fei used to be an actress and she¡¯s also the wife of Xuan Hui, a very big name in the film industry.

    "No. It¡¯s alright." Qin Fei took the box and instructed her secretary to leave. She then examined it again and furrowed her brows. While Qin Fei had stayed away from the limelight after giving birth, there were still people who would send her gifts and fan letters every now and then. She tried to shake the box and then realized that it was a little heavy. Maybe it was another gift? She thought.

    She then got a pair of scissors from her drawer and used it to open the packaging. After making sure that the stic wrap and tape are gone, Qin Fei opened the box and couldn¡¯t stop herself from letting out a surprised gasp.

    Her eyes widened at the first photo that she saw. It was Xuan Hui... kissing a girl at the backseat of a car. Qin Fei¡¯s face lost all its color, a mixture of anger and sadness shed in her eyes. She wanted to scream but she could only feel her throat tightening and her heart pounding against her ribcage.

    With shaking hands, Qin Fei poured out the contents of the box on her table. Then she instantly froze. She sat there... staring at the photos, tens of them - Xuan Hui kissing Tang Biyu, Tang Biyu smilingly serving a cup of coffee to Xuan Hui.

    "Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!" Qin Fei¡¯s shrill voice interrupted the deafening silence in her office. It reverberated throughout the room. "How dare you! How dare you! How dare you!" she said while tearing the photos that she could get ahold of. "How dare you! Ahhhhhh!" She mmed her hand on her table before she rose from her seat, her veins were popping out at her temples.. She will kill that woman. She will kill Tang Biyu!

    .....

    Meanwhile, Xuan Hui¡¯s face was red, his eyes were bulging, threatening to pop out of its socket anytime. He clenched his jaws. "What do you mean you are pregnant? I only touched you once! You can¡¯t be pregnant!"

    "Hui..." Tang Biyu let out a small sob. While she is aware that she was not pregnant, Tang Biyu still could not stop herself from lying to gauge his feelings for her. She wanted Xuan Hui look at her as more than someone whom he could sleep with whenever he was angry or when Qin Fei was throwing another tantrum. Though she was only a mistress, she wanted to have a small right to ask for Xuan Hui¡¯s time and bearing his child would give her this right. She figured that once Xuan Hui epts her, she could find ways to make herself pregnant. "I did not expect this too... but... you were not using any protection at that time. So I... What should I do now?"

    "Kill it," Xuan Hui hissed after a few minutes of silence. "I want you to kill it."

    Tang Biyu instantly widened her eyes. "You- You will kill our baby?" She ¡¯instinctively¡¯ ced her hands on her stomach, in a protective stance. On the outside, Tang Biyu really looked like she was protecting her belly, her eyes were red as tears streamed down her cheeks. She looked truly pitiful. However, this was not enough to convince Xuan Hui. Xuan Hui suddenly walked towards her and clutched her arms.

    "Hui... you are hurting me." Tang Biyu¡¯s face became even more pitiful as Xuan Hui¡¯s hold tightened.

    "You are not going to ruin my family!" he spat. "Go and have a doctor to kill that. I don¡¯t want a child from you."

    "Hui. How could you say that? This is your child. How could you have it killed? We did this together, we should be responsible for our actions." Tang Biyu took a step back as she tried to shake away from Xuan Hui¡¯s painful grip. "If you don¡¯t want to raise my child... then.... I will do it alone." She lifted her head and stared bravely at Xuan Hui.

    "CHILD?" a yell interrupted them, making both Xuan Hui and Tang Biyu flinch. "You got this woman pregnant?" Qin Fei strode towards Tang Biyu and stood in front of her cousin.

    *PAK*

    "YOU DARE TRY TO STEAL WHAT IS MINE?"

 Chapter 367 Cousin!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 367 Cousin!</h4>

    Both Tang Biyu and Xuan Hui froze. Qin Fei¡¯s p seemed to have woken them up from their shock.

    "Cousin!"

    "DON¡¯T! Don¡¯t you dare call me cousin!" Qin Fei said as she started pping Tang Biyu. In response, thetter tried to defend herself with her hands.

    "Cousin! Don¡¯t! It wasn¡¯t my fault! He... he r*ped me! He r*ped me! I just..."

    "You think I will believe you? You think I am f*cking dumb!? How dare you?"

    "Feifei... stop! Hey... Calm down!" Xuan Hui hugged his wife from behind and tried to stop her from hitting Tang Biyu.

    "You are defending her? You are defending your mistress?"

    "Hey...calm down. Let¡¯s talk... calm down."

    "YOU ARE DEFENDING HER?" Qin Fei screamed at her husband. How could she tolerate Xuan Hui defending other women? Her hand instantly flew towards Xuan Hui¡¯s cheeks. "You assh*ole! I hate you! I hate you!"

    "Cousin... don¡¯t hurt him. It was my fault. I... it was my fault." Tang Biyu kneeled on the floor, looking remorseful. She tried to get ahold of Qin Fei¡¯s legs, trying to act as pitiful as she could. She was sure that thismotion had already attracted the attention of some staff outside. Tang Biyu wanted everyone to know how crazy and uncontrolled Qin Fei really was in real life.

    Qin Fei was always known for her kind demeanor. Her fans love that she was calm and always had a gentle smile on her face. While a lot of people in the industry knew that this was all a fa?ade that Qin Fei created to gain everyone¡¯s affection, they did not dare call her out for it.

    "Cousin... it was my fault. Please don¡¯t get angry anymore. Please..."

    "You SL*T!" Qin Fei yelled and shifted her attention to the kneeling Tang Biyu. She narrowed her eyes at thetter. "Lock your door!" Her words were directed to Xuan Hui. "I will show this woman what will happen to those who dare try and steal what is mine!"

    "Lock it now!"

    Seeing Xuan Hui not responding to her, Qin Fei gritted her teeth and walked towards the door to lock it herself. Tang Biyu¡¯s eyes instantly widened. She shifted her gaze towards Xuan Hui, hoping that thetter would do something to stop his wife. Unfortunately for her, Xuan Hui just stood there frozen.

    His eyes were following Qin Fei¡¯s every action, undisguised guilt apparent on his face.

    "Hui!Are you going to let her hurt our child?" Tang Biyu tried her best to sound as pitiful as she could. She might not be pregnant, but she could always use the ¡¯child¡¯ as a shield to protect herself. "Hui! This is your child! Your blood!"

    "Hah! You think I will not hurt you just because you im to be pregnant?" Qin Fei was already in front of the kneeling Tang Biyu, her eyes were red with rage as they roamed around the office as if she was looking for something. After a few seconds, she walked towards Xuan Hui¡¯s table and picked up one of his pens. "You dare seduce my husband?" She clutched the pen so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.

    "W-What are you nning to do?" Tang Biyu stood up, rm apparent on her face. Will Qin Fei really hurt her in front of Xuan Hui? "You- Are you nning to hurt Xuan Hui¡¯s child?"

    "Child? What child?" Qin Fei tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "I can¡¯t see any child here." Her lips lifted into a sinister smile.

    "Feifei... let¡¯s stop this. Let¡¯s go home and talk."

    "Don¡¯t you dare try and protect this woman!" Qin Fei hissed at her husband. "If you still want to see me and your son alive then you should not stop me!"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Simple! It¡¯s either you chose me and our son or this sl*t!" Qin Fei was sure that Xuan Hui will choose her. She shifted her gaze back at Tang Biyu, her eyes narrowed. "You think you can get away with this?"

    "Qin Fei! What the hell are you trying to do?" Tang Biyu asked as she took another step back in fear. Qin Fei was initially taller than her. Now that Qin Fei was wearing heels, she towered over Tang Biyu, making her look more intimidating. Tang Biyu once again shifted her gaze at Xuan Hui, trying to gauge if he will protect her. However, what she saw only made her heart sank.

    Xuan Hui was only staring at his wife, his jaws clenched and hands that were balled into a fist. Will he stop her? Tang Biyu wondered. Will Xuan Hui really tolerate this behavior from Qin Fei? How could he like such a vicious woman?

    "What? You think he will protect you? B*tch! Xuan Hui is mine! He is mine and mine alone!" Qin Fei said before she started to use the pen to stab Tang Biyu.

    "Stop! Qin Fei! I am pregnant! Stop it." Tang Biyu raised her hands to try and stop Qin Fei from attacking. She thought Qin Fei would be weaker than her. After all, Qin Fei just gave birth a few months back. Moreover, she also had a C- section. However, she was wrong. Qin Fei was bigger and taller, hence it was normal for her to easily overpower Tang Biyu. "Ahhhh!" Tang Biyu let out a scream when the pen shed her arm.

    "You b*tch! I will kill you! You think you are so mighty? The Tang Family is no more! Is this the reason why you want to climb into my husband¡¯s bed? To get a backing? You are wrong! I will never let anyone have him! Do you hear me? Do you understand? That child in your stomach- I will kill that thing! That is not supposed to be there!" Qin Fei started attacking Tang Biyu¡¯s stomach. However, this time, Xuan Hui already hugged her from behind.

    "Enough. Let her live. It¡¯s not worth it," Xuan Hui whispered, trying to calm down his wife. "Calm down. I will never choose her over you!"

    "Do you hear that you b*tch? He will never choose you! Never! Hey! Let me go! I will kill this woman! I will kill her! Why are you trying to protect her, huh? Do you love her?" Qin Fei tried to struggle, her shrill voice echoed inside the room. "I will kill your mistress! Let me go, Xuan Hui! Let me go!"

 Chapter 368 A Proud Peacock

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 368 A Proud Peacock</h4>

    "Is she still alive?" Qin Fei rose from her seat as she looked at Yan Guang, Xuan Hui¡¯s bodyguard. She bit her lips and eyed Xuan Hui.

    "She is, but if we dy bringing her to the hospital, she won¡¯tst that long." Yan Guang answered, his eyes were also directed to Xuan Hui as he waited for thetter¡¯s instruction. "Master, I already checked the CCTV and the only person who heard themotion earlier is one of your secretaries and one of our security personnel. I already asked our men to detain them. I am waiting for your instructions."

    Qin Fei held her breath as thick silence permeated the air. A while ago, she had gone overboard and hit Tang Biyu¡¯s head using one of Xuan Hui¡¯s ss que. It was an impulse, or not. Alright, who was she kidding? She really wanted to hurt the woman so badly. In fact, she wanted to kill her. Whatever happened had been her intention all along. Still, in front of Xuan Hui, she needed to act as if she was regretful.

    Once again, Qin Fei lowered her gaze while biting her lips, her face pale as sweat trickled down her forehead.

    "Clean the ce. I don¡¯t want any evidence left here," Xuan Hui said after a few minutes of silence. He clenched his jaw and shoved his hand in his pocket. "Tell the witness Qin Fei and I fought about something personal. Fire them and give them a big separation pay. Make them leave the country."

    "What about... Miss Tang?" Yan Guang asked, his face stern.

    "Dispose her," Xuan Hui answered as he eyed Qin Fei¡¯s pitiful expression. He then instructed Yan Guang to call their men as he held Qin Fei in his arms. Xuan Hui thought that everything was his fault. Everything that happened was the product of his weakness. It was only right for him to deal with the aftermath.

    The moment Xuan Hui¡¯s arms held her, Qin Fei instantly broke down into tears. While this was all an act, she still could not help but feel a little fear. She murdered someone! That is something that will stay with her forever. Like a stain in her soul. In response, Xuan Hui hugged her as he patted her head.

    "Sh-Shhh... It¡¯s alright now. Don¡¯t worry about it. Tang Biyu is already alone. She does not have the Tang Family to back her up. No one will look for her once she disappears."

    "Hui... I killed someone." A mixture of disbelief and griefced Qin Fei¡¯s tone. "I am a murderer. I killed someone."

    "It¡¯s okay. It was my fault." Xuan Hui uttered. If worsees to worst, he would not hesitate to say that he was the one who killed Tang Biyu just to save Qin Fei. This was the least that he could do topensate for the heartache that he had caused his wife. Of course, he was also confident that no one would find out about the matter. After all, Yan Guang was a very neat employee. An evil glint shed into Xuan Hui¡¯s eyes as he thought of his earlier instruction to Yan Guang.

    Xuan Hui does not want Qin Fei to look at him in a different light so he made sure to give Yan Guang some clues of the things that he wanted to do with the people who heard themotion earlier. "Let¡¯s go?" he said, "Our son misses you already." He give Qin Fei a gentle smile.

    In response, Qin Fei nodded meekly.

    The couple then walked out of his office and used the elevator that will direct them to Xuan Hui¡¯s car.

    .....

    The next day, Sky City

    "Huh?" Lily stopped typing on herptop after Zhuo Jingren informed her of what happened in Xuan Hui¡¯s office. "How did you know that?"

    Zhuo Jingren only gave her a sly smile before he held Lily¡¯s bag. "Let¡¯s go talk in the car." In response, Lily nodded as she closed herptop and followed Zhuo Jingren out of their house.

    "Who is it?" Lily asked the moment the car engine started running. Daohu was driving so while Zhuo Jingren and Lily were sitting at the back of the car. "Or is it some super secret?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "How many people do you have in the Xuan Family?" she asked. "Did Qin Fei killed the woman on her own will? Was she drugged?"

    "It was her own will." Zhuo Jingren answered. "I don¡¯t force people to kill other people. You sent the photos, she exploded and attacked Tang Biyu. That¡¯s the whole story."

    Lily pursed her lips in response, her gaze was straight towards Zhuo Jingren. Then she slowly nodded and shifted her gaze out of the car. "Was it Xuan Hui¡¯s bodyguard?" she spoke after a few minutes.

    "I knew you could guess it."

    "The only people that would know this are the ones who clean up the body. I can only think of one person that would do that." Lily thought about her meeting with one of Xuan Hui¡¯s people on the day that she went to the doughnut shop. A small smile escaped her lips.

    "Hmmm... When you decided to send the photo I instantly contacted him. Not personally of course. Your move surprised me. Why attack them now?" Lily always said that she liked to bid her time. But what happened was truly a surprise to Zhuo Jingren. Sometimes he really could not understand what his wife was thinking. This should be the reason why women are deemed as unpredictable creatures by some articles online. He smiled at his own thoughts.

    "Someone is using Qin Liwei to attack me or you. I am not sure yet. But... I want Xuan Hui to be upied so he could not help them. Qin Fei is his weakness. Because of this, Qin Fei would act weak and guilty, she would ask him for more time. Thus... Xuan Hui would not have the time to help Qin Mo and Qin Liwei."

    "Smart! Smart!" Zhuo Jingren beamed as he lifted his chin. A gesture that reminded Lily of a proud peacock. Seeing this, Lily was not able to stop herself from smiling.

 Chapter 369 I Am Mrs. Zhuo

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 369 I Am Mrs. Zhuo</h4>

    Unedited

    ...

    Days passed.

    Lily and Zhuo Jingren continued to monitor the Qin Family¡¯s movement as they try to uncover the identity of the person who helped Qin Liwei before.

    Of course, this did not stop Lily from running around as she was preparing for the opening of Harmony Isle and monitoring thepany. On this particr day, Lily was having another meeting with some staff from Lin-Smith Construction- the one who won the first stage of the bid for the billion-dor project in Yangtze River.

    "Is everything ready?" Lily asked Yang Mi as they walked towards the tea house that the people from the LSC booked ahead of time.

    "Yes, President. I sent you the file with the strategies that they were able toe up after the meeting. Mr. Rossi is very neat and as always, and as expected, the shareholders easily agreed to our ns for the Harmony Isle in Singapore and Maind China."

    "Good! Very good!" Lily¡¯s lips lifted into a satisfying smile. While managing apany is exhausting, at the end of the day, working her as* off is what makes her happy. When Lily reached the private room, Yang Mi opened the door for her and she walked inside with the usual smile stered on her face.

    However, this smile did notst long. It vanished the moment, two men wearing ck suits approached them. One stood just behind the door, making sure that Lily and Yang Mi won¡¯t have the chance to run out of the door. While the other stood in front of them.

    Everything happened so quickly. While Lily was eyeing the person who approached them Yang Mi already acted. She passed the tablet and some folders towards Lily as a dagger appeared in her hand. Lily didn¡¯t even know where the woman got the dagger, all she knew was that Yang Mi was someone that could not be trifled with. Without saying a thing, Yang Mi strode towards the man in front of them, her moves were agile as she locked her arms around the man¡¯s neck. She kicked the man¡¯s legs and used her strength to yank him down, lettting him kneel in front of them, his back against Yang Mi. Then Yang Mi gently pushed Lily towards the wall. With Lily¡¯s back against the wall, Yang Mi stood in front of Lily, her arm is still around the man¡¯s neck as she held the dagger on the man¡¯s throat.

    "Who are you people?" Yang Mi asked in a voice that Lily never heard before. It was hard, fierce, a voice that reminded Lily of her grandmother. "Answer me or he dies!" Yang Mi said, her eyes were shifting to the man who was standing on the door and the older man sitting on the circr oak table.

    "Kill him." Lily suddenly blurted her eyes were glued towards the wizened face of the man on the table. "Now." She said coldly. Yang Mi was trained to protect Lily. It is normal for her to act this way once Lily is in danger. However, Lily was not a killer, having her order something like this surprised Yang Mi. Still Yang Mi did not wait for Lily to utter another word as she tightened her grip on the dagger and slowly thrust it towards the man¡¯s throat. Blood started to drip.

    "STOP!" the old man¡¯s voice echoed inside the room. "Let him go. I mean no harm."

    "Who are you?" Yang Mi asked. "Where are the people who is supposed to meet us?"

    "She knows who I am." The old man¡¯s croaky voice was full of confidence as she stared at Lily, assessing her. "I was not expecting to meet you like this."

    "I think I owe you and apology." The man added. "I am Isaac... Isaac Lee. But you already know that, right?"

    .....

    "I thought you love coffee?" Isaac asked when Lily just stared at the coffee that he asked his men to served her. "Please... I don¡¯t want to offend you. It¡¯s just that... Zhuo Jingren made it harder... a lot harder to meet you these days."

    "Are you saying that he knows you areing?" Lily countered. This was the first words that she said to the man after she sat down two chairs away from him.

    "I am not sure about that." Isaac answered as he shifted his gaze towards Yang Mi who was standing behind Lily like a statue. "Maybe he is just really protective of the woman that he loves."

    "You seemed to know a lot about me." Lily noted.

    "A few things... Not a lot."

    "Well?" Lily crossed her arms against her chest as she lifted an eyebrow. "I don¡¯t remember interacting with you or any man from the Lee Group in the past. Why arrange such secrecy in meeting me?"

    "Would you meet me if I schedule a proper meeting at your office?" Isaac let out a smallugh. His wizened face crinkled in glee.

    "No."

    "Ah... what a blunt woman. You remind me of my daughter." Seeing Lily just stared at him, her face devoid of any emotions, Isaac continued talking. "I think it is only normal for grandfathers to meet the wives of their grandson, no?"

    "Whose grandfather are you?" Isaac Lee¡¯s smile instantly vanished when he heard Lily question.

    "I don¡¯t appreciate the disrespect."

    "And I don¡¯t appreciate you meeting with me like this." Lily answered, her gaze challenging.

    "I never thought that you would be this feisty Miss Qin. I..."

    "Mrs." Lily interrupted the old man. "To you I am Mrs. Zhuo."

    Her words earned a nk look from Isaac as he stared at Lily¡¯s stern face. Some stories say that Lily was a fierce business woman behind the gentle smile in her face. Some say, she is as devious as her beauty. While some say, she is a crazy woman who wanted nothing but profits. However... these descriptions... none of them fit the fierceness that he could see on Lily¡¯s eyes. Was this because she loved his grandson too?

    "I honestly don¡¯t like you for Zhuo Jingren, but I don¡¯t have a choice but to ept you since I know how much he loves you." He uttered as he expected to see a single reaction on Lily¡¯s face.

    As a response, Lily¡¯s lips lifted into a smirk. "As his grandfather, I don¡¯t like you very much either." She made a deliberate pause as she leaned a little closer towards the old man. "Too bad, I am unlike you. I have a choice not to ept the man who caused my husband¡¯s cruel fate."

    Her statement made Isaac speechless as he widened his eyes at Lily. "You- He knew? Does he know everything?"

 Chapter 370 Zhuo Jingren Deserves The Bes

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 370 Zhuo Jingren Deserves The Bes</h4>

    Unedited

    .....

    "Enough to know what happened." Lily answered.

    Isaac stared at her before letting out a sigh. "I want you to exin things. To him."

    "Then go ahead and see him."

    "Aren¡¯t you even interested to know what happened? At least a little curious?"

    Lily rose from her seat. "I see no point in talking like this." She turned her back on the old man and took a step away from him.

    "He is in danger." As expected, the old man¡¯s words made Lily stop walking. "I wanted to warn you about it. I would assume that he already told you about the Zhou Family. Since you came into Zhuo Jingren¡¯s life, his media appearance had increased. The privacy that he established before you arrived crumbled."

    "Are you saying that you want me to leave him?" Lily said as she turned towards the old man again.

    "I am not going say that. You should know the best thing that you should do to protect him. As a woman, you are bound to support your husband, not put him in harms way. Everything that he did so far was because of you. To protect you. I don¡¯t want to..."

    "No." Lily interrupted him. "I am not leaving my husband." She then slowly sat on her chair.

    "As I said..."

    "What you say doesn¡¯t matter." Lily said. "You think too highly of yourself, Mr. Lee. Your opinions do not matter. Not to me... or him."

    "I only want to protect him. Your presence is ruining the bnce. It is not making him think logically." In response Lily narrowed her eyes at the old man.

    Everything that the old man said was actually true. Since she came, Zhuo Jingren had be irrational, and it had affected the privacy that he always wanted to maintain before. Everything that Zhuo Jingren did was all because of her. However, if this old man thinks that she would leave Zhuo Jingren at the first sign of danger, then he is wrong. So wrong.

    Lily will stand beside her husband- not behind, not in front but beside him.

    She would stand beside him and that is something that she already promised to herself. Of course, she would not let the old man know this.

    "You should know that the Zhou Family have very powerful enemies. Zhuo Jingren... His influence could only protect him in Hong Kong and maybe maind China. Once he is out of the..."

    "No. For thest time, I am not leaving him." Why would Lily leave her own husband? Lily was wondering why the old man would even think that his words could convince Lily. "Zhuo Jingren is not dumb, he knows that he is doing. While I don¡¯t appreciate you meeting me this way. I appreciate that you have at least shown a little concern about him. But, at the same time, I also found it funny. For thirty-one years, you were not in his life. He stood alone as he established his name in the business industry. Why start caring now?"

    "Zhuo Jingren is a very private person. I was looking for him for a very long time now. He changed hisst name, and I never thought that he would be very sessful right now. Without that ident in Japan where he tried to save you and ended up falling, I wouldn¡¯t have known that he was still alive."

    "I see." Lily nodded. How could she miss Isaac¡¯s words about him saving her? "Well... we have already established the fact that I am not leaving him. I am a busy woman Mr. Lee... I still have business to attend to."

    "Are you really going to ignore my words and continue acting like this has nothing to do with you? Did you just listen to what I said? You are his weakness. The loose end that his enemies could always take care anytime. If the enemies will target you, I am sure he would do everything to protect you. He would even sacrifice himself! For you! All for you!" Veins started to appear in Isaac¡¯s forehead. "He would catch a bullet for you. The least that you could do is keep him safe. Leave him."

    "Your sense of entitlement is already a delusion Mr. Lee." Lily stifled aughter before she shook her head. "What do you think will he do to you once he knows that you are seeing me just to convince me to leave him?"

    "You just arrive in Hong Kong and the first thing that you did is n something that will break your grandson¡¯s heart. What a pity." Lily added.

    "A broken heart is better than being dead." Mr. Lee said. "He will survive."

    "Well... next time that you want to do something like this, please consider the fact that you are practically non-existent to him. You don¡¯t matter and neither does your opinion."

    "I know convincing you would be hard." Isaac Lee uttered. "I am only thinking for the best possible way that I could protect him. I think you would understand that. If you care you for him, you would understand that."

    Lily said nothing as she only looked at the old man nkly. In fact, she understood his point. Lily was another high profile identity. Together with Zhuo Jingren, they are bound to attract some attention from the businessmunity. "I am wondering if you know that once again, you are trying to take control of his life now, right? This ruined your daughter¡¯s life before. Are you nning to ruin Zhuo Jingren¡¯s life too? Is this some kink that you secretly have?"

    As expected, the old man was rendered speechless at Lily¡¯s words. He stared at her for a few minutes before he rose from his seat. His face was devoid of any expression. "It was nice meeting you Miss Qin. I really hope that you would somehow think about everything that I said. I know you are a smart woman. If you truly care for him... you would do what is best for him."

    "Hmmm..." Lily only nodded at the man¡¯s words. "I agree with you on that matter. Zhuo Jingren deserves the best... and that best is me." Lily uttered, her gaze straight towards the old man as her lips lifted into a taunting smile.

 Chapter 371 Initial Suspicions

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 371 Initial Suspicions</h4>

    Zhuo Capital

    Meanwhile, Zhuo Jingren was staring at a cup of steaming coffee in his hand as he listened to Bei Tian talk excitedly in front of him. Across Bei Tian was a woman wearing a pink cheongsam who had a gentle smile on her face.

    "I actually agree with Little Lin. We should arrange for something like this for the orphanage," Bei Tian said. Lin Yu Yan came by Zhuo Capital with a proposal to co-organize a fundraiser for the orphanage and currently, she and Bei Tian were going through the details. "I mean... maybe we could raise enough funds for a children¡¯s hospital. I think we could actually do that. With Little Lin¡¯s influence in Maind China and your influence in Hong Kong, that is very achievable."

    Zhuo Jingren kept his silence as he looked at Bei Tian intently. Bei Tian¡¯s excitement was apparent in his eyes as he smiled and waited for Zhuo Jingren to answer. "Hmmm..." Zhuo Jingren nodded. "Go ahead and work with Miss Lin. You can be in charge of this."

    "Elder Brother Zhuo, I think it would be better if..."

    "I don¡¯t have the time. Besides, Bei Tian is usually the one who handles events like this in mypany. He¡¯s very capable and experienced. I trust that he will do a good job."

    Zhuo Jingren then shifted his gaze towards Lin Yu Yan and said, "I will donate five million HKD for now and another fifteen million HKD after the event. That is the best that I can do."

    "But... I mean... don¡¯t you always have a soft spot for children? I think your presence during the event would make a big difference and give them hope when they see how sessful you are."

    "Are you saying that Bei Tian is not as sessful as me?" Zhuo Jingren asked, his face devoid of any expression. The temperature of the room instantly dropped as he stared at Lin Yu Yan.

    "Oi. Jingren... that¡¯s not what Little Lin meant," Bei Tian said with a frown. "She just wanted to inspire the kids even more. If they see the three of us and other sessful people from the orphanage together, it would inspire them more."

    "My presence is not needed..." Zhuo Jingren stopped talking when he saw Secretary Go enter his office. There seemed to be a sense of urgency in him as he ran towards Zhuo Jingren and whispered a couple of sentences into thetter¡¯s ear.

    Bei Tian and Lin Yu Yan saw as Zhuo Jingren¡¯s expression instantly turned cold before he slowly rose from his seat and said, "I don¡¯t manage fundraisers Miss Lin, I make donations." He then left the room without saying another word. Seeing this, Bei Tian¡¯s face also darkened and he asked one of his men to escort Lin Yu Yan out of the office. He then ran after Zhuo Jingren.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Bei Tian asked after he got into the elevator with Zhuo Jingren. "Did something happen to Lily?" In Bei Tian¡¯s mind, the only thing that could stir up his friend is if something happened to Lily.

    "Why did you bring her here?" Zhuo Jingren ignored Bei Tian¡¯s question. "Why at this particr time?"

    "She insisted on seeing you today," Bei Tian answered as he remembered how Lin Yu Yan called him just today requesting a meeting with Zhuo Jingren. Bei Tian was the only person who could see Zhuo Jingren anytime, without an appointment. So it was only reasonable for Lin Yu Yan to ask Bei Tian for this favor.

    "You don¡¯t like her anymore." It wasn¡¯t a question. However, this was only met with silence from Bei Tian.

    "What happened this time? Is it the Zhou Family?" Bei Tian shifted the topic. "Our security is very thorough, there is no way that they could even get close to Lily to attack her."

    In response, Zhuo Jingren clenched his jaw. When the elevator door opened, he took long strides towards his car as Bei Tian followed closely behind. "It¡¯s the Lees," he uttered before he got inside the car with Bei Tian tagging along.

    "What do you think the old man wants?" Bei Tian asked, his face grim.

    "He probably wanted her to stay away from me," Zhuo Jingren answered as the car left the parking lot and headed towards Lily¡¯s location.

    ....

    Meanwhile, Lin Yu Yan¡¯s expression was dark as she entered her car. "Do you know where are they going?" she asked.

    "I have someone who¡¯s following them, young miss. We will know soon."

    "Then take me there," Lin Yu Yan said. While Bei Tian was all smiles when he was talking to her earlier, she sensed that there was a difference in his attitude towards her. It just wasn¡¯t the same. Is it possible that Bei Tian does not like her anymore? This made Lin Yu Yan confused. Just a few months ago, Bei Tian was treating her like a Queen; he would call to talk to her every day and whenever he¡¯s overseas, he wouldn¡¯t forget to send her gifts and souvenirs. But this exchange between thempletely stopped a few weeks back. What could have gone wrong?

    Lin Yu Yan let out a sigh of exasperation as she thought back to what happened at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s office earlier. It was obvious that Zhuo Jingren didn¡¯t want to see her. He wouldn¡¯t even look at her for more than two seconds. His words were sharp and direct as usual. It was obvious that he didn¡¯t want to interact with her. Should she just give up like this?

    Lin Yu Yan bit her lip. Years ago, she decided to stop pursuing Zhuo Jingren because she knew that she was useless against Qin Jinghua. She thought it would bepletely useless for her to even try given that his heart was already taken. She even thought that Zhuo Jingren would never marry anyone apart from Qin Jinghua. Who would have thought that he would marry a foreigner? This made Lin Yu Yan furious. She thought that Zhuo Jingren married Lily because of her influence in Europe. How could he do this? If he was looking for an influential woman to marry, why didn¡¯t he choose her? Lin Yu Yan¡¯s affection towards Zhuo Jingren was pretty obvious. How could he ignore this fact?

    Lin Yu Yan found this insulting. She was also sessful and LSC have influence in US and Europe. While it was not as big as the Fi Group, it should be enough to help Zhuo Jingren in his endeavor to expand his business. Lin Yu Yan remembered how Bei Tian refused to tell her anything about Zhuo Jingren¡¯s wife which led her to believe that thetter had told Bei Tian to keep his marriage a secret..

    This only made Lin Yu Yan believe that her initial suspicions about this marriage was right. She then remembered how Zhuo Jingren had ced that ne around Lily¡¯s neck. She recalled his gentle eyes as he gazed lovingly at the woman before him. Was it all an act? Was it possible that Zhuo Jingren hadpletely forgotten about Qin Jinghua? If he did... then why didn¡¯t he choose her instead of a woman whom he just met a few months back?

 Chapter 372 A Powerful Thing

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 372 A Powerful Thing</h4>

    "Young miss, they went inside the teahouse. It seems that Mrs. Zhuo is also there. Something must have happened," Lin Yu Yan¡¯s driver uttered the moment the car slowed down and finally came to a full stop.

    Lin Yu Yan did not say anything. So the reason why both Zhuo Jingren and Bei Tian left so abruptly was because of Lily? Her face darkened. Was it possible that the reason why Bei Tian had changed was because of Lily?

    "Let¡¯s go. Take me back to my hotel," she said and leaned against her chair. Lin Yu Yan close her eyes before letting out a sigh. Was it really toote for her to try and fight for the man that she liked now?

    .....

    "I said... I¡¯m fine. You are overreacting." Lily smiled at Zhuo Jingren. This was not the first time that he asked about what happened when Isaac showed up. "I already told you. Nothing happened. Yang Mi was with me plus he wouldn¡¯t dare to do anything to me in broad daylight."

    "Where was Daohu?" Zhuo Jingren asked. "Why did he leave you alone with Yang Mi?"

    "He didn¡¯t. I asked him to stay in the car. I didn¡¯t want to rm the people that I¡¯m meeting by having a man with a face paralysis with me." Lily shrugged. "Yang Mi. Please reschedule my meeting. Tell them to meet me in the office tomorrow morning instead."

    "You are still thinking about earning money," Zhuo Jingren uttered before he helplessly shook his head. A small smile escaped his lips. Relief evident in his eyes. "Let¡¯s go home." He shifted his gaze towards Yang Mi and gave her further instructions to contact Mr. Rossi so he could take care of thepany.

    Seeing this, Lily only nodded. While she hated being treated like a fragile princess, she also understood her husband¡¯s concern. After a few minutes drive, Zhuo Jingren and Lily reached the Sky City.

    "I know you hate this. Just... just give me a few hours to sort this out. I will make sure that the old man will not have the chance to do this again." Zhuo Jingren pursed his lips as he watched Lily take off her earrings. "I¡¯m sorry."

    "You don¡¯t have to apologize," she answered. "I understand your concern. I know that his presence in Hong Kong must have rmed the Zhous. If my guess is right, he wanted me to be their target so he can get rid of me. He wanted to use them against me." She smiled.

    "I won¡¯t let that happen." He walked towards her, his gaze gentle. "The reason why I have been avoiding the Zhou Family for so long is because... I want to focus my attention on more important things."

    "Like looking for Qin Jinghua?" she rose from her seat and snaked her arms on his neck. "Is that the important thing that you were doing?"

    "Hmm." He nodded and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I didn¡¯t want them to find you before I do."

    In response, Lily tiptoed and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "I trust you." She smiled. No matter what happens, Lily knew that she could always trust Zhuo Jingren.

    After that incident, the security around Lily became even tighter as Zhuo Jingren and Bei Tian tripled the surrounding security around her. The only good thing about this was that all those people who were following her were hiding, and they didn¡¯t let Lily know of their presence.

    The end of November quickly came.

    December was going to be a big month for Lily as she was scheduled to do a lot of things for this month. First was the opening of Harmony Isle. Then she would also start the construction for the Harmony Isle in Maind China and Singapore. Because of this, she was set to travel a lot this month.

    "I already asked Mr. Rossi to take care of everything after December. I will take a long break with you for our wedding and honeymoon." Lily lifted the winess and looked that the blood red wine inside. She then shifted her gaze to Zhuo Jingren.

    "That is good, December would be a very busy month for me too. I can..."

    "No It¡¯s okay," she interrupted him. "You don¡¯t have to apany me. It¡¯s fine." Zhuo Jingren stared at her for a few minutes before he let out a sigh.

    "I am going to apany you to Maind China next week," he said. "Don¡¯t worry about thepany. You are my topmost priority."

    Lily smiled at Zhuo Jingren. She stared at him as she recalled Isaac Lee¡¯s words about her being the reason why Zhuo Jingren¡¯s identity had been exposed. It was all true. And now... Zhuo Jingren is prepared to leave his business to apany her. For some reason, a small seed of doubt started to grow in her heart. Was it wrong for her to be selfish and pursue her own interest even though she knows that danger that it would cause them?

    She shifted her eyes away from her husband. Should she give up everything just to... keep them safe? Safe from what? she asked herself. They don¡¯t even know if the people that they considered an enemy know that they exist.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" he asked.

    "Nothing. Just a little tired. That¡¯s all," she shook off all thoughts about it.

    "Then I think we should go home," Zhuo Jingren said before he asked the waiter for their bill. They were currently in a restaurant having their dinner.

    "Alright. I am going to the restroom to fix my makeup." Lily rose from her seat and walked towards the restroom. Maybe it was just because she had been exhaustedtely, she thought inwardly. Or maybe it was time for her to give up the business. Maybe hire a CEO and just supervise while she focused on her marriage.

    Lily shook her head. She found it funny how her thoughts had actually changed a lot since she met Zhuo Jingren. Love is truly a powerful thing. The thought of her new emotions made Lily smile. She is in love and it was affecting her decisions.

    Maybe she wasn¡¯t as cold hearted as she originally thought. Lily looked at her reflection, her eyes shone brightly against the light and a smile was blooming on her lips. However, this smile instantly disappeared when she saw a man standing behind her. His broad shoulders towering over her, a gentle smile on his lips as he stared at her.

    "You- What are you doing here?"

    "I am here to fetch you," he replied.

 Chapter 373 Assurance

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 373 Assurance</h4>

    A punch on the face.

    That was thest thing that Lily remembered before waking up on a bed with a mattress covered in silk. Their bedsheet was not silk. This was not her room, she instantly concluded before she became aware of the dim light inside the room. Lily sat down, her eyes roamed around the room- or maybe a suite.

    The room was spacious, with beige walls and arge abstract painting hanging on the wall, facing the bed. Slowly, Lily made her way out of the bed and instantly noticed the soft carpet against her feet. There was no television, no bookshelf or even a dining table. There were only a few couches that were facing a wall mounted electric firece.

    "You¡¯re up." Lily flinched at the gentle voice behind her.

    "Jack! What is the meaning of this?" she asked after she turned around to face the man. "What the hell are you doing?"

    "Take a seat, Lily." He gestured for her to sit on one of the couches by the firece. "We need to talk."

    "What are you doing?" She asked one more time. "If George will know that..."

    "George is dying." Jack interrupted her, making Lily froze as her eyes widened. "He does not have a lot of time left."

    Jack Arison took a step towards Lily prompting her to take a step back and. vignce apparent in her eyes. "What have you done Jack?"

    "It wasn¡¯t me. I would never hurt my father Lily." His voice contained assurance, his gaze gentle as he smiled at Lily. "It wasn¡¯t your brother either. Please take a seat. I don¡¯t have a lot of time. Your husband might be going ballistic at this moment. I don¡¯t want him to barge in here and kill me in front of you."

    The mention of Zhuo Jingren seemed to have waken Lily up. She clenched her teeth and walked towards the couch and sat, her gaze straight at Jack. "What do you want?"

    "I heard that you are getting married? Italy?" he sat opposite to her.

    Lily pursed her lips and stared at him. So far, Jack is not doing anything that could possibly harm her. He even said that Zhuo Jingren ising anytime to save her. She deduced that she must still be in Hong Kong right now.

    "You understand the meaning of marrying him, right? His uncle might start targeting you as well." His statement was an obvious surprise to Lily. However, when she remembered how influential George was in the ck market, he realized that it was only normal for them to know everything about Zhuo Jingren. "Do you think he can protect you?"

    "I do." Lily nodded earnestly.

    Her words earned a sigh from Jack. "George would want me to protect you. Are you sure that you are up for a rtionship where people will be targeting you all the time?"

    His question only met silence from Lily as she eyed his swollen jaw. It must be because she punched her in the restroom a while ago, she thought as she became aware of the throbbing pain in her right hand. "Why did you take me here?" she asked.

    "You can run away if you want to," Jack said, his face stern. "We still have time. Runaway... you can live a good life. I will take care of him once he arrives."

    His words instantly earned a frown from Lily. What does Jack mean by this? Does he think that Zhuo Jingren was forcing her to marry him? "He is not forcing me to do anything against my will." As expected, Jack stared at her intently, his face was not showing any emotion but there was an obvious disbelief in his eyes.

    "Jack... seriously. I am not dumb. Why did you take me here? I don¡¯t think that..."

    "Someone was targeting your husband. A bomb exploded at the restaurant just a couple of minutes after we left. If I didn¡¯t take you out on time... you would have be one of those dead bodies that they are still recovering at the..."

    "What did you say?" Lily interrupted him. Her face instantly lost its color when his words reached her ears.

    "You heard me. You don¡¯t have to worry... your husband didn¡¯t suffer any major wounds. He followed you in the restroom so he knew that you were not there. He should be looking for you right now."

    "Who- Who would want to attack him in broad daylight? The Zhou Family..."

    "Their enemies," he said. "It should be someone from Western China. I think it might be the Dongfang family. I can¡¯t be sure for now." Seeing Lily in a daze, Jack let out a sigh and leaned towards her. He rested his elbows on his knees. "I am worried that they will hurt you. You can go back to Europe. Maybe ask him to sort things out while you are away."

    "I can¡¯t do that," Lily said sternly. "I will take care of things myself." Lily thought that Zhuo Jingren was the one who helped her out with the Qin Family in China so she should also do the same for him.

    "Can you? Do you even know how to shoot a gun? I mean... you can give a punch but do you know how to kill people Lily?"

    "I don¡¯t kill people at least... not directly." She was not a hypocrite. People died because of her and that is enough to say that she had indirectly killed them.

    "Well... I can try to help you as much as I can. But with father...."

    "Where is he?"

    "In Europe," he answered then continued, "Someone gave him a potent poison. Damaging his organs, slowly. My guess is it was from one of his enemies- or friends in China."

    "Is this the real reason why you brought me here?"

    Her question earned a smile from Jack as he nodded. "You are right. This is everything that I know so far from the person that he met just before he fell ill." He handed her a shdrive. "My connections are good in Maind China but it wasn¡¯t as good as Zhuo Jingren. If you are serious about marrying him, then... I guess it¡¯s time for you to know the extent of his capabilities. The shdrive included some of hisworks- only the ones that I am aware of."

    Lily narrowed her eyes at the shdrive before shifting her gaze to Jack. If he wanted to hurt her, then he could easily do it now. "I thought you don¡¯t want me to marry him? Why are you asking for his help now?"

    "Well... my guess is... the one who poisoned Father is someone from the Zhou Family. His uncle or grandfather are both capable of killing people. If my guess is right, then it would mean that we have one enemy. I have to make sure that you are up for it before telling you about the poison." Jack smiled gently. However, his words did not give Lily the assurance that she was hoping to hear. Something... something about Jack seems off and he could not figure it out, for now.

 Chapter 374 I Am Not That Low

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 374 I Am Not That Low</h4>

    Unedited

    .....

    "Did you locate her?" Zhuo Jingren said as he paced inside the room. "The gps in her ne should be on. What¡¯s taking you so long?" He gritted his teeth as he watched the multiple shing screen in front of him.

    "Boss, she is somewhere Kowloon Street. My guess is underground." One gentleman facing theputer answered, his gaze was glued to the monitor as he waited for Zhuo Jingren to say something.

    "Send us the location once you found it. I need twenty people." Zhuo Jingren said as he eyed Bei Tian next to him. "Lets go," He then walked out of the room and proceeded to walk towards his car with Bei Tian in tow.

    "You are still bleeding." Bei Tian said. His voice grim. He pursed his lips and started to drive the car.

    "This won¡¯t kill me." Zhuo Jingren said. "It¡¯s been four hours. She¡¯s been away for four hours. Have you sent people to guard the Qins and the Xuans?"

    Bei Tian nodded. He had been afraid that something like this would happen. He had been afraid that the old Zhuo Jingren would show himself and he won¡¯t be able to stop him this time.

    "Kill them after six hours if Lily is still missing by then." Zhuo Jingren said. Once again, Bei Tian nodded. He wanted to object, tell him that there is a possibility that they did not take Lily. They dont have the courage nor the resources to do that. But he ended up closing his mouth. The Qins and the Xuans deserve it anyway, he thought. The only thing that he is worrying right now is Zhuo Jingren involving other people- innocent ones.

    "Send someone to check out Lin Yu Yan and someone to inquire about the Isaac Lee¡¯s whereabouts as well as his adopted son. Send some people to Singapore as soon as possible. If that old man dared to hurt, Lily..." Zhuo Jingren did not continue his words, he gritted his teeth and his face darken even more. The thought of Lily being hurt because of him is a lot for him to take.

    "Hmmm... I already did. We can¡¯t miss anything." Bei Tian agreed. This was not the first time that this scene happened. Zhuo Jingren ordering him to follow people, spy on families and kill their enemies, was not the first and certainly would not be thest when ites to Lily. "Don¡¯t worry too much. Lily may not look like it, but Yang Mi said that she knows how to use knives. At least she could defend herself."

    The atmosphere of the car instantly turned colder after Bei Tian uttered those words. Realizing his mistake, he shut his mouth and decided to focus on driving instead.

    After a few minutes, they received a text message about the location of the ne that Zhuo Jingren gave Lily. It was in a Casino in Kowloon. Their best bet was that they held her underground. It did not take long for Zhuo Jingren and Bei Tian to arrive at the said Casino.

    Suprisingly, the Casino was close. "What if this is a trap?" Bei Tian asked, he eyed Zhuo Jingren who just finished putting on a bullet-proof vest. He wanted to at least make his friend think logically. At this point, Bei Tian knows that there is nothing that would stop Zhuo Jingren from going into the Casino. This was the thing that he was so worried about. Zhuo Jingren losing the ability to process things once something happens to Lily.

    Just as he expected, Zhuo Jingren said nothing as he signaled their men to hurry. Bei Tian only shook his head before he look at the time. It was almost 2 in the morning. He eyed the barren parking lot of the Casino and fell into deep thought. This is the perfect ce to target Zhuo Jingren and yet, thetter does not seem to care about this. All reasoning seemed to fly out of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s brain when ites to Lily.

    "If something happens to you and Lily came back alive. What do you think will she feel?" His words instantly made Zhuo Jingren froze. "Do you think she will celebrate and not feel guilty that you rushed into a building without even considering that fact that they were targeting you? That they were using her as bait?"

    "This was different than seven years ago. This time she knows your existence. She loves you and is with you. Why are you acting like you were when she disappeared seven years ago? Are you out of your mind?" Bei Tian added. "Do you like to hurt her? Break her heart once shees back and you are dead?"

    Seeing Zhuo Jingren froze and just stared at the building in a daze, Bei Tianmanded their men to check out the area first. "You can go there once we are certain that there is no bomb or an army waiting for you to march inside." Bei Tian said as he eyed Zhuo Jingren. He then let out a sigh of relief when he saw his friend nod.

    "You stopped me." Zhuo Jingren said, the lines in between his brows were apparent. He looked at Bei Tian who was standing next to him before he shoved his hands towards his pockets and eyed the group of men that were trying to enter the Casino.

    "It¡¯s my job to stop you from doing crazy things." Bei Tian said.

    "But you like her."

    "What is not to like? Isn¡¯t she everyone¡¯s dream woman?" Bei Tian chuckled as he lowered his head. Of course, he was not surprised that Zhuo Jingren knew that he had actually taken a liking to Lily. "Liking her does not mean that I should let you die and break her heart."

    "Me dying would mean that you would have a chance to at least woo her."

    "Is this what¡¯s troubling you this past few weeks?" Bei Tian lifted an eyebrow. "My feelings towards her is like my feeling towards the stars. I like them both. But I know that I could never have them. I am not as dumb as you think."

    "And you are not just a friend. You are a brother. We were born from the same family. We are rted by blood and grew up together. Did you really think that I would just waltz in and snatch your woman because I am slightly more good-looking than you? Man... I am not that low."

 Chapter 375 She Was Only Human

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 375 She Was Only Human</h4>

    "I am fine," Lily mumbled, she eyed the man who was looking at her with a worried expression stered all over his face. "You should stop worrying. Jack didn¡¯ty a single finger on me."

    "Hmmm." Leaning on the door, Zhuo Jingren nodded. "Just some blood test and they are done. I just want to make sure that you are okay."

    "I understand," Lily said. It was no surprise that Zhuo Jingren could find her just a few minutes after Jack left. In fact, she was already expecting this because of some files that Jack showed her. After a few minutes, the medical personnel finished taking her blood and left them.

    After Zhuo Jingren found her, he insisted that they go directly to Sky City to have her checked. At that time, the fury and controlled anger that she saw swirling in his eyes were intimidating. It was almost animalistic. This made Lily agree to his words without telling him about Jack¡¯s purpose of taking her away. "Your head is still bleeding." She stated as she looked at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s bandaged head. This should be from the explosion that happened at the restaurant.

    She watched as he walked towards their bed and sat next to her. He didn¡¯t say a word of response as he leaned his head on her shoulders and let out a sigh of relief. It wasn¡¯t one of those sighs that Lily was familiar with. It was something deeper like he had just released all of his pent-up emotions altogether. "You¡¯re safe." His voice was soft, gentle. The exact opposite of his tone when he first saw Lily at the underground room of a Casino.

    Slowly, he lifted his head and folded his arms around Lily¡¯s waist. He pulled her closer, tighter. As if he wanted to make sure that this was all real. That Lily is real.

    "I¡¯m here," she said. She knew he wasn¡¯t alright. She knew that he needed assurance. His crazed eyes and dark face when they saw each other again was enough to tell her that. Lily instantly wondered if that was the thing that Bei Tian told her about. The Zhuo Jingren when she disappeared. Not that it mattered. "I am here," she whispered.

    "I am going to kill that man."

    "George is dying." Lily blurted out. "He told me that George is dying. He knows that he could not talk to me in my office, as he does not want to alert George¡¯s enemies. So he tried to take me from the restaurant. When I refused, he got so insistent. At first, I became even more irritated as I felt that he was forcing me. But he said it was all because he knew that there was a bomb." This was what Jack told her. Of course, Lily didn¡¯t believe him at all. Plus, she was mad that Jack was willing to keep her safe but not warn Zhuo Jingren about the bomb.

    Until now, she does not understand thetter¡¯s purpose of doing what he did a few hours ago. "I punched him in the face." Lily eyed her red knuckles. "I punched him in the jaw."

    Her words instantly earned a chuckle from Zhuo Jingren as he held her hand. "If that¡¯s what he told you... then it does not make any sense."

    "I know. I also know that he is hiding something."

    "I will find him. That man..."

    "Apparently the Zhous were one of the people who might have tried to poison George." She said. silencing him in the process. "Jack wanted your help." This was another thing that Lily does not understand. First, he kidnaps her, then tells her that she could leave Zhuo Jingren if she wanted to and finally, he asked her to help with George¡¯s case. It was all a mess.

    "He gave me this." Lily gave the USB to Zhuo Jingren. "I hope it will help."

    "George was like a father to you."

    "George was the only father who treated me like a daughter," Lily added. George was the reason why her grandmother found her. He owed everything to George and hearing his situation right now, is breaking Lily¡¯s heart. She lowered her gaze as her eyshes fluttered. She remembered thetter¡¯s boisterousughter every time they talk over the phone. She remembered how he would always pick up just after a few rings- no matter what time or where was he at. George was the only father that Lily knew. And he would be the only man that she would treat as one. Just the thought of George¡¯s death is already making her throat tighten.

    "Don¡¯t worry. We will figure this out." He assured her. "I will personally take care of it."

    Lily didn¡¯t answer him as she remembered not being able to invite George for their wedding. She was originally nning to go back to Europe to talk to him personally and ask if he could walk her down the aisle. She pursed her lips when she felt a single tear fall down her cheeks. The adrenaline that she felt earlier left her as her hands started to tremble.

    She could feel the incident and George¡¯s current state weighing down on her, making the tears fall like streams in her eyes. She felt Zhuo Jingren hugged her tighter as her shoulders started to shake. Lily had always thought she was strong. Her schemes were deep, and she was proud of that. But right at this moment, she realized how this was only in her mind.

    Her greatest w is not being able to prepare for situations like this. But who can she me? She was not a goddess who can predict the future. She was not some immortal being capable of obliterating her enemies in one punch. She was only human- a wed one at that.

    "Shhh... I¡¯m here," she heard his deep voice against her ears. "If you want to get George from Jack, we can absolutely do that. We can find the best doctors that could..."

    "Or we find the culprit and force them to give us the antidote." She interrupted him. "If Jack was right about the Zhous then... I think we just found our reason to attack them first."

 Chapter 376 Us Against The World

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 376 Us Against The World</h4>

    Dec 05, Monday

    Just forty-eight hours after the bombing incident, the police found a suspect who confessed that he was the one who bombed the restaurant. ording to him, he used to work as a waiter of the said restaurant and he was fired unjustly. The management also refused to gave him hispensation. Because of this, he decided to ruin the restaurant, killing over ten people and wounding at least fifteen guests who were dining at that time.

    The news was enough to satisfy the public¡¯s thirst for justice. Thus, the story was spread like a wildfire by the media, solving the mystery of the bomber and giving answers to many public inquiries.

    "He confessed?" Lily asked.

    "Hmmm." He nodded. "I don¡¯t believe him."

    Lily nodded as well before she fell into contemtion. She looked out of the window and watched the clouds float aimlessly. "We are going tond in Shanghai soon," she uttered. Lily was originally scheduled to have a meeting for the renovation of the original Arison Mall, turning it into Harmony Isle just like what they did with the one in Hong Kong.

    At first, Zhuo Jingren insisted that they stay on Sky City for a few more days, however, Lily convinced him that missing their appointment could only mean that the incident affected them. Moreover, not many people knew that they were in the restaurant and she wanted to keep it that way.

    "Hmmm... I will check our Zhuo Capital Branch in Shanghai so Daohu will drive you around for a while." Zhuo Jingren said before he handed Lily a folder. "This contained the list of the people that were already invited to our wedding in Italy. I already sent the invitation. Take a look and tell me if you want to add some people."

    "Alright." Lily nodded. Their wedding will be on the twenty-fifth of January, so, it was only normal for them to send their invitation a few weeks before the said date. "The Fi was not a big family, to begin with. All I have left are distant rtives and we are not close as my grandmother had no interactions with them."

    "And your grandfather¡¯s family?"

    "I will contact Cathy and inquire about them." Lily furrowed her brows as she tried to recall the things that her grandmother used to tell her. She could not remember Lilian talking about her grandfather¡¯s family at all. This was probably because they stripped him out of his title when he was younger. "How about you? Did you invite a lot of people from the orphanage?"

    "No. Just the cook." He smiled. "We should go see him when we have the time. I also asked him to work for us after our wedding, and he agreed. He is very good at making tonics so it would be good to have him around."

    Lily nodded in response. She remembered that Zhuo Jingren was not close to the people in the orphanage except that mute cook named, Baozhai.

    "Also..." Zhuo Jingren made a deliberate paused as he stared at Lily. "I decided to meet with Isaac Lee. I am about to schedule a meeting with him."

    "About to?" she lifted an eyebrow.

    "Well... I was waiting for your approval. If you don¡¯t like me to meet him, then... I won¡¯t." His words instantly made Lilyugh. She shook her head, amusement apparent in her eyes.

    "It¡¯s not a problem. Just take me along with you."

    "Of course." He smiled before he looked out of the window. The ne already started descending, so the couple stopped talking and waited for the ne tond.

    After a few minutes, Zhuo Jingren and Lily left the airport in one car with Yang Mi, Secretary Go, and Daohu as the driver.

    "Tonight, there is a g for the benefit of some orphanages in Shanghai. Lin Yu Yan sent an invitation for me and Bei Tian." Zhuo Jingren said, his jaws clenched. "We should go."

    "Hmm?" Lily eyed the small bandage on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s forehead. "You are still wounded from the explosion."

    "The Zhous will be there. Namely... my cousin, Zhou Huifang and his sister Zhou Lanying."

    Thick silence followed his words as Lily shifted her gaze out of the car. The streets of Shanghai were already busy. "Bei Tian¡¯s biological brother and sister? What makes you decide to see them?"

    "The bombing incident," he said. "I originally wanted to avoid them as I don¡¯t want any chaos. I want to live peacefully with you. But... I believe they have already discovered my identity and started to target us. I am the sole heir of the original Zhou Family before they killed my grandfather and hunted my mother and father. They are the ones that should fear me and not the other way around."

    "That is exactly why they are targeting you. They fear you and the things that you could do. They don¡¯t want you to inform the world that you are a Zhou. Imagine all those shareholders faces when they know that the owner of the Zhou Co. is still alive?" Lily answered as her face turned serious. "I was sure that the reason why Isaac met me a few weeks ago was to put a target mark on my back. He wanted to me be the Zhou Family¡¯s target. He wanted them to deal with me in an attempt to hurt you. I was going to say that we should deal with that poisonous grandfather of yours first. But... I think this is good too."

    "Isaac is a clown." Zhuo Jingren said a sinister glint shing in his eyes. "He wanted to protect me by getting rid of you. And then what? Did he expect me to hide like a rat after they deal with you? He miscalcted everything."

    "Seems like your world has be chaotic after I arrived, President Zhuo," Lily noted a small smile was on her lips. "Isaac was telling me to leave you to protect you while Jack told me to leave you to protect myself. Isn¡¯t this like... the world against our rtionship?"

    Lily¡¯s words earned a chuckle from Zhuo Jingren as he looked at her. "Nah. It¡¯s not the world against our rtionship. It¡¯s us against the world. There should be a difference." The couple fell into a puddle ofughter as they realized how amusing those words sound.

    Meanwhile, the three people around them could only lower their heads in embarrassment. It is alright for couples to act like this when they were alone.

    But...

    Why are they acting like this in front of so many people?

    Secretary Go eyed Yang Mi before he lowered his head. Then his lips lifted into a small smile as his ears turned scarlet.

 Chapter 377 Criminals

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 377 Criminals</h4>

    "Zhuo Jingren? He ising?" Zhou Huifang¡¯s lips twisted into a cruel smile. The small scar beneath his left eyes crinkled, highlighting it on his wless face. He stared at the image on his hand and narrowed his eyes towards Lily. "Interesting."

    "I heard that Mr. Qi liked Mr. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s wife," the scrawny man, wearing an oversized suit who was standing behind Zhou Huifang said. He eyed Lily and let out a grunt. "I wonder why he liked that woman. She is mediocre at best. A seven."

    "Fool." Zhou Huifang huffed before he shook his head. His brother is truly pitiful. As expected, he would not be able to recognize a gem from the sea of stones in front of them. "This Lily is not only attractive but her ability in business is also top-notch too. Men who marry women like her are... lucky."

    "Are you saying that Zhuo Jingren is lucky to have her?"

    "No. On the contrary, this Zhuo Jingren is unlucky to be her husband, Xiaodan. Please use your brain and think about it." Zhou Huifang said calmly. "A woman like this, someone with brains is the most difficult one to control. Only few men can handle women who know their worth."

    Zhou Xiaodan nodded as if he understood his elder brother¡¯s words. However, he did not hide the confusion in his eyes.

    "Ah... Xiaodan... you are still young indeed. You don¡¯t understand a lot of things."

    "Brother... I am learning. I want to be like you and father."

    "Hmmm. That is good. Very good. I like people who loves to learn."

    Zhou Xiaodan beamed at his elder brother¡¯s words. "Are we going to see them tonight? Can I join and watch?"

    "No. Me and your elder sister will attend this time. She needed to make a good impression and clean her nasty reputation. I want those rumors about her to disappearpletely after this g." Zhou Huifang knew that a simple banquet like this won¡¯t make her sister a saint in the eyes of the public. But he already arranged a lot of things in advance to make this g eventful. "Call Mr. Qi. I want him to apany me in this g."

    Zhou Xiaodan nodded and smiled before he left the room. His heavy footsteps echoing as he closed the door behind him. How could a skinny man have such heavy footsteps? Zhou Huifang only sneered as he thought about his younger brother. Then he stared at Lily¡¯s beautiful smile again. His eyes lingered on her peach lips before it trailed down her slender neck.

    "Do you like her?" the sudden interruption of the soft voice made Zhou Huifang frowned. He eyed his sister who sat on the chair to his left.

    "What do you want this time?"

    "Why are you making it sound like I only came here because I want something?" she rolled her eyes and crossed her legs. Seeing the dark look that her younger brother gave her, she stifled a burst ofughter and continued, "I just want to gossip. That¡¯s all."

    "Did mother tell you? Or was it Xiaodan? That boy could not keep a secret."

    "I am the eldest. Everyone is obliged to tell me what I want to know." Zhou Lanying smiled, her brown eyes swirling with mischief. "So? Is it true? Is he our uncle¡¯s son? Do you think father will..."

    "Shush. Lanying... keep your mouth shut."

    "What are you so worried about? If he is our uncle¡¯s son, then... he should be the owner of Zhou Co., and not us. Why can¡¯t we just give it to him in peace? Then we can all live happily ever after."

    "Are you high again?" Seeing the smile that Zhou Lanying gave him, the line between Zhou Huifang¡¯s brows became even more apparent. "We have a party to attend to tonight and you decided to use drugs? Have you gone crazy? I thought you will y the piano tonight? We already talk about this! What the hell are you doing?"

    "Hey... Hey... rx Mr. Grumpy pants. I can handle this." She beamed at him. "This is what I do alright? I get high and impress everyone, including father and grandfather. I am good at this."

    Zhou Huifang clenched his jaw and red at his sister, the genius of the Zhou Family, Zhou Lanying. He rose from his seat and turned his back on her.

    "Where are you going? Come on... you know me. Since when have I disappointed everyone?"

    "Lanying... stop this nonsense. Grandfather wanted you to take the business seriously."

    "What business? Oh... the one that we stole from his brother? Wait? Is that the one that we stole from the main line of the Zhou Family? Oh.. I remember... this business should be the reason why I have to marry someone that I don¡¯t even know. To... what was the term that he used? Uhhh... to broaden our influence." Zhou Lanying stifled anotherugh as she stood next to her brother. "The influence that was not even ours, to begin with. I am no criminal. I am an addict... yes but that I have never killed people just to get what I want."

    "We are not criminals and I already told you to stop saying these things. If Grandfather hears you then..."

    "Then let him kill me. He did it once to our brother. The fact that he was born from a prostitute was not enough reason to kill him. Or are you saying that this was a lie too? Are you going to say that everything that I heard was just a hallucination? Huifang... open your goddamn eyes and look at everyone around you. The family that you thought were saints are sinners. They are murderers."

    "Shut up." Zhou Huifang hissed. "You are high when you imed that you heard grandfather and father talk about things and you are high now. What makes you think that I would believe a word from you?"

    His words only earn shrug from his older sister. "Oh well... don¡¯t me me once karma hits everyone in this family. I already warned you brother... I already did my part and warn you." Zhou Lanying said before she walked out of the room.

 Chapter 378 Witness

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 378 Witness</h4>

    Meanwhile, Lily was visiting the site for the new Harmony Isle. This will be the second Harmony Isle that they have in Asia, so she was quite excited to start this project. Of course, at this point, Lily was unaware that someone had been plotting a scheme behind their backs.

    "This will be the location of the fountain and there will be a big tree here." Mr. Beau had been here in Shanghai ahead of time to take care of things in advance. "Over here will be..."

    "Excuse me President. Cathy wanted to talk to you." Yang Mi leaned towards Lily as she gave her the phone.

    "Cathy?" Lily asked the moment she put the phone on her ear. She already knows that this must be something really urgent and important, or Cathy would just pass the message to Yang Mi. "Do we have a problem?" She asked, her brows furrowed.

    "Qin Liwei died just this morning. Some say it was poison." Cathy said, her voice grim. "I don¡¯t know the exact details about the matter but I heard, it devastated Qin Mo. A cornered mouse is dangerous, Lily." She warned her. "I also heard that the police coincidentally found some traces of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s involvement on the matter. You told me it was not him."

    "It wasn¡¯t."

    "Are you sure?"

    "I am." Lily nodded as she pursed her lips.

    "Well... the documents that Qin Liwei have against him had been leaked. He was the only one who have the motive to silence him. Plus, I heard that Qin Mo found some sort of a witness against Zhuo Jingren¡¯s.... deeds. My guess is that the police are already inviting him to the precinct as we speak. Our team is already working on the witness information. I can send you everything about her in a few minutes."

    "Her?"

    "Hmmm... Someone who used to work for Zhuo Capital. I heard she was in Shanghai a couple of days ago." Cathy made a deliberate pause. "Lily... this is big. I would expect you to arrive here in Hong Kong so we can talk about my solutions."

    "We are still in China."

    "You guys should go and keep it low." Cathy said. "I will do my best to keep this out of the media. I¡¯m sure his team will assure the same thing as well. Here is what I am nning to do..."

    Lily continued to listen as Cathy told her some of the steps that they will do to help both of theirpanies. As a PR specialist, Cathy knows exactly what she was doing.

    "No." Lily answered interrupting her thoughts. "I will not apany him back in Hong Kong. At least not today."

    "Why? I checked your schedule. There should not be a problem if you visit the site for one day, right?" What Cathy wanted was for Lily to be there beside Zhuo Jingren at this point. A tycoon being used of murder is a big thing. Cathy wanted to divert the media¡¯s attention and make them focus on Lily and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s love story. She wanted to make the public swoon over the couple instead of creating another ruckus in the name of justice.

    "I have something important to attend to." Lily narrowed her eyes. "Call me if the media will get ahold of this. I will be home tomorrow." She heard a sigh on the other line before Lily bid her goodbyes to Cathy. This was not the first time that someone used them of murder, so Lily is confident that Cathy could handle it especially with the help of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s team.

    After calling Cathy, Lily immediately called Zhuo Jingren to confirm what she said. And just as Lily expected, the police came into their doorstep to invite him to the precinct. While Zhuo Jingren knows that they have nothing against him, he still chose toply with the invitation to clear his name. He decided to go back to Hong Kong as soon as possible.

    "You are staying?" Zhuo Jingren asked as the engine on Lily¡¯s car started. She eyed Yang Mi who was sitting next to her and nodded.

    "Yes. I am going to attend the G under your name." Zhuo Jingren did not answer her. She heard him sigh.

    "Alright. I was already expecting this to happen. I already asked someone to prepare your gown. Take care." Lily smiled at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s words. Both of them know that the Zhous will not harm her with the Yang Family around to escort her. "The Zhous..." he let out another sigh. "I would not want you to meet with any of them without me. I will send Bei Tian..."

    "No... I am good." Lily interrupted him. "It¡¯s okay. I can handle it. Yang Mi and Daohu as well as Yang Jing and Yang Sen will be with me."

    "Your confidence is astounding. Don¡¯t forget you just got..."

    "Hey... I am here to attend the g. That¡¯s all. Plus, Qin Chuan would be there." Lily said. "Do your own thing. I can handle it." She assured him. After a few minutes full of convincing, Zhuo Jingren finally agreed.

    Lily was all smiles as she ended the call. She then looked at the tablet that Yang Mi handed to her. On the screen was the image of a woman whose eyes look exactly like Bei Tian. Zhou Lanying, the genius of the Family. The person what she would like to meet tonight.

    "Yang Mi... did Cathy sent you the location of the said witness? She said the person was currently in China?"

    "Yes, President... in Shanghai, Cathy said that since this will be a public case, the people behind this... are not nning to hide the witness because... her death would mean that Zhuo Jingren was the one who killed her."

    Lily scoff at Yang Mi¡¯s words. Or they were hoping for Zhuo Jingren to kill the witness and caught him in the act doing it.

    To Lily, everything about this smells like a scheme- a deep one. The worse thing was that they don¡¯t know who is targeting them, but this won¡¯tst that long. Lily smiled inwardly.

    "Alright... take me to her location. I want to have a conversation with this witness." She looked at the information in the table as her lips curled into a smile, her eyes turning crescents.

    Witness, eh?

    .....

    Guys follow me on insta for updates and some funny memes: @blips01

    Join discord to talk to Rose and Unnisara: two of my hardworking readers. They can answer your question about the novel. I promise. Hahahahaha : https://discord.gg/7EBgVCx

 Chapter 379 Dogs

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 379 Dogs</h4>

    Shanghai had beautiful parks that were known to many tourists and locals. Fuxing Park is one of these famous parks which was known for its calm environment in the middle of the City. It was a ce where locals gather to y mahjong and have tai-chi and some dance lessons. However, these are only visible in the morning.

    During the afternoon, the ce is calm with lots of peopleughing and gossiping, sitting with their pets and just having a good rxing time with their friends and families. Lily, on the other hand, was not in the mood to appreciate all this calmness and serenity. She was not here for some peace- no... she was here baring her ws against the person who threatened her peace with her husband.

    "Cute dogs," Lily said as she sat next to a woman in her forties wearing a blue windbreaker. She eyed the two grayish dogs that were happily chasing each other in front of them. "Siberian?" she asked. Lily was not that familiar with dogs but she had already read the woman¡¯s file. She knows things that even the woman does not know about herself. This was the advantage of having a team to help her research everything that she needed to know about a person.

    She watched as the woman nodded and smiled at her. "The first one is two and the other just turned one-year-old two months ago." The woman smiled cordially, her wrinkles below her eyes crinkled. "I love them. I am nning to adopt another one next month. To start the year with some love around the house."

    "Pretty good n. I am nning to adopt one myself but I realized that I won¡¯t have the time and energy to take care of them." Lily shrugged. "I hope I can find the time next year."

    "Are you new? This is actually the first time that I saw you here." The woman asked, her gaze was still in her dogs.

    "Yeah... I just... you know. Some fresh air always improves your day. I love watching peopleugh and gossip at this ce. It¡¯s just... refreshing."

    The woman nodded. Silence followed as both of them stopped talking. After a few seconds, Lily let out a sigh as she crossed her arms around her chest, her gaze a little pensive. "Poor dogs." She uttered. Her voice gentle and low but it was enough for the woman to hear.

    "I¡¯m sorry?"

    "Do you know what will happen to the dogs once their owner dies?" the woman widened her eyes at Lily¡¯s question. She eyed the people surrounding them as she pursed her lips.

    "Who are you?"

    "Call me Lily." She smiled. "Lily Zhuo." She watched as the woman¡¯s face paled. Her hand instantly balled into a fist as she warily looked at Lily.

    "You- Are you here to..."

    "Hurt you?" Lily smiled and watched as the woman scanned their surroundings once again. Probably looking if someone would hear her if she screams. Lily onlyughed inwardly. "I don¡¯t hurt people that I barely know."

    "I have done nothing wrong.. If... I-I... I have not..." surprised and fear was evident in the woman¡¯s eyes as her pupils dted. She stared at Lily for a few seconds before she lowered her head. Her hand started to fidget.

    Lily only smiled in response. The woman was already in her forties. She was not that tall too- she was pale and eye bags were visible under her eyes. Her appearance reminded Lily of a zombie or someone who haven¡¯t slept for days. "So, do you know what will happen to the dogs once the owner dies?"

    "I- I don¡¯t know."

    "Same." Lily stared at the dog. "Do you think... someone else will adopt them? After your death?"

    "What are you-" the woman¡¯s eyes became even more rmed. "Are you threatening me?"

    "No... No... of course not. This is just you know... as a parent. I think you should think about this aspect right? That¡¯s what parents do, right?" Lily gave her a harmless smile. "Don¡¯t worry, I am not here to hurt you or anything like that. I am just visiting Shanghai and I thought I could visit the park. Really. This was all a coincidence."

    Of course, Lily knew that her words were futile. A park? Really? The woman must have known that she was Zhuo Jingren¡¯s wife. The only reason why she did not recognize Lily was that she changed her usual business casual clothes to something more... casual, normal. She was now wearing a simple shirt and jeans with some coat for the cold. It wasn¡¯t something extravagant either.

    "You are here to threaten me." The woman stated. The fear was still in her eyes, but it was obvious that she had gained some confidence. Lily instantly lifted an eyebrow as she wondered why the woman suddenly changed her attitude towards her.

    "Did they tell you they will protect you?" Lily clicked her tongue before she chuckled. "And you believe them?"

    "They told me this would happen. That someone would attempt to hurt me. I just- I was just surprised that he actually sent his wife to do the dirty deed this time. What a poisonous man." the venom on the woman¡¯s tone was clear, it was very hard not to sense it.

    "I see. But I am not hurting you... Am I? I mean... at least not yet." Lily beamed. "Now... where was I? Right... the dogs. What do you think will happen to them if someone will kill you?"

    "You can¡¯t scare me."

    "I am not trying to."

    "You... rich people think that you can always do whatever you want with everyone. You kill and use your money to hide your crimes and pretend to be charitable. You smiled at the camera like you were saints and yet... yet you are the dirtiest creatures on Earth!"

    "True." Lily nodded, surprising the woman. "I do agree with you. We- people like me... we love to pretend. Fake it."

    "Why are you here?" the woman asked, confused. "If you are here to scare me, then I am telling you that it won¡¯t work. I am not scared of you."

    "I already told you... I¡¯m not here to scare anyone. I am here to asked questions that¡¯s all." Lily answered. "I mean... I am sure that Zhuo Jingren won¡¯t kill you. I am sure that he won¡¯t touch a single strand of your hair. However... the people who hired you."

    "You can¡¯t change my mind!" the woman spat.

    "I am not trying to," Lily said as she rose from her seat and shoved her hands on the pockets of her coat. "The people who hired you did not want to reveal their identities. They wanted to keep it a secret. The only reason why you are still alive right now is because... you still have your purpose." Lily shifted her gaze back to the woman who was staring intently at her. "What do you think will happen once they are done with you? I¡¯m sure they would not want someone knowing their identity while walking around the park with their dogs. Right?"

    "You- What are you trying to say?"

    "You heard me." Lily shrugged before she smiled at her. "Now... back to my original question... what do you think will happen to your dogs once you are dead?"

    ....

    Sorry for the unedited work. Its the holidays and I don¡¯t want to bug my editors at all. Hahaha... I am trying my best to improve.

 Chapter 380 Double Date

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 380 Double Date</h4>

    "All the money from this g will go to various charities and orphanages in China." Lin Yu Yan smiled at Lily as she answered one of the guest¡¯s questions. "I am d that you coulde."

    "Of course," Lily responded with a smile.

    Lin Yu Yan gave Lily a friendly smile as she eyed Yang Jing and Yang Sen who was apanying Lily. Then she shifted her gaze to the woman apanying Lily. "And who might this be?" This was not Lin Yu Yan and Yang Mi¡¯s first meeting. However, Lin Yu Yan could not recognize Yang Mi after Lily made her wear a long gown and some morous makeup.

    "This is the young miss of the Yang Family." Lily¡¯s eyes be even more brilliant. This was the first time that she attended an event in Maind China and announcing that she is associated with the Yang Family is a very bold move for her.

    However, the enemy is lurking and Lily does not have the time to sit and wait for the enemy to strike again. Moreover, she wanted to know more about the Dongfang family and maybe even the Zhou¡¯s and their possible involvement in George¡¯s condition. Having a grand entrance with the right people apanying her could just make this goal easier as it will help establish her name. Lily wanted people to recognize her as Zhou Jingren¡¯s influential wife. She hoped that this will somehow make those people think twice in their schemes.

    Lin Yu Yan widened her pretty eyes and looked at Yang Sen who nodded in affirmation to Lily¡¯s statement. She gave Lily a wry smile. At this point, she already remembered that this young miss of the Yang Family was Lily¡¯s secretary. Who would have thought that even Lily¡¯s secretary would hail from a prominent military family? This...

    Lin Yu Yan turned her attention to Yang Mi and gave her a polite smile. Then she started to talk about other topics. It would be impolite for her to ask any more questions about Yang Mi¡¯s back story so she easily diverted the conversation.

    This was a g with many prominent people, so there are other guests aside from Lily and the Yang Family who approached Lin Yu Yan. Because of this, it was easier for Lily and Yang Mi to move away from Lin Yu Yan that was standing near the entrance.

    "President, that is the young master of the Dongfang Family." Yang Mi said in a low voice. "He is with his grandfather. I believe you already met with him at the bidding."

    "Hmmm.." Lily nodded as she got herself some champagne from the waiter. However, she only held it in her hand while watching the people talking and interacting in front of her. This was an Oscar-themed g with a stage that was decorated with rich colors and dim lighting. A red carpet with a VIP- only style entrance added to the feeling of being in the real Oscars award ceremony.

    Aside from this, Hollywood memorabilia and props were also used to adorn the whole ce.

    "Didn¡¯t expect to see you here." Lily¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when a man wearing a tuxedo said. Lily turned to face the man and gave her an inquiring gaze. "You don¡¯t remember me?" the man showed a surprise looked. However, it disappeared quickly and was reced with a confident smirk. "You are joking, yes?"

    Lily lifted an eyebrow in response. Of course, she knew who this man is. However, would she say that? "I¡¯m sorry... I think you got the wrong person." She turned her head away.

    Qi Xia stared at her speechless. He opened his mouth but immediately closed it again. How could Lily forget him? How could she?

    "Mr. Qi..." Lin Yu Yan approached them with a smile on her face. "I was not expecting that you two know each other."

    Qi Xia responded with a smile. He opened his mouth as he was about to answer, however, Lily¡¯s next words rendered him mute.

    "We don¡¯t know each other," Lily answered while giving Lin Yu Yan a dashing smile- so dashing it blinded Qi Xia¡¯s eyes. He instantly wondered if Lily was doing this on purpose. Qi Xia remembered when Zhou Huifang invited him toe with him. Qi Xia was originally invited to this party. But he was busy and decided not toe. So when Zhuo Huifang asked him, he instantly declined. Who would have thought that thetter would brought up the topic about Lilying just to attend this g?

    Lily had been all over Qi Xia¡¯s mind all this time. In fact, he had asked his people to follow her around, take some pictures and send it to him. He had been thinking of going to Hong Kong and creating some ¡¯idental¡¯ meeting with her. Unfortunately, he was truly busy managing his gamingpany, and he was about tounch a new mobile game online. Because of this, he does not have the time to at least see her in person.

    But when Zhou Huifang mentioned Lily together with the other businessmen would attend, he instantly changed his mind.

    "Miss Lily was only joking." Qi Xia gave an awkwardugh. "We already met once or twice in Hong Kong. A few months back. She was meeting with my uncle and I passed by so my uncle introduced us."

    "I always thought that Miss Lily was a very serious individual." Lin Yu Yan said. "Mr. Qi here had been making a name in the gaming industry. Aside from being a champion, he also started developing games."

    "Is that so." Lily was smiling, her eyes turning crescents. However, this smile only made Qi Xia shivered inwardly. "He seems like a smart and capable man."

    "He is." Lin Yu Yan nodded. "And I believe Mr. Qi is not yet married. I¡¯m sure many women are swooning over him as of this moment. "

    "Good. That is very good." Lily said before she gave a questioning look towards Lin Yu Yan. "Aren¡¯t you single as well? Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s high time that you two start dating? You seemed to have high... respects and appreciation for his... talents." Lily said, the same smile was on her face. This made both Qi Xia and Lin Yu Yan cleared their throats almost at the same time.

    "You two would look good together too. Aw... why don¡¯t we have a double date? Me and my husband had been busy in the past few days. It would be nice to get to know the future husband of Jingren¡¯s friend, right?"

 Chapter 381 Best Talen

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 381 Best Talen</h4>

    Lily¡¯s best talent had always been her tongue. Or so Zhuo Jingren told her.

    However, she believed that her talent lies in making certain conversations awkward. Her smile became even more brilliant as she eyed Lin Yu Yan and Qi Xia. "We can set it up next week? I¡¯m sure Mr. Lin would love to see both of you together."

    "Miss Lily is... really humorous. Mr. Qi and I are only acquaintances."

    "But... all rtionships start with being acquainted with each other, right?" Lily instantly countered. "Ah.... I will have my secretary call both of you so we can set it up when you have the time."

    Both Lin Yu Yan and Qi Xia eyed each other awkwardly. It seems that they are useless against Lily¡¯s way with words. In the end, both Qi Xia and Lin Yu Yan helplessly nodded. After a few minutes of Lily¡¯s ¡¯advance nning¡¯ about their double date, Qi Xia bid them goodbye. His face was dark as he walked towards Zhou Huifang.

    "You really are..." Yang Jing was standing just a few feet away from Lily so he approached her after both Qi Xia and Lin Yu Yan left.

    "What?" She lifted an eyebrow. "They are both single and my matchmaking skills are superb."

    Yang Jing only smiled. "Zhou Huifang and Zhou Lanying had been eyeing you since you arrived. As well as Old Man Dongfang. These are two powerful families in China who had a long-standing grudge against each other."

    "I am aware," Lily answered. She was observing them. The Zhous and the Dongfang were two of her primary suspects of the people who wanted to bring Zhuo Jingren down.

    "Tonight, Zhou Lanying will also y the piano." Yang Jing added. "Zhou Lanying is a known drug addict. Her brother is using this event to prove that she is not one. But everyone in the circle already knows what she was. I heard they are arranging a marriage for Zhou Lanying. This must be the reason why he wanted to redeem her name."

    Lily did not answer him. Instead, she looked at Zhou Lanying who was standing not too far away from her. Just like Lily, she was wearing a long ck gown with lots of hand-sewn stones, making it glitter against the dim lights. Her hair was in a perfect updo while a smile was stered all over her face. She looked polished with her wless pale skin and gentle eyes.

    Of course, her simrity with Bei Tian was too uncanny. If the two would stand next to each other, no one would mistake them for a lover. Lily let out a sigh inwardly. ording to Zhuo Jingren, Bei Tian and him were born a few months apart. While Zhuo Jingren was someone from the direct line of Zhou¡¯s Bei Tian was only the son of a prostitute. A bastard. He was considered a mistake the moment he was born.

    However, the old Patriarch of the Zhou Family, Zhou Jingren¡¯s biological grandfather, pitied the child and took care of him. So when Zhou Jingren¡¯s grandfather died, just like Zhou Jingren¡¯s father and mother, he also became the target of his real family.

    At first, Zhou Jingren¡¯s mother hesitated to bring Bei Tian along. However, her heart betrayed her, and she pitied the child. So she brought Bei Tian to the same orphanage where she brought Zhou Jingren a few days back.

    She also changed hisst name to Bei instead of Zhou.

    "President, the heir of the Dongfang family is walking our way." Yang Mi¡¯s words woke her up from her stupor.

    "Miss Zhuo." It was Old Man Dongfang, the same man that Lily met during the bidding. "I heard that you donated five million for the cause? Thank you."

    Lily nodded in response. "I heard that you will take care of the hospital¡¯s construction. What a remarkable thing to do." Lily was talking about the children¡¯s hospital that this g was about. All the money from the tickets will go to charities. While the donations from various businessmen will go to a children¡¯s hospital that Lin Yu Yan was nning to build on the outskirts of Shanghai.

    The old man let out augh. "Thank you. Ah... here. I want you to meet my grandson. Dongfang Lu. He is already working as my vice president now."

    "Nice to meet you." Dongfang Lu was about Lily¡¯s age. Maybe a little older. High cheekbones, phoenix-like eyes, and a sly smile were the first things that Lily noticed.

    "Same here." She responded as she shook his hand. She gave the man a polite smile.

    "I was expecting to see Mr. Zhuo with you. But I guess... he was busy." The Old Man said. His voice did not have a tinge of malice in it. But the unfathomable glint in his eyes was unmistakable. Lily sneered inwardly.

    "He is taking care of some rtively unimportant problems."

    "Really..."

    "Hmmm... Of course, it was already handled." Lily smiled at the old man.

    "Interesting." Dongfang Lu muttered.

    Lily responded with a smile. The Dongfang family had a grudge against Zhou Jingren¡¯ste grandfather. However, even though the Zhou Family was already under a new patriarch, this grievance did not stop, instead, it had even be bigger. Of course, Lily already expected the old man to know that Zhuo Jingren was from the original line of Zhou¡¯s- the people that he hated the most.

    While Lily does not know where this grievance came from, she was still intending to defend her husband and stand next to him against these people.

    "Very interesting indeed." She said as she eyed Dongfang Lu. "Not that this is still a surprise. This is not the first time that a trifling matter like this happened. I was confident that he could handle it." Lily knew that the Dongfang family already knew about the case. Or they would not be this confident to talk to her right now. They must have known that Zhuo Jingren could note tonight.

    "Hmmm..." the old man nodded as he eyed the man behind his grandson. "Well... I wish you luck in your business endeavors in maind China." The old man handed Lily a ss of champagne as he held his ss towards Lily. "To more projects."

    Lily smiled in response. She epted the ss and tilted it towards the old man. "To more partnerships."

 Chapter 382 Old Friend

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 382 Old Friend</h4>

    "You are not going to drink that?" the Old Man said when he saw Lily only offered a toast but did not drink the champagne. He gave Lily a stern look, a direct response to her rudeness.

    "I don¡¯t do alcohol." Lily smiled. "I used to... but not anymore."

    The Old Man grunted until her gaze fell into Lily¡¯s stomach. Then a tinge of understanding shed in his eyes. "I see." He nodded. "My apologies then."

    "I will drink that." A voice interrupted them and before anyone could say anything, Zhou Lanying already got the ss and drank its contents. She held the empty ss and gave both Lily and the old man a smile. "I hope you don¡¯t mind."

    "You-"

    "Oh... please... Miss Lily here is a good friend." Zhou Lanying¡¯s sudden deration instantly caused some murmurs from the people who heard them. "I mean... I considered her as one. After we met in Paris... In one of my recitals. Ah... was that two years ago?"

    Lily lifted an eyebrow before she nodded. "Almost three years. Actually." She gave them a sweet smile. "How have you been?" The turn of events was unexpected. Even Lily did not think that Zhou Lanying would do something like this. However, she still went with the flow.

    "Good. Everything is good." Zhou Lanying gave her a sweet smile. She then shifted her gaze at the Old Man. "I was looking forward to seeing you tonight, Miss Lily. When I heard that you areing, I totally got excited."

    Zhou Lanying¡¯s face was full of smiles as she talked to Lily like an old friend, creating a barrier between Lily and Old Man Dongfang. It was as if, she does not want Lily to talk to the Old Man at all.

    "I didn¡¯t know that Miss Zhou is actually very well informed." Dongfang Lu joined the conversation after Zhou Lanying started talking about stocks.

    "I love music and everything about it. However, I also majored in business administration and management when I was in Paris. I got a lot of experience when ites to managing the... family business too." Zhou Lanying answered. The confidence in her voice was unmistakable.

    Lily only smiled as she listened. ording to her files, Zhou Lanying was smart. Smarter than her two younger brothers. She graduated college before her twenty-first birthday and started working in the Zhou Co., immediately. But a few years ago, she just stopped.

    She stopped working and started doing drugs. She also decided that music was her calling, so she started ying Piano more. This made the current patriarch furious. Some say that he almost disowned Zhou Lanying after her first concert. While some say, he had pped Zhou Lanying so hard, she lost a tooth.

    These were all rumors. However, the Dongfang family knew that some of these rumors were true. It was true that Zhou Lanying received a p from her grandfather. It was also true that he almost disowned her. However, her two brothers begged their grandfather to give her a chance. They convinced him that there is still a chance that their sister will change for the better.

    Sadly, this did not happen. In fact, Zhou Lanying¡¯s reputation became worse as months passed by. She started drinking too much. She slept around with various men, second generation heirs and people that she just met.

    This made it hard for the old man to find a husband for her. Lily knew that the purpose of this g was to make people think that everything about Zhou Lanying were all rumors. She also knew that the old man found a possible husband for Zhou Lanying. Someone that would not care about her reputation at all. The old man thought that they could use this g to at least show that Zhou Lanying is not as scandalous as the rumors say. But... Lily knew this won¡¯t change a thing.

    Not after she drank the champagne from Old Man Dongfang.

    Lily watched as more and more people joined them. Men and women started to gather around, joining in the conversation with smiles all over their faces. While everyone in this room already knew of the Zhou family¡¯s motive, many people still pretended that they were unaware. Some of them chose to get close to Zhou Lanying. They smiled and gavepliments as they chuckled, making sure that they let the world know that they were acquainted. After all, she was a Zhou. She was someone whose family could easily crush most people from this room. Moreover, her future husband is another influential person who was born in China but grew up in the west.

    "Hehehe... I was going to say that you have a really... really hot bodyguard." Zhou Lanying¡¯s whisper towards Lily woke her up from her stupor. "I didn¡¯t recognize that this was someone from the Yang Family. Good... Good choice."

    Lily nodded as she nced at the woman who was already beaming inappropriately at everyone.

    "You are very pretty too... Hehehe... If I am a man I would never let you go." Zhou Lanying whispered. Before she looked at one of the women surrounding them. "Miss Chen... I heard that you married someone from a prominent family? Someone rich but..."

    "Alright. Let¡¯s go. We are going." Lily suddenly interrupted as she held Zhou Lanying¡¯s arms. "She¡¯s already drunk." She sent a meaningful look towards the old man. "I will make sure that she gets home safely."

    "But Miss Zhou will still perform, right?" the woman called Miss Chen said. Concernced his tone but her eyes contain some mockery. "I came here because I heard that Miss Zhou will perform one of the piece that sheposed all by herself."

    "Oh... right! The performance. I need to perform first... Okay, old friend?" Zhou Lanying said as she tried to remove Lily¡¯s hand from her arm.

    "No... she is drunk." Lily said sternly as she roamed her eyes to the people around them. "I will invite everyone in an orchestra in the next few days. By then... Miss Zhou will perform her masterpiece. If you say that you came here because of her performance and not because of the charity cause, then... please give your name to my secretary. I will pay you back for your tickets and triple it as apensation for the inconvenience that I have caused." She gave everyone a cold smile.

 Chapter 383 Stupid

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 383 Stupid</h4>

    "To the nearest hospital," Lily said after Daohu started the car.

    "What are we doing to the hospital? Are you ill or something?" Zhou Lanying said as she opened the window of the car. She started waving at the people on the streets.

    "Can you make her sleep?" Lily said in a low voice towards Yang Jing. In response, thetter nodded and touched something around Zhou Lanying¡¯s (neck). In an instant, thetter fell back, her eyes close.

    "She was drugged." Yang Jing said sternly. He and Daohu was the one apanying Lily while Yang Mi stayed with Yang Sen to inform the Zhou¡¯s the Zhou Lanying is ill. "That Champagne..."

    "I know." Lily chose not to drink anything from the party because she knew that someoneced her drink with something that will embarrass her. Lily was cautious this time, and she wanted to make sure that her night would not have some tragic ending. "Fool." She uttered as she eyed the woman who was sleeping soundly beside her.

    Who would drink someone else¡¯s drink even if they knew that it wasced with poison? If that person is not called foolish then what would be the best thing that would describe her? Lily narrowed her eyes at Zhou Lanying, unaware of the woman¡¯s true goal.

    Of course, Lily does not trust her. Why would she try to save Lily? Both of them knew that Lily was fully capable of defending herself from some drugged wine. "Stupid!" Lily hissed, irritationced her eyes as she dialed Zhuo Jingren¡¯s phone.

    "Your cousin is crazy." She uttered the moment her husband answered his phone.

    "I know. I aming to get you."

    "You should..." Lily started telling Zhuo Jingren about everything that happened. She knew that her husband went straight to his private ne right after the police released him just an hour ago.

    "Hmmm...Alright. I willnd in less than two hours. I will see you at the hospital."

    "Don¡¯t. Just wait for me at the hotel or your Vi." Lily said.

    "Why?"

    "Your presence will only make Zhou Lanying scared. I want to talk to her when she wakes up." Lily wanted to talk to Zhou Huifang, but she chose not to say it right now. She would not want Zhuo Jingren to worry.

    "I understand. I will see you then. I love you."

    "I love you," Lily said as she ended the call. The lines in between her brows were gone. She shifted her gaze away from Zhou Lanying as she waited for them to reach the hospital.

    After a couple of minutes, they arrived at the hospital and the doctors treated Zhou Lanying immediately.

    "What the hell happened?" It was Zhou Huifang. He red at Lily as he barged into the door. Then he shifted his gaze towards her sister on the bed. "What did you do to her?"

    Lily chose not to answer him, he tilted her head towards Yang Jing who was standing next to him.

    "She was drugged." Yang Jing answered.

    "Did you do this? You- How dare you!? Why are you ignoring me? You think I will let this pass?" Zhou Huifang clenched his fist and tried to approach Lily but Daohu blocked his way. His tall stature towering over him.

    "I don¡¯t talk stupid," Lily said. "Your sister tried to save me because she¡¯s stupid."

    Zhou Huifang stood frozen after he heard Lily¡¯s words. He stared at Daohu wide-eyed as if he was trying to digest what Lily told him. Then he remembered how one of his men informed him that her sister drank the wine that was supposed to be for Lily and then she started to act boldly.

    "You- How can you call her stupid for saving you?" He pushed Daohu out of his way. "My sister saved you and this is what you say while she was in the hospital bed suffering from the thing that was intended for you?"

    Lily didn¡¯t answer him. She rested her elbow on the arm of the chair and propped her chin on the back of her palm. She then looked at the man standing in front of him. "We are even. If I did not take her to the hospital, she would have embarrassed herself and your prestigious family."

    Zhou Huifang instantly narrowed his eyes at Lily. What kind of cold woman would even say such a thing to the person who saved her?

    "I don¡¯t owe her anything." Lily rose from her chair. "I was waiting for you to arrive so you can pass that message to her. Tell her that one of these days, her stupidity will kill her."

    "You-" Zhou Huifang was speechless as he watched Lily walk towards the door. "If the Zhou Family will know that you are involved in this matter, they will..."

    "They don¡¯t need to." Lily stopped, her back still on him as she looked over her shoulders. "I aming for them. I am here to inform you that they will pay for what they owed to my husband soon. And I... I will personallye and collect."

    Zhou Huifang stared at Lily, unable to say a word. She watched as the two men followed Lily out of the room, leaving him alone with his sister. For some reason, Zhou Lanying¡¯s words echoed in his mind. Murderers? Was it possible that it was true? Was it possible that Zhuo Jingren¡¯s grandfather was the true heir of the Zhuo Family and not his grandfather?

    If that is true then... what about their dead brother? Did their grandfather killed him too? Zhou Huifang furrowed his brows as he approached his sister. The doctor told him that Zhou Lanying was drugged and if Lily did not take her immediately to the hospital, she could easily experience an overdose.

    It would be easy to assume that Lily was just pretending and that she was just ying with everyone. After all, she was a known schemer. What if she was the one who nted the drug so someone would try to save her? But... this theory does not make any sense at all.

    If Lily was the one responsible for drugging Zhou Lanying then... why would she bring her to the hospital after drinking the champagne? And how would she know that Zhou Lanying would drink the wine in her stead?

 Chapter 384 Not Enough Evidence

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 384 Not Enough Evidence</h4>

    "She said what?" Zhou Jintao frowned at his son, Zhou Huifang¡¯s words.

    "She must have thought that we are the ones who wanted to drug her."

    "And did you?"

    "Of course not! I was only there to meet her and I was nning to help Lanying not cause chaos." Zhou Huifang did not n to do something towards Lily as he was afraid to earn Zhuo Jingren¡¯s ire. This was not a good time to have enemies as he was focused on helping her sister.

    Zhou Huifang stared at his father¡¯s morose expression as he pursed his lips. He waited for him to say something but the old man never did. He seemed to have fallen into deep contemtion.

    "Ummm... Father? I was just... you know, Lanying had always been saying that grandfather is..."

    "Stop talking nonsense. Your sister is a drug addict she needs help."

    Zhou Huifang lowered his gaze as he remembered Lily¡¯s eyes when she told him that she wasing for them. Why would she deliberately provoke them? They have not done anything wrong to them. ording to Zhou Huifang¡¯s memories, this Zhou Jingren should be the one afraid of them. After all, his parents were the ones who did something to the Zhou Family. He remembered his uncle - who until now have not recovered from the heartache that Zhuo Jingren¡¯s mother had caused.

    Right. Zhou Jingren and his family should be the ones that fear them, he convinced himself.

    "I will leave and talk to your grandfather." Zhou Jintao said. His face dark as he walked out of the hospital room. After reaching the parking lot, he instantly instructed his men to drive him to his father, the current patriarch of the Zhou Family.

    After more than a twenty-minute drive, Zhou Jintao arrived in a mansion just west of Pudong Shanghai. He walked straight towards his father¡¯s study and went inside without even knocking the door.

    "Did you try to poison Zhou Jingren¡¯s woman?" he asked as he sat opposite his father.

    "Poison? No." the old man did not look at his son as he answered. His croaky voice echoed inside the room.

    Zhou Jintao narrowed his eyes. "But you tried to drug her." It was not a question. It was an usation that contained a hint of deration. Zhou Jintao was sure that his own father had something to do with what happened.

    "Hmm... tried."

    "Father! I want you to take this seriously!" Zhou Jintao raised his voice, his hands were balled into a fist. "Lanying was the one who took the wine! She is still in the hospital now."

    "Or so... I¡¯ve heard."

    "Father! How could you say this? She- She is your granddaughter."

    "A foolish one." the old man finally lifted his gaze away from the piece of paper that he was reading. "She must have known about it. Or why would she deliberately do it? Isn¡¯t that something that a foolish person would do?"

    Zhou Jintao stared at the Patriarch, his eyes wide, anger started to coursed in his veins. He tried to calm his nerves. "Lanying is still your granddaughter."

    "She will marry to the Shangguan Family soon." the old man leaned against his chair.

    "The young master of the Shangguan Family had been married thrice. All of his previous wives died."

    "But didn¡¯t he give his wives family enoughpensation? That man wanted Lanying in exchange for a business partnership." the old man said, seemingly unimpressed by his son¡¯s words. "It is worth it."

    Zhou Jintao opened his mouth. He wanted to rebut him, tell him that Zhou Lanying is still the most intelligent grandchild that he had. But in the end, he closed his mouth and pursed his lips. It would be useless. There is no stopping things once his father already made up his mind. Instead, he let out a sigh and bid his father goodbye. After all these years of serving his father, he is still inferior in his eyespared to his older brother.

    "Second Master, " he halted his steps and looked at the servant who called his name. "The First Master wanted to see you."

    "Right now?" he asked. The servant nodded in response before he turned his back and lead him towards the balcony of the mansion. On the Balcony, a man¡¯sughter caught his attention. He was wearing a purple shirt and a beautiful woman wearing a short halter dress sat on hisp.

    "Brother?" Zhou Jintao greeted with a smile.

    "Take a seat." the man instructed before he resumed kissing the woman in his arm, his hand stroking the woman¡¯s legs.

    "Ehem..." Zhou Jintao cleared his throat after a few seconds. This attracted his brother¡¯s attention, and thetter instructed the woman to wait for him in his room.

    "She is beautiful, right?"

    "She is exquisite." Zhou Jintao lied. The woman¡¯s makeup was as thick as their concrete wall. How could she be beautiful?

    "Hahaha... I always know your type. Tell me if you like her... Don¡¯t worry your wife will never find out. I promise." He pursed his lips and waited for his younger brother to answer him.

    "You called for me?" Zhou Jintao asked after he nodded. This was not the first time that his older brother said something like this towards him. To be honest, he was already used to this.

    "How is Lanying?" Zhou Kang smiled at his younger brother.

    "She is good. The drugs already left her system."

    "Good! Good. That is a piece of very good news." his older brother let out a mirthlessugh. "Now... I heard that you were at the g yourself?"

    Zhou Jintao nodded in response.

    "And his wife was there? Was she very pretty too?" Seeing Zhou Jintao¡¯s ufortable look, Zhou Kangughed. "Kidding. I am joking. Stop being so stern."

    "Come on! Give me a smile." Zhou Kang let out anotherugh. It was obvious that he was enjoying his brother¡¯s difort. "Ah... you really are..." He shook his head before his expression turned serious. "The police let go of Zhou Jingren. Not enough evidence."

    "Apparently... that witness that you found was not enough to detain him. Hey... did you know that the witness also said that she will not testify just a few minutes after Zhou Jingren arrived at the precinct?" Zhou Kang continued. "Ah... I was surprised too... Do you know what is more surprising? That wife of his... Lily was it? She talked to the witness for a few minutes. And the moment she left the park was the same moment that the witness withdrew her testimony."

 Chapter 385 Silly Love Triangle and Greed

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 385 Silly Love Triangle and Greed</h4>

    PLEASE READ PREVIOUS CHAPTER BEFORE READING THIS

    .....

    "What was your point?" Zhou Jintao furrowed his brows.

    "He¡¯s got a smart wife," his brother¡¯s lips lifted into a smile. "What do you think will happen if he loses her?"

    "Brother you..."

    "That man will lose his mind. Ah.... And his mother... his mother will surely reveal herself, no? After all, she had been watching him for a long time now. Once her son goes crazy..."

    Zhou Jintao stared at his brother. His face was devoid of any expression as he thought of his brother¡¯s obsession with Zhuo Jingren¡¯s mother. Everyone in the family knows how that woman had altered his brother¡¯s personality, yet no one wanted to address this issue. Not even their father.

    "Once she is vulnerable, then... I can find a way to get close to her." Zhou Kang continued, his tone sinister as he narrowed his eyes and smiled at his brother. "That cousin of ours... hehe... I have been waiting for too long. Too long. You can¡¯t believe that amount of torture that I have nned to give him once I finally capture him."

    Zhou Jintao sighed inwardly. Because of a silly love triangle and greed, his own brother and father destroyed the original Zhou Family. "I don¡¯t want to get involved in any of this," he uttered.

    "What do you mean?" Zhou Kang tilted his head.

    "Brother..." Zhou Jintao let out a loud sigh. "Father is already involving my daughter in his ns. I can¡¯t... I have been thinking of ns to stop him. I won¡¯t allow my daughter to marry into that Shangguan man. I don¡¯t think I can help you with your ns now that I am upied with this matter." Zhou Jintao watched as his brother gave him a questioning look. It was as if he doesn¡¯t understand the words that he was saying. He sneered inwardly as he thought about his brother¡¯s manipting habits. He was sure that the one who suggested this marriage was his own brother. He was also sure that he was nning to use this to manipte him into helping his older brother.

    "Oh... So that is your only problem, eh?" As expected, this brother¡¯s face lit up after he said those words. If Zhou Jintao¡¯s guess was right, then, this was just all Zhou Kang¡¯s way to trap him. Make him do his bidding with the condition that he will help and asked their father to dissolve this marriage.

    This was not the first time that his brother did this to him or to anyone that he wanted to use for his crazy revenge against the people who didn¡¯t actually do anything to him. But can Zhou Jintao do something about it?

    No.

    He cannot.

    He is powerless. The only reason why his brother wanted his help is that unlike his brother who had been drinking and drowning himself in girls for the past thirty years, Zhou Jintao had actually built connections with people. Businessmen that could help them in whatever it is that his crazy brother had wanted to do.

    "Yes. This issue had been keeping me awake for nights now." Zhou Jintao nodded as he decided to once again, bite the bait that his brother was using. He actually does not have a choice. Their father favors his older brother so much, he would easily agree to whatever it is that he will tell him- whatever it is that he wanted.

    "Then stop thinking about it. I will handle it. As long as you help me get some contacts in Hong Kong. Good ones. I want some people in the ck market. Maybe the ones... the ones who took over the Tang Empire? I heard that they are good. And they are big, they should not be afraid to be Zhuo Jingren¡¯s enemy, no?" Zhou Kang gave him a smile full of reassurance as he leaned towards his chair. Victory can be seen all over his face. "If you agree with me, then... drink. Let¡¯s drink to that." He handed his younger brother a ss full of alcohol.

    In response, Zhou Jintao epted the ss and drank it without saying anything. Once again, he knew that his brother won. Once again, he knew that there is nothing he could do in his current powerless circumstances.

    ....

    Zhou Jintao woke up with a headache.

    He clutched his head as he narrowed his eyes at his surroundings. He was in his old room at the mansion, he instantly concluded before he sat on his bed. A medicine and a ss of water that was ced in his bed-side table caught his attention. He frowned before drinking the water. In this house, he wouldn¡¯t drink any medicine that was given by his brother and father. Then he started to massage his head again.

    Yesterday, he ended up drinking more than what he had nned. In the end, he got too drunk and fell asleep in his seat. He was sure that the scene of him drunk would have made his brother beaming with joy. He sighed inwardly as he rose from his bed and walked towards the chair so he could sit and wear his shoes.

    After wearing his shoes and his coat, he went out of his room and walked towards his father¡¯s study. He wanted to bid him goodbye before going to his own home and inquire about his daughter¡¯s current state.

    "What do you mean? You agreed to his request?" his father¡¯s old croaky voice stopped Zhou Jintao from his track. He looked towards the balcony just a few meters away from their father¡¯s study.

    "Lower down your voice, father. You don¡¯t want to wake him up, do you?" Zhou Kang¡¯s voice followed instantly making Zhou Jintao furrowed his brows. He slowly approached the balcony as he nced at his watch. A few minutes past 10 in the morning. This could only mean that they were having their breakfast in the balcony, he concluded.

    "What do you mean by that?" His father¡¯s voice was a little softer than the previous one.

    "I said I will help him convince you." Zhou Kang answered. "I said... help. I didn¡¯t give him the assurance that you will agree, right?"

    Zhou Jintao froze as he heard Zhou Kang¡¯s words, followed by his ominousughter.

    ....

    1. Zhou Jintao and Zhou Kang are brothers.

    2. They are Zhou Jingren¡¯s biological father¡¯s cousin.

    3. Zhou Jintao is Zhou Lanying and Zhou Huifang¡¯s father.

    UPDATE: And I am back from China! It was so fun! The temperature was around 6-9 degrees which ispletely new to me. Right now, I am already in my cave, so I can write andpensate for all the incovenience that I have caused. I will continue writing this novel so don¡¯t worry. I was just busy so I was not able to update properly. Join discord for live updates: https://discord.gg/7TZCnzm

    Follow me on instagram: blips01 for the pics in Shanghai tour.

 Chapter 386 You Are Not Welcome Here

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 386 You Are Not Wee Here</h4>

    Zhou Jintao widened his eyes in surprise. It was as if they poured a bucket of cold water all over his body. He could feel his limbs go numb as the aching in his head intensified.

    "See? You don¡¯t have to worry. That marriage will happen." Zhuo Kang added. "I have to tell him to do it... or he won¡¯t help us. You know that he had always been weak since we were children, right?"

    "Good. Good. That deal with the Shangguan family needs to happen." Zhou Jintao can hear the happiness in his father¡¯s voice.

    "I know. Do you think I would suggest it if I am not serious about it?"

    "Cruel. He is still your brother Kang¡¯er."

    "Father... You are saying it as if I am making such a terrible thing against my own brother. I am doing this for us. For our family. With the Shangguan¡¯s we could rival Zhuo Jingren¡¯s banks and give him some troubles." Zhou Jintao could hear the excitement in his older brother¡¯s voice as he continued his words. "This is such a crucial matter. We were looking for him in the wrong ces. Who would have thought that he would be this rich and influential?"

    "Kang¡¯er... that man is smart. You have to be careful about your ns. Do you understand me?"

    "Of course. I am sure that man knows that we already know his identity. I would not do anything drastic. Plus... I have my brother. I am sure he will do everything that I tell him too as long as I keep my promise to ¡¯try¡¯ and convince you to stop that marriage."

    Zhou Jintao seemed to have lost all the colors in his face as he continued to listen. He stood there, frozen, unable toprehend the words that he just heard. After a few minutes, Zhou Jintaoposed himself as he thought of everything that came out from his brother¡¯s mouth. An unfathomable gleam shed in his eyes as he put on a smile on his face and suddenly walked towards the balcony.

    "Brother! You are awake!" Zhou Kang beamed at Zhou Jintao. "Come, let¡¯s have breakfast!" He gestured for him to sit down as he used his other hand to give his younger brother utensils for eating.

    In response, Zhou Jintao nodded and smiled at his brother before shifting his gaze towards his father. "I am starving," he said, his tone calm. Contrary to the emotions that he had been keeping inside. He lowered his head and started eating the western style breakfast that their cooks prepared as he remembered Lily¡¯s facest night.

    He needed to find a way to talk to her. He needed to find a way to save his daughter from these monsters that he called family.

    ...

    Sky City

    "You look fantastic for someone who was just used of murder." Lily smiled before she drank her freshly made orange juice. She eyed Zhuo Jingren as she started to eat her breakfast.

    "What you did was dangerous." He frowned in response, ignoring Lily¡¯sments. "You didn¡¯t even know if it was a trap. How could you carelessly talk to a witness like that?" Last night, the couple didn¡¯t have this conversation mainly because Zhuo Jingren was unaware of what happened before the g.

    "But it wasn¡¯t," she answered nonchntly. "Plus, I only talked to her. No threats, whatsoever. We talked about dogs. I love dogs."

    "Hmmm... you are a bad liar." Zhuo Jingren let out a sigh. Helplessness shed on his face, but it was quickly reced with a smile as he held her hand. "Thank you. I know you did it for me. I just want you to be careful. That¡¯s all."

    "Since you are so troubled about it, then you can pay me for my time." She teased. "I ept cash."

    Her words earned a burst ofughter from her husband, instantly easing the tense environment. "How was your project? I presumed that you waited for me because you needed something?"

    "Smart." Lily nodded. It was already ten in the morning and Zhuo Jingren just woke up an hour ago. She didn¡¯t want to disturb his sleep as she knew that he had been tired from Yesterday¡¯s fiasco. "The Lee¡¯s are giving me a hard time in Singapore. They are close to some people in the government and asked them to refuse to give me some permits for the construction of the Harmony Isle branch."

    Zhuo Jingren stared at her for a second. He knew that she was not done speaking, so he pursed his lips and waited for her to continue.

    "Let¡¯s meet your grandfather as soon as possible," Lily added. "Also, I found out that Zhou Lanying had been set to marry a man from the Shangguan Family. Shangguan banks are Zhuo Capitals¡¯ directpetitors. I believe we already know where this is going?"

    "That marriage will not happen." He answered. "I believe that the one responsible behind your father and Qin Liwei is Old Man Zhou. He wanted to create some troubles for me so they can do their own ns behind my back. Maybe they don¡¯t want us to talk to the Dongfang¡¯s. I am not sure yet, but... I will find out soon. Any appointments for today?" He asked casually.

    "Hmmm... I will go and see my fatherter in Qin Liwei¡¯s waketer."

    "What will you do this time?" He raised an eyebrow before a tinge of understanding shed in his eyes. "Alright, I will send some flowers."

    Lily only smiled in response. For some reason, she felt a little regretful that she did not deal with Qin Mo and his family the moment she arrived in Hong Kong. She always thought that they were small flies, not worthy of her schemes. She did not expect that they would find a good backer. Today, she wanted to finish this family and proceed to a bigger agenda, like the Lees and the Zhou Family.

    Lily finished eating her breakfast and went to her office. While the news of Zhuo Jingren being invited in the precinct was not in the newspapers and online articles after their effortsst night, Lily still wanted to make sure that Qin Mo and the others would not intentionally spread it today.

    She filtered all the news online and on social media, however, she and Zhuo Jingren were not gods. They could not control every circumstance that will happen.

    Before the day ended, a news article that was written by some paparazzi still made its way to social media and was easily spread as many people shared it. It detailed all the possible crimes that Zhuo Jingren made and how he had been allegedly funded the government to hide these crimes.

    This only infuriated Lily even more. After seeing all the news, Lily immediately made her way into the Qin household with Lawyer Yang in tow.

    "You are not wee here!" Qin Mo¡¯s voice echoed the moment Lily arrived. "How dare you show your face after what you have done to your own brother? To my only son?" Qin Mo¡¯s eyes were swollen, his voice a little raspy as he red daggers at Lily.

 Chapter 387 Flowers

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 387 Flowers</h4>

    "Bring in the flowers," Lily said, ignoring Qin Mo¡¯s outbursts. Dozens of men in ck instantly came inside holding bouquets of white Lilies.

    "You ingrate!" Qin Fei butted in before she marched towards Lily. She raised her hand, with the intention to p her but one of Lily¡¯s bodyguards stopped her.

    "Mrs. Xuan... you wouldn¡¯t want to hurt me." Lily smiled as she marched inside, earning some gasps from the people who heard what her words.

    Qin Fei and Qin Mo¡¯s eyes instantly met before he signaled one of the people attending the wake to take a live video of the things that will happen. This was already something that they expected to happen.

    "Give each person one folder." Lily¡¯s voice echoed once again.

    "What folders?" Tang Lingyun asked, her face still pale and her eyes were swollen from crying since she knew that her only son died. "Why are you here? What you did... You already did everything to ruin us. Are you not contented? Do you really want to push every one of us to death?"

    Lily only watched as Tang Lingyun approached her. "We raised you! Feed you! Cloth you! But the moment you marry into someone more influential than us, you asked him to make us suffer! What kind of human are you?"

    "The kind that you raised," Lily answered shortly as she watched everyone started to opened their own folders, interest clouded their gazes. "The folders contain proof that I owned everything from the Qins. As someone who is from the main n, I was supposed to own everything. You can also see the DNA test made by me and my biological father, Qin Chuan, the current master of the Qin Family in Maind China. Do you see? I don¡¯t need to ask my husband to make you suffer. These documents are enough to throw you out of this mansion."

    "Lies!" Qin Mo boomed as he grabbed one folder and tore it to shreds. "These are all fakes! Lies! You greedy b*tch!" Qin Mopletely lost hisposure as he tried to attacked Lily. But as expected, one of her guards stopped him. "None of these were true! None!" Despite being in a wheelchair, Qin Mo still tried his best to reach out to Lily.

    "Well... that¡¯s the reason why I have our family Lawyer with me, right?" She smirked.

    "I can attest that everything written in here are facts. We have witnesses and enough proof on our side." Thewyer calmly said, his gaze straight and his face were devoid of any expression.

    "See? Why do you think I still need to ask my husband to ruin you? Tsk... Tsk..." Lily shook her head. "I was feeling a little emotionaltely, so I didn¡¯t bother you and your family. Yet, you still dared to scheme against me?"

    "You! Stop this nonsense! Can you at least respect my brother¡¯s body? He was murdered, Lily! Your husband killed him because he wanted to expose Zhuo Jingren." Qin Fei said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

    "That is right Mrs. Zhuo, your husband is a criminal. Stop protecting him. The people that he killed were simply countless. We need justice." One of the bystanders said, his voice low.

    "Rich people always have big secrets. It was Liwei¡¯s bad luck to stumble into one. At least give the government the power to investigate Mrs. Zhuo. If he was really innocent, then you should fear nothing, right?"

    "Right! I also agree with Mr. Tan and Mr. Sy. As someone who had been around for a long time, we both know how he had reached the pinnacle of sess in a matter of years. It is expected for him to have some dark secrets." Another one chimed in.

    "I see." Lily nodded as she stared at the people who spoke. "Kicking him while he is down, eh?" She roamed her eyes at everyone before her lips lifted into a smile. "Then what do you think is this?" After Lily spoke, Qin Liwei¡¯s voice echoed inside the whole ce.

    "Come on Lily." Qin Liwei said. "Aren¡¯t you even interested to know how many people your husband murdered? How he asked his men to massacre a family back in Japan? I mean... If that does not interest, you. I don¡¯t know what will."

    "What if it doesn¡¯t?" Lily¡¯s words followed.

    "Well... what if I tell you that I have proof enough to make him rot in prison?" Qin Liwei lifted an eyebrow, making Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

    "What do you want?"

    "For starters... I want the Qin Industry back under my name."

    The recording stopped, leaving a lot of murmurs and gasp.

    "See?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "It was he who approached me first. He wanted thepany that wasn¡¯t his. However.... That evidence was not even enough to request for an investigation. So... I let him go." She shrugged. "If I wanted him dead... I would not have killed him just after his ident. It would only attract more people¡¯s attention. If you think you can use this incident to defeat me... you are wrong Mr. Qin... you are so... wrong."

    Everyone who heard Lily¡¯s words frowned. Lily¡¯s words made sense, and she was right, if she wanted someone dead, she would not do it in a way that would attract the attention of the police and the media. She was not a fool, and she had been around in the industry for so long to know that.

    "Now... since I have already made this clear, it¡¯s time for me to... asked what you owed me. Isn¡¯t that right? Father?" She gave Qin Mo a dashing smile. In response, thetter seemed to have lost all the color in his face. He opened his mouth as he tried to utter a response, an answer to her words but he was unable to do so.

    Qin Mo knows that Lily had been eyeing him because of what he did to her child. He always knew that this time wille, but he had always been looking for ways to stop it.

    He swallowed a mouthful of nonexistent saliva as he stared at Lily¡¯s smiling face.

    .....

    To the people in MANILA, especially Batangas. Please, take care. Wear N95 masks. Stay safe. I am praying for your safety. I will also check if I can donate anything from here. Maybe some masks and food. I love you guys.

 Chapter 388 A Bullied Sheep

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 388 A Bullied Sheep</h4>

    PLS READ PREVIOUS CHAPTER BEFORE READING THIS.

    .....

    "Lily, it is your brother¡¯s wake. I don¡¯t think this is the right time for you to show your superiority." Tang Lingyun¡¯s voice was soft, her face was pale as she stood next to her husband. "I know that you hate our family, but please... can you please respect your brother? For once. Even in his death." Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she bit her lips.

    On the outside, Tang Lingyun looked extremely pitiful. However, on the inside, she was boiling with rage. She knew that Qin Mo had done something to Lily. She was not a fool, she had been observing her husband for the past days now and she can feel his panic, his fear towards Lily. An innocent man would not do something like that.

    However, Tang Lingyun was useless. Her family had been obliterated so no one could back her up. Because of this, she could not even ask her own husband about her suspicions. This and Qin Liwei¡¯s death only made her more and more frustrated.

    At this point in time, Tang Lingyun already got tired of ming Lily for everything. Tang Lingyun understood that if Lily really wanted to acquire everything that the Qin Family have, it would be very easy for her to do that. This was not because of her husband, but because of her capability alone.

    "What nonsense are you talking about? Stop begging her." Qin Mo held Tang Lingyun¡¯s arms. "Can¡¯t you see? She is devious. She does not respect us anymore. Begging is useless!"

    "Well.... I am not here to disrespect the dead, nor kill anyone of you so you can stop treating me like the antagonist to your perfect story." Lily¡¯s mocking response only made Tang Lingyun feel more scared. After everything that she had gone through, it had be obvious to her that Lily does not really like killing the people who offended her. "Now... Now... First, let¡¯s talk about the Qin Industries shall we?"

    "Are you crazy? This is not the time to talk about that!" Xuan Hui, who had been standing next to his wife, said. He walked towards Lily, eyes stern, hoping that somehow it will intimidate her. "Stop causing chaos. If you want to talk about business, then at least wait until everything is over."

    "Mr. Xuan... you areical. Can¡¯t you see? Everything here is over. Tsk... tsk... I always thought that you are a smart man, Xuan Hui. But you have disappointed me over and over again." Lily shook her head and shifted her gaze away from Xuan Hui. "First, the family business is mine. As the major stockholder..."

    "What the hell is she talking about?" Qin Fei asked in agitation. She looked at her father then towards her husband but the two men only shook their head in response, telling her not to utter another word that will only show her ignorance.

    "Well... let me say it in the simplest words that I could find." Lily said as she gestured at her bodyguard, not a secondter, the man ced a chair behind Lily. "First, Qin Industries owe me. Second, a lot of shareholders sold their shares to me. Making me the biggest shareholder in your-, Ops! I mean mypany."

    "I¡¯m guessing your father and husband already know this. After all, they were... smart businessmen." She added while sending a provocative smile at Xuan Hui.

    "You tricked them!" Xuan Hui hissed. "They sold the stocks to apany that is not under your name! This is not legal at all!"

    "That is true. You and your husband tricked us and offered for a loan. It was something that we couldn¡¯t refuse!" Qin Mo added as he remembered how Lily had actually hidden the fact that she owns thepany that once saved them from bankruptcy. "That was illegal!" he added.

    "So?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "If you can prove that it is illegal, then what can you do about it?" Seeing everyone¡¯s baffled expression, Lily continued. "Mr. Xuan... I don¡¯t think this is the time for you to involve yourself in our business no?"

    "I owned big shares in the Qin Industries. Did you really think that I will just let you ruin ourpany?" Xuan Hui argued.

    "Well... I am a businesswoman Mr. Xuan. I don¡¯t do things that will make me lose profits. So... I decided to make you the new CEO of the Qin Industries. I mean... we still need a meeting but I am pretty confident that I can make it happen. What do you say, Mr. Xuan? Are you willing to manage mypany?"

    Xuan Hui stared at Lily, his eyed bulged in disbelief from Lily¡¯s shamelessness. Lily had been acting superior since she walked inside the Qin Estate. Now she also wanted him to manage the Qin Industries like a ve. Does Lily think that she could just make people do everything that she wanted because just because she can?

    "Since you agreed then we are all good. The Qins still have their shares which is... minutepared to what I have. So, they don¡¯t really have the right to say anything against me. From now on, thepany will be under Fi Group and I will appoint Mr. Xuan as the manager. Everything will be handled by mywyer and will take effect after my dear brother¡¯s burial." She beamed.

    "Lily!"

    "Yes, Mr. Qin? Do you have anything else to say before I continue?"

    "You-You.... You are heartless!"

    "Am I?" she asked. "If I am heartless, then what are you?" she narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her. She slowly turned her head towards her security, "Send everyone out of this estate. Except for the Qins."

    "You cannot do that! What are you nning to do?" Qin Mo asked.

    "Lily! Are you crazy? This is illegal! Someone should go call the police!" Qin Fei panicked as she looked at the group of men that were already following Lily¡¯s orders.

    "Call the police and what? Report that a murderer is here?" Lily said as she gave Qin Fei a meaningful look. "Ah.... You just reminded me... let me call the police myself. After all... both of us know that a murderer is indeed in this house, acting like a bullied sheep. Am I right, Mrs. Xuan?"

    .....

    I¡¯ve been away for so long! I got sick after going to China. It was bronchitis and everyone in my family got it. I was soooo nervous because of the current outbreak. T.T. Fortunately, me and my family is doing well now.

    Have you heard of Kobe Bryant¡¯s death? I am so sad about it. I used to argue with my hubby. I think that he is really good while hubby think that he can¡¯t match MJ. I don¡¯t know. I am heartbroken. May his and his daughter¡¯s soul rest in peace.

 Chapter 389 Start of Your Ending

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 389 Start of Your Ending</h4>

    Qin Fei widened her eyes as she felt her heart drumming against her chest. Tang Biyu¡¯s death reyed inside her mind. She stared at Lily¡¯s face as fear became apparent in her eyes. Was she the murderer that Lily was talking about?

    "Can you at least... do this after Liwei¡¯s burial?" Xuan Hui said as he held his wife¡¯s waist, trying to calm her. He knows Qin Fei enough to tell what she was thinking at this moment. Xuan Hui wouldn¡¯t want Lily to detect Qin Fei¡¯s guilt so he instantly thought of a reason to get rid of her- or at least try to. Xuan Hui stepped in front of her wife, eyes zing with rage. "You are too much Lily!" he said.

    "You are the one responsible for my mother¡¯s state! You ruined my father¡¯s career and now... now, this? You wanted to ruin my wife¡¯s family too? You are a monster!" Xuan Hui added.

    "I have been called worse," Lily answered. "And please stop ming me. It¡¯s not my fault that your parents are criminals. My intervention only made it possible for everyone to know this. It was I who saved the public from these kinds of monsters. I didn¡¯t push them to do those things. But you already know that right?"

    "Still... I wonder what it feels to kill people by my own hands. Must be terrible, no? I mean... considering that you have a conscience. Which you actually don¡¯t." Lily¡¯s words seemed to confirm something as Qin Fei started to tremble. At this point, both Xuan Hui and Qin Fei already knew that Lily is aware of what they did to Tang Biyu. However, Qin Mo is not aware of this. Inwardly, he thought that Lily was talking about him.

    "Now... let¡¯s continue." Lily¡¯s said. "This house and the other properties that grandmother left me is already under my name. You can leave this ce as soon as possible... I will give you until tomorrow to pack and will have my people help you transfer Qin Liwei¡¯s ..."

    Everyone in the room widened their eyes as they listened to Lily¡¯s words. Disbelief apparent in their eyes as she started to mentioned the name of each property under her name.

    "Lily! How could you!?" Qin Mo raged. "How could you do this now?"

    "You wanted to use Qin Liwei¡¯s death to your advantage, and when I retaliate you asked that question. Say, are you fool? Or just acting like one. Because let me tell you... you are so damn good at it." Lily said. For some reason, seeing everyone¡¯s reaction seemed to give her enjoyment. This was something that she didn¡¯t expect. Had she be really this ruthless? Still, Lily thought of how these people could threaten the peace that she wanted with her husband.

    "You know... I honestly don¡¯t want to deal with you. I feel like... You don¡¯t deserve it. But you seemed to challenge my bottom-line over and over. Then you expect me to just sit down and watch you schemed behind my back. What kind of nonsense thinking is this? Are you expecting me not to retaliate?" She added with a sigh. "I have never met someone as dumb as you."

    "You-"

    "Am I making you speechless Mr. Mo? Did you expect a quick death after what you did to my child?" Lily interrupted him.

    "What is she talking about?" Tang Lingyun asked her husband. "Qin Mo... what is she talking about!?"

    "This is not really the time for stories, Mrs. Qin." Lily smiled. "I am here to collect your debts not talk about what happened before."

    "What is she talking about father?" Qin Fei asked afterposing herself. Lily¡¯s words made her think that she was not really here because of what they did to her in the past, but because of Qin Mo. "What did you do?" Qin Fei asked as she stepped next to Xuan Hui.

    "I- I don¡¯t know what you are talking about!" Qin Mo denied. "If you have a miserable life because of your past, why are you dragging me and my family with you? Isn¡¯t it clear to you? The one responsible for everything was your father¡¯s wife. Not me."

    "Eh?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "I didn¡¯t take you for someone like this. Ah... never mind. Your denial won¡¯t change my mind, anyway."

    "You are crazy!" Tang Lingyun said after a few seconds of contemting everything. She narrowed her eyes at Lily. There was no point in pretending anymore, no one was watching them as Lily sent everyone out of their house. "You can¡¯t just do something like this because you can!"

    "I can do it and you can¡¯t do anything about it." Lily sneered.

    "Thew is still..."

    "Whatw?" she interrupted Tang Lingyun¡¯s words. "Thew is with me, Mrs. Qin... I can oppress you because I can and I can do this while everyone is watching." Lily then shifted her gaze towards Qin Mo. "While you are watching."

    "I am taking everything back. This is the start of your ending. You should be excited as I decided not to kill anyone of you. Survive... I want you to live." Lily rose from her seat. "I won¡¯t give you the chance to try something like this again. The police are on their way. They have received evidence that your precious Qin Fei killed someone. You should all prepare an alibi. Who knows what other things the evidence might suggest." She gave them a smirk before she started walking towards the door. However, Qin Fei suddenly grabbed her arm and kneeled, making Lily halt her steps. She eyed the woman kneeling beside her, a nk look was on her face.

    "Jinghua... don¡¯t please... don¡¯t. I... I will do anything. Everything... I will do it. Just... just..." Qin Fei sobbed.

    "Qin Fei stop begging!" Xuan Hui held her wife as he tried to make her stand up. "She does not deserve it! I can protect you! Stop kneeling!"

    "No... let me go Hui! I am too tired of this...." Qin Fei said as she remembered her son waiting for her at home. Her guilt, anxiety, and fear consuming her from the inside. "Jinghua, please... I have a son. You can¡¯t do this to me..." she begged surprising her husband and parents.

    Lily shifted her eyes towards Qin Mo. "Don¡¯t do unto other¡¯s what you don¡¯t want others do unto you, Mr. Qin."

    .....

    All of my chapters are unedited. I am trying my best to check for the mistakes. Please be patient with me. Thank you.

 Chapter 390 Lie and Another Lie

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 390 Lie and Another Lie</h4>

    Qin Mo paled as he heard Lily¡¯s words. He remembered how he talked to that man about framing Zhuo Jingren. Was this Lily¡¯s retaliation? Letting him watched as she framed Qin Fei in front of him? Isn¡¯t this just absolutely cruel?

    Of course, In Qin Mo¡¯s mind, Lily was too cruel for doing this. Yet, he failed to see that he was the one who provoked Lily first.

    He watched as Lily slowly lowered herself next to Qin Fei. She uttered some words that only Qin Fei could hear as she smiled brightly at her sister¡¯s crying state. The thought of Lily threatening Qin Fei made him fumed. "Lily... you stay away from my daughter!" he demanded, fear shed through his eyes. What if Lily had told Qin Fei that this was all his fault? What if Lily¡¯s n involved making Qin Fei hate him for the rest of their miserable lives?

    In response, Lily only tilted her head towards him. The smile on her face never faltered as she stood next to the trembling Qin Fei. "If you wanted to me someone... me your foolishness. The people backing you can¡¯t help you now. You should have thought of this before agreeing to their terms. Sacrificing your son¡¯s life just to frame my husband? Too low Mr. Qin... Too low."

    "What are you talking about? I did not..." he widened his eyes as the realization hit him. "Stop framing me!"

    "What? Your son was already useless after the ident. He won¡¯t have an heir and his body was crippled. His foolish nature is a liability. It¡¯s always better to... just kill him, right?"

    "I did not..."

    However, Qin Mo was not able to finish his words as Tang Lingyun pped him. "You monster!" she screamed before she started attacking him. "You killed our son, didn¡¯t you!? You killed him!"

    "I didn¡¯t... Tang Lingyun! Stop hitting me! I said I didn¡¯t kill him!" Qin Mo tried to protect himself from Tang Lingyun¡¯s ws, but it was all futile. He was already in a wheelchair and some of his injuries were not yet healed. Moreover, Tang Lingyun¡¯s rage made her more emotional and unpredictable, prompting her not to listen to any of Qin Mo¡¯s words.

    In the end, Xuan Hui had to interfere as he held Tang Lingyun, preventing her from scratching Qin Mo¡¯s face. "You are an animal! A monster! You are no longer human!" Tang Lingyun¡¯s shriek echoed inside the whole house as she struggled, trying her best to reach for her husband. "I will kill you! How dare you! Qin Mo... I will kill you!"

    "Mother... shhh... can¡¯t you see? Lily was manipting us." Xuan Hui¡¯s attempt to calm Tang Lingyun was useless. First, Tang Lingyun knew that Lily¡¯s words about Qin Liwei being a cripple was true. He could no longer produce an heir because of the ident. Second, he also had an injury that will hinder his ability to walk in the future. Qin Liwei was also dumb. He was easily manipted and was very impulsive. Lily¡¯s words about him being a liability was right.

    As a mother, Tang Lingyun knows his son. She knew that he was pretty useless and for some reason, he felt that Qin Mo was very capable of killing a useless person. She had always known that Qin Mo was heartless. He was ruthless and he only values the benefits that he could get. What if someone offered to sacrifice Qin Liwei so they could frame Zhuo Jingren? In exhange for some benefits, Qin Mo would absolutely do it.

    Tang Lingyun struggled even harder as her mind swirled with suspicion.

    "Mother... calm down. Calm down." It was Qin Fei. After seeing her mother¡¯s crazed state, she stood up and run to try to help Xuan Hui. She hugged her mother, trying to console her, calm her. Half of Qin Fei knew that this was useless. Tang Lingyun had been unstable after Qin Liwei¡¯s death. Qin Fei knew this. She can see it in her mother¡¯s eyes. The stress, sadness, and anxiety must have taken its toll on her.

    Qin Fei hugged her mother tighter, her emotions rampaging as she thought of what Lily told her earlier.

    Lily had actually asked her to kill herself so she could adopt her son and raised him to hate Qin Fei. Tears streamed down Qin Fei¡¯s cheeks as she thought of Lily¡¯s smiling face. A sh of regret crossed her eyes. Lily was using reverse psychology. Lily used her son to threaten her so she won¡¯t kill herself. Qin Fei was not that dumb. She knew that Lily wanted her to suffer.

    Qin Fei knew that Lily was capable of doing this. It would be easy for Lily to frame Xuan Hui so she could get their son. Then Lily will raise their son... the thought itself already sent a hard lump in her throat. She would never... not in a million years, let Lily held her son.

    At this point, she already understood that Lily wanted her to suffer as Qin Mo watched.

    Determination shed in Qin Fei¡¯s eyes as she felt her mother calm down in her arms. She patted her mother¡¯s back as she thought of the events that Lily was so angry about. A while ago, Lily also told her that this was all Qin Mo¡¯s fault. And that if she wanted to me someone, then she could only me her father for killing Lily¡¯s child.

    Because of that, Qin Fei understood why Lily had been so cruel. Lily wanted to retaliate. She wanted Qin Mo to watch as she made everyone that he cared for suffer.

    "Mother... shhh... Lily is lying. She is manipting us. She wanted us to fight against each other." Qin Fei uttered in a cold, low tone.

    Tang Lingyun responded with a sob.

    "Aww... isn¡¯t this sad? Qin Mo killed his son, sacrificing him so he could get the favor of the people who hated my husband. But in the end... tsk." Lily dramatically shook her head before she sighed.

    "Poor Liwei..." she added.

    "I did not kill my son!" Qin Mo¡¯s voice boomed. "You- You are lying!"

    Lily responded with a shrug. Qin Mo was right. She was only lying. However.... Who would believe him now? "I have evidence that would suggest that you orchestrated his death." She said while watching Qin Mo¡¯s pale face. Of course, this is another lie that Lily said to manipte Tang Lingyun and Qin Fei¡¯s emotion.

 Chapter 391 Cycle of Revenge

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 391 Cycle of Revenge</h4>

    Maniption had always been Lily¡¯s strongest point. If someone would ask her to choose between a gun and a file full of personal and relevant information, she would undoubtedly choose the file. Of course, this was partly because her aim was bad and she was sure that the recoil from the gun would bruise her arms, still this was not the point. The point is, Lily can use the file to manipte someone, psychological warfare. Something that she can use even when her eyes were closed.

    Lily only smiled at everyone¡¯s reaction. She wanted to watch Qin Mo suffer inwardly until he contacts his backer. Lily was sure that the man would ask for some help, some assistance from the person who nned this all. She was certain that Qin Mo¡¯s brain would not be capable of having such a n.

    "Lies! That is a lie!" Qin Mo said, his eyes wide full of rage as he red at Lily.

    "Alright... I will leave. Remember what I said about the house. And Oh... Mr. Xuan? As someone who is under me, someone whom I trust is going to train you soon. This would be better for thepany." She gave them a dashing smile full of victory before turning around. She walked out of the mansion just as the police arrived.

    Lily was serious about Qin Fei. She had actually provided some evidence that would point the authorities to Qin Fei and Xuan Hui as the prime suspect for Tang Biyu¡¯s disappearance. The evidence might be enough to make them go to prison, but Lily knew that Xuan Hui could still do something to turn the situation around. Of course, it would still depend on his capability and resourcefulness.

    While Lily was not nning to let this go, she would also enjoy a good chase. But this does not mean that she would still give them the chance to retaliate. "Lawyer Yang... if Qin Fei and Xuan Hui go to prison... the child. Who will have the custody?" she asked after a few minutes of silence. They are already on their way back to Sky City.

    "The patriarch of the Xuan Family is still around..."

    "He is a criminal. Someone with questionable behavior." Lily interrupted. While she wanted Qin Fei and Xuan Hui to suffer, she would not want to involve their child. Lily smiled at her own thoughts. She shook her head as she thought of her own hypocrisy.

    How could she not involve their child? The only person who will take the brunt of what she was doing is the younger generation. Qin Fei and Xuan Hui¡¯s child was destined to be affected by the moment that he was born. Lily bit her lips as an idea came into her mind. "I want the child." She uttered, making thewyer looked at her.

    "That- That would be hard considering that there are still..."

    "I want the child.... Do everything that you can to fight for custody. All of the child¡¯s living close rtives are criminals or unstable." She interrupted thewyer, her face serious. She had always wanted to have a child herself. While she ns to get pregnant after their wedding, Lily would also like to adopt a child. In fact, she had been thinking about this for a long time now.

    "Pardon my words, Miss Lily but... the child... What if the child will know that you were the one who caused the demise of his parents?" Lawyer Yang swallowed his saliva as he chastised himself for speaking his mind. However, this was the question that everyone would want to ask Lily once she adopted the child. He stared at Lily, observing the changes in her reaction.

    "I will tell him the truth about his parents," Lily said. "It wasn¡¯t my fault that they killed someone. I can only hope that he will understand." She made a deliberate pause as she pursed her lips. "I know what you are thinking Lawyer Yang and I thank you for the concern. The cycle of revenge is difficult to stop. However... we should also think that a child¡¯s characteristics are molded from the people who raised him or her first before the social environment will affect the child. If he grows up in an environment of criminals, he would be one of them, "she let out a sigh. "You get my point."

    In response, thewyer nodded. "I have worked with your grandmother ye for a long time. I know that you understood what I want to say. An adoption... is a crucial matter. But... I will do my best."

    Lily smiled before she shifted her gaze out of the car. Now that the Qin Family had been taken cared of, she will focus on the Zhou Family and the Lee Family. Next, Lily and Zhuo Jingren will go and see the Lee¡¯s together.

    Her thoughts were interrupted when her phone vibrated. Lily stared at the text message before a small smile escaped her lips. It was from Fernando and thetter said that he just seeded in his proposal. He said he would take Li Shanshan back to see his ill father.

    At least, something good happened. After the text message, Lily received a call from an unfamiliar number. She frowned before she answered the call.

    "Miss Lily... it¡¯s Lin Yu Yan from the LSC. I got your number from Jingren. Is it possible to schedule a site visit for the construction? Plus, some prominent people in both Beijing and Shanghai also wanted to meet you."

    Lily raised an eyebrow. "Please schedule it to my Secretary, Miss Lin. I am not a very idle person. I can¡¯t just leave mypany for a coffee and tea with you."

    Silence followed Lily¡¯s words. It was obvious that her direct words surprised Lin Yu Yan. Lily had been acting casually in the past that her blunt words totally surprised her. "Miss Lily... I- I hope that I am not disturbing you. I just want to..."

    "You are disturbing me." Lily interrupted her. "It is alreadyte and I still have to wake up early tomorrow. You can call my secretary tomorrow and schedule a meeting." She said before ending the call. The thought that Lin Yu Yan was casually calling Zhou Jingren by his first name is irritating Lily. When had she be so jealous?

 Chapter 392 Foxes and Wolves

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 392 Foxes and Wolves</h4>

    "What do you mean?" Bei Tian furrowed his brows as he continued to listen to the woman sobbing on the other side of the phone. "It is alreadyte. Why would you call her for an appointment?" Irritation instantly reced his usually calm and fun demeanor.

    "I- I was just... I thought Lily, and I were friends. Then... she just snapped at me."

    Bei Tian rolled his eyes as he eyed the wall clock to his left. It was almost 11 in the evening. Lily had all the reasons to snap. "Do you know the time though?" he asked trying to calm himself. How could this woman expect that Zhuo Jingren would like her when she was this stupid?

    Of course, Bei Tian was unaware that Lin Yu Yan was only trying to get his sympathy and didn¡¯t mean to sound whiny. She only wanted Bei Tian to help her out and encourage her or maybe say something to Lily.

    "I- I know." Lin Yu Yan said. "I- I know I... Am I disturbing you? I am sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to..." Lin Yu Yan did not continue what she was about to say. She wanted Bei Tian to interrupt her and say that it was all right, that she was not disturbing him at all.

    But his interruption never came and an awkward silence followed her words.

    "I am busy Yu Yan... I still have a project to finish." Bei Tian said after a long pause. "You can call me in the morning if you need anything else." He said before dropping the call.

    "Your ability to attract a woman is still first-ss ah." Bei Tianmented as he sat across Zhuo Jingren. "Lin Yu Yan got Lily¡¯s private number... someone must have given it to her."

    "Hmmm... let¡¯s not talk about insignificant people. Let¡¯s talk about the fact that you are here in the middle of the night free-loading, shall we?" he asked, unamused as he watched Bei Tian messily swallow some noodles. The sound of him slurping down the soup upied the study.

    "I am not here to freeload. I just don¡¯t want you to get lonely while your heroine fought some bad guys." He said. "Jingren ah, why are you letting Lily handle everything? Have you be so smitten to the point of being useless?"

    Zhuo Jingren shook his head before letting out a sigh. "If you think that way then... you simply don¡¯t know my wife." Would Lily really want him to interfere? "This is her business. The Qin Family was her family. Lily would ask for my help if she could not handle it. She is that type of woman. She would not want me to interfere with her own ns."

    "Still... she is a woman and someone was already after her life. Don¡¯t you think it is ..." Bei Tian didn¡¯t continue his words as he lowered his head. Then he finished his noodles in a few gulps before he eyed Zhuo Jingren. As expected, thetter was staring straight at him. "I¡¯m sorry. I just..."

    "It¡¯s all right," Zhuo Jingren nodded before he stood up and walked towards the window. He let out a deep sigh as he contemted everything that had happened so far. "Your sister... already woke up." He uttered. "She took the wine that Lily was supposed to take."

    "I heard about it." The change in Bei Tian¡¯s face was instantaneous. His face became nk as he stared at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s back. "I also heard that they wanted her to marry someone. Someone influential in Maind China. It wasn¡¯t a secret that they are ruthless but this..."

    "She is a drug addict. She is a loose end, someone that could ruin their family¡¯s reputation. Their decision to throw her into a wolves den is only right, business-wise."

    Silence permeated the whole room until the door was opened, revealing Lily with a stern look on her face. "Who gave my number to Lin Yu Yan?" she said as she sat down across Bei Tian. "Was it you?" she asked the man in front of her.

    "No! Of course not!"

    "Then?" Lily tilted her head towards Zhuo Jingren.

    "I didn¡¯t." Zhuo Jingren approached her and kissed her lightly on the lips. "How was it?" he asked.

    "It¡¯s good. Xuan Hui will start working for me... given that he won¡¯t get arrested by the police this time."

    "Qin Mo is not making any moves. He is not calling someone either. I wonder when will he contact his backer." Zhuo Jingren sat on his chair.

    "He will soon." Bei Tian answered. "Don¡¯t worry, our people are observing everything. They will follow wherever he goes and is tracking hismunication system. We will know who is backing him soon."

    "Do you think it¡¯s the Zhou¡¯s?" Lily asked.

    "Probably. They have the means to do it. " Zhuo Jingren answered before his lips lifted into a smile. "What a crazy bloodline." His words earned a low chuckle from Bei Tian. It was a fact. Both of them came from a family where people would not hesitate to eat their siblings and children to survive. They were lucky enough to have survived this long.

    "It should be them.. or the Lee¡¯s. Either way... I am getting tired of this."

    "The Lee¡¯s? You mean... Isaac?" Bei Tian said.

    "His adopted son." Zhuo Jingren answered. "Isaac or his adopted son."

    Silence followed. Lily stared at Zhuo Jingren as she thought about his words. Isaac made it clear to her that he wanted Zhuo Jingren to be safe. Framing Zhuo Jingren would just betray his goal of keeping his grandson safe from the attention of the Zhou Family.

    However, there is also a fact that Isaac¡¯s intervention now had been toote. The Zhou Family already know that Zhuo Jingren was the person that they were looking for. They already knew that he was a threat. Something that they need to eliminate.

    But what if Isaac was doing this to prove a point? What if he wanted Zhuo Jingren to ask for his help? He wanted his grandson to acknowledge that he was still an infant in the scheming world of foxes and wolves?

    Lily shook her head, removing the thoughts from her head. She was only overthinking. She massaged her temple before she closed her eyes. She needed to rest, sleep and cuddle with her husband.

 Chapter 393 Refreshing

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 393 Refreshing</h4>

    "I don¡¯t agree with your n." Zhuo Jingren said, his face nk as he watched Lily brushed her teeth. "Leave him to the orphanage and have some other couple to adopt him."

    "Why? The child is innocent. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s unfair for us to just leave him alone to face the world after what we did to his parents?" Lily asked. She stared at him through the mirror.

    "If you wanted to adopt the child because you feel guilty then it is better for you to just stop your n against Qin Fei and Xuan Hui. The child is innocent, yes. But you should have thought of this before giving the evidence to the police." He sighed as he stared at her intently. Lily wanted to be a mother, it was only normal for her to have some soft spot for infants. This was something that Zhuo Jingren understood. "Your emotions... never let it overpower your intelligence." He added.

    A tinge of disappointment instantly shed on Lily¡¯s eyes before she lowered her head and finished brushing her teeth.

    Then without saying anything, she left the bathroom andy on the bed. Zhuo Jingren followed her and watched as Lily turn off the lights of the tablemp that was next to her. She closed her eyes without saying a single word to him. In response, he shook his head in helplessness. This should be the first time that they had a misunderstanding.

    Funny how this misunderstanding was caused by the child of the people who wanted to bring them down. He sat on the bed and held his hand, wanting to touch her hair but she stopped midway and withdrew his hand. He understood Lily¡¯s point. However, Zhuo Jingren feels like this was not the right decision at all.

    Hey next to her and turned to face Lily¡¯s back. Zhuo Jingren had been in the orphanage. He grew up in a ce where kids- unfortunate kids like him and Bei Tian grow up. He had experienced a lot of things, a lot of difficulties. After being adopted by his Japanese father, Zhuo Jingren made it his mission to find out who his real parents were.

    With the help of his father, he was able to trace his lineage. He was able to trace the past and everything that lead him to be left at the orphanage. He was also able to find out that he and Bei Tian were rted after all. He found out why his mother left him and no matter what his mother did, he still sympathized with her.

    This was the thing that he does not want to happen to that child. If Lily would inform the child about his parents, he would still end up sympathizing with them. He would end up hating Lily and Zhuo Jingren would not let this happen. He would never want to see Lily broken hearted just because the person that she raised betrayed her.

    While this was all Zhuo Jingren¡¯s assumption, he does not want to risk it. He knew that Lily already thought about this. He knew that she had contemted about having a child, adopting one and inwardly, she had thought about the possible effects of her choice. Still, her emotions had be too much for her to handle.

    He understood that his wife was a very strong woman. But just like all strong women out there, she too has a vulnerable heart. She might not say it or utter a word of sadness, but as her husband, as the person who loved her more than he loved his own life- he understood. Zhuo Jingren moved a little closer to Lily and hugged her from behind, he slowly kissed the nape of her neck before he closed his eyes.

    Lily needed time to think and he would dly give it to her.

    .....

    Zhuo Jingren woke up alone in the bed. He raised an eyebrow before he stared at the clock on his bedside table. It was still six in the morning. He immediately got up and walked out of their room. The smell of beef was the first thing that he noticed. Was Lily cooking?

    A small smile escaped his lips when he saw Lily in the kitchen, using his apron that was a little too big for her. He leaned against the wall as he watched Lily busily taste the porridge that she was cooking.

    "You cane in," Lily uttered without looking at her. In response, he smiled and walked towards her.

    "Good morning?" he said before kissing the back of her head. Lily didn¡¯t respond as she turned towards him, her hand folded around his neck as she looked up, meeting his dark brown eyes.

    Without saying a word, Lily smiled before she tiptoed and kissed him. "Thank you." She said as her lips left his.

    "What are you thanking me for?"

    "Only a few people close to me can disagree with what I say. I think you are very courageous for doing so." She said, her eyes sparkled with happiness. "I think you saying what you had in mindst night was... refreshing."

    "Refreshing?"

    "I am d that our rtionship hade to the point where we can say what we wanted to say knowing that it might create an argument. It only means that we arefortable with each other," she smiled.

    Zhuo Jingren raised an eyebrow in response. "And? Did you agree with my opinions about the matter?"

    "I do and I would apologize for making my emotions run rampant." After a night of thinking, she had actually realized that her initial decision was not right. "I know that my decision is not right. But it was logical. If you are worried about the future then... wouldn¡¯t it be easier for us to keep him closer to our side?"

    Zhuo Jingren went silent as he pursed his lips. Then he slowly smiled at her. For some reason, he had always known that Lily will still find a logical reason to convince him. And he was right. Helplessness shed in his eyes.

    "Do you trust me?" Lily asked.

    "With my life." He answered, making Lily beamed at him.

    "Then... it¡¯s set. We will adopt him."

 Chapter 394 An Innocent Sheep

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 394 An Innocent Sheep</h4>

    The media instantly spread the news about the Qin Family¡¯s demise. It was highlighted that Qin Liwei was actually murdered by his own father. While these were all rumors as the media didn¡¯t really have concrete evidence, many people still believed it.

    Moreover, Qin Fei and Xuan Hui were also invited by the authorities, sending tens of reporters waiting outside of the police station, hoping that they will get some news about their matter. Before noon came, news that Qin Fei had been used of murder already graced the social media.

    Of course, Lily¡¯s name was not part of this news. She and Zhuo Jingren were only enjoying the show, waiting for Qin Mo to contact whoever it was that backing him. While they were almost a hundred percent sure that it was Old Man Zhou, they still wanted to make sure before they could make their own ns.

    Not long after the news of Qin Fei and Xuan Hui being arrested came to light, Qin Mo did call someone. However, since he was using a disposable phone, Lily and Zhuo Jingren could not track the call.

    Qin Mo was careful, he is wise enough not to use his mobile phone to call the person. But, he had forgotten that Lily and Zhuo Jingren could actually have their people follow him all the time.

    "He was meeting with the Lees?" Zhuo Jingren frowned when he heard Bei Tian¡¯s words. Both of them fell into silence as they thought about Qin Mo¡¯s actions. Isaac Lee? Was he the one responsible for this? What about Old Man Zhuo?

    "I think someone wanted him to contact your grandfather. This tactic is very familiar at all." Bei Tian stroked his chin, his legs crossed as he held a cup of coffee on his other hand. "Ah... I think someone wanted to frame your grandfather so you can go after him!"

    "Hmmm... that is another possibility." Zhuo Jingren said before he fell into another silence. Something is wrong. He was sure that they missed something.

    .....

    While both Zhuo Jingren and Bei Tian were thinking about this matter, Lily received an unexpected visitor in her office.

    "I am not supposed to be here." Zhou Jintao said as he ufortably turned his gaze at Lily. "This should be something that you must keep as a secret. I..." he suddenly rose from his seat and paced in front of Lily¡¯s table.

    "Mr. Zhou... I can¡¯t say that I am not surprised." Lily said as she leaned against her chair. She eyed Yang Mi and thetter instantly left the room to get some refreshments. "When you called me earlier for a meeting... I asked my secretary to make all the people on this floor leave so you cane up without them seeing you. My security is also taking care of the cameras. I believe you are secure here."

    Her statement made the old man looked at her again. "Why?" He asked, confused. "Why do that? Aren¡¯t you even afraid that I will hurt you? Aren¡¯t you even thinking that maybe my father asked me to kill you?"

    His words earn a scoff from Lily. "I have thought of that. But... my curiosity as to why you are here without the knowledge son..."

    "How did you know that he doesn¡¯t..." Zhuo Jintao did not continue his words as he widened his eyes at Lily. "You have people watching my family?" Panic and fear instantly swirled in his eyes as he approached her.

    "If my people won¡¯t hear from me every two minutes... your family will die. Simple." Lily lied. Of course, she doesn¡¯t have that capability. She is not a mercenary leader or a mafia queen. Moreover, she didn¡¯t asked for Zhuo Jingren¡¯s help in this matter. She only said it to intimidate the man. "Are you thinking that I would allow you near me without some... safety measures?"

    Zhou Jintao opened his mouth to say something, but he came up with nothing to say to her. Lily was smart but she didn¡¯t think she would be this cunning. "I-I am here because I need your help." He said after he gathered all the courage that he had. "I need your help against the Zhuo Family."

    "Against your family?" Lily raised an eyebrow. Then she let out a low chuckle. "Are you perhaps crazy Mr. Zhou? We are enemies. What makes you think that I will help you?"

    The old man sat across Lily, his back straight as he let out a sigh. "My family... My father and brother, I would abandon them anytime for my children." Zhou Jintao said before he started telling Lily about Zhou Lanying and her engagement.

    "You just mentioned that your brother already promised to help you, yes? Why are you still here? Unless you knew that he was only nning on using you?" Seeing Zhou Jintao¡¯s face tensed at her words, Lily continued. "So you finally realized that they are evil, eh?" Her lips curled into a smile. "So it¡¯s okay for you that they killed your own son when he was still a baby, but you wanted them dead now for trying to marry your daughter into someone that you don¡¯t like?"

    Lily watched as Zhuo Jintao¡¯s face lost all its color. Zhou Jintao was Bei Tian¡¯s father. However, when the Zhou¡¯s decided that they should kill Bei Tian when he was still a baby, Zhou Jintao did nothing to stop them.

    "Say, Mr. Zhou... what kind of father are you?" Lily¡¯s lips curled into a smile, provocationced her tone.

    "I didn¡¯t have a choice!" Zhou Jintao¡¯s voice was softer as he lowered his head. "When... when they chased Lingling and my cousin, they said that ¨C my son died. I didn¡¯t believe them then... I tried to ask father about it... for years... I always knew that they killed him but I didn¡¯t have any confirmation. You must believe me. Back then... I didn¡¯t have a choice but to believe them. I have no intention of killing my son at all."

    "And... you just expected me to believe you now?" leaned towards the man. "I am not a fool, Mr. Zhou... for years... you have been living with people like them... did you expect me to believe that you are a sheep? Someone innocent?"

    ....

    This chapter was scheduled at 9:05 pm or at least... I thought I scheduled it. I woke up and realized that it was not published.... Sorry for the dy. I had to manually do it.

 Chapter 395 Power

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 395 Power</h4>

    "I know that I am not innocent. I have done things... horrible ones." Zhou Jintao answered, determination shed his eyes. "I am guilty for a lot of crimes ordered by my father and brother. I don¡¯t me them. It was my choice. But you also have to understand. If I won¡¯t do it, they will involve my children." He stared at Lily, wanting to gauge her reaction. However, the smile on Lily¡¯s face did not falter, nor disappear. She was looking at him, amusement swirling in her eyes.

    "I see... but I won¡¯t help you." Lily answered, seeing the disappointment in the man¡¯s eyes, she continued. "Unless... you do something for me."

    "How will I know that you will help me once I do what you want me to do?" he responded.

    "Well... Mr. Zhou, you don¡¯t really have a choice. Do you?" she leaned against her chair, the same smile was on her face.

    .......

    "I told you he will take the bait." Zhou Kang chuckled as he eyed his father¡¯s grave expression. "See? He betrayed us overnight just because of his daughter. I say that man needs to suffer the consequence of his actions." Old Man Zhou did not respond. He pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at their family portrait just behind Zhou Kang. His eyes were gazing straight toward Zhou Jintao¡¯s smiling face.

    "How did you know this? How sure are you that he went to talk to Lily to betray us?"

    "Father... I am hurt. Since when have you started doubting my capabilities?" Zhou Kang faked a sad look before heughed. "I have ears, people who had been with my brother for tens of years now. That and predicting him is quite easy, no?"

    "So... this- you nned all this to get rid of Lily? You nned to use your own brother as a bait?"

    "The fish already took the bait, Father. There is no need to question my choices now. As always... I was right. Ahhhh... Jintao is quite a predictable man. Just y with his emotions and he will snap." Leaning against his chair, Zhou Kang continued with a smile on his face. "If we want to eliminate Zhuo Jingren... then we should start by killing that woman who is backing him."

    "Backing him?"

    "Can¡¯t you see? She is smart and meticulous. She is ruthless and every scheming too. That type of woman is only good if she was on our side. She can¡¯t be left alone. We need to target her first before we target her husband. Or we will suffer the consequence of underestimating her."

    "She is but a woman. I don¡¯t think she deserves all this... scheming. Have you ever thought about this? Without her grandmother¡¯s inheritance from Europe, she is nothing. She is not someone like Zhuo Jingren who had climbed up to thedders of sess by his own decision. She is but another privileged woman who got lucky."

    "Ah... you are underestimating her!" Zhuo Kang dramatically shook his head. "She is his weakness, but she is not weak. I am telling you this because I have studied everything about her. She had caused some families to fall, empires, businessmen to kneel in front of her. She has the Yang Family is behind her. The Qin Family from Maind China will practically do everything that she would ask them to do. She is powerful even before they met."

    Silence followed his words as Old Man Zhou furrowed his brows. He eyed his son who was beaming at him before he let out a deep sigh. "I honestly think that the woman is hiding something. I believe that this is just all on the outside. I do not understand it. She is..."

    "We tend to destroy everything that we don¡¯t understand, father." Zhuo Kang interrupted his father. "That is human nature. It¡¯s simple... we destroy her, make Zhuo Jingren unstable and then it would be easy for us to get his business too."

    "Was this really just about the business?" Old man Zhou asked.

    "Of course not. This is for your own interest as well. Once we acquire his business, we could be the new superpower in Maind China. Imagine everyone begging to have our favors? Hm?" Zhou Kang said. The first step into making someone agree to what you want is to give them something that they want. In this case... he was enticing his father using what Old Man Zhou loved the most. Power.

    "I will think about it. Can you tell me more about your n?" Old Man Zhou said.

    "Well... since he already betrayed us, there is only one way that he could redeem himself and that is by dying for us. Simple."

    "Kang! Jintao is still your brother!"

    "Father... the saying blood is thicker than water had always been overrated. He might be our family but look at him now? Who is he talking to? Our enemies! He wanted to use that woman¡¯s brain against us. He wanted to destroy us. You can¡¯t be thinking that we should still forgive him even though he already decided to betray us, right?" Seeing the old man¡¯s stern face, Zhou Kang continued.

    "That woman will surely ask him for something. A way to prove that he is loyal to her. The next time they met... I am sure it will not be in an office. It will be somewhere remote, away from everyone¡¯s eyes. That would be the perfect time to strike. We bombed them. I can have my men install it in his car. In this way, we will kill three birds with one bomb. Literally."

    "Three?" the old man asked, confused.

    "Zhou Jingren won¡¯t me us. How could we kill someone who had been with us for years? How could we kill a family? He would me someone else instead. Someone that hated us... someone that could possibly hate him as well.... Someone like the Dongfang family." He smiled. A tinge of victory and evilness, swarm in his eyes. "Say, father... isn¡¯t this just the perfect n? Ever?"

 Chapter 396 I Am Your Woman. And Youâ€¦ Are My Man

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 396 I Am Your Woman. And You... Are My Man</h4>

    "So you asked him to get ahold of the information for their ck-marketwork? What if he will give you something fake?"

    "He won¡¯t," Lily answered Bei Tian. She wanted to say that she had used his family against him but she ended up not saying anything. After all, Bei Tian was still Zhou Jintao¡¯s illegitimate son, after all.

    "Are you sure that he will not betray us?"

    "He won¡¯t," Lily answered. "But his brother will."

    "What do you mean?" Zhuo Jingren asked. After they heard that news that Zhou Jintao was in Lily¡¯s office, he and Bei Tian instantly rushed to see her. However, when they arrived Zhou Jintao already left.

    "Zhou Kang... that guy is evil. He is petty and cunning. Do you think he was that stupid to talk about his ns in a ce where someone could possibly hear or even record him?" Lily smiled. "He should know that his own brother is nning to betray him. So he tested him and take advantage of that opportunity to get rid of him and possibly me."

    "You? Why would he get rid of you?" Bei Tian asked confusionced his eyes. "Unless... he wanted to hurt Jingren? Ah... that man is an extremely vicious creature! This all started because he was selfish! He wanted to marry Jingren¡¯s mother when he had a lot of women next to him. And when Zhou Jingren¡¯s mother fell in love with the real heir of the Zhou Family, he raged and be crazy. I say we kill that man as soon as possible."

    Lily and Zhuo Jingren eyed each other, a tinge of understanding can be seen in their eyes.

    "He wanted to see Jingren¡¯s mother. Either that... or he wanted to make Jingren suffer so he could have his revenge against his cousin, the man who stole the woman that he liked."

    Both men nodded at Lily¡¯s words. This is a very possible exnation. The reasoning of an unstable person like Zhou Kang was really simple. He just wanted to feel that he won, he wanted to feel that he was superiorpared to his cousin.

    "What about that old man? Are you saying that he would agree to Zhou Kang¡¯s n? Zhou Jintao is his son? How could he y favorites like this?" Bei Tian asked.

    "Some animals eat their child to survive, Mr. Bei. It is only normal for an animal to do that." Lily noted. "Now... my n is going to happen. By then... Zhou Jintao will realize that he chose the right side."

    "Hold on... you are nning to have all the records of their underground transactions and connections. Do you want to... destroy them?" Zhuo Jingren asked after a few seconds of listening to the conversation. The Zhou Family owe him, however, they had targeted his own wife as well. If Lily will say that she wanted to destroy them, burn them to ashes, he would dly agree and help her. However, he had already witnessed howplicated her n can be. He would not let Lily do something that will put him in any danger just because of him.

    "Nah... it is not my fight to win." She gave him a meaningful nce. This time, she will be his support, his backing. "I want the list so... so I could give it to you and you can manage it or do whatever you want with it." She shrugged. Lily does not have the intention to involve herself in some shady deals. However, she doesn¡¯t hate the ck-market either.

    Lily knew that Zhuo Jingren¡¯s business still rely on some illegal deals and he could use this list for his personal gain. This was the reason why he asked Zhou Jintao to give him this list. A small smile escaped her lips as she thought of Zhou Kang¡¯s possible reaction once he knew that Lily had actually guessed his ns.

    Would he finally lost it?

    "What evil ns are you thinking again?"

    "Mr. Bei is too funny. Always remember that I am the boss of your boss. You have no right to call your boss evil." Lily responded with a serious expression. Seeing Bei Tian froze, Lily burst into a puddle ofughter. "Ah... I am not thinking about anything. Just some... honeymoon stuff. I mean... my wedding ising. Are you perhaps interested to know what I am nning for my honeymoon?"

    It was as if cold water was poured into Bei Tian as he shivered under Lily¡¯s gaze. He abruptly rose from his seat and pointed his hand at Lily, he opened his mouth wanting to say something but chose to close it when he realized that he can¡¯t say anything right now. He widened his eyes before he looked at Zhuo Jingren.

    "You have a very shameless wife! Hmph! I will wait for you downstairs!" he said before storming off the room.

    .....

    Lily only chuckled after Bei Tian left. "Jealous?" she raised an eyebrow at Zhuo Jingren who was still standing next to her table.

    "Why would I get jealous? I am not that kind of man." He said casually. "I am not jealous at all. Jealousy is for..." Zhuo Jingren did not continue his words. He nced at Lily¡¯s knowing expression before letting out a sigh and walking towards her. He pulled her to stand in front of him before slowly bending to kiss her lips. Then he sat on her chair and pulled her towards him, making her sit on hisp as he hugged her waist. He buried his face on the crook of her as he inhaled her scent.

    "I love you." Zhuo Jingren said, his hot breath against her skin, made her a little giddy.

    "I love you more Mr. Zhuo..." she smiled as she leaned her head against his head. She closed her eyes and made herselffortable in her husband¡¯s arms. "Your friend likes me." She said. "Is that why you always get tense when I teased you about him?"

    "Hmmm." She felt him nod in response. "I was not expecting that you would notice."

    Lily also nodded. She was not the type of person that needs a lot of time to know someone¡¯s emotion towards her. She is also not the type of woman that would not address something that could possibly cause an argument in the future. "Well... then you should also remember one thing, Mr. Zhuo." She made a deliberate paused. "I have long made it clear to the world... that I am your woman. And you... are my man."

 Chapter 397 Imminent Death

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 397 Imminent Death</h4>

    Zhou Jintao¡¯s Residence

    Just like what Lily had predicted, Zhou Jintao really got the files. He kept it a secret even from his own son and his most men. It was a part of his deal with Lily. She wanted him to keep it a secret. Avoid anyone from knowing what he is up to. For some reason, Lily thought that someone is spying Zhou Jintao.

    At first, he thought this was just Lily being paranoid. She was after all someone in the pinnacle of the business industry, it would be normal for her to be suspicious and paranoid to everyone that she does not trust. However, her words made him more aware, more observant of the people surrounding him.

    Because of this, he could see that some of his men tend to be more... curious about his ns. Just like his right-hand man, Wei Chen Yu. While part of him felt that this was just the anxiety that he experienced because of his betrayal, a part of him also knew that he was right. And that these people were his brother¡¯s spy all along.

    Zhou Jintao let out a sigh, he held the USB a little tighter as he closed hisputer. Lily instructed him to delete everything that could tell his brother his true motives. She also told him to use a decoy.

    Lily told him that there was a big possibility of Zhou Kang knowing her n. So they needed something to divert his attention, make him think that Lily wanted something else. In this case, Lily wanted to use the illegal activities of the Zhou Corp as the decoy.

    "Father?"

    Zhou Jintao sat up straight as he froze. His heartbeat sped up before he realized that the one who entered his study is his son, Zhou Huifang. "Huifang?" he said before heaving a sigh of relief. "Why are you here? Did something happen to your sister?"

    "You were so busy... you didn¡¯t even know that Lanying was already discharged? She left the hospital this morning." Zhou Huifang said as he sat down across his father. "Where were you, father? Lanying wanted to talk to you about something. We ended up arguing again. She refused to listen to me."

    "What does she want this time?"

    "She wanted to see Lily Zhuo so she could thank her for bringing her to the hospital. I called her crazy for wanting to talk to the enemies. We got into an argument and she left angry. I was trying to call her, but she was not answering. Then I tried calling you but you are unavable too..."

    Zhou Jintao furrowed his brows before he let out a sigh.

    ¡¯Enemies¡¯

    This was installed in the minds of all members of the Zhou Family since they were born. Zhuo Jingren¡¯s father is the enemy. They were the ones who tried to fight for the family fortune. How could he tell his children that this is not true? That this was all fabricated by the old man?

    "I will take care of it." He said while wondering when is the right time to tell his children about what happened in the past.

    "How?" Zhou Huifang asked a tinge of irritation and impatienceced his eyes. He looked at his father as he remembered what his uncle had told him this morning. Was his father really capable of betraying their family just because he wanted thepany?

    Zhou Huifang watched as his father dialed Zhou Lanying¡¯s number.

    "I told you she won¡¯t answer anyone."

    "Then let her see Lily. If she wanted to thank the woman, then let her do it." Zhou Jintao¡¯s answer made his son speechless.

    "Why would you want her to be friends with Lily? She is an enemy! What if she will use my sister against us? Lanying is vulnerable right now!" Zhou Huifang reasoned. After his father¡¯s words, he was already certain that Zhou Jintao betrayed the Zhou Family. "I don¡¯t want Lanying to betray us! She is my sister and thest thing that I want to do is hurt her!"

    "Why would you even think she would do that?" his father asked, unaware that his son¡¯s mind was already poisoned by his own brother.

    Zhou Huifang scoffed in response. He wanted to tell him that it is very possible for her to betray them, she was his son after all. If he would choose to betray their family, then she could easily do that too. But Zhou Huifang ended up pursing his lips. He stood from his seat, his suspicion had already been confirmed. There is no other reason for him to stay here anymore.

    "I will go and find her. I will update you in an hour, " Zhou Huifang said his face nk as he walked out of the room.

    Seeing his son¡¯s worried look, Zhou Jintao immediately sent a text to Lily. Telling her that Zhou Lanying might not see her. He also told her that it would not be good for Lanying if she met Lily. Not when the Old Man is nning to use Zhou Lanying for his personal gain.

    However, contrary to his expectation, he did not receive a reply from Lily even after a few minutes. He sighed as he put his phone down. Maybe Lily did not trust him or his words.

    Zhou Jintao is not the type of person who likes to work with people who do not trust him. However, who was he toin? Lily¡¯s mind is the only thing that could help him and his family.

    ....

    Meanwhile, in the Zhou Mansion.

    "Eh? She wanted the list of our illegal businesses?" Zhou Kang raised an eyebrow as he read Wei Chen Yu¡¯s text message. He then burst into a burst of sinisterughter. "The list? Did she think that Jintao is relevant enough to know to have that?" he burst into another puddle ofughter as he stroked his stomach.

    After knowing this, he instantly sent a message to Old Man Zhou to update him. Then his gaze turned dark as he replied to the man whom Zhou Jintao considered as his best friend. Since Zhou Jintao wanted the list of their illegal businesses, then why not gave him a fake one? Zhou Kangughed at his own thoughts as he thought about the imminent death of his traitor brother.

 Chapter 398 Eureka

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 398 Eureka</h4>

    Qin Residence, HK

    "This was all your fault!" Tang Lingyun yelled, traces of tears can be seen in her face. "What have you done to Lily? Tell me!?"

    "I told you! I did nothing! Nothing! That woman is crazy!"

    "Crazy? If she was crazy, then what are you? You killed your son, Mo! Liwei.... You sacrificed him for your own gain! What kind of father are you?" It was easy for Tang Lingyun to believe that her husband can indeed hurt his son. She had been with Qin Mo for years, she is already very familiar with the man. She was sure that Qin Mo is capable of killing their son. "You are a monster!"

    "You-" Qin Mo fumed as he red at her. "Stupid! How could you let that woman manipte your thoughts? You are stupid! If you really think that I am what I am, then leave! I don¡¯t need someone as dumb as you around me!" It has been a few days since Qin Liwei was cremated. It has also been a few days since they moved out of the mansion and transferred to a three-bedroom t that is under Qin Mo¡¯s name. They chose this t mainly because it wasn¡¯t that big and there were no stairs so it would be easy for Qin Mo to move while he is still in a wheelchair.

    Tang Lingyun stared wide-eyed at her husband. "You wanted me to leave? Do you think that I wouldn¡¯t do that? Do you think that I wouldn¡¯t dare leave you?"

    "Then leave! If you think you can survive without me and the Tang Family then leave! You stupid woman!"

    Tang Lingyun furrowed her brows before stomping her feet. She then rushed out towards their room where she broke down and cried her hearts out. She was stupid. Or why would she marry a man like Qin Mo? Why would she choose to love a man as ruthless as that? Or why would she chose to suffer...

    Suffer?

    Why does she need to suffer? Why was she even staying with the person who will only make her suffer? It as if a Eureka moment happened as Tang Lingyun rose from the bed, determination apparent in her eyes. She then opened her closet and started packing her clothes. She can always leave and start a new life away from these... monsters!

    "What do you think you are doing?" Tang Lingyun did not respond to her husband as she continued to empty her closet. Since moving out of the mansion, they only have one servant left. This servant is in charge of cooking and other menial things inside the t. Unlike before, Tang Lingyun does not have any personal maids anymore. She sloppily tried to fit her clothing in her luggage as tears continued to flow in her cheeks.

    "What the hell are you doing?" Qin Mo¡¯s voice boomed inside the room.

    "Can¡¯t you see? I am leaving you!"

    "I know that you are leaving me! But take out the small duffel bag from your luggage." He said while approaching Tang Lingyun, he then tried to snatch the bag from the luggage. But Tang Lingyun was quick enough to get the bag. She then held it towards her chest.

    "Why would I give this to you?"

    "That is my money! If you want to leave, then leave! Why would you take my money?" After Lily asked them to move out, Qin Mo decided to withdraw most of his savings. He wanted to keep the money in case he needed to run away from Hong Kong. As his wife, Tang Lingyun knew this. "Give it to me!"

    "Why would I?" she said before marching out of the room. It was unfortunate that Qin Mo saw her take the money. However, this was her only way to survive for a few days while she tries to find someone that could help her.

    "I said give it to me!" Qin Mo demanded. Tang Lingyun didn¡¯t know how thetter caught up to her while he was in his wheelchair.

    "Let go of my arm!" Tang Lingyun flinched when Qin Mo grabbed her arm, making her halt her steps. "Let go." She tried to shake off his hands. To her surprise, Qin Mo¡¯s strength seemed to have doubled. She could not move her arm at all.

    "You- You are nning to steal from me?" Qin Mo narrowed his eyes before using his other hands to punch his wife¡¯s leg. "You think you can get away from me?"

    Surprise shed in Tang Lingyun¡¯s eyes as she fell on the floor. "You..."

    *PAK*

    A loud pping sound interrupted her words. Tang Lingyun instantly clutched her aching cheeks. Her tear stricken face stared in disbelief at her husband. How could he hurt her?

    "You think you are superior just because you can walk? In your dreams, Tang Lingyun! In your dream!" Qin Mo said as he approached the small duffel bag that was thrown away when Tang Lingyun fell. "Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself. I cannot walk... but I can still use my hands." He said disgustced his voice. It was as if, using his hands on her, would dirty his entire being. After holding the bag, Qin Mo turned towards Tang Lingyun, his eyes venomous.

    Seeing this it was as if, something snapped inside Tang Lingyun. Qin Mo didn¡¯t even think twice about hurting her. Tang Lingyunughed inwardly. Qin Mo could even kill their son. How could he spare her? She closed her eyes, reminiscing the face of his son. After a few minutes, Tang Lingyun stood up and opened her eyes.

    "What? Do you think you could stand against me? Have you forgotten? The Tang Family is no more." Qin Mo taunted her. "Are you going to the police? Do you think they will believe a daughter of a criminal? They will arrest you! My friends in the force would arrest you the moment youe inside the station. You have nowhere to go Lingyun... nowhere!" He then turned towards their room. Hisughter echoed inside the whole t.

    However, this did notst long. An ominous atmosphere can be felt inside the whole house as Qin Mo widened his eyes in surprise. He stared at Tang Lingyun who was already standing in front of him, her eyes filled with tears.

    "You- You stabbed me?" Qin Mo asked as he felt the pain on his right chest. He then lowered his gaze at the knife as he thought of Tang Lingyun walking in front of him, surprising him as she stabbed the knife straight to him.

 Chapter 399 Fairytales

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 399 Fairytales</h4>

    "How could she even do this?" Qin Fei held her husband¡¯s arms as she watched her father on the hospital bed. In less than a month, two of the most important in her life had was in the hospital and now, another one is on the run from the authorities. "Did father really say that it was her before he lost consciousness?"

    "The prints from the knife on father¡¯s chest matches mother¡¯s prints." Xuan Hui said while stroking Qin Fei¡¯s back. "Let¡¯s not assume the worst. We don¡¯t know what happened, yet." What if Tang Lingyun was forced? Or what if someone else is behind this? Maybe she was even framed.

    "But... father already said that it was mother who stabbed him?" Qin Fei¡¯s said as she closed her eyes. Everything is not really going on their waytely. She had been through a lot of stress and didn¡¯t have any sleep at all. And now this...

    "Fei Fei... let¡¯s sit down first." Xuan Hui said, his face grim as he held his wife in his arms. "Calm down. Father is fine. I need you to focus, right now." He said while wiping away the tears from his wife¡¯s cheeks.

    "Why? What¡¯s wrong?"

    "Everything is wrong, right now. Fei Fei and I think it is time for us to decide."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Can¡¯t you see? Lily is targeting Father. She should have her reasons and I believe she told you what it was?"

    Qin Fei nodded in response. Lily told her that Qin Mo killed her child. While she doesn¡¯t know the details, she understood that Lily will not stop until she is satisfied with her revenge.

    "Then... it is best for us to stay away from Father right now." Xuan Hui lowered his voice.

    "What? Why?"

    "Because of Father, Lily had actually included us in her revenge. It was because we were in Qin Liwei¡¯s wake that we got her attention. I suggest that..."

    "So you wanted us to just leave father alone to fend for himself?" she stared wide-eyed at her husband. "Hui... father is already paralyzed. His money is running out too. We can¡¯t just..."

    "Then are you willing to take the Brunt of Lily¡¯s attack?" Xuan Hui¡¯s words rendered his wife speechless. "We have a son to take care of. Imagine if we go to prison just because Lily thought that we are protecting your father?"

    "Do you think she will leave us alone if we will stay away from father?" In response, Xuan Hui nodded.

    "We haven¡¯t really done anything to her. Do you think she would be so petty and hunt us for what we did in the past? It wasn¡¯t our fault that we fell in love," he exined, his face serious. "What do you think?"

    Qin Fei turned silent as she contemted Xuan Hui¡¯s words. "And mother? What are we going to do about her? I don¡¯t want the news to reach the media anymore. Its... it has been a lot for me to handle. My brother¡¯s death, Lilying on the wake, us being invited to the prison, father getting stabbed and now mother being a suspect of my own father¡¯s attack. Hui... I.."

    "Shhh... I know." He pulled his wife into a hug. Since Lily hade back, their lives had been in chaos. It was as if the woman was a bad omen carrying all the misfortunes with her. "We can- will get through this together. As long as you listen to me. We will get through this."

    Normally, Qin Fei was not the type of woman that would just listen to whatever her husband will tell her. However, with the current stress that she had been through, she does not have the energy to even asked questions anymore. She slowly nodded, her head was on her husband¡¯s hands, hope apparent in her eyes. At this point, she could only hope that Lily would leave them alone once they leave Qin Mo and stopped associating with him.

    .....

    Unbeknownst to them, Lily and even Zhuo Jingren was not even thinking about any of them. Rather, the two had some more important decisions to make.

    December 20

    It was the six monthsary of their wedding. Rather than going somewhere, the couple decided that they will spend the night watching movies together. However, they could not decide what to watch.

    "Why would you want to watch Little Mermaid?" Lily raised an eyebrow at her husband.

    "So... once we have a daughter, it would be easier for me to tell her the mermaid¡¯s story. All little girls watched that."

    "Not me." Lily lied before she rolled her eyes. "Okay... we are not having a daughter."

    "Why not? Wouldn¡¯t it be too nice to have a little version of you?"

    She widened her eyes in response. "I doubt you can handle two versions of me, Mr. Zhuo... and please... If we have a daughter, I would not let her watch any fairytales."

    "Why?"

    "Bad influence." She crossed her legs and leaned on thefortable chair of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s bat cave themed theatre.

    She watched the surprise shed in her husband¡¯s eyes. "Why would you say that? Every little girl loves fairytale."

    "Fairytale does not happen in real life, mister. She should know that at an early age," Lily said. Her words only made her husband frowned.

    "So you don¡¯t want her to watched fairytales and romantic movies? What would you want her to do then?" he asked.

    "I don¡¯t know." Lily shrugged. "I don¡¯t want her to learn those things and be dreamy about life. Reality sucks and she should know that. Maybe she should just follow you around?"

    "Is this the reason why you don¡¯t want to have a daughter?"

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. "I want a son. Someone as handsome as you." She dered.

    Zhuo Jingren shook his head in response. "All right... let¡¯s talk about movies shall we?" he said before he poured some red wine to her empty winess. "You know what we should do? We should...promised."

    "Compromise?"

    "Yeah... have one son and one daughter. How does that sound?" he beamed.

    "Excuse me, mister, we don¡¯t even have one yet and you are already talking about a second one?" she widened her eyes and faked a surprised look.

    "Then... we should work harder to have at least one as soon as possible, no? You are not getting any younger."

    "Are you calling me old?"

    "No... of course not... Aw... why would you hit me? I said you are matured... a beautiful mature... aw... stop it. Hey!"

 Chapter 400 Skopelos

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 400 Skopelos</h4>

    "Christmas is fast approaching," Lily said. While Qin Mo and the whole Qin Family does not celebrate Christmas, Lily had been celebrating one with her grandmother after arriving in London. Christmas is one of the most anticipated events that her grandmother had been looking forward to.

    "Yeah... Shall we go to London and celebrate it in your grandma¡¯s house?" he said.

    "That would be good!" she beamed as she made her headfortable in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s shoulders. She clutched the nket closer to her naked chest. "I was also nning a Christmas event for the orphanage. I heard from Go Jichen that you will have an event too? Something that was organized by Lin Yu Yan but you are not nning to go?"

    "Hmmm." He nodded. "It will be on the 24th and I already thought of celebrating Christmas with you in London a long way back. So I declined."

    "Can we move it on the 23rd? Today is already the 20th. Moving it would be hard."

    "If you want it then no problem." Zhuo Jingren said. "I can always ask Jichen to coordinate with some people for the date change."

    "Great!"

    "So Christmas... What was it like with your grandmother?"

    For a second, Lily didn¡¯t utter a word. She held her silence as she pursed her lips. "I don¡¯t know. I think my grandmother is a very mysterious woman. We had dinner and talk about work, mostly." She made a deliberate pause. "During our first Christmas together, we visited my grandfather¡¯s tomb then... she just requested me to leave and spend the day on my own. When we met, we had dinner at this very long table. With lots of candles and she gave me a gift. That¡¯s all."

    "So you didn¡¯t go to a ce with snow and made some snowman? Or had what was that called? Egg drink? The one on movies with milk and alcohol?"

    "Eggnog?" sheughed. "Nah... my grandmother does not really like to drink wine or anything like that. She said she was allergic to alcohol."

    Zhuo Jingren only nodded before he kissed Lily¡¯s forehead. At his age, there are still things that he longed to do. Things that he hasn¡¯t experienced when he was young. Things that he used to dream of. And he was nning to do those things with the person that he loves the most. "Hey, do you think we could..."

    "Build a snowman?" Lily said as she looked into Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face. "Shall we go to The Ind of Skopelos in Greece then? Our wedding is in a few weeks, anyway. I was nning to visit just after Christmas. I would love to..."

    "Greece? In December? Why would we go to Greece?"

    "Three reasons. First, there are less tourist in December. Meaning... fewer people. Second, my grandfather owns a cabin in Skopelos and third there¡¯s snow so we can make snowman¡¯s and maybe some eggnogs? I heard it was beautiful too... When I was there it wasn¡¯t snowing and I only visited the ce once."

    "Really? That¡¯s great! Then I will ask Jichen to prepare everything. I will invite him too, and maybe you can bring Yang Mi? Let¡¯s have them stay in another cabin."

    In response, Lilyughed and shook her head. "Wicked. Our ship hasn¡¯t sailed until now. Your matchmaking skills are just so bad."

    "Good things take a long while to happen. You can¡¯t just expect to go to school today and graduate the next day, can you?"

    "Make sense. Alright. I will bring her."

    After a few minutes, Zhuo Jingren got off the bed and called his secretary to arrange everything. This was also the time when Secretary Go informed him about the tragic thing that happened in the Qin Household. When Zhuo Jingren asked why he was not informed the moment it happened, Go Jichen only answered that it was the 20th and it would not be good to disturb him. In the end, Zhuo Jingren only sighed and nodded. Go Jichen is truly worthy of the increase that Lily asked him to gave the man.

    ....

    December 21

    "Really? He decided toe?" Lin Yu Yan asked excitedly as she talked to Zhuo Jingren¡¯s secretary over the phone. "That is good! So the twenty-third? I think it¡¯s okay! It¡¯s only a day in advance, anyway. I can absolutely arrange that."

    "Alright, Miss Lin. Please contact us if you have any problems. Mr. Zhuo would be so busy to answer your calls personally, so please give this number a call instead." Go Jichen said, his tone respectful as he remembered Zhuo Jingren¡¯s order to tell the woman not to call him directly. How was he supposed to tell a rich heiress that she was not allowed to call his boss without hurting her feelings? Of course, Secretary Go would think about the woman¡¯s feelings too. After all, he knows that Lin Yu Yan likes his boss. Moreover, dealing with minute issues like this is a part of his job.

    So, he chose to lie and told her that Zhuo Jingren would be busy. Secretary Go smiled in satisfaction, his talent in problem-solving just got better and better.

    "I¡¯m sorry but I am used to calling him. I think I better discuss things with him, personally if somethinges up."

    Secretary Go instantly frowned when he heard Lin Yu Yan¡¯s answer. Was this woman deaf? Insensitive? Or simply shameless? He believed it was thest one.

    "I-" Secretary Go wanted to tell the woman that it would not be a good idea. Not when the Madame was staying at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s office as they were reviewing some final details of their wedding. However, Lin Yu Yan already dropped the call. "So disrespectful." He noted. Even his own boss does not drop a call just like that.

    "Since that woman wanted to show her face her, then let her be. What are you so anxious about?" Secretary Go almost jumped from his seat when a cold voice echoed behind her.

    "You-You are eavesdropping!" he said as he avoided Yang Mi¡¯s gaze.

    "I am." She nodded. "My president told me to give this to you." She handed a folder, before turning her back and walking away from Secretary Go. "You areing with us." she uttered. "So yeah... prepare yourself. Bring extra protection too."

    "What do you mean by that?"

 Chapter 401 VIP

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 401 VIP</h4>

    The orphanage that Zhuo Jingren grew up too was called Kindred Hearts Orphan Home or KHO Home for most people. It was an orphanage that was located in the southern part of Hongkong near a very known Vi that Zhuo Jingren also bought a long time ago. Aside from this, Lily¡¯s previous girl¡¯s school was still located near the orphanage and had been turned into co-ed which now is the same school that most of the children from the orphanage go to.

    While the orphanage has its own kindergarten and elementary school, the orphanage thought that going to the Co-Ed School for high school would be a great idea for the children to gain experience and exposure. Since Zhuo Jingren had been funding the orphanage for years, he also knew about this matter but did not involve himself in any decision since because he was too busy and was technically clueless about running and orphanage.

    Moreover, he already arranged for everyone to go to his security agency after leaving the orphanage to give them a head start for their lives. To Zhuo Jingren, livelihood is the greater help than he could give someone. After all, he too had struggled with finding a job after leaving the orphanage at such a young age. Because of this, few people had seen Zhuo Jingren in person as he does not visit the orphanage a lot but only attends functions that involve raising funds for the orphanages that he had funded.

    Now, what not many people don¡¯t know is that Zhuo Jingren would show up to these events because he knows that his presence would make them more money as many businessmen would also attend if he was there. Secondly, Bei Tian would not shut up until he followed him to the event. So when the news that he wasing to the orphanage¡¯s Christmas party was spread, the orphanage and everyone else was ecstatic!

    When was thest time that Zhuo Jingren had joined them? Six? Seven years? Or was that eight years ago?

    "Ah! Fairy Lin was simply the best! She was able to invite Little Zhuo for the party!" a woman squealed.

    "I know! She is not only smart but beautiful too... I heard that Little Zhuo is already married. Hey... I heard that he was the one who rejected Fairy Lin. Do you think that is really the case??" an older man said.

    "Stop the gossip! Are you done slicing the onions? How about the soup base? Is it ready?" a man grumpy voice interrupted them as a man with an ash-blond hair entered the kitchen. He was wearing a white uniform, his face morphed into a scowl. Seeing his subordinate¡¯s faces lost its color one by one, the man gave a smug smile. "Just as I thought. I don¡¯t want to hear anymore rumor about Jingren. Next time, I heard something like that, someone will lose their jobs."

    The moment, the man left, everyone who was busily slicing the ingredient heaved a sigh of relief. "Aiyo... I almost had a heart attack. Mr. Chen seems to be grumpy today. I wonder why that is." the woman who spoke made a dramatic shiver as she thought of the things that happen in the kitchen once her boss got angry.

    "Mr. Chen is the only person who is in contact with Little Zhuo. I heard, they asionally see each other as Little Zhuo loved his cooking so much and would ask him to cook from time to time."

    "Now, that is not a rumor. Mr. Chen was practically Little Zhuo¡¯s father figure when he was here. He was also the one who taught him how to cook."

    His words earn a nod from a few of the people inside the kitchen before they stopped talking and decided to focus on their jobs. Mr. Chen was a no-nonsense type of person who can do whatever he wanted to. Who knows if he would really fire them if he heard them talking about Zhuo Jingren again?

    .....

    The party was set to start at five in the afternoon until eight in the evening. Then there will be an adult after-party held in another venue that some of the prominent businessmen were invited to attend. All of these were arranged by Lin Yu Yan alone, as both Zhuo Jingren and Bei Tian didn¡¯t have the time to look at it. Aside from Zhuo Jingren and Lily, a lot of upper-ss families were also invited by Lin Yu Yan herself as she also wanted to help this event raise some funds for the child hospital that she is nning to build with Zhuo Capital.

    At four, a lot of the invited people started to arrive as Lin Yu Yan greeted everyone by the entrance. The usherettes that were helping the guests find their seats apanied her. Everything was going well... until Zhuo Jingren and Lily arrived.

    "Jingren!" Lin Yu Yan instantly beamed at Zhuo Jingren. "I am so d you could make it." She said before she nodded at Lily, "Miss Lily," she uttered as she eyed Lily¡¯s hand on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arms. In response, Lily nodded and smiled at the woman wearing a long red gown in front of her. The fact that Lin Yu Yan called her miss didn¡¯t faze her. Would she really let someone like her ruin her night? Of course not! Lilyughed inwardly. She wanted to see how this Lin Yu Yan will ruin her own name and reputation tonight.

    After what happened at the party with Mr. Qi and Lin Yu Yan, Lily already knew that Lin Yu Yan was not nning to give up at all. She thought the woman was sensible enough to see that there is no chance between her and Zhuo Jingren. Apparently, that is not the case. "You really beautiful. Is it because of Mr. Qi?" Lily then gave a teasing smile towards Lin Yu Yan, who was already looking wryly at Zhuo Jingren.

    "Miss Lily... Mr. Qi and I... we are family friends." Lin Yu Yan¡¯s face reddened. She did not expect Lily to say something like this even before the party started and all she wanted right now was to let Zhuo Jingren knew that there is nothing going on between her and Qi Xia. "All right... we can talk more once the party started." Lin Yu Yan then looked at the women standing behind her. "Please lead Mr. Zhuo and Miss Lily in their respective seats."

    "Respective seats?" Zhuo Jingren asked. "Are we not going to sit together?"

    "I am so sorry... Jingren. But when you told me, she woulde... we already sent the invite to some of the prominent people with their respective seat numbers. I didn¡¯t have the time to change the seating arrangement. So... you will sit in the VIP while Miss Lily¡¯s chair is located to the table behind ours." Lin Yu Yan then gave Lily an innocent smile. "I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t mind. Right?"

 Chapter 402 Passive-Aggressive

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 402 Passive-Aggressive</h4>

    "I mind." It was Zhuo Jingren. His face stern, staring straight at Lin Yu Yan. "Since you cannot make arrangements on the VIP table, then please add an extra seat on her non-VIP table. I will sit with my wife. I¡¯m sure that is not a problem, right?"

    "Jingren... this..." Lin Yu Yan¡¯s face lost its color as she bit her lips, she looked at Lily, who was surprisingly just smiling at her. Was she mocking her current state? "I¡¯m afraid I cannot do that. Everything had been arranged beforehand. It was just a three-hour event anyway. It would not be that bad,.?" Seeing the distaste in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face, Lin Yu Yan¡¯s eyes started to redden. It was lucky that no one was following Zhuo Jingren and Lily at this moment. Or she could not imagine the amount of embarrassment that she will get.

    "I see." Zhuo Jingren nodded before he held Lily¡¯s hand and eyed her cream dress. "Let¡¯s go?" The look of surprise on Lily¡¯s face was apparent as she eyed her husband, wondering why he was throwing a tantrum over some seats.

    "Where?" Lily asked.

    "Have dinner somewhere," he answered before he turned his back.

    "Jingren! What are you doing?" Lin Yu Yan¡¯s widened her eyes as she held Zhuo Jingren¡¯s arms. "Where are you going?"

    "A ce where I can sit with my wife," he answered before pulling Lily. However, Lily didn¡¯t budge. She eyed the couple of people who just arrived and was walking their way.

    "It¡¯s okay, husband." Lilyughed. "This is not a big deal. This is not the time to be like this. After all... you have no right to say anything about this matter." Her words only made Lin Yu Yan widened her eyes, even more, it almost popped out of their sockets. "Come on Jingren, don¡¯t act too entitled... You don¡¯t have the right to demand at all, isn¡¯t that right, Miss Lin?"

    "That- That is not what I was trying to say." Lin Yu Yan panicked. Lily¡¯s passive-aggressive words totally made her speechless. All she wanted was to sit beside Zhuo Jingren and shared the spotlight with him. She only wanted to make Lily realized that Lin Yu Yan and Zhuo Jingren were better off with each other. Moreover, she made sure that Lily will have to sit next to Qi Xia and his parents to give them time to talk and know each other. Lin Yu Yan felt that this was not being unfair at all, as Lily would also have the chance at a new rtionship with Qi Xia. "I was only saying that-"

    "No need to exin Miss Lin. We perfectly understood your point. This was not a big deal at all. After all, Zhuo Jingren was not really used to attending events like this... and well... he is only giving money to the orphanage and had been raising funds for the kids. He was not physically presence so... he does not have the right to demand or make some... impromptu changes." Lin Yu Yan stared in horror at Lily¡¯s face. She had never met anyone who talked like Lily so she doesn¡¯t have any idea how to handle her at all. Should she exin? Apologize and give in? What was she supposed to say?

    Agreeing on Lily¡¯s words would only mean that she thought Zhuo Jingren was really not someone special, and he does not have the right to make any request orst-minute changes at all. Meanwhile, disagreeing would mean that Zhuo Jingren can actually make the changes and that Lin Yu Yan was just intentionally targeting them. This would make Zhuo Jingren hate her even more.

    "I... my point is..." Lin Yu Yan did not continue her words as she looked at the dark look on Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face. Then she swallowed her saliva and made her mind. "I will arrange for Miss Lily to be transferred to our table," Lin Yu Yan said before turning at the woman behind her.

    After a few seconds, she then turned towards Lily and Zhuo Jingren and smiled as she forced back the tears in her eyes, "Alright... We have a VIP guest who could not make it tonight. We got lucky!" Lin Yu Yan eximed before she instructed for the usherette to guide Lily and Zhuo Jingren to their table.

    The few minutes after that were uneventful as the party started. Surprisingly though, Lin Yu Yan was not on the VIP table. At first, none were rmed or even worried that she was not there. However, she needed to have some speeches and when they still didn¡¯t see her after half an hour, some staff instantly tried to contact her. To no avail.

    "She did this on purpose," Bei Tian said as he enjoyed his cocktail. "She probably wanted Zhuo Jingren to find her or something." His voice was low, but it was enough for Lily and Zhuo Jingren to hear. Seeing the look on both Lily and Zhuo Jingren¡¯s faces, Bei Tian added. "She knew that this orphanage is important to Zhuo Jingren, and she is trying to ruin the event by using this as leverage. Stupidity at its finest!"

    Lily nodded. "Then go and make the speech. Ask the staff that you will rece her for the whole event. Should not be a big deal." she shrugged. As expected, Lin Yu Yan chose this event to throw a tantrum. Too low, Lily thought inwardly as she thought of how Zhuo Jingren told her after the encounter at the entrance that he only wanted Lily to have a little fun so he acted a little over the top with Lin Yu Yan earlier. He always knew that the woman liked him since they were children, so he had told her that there is no way they can be together countless of time in the past.

    How could Lin Yu Yan not give up? Zhuo Jingren already knew about the sitting arrangement from Secretary Go and he already knew what Lin Yu Yan¡¯s n was. How could he miss this the fact that Lin Yu Yan was trying to get Lily to interact with Qi Xia? She even included the whole family in the table!

    While Zhuo Jingren knew that what he did was petty. He also knew that he would do everything- all the time for Lily. Even if that means being petty and acting as a child in front of everyone.

 Chapter 403 Deb

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 403 Deb</h4>

    Lin Yu Yan had been crying her hearts out for almost an hour now. She could feel herself weakening as time passed by. Is she going to faint like this? Where are the people who were supposed to look for her? How about Zhuo Jingren? Did he even cared that she disappeared and stopped answering her phone? ncing at her vibrating phone, she let out a curse. It was not Zhuo Jingren. If he would call her, she would surely answer. Didn¡¯t he know this? Doesn¡¯t he care at all?

    The people who had been calling her are all staff and people who work directly under her. There was no Zhuo Jingren or even Bei Tian! What was happening? What about her speech? Did they forget about her?

    "You are extremely stupid." a cold voice interrupted her thoughts. She instantly froze, hoping that it was Zhuo Jingren. "For you toe here and wait for someone to find you is just stupid." Lin Yu Yan suddenly turned around, only to see Qi Xia smoking just a few feet away from her.

    "Why are you here?" she asked.

    "I could ask you the same. But I already know why you are here." he scoffed. The nearby post illuminated half of his face in the park. The smell of cigarettes instantly assaulted Lin Yu Yan¡¯s senses.

    "You were supposed to stay at the party and try to talk to Lily!"

    "Like that is going to happen with her husband around." another scoffed escaped his lips. "Bei Tian was the one who made the speech by the way and he told everyone. Including your dear father that you are sick. He got worried and left. He should be on his way to your ce."

    "What!?" Lin Yu Yan rose from one of the stone benches that was ced at the park for visitors and kids to sit. "Why would they do that? I..."

    "You left. Did you expect them toe and find you? Call the police because a mature woman disappeared?"

    "You-"

    "I am getting tired of your ns Yu Yan. Mr. Zhuo Kang had contacted me and told me that you will be in charge of having Zhuo Jingren. If you will continue doing this... then I¡¯m afraid that he will have to ask your father to pay for his debt with him." Qi Xia said. After hisst talk with Lily just a couple of nights ago. He had realized that it would be difficult for him to have a decent conversation with Lily. She was guarded, and her sharp tongue, as well as her ability to make people mad, was top ss. He had never met anyone like Lily. However, instead of losing hope and giving up, Qi Xia felt challenged. A woman like Lily deserved it all. "We both know Mr. Lin cannot afford that. Right?"

    "Can¡¯t you see? I have been extremely pushy, and I am doing my best to attract his attention. I like Jingren for a long time now! I truly do! But look! He won¡¯t even consider all the efforts I made in arranging this whole thing! If not for him... do you think... do you think I would do all this? He originally declined this invitation! And I am sure he only agreed because of his wife!"

    "Then do better! Do something more! Just do everything to get your goal!"

    "Shut up!" Lin Yu Yan red at the man in front of her. "I know you are only pushing me to do it because you like that woman! Why don¡¯t you get her by yourself? You coward!" Lin Yu Yan snapped. She had been iplete stresstely because of her father receiving threats from Zhou Kang and the Zhuo Family Patriarch. Because of a ¡¯debt¡¯ that her father was not even aware of, she had been forced to meet a lot of mentely for marriage prospects. People with good backgrounds and family money that could potentially save them.

    "Well... If you don¡¯t want to... I can just-" he threw away his cigarette and turned his back on her.

    "Stop! Qi Xia stop right there!" Lin Yu Yan ran towards Qi Xia and blocked his way. "You can¡¯t do that! Just- Just give me time! That¡¯s all I need. A little more time!"

    "Right. Stop saying it. Show it." Qi Xia said as he gritted his teeth. Irritation shed in his eyes. He then left in a huff.

    When Qi Xia finally left, Lin Yu Yan crumbled into a mess. She ran her hand into her hair as tears flowed into her face. The Zhuo Family was one of the most dangerous people in any industry. It was said that they have a long list of people owing them ¡¯favors¡¯ - countless favors. Until now, she still wondered how her father stumbled into these kinds of people.

    .....

    Meanwhile, the party had been going on for over two hours now. After Old Man Lin left to go to Lin Yu Yan¡¯s ce, everyone just assumed that thetter left the party early and informed her father.

    "It should be because President Zhuo brought his wife. He even insisted that she sat next to him when she was not originally invited to sit in the VIP table." a woman wearing a purple qipao said.

    "I know! Isn¡¯t he just sweet?"

    "What is so sweet about that? unting their love in front of a woman who loves him? That is just selfish." a sneer escaped the woman¡¯s lips.

    "Why do they still need to consider Miss Lin¡¯s emotion? This party is not Miss Lin¡¯s party, no?"

    "Still-"

    "Are you saying that they should agree to sit in separate tables as a respect to Miss Lin¡¯s feelings? Isn¡¯t that too silly? Miss Lin is the selfish person to think that she could separate a couple with her petty tricks!"

    "I agree! Hmph! I hate women like this. Why would she even insist on sitting next to a married man? How shameless is that?"

    The group of women continued to gossip unaware that Lily was just standing nearby listening to their conversation with a small smile on her lips. She eyed the woman in purple and slowly held her wine ss towards her. Both women gave each other a meaningful gaze before they shifted their eyes back to the people they were having the conversation with.

 Chapter 404 Threatened

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 404 Threatened</h4>

    Unedited: So far, all of my chapters are going to be unedited since I dont have an editor or a proofreader. I am so sorry for disappearing for so long.

    ...

    After the Christmas Party, Lily originally thought Lin Yu Yan would let it go. After all, she had been embarrassed and had be the topic of everyone else the whole night. Most women who experienced the same thing would leave Hongkong or stay cooped up in their house until the news disappeared. Or at least people forgot.

    However, before Zhuo Jingren and Lily could leave the orphanage, they received a phone call from Lin Yu Yan. She wanted to talk to Zhuo Jingren alone and tell him about something important. When Zhuo Jingren asked Secretary Go to decline, Lin Yu Yan had another breakdown and told him that this was about the Zhou Family.

    "How did she even know about the Zhou Family?" Bei Tian mumbled. After the party, he decided toe to Sky City with Zhuo Jingren and Lily.

    The mention of the Zhou Family immediately caught Lily¡¯s attention. She frowned and narrowed her eyes. The mere thought of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s biological family was enough to leave a bitter taste in her mouth. She narrowed her eyes as memories of her conversation with Zhou Jingtao reyed inside her mind.

    "Will you see her?" Bei Tian asked. "If you don¡¯t like to¡ª"

    "I will." Zhuo Jingren said. "Her previous actions could be somehow be connected to the Zhou Family."

    "Jingren. I don¡¯t think that is a very good idea. Since she is already working with the Zhou Family, she could easily use this opportunity to get rid of you." Bei Tian¡¯s face was stoic, his previous light demeanor gone.

    "Did you call your contacts? Have you tried looking into Lin Yu Yan¡¯s father?" Lily chimed in. If she is from the Zhou Family, she would immediately target Lin Yu Yan¡¯s father to manipte her.

    Bei Tian pulled out his phone and shook his head. "No replies, yet. Informations like this are not that easy to obtain." Lily eyed Zhuo Jingren before she leaned on his shoulders. The car ride towards Sky City will take almost an hour, so they have a few more minutes to think about Lin Yu Yan¡¯s situation.

    Zhuo Jingren opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word, Lily already beat him to it. "I am not going." She said. "If she sees me, she will flip." A small smile bloomed on her face. "But I will wait outside. Once she tries something, then... I will blow her up." She giggled, earning a puzzled look from both Bei Tian and Zhuo Jingren.

    "What are you nning?" Zhuo Jingren asked.

    "Nothing." She said. Lily did not expect her n on the party to blow up and would cause Lin Yu Yan to actually not show up and risk her reputation. To Lily, this made little sense at all. This lead her to conclude that something else is going on. Something that they do not know. The message that they receive a few moments ago, just confirm this suspicion. "Call her father. Have him apany us."

    Zhuo Jingren raised an eyebrow. "Old Man Lin is waiting for her in her house. It should be easy to have hime with us."

    "But why? You want him to witness his daughter¡¯s behavior? What if they threatened her?" Bei Tian said. He does not like the fact that the Zhou Family had used Lin Yu Yan against them. This was mainly because he considered Lin Yu Yan as a friend. At one point, Bei Tian had even liked her. This was enough reason for him to feel pity and a little protective towards her.

    Moreover, Lin Yu Yan should not be involved in this matter as this was because of him and Zhuo Jingren.

    "Oh... someone threatened her." Lily said. "I am sure of that."

    "Zhou Kang might have used her father to threaten her." Zhuo Jingren said. "After being found by her parents. She had worked hard to gain their approval. Especially her fathers. She wanted to impress him and be the next CEO of theirpany. The fruit of herbor was obvious as she had gained her father¡¯s affection and trust. Imagine this... being taken by Zhou Kang."

    Lily¡¯s lips thinned. "I was thinking the same thing." The only difference in her analysis was the fact that she had put herself on Zhou Kang¡¯s mind while Zhuo Jingren analyzed Lin Yu Yan past actions. "That is the only logical reason that I could think of." She closed her eyes and silence spread inside the car as everyone fell into deep contemtion.

    "Tomorrow we are going to Europe. I don¡¯t want any mishaps." She heard Zhuo Jingren said to Bei Tian.

    "Hmmm. When are you nning on meeting Zhou Jingtao?" Bei Tian asked. His voice does not contain any emotion towards the name of his father.

    "After the wedding." Lily said before she pouted. "I was too busy, I didn¡¯t have enough time to prepare for own wedding." Sheined. "Everything has been to hectictely."

    "Well... what are youining about? You are already Mrs Zhuo for a long time now. Plus, I was the one managing all the preparations with Zhuo Jingren. I was even the one who chose the flower arrangement and the whole venue decorations. Hmp! You haven¡¯t even thank me."

    Lily instantly beamed at Bei Tian¡¯s words. This was a fact. Lily had actually no talent in designs. She was practically useless when ites to other things aside from business. She was thankful that Zhuo Jingren and Bei Tian had been doing all the preparations for her. "Hey... I have a question." Her lips lifted into a mischievous smile. "Your boutique was the one who made my gown. You also chose the flowers and decorations. You also visited the venue and talked to the coordinator. Am I right?"

    "You are. Aren¡¯t I the best Bestman there is? Wait... this stuff should be done by the Maid of Honor which was absent all the time and hadn¡¯t even bothered to contact me! And that man of her¡¯s who is supposed to be one of the groomsman or rather the only groomsman is also not there¡ª"

    "Alright... I get it. Those people are busy with their own lives. This wedding is only a formality that President Zhuo wanted to do before we get pregnant, so I am not really stressed about this. I am already married to him and that is what matters." Lily said. "Now.... This ranting got me curious." She eyed Zhuo Jingren then shifted her gaze at Bei Tian. "Was there a time that they thought, I mean the venue or the decorators thought.... You are the one getting married to Jingren?"

 Chapter 405 Princess in Shining Armor

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 405 Princess in Shining Armor</h4>

    "Is heing?" Lin Yu Yan anxiously asked Secretary Go over the phone. She eyed herself in the mirror in front of her and examined her clothing. "What time is heing?" she asked when Secretary Go said that the party was just finished. "All right, I will wait for him." She then ended the call and eyed Qi Xia who was sitting on her bed.

    "He ising." She said.

    "Are you sure this is going to work?" Qi Xia furrowed his brows.

    "I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t know all right?" she responded. "The least I could do was try to ruin their marriage. I know Zhuo Jingren, he would not just marry me because I told him so."

    Disgust shed in Qi Xia¡¯s eyes. "Then... I will ask my men to double the aphrodisiac on his drink."

    "He won¡¯t drink it." She shook her head. "I know him. He would be cautious around me after I mentioned the Zhou Family. Put it on the humidifier or something." A grunt escaped Qi Xia¡¯s lips as he nodded to his men, gesturing them to follow her words.

    Lin Yu Yan bit her lips before she applied her favorite lip tint. She then eyed Qi Xia, her gaze full of inquiries. Until now, she didn¡¯t have any idea as to why the Zhou Family would use her against Zhuo Jingren. "Qi Xia... do you know why the Zhou Family will target Zhuo Jingren?"

    "Does it matter?" he sneered, his eyes on his phone. In fact, Qi Xia did not even ask Zhou Kang about the matter. Or was he interested to know. "But this only meant that he is having shady deals behind that majestic Zhuo Capital. If he was clean, then the Zhou Family would not have any interest in him." This conclusion was enough to fuel his belief that Lily Qin indeed married the wrong guy.

    True, Qi Xia might not be that richpared to Zhuo Jingren, nor equally as good looking. However, he had raised money to fund hispany because of his talent and hard work. He was not involved in any shady people like the Zhou Family. Qi Xia believed that he had gotten where he was because of his skill. Because of this, he thought he deserved a woman like Lily Qin.

    "So you don¡¯t really care at all?"

    "Why would I care about him? Once the Zhou Family gets ahold of him, I can go ahead and continue my ns. Then I can just forget about him." Another sneer escaped his lips. The Zhou Family were one of the biggest and most influential family in Maind China, there is no way that Zhuo Jingren could escape this family alive.

    The thought of seeing the man defeated instantly made him feel ted. Until now, he still could not forget theirst interaction, where Zhuo Jingren threatened him in the most subtle way. How could he let go of such embarrassment? The thought of Zhuo Jingren¡¯s triumphant smirk only made her more and more irritated.

    "What? Are you hesitating now?" he asked when he saw Lin Yun Yan lowered her head. "Don¡¯t tell me your emotions matter more than your father? The one who saved you from the damn orphanage?"

    "You¡ª"

    "What? Are you going to let them hurt your father?"

    "No. It¡¯s just that ¡ª I dont know. Maybe I am being a coward? I don¡¯t know." She shook her head.

    "Let me tell you something." Qi Xia leaned in towards Lin Yu Yan. "Why don¡¯t you save him when he is down?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "Well... once the Zhou Family get¡¯s ahold of him. His wife would eventually leave him. I mean.... Who will want to associate themselves with people like Zhuo Jingren? I¡¯m sure Lily is not that type of person. She had been running apany that has a very good reputation after all. I am sure she would do everything to keep her reputation clean." Qi Xia said. "Once she leaves him, he will be devastated. You can be there for him. Then do everything to gain his affection."

    "But ¡ª But what if he pushes me away?" Lin Yu Yan knew that Zhuo Jingren had always been the type of person to push people away. She was sure that he would not just open his doors for her tofort him. "Moreover, the Zhou Family...." She bit her lips. She was not dumb. The Zhou Family are one of the most dangerous families in China. There is no way that they will let him go and live a normal life after they are done with him.

    "This is where you could help him." Qi Xia said. "I mean... I heard rumors that the young miss of the Zhou Family is having a marriage alliance with the Shangguan¡¯s of the Shangguan Bank of China. Think about it?" He leaned back a smirk was on his face. "If you have the brain, you will know that they are targeting him because of business. The Zhou Family are greedy folks. They are targeting him because of his bank. And once they got it from him... they won¡¯t care about him anymore."

    It was as if Lin Yu Yan just ate the most delicious candy as her eyes lit up. She instantly beamed at Qi Xia. If he was telling the truth... then after the Zhou Family are done with Zhuo Jingren, she could easily help him! Be his princess in shining armor. The thought instantly made her smile inwardly.

    "Boss... Zhuo Jingren just arrived at the Lobby." A voice echoed, interrupting them. Qi Xia instantly lift an eyebrow.

    "Is he alone?"

    "Yes." The man answered. "Even his secretary is not there. We can also confirm that he arrived in his car alone."

    "Good!" Qi Xia stood up and fixed his suit. "Good!" He looked at Lin Yu Yan. "I will be in the next room. I will leave everything in your care."

    .....

    Unedited

 Chapter 406 A Ghos

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 406 A Ghos</h4>

    The moment, Zhuo Jingren entered, the suite that Lin Yu Yan booked for them to meet, he immediately frowned at the unfamiliar smell assaulting his senses.

    "I am so d you came." Lin Yu Yan said when she opened the door. She led him to the living room of the suite. She eyed Zhuo Jingren¡¯s stoic expression and sat opposite to him. "Do you want some coffee? Or tea?"

    "What is it that you want to talk to me?" his direct question immediately caused her heart to beat faster. Sheposed herself and give a wry smile.

    "You don¡¯t even want to ask me why I left the party?" Qi Xia said that it would take a couple of minutes before the drug would take its effect. She needed to at least talk to him for ten minutes before he would feel anything. She leaned towards him, showing the cleavage on her red sundress. "Don¡¯t you even care why I was not there in the party that I organized?"

    "Did you call me just to talk about this?" he asked.

    "Jingren!" her eyes immediately reddened. "We have been friends for too long! Don¡¯t you really care about me?"

    "When you decided to like me, you already ruined whatever kind of friendship that you thought we had."

    "You¡ª" tears started to fall towards her cheeks. A sob escape her lips. "So... I don¡¯t really matter." Her voice was low. However, this was short-lived as she saw Zhuo Jingren rose from his seat. Panic instantly arose inside her. "Where are you going?" She asked.

    "Home. This is such a waste of my time."

    "Jingren... please... listen to me." She clutched his arms. "I have to tell you something important. Just please listen."

    Zhuo Jingren narrowed his eyes at her. "Get straight to the point."

    "I ¡ª The Zhou Family has been threatening me." She said and sat back on the couch. "They wanted me to help them ruin your marriage."

    Zhuo Jingren eyed her, scrutinizing. He put shoved his hand in his pocket. "And If you will not do it?"

    "They ¡ª They will kill my father." She lied. She can¡¯t tell him that Zhou Kang did this because of a debt. "Jingren I don¡¯t know what to do. Please... I need your help."

    "What are you suggesting?"

    "I dont know... maybe you could. Maybe you could leave Lily... Divorced her. Pretend that you divorce her and that will be the end of it." A scoff instantly escaped Zhuo Jingren¡¯s lips.

    "You wanted me to divorce my wife? In exchange for your father¡¯s life?" Lin Yu Yan nodded, a tinge of hope apparent in her eyes. She needed more time before the drugs will affect him. And by then... the camera will automatically record everything. She could easily send it to Lily and ruin their marriage. While she knows Zhuo Jingren will hate her for this, Lin Yu Yan was confident that it will notst long. She already nned everything, and she is nning to win this game, no matter the cost.

    Moreover, this was also because of her father. She was just protecting her family and fighting for what she loved at the same time.

    "Where are you going?" she immediately asked when Zhuo Jingren once again stood and walked away from her. "Jingren... where are you going?

    "Do you see me as a fool?" the disgust in his tone made her shiver.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Yu Yan..." he sighed. "I never liked you. Not when we were children, not now and not in the future. Bei Tian is worried about you and that is only part of the reason why I am here."

    "I ¡ª Bei Tian... he does not like me like that."

    "He doesn¡¯t. He sees you as a little sister. But after what you did tonight. I doubt he will treat you the same way again." He walked towards the door.

    "Jingren... wait. Please... listen to me. You have to listen to me." She clutched into his arms. Tears streaming down her face. "I beg you. Please help me. My father- he is very important to me. Please!" she begged. When Zhuo Jingren did not answer, Lin Yu Yan continued. "I know you are dealing with illegal people. That¡¯s why the Zhou family wanted to deal with you. If these information gets out of hand... If Lily knew about this, there is no way that she will stay."

    She took Zhuo Jingren¡¯s silence as a permission for her to continue talking. "Look. I don¡¯t even know how you decided to marry her. But she values her reputation so much! Jingren... please...." She watched as Zhuo Jingren slowly turned his head towards her. His gaze devoid of any expression.

    "You are not going to talk about my wife like that." He warned.

    While she was taken aback of his reaction, Lin Yu Yan held his gaze andposed herself. It is now or never, she thought. "Why? Jingren! What does she have that I don¡¯t have? I am prettier than her! I am rich and I managed apany too! I grew up with you! I know you.... I can be your wife too..." She clings into his arms when he tried to take her hands off. "Can¡¯t you see? I am as smart as here! I know you! I know everything about you! While she.... You just met her and probably decided to marry her because you are looking for Qin Jinghua!"

    She saw a sh of amusement in Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes. "You think I married her to find Qin Jinghua?"

    "Didn¡¯t you? When Bei Tian told me that you married a business woman from Europe, both of us know that you married her so you can broaden your search for that woman!" For Lin Yu Yan, Qin Jinghua is the only woman that Zhuo Jingren loved. It should not be difficult for him to leave Lily! After all, he was just using her for Qin Jinghua. The mention of her name instantly made her ufortable. It would be easier to admit that she actually lost to Lily than to a ghost! Someone who had long disappeared in this world!

    To her surprise, Zhuo Jingren chuckled. He turned towards her, eyes narrowed. "You think that I am only using Lily?"

    "Aren¡¯t you?" she challenged. "Aren¡¯t you using her to find the love of your life?"

    "Lin Yu Yan.... You are extremely foolish." He spat. "And you dare imed that you are as smart as my wife. How foolish." He shook his head and walked towards the exit. However, before he could open the door, he staggered and clutched his head. "You¡ª"

 Chapter 407 Accomplice

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 407 Aplice</h4>

    "Move." Lily hissed. She eyed the tall man wearing a ck suit blocking her way. In response, the man gave her a condescending smile and refused to move.

    Without waiting for Lily to say something, Daohu already moved past her and tackled the man. His moves were agile and swift. Lily didn¡¯t even notice what he did to the man that was now on his knees.

    "Surprise?" It was Bei Tian. He smiled at Lily. He then walked in front of everyone, making sure that Lily stays behind him as they continue to walk towards Lin Yu Yan¡¯s suite. "Five men. To be honest... I am insulted that they only stationed five men to stop us. They think too lowly of me." His voice was full of amusement. The exact opposite of the sinister glint in his eyes. "A dozen would have make me feel a little better." he let out a dramatic sigh. "My ego is bruised."

    "Well.... They never thought that you areing. Five men can easily stop me." Lily said. She does not know any decent martial arts. So five, six foot tall men could easily suppress her.

    "Fair enough. Why don¡¯t you practice martial arts, anyway? Jingren is really good at it. Of course, I am still the best. I can teach you if you want." Bei Tian offered. His voice contained a hint of smugness. Lily doesn¡¯t need to see his face to know that he was smirking.

    Lily recalled how Zhuo Jingren told her how Bei Tian is different when ites to fighting. Even he knew that the silly Bei Tian is better in martial artspared to him. And Zhuo Jingren seemed not embarrassed to ept such truth.

    Lily¡¯s lips lifted into a smile. Her man was never afraid to ept something that a normal man would not easily do. In fact, Zhuo Jingren had shown that he was somehow proud of his friend and cousin. In their world full of people acting as alpha males, someone like Zhuo Jingren is truly unique. This maturity and wisdom is something that she adores so much about him.

    "Alright... we are here." Bei Tian said as he eyed the room in front of them. He then used a card to open the door. "Uhhhh...."

    Lily instantly frowned when she heard Bei Tian. Since she was behind him, she gently shoved him to the side and what she saw made her speechless.

    Zhuo Jingren was clutching Lin Yu Yan¡¯s neck, his eyes red, as he gave Lin Yu Yan a sinister smile. Lin Yu Yan on the other hand was struggling, She gasped for air, helplessly trying to pry Zhuo Jingren¡¯s fingers from her neck. Lily blinked, speechless of the scene in front of her. She shifted her gaze back to Zhuo Jingren who seemed not to notice her nor Bei Tian.

    "Jingren! What are you doing!?" It was Bei Tian. He walked past Lily and tried to remove Zhuo Jingren¡¯s hands from Lin Yu Yan¡¯s neck. However, it was futile. He didn¡¯t even budge nor look at Bei Tian. "Oi! Jingren! Let go!"

    It was as if something was struck in Lily¡¯s throat. This was the first time that she saw Zhuo Jingren this way. She stilled and watch as Bei Tian do his best to free Lin Yu Yan from Zhuo Jingren¡¯s gasp.

    "You dare drugged me?" Zhuo Jingren asked, his voice menacing. A scoff escaped his lips as he leaned towards Lin Yu Yan¡¯s ears and whispered something inadible to everyone except for the woman struggling for her life in front of him. Lin Yu Yan widened her eyes in response. She struggled as she desperately tried made him loosen his hands.

    Lin Yu Yan then looked at Bei Tian then at Lily, her gaze begging for her to stop him. Her pleading words woke Lily up in her stupor. She walked towards them, understanding apparent in her eyes. She does not need to know what the woman did to her husband. At this point, she would allow him to do whatever he wanted.

    However, she also knew that her thoughts were wrong. She shook out the anger building up inside her and calmly held Zhuo Jingren¡¯s face.

    "Let her go. She is not worth it." She uttered, her voice soft. "Jingren.... Let her go." Right then and there, he let go of Lin Yu Yan¡¯s neck, making her fell into her knees. Seeing this, Lily immediately pulled him into a hug as Bei Tian was quick to help Lin Yu Yan up and have her sat on the couch.

    "I am not feeling well." It was almost a whisper. Something that contain a hint of relief and anger. Lily felt him tightened his hug around her. "There is something in this room... ask Bei Tian to find it. And don¡¯t let go of that woman."

    "Hmmm." She nodded and stroked his back. "Lets go out of this ce." He nodded silently while breathing a sigh of relief. However, before Lily could walk out of the door, she looked at Lin Yu Yan, her gaze full of disgust.

    "To be honest, I was not expecting that you will stoop this low." She chided making Lin Yu Yan froze. "Your father will be very disappointed in you."

    "W¡ª What are you talking about?" Seeing Lily gave her a knowing smile was enough for Lin Yu Yan. She crumbled into another pool of tears. Her shoulders shook as she lowered her head even more, refusing to see the same disappointment in Bei Tian¡¯s eyes. She heard him instruct his men to find the drug that was affecting the air. Defeat wasing for her. At one point, she was hoping that Bei Tian would pull her into a hug andfort her. However, this did not happen.

    Instead, Bei Tian only gave her a ss of water before sitting as far away as possible from her.

    "I was not expecting that you could do this." His voice was gruff. Lin Yu Yan lifted her head and met his dark brown eyes. The absence of any emotions in his orbs made her cringe. Does he not really care about her, anymore?

    "I was forced to do it." She dered. Since there is no way that she could do her ns, then it would be best that she asked for Bei Tian¡¯s help to deal with the Zhou Family.

    "Zhuo Jingren would have helped you." He said. "But you were too stupid and attempt this equally stupid n."

    "Tian... I have no choice. They will kill my father if I refuse to do it."

    "Don¡¯t you really have a choice?" he asked. "Yu Yan... I have considered you as a little sister since we grew up together. I also knew that this is one of the reasons why Jingren woulde here. However now¡ª"

    "Bei Tian... please forgive me. I won¡¯t do it again. As long as you promise to help me... I will stay away from Jingren. Just please..." she watched as Bei Tian shook his head. Horror filled her eyes. Jingren was already disgusted by her, she would not want to lose Bei Tian too.

    "You are hopeless." Bei Tian uttered. "If you were not a friend, he would have snapped your neck in seconds." He then stood from his seat. His hands on his pockets as he gaze at her. "You have aplices.... Where are they?"

 Chapter 408 Porridge

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 408 Porridge</h4>

    "Is he going to be fine?" Lily frowned as she watched the doctor. "When will the drug leave his system?"

    "He will be fine. No need to worry. It was some sort of a sleeping drug."

    "Should I cancel our flightter today?" she asked.

    "No need. He will wake up before your flight." The doctor gave her an assuring smile. "However, I would be interested to know who got him expose to this drug? This was one of the few that is banned in Hongkong. Having this type of drug in hand couldnd someone in prison."

    "Bei Tian will inform you about it." Lily sighed as she led the doctor out of their room. This was the same doctor that helped her when she had an allergy back when Zhuo Jingren unknowingly gave her a scented flower. This man is Zhuo Jingren¡¯s personal physician. "Thank you so much foring in such a short notice. I was just worried."

    "Ah... no worries, Mrs. Zhuo. Please call me if you have anything else." The doctor immediately bid his goodbye. Another sigh escaped Lily¡¯s lips as she went back into their room. She sat on the chair next to their bed and stared at Zhuo Jingren¡¯s sleeping profile. His gentle demeanor as he slept perfectly contradicted his reaction earlier when he strangled Lin Yu Yan.

    Her lips then lifted into a small smile before she made herselffortable and close her eyes. They will have a long day tomorrow.

    .....

    When Lily opened her eyes again, she was already in bed, lying in her husband¡¯s arms. "Awake?" his voice was warm. It instantly made Lily smile. She shifted her body and turn towards him.

    "How are you feeling?"

    "Better." His lips thinned. "How are you feeling?" His reaction immediately made Lilyugh.

    "Are you perhaps afraid that you scared me President Zhuo?" she leaned closer and raised her chin. Her lips a few inches away from his that they couldpletely feel each other¡¯s breaths.

    "Some men have this fear of showing their bad side to the person that they love." He said in a serious tone. He met her gaze. "I am one of those men."

    Lily only smiled. "I know."

    "And?"

    "And what? Are you expecting me to pack my things and send mywyers for the divorce? President Zhuo is truly silly. Do you think kicking me out is that easy?" A smile became visible in his face as he heard Lily¡¯s words. Understanding shed in both of their eyes before he suddenly lifted Lily, positioning her on top of him.

    "I always knew.... Chosing to like you was the best thing in the world."

    "Did you even have any other choice?" she fired back, eyebrows raised. "Am I not the best candidate out there?"

    "Of course you are." He said and kissed her forehead. He then leaned in to kiss her lips. However, his lips only met Lily¡¯s palms. "What¡¯s wrong?" he asked.

    "We have a scheduled flight in two hours. And... I was nning to cook for you. Just to make you feel a little better." She watched as Zhuo Jingren swallowed and gave her a wry look.

    "What are you going to cook?"

    "I will make some porridge for you!" she beamed proudly and got off their bed. She then walked out of their room, leaving Zhuo Jingren shaking his head as he followed her, a smile stered on his face. When ites to Lily, Zhuo Jingren felt really helpless.

    "Did Bei Tian call you?" Zhuo Jingren asked as he sat, watching Lily putting on an apron.

    "Hmmm.... He said Lin Yu Yan had an aplice, but when they checked the next room... no one was there. She was iming it was Qi Xia." She said as she started preparing the rice.

    "Hmmm..." he nodded. "What did he do to Lin Yu Yan?"

    "I didn¡¯t asked." Lily sahrugged. Instead of getting angry towards the woman, she found Lin Yu Yan pitiful. "He told me, Zhou Kang is threatening Lin Yu Yan¡¯s father. They were talking about a debt that her father owe him. In return, her father asked Lin Yu Yan to marry into a prominent family. " She pursed her lips. "Lin Yu Yan thinks that her father wanted to use her for money to help him pay whatever debt that he had. I think she is wrong."

    "What do you have in mind?" he asked.

    "I think.... Her father wanted her to be safe and secure. He wanted her to be survive even after he die."

    "You think Zhuo Kang will kill Old Man Lin?"

    "We don¡¯t know anything about this debt. But yes, that is what I think. I think he is sinister enough to do that. He is obviously using them to try to put some pressure on you."

    "Hmmm...." He clenched his jaws. Zhuo Kang was acting like someone who could make anyone dance in his palms just because he said so. "His arrogance will be his downfall." A few minutes of silence nketed the room as Lily continue to cook.

    "Question." Lily said. "Do you have some people in the Zhuo Family?"

    "Not a lot."

    "Then go ahead and asked them to try and find out Zhuo Kang¡¯s n about his brother. By now... I think he already knew that Jingtao is nning to betray him. He is not the type to just forgive and forget. I know he is nning something." Lily said. In response, Zhuo Jingren nodded.

    "Last time I check Zhuo Lanying wasing here in Hongkong to talk to you. I believe they were able to stop her. Or at least her father did."

    "And his brother? The stupid one?" she asked.

    "I have not received reports about him."

    "Asked your people to keep an eye on him. He would be really easy to manipte. If I am Zhou Kang... I would absolutely target him first and use him against his father."

    "You seem to have the habit of putting yourself in your enemies shoes, Mrs. Zhuo."

    "Well.... You have to be one of them to beat them." Lily said, her gaze serious as she stared at the overcooked rice in front of her. Then she bit her lips and stared at Zhuo Jingren, giving her a n awkward smile.

 Chapter 409 Domestic Abuse

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 409 Domestic Abuse</h4>

    "Who overcooks rice?" Zhuo Jingren teased Lily as they sat inside the private jet. He then let out a lightughter and squeezed his wife¡¯s cheeks.

    "Aw! What are you doing!?" she raised an eyebrow.

    "You have been pouting for two hours now. It will make you look older than me."Anotherughter escaped his mouth when Lily sent him a re.

    "You are years older than me! You are the one who looks old!"

    Her words only made Zhuo Jingrenugh even more.

    "You told me, my cooking sucks! I will never forget it!"

    "I said... its overcooked." He shook his head before pulling her towards him, earning another re from Lily. He made her sat on hisp and kissed her neck. "But it is good. I even ate all of it."

    "You did it because I was pouting."

    "That is partly true." He nodded. "Aw... don¡¯t just pinched me. This is abuse you know."

    "No one will believe you!" she fired back.

    "You know what? I think I should write a book about domestic abuse in men. This is a very debatable and popr topictely." Anotherughter echoed when he saw Lily narrowed his eyes at him. This created a light atmosphere inside the private jet. This was also the atmosphere that both Secretary Go and Yang Mi had walk into. Both of them, almost rolled their eyes as they heard their bosses tease each other.

    "The boss is really happy this past few months." Secretary Go said to himself as he gave his luggage to the attendant. In a span of few months, he was able to see different emotions from his boss. Emotions that he was not able to witness before Lily came. A small smile made its way to his lips. But this was short-lived as she heard Yang Mi butted in beside him.

    "He should be happy. He would never see another woman was amazing as my boss." Yang Mi said. Gentlenessced her tone. She too had been very happy that Lily had found a way to be happy and even changed a lot of her views in life. Silence wrapped between the two as they listened to their bosses¡¯ughter as they continue to banter with each other.

    "Finally, they will marry each other." Secretary Go said after a few minutes of silence.

    "What are you talking about old man. They are already married. This is just your boss¡¯ way of showing it to the world. Apparently, he also nned to do it in korea next year." Yang Mi snorted.

    "It only shows how much he loves her. You should be thankful that the madam found a man that truly loves her."

    "She can marry any man that she wanted and I would be happy for her. But this marriage is¡ª in my opinion a waste of time. I mean marrying in every country? That is toovish."

    "You are a woman! How could you say such a thing about marriage?" Disbelief swirled in Secretary Go¡¯s eyes as he looked at her. "You should love marriage and extravagant things about love."

    "Love is found in your heart, you dummy." Yang Mi spat out. "It¡¯s not in the money that you spent in a wedding." Sensing Secretary Go¡¯s stare, Yang Mi immediately looked at him. "This does not mean that I am not happy to see my boss happy." She exined. "As I said, this is just my personal opinion. Still... I am happy for President Lily to wed and I would support her all through out the way. Plus they have the money to do it... They have been working so hard. Both of them deserve it."

    Secretary Go hesitated for a moment. "So¡ª you don¡¯t want a wedding for yourself?"

    "One wedding is fine. And only family too... 20 guests is enough" Yang Mi answered before she widened her eyes and avoided his gaze. She silently chastised herself for answering such a private question like that.She then cleared her throat. "But that is only to the man that I can¡¯t live without."

    "You are strange." Secretary Go uttered, his voice low.

    "Why would you say that?"

    "Every woman loves an extravagant wedding! Why don¡¯t you like big weddings?"

    "No reason at all." She answered and shifted her gaze towards Zhuo Jingren who just let out anotherugh. It was obvious that he was enjoying teasing his wife so much. His face was already turning scarlet fromughing while Lily had been pouting and suppressing herself from smiling. Yang Mi was not able to stop herself from smiling at the couple.

    She wondered what would Lilian feel if she was here watching her granddaughter act like this.

    "What are you thinking?" Secretary Go asked.

    "You have been very talkativetely Go Jichen." She noted and looked at him. She decided to change the topic. "Are you perhaps starting to like me?" The surprise in Secretary Go¡¯s face was so apparent it almost made Yang Miugh out loud. However, she knew it would only disturb Lily and Zhuo Jingren. She maintained a stoic expression and raised an eyebrow at him.

    "What? Why are you speechless? Ha! Did I get it right? You are starting to like me?" she teased.

    "What if I do?" Secretary Go¡¯s answer made Yang Mi froze. "What can you do about it?" She watched as victory shed in Secretary Go¡¯s eyes. Watching her blushed must have made him feel ted. Irritation instantly rumbled inside Yang Mi.

    "It was a one time thing."

    "What one time thing?" the confused look in Secretary Go¡¯s face only made her more angry. She narrowed her eyes at him.

    "You better watch yourself while you are sleeping Go Jichen. I am warning you! That kiss¡ª I should kill you for kissing me that night."

    "Hah! That kiss... one-time thing. Oh! You are talking about that!? I never thought that¡ª"

    "Shut it." Yang Mis hissed. "This will be thest time that you mention that word in front of me."

    "And what if I mention it again?" he challenged and watched as Yang Mi¡¯s chest raised. Anger visible in her eyes. She suddenly rose from her seat and transfered to the seat across him without saying anything. Seeing this, Secretary Go shook his head.

    If he wanted to formally court Yang Mi, he would need to talk to Zhuo Jingren and eventually Lily about it. He was not the type of guy who would keep his feelings a secret and would always chose to respect the people close to them. He lowered his gaze as he thought of going to Europe with Yang Mi.

    Who knows what else will happen in this trip?

 Chapter 410 Adorable Human Being

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 410 Adorable Human Being</h4>

    After a thirteen hour flight, Zhuo Jingren and Lily arrived in London just a couple of minutes after the midnight of December Twenty fourth. Everyone immediately got some sleep as Lily was nning to shop the next morning for their Christmas Eve that night.

    Since Lily had been celebrating Christmas with her grandmother for the previous years, they chose to stay in the Fi Family¡¯s mansion in London.

    "Ready?" Lily asked while eyeing Zhuo Jingren. He was already wearingyered clothing with some sturdy brown boots and gloves. "You look good by the way." While there is no snow outside, the temperature is still pretty close to negative. So an outfit for the winter is necessary.

    "I look good in everything." He calmly responded, his eyes in crescents. "Let¡¯s go. Will victor drive us to the store?"

    She rolled her eyes and nodded. "Hmmm.You know... you really don¡¯t have to cook. Victor¡¯s people had been cooking for me and grandma for years now. We can just rxter and watch some movies."

    "This is our first Christmas together." He said as they went out of Lily¡¯s room, then into the stairs of the mansion. "I want it to be special." he added.

    "You have a point." She smiled as they walk out of the mansion. She gave the house a look before going inside the Mercedes parked just a few feet outside. "Do you think, they will be all right?"

    "Yang Mi and Jichen? Of course!" Zhuo Jingren answered.

    "What if she kills him?" her words instantly made himugh.

    "You should stop thinking about them. They are both adults." He shrugged. "Oh. Bei Tian is already on his way. And Fernando and Li Shanshan will meet us in the groceriester."

    "Fernando sent you a message?" Lily asked, a little surprised that Fernando did not even bother telling her this. Good thing, Li Shanshan already informed this a week back. "That man seemed to have forgotten that we have been friends longer than you."

    "Stop being jealous... They can¡¯t help it. I am such an adorable human being."

    "Hmp." She snorted and shook her head. Seeing Fernando getting close to her husband is actually making her happy. She had long considered him as a brother and seeing him consider Zhuo Jingren as a family is a good thing.

    "He said he will cook too." Zhuo Jingren continued as he pulled her towards him and kissed her head. "I think we shall see, who is a better cook."

    Lilyughed at his words. When ites to Fernando and Zhuo Jingren, apetition about everything should be considered normal. "That man is a good cook... too."

    "Really?"

    "Hmmm." She nodded. "I heard from Ahshan that his father is still sick and people are still fighting for his money. I am surprised that they decided to join us for Christmas Eve."

    "Unfortunate. He is not dead yet and they are already in chaos."

    "This is the reason why I don¡¯t want to give anything to our Children." Lily dered with a serious tone.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Well... if they wanted it. They should work for it. I am nning to set up a trust fund for each of them." Seeing the confusion in her husband¡¯s eyes, Lily continued. "Both of us grew up without money so we valued what we have now. I would want them to do that."

    "Hmmm all right." He nodded. "You can do whatever you want." His words only made Lily smile. As expected, he would agree to whatever she says.

    "By the way ¡ª" Lily made a deliberate pause as she looked at him. "Let¡¯s go to Switzend for the honeymoon."

    "I thought you want to go to Skopelos in Italy?"

    "Well... we can go to Switzend after we go to Skopelos." She beamed.

    "No problem. Go ahead and ask Jichen to take care of it." He answered, instantly making Lily smile. She leaned her head against his shoulders and close her eyes. A smile still visible on her lips.

    ....

    "Ahli!" Li Shanshan could not help but squeal when she saw Lily. She run towards her and immediately hugged her friend. "I miss you!"

    "Too tight." Lily said before she hugged her friend back. Lily knew that Li Shanshan had been avoiding her because of what happened with Fernando. She must have felt embarrassed for hiding it to Lily and avoided her because of guilt. Not that Lily cared about any of that.

    Lily always knew that Fernando liked her friend, so what happened was not really a surprise to her. Moreover, all she felt was genuine happiness for the two. Lily also had been busy in the past few months with her marriage and business that sometimes she would totally forgot to message both Fernando and Li Shanshan.

    "I miss you too." She smiled when Li Shanshan let go of her.

    "All right. We should talk while we shop." Li Shanshan smiled as she looked at both Fernando and Zhuo Jingren. "Are you guysing with us?"

    "They won¡¯t." Lily answered. Zhuo Jingren already gave her a list of the things that she needed to buy for his recipe. "There is a coffee shop down there... They have a lot of catching up to do." She rolled her eyes at Fernando who in response onlyughed at her.

    "Alright then. Let¡¯s go?" Li Shanshan nodded before she pulled Lily inside. "I already took some time off for the wedding. I just finished filming in the US and I have two months of free time."

    The two continued to talk as they shop.

    "So ¡ª you are nning a wedding this June?" Lily asked. Last time she heard, Li Shanshan agreed to marry Fernando. However, a few days ago, Li Shanshan texted her that they are already married. It was supposed to be a secret and only Lily and Zhuo Jingren knew this. "I mean... you already got a marriage certificate right?" She eyed her friend¡¯s empty ring finger.

    Li Shanshan shrugged in response. "Yeah... but he wanted to keep me safe so ¡ª no wedding band for us. But enough about me... I want to know everything about this wedding!"

    "I am already married. Or did you forget that?" Lily asked, amused. Li Shanshan hated weddings. She doesn¡¯t like to marry someone, mainly because of her past. However, the excitement that she was showing right now was not some fake act. It was sincere, and Lily couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Fernando had somehow changed Li Shanshan¡¯s views about marriage. In fact, she is still wondering how the man convinced Li Shanshan to marry him. Did he perhaps pointed a gun at her?

    Lily eyed Li Shanshan. Judging from Li Shanshan¡¯s subtle blush, the gun pointing should be out of the equation, Lily concluded.

    "What I was trying to ask is... Are you going to have a bachelorette party like a normal bride?" Li Shanshan batted her eyelids at Lily, making herugh at her friend¡¯s antics. Seeing Li Shanshan like this immediately lifted Lily¡¯s mood.

    "Of course, we are." She nodded.

 Chapter 411 Bachelorette Party

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 411 Bachelorette Party</h4>

    "A bachelorette?" Fernando raised an eyebrow as he sliced the onion. "You and Lily?"

    "Yang Mi ising with us too..." Lily nodded. She rested her elbows on the center ind of the kitchen and propped her chin on her palms. She watched both Fernando and Zhuo Jingren cook with Secretary Go assisting them.

    "We are all brides. I mean... me and Lily." Li Shanshan said. "We totally deserve this before we get married."

    "Both of you are already married." Fernando dered, unamused. "Why are you acting like a single woman?"

    "It¡¯s natural for a bride to be have a bachelorette. Plus... we won¡¯t have any male strippers all right? We are just going to have some weekends for ourselves!" Li Shanshan reasoned.

    "Hmmm... just one weekend." Lily uttered as she thought about all the paperworks that will be dyed because of this party. She could not even think about the amount of work that will wait for her after this ¡¯weekend¡¯. She sighed inwardly.

    "Wait... you said that President Zhuo is going to marry you in every continent that you go to. Does this mean that... we will have a bachelorette party every time?" Li Shanshan beamed at the idea.

    "OF COURSE NOT!" Both Fernando and Zhuo Jingren answered at the same time. Making Lily and Li Shanshanughed out loud.

    "One bachelorette is enough." Zhuo Jingren said.

    "You are okay with this idea?" Fernando frowned.

    "Why not?"

    "You are okay with letting them go to the beach, wear two piece clothing andy in the sand without us?"

    "Why not?" Zhuo Jingren shrugged.

    "You are okay with them partying all by themselves?"

    "Is there any reason I should not approve of their n?"

    Fernando stared at Zhuo Jingren in disbelief. He then shifted his gaze at Secretary Go. "Oi... Jichen... are you okay with your woman having a party without you?"

    "No." Secretary Go answered. "She can have bachelorette but I shoulde along."

    "See?" he held his hand at Secretary Go. "See? That is what I¡¯m talking about. This is a true man."

    "Fernando... why are you making such a big deal out of this?" Lily asked when she saw Zhuo Jingren shook his head. "What¡¯s wrong with us partying without you?"

    "Everything." Fernando said, sternly.

    "See? This man is crazy." Li Shanshan whispered. "This is what I was talking about. He is like a glue. A strong one at that."

    "Well... you can also have your own party, you know." Lilyughed.

    "Absolutely not." Fernando shook his head. "Not going to happen. I have been to a lot of parties. I don¡¯t need another one." Surprisingly, Zhuo Jingren nodded at Fernando¡¯s words.

    Both women looked at each other. "Then... maybe we could have a party together?" Li Shanshan said after a few seconds. Defeat apparent in her eyes. She sighed in disappointment. However, this only made Lilyugh.

    To be honest, Lily does not care about any parties at all. However, she would not want to disappoint her friend.

    "That is such a great idea!" Fernando beamed. "We can have our parties together!"

    The group of friends continued their banter as both Fernando and Zhuo Jingren cooked for their Christmas Eve Feast ¡ª something that Lily always celebrated with her grandmother in the past.

    After a few hours, Bei Tian also arrived, bringing some wine for their dinner.

    "Enjoying the party?" Zhuo Jingren¡¯s whisper interrupted Lily. She titled her head and looked at him before she shifted her gaze back to the firece in front of them. She was currently sitting in her grandmother¡¯s study looking at some family pictures.

    "I am. Thank you." She smiled. This is her study. It¡¯s small, but she liked it that way." She eyed the wedding portrait of her grandmother on top of the firece. "How are you?"

    "Hmmm." He sat beside her and pulled her into a hug. "I quite liked it too." His voice was light and carefree. "I think... it is nice to live a life like this."

    "Something quiet?" she asked.

    "Yeah... away from trouble. Just peaceful and happy." Lily let out a small giggle. "What¡¯s wrong? Did I say something funny?" he asked.

    "You reminded me of my ns before I met you months ago."

    "ns?"

    "I was nning to live somewhere far once I retire. Alone and away from all this drama." She answered. Memories of her first meeting with Zhuo Jingren came rushing inside her. She smiled. She would treasure those memories forever.

    "And? Did you change your ns?"

    "Nope." She felt him stilled at her answer. She giggled and continued, "I only added you to the equation. This time, instead of living alone, I nned on living with you!"

    He let out a low chuckle. "Do you have a ce in mind?"

    "Nope. I don¡¯t know. What about you?"

    "Anywhere with you is fine." He answered.

    Silence followed as Lily felt the warm and assurance from his words. Both of them watched the flickering fire, casting shadows on the carpeted floor. She leaned hear head on his shoulders.

    "Here..." she said. "I know we still have a few hours before midnight but this is my gift to you." She handed a small box wrapped in red mesh.

    "What is this?"

    "You can open itter."

    "Please don¡¯t tell me this is some condoms, or something like that. Aw! all right... I was joking stop pinching me." heughed at her.

    "Why would you even think of that?" she asked, wide eyed. Sometimes, she really could not understand how her husband¡¯s mind work.

    "I don¡¯t know. What if you wanted to have some protection or something?"

    She rolled her eyes. "You know... sometimes I wonder if you are really the same person that those magazines had talked about."

    "Why?"

    "You are not cold or anything like that."

    "Oh... do you like cold people better?"

    "Of course not. If I marry someone as cold as me... we will freeze."

    "I agree." He nodded and smirked. "Since this is not some condoms then... all good."

    She instantly lifted an eyebrow at his reaction. "Don¡¯t tell me..."

    "We still have a few hours before midnight." He kissed her cheeks and started trailing kisses on her neck.

    "Jingren... not here." Lily said as she eyed her grandmother¡¯s portrait. On the photo was Lilian with her husband, smiling. She shivered. "We should go to our room." She rose from here seat and left the office. There is just nothing more creepy than making love in front of her grandmother¡¯s portrait.

    Just the thought of it made Lily shivered again.

 Chapter 412 Protection

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 412 Protection</h4>

    "Merry Christmas!"

    The clinking of champagne sses echoed, followed by greetings that poured out from everyone¡¯s smiling mouth. The dinner was full ofughter and jokes, banter and funny arguments of silly topics. Then everyone was given the opportunity to give each other gifts.

    "I thought we can only open gifts in the morning?" It was Secretary Go. This was his first time celebrating Christmas, however, he prided himself in watching a lot of Christmas movies from the Hollywood. He should be considered an expert when ites to American Christmas traditions.

    "Morning or now.... What¡¯s the difference?" Yang Mi answered as she opened her gift from Lily. "Why are you evenining? This is a happy asion."

    Secretary Go pursed his lips. He chose not to answer the woman sitting beside him. It would only cause more arguments and therefore chaos. He could not afford to spoil the fun for everyone. "Can you move over?" he asked. "A little." He added.

    They were currently huddled in the smaller living room of the mansion, which only had four small couch and a big Christmas tree fronting a firece. Lily thought this ce would be the best venue for gift giving as it was small and cozy.

    "You can sit in the carpet if you want." Yang Mi shrugged. Since both Zhuo Jingren and Fernando had their women sit on theirps, Yang Mi and Go Jichen was force to share the only couch avable. While Bei Tian¡¯s tall frame was enough to upy one couch for his own.

    Secretary Go nodded but did not heed her words. Instead, he focused on opening his present from Zhuo Jingren and everyone else.

    ..................

    "Really?" Zhuo Jingren lifted his eyebrow. He stared at Lily, who was smiling at him in return. "We are doing well now?" His smile was short-lived when he remembered not using any protection during their making love session just a few minutes before midnight.

    He widened his eyes at her. However, Lily only smiled in response. "The Doctor said the result is great. And there is a possibility that I will get pregnant if we are not careful." She was talking about her gift for Zhuo Jingren. It was the result of the test in her ovaries a few days back. She kept it a secret with the intention of giving it to him as a Christmas gift.

    "But earlier¡ª" he swallowed his nonexistent saliva as he thought of getting Lily pregnant before their wedding. "What if..."

    "Does anyone really care?" she beamed.

    "But people will think..."

    "Hey, we are already married. Who cares about them?" She said. Her voice lowered as she eyed the deed in her hand. "A house in Skopelos, huh."

    "Hmmm.... I know you will love to stay in that ce. I remember you said your grandparents love it too." The tension in his face slowly eased as she watched Lily smiled. Her words were true. So what if she gets pregnant before the wedding day? They are already married for six months now.

    Originally, Zhuo Jingren was thinking of giving her a very extravagant wedding. Like those found in the magazines that the little Qin Jinghua used to read when she was small. He wanted a fairytale wedding. Something that Lily would remember forever. However, what he did not know was the fact that Lily does not care about these things anymore.

    To Lily, weddings are just something superficial. Still, she would not say no to a grand wedding as long as she marries him.

    The group continued to eat and talk for a few more minutes before they decided to retire to their rooms. It was already half-past two. However, not one of them cared. After all, it was really seldom for them to have a get together like this.

    With all the enemies lurking behind their backs, they are still lucky to be able to meet and enjoyed each other¡¯spany this time. Who knows when will they have the avability to do it again?

    ..........

    The morning of the twenty-fifth came.

    "Do we have to go somewhere today?" Zhuo Jingren asked as he covered Lily¡¯s body with the nket. "When are we going to Skopelos?"

    "Tonight. We need to take a flight to Greece, then take a Yacht to Skopelos Ind. Yang Mi already scheduled everything so no worries." She stifled a yawn. "What time is it now?"

    "One in the afternoon. Everyone else is awake now. They already had their brunch earlier. We should go down and join them."

    Lily shut her eyes. "I don¡¯t get a lot of rest days like these." She uttered. "I want to enjoy it."

    "By staying in bed all day? Come on. You need to eat."

    "Hmmm... I don¡¯t want to get out of bed." Lily knew that the temperature would be close to zero today. Staying in bed under her covers with Zhuo Jingren was the only thing that is in her mind.

    "Then..." he suddenly lifted her into a princess carry. "I will make you. You need to eat."

    "Hey! Where are you taking me? I don¡¯t want to take a bath!"

    "The tub is ready, your highness. Justy down and rx... I will make sure to cater to your needs while you bath." He spoke in a weird English ent, making Lily giggle.

    Slowly, Zhuo Jingren took off her pyjamas and slid her down the tub. Its warm water immediately made her moan. "Wow... this is good." She uttered under her breath.

    "Hmmm." He nodded.

    "I¡¯m hungry." Lily said.

    "Would you like me to bring some food here?" he gave her a gentle smile.

    "No... not that kind of hungry." She winked, her lips lifted into a mischievous smile. "Why don¡¯t you join me?"

    Zhuo Jingren did not wait for her to repeat her words. It was as if he became a ninja. His movements not even visible to the eye as he took off his own clothes and position himself behind Lily.

    Lily let out another giggle. "Hey President Zhuo..."

    "Hm?"

    "At this rate, I will be pregnant before June next year."

    "And you want some protection? Did you get a prescription? Because I did not bring any¡ª"

    "Nah ¡ª" Lily interrupted him and stroked his legs. She leaned her back against his hard chest. "I was going to ask you to finish this thing with the Zhou¡¯s as fast as possible. I don¡¯t want to give birth with them still lurking behind our backs."

    She felt him nod. "So... ummm... no protection?" he asked.

 Chapter 413 Famished

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 413 Famished</h4>

    WARNING: Half Smut. Because... who needs full smut? Hehehehe

    ...............................

    Lily propped herself against the headboard and caught her breath.

    "Are we not even tired?" he asked and sat beside her.

    "Are you?" her question was not answered as she maneuvered herself and straddled him. A low chuckle escaped his lips as their eyes met. The fire in his eyes burning so hot, it sent shivers of pleasure down her stomach.

    Slowly, she lowered her head and nipped his nipples. A hissed escaped him when he felt her stroke his manhood. Her other hand raked over his chest, then into his sculpted abs. Her lips skimmed through his stomach but before she could lower mouth to take his manhood, Zhuo Jingren caught her hand. Stopping her.

    She lifted her head and stared at him. His eyes begged her. "I want you now." He growled. His voice enough to send electric pulses down her core.

    "A little impatient, eh?" she lifted an eyebrow as her thumb rubbed over the moist head of his hardness. Zhuo Jingren was having none of it. He suddenly lifted her up, earning a squeal, and settled her on the bed.

    His fingers caught hers, pinning them on the bed. His gaze never left hers as he thrust. She caught her breath as she felt him surged inside her core. Her legs lifted and wrapped around him.

    When Zhuo Jingren began to thrust, she eagerly lifted her hips and met him. Pleasureshed inside her as she moaned and called out his name. He was with her, thrusting deeper and harder.

    He drove into her, creating thousands of pleasure rippling in her navel. She bit her lips, her eyes pleading, begging for the release that she desperately wanted. He freed her hands and touched her core, making her shudder. Another thrust made her shook in pleasure.

    His thrust became faster, sloppier. His hands gripped her waist, his body stilled, stiffening as release swept over him. Lily gasp, her own release made her shudder. She close her eyes and bit her lips.

    She could feel her heart racing, drumming against her chest. She panted and met his fiery gaze. Her lips lifted into a smile as she tried to catch her breath. "What time is it?"

    "No idea." He said. He rolled over andy next to her. "We should take a bath again."

    "Hmmm... Good idea."

    "Then... we can have some food." He said. "I¡¯m starving."

    "Same." She smirked. She lowered her gaze into his nakedness. "I¡¯m famished."

    ....................................

    While Lily and everyone else was having a great time. Their enemies did not ck as well.

    "See? I told you! That woman is dangerous!" Zhou Kang hissed. He eyed his father that was calmly sitting in front of him as he continued to pace. "I thought that Lin Yu Yan is smart! Turns out she is just another man-hungry woman! She always had a soft spot for that bastard Zhuo Jingren! And that Qi Xia... How could he be this useless? Zhou Huifang needed to reevaluate his friends. He should avoid useless people like him."

    "You did not miscalcte this time." His old man said. "I think this gave us an idea of how much powerful they are. The fact that Lily was working with Zhuo Jingren¡¯s right-hand man and everyone under him ¡ª This means she knows her husband¡¯s involvement in the ck market. This is more dangerous than we thought. We cannot use his past against him."

    Zhou Kang narrowed his eyes at his father. "What are you trying to say?"

    "I mean... in every negative, there is positive. In this case, we knew that she is working closely with his men and..." the old man held a folder in his hand. "This."

    Zhou Kang epted the folder and sat across his father. "This... who is this?" he eyed the man in the photograph.

    "People in our world call him Mr. B. He is Zhuo Jingren¡¯s close friend. Bei Tian."

    "And?"

    "Take a look at his face." The old man sighed and leaned against his chair. "Take a closer look. Can you see anything familiar?"

    "He¡ª" Zhou Kang¡¯s throat tightened as he continued to look at various photographs taken of the man named Bei Tian. "He looked like Jingtao!"

    "Precisely!" the old man nodded. "His face looked like your brother when he was younger. So ¡ª I did a little digging, and I found out that he grew up with Zhuo Jingren in the orphanage. He was ced there a few days after Zhuo Jingren was found in the doorstep of that orphanage." He handed him another folder.

    "He is alive?" Zhou Kang¡¯s breath hitched as he read Bei Tian¡¯s file. "Jingtao¡¯s kid is alive!" his eyes turned into crescents as he gave a sinister smile.

    "That woman is pretty clever." The old man uttered. His wizened face morphed into an ugly scowl. "It took us a very long time to find Zhuo Jingren and Bei Tian. They are in our in sight yet, it took us years."

    "Do you think we can use him against Zhuo Jingren?" Zhou Kang asked. However, contrary to his expectations, the old man shook his head in response.

    "Probably not. I believe he also knows about us and is helping Zhuo Jingren."

    "But¡ª"

    "Kang I believe you have to exercise extra caution this time." The old man interrupted him. "This Bei Tian... I have a bad feeling about him. He could be more dangerous than Zhou Jingren himself."

    Zhou Kang turned silent. This Bei Tian could be his only key in his revenge. He should focus on buying the man¡¯s loyalty.

    "I know what you are thinking... and No. There is no way that you can buy him. You better avoid engaging them now. This man had grown up with Zhuo Jingren. They considered each other as brothers. There is¡ª"

    "Everything has a price." Zhou Kang said as he shifted his eyes towards his father. "Even brother kill each other for money. Everything has a price, father... and that includes his loyalty."

 Chapter 414 Therapy

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 414 Therapy</h4>

    Traveling to Skopelos takes a lot of time.

    While Lily and Zhuo Jingren could easily fly in a private ne towards the ce. Lily said it would be better to have them ride a ne and a yacht. The same way that Lilian did when they visited the ce.

    Of course, everyone else also came as this was a very special moment for everyone.

    "I can see lovers everywhere! They are all in pairs!" Bei Tian grumbled. "Are they mocking me?"

    "Then find one." Fernando answered. Everyone was in the business ss and they still could practically see each other.

    "And we are not a pair." Yang Mi added. She was sitting next to Bei Tian. "Go Jichen and I." She rified.

    "Really?" Bei Tian lifted an eyebrow and gave her a knowing smile. "I thought you two secretly got married. Was I wrong?"

    Fernando¡¯sughter echoed. The group still needed to wait before take off and everyone was very excited in traveling together. Because of this, most of them already had a smile stered all over their faces. "I actually thought the same!" Fernando added.

    "What are you two talking about?" Secretary Go was seated behind Yang Mi.

    "Your marriage." Both Fernando and Bei Tian answered together, then both chuckled. "We thought you and miss Yang here are already married." Fernando said.

    "Oh... that." Secretary Go nodded. "Not yet."

    "Go Jichen! Stop spouting nonsense!" Yang Mi hissed and turned to see Secretary Go¡¯s serious space.

    "What? Would you like me to tell them that we are already married? Yang Mi, ah. That is not the truth." Secretary Go watched as Yang Mi¡¯s face turned scarlet. She red at him. "You are not going to threaten me again, are you?" He widened his eyes.

    "See? See? I told you something is going on." Fernando nudge to Li Shanshan. "I can feel it."

    "Stop being so nosy. Why are you acting like a woman!?" Li Shanshan fired back. "Stop teasing Yang Mi. Secretary Go is the one afraid to confess to her. Why are you making fun to Yang Mi? Go make fun of Go Jichen!" She rolled her eyes and went to continue her conversation with Lily.

    The teasing continued until it was announced that they are ready for takeoff. By that time, everyone started to stay quiet and slept. The flight will be about five hours and by the time that they arrive they will take the yacht. So everyone decided to save some energy and have some rest.

    ...........

    This ambiguous environment was the exact opposite of the environment in the Xuan Residence in Hong Kong. Screams echoed at the living room, followed by the sound of shattered sses.

    "I told you! It was a meeting! A meeting!" Xuan Hui used his arms to cover his face. Qin Fei on the other hand continued throwing vases at him.

    "Stop lying to me! Are you screwing another secretary again?" Qin Fei¡¯s face was red, her voice hoarse, eyes bulging as she continued to throw things at her husband. "It¡¯s already dawn! DAWN! Are you saying that you have a meeting until dawn?" Qin Fei was livid. After that incident with her cousin, her anxiety had gone up. She could not sleep nor function well, everytime Xuan Hui is away from her.

    "Tell me! Who is it this time? Huh?" Qin Fei yelled. "Who is it!?"

    "Qin Fei! Stop this! I already told you! I am busy! I can¡¯t just cater to your needs, every time! I have a business to run. Stop being such a pain in the ass!"

    "What did you say?" Qin Fei walked towards her husband. "Are you calling me crazy?"

    "You know that¡¯s not what I said. And my new secretary is¡ª"

    "Stop! I don¡¯t want to hear it! I know you always think I have lost my mind! I can see it in the way you look at me! You think I¡¯m crazy!"

    Xuan Hui stared at his wife for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. Since Qin Fei identally killed her cousin, she had been acting weird. However, he never thought that she was crazy. Maybe it was depression, he doesn¡¯t know. All he knew is that his wife needed help. "Qin Fei... Listen to me." He walked towards her.

    "I am not cheating on you." He uttered as he pulled her into a hug. Qin Fei tried to resist at first, however, in the end, she broke down in her husband¡¯s arms. "It was a mistake. And I am not intending to do it again. All right?" Xuan Hui patted his wife¡¯s back.

    "I¡¯m sorry." Xuan Hui added, making Qin Fei cry even more. Her shoulders shook. "Why... Why don¡¯t we get some help?" Xuan Hui suggested. "A couple¡¯s councilor? We could have some therapy to¡ª"

    "No." Qin Fei interrupted him and removed his arms. "Why would I get therapy? I am not crazy!"

    "No... this is not something for crazy people. This is for both of us." Xuan Hui calmly said. He made a mistake and he would do his best to help his wife. "It would be better if we undergo therapy for our rtionship. I don¡¯t want you to feel that I no longer love you." He understood that Qin Fei had been really insecure after giving birth. Then he slept with her cousin. Moreover, her mother is still on the run from the authority and her father inatose.

    The bad state that she was in became worse. Xuan Hui could practically feel the dark aura surrounding Qin Fei.

    Qin Fei met his eyes. "If I do therapy with you, my friends might say that ¡ª" she shook her head. "I don¡¯t want them to think that we have problems."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Can¡¯t you see? Everyone had been gossiping about us! The arrest, my parents, my mother. You working under Lily! If we go to a therapy, the press will have a party. They will think we are trying to fix our rtionship and might even conclude that we will divorce soon! I don¡¯t want that."

    Xuan Hui stared at his wife in disbelief. How could she care about other people¡¯s opinion despite everything that has been happeningtely?

 Chapter 415 Cabin

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 415 Cabin</h4>

    The freezing air swept through Lily as quickened her steps towards the car waiting for them in the port. She clutched her coat tighter, hoping that it will somehow ease the cold.

    "Here," Zhuo Jingren gave her an extra coat. She eyed the man walking next to her and epted the coat without saying anything. After a few seconds, they get into the car and immediately started their trip towards her grandfather¡¯s house.

    "When was thest time that you visited this ce?" Zhuo Jingren asked her.

    "Hmmm... I went only once. It was three or four years ago. I forgot." She said and stifled a yawn.

    "You need to sleep."

    "Hmmm..." she nodded and close her eyes. Lily did not sleep all throughout the five-hour flight. "Do want to tell me something?" she asked when she noticed Zhuo Jingren being tense all throughout the Yacht ride.

    "It is December." Zhuo Jingren stated. A sigh escaped his lips.

    "I know."

    "You said, there will be fewer tourists because of the snow."

    "Yes, that is right."

    "Well... a certain people of the royalty was staying near the cabin."

    Lily instantly opened her eyes and lifted an eyebrow. "From what country?"

    "Guess what?"

    "Luxembourg?" She looked at him. "Really?"

    "Apparently, the Great Duke and Duchess, spent their Christmas in Skopelos with their children and their family." Zhuo Jingren answered.

    Lily pursed her lips in response before she leaned against him and close her eyes. Her grandfather was once a royalty in Luxembourg. However, because of love, he abandoned being a prince in the country. After this, his younger brother because the Grand Duke or the Monarch. Now, however, the Grand Duke already passed away because of an unfortunate ident, leaving his son for the position.

    "They have houses in Skopelos." She uttered. "Just like my grandfather."

    "Hmmm... Jichen told me about it. Luxembourg had a very good economytely. I mean... not the best, but their growth is consistent."

    "That is true. I seldom read anything about them. I have no interest in branching out in that ce. They are not interesting enough." Lily knew Zhuo Jingren¡¯s intention in saying those words. However, branching out in a ce like that is not of her ns. This was because ording to her grandmother, the previous Grand Duke or her grandfather¡¯s father was an absolute monarch.

    He was a no nonsense man who valued prestige and their name above everything else. While she did not tell her the specific reason why her grandfather was removed from their ancestral books, she had mention a lot of time that it was because of her.

    The thought of her grandmother and grandfather¡¯s love for each other made her smile. A man willing to leave his royal ties just to be with the woman that he love was just admirable. Especially when the Fi Group was not that big when it happened.

    "Hey." Lily nudged Zhuo Jingren.

    "Hm?"

    "If you are a royalty somewhere... let¡¯s say you are a prince. And your people will tell you to divorce me so you can be the king... will you do it?"

    "Of course not!" he answered almost instantly.

    "What if it¡¯s the richest country in the world?"

    "Nope."

    "Why?" she asked.

    "Why not?" his answer immediately earned a re from his wife. He chuckled. "I am already a king in our kingdom."

    Lily rolled her eyes but smiled at him. His answer was still enough to satisfy her.

    "What will happen if they recognize you?" Zhuo Jingren asked.

    "Oh... they will. My great grandfather gave that house to my grandfather. I think he also gave one to his other son. Thete Grand Duke."

    "So? What will you do?"

    "Nothing. We are not rted or anything."

    She felt Zhuo Jingren nod. Silence permeated the car. After a few minutes, she felt the car slowed down before it finally came to a full stop.

    "We¡¯re here?" she opened her eyes and got out of the car with her husband. Lily immediately smiled at the view that weed her. The house was made of stone bricks perfectlyid on top of each other and precious wood. The snow nketed its roof as the gloomy sky silhouetted its two-story frame. Giving it a very cozy vibe. She felt Zhuo Jingren wrapped his arms on her waist.

    Lily shifted her gaze towards the man standing next to her. She met his eyes, and her lips lifted into a smile. "I would love to stay here." She said.

    He nodded and nted a kiss on her forehead.

    "Wow! This is surreal!" Bei Tian¡¯s voice echoed, followed by the crunching sound of his boots against the ice. He approached them, a smile on his face. "Can I buy this ce? I would love to have my honeymoon here."

    "Yeah... you need to find a girlfriend first." Zhuo Jingren answered. "And you can buy the other cabins. Not this one." He eyed the other cabins a few meters away from the fence. Each of the cabin was made of stone bricks and wood, having their own charm.

    "AhLi! You did not tell me that you have a ce like this." Li Shanshan also approached them as their drivers started carrying their luggages towards the cabin. "And you said it was a cabin this is clearly a very nice house."

    "Grandma called it that way." Lily shrugged. "And... I wanted to bring you thest time that we are here. You were busy with your films."

    "I remember that. It was when, I had that film in the Hollywood? Do you remember?"

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. "Let¡¯s go inside? We will freeze if we just stay here."

    "Of course." Zhuo Jingren said, and everyone immediately walked towards the cabin.

    "AhLi, this ce is really nice. Grandma Lilian was such a peculiar woman. I did not take her as someone who would to own a ce in such a remote ce." Li Shanshan continued to talk as everyone approached the cabin. Meanwhile, Lily was looking at the cabin to their left. A woman was obviously watching them from the windows.

    She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was one of people from her grandfather¡¯s nativend. Lily decided to ignore it and just focus on their current vacation. She was not really interested in knowing those people, anyway.

 Chapter 416 Scrabble

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 416 Scrabble</h4>

    The two-story house was as weing as on the outside. From the old fashioned parquet flooring to the photographs of Lilian and her husband on the walls, everything about the cabin screamed, warmth, love and cozy.

    It had a huge living room that can easily amodate everyone, with warm Persian carpets and a firece made of stone.

    "This ce is..." Li Shanshan roamed her eyes at the house. "It¡¯s beautiful." Then her eyes halted at one of the photos on the stone wall. It was a picture of Lily with her grandmother. "This was taken in the mansion?"

    "Yes. It was." Lily nodded, her eyes dimmed. Memories of her grandmother came rushing through her like an unstoppable flood. The photo was taken in one of their Christmas together. Lily did not know that her grandmother had this photo framed and disyed in this house. "This was not here when we visited." She added.

    "Aw..." Li Shanshan hugged Lily. "Grandma Lilian is such a sweet woman."

    "She is." Lily smiled. "I am really sleepy. You guys have breakfast ahead of us."

    "Are you sure?" Bei Tian asked. "Maybe you can eat first before sleeping?"

    "Yes, I have not slept throughout the flight," Lily answered. "There are a total of four rooms in this cabin. Thest room was a little smaller. But it should be enough to amodate everyone. Bei Tian and Go Jichen can share a room. If they like it... or..." she titled her head towards Yang Mi. "Jichen can share with Yang Mi."

    Yang Mi immediately lowered her head. A tinge of red crept into her face. Lily and everyone else chuckled at her reaction before Lily and Zhuo Jingren left to rest.

    ...

    It was already two in the afternoon when Lily woke up. This time, however, she avoided having extracurricr activities with her husband as she was starving. She went downstairs to find everyone ying scrabble. Even Zhuo Jingren joined them.

    "Where did you get the board?" Lily does not remember having a scrabble board in the cabin, nor anyone brought a board with them. She sat next to Zhuo Jingren as she ate some of Fernando¡¯s favorite, Pizza.

    "Oh... our neighbors came!" It was Fernando. His enthusiasm surprised Lily. "Turns out. We are neighbors with the royal family of Luxembourg. They spent their holidays in this ce."

    "You know them?"

    "Of course! My father designed most of the Duchess¡¯ Jewels." He lifted his chin and smiled at Lily. His eyes turned crescents, but it was not enough the sparked of pride in it.

    "Really," Lily said as she eyed Zhuo Jingren. "They recognized you?"

    "Oh yeah. One of their guards came here and gave us board games. They also invited us to dinner tonight."

    "Did they?" Lily¡¯s lips lifted into a smile. "I was not expecting that."

    "Oh... They are cool people."

    "I see." Lily nodded and continued eating her pizza. "They invited everyone? Including me?"

    "Yes, they did." Li Shanshan said. "I even thought it was weird. They are Royalties. Aren¡¯t they afraid that we are some assassins sent to kill them?"

    "It was because they trust my father." Fernando reasoned out. "And I am also acquainted with their children. Leandro and Mika... they still have two more kids, but I did not have the chance to meet them."

    "Wow! You are really familiar with them." Bei Tian said as heid the tiles on the board. "Annoy. Double letter here..." he eyed Secretary Go who was writing the score.

    "How could you put such simple words?" Fernando chimed in. A smug smile on his face.

    "What do you mean by that?" Bei Tian frown. "That¡¯s a double letter."

    "Letter, not word. Plus, you open a triple word spot for Jingren."

    "You- Do you want a fight with me?"

    "Ha! I think you are Zhuo Jingren¡¯s minion! Trying to open a good spot for him!" Fernando ignored Bei Tian¡¯s words.

    "Hey! I am not! And don¡¯t call me dumb!"

    "I didn¡¯t!"

    "You just did! Don¡¯t deny it! Do you want to fight?"

    While Bei Tian and Fernando started another friendly argument, Lily silently ate her food.

    "Are we going?" she heard Zhuo Jingren asked.

    "Why not?"

    He lifted an eyebrow. "Do you think they¡ª"

    "I do. It was intentional." She answered as she turned her attention to Zhuo Jingren¡¯s tiles. "Our turn."

    "Oh... Here... Alkalize." Zhuo Jingrenid the tiles, gaining both Bei Tin and Fernando¡¯s attention.

    "See? I told you! I am right... you are making him win!" Fernando widened his eyes at Bei Tian.

    "I am not!"

    "This is not fair. I think¡ª"

    "Boys..." Lily said. "Stop fighting. It¡¯s Yang Mi¡¯s turn."

    Both Fernando and Bei Tian pursed their lips at the same time.

    "So? Are we all going for dinnerter?" Bei Tian changed the topic.

    "Yes. We are." Lily said as she finished her pizza. She rose from her seat to get another slice.

    "Oh... and it¡¯s a formal dinner." Fernando said.

    "These people are always like this. They eat in really long tables. Just like what Lily has in the mansion. Sometimes, longer. It¡¯s pretty boring." Fernando shrugged.

    "All right." Zhuo Jingren said. He stood up and followed Lily. "Are you sure about this?" he said in a low voice.

    "Yes. I am. They know this house belongs to my grandfather. Maybe they just wanted to meet me in person."

    "Did they try to contact your grandfather before?" he asked. Zhuo Jingren cannot afford to have more enemies at this time so he wanted to make sure that they are not walking in another trap.

    "Yeah... his brother did. Thete Grand Duke. I didn¡¯t know if they ever saw each other again. Grandma told me, they remain friends."

    "And ¡ª Do you think ¡ª Do you think they are capable of something evil?" It was a silly question. Zhuo Jingren knew this. He just wanted Lily to give him something... anything that he could use to gauge if these people pose a threat to his wife.

    "Of course!" Lily gave her a wry smile. "Stop worrying. I don¡¯t intend to get close to them. But I would not miss the opportunity to meet them either.

 Chapter 417 One Hell of a Woman

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 417 One Hell of a Woman</h4>

    "Really?" The Duchess darted her gaze from Fernando to Lily. "You own that cabin?"

    "My Grandfather. It was my Grandfather¡¯s cabin."

    "You are Frederick¡¯s granddaughter?" the man sitting opposite to the Duchess asked, his gaze sharp as she stared Lily.

    "I am," Lily answered.

    "What is happening?" the blond woman named Mika asked. She looked at her mother, then her father. "Fredrick ¡ª Grandfather¡¯s brother?"

    Her father, Duke Phil, nodded.

    "This ce belongs to the Royalties of Luxembourg."

    Lily¡¯s eyes burned with confusion, but she stayed quiet and observed. She always thought that the younger generation would not recognize her grandfather. If they did, their tone would beced with disgust and malice. However, everything that happened was the exact opposite of that. Lily was sure that both the Duke and Duchess Esther already knew who she was from the moment, that they arrive in this ce. However, not once did they showed that they dislike her. This made Lily confused. She always thought everyone would treat her differently, even aggressively, but nothing like this happened.

    "So... we are like cousins?" Eliza, the youngest of the Royalties beamed at Lily. "Like... You are really pretty, we should be rted."

    "Eliza, manners." The oldest of the siblings, Leandro reprimanded.

    "What?" Eliza immediately rolled her eyes at him. "She is very beautiful. I can even see some resemnce."

    "No resemnce whatsoever." Levi, Eliza¡¯s twin brother, grumbled.

    "So? Is she rted to us?" Mika asked.

    "She is rted to us." The Duke said. A smile can be seen beneath his white mustache.

    "Well... This is very unexpected." Lily gave a tight-lipped smile. She waited for the maids to finish serving the desserts before she continued. "I have never thought of meeting anyone rted to myte grandfather." So far, everyone had been showing sincere emotions. While this was contrary to what she was expecting, Lily chose to act cordially at everyone.

    "The past is in the past for a reason. I think it is time for our family to move on." The Duchess smiled. "Plus, I really don¡¯t mind someone as beautiful as you as an addition to my family."

    Duke Philimon¡¯s boisterousughter echoed inside the dining room as the other family members gave their nods of approval. "All right..." the Duke raised his ss. "To new family members!"

    "To new family members!" Everyone followed.

    "So your grandfather is a royalty?" Fernando asked. "And you forgot to mention this before, because?"

    "Ex- royalty." Lily corrected. "And you didn¡¯t ask." she shrugged.

    "So you are like of Royal blood?" Li Shanshan chimed in. "Like a princess?"

    "Yes, she is." The Duchess answered. She eyed her husband and smiled when she saw the Duke nod at her. "Prince Frederick was supposed to inherit the throne. As the future king, he had responsibilities and at that time, that includes marrying the woman that his father wanted him to."

    "So he left?" Bei Tian asked. "He left and choose Lily¡¯s grandmother?"

    "No." The Duke shook his head. "He left because he didn¡¯t want to marry someone he does not love. He went to Europe and attended a school for royals. There... he met Lilian Fi, the feisty businesswoman."

    Lily¡¯s brows lifted. "Everyone of you knew this?"

    "Of course we do." Duke Phil answered. "This was not written in our history books, but everyone in the kingdom knew about this. The Prince who chose Lilian over his throne."

    "Didn¡¯t he introduce Lilian to his father? I mean.... She was rich, why doesn¡¯t he approve of her?" Bei Tian inquired. For some reason, the story got him hooked. He could not stop himself from asking.

    "He did. And at that time, Lilian was just starting her business. It was not as big as it was today. Fredrick brought his woman to see his father. Well... the previous king was a tyrant. Instead of acting like a benevolent king, he berated his own son in front of Lilian. Making the woman¡¯s temper re."

    A small smile bloomed on Lily¡¯s face. Her grandmother never told her the whole story about her grandfather and she never had the courage to asked her about it. Hearing this story immediately made her heart flutter.

    "Now this was hrious." The Duchess giggled. "Lilian made the king so angry. We don¡¯t know what the exact words were... since father refused to tell us. But.... Some people said, she talked back and insulted the king, making him speechless. She then marched out of the house and left with the prince running after her." She stared at Lily. "She was a no-nonsense woman who doesn¡¯t take any insults from misogynistic people."

    "Misogynistic?" Lily asked.

    "Ah... the king told her she will fail in the world of men. She was pretty... and the king told her a pretty face like her only have one rule in this world and that is to apany men in their beds." Duke Phil said. "Thatment made your grandmother so red she almost burst. Or at least... that¡¯s what my father said."

    "She was one hell of a woman," Eliza said.

    "Words." Levi and Leandro said simultaneously, earning a snort from their sister Mika.

    "She was indeed one hell of a woman," Mika said. "I mean... who would dare talk back to a king in his own country?"

    "It surprised me the king did not ask his guards to punish her," Fernando said.

    "Well... he was so shocked, he almost fell from his seat and was rendered speechless for a few hours."

    "Hours?"

    The Grand Duke nodded beforeughing. "No one... not even other monarchs from other kingdoms dared talk to him like that. He was so furious, he ordered that they arrest her. But it was already toote. By that time, they were already out of Luxembourg, leaving my father as the next crown prince."

    "Isn¡¯t she amazing?" the Duchess said. "At that time... women who pursue business were frowned upon. But your grandmother fought against them with her brains and efforts. Proving them wrong with her own sess and standing tall in the pinnacle of the business world. An epitome of us, women."

    Everyone nodded at her words as they continue to eat their desserts. Theughter and the story continued until the dinner ended.

 Chapter 418 Soon

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 418 Soon</h4>

    After the dinner ended, everyone except Lily and Zhuo Jingren went back to the cabin to rest.

    "You should visit Luxembourg when you have the time." Duchess Esther mused. "I am sure you will love it."

    "We would love to. However, we are currently very busy right now. As you know, my wife just recently branched out in Asia and we are also busy with our uing wedding ceremony."

    "A wedding?" Mika looked at Lily

    "You guys are already married, right?" Eliza who was sitting next to her sister asked.

    Lily smiled in response. "We are. This is just a ceremony. I would really love it if everyone coulde." All throughout their visit, Lily did not sense any animosity from everyone. In fact, she had genuinely enjoyed the dinner and felt the warmth from the Duke and his family. It was something that she never felt as she grew up.

    For Lily, inviting them to a wedding is just like honoring her grandfather¡¯s roots. Something that she never had the time to do before.

    "Really? That¡¯s great! Mother... I will go ahead and take care of everyone¡¯s schedule."Mika rose from her seat and left the living room without waiting for anyone to utter a word.

    "Forgive her. She¡¯s always like that." The Grand Duke shook his head and smiled. "We would love toe to your wedding. Allow us to contact you after a few days to confirm. We still need to fix our schedules." He added and gestured Eliza to follow her sister, leaving the Duke and the Duchess alone with the couple.

    "Thank you," Lily uttered.

    Shaking his head, the Duke eyed the firece in front of them, "I should be the one thanking you. To be honest, I already knew who you are the moment my wife informed me that you were upying the cabin next to our house." He shifted his gaze at Lily before looking at his wife. "I was not expecting that you will agree to meet us."

    "So you did not intend to invite us for dinner?" Lily asked.

    Her words surprised the Duke. "You are smart." Heughed. "But yes, that is right. I would not want to embarrass myself in front of my children."

    "What made you change your mind?" Zhuo Jingren interjected.

    "Me," Esther answered. "I was the one who insisted on having dinner with everyone. I mean... we expected a rejection. But when Fernando said that you agreed to join us... I ¡ª we were pleasantly surprised."

    "We expected that you dislike us," the Duke added. "You can¡¯t really me me for thinking such things, right?"

    "Dislike is a strong word. It was more like... indifference. I have never met anyone from my grandfather¡¯s family, therefore, I never cared about them or any of you before." Lily decided to be honest. This was a fact. She does not hate them, she was only indifferent towards these people mainly because she doesn¡¯t know anyone of them.

    A sh of amusement can be seen in the Duke¡¯s eyes. He gave her a warm smile, "Your honesty is refreshing. I have never met anyone who told me that they feel nothing towards my family." he ended his statement with a low chuckle.

    "She is? Right?" the Duchess concured. "She is Lilian¡¯s granddaughter, instead."

    The lighthearted conversation continued. It was something that both Lily and Zhuo Jingren seldom have when they were in Hong Kong. They drunk andughed as they discussed some details of the wedding, unaware of what ising...

    ............

    "So you are nning to visit Switzend too?" the Duke asked.

    "Yes, we are nning to do it before going back to Hong Kong." Lily nodded. "The wedding ising up and we are nning to spend some time in Europe toplete everything then go back to Hong Kong for our businesses"

    "Look at this child... still thinking about business at times like these." Duchess Esther said. "Why don¡¯t you leave everything to your Directors and VP¡¯s and concentrate on your wedding?"

    "Esther, you are talking to business tycoons. They have a different mindset than the rest of us." Duke Phil corrected his wife.

    "Well... I was just saying. After all, a wedding ceremony is a special event for every woman."

    "After our wedding, we are nning to take a break. A honeymoon for a few weeks, away from the corporate world." Zhuo Jingren exined. This was the reason why they wanted to take care of the business days before getting married to make sure that everything is ready.

    "That is a fantastic idea! This reminded me. When I married, the Duke tens of years ago, we went to the Caribbeans for our honeymoon..."

    "Not that story..." The Duke interrupted.

    "It was true. Hmph!" Duchess Esther ignored his husband¡¯s protests and looked at Lily. "After two weeks, the previous Grand Duke called us and asked us toe back. There were some emergencies and we need to be back to do our duty to the country." she rolled her eyes.

    "We already spent two weeks with each other." the Duke added.

    "We nned to spend a month on our honeymoon!"

    "But we already did two weeks!" The Duke insisted. "And please stop talking about the past. Refrain yourself from talking such embarrassing stories."

    "Why would it embarrass you? Ah... of course! Because you left me in the Caribbean! Alone!" The Duchess looked at Lily, amusement filled her gaze. "Can you imagine that? My husband left me on our honeymoon to fulfill his duties to our country. Not that I amining about it, I married the next Grand Duke after all. Still ¡ª I find it entertaining and unforgettable." She giggled. "Sometimes, I wonder... if my husband did not leave me, maybe I had gotten pregnant after that month." Duchess Esther said, her chin held high as she stared at her husband.

    The Duchess¡¯ words made everyoneugh. Who would have thought that someone as beautiful and elegant as she would have these kinds of thoughts?

    ................

    Somewhere in Europe.

    The smell of coffee lingered inside the room. The flickering fire that illuminated the cold ce apanied it.

    "Is everything ready?"

    "Yes... your excellence." The man in a ck tuxedo bowed. "They are going to Switzend soon. Everything is prepared."

    The man in the leather chair nodded and smiled as he shifted his gaze to the wall of ss next to him. The lights from the town far away from his castle glinted like stars under his gaze.

    "Soon... Lily..." he uttered, his voice contained a hint of warmth and affection. "Soon."

 Chapter 419 Endless Possibilities

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 419 Endless Possibilities</h4>

    The presence of the Royal Family of Luxembourg made Lily and everyone¡¯s stay even more enjoyable as they started bonding together.

    "Are you sure this is his first time skiing?" Li Shanshan pouted at Zhuo Jingren and Fernando as they burned their way down the hills with their ck and red ski suits. One of their purpose ining to Skopelos was to teach both Zhuo Jingren and Bei Tian how to ski. Who would have thought that both of them are fast learners and easily bonded with Fernando who is an expert in Skiing? "How could he be this good? Both he and Bei Tian actually did it on their first few tries!" She grumbled as she sat down next to Lily and Mika.

    "The world is not fair." Lily shrugged. "Or maybe they are just good?"

    "Judging from their physique, they both exercise a lot. They have good bnce and maybe even good at martial arts. It is not surprising that they would be exceptionally good in Skiing too." Mika added. "They looked like experts and not beginners."

    "Well... some people just excel in everything that put their minds into." Lily smiled, pride glinted in her eyes. Zhuo Jingren is a fast learner- that is a fact. Moreover, he was also determined. These two characteristics are enough to make him excel in whatever he does. Bei Tian is a different case.

    On the outside, Bei Tian is yful and may look like an idiot. However, she knew that he too had eyes for excellence and perfection.

    "So... you are going to Switzend?" Eliza changed the topic, her eyes sparkled as she looked at Lily.

    In response, Lily nodded. "Hmmm... We will celebrate New Year in Jungfrau, Switzend."

    "Isn¡¯t it too cold there? The temperature should be negative at this time year."

    "Well... we intended to enjoy the cold and each other¡¯spany before we go back to the craziness of the world." Li Shanshan answered. "Everything had been crazy this year, I think we deserve to lie down and cuddle our loves ones in front of a firece with hot choctes or something."

    "You deserve it. You three are all wonderful women." The look on Eliza¡¯s eyes as she said those words made Lily raised an eyebrow. It was something that she immediately recognized. Yet, she chose to keep her observation to herself. "I wanted to be one of you someday."

    "What is that supposed to mean? Why only them?" her sister Mika chimed in. She propped her chin into her palms and pouted at her sister. "What about me?" she asked.

    "Lily, Shanshan and Yang Mi are all wonderful women. They live in apletely different world from us." Eliza¡¯s sigh in response. "No offence but I wish to be like them someday." Silence followed her words as everyone turned their attention to the men skiing on the hills.

    "I think... we all have choices." Lily said after a few seconds of silence. She understood that their circumstances were different. They were born in two different worlds. However, this does not mean that they do not have the option to follow their own dreams. "The path that we choose, is always up to us." She added.

    "It is very easy for you to say that," Mika said, she eyed her husband who was teaching her firstborn how to ski. "In our world... well... It is hard to exin." A sigh escaped her lips. "Not that I have any regrets or anything." she smiled.

    "How long have you been married?"

    "I married him when I was twenty-two... We are going to celebrate our fifth anniversary very soon." she answered Lily. "To be honest, I considered marrying him as one of the best decisions that my father has ever made for me." The smile of Mika¡¯s face was sweet, her eyes shone with happiness as she watched her husband and son.

    However, Lily did not miss the sourness in Eliza¡¯s face. "Not all people agree to arrange marriages. Imend you for agreeing with your father¡¯s arrangement."

    "She did not have a choice." The younger sister answered then pursed her lips when she realized she had spoken out of turn.

    "I¡¯m sorry. I did not mean to make anyone ufortable." Lily had been having a great time with everyone, and she decided not to ruin it for the sake of her curiosity. These people might be her blood rtives, but this is their personal business, not hers.

    "It¡¯s all right. As I said... I don¡¯t have any regrets." Mika shook her head. "And I love my son with all my heart."

    "He is very precious, indeed." Gentleness shed in Lily¡¯s eyes as she turned her gaze to her cousins. "Would you perhaps like toe with us to Switzend? You could bring him to you."

    "Oh... No. My husband had some business to attend to and Leandro and I have responsibilities to attend to. Maybe next time? We are both so busy so maybe we can set a schedule in advance."

    "Well... I would love to go?" Eliza beamed at Lily. "I¡¯m sure my brother Levi would love it too." She looked at her elder sister. "Do you think father will allow me too?"

    "How was your schedule? Do you have the free time for that?"

    "Of course, I do. It would be fun to go with them and learn a few things from a business perspective."

    Mika stared at her sister. Eliza¡¯s excitement was pretty obvious. Mika knew that her younger sister had been thrilled and excited after meeting Lily and her friends. At first, she thought it was because Eliza was happy meeting a long-lost rtive. However, now she was sure that Eliza¡¯s happiness was something else.

    Both of them grow up in an environment where females were considered second only to men when ites to business and management. Meeting someone like Lily and Li Shanshan and even Yang Mi who exudes confidence in the world of men is a unique experience for everyone.

    "All right." She nodded at her sister. After meeting Lily, Mika couldn¡¯t help but wonder if her father intended for them to meet someone like her so they would have the chance to explore a world different from what they were used to. "I will talk to father and asked for his permission so you and brother coulde with Lily and her friends." She smiled as she wondered what kind of changes will a woman as Lily brought to her sister¡¯s life.

    The possibilities are endless. Just the thought of the future made Mika excited.

 Chapter 420 Miscalculations

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 420 Miscalctions</h4>

    After enjoying a few days in Skopelos, everyone started packing so they could go to Switzend for New Years Eve. It was exhausting, but they treated it as an escape- something that they seldom had. Moreover, everyone was ecstatic and excited to visit Switzend.

    Grindelwald Switzend is a magical ce. It was one of Lily¡¯s dream to visit the ce and enjoy its picturesque ciers andkes. To Lily, going to Switzend with Zhuo Jingren and people that she considered as friends are something that she would never forget in her life.

    Just like Lily, everyone thought that this is a memorable trip. The addition of Eliza and her twin brother Levi only made it more fun.

    "Eliza seemed to like you a lot." Li Shanshan sat beside Lily. They were currently on the train to Grindelwald.

    "She is a good kid," Lily answered.

    "Good thing that her father agreed to make here with us. I mean... Royalty and all."

    "He wanted her to find her own path." She stared outside of the train. "Duke Phil wanted her own daughter to decide for her own future. Or maybe I ampletely wrong and he just wanted her to have some fun."

    "Hmmm..." Li Shanshan nodded as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against Lily¡¯s shoulders. "I hope she will find it soon." After a few hours on the train, the group finally arrived in Grindelwald and check-in into their respective rooms.

    Since the group already skied at Skopelos, some of them refused to ski when they arrived in the vige. The decided to stay in their rooms or spend their time watching the views while riding cable cars. Then they decided to spend their New Year viewing ice sculptures and witnessed the World Snow Festival that is held every year in Switzend.

    "For some reason, my gut is telling me that this is the calm before the storm." Lily intertwined her hands with her husband¡¯s and held it in front of her. She then snapped a photo on her phone and smiled. "I honestly don¡¯t want to feel this way..." she continued.

    "You should learn how to rx." He hugged her from behind, his hands wrapped on her waist as he eyed the snow-coated mountain top. Cold air slowly swept through them, making Lily shiver as she made herselffortable in her husband¡¯s arms. She leaned against his shoulders and sighed.

    Lily had been in a world full of treachery and chaos that she honestly forgot what it feels to have a rxing time with the people that she love. "Maybe we should do this more often." She uttered, her voice low. "We shoulde back here... just the two of us."

    "Hmmm... then, let¡¯s buy a house nearby." He nodded. Right now, they were staying in a hotel just near the vige of Grindelwald.

    "It will be very expensive. But I agree... I really love this ce. I think we shoulde back for our honeymoon as well."

    Zhuo Jingren kissed her cheeks and nodded. "Whatever you say." He said. They have been staying in Switzend for three days now and they were nning to go back to Hong Kong soon to take care of their business before their wedding.

    At first, Zhuo Jingren wanted to spend the whole month of January in Europe for their wedding preparations. However, Lily¡¯s reasoning about the Zhou Family was also right. She wanted to take care of them before the wedding so she could at least have a little peace of mind. "Before we leave for Hong Kong, we need to check your wedding gown. Bei Tian had been bugging me about this."

    "And we need to take photos too," Lily added. Bei Tian was, in fact, bugging both of them because of this. He wanted a perfect wedding for Lily and he had been asking them to stop thinking about business and focus their full attention to the wedding- something that Lily found difficult to do because of the Zhou Family and other lurking enemies. "He seemed to be more excited than us." She smiled.

    He nodded in response.

    "You know, now that I thought about it. I think we miscalcted. This wedding is just... the timing is awful." Lily said. "I mean... the Lee Family is showing themselves, then there is the Zhou Family. I¡¯m sure your mother will turn up soon."

    "I always thought my family was chaotic. Then, I met your family." She added andughed. "No offense. But they are the exact definition of crazy."

    "You are making it sound as if you are regretting marrying me. You can¡¯t back out now, you know we are already married."

    Lily shook her head and giggled. "Too bad, huh?" Then her expression turned serious. "We can¡¯t really bring a child into this kind of family." Seeing Mika and her small family made Lily think about a lot of stuff about creating her own family. "With our enemies lurking... bringing a child in this world is dangerous. It is selfish for us to think that we can do it now."

    "I can protect you."

    "I know... But that is not the answer that I was looking for." Lily said and turned towards him. "I want you to protect me and our child. Promise me."

    Heughed. "You are talking as if you are already pregnant." Seeing the swirl of emotions in Lily¡¯s eyes, Zhuo Jingren turned serious. "Of course, I promise you. I will protect you and our child." She smiled in response and gave him a light kiss.

    "I trust you."

    A simple sentence. A simple answer.

    Lily trusted him. As naive as it may sound, she believed him. She knew that the only permanent thing in this world are changes. She knew that everything that they have could be taken away in a blink of an eye. But Lily decided to hold unto his promise, to believe in his words.

    It wasn¡¯t because of logic or her ability to analyze things. It was simply because of her emotions, her affection towards him. She trusted him, and this is something that the world cannot take away from her.

 Chapter 421 Black

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 421 ck</h4>

    "I will miss you!" Li Shanshan pulled Lily into a hug. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

    "You will see me next week?" Lilyughed as she returned the hug. She eyed Fernando who only shook his head at his wife¡¯s dramatics.

    "We should do it again. The vacation. " Lily added. In response, Li Shanshan let her go and smiled at her.

    "I know... it was so fun. I would love to do it again with you and everyone else."

    "Maybe we could do it every Christmas and New Year? Every year?" Lily beamed.

    "Good Idea! All right... I don¡¯t want to be dramatic. I will see you next week." Li Shanshan wiped the tears and then gave both Zhuo Jingren and Yang Mi a hug. "Eliza already left?" Li Shanshan asked.

    "Hmmm... they had an early flight." Lily nodded. "But she is nning to visit me in Hong Kong then join us next week."

    "Is that safe?"

    "Of course!" Lily said. "All right. We need to go. I will see you soon." She gave her best friend a kiss on the cheeks and went with Zhuo Jingren to their private ne. It was already the sixth of January, and Lily needed to go back to Hong Kong as scheduled.

    After they said their goodbyes, Lily and Zhuo Jingren together with Bei Tian, Yang Mi and Secretary Go went to their private ne while Li Shanshan and Fernando stayed in London.

    .................

    After reaching Hong Kong, everyone immediately went to get some sleep. The trip was worth it but it undeniably made everyone exhausted.

    "The Zhou Family had been really silenttely." Bei Tian noted. This was the first thing that he reported the moment Zhuo Jingren woke up. "Zhou Lanying had been seen around Hong Kong. We are expecting her to approach Lily soon." He took a sip of his coffee, his gaze darkened as he looked at Zhuo Jingren who was reading a newspaper across him. "Do you want me to do something so she won¡¯t be able to see Lily?"

    In response, Zhuo Jingren gave him a meaningful look. "She is your sister." He stated.

    "Stupidity is deadly. I don¡¯t want her to associate herself with us."

    "She is not stupid." Zhuo Jingren responded. "She is nning something. All we can do is wait for now. Besides, Lily would not want us to touch her."

    "Wait? I thought... you want to get rid of them as fast as possible?"

    "Hmmm... Lily will see Zhuo Jingtao soon. After that... we will take over."

    Bei Tian nodded and continued drinking his coffee as silence nketed Zhuo Jingren¡¯s office.

    Just as they expected, Zhuo Lanying showed up in Lily¡¯s office the very day that she came back. Since Lily was already informed about the matter in advance, she already expected her visit and instructed her people to let her in.

    "I am busy," Lily said her eyes were glued to herptop. Going on vacation was akin to burying herself with paperwork in advance. She knew that her workload will double because of the holidays, however, seeing all the reports immediately made her sullen. "State your business, then leave."

    "I¡ª"Zhuo Lanying stared at the woman wearing an all-white pantsuit in front of her. She cleared her throat. "You look really good. I would assume that you have a great holiday?" Her attempt to talk was only met with silence. "I ¡ª I mean... What I mean to say is that... I wanted to thank you for helping me... I mean... thank you for bringing me to the hospital." She watched as Lily lifted her head and stared at her.

    "And?" Lily asked.

    "And... I ¡ª" Zhuo Lanying frowned. She was here to establish her stance about the matter with the Zhou Family. She wanted to tell Lily that she is against the Zhou Family and she wanted to help Lily bring them down. However, this was all inside her mind. On the outside, it was as if something was stuck in her throat, enabling her from saying something. "If you need anything, please let me know. As long as it is within my capability, I will definitely give it to you." She managed to say after a long pause.

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded and stared at her, her gaze stern. "I suppose... this was not the reason why you came here?"

    Zhou Lanying pursed her lips and lowered her head. "Funny how you can read me like a book." She snorted. "This made me wonder if I am really that easy to read or... you are just good at reading people. I suppose it was thetter."

    "Probably." Lily¡¯s answer made Zhou Lanying chuckle. Lily was smart and for some reason, half of her was hoping that she would be smart enough to read her.

    "I am here to thank you. And talk about important matters. However, I would like to do it over lunch." She met Lily¡¯s nk gaze. "It¡¯s almost eleven and I am hungry. So maybe... maybe we could talk about it as we eat?" For some reason, waiting for Lily¡¯s answer made her heart beat faster. Determination shed in her eyes.

    "I am busy today," Lily answered.

    "Please hear me out... It¡¯s just lunch. I will be quick. Maybe an hour. No! Less than an hour. I have a proposition to make."

    Lily leaned against her chair. "A proposition," Slowly her lips lifted into a smile. "I am all for a business proposition. However... why wait for lunch? We can talk about it now."

    "The things that I am nning to tell you... they are all sensitive information. Talking about it over food is the only thing that will make me a little bitfortable." This was a fact. "I... I don¡¯t want to... I am really nervous. And I..."

    "All right." Lily interrupted her. "I have thirty minutes," she rose from her seat and grabbed her phone and her handbag. "I will book a private room for us."

    Zhou Lanying¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at the woman in front of her. "You-"

    "Miss Zhou should stop acting clueless. You came waltzing in here, risking your life in the process. Did you think I would let you go without listening to whatever it is that you want to tell me?" Lily smiled. "Coming in here in broad daylight was a deration of war against your uncle." Without waiting for Zhou Lanying to say something, Lily strutted out of her office.

    "Your secretary is not joining us?" Zhou Lanying was half running, half walking as she tried to catch up to Lily. "I mean... " she stuttered. For some reason, Lily¡¯s demeanor is making her nervous.

    "As I said... I am busy. She will run some errands for me."

    Zhou Lanying nodded and shifted her gaze outside of the car. She let out a sigh. While she does not hate Lily or Zhou Jingren, she cannot say that she is a big fan of them either. She was not afraid of them... But, there was something about the couple that put her on edge. It was something that she could not exin.

    "What is happening?" Lily¡¯s voice brought her out of her thoughts.

    "I think ¡ª" the voice of the man whom Lily called Daohu was interrupted with a loud explosion.

    Zhou Lanying felt sses pricked her skin. She heard Lily gasp beside her.

    Then everything went ck.

 Chapter 422 Trauma

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 422 Trauma</h4>

    Zhou Jingren held his coffee cup as he listened to the person reporting in front of him. He leaned against his chair and stared at the presentation, his face stern, scrutinizing. Something that his subordinates are already used to.

    After a few minutes, the light turned on, and the person who was standing in the front walk back to his seat. Silence nketed the room as they waited for Zhuo Jingren to speak.

    "Good." He uttered. "The consumer market had been really demandingtely. We are aware that this is because of technology. The n to invite financial experts to create amunity hub instead of just a bank to transact loans and businesses is not the only initiative that I want to do this year. I want to double even triple our online presence. Improve our services online. People nowadays, don¡¯t have the time to go to banks to ask about credit cards, or which one is the best debit card. They research and I want to target that."

    "Because of this, I am expecting to double our profit this year." He added. "I know this is very ambitious. But I also believe that we can achieve this with ourbined efforts. nning and cooperation. We have one goal and I want everyone¡¯s cooperation in this matter."

    "President, we are already expecting this. I think it is safe to say that you can leave everything to us... while you concentrate on your uing wedding." One of his directors smiled. Contrary to what the media portrayed of him, Zhuo Jingren was not a cold boss who only speak one word and stared coldly at his subordinates. While he was aloof and does not attend parties with them, he had long considered them as friends. Each and every one of his directors had been with hispany since he started it. Every one of them had already proven their loyalty to him and the Zhuo Capital.

    "I agree." Another one nodded. While they cannot be considered really close, everyone in this room is not only loyal to him, they are also happy for his uing marriage. "You have been working so hard in the past few years, I believe you deserve to rx and only think about your wedding."

    Seeing everyone nod their heads, Zhuo Jingren couldn¡¯t stop the smile from blooming on his lips. A sigh escaped his lips.

    "Thank you. I already assigned people to create a marketing analysis on..." His words were interrupted when Bei Tian suddenly barge inside the conference room. He raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Yes, Mr. Bei?"

    "We need to talk." Bei Tian said, his jaw¡¯s clenched as he looked at everyone inside the room. "The meeting is adjourned. Everyone can leave now." Seeing the tension in his face, Zhuo Jingren nodded and gestured for everyone to leave. He then walked out of the room with Bei Tian in tow.

    "Let¡¯s go to your car. Secretary Go is waiting." Bei Tian said.

    "What is it?" Zhuo Jingren halted his steps and turned towards him. A bad premonition started humming in his blood. His heart drummed against his chest. "What is it!?" he hissed.

    "Lily..."

    Hearing his wife¡¯s name immediately made Zhou Jingren frowned.

    "Lily got into an ident." Bei Tian¡¯s words came as a muffled scream inside Zhuo Jingren¡¯s head. It echoed over and over as he felt his face lost all its colors.

    Lily... was in an ident.

    "Let¡¯s go. We need to go now." Bei Tian¡¯s words woke him from his stupor. "Now." Bei Tian held his friend¡¯s arm and pulled him towards the elevator. He would not want for Zhou Jingren to lose control at this moment.

    *DING*

    "Hey!" Bei Tian tapped Zhou Jingren¡¯s shoulders. "Let¡¯s go," The calmness in his voice broke. He tried topose himself, but he knew it was futile. He was worried and concern about the man standing next to him. He knew a simple assurance is not enough to bring Zhou Jingren back. He snapped his fingers in front of Zhou Jingren¡¯s face, attracting thetter¡¯s attention.

    "What did you say?" Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice was coarse. Something that Bei Tian hasn¡¯t heard for a few months now.

    "We need to go now." Bei Tian answered as he gritted his teeth. He then watched as Zhou Jingren marched towards the car with his back straight. Bei Tian couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the thoughts in his friend¡¯s head right now.

    Silence.

    That was how Zhou Jingren had dealt with Qin Jinghua¡¯s disappearance. To be honest, Bei Tian fears that this ident will awake the previous trauma that Zhou Jingren felt before.

    The reports of his men about the ident made him frowned. Lily¡¯s body was badly burnt. The doctor already said that the probability that she will survive is extremely low. Slowly, he shifted his gaze at Zhou Jingren, whose face was devoid of any expression.

    Should he tell his friend about this matter? Bei Tian shook his head inwardly. He couldn¡¯t do that. He couldn¡¯t justy the truth in front of Zhou Jingren like that. The thought of his reaction and sadness... is going to break both of them.

    Zhou Jingren and Bei Tian grew up together. Both of them suffered everything at the same time. He couldn¡¯t just watch Zhou Jingren undergo what he had gone through all those years ago when Lily disappeared. Not again.

    He sighed at the thought of the reports. Apparently, Lily was supposed to have a quick lunch with Zhou Lanying. Both women were injured and badly burnt because of the ident that caused the car to explode. The thought of Zhou Lanying apanying Lily at this moment left a bitter taste in his mouth.

    The vibration on Bei Tian¡¯s phone made him flinched. He stared at his phone for a few seconds, deciding whether or not he should answer it.

    "Answer it." Zhou Jingren said. Bei Tian nodded in response.

    "What is it?" he asked the moment he answered his phone. Slowly, prominent lines appeared between his brows. Then his face paled, hisshes fluttered as tears welled up in his eyes. He held his breath, trying topose himself. "Are you sure?" he asked in a whisper, his voiceced with grief. He then nodded and shifted his gaze at Zhou Jingren next to him. "All right. Stand by." He ended the call and turned towards Zhou Jingren.

    "What is it?" Zhou Jingren asked as tension flooded the car. A suffocating silence permeated the air like an invisible mist. The sound of each other¡¯s breathing was deafening. "What happened to my Lily?" Zhou Jingren returned Bei Tian¡¯s nk stare. "What!?" he demanded.

    "Lily ¡ª" Bei Tian swallowed his non-existent saliva. His throat tightened as he stared at Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes. "She was badly burnt from the explosion. They could barely recognize her body. She was with Zhou Lanying at the time of the ident. Our men are still trying to find out if it was indeed an ident or... something else." He watched as Zhou Jingren clenched his jaws, his hands balled into a fist. He narrowed his eyes at Bei Tian.

    "Is she..."

    "She is dead." Bei Tian interrupted him. He watched the emotions of grief swirled in Zhou Jingren¡¯s orbs. "Lily... is dead."

 Chapter 423 Denial

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 423 Denial</h4>

    Denial is the first stage of Grief.

    For a moment, his brain seemed to stutter as he fought his way to catch up to Bei Tian¡¯s words. It hit him like a bolt of lightning, turning his sanity into ashes. He opened his mouth, but no words came.

    His Lily was dead?

    Zhou Jingren felt his nails grazed his palms as he lowered his head. How could she die? "That¡¯s not possible." he murmured as he shook his head. "That¡¯s not possible. She wouldn¡¯t leave me." He assured himself.

    "Jingren... I..."

    "Let¡¯s go to the hospital." He interrupted Bei Tian,plicated expressions shed in his eyes. There is no way that Lily would leave him. She promised him. She promised to stay. She would never leave him, again.

    Seconds turned into minutes. But to Zhou Jingren they felt like forever. He felt his chest rumble, his heart threatening to run amok as he runs towards the hospital. His face was pallid. It had long lost its color as his mind tried to grasp the grief and denial that he felt inside.

    And he stood there... Staring.

    He stared at the emergency room as Bei Tian nudged him, informing him that Lily was no longer in this part of the building. He said nothing. He stood there... as he uttered prayers inside his head. Prayers that he never once said before. He called the gods... He silently begged them.

    He felt his breath hitched. His throat was tight as he continued to look at the neon lighting shing against the Hospital¡¯s white walls. He saw his men, their people approached them. Yet he heard nothing of their words. Lily was inside the emergency room, he convinced himself again.

    He should wait outside so he could see her once the doctors were done tending to her wounds. He should wait here... stand outside and wait.

    "Jingren."

    "Leave me." He managed to say. He knew what Bei Tian is going to do. He knew his friend will ask him to leave to try to calm him down. He wasn¡¯t having any of it. Zhou Jingren clenched his jaws and stared at the doors. He should not leave... He should wait here.

    "Jingren. Cut the crap!" He heard Bei Tian hissed under his breath, his voice a little shaky. He looked at the man standing next to him. His eyes were red, he saw his lips shake. "Stop it, Jingren! Just stop!" Bei Tian added. Contrary to his words, his eyes were not showing any anger. Instead, it was coated with... pity. Does he pity him? He frowned at the thought.

    "Don¡¯t pity me. Lily will be fine. We just need to..."

    "Stop!" Bei Tian held his shoulders.Zhou Jingren frowned. He was about to convince him that all they needed is to wait... and wait. That they could trust the doctors in this hospital. Lily would be fine.

    Tears welled in Bei Tian¡¯s eyes as his voice softened. "She¡¯s not here anymore," he whispered enough for Zhou Jingren to hear his words.

    In response, Zhuo Jingren stared at him and shook his head. "That can¡¯t be. Let¡¯s just wait..." He then removed Bei Tian¡¯s hands from his shoulders. "We will wait." This was an order. How could Bei Tian asked him to leave?

    "She¡¯s dead." Bei Tian¡¯s words hummed in his ears like a hurricane. He met Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes. Bei Tian pursed his lips as his orbs burned with grief and sympathy. "Let¡¯s get out of here."

    "Get your hands off me!" Zhou Jingren hissed in response and pointed at the emergency room, his eyes bulged as veins appeared in his forehead. "SHE IS INSIDE!" He yelled, his voice trembled. How could Bei Tian asked him to leave when Lily was in grave danger?

    Grave Danger.

    The words turned him silent. Lily had been in grave danger, and yet, he was not there with her. She was alone. Guilt zed in his eyes. This was not the first time that Lily was in grave danger and he... he was not there.

    "Jingren. Get your thoughts straight."

    He lowered his head in response. What does Bei Tian mean? He was thinking straight. All he wanted was to wait for her. It was as if Zhou Jingren did not hear Bei Tian¡¯s previous words as he convinced himself over and over that Lily was inside the emergency room.

    "Let¡¯s go see Lily at the morgue." Bei Tian broke the silence.

    Still, Zhou Jingren refused to move. What morgue? The thoughts of Lily lying in the cold morgue only made him confuse. How could she leave him? She could not be dead.

    Lily would not do that. She already promised him. How could she leave again?

    Memories- shes of their memories flooded his mind. Her smile, sharp words, her smartebacks. Lily... his Lily... She would not leave him.

    "Let¡¯s go." Bei Tian said. Zhou Jingren scoff in response.

    "If you want to leave... then leave!" He sneered. "You think... You think... I don¡¯t know what you were trying to do? You are trying to separate me and her? Bei Tian! You are my brother... how could..." the pain in his lower jaw came like a p of thunder. He staggered and clutched his jaw, he stared at Bei Tian in disbelief. Bei Tian punched him! He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he did not notice his fisting towards him.

    "Wake the fuck up!" Bei Tian spatted, his hands balled into a fist as he red at him. "Get your head straight!" he hissed. He then let out a sigh as he stared intently at Zhou Jingren. For a moment, he saw regret shed in Bei Tian¡¯s eyes. "I will wait for your outside." Bei Tian left without waiting for his response.

    Zhou Jingren only stared at him, mouth agape as his mind tried to wrap around his words. The taste of copper in his mouth made him realize how foolish he had been. He felt his chest started to ache when the reality sank inside him like a serrated knife. The pain was excruciating... Losing her was so painful that his mind tried to trick him to lie to himself, again.

    This time... it didn¡¯t work.

    He lowered his head as tears pooled in his eyes. She was dead. How could she die just like this?

    What came next was hazy. It was as if a nket of mist had wrapped around Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes, blinding him from reality. Zhou Jingren did not know how he got into the morgue.

    The sound of the door as they went inside seemed to have awoken him from his stupor. He stared at the only body covered in white cloth. He frowned as the stench of burnt flesh reached his nose.

    Silence.

    His mouth could utter no words. His face stern as he hoped that the person behind the white piece of cloth was not his wife.

    He could not cry now. He heard Bei Tian say some words. Heposed himself and nodded at him as if he understood any of it. Slowly, he took a step towards the body. It sure looked like his wife... however... something inside him screamed that it wasn¡¯t.

    His hand trembled as she stood next to the body. He eyed Bei Tian across him and nodded. Then, slowly, he removed the white piece of clothing.

 Chapter 424 Borderline Crazy

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 424 Borderline Crazy</h4>

    "Announce her death." Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice echoed inside his study. He shifted his body towards the window as he leaned against his chair. "Call Cathy and Yang Mi. I want them here before the announcement." He added.

    "President..." Secretary Go knitted his brows as he looked at his boss. He recalled Bei Tian¡¯s words before leaving. He recalled the warnings. Zhou Jingren is not in his right mind, he should be careful. "Don¡¯t you think... we should wait?" Bei Tian said that the body was badly burnt and there is no way to recognize it. He also said it may take a little more time because the only way to do a DNA is to extract it from the bones, which is also badly degraded.

    "No." Zhou Jingren answered. He then held the picture frame from his table. On it was Lily smiling in his arms. "Announce it as soon as possible." Seeing this, Secretary Go bowed and left without saying a word. He immediately called Bei Tian and informed him about the matter. In less than an hour, thetter arrived with a stern look on his face. He went directly to Zhou Jingren¡¯s study.

    ...........................................

    "Why are you going to announce her death?" Bei Tian asked. He stood across Zhou Jingren, his brows snapped together. "I thought you said she¡¯s not dead? I thought you don¡¯t believe it was her body? Then why are you announcing her death?"

    His words were only met with silence as Zhou Jingren continued to stare at the picture frame in his hands. His head was lowered, yet Bei Tian knew how he was looking at the image with tenderness in his eyes. He narrowed his eyes at Zhou Jingren. The friend that he knew would not make abrupt decisions like this. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if...

    "Jingren..."

    "Look at her." Zhou Jingren sighed. "Her smile is so sweet. I always wonder if I deserve a woman like her." His gentle tone made Bei Tian speechless.

    He walked towards Zhou Jingren and sat across him. "I thought you said she is not dead."

    "Of course she¡¯s not dead." Zhou Jingren answered. He clenched his jaws and shifted his gaze at the window. "Someone took her away from me." His voice was cold, almost freezing. "Someone took Lily and I ¡ª I will find her." The abrupt changes in his mood immediately rung like a bell in Bei Tian¡¯s ears.

    "We don¡¯t know who took her yet." Bei Tian said. They don¡¯t even know if she was still alive. At least not until the DNA result will arrive three days from now. While Bei Tian wanted to believe that Lily was indeed alive, he also could not ignore Zhou Jingren¡¯s actions. His state of mind made Bei Tian question the authenticity of his ims.

    Bei Tian was not dumb. He knew that the first stage of grief was denial. What if Zhou Jingren was only in denial? What if something in him snapped, making him think of the impossible? Bei Tian was no expert when ites to psychology or people¡¯s behavior, however, he is not blind. He can see the changes in Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes, his voice, his manner. It was... it was as if he was talking to a different person.

    It wasn¡¯t even a day since the ident! How could he change this much? He wondered if this was only his own way to handle the grief, to deal with the loss. And to be honest, he hoped that he was right. He hoped that this is only a stage, something that will pass soon.

    "Why do you want to announce her death?" he asked, his voice calm. Bei Tian knew that If he wanted answers, he should keep his calmness and logic. Zhou Jingren was only grieving, he convinced himself.

    "This is what the enemies wanted." Zhou Jingren slowly put the frame back on his table. He smiled at the photo before looking at Bei Tian. "Since they wanted her dead... then I will announce her death as soon as possible." Seeing the look on Bei Tian¡¯s face, he added. "I also have to take care of herpany, her people. I can¡¯t do it without announcing her death."

    "What do you ¡ª" Bei Tian pursed his lips as Zhou Jingren¡¯s answer sunk into his mind. Everyone close to Lily knew how she loved herpany. Both of them knew that Lily would never allow herpany to fall just because she disappeared. The facts hit Bei Tian like a tornado. He lowered his head, trying to hide the embarrassment in his eyes.

    Here he was thinking how unstable Zhou Jingren had be. While thetter had been thinking of Lily all this time. He was only thinking of what Lily might feel once shees back. While Bei Tian was thinking about revenge, Zhou Jingren was thinking of the future. "I¡¯m sorry." Bei Tian hated apologizing, but he knew he was wrong to judge his friend.

    Silence prated the room as Bei Tian thought about Zhou Jingren¡¯s actions when Qin Jinghua disappeared years ago. He had witnessed how he had gone borderline crazy and how he massacred those people just so he could go ahead and find Lily. He was there... standing next to Zhou Jingren, following his ns, his orders. He was there when he had lost a part of himself.

    Because of this, Bei Tian knew that Zhou Jingren would not me him for thinking he had snapped once again. However, he still felt that he owe him an apology.

    He eyed Zhou Jingren and sighed. This was the difference between the two of them. This is why Zhou Jingren is the only man who deserved to stand beside Lily.

    "I can¡¯t say I me you for thinking that I have gone crazy." Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice broke the silence. "Losing her would... eventually, make me one." Slowly, Zhou Jingren shifted his gaze at the man in front of him. "But... I have to hold on. She would hate to see me like that... once shees back."

    "How ¡ª How sure are you that she wille back?" Bei Tian could not stop himself from asking.

    "She will..." Zhou Jingren answered. "She always does."

 Chapter 425 Proof

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 425 Proof</h4>

    "Are you sure that someone took her?" Cathy paced as she held her chin. "Who would dare do that?"

    "I have some ideas but I won¡¯t act without proof." Zhou Jingren answered. "I am working on it."

    "Aren¡¯t we supposed to wait for the DNA result before announcing something?" Yang Mi chimed in, her eyes were a little swollen and red. "I mean... the media are already lining up in the doorstep of ourpany. While some investors are already blowing up our phones asking for an update about the ident. Aren¡¯t we supposed to tell them that we are waiting for proof?"

    "No." Zhou Jingren eyed Bei Tian as he shook his head. "I will take over thepany." Zhou Jingren¡¯s goal was simple. Once Lily¡¯s death is announced, herpany will suffer. He could not allow this to happen. Not when he knew how much Lily loved Fi Group.

    His words immediately caught Cathy¡¯s attention. She stopped pacing and looked at him. "Are you sure that she is still alive?"

    "I am positive. That is not my wife¡¯s." He answered. "I know every part of her body. That ¡ª that was not her."

    "You said that the woman apanying Lily was still alive? Is she unconscious? What is the current status?"

    "She is with us. Alive yet unconscious. I am sure that the Zhou family will ask for her soon." Bei Tian answered Cathy. "We are not nning to give her to them."

    "The Zhou Family..." Cathy narrowed her eyes at Zhou Jingren. "Did they... Did they do this to her?"

    "It is possible." Zhou Jingren nodded in response. He knew that both Cathy and Yang Mi might me him. This was a normal response as they treated his wife as a family. However, he was not nning to blind them about the current situation. The only way that he could gain their trust is, to be honest with them.

    He knew this will be hard. How could they trust his words with no proof? It is normal for them to doubt him, and he perfectly understood that. After all, he was nothing but a stranger to these women.

    "Without the DNA we can¡¯t really say that it was not Lily." Cathy sigh. "I have been working for both Lily and her grandmother and I know why you wanted to take over thepany. However... I cannot let you do it without proof that she is still alive."

    Zhou Jingren nodded. He already expected the questions. He already expected their doubts. He opened a folder and held its contents to the two women. "This is the only thing that we have so far." He handed the images and documents. "The CCTV near the area was shut down minutes before the ident. We are still waiting for the analysis of their car. My men said it was badly burnt and it will take some time to examine the reason for the explosion. Both Zhou Lanying and Daohu who was with her was still unconscious so there is no way that we could ask them about it either."

    "I know... this is not enough to convince you." Zhou Jingren said. "But think about it. It was noontime... This is Hong Kong. There are cameras everywhere. However, before the ident, it magically shut down."

    "I am telling you... someone shut it down. Staged the ident, then reced her body with a badly burned one." He was honestly convinced that this is what happened. He watched as both Cathy and Yang Mi examine the papers. He waited for them to say something.

    Zhou Jingren could always announce her wife¡¯s death and take over thepany without their permission. However, its effects will be devastating. His sudden involvement in thepany will cause the directors to question his authority. They might even want to elect a new CEO to rece him.

    All these are possibilities that Zhou Jingren has considered. While he was not afraid to face all the possible effects of his decision, he could not do it without crashing the Fi Group¡¯s stocks. Zhou Jingren would not allow his wife¡¯s hard work to go to drain just because of his wrong calctions.

    So can Cathy and Yang Mi prevent this possible chaos? No, of course not. But these two women knew the ins and outs of thepany. When ites to dealing with the investors while keeping thepany afloat, these two women are Zhou Jingren¡¯s best option right now.

    "I understand," Cathy said after a few minutes of silence. "I got your point." He walked towards Zhou Jingren. "Can you promise me that you can bring Lily back?"

    In response, Zhou Jingren rose from his seat. He returned Cathy¡¯s stern gaze and nodded. "I can."

    "Can you promise that you will save thepany no matter what happens?"

    Once again, he nodded.

    "Then... we have a deal. Announce her death. Me and Yang Mi will help you with the investors. Just make sure that you can bring her back alive."

    ............................................

    Zhou Family¡¯s Ancestral Mansion

    "She¡¯s dead?" Zhou Kang raised an eyebrow as he heard his men said that Lily died just a few hours ago. "They are going to announce her death?" he asked himself as a smile bloomed on his face. "Is he just going to ept it just like this?" His confusion was short-lived as he beamed at his father. "Isn¡¯t this worthy of a celebration?"

    "Kang... I have a bad premonition about all these." His father said. "I believe he... he might be lying about her death."

    "Father... I don¡¯t see any reason for him to lie. They are about to marry each other. Why lie about this? Unless..." he tilted his head and smiled. "He wanted her wealth?" He rose from his seat and walked towards the window. "This is an opportunity. We can take advantage of this!" Excitement swirled his eyes.

    "I believe that man is nning something. I would advise..."

    "Are we going to cower now?" Zhou Kang interrupted his father. "This is our chance! Zhou Jingren is so upied with everything! He could not possibly focus on his business right now!" His eyes shone with mischief. He ignored his father¡¯s frowned as he dialed the Dongfang family¡¯s number. He was so happy, he could not stop himself from shaking in excitement. Finally!

 Chapter 426 Complicated Plan

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 426 Complicated n</h4>

    Since Zhou Jingren and Cathy agreed to work together, they immediately called an emergency meeting with all of Fi Group¡¯s executives. It wasn¡¯t even a day after the ident, and they had already nned countermeasures to ensure that thepany would not go down. To everyone, this move from Zhou Jingren waspletely heartless. As someone who just lost his wife, Zhou Jingren did not even grieve. Instead, he immediately talked about business and the future of Lily¡¯spany.

    This behavior immediately made the executives rage. They had been in thepany for years! How could they tackle business at this time?

    What kind of man was he? Instead of taking the time to grieve, he was here... talking about damage control and future ns about thepany. Seeing Zhou Jingren¡¯s nk expression made many people in the room angry and confuse. However, the man¡¯s argument about thepany is also logical. Lily would not want to see herpany suffer because of her death. Moreover, Cathy was also there assuring them as Zhou Jingren exined his side to everyone.

    In the end, those people concluded that he was only doing this for his wife¡¯s sake. They understood that this could be Zhou Jingren¡¯s way of dealing with the loss. After all, everyone knew how Lily treated thepany as her own child.

    While some of them doubted Zhou Jingren¡¯s real intention about the matter, the fact that he was a businessman himself made them agree with Cathy¡¯s suggestion to make him the new CEO.

    After the meeting, a press conference was called with Cathy confirming of Lily¡¯s unfortunate passing because of the ident. She assured everyone that they will do their best to update the people of the Fi Group¡¯s actions about the matter. She also informed them that they wanted the utmost privacy in this heartbreaking time and requested the media not to blow up the matter.

    Of course, it was futile. After the announcement, chaos ensued.

    Just as Zhou Jingren predicted, the Fi Group¡¯s stock prices started dropping. The media were all over the ident as social media blew up on the fact that Zhou Jingren did not even show his face at the press conference.

    To appease the worried investors, it was immediately announced that Zhou Jingren will take over thepany. It was a risky move. Considering that thepany hailed from Europe, choosing someone from the East did not only cause a lot of controversies and issues, it even made some investors angry.

    Why do they need to choose someone that is not a part of thepany? Why choose someone who has not worked with thepany before? Everyone was worried about the future of Fi¡¯s Group now that Lily was dead.

    "This was already expected." Zhou Jingren sat in Lily¡¯s leather chair. "Let¡¯s stick to our n."

    "You are aware that most people in thepany are thinking that you killed your own wife to get this position, right?" Cathy said bluntly as she sat opposite to him. "Once the chaos will end, many people will go forward to question this decision and will challenge your authority. This will create more chaos and instability."

    "I have limited time. I am aware of that." Zhou Jingren was firm on his belief that he was only doing the right thing. He knew he was not crazy, and that Lily was alive somewhere. "However... I am confident in my skills. I can keep thepany steady until shees back."

    "You seem really confident. Are you not even concern about Lily?" Cathy stared at him, her gaze was cid, yet he did not miss the scrutiny in her tone. "Are you not even afraid that she is already dead?"

    He shook his head in response. Lily would not leave him. "The result of the DNA will arrive tomorrow. By then, you will know that I am right. She is alive." She looked at him for a few seconds before she nodded.

    "Our vice president is already asking questions and asking me if he could have a private meeting with you. I can hold off the investors while you show them why you deserve to be our CEO. However, Mr. Rossi is a different case. He had been close to Lily and Lilian. You have to deal with him on your own."

    Zhou Jingren smiled at her as he nodded. He then assured her that he could deal with Mr. Rossi on his own. After talking more about thepany, Cathy bid him goodbye. She needed to leave and deal with a lot of public rtions matter about Lily¡¯s death.

    "I was surprised that she trusted you that easily." Bei Tianmented after Cathy left. He ran his finger through his hair as he sighed. Seeing Zhou Jingren web aplicated n about this whole thing only made Bei Tian anxious.

    "She knew that I will never betray Lily."

    "You think so?" Bei Tian asked.

    "Hmmm.... I bet that woman knows my whole life story. She is one of Lilian¡¯s trusted people. She would not have let Lily get near me if she doesn¡¯t know what kind of person I am."

    Bei Tian nodded at his words. Now that he thought about it, Zhou Jingren¡¯s words actually made sense. "So? What are we going to do now? I mean... your actions would easily affect Zhou Capital. You can¡¯t have people specte the worst. Our enemies might take advantage of this."

    "Let them."

    "What do you mean?"

    "The Zhou Family..." Zhou Jingren made a deliberate pause as he shifted his gaze at Bei Tian. "Have been standing in my way for too long. It¡¯s time to end them."

    "What if they are the ones holding Lily? What if..." Bei Tian did not continue his words when he saw Zhou Jingren shook his head. "It wasn¡¯t them?" he asked.

    "There is a possibility that it wasn¡¯t them. However, I am not taking any chances." He dialed his phone. "Lily wanted me to destroy them before our wedding."

    Bei Tian pursed his lips. Without Lily, how could they have a wedding? Still, he kept his opinions to himself. Confusion immediatelyced his eyes as he listened to Zhou Jingren call Zhou Jingtao. "You¡ª"

    "I will destroy the Zhou Family." Zhou Jingren confirmed. Determination shed in his eyes. "And I will do it before Lilyes back."

 Chapter 427 Brutal

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 427 Brutal</h4>

    Zhou Jingtao¡¯s Residence.

    The thick aroma of Zhou Jingtao¡¯s unfinished coffee made him frown. Its bitter taste lingered in his mouth, reminding him of Zhou Jingren¡¯s message a few hours back.

    He swallowed his saliva, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbed as he stared at his phone. For the umpteenth time, he read the text message. His hand trembled.

    "They have Lanying." He whispered. He stood from his seat and started to pace in his study. Zhou Jingren ising for him and is using his daughter as leverage. He bit his lips as he continued to ponder about Zhou Jingren¡¯s words when he called him. "Why?" he asked himself. "Why me?" Zhou Kang was the one who targeted Zhou Jingren and his mother as well as his father. Why would he punish him first instead of that crazy Zhou Kang?

    Moreover, Zhou Jingren was also using his daughter to get to him! How could he involve Lanying in all this?

    He remembered how his son failed to find Zhou Lanying in Hong Kong. He thought she was only hiding, something that she often did. He never expected that something like this could happen. How the hell did Lanying got close to Lily? Were they together this entire time?

    Questions flooded his mind as he remembered the news of Lily¡¯s ident. They never mentioned that someone was with her inside the car other than her driver who was also injured.

    Was it all n by Zhou Jingren? Was this a trap? But why? Questions and more questions piled up inside his mind as he cursed in confusion.

    A knock interrupted his thoughts. "What is it?" he asked, trying his best to maintain a calm tone. He could not let anyone in this house know that Zhou Jingren is holding his own daughter hostage. He could not let his brother or father knew of this matter.

    "Brother!" Zhou Kang did not even ask for his brother¡¯s permission. He strutted inside the room and beamed at his brother. "I missed you!" He sat on one of the leather seats in Zhou Jingtao¡¯s study.

    "Why are you here?" Zhou Jingtao wanted to p himself as he realized the meaning of the words that came out of his mouth. "I ¡ª I mean... I was really busy. So... you know the year just started and... there¡¯s a lot of nning for thepany." He sat opposite to Zhou Kang.

    "Oh! I totally understand. Forgive me for disturbing you." Zhou Kang gave an apologetic smile. However, this only made Zhou Jingtao frowned. His heart drummed faster as he wondered if Zhou Kang was here to discuss Zhou Lanying¡¯s capture. What if they were already aware of this matter? He lowered his head as he attempted to hide the fear in his eyes.

    "I just want to celebrate with you! I brought wine!" Zhou Kang¡¯s excitement was understandable. Zhou Jingtao understood how his brother wanted to dispose of Lily. Her death would mean it would be easier for Zhou Kang to eliminate Zhou Jingren. However, to Zhou Jingtao, Lily¡¯s death was akin to a death sentence. Lily was supposed to help him get out of this despicable family.

    Zhou Jingren.

    The name made him frowned inwardly. Zhou Jingren asked to see him and ask him to bring the things that Lily wanted. This made him more confused. Was it possible that Zhou Jingren is aware of his and Lily¡¯s deal before? Does Zhou Jingren want his help to destroy the Zhou Family? But isn¡¯t he grieving? Did he think that the Zhou Family was responsible for Lily¡¯s death?

    "Kang..." he started as he looked at Zhou Kang. "Be honest with me... Are you involved in Lily¡¯s ident?"

    "My..." the smile on his brother¡¯s face vanished. "I am offended." Zhou Kang dramatically shook his head. "How could you think that I have the capability to... hurt a helpless woman? Do you really think that lowly of me?"

    Zhou Jingtao tensed as he realized his usatory question. Yet, he maintained a nk expression. "Can you me me?" he asked. Zhou Kang was ruthless, and both of them knew that.

    His words earned a burst ofughter from his brother. Zhou Kang shook his head, his eyes sparkled with joy. "I wish." He sneered. "I would have loved to kill that woman myself. Make her suffer in my own hands. He ruined some of my ns."

    "That woman deserved to die a horrible death." Zhou Kang frowned. "What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look like you have seen a ghost?" he asked.

    "What if Zhuo Jingren will think that... that we are involved and he will..."

    "Are you frightened of someone like him?" he mocked.

    "Of course... not. I was just a little concerned. That¡¯s all."

    "Ah... then stop thinking about it. I am already nning to start my n in dealing with him." Zhou Kang said as he opened the bottle of wine in his hands. He unceremoniously drank straight from the bottle andughed. "Let¡¯s celebrate, shall we?" Zhou Kang gave his brother the bottle as he hummed in happiness.

    After a few minutes of continuousughter and mockery, Zhou Kang bid his brother goodbye whileughing out loud.

    "Observe him. He is nning something." Zhou Kang said towards one of Zhou Jingtao¡¯s most trusted men. The smile on his face was long gone as he walked towards his car.

    "But... Lily is dead. Do you think he will¡ª"

    "I do." A sinister glint shed in Zhou Kang¡¯s eyes. "Prepare the bomb. He will see Zhou Jingren soon. I want... I want him to die a heroic death."

    "Boss... Are you sure about this matter? He is still your brother." The man responded.

    "Are you trying to doubt my decision?" Zhou Kang eyed him. "Once he is dead, his son will listen to me. His contacts will be mine. Thepany, everything that he had worked for, is going to be with me. Do not worry, we will use all these resources against Zhou Jingren."

    "But your father..."

    "He doesn¡¯t have to know. He thought Zhou Jingtao will betray him and will give Lily the fake information that you fed him. Now that Lily is dead, the old man does not want to dispose of him anymore. He thought that Zhou Jingtao would not have the guts to contact Zhou Jingren... But seeing his reactions now..."

    "I have been with him all this time... and he tells me everything." The man responded. "He didn¡¯t tell me about Zhou Jingren and was seriously devastated that Lily died. Are you sure about your ns? I mean... killing him just to frame Zhou Jingren is..."

    "Brutal." Zhou Kang finished his sentence. "I know. However... this is a dog eat dog world. The weak do not have a ce in this world." He shifted his eye towards the man and put his sunsses on. Then he gave the man a sinister smile. "It wasn¡¯t my fault that he is weak."

 Chapter 428 In Your Blood

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 428 In Your Blood</h4>

    HongKong, January 13

    *BOOM*

    A fist of orange me punched its way out of the building as the loud explosion shook the whole ce. Hoarse screams of people followed the smoke and fire rushing out of the establishment.

    "You are dead." Zhou Jingren said coldly. "From now on... you are dead." He added as he stared at the ck smoke rising from the building a few blocks away from them.

    "How did you know?" Zhou Jingtao¡¯s voice was trembling as he tried his best to prevent his hands from shaking. "How did you know that he will try to kill me?"

    "It was Lily." Zhou Jingren responded as he gestured his driver to leave this ce. "Your brother wanted to frame me and use the resources that you have gained for years. You can easily tell once you think about it."

    "That ¡ª That can¡¯t be." Zhou Jingtao shook his head. "How could he do that to ourpany? Father would not allow him to do that."

    "Are you sure about that?" Zhou Jingren gave him a knowing smile.

    "I ¡ª" Zhou Jingtao lowered his head. His mind in shambles as he recalled Zhou Jingren¡¯s orders on his phone. Without it, he would have been in the restaurant when it blew up. Just the thought of it made him shiver. How could his own brother do this to him? "Are you sure it was my brother?"

    "No." Zhou Jingren answered. "But we will know soon."

    "What do you mean?" he asked. "How could you just..."

    "I saved you." Zhou Jingren¡¯s words rendered him speechless. "You should be thankful."

    "I... I am grateful." Zhou Jingtao sighed. "But how could you say that it was my brother who did this?" Zhou Jingtao found it hard to believe that Zhou Kang wanted him dead. How could his own brother kill him?

    "Are you trying to ask me? Or yourself?" Zhou Jingren shifted his gaze away from the man beside him. His words earned a sigh from Zhou Jingtao. In fact, Zhou Jingren was right. He was not asking him, instead, he was trying to ask himself. Deep inside, Zhou Jingtao already knew the answer. Yet, he was still waiting for Zhou Jingren to confirm his suspicion. It was as if the truth would hurt less if it came from Zhou Jingren¡¯s mouth. He scoffed at his thoughts.

    "My Son..."

    "Was about to betray you." Zhou Jingren handed him a folder. "He had been meeting investors behind your back. Asking them to kick you out. He had been giving them favors so he would vote for them... and by favors, I mean... Illegal ones."

    "That ¡ª" Zhou Jingtao¡¯s eyes widened at the images inside the folder. It was his son, Zhou Huifang meeting investors and even board of directors. "How could he..."

    "Your good brother asked him to. I mean... he is pretty stupid, to begin with. It would be very easy to manipte him. To be honest, I am not surprised that he did this to you."

    Zhou Jingtao frowned as he thought of his own son betraying him.

    "This should not surprise you." Zhou Jingren said. "Your father betrayed his own brother. Your brother betrayed you. Now your son... It runs in your blood."

    "Stop mocking me." Zhou Jingtao hissed, anger apparent in his eyes.

    Zhou Jingren pursed his lips in response as he opened hisptop. He then browsed at thetest news.

    "Why are you doing this?" Zhou Jingtao asked.

    "What do you mean?"

    "This... why save me? Why hold my daughter hostage? Why the fuck are you trying to destroy us?" His questions earned a look of amusement from Zhou Jingren. "Stop looking at me as if I am a clown!" Zhou Jingtao gritted his teeth. While he does not have enough proof that his brother was really intending on killing him, he also knew that he was very capable of doing this. This reality made him rage. How unlucky is he to be born in a family like this?

    "You should already know the answer to your questions."

    "We did not kill Lily!"

    "And?" Zhou Jingren raised an eyebrow.

    "And..." Zhou Jingtao wanted to continue arguing. He wanted to say something, tell him his reasons. However, he knew that truth. He knew why Zhou Jingren is doing this and this... this has nothing to do with Lily.

    "There you go." Zhou Jingren continued. "Your daughter was the one who dragged my wife out of the building. Without her... Lily would not have..."

    "Why are you ming her for something like this?" How could it be his daughter¡¯s fault?

    "Because I can."

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s nonchnt answer only made him more infuriated. Zhou Jingtao swallowed the blood in his throat as he red at the next to him. Because he can? Just what kind of answer is that? How could this man speak like a child? He stared at Zhou Jingren¡¯s side profile as he weighed the words that he was about to say.

    In the end, Zhou Jingtao said nothing. He was not innocent. He was not entitled to any good treatment or any exnations. He was lucky that Zhou Jingren saved him. Of course, he knew that this woulde with a price. "Are you going to kill us?" Zhou Jingtao asked. This question had been bugging him since he received Zhou Jingren¡¯s message. Is he going to kill them, then frame Zhou Kang in the process? What if Zhou Jingren just wanted to use them as well?

    "Do you have what I asked?"

    "The list?" Zhou Jingtao confirmed. "I am not giving it to you unless you promise that you will not kill my daughter... You can kill me... but my daughter is innocent. She still has a chance of having a good life. She is a good woman."

    "My... That was really touching." Zhou Jingren looked at him. "If I didn¡¯t know what you did to your son, I would have easily given you a que for being the best father."

    It was as if his throat died up as he heard Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. He stared at him yet, he could not maintain eye contact. In a few seconds, he lowered his gaze and sigh. "That was a mistake."

    "Well... You did nothing to stop it." Zhou Jingren shifted his body towards Zhou Jingtao, a sinister smile stered on his face. "You did not kill your child, yet you did nothing to stop it. Zhou Jingtao... just what kind of father are you?"

 Chapter 429 Principled

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 429 Principled</h4>

    "You know nothing!" Zhou Jingtao hated Zhou Jingren. He hated that he could act so carelessly around him as if he owned his life. He hated how he could say all the right words to make him mad. Zhou Jingtao hated how he knew almost everything in his life. He hated Zhou Jingren. He hated him as much as he hated his life.

    "You like Lanying so much because... he looks just like your dead child, right?" Zhou Jingren taunted. "You want to save her because your conscience can¡¯t take it, right?"

    "Stop it." Zhou Jingtao¡¯s voice broke. He looked out of the car and tried to suppress the tears in his eyes. "I didn¡¯t have a choice." His voice came like a whisper. "I didn¡¯t have a choice, I was married. It¡¯s either him... or my family. I can¡¯t... I just can¡¯t let my father kick me out of the family. I had nothing back then. I was useless."

    Zhou Jingren only smiled in response. He watched as silent tears came running down in Zhou Jingtao¡¯s cheeks.

    "It was a mistake." Zhou Jingtao added. He clenched his fist as determination shed in his eyes. He could not allow Zhou Kang or their father continued hurting his family. "I want to save Huifang."

    "No." Zhou Jingren declined. "He ispromised. I cannot have someone like him near me."

    "But..."

    "Your brother knows that you are nning to betray him. He knows that you nned to see me. If my guess is right, then he already told your son about this."

    "What do you..."

    "Your son hates you, now." Zhou Jingren said. Silence followed his words as Zhou Jingtao fell into his own thoughts. He remembered how Zhou Huifang had been showing some signs of anger and disappointment towards him in the past few days. He thought he was only angry about Zhou Lanying¡¯s case... However, Zhou Jingren¡¯s words made the most sense now.

    "Then... what do you want me to do? Why did you save me? Do you want to punish me? Let me watch as my son became Zhou Kang¡¯s puppet?"

    "I wanted you to watch, yes." Zhou Jingren said. "I also wanted the list that Lily asked. After that... you are free to go."

    "Are you out of your mind?

    Zhou Jingren raised an eyebrow at the old man. "Almost?" he answered.

    "You- You know that Zhou Kang hated me. He knows that I betrayed them... If you... Are you not going to protect me?" he asked, his eyes wide. Now that Zhou Kang already showed his ws, there is no way that he will survive a night without Zhou Jingren¡¯s protection! If Zhou Kang will know that he is alive then...

    "Depends."

    "On what?" Another condition? Zhou Jingtao knitted his brows.

    "On what you give me." Zhou Jingren said. "I am a very simple man. I hate what I hate and love what I love. If I like what you give me... then... I will protect you."

    "That ¡ª Can you give me an assurance?"

    "No." Zhou Jingren shook his head and smiled at him. "It¡¯s either you trust my words or leave. Your choice."

    Zhou Jingtao swallowed his nonexistent saliva as he thought of how Zhou Jingren already cornered him. In fact, he does not have any other choice. If he wanted to survive, then he needed to give Zhou Jingren everything that will satisfy him. "You are a very cruel man."

    "I am a simple man." Zhou Jingren said. "I am merely following my wife¡¯s orders. I needed to eliminate the Zhou Family before our wedding."

    Zhou Jingtao¡¯s mouth dropped when he heard Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. He felt the air had be colder as the hair at the back of his neck raised. He stared at Zhou Jingren¡¯s crazed eyes as fear crawled inside him. Wedding? What wedding? Lily is dead. How could he have a wedding with her?

    Zhou Jingtao pursed his lips as he stopped himself from voicing out his opinions. Zhou Jingren¡¯s words were enough to confirm his initial thoughts. The man is crazy and the only reason why he had been dormant was because of Lily.

    Zhou Jingtao remembered how surprised he was when he knew that Zhuo Jingren was the same Zhou Jingren that they tried to kill before. What made him more speechless was the fact that he could easily have his revenge on them. He could easily obliterate the Zhou Family with his connections. Yet, he didn¡¯t. It was as if... he was waiting for something, for someone.

    He always wondered why Zhou Jingren did not take any actions then. Even Zhou Kang and their father could not figure it out. Now, however... he knew. He finally knew that it was because of Lily. Something must have happened between the two of them. Something that prevented him from ruining the peace. Zhou Jingtao looked at Zhou Jingren intently as he sighed.

    Lily is gone and this time... this time, the Zhou Family cannot escape Karma.

    ........................

    Zhou Family¡¯s Ancestral House.

    Zhou Kang¡¯sughter echoed inside the whole mansion. It was not something that made one happy, it was ominous, dark. Something that could instill fear to anyone who listened to him.

    "What have you done!" Old Man Zhou¡¯s voice reverberated. "What have you done to your brother!?" He looked at his son. For the first time... a frightening emotion wrapped his heart like a nket.

    "What?" Zhou Kang raised an eyebrow before he downed the ss of whiskey in his hands. "He was a traitor!"

    "You¡ª" Old Man Zhou was rendered speechless. He opened his mouth, then close it as his hands trembled. He felt his lower lips shake. "You monster!"

    Zhou Kang¡¯s loudughter followed his father¡¯s words. He shook his head, amusement apparent in his eyes. "Monster? Am I not the monster that you raised?"

    "How could you!? How could you hurt your..."

    "Father... please. Let us stop acting. Stop being to a hypocrite." Mockeryced Zhou Kang¡¯s voice. "I killed him because he betrayed us. While you ¡ª Didn¡¯t you kill your own brother for wealth?" Heughed. "You see? Even I am more principled than you!"

 Chapter 430 Defense Mechanism

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 430 Defense Mechanism</h4>

    Old Man Zhou narrowed his eyes at his son. He felt his blood boiling in fury. "How dare you¡ª"

    His words were interrupted when Zhou Kang held his hand against his father¡¯s face. "Please... father." He said, almostzily. As if talking to his father was such a bother. "This is the time to celebrate. Why don¡¯t you join me instead?" His lips slowly curved into a smile. "Come... Come... lets toast for that..."

    *PAK*

    "You ingrate!" the old man fumed as he pped his son¡¯s hands. "How dare you kill your own brother?"

    "Ex- Brother." Zhou Kang corrected him. "He stopped being my brother when he decided to betray us."

    "How could he betray us? Lily is already dead! There is no way that he would go to Zhou Jingren!"

    "He did." Zhou Kang responded. "He went to see him. So I... I blew him up before he could say any incriminating words against us."

    "You ¡ª" The old man¡¯s face contorted into an ugly scowl as he clutched his chest. He held unto the chair and used it to support himself. "My medicine..."

    Instead of panicking, Zhou Kang only raised an eyebrow at his father. "What medicine?" He smiled. Seeing this, horror shed across the old man¡¯s eyes. "What medicine are you talking about, father?" His words wereced with mockery. It was as if he was talking to a clown.

    The old man opened his mouth in a silent scream. For the first time, fear shed in his heart as he realized the monstrosity that Zhou Kang was about to do. He clutched his chest tighter as he tried his best to breathe.

    "Father?" The smile on Zhou Kang¡¯s face didn¡¯t falter. He leaned towards the old man, a sinister glint in his eyes. "You know... I wouldn¡¯t stop you from dying, right?"

    The old man stared at him in response before he fell down to his knees, creating a loud thud in the process.

    "Dying is a part of our lives. Preventing you from this is just... an abomination. It is against God¡¯s will." Zhou Kang beamed at his father on the floor. "Goodbye, father. I will make sure to create many opportunities from your death."

    The old man¡¯s gaze turned hazy as he continued to stare at his son. "You will regret this." He uttered inwardly as darkness swallowed his consciousness.

    ............................

    Sky City.

    "People from Luxembourg are already on their way. Because of his hectic schedule, the Grand Duke will stay one night then leave the next day." Secretary Go said. "Mika, Eliza, and Levi, as well as the Duchess, will stay for the funeral. Fernando and Li Shanshan will also arrive today and will stay with us."

    "Hmmm..." Zhou Jingren nodded. "What about Jack Arison?"

    "He is also on his way. He said... he needed to finish something and make sure his father is taken cared of while he is gone. One thing though..." Secretary Go gave him a hesitant look before he continued. "The Madam¡¯s brother will note."

    Zhou Jingren nodded. "And her father?"

    "He ising."

    "Good. I want to know why Yuanfeng won¡¯te. Just don¡¯t make it too obvious that you are asking questions. I don¡¯t want Jack to think that I am doubting him."

    "Got it." Secretary Go said before he bid Zhou Jingren and Bei Tian goodbye.

    "You still think it was Jack?" Bei Tian asked when Secretary left.

    "He tried to tell Lily not to marry me." For Zhou Jingren, that was already a red g. "Plus... His father, George, is still unconscious until now. Instead of being supportive of the marriage, Jack had been acting... weird. Something about him is not right."

    "Is that why you wanted Qin Yuanfeng toe? After what you did to him... do you think he will still help you?"

    Zhou Jingren turned his gaze towards Bei Tian as memories of what happened to Qin Yuanfeng shed in his mind. "I told Lily that I was the one who killed Yuanfeng¡¯s woman. Is there something wrong with not wanting her to think that his brother is also a monster for killing the woman that he loved with his own hands?"

    "That ¡ª You have a point." Bei Tian agreed. "What I meant was... what if he hated you for... I don¡¯t know that man was unstable. What if he hates you for forcing him to kill that woman?"

    "I didn¡¯t force him. We both knew that."

    "It would have been different if you just... didn¡¯t show him that woman."

    "Are you telling me that having him killed the woman who yed him, was wrong?" Zhuo Jingren scoffed. "Have you magically developed some conscience?"

    Bei Tian sighed in response. He avoided Zhou Jingren¡¯s gaze and gritted his teeth. Just as he expected, Zhou Jingren had be more ruthless. His words and actions are differentpared to when Lily was here. But how could he me him? He just lost Lily.

    Bei Tian lowered his head as he thought of the DNA test that they received a couple of days back. It confirmed that the body was not Lily¡¯s. Yet, Zhou Jingren still insisted that it was a lie, a fake result. While everyone else was truly grieving about the matter, Zhou Jingren was still insisting that Lily was alive. And that this was all a scheme.

    Once again, Bei Tian looked at his friend. Sadnessced his eyes. He wondered, when will Zhou Jingren stop all this and just ept that Lily was dead.

    "Did you contact the Yang Family?" Zhou Jingren said after a few seconds of awkward silence. "I want as many people as possible for this funeral."

    "You wanted a perfect stage."

    "I do." Zhou Jingren nodded. "I want the culprit to think that I am taking this seriously. I need to show them that I am grieving." He sneered. Whoever was behind this did not know that Zhou Jingren knew the DNA was fake. He must have thought that Zhou Jingren would just fall into the pit of agony and grief after seeing the result of the DNA.

    His lips thinned as he thought of the fake DNA test result. He knew it was fake from the moment that he opened it. The only thing that he regretted the most was losing the only evidence that he had to convince everyone that this... whatever he felt was not just some defense mechanism because of Lily¡¯s death.

 Chapter 431 Insignificant Ones

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 431 Insignificant Ones</h4>

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s base, Hongkong.

    "He killed our father!" Zhou Jingtao¡¯s eyes were red. He looked at Zhou Jingren as tears welled in his eyes. "This is murder! He... Zhou Kang killed our father."

    Zhou Jingren said nothing. He only stared at Zhou Jingtao. The man in front of him seemed to have aged ten years, in less than a day. "Unfortunate. But your brother is a psychopath. You should have already expected this."

    "My son..."

    "Your son is preparing to take over the Zhou Enterprise. It¡¯s not even twenty-four hours after they announced your passing and... instead of grieving, he is meeting investors."

    "Stop being a hypocrite!" Zhou Jingtao snapped. "Didn¡¯t you do the same thing after your wife passed?"

    "You are right."Zhou Jingren walked towards the exit of the room.

    "Where are you going?"

    "To see your son."

    "What do you mean?"

    "You really should not stop talking. You are too noisy." Zhou Jingren said as he eyed Zhou Lanying who was lying a couple of feet from her father. Different types of tubes were connected to her badly burnt body. "Emotions are contagious. You would not want to make her feel that you are angry right?"

    "You ¡ª Are you going to keep me here forever? What will happen if my daughter wakes up? Are you going to keep both us in this room?"

    Zhou Jingren sighed in response. He stared at him. "Would you want to leave and go outside, now?"

    "I ¡ª That was not the point."

    "Well, the information that you gave me is pretty useful. I would love to use it against the Zhou Family."

    Zhou Jingtao turned silent at his words. "And after you end them... what will happen to us?"

    "You can do whatever you want." Zhou Jingren answered. "Now... I still have a funeral to attend to."

    "Lily¡¯s funeral?"

    Zhou Jingren did not answer Zhou Jingtao¡¯s questions. He walked out of the room without saying another word.

    "Monitor." He uttered at the man guarding the door. "Never let him out of this room." After seeing the man nod, Zhou Jingren looked at Bei Tian who was waiting for him outside of the room.

    "Are you not going to see him?"

    "What for?" Bei Tian asked, his face devoid of any expression. The duo they started walking towards the hallway.

    "He is still your father. The fact that he is this protective towards your sister who looked exactly like you... says a great deal about his emotions inside."

    Bei Tian scoff in response. "I have more important things to attend to."

    "I agree." Zhou Jingren¡¯s chuckled. "He is not worth it." The change in his attitude immediately made Bei Tian frowned. For some reason, he felt that Zhou Jingren would do something crazy and unexpected if he agreed to meet his own father. Not that it matters to Bei Tian. To be honest, he feels nothing towards Zhou Jingtao and Zhou Lanying. To him, they were both strangers. Someone that he would not even notice if he passed them in the streets.

    "The Funeral will start in a few hours." Bei Tian changed the topic. "As expected, some people are taking advantage of this."

    "Who is it this time?"

    "Insignificant ones. Qin Fei just posted on her social media about her sadness. Apparently, this will make her more depressed. She is gaining sympathy from people. She had lost her brother a few months back and now this..."

    "It would not surprise me if she would try to ask about Lily¡¯s will." Zhou Jingren added. "That woman ispletely delusional."

    "Do you want me to take care of her?"

    "Don¡¯t kill her." Zhou Jingren warned. "Lily would not like that. Maybe... Reveal some dirtyundry against her. Reverse the situation. I don¡¯t want everyone to focus on the funeral, right now. Create and issue to transfer all the attention."

    "Hmmm... I am not an expert on issues. But I will be asking for Cathy¡¯s help."

    "Great." Zhou Jingren said before he and Bei Tian went inside the car.

    Meanwhile, the sadness in everyone¡¯s eyes was apparent as they sat inside the chapel. Lily was not a catholic, but to respect her grandmother¡¯s culture, Zhou Jingren insisted on having a Christian style funeral. Because of this, he asked everyone not to burn joss paper for Lily.

    "Jinghua... How could you leave us?" Qin Fei¡¯s voice interrupted the silence of the chapel. She ran towards Lily¡¯s framed image and started wailing.

    "Who let her in?" Yang Mi red at men whom Zhou Jingren had assigned in the entrance. "Who?" she hissed.

    "Miss Yang... no one let her in. She sneaked inside without our knowledge." One man lowered his head in embarrassment.

    "Then drag her out."

    "No." Cathy suddenly interrupted her. He leaned closer to Yang Mi. "It will make her look pitiful. The media is waiting outside. We don¡¯t want them to think that we are bullying her. She was just... grieving, after all. How could we be so heartless?"

    "Then what are we going to do?" Yang Mi asked.

    An evil glint shed in Cathy¡¯s eyes. "Let her cry her hearts out." She then shifted her gaze at the guards. "Do not let anyone near her. And please... someone call her husband."

    Cathy then went back to her seat and watched as Qin Fei acted like she was truly sad about Lily¡¯s passing. She could not deny the fact that Qin Fei was truly a great actress.

    After a few minutes of crying with no one consoling her, Qin Fei roamed her eyes at everyone. No one was even looking at her! Was her acting not enough? She looked at Lily¡¯s photo and sneered inwardly. She stopped herself fromughing at Lily¡¯s fate. If only she could show everyone how happy she was right now, then...

    "What the hell are you doing here?" Qin Fei furrowed her brows when she heard her husband hissed behind her. Xuan Hui was supposed to be in a meeting. Why is he here right now?

    "How could you ask me that... in front of my sister¡¯s wake?" she acted hurt. Tears immediately spilled in her eyes.

    "Everyone here knows that you are faking it."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Didn¡¯t you check your phone? I have been calling you! Some incriminating articles are trending right now." Xuan Hui made a deliberate pause as he held her arms. "Let¡¯s go. We need to leave this ce now."

 Chapter 432 Coincidence

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 432 Coincidence</h4>

    "What do you mean?" Qin Fei knitted her brows and tried to shake her husband¡¯s hands off her arms. However, Xuan Hui is not budging.

    "We need to go now." He said as he squeezed her arm tighter. It made her flinched. "Now." Seeing the anger in his eyes, Qin Fei gritted his teeth and nodded. She then looked at everyone in the room. They were acting as if they did not see her and Xuan Hui.

    "So hateful." She murmured as she followed Xuan Hui in the back door.

    "I already told you not to involve yourself in Lily¡¯s death!" Xuan Hui immediately said the moment they went inside the car.

    "She is my sister! Why can¡¯t I grieve for her?"

    "We all know that¡¯s not the reason why you are there." Xuan Hui stated and shook his head in exhaustion. He then handed her a tablet. "Stay at home. They are trying to turn the tables. If my guess is right... then this is Zhou Jingren¡¯s way of moving the attention away from Lily¡¯s funeral."

    "What does this mean?" Qin Fei asked. Panic apparent in her voice. "I... Who is this man?"

    "Some people posted pictures of you with the CEO of A station. They are saying that you are his mistress. Some people are iming you are using Lily¡¯s death to gain poprity and sympathy. They said you are nning to divorce me because of this man."

    "That is not true!"

    "I know!" Xuan Hui said. "But the media would not care about the truth. People are already outside of our residence trying to ask for an interview. You need to stay in the hotel for now."

    "This¡ª"

    "You shouldn¡¯t have taken advantage of the situation. Zhou Jingren is more ruthless than Lily. He would not stop until you ¡ª we are done."

    "Then stop the car." Qin Fei said. "I will beg him. I will apologize and beg him."

    "WHAT?" Xuan Hui narrowed his eyes at his wife. "What do you mean?" He suppressed the anger in his eyes as Qin Fei started telling him how she will beg Zhou Jingren to stop making them suffer in front of everyone. While Xuan hui truly loved this woman, he still could not help but wonder if he had made a mistake in loving her.

    How could he love such a stupid person?

    ....................................................................

    After such a big scandal. The attention of the mediapletely shifted. They stopped camping out of the chapel and went to the Xuan Family¡¯s estate, instead.

    The rest of the wake and funeral turned uneventful. Everyone including Zhou Jingren grieved. Everyone spilled their tears as they recalled their closest memories with Lily.

    "I am sorry that you lost her," Jack said as he stood next to Zhou Jingren. "Lily was such... a wonderful woman. Without her... there is no me."

    Zhou Jingren nodded. "I am sad that Qin Yuanfeng was not able toe."

    "He... we already know that he is unstable. When I informed him that Lily died... he... just lost it." Jack exined, sadness shing in his eyes. "Listen... if you need anything from me. I would ¡ª I would do everything to help you find who did this."

    "Just ¡ª Just don¡¯t hesitate to ask," Jack added. In response, Zhou Jingren shifted his gaze at him.

    "Thank you."

    "However..." Jack met Zhou Jingren¡¯s nk stare. "If... If I found out that you are somehow involved in her death. You know what will happen, right?"

    "You think... I am involved in this?" Zhou Jingren asked. "You think... I killed her?"

    "Can you me me? Now that Lily is dead... you will have everything." Jack said. "I bet everyone close to Lily thinks the same way."

    "Her wealth will go to various charities a year after her death." Zhou Jingren said. This earned a scoff from Jack. However, Zhou Jingren remained unfazed he stared at the man for a few seconds before he looked at Lily¡¯s framed photo. "But, I can¡¯t me anyone for thinking that way." He uttered.

    "Hmmm." Jack nodded as silence followed. After a few minutes, he bid his goodbye to everyone, including Zhou Jingren.

    "We should go now." Bei Tian urged Zhou Jingren. "It is alreadyte." He added. "Everyone is waiting for you in Sky City." He was talking about Li Shanshan and Fernando.

    All throughout the wake, Li Shanshan and Fernando did not have the time to have a conversation with Zhou Jingren. It was because... Li Shanshan had been crying the entire time, while Fernando was consoling her.

    "The Royals?"

    "Same... everyone is waiting for you." Bei Tian said. "Are you nning on telling them about... your theory?" Bei Tian immediately pursed his lips when he realized his mistake.

    "It wasn¡¯t a theory!" As expected, Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice raised. He narrowed his eyes at Bei Tian. "Do you think I¡¯m crazy?¡¯

    "Would it offend you if I say yes?" Bei Tian said. Half of him actually believed ¡ª hoped that Zhou Jingren was right. While half of him was... still in a haze.

    Until now, Bei Tian found it hard to believe that someone would just do this with no clear motive. Why would they kidnap Lily? Why staged her death? Are they trying to break Zhou Jingren¡¯s heart? Questions upon questions made his head ache.

    "We don¡¯t have proof that she is still alive." Bei Tian added.

    "What about the CCTV? It was..."

    "It has been like that for weeks. It was broken a couple of weeks ago. A couple of weeks before the ident."

    "But... the coincidence is too much... I don¡¯t believe"

    "Coincidence happens all the time!" Bei Tian hissed. Seeing Zhou Jingren like this is affecting him. He sighed as he remembered how he discovered that Zhou Jingren lied to Cathy and Yang Mi about the CCTV. "We should... We should just go see everyone."

    Zhou Jingren nodded and sighed. Honestly, he felt defeated. He knew that Bei Tian and maybe everyone else had been doubting his sanity right now. Yet, he honestly does not know how to convince them he was telling the truth.

    He could feel it. He could feel that Lily was still alive, and Zhou Jingren does not need any concrete proof of that. He was not crazy... however, convincing everyone would be a little difficult now that the result of the DNA is there.

 Chapter 433 A Losing Battle

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 433 A Losing Battle</h4>

    Sky City.

    "Wait... So you think she is alive?" Li Shanshan sucked her breath. She widened her swollen eyes at Zhou Jingren. "Lily is alive?" This time her words wereced with relief. She eyed Fernando and smiled at him. "She¡¯s alive! Did you hear that?"

    Fernando pursed her lips at her before he shifted his gaze at Zhou Jingren. "Cathy said... the DNA test was positive."

    "It was. I am not sure how they did it. But I am sure it wasn¡¯t her."

    "And you didn¡¯t tell us until now... to make a show?" Fernando confirmed. His voice a little stern as he looked at Bei Tian then at Zhou Jingren. "Who else is aware of this?"

    "Few. I would like to keep this between us, for now."

    "The Royals..."

    "No." Zhou Jingren shook his head. "Just us."

    Fernando knitted his brows as he eyed his wife. Li Shanshan¡¯s eyes were swollen, her face was still pale, yet the smile in her face was clearly visible. He sighed. "Do you know who did it?"

    Zhou Jingren raised his eyebrow at the question. He immediately wondered if Fernando also doubted his instinct. "No. Whoever did it was smart, and we should not underestimate theirwork. They were able to create an explosion and even sneak in a burnt body with no witnesses. This alone speaks volumes about them."

    Fernando clenched his jaws, his gaze turned sharp. "What about your family?"

    His questions surprised both Zhou Jingren and Bei Tian. Seeing this, Fernando scoffed. "What? You think... I know nothing about both of you?"

    "I want to know... if this has something to do with your family." Fernando continued. Fernando is known for his custom jewelry design. Because of the nature of his job, he is very well acquainted with the wives of powerful families. This included Royalties just like the Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg, Mafia leaders and some Politicians.

    Women loved jewelry and because of this simple reason, Fernando created some solid connections with people who could easily control the world market with their deaths.

    "We don¡¯t think, so." Zhou Jingren met Fernando¡¯s eyes. "At least... I don¡¯t think they have the capability to do that. Not in Hongkong."

    "So you are saying that whoever took her away was influential in Hongkong? How did you know that they did not pay someone to do it? You do know that everything in this world has a price, right?"

    "Fernando..." Li Shanshan tried to butt in.

    "No. We are talking about Lily here!" Fernando said. "I have treated her as my little sister and I know very well that she has a lot of enemies. Both in Asia and Europe. So I want to know..." He looked at Zhou Jingren. "I need to know if you dragged her into this mess."

    Zhou Jingren held his gaze. "I understand that you are angry..."

    "Angry is an understatement." Fernando interrupted him. "You..." He rose from his seat and walked towards Zhou Jingren. "I keep quiet because of my wife. She had been crying, and I want to be there for her. However... this does not mean that... that I am not upset about all this."

    "You are ming me."

    "I am." The fire in Fernando¡¯s eyes was hard to miss. "You were... too lenient. Your family had been around before Lily came and you did nothing to prevent them from touching her! You could have easily destroyed them years ago. You are capable of doing that! And yet... you didn¡¯t ."

    "Hey..." Bei Tian stood next to Fernando. "Watch your words."

    "Or what?" Fernando challenged. "Are you going to cut my tongue and feed my head to your dogs?"

    Slowly, Bei Tian narrowed his eyes at Fernando. "Careful¡ª"

    "Enough." Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice was not loud. He didn¡¯t yell or made his voice deeper to attract their attention, but the chill that coated his tone was unmistakable. He eyed the pale Li Shanshan before he tilted his head towards Fernando. "You are scaring your wife."

    "Listen." Zhou Jingren started as he stood in front of Fernando. "Lily... is my everything and I know she is important to you. I understand that you are angry. However... anger won¡¯t do anything right now."

    "And neither can your schemes." Fernando fired back. He is not someone that is known for his temper or his killer instincts. However, when ites to the people that he considered as family, Fernando is not someone that you would want to cross. "Tell me... President Zhou... What is your n? What have you found out so far?" His lips lifted into a mocking smile. Seeing Zhou Jingren just stare at him, he added.

    "You are hiding something from us," Fernando stated. "I want to know everything."

    The temperature in the room dropped a degree lower as Zhou Jingren clenched his jaws. He narrowed his eyes at Fernando. "I think it is Jack."

    "And you never said this because... you thought we would doubt your sanity?" It wasn¡¯t a question. Fernando was not dumb. He can see the way Bei Tian had been standing near Zhou Jingren all the time, observing him, scrutinizing his words, his actions.

    "I don¡¯t have any concrete proof and it is hard for me to trace Jack without Cathy¡¯s help. My resources in Europe are limited." As hard as it was to ept, this is a fact. Zhou Jingren was not that influential in the West, and Lily never involved herself in any illegal activities in Europe. This made it more difficult for them to prate Europe¡¯s ck market.

    "Why not asked for Cathy¡¯s help?"

    "I don¡¯t want to involve Lily¡¯s resources in this. The Arisons and the Fi have really close family ties. Cathy is pretty close to George. I don¡¯t know where her allegiance lies."

    With these, Fernando took a step back and walked towards his wife. He patted Li Shanshan¡¯s shoulders and asked her to leave them as he had some things to discuss with Bei Tian and Zhou Jingren.

    Though hesitant, Li Shanshan nodded.

    "Aside from the timing... is there anything else that you can use to find her?" Fernando immediately asked after his wife left.

    "I am tracking all cargo ships in Hongkong at that time." Bei Tian answered. "It is hard. Considering that most of these illegal shipments are owned by mafias and triads from the West."

    "We are treading carefully. Jack is my main suspect as of this moment and I don¡¯t want him to know that I am doubting Lily¡¯s death." Zhou Jingren added as he went back to his seat. The Mafia that is lead by the Arison n is considered one of the deadliest in the world. "Jack is dangerous. As much as I want to confront him right now. I don¡¯t want to fight a losing battle."

 Chapter 434 Monstrosity

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 434 Monstrosity</h4>

    After discussing more details about Zhou Jingren¡¯s ns, Fernando and Li Shanshan immediately left for the UK. They needed to keep pretending that Lily¡¯s death devastated them so they could avoid Jack¡¯s suspicion. With no concrete proof, the group could not really do anything aside from investigating and waiting for results.

    Because of this, Zhou Jingren focused his energy on the Zhou Family instead.

    "Why?" Bei Tian asked. The fact that Lily was missing is already making him livid. Why was Zhou Jingren still calm about the matter?

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips thinned. "If Jack is indeed the one who took her away, I can¡¯t act carelessly. I don¡¯t know his motive or him at all. Plus... he has Qin Yuanfeng. He is smart when ites toputers. Think about it. Jack could easily threaten Yuanfeng to do something for him now that Lily is in his hands. Or... he could threaten Lily to do something or else he will kill her brother."

    Bei Tian frowned. "My point is we don¡¯t have proof that it is him. Why do you always say it is Jack? The man seemed to grieve in front of us. He did not show any weird behavior at all!"

    "Do you want to ask how did I found out that you liked Lily?"

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s questions rendered Bei Tian speechless. Seeing this, Zhou Jingren added. "There... the same feeling. Call me insecure or whatever... I know Jack likes her. I saw it in his eyes. We are about to get married and everyone knew that the only thing that could stop the wedding is if one of us refused to do it. In this case, both Lily and I would do nothing like that."

    Bei Tian only nodded in response. What else can he say? Can he really convince Zhou Jingren to not focus all of his ns on Jack? NO. Bei Tian knew that Zhou Jingren¡¯s obsession with Lily is on the extreme side. He would not let his instinct go just because Bei Tian told him so.

    "What are we going to do now? Are we going to just wait?" Bei Tian asked.

    "I want you to get a list of Jack¡¯s properties. Everything... It will be hard, so take it easy. I want you to include his mother¡¯s properties as well as Liam Arison¡¯s and George¡¯s. Every property that he or his family own. I want a concrete list of everything."

    "I can do that. But I would need more time."

    "I understand." Zhou Jingren nodded. "Meanwhile... let¡¯s cause some chaos to the Zhou Family." He dialed his phone and called Secretary Go. After a few minutes, thetter arrived.

    "Do you have what I need?"

    Secretary Go nodded at Zhou Jingren¡¯s question. "You are right about the Zhou Kang¡¯s n on ming you for Zhou Jingtao¡¯s death. He already met with the Dongfang Family and I have reasons to believe that he would use this as a motive for murdering an executive from the Zhou Enterprise. He would say that this uing partnership threatened you, so you ended Zhou Jingtao¡¯s life. Here is what I have..." He gave both Zhou Jingren and Bei Tian a tablet.

    "Look at the press release that he will release in the funeral of his brother and father two days from now. It was written before the explosion. Our spies got a list of his schedules, as well. He had been seeing the patriarch of the Dongfang family in the past few days. I dare say they are cooking something." Secretary Go added.

    "I can¡¯t say I me them. The Dongfang Family is the Zhou Capital¡¯s directpetitor in maind China. They had been eying our bank for years now. Too bad they arecking when ites to connections." Bei Tian said as he browsed the document. "Still... I would like tomend them for thinking that you have lost your mind because of Lily¡¯s death."

    "Actually, Zhou Kang¡¯s analysis was very much urate. He knew that once Lily dies... I will get distracted. He is greedy, and he wanted to make me suffer. Those are his only motivations for doing this. He would even sacrifice his ownpany just to see me fall. He wanted... he wanted that woman, my mother, to help me once I struggle." Zhou Jingren said. His eyes were glued at the numerous pages of PR strategies and social media articles that Zhou Kang is nning to release after Zhou Jingtao¡¯s funeral.

    "He is a psycho. Killing his own brother for his own self-interest." Bei Tian muttered. "Humans are selfish in nature... it is a little scary."

    "That man is capable of killing his own father and brother. He is not just a psycho but aplete monster." Secretary Go chimed in. As someone who grew up in an orphanage, this is a very touchy subject for people like Go Jichen. While he had seen Zhou Jingren and Bei Tian do a lot of cruel things, he still could not fathom the reason why someone like Zhou Kang would kill his brother and father. When all they did was support him.

    "Well... we are all born animals. Our parentage and environment affect the way we make decisions as adults." Zhou Jingren said. "He saw his father kill his brother¡¯s family. He must have thought... he must have seen this as the norm."

    Both Secretary Go and Bei Tian shook their heads at the same time as they fell into their own thoughts. While Secretary Go was still mulling over this fact, Bei Tian was eyeing Zhou Jingren. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of monstrosity Zhou Jingren is capable of.

    "This... I want you to have someone kill this man." Zhou Jingren¡¯s words interrupted the silence. While Bei Tian and Secretary Go are used to seeing Zhou Jingren order them to end someone¡¯s life, this time, both of them notice the difference in his tone.

    Contrary to the previous darkness that he always exhibited when deciding to end a life, Zhou Jingren¡¯s tone contained a tinge of warmth this time. It was light. It was as if... as if he was talking about some random hobbies like cooking and baking instead of killing someone.

    "This man," Zhou Jingren smiled as he showed the image to Secretary Go. "I want to frame the heir of the Dongfang Family. Let¡¯s not wait for trouble to knock on our doors. Let¡¯s bring chaos to their doorstep, instead." Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes sparkled. It was beautiful- too beautiful, it was almost deadly, evil. It immediately sent shivers down their spine.

 Chapter 435 Shall We Begin?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 435 Shall We Begin?</h4>

    Dongfang Jin was all smiles as he shook Zhou Kang¡¯s hands. "I was not expecting that this ¡¯coboration¡¯ would happen anytime soon." He beamed. The fact that Zhou Lanying was missing was the initial reason why he does not want this coboration at all. "I mean the Zhuo Capital is like a giant boulder. They have been blocking our growth for years now."

    "I know." Zhou Kang shrugged and puffed out the smoke from his cigar. He watched as the wisps of silver-gray smoke danced their way inside thevish private room that they set for this meeting. "When I saw an opportunity I immediately grabbed it. Knowing Zhuo Jingren, he would surely take some time to grieve before he could get back to his feet. Plus the Fi Group also lost its President. They already announced that they will have Zhuo Jingren take over. When I heard about it... I just knew that this is the best opportunity for a partnership."

    "Imend you for thinking about this matter, despite your father and brother¡¯s passing." Dongfang Jin said. "I have never met someone as... business-oriented as you."

    Zhou Kang crossed his legs and smiled," The family business thrived because of my father and brother. Now that they are dead... I can¡¯t just let their efforts go to waste."

    "I agree!" Dongfang Jin nodded. "I guess, choosing to partner with you is the best decision that I did this year. Now... let¡¯s talk about our ns, shall we?"

    After the discussion, Dongfang Jin immediately bid him goodbye and went to his next appointment. Now that his partnership with the Zhou Family had been decided he wanted to focus on the next step of his ns. And that is to extend his political ties. After all, he can¡¯t really triumph without the help of the politicians in this region.

    "Are you here to beg?" Zhou Kang lifted an eyebrow at the woman who barged in after Dongfang Jin left. "You know... I should have just killed you with your father."

    Lin Yu Yan trembled at his words. She remembered, Bei Tian¡¯s stern orders not to see this man. She tried to stop her voice from shivering, "I¡ª I can still help you."

    "Really?" Zhou Kang¡¯s eyes traveled through Lin Yu Yan¡¯s chest, then into her waist. He wondered what she looked like without her red dress. He leaned towards her. "Pray tell... how can you help me?" he smiled. How could this insignificant woman just barge in and insist to talk to him? Is he someone that anyone can talk to because they wanted to? While Zhou Kang does not like this, he couldn¡¯t help himself but listen to the woman¡¯s pleads.

    Of course... if she was less good looking, Zhou Kang would have immediately asked his men to kill her.

    "I¡ª" Lin Yu Yan started nervously. She remembered how Bei Tian told her toy low. He specifically told her to tell Qi Xia that she is still working on seducing Zhou Jingren. Bei Tian told her he will provide a safe ce for her while they waited. All she needed to do was to act strong and inform Qi Xia about this.

    Lin Yu Yan swallowed her saliva as she thought of her father. She knew that this was the only way she could do to get Zhou Kang off her father¡¯s back, temporarily. Yet, she also hated how Bei Tian seemed to underestimate her. Qi Xia is not someone important. Why does she need to talk to him about this, when she can always go to Zhou Kang? "Lily is already dead. So I..."

    "I ¡ª What?" Zhou Kang smiled. He gestured one of his men to get Lin Yu Yan something.

    "I am still working on seducing Zhou Jingren. I can do it. I just need a little more time." Memories of Bei Tian¡¯s gaze shed in her mind. The incident with Zhou Jingren opened her eyes to unimaginable things that she had never seen before. It showed her Bei Tian¡¯s true personality. While thetter did not hurt her, he also said some things ¡ª things that would give her nightmares for a long time.

    She was lucky. She was lucky that Bei Tian thought of her as a little sister. She was lucky that he only interrogated her about her affiliations with Qi Xia and the Zhou Family. She was lucky that Bei Tian offered to protect her after what she did.

    "Really?" Zhou Kang¡¯s said, his eyes glued at her pink and plump lips. "Tell me... Miss Lin... How are you nning to seduce a grieving man?"

    "Trust me... I can do it!" Lin Yu Yan insisted. "I just need some time. He was grieving, but I can... I can distract him. I can do it." Lin Yu Yan said. While she felt defeated because of what happened in the past, Lily¡¯s death brought a lot of hope inside her.

    "Hmmm..." Zhou Kang nodded. "Why don¡¯t you... sit beside me so we can... talk about your ns?" He lifted an eyebrow.

    "I ¡ª I think this is enough." Lin Yu Yan remembered how Bei Tian warned her about Zhou Kang¡¯s inappropriate behavior. She recalled how Bei Tian repeatedly warned her about the danger of this man. Yet, she insisted on talking to Zhou Kang. This was her own initiative to tell Bei Tian and Zhuo Jingren how apologetic she was. She wanted to show her sincerity, convinced them she regretted her past actions.

    "Enough?" Zhou Kang smiled. "You are too far. I can barely hear you. You wouldn¡¯t want to yell at me all the time... right?" The warmth in Zhou Kang¡¯s voice made her ufortable.

    Lin Yu Yan looked at him hesitantly. They are currently inside a prestigious restaurant with a private meeting room. Zhou Kang would not be that stupid to do something to her in a ce like this. She lowered her head and eyed the wooden flooring.

    This room does not have carpets or anything that could muffle her screams. This gave her a little confidence. Slowly, she nodded at his words. She rose from her seat and transferred next to Zhou Kang.

    "Better." Zhou Kang beamed. "Now..." he looked at one of his men. "Where is her coffee?"

    "I don¡¯t drink coffee. I¡¯m sorry."

    "Really? But..." Zhou Kang frowned. "I feel offended. How about some tea? Or water? You wouldn¡¯t want to offend me, right?"

    Lin Yu Yan swallowed her non-existent saliva. A part of her screamed that she is making the wrong choice. Yet... Yet a part of her wanted to prove Zhuo Jingren her sincerity. She nodded. "All right... I will take some tea."

    "Very good." Zhou Kang patted her shoulder before he met her eyes. "Now..." he smiled. "Shall we begin?"

 Chapter 436 *PAK*

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 436 *PAK*</h4>

    BEWARE: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME INAPPROPRIATE SCENES. NOT R18 BUT IT MIGHT MAKE SOME PEOPLE UNCOMFORTABLE.

    Lin Yu Yan squinted her eyes at the sun. "Close the blinds," she uttered as she clutched her nket and used it to cover her head.

    nkets? Why would she have nkets?

    Lin Yu Yan jolted up. Panic rose within her. She paled when she realized that she was naked. She trembled and turned towards the empty space beside her. Even a child could say that someone was here just a while ago.

    She closed her eyes, trying her best to calm her racing heart. She tried to recall thest thing that she remembered yesterday.

    She was with... Zhou Kang.

    The thought of Zhou Kang sent tremors within her. She fought the urge to cry as she clutched her aching head.

    Slowly, she looked at her naked body and was not able to stop herself from sobbing. She was bruised, badly. Memories of what happened after the meeting slowly resurfaced inside her as she saw cuff marks on her wrist. She felt her back tingle as she moved. She could feel her body ache, not the type that would make someone cry but enough to make her ufortable.

    "I¡¯m d you are awake," she heard Zhou Kang¡¯s voice. She watched in horror as thetter walk towards her with only a piece of towel on his lower body.

    "Stay- Stay away." She clutched the sheets and wrapped it around her. "Stay away from me!"

    "Or what?" the smirked in his face infuriated her. He gave her a disappointed look. "You just hurt my feelings." He moved closer. "Why don¡¯t you want me near you? Is this your way of saying that my performancest night... did not satisfy you?"

    "No! Stay the hell away from me!" She held her hand. "Stay away, you monster!" she yelled, her eyes red as tears continued to flow down her cheeks. She could hear Bei Tian¡¯s voice and recalled his disappointed gaze at her. "No... No this is not happening." She shook her head.

    "Ah... was it too good, you can¡¯t believe if this is real?" he gave her a mockingugh.

    "How could you do this to me!?"

    "What do you mean?" he tilted his head.

    "This!" Lin Yu Yan rose from the bed. "You drugged me! And took advantage of me!"

    "Miss Lin... these ims can harm my reputation." He stated, amused. Seeing Lin Yu Yan red at him, Zhou Kang chuckled and turned his back away from her. With no warning, he took the towel off and started to wear his clothes.

    Lin Yu Yan widened her eyes. "You brute!" she yelled as she covered her eyes with her hand. "You are a monster! A rap*st!"

    "Hmmm... I am all that." He responded as he buckled his pants. "Now... Now... I would love to y with you but... today is my father and brother¡¯s funeral. I can¡¯t just miss that, right?"

    Lin Yu Yan stared at his back, defeat shed in her eyes.

    "Of course... you can stay here... if you want to." He shrugged before he shifted his head towards her. "Or you can go to the police, tell them I rape you the start preparing for your father¡¯s funeral." He beamed.

    *PAK*

    The sound reverberated inside the room. It was followed by a suffocating silence as Zhou Kang held his jaw. He narrowed his eyes at the woman near him. "I see..." he uttered, his voice cold, chilly. "You wanted to act as if you didn¡¯t enjoy it?" He took a step before his palms flew towards her face.

    *PAK*

    Zhou Kang did not hold back his strength. He watched in satisfaction as Lin Yu Yan crumbled on the floor. Like a paper doll, she looked at him, fear apparent in her eyes. "Sl*t!" he spat, disgust shed in his gaze as he sneered at Lin Yu Yan. Without second thoughts he held her shoulders and pulled her up, he then dragged her and pushed her towards the bed.

    "You want to see a monster?"

    Lin Yu Yan shook her head repeatedly. "NO... No... I¡¯m sorry. I was muddled. Forgive me..." she swallowed the blood in her throat. As she begged. "Please... Please, Mr. Zhou... It was a mistake." However, who was Zhou Kang? He ignored her words as he unbuckled his belt, his gaze was glued towards her. His lips were lifted into a smile as he swallowed, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbed before he moistened his lips.

    "Please... Mr. Zhou... just forgive me this time... I promise I..." a knock interrupted her words.

    At first, Zhou Kang tried to ignore it. Yet the knocking continued. He clenched his teeth and walked towards the door. "What?" he hissed.

    "Boss... we have some urgent news." The man was almost out of breath.

    "Is this worthy of disturbing me?"

    The man nodded. "It¡¯s about the Dongfang Family." Zhou Kang lifted his brows. Anger shed in his eyes as he shifted his gaze at the pale Lin Yu Yan on the bed. "Have someone guard my room. Do not let this woman out of here."

    Panic rose inside Lin Yu Yan when she heard his words. She ran towards him, begging. "No... No... No... Mr. Zhou... please... let me out of here... please forgive me. Mr. Zhou... I did not mean to disrespect you!"

    Zhou Kang rolled his eyes in response as he eyed the man in front of her. "If she escapes... you already know what will happen to you." The man nodded and held his phone. "Let¡¯s discuss this in my study." Zhou Kang then grabbed a shirt and left the room, leaving the sobbing Lin Yu Yan on the floor.

    Not long after, Zhou Kang arrived in his study with the man in tow. "What is it this time?"

    "You better take a look at this." The man handed a tablet. "They found Dongfang Jin with a dead prostitute and politician. It was all over the news. Some spections said that the politician died of a heart attack during a threesome with Dongfang Jin. So he tried to silence the prostitute. A fight ensued, and he lost consciousness because of drugs."

    Zhou Kang¡¯s face turned darker and darker as he read the news on the tablet.

    How is this possible? How the hell is this possible?

 Chapter 437 Be

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 437 Be</h4>

    "Stupid!" Zhou Kang could not stop himself from throwing away the tablet. It made a loud shattering sound that only made him more furious.

    He kicked the chair near him and let out another curse. "This is Zhou Jingren¡¯s fault!" He narrowed his eyes and rose from his seat. "Is he in jail now? Where is he?"

    "Boss, Mr. Dongfang was arrested. He woke up after the police stormed inside his hotel room. It was obviously a setup. The media was making different spections about the matter." The man said.

    "F*ck!" Zhou Kang gritted his teeth. "He is a pretty big name! The media won¡¯t just let this go. I want you to remove him from our contacts. I don¡¯t want to answer anything from him and get dragged into this matter!"

    "But boss... what about the documents that you signed with him yesterday?"

    His words made Zhou Kang frown. "How¡¯s the stocks? Did the news..." he did not continue his words. It was futile. Of course, the stocks would crumble. Their CEO and heir was just used of murder! This will certainly affect thepany.

    Zhou Kang let out another strain of curses. Not long after, he started throwing things towards the wall. First, it was the frames on his table, then the vases and finally hisptop. "Ahhhh!" He screamed as fury overtook him. "He nned all this! That man is..." The thought of Zhou Jingren¡¯s face sent his blood boiling. How could he suffer loses because of that man?

    He could not have n all this! Lily just died! How could he... unless..."Did you check? Did you check everything? Did Lily really die?"

    "Positive. I even saw a copy of the DNA test that confirmed it was her."

    "Then why!?" Zhou Kang raked his hands into his head. "HOW THE HELL DID HE HAVE THE TIME TO PLAN ALL THIS? That man is so scheming! he must have nned his wife¡¯s death as well!" The thought of losing to Zhuo Jingren never crossed his mind. The fact that he beat him in his own game is just too much for Zhou Kang to handle.

    "Maybe... Boss... what if... this was all Lily¡¯s n before she died?"

    The man¡¯s words made Zhou Kang take a pause. What if this was all Lily¡¯s n? A scheme to destroy him? The thought made him speechless. "I want you to burn the columbarium. The one she was in." He narrowed his eyes. This is nothing like the losses that he will have because of this scandal. Yet, Zhou Kang knew that this is enough to hurt that man.

    "Also..." he walked towards his door. "That woman... I am sure... Zhou Jingren sent her to distract me. He knew that she has enough features to seduce me." He said in disgust.

    "Are we going to kill her?" the man asked.

    "NO! NO... of course not. That would be too easy." He walked out of the room and walked towards his room. A sinister glint swirled in her eyes.

    ..........................

    "That is not possible." Lin Yu Yan shook her head as if her life depended on it.

    "Well... even if he did not send you here. I am sure that he did something to make youe here and beg. Let¡¯s ept it. He manipted you to seduce me! Then strike when I was busy... with you." Zhou Kang said as he crossed his legs and took a sip of his whiskey. The previous rage that he felt earlier vanished as his mind continued to n, scheme against Zhou Jingren. "How pitiful. You liked him wholeheartedly and yet... yet he sent you in the tiger¡¯s den as a distraction." He dramatically shook his head.

    "That is not true!" Zhou Jingren did not even talk to her. How could he manipte her? Seeing Zhou Kang was her own choice! It was she who decided to see him instead of Qi Xia. It was her stupidity that brought her in this situation.

    "Aw.... Isn¡¯t it sweet?" Zhou Kang mocked. "You are here... crying, protecting him. And yet he... I am sure that he is thinking of a woman at this very moment. But we all know that it isn¡¯t you, right?"

    Lin Yu Yan swallowed. She gave her a wry look. "That is none of your business!"

    "Is it not?" He smirked. "You know? I totally understand why Zhou Jingren thought it would very easy to manipte someone like you." He clicked his tongue. "You are stupid and blind. You loved him too much... even if it is clear that he will never love you in this lifetime."

    "That is not true! I..." Lin Yu Yan lowered her head. She shook his head,ughing inwardly at his words. Lily is dead. There is still a chance for her. She just needed to prove herself, her feelings. Then slowly... she could make him forget. They would start over. Start a new life together.

    This will not be easy. She was sure that it will also take a lot of time. However... she will wait.

    For Zhou Jingren she will wait.

    "That is not true. He will learn to love me soon!" she assured herself as she met Zhou Kang¡¯s eyes.

    "Then... why don¡¯t we have a bet?" lifting his eyebrow, he leaned closer towards her.

    "What bet?"

    ave"I will let you go." Zhou Kang uttered. "I will let you witness what kind of man he is by yourself. If I win... you put this," he showed the sh drive in his hand. "This little thing in hisputer at his office. Then youe back to me. Be my mistress and I leave your father alone."

    "What kind of sh drive is that?"

    "Nothing much. It will destroy some of his files. But that¡¯s all. I just want to give him a little trouble. It will damage nothing important, just a bit of revenge for the money that I lost today." He smiled.

    "And If I win?" Lin Yu Yan asked.

    "If there is a small sign that he will learn to love you soon... then... you can go. Let¡¯s forget that this ever happened. I will not touch your family, ever."

    Lin Yu Yan frowned. Zhou Kang¡¯s phoenix eyes stared back at her. "What do you want me to do?"

    "Kiss him." Zhou Kang answered. "It is really easy. If he responds... then it is a win-win for you. If he pushed you, then he might rage and p you. Say some mean things that will make you cry, but that is it. That should be enough proof that he will not love you." Zhou Kang said. "I mean... this is a pretty easy bet. A smart woman would definitely agree with my terms. After all, win or lose... I will still let go of your father."

    Lin Yu Yan knitted her brows.

    "So, do we have a deal?" Zhou Kang smiled.

    He can smell victory in the air.

 Chapter 438 This is Madness

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 438 This is Madness</h4>

    "President, I already asked our people to make the news about Dongfang Jin trend for the whole day. Unless the Dongfang family pays a lot of money to remove the trend. Or create a piece of bigger news then there is no way that everyone will stop seeing his name anytime soon." Secretary Go said. "He is currently in prison. While hiswyer is working on his bail."

    "Hmmm..." Zhou Jingren nodded. "And Zhou Kang?"

    "Well... we may have a small situation about him." Seeing Zhou Jingren lift an eyebrow at him, Secretary Go continued. "Miss Lin went to see him yesterday. Our people just saw her leaving the Zhou estate this morning."

    "Is that all?" his gaze darkened.

    "Yes, President."

    "Then... call Bei Tian. Tell him about this news." Secretary Go nodded. However, before he could bid Zhou Jingren goodbye, he received a call from one of their people.

    "President... Miss Lin is asking to see you. She is downstairs. Shall I tell our people to let her in?"

    "Alright." Zhou Jingren nodded and rose from his seat. "Send her to my study."

    .....................................

    "Hey," Lin Yu Yan meekly said as she made her way towards Zhou Jingren. She held her breath, trying to control her racing heart. "I¡¯m sorry. Please ept my sincere condolences." She bit her lips and watched Zhou Jingren¡¯s side profile.

    "Why are you here? Didn¡¯t Bei Tian told you not to see me?" he asked, his gaze glued towards the tablet in his hands.

    "I just... I thought I woulde and see you. I mean... after Lily¡¯s unfortunate passing. I thought it would be best to send my condolences in person."

    "Then... if you are done, you can go now."

    "I ¡ª Jingren..." she gulped. "If there is anything else I can do to help you. Then... please tell me." She lowered her head, her hand clenched into a fist. She watched as her knuckles turned white. "Also... I would like to apologize. For what happened."

    Zhou Jingren peeled off his eyes away from the tablet and gave her a brief look. "Are you done?" his eyebrow lifted. "You can leave... once you are done talking."

    His indifference shook her core. She trembled as she felt her nails graced her palms. "I¡ª"

    "Is there anything else?"

    "I... I just want to ask you. I just want to know something." She started. The terms of her bet with Zhou Kang echoed in her head like a bell, reminding her of what she had agreed to do. "I just want to know... if there is a chance. If there was a time in the past that you thought of me as a woman and not as a sister?" As a response, Zhou Jingren stared at her nkly. He stood from his seat.

    "Please answer me."

    "No." Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips thinned. "There will no chance that it will happen in the future either." He shoved his hands into his pocket.

    "Jingren..."

    "The only reason why you are alive is because of Bei Tian. I know how... he liked you for years. Aside from that... there is no other reason that you are alive now." Zhou Jingren¡¯s gaze was devoid of any expression as he continued, "I don¡¯t want you to think that you are lucky. If I tell Bei Tian to kill you... he would not hesitate to do it."

    His words left her speechless. Her eyelids fluttered as fear raced in her heart. What kind of man would say such cruel things? "You are going to have me killed?" she asked her voice trembled. "Really?"

    "Why?" she continued. "Is it because... because you can¡¯t love me? Is it because... I loved you too much? Jingren... I have done nothing wrong but love you. Is it a sin? Is loving you so wrong?" she muster all the courage that she had and stood from her seat. She edged closer to him. "Jingren... you knew! Since we were children. You knew that I love you. Yet you..." she pursed her lips.

    "Lily is gone. Can¡¯t you... Can¡¯t you at least give yourself a chance? Another chance to love someone?"

    A scoff escaped his lips. "Your business is done here. Ask Go Jichen to escort you outside."

    Lin Yu Yan stared at him . She sucked her breath, defeat in her eyes. "What part of me is not enough?" She watched as mockery swirled in Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes. "Are you going to mock me forever? Zhou Jingren... why are you so cruel? What have I done to deserve this?"

    "Do you think... I am not pretty enough? Am I not rich enough? Am I not smart? Zhou Jingren... If you want me to change, I can. I will do whatever you want me to do. I can even change my face! Make it look like hers! I can act like her. Just so you will give me a chance to be with you." Tears pooled in her eyes. "I can make you happy. I will do everything to make you happy. I am the only woman who would do this for you. Can¡¯t you see? I am the only one who loves you more than I have ever loved myself... more than I have ever loved anything else."

    Seeing Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyebrows knit, she continued, "I am the only woman who is willing to change everything about myself for you. Isn¡¯t that enough? I am asking for a chance, that¡¯s all."

    "Are you telling me that... you will change your whole self just so you can be with me?" he asked.

    "I can! I will do everything... I mean... just like everyone else, you can also learn how to love." She smiled, her crazed eyes sparkled. "I will stay by your side. Unlike Qin Jinghua, I will never leave you. Just give me a chance."

    "Tell me, Lin Yu Yan..." Zhou Jingren¡¯s icy gaze swept through her. "All this time that you mention how much you love me... did you ever think, even once... If you love yourself enough to share this feeling with someone else?"

    "I¡ª"

    "You are willing to have another person identity. You are willing to forget yourself and everything about you just so you can show me your so-called ¡¯love¡¯. Lin Yu Yan... this is not loving. This is madness. "

 Chapter 439 A Very Important Cargo

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 439 A Very Important Cargo</h4>

    "What did she do this time?" Zhou Jingren asked, his face cold as his eyesnded at Bei Tian.

    "Surprisingly, she attempted to install something on yourptop. At first... we didn¡¯t have any idea how she could get inside your office. Until... we trace a login from Lily¡¯s office. It was a remote login that gave her ess to your personal elevator. I called Yang Mi and told her about it."

    "And?"

    "She caught one of the secretaries that worked under her. She interrogated the woman and... she was a spy from Qi Xia. She had been staying in thepany for months and no one could detect her. It was because she¡¯s good withputers. Yang Mi is still interrogating the poor woman now." Bei Tian ended his words with a sigh. "About Yu Yan..."

    "Hmmm?" Zhou Jingren started typing on theptop in front of him. "You caught her, right?"

    "Yes, we did, but that is not what I want to tell you."

    "Are you sorry for giving her a chance?"

    Another sigh left Bei Tian¡¯s mouth. "I am. I really thought that after what happened she would stop being stupid. I guess I am wrong."

    "You are."

    "Just as you expected, she also went to see Zhou Kang and did not heed my warnings. I guess I lost another bet?"

    "Stupid people like her are so easy to read. You shouldn¡¯t have made a bet with me." Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips curl into a sinister smile. "Now... I get to decide what will happen to her."

    Bei Tian clenched his jaw as he nodded. He used to wonder if Zhou Jingren was really indifferent to a person who practically grew up with them. Now, he finally got his answer.

    "Bring her to the base. I don¡¯t want mistakes this time, Tian. I don¡¯t want the past to bite us in the future."

    "I understand." Bei Tian nodded. "Also... I think your suspicion about Jack has bases now." He gave him a tablet. "We found photos of him at the port two days before the ident. They deleted everything else. The travel logs, CCTV¡¯s, money withdrawals. Everything other than that picture was deleted."

    "So you say... that everything about his trip in Hongkong was deleted except this photo?"

    "You are right. My guess is... It was Qin Yuanfeng who helped him this time. He was working under him right?"

    Zhou Jingren narrowed his eyes as he zoomed in on the photo. Jack was wearing a ck suit as he walked near a cargo ship. He was talking on his phone while his other hand was in his pockets. "No..." he shook his head, his heartbeat raced. "Qin Yuanfeng was helping us... not him."

    "What?" Bei Tian frowned.

    "He deleted everything else aside from this photo to show us that Jack was in Hongkong around the time that Lily disappeared." Zhou Jingren suddenly rose from his seat and strode out of his office.

    "Where are we going?" Bei Tian hastened his steps to catch up to his friend. "What is going on?"

    "I am going to see Cathy." Zhou Jingren answered. "Tell her about Jack and my suspicions."

    "I thought you are afraid that she will side with him?"

    "Cathy will always side with Lily." Zhou Jingren said as they enter the elevator. "She already doubts me. I know she is just waiting for me to make a wrong move before she intervenes. I can¡¯t give her that."

    Bei Tian turned silent as he followed Zhou Jingren in the car. In weeks this was the first time that he saw Zhou Jingren this... enthusiastic. Bei Tian could not help but wonder if Zhou Jingren was starting to doubt his previous ims. Was he slowly losing hope? Is that the reason why the image seemed to give him the hope that he needed?

    ........................

    "Now... Why the hell would Jack take her?" Cathy arched an eyebrow at Zhou Jingren.

    "For now... I can¡¯t answer that question. But... this shows that he was here at the time."

    Cathy looked at the image and eyed Mr. Rossi who was sitting beside her. "All right... what do you need?" she asked. Her answered immediately made Zhou Jingren froze. He gave her a wary looked. Seeing this, Cathy let out another sigh and gestured towards Mr. Rossi. "You tell him."

    "No... why does it have to be me?" Mr. Rossi shook his head. "You tell him."

    "Tell me what?" Zhou Jingren tensed. "Are you hiding something important?"

    "Well... it is not that hard to trace a cargo with a lot of medical pieces of equipment." Cathy started. "A few days ago... I traced one shipment from Mysia to Hongkong with a lot of medical equipment. This was around a week before Lily¡¯s ident. Seeing that it was from the Arison Company, I just shrugged it off and told Mr. Rossi about it a couple of days ago."

    "So you thought they use that to transport Lily back to Europe?" Bei Tian chimed in.

    "Well... now that Zhou Jingren showed me an image of Jack in the port around the time then... it is very possible that it was indeed used to transport Lily." Mr. Rossi answered as he went back to his desk and called someone. They are currently in Fi Group¡¯s building as both Mr. Rossi and Cathy are busy running thepany. After a few minutes, Mr. Rossi¡¯s secretary came inside and handed him a folder.

    "These contain the medical equipment that was transported around that time. All illegal and legal shipments included. The one that was mentioned before stayed in Hong Kong for a few days, then left three days before the ident. Aside from that... two more ships left the harbor of Hongkong after the ident. One of them could be transporting Lily." He handed the folder to Zhou Jingren.

    "At first... we thought nothing of it. This was because something like this had always been a part of the Arison¡¯s business. Transporting medical equipment and selling them to the ck market is not something new. However... Jack is a very careful man. He does not involve himself in any shipments. He always had his right-hand man, handle it for him." Cathy exined. "The only time where he would show himself is if they are transporting a very important cargo."

    "Just like Lily." Bei Tian said, his voice low. In response, Cathy nodded.

    "Indeed... Just like Lily."

 Chapter 440 Uneasy

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 440 Uneasy</h4>

    Thest thing that Lily remembered before losing her consciousness was the loud explosion that shook the car.

    She remembered the taste of blood in her mouth. By then, her consciousness was already hanging by a thread.

    And then there was peace, a deafening silence.

    When Lily woke up again, it was already morning.

    Or that¡¯s what she thought when the sunlight assaulted her vision the moment she opened her eyes. She immediately frown as the smell of disinfectant reached her nose. Her first instinct was to move her head. However, a sharp pain shot through her spine. She winced. Then she heard a beeping sound next to her. This time, Lily carefully looked at the machine to her left.

    Hospital? Yet the brown velvet curtains and the chandelier a few feet away makes little sense. She immediately wondered if Zhou Jingren brought her to a private vi. Perhaps a ce that he own away from Hong Kong?

    Lily¡¯s face contorted when she opened her mouth. Her throat ached. Was it even possible to have a throat as dry as hers? She forced herself to utter a word, to no avail. Her tongue seemed to have lost all its ability to move. It just sat there, as dry as a dessert at the bottom of her mouth. She craved water.

    Lily tried to clear her throat, half of herself hoped that she could while the other half told her that it would only cause her pain. She tried to move her arms and flinched as she felt a throbbing difort increase just like waves, threatening to tear her flesh from inside out. A single tear rolled down her cheeks when she felt the pain down her legs,ncing through her head.

    She bit her lips, preventing herself from screaming out.

    "You are awake." Lily stilled. Despite the pain, she shifted her head, eyeing the woman approaching her. "I will give you more pain relievers, then I will call the doctor. Don¡¯t worry, this is for your burns." The nurse said. As if reading Lily¡¯s mind, the woman handed her a ss of water. A kind smile blossomed in the woman¡¯s wizened face as she helped her drink the water.

    Lily nodded at the woman, her gaze cid. However, inwardly, all the bells in her mind were ringing. Her English ent was thick. Lily guessed she is from Russia or perhaps Germany. She tried to recall if Zhou Jingren mentioned having contacts in those countries. Nothing came to mind. But there is also the possibility that they hired a foreign nurse.

    "Call me Anna." The woman smiled. After a few minutes, Anna bid her goodbye and told her that she will call the doctor to examine her.

    Lily pursed her lips. She wanted to say something, asked her to call Zhou Jingren. Yet her instincts told her not to. Slowly, she felt her heart raced against her chest. She stared at the ceiling, her eyes devoid of any expression. To be honest, not seeing Zhou Jingren the moment that she opened her eyes made her uneasy.

    Was he busy with thepany?

    Was he trying to find out who caused the explosion?

    Questions upon questions made her head ache. After a few more minutes, Anna came back with two men. Still, Lily did not say a word. She examined the man wearing a stethoscope around his neck and immediately concluded that she does not know him. The second man, however, was a bit familiar. Lily was sure that she had seen the man somewhere.The doctor and Anna started examining her.

    Their Polish dialect surprised her. She was no expert in Polish, but she immediately recognized thenguage when she heard it. It was because she heard George spoke thenguage with her grandmother before.

    "Miss... do you know what happened to you?" the man apanying the doctor asked in the same thick ent. She shook her head in response. Lily is not a fool, she could immediately feel that something is definitely wrong with these people. The man¡¯s lips thinned as he nced at the doctor. "Do you know... who you are?"

    Lily looked at him before she nodded. While Lily could pretend that she had amnesia, she chose not to do it. In the first ce, Lily is not an expert in medicine and she would not want these people to scrutinize her further because of her so-called ¡¯amnesia¡¯. "I am Lily Fi- Qin." She answered.

    While she could not pretend that she has amnesia, Lily was smart enough to know that there is a condition known as selective amnesia. This is a win-win for Lily. First, she could use this to prank Zhuo Jingren. Punish him for not being here the moment that she woke up. Second, if she was captured, she could use this to her advantage to protect her man.

    The fact that all she had been thinking all this time was her husband made her smile inwardly. Had she really fallen that hard?

    "Qin?" the man asked and started speaking in polish again. Then both of them walked out of the room without bidding Lily goodbye.

    "I¡¯m sorry about that." Anna smiled. "The drug should show its effects soon. You will feel sleepy. Don¡¯t worry, you will feel better when you wake up."

    "Where am I?" Lily asked, ignoring the woman¡¯s words.

    "I¡¯m sorry. I am not allowed to talk about this." Anna said. "I should go now." She strode out of the room.

    Lily forced a sighed out of her mouth. A small movement would make her body ache. She knew it was the burns. However, this was the least of her concern right now.

    For some reason, theirnguage reminded her of Jack¡¯s face. Jack¡¯s mother was from Pnd. It would not surprise her that he is fluent in polish too. Was it possible that Zhou Jingren asked for Jack¡¯s help to treat her?

    The thought only made Lily frown. There is no way that Zhou Jingren would ask for Jack¡¯s help. She knew that her husband does not like Jack. Moreover, there was also Fernando who is acquainted with a lot of influential people in both Europe and the US. Why would he ask for Jack¡¯s help when he could always ask Fernando?

    Lily pursed her lips and let out another sigh. Without seeing her husband, she could not help her mind from running around. What if... he really asked for Jack¡¯s help? But what if he didn¡¯t? All the possibilities only made Lily¡¯s head ache even more.

 Chapter 441 A Pretense

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 441 A Pretense</h4>

    Sky City.

    "Jack has properties everywhere. UK, Ennd, Germany, Pnd, India, the Philippines, Maind China and some properties in Thand and Indonesia. He also has a mansion in Australia!" Bei Tian eximed. "This is not even everything. I know he is hiding a couple more."

    "That man... is dangerous." Secretary Go butted in. "But without the madam¡¯s help, he is nothing."

    "Agree! It was Lily who helped him and his father. He would not be that ungrateful, right?"

    Zhou Jingren listened as Bei Tian, and Secretary Go talked. His eyes examined the locations listed in front of him. "Did Fernando told you the ces he frequents the most?"

    Bei Tian shook his head. "That is very difficult to trace. But we are doing our best. Plus, we have Cathy¡¯s help this time."

    He nodded.

    After a few minutes, Secretary Go received a call. "President... we have a situation downstairs." He said, his face dark. "Someone imed that he knows your..." he gulped and hesitated for a few seconds, "The man said that he is here to deliver a message from your mother and father."

    A suffocating silence followed his words. It made Secretary Go swallow his non-existent saliva. "Shall I... ask our men to..."

    "No." Zhou Jingren answered and met Bei Tian¡¯s eyes. He had so many things to think about and his parents were the least of his concern right now. "I don¡¯t have time for them." He clenched his jaws. "Let¡¯s go to Zhuo Capital. I have more important things to do."

    Bei Tian and Secretary Go eyed each other before they followed him towards the elevator and into the car.

    The drive towards the Zhou Capital was full of silence. It was as if a dark cloud hovered over them, its cold air creeping towards their skin. Slowly, their ears be ustomed to the sound of the car and the busy streets of Hong Kong.

    "President... a car is following us." Secretary Go muttered. His voice broke the dark atmosphere. Zhou Jingren frowned in response. He looked out of the window, his eyes unfocused. For some reason, the fact that they are showing themselves now is disturbing his state of mind.

    "Stop the car," he said, almost grimly. Secretary Go stopped the car and contrary to their expectations, the car following them did not halt and just drove passed them. But, it came to a full stop a few meters in front of them.

    A man wearing a gray suit got out of the car and started walking towards them. Seeing this, both Bei Tian and Secretary Go chambered a handgun.

    The man did not approach them. Instead, he stood in front of the car and took off his coat, leaving his white shirt behind. It was as if he was telling them that he was not carrying any weapon and he meant no harm.

    He then turned around to show that he does not have any weapons behind him either.

    After a few seconds, the man approached the driver¡¯s side of the car and knocked.

    "Open it."

    Secretary Go did not wait for Zhou Jingren to repeat his words. He immediately opened the window.

    "Mr. Go, I would like to apologize for disturbing you. But... my boss would like to speak to Mr. Zhuo. I know you already declined my previous request earlier... But..." the man tried to look passed Secretary Go as he increased the volume of his voice. As if he wanted to make sure that Zhou Jingren can hear him. "It is very important that I deliver a message to Mr. Zhuo."

    "What is it?" Zhou Jingren asked. They are using a simple five-seater Mercedes. So it is normal for him to hear the man¡¯s words.

    "Sir," the man started. "Your parents wanted to talk to you. I would implore you to please ept their invitation. This is to..."

    "I have nothing to say to them." Zhou Jingren interrupted him. His voice was cold, chilly. It was enough to send shivers down the man¡¯s spine. "And I don¡¯t have the time to do it."

    "Sir, it is very important that you see them as soon as possible. Please understand that they cannot just waltz around here like they own the ce. They are in hiding because..."

    "For their safety." Zhou Jingren said. "They are hiding for their own safety."

    The man gulped as he nodded. "Yes, Sir."

    "Then... ask them to continue hiding in their hole." Zhou Jingren said. "And stop following me around. Tell them I have more important things to attend to."

    "Sir... please, your parents have missed you for so long. We have been watching you and..."

    "Tell them... I don¡¯t hate them." Zhou Jingren said. "But I felt nothing towards them either." After this, Secretary Go immediately closed the window drove, leaving the man standing staring at the back of their car.

    "If she reveals herself, then... Zhou Kang... might have another breakdown and attack us." Bei Tian said, his face dark. "She is still trying to protect you, you know."

    "If you think watching is the same as protecting, then you are mistaken." Zhou Jingren fired back. "If she has eyes everywhere, then she should have seen and watched as someone took Lily in broad daylight. She knew I am very capable of protecting myself. She knew I could destroy Zhou Kang easily. Yet she is still hiding, telling me that she is doing this to protect me." He made a deliberate paused as he shifted his gaze at Bei Tian. His jaws clenched, eyes devoid of any expression.

    "Bei Tian... she is not protecting me. She is protecting herself... she is hiding because she can¡¯t face me. This meeting is nothing but a pretense." he added.

    Bei Tian clenched his jaw in response. He let out a sigh and turned his gaze towards the streets. Zhou Jingren was right. All her mother did was run away and hide. Her initial purpose might be to protect him and Bei Tian. But protecting them now that Zhou Kang is already aware of their presence is quite futile.

 Chapter 442 Persistence

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 442 Persistence</h4>

    Unfortunately, Zhou Jingren underestimated the persistence of his parents.

    The moment he arrived in the Zhou Capital, Zhou Jingren already knew that something was amiss. When he walked inside his office, his face immediately contorted into an ugly scowl.

    "Who are you?" He already knew the answer to his question. "Who let you in?" By now, Zhou Jingren already guessed that they have people inside hispany. He strode towards his seat with Bei Tian in tow.

    "Jingren..." the woman called out.

    "I think we should introduce ourselves." The man said. "Right now, I go by the name Zhou Jingwu and this is my wife Zhou Dae Un. I knew her as Lingling."

    Zhou Jingren sat on his leather chair as Bei Tian sat across the couple.

    "It is a pleasure to finally meet you," Zhou Jingwu said. "Both of you."

    "I suppose there is a reason you came out now?" Zhou Jingren asked. A gleam of surprise immediately shed in his mother¡¯s eyes. His bluntness was a surprise to both of them.

    "I think it is not fair for you tosh out on us now." His father said. "We have our own reasons for not revealing ourselves. I hope you would understand that."

    "So why reveal yourself now?" Zhou Jingren did not budge.

    "Because I think it is finally time for us to get back what they took from us." His father said.

    "What do you mean?" Bei Tian asked.

    "Turn on the news." His mother said. In response, Bei Tian opened his tablet and started browsing for thetest news. While Zhou Jingren just stared nkly at them.

    "You announced that you are alive?" Bei Tian asked, his eyebrow raised.

    "Yes. I will have an interview tonight, in a popr TV show in the Maind." His father said. "Another conference tomorrow ising as well." He added.

    "Why?" Zhou Jingren stared at his mother briefly before looking at his father. "Why now?" He was skeptical about this whole announcement. The questions in his mind started popping up.

    "We figured you needed our help. Let us deal with them. You focus on looking for her." His mother¡¯s soft voice made him silent. For a brief moment, guilt shed in her eyes as her gaze wavered. She lowered her head and avoided Zhou Jingren¡¯s gaze.

    "We also... We also have some information that could help you." His father handed a sh drive to Bei Tian. "Check it. It will show you some of the deadliest enemies that the Arison¡¯s have for the past years. Maybe they can help you with something."

    Bei Tian passed the sh drive to Zhou Jingren.

    "There is also... another matter that we would like to discuss." Her mother said.

    .........................

    "What do you mean? You can¡¯t just cancel the contract just because you want to." Dongfang Jin scowled at Zhou Kang. "And I did not kill that politician! The truth wille out soon! And once it does... thepany will bounce back! I can assure you that!"

    Zhou Kang smiled in response. "So you think... your PR team¡¯s efforts are enough for this? Jin, we all know that there is noing back from this. You will lose the confidence of your board of directors soon and... that cousin of yours..."

    "No! I can assure you! There is no way that he will..." Dongfang Jin¡¯s words were interrupted when his secretary, who was waiting outside, hastily walked inside the meeting room. He then leaned towards Dongfang Jin and whispered something in his ears.

    Slowly, Dongfang Jin¡¯s brows knitted into a frown, then a smile dangled into his face. "I see..." he then gestured for the secretary to leave him as he looks at Zhou Kang. "I guess... I will just allow you to cancel the contract."

    This immediately made Zhou Kang frowned. He was always the kind of person who loved to see people begged at him. He treats this as a therapeutic activity. This is why he would give favors to people and every time he asked them to pay their debts, he would drown himself in their begging.

    To Zhou Kang, this was like a drug. The only difference is, this is more satisfying. "Are you sure about that?" he asked. His lips thinned.

    "I am positive. I will focus on the case against me for now. After all, I still have to prove my innocence."

    Zhou Kang lifted his eyebrow. "Is that so?"

    "Yes. Now... I still have another meeting to attend to. I hope you don¡¯t mind, but I need to leave now."

    Zhou Kang narrowed his eyes in response. However, he still nodded and bid Dongfang Jin goodbye. He honestly does not want to spend some time with a murderer like him.

    "Boss... there is a problem." He heard one of his men said as he approached him.

    "What?" he hissed.

    "This..." he handed a tablet. Immediately, the color on Zhou Kang¡¯s face vanished. He widened his eyes. It was as if something was stuck in his throat.

    "We are receiving a lot of calls because of this news." The man added. "Boss, what are we going to do, now?"

    "Shut up." Zhou Kang uttered. Raged slowly consumed his insides. "SHUT THE F***K UP!" swiftly, he removed the gun from the man¡¯s waist and pointed it at him.

    "Boss... I didn¡¯t mean it. I didn¡¯t mean it... pls..."

    *BANG*

    *BANG*

    "SHUT UP!"

    *BANG*

    "I told you to shut up! So shut up!" he rose from his seat and emptied the bullet of the gun into the man¡¯s body that was already lying on the floor. "You listen to me! And only me!"

    *Click*

    When Zhou Kang heard the sound of the empty gun, he closed his eyes and made a deep breath. The smell of gun power still lingered in the air. It was mixed with the rustic smell of blood. He opened his eyes and looked at the remaining men in the room. "Clean it up." He uttered, a sinister smile blossomed on his face.

    "Ah... Lingling... you are finally back." He walked out of the room as he started humming a tune.

 Chapter 443 Triple Lotus

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 443 Triple Lotus</h4>

    NOTE: TANG EMPIRE is Jack¡¯s organization. It was George¡¯s, but he is sick right now. So...

    Kowloon, Hong Kong

    "Aren¡¯t you going to tell me why you did that?"

    "I thought you understand me very well. I guess I¡¯m wrong." Zhou Jingren responded to Bei Tian. He nced at him before he looked at the busy street outside of the car. For a few seconds, Bei Tian stared at Zhou Jingren. He clenched his jaws and stayed silent.

    It wasn¡¯t even an hour after they had met Zhou Jingren¡¯s parents and he was already here tracking some triad members in the streets of Hong Kong. Not that he med him.

    However, the only thing that is in his mind right now was the fact that Zhou Jingren told his parents that he doesn¡¯t want to be a part of Zhou Enterprises and told them that Bei Tian should manage it instead. "I am already busy, you know." Bei Tian uttered. "I don¡¯t have the time to be your father¡¯s VP and learn from him. Plus... I am not that smart to begin with." His tone was serious as he waited for his friend¡¯s answer.

    He watched as Zhou Jingren clenched his jaws. Seeing this, Bei Tian changed the topic. "This triple Lotus Triad was well known for being too old fashion, which makes them more dangerous to deal with as they are not open-minded. They are not the biggest, but everyone in Maind China respects them."

    "Hmmm..." Zhou Jingren nodded as the car slowed down its pace. "I will go inside. Wait for me here." He eyed the restaurant to his left.

    "Are you sure they will meet you?"

    "They will." Zhou Jingren said before he walked out of the car and walked inside the restaurant.

    The moment Zhou Jingren walked inside, a man immediately approached him. The man led him towards the back of the restaurant in which private rooms were located.

    "Please take a seat," the man said. After Zhou Jingrenplied, he started examining the room that he was in. The restaurant was one of the local eastern restaurants that were known for their rice wine and rice that was wrapped in lotus leaf.

    This restaurant is known for its extremely rxing andid back interior that includes a small water feature with bamboos, neutral colors, a chandelier that looks like bamboos and papernterns. Because of this, many tourists frequent the ce.

    However, people do not know that this ce is the same building that is considered as a triad headquarters. Not only does this ce have an underground where the triad keeps their prisoner, but this is also the same ce where negotiations and business conversations happen.

    Zhou Jingren eyed the Koi pond nearby and let out a sigh.

    "Ah... Mr. Zhuo! I was not expecting that you will personallye, today!" a man wearing a white ancient Chinese clothing walked inside. A smile was stered on the man¡¯s face as he sat opposite to Zhou Jingren.

    "Mr. Mu." Zhuo Jingren rose from his seat and gave the older man a small bow. While Zhuo Jingren is not really afraid of this triad group, he was not here to create an unfavorable impression either.

    The old man¡¯sughter reverberated inside the private room. His bulging stomach shook, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "Ah... No offense. But I have met no one of your status gave me a bow."

    "I am not here to fight or negotiate." Zhou Jingren got straight to the point. He took his seat and me the man¡¯s experienced eyes. "I am here to hire you." The old man¡¯s eyebrows lifted. Still, the smile on his face did not falter.

    "Do tell... how may I help you?" Mr. Mu asked. "This made me wonder... I believe your influence in the ck market is far greater than mine. Why would youe to hire me instead of choosing bigger gangs?"

    "Anonymity." Zhou Jingren responded. "And you are one of the triads that are not happy about the Tang Empire being managed by a foreigner." His words made Mr. Mu frowned.

    "The Tang Empire..." Mr. Mu started. "Call me old fashion but I believe... letting a foreigner in is a crazy move."

    "Well... That is exactly the reason why I want your services." Zhou Jingren rested his elbows to the oak table that separated him and Mr. Mu. "I will supply everything... while you do your best to disturb the new management of the Tang Empire." Mr. Mu left an eyebrow.

    "Why not just kill them?" Questions became apparent in his eyes. However, it was short-lived. "Hah! Don¡¯t tell me you ¡ª you are nning to take over?" the surprised in the old man¡¯s eyes was clear. He almost jumped out of his seat as he beamed. "Ah!!! You are finally showing your fangs, young man!"

    Zhou Jingren watched as the old man drank his tea, trying to calm himself from his own emotions. "So... you wanted to take over the Tang Empire." he repeated as if he was still in disbelieve. "Now... you know that the Mu Family in Maind China has a very goodwork too. Do you want us to disrupt the Tang Empire¡¯s operations in both Maind and Hong Kong? Or..."

    "Both." Zhou Jingren answered. Once again, the old manughed, his eyes glittered with joy.

    "Ah... this is just very good." Mr. Mu pped his hands. "Forgive me... I was just thrilled that I found someone that would finally help me destroy those westerners."

    Zhou Jingren nodded in response. "After this, I would like to make an alliance with your group. Once... I be the Tang Empire¡¯s leader my influence will double or triple. I will have ess to Europe and the US."

    "Very bold and ambitious." Mr. Muplimented. "Now... why don¡¯t you tell me the specifics of this n... so I can start doing my job?" He beamed, his eyes wrinkled as he looked at Zhou Jingren, like a child waiting for his candy.

 Chapter 444 Sick and Disturbing Eyes

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 444 Sick and Disturbing Eyes</h4>

    Unknown location.

    Lily always thought that she had experienced enough horror in her life. She had been to different situations, and somehow she managed to survive. However, for the first time in the past seven years, Lily was uncertain about the steps that she will take.

    Not when Jack was keeping her in a ce that she does not seem to recognize. Everything about the house screamed Europe, yet... something about the scene outside of the windows in her room was amiss.

    She clenched her jaws; her face devoid of any expression as she sat on her bed. For a brief moment, she examined the burns in her arms. The doctor said that it will heal soon. However, her legs are still recovering. The doctor said something hit her spine and it will take her a few weeks to be able to walk properly.

    Since waking up, Lily hasn¡¯t really gotten out of bed. And if she does, Anna, the nurse would always help her through it. Her food was delivered to her on time and to her surprise, most of them were her favorites. At first, she thought it must have been Zhou Jingren. He should be the only one who knows all of her favorites.

    For a few days, Lily continued to think that it was him. However, today was different. Anna brought some men to prepare a table for two in her room. It was a formal setting with candle lights and some red roses in a bespoke vase.

    And today... well, she finally knew that she won¡¯t be seeing Zhou Jingren anytime soon. Lily lifted her head, her eyes were glued to the flickering light of the candle.

    "Listen. I know... you are faking it." Jack¡¯s lips curled into a smirk. "It won¡¯t work on me. So you better stop now."

    For a few seconds, Lily stilled. She stared at Jack¡¯s features and wondered what the hell happened to this man. Until now, she still could not figure out why this man would take her.

    "If you won¡¯t cut it out... I will ask my people to kill your brother." Jack¡¯s words were enough to get Lily¡¯s full attention. Seeing Lily¡¯s eyes widened, Jack nodded. Victory apparent in his eyes as he started slicing the steak on his te. "Eat up." He said. "This is the first of our many dinners. In the future... I will take you to ces and we can have a great dinner anywhere around the world."

    "Why?" Lily asked.

    "What do you mean why?" his brows knitted. "I would love to take you to ces. No exnations needed."

    "Why take me," Lily asked. This time, she dropped her pretense. His sick and disturbing stare focused on her. The corners of his lips turned up.

    "Simple." He patted the napkin on his lips. His actions precise, calcted. "I deserve the best of everything. That includes the best woman, and that is you."

    "I am already married," Lily stated.

    "Doesn¡¯t matter. Your husband already dered that Lily Zhuo is dead. From now on... I will call you Belle. My Belle." He took a sip of the red wine and started eating his steak again.

    "He thought that I died?" Of course, Lily knew this was not possible. Zhou Jingren spent years looking for her body when she disappeared seven years ago. There is no way that he would just ept her death that easily.

    "I was there." He gave her a smug smile. "I saw him cry and grieve with everyone else."

    "That is not possible." She shook her head.

    "Well... I made it possible. Now... start eating. Or I will personally feed you."

    Lily swallowed her non-existent saliva andplied. She started slicing her steak, her senses on high alert.

    "You know what is more... funny?" Jack said. "That husband of yours... asked Cathy to be the CEO. Eventually, the Fi Group that you loved so much will be a part of the Zhou Capital!"

    "What? Stop ring at me like that and enjoy your food." Jack added before he gave a peal of elegantughter. "You see? I always knew that he was a gold digger. He wanted to ess Europe, and marrying you is the best that he could do. When he..."

    "You poisoned your own father." Lily interrupted her. "When you saw me and told me that George was poisoned and that it was Qin Yuanfeng... it was all a scheme right?"

    Jack lifted an eyebrow.

    "You wanted me toe to Europe to see George so you will have the chance to stage an ident, yes? Were you nning to kill your father as well? Were you going to stage it as if... it was his enemy who killed him? Were you nning to include me in your ns about this death?" Lily started spouting all the possibilities that she could think of. "But... I didn¡¯t. So you told me not to marry Zhou Jingren and attempted to drive a wedge between us. You did not expect that I would know his affiliations in the ck market. So... so you orchestrated the ident."

    *CLAP*

    *CLAP*

    *CLAP*

    "Did you heard that?" Jack smiled and turned towards Anna and one of the guards in the corner. "She is so smart, right?" He shifted his gaze towards Lily, amusement apparent in his eyes. "Ah... You are just too perfect. I always believed that you are the perfect woman for someone like me... and I guess I am right!" He beamed.

    "You are crazy." Lily could not stop herself. The disgust in her eyes was so clear, that even Anna, who is a few feet away from her, could feel it.

    "Of course... I have been crazy for you." Jack cackled. "Since that day... Since the day that you single-handedly put me into a pedestal. I, Jack Arison vowed that you will be my woman someday. Of course... I still needed to know more about the ins and outs of the business. So I waited and watched carefully as father trained me."

    Slowly, Jack¡¯s lips tugged downwards. "However... who would have thought that when I was ready... you have moved on? I was not even aware that you actually married that man! I thought it was all a joke so you could get back to Liam!" He widened his eyes at Lily before he smiled. "Of course... I did not give up. I am smart. I am capable of big things... and I always win."

 Chapter 445 An Undeniable Truth

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 445 An Undeniable Truth</h4>

    "Did George found out about... this?" Lily asked. "Is that why..."

    "Of course he knew! Why else would I poisoned him?" He sneered and started eating his food as if he was not talking about poisoning his own father. "Initially, I wanted to stage an explosion the moment you decide to see him. I was honestly expecting that you would since you were really close and was disappointed that you decided not to. It would have been very easy for me to stage an explosion in Europe. I could even me the terrorist for it." He shrugged. Seeing this, a gleam of an unfathomable expression shed in Lily¡¯s eyes.

    "Where is Yuanfeng?" she asked.

    "Somewhere safe," Jack said. "That brother of yours attempted to sneak out and see you while you were sleeping. That was a big No-No. So I asked my men to put him into prison and... kill him once he attempts to do it again."

    "I want proof that he is alive," Lily asked. While she was not really close to Qin Yuanfeng, she was mainly the reason why he was here in the middle of this situation. Jack looked at her for a few seconds before he gestured his hand towards the guard. Not long after, he gave Lily a tablet.

    It was Qin Yuanfeng. He was sleeping on the bed in what seemed to be a suite room. Lily lifted an eyebrow. "You kept him in a suite?"

    "Well... you wouldn¡¯t like it if I mistreat your only family member who knows that you are still alive." Jack said. "Now... I would really love to continue this conversation, but I still have things to attend to. I have to take care of our Empire." He rose from his seat, a smile stered on his face. "I will go ahead and have breakfast with you tomorrow, all right?" He did not wait for Lily to answer him as he walked towards the exit.

    "Jack... I have a question." Lily asked.

    "Hmmm?" he stopped in his tracks and turn towards her. "What is it?" amusement glistened in his orbs.

    "Why me? We all know... I am nowhere near perfect. Since you have been managing your family¡¯s business, then you should already know about my past. I am..."

    "Lily... stop that." He shook his head as he interrupted her. Lily stared at his kind face. She recalled the time where she talked to Jack about viin¡¯s having their own happy ending. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder why Jack had changed so much since that time. "You are the only woman... who deserves to stand next to me." He stated. "This is not about your past or your present. This is about you with me... our future together."

    It was as if something was stuck on Lily¡¯s throat as she met his eyes. There was honesty in his words. It was obvious that he believed in his own thoughts. How could Jack be this... far removed from reality? What happened? A normal human would not just change after a few months!

    "See? I know you see it too." Jack smiled at him before leaving the room with Anna and the guard in tow.

    The moment Jack left the room, his face immediately darkened. "How many explosions are we talking about?" he asked the guard.

    "A total of three. One in Hong Kong and two shipments in South China Sea. The Damages..."

    "I know," he hissed and stopped walking. He then shifted his gaze towards Anna, who had her head lowered. "Tell her she¡¯s pregnant."

    "But she¡¯s not..." Anna immediately paled when she realized that she had talked back to the Don. "I... My Apologies... I will tell her that she is pregnant."

    Jack frowned before he sent her back to Lily. He then continued walking towards his office. "Was it Zhuo Jingren?"

    "Negative." The man answered. "We have been observing them in the past few days and they were not doing anything. Everything else about hispany had gone back to normal, and he is staying at home or asionally visits his office. Other than that... he is not doing anything. We could assume that he is still grieving."

    "Then... who is it? Who would dare blow up a shipment worth millions?" he gritted his teeth. He sat on his velvet chair and opened hisptop.

    "We are still investigating. So far... we traced it to a local group in Iran. But it makes little sense. All the findings that we have are either too illogical. Or... too unbelievable."

    "Someone is screwing us! Double the security!"

    "Copy that." The man bowed.

    "Also... how is Qin Yuanfeng? Did you tell him that once he does something to infuriate me... I will kill his sister?"

    "Yes, I did."

    "And?"

    "He promised that he will behave himself for the sake of his sister."

    "Good. I asked him to use the satellite and try to trace who was responsible for these attacks. He should be advance enough to know that. Have someone watched him? I don¡¯t want any problems this time. I don¡¯t want him to send any message to Zhuo Jingren or any other people for that matter." Jack clenched his jaws. "Now... don¡¯t forget to ask the doctor a fake recording of an ultrasound. I want to make her believe that she is pregnant."

    Once again, the man nodded. After a few more orders, the man bid him goodbye. A dark atmosphere immediately shrouded the room once Jack was already alone. He recalled Lily¡¯s nk face and slowly, his own face contorted into an ugly scowl. Why was Lily not begging him to let her go? Why does she seem uninterested in Zhou Jingren¡¯s actions?

    The thought only infuriated him. Does Lily think that she could still leave this ce? That she could still be with that man? He narrowed his eyes as he remembered Zhou Jingren¡¯s face. The only thing standing between Lily and Jack was that man. That is an undeniable truth.

    But, Jack was not here to fail. Lily is the only woman worthy to stand next to him. And he will make it happen.

 Chapter 446 Scheming Face

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 446 Scheming Face</h4>

    Meanwhile, Zhou Jingren was also fighting his own battles. The return of his parents was unexpected. While he did not involve himself in the announcement of his father¡¯s return, he was still wary that Zhou Kang would include him.

    At this point, Zhou Jingren only wanted to find Lily. Since his parents promised to take care of the Zhou Family, he immediately backed down and concentrate on looking for his wife.

    It had been seven weeks now. Seven weeks without Lily and Zhou Jingren is already struggling to exist. It was as if... there had been a lump in his heart, constantly preventing him from functioning like a normal human being. He missed her, everything about her.

    On the other side of the world, Jack was also busy scheming to destroy Zhou Jingren. While he did not found any proof that that the attacks on his shipments were instigated by Zhou Jingren, his gut feeling is telling him that the man would pose a threat to his empire soon. Because of this, Jack decided to visit Cathy.

    "I already told my father about this man before. I believe he wanted to take over the Fi Group." Jack said. sincerity was written all over his face. It had been three days now since the attacks in his shipments started- three days without any results. This made Jack fume on the inside. However, Jack was not nning to show his true emotions to the woman sitting in a leather chair in front of him. "Now... I am not ming my father for not warning Lily beforehand. I know how much he loves her and seeing her happy must have made him happy too."

    "So... let me get this straight." Cathy leaned towards Jack, "You wanted me to investigate the man and remove him from the Fi Group?"

    "I am not saying that. I am just telling you to take care of Lily¡¯s properties. And of course, be careful of Zhou Jingren." He smiled. Jack wanted to make it seemed as if he was only concern about the fruit of Lily¡¯sbor. They all knew how Lily loved herpany so much and he was using this as an excuse to get involved in the matter.

    Moreover, Cathy and his father used to work a lot before he was poisoned. Because of this, he knew how good this woman is. He knew that Cathy would be smart enough to figure out his real concern about Zhuo Jingren.

    "Well... Mr. Arison, thank you so much for your concern but this matter. But let¡¯s be honest, this is none of your business. We are all mourning. While we are doing our best to cope and try to move on, we can¡¯t really deny that her death was a great loss to everyone. I can¡¯t just do an investigation right after she dies and disrespects her love for her husband."

    Jack immediately felt the bitterness in his throat. "Cathy... don¡¯t get me wrong. Both of us knew what kind of man he was before he met Lily. Did you really think that the marriage happened because they love each other?"

    "What is your point?"

    "Well... I¡¯m sure you knew about Lily¡¯s engagement to Liam, right?" Seeing Cathy nod, he continued. "I believe the marriage happened because she wanted to retaliate to my brother." Jack knew that this was a lie. However, he was banking on the fact that Lily was a very private person. He believed that Lily did not tell Cathy any information about the matter at all.

    "You think... Lily is that shallow?" Cathy almostughed. How could she not understand Jack¡¯s motive ining here?

    "No- No... of course not. But that cheating incident must have hurt her. Both of us knew that Lily is a very prideful person. How could she allow her fiance to embarrass her like that?"

    Cathy stared at Jack for a few seconds. "I don¡¯t think Lily would lower herself to your brother¡¯s level. She is a very calcting person. Someone that would treat everything as an investment. If..."

    "Exactly!" Jack interrupted her. "That is my point! That marriage was a marriage of convenience. It was convenient for her to marry him. She could use him for revenge while he could use her for fame! Think about it... after the marriage, he started showing his face in the public more and more." It was as if Jack had a Eureka moment as he continued to convince Cathy about the marriage. In his excitement, he had forgotten he was here to pretend that he was concern about the Fi Group. Instead, he had identally revealed his true, jealous self.

    "You know... if it is hard for you, I can always buy some stocks. Arison Holdings is always at your service." He immediately offered. This was his second goal ining here. The Fi Group originally belonged to his beloved. How could he allow some other man to manage thepany?

    "You wanted to buy shares?"

    He nodded in response. "I could buy the majority of the shares. Make the Arison Holdings the major shareholder and by then... we could easily overthrow the votes of the other shareholders. It would be easier to kick him out." He smiled.

    "Jack..." Cathy pursed her lips, he held herself fromshing out. "Do you think I¡¯m a fool?"

    It was as if a lump suddenly appeared in Jack¡¯s throat. "I¡ª"

    "Did you think... I won¡¯t notice your true goal here?" While Cathy wanted to unmask Jack¡¯s scheming face, right now. She also knew that it would only make the matter moreplicated. She could not let Jack knew that she is suspecting him. "You are being greedy, Jack." Her tone was full of warning.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Well... The Fi Group does not need the Arison Holdings¡¯ help. In fact, we don¡¯t need anyone¡¯s help." Her words immediately gave a surge of relief inside him. He thought Cathy was already suspecting him. Turns out she was talking about his offer.

    "Please don¡¯t get me wrong..."

    "Listen here," Cathy interrupted him. "Do not underestimate the woman who made you what you are now. Marrying him was her decision. Do you think she was a fool for doing that?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "Without Lily, you would get stuck in Pnd for the rest of your life. Lily is your Savior. She was the one who nned everything. Because of that... you should be grateful. Stop trying to take advantage of this unfortunate incident for your own self-interests!"

 Chapter 447 Letter

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 447 Letter</h4>

    Jack swallowed his non-existent saliva. Her words came rushing like a tidal wave inside him. Without Lily he was nothing. Was that really true?

    "Oh... and you are doubting my words." Cathy stated as she lifted an eyebrow. "Your father wanted Lily to train you. But she refused... instead, she gave him all the list of your weaknesses. The things that you need to focus on your growth. Because of that, George was able to train you properly in the shortest time possible."

    Jack clenched his jaws. The venom in her words stung his insides. "I am not doubting your words and I think that you misunderstood me." He tried to defend himself as he made a mental note to retaliate against this woman. How could he let someone like Cathy belittle him? True, it was Lily who helped him and his father, but Jack was the one who worked so hard to gain his father¡¯s approval. He forced himself to adapt to his father¡¯s cruel lifestyle. He killed people, tens of them, just to prove himself to his father. He had proven not only to his father but to everyone that he was worthy.

    This was all his doing.

    "I am not sure if you are doing this because you dislike me or... you are siding with Zhou Jingren." He stood from his seat and straightened his suit. He then shifted his gaze towards Cathy. "Before I leave... I want to tell you what I think about this matter. I think Zhou Jingren was the person responsible for Lily¡¯s death. I think he killed her because he wanted her connections."

    Cathy stared at him, speechless. After this conversation, Cathy was a hundred percent sure that Jack was indeed the person responsible for what happened to Lily. However, what she could not understand was the fact that Jack would actually take some time to visit her just for this non-sense. Why would he do this? Why would he want to attract Zhou Jingren¡¯s attention?

    Granted that Zhou Jingren was indeed mourning, Jack¡¯s suspicious actions and bad acting would be enough to make anyone suspect that something is amiss. Did Jack even think of this? Did he know that he would attract everyone¡¯s suspicions because of what he did?

    "Since you won¡¯t do something about it..." Jack made a deliberate pause as he narrowed his eyes at Cathy. "I will."

    "Is that a threat, Mr. Arison?" Cathy rose from his seat and stared straight at Jack.

    "It¡¯s a warning," Jack said, his previous kind and collected demeanor was reced with something that Cathy had never seen before. "I won¡¯t let that man seed. If you insist on making him the President, then... the Fi Group will fall with him and everyone else."

    He then strode out of the office, leaving a fuming Cathy behind.

    .......................

    Unknown location.

    A soft sob echoed inside the room. Then, slowly, it became a muffled cry.

    "Is something wrong?" Lily knitted his brows as she asked Anna.

    "No... I am just... so happy for you." Anna wiped away the tears in her eyes. She straightened her back and smiled at Lily. "This will be an exciting journey."

    "Oh," Lily only nodded before she stroked her stomach. Was she really pregnant?

    "You should be careful. Do not overexert yourself and eat a lot more food. You need strength for the baby." Anna said before she handed some tablets towards Lily. "Vitamins." She uttered.

    "After a few weeks, the doctor will change these. Do not worry too much and focus on your recovery." Anna gave her a pleasant smile. In response, Lily nodded and epted the tablets.

    "Where is Jack?" she asked as she put the tablet in her mouth, making sure that Anna can see her every move. "I haven¡¯t seen him today."

    "The Don is a very busy man. He travels a lot."

    Once again, Lily nodded. "Do you know where my brother is? His name is Qin Yuanfeng."

    "Mr. Qin is safe." Anna smiled. "That is the only thing that I could tell you."

    In response, Lily gave her a smile before she asked the woman to help her lie down. She also asked Anna to leave her because she wanted to rest. After making sure that Anna is gone, Lily immediately spit the tablet that the nurse had given to her a few minutes ago. She examined it before slipping it beneath her bed.

    In the first ce, Lily believed that she was not pregnant. Her instinct is telling her that Jack only wanted to use this to try to control her. Just like how he told her that he will kill Qin Yuanfeng once she tries to escape, Lily thought that this is just another one of Jack¡¯s scheme.

    While Lily was unsure of her own conclusions, there is no way that she will drink some unknown tablet just because of something unconfirmed. Moreover, she is a woman. She knew her body more than anyone else in this world.

    She let out a deep sigh. Her eyes were troubled as she stared at the ceiling. She does not have any idea how long she was asleep or awake for that matter.

    Every time she started asking a question, Anna would immediately give her something that will make her sleep. Because of this, she does know how many days had passed after she woke up. At this point, the only thing that she knew was that she missed Zhou Jingren. She missed her husband.

    Lily couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Zhou Jingren missed her too.

    Slowly, Lily tried to left her body so she could sleep on her side. However, a small crunching sound caught her attention. She felt something was stuck on her hip and immediately used her hand to check it.

    Just as she expected, there was something on her... Something was sewed on her underwear! Using all the strength that she coulde up with, Lily removed the object that was meticulously sewn on her clothing.

    She held the small paper and frowned. An idea immediately sprouted in her mind. She eyed the folded paper for a few seconds before she opened it.

    Then a gasp escaped Lily¡¯s mouth as she widened her eyes at the written letter.

 Chapter 448 Castle

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 448 Castle</h4>

    The letter was written by Anna. Based on the strokes, she must have hurriedly wrote it somewhere and put it on Lily¡¯s clothes. Lily immediately thank the fact that Jack wanted her to have her own privacy and did not install any camera¡¯s inside her room.

    She read the letter one more time before she put the small piece of paper in her mouth and swallowed it. There is no way that she will create some trouble for Anna. Not after she warned her that the pregnancy was fake. She then closed her eyes and decided to sleep.

    Right now, Lily could not just trust anyone. She is alone. However, Anna¡¯s letter gave her little hope. Of course, Lily also considered the fact that Anna was acting as a double agent to spy on her. However, to Lily, this does not matter. Lily knew that she could this woman toe up with a n.

    A sh of hope started gleaming her eyes as she thought of seeing Zhou Jingren soon.

    ................

    Zhuo Capital

    "How was it?"

    "Your method worked." Bei Tian stared at the bags below Zhuo Jingren¡¯s eyes.

    "When was thest time that you slept?" he asked and clenched his jaws. "If you won¡¯t sleep... you will get sick sooner orter. How will you face her once shees back?"

    His question seemed to wake Zhou Jingren up from his stupor. But, instead of giving him an answer Zhou Jingren only shook his head, as if silently telling him to stop talking anything unrted to Lily¡¯s location. He held his hands, waiting for Bei Tian to gave him the tablet.

    In response, Bei Tian, who sitting opposite to Zhou Jingren handed him a tablet with the list of ces that Fernando provided.

    "Yunnan province?"

    "Hmmm... It says it¡¯s a castle near the Yunnan- Myanmar border. He flies there every now and then since he started working for his father. But he started to frequent the ce this past few weeks."

    "Check the ones on Asia first. And keep it quiet." Zhou Jingren said. In response, Bei Tian nodded and bid him goodbye. Not long after Zhou Jingren left, his mother arrived.

    This time, Zhou Jingren did not asked his people to stop her.

    "How have you been?" Zhou Dae Un asked. Unlike their first meeting, her face was devoid of any expression this time. "Can you still hold on?" she asked.

    "What kind of question is that?" Zhou Jingren snapped, irritation shed in his tired eyes. He had not slept for three days now and he already started feeling the brunt of his abuse towards his body. He watched as his mother pursed her lips. Her gaze wavered.

    "The Zhou Enterprises are already in turmoil. We already involved the authorities and Zhou Kang is already on the run." She added, ignoring the irritation in his voice. "I am only here to update you."

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips thinned as he stared at her. All these things were already in the news. His mother does not need toe here and tell him about this matter. "Why are you here?" he asked.

    A sigh escaped his mother¡¯s lips. "Do you hate me that much?"

    "Hate is a strong word."

    "Well... I can¡¯t me you for that." A gleam of sadness shed in her eyes. "I know that your adoptive mother was the one who told you about me. I don¡¯t me her. She was already sick when you met so..." she lowered her head.

    Zhou Jingren scoffed. "You can¡¯t really me the woman who raised me, can you?" The reason why Zhou Jingren knew all about her real mother¡¯s past as well as the Zhou Family was because of his adoptive mother in Japan.

    Since she was already sick, most of her words made little sense to Zhou Jingren. He thought it was nothing but a joke. Or one of her episodes. Even when she told Zhou Jingren the danger of being a Zhou, he did not believe her. However, this all changed with his adoptive father also informed him of the matter.

    His fatherter told him that the reason why he adopted him was not only because he saved his wife. But because he knew his parents. Aside from this, his wife is also a close friend with Lingling when they were still younger.

    At first, he did not intend on adopting him. After all, he knew the danger of bing a Yakuza. However, his father received a call from Lingling and her father. Asking him to adopt Zhou Jingren and Bei Tian.

    "I¡¯m sorry," Zhou Dae Un said, almost meekly. "I¡¯m sorry for not being there when you need me. I just thought it will keep you safe."

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes fluttered. All this is making his head ached. He closed his eyes as he massaged his temples.

    "I hope... you would find it in you to forgive me. Just know that we are always here for you. And I am willing to wait until you could forgive me." She smiled.

    "The list that you gave me was a lot of help," Zhou Jingren sighed as he changed the topic. His exhaustion is apparent in his face. Zhou Jingren had been working with Bei Tian for days now. He had been checking out Jack¡¯s activities, trying to trace the ces that he frequented. "We narrowed down the location into three, two in Southeast Asia, one in Yunnan."

    Zhou Dae Un¡¯s face immediately lit up at his words. "Can I see the specific address?"

    He handed her the tablet and watched as she read the address one by one.

    "Yunnan," she uttered. "She is in Yunnan."

    Zhou Jingren waited for her to continue.

    "I know... you don¡¯t believe me. You can ask your people to check this ce first. Or you can send people to the other two locations as well. Your choice, but I am almost a hundred percent sure that she is in India and not in South East Asia."

    Zhou Jingren stared at her for a few seconds before he nodded. He initially thought that Jack brought Lily to Maind China, then flew her somewhere in Europe or the US. However, now that he had heard about the ce near Myanmar, Zhou Jingren immediately had a Eureka moment and thought about the possibility of road trips.

    What if Jack did not fly Lily out of China but drove her into the provinces?

 Chapter 449 Rusty Smell of Blood

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 449 Rusty Smell of Blood</h4>

    After Zhou Jingren talked to his mother, he offered to give her a ride back to the hotel that she and his father were renting.

    At this point, Zhou Jingren realized that Lily would not want him to treat his parents like this. After all, they still did their best to protect him when he was a child.

    "The circumstances back then left us with no choice," his mother exined as she boarded his car. "Zhou Kang and his father staged an ident that killed your grandfather and mortally wounded your father."

    "I was left alone to fend for myself." She sighed. "Our people... your father¡¯s people easily abandon them. All the Zhou¡¯s, everyone in that household just... switched sides and seemed to have forgotten that they literally murdered the previous head."

    Zhou Jingren nodded. "So you went to Korea?"

    "I was from Korea. My mother... blessed her soul, was the second wife of the current patriarch of the Lee Family. I believed Isaac already talked to you or maybe attempted to talk to you."

    "Second? I thought she was the first?"

    "She wasn¡¯t." She shook her head as her lips dangled a sad smile. "She was a mistress. She was a beauty queen, and Isaac was enamored by her beauty. I am not sure if he was the one who killed his wife in secret and married my mother or if he was still married to his previous wife when he married myte mother. All I knew is that... he left us."

    "He left my mother and me. For some reason, he stayed in Singapore and seldom visited us, until he totally vanished. He started seeing us again when I turned eighteen."

    "Then he wanted you to marry to the Zhou Family?"

    She nodded in response. "I guess your adoptive mother told you a lot of stuff, huh?" She smiled. "When I was neen... I got engaged to Zhou Kang. It was a verbal engagement. Isaac brought me to Maind China to introduce me to the whole Zhou Family."

    "You see? This is why I always thought he had some connections to what happened to your grandfather. I always thought that they nned everything." She added and shifted her gaze out of the car.

    Zhou Jingren pursed his lips in response. ording to his adoptive mother, Lingling fell in love with his father when they saw each other. It was love at first sight. Her mother politely asked her father to change the engagement as she liked Zhou Wu Ye better than Zhou Kang. However, Isaac didn¡¯t agree.

    "Now that I thought about it. Everything was my fault." She said and let out another sighed. "But... can we really dictate our hearts?"

    "What are your future ns against Zhou Kang?" he asked, trying to change the topic. He stared at her side profile. "You are nning to meet him, right?"

    "We are. However, now that I knew about Lily¡¯s location, I am nning to have my men go to Yunnan and maybe act as backup."

    "I can handle it." Zhou Jingren said. "Zhou Kang is... obsessed with you. I think you should be more careful. We don¡¯t..." his words were interrupted when the car suddenly halted. Zhou Jingren¡¯s quick reflex immediately kicked in as he stopped his mother from falling off her seat.

    "What is it?" She asked Secretary Go as he saw a ck van blocked their way. "Zhou Kang." He hissed and shifted his eyes to her mother. "Get the gun below your seat. Your people are following us, right? Call them." He chambered his own Glock as he instructed Go Jichen. "Let¡¯s try to leave this ce."

    Secretary Go clenched his jaws as he nodded. They eyed the van and waited for people to get off before suddenly driving in reverse, creating a loud screech at the same time.

    "They started shooting!" her mother eximed.

    "It¡¯s bulletproof. Rx." Zhou Jingren said. Aside from being his secretary, Go Jichen was highly trained inbat and driving. Because of this, Zhou Jingren is very confident in his skills.

    The onught of bullets continued as Go Jichen started turning in small alleys to avoid the traffic at an insane speed.

    "Onest turn to the right. Then stop the car." Zhou Jingren said, eyeing the people following them. He had already sent a message to some of their men, calling for backup. "If they won¡¯t back down... all of them will die."

    "We have already attracted the attention of the authorities," she uttered, her voice trembled.

    "Their job is to dispose of the bodies. Nothing more." An icy contempt can be seen in Zhou Jingren¡¯s face. The car came to a full stop and Zhou Jingren immediately got out of the vehicle with her mother and Secretary Go in tow. The duo immediately disappeared behind a couple of Zhou Jingren¡¯s men.

    Not long after, the van arrived.

    "Hold!" a voice echoed as the door of the van opened. "We are only here for the woman."

    "You can just give us the woman to avoid drawing the police here." the man added before he stepped out of the Van.

    "Was it Zhou Kang?" Ignoring the man¡¯s previous words, Zhou Jingren asked.

    "This has nothing to do with you! Give us the woman or..."

    "Kill them, all." Zhou Jingren¡¯s interrupted. He pointed his gun towards the man and pulled the trigger. Surprised by Zhou Jingren¡¯s actions, the man just stood there as the bullet hit his head. A loud thud echoed in the Alley.

    A short and ominous silence followed before Zhou Jingren¡¯s people started shooting the van and the people inside it. Seeing this, Zhou Jingren turned his back and walked calmly towards Secretary Go and his mother. "Let¡¯s leave this ce once they are done." he smiled as the rusty smell of blood invaded their senses. Whimpers and screams followed.

    Then there was silence.

    "They are done. Shall we go now?" He stared at his mother, a chilly smile stered on his face. "That Zhou Kang... is testing my patience." he murmured as he walked towards his car.

 Chapter 450 Unfazed

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 450 Unfazed</h4>

    "I will kill that man!" Zhou Kang raised his hand and m it into the table. Its loud sound echoed before he started pacing around his room, his hand on his chin. For a few seconds, Zhou Kang was not able to stop the anger from bursting as he started shooting the walls. "I WILL KILL YOU!!!" He screamed and kicked the door.

    "Boss!" a man came inside. "Someone left this note outside." He handed a piece of paper, and immediately Zhou Kang¡¯s face changed. He smiled and nodded.

    "He wanted to see me?" Hisughter followed. "He wanted to talk?"

    "HAHAHAHA." His ominousughter reverberated inside the two-bedroom apartment in Shanghai where Zhou Kang was hiding. "Prepare our men."

    "But boss..."

    "What?"

    "We only have a few left. When... When the news ¡ª that scandal about the heir of the Zhou ¡ª"

    "SHUT UP!" Rage surged within Zhou Kang as he was reminded of how most of his people immediately left him after that Zhou Wu Ye came back. "Those people needed to die." He walked passed the man. "How was the cargo?" Zhou Kang was talking about his escape n. He wanted to leave the Maind undetected and go somewhere in South East Asia or even India to hide. He needed time to cool down before he woulde back and finally kill that man.

    Of course, he was nning to bring his Lingling with him this time. How could he leave her alone with a man like his cousin? Zhou Kang seriously thought that the only man capable of making her happy is him. Somehow, he managed to convince himself that Zhou Wu Ye coerced his Lingling and that she needed his help to escape the man.

    This was the reason why he wanted to see her. He wanted to convince her to leave. They could start a new life somewhere, away from that despicable man, and live the rest of their lives as a couple. This was meant to be, he beamed inwardly.

    Zhou Kang thought that he would need to fight his way to see her. He never expected that Zhou Jingren would ask to see him and tell him that he would give his Lingling to him. Zhou Kang¡¯s lips lifted into a smile full of contempt. He already expected Zhou Jingren to hate his parents for abandoning him.

    But, he never expected Zhou Jingren to be this ruthless. Is he really willing to give his mother to him just so Zhou Kang will stop disturbing his life?

    "Coward!" heughed. "That man is a coward!" It was as if Zhou Kang had forgotten the fact that he lost more than half of his people because of Zhou Wu Ye. Heughed andughed before he instructed the remaining men that he had to prepare and go to the ce ahead of time.

    Zhou Kang knew the possibility that this was a trap. However, he doesn¡¯t care. If this was a trap, then he would kill Zhou Jingren then leave. He could alwayse back for Lingling. However, the possibility that this was true was also very tempting to him. How could he let go of such an idea?

    "Boss... Our men are ready. They are on standby around that abandoned building. As expected, Zhou Jingren¡¯s people were not there."

    Zhou Kang eyed the man standing in front of him. He was too engrossed in his own thoughts that he did not even notice the man stand there. "What day is it?" Zhou Kang was too busy fantasizing that he had actually forgotten to sleep!

    "Its Tuesday... We are ready for the meeting." The man said.

    "Then... what are you waiting for?" he sneered and skipped out of the room.

    The ride towards downtown Shanghai was short. After they arrived, Zhou Kang immediately got out of the car and walked inside the empty building a few feet away from him. He did his best to conceal his presence.

    Not long after, he heard someone¡¯s footsteps following him. His senses immediately became alert. He turned and was surprised that it was Zhou Jingren. He eyed his watch and realized that it was ten minutes before the agreed time.

    "I was not expecting that you will be this early." He stated as his eyes roamed around the ce. ording to one of his men, his people are surrounding this ce. Because of this, Zhou Kang¡¯s confidence increased. "Where is she?"

    As if on cue, a man wearing a blue suit arrived with Lingling... in chains. These action immediately made him fumed. "How dare you do that to your mother?" he asked as he tried to walk towards Zhou Dae Un.

    "Move one step towards her and you are dead." He heard Zhou Jingren uttered. His cold voice made him freeze. He shifted his gaze at the man and sneered.

    "You? Kill me? Zhou Jingren... you are still a child. You know nothing." He said. However, he also halted his steps. He eyed Zhou Jingren¡¯s gun and scoff. "Do you even know how to shoot?"

    Ignoring his question, Zhou Jingren walked towards him. His steps silent against the concrete flooring of the building. "Aren¡¯t you going to ask me why I am giving her to you?"

    "Well... I know that you hate her." Zhou Kang said, impatience shed in his eyes. "Does it even matter? Since you already said that you will give her to me. Then do it! Let¡¯s not waste our time talking."

    "Is that right?" Zhou Jingren cocked his head towards his mother. "You know... they are against this decision. They said it¡¯s risky."

    In response, Zhou Kang pursed his lips. His temper red as he raised his gun and pointed it at Zhou Jingren. "I said stop talking and give her to me!"

    "So impatient. Tell me... Zhou Kang, are you going to flee after this?" the smile on Zhou Jingren¡¯s face immediately gave Zhou Kang an ominous feeling.

    "If you do something crazy and call the police... I will blow up this ce. This building will be our graves!" He threatened. "Now... be a good boy and give me my wife!"

    A sneer escaped Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips as he stared at him unfazed.

 Chapter 451 Tricked

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 451 Tricked</h4>

    "She¡¯s not your wife." Zhou Jingren calmly said.

    "That¡¯s only because your father kidnapped her! He stole her from me!"

    "You know that is not true!" Zhou Dae Un chimed in. She sent a disgusting look at Zhou Kang. "There is no way that I will like you no matter what you do!"

    "See?" Zhou Kang gestured towards Zhou Dae Un, his eyes turned towards Zhuo Jingren. "My Lingling... used to be so sweet and... kind and gentle! Look what happened after your father took her? She had be... like this after your father took her!"

    Disbelief shed in Zhou Dae Un¡¯s eyes. How could someone live in his own world and act like this?

    "Give her to him," Zhou Jingren¡¯s cold voice surprised both Zhou Dae Un and Zhou Kang. Silence followed his words as Zhuo Kang almost ran towards Zhou Dae Un, tion apparent in his face.

    However, before he could reach her, a loud bang echoed. Slowly, he felt his leg ached before he lost his bnce and fell on the floor. The thought of being shot immediately made Zhou Kang react. He tried to raise his gun to shoot Zhou Jingren but the man holding Zhou Dae Un was quick to disarm him. "What are you doing?" he red at Zhou Jingren. "I could blow this..."

    "Oh... shut up!" the loud sound of metal nking followed Zhou Dae Un¡¯s words. She walked towards Zhou Jingren¡¯s side. "Fool." She uttered.

    "What..." Zhou Kang¡¯s face turned ugly as he realized that they yed him. Seeing Zhou Dae Un in chains made him think that Zhou Jingren was serious in giving him his mother. He red at Zhou Jingren, venomced his eyes. "You tricked me!"

    Zhou Jingren knew that Zhou Kang was unstable. He knew that the easiest way to manipte him was using Zhou Dae Un, so he took advantage of this and used his mother as bait. "You used your mother to trick me! How dare you!?" In Zhou Kang¡¯s mind, Zhou Jingren was a monster for using her mother like this. "How could you... She abandoned you? Why are you still protecting her?" he asked.

    "I¡¯m not." Zhou Jingren shrugged and approached him, his gun still pointed at Zhou Kang¡¯s head. "You have been disturbing my peacetely." Right now, all Zhou Jingren wanted was to fly to Yunnan and retrieve Lily. However, he needed to tread carefully. He knew that Jack is watching his every move. Because of this, Zhou Jingren developed a n.

    He needed to show Jack that he is convinced of Lily¡¯s death. He needed to hide the fact that he was already looking for her. So he showed him a great show. "I am still grieving for my wife and you ¡ª you just can¡¯t stop bothering me."

    Zhou Kang stared at him, speechless. So he was not protecting his mother, but is only upset that Zhou Kang bothered him? What kind of reasoning is this?

    "So..." Zhou Jingren continued. "How does it feel?" He squatted near him and watched as blood flow from his wounded leg. "How does it feel to almost grasp... your dream?"

    Zhou Jingren smiled when he saw Zhou Kang¡¯s pupils dte. "This is how to feels to have something taken from you... Mr. Zhou." He said. "You know what is more painful than that wound?"

    Zhou Kang opened his mouth, yet no words came.

    "It¡¯s the fact that you almost got her, held her in your arms. Almost... that is a very painful word." Zhou Jingren said. "If I won¡¯t kill you now... I am sure that you will have nightmares of what happened today until the day you die."

    "Kill me?" Zhou Kang sneered. "My men are outside! Waiting for me... If they will not see mee out in twenty minutes... they ¡ª they will blow up this ce!"

    "What men?" Zhou Jingren asked. "Oh..." he shifted his gaze towards the entrance. "You mean them?"

    It was as if a cold bucket of water was poured inside Zhou Kang as he watched his men being dragged by men that he did not recognize. He scowled. "You useless piece of s***! You are all useless! I should have just killed you when I had the chance! Useless!" At this point, if Zhou Kang regretted something that is only not gathering more useful people on his side beforeing in here. He had truly underestimated Zhou Jingren.

    Of course, he still thought that this situation was Zhou Jingren¡¯s fault and not his. He shifted his vile re at Zhou Jingren. "You caused this! You ruined everything!"

    However, Zhou Jingren only snorted and looked at Zhou Dae Un. "Is he really this... crazy? Or today was an exception?"

    Zhou Dae Un nodded. "His father refused to address this issue. He was never diagnosed with a mental disorder, but... everyone in the family knew that he had one."

    "I¡¯m not crazy, you little b****!" he cursed. Realizing that he just cursed to Zhou Dae Un, Zhou Kang¡¯s eyes widened. "I ¡ª Lingling... I apologize. I did not mean to say that. Please don¡¯t be mad Lingling... it won¡¯t happen again, alright?"

    Zhou Jingren shook his head as he heard Zhou Kang continue to plead. He stood and walked towards his mother. "He is about to arrive soon." She nodded in response.

    "I¡¯m sure he will freak out." She said. "He never approved of this n, after all."

    "Well... I believe it is already taken cared of." He eyed Zhou Kang who was muttering iprehensible words. "What are you nning to do with him? Are you going to give him to the police?"

    She shrugged. "To be honest... I just want to finish this. I want to dispose of him. But... I will still wait for your father to decide." She eyed Zhou Kang before letting out a sigh. "Listen... about Lily..." she said, her voice lowered.

    "I know... I am already in Maind China. It won¡¯t be that difficult to... go to Yunnan from here."

    "It was already confirmed, right?" He nodded in response.

    "Good... I hope everything will turn out all right." She said. "I hope... when this is done... I will get to meet her in person."

 Chapter 452 The Bes

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 452 The Bes</h4>

    When Zhou Kang woke up, darkness was the only thing that weed him. He frowned as he widened his eyes, trying his best to make out of his surroundings.

    "Kang!" Zhou Kang almost flinched when he heard his mother¡¯s voice. "KANG! WHERE ARE YOU!"

    He trembled. "Mama?" he called out as he tried to calm himself. "You... Are you here? You are dead... Why are you... I saw you die!"

    A scoff echoed. "Of course... I am dead. You killed me, you moron!"

    "That¡¯s not true."

    "YOU KILLED ME." Her voice turned eerie. "Murderer!" it was almost a whisper, a murmur... It was as if...

    Zhou Kang stilled. He felt all the color left his face as he slowly turned his head to his left.

    Her voice sounded as if she was sitting next to him. But there was... nothing but darkness.

    "Zhou Kang..." sheughed. "How are you my son?" her voice had always been condescending. She was never nice when they were alone. "Did you see Zhou Wu Ye? He got the highest grade in his ss, yesterday. How about you?"

    "You are not real! Leave me alone!" Zhou Kang yelled. "Leave me alone! I don¡¯t want to hear anything from you!"

    "But why?" she cackled. "I only want the best of you. Why don¡¯t you... be like him? Hmmm? Your cousin is perfect in every way. You should act more like him, you know. Fake it till you make it, that sort of stuff."

    "Mother, stop!" Zhou Kang started to tremble as he used his hand to cover his ears. "STOP! You are not real! Leave me alone!"

    "Zhou Kannggg..." she whispered. "Here let me take a look at your grades. Eh? I thought... I thought you are smart enough to be number one. I guess you are not?"

    Sheughed. "Look at Zhou Wu Ye. He is not only good at sports. He is also good at academics. You can be like him too."

    "Why don¡¯t you study more?"

    "From now on... no more ying. You are not allowed to meet any of your friends unless you get the highest score in your ss!"

    "Are you not embarrassed enough? You... I thought I have given you enough? Why did you fail this ss? What will Zhou Wu Ye say when this news spread? You ¡ª you are an embarrassment!"

    "I told you to stay away from that man! He wanted you to fail! Stop ying with Zhou Wu Ye! Can¡¯t you see? He wanted to be the number one and beat you! Then he will show it off in front of you. He will make you feel like the loser that you are."

    "STOP IT!" Zhou Kang shut his eyes, his breathing quickened. Just like a child, he crumbled into the floor and hugged his knees, his lips trembling. "SHUT UP! That¡¯s not true! I am the best! I am the best of everything!"

    "Fool!" Zhou Kang heard his mother¡¯s voice next to him. "You are a disappointment! You are not my son! I don¡¯t have a son as dumb as you!"

    "But..." Zhou Kang trembled. "But... I already did my best. " He whimpered.

    "Your best isn¡¯t good enough! You fool! Go kill yourself!"

    "NO! That is not true!"

    "Then look at Zhou Wu Ye now... he still won. In the end... he still won. He got everything that was supposed to be yours. The woman, the wealth, a good son. While you..." he felt a cold air swept through his neck. "You will rot here. Alone... with me... Ha... Hahaha..."

    In response, Zhou Kang shook his head as if his life depended on it. "NO... that is not... not true. Just leave me alone! You are dead. You are dead..." he chanted. "You are not real. Leave me. You are not real."

    "Of course I am not real. You killed me! You, my murderer son, killed me!" she said in a coarse voice.

    "It was self-defense!" he yelled. "I never intended to kill you. I was trying to defend myself!"

    "What a pathetic loser. That woman must have beenughing at you now as she sat on Zhou Wu Ye¡¯sp. You moron! Why can¡¯t you be just like him? Look, he got the looks and the brains. Wait... he is rich too. He is everything that is not you. Why don¡¯t you follow his footstep, hm?"

    "I ¡ª I don¡¯t want to be like him! I don¡¯t ..."

    "But he is the best! You have to be the best Zhou Kang. You have to beat him!"

    Zhou Kang turned silent as his mother¡¯s voice continued to assault his senses. He closed his eyes, trying to mask the pain in his orbs. He was the best. How could his mother say that he wasn¡¯t?

    All his life, he hadpeted with Zhou Wu Ye. And he always wins.

    "You know that¡¯s not true." She taunted. "You always lose. You are a born loser. Just like your father." Her voice was full of poison.

    "Wait... you killed him too..." she gave anotherughter that sent shivers down his spine. He pursed his lips and memories of his mother¡¯s painful words shed in his mind. He tried his best to block the voice. But it was futile. All he could hear was the woman¡¯s continuous ranting and curses.

    It was as if... he was back in the past. All those hurtful words that his mother said to him, all those insults, all theparisons. It whirled inside his brain repeatedly, like a never-ending cycle.

    *Thud*

    "SHUT UP!" Zhou Kang yelled as he repeatedly hit his head into the concrete wall. "LEAVE ME ALONE! This was all your fault! Leave me alone!" Silence. His mother¡¯s voice stopped.

    Zhou Kang opened his eyes, but before he could move, dizziness overtook his senses.

    *Click*

    The sudden light assaulted his eyes. He squinted, his gaze hazy.

    "He is bleeding! His head is bleeding!" he heard a muffled voice. "Call Mr. Zhou, inform him about this matter now."

    Zhou Kang tried to widen his eyes as he tried to make out of the people inside the room. To no avail. He opened his mouth into a silent scream. He felt his throat itch before it started throbbing.

    "His fever is so high." And that was thest thing that Zhou Kang remembered before darkness overtook his senses.

 Chapter 453 Red Snake

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 453 Red Snake</h4>

    Jack furrowed his brows. "But you said she should be able to walk, already? It¡¯s been weeks! Why is she still unable to stand on her own?"

    "It must be the trauma. You see... trauma is different than physical injuries. It is..."

    "Cut the crap!" He hissed. "I want you to do everything so she can walk again! Originally, I chose this ce for that reason! It is away from the city, from people and everyone else! The gardens should help with her recovery!"

    "Don ¡ª I"

    "Just follow my words. Do it and I will reward you once it¡¯s done." Jack gave a confident smile before he leaned against his chair and puff the smoke from his cigar. "Also..." he narrowed his eyes at the man who was standing at the corner of his office. "Put some camera¡¯s in her bedroom. I don¡¯t want her to fake it."

    "How about the bathroom?" the man asked. Seeing Jack¡¯s face darkened, the man immediately stuttered. "My ¡ª I ¡ª I apologize."

    "Why would you want to install something in her bathroom?" Jack hissed at the man¡¯s stupidity. He stood from his seat and grabbed his cigar cutter. "You?" He approached the man. "You wanted to watch her shower?"

    "Don... it¡¯s a misunderstanding. Please..." he held his hands and put it in front of him. Shaking his head, he continued, "Don... please, I have no ill intentions. I just wanted to be thorough." He swallowed his saliva and watched as Jack stood in front of him.

    "You wanted to see my woman¡¯s body?"

    "N ¡ª No." The man¡¯s voice trembled as he lowered his head. "Please forgive me."

    "Give me your hands," Jack said, his tone chilly. "Now." He ordered.

    The man¡¯s eyes widened. He stared at Jack for a few seconds before his body shook. "D ¡ª Don... I..."

    "Now," Jack said, his eyes narrowed. "Or would you rather have your whole family..."

    Jack was not able to finish his sentence as the man gave him his left hand. "Good." Jack smiled as he held the man¡¯s hands. "Now... remember this." He held the man¡¯s little finger and ced it on his cigar cutter. "Never... and I mean never disrespect my woman again."

    The sound of the cigar cutter clipping the man¡¯s flesh followed. In response, the man hissed and clutched his hands, his face contorted as he nodded.

    "I didn¡¯t hear you."

    "Yes, Don!" the man answered as he nodded his head repeatedly. Jack beamed at his words. He patted the man¡¯s shoulder and fixed his suit.

    "Good. Very good," He sauntered towards his table, a big smile stered on his handsome face. "Now... get me a new cigar cutter." The man scrambled out of his office without waiting for Jack to repeat his words.

    "Now... back to our topic." He eyed the doctor¡¯s pale face. "I want you to make her walk, again. She needed to be able to walk to our wedding. Do you understand me?"

    "Yes, Don!" the doctor answered as he tried to maintain hisposure.

    ............................

    Shanghai

    "We already made a diversion. Whoever is watching you will think that you will go back to Hong Kong with me. We also have a man with the same features as you on standby. He will be on the ne to Hong Kong." Secretary Go exined. "President... the flight will be tomorrow. I suggest that you take some rest... This ¡ª" he cleared his throat and met Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes. "I am not speaking as your secretary but as a friend. You look terrible." He said. Seeing the absence of reaction in Zhou Jingren¡¯s face, Go Jichen continued, "The Madam would not be happy to see you like this."

    Zhou Jingren pursed his lips in response. He gave him a small nod as he faked a smile. "Thank you." Zhou Jingren was very grateful to have people looking out for him. However, this concern was not enough to ebb his anxiety. This was not enough to reduce what he felt right now. "How about Bei Tian and his men?"

    "They are watching the castle."

    He nodded in response. "All right. I will see you tomorrow." Seeing Secretary Go not make a move, he asked, "Is there something else?"

    "Zhou Lanying woke up." Secretary Go said. "She insisted on talking to you. However, when we told her that you are busy she asked to talk to me."

    "On video?"

    Secretary Go nodded in response. "She told me, she saw the person who took Lily. I already told Miss Yang and Miss Cathy about this so they could talk to her personally."

    "Does she recognized the person?"

    "Unfortunately no," He shook his head. "But she said... the man has a huge snake tattoo on his neck. She said it is a red snake."

    Zhou Jingren turned silent at his words. There are a lot of organizations that use a snake as a symbol. Because of this, it will be hard to trace this person or this organization. He let out a long sigh. "Alright, make sure to inform her father about the Zhou Family."

    "But... Jack is still..."

    "He will die soon. Mother said he is hallucinating and calling out a woman¡¯s name. His fever is quite high too."

    Secretary Go nodded. "I will tell them."

    "Jack will die sooner orter. It is better to tell his brother that he is already dead. Also, schedule a meeting for Zhou Jingtao and my father. The man took care of thepany for years. He might be evil, but he also chose the right thing in the end. I don¡¯t think I have the right to decide what is best for him in the future."

    "Understood." Secretary Go said. "I will leave now." He bowed and left the room with Zhou Jingren alone.

    A sighed instantly escaped Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips. He stood from his seat and walked towards the bed, his shoulder hunched. He swallowed all the dejection that he felt and slump into the bed.

    "I miss you," he said, loneliness seeping through his voice.

 Chapter 454 Shameless Thing to Ask

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 454 Shameless Thing to Ask</h4>

    "President, we are ready." Secretary Go nodded as he finished his call with Bei Tian. "They saw Jack in the castle. But... they were not able to confirm if the madam was there."

    "All right." Zhou Jingren said as they walked towards their private ne.

    "Excuse me, President Zhou?"

    Zhou Jingren stopped walking and turned towards the woman approaching them. "I am Demi Liang, from the Lee Group. Is it possible to have a short conversation with you?"

    "No," he frowned and started walking. However, the woman walked in front of her, blocking his way.

    "President Zhuo, It is very important that I ¡ª we talked to you."

    "Lady, my boss still has a flight. Can you move?" Secretary Go red at the woman a few inches shorter than him. He immediately wondered if the woman was a model sent by the enemies to try to seduce Zhou Jingren.

    "We?" Zhou Jingren asked as he lifted an eyebrow.

    "Director Lee is in the VIP Lounge of the airport. He is waiting for you."

    "Are you going to move? Or..."

    "Please... the Director is sick. He just wanted to have five minutes of your time." She begged. In response, Zhou Jingren looked at Secretary Go.

    "How many minutes do we have?"

    "Twenty-two minutes and three seconds." Secretary Go answered as he red at the woman.

    "Then let¡¯s go." Zhou Jingren said. He then eyed Secretary Go as if telling him not to say anything. The woman gave Zhou Jingren a polite smile before he led them into the VIP lounge of the airport.

    "Ah... I already told you. He wille and see me!" Isaac Lee immediately beamed when he saw Zhou Jingren. He stood from his velvet chair and eyed the younger man sitting next to him. "I knew he will see me." He then walked towards Zhou Jingren and attempted to give him a hug.

    "Who are you?"

    Isaac¡¯s face immediately darkened. He stopped in his tracks and stared at Zhou Jingren, wondering as if he was telling a joke. Seeing his serious expression, Isaac knitted his brows. "Is that how you talk to your grandfather?" Bitternessced his words as he watched Zhou Jingren sat on the vacant seat.

    "You talk as if... we know each other, Director Lee. I only have five minutes to spare. Get to the point."

    It was as if there was a lump in Isaac¡¯s throat. He stared in disbelief at Zhou Jingren.

    "Four minutes and fifty-five seconds." Secretary Go added, waking up the old man from his stupor.

    "I believe you have something important to say to me?" Zhou Jingren asked, amused at the older man¡¯s reaction. The only reason why he agreed to see the old man is that he does not want anyone to suspect him. Zhou Jingren wanted to make it look as if he is doing something normal. He wanted everyone watching him see that he does not have any ns aside from going back to Hong Kong after visiting Shanghai.

    "I..." the old man stuttered.

    "Well... you can¡¯t really pretend that you don¡¯t know my father." The younger man said as lines appeared in the middle of his brows. "He is Isaac Lee, your grandfather and I am Thomas Lee, your uncle." The man added, his tone stern.

    "And?" Zhou Jingren raised an eyebrow. Of course, he already knew them. Thomas was adopted by Isaac and he was the current CEO of Lee Group. However, he is not nning to acknowledge them. "I already said that I am not interested in any business cooperation. Did you want to see me because of myte wife¡¯s properties in Singapore?"

    An awkward silence permeated the ce as both Isaac, Thomas and the woman named Demi stared at Zhou Jingren, dumbstruck. Was he ying dumb? Was he intentionally saying nonsense? All these questions swirled in their minds, making them confused at Zhou Jingren¡¯s behavior.

    "Listen," Thomas grunted. "If you can¡¯t respect your grandfather then..."

    "And who are you to demand respect?" Zhou Jingren interrupted him. "That is such a shameless thing to ask, Mr. Lee. Now... I finally see what kind of businessman you are."

    "You¡ª"

    "Thomas, enough!" Isaac suddenly blurted, silencing Thomas. "Apologize." He uttered. A smug smile instantly appeared on Thomas¡¯ face as he stared at Zhou Jingren. In response, Zhou Jingren scoffed. "Apologize to Zhou Jingren, now." Isaac continued.

    Thomas¡¯ face immediately contorted. "Father... what do you..."

    "You disrespected our guest. Apologize." The old man said.

    Seeing the old man¡¯s serious expression, Thomas held his breath before he lowered his head. "I apologize for disrespecting you." He said as he balled his hand into a fist. "I hope you can forgive me."

    "Good," Isaac said before he turned his gaze to Zhou Jingren. "My son is in the wrong here. Forgive him. He is quite impulsive, even until now."

    "Does my forgiveness matter?" Zhou Jingren countered. "I can¡¯t ..."

    "I am dying," Isaac interrupted him. His face stern as he met Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes. "I wanted to have a rtionship with my daughter and grandson before I die."

    "Then... why talk to me?" Zhou Jingren remained unfazed. "By now, you already know that my mother is back. Why don¡¯t you go ahead and find her?"

    "I tried." He avoided Zhou Jingren¡¯s gaze as he sigh. "She won¡¯t see me."

    "Well... she has a reason not to. Me and my mother are not close enough. I can¡¯t convince her to change her mind. " Zhou Jingren then rose from his seat, only to see a bulky man wearing a suit approached Thomas. He whispered a few words at Thomas before he went to stand next to him.

    "But I am sure she would listen to you. She loves you. If you tell her to..." Isaac continued talking. Unbeknownst to him, Zhou Jingren was already in a daze.

    Zhou Jingren pretended to look at Isaac. But his mind was already running rampant as he thought of all the possibilities that would exin why the man who just entered have a red snake tattoo on his neck.

    Was it possible that Thomas was somehow involved in the kidnapping of his wife?

 Chapter 455 Promise of Safety

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 455 Promise of Safety</h4>

    "So... I was thinking that maybe you could invite your mother for dinner with me and Thomas as well as his son Adrian. We should start treating each other as family." Isaac continued.

    "Not interested." Zhou Jingren started walking away from them.

    "I added you to my will." Isaac¡¯s words made him halt his steps. He turned towards the old man.

    "Why would you do that?" Zhou Jingren knew exactly why Isaac would do that. He wanted to drag Zhou Jingren and his mother in his life and wanted to use them.

    "I am adding you and your mother to my will with Thomas and Adrian." Isaac continued.

    It was as if a lightbulb was lit in Zhou Jingren¡¯s mind. He looked at him for a few seconds. "Donate it to charities. We don¡¯t need your money." Without waiting for the man to utter another word, he walked out of the VIP lounge with Secretary Go in tow.

    "President... that man..."

    "I know, Jichen." Zhou Jingren nodded. Isaac wanted chaos. Zhou Jingren was smart enough to know that Isaac wanted to get rid of Thomas and is trying to use him and his mother to do just that.

    For a long time now, the issue of Isaac Lee¡¯s will had been brought up. It was because the old man announced that he only wanted to make his daughter the heir to hispany. Many called him stupid for doing such thing as Thomas had been with him for a very long time now. How could he gave his shares to a daughter that no one really saw?

    Now, all of a sudden, he wanted to share it with Thomas? Wouldn¡¯t this make Thomas scheme for more? Thomas Lee was also a businessman and judging from his character just from that encounter a few minutes ago, he won¡¯t back down and will do everything to have everything.

    Does the old man think Zhou Jingren is dumb? The thought only made him scoff. However, he does not have the time to think about all this now. He still has a mission to finish. He is about to bring Lily back.

    ............................................................

    The loud thud echoed inside the room.

    "Miss Lily!" Anna ran towards Lily and tried to assist her as she tried to stand. "Miss Lily, if you need anything, you can always call me. Why are you trying to force yourself? You are still weak!" Anna¡¯s face reddened as she said it all in one go. She helped Lily up, concern written all over her face. Then slowly she leaned towards her. "Bathroom," she whispered.

    In response, Lily bit her lips. She lowered her head. "Anna... I ¡ª I can¡¯t walk." Her voice shook as tears pooled in her eyes. "I don¡¯t think I can do it anymore."

    "Miss Lily, please don¡¯t say that. The doctor said there is a..."

    "No..." Lily shook her head. "I am useless. I can¡¯t even stand on my own."

    Sadness gleam in Anna¡¯s eyes as she held Lily¡¯s hands. "Miss Lily, don¡¯t lose hope. You can get through this." She gave her an assuring smile. "Now... how may I help you? Were you trying to go to the bathroom?"

    Lily nodded in response. "I want to shower, alone"

    "But Miss Lily, you can¡¯t ..."

    "Can you at least leave in me in the tub?" Lily interrupted her. "I just want to be alone..." dejectionced her voice.

    "Miss Lily... I... can do it, only if you open the door a little and let me see you. My apologies, but the Don strictly said that you are not allowed to be alone. I have to see you and make sure that you are safe. Or I can bring a chair and stay inside the bathroom with you."

    In the end, Lily nodded reluctantly. Anna responded with a smile before she started told Lily that she will prepare a hot bath for her and wille back soon. After a few minutes, she started helping Lily walk towards the bathroom. Lily had been in this ce for weeks now and her burns were already healed however, she still can¡¯t stand on her own. Because of this, she requires constant assistance from Anna.

    The moment Lily and Anna arrived inside the bathroom, she immediately helped her remove her clothing and put her in the tub.

    "How is he?" Lily asked in a hushed tone, she leaned against the tub and close her eyes.

    "He is fine, Miss Lily. He is in the mansion¡¯s underground. He gave me a letter, and I already attached it to your underwear." She responded in a whisper, her eyes wary as she constantly looked behind her back, making sure that no one is sneaking behind them.

    "Did he tell you anything else? Did they mistreat him?" All this time, Lily had been sending messages with Qin Yuanfeng through Anna. It was also because of Anna that she knew about the newly installed camera in her room. However, Anna said that Jack did not install a camera in the bathroom as he wanted to give Lily a little privacy.

    "No more," Anna uttered before letting out a sigh. "Miss Lily, I know that Mr. Qin and you can leave this ce soon," Anna said. "What you promise..."

    "I will not break it," Lily opened her eyes and looked at Anna. "And stop saying that you can¡¯te with us¡ª"

    "No." She shook her head. "I can¡¯t, they will kill my family."

    Lily pursed her lips in response. She gave the older woman a gentle smile before she held her hand. She wanted to promise her safety. She wanted to tell her that Jack will die soon. But she cannot.

    Lily does not have any assurance that this will happen anytime soon. Not when Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s actions are also being monitored thoroughly. A heavy silence nketed the whole room until Lily finished her bath.

    Once again, Anna dressed her and help her to bed.

    "Thank you," Lily uttered. In response, Anna nodded and said nothing. After making sure that she isfortable, Anna bid her goodbye.

    After hearing Anna left, Lily got ahold of Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s message. She covered herself in the nket as she read, "Prepare yourself. They areing. Security camera off. Tom. Leave alone."

    Lily¡¯s heart almost leaps with joy when she read his message. However, it was short-lived. Does this mean that Qin Yuanfeng is noting with her?

 Chapter 456 My Woman

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 456 My Woman</h4>

    Who would have thought that the next time Lily woke up, she was already in chains?

    Lily furrowed her brow as she stared at the white ceiling room. She struggled against the zip ties, her heart racing. She could not remember being brought in another roomst night.

    "I¡¯m d you¡¯re awake." Jack¡¯s voice came as a surprise. Lily was too busy struggling against the ties that she did not notice the man standing near the door. She eyed Jack, and another person in chains caught her attention.

    It was Qin Yuanfeng!

    "What are you doing?" Lily asked as she tried to calm herself. "Get this off me!"

    "You are nning to escape," Jack said, his tone monotonous. "Have I not given you enough, Belle?"

    "I am not Belle."

    A scoff escaped Jack¡¯s lips. "Lily is dead and everyone knew that. Right now, you are already Belle, my future wife."

    She knitted her brows as she tried to sit on the mattress. She swallowed the retort that she had and looked at the man lying on the mattress next to hers. "Qin Yuanfeng?" she called out.

    Jack only stared at her in response. He crossed his arms across his chest and pursed his lips. "You needed to learn a lesson. My woman is kind and gentle. My woman is my partner. She does not disagree with anything that I say because she knows it is only for her own good. My woman does not question my words and she would never do anything against it."

    "Jack, what the hell are you talking about?"

    "You are nning to escape with your brother... and that is wrong. You know it¡¯s wrong. But your brother just can¡¯t stop involving himself in your business. He must have convinced you to do it, right?"

    She widened her eyes and watched as Jack approached Qin Yuanfeng. He then removed a gun from his waist and pointed it at thetter¡¯s temple. "Wake up. I know you are awake." Lily frowned at Jack¡¯s bored tone.

    "Hey! Get away from him!" Lily hissed.

    "Wake up, Qin Yuanfeng! Or I will kill her." He pointed his gun towards Lily¡¯s direction.

    Seeing Qin Yuanfeng move, a smug smile appeared on Jack¡¯s face. "See? I always knew he was faking it. You two... are indeed twins."

    "He has nothing to do with any of this," Lily uttered. "If you want to punish me, then just do not involve other people."

    "Other people like your nurse?" Jack snorted and chuckled at the change in Lily¡¯s face. "I have treated you like a queen, Lily. And yet, you... you just wanted to run away from me." He shook his head. "I don¡¯t understand. This is your new life. What part of that don¡¯t you understand?"

    "I don¡¯t know what you are talking about."

    "I saved you from that explosion, clothe you, feed you. I hired the best doctors to make the burns disappear. To make you walk again. And yet you..." He shook his head, disappointmentced his eyes.

    An ominous feeling seemed to creep inside Lily. She wondered how did Jack found out about her conversations with Qin Yuanfeng. "Jack, why did you bring me here?" she feigned ignorance. Asking him about Anna would only confirm whatever it is that he knew.

    Lily was smart enough not to leave any evidence about their conversations as she always swallowed the pieces of paper that contain the messages. She figured that whatever it is that Jack knew shoulde from Anna or Qin Yuanfeng. However, Qin Yuanfeng is pretty meticulous himself. There is no way that Jack would have caught him.

    That leaves her to conclude that it was Anna.

    "Aren¡¯t you even going to ask what happened to the nurse?" He edged closer to Lily, a small smile was on his face, yet his eyes were nk, lifeless. "You know, Lily, I don¡¯t tolerate traitors. George never failed to inform me about the same thing every single day. Traitors are like leeches. They will suck you dry and would only cause demise."

    "I see..." Jack nodded. "So... she not your concern right? As expected, you did not disappoint me. These people are merely tools. You should not show any emotions towards them." He flicked a finger and soon after a man with an iron chair in hand went inside the room. He then put the chair across Lily and left without saying another word.

    "Now... this is where you apologize." Jack said in his honeyed voice. He sat on the chair and looked at Lily. "Just one apology and I will forgive you."

    "Leave her alone, you psycho!" Qin Yuanfeng chimed in. He sat on the mattress, a purple bruise visible on his cheek.

    "Hah! Says the one who killed his own woman?" Jack retorted, his gaze still glued at Lily¡¯s face. As if he was trying to gauge her reactions.

    As expected, Lily¡¯s face changed. She shifted her gaze at Qin Yuanfeng. "What is he talking about?"

    "You don¡¯t know?" the amusement in Jack¡¯s voice was apparent, he let out a low chuckle as he pointed the gun at Qin Yuanfeng. "That man killed his own woman. And your husband... hid it from you."

    "You see where I am I going with this one? Lily, my dearest... I am the only person sane enough to love you wholeheartedly. No lies. Just pure love."

    Lily met Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s gaze before she lowered her head, a shed of understanding gleaming in her orbs.

    "Now... since you won¡¯t apologize, I figured, I will give you a little punishment." Jack said nonchntly. He then dialed a number on his phone, and after a few seconds, the door was opened. It was followed by a loud scream and mumblings in a differentnguage.

    "Jack? What are you doing?" Lily asked the moment she saw Anna being dragged inside. She was wearing her pajamas and purple bruises apparent on her face.

    "Miss Lily, help!"

    *Pak*

    Anna¡¯s head hit the floor as the man dragging her pped her face. "Shut up, b****!"

    "Jack! What is this? Stop this now!"

    "You know that I will not touch your brother." Jack ignored her outbursts. "That will only make you mad." He shrugged. "So... I chose to hurt the traitor instead." He gave her a chilly smile that did not reach his eyes.

 Chapter 457 Countdown

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 457 Countdown</h4>

    "Kill her." Jack¡¯s words almost made Lily flinched. She was already expecting this as one of the worst-case scenarios that could happen. However, she did not think it would happen too soon.

    Lily silently swallowed her saliva as she returned his gaze.

    "I asked you to apologize," Jack said as he held his hands. "I will spare her... if you apologize and promise not to try to leave me again."

    She pursed her lips in response. She eyed Anna¡¯s bleeding face before shifting her gaze back to the man sitting in front of him.

    "I deserve an apology," Jack said as he gave a mirthless smile. "I will count to ten."

    "One..." Lily nkly stared at him. If the man thinks she had the heart to lower herself and apologize then this man was wrong. Lily knew that mafias do not handle betrayal well. She knew that Jack would never spare Anna in the first ce.

    If his guess was right, Jack was only trying to break her. He wanted to see if he could use threats against Lily. He would then use this to control her.

    "Five... really? You don¡¯t really care if she dies?" Jack said, obvious disbelief apparent in his tone.

    Lily eyed the nurse again.

    "No, Miss Lily."

    "Shut up!" the man viciously yank Anna¡¯s arms.

    Lily opened her mouth to say something but quickly decided against it. She red at the man holding Anna as she memorized his features. If only she had the ability to kill this man, she would have. Lily immediately made a mental note to start learning some martial arts to defend herself in the future.

    "Eight." Anna sobs echoed inside the windowless room as Jack continued counting.

    "Nine," Jack looked at her. "I see... I have overestimated your emotions." He said as he rose from his seat. "Kill her."

    "However, before the man could pull the trigger, another man barge on the door, his face red as he tried to catch his breath.

    "Don, we have a problem." He said before leaning over and whispering to Jack. Slowly, Jack¡¯s face darkened. He scowled as he stared at Qin Yuanfeng.

    "Then fix it." He clenched his jaws. The man shook his head in response. "Useless!" Jack hissed. "And you!" he pointed at Qin Yuanfeng. "Was this your doing?"

    Qin Yuanfeng only stared at him as his lips lifted into a smile.

    "Answer me!" Jack demanded and pointed his gun at Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s head. "Do you really think, I am not capable of killing you just because you are Lily¡¯s sister?" He narrowed his eyes.

    Just when Jack was about to say something a deafening explosion shook the whole ce. The shrill sounds of rm followed.

    Lily watched as Jack¡¯s face lost its colors before looking at her. With his eyes still at Lily, he pointed his gun towards Anna and shoot her leg. "You will watch her die." He said before he asked his men to guard the room and double the security in the basement.

    After the door closed, Lily immediately rushed towards Anna. "Can you gave her a tourniquet to stop the bleeding?" she asked Qin Yuanfeng. While Lily was in zip ties, Qin Yuanfeng was in chains. This gave him more freedom to move his hands.

    Qin Yuanfeng nodded as he approached them. He then tore his shirt off and immediately made a tourniquet on the older woman¡¯s leg.

    "What have you done?" Lily asked Qin Yuanfeng. "What was that all about? Did you cause that explosion?" A part of her hoped that someone was here to save her. Maybe it was Zhou Jingren? Maybe he finally found her?

    "It wasn¡¯t me. I only turned off the security cameras." He shrugged calmly. "Must be Zhou Jingren. He knew you are alive."

    A sh of relief immediately gleams in Lily¡¯s eyes. She was not able to stop the excitement in her heart. "Can you carry her towards the mattress?" Lily was the only one in zip ties.

    "Miss Lily, you should leave," Anna said as she handed her a small knife.

    "You¡ª"

    "The Don poisoned me. I will die either way."

    Lily met Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s eyes as she started using the knife on her tie. "We can still find a way to counter that poison. I knew a lot of good doctors." Anna shook her head.

    "His men said... there is no surviving this poison." Anna uttered. "It¡¯s all right, Miss Lily... but your promise. My daughter..."

    "I will find her. I will give her a better life." Anna gave her a smile as she stroked the older woman¡¯s head. "Thank you." she added.

    "Then. That is good." Anna said, her face pale.

    Another explosion echoed. This time it was bigger, louder. The sound of gunfire reached their ears. "They are close." Qin Yuanfeng as he got a pin from his shoes. He started picking the lock of the chains. "If we are lucky, Zhou Jingren will reach this ce in no time."

    "And if we¡¯re not?" Lily asked.

    "Do you really want me to answer that question?" he stared at her. In response, she shook her head.

    She already knew that answer to her question. Jack. Jack woulde in here and take her. With this in mind, she used the remaining cloth from Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s torn shirt and wrapped the knife. Then she hid it in the band of her pajamas.

    "Do you know where George is?" she asked.

    "Should be on the opposite part of us." Qin Yuanfeng said. Lily nodded in response. Her heart seemed to race even faster. Anticipation, fear and some anger swirled inside her. She watched the door and waited.

    Meanwhile, Zhou Jingren and Bei Tian were already inside the castle. The acrid smell of gunpowder nketed the whole ce as gunfires echoed.

    ¡¯Kill¡¯

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s orders echoed inside everyone¡¯s head as they kill with no empathy nor second thoughts. This is war, and they are here to win.

    "Lily is underground." Zhou Jingren told Bei Tian as he crouched next to him. He held his gun closer to his body. He eyed the elevator a few feet away from them. "Let the others take the elevator. We are taking the stairs." He uttered.

 Chapter 458 Stabbed

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 458 Stabbed</h4>

    After a few more explosions and gunfire, the lights inside the room started to flicker. Smoke seeped through the door.

    "Do you have anything else that we can use as a weapon?" Lily asked as she looked around the room. Unfortunately, there was nothing there. "The knife¡ª"

    "Keep it." He said. "I can defend myself." The chains nked as he finished removing the ones in his leg.

    Lily swallowed her saliva. She had never been to any gunfire before. She had not killed anyone and is not an expert in martial arts either. If only her words could kill, she thought and smiled inwardly. For some reason, she is not as concerned as she should be.

    Maybe it was because she trusted Zhou Jingren. Maybe it was because she knew he will save her like a knight in shining armor. The thought of being saved made her giddy. Lily was not able to mask the excitement of seeing him again.

    "Stop smiling," Qin Yuanfeng said. "You are weird."

    Lily cleared her throat in response. What weird? She was not weird, all right? She rolled her eyes and eyed the door. Not long after, they saw the door opened, revealing an angry Jack and a few of his men behind him.

    When he saw Lily, an obvious relief shed in his eyes before he walked towards Lily and viciously yank her. And that was when Qin Yuanfeng charged towards Jack. Unfortunately, he was greatly outnumbered. Three of Jack¡¯s men immediately fought against him, giving Jack the time to pull Lily out of the room. "Stand up! I know you are faking it!"

    "You areing with me," he hissed, his crazed eyes bore into her before he examined the hallway. With a gun, on his other hand, Jack twisted Lily¡¯s arms as he dragged her.

    Lily scowled in pain. She grabbed the knife on her waist and held it closer towards her body. "Let go, you¡¯re hurting me!"

    "Jack," Lily immediately froze when he heard Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice. She turned behind her and there he was. In a ck suit, a gun in hand. She frowned. He had lost weight. His cheeks were sunken, his hair was a little too long and stubble can be seen on his chin. Despite the flickering lights and noise, Lily¡¯s gaze caught the fear in her man¡¯s eyes.

    The thought of Zhou Jingren¡¯s emotions when she was gone immediately made her upset. She had avoided thinking about his reactions for too long as she does not want to sumb to her own emotions. He must have been devastated, hurt.

    Lily¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when she heard Jack hissed as he back away, his back against the wall. His movements were swift as he locked his arms around her neck. "One move and she¡¯s dead." He said in a menacing tone.

    Lily¡¯s widened her eyes before she tried to move her head. Jack was choking her trachea, stopping her from breathing. She tucked her chin as a reflex. She remembered how this will give her ess to some air.

    "Tell your people to leave my men alone," Jack said, his eyes narrowed at Zhou Jingren. "Prepare air transport for me and she lives."

    Lily shook her head. She saw Bei Tian approached Zhou Jingren. He whispered something towards him.

    "It¡¯s toote, Jack. Everyone is dead." Zhou Jingren said. All this time his eyes never left Lily. "Give me my wife and I might just spare you."

    "You are not in the right position to negotiate! I say what I want and you follow it! Or I kill her!" He tightened his arms around her neck. Once again, Lily shook her head as she slowly revealed the knife in her hand, making sure that Zhou Jingren can see it.

    Surprise quickly shed in Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes before he stared at Jack. "If you kill her, you are not getting out of this ce alive."

    "And you want me to believe that you will not kill me if I let her go?" Jack snorted. "Do you think I¡¯m a fool?"

    "You are a fool." Zhou Jingren said. "Did you really think you could just take someone else¡¯s wife because you want to?"

    "She is no longer your wife!" Jack yelled, his eyes wide. "She is not your Lily! Not anymore!"

    "Now, get me my helicopter and let me leave this ce!" He added before he buried his face at the crooked of Lily¡¯s neck, inhaling her scent. "Or... do you want to see her dead in front of you?"

    "Alright," Zhou Jingren¡¯s tone changed. He met Lily¡¯s eyes, a tinge of understanding flooded their gaze. "Bei Tian... prepare a lift for them."

    "But...

    "Just do it." Zhou Jingren hissed. Seeing this, Lily gave a silent nod as she bit her lips. Courage and determination swirled in her eyes.

    Seeing Bei Tian left, a smug smile appeared on Jack¡¯s face. "Remember this... after today, you will never see us again." He taunted. "After today, Lily is dead. Your wife is dead!"

    "Now, drop your gun!" Jack added. Victory apparent in his face. "Now!"

    In response, Zhou Jingren clenched his jaws. He slowly dropped his gun to the floor.

    "Kicked it away from you!" he ordered. When Zhou Jingren did not move, Jack turned his gun towards his direction. Unbeknownst to him, that was the cue that Lily was waiting for. She swung the knife as hard as she could towards his neck.

    One, two... three...

    Lily didn¡¯t stop. It was as if a sudden pleasure flooded inside her as she thought of stabbing the man who made them suffer.

    She stabbed and slice. Stabbed and never stopped. She felt Jack loosen his arm, allowing Lily to turn towards him. Her eyes red, full of tears as she stabbed his stomach. Then his chest. She stabbed and screamed. She felt her body tremble, her brain shut. But she never stopped.

    Jack quickly fell onto the floor, his eyes full of disbelief as he eyed Lily. But, this was not enough to stop her. She straddled thetter and started stabbing again. Her mind in shambles as an unfamiliar feeling rose within her. It wasn¡¯t anger nor pleasure. It was something else. Something that she did not recognize. Yet, it made her feel good, relieved.

    She felt someone hugged her from behind, pulling her away from his body. She struggled and reached out to stabbed Jack again. She didn¡¯t blink nor closed her eyes as she watched life slowly dwindled away from his orbs.

    She stabbed and stabbed again.

 Chapter 459 Healing

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 459 Healing</h4>

    Upon waking, Lily jolted up. Her senses on high alert as she examined the room. It¡¯s familiarity stung her eyes.

    "Hey."

    Lily blinked before she looked at the person sitting next to her. She felt her breath hitched as she met his eyes. It was as if the time froze. Before she could draw the air that she needed, Zhou Jingren¡¯s arms wrapped around her. His arms folded around his waist as he pulled her closer. Slowly, she melted into his arms.

    For a few minutes, silence covered the room. The lights from the sun peeked on the curtains as they hugged. Their tears went unnoticed as the only sound that they heard was each other¡¯s heart drumming against their chests. She felt his body shook as he hugged her tighter, his breathing sparse, then he started sobbing.

    His calloused hands stroked her head. With each gentle touch, Lily¡¯s tears spilled even more. Her shoulders trembled as the assurance of safety wrapped around her. She was safe. She was with him. Her terrible nightmare was over.

    Relief surge inside her like a flood. She smiled. "Hey," she said, her voice a little coarse.

    "Your back," she felt him kissed her forehead. Lily lifted her head and stared at his features. Slowly, her lips lifted into a beautiful smile.

    "I am back."

    Zhou Jingren leans closer, resting his forehead against hers. His hot breath stroked her chest, and for a moment, she wondered if this was all real. "Thank you," Lily uttered as she leaned closer, brushing her lips into his.

    "I love you," he whispered before leaning in for a kiss. The kiss was soft, gentle. Its warmth immediately gave her a promise of safety, the promise of home. She felt his thumb started stroking her cheeks, wiping away the tears that she had. The kiss ended as Zhou Jingren gave her an assuring smile.

    "I love you." Lily¡¯s lips lifted into a smile. "I love you." She repeated.

    "I know," he nodded and chuckled. "Trust me, I know."

    **********************************************

    Sky City

    "Jichen, give them more tissues," Lily jokingly said as she watched both Yang Mi and Li Shanshan bawled in front of her.

    "You are not taking this seriously!" Li Shanshan huped. "We thought you were dead! I cried a lot for you!" It had been two days since Lily came back. However, Zhou Jingren insisted on spending those two days alone with her. He told everyone that he is not epting any visitors and did not talk to anyone for two days. Because of this, Li Shanshan, Fernando, and the others only got to see her today.

    "I was so sad, Lily, ah! I thought you left me!" Li Shanshan continued sobbing as her husband stroked her back.

    "I am alive and I am here... and I am safe." Lily said. She held both Li Shanshan and Yang Mi¡¯s hands and gave them an assuring smile. "Thank you."

    Both women nodded before the three hugged each other.

    Seeing Lily very much alive immediately made everyone happy. The reunion was full of tears and questions. However, not one of them mentioned Jack or what happened to him. To everyone, what happened to Lily was a bad nightmare.

    "Qin Yuanfeng will be discharged soon." Bei Tian said. "He is nning to live here for the time being. Of course, I told him that I have been staying here for months now. Still, he insisted on doing so. So yeah... I guess I will have a roommate for a few weeks." He shrugged.

    Lily eyed Zhou Jingren before she nodded. Gratefulness gleam within her orbs. She was thankful that Zhou Jingren has someone like Bei Tian. She was thankful to have people who truly cared for her and Zhou Jingren.

    "How about Anna?" Lily asked. By now, everyone already left except Bei Tian and Zhou Jingren. "Did she..." Lily did not continue her words as she nodded in understanding. Within these two days, Lily and Zhou Jingren spent the time cuddling, kissing and just filling up the void that the temporary separation had created. Both of them had avoided talking about what happened. They have spent each other¡¯s time being together and being happy in each other¡¯s arms.

    "The doctor said that it was already toote. She died right after we arrived at the hospital." Zhou Jingren stroked Lily¡¯s arms, consoling her. She nodded in response.

    "I understand. I will give you a name and address. I hope we could find her daughter. How about George?"

    "Well, he is still in aa. We found him at the corner most part of the underground. My guess is Jack put him there because he does not dare to kill his own father." Bei Tian said. "Also... we have talked to some of George¡¯s people and it wasn¡¯t good."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Seems like George had been pressuring his own son to adopt in his... lifestyle." Bei Tian said as she shrugged. "Some people just can¡¯t handle this kind of life. Anyway, Zhou Jingren and I will take over the organization while George is still unconscious."

    "The whole Mafia?" Lily widened her eyes. She would not want Zhou Jingren to deal with all of this and put himself in danger.

    "Just the Tang Empire and the whole Arison business in the East." Zhou Jingren said.

    A sighed of relief immediately escaped Lily¡¯s lips. "I want to meet with Cathy and the others tomorrow. I want to schedule a press conference a few days from now so we could clear up all this mess about my death."

    "That would be good. I could help you with that. I suggest we¡ª"

    "I am stepping down." Lily interrupted Zhou Jingren. Both Bei Tian and Zhou Jingren stared at her, seemingly confused by her words. A smile dangled on Lily¡¯s lips as she continued, "Of course, this will be temporary. I just want to focus on healing... for a few months. It¡¯s like a vacation like a break from everything."

 Chapter 460 Intimidating

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 460 Intimidating</h4>

    "Hey, do you think this is alright?" Lily looked at her reflection on the full body mirror. She turned and frowned at her dark blue dress. "Maybe it¡¯s too formal?"

    In response, Zhou Jingren hugged her from behind. He buried his head at the crooked of her neck, "You look perfect," he whispered, his arms nestled around her waist.

    "Are you sure? What if... maybe I am too underdressed?"

    "Are you nervous?" he asked.

    "No. Not really. I just want to look perfect. You know... create a favorable impression." Lily avoided his eyes and cleared her throat. "This is for business purposes."

    He chuckled. "Being anxious doesn¡¯t suit you."

    "Really?" she asked as she started putting on a thin makeup. "It¡¯s your mother. I have to look as pretty as possible. I don¡¯t want her to think that your standards are too low."

    He kissed her neck. "As I said..."

    "Well Mr. Zhou, beauty is in the beholder¡¯s eye. I might be perfect for you, but women are different. We tend to be more... strict."

    "Strict?" He lifted an eyebrow. "Orpetitive?"

    "Does it matter?" she retorted and pouted. "I am just trying to look my best. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that."

    "Of course." Heughed as he examined her reflection. "Then remove the scarf."

    Lily eyed her line tulle dress. Before she nodded and removed the silver scarf that she put around her neck. Lily originally wanted to cover her neck because of little burn scars that are still visible. "Then the..."

    "Don¡¯t worry about it. If you are too embarrassed, you can use your hair to cover it. Tomorrow, we will visit a skin specialist that could help you with that." He assured her. She nodded in response and eyed her reflection.

    "Alright, what do you think will happen if she won¡¯t like me?" Lily couldn¡¯t take her mind off the fact that Zhou Jingren¡¯s parents might not like her. "What if they gave me an envelop with millions and asked me to stay away from you?"

    Her words earned a burst of boisterousughter from Zhou Jingren. "I never thought I would see you like this."

    "Like what?"

    "Like a teenager meeting her boyfriend¡¯s parents."

    Lily frowned in response, "What teenager?" she rolled her eyes. "I just thought... it would be nice to have a rtionship with them. Like you know... a normal one. They are my inws, after all."

    "Then stop being anxious. If my guess is right, then they should be the one who is afraid to meet you."

    "Why would they fear meeting me?" she asked.

    "Let¡¯s see... hmmm... because you can end my rtionship with them in a few words? Because you are intimidating and are not afraid to say your thoughts? Andstly, because you are too perfect, you could easily remind everyone of their imperfections."

    "Stop ttering me," she cringed. "I am only acting like a normal daughter-inw meeting their inws for the first time."

    "Hmmm... that kind of normal is too abnormal for you." He teased as he smiled. "Just be yourself. Everyone loves a genuine person."

    "Maybe you¡¯re right." She let out a sigh and smiled. "Let¡¯s go?" she turned towards him and give his ck suit a nod of approval.

    "Hmmm." He held her hand and together they walk out of their room.

    ....................................

    M International Hotel, Hong Kong

    "Do you think she will like us?" Zhou Dae Un asked as she helped her husband with his ties. "What if..."

    "She will." Zhou Wu Ye assured him. He leaned to kiss his wife¡¯s forehead and gave her a smile full of assurance. "Stop worrying too much. She is a smart woman."

    "That is what I¡¯m worried about. Smart women are very hard to deal with. What if... she won¡¯t like us? What if she tells our son to avoid us?"

    "You are overthinking," heughed and used his hand to nudge his wife¡¯s nose. "Lily is not like that. She is not that shallow."

    "Alright, it¡¯s done." She said. "How do I Look? Maybe... I have too much makeup on? Do you think my dress is too much?"

    "You look perfect." He answered as he eyed his dark blue dress. "Stop worrying too much. This will only give you more wrinkles. Just enjoy the dinner. I¡¯m sure we will have a lot of fun together."

    A sigh escaped her lips. To be honest, Zhou Dae Un was more anxious about meeting Lily than Zhou Jingren. Lily was everything that she wasn¡¯t and for some reason, this fact seemed to scare her.

    "Doesn¡¯t she intimidate you?" she asked as her husband grabbed his phone and keys.

    "She does." He said. "But isn¡¯t she perfect for our son?"

    A gentle smile shed in Zhou Dae Un¡¯s eyes. "She is." Lily and Zhou Jingren are like each other¡¯s backbone. They are perfect for each other.

    "Good. Now, breath and rx. Enjoy the dinner." He held her hand and gave her an assuring smile.

    ....................................

    "They¡¯re here," Zhou Jingren nudged Lily. Both of them looked at the couple approaching them. They stood from their seats and gave both Zhou Wu Ye and Zhou Dae Un a smile. "Just act normal," Zhou Jingren whispered.

    She pursed her lips and eyed her husband. "Is there something wrong with my smile?"

    "There is..." he leaned closer to her ears. "You look like you are about to destroy someone¡¯s life."

    She widened her eyes in response. How could Zhou Jingren say something like this? She leaned towards him. "Just wait until we get home," she responded as she clenched her jaw. "You are sleeping on the couch tonight."

    Zhou Jingrenughed, attracting the attention of the few people sitting on the other table.

    "Jingren?" Zhou Wu Ye said as he approached them. He then looked at Lily and gave her a pleasant smile.

    "Father." Zhou Jingren nodded. "Mother."

    His hand curled around Lily¡¯s waist, tugging her closer to him. "This is my wife. My Lily." He beamed, pride apparent in his eyes.

 Chapter 461 Tea Ceremony

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 461 Tea Ceremony</h4>

    "I never thought that you like Dark Blue too," Zhou Dae Un beamed at Lily.

    "She actually chose dark blue because she thought you would like the color," Zhou Wu Ye added. "Who would have thought that you are going to wear dark blue too?" Heughed.

    "Actually, I chose it because I thought you will like it too," Lily smiled in response. "I guess, we had the same impression towards each other?"

    "Oh?" surprise shed in both Zhou Dae Un and Zhou Wu Ye¡¯s eyes.

    Lily originally chose the dress because blue signifies loyalty and confidence. She wanted to create the impression of trust and confidence around Zhou Jingren¡¯s parents.

    "So, the wedding is still happening, right?" Zhou Wu Ye asked. "Are you nning to do it in Italy?"

    "We haven¡¯t talked about it yet. But it will definitely happen." Zhou Jingren answered as he started slicing Lily¡¯s steak. "It might still be in Italy."

    "Good! I would love to help you with nning. I also know a very good spot for your wedding photos." His mother added.

    "Is this in Korea? I was nning to have a few photos taken in Japan as well... now that I took a break from the Fi Group I can easily take care of everything."

    "You took a break?"

    "It will be announced in the press conference tomorrow," Lily answered Zhou Wu Ye. "I thought it is essential for me to spend more time with my husband and take a break from the hustle of the business world. Of course, I have an expert VP in my side and I will still oversee everything."

    "That is a very good choice." Zhou Dae Un nodded. "Take your time to recuperate. Yourpany can wait."

    The four of them started talking as they finished their meal. It was a peaceful night as spring started to make its presence known.

    "Actually, I was nning to have a Traditional Chinese wedding." Lily leaned her head on Zhou Jingren¡¯s shoulders. She closed her eyes as she bath at his familiar scent.

    "Chinese? I thought you want..."

    "Not anymore. I want to have a traditional one. I don¡¯t want an extravagant wedding. I want a simple one with our close friends. No media. Just us."

    "Then that will happen." Zhou Jingren smiled and stroked her hand. "Did you enjoy the dinner?"

    "Hmmm." She nodded. Honestly, this was the first time that Lily talked to some people outside of her friend group without scheming or calcting ahead of time. She just talked and had a great time. To Lily, this was refreshing. "Thank you." She uttered.

    .......................................

    Lily¡¯s return immediately became a hot topic not just in Hong Kong but also in Europe. Some people were in disbelief. How could they fake her death? How could they fool the masses? Was this a ploy to increase their profits?

    Since the press conference did not reveal any helpful information about the supposed death, various theories flooded the Inte. Lily¡¯s name became trending as many people started to search her name on the out of curiosity. Of course, these were the least of Lily¡¯s concerns.

    All she wanted was to spend her time with her husband, enjoy thepany of her friends and this time, she wanted to n her own wedding. The incident made Lily realized how she had been too focused on business. She originally thought that any wedding won¡¯t matter. After all, she was already married. This was nothing but a ceremony.

    However, the incident made her realized how wrong she was. Life is too short to just focus on superficial things. Her wealth and prestige will disappear, but no one could take away her happy experiences. No one could take away her memories.

    When Lily and Zhou Jingren informed everyone about their change of ns, they were all ecstatic and very supportive. Lily with the help of Zhou Dae Un immediately started nning everything. From the red wedding dresses to the tea ceremony and the cor that Lily will wear on her head.

    The nning was smooth, and the date of the wedding was immediately chosen by a fortune teller. On the tea ceremony, both Zhou Jingren and Lily presented teas to both of their paternal and maternal family.

    Of course, Lily also invited her biological father this time while Zhou Jingren only had her mother and father despite the fact that her grandfather was still alive.

    When the news of the tea ceremony was leaked to the media, the Lee Family almost exploded in anger. After all, this is a tant insult. A tant disregard of their familial ties. Isaac Lee sat there, fuming as he listened to the news of his people who were watching Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s every move.

    "First, Lily was alive and now... they were actually nning to have a Traditional Chinese wedding? "

    "Father, calm yourself," Thomas said, his face stern. "Do not let this affect your health." He said.

    "Leave me," Isaac said. In response, Thomas nodded and silently left his study. "Did you see that?" Isaac hissed at the man sitting opposite to him. "My grandson and daughter... are adamant about cutting our ties!"

    "They had a very good reason to do that." The man answered, earning a re from the old man.

    "This marriage cannot happen!" Isaac said. "Schedule a press conference, I would like to announce that I am dying."

    A sigh escaped the man¡¯s lips. "Don¡¯t be too hasty. Announcing that you are dying when you¡¯re not even sick will have a tremendous effect on thepany. Why don¡¯t you announce that she is your daughter? Apologize in front of the media and gain everyone¡¯s sympathy."

    Isaac clenched his jaws in response. "You have a point."

    "I know. After you have gain everyone¡¯s respect, it is time for you to use that sympathy against them. You can use it to pressure them to interact with you."

    Isaac turned silent at his trusted assistant¡¯s words. He narrowed his eyes as he nodded. "Good idea. Schedule the press conference."

    Unbeknownst to him, Lily and Zhou Jingren were already having the marriage ceremony at that very same moment.

 Chapter 462 Puzzle

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 462 Puzzle</h4>

    "You look very beautiful," Li Shanshan¡¯s eyes started to tear up as she eyed Lily. "Are you ready?" she asked.

    "Of course, I am. Why are you crying?"

    "I don¡¯t know." Li Shanshan said. "Zhou Jingren ising and I will ask him to eat Wasabi before he could get you. I also prepared a really spicy sauce." In a traditional Chinese wedding, the groom will have to undergo some tests before he could get to the bride. This is where the groom has to haggle with the bride¡¯s friends so they will give him his beloved.

    This is also where the funny games and test begins. In the end, the groom will give the bridesmaids some red packet that contains a certain amount of money.

    "I also have some knives here. He has to hit the target three times before he would be able to pass me." Yang Mi said showing a set of knives to everyone. For the first time, Yang Mi showed a smug smile.

    Li Shanshan and Lily eyed each other before they startedughing. Who would have thought that Yang Mi would have such a cute side?

    "Well... that is exciting?" Lily said. She had full confidence that Zhou Jingren would be able to pass all this test and get her. She smiled at the woman next to her before she eyed the golden embroideries in her red gown.

    "This is a very unusual wedding." Li Shanshan noted. "The tea ceremony is supposed to be after this. But.."

    "I am already married. This is... just so I could experience the joy of being wed."

    "I know..." Li Shanshan wiped away the tears in her eyes as she held Lily¡¯s hands. "Ah Li. I am so happy for you."

    "If you keep on crying, your husband might think I bullied you," Lily said before she pulled Li Shanshan for a hug. "You are really ugly when you cry so..."

    "How dare you!" Li Shanshan yfully pped her arms. "I am not ugly."

    "Oh wait... is that snot?"

    "What? Where?" Li Shanshan immediately red at Lily when she realized that she and Yang Mi are alreadyughing at her. She rolled her eyes before she eyed her vibrating phone. Li Shanshan immediately opened her phone and smiled. "They are downstairs." She uttered and stood. They are currently in a suite in one of the famous hotels in Hong Kong. "Now... you wait here."

    Lily smiled while shaking her head. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she thought of seeing Zhou Jingren wearing his red suit.

    ........................

    Li Shanshan immediately beamed at the sight of Zhou Jingren and his groomsmen. "Well? We prepared something for you." She pped her hands and three women in a ck suit arrived with tes on hand.

    "Wasabi?" Fernando¡¯s face immediately contorted.

    "Wasabi is not spicy." Yang Mi said, the smugness on her face didn¡¯t falter.

    "Why is she smiling like that?" Secretary Go leaned towards Bei Tian. "Is she nning to kill us?" In response, Bei Tian elbowed him as he busily red at Li Shanshan.

    "Do you want us to eat Wasabi?" Zhou Jingren asked. He knows that not one of them likes the taste of wasabi. He swallowed his non-existent saliva and eyed the other tes. "What are those?"

    "Sauce? We are so kind as to prepare some meat for you. Wagyu steak. But you have to finish both the Wasabi and the chili¡¯s on the tes. All of you!" Li Shanshan said. "After that, it is Yang Mi¡¯s turn!"

    "What?" Fernando¡¯s eyes widened at the chili¡¯s then into the Wasabi. "But... what if we faint?"

    "Can you believe them?" Li Shanshan ignored her husband¡¯s question and asked Yang Mi. "How cowardly. Who faints from having this delicious meal?"

    "Well... if one of them faints then... there is no wedding!" Yang Mi beamed. "Alright. Thirty minutes. That should be enough?"

    "You ¡ª" Secretary Go said, his face started to lose color. Before he cleared his throat. "Well... we have to do this... for the bride."

    "Wasabi is actually not that badpared to Lily¡¯s cooking," Fernando noted. Both Bei Tian and Secretary Go immediately nodded at his words. However, they quickly shook their heads when Zhou Jingren red at them.

    "Good! Now... time starts ¡ª now!" Li Shanshan¡¯s cheeks dimpled as she watched the four men started eating. Seeing their faces turned red, her eyes seemed to sparkle with glee.

    After what seemed like forever, the four of them finished the food with noints. Their faces red, eyes watery as they red at the giggling Li Shanshan.

    "Next is... this throwing knife set!" Yang Mi excitedly said. She pped her hands and the three women arrived with target boards. "You have to hit the center at least once or... you lose."

    "All four of us?" Fernando asked.

    "Yes!" Yang Mi knew that all four of these men were trained in martial arts and weapons. It should not be that hard for them to hit the target. As expected, Zhou Jingren quietly approached the knives and grabbed three. With no warnings, he throws the knife in all three targets.

    "Whoa!" Li Shanshan said, her eyes wide. "He is good!" She nodded before she shouted on the second floor. "Good Job Ah Li!" Seeing this, Fernando immediately followed and once again hit the target.

    "Ai... Yang Mi! They are good. You should have chosen something more difficult!" Li Shanshan grumbled as she watched both Bei Tian and Secretary Go hit the bull¡¯s eye of each target board.

    "So we passed?" Zhou Jingren calmly smiled before he handed each of them red packets.

    "Well... there is still thest test." Li Shanshan said.

    "What test?"

    "Well... that test is..."

    "Me!" Everyone lifted their heads to see Qin Yuanfeng on the stairs. He was calmly walking towards them, arge box was in his arms.

    "I thought it¡¯s only the bride¡¯s friends that will stop us?" Fernando immediately asked Zhou Jingren.

    "He is her twin brother." Zhou Jingren said. He does not have any knowledge about Qin Yuanfeng being here. However, when Lily told her that he won¡¯t be joining his groomsmen, he already had a hunch that this will happen.

    "Is that someputer? You know that we are not hackers, right?" Bei Tian asked warily. If this man would tell them to hack a software, he was sure that they are screwed.

    "No." Qin Yuanfeng shook his head as he opened the box. "It¡¯s a five hundred pieces jigsaw puzzle. Just Zhou Jingren and me. If he finish first, he wins."

    "What kind of puzzle is that!?"

    "Really? I didn¡¯t know that a puzzle like that exists!" Both Bei Tian and Fernando said at the same time. They then shifted their gaze at Zhou Jingren.

    "Oi, Yuanfeng! Are you crazy? This is too difficult, ah!" Bei Tianined. "There is no way that a normal human can solve this in one day! Do you think Lily will like it if her wedding won¡¯t happen today?"

    "She gave me her approval." Qin Yuanfeng answered as heid the puzzle on the table.

    "But... it will take some time! This is impossible! Who could solve this puzzle without cheating?"

    "Less average people can¡¯t. Me and Jingren are not less than average."

    "Is he trying to insult us?"

    "He is trying to insult you." Secretary Go butted in.

    "Alright... I¡¯m ready when you are." Qin Yuanfeng interrupted the banter as he smiled at Zhou Jingren.

 Chapter 463 A Manipulative Old Man

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 463 A Maniptive Old Man</h4>

    "Hey,"

    "Hi," Lily smiled at Zhou Jingren the moment he went inside her room. "I guess you won?"

    "Did you really doubted me?" He approached her as his eyes trailed towards her red dress. "You look beautiful."

    "Thank you, you don¡¯t look too bad yourself." She gave him a nod of approval.

    "Let¡¯s go?" Zhou Jingren asked as he held Lily¡¯s embroidered shoes. Lily nodded, a beautiful smile dangled on her face as she watched him put on the shoes on her feet.

    ..........

    After getting Lily, the couple went to meet their parents in one of the temples in Kowloon to perform a short ceremony that ended with Lily and Zhou Jingren bowing to each other.

    Then the reception began. It wasn¡¯t a big reception as Lily only invited their close friends and family members. Of course, Lily also invited her rtives from Luxembourg. The reception was short, sweet, and fun. That was the theme that Lily wanted.

    They drank teas with the guests and received their gifts. The reception also ended with a firework that everyone enjoyed.

    "Are you tired?" Zhou Jingren asked Lily. They were already on their way back to the sky city. "It was a long day."

    "Hmmm." She nodded. "I am sleepy." Lily felt Zhou Jingren held her hand as she closed her eyes and leaned on his shoulders. Not long after, Lily drifted off to sleep.

    When Lily woke up, she was already in Zhou Jingren¡¯s arms. "Let me down." She said, relief sh over her when she realized that she had already changed from her red gown and was now wearing a red shorter, and morefortable dress.

    "It¡¯s alright. We¡¯re almost there." He answered as he gestured towards the elevator door. As if telling her that they were already in the elevator, anyway. "Good thing, Bei Tian and Yuanfeng already decided to move out." He uttered. In response, Lilyughed.

    Her brother¡¯s social skills had been showing some signs of improvementtely, thanks to Bei Tian¡¯s help. Of course, the two still keep on arguing because of their differences.

    The *DING* from the elevator brought Lily out of her thoughts. "You can put me down now." She said. However, Zhou Jingren ignored her as he marched towards their room, carrying her like a princess.

    Lily only shook her head before sheughed. "I feel like a princess."

    "You are a queen, not a princess," heid her into the bed.

    "I need to change."

    "Let me do it for you." He said. "Would you like me to prepare the tub for you? Maybe soak yourself in before you sleep? It will make you feel better."

    Lily looked at Zhou Jingren as he slowly peeled her dress. "Thank you," she said, pulling him on top of her. "Do you want to take a bath with me?"

    ..................

    When Lily woke up, it was already noon. She immediately got dressed and went out of their room only to hear her stomach grumble from the smell of food in the kitchen.

    "What are you making?"

    "Steamed dumplings." He kissed her lips as he gestured for her to sit at the counter. "Also made some chicken and broli."

    "Hmmm... I am such a lucky wife." She beamed as she rested her elbows on the counter.

    "I know!"

    Lily giggled. "How long are you going to spend some time before going back to work?" Lily and Zhou Jingren decided not to do their honeymoon right now. Instead, they decided to just stay at home and spend more time with each other while cuddling and watching movies.

    At this point, traveling is not Lily¡¯s priority. All she wanted is to have him by her side. Moreover, they can easily travel whenever they want to.

    "Two weeks." Zhou Jingren answered. "Of course, I can still extend that- "

    "No, that¡¯s fine. I can always apany you to your office and maybe be your secretary for a day."

    He chuckled in response. "You are not suited for the job."

    "What are you talking about? I am highlypetent and responsible."

    "I know... that¡¯s why being a boss will look good on you. "

    "Hmm... so what¡¯s our n for today?" she asked.

    On that day, Zhou Jingren and Lily decided to go to maind China to visit his parents. However, before they could even leave the sky city¡¯s premises, they were flooded with reporters, blocking their car and asking for an interview about the Lee Family.

    "What are they talking about?" Lily asked, her brows knitted. She shifted her gaze at Zhou Jingren who was already answering his phone. Seeing this, Lily decided to open her tablet to check out any news involving the Lee Family.

    Zhou Jingren already informed her beforehand about the fact that Isaac Lee wanted to include him in his will. However, she never really thought much of it.

    And what she saw made her speechless. Lily narrowed her eyes at the current trending business news. It was the press conference where Isaac revealed Zhou Jingren as his grandson. A public apology was also issued. The news immediately created waves and waves of questions from the people.

    If Zhou Jingren was his grandson... then who was Zhou Jingren¡¯s mother? And where is she now?

    Lily stared at Zhou Jingren¡¯s side profile. The news did not include Zhou Dae Un¡¯s name as Isaac Lee¡¯s daughter. Surely, the old man already calcted everything. This created a mystery that made the media curious, prompting them to dig more into Zhou Jingren¡¯s private life.

    Lily shifted her eyes back to the reporters who are now escorted by the security.

    "I think our lives are more colorful than the life of most actors and actresses in the spotlight," she uttered, a mysterious glint shed in her orbs.

    Zhou Jingren nodded before he sighed. He ended the call and informed Lily about what happened.

    "Well... we can¡¯t me him. Now that his daughter is back, imagine all the profits that he could get if hispany will have solid ties with Zhou Enterprise and Zhuo Capital?" Lily said as she shook her head.

    What a maniptive old man, she thought.

 Chapter 464 Frightening at Some Poin

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 464 Frightening at Some Poin</h4>

    "I am not here because I want filial piety. I am here for forgiveness."

    Silence descended inside the room after Zhou Jingren stopped the video on therge TV inside Zhou Wu Ye¡¯s office. He stared at his mother as he held Lily¡¯s hands.

    "He is crazy." Zhou Wu Ye blurted as he sipped into his tea. "He is making the media dig into your past. I am sure that he will secretly release our ties."

    "Who knows what kind of theories will the mediae up after this?" Zhou Dae Un said as she clenched her jaws. "How dare he let the world inside our private lives?"

    "Well... since he wanted it so badly, why not give it to him?" Lily¡¯s words immediately got everyone¡¯s attention. She crossed her legs, a nonchnt smile dangled on her face. "For all we know, he was lying when he told Jingren that he was sick. He only wanted you two to get involved in his life."

    "What do you mean by giving it to him?" Zhou Wu Ye asked. "That man only has profits in his eyes. We don¡¯t really know what will happen if we agree to meet him."

    "Exactly," Lily said. "There is a reason why he is so adamant about creating ties at this moment. So I suggest, we take advantage of the current situation as well."

    "How?" Zhou Dae Un asked, confusion apparent in her eyes.

    "Meet him," Lily answered. "There is no other way."

    "If we won¡¯t meet him, he will only continue using the media for sympathy." She held her hand. "A frail old man asking for forgiveness and yet his daughter and grandson refused to even see him. What an unfortunate old man. He might have all the money, but he can¡¯t have the forgiveness of his only child."

    "Theatrical, isn¡¯t it?" Lily added, prompting both Zhou Dae Un and Zhou Wu Ye to eye each other. This is the first time that they had actually work with someone like Lily and to say that they were surprised by her aggressive behavior was an understatement.

    "What do you think will he do next?" Zhou Wu Ye asked calmly. His gaze steady, his lips pursed into a thin line. No matter what, his priority had always been his wife. He can¡¯t have Isaac create some troubles for them again.

    "If I am on his shoes, I would identally reveal that Zhou Dae Un is my missing daughter, who ran away to be with his beloved." She answered without batting an eyelid. "The timing was perfect. You and mother just revealed yourselves after how many years. You told them the media that your father was killed and that you were forced to run with your wife years ago. You just sessfully won the board of directors and is now managing the Zhou Enterprise. He could easily use that to his advantage."

    "He could say... actually, make it look like you were the one who manipted his only daughter to stay away from him. Make you look like you are an abusive and jealous husband who asked your wife to cut ties with her family. He would then plead... in front of the media. He would plead for your forgiveness. He would say, he wants to have a rtionship with his only daughter and turn the opinion of the people against you."

    "The worst-case scenario is you will be forced to see him and act cordial. If this happens, it will be hard for you to retaliate without pinning the me to yourself. If he dies, his people could say it was you. If he gets sick, his people could say you poisoned him. No matter what you do, he could easily paint you as the viin, the evil man."

    A heavy silence nketed the room. It was as if Lily¡¯s words rung in everyone¡¯s ears like a bell, hurting their senses. The possibilities are endless and Lily just gave them a scenario that Old Man Lee could easily use against them.

    Seeing this, a sh of unfathomable expression shed in Lily¡¯s eyes. "However..." seeing everyone woke up from their stupor and stared at her. "If we see him before he does this... we could easily turn the tides against him."

    "But if we set up a meeting now, the media might get ahold of it and reveal that we are somehow connected. Now that is not a problem with me..." Zhou Wu Ye shrugged. "But Jingren... does not want to involve himself in the Zhou Enterprise for now." Zhou Dae Un nodded at her husband¡¯s words.

    "Well, that is not really a problem." She said. "We will schedule a meeting with him just Jingren and I. You two just sit tight and manage your business. Lily said as he asked for Zhou Jingren¡¯s phone so she could call Secretary Go and give him some instructions about her n. She excused herself so she could talk to Secretary Go in private.

    The moment she left, both Zhou Dae Un and Zhou Wu Ye let out a sigh of relief. They stared at Zhou Jingren who was only watching them, gauging their reactions.

    "I am speechless," Zhou Dae Un blurted after a few seconds of silence. "What kind of¡ª"

    "The best one." Zhou Jingren interrupted her. "She is the best kind of woman."

    "For some reason, this is making me feel proud." Zhou Wu Ye cleared his throat. "Our son sure knows how to find a wife." Heughed, immediately lifting the atmosphere.

    Zhou Dae Un smiled at his son¡¯s gentle eyes. She nodded. "I agree. It is making me feel... lighter and assured." She had heard about Lily¡¯s capabilities before. However, witnessing her brain do all the analysis of the possible oue is just mind-boggling. This, of course, made Zhou Dae Un and Zhou Wu Ye happy. Lily¡¯s presence could easily make Zhou Jingren stronger, more formidable, and even frightening at some point.

    "Of course..." Zhou Jingren nodded as he drank his tea. He is already aware of Lily¡¯s n as she already mentioned it to him. Aside from this, he also knew that Lily was not doing this out of good faith. She is a businesswoman. As someone who thinks about profits, Lily already calcted all her possible gains even before she opened her mouth to tell him her ns.

    "So? Tell me..." Zhou Dae Un suddenly leaned towards Zhou Jingren. "Are you guys nning to have a child anytime soon?" Excitement shone in her eyes.

    "I told you not to talk about this matter," his father shook his head and looked at Zhou Jingren in embarrassment. "I apologize. She just couldn¡¯t help herself."

    "What?" Zhou Dae Un elbowed her husband. "We are all adults here... and they are not getting any younger."

    "And Zhou Wu Ye, this is a perfectly normal topic for us." She added and rolled her eyes.

    "We agreed to do it after the wedding." Zhou Jingren answered. "I guess... only time will tell."

    "Really?" Zhou Dae Un almost jumped out of her seat as she left the men without saying another word.

    "She is going to give her some Korean herbal teas and supplements." His father said. "I hope it will not offend Lily." He added. He would not want to make both Zhou Jingren and Lily feel ufortable. However, this does not mean that he was less excited about having a grandchild.

 Chapter 465 A Slow- Acting Poison

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 465 A Slow- Acting Poison</h4>

    After Isaac Lee did the press conference, he immediately asked his personal assistant to release some bits and pieces of clues that will lead the media to Zhou Dae Un and the Zhou Enterprises.

    "Director... it seems that your n is working," his assistant, Ron Liang beamed, an unfathomable expression shed in his eyes. "The Director is indeed the wisest."

    "Of course," Isaac leaned on his chair and chuckled. He drummed his fingers on the mahogany table. "Now that the meeting is set, all I can do is continue feeding the media some updates about it. To continue gaining their sympathy." Heughed. Now that Zhou Jingren agreed to see him the very next day, Isaac felt that his ns areing into fruition.

    "Lily being alive is unexpected. We also never expected that they would find her so soon. Because of this, we received tons of problems as Mr. Arison was not able to deliver the medicines and pieces of equipment that he promised." Ron said. He shook his head and watched as the old man¡¯s face turned ugly.

    "This was all Lily¡¯s fault. Why can¡¯t she just die and disappear in the face of the earth? She is just.... Too maniptive for my grandson. She is just like the female version of that crazy Zhou Kang. Sooner orter, she willpletely dominate my grandson and take over his properties."

    "That woman is like a slow-acting poison. She is deadly. And the worst thing about her is you won¡¯t even realize that she is already eating your insides until you are already dying." Old Man Lee added. "Until you are already bleeding to your death."

    "Speaking of which... your niece, Demi... how is she handling thepany? Have you talked to her father yet?"

    Ron shook his head in response. "I have not talked to her father as he was still attending a conference abroad. However, she is doing great. Her internship is doing well. She is smart and business-minded. Loyal and beautiful. I can only hope that..."

    "Ah... he will like her. Once he sees me ¡ª I will show him the difference between his dominant woman and a woman that perfectly fits to be his wife. He grew up in an orphanage after all. It is only understandable that his beliefs are screwed."

    "Hmmm." His secretary nodded. "I can only hope that he will realize how marrying into the right woman would help him get closer to you. Moreover, he is your heir. He should live his life the way you wanted him too."

    "Ah... to be honest, I am still upset about what happened at the airport." Ron added. "How could he disrespect you like that? You already told him that you are sick. A normal man would show some signs of sadness and sympathy." Ron added, his wizened face contorted as he watched Isaac frowned at his words.

    "I believe that was the time when he was about to rescue that wife of his." Isaac sneered. "If only I could get rid of that woman." He gritted his teeth as he remembered hisst encounter with Lily. A woman is not supposed to act that mighty and proud. A woman is supposed to be someone¡¯s wife, take care of the kids, and prioritize her husband.

    Isaac believed that the perfect woman is not only beautiful and smart but also capable of doing all these. She should sacrifice for her family and spend the rest of her life building a family with her husband.

    This should have been his daughter¡¯s future. She should have stayed at home after marrying Zhou Kang as Zhou Kang¡¯s father and Isaac nned on how to eliminate Zhou Wu Ye and his family.

    "Once Zhou Jingren realized that Lily is too domineering for him, he will soon leave her and marry Demi," Isaac said. "And once that happens, Lee Group¡¯s Hospitals and Liang Meds will be one."

    Ron nodded, his eyes seemed to sparkle as he thought of the possibility of his brother¡¯s pharmaceuticalpany and Lee Group¡¯s Hospital merging into one. "Well..."

    His words were interrupted when someone knocked on Isaac Lee¡¯s office.

    "Director... Zhou Capital just sent the time and ce for the meeting. Apparently, they wille and visit Singapore just to meet you." Demi Liang had been acting as Ron Liang¡¯s assistant secretary for a few weeks now. At this point, she could already do her job perfectly. She eyed her uncle and the director before she added, "Also, they declined our generous offer to let them stay in one of the suites in our affiliate hotel. They insisted that they take care of their own ce to stay."

    "Hmmm... Alright." Isaac Lee gestured for the beautiful woman to approach him. He then handed her a ck sleek card. "Use this. You are done working for the day. I know you could easily afford to buy new clothes, but this one is on me. I want you to look as beautiful as possible for tomorrow¡¯s dinner."

    Demi¡¯s almond eyes stared at the ck card, her face started to turn red. "Thank you Director, but it¡¯s alright. I also have a ck card from my father so..."

    "I insist." He gave her an assuring smile. However, Demi still shook her head.

    "My apologies, Director. I cannot ept the card. I will use my own card for my dress and makeup tomorrow. After all, it is also my father¡¯s idea that I get close to your grandson for both of ourpanies. It is only just that I spend my own money for myself."

    "Hah. What a virtuous woman." Isaacughed as he shifted his gaze towards his old friend and assistant, Ron. "Do you see that? This is how a woman should act. Calm, collected, soft-spoken, and absolutely not a gold digger." He nodded in approval. "Good... Very Good. I understand what you are trying to say. Now... I want you to prepare yourself. I want my grandson to see the type of woman that he should spend the rest of his life with."

 Chapter 466 An Enjoyable Dinner

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 466 An Enjoyable Dinner</h4>

    "This way, please." A tall and slender attendant wearing a long red cheongsam gestured for Zhou Jingren and Lily to follow her into the private room that they have reserved in advance. She smiled and bowed as she opened the door for them.

    "This is a VIP room. As you can see, it is carpeted and the walls have a noise cancetion feature. One of its features is a high-quality plush sofa in the living room that is perfect for parties and celebrations." She said as she followed them inside the 20,000 sq feet space. The woman gave the couple a polite smile. Booking such a room in less than twenty-four hours rarely happened before. The woman couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of influence the couple has to be able to contact the executive chef and owner of this restaurant.

    "Our floor to ceiling windows offer a 360-degree view of the whole city, that includes the Marina Bay. We also have an outdoor terrace with the perfect lighting and seating arrangements to enjoy the view. As you can see, we are on the 45th floor of the building. The view from up here is quite spectacr, especially during the night. You can also request for a live performance from our entertainer or a DJ. We would dly provide whatever you need."

    "Good." Lily smiled. "This is perfect. What kind of wines do you have?" she asked, eyeing the alcohol cab in the bar.

    "We have a collection of champagne and aged wine as well as spirits." The woman answered. "The executive chef told us to give aplimentary Dom Perignon Rose 1998 Magnum. We will serve itter on when the guests arrived. If this does not suit your taste, we will dly provide you with the most expensive wine that we have."

    "Perfect," Lily said she pulled Zhou Jingren towards the terraces. Both of them started looking at the sunset on the horizon. "Thank you. Please take care of our guests once they arrived." She uttered, a mysterious smile stered on her face as she leaned against her husband¡¯s shoulders.

    The woman quickly excused herself and leave both Zhou Jingren and Lily to themselves. ording to her superior, she only needed to listen to Lily¡¯s words and she will be all right. The woman knew that only the elite can book the VIP room like this and treat it as if their own for the night. In fact, she had seen a lot of rich people spend their nights here, partying with their friends and family.

    However, this was the first time that someone would book this ce for a dinner with less than ten people. What kind of person would book twenty thousand sq. ft. ce just to have a luxurious dinner?

    "Maybe they just wanted to show off?" she mumbled to herself as she pressed the down button of the room¡¯s private elevator. But who would spend thousands just to show off? Maybe there will be a big deal happening in the room? "Never mind," she said. This is none of her business. All she needed to do now is listen to Miss Lily¡¯s words and do her job.

    ............

    When Isaac Lee arrived at the restaurant, he was already scowling. He had been to all kinds of restaurants in Singapore. He had been to the most luxurious and expensive ones. However, he had never heard of a person booking the whole floor just to themselves. He never expected that Lily and Zhou Jingren would do such a thing.

    To Isaac, this does not make any sense at all. Wasn¡¯t this just dinner?

    "This way, please." Once again, the woman who led Zhou Jingren and Lily earlier led the group towards its private elevator.

    "This is not the most expensive restaurant in Singapore. I was expecting more from that man." Adrian Lee sneered as he watched the number of the elevator go up. "What a cheap man."

    "They booked the whole floor," Samantha answered meekly. She was standing just next to Adrian. "I say that is better than a room that can only cater eight people."

    "Well, that is too wasteful and extravagant." Displeasure shed on Adrian¡¯s face as he red at his woman. "Including Lily and Zhou Jingren there will be a total of eight people attending this dinner. He should have just booked the most expensive restaurant in the City."

    In response, Samantha lowered her head, masking the disgust in her eyes.

    *DING*

    The elevator door opened, revealing a beautifully lit living room with a big Swarovski chandelier.

    "Please follow me," the woman smiled at everyone and led them towards the dining room. "Please take your seats, I will go inform Miss Lily and you have arrived." Her words immediately made Isaac irritated, however, before he could open his mouth to say something, Lily¡¯s voice echoed inside the room.

    "You arete." She smiled as she walked alongside Zhou Jingren.

    "Excuse me?" Thomas knitted his brows. This should be the first time that he met Lily. However, he could already feel his blood boil at the woman. He stared at her face as her lips lifted into a mocking smile.

    "You are ten minuteste." It was Zhou Jingren. He pulled out a chair for Lily before sitting next to her on the big circr rosewood table.

    An awkward silence descended the room as they watched Lily thanked her man before smiling at them. "Not a very good start for a family dinner." Lily eyed everyone before her gazended on Demi and her uncle. "My mistake. I guess this is not a family dinner, after all." She gave the duo a knowing smile.

    Isaac cleared her throat to lighten the room. He ignored Lily and instead directed his gaze at Zhou Jingren. "I am sure you remember your uncle Thomas and Demi Liang. You already met them at the airport. Let me introduce you to Adrian Lee, he is your cousin, Thomas Lee¡¯s only son. This is Adrian¡¯s fiance, Samantha. I¡¯m sure you have seen her in a few billboards here." He then gestured towards his secretary. "And this is my assistant and the man that I trust the most. Ron Liang. He is Demi¡¯s paternal uncle."

    "I hope we will have an enjoyable dinner," Isaac added as he smiled at his grandson.

 Chapter 467 Kind Gesture

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 467 Kind Gesture</h4>

    Zhou Jingren only nodded in response. He then gestured towards the attendant so they could start serving dinner.

    "We have ordered seafood and steak in advance." Zhou Jingren uttered as he served Lily¡¯s tea. This gesture only made his grandfather¡¯s face uglier by the minute.

    "I ¡ª"Demi¡¯s stuttered. "Is it possible that we have some vegetables? I don¡¯t eat red meat."

    Zhou Jingren only shrugged in response. He then gestured at the attendant so she could amodate the woman¡¯s request. After seeing this, a smile blossomed on the old man¡¯s face as he nodded at Zhou Jingren¡¯s actions. "As expected of my grandson. He is such a gentleman, isn¡¯t he?"

    "Indeed," Ron added. "He is so much like you."

    "So..." Zhou Jingren started speaking, interrupting Ron and Isaac¡¯s chuckles. "Are we going to pretend that we are having a happy dinner?" He rested his elbows on the table as Lily did the same. She propped her chin in her palm as she watched Isaac¡¯s ufortable face.

    "Jingren... can¡¯t we have dinner first? We can always discuss things after we eat." Thomas blurted when he saw Isaac¡¯s reaction.

    "Are we going to have dinner without a proper apology? Or did you think... your public apology was enough?"

    "Zhou Jingren... our grandfather is sick."

    "Your grandfather." He corrected. His gaze lingered towards Adrian for a few minutes before he looked at the old man. "Did you think... I came here to celebrate?"

    Silence descended as everyone started to get ufortable. They stared at the old man before shifting their gaze to Zhou Jingren¡¯s stern expression, then towards Lily¡¯s smiling face. Who would have thought that Zhou Jingren would go straight to the point and would not even give them time for small talk?

    "I... I was not expecting that you would be this direct." The old man muttered. If he wanted to earn his grandson¡¯s trust, he needed to show him that he is sincere. "I apologize." He met Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes as he balled his hands into a fist under the table.

    The old man believes that if he continues his act, he will soon convince Zhou Jingren that he is a changed man. "I owe you an apology for doing that conference. I owe you an apology for involving the media. In my defense, I am desperate. I am... sick and I would like to spend the rest of my days with you and your mother. I would like to leave this world knowing that you are happy and well taken cared of."

    "I see." Zhou Jingren nodded as he watched the attendant and a couple more waiters serving the food. "Involving that media was indeed wrong." He said. "I will ept that apology."

    The old man¡¯s countenance brightened at Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. However, not everyone on the table was happy to see such arrogance from Zhou Jingren. Thomas was not able to stop his frown as his son sneered. Of course, everyone seemed to ignore the two.

    "Thank you." The old man said. His eyes reddened as he lowered his gaze. His assistant immediately patted his back, noticeable trying to support his old friend. Isaac let out a sigh of relief before he suddenly stood from his seat and held his winess. "Here¡¯s to new beginnings."

    Everyone including Zhou Jingren and Lily followed his gesture. The clinking of their champagne sses soon followed. It echoed inside the room,pletely changing the atmosphere.

    Then the conversation started to be more rxed, more casual. But, this was short-lived as the topic changes back to business.

    But who can me them? Considering that everyone inside the room was involved in the business world, this topic is expected to be a part of the conversation.

    "Oh... so you decided to take a break?" Thomas asked Lily, interest shone in his eyes. "Why?"

    "Well... I want to focus on my marriage. Jingren and I have been through a lot and we decided that it is best for me to stop working for a few months."

    "Is that so?" Thomasughed. "I always thought it was because of what happened in Yunnan."

    "I can see that you are very well informed." It was Zhou Jingren. He dabbed the napkin on his mouth as he started peeling the shrimp for Lily.

    "Well... We have a lot of sources who called us and informed us about the matter after father announced that you are his long lost grandson."

    "Hmmm..." Zhou Jingren turned his attention towards the shrimp before looking at his wife. Upon noticing that a small sauce was on Lily¡¯s lips, he quickly used the napkin to remove it. This earned everyone¡¯s attention as Lily beamed at her husband¡¯s actions.

    "You guys seemed to be so in love," Adrianmented. He held his winess and did not hide the contempt in his eyes. "This makes me curious." He looked at Lily. "After my wedding with Samantha in a few months from now, she is nning to stay at home and quit show business so she could stay with our kids. Are you going to do the same?"

    "No," Lily answered nonchntly. She opened her mouth as Zhou Jingren fed her a shrimp. "Or maybe. Who knows?" She shrugged.

    "I expected as much." Isaac chimed in as he eyed the attendant bringing in another bottle of wine. "Demi... why don¡¯t you serve my grandson some of those aged wine." He said. In response, Demi nodded and rose from his seat. "I personally ordered the most expensive wine that they have. Do not worry about the bill. I will take care of it." His lips lifted into a gentle smile as his eyes wrinkled. "I don¡¯t get to have dinners like this with everyone because of our schedule. I hope you don¡¯t mind my kind gestures."

    "No problem." Lily held her hand up, attracting the attendant¡¯s attention. "Hey... can you please give the bill to Mr. Lee?"

    Everyone turned their heads towards Lily as if they were waiting for her to say that she was joking.

    "Mr. Lee?" the attendant asked. Again, the rule that she was given was only to listen to Lily¡¯s words. She gave Lily a hesitant smile as she wondered if she had heard the right words.

    "Yes, Mr. Lee will take care of it." She shifted her gaze towards the old man. "The VIP room and the dinner is a part of Mr. Lee¡¯s kind gesture. Isn¡¯t that right? Grandfather?"

 Chapter 468 Newyorks Baked Cheesecake

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 468 Newyork¡¯s Baked Cheesecake</h4>

    "I ¡ª " Isaac stuttered for a few seconds. Disbelief shed in his eyes as he stared at Lily¡¯s smile. How could a woman be this shameless? True, Isaac was rich. True, he can easily pay for this ce. However, he never expected Lily to act like this as they are the ones who booked this ce. They were also the ones who scheduled a dinner with them. "Of course... consider this a part of our hospitality. After all, you are in Singapore to visit us." He forced a smile.

    Seeing this, the attendant nodded at Lily¡¯s words and went back to attending them.

    "Thank you, grandfather. I hope you don¡¯t mind me calling you grandfather."

    "Oh... no... no. Of course not." He shook his head as she swallowed the blood in his throat. He could feel his insides slowly boil from anger. Isaac gritted his teeth. He needed to endure. Patience is the key to his sess, he chanted inwardly.

    "Perfect!" Lily beamed as she watched Demi pour Zhou Jingren a ss of wine. She then lifted her own winess and gestured it towards Demi. "Thank you."

    "Oi, Lily that is a bit extra." Adrian chimed in, displeasure apparent in his face. Just like Isaac, he had never met a woman as arrogant as Lily. "Would you like her to pour you some wine too?"

    "Isn¡¯t that what she is here for?" Zhou Jingren fired back. He lifted an eyebrow at his grandfather as if waiting for him to say something.

    It was as if a lump was in the old man¡¯s throat. He swallowed down his frustration. Zhou Jingren grew up without his guidance. It is only reasonable that he acts like a wife ve. The old man watched as Demi¡¯s face reddened in embarrassment. Like a bullied child, tears pooled in her eyes as she poured wine on Lily¡¯s ss.

    "Please excuse me. I will go to the freshen up." Demi uttered meekly before she strode out of the dining room.

    "Well... that was a bit dramatic." Lily said as she started eating again. It was as if she did not just make the whole atmosphere awkward again.

    Seeing this, Thomas cleared his throat, dispelling the silence that followed Lily¡¯s words. "You shouldn¡¯t have done that you know," Thomas said, his voice contained a hint of authority. He straightened his back and lifted his chin. He met Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes. "You just embarrassed a woman who did nothing to you."

    "She is not family or someone significant to this meeting. I thought she is here to serve everyone wine." Zhou Jingren¡¯s quick answer made Thomas silent. Zhou Jingren had a point. Why would a woman who is not rted to their family be included in a dinner like this? Unless she was here to serve, or she is someone¡¯s woman. Thomas cleared his throat at his own thoughts.

    "Demi is going to rece his uncle soon as my secretary." Isaac blurted. "His uncle is currently training her. That is why she is here."

    "Well... I think that is enough, father. I am sure Zhou Jingren did not mean that." Thomas said.

    "Hmmm... It would be nice if you can apologize to her. She is not a servant after all." Isaac said. Not long after he said those words, Demi came back. Her make up was intact, but the redness in her eyes was apparent. Seeing this, a snort escaped Lily¡¯s mouth.

    Lily couldn¡¯t help but wonder why a woman like Demi woulde in here and join them. However, seeing her coquettish smile as she poured wine at Zhou Jingren¡¯s ss was enough for Lily to conclude what her purpose here.

    "I¡¯m sorry for letting you serve my wine," Lily uttered. "I did not realize that you are only here to try to serve... my husband."

    Once again Demi¡¯s face reddened. "It¡¯s alright... I understand." She answered as she looked at Lily.

    "Demi is such a kindhearted woman. His father and I are long-time friends." Isaac said, ignoring the venom in Lily¡¯s words. "She is a graduate in foreign studies and can speak fivenguages fluently. She is also the top student in her ss and even joined a pageant representing Singapore."

    "Uncle please don¡¯t tter me. I am only a simple woman."

    "And humble too," Thomas added before heughed. "If my son is not engaged, I would have asked him to marry her. It would be really nice to have a daughter-inw like her."

    "That is true. My niece already received a lot of marriage proposals from other families."

    "But she declined all of them, right?" Isaac asked.

    "She did. I believe she is still waiting for the right man that could entice her." Ron chuckled. "Good thing my brother does not really dictate her own daughter¡¯s marriage. So she could marry whoever she wanted."

    Isaac Lee nodded in approval at Ron¡¯s words. He then nced at Zhou Jingren and frown when he noticed that he was still busy peeling shrimps for his wife. He tamped down his irritation and forced a smile. Zhou Jingren will soon realize that his wife is nothing but a rich woman. "Demi... why don¡¯t you give us the cake that you made?" He beamed at the younger woman. I heard that you are such a wonderful cook.

    "Uncle you are embarrassing me," Demi responded as she still rose from her seat and carried a ck square box that was secured with the red ribbon towards the table. "This is my own version of Newyork¡¯s Baked Cheesecake. I asked the chef to personally teach me how to make one." She slowly opened the box and presented it to everyone. "I hope you will enjoy my cake." Sheid it on top of the table and immediately asked the attendant to help her cut the cake.

    "I always use a heated knife to cut this because it¡¯s too soft on the inside." With the help of the attendant, Demi started cutting the cake. Her hands were swift and meticulous. It was obvious that she had done this numerous times already.

    Seeing that everyone was watching her as she cut the cake, Demi gave a gentle smile as she looked at Lily. "How about you, Miss Lily? Do you love baking too?" she asked.

 Chapter 469 Moronic Women

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 469 Moronic Women</h4>

    "No. I was too busy building an empire that I didn¡¯t have the time to y house and learn baking. In fact... I never learned how to cook at all." Lily responded. "Of course... I am still lucky to have a man that cooks for me." She nced at Zhou Jingren as her eyes sparkled with glee.

    "He cooks for you?"

    "Of course. Is that wrong?" Lily asked Isaac. If the old man wanted to embarrass her by doing this, then he is has miscalcted. She beamed at Demi. "I don¡¯t have the time nor the energy to do that."

    "Oh... " Demi nodded awkwardly. Why does it seem that Lily is proud that she does not know how to cook? She lowered her head and put her attention back on the cake.

    "Well... I guess we can¡¯t have it all." Samantha spoke after being silent this whole time. "Miss Lily is smart, rich, and a very good businesswoman. Aside from this, she is very beautiful too. No one is really perfect. Right?"

    "Cooking is one of the most important things that a wife should learn." Adrian scowled. "Isn¡¯t that why you went to cooking lessons just a few days back?"

    "We are all different." Samantha met her fiance¡¯s eyes. "What suits me might not suit Miss Lily."

    "Well... you have a point." While Isaac did not like that Samantha siding with Lily, he chose to let go of his irritation and continue trying to make Lily ufortable, hoping that this will reveal the kind of woman that she was inside. "But I firmly believe that wives should serve their husbands. This might be because I was born at a different time. But in my personal opinion, wives should be there for their family. They should support their husbands and take care of their kids." He gave Zhou Jingren a meaningful eye. Hoping that he would understand his concerns. "Marriage is not a game. It requires cooperation, understanding, andpassion. And this will only happen if the husband and wife would act their role."

    "Wrong." Zhou Jingren¡¯s words brought everyone¡¯s attention towards him. "A wife and a husband are of equal footing. She does not need to stand behind her man feeding his ego and feeding his babies. She stands next to him. Holding his hand as they walked together in this world." Lily immediately smiled at her husband¡¯s words. She lifted her chin, a tinge of pride swirled in her orbs. Hearing him say things like this always makes her happy.

    "Men exist to lead." Isaac rebutted. "We exist to support and lead a family. This is supported by our cultural norms and tradition. We have seen men lead throughout history while women... easily submit to conquerors. This has been proven in our history." He shifted his gaze towards Lily. "No matter how strong a woman is, he still needs to submit to her husband and let him lead the marriage."

    Everyone including Lily nodded at his words. "Because of this, I believe that the perfect woman should submit to her husband and act as his support. I think that women who work so hard to prove that they are equal to men are moronic."

    "Do you think women only work to prove that they are equal to men?" Lily¡¯s words were crisp and sharp. Don¡¯t get her wrong. She does not hate the old man¡¯s opinions. These beliefs are his, and this has nothing to do with Lily or Zhou Jingren. However, this does not mean that she agrees to his misogynistic words.

    "Isn¡¯t that why women work so hard in the business world?" Thomas fired back. "Isn¡¯t that why they do all underhanded means just to seed and prove that they are worthy of their current position?"

    "So when... a woman does everything to close a deal, it is called underhanded but when men do it... it¡¯s called being wise?" Lily gave a mockingugh. "You are making meugh, Mr. Lee." She pursed her lips. "Both men and women have the right to do whatever they want. Men are not just money makers, they can cook, wash the dishes and they can cry whenever they want to. Women are also capable of doing some things that men can do. Why limit ourselves to the norms and culture? This belief only cut someone¡¯s potential to explore the other side of themselves."

    She met Thomas¡¯ eyes before staring at Isaac¡¯s face. "We don¡¯t need to live by the standards set by misogynistic men. The women that you call moronic are doing their best to seed, not because they wanted to prove that they can also do what men can. We do it for ourselves. Not for other people. Not all women wanted to ride a man¡¯s white horse and live in a pce. Not all women wanted to wear ss shoes to attract a prince."

    Her gaze darted towards Demi. "We are independent creatures capable of thinking and doing what we want. We are strong, talented and our potential is endless. While I am lucky that I have the opportunity to grow to where I am now, most women are unlike me. And I cannot do anything to change their views." Lily shrugged. "I am not some powerful human capable of changing one¡¯s opinions. However... I can assure you that those moronic women that you are talking about are not the type that needs saving. They save themselves and get their own sh*t handled like a true boss."

    "Hah! I was already expecting such words from you." Isaac beamed. "You speak as if you hate marrying my grandson. I hope that is not true."

    "Marrying him?" Lily looked at Zhou Jingren as she smiled. "Was not my n. But I can assure you... it is one of the best decisions that I have ever made in my life." She held his hand as Zhou Jingren leaned towards her, giving her a light kiss on the lips in front of his seething grandfather.

 Chapter 470 Virtuous

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 470 Virtuous</h4>

    "This cheesecake is actually very good," Adrianmented after eating a small piece of the cake. "Can you give me the details of the person who taught you how to make one?"

    "Fo course," Demi smiled demurely as everyone started praising her cake. She eyed Zhou Jingren, waiting for him topliment her. However, he never evenid his eyes on her. The man was leaning towards Lily, whispering at her ears while Lily pouted and blushed. Demi was not able to stop herself from wondering what kind of words was he saying to her ears.

    Demi lowered her head as tears started to pool in her eyes. She felt offended. She is embarrassed and insulted. Were they making jokes about her cake? Were they whispering insults towards her belief? She gritted her teeth as she remembered her father¡¯s words about this marriage.

    At first, Demi wanted nothing of it. Why would she agree to marry a man that she didn¡¯t even know? However, seeing his image sent some emotions inside her that she had never known before. She liked him. She started thinking about the man that she is about to marry, researching about him and his business.

    When Demi discovered that the man is already owned by another woman, she was furious. Demi lost count of the number of vases that she broke because of the news. How could this happen? Her impulsed immediately told her to take action. So, she urged her father to allow her to work with Old Man Lee.

    Her purpose was simple. She knew that working with the old man would give her more opportunities to meet him. Demi knew that she could easily create an ¡¯idental meeting¡¯ with Zhou Jingren. However, she could not just show up in his life and introduce herself as the woman that he should be with. She rolled her eyes inwardly before she stered the same gentle smile on her face. She lifted her head and looked at Zhou Jingren again.

    To Demi, the man was the epitome of perfect- his perfect jaws, his sharp and cold eyes, his built. He was just perfect for her. The fact that he was a Lee and an owner of a bank is just an added bonus to his charm.

    When Lily¡¯s small giggles reach her ears, Demi felt another wave of an angry emotion surged inside her. She balled her hands into a fist, her fingernails grazed her palms. Unbeknownst to her and everyone else, Lily and Zhou Jingren were not talking about anyone else in the room but were only teasing each other.

    "I think your cooking is still the best," Zhou Jingren whispered, ignoring everyone else¡¯s re.

    "Are you mocking me, Mr. Zhou?" she fired back. "I may not be good at cooking but I have a certain set of skills that will make you crave... more." She nced towards his neck and wet her lower lip.

    "What?" the intensity in his voice immediately sent shivers down Lily¡¯s spine.

    "Eating." She smiled before she leaned closer to his ears. "You." Lily beamed, victory gleaming in her eyes.

    "You are such a tease, Mrs. Zhou." He whispered back. "Why don¡¯t you... borate more on this... skill?"

    Lily widened her eyes, surprised at his words. She could feel heat spreading on her neck. She knew that she was turning scarlet. "You know, this is such the wrong time to flirt."

    "Is there a wrong time for flirting with you?" he stroked her back, a smile blooming on his face as he raised an eyebrow at her.

    "How was it?" Isaac¡¯s voice interrupted them. "The cake. Does it taste good?" he asked. Seeing Zhou Jingren and Lily smile and whisper to each other almost made him p the table in anger. All he wanted right now is to tear off that smile that Lily¡¯s face. However, he chose to control himself. Once Zhou Jingren will leave Lily, he could have his chance to have his own revenge against the arrogant woman.

    "Good." Zhou Jingren answered. He then looked at Demi. "Are you perhaps looking to create your own restaurant? Or maybe work as a personal chef? My wife would surely love to eat your cheesecake every day."

    "Stop it." Lily elbowed Zhou Jingren. "I don¡¯t eat cakes every day."

    "Hmmm... true. Sorry... I used the wrong term. It should be devoured." Heughed and stared at her dotingly. When he first met her, Lily already like eating donuts and other sweets. She might not be a good cook but she is very good at eating.

    "Hey! I am not that greedy!" Lily pouted. The couple was about to start another round of teasing each other when Isaac interrupted them.

    "It is good. As expected of Demi. I know you will like her cakes."

    "Actually, I am not into sweets." Zhou Jingren said. "But my wife is."

    A sh of irritation gleam in the old man¡¯s eyes. How could Zhou Jingren always include Lily every time he answered him? Why was he treating her like a goddess?

    "You are embarrassing me," Lily said before she stared at Demi. "Of course, I won¡¯t mind it if you be my personal baker."

    "I¡ª " Lily¡¯s smile was blinding. It was so bright that Demi avoided her face as she gathered all the courage that she had. "I¡¯m sorry. That is not possible."

    "Why?" Lily asked, disbelief in her eyes. "If you like it, I can triple your sry. I am a very generous woman. I can even give you a monthly bonus if you create something special for me."

    Demi nced at Old Man Lee. However, before she could say anything, Zhou Jingren suddenly stood from his seat.

    "Excuse me. I have to take this call." He kissed Lily¡¯s forehead before he left the room. Leaving a smiling Lily behind.

    "Yes? You were about to say something?" Lily continued. She lifted an eyebrow at Demi.

    "Enough!" Old Man Lee said. He narrowed his eyes at Lily. "You have been disrespectful all night. The only reason why I am putting up with this act is because of my grandson. I will not allow you to insult a virtuous woman who did nothing to you!"

    "Virtuous," Lily uttered. She dragged the word, making sure that everyone can hear the sarcasm in her tone. "I was not aware that being virtuous requires coveting someone else¡¯s husband. Is that the new meaning of the word?"

 Chapter 471 A Worthy Rival

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 471 A Worthy Rival</h4>

    "You ¡ª " Isaac tried to keep his rage in checked, but it was not working. He had never seen someone as irritating and arrogant as the woman in front of him. "How dare you!?"

    "Are you saying that I am wrong?" The smile on Lily¡¯s face did not disappear. Seeing Isaac¡¯s ugly scowl only made her smile more brilliant.

    "This is the reason why I would never approve of you as my grandson¡¯s wife!"

    Lily snorted in response. "What makes you think that you have a say in his life? Did you think... seeing him for the first time would give you the right to dictate him? Fool." She sneered. Seeing Isaac¡¯s face turned purple, Lily shifted her eyes at the silent attendant. "Bring in the entertainers. I¡¯m sure everyone would love to enjoy some music as we continue talking about being virtuous and marriage." She would like to enjoy the show as much as possible and wait until the fish will take their bait.

    "What a disrespectful woman. He is your husband¡¯s grandfather. Can¡¯t you at least respect him?" Adrian decided to speak his mind as Lily was really making his blood boil in anger. Adrian grew up in a ce where women always follow the words of their men. This has been embedded in his brain since he was a child.

    How could Adrian stand the presence of a woman like Lily?

    He opened his mouth to say something, only to stop when he saw the entertainerse inside. Everyone eyed the men bringing various types of equipment for their performance. Not long after, Zhou Jingren strode inside. He sat next to Lily.

    "I have an emergency meeting with my subordinates. I have to go back to my hotel." His face was stern.

    "Is everything all right?" Lily asked.

    "Yes. We ran into a small problem and I have to inform the executives about it. Don¡¯t worry too much. I wille and get youter once the dinner is done." He eyed everyone and bid them his goodbye as well.

    A cunning smile escaped Isaac¡¯s lips as he met Thomas¡¯ eyes. The smile left his face was quickly as it arrived. He turned back to his stern expression as he tried to show some concern towards Zhou Jingren. Unbeknownst to him and Thomas, Lily was observing their expression like an eagle observing her prey.

    "Please enjoy the entertainment. I am taking going to call someone." Lily uttered. His gaze lingered at the old man before she stood and walked towards the terrace of the restaurant. She then opened her phone and as expected, Zhou Jingren sent her a text about the fish biting the bait.

    Lily pretended to call someone. She dialed Yang Mi¡¯s number and asked her to help out Secretary Go with whatever problem that the Zhou Capital is currently facing. She also informed her to talk to Qin Yuanfeng and try to convince him to help them. After all, he is an expert onputers.

    "You know, he hates women like you."

    Lily turned to face the woman speaking to her. She quickly bid Yang Mi goodbye and smiled at Demi. She is already expecting thetter to follow her out. "And that is supposed to bother me?" she asked.

    "He is the grandfather of your husband. Once he earns the respect of your husband, Zhou Jingren will surely make him a priority. We always value filial piety and I¡¯m sure Zhou Jingren is like that too. I am sure you are already aware of that." Demi said. The meekness that she showed earlier was gonee. She met Lily¡¯s eyes and gave her a mocking smile. "Showing your true colors will get you nowhere. Sometimes you have to soften yourself and adjust. Blend in. You are too brilliant for them to like you."

    Lily snorted. "Do I look like someone that would beg people to like me, Miss Liang?"

    "You have a point." Demi nodded. "But this is a world ruled by men. If you want something... you should learn how to stroke their egos." Seeing Lily stare at her, she added. "As you can see... I can have whatever I want because I am smart enough to blend in. His grandfather like me and I will slowly work my way inside his mother¡¯s heart."

    "Since his grandfather likes you so much... why don¡¯t you just marry the old man, instead? I mean..." Lily covered her mouth as sheughed. "It would suit you. Staying at home, taking care of an old and rich husband, suits you."

    "I see..." Demi nodded. "I can see that you do not see me as a threat." Seeing Lily mocked her like this is just too infuriating. Demi had the urge to p her, but she would not go that low. "Beware Miss Lily... I am a very persistent person. He might not like me now... but the world is round. I won¡¯t just give up and let you win without a fight. Do not underestimate a woman like me, Miss Lily. I am a worthy rival."

    "Delusional," Luly uttered. "Did a donkey hit your head? A rival? Really?" She snorted. "I don¡¯t even consider you as my equal. What makes you think that you qualify as my rival?"

    "Rival means having apetition." Slowly, Lily¡¯s lips lifted into a smile as her eyes trailed down towards Demi¡¯s dress, then back into her face. "There is nopetition, here."

    "How arrogant," Demi sneered before she looked behind Lily¡¯s back. As if on cue, tears immediately started falling in her eyes. "Miss Lily, you are ruthless. I did nothing to offend you! I only wanted to know you better."

    Lily turned her head and smiled at the group of peopleing towards them.

    "How could you p me like that?" Demi clutched her cheeks as she started sobbing. "I don¡¯t remember offending you. This is the first time that we saw each other. I don¡¯t understand your animosity toward me."

    *CLAP*

    *CLAP*

    *CLAP*

    "Amazing," Lily smiled. "What a praiseworthy acting."

    "Lily!" Thomas raised his voice as he walked passed Lily and held the crying Demi in his arms. "What the hell is wrong with you, woman?" He red at Lily, brows knitted into a frown.

 Chapter 472 Cooperation

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 472 Cooperation</h4>

    "What is happening here?" Old Man Lee walked next to Thomas and Demi. He looked at Demi before turning towards Lily. "You pped her?"

    "Ask the camera," Lily pointed at the CCTV Camera, pointing at their direction. "Grandfather... you seemed to¡ª "

    "Do not call me grandfather!" Isaac raged. "I am not your grandfather and I will never be."

    In response, Lily shrugged.

    "Apologize!" Isaac raised his voice, his eyes narrowed at Lily. "Now!"

    "Uncle... it¡¯s all right. There is no need for an apology." Demi blurted, her eyes were red as she bit her lips.

    Azy smile hung on Lily¡¯s lips. "Of course, it¡¯s not needed." She rolled her eyes as she tapped on her phone, texting Yang Mi to make sure to obtain the CCTV footage in this restaurant. "You know what? All this... makes me wonder. You seemed to be so adamant on offending me for Miss Liang. Director Lee... don¡¯t tell me you two are in a secret rtionship?"

    "You¡ª "

    "Father... calm yourself." Thomas said. "Why don¡¯t you go inside. I will take care of this. Ask the attendant to bring Demi outside, away from this woman."

    The old man¡¯s face reddened in anger. He gritted his teeth and nodded. No matter how much he wanted to hurt Lily, he couldn¡¯t. Not when a camera was pointing on where they were standing. He and Ron then left with Semi in tow.

    "You are too bold," Thomas said as he eyed Old Man Lee¡¯s disappearing back. "Coming in here and treating us like this. Miss Lily... I have never met a woman like you before."

    "Is that apliment?"

    "You can take it as such."

    Lily pursed her lips as she stared at the man for a few seconds. "You wanted to cooperate." She stated. "You wanted the Lee Group for yourself, don¡¯t you?"

    Thomas looked over his shoulders. "Stop saying nonsense!" he hissed.

    "Please... Thomas. You are adopted. He already announced that Zhou Jingren is his grandson. Do you think you will still have a chance to manage thepany that you really love if my husband gets close to Isaac?" Seeing the ugly scowl on the man¡¯s face, Lily added. "We all know what will happen once Jingren¡¯s mother decide to forgive her father. I bet you already know that the old man is using this situation to get rid of you, right?"

    Thomas gritted his teeth. He stared at the cityscape as a cold breeze skittered through his senses. "There is no way that¡ª "

    "I can help you," Lily interrupted him, a sinister smile stered on her face.

    "On what cost?"

    "Cooperation," Lily answered. This was the reason why she wanted to meet them. Lily would not have invested in something that would not give her any gains. "Your father had been giving me trouble with the uing construction and renovation of my Harmony Isle. Fix that and we¡¯re good."

    "You wanted me to betray my own father?"

    "He betrayed you first." She snorted. "But you already know that, right? I bet... this has been troubling you for a few nights now." She lowered her voice. "Did you ever wonder what will happen to you and your son once your adoptive father dies? You have been managing the hospitals for years. Everyone acknowledged your hard work. Everyone but your father. Do you think... this is fair?"

    "This is not just." Like a devil attempting to tempt his next victim, Lily smiled inwardly. In convincing someone, the first rule is always to mention something that would appeal to their self-interest.

    Thomas turned silent at Lily¡¯s words. He continued watching the cityscape that seemed to sparkle like small diamonds on the beautiful horizon. He hated Lily. He hated that she was right. Thomas hated that Lily seemed to read him like an open book.

    Thomas grew up with the old man. He was adopted at such a young age that he does not really remember anything about his parents anymore. The old man had always been his father. He took him to camp. He taught him how to bike. He attended his school meetings. He was his father, and he had always treated him like his son.

    Thomas was happy. He had a doting father and a mother that loved him and treated him like he was a special treasure. However, this did notst long. It all changed when the old man¡¯s wife discovered that he was cheating on her. Then Old Man Lee¡¯s wife died.

    In less than a year, Isaac changed. From the ideal father that Thomas had always wanted to bing the greedy person that he is now. This changes broke Thomas¡¯ heart. However, he persisted and still follow the old man¡¯s teachings. He studied hard, worked from the bottom of thepany until his father recognized his talent, and promoted him to be the current CEO of thepany.

    How could he allow all this to be taken away from him? In Thomas¡¯ mind, Zhou Dae Un and her mother was the one who ruined his father and his family. How could he allow her to take the only thing that he had worked for his whole life?

    "So you only wanted me to help you out with yourpany?" he asked. Usually, big favors such as this also require big payments. Thomas does not believe that Lily would only let him go with a small favor like that.

    "You know me well," Lily beamed. "Assurance Mr. Lee... I am nning to branch out in Asia. Specifically, Singapore and China. I want your help to make it as smooth as possible."

    "And... what if I don¡¯t help you when you already needed my help? What if... I back down and not fulfill my words?"

    "Then... you will end up like all the previous enemies that I had." She answered nonchntly. "Trust me. You don¡¯t want to make me angry."

    "What about my son?" he asked.

    "He will be safe... If he won¡¯t offend me. You already know how this works. You made the same deal with Jack. Didn¡¯t you?"

    "It was father." He clenched his teeth. "I was busy handling thepany. I don¡¯t have the time to spy on you and your lives."

    "Well... Adrian is a little stupid. You should advise him to stay away from me and Jingren." Lily said. They always thought that it was Thomas who helped Jack. Of course, there is a possibility that he is lying too.

    "I want an assurance that he will be safe." He uttered.

    "I can¡¯t give you that." She answered. "His safety will only depend on the level of his stupidity."

 Chapter 473 Someday

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 473 Someday</h4>

    Thomas nodded as he turned his face away. His son grew up around the old man. Thus, his views are simr to the old man¡¯s principle. "He is fragile..."

    "Adult." Lily interrupted. "Your son is already an adult. He can make his own choices. His destiny is crafted by him and his stupid ideas."

    Understanding shed in Thomas¡¯ eyes before he red at Lily. "How dare you talk to me like that? I am your elder!" He raised his voice as his gaze shifted towards Adrian who was walking their way. "I think you have done enough damage, Miss Lily."

    Lily lifted an eyebrow. However, when she saw Adrian approaching their way, she smiled. "Oh... this is just the icing. If the old man won¡¯t stop whatever it is that he is nning then... I won¡¯t hesitate to take over and protect what¡¯s mine."

    "What a nasty woman," Adrian chided. He narrowed his eyes at Lily. "Thanks to you, my grandfather is not feeling well. What do you think will the media say if we release the news of what you did tonight?"

    Lily snorted. She gave Thomas a meaningful gaze before she edged closer to Adrian. "It wasn¡¯t my fault that your old man is weak." She said in a low voice, just enough for Adrian and Thomas to hear. "It wasn¡¯t my fault that his heart could not handle someone talk back at him. It wasn¡¯t my fault that he couldn¡¯t handle a woman like... me." Her red lips curled up. "Now... as much as I enjoyed our dinner, I have to leave and attend to my husband¡¯s needs."

    Lily walked past Adrian, only for him to grab her arms. "You will regret doing this to my family." He hissed.

    "Is that a threat?" Lily returned the man¡¯s gaze. "Are you threatening me, Mr. Adrian Lee?" Lily watched as Thomas paled while staring at his son. Disbelief shed in his eyes. For a moment, Lily thought she could see regret in the older man¡¯s eyes. Did he regret exposing his own son to Isaac¡¯s views? Lily couldn¡¯t tell. All she knew is from this point on... Adrian would suffer just like his grandfather.

    "This is not Hong Kong or Europe. You can¡¯t do anything in this country." Adrian said. "Let¡¯s see if you have the strength to maintain that smirk on your face once something happens to your branch in Singapore."

    "He is threatening me," Lily turned towards the pale Thomas. "Your son... had the guts to threaten me."

    "I don¡¯t do threats." Adrian tightened his fingers around Lily¡¯s arms. "You have embarrassed and disrespected my grandfather. You deserve to suffer."

    "You know what your first mistake was?" The smirk on her face did not falter as she leaned closer. "Touching me."

    Adrian seemed to realize his actions as he let her arm go.

    "I would love to see Zhou Jingren¡¯s face once I show him my bruised arm." Sheughed a dry sarcasticughter. "Don¡¯t worry. He won¡¯t kill you. However, I cannot assure you that he won¡¯t cut your filthy hands and let you watched as he fed them to the dogs."

    "You¡ª "

    "Your second mistake was underestimating me and my husband."

    He took a step back as he narrowed his eyes at her. "Your arrogance will be your downfall."

    "And your stupidity will be the death of you." She fired back before turning around and walking towards the elevator of the restaurant. Once she was inside the elevator, Lily examined her arms and as expected she can already see small purple marks around it. She sighed. How could Adrian think that Zhou Jingren would let this go?

    Lily immediately dialed Zhou Jingren¡¯s number and told him toe to pick her up.

    After exiting the elevator, Lily had to wait in the lobby of the building as she needed to wait for Zhou Jingren. She sat on one of the sofas and decided to check her emails.

    "It is about to rain."

    Lily turned towards the woman who sat next to her. It was none other than Samantha. Her eyes somehow trailed down Samantha¡¯s neck.

    "I have to endure," Samantha only smiled as she noticed Lily¡¯s eyes on her neck. "It was worth it."

    Lily was about to open her mouth to say something. In the end, she chose to keep her thoughts to herself.

    "You are lucky," Samantha continued, her eyelids dropped as she let out a sharp breath. "If only I am as... strong-willed as you." Her lips lifted into a painful smile.

    "Are you sure talking to me at this public ce is good?" Lily asked, ignoring the tear that rolled down in Samantha¡¯s cheeks. If Adrian would know that they are having this conversation, he would surely flip.

    "He is still talking to his father. And by talking... I mean ¡ª wines. Lots of wines." She smiled. "I will go up and join them in a while."

    "How do you do it?" Lily asked. The woman next to her might be smiling but her eyes were dead. There is no trace of life in it. Lily wondered what kind of emotion does Samantha feel to have the kind of stare that she had now.

    "How do I do what?"

    "You seemed like a smart woman. Why did you choose this?"

    "This life?" Samantha scoffed. "I am a smart woman and that is the reason why I am here."

    Lily pursed her lips in response. "I don¡¯t judge you."

    "I know," Samantha said. "And I am jealous of you. You are exactly the person that I want to be, someday."

    "Someday?"

    Samantha only gave her a smile. In two months, she will marry a man whom she does not love because this is the only thing that she could do to save her father. A heavy atmosphere seemed too wrapped around her, suffocating her insides. The thought of marrying Adrian is enough to make her miserable. "If one day... If one day you decide to ruin Adrian." She lowered her gaze and bit her lips.

    "Don¡¯t hesitate," Samantha added. "Do it for me."

    "You are talking as if you don¡¯t have any other choice anymore," Lily said. "If..."

    "I never had one," Samantha said as she stood from the couch. "I am not as lucky as you, Miss Lily. But I am happy to know that a woman like you exists. It gives me a little hope. A little delusion that someday, somehow... I will have the courage to stand up for myself."

    Lily stood next to her and handed her a piece of paper. "Meet me at... this ce two days from now." She smiled as he walked towards Zhou Jingren¡¯s car. "I will see you soon, Samantha. I will see you soon."

 Chapter 474 Bruises and Kisses

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 474 Bruises and Kisses</h4>

    R18 Content. BEWARE.

    Just as Samantha said, the moment Lily left the hotel, she could immediately felt the cold and dry air. She felt a raindrop on her bare arms as she hurried on the car. Soon after, the heavy drops plummeted unto the ground.

    "That was... lucky." She beamed as she watched the heavy raindrops tapped against their windshield. She then leaned towards Zhou Jingren and kissed him.

    "What¡¯s this?" He frowned and held her arms. "Who did this?" A dangerous aura swept through the car.

    "It was Adrian," Lily said. "The man was insanely simr to your grandfather," Lily added as she watched Zhuo Jingren clenched his jaws. He started driving. "How was it? Did they really do it?" she asked.

    "Hmmm." He nodded. "Good thing, mother was able to inform us beforehand about her father¡¯s dirty methods. We were able to prepare in advance for their silly schemes."

    "She had been observing him for a long time now. I bet she already knew all of his dirtyundries and she is just waiting for the right time to retaliate." Lily said as she closed her eyes. "I can¡¯t seem to understand why a woman would just agree to this arrangement."

    "I already called mother, and she said that Demi Liang¡¯s father is the owner of a big pharmaceuticalpany in Asia. Isaac is eyeing thispany for a long time now."

    "Isn¡¯t this... exhausting?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "He is trying to act as if he deserved your respects and yet, he is also doing all these underhanded means to corner you. This makes me wonder what the hell is inside his brains." She continued as the pitter-patter of the rain drummed against their car. "When you left, he must have thought that his ns already seeded. So he asked Demi to provoke me so she could have a reason to leave too."

    "The level of stupidity is just... too much to handle. It is making my headache." she added.

    In response, a smile escaped his lips. "I wonder what kind of hell are they going to raise tomorrow now that they thought, I slept with that woman."

    Lily snickered. She slowly massaged her temples as she felt the car slow down. They are currently staying in one of the most popr hotels in Singapore.

    "Do you want me to carry you towards our room?" She felt his hot breath against her ears.

    "Of course not." Lily jolted and immediately got out of the car. The moment she realized that they are in the underground parking of the hotel, she stilled and eyed Zhou Jingren. Lily could feel her face lost its color as her heartbeat became erratic.

    "Are you all right?" concernced his tone.

    "Yes... I am... just... just tired." She lied. This was not the first time that she felt the same suffocating feeling in this same ce. She blinked and smiled at Zhou Jingren. She then held his arms and shook the feeling out of her brain.

    Seeing Lily¡¯s pale face, Zhou Jingren¡¯s arms folded across her waist. He pulled her closer towards him as the duo went inside the elevator towards their room. "I know a way to get rid of a headache in less than thirty minutes." Lily beamed when she heard Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. She lifted her chin and grinned at him.

    "You are too beautiful," he met her gaze as he leaned closer. "I am going to kiss you."

    "I wouldn¡¯t say no," Lily smiled as she weed his hot lips. The kiss was quick and warm. However, for some reason, it immediately eased the dull pain in her head. Hand in hand, the couple walked out of the elevator and into the carpeted hallway.

    "Did you fix the problem?"

    "It¡¯s done." He smiled as he led her inside their hotel room. "Lie down. I will take off your shoes."

    "I am not paralyzed. I can ¡ª " Lily¡¯s words were interrupted when he lowered his mouth into hers.

    "Shhh.... I am trying to take away your headache," he whispered before his tongue slid over her lips. Lily instinctively opened her mouth, wrapping her arms around him. He slid his hands underneath her jaws, his other hand pulled her body closer towards his, making her feel his hardness. A moaned escaped Lily¡¯s lips.

    Zhou Jingren, quickly unzipped her dress, throwing it on the floor as he carried her towards the bed.

    "On the couch," she tilted her head and smirked at him. In response, he lifted an eyebrow before a low chuckle escaped his lips. His eyes darkened as he strode towards the sofa.

    "Naughty," his voice was husky and low. Desire started to swirl in his orbs.

    A giggle escaped Lily¡¯s lips before she suddenly pushed him towards the couch. She eyed her husband¡¯s chest and gulped. Slowly, Lily sat on herp, straddling him. Seeing the desire in his wife¡¯s eyes, Zhou Jingren pulled her into another hot kiss. His hands trailed down towards her hardened nipples. She groaned in response. He held the nape of her neck as the kiss deepened.

    Lily did not even realize that he already unsped her bra. She let out another moaned as he buried his face into her breast. He nipped her nipples, earning an incoherent sound from her.

    Lily bit her lips and arched her body. She held his hand and trailed it down to her sweet spot. She could feel her desire tripled, a feeling of want, and hunger soon overtook her. She felt his hot breath on one of her breast as his hand started stroking her core. He ran a finger on her damp opening. Her breath hitched, her eyes darkened with desire.

    Lily unbuckled his pants and licked her lips as she held his manhood. She felt the temperature of her body soared. "I want you inside me," she whispered. Slowly, a smirk dangled on his lips as he lifted her hips and pushed his shaft inside her wet core.

    She shuddered. Pleasure overtook her senses. She took him all in. "It¡¯s so good," she murmured. Lifting her hips up and then down. He thrust upward, meeting her in a rhythm. He then drew her nipple to his mouth, sucking, licking. Making her shudder in pleasure.

    "Oh... Gods... I can¡¯t take it." She moaned as she felt small electrical pulses in her navel. She felt pleasure explode inside her as she shut her eyes. She rocked her hips up and down, thrusting, grinding. She muttered an incoherent cry. She felt her core tremble as Zhou Jingren started to lose control. He pounded against her, his hands on her waist. Then he shattered inside her, calling Lily¡¯s name in a long groan.

 Chapter 475 Anger and Jealousy

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 475 Anger and Jealousy</h4>

    "Finally!" Isaac Lee beamed at the sight of Demi. He stopped eating his toasts and leaned back on his chair. "Take a seat, Demi." He eyed his assistant who apanied Demi. Seeing Ron nod at him, a sly smile escaped the old man¡¯s wizened face. He took a sip of his tea and watched as the servants served Demi and Ron their own beverage. "How was it?" He eyed Ron, who was sitting to his left.

    "We have a confirmation. Zhou Jingren left the hotel around eleven in the evening. He must have panicked when he realized that he had slept with Demi."

    "And the person who went to get Lilyst night? Who was it?"

    "The car was tinted but our people say it was a driver that they rented when they arrived here," Ron answered. A confident smile was on his face as he eyed his niece. "Demi... now that something already happened, you should also inform your father about this matter."

    Demi¡¯s face reddened in response. She immediately avoided everyone¡¯s gaze and lowered her head.

    "Demi... it¡¯s alright... you did the right thing. Lily is a very prideful woman. She would never allow her husband to sleep with another woman. I¡¯m sure a piece of news like this would devastate her." Isaac said. He looked at Thomas to his right and frowned. "Did you schedule lunch with Lily?"

    "Yes, Father." He nodded and continued eating.

    "You seemed so silent sincest night. Is there something that you want to tell me?" Isaac knitted his brows. "Did something happen?"

    "No father. I just... I think meeting a woman like Lily surprised me. I still feel my blood boil every time I think of her." He gritted his teeth and returned the old man¡¯s gaze. "The arrogance of that woman knows no bounds!"

    "Hmmm." Old Man Lee nodded and shifted his gaze back to Demi. Gentleness clouded his gaze. "Are you sure you were fertile,st night? Did the doctor confirmed this?"

    Demi¡¯s face reddened as she bashfully nodded. "Yes, Uncle..."

    "Aiyo... stop calling me Uncle. Call me grandfather instead." Isaacughed. Ron¡¯s n was just genius! Who would have thought that the whole thing would show such wonderful results? "Alright... I want you to have a weekly check-up with the doctor. Just so we will have an idea when you are already pregnant. Meanwhile... I will go and meet Lily, alone."

    "Grandfather... are you sure that is a good idea?" When Isaac heard Demi call him grandfather, a chuckle escaped his lips.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Well ¡ª I... I think this is not the right time for a confrontation. I believe that¡ª "

    "This is the best time for a confrontation," Isaac said. "This will create a rift in their marriage. She might not divorce him immediately. But... the trust is no longer there. And once you show up in Hong Kong with a fetus in your womb. The marriage willpletely shatter." His smile had a hint of certainty.

    In old man Lee¡¯s mind, a woman like Lily would never tolerate cheating in a rtionship. She would rather leave him than stay with a man whom she cannot trust.

    "My fear is if... she will do something to hurt Demi." Ron voiced out his concerns. "My niece is a vulnerable woman, the exact opposite of Lily. If you tell Lily about this matter now, then there is a possibility that she will have her people hunt my niece down. We don¡¯t really know how that woman thinks."

    "Hmmm," Old Man Lee nodded as he held his chin. "Then, I will have someone follow Demi around. Since her father is always away for business, we can have her stay in this house with me and Thomas. The security is pretty good in this building. You can also stay with her if you want to." He looked at Demi, then into her stomach. "From now on our priority is her safety."

    "That is a very good arrangement." Ron smiled. "Demi... all we can do now is wait. Let Old Man Lee handle things from now on. You will be carrying his future grandchild so you have to be extra careful and take care of yourself."

    A smile escaped Demi¡¯s lips as she eyed her uncle and Isaac. "Thank you."

    "This is the least that we can do. You have already sacrificed a lot by doing what you didst night." The old man blurted. "I never thought that you would agree to do that. After all... the risk is pretty high. The drug that we used was aggressive and Zhou Jingren could have hurt you instead."

    Demi only smiled at his words as she recalled all the bruises that she had in her body. She pursed her lips. The pain that she feltst night was necessary. Demi sneered inwardly as she recalled Lily telling her that there is nopetition. Lily¡¯s confidence was so infuriating. Until now, she could still feel her blood boil at the thought of that arrogant smirk.

    Demi couldn¡¯t wait to see Lily¡¯s face once she tells her that she was pregnant. Would she cry? Would she turn red in anger and jealousy? Excitement spark in Demi¡¯s eyes. However, on the outside, she kept herposure and started drinking her tea. "My only fear is if he will hate our child." She blurted, interrupting the old man and his uncle¡¯s conversation.

    Demi wanted assurance. She wanted to make sure that everyone would support her on this journey. So what if Zhou Jingren does not like her now? She is beautiful, capable, and confident. She will be a great mother to his child. She will take care of him and do everything that she could to please him.

    She was sure that sooner orter, Zhou Jingren would grow to like her and eventually love her.

    "He won¡¯t." Old Man Lee responded. "How could he do that to an innocent child?"

    "Demi... stop worrying about these things. For now... you need to take care of yourself. I know that you are watching your weight, but a pregnant woman needed to prepare her body for another life. You have to eat more nutritious food and avoid stress. Let us take care of everything." Ron gave his niece a smile full of assurance.

    "I understand. I will do that for the baby," Demi¡¯s smile was kind and gentle. She just couldn¡¯t wait to announce to the world that she is pregnant with Zhou Jingren¡¯s child.

 Chapter 476 Singapore Sling

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 476 Singapore Sling</h4>

    "Singapore Sling?" Lily lifted an eyebrow as she let Zhou Jingren pulled her towards the elevator. "Like a cocktail drink?"

    "Bei Tian told me we should try it. He said we can¡¯t leave Singapore without drinking Singapore Sling." He answered before looking down at her sneakers. "I like your outfit, today."

    Lily pouted in response. "I look good in everything, alright? I chose casual clothing since I don¡¯t want to stand out. I mean..." she shrugged and smiled. "You know how beautiful women like me always attract everyone... hmmm," She widened her eyes when thetter suddenly pulled her for a kiss.

    "I thought you chose sneakers because you don¡¯t want to walk in heels?" He said. They couple decided not to drive and spend the day walking instead. His lips curled into a boyish grin. "But yes, your reasoning is eptable too. A... why did you pinch me?"

    She rolled her eyes. "Are you saying that I am not beautiful?" Her words instantly earned a burst ofughter from her husband. "Why are youughing? Stop it!"

    In response, Zhou Jingren pursed his lips, trying to stop theughter that bubbled inside him. Seeing this, Lily frowned and crossed her arms around her chest. "I¡¯m not talking to you." She turned towards the wall. The Ding of elevator followed her words. Lily was expecting Zhou Jingren to pull her towards him so they can walk out of the elevator together. Who would have thought that he would do something crazy instead?

    "You are the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen. The only woman that I have ever loved. Please... my wife, grace me with your smile." He uttered, his voice loud enough for the whole lobby to hear. Lily immediately widened her eyes. She looked at the number of guests staring at them before she cleared her throat and pulled him out of the elevator. She hastily took him outside.

    Zhou Jingren immediately fell into a fit ofughter the moment they went out of the hotel. His shoulders shook as pulled Lily for a hug.

    "You¡¯re crazy." She uttered. Before pinching his stomach.

    "Crazy for you."

    "Stop making me cringe!"

    "Then stop being too cute."

    "I am not cute. Dogs are cute! Do I look like a dog to you!?" She stomped her feet and walked in the opposite direction.

    "Where are you going?" He hasten his steps and followed her. "Hey... you are going in the opposite direction." Lily immediately halted her steps and turned to look at her husband. She red at him as she leaned closer.

    "We are not sleeping together for a week." Seeing his face change, Lily immediately gave a victorious smile.

    "How about we think about life together and not make hasty decisions?" He held her hand. His face stern. "Deciding when you are angry is always wrong. We should get therapy together so we could deal with these anger issues. What do you think?"

    Lily narrowed her eyes. She intertwined her hands into his and tried to stop the smile on her face. "You want therapy because... I asked you to sleep on the couch for a week?"

    "Of course not. I am not that shallow." The couple started walking.

    "Then?"

    "It¡¯s a therapy about life! You know... life and itsplications."

    "What are you talking about?" She furrowed her brows. "Are you trying to divert the conversation?"

    "No... I am trying to make an offer."

    "Money?" Lily beamed.

    "Of course not. Milk tea."

    She stared at his side profile, wondering if he was joking. "Who drinks milk tea?"

    "Nowadays, millennial drink milk tea while shopping. You know... younger people." He paused and looked at her."I am not calling you old, alright? Im just saying that we really should try milk tea. Bei Tian said it¡¯s good. Even Go Jichen agreed with him."

    "Is that so..."

    Zhou Jingren immediately nodded as if his life depended on it.

    "I think it¡¯s high time that I and Bei Tian have a serious talk about... life." Lily narrowed her eyes.

    "So..." Zhou Jingren hesitated. He stared at Lily¡¯s face for a few seconds. "No... Milk tea?"

    "Of course not! Why would I drink something like that?"

    ............................

    A few hourster.

    "Too much milk tea is bad for your health." Zhou Jingren uttered as they walked inside the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. "I won¡¯t allow you to buy more of that drink." He said sternly. "Seriously... this will cause some problems in your stomach."

    "But it¡¯s really good," Lily said as she seeped. Seeing her husband¡¯s serious look, she nodded and immediately throw her finished milk tea into the trash. "Next time, don¡¯t introduce me to stuff like that again." She smiled.

    "You said you didn¡¯t like it."

    "Well, that¡¯s only because I haven¡¯t had one yet." She beamed. "You know... this should be my first time in this ce. We should just enjoy it and stop thinking about milk tea." Zhou Jingren wanted to argue. Who is thinking about milk tea? Lily was the one who finished three batches of the tea! However, he chose to keep his opinions to himself and just held Lily¡¯s hand. Helplessness shed in his eyes.

    Since this is Lily¡¯s first time in Marina Bay Sands the couple decided to take a stroll as they walk hand in hand.

    "Alright... I am buying you a watch." Lily said when the name of a famous brand caught her eye. "Crystal Crown has the best exclusive watches in Asia." She uttered. "We should check out their newest collections this year."

    Zhou Jingren wordlessly followed Lily inside the store. He already had a couple of Crystal Crown watches. However, he knew that this is not enough to stop Lily from buying more. He knew that shopping makes his wife happy. And well... whatever makes her happy will always bring a smile to his face.

    "Good noon. My name is Alice. Are you looking for a specific kind of watch?" A woman, almost as tall as Lily, gave them a warm smile. She eyed Lily¡¯s simple clothes and sneakers before her gaze lingered towards Zhou Jingren¡¯s semi-casual clothing. Her eyes then stopped at the few paper bags that came from the Chinese shopping flea market that Zhou Jingren and Lily visited earlier. "We have a couple of watches priced for the masses. Would you like to take a look?"

    "Oh... I heard that you guys have those big paper bags that you provide for your customers?" Lily asked, her eyes roamed around the disy of various watches in front of her. "Would you mind giving me one of those? It will be convenient to put all the souvenirs that we bought in one big bag." She smiled as her eyes trailed back to the attendant¡¯s face.

 Chapter 477 A Pretentious Woman

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 477 A Pretentious Woman</h4>

    "I¡¯m sorry but we no longer have those bags." The attendant¡¯s smile did not falter.

    "Oh!" Lily nodded before she pointed at another customer who was holding the same type of paper bag that she wanted. "Then what are those?"

    The attendant turned towards the other customer before she answered. "Those are limited bags for our VIP¡¯s. I hope you understand. We can¡¯t just give the bags to nonpaying customers. However... you can always look around. We would encourage you to look around and check out our watches. Don¡¯t worry... we don¡¯t discriminate people who don¡¯t buy from us."

    Lily immediately lifted an eyebrow. She wanted to rebut, but she decided against it in the end. She figured that they are here to enjoy and have a wonderful time together. She would not waste her time entertaining a woman like the attendant. "Alright, then can you please take me to see yourtest collection?"

    Alice stared at Lily. "That is only for our VVIP customers and ck Diamond cardholders. But we have other collections at lower prices." The woman started walking into one of the disy ss boxes. "For instance, this one is made of Moissanite instead of diamonds. It still looks like diamonds, but the price is much cheaper than the real one. Look at that sparkle under the light... this one is perfectly crafted to look like a real one." She smiled.

    "I am not looking for a woman¡¯s watch. I would like to see your collection for men¡¯s watches, please." Still, Lily ignored the sarcasm in the woman¡¯s tone. She decided to test her patience and see until when she could hold on.

    "Oh!" The attendant nodded and led them to the opposite side of the store. "Then... this should be good enough for you." She pointed at one of the silver watches. "This is made of real cubic zirconia. It¡¯s a full blinged watch that is perfect if you want to show off during an event." She then eyed Zhou Jingren. "This would fit him perfectly."

    "I don¡¯t like it," Lily said.

    "Oh... is it too pricey for you? We also have..."

    "I prefer to see this year¡¯s collections." The gentleness in Lily¡¯s eyes vanished.

    "May I know if you are one of our VIP or VVIP customer?" the attendant did not mask the mockery in her tone. She eyed another couple entering the ce and continued without waiting for Lily¡¯s response. "Miss... I already informed you earlier that only the most elite customers could see ourtest collections. It is not for ordinary people who can¡¯t even afford our cubic zirconia watch." The attendant¡¯s voice was sweet. However, it did not hide the sarcasm in her tone. "If you please excuse me... I will go ahead and attend to the new customers."

    "Wow," Lily said. She eyed Zhou Jingren before looking at the back of the woman who is now walking towards the new couple inside the store. "What a rude human being."

    "Hmmm... Do you want me to take care of it?" His gaze was focused on Lily¡¯s face.

    "I thought it wasn¡¯t worth it." She responded as she looked at the other busy attendants in the store. "Look... no one is even looking at us. How did they know that we don¡¯t have money?"

    "Moments like this make me want to have some milk tea," Lily added as she walked towards the nearest attendant.

    "How about we call the owner of thepany? Fernando is a jeweler... I am sure he knows who owns this." Zhou Jingren said, his voice low as he followed his wife.

    "Excuse me. Is there a way that I could talk to your manager?" Lily asked the attendant. This time the attendant was not as young as the previous one.

    "Excuse me," the attendant excused herself from the previous customer that she was attending and looked at Lily. Unlike the previous woman, she did not check Lily or Zhou Jingren¡¯s clothing. "Is there something that I could assist you with?"

    "I want to talk to your manager."

    "Oh, then please give me a minute, I will go and get¡ª "

    "Lin, please ignore them..." Alice, the previous attendant, chimed in. She walked towards Lily and Zhou Jingren. "Please leave this ce before I call the security to escort you out." Her words were clear and loud that it immediately attracted everyone¡¯s attention.

    Disbelief shed in Lily¡¯s eyes as she turned towards Zhou Jingren. "Can you believe this?" she asked him. In response, he shook his head and dialed a number from his phone. Not long after, he spoke.

    "Hey, do you have the personal number of the CEO of Crystal Crown???? he said. His deep voice immediately reached the ears of everyone near them. "Yes, the watchpany." He added. "Alright... thanks."

    "I am calling the security," Alice said the moment she saw Zhou Jingren end the call. "Schemes like this will not work in this store. Schemers these days will do everything just to make people believe that they are somehow influential."

    "Alright..." Lily pursed her lips. She crossed her arms and let out a frustrated sigh. "I think... I am done being nice." She walked towards the attendant. "Take me to see your manager."

    "I¡ª "

    "This will be yourst warning." Lily interrupted her. "Take me to see your manager or... "

    The attendant scoffed. "I don¡¯t think you are in any position to threaten me." She said. A woman like Lily would not intimidate her. She narrowed her eyes at Lily and frowned when he noticed Zhou Jingren went out of the store. "Your boyfriend already left. Clearly, embarrassed by your actions. Please leave the store or I am calling the security."

    "So you are calling the security because you thought we couldn¡¯t afford to buy anything in this store?" It wasn¡¯t a question. Since Lily and Zhou Jingren walked inside, this woman treated them differentlypared to how she treated the other customers. Lily eyed the customer to her left, who started taking a video of themotion. She made her voice a little louder this time, "So you are trying to say that this store discriminates people base on their clothing.?"

    "I ¡ª that is not true. We do not discriminate against people! But we do not tolerate scammers who only take images of our products so they can post it on social media!" Alice immediately said when she noticed the customer phones pointed at them. She would not want to ruin the reputation of the store just because of a pretentious woman!

 Chapter 478 Ben Liang

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 478 Ben Liang</h4>

    "What is happening here?" A man wearing a dark blue suit walked towards Lily and Alice. By now, themotion already gathered the attention of everyone inside the store.

    "Manager Liang," Alice immediately bowed at the man. "This woman here, refused to leave the premises. They are not buying anything and is disturbing the other customers. I think it is best that we call the security to escort her out of the mall."

    Lily lifted an eyebrow as she looked at the man. Hisst name immediately caught her attention.

    "Good day, I am Ben Liang I work as the marketing manager of the mall. Is there ¡ª " the man halted his words when he saw Lily hand him a sleek ck card. Gasps and murmurs immediately echoed inside the store.

    "She¡¯s got a ck card!"

    "Oho... how embarrassing. How could that woman say she is a scammer?"

    "Is that even in your name?" Alice frowned before she grabbed the card from Lily. "Are you Lily Fi- Zhou?"

    "I refused to say," Lily answered, she gave Alice a provoking smile as she lifted her chin and look at the marketing manager. If her guess was right, this man must have passed by the store when he noticed themotion.

    "You¡ª "

    "Is this how your attendants treat your customer¡¯s Mr. Liang?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. "All I wanted was to see the collection of watches this year. Yet she refused to let me in and even left without waiting for me to tell her that I am in fact a ck diamond cardholder and is an owner of a VVIP card from GC Jewels that qualify me to see any collections at any European stores in the world." Her words earn another series of gasps from the crowd surrounding them.

    These people loved jewelry. Surely, they already heard the name GC Jewels and its VVIP card. Even Alice paled at Lily¡¯s words. However, she refused to back down. She had been working in this store for years and met all kinds of entitled people. She stared at Lily and immediately concluded that she is one of those entitled heirs who think that the world belongs to them because of their rich parents. She scowled at her own thoughts.

    "Miss Zhou... this must be a misunderstanding. I can assure you that we don¡¯t tolerate behaviors like this."

    "Manager Liang... I clearly asked this woman if she was a member. However, she never told me that she is a VVIP or a ck Diamond cardholder. If she informed me earlier about this matter, then I would have immediately brought her to the showroom."

    Mr. Liang shifted his gaze towards the card and frowned. Actually, the reasoning behind Alice¡¯s words is solid. A single purchase would give Alice some benefits and incentives. Obviously, she would not miss earning some money if she knew that the woman before her was a VVIP member. He looked at Lily and hesitated for a few seconds. "Miss Zhou, on behalf of the Jewelry store, I would like to apologize for what happened." Ben decided to apologize in front of the crowd. "Our mall does not discriminate anyone, especially not because of how they dress."

    "Is that so? Then can you tell me why I was asked to leave when all I wanted was to buy a new watch from the new collections? Mr. Liang, I was humiliated in front of other people just because I am not wearing something that would tell everyone the exact number on my bank ount." She said, sarcasmced her tone.

    "We sincerely appologize for this matter. However, we are already obstructing some customers. Would it be okay if we talk about this in private?" Ben eyed Alice and the other attendant before he told them to call security to help disperse the people surrounding them. "Please follow me to the VIP showroom." He sighed inwardly when he saw displeasure shed in Lily¡¯s eyes. However, when he saw Lily nodded, he instructed another attendant to get the manager and bring him in the showroom.

    "Miss Zhou, please follow me." He said. He started walking towards the ss door that will lead them to the showroom. "We really apologize for what happened. Aspensation, I could give you a ten percent managerial discount for everything that you will buy today." Ben decided just to deal with this matter as fast as possible and give a discount to try to make the woman happy. Some rich people were always like this. A simple apology to let them know that they are indeed right is enough to pacify their anger. He eyed Lily¡¯s side profile and wondered how the hell did the attendant thought that this was an ordinary woman.

    Lily might be wearing a simple shirt and shorts paired with sneakers, but this is Singapore! She is obviously a tourist who is trying to enjoy walking the streets of their country! How could the attendant be this stupid?

    "I don¡¯t want a discount. I want an exnation about this matter." Lily can be extremely petty. And she is not afraid to ept this fact. She nced at the now pale Alice who was following them. "I can afford to buy everything in that collection- every single one of them. The fact that I am not wearing any clothes with big brands does not change this fact. Your employees behavior is uneptable."

    The conversation halted when the VIP showroom caught her eye.

    "Please take a seat. I will personally prepare tea for you." Ben said as he gestured towards the velvet chair next to one of the disy sses. In response, Lily took a seat. At this point, her interests were no longer at the jewelry or the attendant. It was already in the man¡¯s surname. Surely, this was not a coincidence, right?

    She opened her phone and immediately texted Yang Mi with the man¡¯s name. She then eyed the attendant who was standing as still as a statue a few feet away from her. The woman¡¯s face was already pale, her eyes were red. It was as if, she was about to breakdown and cry. "This should serve as a lesson to you," Lily uttered, her voice calm.

    "I could ask the management to terminate you," Lily added and met the woman¡¯s eyes. " I could ask them to ban you. You will never find a job in this industry again." She watched as Alice¡¯s eyes widened, fear apparent in her orbs.

    "Manager Liang... this... this woman did not even show an identification. How could you allow her to talk like this? A simple card is not enough to convince me that she is indeed someone important¡ª "

    "You can stop talking now." Ben interrupted Alice. "Customer or not... what you did was wrong. I will make sure to talk to your manager about this matter." His words were stern as he served Lily her hot tea. He then gave Lily his best smile. "Miss Zhou, I can assure you that we will take this matter seriously." Not long after, a tall and slender woman came inside the showroom. Her long legs only took her seconds to approach them.

    "I am Christine Brooke. The manager of Crystal Crown in Singapore. I heard that ¡ª " the man did not continue his words as he eyed Lily. "Miss Lily? Lily Fi- Qin?"

    Join me on discord: https://discord.gg/h9nvnXD

    Instagram: @blips01

 Chapter 479 Diabolical Smile

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 479 Diabolical Smile</h4>

    Excitement immediately shone in the woman¡¯s eyes. "Hi! I am Christine... I know you probably don¡¯t remember me but we already met in London. My previouspany invited you as one of our speakers when we have our women¡¯s month celebration." She held Lily¡¯s hand and beamed. "I am a great fan!"

    Lily could only nod. She returned the woman¡¯s smile.

    Beforeing to Hong Kong she had spoken to a lot of events for women mainly because of the charities that she supported. She had met a lot of abused women and some women like her who thrived in the business world. "Well¡ª I am speechless."

    "Ehem," Ben cleared his throat. It was as if both Lily and the manager had forgotten that he is still standing here. "I think it is best if we settle this so we could..."

    "Oh! Of course." Christine nodded. She then listened as Ben told her everything that happened. Her brows immediately furrowed as she reminded Alice of theirpany¡¯s policy. Not long after she started reprimanding Alice, Zhou Jingren strode inside the room with one of the executives of the mall.

    When everyone saw the executive, their faces immediately changed. This is not just the COO of the mall but also the son of the Director! What kind of influence does Zhou Jingren have to be able to bring the COO of thepany just because of something like this? Isn¡¯t this a little bit too... extra?

    Even Lily was speechless. She would understand if Zhou Jingren brought another manager. But the COO? She eyed her husband as the executive starting apologizing to her.

    "Aspensation, I would like to invite everyone for tea." The executive ended his apology with an offer as he eyed Zhou Jingren. As if gauging his reaction.

    "Alright, then." Lily sighed inwardly. She immediately made a mental note to remind her husband not to do this again. This is such a nonsense reason for a COO to be dragged out of his office and attend to this kind of thing. Of course, Lily still gave her husband a smile for his efforts.

    "I never knew that you are already married!" Christine immediately started babbling as they walk out of the store. She together with Ben was also invited for the tea. "When I heard that something happened to you a couple of months back, I was totally devastated. I felt that..." she continued talking as her eyes sparkled.

    Lily could only nod her head and gave a wry smile. She never thought that she would one day met someone that truly appreciated the work that she did in Europe.

    When the group arrived at the tea house, the COO immediately asked an attendant to give them a private room and ordered the best avable tea for them. Once again, the executive offered an apology together with Ben and Christine and promised to make sure that this will not happen again.

    In the end, everything went well and Lily received a total of thirty percent discount from the store.

    "So he is that woman¡¯s cousin?" Zhou Jingren asked. They are now walking towards another store where Lily nned to buy some branded clothes.

    "Hmmm... However, rumor has it that he is her uncle and not her cousin. They said that he is the son of the previous patriarch of the Liang family. So he should be the younger brother of Demi¡¯s father. They said that the Liang family did everything to hide this scandal as the mother of this Ben is only a lowly maid that the patriarch raped." Lily shrugged. "Of course, the people who founded such rumors are the enemies of the Liang Family."

    Zhou Jingren nodded. "The families of the rich are reallyplicated." He said. This earned a chuckle from Lily.

    "Just look at our families." She uttered, amusement shed in her eyes. "It is the exact definition of crazy."

    "People tend to do everything just to preserve their wealth." Zhou Jingren said as he held Lily¡¯s hand closer to his chest.

    In response, a smile escaped Lily¡¯s lips. "I too would do everything to preserve my wealth." She beamed. "Money is still money. Without it this world is useless... that and maybe love." She said. "Right... love." She nodded to herself.

    "We have been walking for a few hours now. Hows your feet? Do you want to rest?" he changed the topic and looked at Lily¡¯s small frame. Zhou Jingren knew that Lily had to hasten her steps sometimes to keep up with his long strides.

    "Hmmm... maybe you could buy some milk tea for meter? I¡¯m sure that is the only thing that will ease the pain in my legs." Lily beamed.

    Helplessness immediately shed in Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes at his wife¡¯s antics. "Are you sure that is the only thing that will make you feel better?" he gave her a boyish grin.

    "Now that I thought about it..." Lily held her chin. "I think two milk teas are not enough! Make it three." She held three of her fingers in front of him.

    "Alright, your highness." He smiled. Of course, before doing this, Lily insisted that they buy the clothes that she wanted. She then decided to go back to the hotel first while Zhou Jingren buys the tea for her. She was not really that tired, however, she still needed to save her energy for their nightly activities.

    While Lily knew that they are not here for pleasure, but she just couldn¡¯t stop herself from thinking that this is already a part of their honeymoon. After all, they are still newlyweds. Lilyughed at her thoughts.

    She held the paper bags tighter as she walked towards the elevator of the hotel.

    "Miss Lily?" A voice interrupted her. She turned towards the speaker and lifted an eyebrow.

    "Yes?"

    "Director Lee is waiting for you in the restaurant on the tenth floor of the building. He said he needed to speak to you about... Mr. Zhou and Miss Liang."

    "Is that so?" Lily smiled a soft diabolical smile. This old man really loved to disturb her honeymoon, huh.

 Chapter 480 The Means Justify The Ends

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 480 The Means Justify The Ends</h4>

    BEWARE: THIS CHAPTER WILL MAKE YOU ANGRY.

    "Today, someone hurt Adrian¡¯s arms." Isaac Lee¡¯s lips were set in a grim line. He narrowed his eyes at Lily. "Was it you?"

    Surprise shed in Lily¡¯s eyes. She remembered Zhou Jingren not talking about her arm again since he saw it yesterday. Was it possible that... Lily tried to shook away the thoughts in her head. She knew that her husband is very capable and she really would not me him for doing something like this.

    "Was it you?" the old man asked, again. "Did you hurt my grandson?"

    "Why would I hurt him?" Lily asked. Azy smile hung on her lips. "If I would want to hurt someone that would be you and not Adrian."

    "How bold!"

    "Is that really a surprise?" Lily sneered. She was not a very violent person, and she would always prefer using her brain over guns. However, she would not hesitate to kill someone just to defend what was hers.

    Memories of Jack¡¯s bloodied face immediately resurfaced in her mind. Her breath hitched. Before Jack, Lily never even thought of using her own hands to kill someone. It was wrong. She knew killing someone is wrong. And maybe she is crazy to ept that she did not feel remorse because of what she did.

    True, she can still see Jack¡¯s face from time to time. Or tremble every time she is in the basement of below the ground. However, she never once regretted killing him. In fact, she found the action liberating. It was as if she had be free from something that had been weighing on her for a long time now.

    Was she bing a monster? Lilyughed inwardly. She was already a monster long before she had killed someone. The only difference now is that... this time, she would not hesitate to do it again.

    "If I would know that you have some involvement in this matter, I would¡ª "

    "Please." Lily interrupted him. "Both of us knew who is really capable of doing that and we all know it¡¯s not me."

    "Zhou Jingren would never hurt Adrian just because heid his hands on you."

    "You want to bet?" She scoffed. "Why don¡¯t you p me right now? You know... just to see if your head would still be attached in your body tomorrow."

    *BAM*

    The old man mmed his fist into the table. "You think I wouldn¡¯t dare do that?"

    "Then... what¡¯s stopping you?" She lifted an eyebrow.

    The old man was stump for words. He already knew that the one responsible for Adrian¡¯s condition is Zhou Jingren. It wasn¡¯t really a secret as Adrian was ambushed in a very public ce just this morning. However, he wanted to use this ident to intimidate Lily and make her guilty. Who would have thought that she would act like a total b*tch and say such mean things to him?

    He narrowed his eyes at the woman as he recalled the recorder that was hidden under the table. He wanted to record this conversation and send it to Zhou Jingren. How could Zhou Jingren tolerate such nasty behavior?

    "I know about Jack Arison." The old man continued.

    "And?"

    "Why did you kill him?"

    "He earned my ire." She answered as she met his sharp gaze. Lily could not deny that the old man is intimidating to some people. His wizened face and sharp eyes could easily frighten someone with a weak resolve. "That is enough reason for me to kill anyone." She crossed her arms across her chest. "Did you call me here because you wanted to talk about this?"

    "Your husband slept with Demist night and I want him to take responsibility." Old Man Lee said without batting an eyelid. "I wanted to have that lunch with you because of this." Initially, Old Man Lee scheduled lunch with Lily. However, the woman declined and chose to spend her time shopping with Zhou Jingren instead.

    "He is married." Lily rested her elbows on the table as she leaned towards the man. "Would you like him to marry Demi too?" She smirked.

    Lily¡¯s nonchnt words immediately made the old man frowned. "Aren¡¯t you angry? Your husband just slept with another woman before going home to sleep next to you."

    "Oh... you have no idea how angry I am." She grinned, sarcasmced her tone.

    "Then divorce him!" Old Man Lee demanded as he asked one of his men to give Lily the photo¡¯s and articles that he prepared just for this matter. "Those are images of you bullying Demi on the balcony. The other¡¯s are the articles that I am nning to release once you won¡¯t divorce him. I will let the world know that he r*ped her."

    Lily¡¯s face immediately turned serious at the old man¡¯s words. She stared at the articles and some photos that showed Demi¡¯s bruised body. Lily knew that the old man would do everything to have the ends of his goals. However, she didn¡¯t know that he would go as far as letting the world think that Zhou Jingren is a r*pist. What kind of grandfather would do this? What kind of monster would do this to his only grandson to corner him?

    Moreover, what kind of woman was Demi? What kind of woman would endure such torture just to have the man that she wanted? Lily lifted her head to look at the old man. The slight smirk on her face was gone. It was reced by something that the old man did not recognize.

    "You do know that releasing this news would have a devastating effect on Demi as well, right??? Lily asked. She wanted to make sure that the woman already knew what she had signed up for before Lily decides to ruin her.

    "Of course we know that!" A sinister smile beamed at the old man¡¯s face. "The means justify the ends, Lily. We don¡¯t care about the means. We only care about the ends."

 Chapter 481 Watch Me

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 481 Watch Me</h4>

    "Isn¡¯t that the other way around? The ends justify the means?" She smiled.

    "Does it matter?" the old man retorted. "The important thing is for you to file that divorce or we release the news."

    Lily only eyed the old man before shifting her gaze back to the images. The images only made her want tough, a burst of dry and sinisterughter. "So... let me get this straight." She looked at the old man. "You wanted to force me to divorce him or... you will tell everyone that he raped a woman?"

    "Stop acting like you didn¡¯t understand me," Isaac said, his face stern. For some reason, Lily¡¯s eyes were telling him that something was wrong. The woman did not even knit her brows as she stared at the photos. She didn¡¯t even show a tinge of sadness when he asked her to divorce Zhou Jingren. Was it because she was so confident that he will fail? This thinking only made him irritated.

    "Alright," Lily nodded and pursed her lips. "Why don¡¯t I tell you a secret?"

    "I am not interested! Stop wasting my time!"

    "You are the one wasting your own time." Lily shrugged and closed the folder containing the photos. She then pushed it towards the old man. "Once upon a time, there was a boy named Zhou Jingren." Lily started, despite the old man¡¯s refusal to listen to her. However, as expected, when the old man heard Zhou Jingren¡¯s name, his ears seemed to perk up.

    "The boy lived in an orphanage where he met a princess." Lily chuckled. "Or so he thought."

    "The girl¡¯s name was Qin Jinghua." She then shifted her gaze at the man next to Isaac. "Sadly... her name is not online as Zhou Jingren erased any traces of her when she disappeared."

    "Anyways... he fell in love with Qin Jinghua. The thing is every time Zhou Jingren tried to confess his feelings..." Lily giggled. Amusement sparkled in her eyes. "He fainted."

    "Stop saying nonsense! Go straight to the point of this story!" The old man reprimanded. He too was interested to know about Zhuo Jingren¡¯s past. While he is not sure if Lily was telling the truth, he just allowed her to say whatever it is that she wanted to say so he could include this in his recordings.

    "Well... it was true." Lily ignored the old man¡¯s re. "One day, one of Zhou Jingren¡¯s friends helped him and that woman named Qin Jinghua said that she will only marry him once they are already of equal status."

    "This made Zhou Jingren worked so hard. He left the orphanage and went to Japan to find a decent job. He worked his ass off day and night with two simple goals. Be rich and marry Qin Jinghua."

    "Yearster... Zhou Jingren came back to an engage Qin Jinghua. He was so angry, he left and that was thest time that he saw the woman." Of course, Lily was not nning to tell the old man everything about their past. She only wanted to let him know how Zhou Jingren loved her since he was a child.

    "Months after Zhou Jingren left Hong Kong, the news of Qin Jinghua¡¯s disappearance shocked the media." She widened her eyes and adjusted her voice to make it look like she was narrating a movie. "Zhou Jingren was devastated! How could she disappear just like that? Despite having his heartbroken by that woman, he still searched for her."

    "He flew to the horizon and swam the deepest parts of the ocean just to find her. If she was dead, he needed to see her body. If she is alive, then he needed to see that she is happy. That is the only thing that will give him peace."

    "Are you saying that until now Zhou Jingren is in love with that woman?"

    "Of course he is! She was his first love."

    "So you wanted to tell me that there is no way he will love Demi?" The old man snorted.

    "Sort of. Yeah." Lily nodded. She is finding this conversation more and more entertaining, ah.

    The old man scoffed. "Fool." He gave her a provoking smile. "Love is nothing but a reaction in our brain. Just like every other emotion, you can manipte love, learned it, and forget about it."

    "Well... that is true." Lily nodded. "Anyway, seven yearster that Qin Jinghua suddenly showed up in her stilettos." As expected, the old man frowned. This earned a sly smile from Lily. "So he married her and they live happily ever after."

    "You ¡ª " the old man¡¯s scowl was ugly.

    "I am Qin Jinghua." She beamed. "I am the same woman who he loved since he was a teenager. The one and only woman in his life."

    "You think this lie would work on me?" Isaac asked. His brows were knitted into a frown. "Do you think I am that stupid to believe a story like this?" He raised his voice, his eyes wide in anger. Does this woman think that he was a fool?

    "I am not trying to convince you to believe in anything." She said. "Now... if you think a simple threat would make me leave the man who never gave up on me, then you are wrong." Narrowing her eyes, Lily¡¯s lips turned upwards into azy smirked. "Isaac... you are a fool to believe that I would just let him go because of these images."

    "Selfish!" Isaac muttered. "So you would rather ruin his reputation than leave him." It wasn¡¯t a question. By now, Isaac knew that Lily won¡¯t just back down without a fight. However, he already expected this. After all, Lily thrived in the business world because of her strong personality.

    Too bad this won¡¯t work on him. Surely, Zhou Jingren would not want to have his reputation get ruin! Once he gave these images to Zhou Jingren himself, he was sure that the man would leave Lily on his own ord just to save his reputation.

    "Isaac... let¡¯s stop fooling each other." Lily¡¯s words brought him back from his stupor. "Why don¡¯t you go ahead and tell the world that your only grandson rape that woman. Then sit back in your throne and watch. Watch me burn your empire to the ground."

 Chapter 482 Preposterous!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 482 Preposterous!</h4>

    "Preposterous!" Isaac mmed his hands on the table. "Are you threatening me?"

    "That was a warning. Not a threat." She shrugged and nonchntly leaned against the chair. "But... please go ahead and release it."

    "You¡ª " Isaac was speechless. He wondered if this was Lily¡¯s reverse psychology tactics to try and make him doubt his ns. "You are someone who helps women with charities. And yet, you would tolerate your husband¡¯s actions?" he asked.

    "What actions? Oh... you mean not treating you as someone important?" She stifled a burst ofughter. "I am encouraging him to do that."

    Isaac reddened. It seemed that there is no convincing Lily about this matter anymore. The woman was truly hateful and arrogant. She would rather sacrifice her husband¡¯s name than to lower her pride and embarrass herself.

    He stared at Lily smiling face as he felt anger boil inside him. Everything about Lily is just too irritating. Isaac realized that seeing Lily every day might even cause him to suffer from a heart attack!

    "If you dare hurt Demi, I will¡ª "

    "Why would I hurt her? If you want... I could even invite her to live in our house." She beamed.

    Of course, Isaac was immediately confused. What kind of woman would invite a possible threat in her marriage into her own house? Was this woman crazy?

    "If Demi decides to go to Hong Kong, have her stay in our simple abode. Don¡¯t worry... I would not hurt a woman like her."

    "Listen..." Lily pursed her lips and did not continue her words when she spotted Zhou Jingren walking towards them. She eyed the milk tea in his hand and beamed. "What brought you here?" she asked.

    Zhou Jingren approached Lily and kissed her forehead. "Go to our room and wait for me." He said dotingly as he handed the paper bag with her milk teas. "I already ordered some food service for your snacks."

    "Oh..." Lily stared at him for a few seconds before she nodded. "Oh then... I have to leave now?"

    He nodded in response. "Someone is guarding our hotel room. You will be safe there." He said in a low voice. He then lifted her chin and gave her a light kiss on the lips. "I will see youter."

    Lily smiled, her eyes crinkled as she pulled his neck, making him kiss her again. "Alright." She then rose from her seat and send the old man a provoking smile. Without waiting for another second, Lily sauntered out of the room with her milk tea in hand.

    "You have been spoiling that woman," Isaac said, displeasure was apparent in his face. "A woman like that could easily ruin you." He watched as Zhou Jingren sat opposite to him. Seeing this, pushed the folder containing the images to his grandson. "I already showed this to Lily."

    Zhou Jingren opened the folder and just nce at the articles before looking at the old man intently. Without saying anything, Zhou Jingren opened his phone and tapped a number. Instantaneously, the sound of footsteps invaded the old man¡¯s senses. He turned and looked towards the entrance of the restaurant. The hallway of the hotel was carpeted. It would muffle the sound of anyone¡¯s footsteps unless there are many people walking together in the same direction. Moreover, he already asked the owner of this hotel to close down the whole restaurant so the footsteps would not make any sense. Unless...

    He looked at Zhou Jingren¡¯s rxed appearance. "Is this how you want to y things?" he asked. Just as he expected, a couple of men barged inside. Their faces stern as they upied every corner of the room. At this point, the old man was confused at Zhou Jingren¡¯s actions. "You wanted to kill me?" He asked.

    In response, Zhou Jingren leaned on his chair. "You wanted to frame me." He stated. His doting demeanor just a while ago was long gone. "You wanted to hurt my wife."

    "That is¡ª "

    "I am not done." He shifted his gaze from the photos to the old man. "Do not disturb me when I am talking." His nd voice did not contain any hint of emotion. No anger. No joy. Just... nothing. The old man furrowed his brows. He opened his mouth to protest, but no words came out of his mouth.

    "Good." Zhou Jingren nodded. He crossed his legs and close the folder. He then handed it to one of his men. "Burn it."

    "Did you think... we only have one copy of those?" the old man said in a huff. His face contorted into a scowl. "I can send it to the media anytime." Seeing Zhou Jingren just stared at him, the old man swallowed his nonexistent saliva. "You can¡¯t hurt me. I am your grandfather."

    "Says who?" Zhou Jingren scoffed. "No one would ever know if I kill you now."

    "You would hurt me for a woman?"

    "I could kill you just for breathing in front of me." Zhou Jingren answered without batting an eyelid. "But I won¡¯t. That would be too disgusting." He eyed the folder that was burning on top of one te on a table nearby.

    "You¡ª "

    "I could have asked my people to kill Adrian." He said. "Include Thomas too." He rested his elbows on the table and leaned closer. "But that would be too easy. Isn¡¯t it?"

    It was as if a lump suddenly appeared in the old man¡¯s throat. He opened his mouth and close it. For the first time in his life, he felt a suffocating emotion in his chest. "He only touched her arm."

    "So I disabled his own arm."

    "He is working hard to be a surgeon!" Isaac raised his voice. "Are you crazy? You would ruin someone¡¯s dream just because he touched your woman!?"

    Zhou Jingren scoffed. His lips lifted into a sinister smile. "I was too lenient." He answered, his gaze glued towards the old man¡¯s eyes. "I originally wanted to cut his arms off. But Bei Tian convinced me to paralyzed a nerve or two instead."

    The old man widened his eyes at him. A glint of horror shed in his eyes.

 Chapter 483 A Different Kind of Monster.

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 483 A Different Kind of Monster.</h4>

    "This is because of that woman!" Old Man Lee hissed. How could Zhou Jingren be this unreasonable? He could only me Lily¡¯s influence in this foolishness! If only his grandson grew up with him! If only...

    "So you wanted to frame me for something that I didn¡¯t do? And me someone else if I do something against you?" Zhuo Jingren interrupted his thoughts. This was not really a question. He had seen the articles in the folder.

    He looked at the old man¡¯s wizened face as the realization hit him. The old man will not be changing his maniptive ways anytime soon. This old man who had lost his daughter once is not going to stop until he gets his way. He would rather have his grandson hate him and have the benefits that he wanted. To Zhou Jingren... this was a different kind of monster.

    "Did her father approved of this?" Zhou Jingren asked. Seeing the old man¡¯s face change, he immediately nodded. "I would assume he does not have any idea about the matter. Did you assure him that his daughter will marry me soon?"

    "Was it because you wanted to have ess to their pharmaceuticalpany?" Zhou Jingren added. "So it was because of money." He nodded, his lips pursed in a grim line. "You are dying." This was what the old man told him. "How are you going to use all this money when you are about to die? Are you nning to use them as your bed? In your coffin? Are you going to burn them and mix them with your ashes?"

    "You ¡ª " Disbelief shed on the old man¡¯s eyes. "Stop cursing me."

    A scoffed escaped Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips. "I didn¡¯t r*pe that woman." Zhou Jingren added as he held the older man¡¯s gaze.

    "We have evidence. You were in the room! We have video proof that you left the room after you slept with her. I suggest you stop lying and own up to your mistake. The old man grunted. "Divorce Lily and marry Demi. That is the only way to fix this."

    "I see..." Zhou Jingren turned towards his left and one of his men immediately approached him. He handed him a tablet. "ording to what I have... Miss Liang slept with a different man." He smiled as he continued. "ording to what I have... I left the room ten minutes before she arrived." He then gave the old man the tablet. As expected, the old man¡¯s eyes widened before his face turned ugly.

    "You ¡ª who is this?"

    Zhou Jingren had a self-satisfied smirk as he watched the old man¡¯s face turned purple. "Why asked me?" He sneered. "You can ask her."

    "You tricked me? You nned all this, didn¡¯t you?"

    "What do you think will happen if her father would know this? She slept with a stranger and pinned it on me. Do you think¡ª"

    "Who is this man!?" the old man pointed at the man kissing Demi on the video. "This is not you!" Despite the video being a little dark. This man has tattoos on his body. It was something that Zhou Jingren does not have. "Answer me!" He demanded. He could feel his chest tightened. He held the corner of the table and red at Zhou Jingren. "Medicine!" he managed to utter.

    One of his men immediately handed him medicine and gave him a ss of water. He tried to calm himself as he stared at Zhou Jingren¡¯s cid face. He met his grandson¡¯s bleak eyes and for a moment, he wondered if thetter would care if he had a heart attack in front of him. He let out a sharp breath before he narrowed his eyes at his grandson. "You didn¡¯t even flinch."

    Zhou Jingren did not respond. Instead, he handed him a small piece of paper.

    It was a calling card. "Psychiatrist?" Isaac knitted his brows. "Why would you..."

    "You have problems in your head. You should consult that person¡ª "

    *BAM!*

    The old man trembled. He mmed his palm into the table, creating a loud sound in the process. He tried to suppress his fury. But it was futile. He had been insulted,ughed at, and now they are... "Are you calling me crazy?"

    "Senile. There¡¯s a difference." Zhou Jingren¡¯s nonchnt answer only made him more furious. He immediately wondered if Lily and Zhou Jingren is doing this to kill him. Are they nning to let him die from too much anger?

    "What do you want?" Isaac asked. Now... the situation had turned against him. If Zhou Jingren will release these photos and videos, not only will he lose the Liang Family¡¯s trust. This might even lead Demi herself to betray him. He couldn¡¯t let this happen. "What do you want in exchange for this video?"

    "I already have everything." Zhou Jingren¡¯s answer immediately made the old man desperate.

    "Then¡ª" Isaac let out a deep sigh. "If you release this video... it will ruin Demi and her family." While Isaac knew that his n had been a failure, he is not the type of person that would give up just because of a single set back. "If you release this... you will earn the ire of the Liang Family."

    Suddenly, the old man¡¯s lips lifted into a cruel smile. "However, if you release this, I will tell them that you set Demi up. That you nned all these things so you could get out of this marriage." The old man added. The old man had always prided himself in being wise. And situations like this always make him shine. Did Zhou Jingren think that he was that easy to defeat?

    "And... you will ask Miss Liang to deny all involvement in this matter?"

    Once again, the old man nodded. "Good. At least you are catching up."

    Zhou Jingren only nodded before he rose from his seat. "I will not file a divorce." He looked at him. "If you reveal the photos, I will just retaliate. This is going to be a back-and-forth battle and I can assure you. I will win. I will give you a taste of your own medicine, old man. And you ¡ª you and everyone else will regret trying to have me leave my wife."

    Before Isaac could open his mouth to rebut, Zhou Jingren added. "You are not my grandfather and you will never be. Get that into your head." Zhou Jingren could feel the old man tremble in anger. Seeing this, he gave him a mirthless smile that did not reach his eyes before he left the room with his men.

    "You will regret this, old man. Remember that."

 Chapter 484 Blank Gaze

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 484 nk Gaze</h4>

    "You can do what you want," Lily said. She leaned against the headboard of their king size bed. She watched as the wine in her wine ss sparkled against the dim lighting of the room. "That old man deserves to learn a lesson about reality."

    The thing is, Zhou Jingren was not just nning to teach him a lesson. And Lily does not have a problem with this either.

    "He is not going to release those photos. Or the Liang Patriarch will know the dirty trick that they tried to pull on me." Zhou Jingren said. His eyes on hisptop. "The market value of the Lee Group is really good." He stated. "I think it is a very good investment."

    "Hmmm... I know." Lily nodded. "I wouldn¡¯t evene in here if they¡¯re not worth it." Lily had always been thinking about the benefits of this trip. She would never waste her time on something that is not worth it.

    "And Thomas?"

    "I don¡¯t need his help," Lily uttered before sipping her wine. "It is enough that he is already doubting the old man¡¯s decisions." She then looked at Zhou Jingren¡¯s side profile. "I heard Adrian was in a pretty bad condition. He actually needed to undergo an operation to fix his arm."

    As expected, this got Zhou Jingren¡¯s attention. He stared at her, gauging her reaction. "You didn¡¯t like it?"

    Lily immediately chuckled. This man is only concern about her opinions, after all. "I don¡¯t have a problem with what you did." She assured him. "I think he deserves to suffer more." Lily always hated people like Adrian.

    "Are you still seeing Adrian¡¯s woman tomorrow?"

    "I have no idea," Lily said. "I assumed Samantha is busy taking care of her boyfriend." She shrugged. "It¡¯s not my problem anymore." If the woman is not interested in her help, why force it? Lily was willing to help, but she would never force herself to someone like Samantha. Moreover, Samantha and Adrian¡¯s rtion had nothing to do with her.

    If Samantha would seek Lily¡¯s help, then she would dly do it. If Samantha would say no. Then... she would not involve herself either.

    "I agree." Zhou Jingren said. He closed hisptop and sat next to Lily. "Secretary Go just sent me the documents about the Liang Family. And as expected, it is quite interesting. I forwarded it to your email. You should read it."

    Lily nodded before she smiled. "I recorded the conversation that I had with your crazy grandfather earlier. I will send it to Go Jichen, so he could keep it. Just in case." Lily then finished the wine on her winess. "You know... I am really curious."

    "About what?"

    "That Demi." Sheid her head back and pulled Zhou Jingren so she couldy her head on his chest. Thetter immediatelyplied, a small smile stered on his face. "What kind of woman would agree to do something like this to herself? I mean... she is very beautiful and tall. She joined some international pageants for crying out loud! Who wouldn¡¯t want a girl like that?"

    "I don¡¯t."

    "You are not included, dummy." She rolled her eyes and lifted her head to look at him. "She is a lot more beautiful than me and younger too. Why would she be this desperate?"

    "I really can¡¯t wait to hear their next ns. After all, they couldn¡¯t release the images anymore." Lily added. In response, Zhou Jingren leaned down to kiss her forehead.

    "It¡¯s gettingte." He said. "I think... we should sleep."

    "Sleep?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. She narrowed her eyes at her husband before she gave him a mischievous grin. "Really?"

    .............

    Opposite to Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s jovial atmosphere, the Lee Family¡¯s house was nketed with thick and gloomy air. The smell of tobo still hung in the air of Isaac¡¯s dimly lit office.

    "The doctor already told you to stop smoking," Ron¡¯s voice interrupted the silence. "This is not good for your current condition."

    "Death is out of our control. If I die... then..." The old man shrugged. He balled his trembling hands into a fist. "Tell me... Ronald. Am I wrong?" Memories of Zhou Jingren¡¯s nk gaze just a few hours back resurfaced in his mind. Theck of emotion in his grandson¡¯s eyes haunted him. "His eyes were just like hers." He sighed. Zhou Jingren¡¯s bleak expression was the exact reaction of histe wife when she realized that he had cheated on her. There was nothing in there. No anger. No disgust. Nothing.

    "You are only thinking about what¡¯s best for him," Ron answered. Sympathy shed in his eyes. "I think that is only fitting as you are his grandfather."

    "But he doesn¡¯t see it," Isaac said in a low voice. "He doesn¡¯t see how a woman like Lily could cause his downfall one day." He puffed another smoke before he added, "I am running out of options. He refused to leave her and whatever we have is worthless right now."

    "I think this is all that woman¡¯s fault," Ron said. "She must have nned all this. Her schemes run deep."

    "That is exactly what I was thinking!" the old man. "She must have a way to know all our ns. I wouldn¡¯t even feel any surprise if she nted spies in our people."

    "Now... that we can no longer use the images. My only concern is Demi." Ron sighed. "How are we going to inform her that¡ª "

    "We don¡¯t." Old man Lee said. "That would make her hate us. What if she betrays us and tells her father about this matter? That man dotes on her so much. Surely, he will believe her. This willpromise our ns. I can¡¯t ¡ª we can¡¯t let that happen."

    "So what are we going to do now?" Ron asked. His brother does not have any idea about their underhanded methods. If he knew that Ron allowed Demi to do this, he would surely flip and might even cut him off. Ron would not allow that to happen.

 Chapter 485 Albino Snake

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 485 Albino Snake</h4>

    The Next Day

    Sentosa, Singapore

    "I don¡¯t like sharks." Lily crossed her arms across her chest as she stared at the hammerhead on the aquarium. She shivered involuntarily and edged closer to Zhou Jingren. "I feel like he is staring at me," she whispered. "The moment I go into the water... that shark will eat me."

    Disbelief shed in Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes before he stifled a burst ofughter. Who would have thought that his lovely wife would fear such a harmless animal? Of course, Zhou Jingren did not voice out his opinion. He shook his head inwardly. He already knew that Lily would lecture him if he calls this animal harmless. "Actually, they are afraid of humans. They consider us the greatest threat." He said as he eyed the sea of people looking at the sea creatures behind the ss in Sentosa Aquarium.

    "That¡¯s just wrong," Lily said. She held Zhou Jingren¡¯s arms. "Look at those fins."

    "What does it have to do with eating you?"

    "Well... it¡¯s scary." She shivered for the second time. "And those teeth. They could devour one whole arm in a second."

    Zhou Jingren helplessly nodded. "So you are not going to dive with the sharks? You know that we are protected in a cage-like acrylic, right?"

    "Nope. I am never going in the water. No amount of money could tempt me to do so." She then widened her eyes and look at him. "Are you going?"

    "I won¡¯t go down without you." He shrugged and pulled her to see other sea creatures. "Sharks aren¡¯t that scary. I think we have killed more sharks than they have devoured humans."

    Lily did not respond. She roamed her eyes in the aquarium. "I hated the ocean." She uttered in a low voice. "I hated the uncertainties."

    "You don¡¯t hate the ocean," Zhou Jingren stated. "You are afraid of what¡¯s beneath it."

    Lily nodded in response. As someone who wanted to see every scenario that could happen, the uncertainty of the ocean scares her. The ocean and what lurks beneath it is something that could defeat her need to control, her need to calcte everything. "What was it called?"

    "Thssophobia," he answered. "I think the ocean... has so much freedom." He said. He eyed the Mantis Shrimp that was burrowing a new passageway near a coral. "I think the fact that we don¡¯t know a lot about the ocean means that we have the chance to explore and discover things. Its and endless discovery of new things."

    "I don¡¯t understand," Lily said. "Have you tried diving before??? He nodded. "Did you like it?"

    Again, Zhou Jingren nodded. The peace that he found on the seabed is just wonderful. The water muffled the sound of the chaotic world that it made him feel at peace. "We could go diving sometimes. Philipines have really good diving spots. Maybe we could spend a week in the country." He shifted his gaze towards her. "And there are no big sharks there... just small ones. Maybe as big as your leg."

    "It won¡¯t devour you, I promise." He stroked her head. "Now that I thought about it... you haven¡¯t really done anything fun. You haven¡¯t tried skydiving or diving deep in the ocean, right?"

    Lily immediately frowned. She let go of Zhou Jingren¡¯s arms. "I don¡¯t like skydiving, diving, free diving, and all types of diving." She said sternly before her lips lifted into a smile. "But if you promise to hold my hand while I do it... then I might change my mind."

    Zhou Jingren chuckled. "That sounds so... cringey you know." He pinched her cheeks.

    "What? I am serious!"

    "I know..." he nodded and pulled her towards him. "Come here... let¡¯s go see the snakes."

    "What? NO!" Lily immediately disagreed. Snakes? She would never.

    She shook her head as if her life depended on it. Seeing this, Zhou Jingren shook his head andugh. "These creatures won¡¯t harm you. I think humans are more harmful than them."

    "That¡¯s it!" Lily answered. "If a human schemed against me... I have a chance to scheme and retaliate. However... if a Python decides that he wanted to have me in his stomach... there is no stopping him!"

    "Come on... I will hold your hands." He teased and gave her a boyish grin. "You know... before I found you, I was nning to adopt a snake. Like an albino snake. It¡¯s white and¡ª "

    "What? You are nning to adopt a what?" A tinge of fear shed in Lily¡¯s orbs as her jaw dropped. She heard him the first time. But it seemed that she found it hard to believe that he would like to pet a snake!

    "An albino snake." He answered. "They are harmless and cute..."

    "What cute?" her eyed widened, she could feel her eyes about to jump out of her sockets. "You think snakes are cute?" Zhou Jingren shrugged in response. "Please don¡¯t tell me you are nning to get a snake once we already have a child."

    "If our child... wanted a snake. Why not?" A smile hung on his lips. He never expected to see his wife getting work up over some animals. Zhou Jingren never thought that one day, she would be able to see Lily like this. "Having an animal grow up with your child is healthy."

    "Dogs and cats are healthy. Fish are healthy. A pet snake is not! Absolutely not!"

    Zhou Jingren¡¯sughter followed Lily¡¯s words. "Alright... rx." Heughed even more. "I would not do something that you don¡¯t like. I promise."

    Lily stared at him sternly. She had never expected to see this side of Zhou Jingren. Who would have thought that her giant would like to adopt a cute and white snake? She shook her head inwardly. "If you want to adopt an animal, then... let¡¯s have a turtle instead. They are lucky, and they symbolize longevity and hope. Of course, we need to get them in pairs. We could even name them!" Lily beamed as if she just got the best idea of the century. "Then we could¡ª "

    Her words were interrupted when she felt her phone vibrate. She looked at her phone and immediately answered it when she saw that it was Yang Mi.

    "Is there a problem?" she asked. Yang Mi immediately responded. Hearing Yang Mi¡¯s response, Lily immediately frowned. "I see. Then schedule a meeting with the Liang Patriarch. Yes... tell him I am in Singapore and I want to see him before I leave the country."

    "Alright." She ended the call and shifted her gaze at Zhou Jingren. "As expected, they did not tell her about the matter in the hotel." She narrowed her eyes at him. "She is snooping and trying to bother people about you and your schedule."

    "So you are meeting her father?" he lifted an eyebrow. Amusement apparent in his eyes. He always found his wife more attractive once she was about to destroy someone. Is that weird? Maybe? But he doesn¡¯t care. Evil or not, Zhou Jingren loves this woman.

    "Yes. I think it¡¯s time we end this delusion."

 Chapter 486 Mad World

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 486 Mad World</h4>

    Liang Residence.

    Jun Liang furrowed his brows as he read the newspaper in his hand. He lifted the cup of coffee near him and brought it to his mouth. The smell of his favorite brew immediately eased the lines on his forehead.

    "Father!" Demi eximed when she saw her father in the dining room. "Howe you are here?" She approached him and kissed her father¡¯s cheeks.

    "I have a meeting to attend to." He answered, his eyes still glued to the newspaper in his hand. "I think you should join this meeting with me."

    "Oh... but I..."

    "Demi... working as a secretary does not suit you." His father eyed her. His stern gaze swept through her. "Your brother is about to take over thepany and I am nning to make you his assistant before we decide which position suits you better."

    "But..."

    "Stop listening to your uncle and old man Lee." He interrupted his daughter. "Do not waste your time chasing a man who does not even recognize his grandfather." He said as disgust shed in his eyes.

    "But... Zhou Jingren already had a meeting with Grandfather the other day."

    "Grandfather?" he lifted an eyebrow at his daughter. "You are calling him grandfather now?"

    "He insisted that I call him grandfather," Demi said as she started eating her breakfast. "I really like working with Old Man Lee... I think he is a great mentor and I am learning a lot of unfamiliar things from him."

    "Ourpany could provide you more knowledge. Why would you insist on working for him?" he asked. While his words were sharp and stern, Demi knew that this was the exact opposite of her father¡¯s emotions towards her. Demi knew that behind this strict facade is a kind man who always indulged and love her. Of course, as the only daughter of Jun Liang, this was only reasonable.

    "I think it¡¯s an excellent way for me to learn new things. Father... you know how I grew up in ourpany. I need to learn new things and... get exposed to an unfamiliar environment." She reasoned. As expected, her father¡¯s face immediately softened.

    "I hope that is really the reason why you agreed to be someone else¡¯s secretary when you can always act as my secretary."

    "I hate traveling." She pouted. "You are barely in this country. I can¡¯t live a life like that."

    Jun Liang nodded. He finished his coffee. "I understand. However... you are not getting any younger. Your brother is working hard for thepany. I want you to prepare yourself as well."

    "Father..." Demi rolled her eyes. "I am not nning to involve myself in thepany. Once I turn twenty-five, I will have ess to my trust fund and I am nning to use this to create some perfumes or makeups. I also want to work from home and stay with my future children."

    Her father immediately frowned at her words. "I don¡¯t have any intention to question your ns. After all, this is your life and your trust fund is enough to support you even if you don¡¯t get a job. I also get that I have spoiled you and treated you like a princess. But the world outside of our fortress is different. If you¡ª "

    "What¡¯s so different about it?" she smiled. Growing up, Demi had been sheltered. She was special, more beautiful, smarter than her peers. However, she did not have any friends or have experience working with people.

    A sigh escaped her father¡¯s mouth. "We are living in a mad world, Demi." He uttered. "Without experience, this world could eat you alive." While Demi went to a prestigious girl¡¯s school in Europe, her experience in business iscking. Everything that she wanted was given to her without any questions. This led her to believe that the world owed her everything.

    Her father knew this is wrong. But what was he supposed to do? He divorced his wife when Demi was still three. Since then, he barely stayed at home and concentrated on his business. Demi grew up around their servants that gave her everything that she wanted. The moment Jun realized that his only daughter grew up like this, it was already toote.

    Demi was already eighteen, and it is almost impossible for him to change her ways. Not when he was practically absent her whole life.

    "How was that charity that you were working with? Was that for abused women? Did you enjoy working with women who are not as privileged as you?" he asked. Because of his realization, he did his best to open the eyes of his daughter to the reality in this world. He asked her to join charities for children and rights groups that protect women.

    He hoped that this was enough to make her daughter take her life seriously and finally invest in something that could help her future.

    "They are great. I think... all of them were fabulous." She smiled and took a sip at her juice. Seeing this, Jun sigh inwardly. A decision immediately sprouted in his mind.

    "Alright. I think you shoulde and attend this meeting with me. This should help you sort out what you really want."

    "Hmmm..." she nodded and smiled.

    Jun Liang responded with a smile. He could only hope that meeting someone like Lily Fi would change his daughter¡¯s perspective about this world. He could only hope that it is not toote and his daughter will soon realize that her absence of motivation to work harder is going to make her suffer in the future.

    After having their breakfast, both Jun Liang and his daughter immediately went to one of the known Oriental restaurants in Singapore to meet Lily. On the ride towards the meeting, Demi couldn¡¯t stop talking about Isaac¡¯s guidance and how her uncle had helped her a lot.

    Of course, this was Demi¡¯s way to entice her father before she asked for his permission to move houses. The thought of being pregnant soon made her beamed all the way to the meeting room.

    "This way please," an attendant immediately asked them to follow her the moment they arrive in the restaurant. With a smile on her face, Demi followed her father inside the cozy private room that they have booked in advance.

    "Alright, this is a business tycoon from Europe," his father uttered. "I want you to act with courtesy and respect. This woman¡¯s future investment would secure thepany for tens of years." Her father said in an indistinct voice.

    The soft sound of the door being opened caught their attention.

    "Ah! Mr. Liang!" Lily¡¯s voice almost made Demi flinched. She stood still and blinked her eyes, wondering if she was somehow dreaming. "It is nice to finally meet you!" Lily elegantly stood from her seat and shake the older man¡¯s hands, a brilliant smile stered all over her face.

    "The pleasure is all mine!" his father answered. "I hope you didn¡¯t mind, I brought my daughter with me. It would be very good if she learned a thing or two in our conversation about business."

    Lily turned her gaze towards Demi. Her lips curled upward into a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. "Miss Liang..." her voice was soft ¡ª too soft. Demi immediately felt her face paled, losing its color.

    "It is nice to see you again," Lily uttered.

 Chapter 487 Traditional Marriages

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 487 Traditional Marriages</h4>

    "I¡ª " Demi stuttered, she looked at her father who was smiling at her.

    "You know... why don¡¯t we all take a seat." Lily beamed and gestured for the father and daughter to sit across her. She sat and continued, "When you told me that you are going to bring your son and daughter in this meeting, I was actually expecting to see someone more mature. I was not expecting that Miss Liang is actually your daughter." Lily covered her mouth as sheughed.

    "Ah... my friends always told me that Demi does not look like my daughter at all." Jun chuckled. Pride apparent in his eyes. He did not even mind the fact that Lily already knew his daughter. After all, his daughter used to represent Singapore in an international pageant. She might not be that famous, but some elite people still knew her. "My oldest is still on his way. Please... bear with him. He just attended an online meeting with some people from the US and he had to do it at 4 in the morning our time to amodate everyone¡¯s schedule."

    "What a hard-working man," Lily said as the attendant started serving tea for everyone. "Why don¡¯t we make some orders?" She said before giving the attendant her order. Since Lily already had her breakfast with Zhou Jingren, she only ordered some of their famous snacks. Demi and her father also made an order.

    Demi stared at Lily¡¯s smiling face as her nervousness started to die down. She lowered her head, a gleam of unfathomable expression shed in her eyes. Why is she getting nervous? Memories of what happened that night resurface in her mind. It immediately lightened her mood. She could feel heat crawl on her neck as she smiled.

    Right. She should not fear Lily. Her father is with her, after all. Her father would never let this woman do something to her.

    "I was not expecting that you will actually visit the country. When I heard that you already changed bases, I always thought that you will be too busy to visit Singapore for leisure."

    "Ah... I never had the time to visit ces for leisure, Mr. Liang. The only reason why I came here is that I had another meeting with a... good friend of mine. At the end of the day, we only talked about business. Nothing more." She gave a sigh of exasperation. This earned a nod of approval from Jun Liang. As someone who had worked with people internationally, he had always been familiar with Lily and herpany. After all, she owned one of the most prestigious conglomerates in Europe.

    In fact, Jun Liang had wanted to create some partnerships with Lily for a long time now. It was because of one of Lily¡¯spany that has a branch in India. The same ce where he had been frequenting because it was where his medicine factories are located.

    "As expected of an excellent businesswoman like you." Heughed and eyed Demi. "My daughter here is very interested in learning from prominent businessmen as well. I can only hope that she will learn enough to prepare herself in the business world."

    "Is that so?" Lily lifted an eyebrow and looked at Demi. "The business world is full of schemes. You have to tread carefully." She gave her a meaningful gaze.

    "Of course," Demi answered. "I am a very persistent person. I am confident that I will have the knowledge needed to face all the challengesing my way." She beamed. Did Lily think that this would intimidate her?

    "Good thinking," Lily answered. She crossed her legs and eyed the attendant who was serving her moon cake. "I think in this world, women who work hard needed more recognition." She continued. "Business is practically a world ruled by men. If you are too weak-willed, those foxes will tear you to shreds."

    "Hmmm... that is what I have been saying." Jun Liang nodded. "I think women are the backbone of the business world. Of course, a lot of people disagree with this thinking."

    "I am actually surprised that you think that way," Lily said. How could a man who thinks like this have a daughter like Demi? She couldn¡¯t help but examine Jun Liang one more time. His smile was sincere and the absence of scorn in his eyes was enough to tell her that the man did not underestimate her at all. "How about you, Miss Liang? Do you also... think that way?"

    "Of course," Demi answered without batting an eyelid. "I think that men in the business world. Needed their wives to take care of them. They needed someone to emotionally support them in their ups and downs. Someone willing to stand behind them. No matter what happens. In a way, my father was right. The backbone of every household are women."

    "Interesting." Lily pursed her lips. "I do get your point."

    "You see? This is why men in the business world would look for a stable woman. Someone that is always there when they need them. Someone that would not only take care of their house and children but also their needs. Someone capable of making them feel better, both physically and emotionally." Demi added.

    A smile blossomed on Demi¡¯s face as she continued. "In the current stressful world that we are living today, a woman that would make a man emotionally secure and safe is needed. Therefore, I always believe in traditional marriages."

    "That is a very good premise." Lily nodded. "This makes me wonder. Are you already married? Does your husband agree with your opinions about the matter?"

    "Oh, no. My Demi is not yet married. She has an engagement with a businessman, but I doubt marriage will happen anytime soon. She hasn¡¯t even met her future husband." Jun chuckled. "Of course, I will not force her to marry someone that she does not like as well. I am just waiting for her to tell me to withdraw this engagement."

 Chapter 488 A Scheming Monster!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 488 A Scheming Monster!</h4>

    "A businessman." Lily stared at Demi. She smiled at her before looking at Demi¡¯s father. "Are you perhaps talking about my husband? Mr. Zhou? Zhou Jingren of the Zhou Capital?"

    Instantaneously Jun Liang¡¯s face changed. He then recalled all the news about Zhou Jingren being married that he read in the past few months. This was the reason why he was so reluctant to make a deal about this with Old Man Lee. However, the old man assured him that his grandson is not married and was only using the news for hispany.

    The old man also told him that Zhou Jingren agreed to release this news and use it to his advantage. "What do you mean?" he asked, his gaze darted over his daughter. However, before Lily could answer, the door was opened revealing his son. The anxious face of his son immediately made him frown.

    "Ah, Miss Lily, I am proud to introduce my son, Tim Liang. He is acting as my current Vice President." In response, Tim nced at Lily and gave her a smile before he looked at Demi. "Why are you here?" he furrowed his brows.

    "Tim? Is that how you talk to your sister?"

    "Sister?" Tim sneered before she looked at Lily. "I would like to apologize for my sister¡¯s action." He bowed towards Lily. This made both his father and sister rose from their seat.

    "Tim? What is happening?" Demi asked, confused. "Why are you apologizing?"

    "Stop acting!" Tim hissed. He then removed some crumpled paper in his jacket pocket. He gave it to his father before he opened his phone and showed theplete video. "What were you thinking?" he asked his sister. "How could you act like that? Miss Lily did not even touch you!"

    Demi immediately looked at the paper and just as she expected, it was the CCTV images of when she was talking to Lily. It showed the smug look on her face. On the next page, shows that she was crying and clutching her face. Her face immediately turned ugly.

    "Who released this?" she asked, her hands trembled. The only person who knew about this was her uncle and Isaac Lee. ording to their n, they will only release these photos once she gets pregnant to make it look like Lily bullied a pregnant woman. Moreover, Isaac assured her that the CCTV was deleted and there was no way that Lily and Zhou Jingren would get it.

    Isaac assured her that his connections and far wider than both Lily and Zhou Jingrenbined as this was his country. "Where did you get this?"

    "It is all over the news! Are you crazy?" Tim asked as he showed his phone. This time, it was the whole video of what happened. This was randomly posted in one of the social media from an anonymous source. It was clear that this did note from the CCTV. It was as if... someone deliberately took the video of what happened.

    Even their voices are somewhat clear! The clip was short, and it only showed Demi smiling a sinister smile to Lily before she took a step back and clutched her cheeks when she saw people walking their way.

    "You ¡ª " her eyes immediately reddened as rage overtook her. "You did this didn¡¯t you!?" She walked towards Lily, fury apparent in her words. However, before she could even get close to the woman, her brother immediately stopped her.

    "Why are you raging like it was Miss Lily¡¯s fault? You were the one who acted like you were bullied and you were mad that you got caught?" Tim raised his voice. "Stop struggling and apologize!"

    "Let me go! Let go, Tim! You are hurting me!"

    "Apologize now!"

    "Enough!" Jun Liang walked in front of his daughter. His eyes glued at Lily¡¯s sinister smile. "I believe there is a reason why... something like this is happening?" He tried to keep his calm. How could Lily do something like this without a proper reason? Jun believed that Lily is reasonable enough to give him an exnation about this situation. "Please, Miss Lily. I don¡¯t think that you are that unreasonable to attack my innocent daughter like this."

    In Jun¡¯s mind, his daughter is innocent as she does not really have any reason to attack Lily. Moreover, it was obvious that Demi does not have the capability to do this kind of scheme. In his eyes, his daughter might be naive but she is not a schemer.

    "Innocent?" Lily smirked. "Your daughter wanted me to divorce my husband. So she could have him. Tell me... Mr. Liang, which part of that is innocent?"

    "Stop saying nonsense! That video was manipted, dad! That video is not real! She must have done this to ruin me!"

    "Miss Lily..."

    "And why would I ruin you?" Lily asked. "Do you think you are worth my time?"

    "You ¡ª You are a scheming monster! How dare you!" Demi¡¯s voice was shrill. She red at Lily as she balled her hands into a fist. "You ¡ª delete that video now! Delete it now!" Demi couldn¡¯t let Old Man Lee see that video or thetter would surely change his mind about her. Old Man Lee and even her uncle always thought that she was kind and gentle. Just like the perfect woman that they so wanted for Zhou Jingren.

    How could she allow them to see her real nature?

    "Why?" Lily asked confusionced her gaze. "Why not let the people know that this is the real you?"

    "Miss Lily... please, if you could leave us." Jun Liang said as he maintained hisposure. "We need some time alone to talk about this."

    "Mr. Liang... this just the icing to the cake. This is not even the real deal." Lily opened her handbag and showed everyone her phone. She immediately pressed the y button as the Old Man Lee¡¯s voice echoed inside.

    "Stop that!" Demi yelled. She tried to move past her brother and father, but it was futile. The atmosphere instantly turned dark as Isaac continued to talk to Lily. The ominous silence from her father and brother made Demi shiver. She turned to look at Lily only to see her smiling at her as if she did not just do something this sinister.

    Her red lips were curled upwards as her eyes crinkled. Shortly after, the silence turned suffocating as Demi¡¯s father and brother listened to Isaac threatened Lily.

 Chapter 489 Just Once

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 489 Just Once</h4>

    "You¡ª "

    "No... father, listen to me. This is not true." Demi trembled under the disappointed gaze that her father gave her. "It was aplete ident. I was not r*ped... It was only the old man¡¯s words to threaten Lily. I am innocent here!"

    "Demi is this true?" Her brother asked her. "Is this true?"

    "No! No..." she shook her head. "No! I would never agree to an arrangement like that. I would never agree. This must have been manipted as well!" Tears immediately streamed down her cheeks. "Please... father, you have to believe me. Brother...." She held her brother¡¯s arm. "I know you dote on me the most. You have to believe me! This is not real at all. Zhou Jingren liked me. It was with consent. He slept with me because he liked me!" Seeing the disappointment in her father¡¯s eyes immediately made her feel as if someone stabbed her in the chest.

    Demi had always craved for her father¡¯s attention since she was a child. Sadly, her father was just not there for her. And when he is there... he would only read news and start talking to her brother about business.

    True, her father gave her everything that she wanted. He spoiled her. However, this was not what she needed. She needed his approval, his attention. She needed to make him proud. "Father please... this is only Lily¡¯s way to make you angry with me. Can¡¯t you see? She is jealous! Her husband slept with someone prettier, younger. She is threatened, so she wanted to ruin me. Please..."

    "Miss Liang must be hallucinating." Lily¡¯s crisp voice interrupted her. "My husband never slept with you." She smiled and looked at Jun. "Your daughter and Isaac Lee wanted to trap my husband. So they created a scheme to make it look like something happened and he forced himself into her. If you look at her body, it was full of bruises. Didn¡¯t you even wonder why someone would wear a turtleneck in this kind of weather?"

    "Lies! That ¡ª that is not true." Once again, she tried to attack Lily. How could Lily ruin her like this? How could she ruin her reputation and family? Of course, in Demi¡¯s mind, this was still Lily¡¯s fault. Lily was scheming. Lily was the devil. Everything was Lily¡¯s fault. "Your husband... slept with me. We have proof of him leaving the room before me. We have CCTV videos!"

    Lily only lifted an eyebrow before looking at Jun. "See? She said it herself. They nned all this. They wanted me to divorce my husband or they will reveal that he r*ped her."

    Demi looked at her father as she closed her mouth. The sad realization hit her! She had fallen into Lily¡¯s trap!

    She balled her hands into a fist, her knuckles turned white. It was as if a bucket of cold water was poured inside her.

    "Demi ¡ª you ¡ª " Her father stared at her for a few seconds, speechless at his daughter¡¯s actions. "When have you be like this?" He took a step back, sadness shed in his eyes. "How could you do this to yourself?"

    "Father... why can¡¯t you just believe my words? I am your daughter! Why are you listening to her words?" she pointed a finger at Lily. "That woman is scheming against us! She is trying to ruin us. Father... please... don¡¯t listen to her." She pleaded. "Father... once Zhou Jingren will know this, he will surely leave that woman. Can¡¯t you see? No man would want a woman like her! Father... please..."

    "Demi, what makes you think that he will leave her for you?" Her brother asked. His voice was a little hoarse. "Did you take a look at yourself?"

    "Once I get pregnant, he will surely leave her. Isaac said that Lily cannot bear a child! If I get pregnant..."

    "Will you listen to yourself!?" Tim¡¯s cold voice interrupted her. "You ¡ª when have you be like this? What happened to you? How could you be this... delusional?"

    "Brother?" Demi swallowed her non-existent saliva. "How could you think that I¡ª "

    "Demi... I beg of you. Stop this nonsense." Her father uttered. His voice low, his face tired. It was as if the man had aged ten years in a few minutes.

    "What do you mean? Father... I am bearing Zhou Jingren¡¯s child. Can¡¯t you at least back me up? Can you at least grow some spine and protect me?" He asked. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. "All my life... you were not there to protect me! Can¡¯t you at least do it now!?"

    "Demi! That is enough!"

    "I am telling the truth! When father told me that I am marrying someone I don¡¯t know... I told him that I would never do it. Did you see the disappointment in his face? Did you hear his sigh as if I just killed a person? No, you didn¡¯t! You were busy! Everyone was too busy! You and father did not even asked me if I am happy! You give me everything that I wanted but you never... not even once asked me if I am happy!" she let out a sharp breath.

    "I thought this will finally make you see me!" She yelled. "This marriage! This pregnancy! Everything... I did it because I wanted you to see me!"

    "Demi..."

    "I want you to see me, care for me, and for once... just once you stay to attend to my needs! Father... Brother??? I thought marrying him would make you happy! I learned to like him, love him and worship him because... because I thought this will gain your attention! Why can¡¯t you see this? Why?"

    Demi fell back and sat on her chair as she covered her face. Her sobs became even more apparent. "Why can¡¯t you just stop ming me and support me, instead! Just this once!" She said in a muffled voice.

    "Darling, there is no way that they will support you." Lily¡¯s voice interrupted the tense atmosphere. "Not when... you slept with the wrong man."

 Chapter 490 Answer

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 490 Answer</h4>

    "I don¡¯t think this is the time to joke around." Jun Liang said. He gave Lily a stern look. "I think this is enough. Miss Lily, you have caused enough damaged. I suggest you take your leave, now."

    "The thing is... I am not in the mood to joke around. Someone just schemed against my husband. If they released the news, my husband is ruin. He is innocent, true. But do you think the people will believe that?" She smiled. "Everyone will believe the lie that is orchestrated by the old man and your daughter."

    "People do not care about the truth, Mr. Liang. We, however, care about entertainment." She added as she tapped on her phone. She then showed it to Tim. "That is the video of my husband leaving the room ten minutes before your sister arrived."

    "No ¡ª that is not possible!" Demi objected. "How is that possible? If he left, then who¡ª "

    "The next video was the one installed inside the room," Lily added. And as expected, Demi immediately widened her eyes at Lily. She then looked at Lily¡¯s phone and tried to snatch it from her brother¡¯s hands.

    Of course, this was futile. In response, her brother sent her a warning re. Prompting her to stop moving.

    "The man ¡ª though, we did not see his face, clearly has tattoos and is obviously shorter than Zhou Jingren." Lily said. "That is not Zhou Jingren."

    "What?" Demi felt her chest drummed against her chest. She trembled. The thought of sleeping with another man never crossed her mind. How could she even think that it was possible? Old Man Lee assured her that everything is going their way. He told her that the n was sessful and they even have images of Zhou Jingren leaving the room around eleven in the evening! That was over two hours since Demi entered the room! How could... Demi¡¯s thought halted when she looked at Lily¡¯s enchanting smile.

    "It¡¯s you!" Once again, Demi was not able to stop the anger inside her. "You did this! You asked someone to r*pe me! It¡¯s you!"

    "Please... " Lily snorted. "Did I asked you to go to the room? Alone?"

    "You tricked me! You tricked us! You ¡ª You are the real evil! How dare you!" She stood from her seat and picked up the tea to throw it towards Lily.

    "You can try," a deep, cold voice interrupted her. She turned towards the door and could not stop the fear from showing in her eyes. "Try to hurt my wife... I dare you." Zhou Jingren said, his gaze swept through her.

    "Jingren... I..."

    Zhou Jingren only snorted. He walked towards Lily and stood behind her. "We already warned you and Isaac. And yet... you still tried to ask people about me. Creating rumors among my people."

    "Mr. Zhou..." Both Jun Liang and Tim whispered at the same time. The father and son eyed each other. To be honest, both of them are already at lost in the current situation. They never would have expected that Lily would pull such schemes just to teach Demi a lesson.

    "Jingren... can you believe this woman?" Before the father and son could say anything, Demi already approached Zhou Jingren. "How could you allow her to create these fake videos and photos? You were the one who slept with me. How could you run away from your responsibility?" Demi¡¯s eyes were wide as she walked towards him. "Did you forget? You enjoyed it. You liked it a lot. You called me by my name. You¡ª" her eyes turned gentle. "You touched me."

    "Jingren... why don¡¯t you say something? Both of us enjoyed it! How could you let that woman create such nonsense just to ¡ª to ruin us like this?" Her crazed eyes stared at him as her tears mixed with her mascara trickled down her face.

    "I suggest you take her to a mental institution," Lily said as she shifted her gaze at Jun and Tim. "I think this is a high time that you acknowledge your own fault and take her to someone that could help her." She added.

    Jun opened his mouth to say something. But no words came out of his mouth.

    "As you can see... she is vulnerable. Any man that would treat her like a daughter could easily manipte her. She wanted attention... you should give that to her." Lily sigh.

    "I am not crazy! I knew it was you! I am not crazy!" She looked at her father then into her brother as rage nearly consumed her. "Why are you choosing this woman over me? Why would you believe her words over my words?" She asked. "I am a Liang! We have the same blood running in our veins. Why would you abandoned me like this???

    "Tim... take her." Jun Liang let out a sigh. He stared at his daughter, his eyes were clouded with emotions that he had never felt for a long time now.

    "No! Stay away from me! I am noting with anyone of you!" She ran towards the table and held one of the cups from the tea set. "Don¡¯t you daree near me! I am not crazy! I swear I¡¯m not crazy!"

    "I already called someone to help you out." Lily rose from her seat and fixed her dress. "I think it¡¯s best that I leave you to yourselves." She uttered and gave Demi a gaze full of sympathy. "I promise not to release the videos as long as you stay away from me and my husband." She shifted her gaze towards the father and son. "Make her stay away from me... or... I will ruin everyone that she loves. And that includes you two."

    "How could you be this ruthless?" Tim asked. "You are a woman... how could you allow that to happen to another woman? Aren¡¯t you just a hypocrite?"

    "I am a hypocrite." She nodded. "The only thing unique about me is I am not afraid to ept that." Lily walked past Tim before she halted her steps and looked at the man¡¯s side profile. "If someone would try to ruin the person that you love... would you just stand and watch? Or be a hypocrite and fight?"

    Seeing Tim stared at her, Lily nodded. "There¡¯s your answer." She smiled before walking about of the room with Zhou Jingren, in tow.

    ................

    Update: May 04, 2020

    Mass release today: Total of 5 chapters.

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote with your powerstones.

 Chapter 491 A Minor Threa

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 491 A Minor Threa</h4>

    Lee Residence.

    The silence inside the Lee Household made Thomas¡¯ blood cold. It hung suspended in the air before the sound of ss flying its way into the walls of the living room, interrupted it. The loud shattering sound echoed inside the house.

    "Father!" Thomas quickly stood from his seat. He ran towards the older man who just threw a cup towards the wall. "What is happening?" He knew exactly what was happening. Demi Liang had been all over the social media since morning. This caused a lot of stress to the old man. "Are you alright?" he asked, concernced his eyes.

    "That fox!" the old man hissed. He shook off his son¡¯s arm and walked towards his study. Thomas and Ron immediately followed him. "Inform everyone! Do not let that woman inside the residence." Hemanded his croaky voice echoing inside the house.

    "Father... please calm down. We don¡¯t know why it happened. For all we know..."

    "What? For all we know... what?" He red at his son. "Lily must beughing at us now!" How could Isaac bear this embarrassment?

    "Jun is not answering my calls after he sent me a text telling me not to see Demi again," Ron said in a solemn voice. "Something else must have happened. Do you think¡ª "

    "Who knows? That Lily is ¡ª " the old man sat on his leather chair, his gaze dark as he opened his drawers to get some of his medicines. "That woman is adamant about ruining me! She is going to kill me!"

    "Father, I think we should take our time to think things through," Thomas said. He wanted to remind his father that this is all his doing. He should not me anyone else but himself. After all, he was the one who thought that Demi suited Zhou Jingren. He was also the one who nned all these schemes just to have Zhou Jingren under his control.

    Why was he ming Lily for fighting back? Did he expect the woman to sit down and let him do all his schemes?

    "Stop looking at me like that!" Isaac growled. "Are you ming me for what happened?"

    "No." Thomas lied. "I just thought that if you wanted to control Zhou Jingren, then... trying to separate him from his woman is an awful n."

    "Why would you think that?" Ron asked. He knitted his brows. "That woman is not suitable for him."

    "And who are you to say that?" Thomas asked. Seeing their faces turned ugly at his words, he immediately let out a sigh. "All I¡¯m saying is... maybe we are using the wrong approach. We have been really aggressive. It is only natural that they retaliate." He uttered as he sneered inwardly. Does Isaac really think that he could force a man like Zhou Jingren to submit by using force?

    Zhou Jingren grew up with Yakuza! There is no way that a minor threat like Isaac would make him cower in fear. "Zhou Jingren and Lily were spotted enjoying Gardens by the Bay earlier." He added. As expected, the old man instantly scowled at his words. "As you can see... they are treating this as their vacation."

    "Do you know when are they leaving the country?" Ron asked.

    Thomas shook his head before he sighed. "Adrian¡¯s operation went well." He diverted the topic. He knew that the old man was not really interested to know about this matter. Since he met Zhou Jingren and Lily, the old man never really cared about anything else. He had been sitting in his office, trying to think of another scheme.

    "Adrian is suffering because of that woman!" Isaac seethed. Everything that has been happening since Lily and Zhou Jingren arrived, were the exact opposite of his ns. At this point, Isaac couldn¡¯t even think of something else ¡ª another scheme that would make Zhou Jingren fall in his control.

    "Father... I think it is futile to think about schemes to make him submit." Thomas said. "Zhou Jingren does not treat us as someone important to him. He does not care about us at all. Hell, I think, he could even kill us if he wanted to."

    "What are you thinking?" Ron asked. "Are you saying that your grandfather should just apologize and ept defeat?"

    As expected, Ron¡¯s provoking words made the old man¡¯s face turned red. "I would never do that." Isaac said.

    Thomas clenched his jaws. He stared at Ron, understanding shed in his eyes. This man... this man is influencing Isaac¡¯s decision. He is manipting Isaac¡¯s emotions. "My point is... I think we should just see Zhou Jingren¡¯s mother Dae Un, and apologize sincerely." He uttered calmly. "This is the only option that we have for now."

    "Then call for a press conference. I will announce that Zhou Dae Un is my daughter."

    "Let¡¯s not be hasty," Thomas said. "Let¡¯s remember that Zhou Jingren has a maniptive and scheming Lily behind his back. That ¡ª We don¡¯t really know what they are nning. What if... they are just waiting for us to make a mistake before they crush us?"

    Silence immediately permeated the room after his words. He was only stating a fact. Lily is someone that they would not want to cross head-on.

    "I think Thomas is right," Ron said before sighing. "After this... After everything that happened, we should be careful."

    Thomas nodded. "I think it is best if we go to China to talk to Zhou Dae Un, personally. No media, no news, no articles online. Just an apology." Seeing Isaac fell into another silence, he continued. "This will not only earn Zhou Dae Un¡¯s sympathy, it will also ease our way to Zhou Jingren."

    Isaac nodded. He pursed his lips as he thought about Thomas¡¯ words. Everyone sat in silence until a ring interrupted them. Ron immediately answered his phone and frowned.

    Slowly, his frown deepened, the lines on his forehead creased. "Highjacked? How is that possible?" he asked. His words were enough to attract both Isaac and Thomas¡¯ attention. "But- " He eyed Isaac as he clenched his jaw. "That is not possible. This was not the first time that we have transported equipment for the hospital. How could we encounter this problem now? I always thought it was-"

    Ron¡¯s scowl faded as his face paled. "Impossible!"

 Chapter 492 An Eagle Waiting for her Prey

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 492 An Eagle Waiting for her Prey</h4>

    "What is happening?" Isaac immediately asked when Ron ended the call. "Did something happened to our shipments?" The old¡¯s man¡¯s voice was gruff, his brows were knitted into a frown. How could a problem like this ur at this time?

    Ron nodded, his jaws clenched. "Someone... hijacked our shipments on the South China Sea. The worse is... we cannot ask help from the authorities as this was one of the illegal shipments of medicines and pieces of equipment that we ordered abroad."

    "Is there something else that we can do? Maybe pay some local gangs to trace the shipments?" Thomas asked.

    "It¡¯s Zhou Jingren." Isaac¡¯s said in a solemn tone. He rested his aged hands into the table and balled it into a fist. "That man ¡ª It must be him! No one else is capable of doing something like that!"

    "I believe Zhou Jingren already took over the Arison¡¯s empire in the ck market. If that is true then ¡ª " Thomas did not continue his words. He always knew that provoking Lily and Zhou Jingren is not a good idea. But who was he to stop Isaac? Or rather, why would he stop them from giving the old man a taste of his own medicine? After all, the old man was also targeting him by using Zhou Jingren and Zhou Dae Un to deal with him.

    "Then... we are screwed," Ron continued. This was one of the reasons why Isaac wanted to have Zhou Jingren by his side. Zhou Jingren¡¯s presence could give me more benefits that anyone could ever think of.

    It is not only Zhou Jingren¡¯s name. It was also his influence on the ck market.

    "I think this is just a warning," Thomas said. "If he was serious, he could easily burn the ships. If ¡ª I will go ahead and try to talk to him. Maybe... maybe he will give our supplies back."

    Isaac turned silent. Their words made the most sense. Zhou Jingren¡¯s influence in the South China Sea was huge. He could easily sink a shipment and no one would even ask any questions about the matter. This incident could only mean that they had truly angered the man. "I want to know when are they leaving the country." He uttered after a few minutes of silence. "Also... I am going to Shanghai to see Lingling... schedule a flight."

    Everyone thought that this was nothing but a warning from Zhou Jingren. What they failed to see is that Zhou Jingren was not alone and Lily¡¯s goal is different from his. A few minutes after the call, both Thomas and Ron receive another call almost at the same time.

    Both men turned silent while listening to the person speaking on the other line. Tightening the grip on their phones, both of their faces turned ugly.

    "What is it this time?" the old wanted to curse. The only thing that would make his secretary and Thomas act like this was the Lee Group. "What? Answer me!" he demanded, his anger rippling through him. He watched as Thomas finished the call and looked at him, terror apparent in his eyes.

    "Lily."

    One word.

    He gave him the word that is enough to summarize what he just heard. He recalled what Lily mentioned in the restaurant. How she asked him to help her secure herpany in Singapore. At that time, Thomas was hesitant. He knew that old man Lee was a very influential person in the country. How could he fight against someone who is close to the leaders of the county? But now... "I believe... I believe she wanted to buy Jun Liang¡¯s shares in ourpany. This might be her true goal."

    Isaac swallowed hard. "You mean..." he didn¡¯t have to continue his question. Lily must have made Demi confessed in front of her father! Lily created a rift between the two families! Because of this, it was easier for her to convince Jun to sell his shares. For a moment a sh of fear can be seen in Isaac¡¯s eyes.

    What a calcting woman! "She is using Jun against us!" he hissed before he looked at Ron. "Call your brother! Tell him I would like to talk in person!"

    "I already did. It¡¯s not going through." Ron furrowed his brows. "He must be ming me for what happened." He said his lips thinned as he dialed his brother¡¯s number again.

    "The shareholders wanted you to approve the transfer of shares." Thomas chimed in. His face was dark. He never thought that Lily would be this... manipting! Thomas recalled the infuriating smirk that Lily had on her face. She was watching them as if... as if she already knew that this will happen!

    The painful realization hit everyone in the room. No wonder Lily and Zhou Jingren would daree in here and meet them. No wonder the woman was so brave, mocking them as if they were clowns in her eyes. "There was no trap." The old man stated. "There has never been a schemed." He added as he narrowed his eyes. "She led us to believe that we had it all under control. She led us to think that we can freely scheme against them because this is our country."

    "There was never a trap for them. It was a trap for us." Isaac added.

    Lily only waited for them to create some mistakes. She had set up everything. From the videos to the calcted answers provoking them, making them lose their tempers. She wanted them to fume in anger and focused on her and Zhou Jingren. On the outside, she acted nonchntly. While she had been secretly talking to other shareholders.

    This is the only exnation that he coulde up with. This is the only reason the shareholders would easily approve of Jun Liang selling his shares to Lily.

    "She only waited for us to show our cards," Thomas added. "She must have known we are nning to try and break them up."

    "I disagree," Ron said. "I believe Lily had no idea about this. She did not n all this before leaving Hong Kong. However, the moment she knew about Demi and her father, she immediately acted. There is no way that she would have known about them in advance. But she assumed we are nning something against them. Like an eagle, she was only waiting for her prey to move so she could swoop in for the kill."

 Chapter 493 Too Generous.

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 493 Too Generous.</h4>

    And they were right.

    Lily was only waiting for them to show their cards. Before she acted, and when she started she never stopped. With Zhou Jingren behind her and a calcting brain inside her head, it was easy for Lily to create a n like this while enjoying the day with her husband, watching sharks and snakes.

    Of course, this was far from being over. Lily had ns... way bigger than this. In her eyes, profit is everything. Lily would never turn down a golden opportunity like this.

    "How was she?" Lily eyed the lush wine-colored carpet of the bar. This bar was located a couple of floors above their room and it was very convenient for her toe here to enjoy a drink or two with her husband.

    "I appreciate that you didn¡¯t tell her how are you going to use the video to ckmail me into sharing my shares." Jun Liang¡¯s tone had a hint of sarcasm. His eyes were glued on Lily¡¯s beautiful face.

    "Your wee," she smiled at him. "I know how a father like you would never want to hurt his daughter... not intentionally at least."

    Jun responded with a sighed. The more she talked to Lily, the more he realized how ruthless she was. However, at one point, he truly appreciated the way she told Demi that she will not use the video against her. At least, it had lessened the burden that his daughter felt.

    Jun could never imagine what his daughter would feel if she knew that Lily used that video to ckmail him right now. "Was this all a game to you?" he asked.

    "Games are for little girls, Mr. Liang. Do I look like a girl to you?" Lily answered. "I call this business. I am making an investment in my time and effort and in return, I earn some profits."

    A gleam of understanding shed in the older man¡¯s eyes. "I already sent the signed copy to the other shareholders, and the majority agreed in less than a minute. Did you ¡ª Did you do that too?" he asked.

    Lily nodded. "Not me. My husband did. When the old man announced that he was his heir, he failed to realize that businessmen will always act like businessmen. They are like bamboo trees. They sway... with the wind."

    "We already brought her to a mental facility. The doctor said there is a possibility that she might try to hurt herself. So... they had to restrict her. As a father... it pains me to see her like this."

    "Would you rather see her being used by greedy people?" She eyed the wine in Jun¡¯s hands.

    "Would you like some?"

    "No... thank you." She stared at the red liquid on his winess.

    Jun smiled. "What are your ns now? You told me that Zhou Jingren is not nning to take over Lee Group. Are you just nning to invest in thepany?"

    "Hmmm... hospitals seldom go bankrupt and the Lee Group had been around for a long time. They¡¯re management and leadership are reliable."

    "So you decided to use us."

    "Yes... You are the most vulnerable target and I am not apologetic for what I did."

    "I ¡ª " Jun did not continue his words, speechless. He stared at Lily for a few seconds. "I have never met someone as direct as you." How could a woman be this calm when talking about sinister things like this? Jun couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of childhood Lily had to be able to act like this.

    "I am taking that as apliment, Mr. Liang."

    "It is." He nodded. "As a businessman, I understand your point. My daughter was also the one who tried to sabotage your marriage. I ¡ª To be honest, I do not me you for doing this. In fact... I am thankful. Thanks to you ¡ª the marriage alliance between Zhou Jingren and my daughter never happened. With a grandfather like Isaac Lee controlling even my daughter, I believe I just got lucky and dodge a bullet."

    Lily smiled in response. "Your daughter... needs your attention. It is not toote ¡ª maybe you should focus on her for a while. I heard that your son is prettypetent too. Maybe it¡¯s time to step back and spent some time on the things that truly matter."

    Jun pursed his lips. He nodded at Lily¡¯s words. "After today, I will seriously consider this matter. My daughter... grew up alone. She grew up without me and her brother. I have failed her." A sad smile hung on his lips."But as you said... it is not toote. I am not that old to fix things."

    Lily chuckled before her face turned serious. "Your brother..."

    "I will deal with him. However ¡ª I would like to warn you about something." Jun took a sip at his wine. "When Demi was three... I divorced my wife, Yani Chen." Seeing Lily lift an eyebrow, he continued. "The same Yani Chen that is well known in Maind China for her angelic voice."

    Interest immediately shone in Lily¡¯s eyes. "Tell me more."

    "Everyone thought that we divorced because of differences. That it was amicable." He met Lily¡¯s eyes. "It wasn¡¯t."

    "My suspension ¡ª my instinct tell me that Ron is somehow still associated with Yani and she is the one behind all this." He continued. "I don¡¯t think my brother can think about some stupid schemes like this. Ron is good at talking to people and that¡¯s it. I am not sure about this matter. I just want you to be careful."

    Lily nodded. "Thank you for letting me know about this." She then gave the man a folder. "Aspensation... this is for you."

    Jun opened the folder, and a tinge of surprise immediatelyced his orbs. "You are investing in our new testing facility?"

    "Hmmm... I always see profit Mr. Liang and I believe that this is just another opportunity for me to... expand in other fields."

    "I understand. Well, then... Miss Lily, it has been a pleasure working with you. I hope that this is just the start of our partnership." He smiled. Sadness was still apparent in his eyes. Of course, Lily understood why the man was sad. However, this was not any of her concern at all. She had done her part in making sure that Demi will not me herself anymore. And for Lily, that is already too generous.

 Chapter 494 Golden Voice of China

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 494 Golden Voice of China</h4>

    After Lily¡¯s conversation with Jun Liang, she immediately went to her hotel room so she could prepare for their flight back to Hong Kong. Lily still had ns for the old man. But for now, she chose to go back to Hong Kong so Zhou Jingren can take care of hispany.

    "I am going to spend this time learning how to cook!" Lily dered the moment they arrived in Sky City. "I am buying lots of cookbooks today or tomorrow." She added. It was still six in the morning and Lily decided to spend the rest of today sleeping while Zhou Jingren nned to go to his office to attend to some paper works.

    "I thought you want to learn martial arts and using some weapons? What was it that you said? Knives and swords?" He chuckled.

    "Knives and guns." She took off her shoes and sashayed her way into their bedroom as Zhou Jingren carried their luggage. "I want to learn how to shoot guns... I mean... I know how to shoot but you know... I want to actually hit something."

    "I can give you private lessons if you want. But today is Monday. I have to go to the office. Maybe we can do martial arts every morning, then learn how to shoot during weekends?" amusement shed in his eyes as he watched Lily fell into the bed. "Change your clothes before you sleep. I will go ahead and make us some breakfast."

    "No-" Lily shoot up, she looked at her husband and smiled. "As I said... I am learning how to cook. I will make breakfast. You take a bath and prepare for work." Before Zhou Jingren could say something, Lily ran out of their room, a smile stered all over her face.

    For breakfast, Lily decided to make her own version of English breakfast with bacon, egg, toasts, some mushrooms, and tomatoes. Of course, she chose this because it was easy to make and she was confident that she could easily pull it off.

    After thirty minutes, Lily was already beaming. She was able to finish everything in thirty minutes! Wasn¡¯t she a genius?

    "Smells good!" Zhou Jingren said when he entered the kitchen. He was already wearing his suit.

    "It tastes good too!" she smiled. "I am a hundred percent sure that you will like it." Of course, Zhou Jingren will always like it. She was sure that this man would even eat poison if she tells him too. "Alright... let¡¯s start eating." Lily¡¯s eyes sparkled as she started eating the scrambled egg that she made based on Gordon Ramsay¡¯s recipe.

    "Hmmm... It is very good." Zhou Jingren immediately smiled. "You are definitely improving."

    "Thank you! As I said... I will buy cookbooks maybe tomorrow or this afternoon if I am not too tired to shop around. Do you think... I should enroll in some lessons?"

    "No. It¡¯s fine. You are smart. I¡¯m sure you can do it without anyone teaching you."

    "I am not as smart as you." She pouted before smiling. "But alright... I also agree with you. I don¡¯t think I need to go to international cooking schools. I should be a proud home cook!"

    Lily and Zhou Jingren immediately finished their food before Zhou Jingren bid Lily goodbye so he could go to his office. He also told Lily that he mighte home a littleter tonight as he needs to meet some of his executives from the US.

    After Zhou Jingren left, Lily spent the whole morning sleeping. She then woke up around ten and decided to make lunch for Zhou Jingren. Again, Lily chose another simple dish that she knew he would love to eat. She then asked Yang Mi to have someone drive her over to Zhou Jingren¡¯s office.

    "Why are you the one driving me to his office?" Lily immediately asked when she saw that Yang Mi was the one sitting on the driver¡¯s seat. As Daohu was severely injured because of the previous incident, Lily had to ask Zhou Jingren to give her a new driver and bodyguard. However, thetter said that he still needed to choose an honest bodyguard that he could trust.

    "President Zhou said that I should act as your driver for the time being. He said your new driver will arrive next week. He is from Japan." Yang Mi said. She does not really mind being Lily¡¯s driver.

    Lily pursed her lips as she got into the car. "Then can you go with me shoppingter?" She watched as Yang Mi nodded. "Are you not busy assisting Cathy?" she asked.

    "Your safety is still my topmost priority." Yang Mi answered. "Also... President Zhou asked me to teach you about knives? He said he is not an expert on the matter."

    "Right... I remember that you are a martial arts expert too, right?"

    "Jujitsu and karate." Yang Mi answered. "It was one of the requirements that Lilian set.

    "Then... can you practice with me? I mean... Zhou Jingren agreed to teach me some martial arts, but he has apany to run. So he can¡¯t really stay the whole day."She beamed. "But you can! You know what? I will call Cathyter and tell her about this n."

    Yang Mi immediately nodded. She would not mind teaching Lily the things that she knew. After all, her priority is still Lily¡¯s safety. "I have searched for that singer that you told me? Miss Liang¡¯s mother, Miss Chen," she said.

    "Tell me more."

    "The woman had been divorced twice. Both amicable. She¡¯s clean, and she is receiving money from both ex-husbands. She is currently on her third marriage. She only had two children from her first marriage that¡¯s Timothy Liang and Demi Liang. Her records are clean ¡ª too clean. No issue¡¯s whatsoever. She is one of the most sought after singers, even when she is already more than fifty years old. She is known as the Golden Voice of China and is considered the goddess of a lot of singers in the country. She is working on having her own recording studio with her husband, Anthony ¡ª Tony Zhang."

    "Too clean you say?" Lily asked.

    "Hmmm... her records are too clean it is almost as if... it was not true."

 Chapter 495 Burning Cookbooks

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 495 Burning Cookbooks</h4>

    When Lily arrived in Zhou Jingren¡¯s office she immediately gave him his lunch before taking another nap. For some reason, she had been really tired since they arrived from Singapore. Of course, to Lily, this was normal. After all, they spent most of their time walking in Singapore. It is not surprising that the trip would tire her this much.

    The sound of soft jazz woke Lily up from her nap. She immediately nced at the watch and frowned when she realized that it was already three in the afternoon. Who takes a three-hour nap?

    "Madam, The President is still in the conference room." Secretary Go spoke when he notice that Lily is already awake. He stood a few feet away from Lher. "He said that if you want to buy cookbooks and other stuff for the kitchen, use his card." He handed her a sleek ck card that Lily immediately recognized as one of the invite-only credit cards that Zhou Capital offers.

    "I was expecting him to apany me," she uttered in a gloomy voice. "But yeah... it¡¯s alright. He said that some American clients areing over today?"

    "Yes, they will stay in Hong Kong for three days before they visit Zhou Capital¡¯s branches in Maind China. I already sent a copy of the President¡¯s schedule for this week and the next to Miss Yang."

    Lily smiled as she rose from the couch. "Very efficient, Jichen." She said before going to the bathroom in Zhou Jingren¡¯s office so she could freshen up before she started shopping. Since Secretary Go was inside the office, Lily knew that Yang Mi must be waiting for her outside or in the lobby.

    For some reason, since the ident, Yang Mi and Go Jichen have stopped talking and had been avoiding each other.

    "Alright, tell him to meet me at home. I will cook something special." Lily said before leaving Zhou Jingren¡¯s office. While she wanted him toe and shop with her, Lily also understood that he needed to run a business so he could feed her. Lilyughed at her own thoughts.

    ...

    Harmony Isle

    "President, I think you should include these baking books too." Yang Mi said as she eyed the pile of cookbooks in Lily¡¯s cart. "Maybe some desserts too. I mean... everyone loves sweets."

    "Hmmm... alright. Put it in." She looked at the current pile of books before she nodded. When ites to learning, there is no such as thing as enough. Since she will be staying at home anyway, Lily decided to learn new things- a lot of them. "Also... can you choose some books about self-defense for me? I don¡¯t know... maybe archery too."

    Yang Mi immediately eyed Lily¡¯s thin arms before she pursed her lips and reluctantly nodded. Surely, President Zhou would not allow her to learn these things without proper exercise and preparation, right?

    "President, someone is following us, a paparazzi." Yang Mi suddenly lowered her voice as she handed Lily the book that she chose for her. She had notice this guy following them for a while now, yet she chose not to say anything and observed him instead,

    "Really?" Of course, this would surprise Lily. She was not a famous celebrity or a scandalous businessman. Why would someone follow her around while taking her boring pictures?

    "Should I call President Zhou and let him know?"

    "It¡¯s alright." Lily shrugged. "I will let him know tonight." She uttered. She wondered what kind of person would decide to follow her around like this? Were they extremely bored that they decide to follow a businesswoman shop for books? "Hmmm... I think we should go and shop for other things too... pillowcases and... towels. Yeah, I think I need a new one. Also... I may need some baking tools as well." Lily said.

    The duo then spent the rest of the day shopping some things that Lily needed in Sky City as well as some ingredients for tonight¡¯s dinner.

    This time Lily decided to make some beef stroganoff. Of course, with the cookbooks that she had, she was sure that she could easily pull it off.

    Since Lily was alone in the house, Yang Mi insisted that she stay to help her out with her cooking. Additionally, she also wanted to apany her and does not like to leave her alone without President Zhou in the house.

    "President... I think I smell something... burning?"

    "Whatis it!?" Lily roamed her eyes inside the kitchen and just as expected she could smell what seemed like... paper.

    Yang Mi furrowed her brows before she eyed the cookbook that Lily identally left on the burner and went to get it. As expected, half of the cover was already burnt.

    Seeing the surprise and horro in Lily¡¯s eyes, Yang Mi immediately said. "Please, don¡¯t worry President, I will not tell President Zhou about this." She attempted tofort Lily. "I will immediately throw this away."

    "Throw away what?"

    Both Lily and Yang Mi widened their eyes as they turned to look at the devilishly handsome Zhou Jingren a few feet away from them. A smile was already on the man¡¯s face as he shoved his hands in his pocket.

    "Why are you here?" Lily asked. "I ¡ª What I mean was..." she did not finish her sentence when she saw Zhou Jingren looked at the burned cookbook. "I ¡ª That was a mistake." She stuttered, her face turning red as she looked at Yang Mi. "I think... I think you can leave now."

    Of course, Yang Mi did not wait for Lily to repeat her words. She immediately bolted out, of the kitchen and went straight out of the house. Even Yang Mi could not imagine the amount of embarrassment that Lily must have felt at that moment. Still, when Yang Mi reached the lobby, she was not able to stop herself fromughing.

    Who burns their own cookbook while cooking? Lily was extremely good at scheming when ites to making money. Yet... her cooking skills are...

    Yang Mi burst into another puddle ofughter before she shook her head. Ah, she had never seen Lily that flustered before. Yang Mi was sure that she will remember this event her whole life.

    ...................

    Meanwhile, in Maind China.

    It was dark, suffocating as the only thing that illuminated the room was a scented candle. The smell of jasmine wafted inside the room. Yet, it did not change the cold atmosphere that the woman in the leather chair was immiting.

    "Madam, the articles are ready. Shall we go ahead and release it now?"

    "No." The woman wearing a long cheongsam shook her head. "Do it tomorrow at six in the morning. I want to wake the whole of Hong Kong and China with a big surprise." She said, her sweet voice echoed inside her room as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

    .......................

    Mass release today: Total of 5 chapters.

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote with your powerstones.

 Chapter 496 Aikido

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 496 Aikido</h4>

    "Don¡¯tugh," Lily could feel her blush working up its way to her neck. She grabbed the cookbook from the counter and throw it in the trash. "Please don¡¯tugh."

    Of course, this was futile. Zhou Jingren already burst intoughter. It was low and quick. His eyes sparkled as he looked at her burning face. "How could you be this beautiful?" he asked, amusementced his tone.

    "Stop it," Lily said. She wanted to pretend that she was serious as Zhou Jingren stood in front of him. It did not work. Not long after, Lily burst into a puddle ofughter. Her embarrassment vanished as if it was never there in the first ce. "Alright... maybe cooking and I wasn¡¯t meant to be."

    "Let¡¯s hire someone." Zhou Jingren¡¯s hands caressed her cheeks. He then lifted her chin, meeting her eyes. "Remember, the Chef from the orphanage?" he asked. He didn¡¯t wait for Lily¡¯s answer as he leaned down to kiss her.

    "You¡¯re drunk?" she asked when the smell of alcohol assaulted her senses.

    "Not really, I had a few drinks with the clients. Don¡¯t worry, Jichen drove me home." He smiled, his eyes trailed its way down to her nose then into her lips. It lingered for a few seconds before he stared at her eyes. ??Let¡¯s hire someone to cook and take care of the house. For now, concentrate on having enough rest and... martial arts." His voice was low and soft. It was enough to make Lily smile.

    "Alright," she nodded as she wrapped her arms around her neck. She then tiptoed and kiss him. "I¡¯m hungry," she uttered. In response, Zhou Jingren lifted an eyebrow.

    "Really?"

    "Not that, dummy!" sheughed. How could she miss the desire in her husband¡¯s eyes? "I want food. Actual food! I¡¯ve been shopping for the entire afternoon. I am honestly, hungry."

    "Oh!" a gleam of disappointment shed in his eyes. "Then... how about I make you something?" He eyed the various ingredients on the counter. "Beef?" He then opened the two top buttons on his shirt and started washing his hands. "Do you want to eat a specific dish?"

    "Burgers." Lily blurted, earning thetter¡¯s attention. "I want some chicken and burgers."

    "You want to order, instead?"

    "I think that will be quicker." She answered and pulled him towards the living room. "I have been exhausted. I just want to cuddle." She walked towards their room.

    "You should have just stayed at home and rest. I could easily buy what you need." He looked at her dotingly. "Shopping is really exhausting."

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded before dropping onto the bed.

    "Alright, you stay here. I will call some deliveries and change." Zhou Jingren leaned down to kiss her forehead before going to the closet to change his clothes.

    Seeing him disappear into the closet, a smile instantly bloomed on Lily¡¯s face. Just how lucky was she to have a man who loves and dotes on her like this?

    She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. No matter how strong she was, Lily could not deny that she needed this man. In just a few months, Zhou Jingren is already a part of her life.

    ..........

    The duo woke up early the next day to exercise and for Zhou Jingren to teach her martial arts.

    "You know... sometimes, I think it¡¯s better if I learn how to shoot first." Lily blurted as she started stretching.

    "Why is that?"

    "Well... If I am really good with guns. I could just shoot a person before they could even approach me!" she beamed. In response, a low chuckle escaped Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips. "So you are going to teach me Aikido?" she asked.

    "Yes. I think its defensive capability is good for you. I already asked Qin Yuanfeng to have a practice match with you after a week. So you should¡ª "

    "What? A week?"

    "Don¡¯t worry... he is not that good." A smug smile hung on his lips. "Alright... let¡¯s start with elbow control."

    Since the two were busy practicing, both of them did not bother checking their phones. Lily was so engrossed in learning that she even forgot to check the news on her tablet- a thing that she always does after waking up.

    When the two finished, it was already seven in the morning.

    "I think... You need to carry me out of this room." Lilyid on the floor, her face glistened with sweat. "I can¡¯t walk."

    "It¡¯s your first day. It will get better tomorrow." He said as he scooped her into his arms.

    "I feel like my arms are damaged. I think I broke something."

    Her words only met Zhou Jingren¡¯sughter. He shook his head at her antics.

    In just a few quick strides, the two arrived in their room. Both immediately furrowed their brows when they realized that both of their phones were ringing.

    "What¡¯s wrong?"

    "Is there any problem?"

    They answered their phone and their furrowed deepened.

    "Really?" Lily eyed Zhou Jingren. "An actress, huh?" As expected, Zhou Jingren also eyed her. "It¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t have to do anything." She ended the call almost at the same time as Zhou Jingren.

    "So..." A smile dangled on Lily¡¯s face as he walked towards him. "They have linked your good name to an actress."

    "You know it¡¯s not true." He answered. "I already asked Jichen to remove the news from the trending."

    "Don¡¯t remove it," Lily said. "President Zhou... it seems that the world has forgotten that you are already married. Should I... asked Fernando to create a custom ne for you that says you are already mine?" she narrowed her eyes at him.

    "You can do that." Amusement shed in Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes. "I think... it is best that you stop working from yourpanypletely and just act as my secretary so you could follow me around every day." heughed.

    "President Zhou... I can do that even if I am not your secretary." her eyes crinkled as her lips lifted into a smirk. "Do not let Jichen do anything about this matter. Just let it be. We are not some celebrities. Our names do not depend on rumors like this."

    "I want to see who is behind this," she added before taking off her gym clothes and walking towards the shower. "Come.... take a bath with me," she added.

 Chapter 497 National Treasure Cindy Hao

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 497 National Treasure Cindy Hao</h4>

    [National Treasure Cindy Hao spotted with Tycoon Zhou Jingren from Zhou Capital]

    [Is Cindy Hao Dating the CEO of Zhou Capital?"]

    [Who is Zhou Jingren?]

    [Cindy Hao spotted with her new boyfriend, Zhou Jingren]

    [Is Zhou Jingren married?]

    [Zhou Jingren marriage to Lily Fi- Qin not confirm]

    [Goddess Cindy spotted having drinks with CEO Zhou. Here¡¯s everything that you need to know.]

    [CEO Zhou- The man behind Zhou Capital]

    u003eI think the goddess Cindy looks good with CEO Zhou!

    u003eI hope it¡¯s true! My heart! They look really good!

    u003eCEO Zhou is married, right?

    u003eThere was no proof!

    u003eI thought his wife is dead already?

    u003eOmO... this news just made my day!

    u003eAm I the only one who thinks that CEO Zhou was not even looking at her while they were walking? He was looking the other way! If I am together with Goddess Cindy, I would stare at her all the time.

    u003eThey are trying to avoid issues, dummy!

    u003e1000++++

    "Let them publish more articles." Lily smiled. She looked at the image in her hand. It was of ¡¯Zhou Jingren¡¯ with Cindy and the clients. "The more the better."

    "You aren¡¯t worried?" Cathy furrowed her brows. She eyed the tablet full of online articles about Zhou Jingren. "Don¡¯t you want me to help them with this matter?"

    "No."She yawned. "It¡¯s fine. Let them dig their own graves. The one responsible for this will eventually cause their own downfall."

    "This Cindy Hao is the new ambassador of Zhou Capital in maind China and that was the reason why she was there in the club with everyonest night," Cathy said. "There were also photos of Zhou Jingren and Cindy going to the parking lot together."

    "It was clear that whoever took the photos did it with malice in mind. They actually edited Go Jichen out of those pictures." Yang Mi added. "I think we should release the CCTV¡¯s in the area."

    "Actually... " Lily smiled. "There was no CCTV¡¯s. Someone removed it before our people could see it." She tapped her phone and started texting Zhou Jingren. "This issue should not affect us. As I said... we are not celebrities. We don¡¯t need attention to ourselves. If we do something now. It will only look like... we are being defensive."

    "The other party did not issue any statements to stop the rumors. I think they are trying to use this for the next big movie awards in Maind China."

    Lily nodded at Cathy¡¯s words. "Hmmm... That is right. I¡¯m sure they are taking advantage of this. After all, Zhou Capital is a big name in China."

    Cathy rose from her seat, and she started pacing inside Lily¡¯s living room. "Did you tell Zhou Jingren not to do anything as well?" she asked.

    "I did." Lily knew how Cathy hated it when someone would drag Lily¡¯s name in a scandal like this. "Honestly, Cathy, It¡¯s alright. I am not concerned about this matter. Contrary to the news that they went to the hotel togetherst night, Zhou Jingren was with me. Even Yang Mi saw him. We spent the night together and woke up together. Those were nothing but photo-shopped images- excellent ones."

    "Wait..." Yang Mi¡¯s face turned ugly as she looked at her phone. "Look at this." She gave Lily her phone. "I was checking out the rumors from Weibo and guess what? Someone... even made a Weibo ount for President Zhou and started posting apologetic words tagging Cindy Hao."

    "Look... I am not sure what is going on here... but I will find out." Cathy said. She opened her phone and started calling someone. Meanwhile, Lily just stared at the photos on the tablet and narrowed her eyes.

    She wondered who would dare drag Zhou Jingren¡¯s name like this. And what were they trying to do? She rose from her seat. "I am going to Zhou Jingren¡¯s office." She dered before going upstairs to change her clothing.

    ...

    "Go Jichen told us to be careful on our way to the Zhou capital. He said a couple of reporters are waiting to talk to Zhou Jingren."

    Lily only smiled when she heard Yang Mi¡¯s words. She then called Zhou Jingren.

    "Are you busy?" Her voice was full of mirth. "Then... can youe and get me downstairs? I will wait for you." Lily said before cutting the call. She then looked at Yang Mi. "Do you think... being low profile is bad?"

    "I don¡¯t think you are low profile," Yang Mi answered honestly.

    "Really?"

    "Your name and Zhou Jingren¡¯s name alwaysced the business pages of tabloids both in Europe and Asia. I don¡¯t think... that is low profile."

    "Hmmm... I think you are right. I always thought that this is a low profile. Maybe I needed to change my ways." Lily gave her a knowing smile. "Can you tell me how many magazines have called us so far?"

    Yang Mi darted her gaze at Lily¡¯s beautiful face. "Since the news started two- not major magazines. But... we already receive five offers from women¡¯s magazines since you came back. They wanted to make you the cover and do a little interview as well. However, President Zhou and even Cathy declined these offers because they wanted you to rest."

    "Well... I think it¡¯s time that we agree with these offers."

    Yang did not respond as she parked the car. For some reason, Lily chose to park their car in front of the building and not on the underground parking. She knew that Lily must be brewing another scheme in her mind and to be honest, Yang Mi cannot wait to see it.

    "I will talk to Cathy so we can fix your schedule." Yang Mi answered.

    "Perfect." Lily smiled. "You ready?" she did not wait for Yang Mi to answer as she opened the car and walked out. She then eyed the faces of the reporters, who immediately noticed her presence.

    "Miss Lily!"

    "Is that Miss Lily?"

    "It¡¯s Miss Lily!"

    More than ten people run towards Lily with their cameras and recorder in hand.

    "Miss Lily! Miss Lily! Do you have the time to answer our questions?"

    Lily¡¯s lips held a faint smile as she looked at the reporters. She then put on her shades and answered, "Of course."

 Chapter 498 Who is that?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 498 Who is that?</h4>

    "Miss Lily! What can you say about the rumors going on about Zhou Jingren and Goddess Cindy?" One balding reporter asked. Excitement shone in his face. Who would have thought that Lily would actually show herself today?

    This ¡ª This is totally unexpected, ah.

    In response, Lily lifted an eyebrow. She raised her shades up, revealing her eyes that seemed to be golden because of the lighting. She looked at the camera that was pointed on her and smiled. "Cindy... Who is that?"

    An awkward silence nketed the reporters. They stilled, unable to react to her words.

    "If that¡¯s all... then... excuse me." Lily gave everyone a respectful smile before she walked out of the crowd and walked towards Zhou Jingren that was also walking her way. Seeing this, the reporters seemed to have woken up from their stupor and run towards Lily.

    However, this time, Zhou Jingren¡¯s security already blocked them from approaching the couple. They can only watch as the woman in white hugged and kissed the man wearing a ck suit. One in white, one in ck... the two went inside the building hand and in hand and smiling towards each other as if... the reporters are not taking their every picture.

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Cindy¡¯s loud screech echoed inside her t. The loud crashing sound followed it.

    "Miss Cindy! Miss Cindy! Are you alright?" her assistant Emily Tan walked towards her. She looked at Cindy, anxiousness covered her face.

    "Do I look alright to you!?" Cindy hissed. "Turn that off! Turn it off!" She screamed as she pointed at the TV that was showing Lily and Zhou Jingren walking hand in hand towards the building.

    "Miss Cindy ¡ª I..." Emily immediately panicked as she looked at the broken remote nearby. She ran towards the TV and unplugged it instead. She immediately sent a text to Cindy¡¯s manager and sister, Manager Hao, and Qiao Qiao. She knew that it will difficult to handle Cindy once she starts throwing a tantrum. She needed all the help that she could get.

    "How dare she!?" Cindy said before letting out another shrill scream. "She doesn¡¯t know me? Who doesn¡¯t know me? Who doesn¡¯t know me!?" She yanked Emily¡¯s phone out of her hand and throw it towards the wall. "Answer me!?"

    "I ¡ª Miss ¡ª" Emily reddened, tears pooled in her eyes. She wondered why would Cindy act like this. It was as if an award was taken from her hands. "I don¡¯t think anyone would dare say that." She mustered the courage to speak.

    "See? I knew that woman is lying!" Cindy walked away from her and opened her phone. She then checked the people¡¯sments from Weibo about thetest news that showed Lily asking the reporters about her.

    [Ah! So they are together! Does this mean that Goddess Cindy was the mistress? Heart. Heart. I still love you, my goddess! Pick me instead.]

    [Oi! Goddess Cindy is not a mistress! Would you dare say that in front of me!?]

    [Did you guys miss her question? She doesn¡¯t know who Goddess Cindy is. Is this even true?]

    [That woman is obviously lying!? Did you see the smirk on her face? Reminds me of a dangerous fox.]

    [Scary. Scary. Here is the link about Lily Fi-Qin.]

    "What is happening here?" Manager Hao¡¯s voice interrupted her stupor. "Why ruin the poor remote?" Manager Hao walked inside Cindy¡¯s room. "I would assume you already saw the news?"

    "Of course, I would see it!" Cindy hissed at her older sister. "Just who is that woman? Why would she say that she doesn¡¯t know me?" She slumped down on the couch, pouting. "Does anyone in China doesn¡¯t know me?"

    "Cindy... that woman is a foreigner. Understandably, she doesn¡¯t know you."

    "Are you saying that I am not that famous?"

    "Not to someone who runs an empire." Manager Hao sighed. "I was not expecting that this would blow up like this. I already talked to our CEO, and she specifically told me not to say anything. Whoever is behind this just gave you an opportunity to be more famous."

    "So... I will just let them do this? My fans like CEO Zhou for me. Do you want me to issue a broad statement about the matter?"

    "No. Let¡¯s not involve ourselves on this one."

    "But why?" Cindy frowned. "Is it because I am not Qiao Qiao? Do you want her to win that award instead of your own sister?"

    Manager Hao immediately knitted her brows. Memories of Lily walking with Zhou Jingren on that party resurfaced in her mind. She could clearly remember everything that happened during theunch of Harmony Isle. It was the time when she was with Qiao Qiao and both of them were stupid to believe that Zhou Jingren treated them special.

    Memories of Lily¡¯s smile as she spoke on the stage were embedded in Manager Hao¡¯s memories. She would never forget that woman. "You misunderstood." She uttered. "As my little sister. I care about you. That Zhou Jingren and Lily were dangerous. Trust me... you wouldn¡¯t want to involve yourself in this matter."

    "But why?" Cindy red at her sister. "They are using my name! And that woman just insulted me! Can¡¯t I just... say something? Anything that will clear my name or insinuate that we are indeed in a rtionship? I think this will be good for the uing awards."

    Disbelief instantly shed in Manager Hao¡¯s eyes. "No. I think... someone is using you. I think someone nned all this, and they wanted you to say something. If you do that... I am sure that they will do something else. Let¡¯s just avoid infuriating Lily and Zhou Jingren for now."

    "But¡ª "

    "Cindy... we all know what¡¯s true. The man barely even looked at you that night! He did not even speak a single word to you! Just ¡ª just don¡¯t embarrass yourself, alright?"

    Cindy frowned as she rolled her eyes. Just what can she expect from her sister?

    "Do you understand me?"

    "Alright." She nodded as she started reading posts on Weibo again. Not long after, Cindy a gleam of unfathomable expression shed in her eyes as she shared one photo of Zhou Jingren and Lily.

    She then added a broken heart caption to the photo.

 Chapter 499 Bully

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 499 Bully</h4>

    "The CCTV on the parking lot was deleted. As well as the CCTV¡¯s on the areas surrounding the parking lot." Secretary Go said. "It¡¯s clear that whoever did this nned all this even before the meeting."

    "That is obvious," Lily said as she ate took a bite of the burger in her hand. "And that Actress is really beautiful and talented too. I don¡¯t think she needs more publicity. So... my guess is... this is not her n. Someone is using her."

    "A smart person would not try toplicate things by involving a possibly married man whose wife is known as a ruthless individual in the world of business," Bei Tian added. "It¡¯s either this woman is not that smart... or someone was using her." He looked at everyone and grunted. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

    Lily only shrugged in response while Zhou Jingren started working again. "I think... this is an absolute waste of time." Zhou Jingren said. "They even made a Weibo ount... who would believe that I use Weibo?"

    "Her fans did."

    Both Bei Tian and Secretary Go nodded at Lily¡¯s words.

    "Alright... I think you guys can go now." Lily said. "I want to sleep and shop with Zhou Jingrenter."

    "You keep on sleeping. One of these days, you will look like a pig." Bei Tianmented before she rose from his seat and ran out of the office with Secretary Go in tow.

    "Bully," Lily said. "I am not going to sleep, alright!"

    "If you are sleepy, then sleep. There is no need to worry about being fat. You are so thin anyway... you need more muscles." Zhou Jingren said.

    As expected Lily immediately beamed at his words. Her husband is just the best, ah.

    "No... I just said that to get rid of them." She gave him a smug smile as she opened her phone and sent a text to her brother. "I will ask Qin Yuanfeng to visit uster tonight. I think he can still retrieve that CCTV images."

    "I already asked him to visit us," he held her gaze and smiled. "I knew you would say that, so I saved you the trouble."

    "Alright..." Lily nodded and beamed before she opened herptop. "Whoever is behind this seemed prepared. This makes me wonder if... this has something to do with your grandfather."

    Zhou Jingren frowned in response. "I already sent him a warning. If he won¡¯t stop this... hispany will suffer."

    ......

    Singapore

    "I did not do this," Isaac said as he read the articles that Thomas handed. "Why would you even think that I did that?"

    "Well... I am just wondering." Thomas answered. He wanted to tell his father that Ron could easily convince him into doing stupid things like this. But he refrained himself. "Zhou Jingren and even Lily have a lot of enemies. I am not surprised that something like this would happen. Still... I am curious to know who would dare do this and what are they nning to aplish."

    "Who knows? This is Karma! That woman forced me to sign the transfer of shares! This is what she gets for disrespecting an old man like me!" Isaac said. "This should be because of that woman. I think it is best that wey low for now and let Zhou Jingren forget about everything that we did. He will soon realize that Lily is causing him harm."

    "I don¡¯t think Zhou Jingren will just forget about us father."

    "He won¡¯t have a choice! He will forgive us once he needed our help!"

    Thomas wanted to argue. The probability that Zhou Jingren will need them is close to impossible. First, Zhou Jingren has apetent woman like Lily on his side. Second, he owns a bigwork in the ck market. He could easily have someone killed and no one would even ask any questions about it. And third... his parents. Zhou Wu Ye and Zhou Dae Un would let no one hurt their precious son.

    "Any news about Demi and her father?" the old man asked. In response, Thomas sighed.

    "Demi... was sent to a mental institution abroad. And until now Jun Liang refused to have any contact with his brother. He even asked his secretary to block any numbers that are associated with us. That includes his brother¡¯s number."

    "That man is a fool! Clearly, our views are different. Why would he hate us? We were the ones trying to help her daughter marry the man that she likes!" Old Man Lee sneered. "Alright... when are we going to see Dae Un? Did you call her and schedule a meeting?"

    "She refused to meet us," Thomas answered. He wondered if the old man was still nning to give Zhou Dae Un and Zhou Jingren everything that he has even after all this. Seeking for Zhou Dae Un and Zhou Jingren¡¯s forgiveness while trying his best to ruin them at the same time is actually not the best approached. Did the old man really think that they will forgive him if he keeps on doing this?

    "Then call for another conference! I will announce that Zhou Dae Un is my daughter, and that she is Zhou Jingren¡¯s mother."

    "But... isn¡¯t that¡ª "

    "That is the only way." Issac pursed his lips. Even his assistant agreed with him. "Just do it... This is not up for any discussion. Since they refused to see me, then... I will announce to the world that they are rted." A sinister smile bloomed on the old man¡¯s face as he leaned against his leather chair.

    In response, Thomas nodded. Since the old man was seeking for his own destruction, then he would not stop him. "Alright... I will schedule another conference."

    Thomas rose from his seat and left the room. Now that Lily already had ess to the Lee Group, Thomas couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the woman was nning something else aside from this. Surely, Lily would not just stop after acquiring shares, right?

    Thomas knew that whatever the old man was nning could cause his downfall. However, he also knew that the old man would rather listen to Ron¡¯s advice than his. After all, Isaac does not really consider him as his own son.

 Chapter 500 Treated Unfairly

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 500 Treated Unfairly</h4>

    "You just caused an uproar!" Manager Hao scowled at her sister¡¯s smile. How could this woman be this naive? "I already told you to leave them alone! You don¡¯t have any idea how dangerous this game is! Do you really want to be ruin?"

    "Sister... " Cindy Hao sighed. "It was a broken heart. Just a heart. Why are you upset?"

    "Cindy! How could you say that?" Manager Hao stared at her sister in disbelief. "You have been in the industry for years! How could you be this stupid?" She stared at Qiao Qiao who was sitting opposite to her sister. "You tell her what kind of woman that Lily is... Go ahead... you tell her."

    "Why are you two so worried?" Cindy asked when she saw Qiao Qiao¡¯s troubled expression. "I bet they won¡¯t do anything. They are not celebrities. Saying something won¡¯t have any effect on their careers."

    "Exactly! They won¡¯t lose anything! While you..." Manager Hao gritted her teeth. "What makes you think that Zhou Jingren will not cancel the ambassadress contract that you just signed? What do you think will stop him from telling every otherpany that you are affiliated with to cancel the contract as well? Did you ¡ª Did you even think about this?"

    As expected, Cindy frowned when she heard her sister¡¯s words. Honestly, she did not think about this at all.

    "See? I knew it! Cindy... you were too hasty this time! You knew that the awards night ising! If you attract Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s ire, then please stop expecting an award for your films."

    "Then... what do you want me to do?" Cindy asked. "Is there a way that I could... maybe talk to CEO Yu about this matter?"

    Manager Hao immediately sighed. "I will try to talk to CEO Yu about this matter."

    ......

    Meanwhile, Lily and Zhou Jingren just acted as if nothing happened. Instead of doing something to end the rumor, the duo did not issue any statement. Instead, they spent their days together, learning martial arts and shopping new things as Lily decided to redecorate and even change the paint of their condo.

    While they were busy choosing paints and shopping, the media were also busy specting about their rtionship.

    Both Lily and Zhou Jingren never really confirmed the marriage. However, the public was not blind. When that fiasco with Lily¡¯s death happened, they knew that Zhou Jingren was the one who took over the Fi Group. Wasn¡¯t that enough proof that the two secretly got married?

    Some people also imed that they saw Lily and Zhou Jingren in traditional Chinese clothing performing a wedding ceremony in one of the temples in Hong Kong. Still, some people insist that these are all hearsay. However, Cindy Hao¡¯s reaction to the matter was just shady.

    A broken heart? Why would she use a broken heart on Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s photo together? This immediately riled up her fans and some paparazzi. How could they miss an issue like this?

    Still, Lily and Zhou Jingren ignored the issues and hired more bodyguards to prevent anyone from the media from approaching them. This only created more and more confusion.

    "Tomorrow... I have a magazine interview with W Magazine. I won¡¯t be able to join you for lunch as there will be some photoshoot as well." Lily said before she eats the broli in her bowl.

    "So... you will be the W Magazine¡¯s cover next month?"

    "Hmmm." She nodded in response. Originally, Lily asked Cathy to decline all these invites because she did not want to inform the Qin Family in Hong Kong that she was back. Of course, this reasoning was no longer valid now that she already dealt with that family.

    At this point, there is no stopping Lily from epting magazine interviews and TV guesting. "Also... I will be in Maind China next week. I have an interview with a known TV program about women¡¯s rights. I am also nning to visit mother and father." Lily added.

    "Are you going to ask them about the Lee Family?"

    "I will," Lily said. "Do you want toe with me?"

    " I have a trip next week to Taiwan. But... I will apany you to your interview before going to Taiwan. Then... I will go back to see mother and father."

    "Good. With the current issues that involves your name, I suggest that you avoid going to clubs with your clients. You can have Bei Tian apany them instead." Lily¡¯s words made Zhou Jingren pause. He stared at her for a few minutes before he nodded.

    "Are you¡ª "

    "Jealous?" Lily continued his words as sheughed. "Why would I? You were with me that night and I trust you." She said. "However, I hate reading news about this matter. I am toozy to scheme against insignificant people."

    "President Zhou!" Secretary Go barge into the room, interrupting the couple¡¯s conversation. He eyed Lily before she spoke. "We have a situation downstairs. Miss Cindy Hao¡¯s fans and anti-fans are outside. They are spouting nonsense about their Goddess being treated unfairly."

    "Treated unfairly?" Zhuo Jingren lifted an eyebrow.

    Secretary Go eyed Lily. He hesitated for a few seconds. "They said that Miss Cindy is actually your mistress. They also think that you are treating her unfairly because you married someone more prominent than her. They said that they want to hear your exnation on this matter. Some even said that the reason why Miss Cindy got so many roles in the past few years even though her acting was mediocre was because of you."

    "Did that woman issue a statement about this matter?" Lily asked.

    "No. Not even her agency or her manager is doing anything to stop these rumors. Thest thing that she did was react to one of your photos together and add a broken heart caption. Because of this... her fans thought that she was hurt and had been saying some nasty stuff about Preside Zhou."

    "See?" Lily eyed Zhou Jingren. "This is what I¡¯m talking about. I am toozy to scheme against people like this. You better not do this again." She red at him.

 Chapter 501 Photoshoo

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 501 Photoshoo</h4>

    "Miss Lily I think we should use the studio for the photoshoot, instead." A cold sweat broke out on the photographer¡¯s forehead as she watched Lily¡¯s smiling face. She eyed the people a few meters away from their car bringing big cards calling Lily out for lying about not knowing who their Goddess is. She then shifted her gaze back to Lily¡¯s face and wondered how could a woman like her still smile after seeing some people call her out like this.

    "Alright," Lily said after a few seconds. "What time is the interview?" she asked. The schedule clearly said that they will have the photoshoot in the morning and have the interview in the afternoon. However, after this change of venue, Lily was not sure if that will still happen on the same day.

    "I ¡ª I think we won¡¯t have enough time to finish today. I will inform the editor-in-chief about this matter." She knew that this is not Lily¡¯s first time to be interviewed or asked to be a cover of a prominent magazine. Lily¡¯s name and faceced a lot of women¡¯s magazines in Europe. It is only normal for her to know all the processes and how long does it need for a photoshoot to finish.

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. She crossed her legs and took a sip at her milk tea. "What was your name again?"

    "People call me Little Xiao." The photographer answered. "It¡¯s because of my height." She added. Little Xiao had been around unique types of women because of her career. She had worked with models, actresses, politicians, geniuses, and businesswoman. But this is the first time that she had encountered someone who seemed to always have a slight smile on their face.

    To be honest, Little Xiao didn¡¯t know how to act around Lily as she didn¡¯t know if she was truly happy or angry.

    "I see," Lily said. "Then... call me Lily."

    "Oh! I ¡ª Isn¡¯t that a little inappropriate?" There it was again ¡ª Lily¡¯s smile. Little Xiao lowered her gaze and looked at her camera bag. Lily was beautiful, her features are really great especially for the camera. However, her smile seemed so unsettling.

    "Are you afraid of me?" Lily¡¯s question surprised her. She lifted her head and looked at Lily before she shook her head.

    "No... Honestly, this is my first time working with someone who owns an enormous conglomeratepany. So I ¡ª I believe the right term is intimidated." She lied. This was not her first time working for someone like Lily. Most women that she had worked with are cold, silent, and sometimes stiff. They go into the shoot, tell her the poses that they want, and leave. They won¡¯t even ask for her name! They call her the photographer and ordered her to do what they like. She had never actually met someone who talked to her like this!

    Moreover, this was her first time working with someone who was involved in a lot of controversiestely. Because of this, Little Xiao does not really know how to behave around her. In the end, she decided to just do her job and stop thinking about this.

    "Then good." Lily nodded before looking out of the car. She looked at the busy streets of Hongkong. It was still early in the morning but a lot of young millennials are already on the streets on their way to their offices and school.

    She let out a sigh inwardly. Lately, waking up her body was hurting a lot. This was thanks to the martial arts training that she took with Zhou Jingren and Yang Mi. All she wanted right now was to focus on peace. However, it seemed that some people do not want to give her a few days of quiet.

    The rally does not really bug Lily that much. After all... this is not affecting herpany. However, the noise is bothering her. For some reason, she gets really irritated when she hears something noisy. Was this because she is getting older?

    Not long after, Lily and Little Xiao arrived in the studio of W Magazine.

    "We will have three types of photos. One with you wearing a corporate suit. Another one with you wearing a dress and another one for a long evening gown." Little Xiao immediately asked her assistant to prepare the dresses that Lily will wear. "These are all branded dresses that our Editor-in-Chief prepared for you."

    "Here is our make-up artist, Chinchin. She will take care of you. Oh... and essories." Little Xiao asked another one of her assistants to prepare the pieces of jewelry that Lily will wear.

    Lily nodded at everyone as she sat on the chair. She then gestured Yang Mi to make sure that everything is right. "I want a light makeup." Lily eyed the make-up artist. "For corporate attire."

    "I think it will be good for you to have a heavy one instead. I am thinking of a bold eyeshadow, maybe purple or orange. This will make everyone really look at your eyes."

    "No. I would prefer a light makeup. With a bold red lipstick."

    "But ¡ª " the makeup artist didn¡¯t continue her words when she saw Lily smile at her. "Then... then... let¡¯s do that." She said reluctantly.

    "Grab the bag to your left," Lily said. "It has all my makeup." Her words immediately surprised the make-up artist, but she chose not to argue with Lily and follow her orders instead. After all, she is the one facing the camera. So what if the makeup will not look good on her? This was not her fault at all.

    Chinchin immediately started checking out the sea of makeups that Lily brought with her to see which one is she going to use. However, before she could even start touching it, a voice echoed inside the studio.

    "What is going on here?" A woman almost as tall as Lily walked inside the studio, her brows furrowed as she eyed Little Xiao and everyone else who were setting up the lights for the photo shoot. "Why is everyone here? I thought the venue of the photoshoot is at Long Temple?" she eyed Lily for a few seconds before she looked at Little Xiao. "I have another person scheduled to use this studio today. I suggest you go back to the temple to shoot."

 Chapter 502 On a Different Level

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 502 On a Different Level</h4>

    "Head Yu, I tried calling you earlier to tell you that we encountered some problems in the temple." Little Xiao immediately approached the woman. "There are a lot of..."

    "Miss Xiao, I think you misunderstood." Head Yu furrowed her brows. "This studio is already taken. Someone was scheduled to have a photoshoot in this ce in the next thirty minutes. So pack up and..."

    "But they told me that this studio is not booked by anyone." Little Xiao reasoned. "I called the people from the studio and they confirmed that this is vacant for today."

    "Well ¡ª not anymore." Head Yu shifted her gaze towards the people setting up the lighting. "Stop that... pack up. You are going back to the temple."

    "I don¡¯t have the time for that." Lily suddenly stood from her seat and walked towards them. She stood in front of the woman named Head Yu and stared at her. "I guess you are the Editor-in-Chief who was too busy to meet me when I arrived?"

    "I am Yu Lin, the Editor In chief. I¡ª "

    "Then... thank you for the invite, Miss Yu." Lily said. She smiled at the woman. "I will leave now."

    "Miss Qin where are you going?" When Lily ignored her, Yu Lin was forced to run after Lily and blocked her way. "There must be some misunderstanding."

    "Is there?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. "I heard the photographer called someone from the studio earlier and heard them confirmed that no one was scheduled to use this ce. Since you don¡¯t want me here... then, I am leaving."

    "I ¡ª Miss Qin... that is not¡ª "

    "Mrs. Zhou." Lily blurted. "Call me Mrs. Zhou."

    "Mrs. Zhou, my apologies. It¡¯s just that..."

    "What?"

    "Mrs. Zhou... would it be alright, if we talk in my office?" she asked hesitation flooded her eyes. She was truly in a tough situation right now, ah. Yu Lin never actually thought that Lily would make her current dilemma even worse.

    "Lead the way." Lily smiled as she followed Yu Lin towards her office just a few feet away from the studio.

    "Please take a seat. Do you want something? Coffee, Tea?"

    "No. Go directly to the point," Lily said. A sigh instantly escaped the woman sitting opposite her.

    "As you know... we are affiliated with the Yu Entertainment in Maind China." Yu Lin started. "In fact... my stepbrother is the CEO of Yu Entertainment." She gave Lily a sad smile. "Mrs. Zhou, I am sure that we invited you before the news about Mr. Zhou upied all the entertainment website." Seeing Lily nod at her words, she continued.

    "Well... today, while I was preparing for our interview. My stepbrother called me and asked me to feature Cindy Hao in the next month¡¯s magazine. When I heard this... I immediately told him that you are our next month¡¯s cover. However, he insisted that I amodate his request and even told me that Cindy Hao is already on her way for a photo shoot today."

    "Is that so?" Lily asked.

    "Yes. Now... I was just trying to avoid any trouble. I know there is no way that the two of you could have this photoshoot at the same time. So I ¡ª I have to ask you and Little Xiao to leave." She gritted her teeth as she stood from her chair and gave Lily a low bow. "I really apologize for this misunderstanding."

    "Tell me, Miss Yu." Lily gestured for her to stop bowing. "Did you tell anyone that I will be here today?" she asked.

    "Yes, all the executives know this matter, including our CEO who is currently in Maind China with my stepbrother." Guilt shed in Yu Lin¡¯s eyes. "I know it was a mistake but... I was too excited. Ourpany wanted to stop using models and actresses as covers, and we wanted someone strong and independent. You are the only one that fits the values that ourpany wanted to promote." She let out a sighed. "I cannot do anything about this matter. I have to listen to the people above me so... I really hope that you will understand me on this matter."

    In response, Lily turned towards Yang Mi¡¯s way. "Did you bring the clothes that I asked you to bring earlier?"

    "Yes, President."

    "Including the shoes and pieces of jewelry?" Lily asked. In response, Yang Mi nodded.

    "What are you nning to do?" Yu Lin asked as confusionced her eyes. "Are you¡ª "

    "Yes, Miss Yu. Schedule the photoshoot for today." The smile on Lily¡¯s face vanished. She knew that someone had been scheming behind her back. This fact is making her irritated. "Since they wanted to create some drama, then... let me show them what drama is."

    "Are ¡ª Are you nning to have that photoshoot with Miss Hao?" Yu Lin asked, her eyes went wide. "Mrs. Zhou, I cannot allow this to¡ª "

    "You are afraid that I will bully her?" Lily asked.

    "No ¡ª It¡¯s just that... I don¡¯t want to cause any more issues. I know that the paparazzi are waiting outside. Once they get ahold of this information, they will do everything to see this photoshoot. I am sure they will also publish articles about this matter."

    "Why?" Lily¡¯s lips curled upwards. "Wouldn¡¯t that bring more profits to yourpany? I am sure a magazine with both of our faces would entice a lot of people to buy your magazine, no? Isn¡¯t this a very good opportunity for your magazine?"

    "But ¡ª that¡ª" Yu Lin stuttered. She looked at the evil glint in Lily¡¯s eyes and did not continue her words. She always thought that once Lily would hear this matter, she would leave and cancel this photoshoot. This is to avoid any more harmful issues that might damage her name. How could she even suggest that both of the rumored mistress of her husband would do the photoshoot together?

    This is too illogical, ah. What if Lily would lose control and hurt Cindy Hao? Yu Lin heard stories about Lily being aggressive and obsessive when ites to business. What if... she is really crazy in real life and hurt someone?

    "You look afraid." Lily met Yu Lin¡¯s eyes. "If you are wondering... I am not the type to physically hurt someone." Her lips lifted into an evil smile. "My type of crazy is on a different level." She uttered.

 Chapter 503 Naive

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 503 Naive</h4>

    "Sister Hao, is there a reason why we are not going inside?" Qiao Qiao asked. She eyed the entrance of the W Magazine building. She knitted her brows at the people outside the building shouting for Lily toe out. "Sister Hao, I think its best that we exin this matter to the media."

    "I told you they won¡¯t do anything. They will just let this pass and wait for it to die down." Cindy chimed in as she yed on her phone. She then nced at Manager Hao¡¯s grim face. "Why are we still here? I thought I have another photo shoot with Qiao Qiao after this?"

    "Lily is still inside." Silence descended inside the car after Manager Hao spoke. Her eyes were still on her phone as she added. "She wanted to have her photo shoot inside on the same studio as you."

    "But ¡ª I thought she left? Why would she stay? I thought she¡¯s supposed to be in a temple somewhere?"

    "They encountered some problems so the Editor In Chief decided that she do it in the studio instead." Manager Hao exined. She stared at her sister. ¡¯Now... I want you to be careful. Once we go inside and see Lily, you should immediately apologize."

    "Why do I have to apologize?" Cindy asked. Seeing her sister¡¯s expression, she immediately pursed her lips and nodded. "Alright. I¡¯m sorry. I will listen to you from now on." Cindy grew up in her sister¡¯s care. She might be a little stupid, but she is not a fool. She already made a mistake with that broken heart emoji. She would not want to do it again.

    This time, Cindy decided to listen to her sister.

    "But Sister Hao..." Qiao Qiao hesitated. "You know what kind of woman that Lily is. What if... "

    "Do you think she will waste her time scheming against us?" Manager Hao asked before sighing. "Let¡¯s just... avoid her at all costs."

    Qiao Qiao bit her lips in response. She lowered her gaze and hide the anger in her eyes. "Alright. We should do that." She nodded.

    "Then... let¡¯s go?" Cindy asked.

    "Let¡¯s go."

    When the trio and their assistants arrived in the studio, everyone thought that chaos will ensue. The wife and the mistress in one room. This spells trouble!

    Well... they were wrong.

    The moment Cindy apologized to Lily, thetter immediately asked her to sit down with her as they do their make up together. While Manager Hao and Qiao Qiao insisted that they go to another room for their make up, Cindy disagreed.

    "Miss Lily... I think it is best if my sister will do her makeup in the next room. After all, you will have your photo shoot first. She also needs some rest from all that traveling that we did yesterday." Manager Hao said, a respectful smile was on her face.

    "Is that so?"

    "No. I think it¡¯s okay. I can stay here." Cindy shook her head. "Sister... Miss Lily said that I could borrow some of her jewelry for the photo shoot. Remember the L series that I mentioned before? Miss Lily has it in her collection!" Cindy beamed at her sister. "I would really like to wear the butterfly ne as well as the crown." She pouted. "I tried to reserve and even asked CEO Yu to ask his contact to get this for me but I was toote. GC Jewels only made five sets of this jewelry. I am very lucky to see it here."

    "My friend actually gifted the set to me," Lily smiled, her eyes darted towards Qiao Qiao who was standing behind Manager Hao¡¯s back. "I also have the gowns thate with this set... if you want..."

    "Really?" Cindy¡¯s eyes sparkled as she interrupted Lily. "May I see?" She stood from her seat and froze when she realized that her sister is still with them. "Sister... This is a ime opportunity for me. Is it alright if... I do my makeup here?"

    Seeing her sister¡¯s enthusiastic expression, Manager Hao nodded as she sighed inwardly. Who would have thought that her sister is so dense? She had repeatedly told her to stay away, and yet a simple jewelry would make her forget everything. "Alright. I will ask your make-up artist toe here."

    "Thank you!" Cindy said before she followed Yang Mi to see the gowns that Lily was talking about.

    "Miss Lily, my sister is still young. I hope you will forgive her actions." Manager Hao met Lily¡¯s eyes. She swallowed her nonexistent saliva and tried to maintain eye contact.

    "How old is she?" Lily asked.

    "She just turned twenty-two this year." She answered. "She is still naive. I really hope that¡ª "

    "I don¡¯t mind." Lily smiled. She then eyed Cindy and Yang Mi who was standing a couple of feet away from them. "Your sister is lucky to have you." She uttered as an unfathomable gleam shed in her eyes. "You should... make sure that she avoids scandals like this. After all... She is the front runner in the best actress award this year, right?" She smiled.

    "Yes, she is. She won the best neer awards this year and a lot of people wanted her to win this year¡¯s best actress award!" While her sister is actually really spoiled, Manager Hao was truly proud of her. Both women grew up without their parents. For years, both of them relied on each other to grow and live.

    "Good. So..." Lily eyed Qiao Qiao. "I heard that Miss Qiao is another front runner award too?"

    "Yes!" Manager Hao beamed. It was as if she had forgotten that she was actually talking to Lily. "I am lucky to handle to bright and amazing actresses."

    "That¡¯s good. You are indeed lucky." The smile on Lily¡¯s face did not vanish. "So... if Miss Hao is eliminated in this award. Who will take the first ce?" Lily¡¯s question seemed innocent at first. However, it did not take long for Manager Hao to realize that there is something wrong with her smile.

    "I ¡ª I don¡¯t know. There is really no way to predict who will win the awards as it was of popr voting and the people from the film industry will casts their votes too." Of course, this was a lie. She knew exactly who will win if her sister gets eliminated.

    She stared at Lily¡¯s smile as an icy chill crept up on her spine. If her sister gets eliminated because of this scandal, then the only one capable of winning is none other than Qiao Qiao.

 Chapter 504 CEO of Yu Entertainmen

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 504 CEO of Yu Entertainmen</h4>

    [Photos of Lily Fi with Cindy Hao released.]

    [Lily and Cindy, best friends?]

    [Goddess Cindy Hao and Zhou Jingren¡¯s rumored wife was seen having coffee]

    [ Lily Zhou and Cindy Hao. No rivalry?]

    [A glimpse of Lily Fi Zhou¡¯s past]

    [Lily Fi Zhou- Ruthless businesswoman]

    The constant banging of the keyboard only made the atmosphere more tense, rigid. It was suffocating and dark. "Yu Jing... It¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t have to do anything about this matter. I already told you that Lily is not a very good target for these schemes." Qiao Qiao¡¯s voice echoed. She nced at the man whose fingers flew on the keyboards. "This is a bad idea."

    "If your goal is to let the world know about this Lily then... you just won. Not many people read the business page of the tabloids. Fewer teenagers and younger fans knew about people who rule the business world. They read websites about rumors and watched drama channels. This is your opportunity to get back to that woman." Yu Jing said, his hands still on his keyboard.

    "I already talked to some entertainment websites. They are willing to release incriminating articles about this woman for a price." Yu Jing added. In response, Qiao Qiao lowered her gaze to hide the contempt in her eyes.

    Sooner orter, everyone would know what kind of woman Lily is. This only means that Qiao Qiao will soon achieve her own goal as well. She closed her eyes to hide the excitement swirling in her orbs.

    To be honest, she was not really nning to cross paths with Lily¡¯s again. She knew that Lily was ruthless and cunning. However, this is only necessary. This is the only thing that will make Miss Chen give her that recent album that she always wanted. This album will only bring good things to her career. Moreover, with Miss Chen¡¯s connections and protection, she was sure that Lily would not be able to touch her.

    "Yu Jing... I am afraid." She uttered. "I think... I think Lily knows that it¡¯s me." She bit her lips as her eyes reddened. "During the photo shoot, she keeps on staring at me with that smile on her face. I fear... I fear that she is nning something against me."

    "I won¡¯t allow that to happen." Finally, Yu Jing removed his eyes from hisputer and walked towards Qiao Qiao. His sharp eyes immediately turned gentle at the sight of the woman that he liked. "She can¡¯t touch a single strand of your hair." He sat next to his woman and held her delicate hands.

    "Qiao Qiao... do you trust me?" Yu Jing asked, concernced his eyes. Yu Jing, the heir of Yu Entertainment, had been working with thepany for almost ten years now. In those ten years, Yu Jing had never gotten into a rtionship with an actress under hispany. In fact, he never got into any rtionship with any other actress before.

    This woman was the first one. The first woman who had honestly caught his attention. He watched as Qiao Qiao met his eyes. She nodded.

    "I do."

    "Then... stop worrying about her. I will take care of things. I will assure you that she will soon suffer because of the injustice that you suffered in her hands." He used his thumb to wipe the tears silently streaming down Qiao Qiao¡¯s cheeks. "Stop crying," his voice was gentle. "I am here." He pulled her into a hug as he slowly stroked her back.

    Qiao Qiao let out a deep sigh as she sobbed in Yu Jing¡¯s arms. Who would have thought that she would be this lucky? She not only found Miss Chen who is willing to mentor her but also a man who loves her like crazy. Isn¡¯t she just the luckiest person?

    Slowly, a smile bloomed on her face. "Thank you, Jing. I don¡¯t... I don¡¯t know what to do without you. If..." she quickly lowered her head when Yu Jing ended the hug. "If I didn¡¯t meet you, then... I would still suffer from my manager¡¯s favoritism."

    "Hey... this is destiny. Alright?" Yu Jing smiled before he frowned. "And that Cindy and her sister will have their own retribution soon. True, this scandal did not ruin her. But this is not the only one that I have in mind." A sinister glint shed in his eyes. "For now... just go with the sisters. I am sure that Cindy Hao¡¯s naive nature will be her downfall soon. She will drag Manager Hao with her."

    "But Jing, you can¡¯t do bad things just because of me." Guiltced her voice. "I can¡¯t let you do something that would hurt Manager Hao."

    "Qiao Qiao... you are too pure." Yu Jing sneered as he stood and went back to his chair. "Manager Hao was the reason why you suffered in Lily¡¯s hands. How could you still protect her? It is obvious that she will put her sister as her main priority. Sooner orter, she will forget that you exist and that she is actually in this position because of you."

    "But¡ª"

    "I know she had been good to you and guided you in the right way. But that was a part of her job." Yu Jing sighed. "Hearing you say this makes my heartache. No wonder Manager Hao took advantage of you. Qiao Qiao... you are just too innocent."

    Hearing this, Qiao Qiao pouted and avoided his gaze. "Stop calling me innocent, Jing. That word is making me ufortable." Slowly her cheeks blushed. "Not after what happened between us."

    "What?" Yu Jingughed. "Why are you blushing?" The coldness in his eyespletely vanished. "Tell me my little Qiao, what were you thinking?" he lifted an eyebrow.

    "As our CEO you should stop being shameless," she said. In response, Yu Jing stifled augh.

    "Really? So... I can¡¯t do that to my own woman?" Amusement shed in his eyes. A sly smile dangled on his face. "If you want me to stop saying things like that then... you should stop being too beautiful." He stood and walked towards her, desire shing in his eyes.

 Chapter 505 Obsessive and Manipulative

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 505 Obsessive and Maniptive</h4>

    After what Lily did, rumors about Cindy Hao and Zhou Jingren¡¯s rtionship died down. Many people spected that Zhou Jingren or maybe Lily just paid the media to remove the news. However, if Zhou Jingren and Lily paid the websites, why is it that they did not include all the news about Lily¡¯s background and achievement?

    After the articles, clips of Lily¡¯s statement about women¡¯s empowerment turned up on social media. This immediately gained the approval of a lot of women. This boosted not only Lily¡¯s poprity to the working women. It also increased people¡¯s awareness of herpany. Overnight, the price of Fi Group¡¯s shares increased as many people scrutinized and ended up investing in thepany.

    "What a brilliant business strategy!" Zhou Dae Un beamed. She took a sip of her coffee and eyed the view from the floor to ceiling window of her husband¡¯s office. "Now... everyone knows that you are married to Jingren. Fi Group and Zhou Capital¡¯s future is very promising. Wu Ye... you should invest more in thepany."

    "I already did." Zhou Wu Ye answered as he continued to read the paperwork on his table. "I knew this will happen." He uttered. It wasn¡¯t even a week yet and Lily¡¯s name already grazed a lot of entertainment news and gossip magazines. This boosted her poprity not just in Hong Kong but also in Maind China too.

    "Is Jingren taking care of you?" Zhou Dae Un frowned as she eyed Lily. "You seemed to lose a little weight. Is he not cooking food? Is he always staying in his office?" The Zhou Dae Un now was the exact opposite of the woman whom Lily met just a weeks back. This woman seemed to smile more and more bubblypared to thest time that she talked to them.

    "It might be because of the weather. I am feeling horribletely. Jingren had been busy with work, but he always takes care of me." Lily responded with a smile. "Please don¡¯t worry."

    "Did you drink the supplements that I gave you? Tell me once you ran out, so I can ask my people to get you more." Zhou Dae Un sighed. "Now that you are taking a break, you should get more rest and eat healthier food. I heard that Zhou Jingren hired someone from the orphanage to cook for you?"

    "Hmmm... He is the Chef from the orphanage." Lily nodded. She could feel Zhou Dae Un¡¯s sincerity and concern towards her. And to be honest, this is making her feel happy. Lily always wonder if this is how it feels to have a mother that dotes on you. "I am also learning some martial arts with Zhou Jingren. That might be the reason why it looks like I am losing weight when I am only gaining more muscles."

    Another sighed escaped Zhou Dae Un¡¯s lips. "I wish we live next to each other so I could just take care of you and Jingren."

    "Dae Un... stop being dramatic." Zhou Wu Ye said. "Why would you live near your son¡¯s house? Do you want to disturb a newly married couple?"

    Zhou Dae Un rolled her eyes in response. She looked at Lily, who wasughing from Zhou Wu Ye¡¯s words. "I promise you. I will not disturb you and Jingren."

    "Actually, you can visit us whenever you want," Lily answered. "We have enough rooms for both of you if you decide to visit us."

    Zhou Dae Un immediately beamed at her words. "I think we should buy a property in Hong Kong just so we could prepare once Lily gets pregnant." She looked at her husband. "Lily needed all the support that she could get."

    However, before Zhou Wu Ye could respond, the door of his office was opened by Zhou Jingtao.

    "Wu Ye... we have a problem." Zhou Jing tao¡¯s face was dark. He nced at Lily before he walked towards Zhou Wu Ye. After what happened with Lanying and his family, Zhou Wu Ye still decided to hire him as his VP. Because of this, Zhou Jingtao had actually grown closer to his cousin.

    "What is it?" Zhou Wu Ye asked, his brows furrowed.

    "Isaac Lee." Zhou Jingtao¡¯s words immediately captured both Zhou Dae Un and Lily¡¯s attention. Seeing this, Zhou Jingtao continued. "The senile old man is kneeling outside of the building. He said he won¡¯t stand up until Dae Un forgives him."

    "Then let him kneel." Zhou Dae Un immediately chimed in.

    "You don¡¯t understand." Zhou Jingtao opened his tablet and showed it to both Lily and Zhou Dae Un. "He has a lot of media personnel with him. They are broadcasting the entire thing online. As you can see... it already attracted a lot of attention from the masses." He shifted his gaze back to Zhou Wu Ye.

    "People in China always value filial piety." Zhou Wu Ye said. He pursed his lips as his face turned grim. He then looked at his wife. "He is leaving us with no choice but to acknowledge that you are indeed his daughter, Zhou Jingren¡¯s mother. What a crazy old man."

    "I told you." Zhou Dae Un¡¯s gaze turned chilly. "He will do everything just to get what he wants. He is obsessive and maniptive. He would do everything just to be a part of our lives again." Exhaustion shed in Zhou Dae Un¡¯s eyes. She then looked at Lily. "Is Jingren alreadying?"

    "Hmmm." She nodded in response. "He is already on his way. I think... two or three minutes away from us."

    "What are we going to do?" Zhou Jingtao asked. He had witnessed the craziness of Old Man Lee years ago. He too would not want the old man back in their lives now. Not when he had finally achieved the peace and quiet that he wanted.

    "I guess we don¡¯t have a choice but to acknowledge the old man." Zhou Wu Ye said. "Are you alright, Dae Un?"

    "I am." Zhou Dae Un nodded. "This matter also involves our son. I want to wait for him. So he and Lily could tell us their thoughts about this matter."

    "If we acknowledge the old man. It will reveal our chaotic past and I honestly don¡¯t want to burden my son with what happened before he was even born." Zhou Dae Un added before she let out another sighed.

 Chapter 506 Senile

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 506 Senile</h4>

    "Aren¡¯t you going to say anything?" Old Man Lee satfortably across from Zhou Wu Ye. "From today onwards, the world will know that we are rted." He then looked at Lily who was sitting next to Zhou Dae Un, "You shouldn¡¯t have challenged me, youngdy when yourage isn¡¯t even half mine."

    Lily only rolled her eyes in response. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for someone to say something.

    "You went too far this time." It was Zhou Jingren. "I already sent you a warning, but it seems that you really want yourpany to suffer with you."

    "If something happens to me, they will me you," Old Man Lee countered. He then eyed Thomas and Ron, who apanied him. "Tell them... Tell them how much media personnel are waiting for your call."

    "What do you want?" Zhou Dae Un said. Irritation shing in her eyes. "I am sure that is not forgiveness. If you want us to forgive you, then you wouldn¡¯t have done that."

    "For one... I want my equipments back." Old Man Lee said with confidence. "Second, I want that woman out of mypany." He eyed Lily. "And third... I don¡¯t want you to misunderstand, Lingling. I am already dying. All I wanted was a chance to be closer to you and Jingren¡¯s life." He lied. "I am already desperate. My time is running out and you won¡¯t even spare a single minute in talking to me."

    "That¡¯s because you are insane." Zhou Dae Un snapped. "Looked at all the trouble that you have caused! You ¡ª I am not sure if this is only because of your age. Or is it because someone is telling you to do these things? But Isaac... everything that you want will never happen!" Her chest raised and fell as her face reddened. Until now, Zhou Dae Un could still feel rage against this man.

    "You ruined my mother¡¯s life. You ¡ª You ruined my life because of your greed! And now... you are saying that you want to get close to me?" Zhou Dae Un continued.

    "Lingling... your father is old. Can¡¯t you at least give him a chance?"

    "Shut up!" Zhou Dae Un hissed at Ron. "Both of you ruined my life!" Zhou Dae Un could feel anger burst inside her. "You were so greedy! You wanted more power. More influence! In exchange, you did not hesitate to turn your back on me after I gave birth!"

    Zhou Dae Un balled her hand into a fist as she tried to stop herself from trembling. Memories of what happened that night shed in her mind as if it just happened yesterday. "When Zhou Kang and his father killed the Zhou Family¡¯s members... I ¡ª I tried to ask for your help! I tried to ¡ª " Zhou Dae Un did not continue her words as she started to sob.

    "Isaac... what you did was unforgivable." Zhou Wu Ye held his wife. Because of this man, they ended up missing thirty years of their son¡¯s life. "How could you abandoned your own daughter just like that?"

    As expected Isaac¡¯s face turned ugly. He never expected that until now his daughter would still harbor those memories against him.

    "You were the only family member that I had." Zhou Dae Un continued. "You are my father! What kind of father would abandon their daughter to die because he is afraid that the people who are after his daughter would go after him instead?"

    "You have to understand..." Ron started. He looked at his long-time friend before he continued. "Your father... had apany to run. People are working for him. People with families! What do you think will happen if he rescued you and Zhou Kang will go after him and hispany instead?" he argued and bravely met Zhou Wu Ye¡¯s eyes. "I suggest that we forget about all this. Since... this is nothing but a part of our past. It was terrible. True. But the past belongs to the past for a reason."

    "Your father is already a changed man. True... he did all those crazy things just so you will agree to see him. However, he is truly desperate. He does not have much time left, and he wanted your forgiveness."

    "I cannot forgive you." Zhou Dae Un met her father¡¯s eyes. "I never will."

    "You cannot juste into our lives and expect that we recognize you as one of us." Zhou Wu Ye added. "You aren¡¯t. So stop this delusion and just... leave us."

    For a few seconds, silence descended upon the room. Isaac pursed his lips.

    "Can¡¯t you just give him a chance? A chance to prove himself."

    Ron¡¯s words only met with a snort from Zhou Wu Ye. "He had one. But what did he do? He threatened my son, used him of r*pe and now... announced to the world that he is rted to us." Zhou Wu Ye sneered. Both of them respected Zhou Jingren¡¯s decision to not reveal him as someone rted to them.

    This was because he does not want toplicate his life. Zhou Jingren knew that his parents have enemies. People lurking behind the shadows, scheming, and nning on taking them down. And both Zhou Dae Un and Zhou Wu Ye knew this from the start. This was the reason why they were actually happy that Zhou Jingren chose not to introduce himself to the world.

    After all, no matter what happens, he is still their son.

    However... the old man ruined all this. Because of his selfishness, he disrespected everyone¡¯s decision and just do what he wanted for his own advantages. How could a man be this selfish?

    "If you... continue doing this then... I will be forced to use the media on my side." Isaac said. However, her words only met a snort from Zhou Jingren.

    "Old man... you have gone senile." Zhou Jingren uttered his cold tone sent shivers down everyone¡¯s spine. "Since you really wanted to do this, then... don¡¯t me me for not showing any mercy."

 Chapter 507 Blurred

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 507 Blurred</h4>

    "If you¡ª " Old Man Lee was not able to continue his words.

    "Did you really think that we are afraid of you and your pseudo threats?" Lily interrupted him. The same smile was stered on her face. "You are absolutely delusional to even think that we would fall for your ns."

    "You..."

    "22 cases." Zhou Jingren interrupted the old man. "I have prepared 22 cases of Insurance fraud for your hospitals." He eyed his parents. "I am getting tired of this. It is nothing but a waste of my time."

    "What are you saying?" the first one to react was Thomas before Ron chimed in.

    "Stop lying!" Ron hissed, panic apparent in his eyes.

    Zhou Jingren lifted an eyebrow. "Lie?" The chill in Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice made Thomas pale. "We both know it wasn¡¯t a lie."

    "Zhou Jingren! Stop saying nonsense! This is a very serious case." Ron said. His face is just as ugly as Thomas¡¯ and Isaac¡¯s. Zhou Jingren sneered in response.

    "We are done talking here." Zhou Jingren rose from his seat as Lily followed him. "You can choose to linger here and create more chaos or prepare yourselves for the case." He gave the old man a nk gaze before he held Lily¡¯s hands.

    When the old man saw this, a tinge of fear immediately shed in his eyes. He could feel his heartbeat speed up. "Jingren... " He opened his mouth to say more words as tension grew inside him. He immediately wondered how did Zhou Jingren manage to get the numbers right. This was something that he, Thomas, and Ron had been hiding for years! How could the man just blurt it out as if knowing it was a normal thing for him?

    He stared at Zhou Jingren¡¯s nk expression as all the possibilities ran rampant in his mind. He could feel his heart drummed even faster as his breathing turned to gasps. He eyed his daughter¡¯s face and was immediately disheartened by theck of concern in her eyes.

    "I can¡¯t..." he clutched his chest as she struggled to breathe.

    "Medicine!" It was Ron. Isaac held Ron¡¯s shoulder, using it to support himself. He then nced at Zhou Jingren who was standing still a few feet away from him. Beside him was Lily. And she... The woman had the same light smile stered on her face. He met her eyes and realized that there was nothing in it. Just like Zhou Jingren... Lily was staring at him with nothing in her eyes.

    He felt his gaze blurred. His breathing sparse as he felt the world spin around him. Theck of sympathy from his daughter and grandson¡¯s eyes seemed to cause more pain in his chest. And he knew it wasn¡¯t because of his heart disease.

    "Heart attack! He is having a heart attack! Call the ambnce!" Thomas¡¯ panic voice echoed in his ears. He wanted to respond, yet he started to lose control of his limbs.

    And then... darkness swallowed him.

    ...

    Shanghai, B Hospital

    "The old man is dead." Ron¡¯s voice was as cold as his gaze. He held the phone tighter, his fingers turning white. "He died of a heart attack."

    "Weak." The woman on the other line responded. "I was not expecting that he would be this... fragile."

    "He is in his seventies. It is only expected." Ron said. The absence of sympathy in his eyes would make anyone realized his true nature. "It was Zhou Jingren¡¯s fault." He hissed.

    "Of course, it was his fault." A chuckle escaped the woman¡¯s voice. "He is the only capable one to make the old man vomit blood from too much anger."

    "What are we going to do now? Brother refused to talk to me. He also refused to tell me where he sent Demi. If this continues... then our daughter will..."

    "Don¡¯t worry. I can deal with him." The woman answered. "Still losing the Lee Group is such a waste. Demi was the only one who deserves to be the Madam of the Lee Family." She sighed. "It would have been perfect. Everything would have been perfect if..."

    "I know," Ron added, his gaze was still cold as he eyed the parking lot of the hospital just a few meters away from him.

    "Don¡¯t worry about it too much. Just act as if the old man¡¯s death traumatized you. Use that to get Jun¡¯s sympathy." The woman said. Disgustced her voice. "I am working on my revenge against that woman."

    "Be careful. That Lily is absolutely cunning." Ron said as he gritted his teeth. "If I am not wrong, the fraud charges should be her own doing. There is no way that Zhou Jingren would have ess to some of the evidence like the swiss bank ounts without that woman¡¯s help."

    "Don¡¯t worry." The woman gave a sinisterugh. "I have the perfect scapegoat. Lily would never know that it¡¯s me." He heard amusementced the woman¡¯s voice. "Now that the old man is dead... I want you to get close to Thomas Lee."

    "But..."

    "Ron, darling. Listen to me." Her gentle voice interrupted him. "The Lee Family is ours. I have to do this to avenge my aunt. Isaac Lee broke her heart, he cheated on her and then left her to die on her own while he is enjoying thepany of his mistress. Because of this... he deserves to suffer even if he is already dead." She sighed before her voice trembled. "I thought... I always thought that you are with me on this."

    "Of course I am with you," Ron said. "I have always been with you even before you married my brother. Alright... I will listen to you. I will get close to Thomas. Do you have something in mind already? Do you want me to target his son? I could absolutely do that as well."

    "I do. But first... I need Thomas to trust you as his father did."

    Unbeknownst to the two of them, Thomas was just standing nearby, listening to Ron mocked his father and his name.

 Chapter 508 Room Service

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 508 Room Service</h4>

    WARNING: ALMOST R18

    Thomas trembled with rage as he continued to listen to Ron Liang¡¯s words. The iron taste inside his mouth intensified as he balled his hands into a fist. He tried to calm his breathing, control himself. But it was futile.

    In the end, Thomas decided to leave the parking lot and ride a taxi instead. He knew that if he continued to listen to Ron talk to his father and him like that, there is a possibility that he won¡¯t be able to stop himself from hurting him.

    Thomas knew that Ron had a crazy influence on Isaac long before he heard this conversation. However, he never realized that the man was actually controlling his father for his own personal gains.

    Thomas wiped away the tears on his cheeks as he cleared his throat. He then told the driver to bring her to where Zhou Jingren and Lily were staying. He needed to tell Lily about the things that he heard. He needed to warn her about that woman.

    .....................

    "He is dead?" Lily¡¯s eyes went round for a few seconds before she chuckled. "I actually expected that he was only acting. Was I too cruel?"

    "Well... to be honest, I was hoping he would die." Zhou Jingren honestly said. "Was that too cruel?" He lifted an eyebrow.

    "I guess there is a reason why we are meant to be," Lily responded before she let out a sigh of relief. "At least it¡¯s over." She uttered. "I was getting tired of his delusions."

    "Same," he pulled her closer towards him as he eyed the view of Shanghai from the terrace in their room. His hand clutched her waist. "My shirt looks good on you," he whispered against her ear.

    In response, Lily leaned her head against his chest, "I know," she beamed. "Your grandfather is dead. Aren¡¯t you sad?"

    "I feel a lot of things tonight. But sad is not one of them."

    "Really?" Lily feigned her surprise. Of course, Zhou Jingren would never be sad about losing a person as treacherous as his grandfather. "This ¡¯a lot of things¡¯ got me curious. Would you mind sharing those emotions with me?"

    Lily did not hear a response from him. Instead, she felt him inhaled her scent. His hand caressed her waist. "Isn¡¯t it too cold here?" Lily felt his hot breath on her neck. It wasn¡¯t cold and the fact that they were currently on the thirty-fifth floor of the hotel does not really matter to her. "We should go inside." He said, his voice a little low.

    In response, she nodded. A smile hung on her lips as he swept her up into his arms. She met his eyes. She could feelughter bubbled inside her. Was it wrong to make love when his grandfather just died? Maybe? The truth is... she doesn¡¯t care.

    Isaac was nothing but a stranger to Zhou Jingren and his family.

    "Stop thinking about it." She heard Zhou Jingren said. In response, Lily lifted an eyebrow at him.

    "Thinking about what?" She was too engrossed in her own mind that she did not even notice thetter alreadyid her into the bed.

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s intense gaze bore directly into her eyes. Without saying another word, he bent down to kiss her. The kiss was far from soft. It was wild, hungry.

    In response, she melted into him. Her hand going up to hold the back of his neck. "You shouldn¡¯t think about other matters when you are with me," a tinge of jealousy clouded his voice before he captured his lips again. His tongue slid into hers as his hand move to one of her breast, cupping it through its thin fabric.

    Without any hesitation, he pinched her hardened nipple. Her hand sunk into the darkness of his hair as she let out a moan. Lily never bothered wearing a bra under his shirt. She knew it would be useless. She would not want him to spend some time removing it from her body.

    She closed her eyes as another moan slid past her lips. In a world full of schemes and uncertainty, this man... is the only thing that could quench the thirst that she didn¡¯t even know she had. She felt his hand in between her thighs. His fingers caught the edge of her redcy underwear and before she could even say a word of protest, he already ripped it out of his way.

    "Toozy," the deep rumble of his voice sent shivers down Lily¡¯s spine. "I¡¯ll buy you dozens of those." He must have known that she was about to demand some sort ofpensation for her ruined panties. The thought of him knowing her too well made her chest a little lighter.

    Another ripping sound echoed inside their hotel room as he removed the shirt on Lily¡¯s body. Her eyes shot open, meeting his ck orbs. His impatience surprised her. Lily watched as he smirked at her. He then lowered his head towards her breasts.

    "Do you have any idea... how much I want you?" He said before his mouth captured one of her nipples. Just like an instinct, Lily arched her back. Lust and pleasure shoot through her, sending electrical pulses down her stomach. She felt her core ache for him.

    She tangled her fingers into his hair as she bit her lips. She then held his other hand and gently nudged it towards her core. He needed him to touch her, satisfy her, make her scream his name in pleasure. "I think I do," she managed to say in between her moans.

    He lifted his head and stared at the desire swirling in Lily¡¯s eyes. However, before Zhou Jingren could lower his head back to her body, the loud sound of the doorbell echoed inside their room.

    "Room service?" Lily¡¯s brows knitted.

    "Let¡¯s ignore it," he suggested as he used his tongue to trace her pink lips. Lily was about to agree when she heard her phone ring. Their eyes met, and for a moment, irritation shed in their orbs.

    "Don¡¯t kill the hotel personnel." Lily managed to say as she watched Zhou Jingren¡¯s face darkened. She smiled before she narrowed her eyes. "I will do it myself," she added.

 Chapter 509 Lunatic

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 509 Lunatic</h4>

    Thomas¡¯ dark face seemed to lighten the moment he saw the door opened. But it was short-lived. Seeing Zhou Jingren¡¯s face immediately made him tensed. The suffocating atmosphere assaulted him, it pricked his skin like thin needles. He took a step back, away from the man who was ring at him as if he justmitted the crime of killing his wife.

    "I ¡ª " Thomas stuttered.

    "Why are you here?" he growled, narrowing his eyes at Thomas.

    "I ¡ª " he cleared his throat as heposed himself. "I need to talk to Lily."

    "Lily?" an icy smile crept on his face. "I was not aware that you are... on a first-name basis with my wife." Zhou Jingren dragged the words ¡¯my wife¡¯ as if informing him that she is his.

    Confusion immediately swirled in Thomas¡¯ eyes. How could this man act like this? He wondered why would Zhou Jingren show so much anger towards him. Did Zhou Jingren think that he liked his wife? "It¡¯s not like that ¡ª I was just ¡ª " Thomas felt the other¡¯s sharp gaze towards him. "I have something important to tell her."

    "You can tell me." Zhou Jingren¡¯s clenched his jaws.

    "Jingren... let the poor man in."

    Thomas¡¯ immediately let a sigh of relief when he heard Lily¡¯s words. He wondered what could have made Zhou Jingren act like this. Was it because of his grandfather¡¯s death? Seeing Zhou Jingren did not move an inch from the door, Thomas¡¯ cleared his throat again. "Miss Lily said... to let me in."

    In response, Zhou Jingren narrowed his eyes at him before he reluctantly opened the door, letting Thomas go inside the room. After Thomas went inside, Zhou Jingren closed the door and led him towards the living room of the suite that they were staying in.

    "Sit," Lily said as she clutched the long robe closer to her body. "Is this about Isaac?"

    "No," Thomas sat opposite to Lily as he gave a wry look towards the shirtless Zhou Jingren and his messy hair. Was it possible that...

    Thomas shook his head as he closed his eyes. How could he even think about this matter?

    "What is it then?" Zhou Jingren asked. He sat next to Lily. His face was still dark as he stared at Thomas. "Is it really worth disturbing us?"

    "I¡ª" Thomas swallowed his nonexistent saliva. "I believe Ron Is nning something against you."

    "Oh?" as expected, Lily only smiled when she heard his words. "I¡¯m listening."

    "Ron and my father were close since they were younger. I always see him... I mean, we always see him as a part of our family. I see him as my father¡¯s best friend. Someone who is willing to give his advice. I always knew that he is influencing my father¡¯s decision." He took a deliberate pause as he eyed the interest in Lily¡¯s eyes.

    "I just never thought that this is all possible." He added as he sighed.

    "You can go directly to the point." Zhou Jingren¡¯s words were still sullen. Thomas¡¯ words did not even gather a hint of interest in thetter¡¯s eyes.

    "Well... Ron together with a woman called Chen Shi is nning to ruin Lily¡¯s name. They are also nning to obtain the Lee Group." He wanted to add that they are nning to manipte him and Adrian. But chose not to say it. After all, this was his personal matter. Lily has nothing to do with it.

    "Interesting," Lily¡¯s eyes glimmered with mischief. This instantly surprised Thomas. Was it possible that they already know who Chen Shi is?

    "I... If you don¡¯t know who that woman is then let me tell you... that woman is the worst." He said. While Lily is smart and maniptive in her own way, Thomas could not deny that this Chen Shi was an original case of lunatic. "That woman was the previous matriarch of the Liang Family. She is Demi and Ben¡¯s mother before Jun Liang and Chen Shi divorced seven years after their marriage. At that time, Ben was six, and Demi was three."

    "Hmmm," Lily added. While Jun Liang did not tell her about the specifics of the divorce, she already knew that something was wrong. Lily knew it from the way Jun mentioned her name, or the way his upper lip trembled when he warned her about his ex-wife.

    "Everyone thought the divorce was amicable. That it was because the two lost interest towards each other." Thomas continued. "This was before she... she came here in China to pursue her singing."

    "What everyone didn¡¯t know was that... the woman actually framed Jun Liang and ckmailed him." Lily immediately raised an eyebrow when she heard his words.

    "With what?"

    "Well... she faked her injuries and bruises. She gathered some evidence of physical injuries and threatened to sue him if he does not give in to her demands."

    Lily¡¯s brows furrowed when she heard thetter¡¯s words. At that time, the issue of women being abused by their husbands could ruin anyone¡¯s reputation. With the absence of social media, people will always believe the news from the tabloids.

    If you think about it, this is a very calctive and maniptive method.

    "How did you know this?" Zhou Jingren asked.

    "Well... I unexpectedly found out about it. I stumbled upon the file when my father had mistaken it for another file and gave it directly to me. The file was from my father¡¯s secret vault. That vault contains all the materials that my father," he eyed Zhou Jingren. "Your maternal grandfather could use to ckmail someone. My guess was he was also nning on using her in some way. But he didn¡¯t have the chance to do it."

    "Do you still have a copy of this... evidence?"

    "I do." He nodded. "I had to keep it safe somewhere in Singapore." He answered. At that time, he always thought that he could give the evidence to Jun Liang so he could use it against her. In return, Thomas would ask the man to support him in his fight to keep the Lee Group under him. However, he never got the chance to do this as Isaac Lee discovered that Zhou Jingren, his grandson, was alive. "I can give it to you..." he added. "But you have to promise me something."

 Chapter 510 Medical World

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 510 Medical World</h4>

    The death of Old Man Lee became the topic of the week. After all, the Old Man was once a great Doctor and businessman despite the fact that his personal life was a mess. Of course, Zhou Jingren and Zhou Dae Un¡¯s name was also dragged along with the old man¡¯s death.

    How could the old man die just after apologizing to his daughter? And what did the old man do in the past that caused this misunderstanding with his daughter? ording to the media, the old man was benevolent and extremely smart. What kind of mistakes in the past would cause his daughter to abandon him?

    In the old man¡¯s wake, many prominent figures showed themselves. From prominent figures in the medical world to actors and actresses. Even some political leaders went to pay respects to the old man. This was not surprising as they consider him as one of the greatest figures in Singapore because of the Lee Group¡¯s contribution to the economy of the country.

    The only thing that surprised some economist was that his death did not affect the Lee Group. In the end, they immediately concluded that it was because the old man trained the smart Thomas to manage thepany well. However, this did not stop the media from asking. What changes will Zhou Jingren and Zhou Dae Un brought to thepany?

    Everyone remembered how the old man dered that he wanted to make his daughter and grandson to be the heir to his extravagant fortune. What could this deration mean to Thomas and his son, Adrian?

    "I think Zhou Jingren and Zhou Dae Un should give up their rights on thepany. After all, Thomas had been running thepany for years. How could he just give up what he had worked so hard just to honor his father¡¯s wishes?" One economist said. "I believe that this decision needed to be made soon to avoid unrest from the shareholders."

    Many people gave their opinions about the matter. But at the end of the day, the only one capable of deciding this are the Lees.

    "I think they should just give up their shares too," Ron said. His eyes were still red, his voice hoarse. He seemed to have grown even older than his original age after Isaac¡¯s death. Anyone who would see Ron like this would immediately sympathize with him. He had been with Isaac for over thirty years! Surely, the death of the old man gave him a lot of sadness.

    If Thomas had not heard of him talking to Isaac like that, he would have be one of those people who would be fooled by this facade that Ron was showing. However, he already knew Ron¡¯s actual intention. "I can see that my father¡¯s death had an immense effect on your health." He changed the topic as he eyed Ron. "Uncle Ron, I think you should take some rest. My father... " Thomas let out a sighed. "I know this sounds cold, but he is already old. We already know that this will eventually happen."

    Ron responded with a sigh. "I can¡¯t just leave you and Adrian like this." He uttered in a gloomy voice. "We all know that Zhou Jingren is ruthless and would not hesitate to harm anyone that he deemed his enemy. How could I leave you and your son to face that sociopath alone?" His reasoning was actually right. In fact, Thomas wouldmend this old man for still being sharp despite his age. Anyone who knew what happened in Shanghai would immediately say that they wanted to help Thomas and Adrian fight against a man like Zhou Jingren.

    "Can we really do something about it?" Thomas said in a sullen tone. "I don¡¯t think... we could fight against Lily and Zhou Jingren. And if Zhou Dae Un decided to join them, then we are done."

    "Zhou Dae Un made it clear that she does not want to involve herself in this matter anymore. I tried calling her for the funeral of her father, but she ruthlessly refused and told me never to contact her again. She is the least of our concern. Both Lily and Zhou Jingren are known ruthless when ites to acquiring businesses. What if..." Ron did not continue his words as he gauges Thomas¡¯ reaction. As expected, Thomas darkened his face at his statement.

    "I know. This is why... I said it¡¯s pointless." Thomas said. "I don¡¯t want to fight with them anymore. I don¡¯t want to sacrifice my son and my safety in this pointless battle of who gets to manage apany." He lifted his head and stared at Ron. "I am nning to make a deal with Lily and Zhou Jingren. I want my peace and I think this¡ª "

    "That cannot happen!" Ron¡¯s tone immediately changed when he heard Thomas¡¯ words. "Isaac would never like that."

    "But he said..."

    "Thomas... you are still naive after all." Ron interrupted him. "The old man only said that he wanted to have a rtionship with Zhou Jingren and his mother because of the benefits that he will get from them. Let¡¯s not kid ourselves. Isaac had always valued benefits and money above everything else. I suggest that we wait for the old man¡¯s will before we decide about this matter."

    "But we know how dangerous Zhou Jingren can be." Thomas tried to reason. "He even had the guts to hurt my son in my own country! What is stopping him from targeting me and Adrian? He could even include you in this matter! Uncle Ron... I don¡¯t want anyone to get hurt anymore. We are from the medical world, we are meant to save people. Not put them at risk."

    Ron stared at Thomas for a few seconds. He then clenched his jaws as he wondered how will he convince him to fight instead of fleeing. He eyed the seriousness in Thomas¡¯ eyes before heposed himself. "I have a n." Ron uttered.

 Chapter 511 Concrete

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 511 Concrete</h4>

    After a few days of going around having interviews and photoshoot, Lily and Zhou Jingren finally went back to Sky City. However, the duo did not even unpack their luggage as they immediately went to Singapore to attend the reading of the Old Man¡¯s Will.

    The reading of the will be in the Lee Family¡¯s house and will be attended by Thomas, Ron, Adrian, Zhou Jingren, and Zhou Dae Un. However, Zhou Dae Un declined the invitation and told thewyer that she would like Lily to be her representative, instead.

    Of course, the Lawyer disagreed. After all, Lily is not Zhou Dae Un¡¯swyer. Moreover, she was not invited to the reading. But when the Zhou Jingren refused to attend without Lily. In the end, the Lawyer was forced to bend and ended up allowing her to be Zhou Dae Un¡¯s representative.

    This made Adrian, and Ron fumed in anger. But what can they do? Thewyer already told them that Zhou Jingren¡¯s attendance is very important in the reading.

    "I was already expecting this!" Adrian slowly massaged his still injured arm. The wound from his surgery was already healing. However, the mention of Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s name seemed to make his wound throbbed in pain. "That woman won¡¯t stop until she acquires the Lee Group!"

    "Calm yourself! You know being too angry is not good for you." Thomas immediately reprimanded his son. "This anger won¡¯t help us in any way." He uttered in a calm tone.

    Adrian grunted in response. "Father, how could you be this calm?" he asked. Confused at his father¡¯s reaction. "If Zhou Jingren decides to take over thepany, you will suffer the most injustice! You took care of thispany for decades! How could you be this calm, knowing that it was about to be taken away from you?"

    Thomas only let out a sigh. Calm? This was only on the outside! On the inside, he was struggling. He was afraid and hesitant to trust Lily and her ns. However, what could he do? He could not just defeat someone who knows all secrets that the Lee Family had. He needed someone from the outside to help him. "As I said... Anger won¡¯t do us any good."

    Their conversation was interrupted when thewyer arrived with Zhou Jingren and Lily in tow. Their arrival immediately changed the atmosphere In the living room.

    "You did not even dare to show your face on grandfather¡¯s funeral," Adrian spoke first. Displeasureced his tone. "And yet, you are here now. Aren¡¯t you afraid that grandfather¡¯s soul will haunt you in your sleep?"

    "How was your arm?" Zhou Jingren titled his head towards Adrian. He eyed his arm as a cold smile appeared on his lips. "Does it still hurt?"

    Adrian immediately felt his throat tightened. Anger immediately started to boil inside him. He opened his mouth as he was about to argue, but his father already beat him to it.

    "He is fine now," Thomas said as he sent a warning nce at his son. "The surgery went well."

    "Good." Lily chimed in. "You should be more careful." She beamed at Adrian. "Stop being too clumsy. You can¡¯t just bump into a block of concrete when you feel like it and expect nothing in return." While Lily¡¯s words seemed to mean well, everyone in the room except thewyer, knew what she meant.

    Lily had likened her and Zhou Jingren into the concrete that Adrian bump into. As expected, Adrian¡¯s face immediately reddened. He suddenly rose from his seat and walked towards Lily. However, Zhou Jingren was quick enough to stand in front of his wife. He narrowed his eyes at the furious Adrian.

    The duo was almost of the same height, however, Zhou Jingren¡¯s body is more muscr than Adrian¡¯s tall and thin physique. If the two would stand in front of each other, anyone could see who will win in case they fight.

    "Adrian!"

    "Stop it, Adrian!" Thomas and Ron said almost at the same time.

    "You want to touch her?" There was no warmth in Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice. "You think... you can just touch my woman because you want to?" An arrogant smirk hung on Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips. "You can try."

    "She disrespected me!" Adrian hissed. He red at Zhou Jingren as he refused to back down. How could he allow this woman to belittle him as if he was worthless? His eyes moved passed Zhou Jingren, only to see Lilynguidly sitting on the chair, the same arrogant smirk was stered on her face.

    This sent fury inside Adrian. He could feel himself burning with rage. "Move!" he ordered.

    "Adrian! Go back to your seat!" Thomas approached the two and tried to move in front of his son. No matter what happens, Adrian is still his son that Thomas is not nning to abandon him.

    "This woman... just disrespected me, father." Adrian did not take his eyes off Zhou Jingren. "If you are so brave then... why don¡¯t you hurt me?" Adrian said. Seeing Zhou Jingren not move an inch, he continued. "If you are not nning to hurt me now then, move!"

    "It¡¯s alright, Jingren. We should let him hurt me." Lily¡¯s voice was full of amusement and mockery. "A minor sacrifice that will show the world what kind of man is he. I think it¡¯s worth it."

    "Shut it!" Adrian raised his voice.

    "I never knew that you really like to lose your arms." Zhou Jingren¡¯s sudden words were enough to stop all the curses that Adrian was nning to utter.

    When Thomas heard Zhou Jingren¡¯s words, panic immediately rose inside him. "Adrian move back to your seat!" He held his son¡¯s arm and tried pulling him back to his seat.

    "You think I am afraid of you?" Adrian ignored his father¡¯s words. Instead, he walked closer to Zhou Jingren. "Come on... show everyone here what you are." He challenged. "Or are you afraid that your woman will see the real you?" Since it hade to this, Adrian decided to try and provoke him. He wanted Zhou Jingren to lose his temper and hurt him.

    Surely, Zhou Jingren would not be able to inflict so much damage, right? After all, his father and thewyer could stop Zhou Jingren. Moreover, he could also use this against Zhou Jingren! Well... he was wrong.

    Adrian was too engrossed in his own mind that he failed to see Lily rose from her seat and directly walked towards him.

    *Pak*

    The loud p echoed inside the living room.

 Chapter 512 Open Mind

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 512 Open Mind</h4>

    Adrian froze as the p stung his cheek. He widened his eyes, disbelief shing through them. In his whole life, he had never experienced any woman pped him!

    *Pak*

    Another resounding p echoed. This time, Adrian¡¯s left cheek throb. For a few seconds, Adrian felt that his brain stopped working. He froze, unable to react in time.

    "Are you awake now?" Lily¡¯s words seemed to woke everyone up from their shock. "Good. I¡¯ve been meaning to do that for a long while now," she met Adrian¡¯s angry eyes. "Now... listen." Lily stood in front of Adrian as Zhou Jingren stood behind her, like a fortress, his face was stoic, his posture was still. He stood and watched Adrian¡¯s face turned ugly.

    "You are not someone special." Lily sneered. "If you think you can just hurt any woman just because they hurt your ego, then you are wrong." She smiled as she leaned closer. "Be careful. One day... you will meet someone like me again. Someone who did not hesitate to stab a man thirty-two times just to let go of her... emotions." She stepped back. "Just to be clear... I never regretted it." She then turned her back on him and walk back to her seat.

    Her actions were swift and smooth. It was quick that no one, not even Ron, and thewyer was able to react in time.

    "You ¡ª Witch!" Adrian managed to say in anger.

    "I suggest, we all calm down." Thewyer¡¯s voice interrupted him. "Everyone... please take your seats. I want to start reading the will now." Thewyer cleared his throat and pretended that he did not just witnessed what happened. He was nothing but a lowlywyer. These things that involves people like Lily and Zhou Jingren has nothing to do with him.

    "Let¡¯s go." Thomas pulled his son towards him. "Come on." He let out a sigh as he eyed Lily¡¯s nonchnt smile. Thetter made it clear that she is not going to back down if Adrian will show his nasty traits towards her. She also warned him that Adrian¡¯s safety will only depend on his stupidity.

    Thomas tried to argue. He wanted Lily and Zhou Jingren to promise him to keep his son safe. How could he let Ron and Miss Chen hurt his only son? However, Lily onlyughed at him. She then told him that if she won¡¯t deal with Adrian now, someday someone else will. Someone more ruthless. She said that Adrian might be talented in medicine, but his ego was bigger than his head.

    In response, Adrian shook his father¡¯s hand from his arm and walked towards his seat. His gaze was dark as he sat and eyed Lily. Who would have thought that someone like Lily would dare hurt him? Who would have thought that one day, a woman would dare p him in front of his family?

    The fact that he cannot do anything against Lily now, only made him more infuriated.

    "Thank you," thewyer let out a sigh of relief inwardly. All he wanted to do now is finish this so he could leave this ce. "My name is Luis Tang. I have been the familywyer since my father, the previouswyer of Mr. Isaac Lee died five years ago." He then started reading Isaac well.

    As expected, Isaac gave most of his shares towards Zhou Dae Un and Zhou Jingren. In fact, eighty percent of his wealth went to his daughter and Zhou Jingren. While the twenty percent was divided between Adrian and his father.

    Of course, a small portion of his properties was also given to his long-time friend, Ron Liang.

    "Preposterous!" Adrian interrupted thewyer. "We grew up with grandfather! How could he only leave us with this amount of money? My father was the one managing hispany for years! He deserves more than what that bastard will receive!"

    "Mr. Lee... please calm yourself and let me continue."

    Adrian snorted. "You are the newwyer. Tell me... Mr. Tang, how much money did you receive to alter this document?" In Adrian¡¯s mind, Lily and Zhou Jingren or even Zhou Dae Un must have done something to change this document. Or why would they get that much wealth from the old man when they did not even show a little bit of affection towards him?

    "Adrian, stop it," Thomas said. "Let¡¯s let him continue."

    Seeing Adrian¡¯s lips thinned into a grim line, thewyer continued reading the will. The old man¡¯s words were clear and concise. He did not have any conditions. All he wanted was for Thomas to give up his position anytime that Zhou Jingren will decide to take over thepany. As expected, this made everyone aside from Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s face to turn ugly.

    After making sure that he already informed everyone of the things inside the will, thewyer immediately left.

    "Well... we already expected that." Ron was the first one to blurt out his thoughts. "However... the shareholders would never agree to that kind of arrangement. A hostile takeover is also not profitable for thepany, or anypany for that matter. As someone who had worked with Isaac for years, I would suggest that you give up the rights to thepany. Sell your shares and not associate yourselves with us."

    "Are you going to buy our shares?" When talking about business, Lily tends to be very sharp and open about propositions like this. After all, shares always mean money. And money... well... it is the second most important thing after her husband. "I¡¯m listening." she smiled.

    Seeing Lily¡¯s smile like this immediately made everyone ufortable. Of course, this is with the exception of her husband.

    ################################

    I have been busy packing some goods and talking to some suppliers hoping that I could get some alcohol. Well... I am very unlucky. Sigh: This is the problem when you are living in the province. Less suppliers.

    If you want to send some support for the author, please check out this link:

    https://ko-fi/theblips

 Chapter 513 Selective Honesty

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 513 Selective Honesty</h4>

    "We are nning to buy your shares." Thomas chimed in. He gave Lily a meaningful gaze. "You and Zhou Jingren¡¯s as well as his mother¡¯s shares."

    "Ten percent," Lily said. "I want ten percent more than the market price."

    "Are you crazy?" Ron furrowed his brows. He sent a signal to Adrian as if telling him not to involve himself in this matter. Seeing Lily only arched an eyebrow at him, he continued, "The board of directors is forcing you to sell your shares. How could you demand such a crazy amount?" Ifbined, Lily, Zhou Jingren, and Zhou Dae Un¡¯s shares are more than anyone¡¯s shares in thepany.

    "Well... thebined value of our shares is more than 35%. Was it 39 percent? Or 40? But that is not my point." A cunning gleam shed on Lily¡¯s eyes. "My point is... itfwe sell these shares to thepetitor then..."

    "You wouldn¡¯t dare!" How could Lily say something like this? Does she want the Lee Group to be swallowed by another conglomerate? Ron felt his temper red.

    "Uncle calm down." Thomas sent a concerned gaze at the old man. "Miss Lily, your demands are unreasonable. There is no way that we will buy it out when its ten percent more than the price in the market."

    "Fifteen," Lily uttered. Her shamelessness only made everyone speechless. "Last chance." She uttered. Both Zhou Dae Un and Zhou Jingren already said that they are not interested in thispany. But, Lily was different. How could she just leave apany worth million¡¯s like this?

    Of course, she knew that Ron and Thomas would never agree to her terms. Normally a buy out like this would not give anyone big profits. There is no way that a normal businessman would agree to this.

    Lily eyed Thomas before sending him a knowing smile. Lily agreed to have those proof in exchange for kicking Ron out of thepany. She agreed to make Ron¡¯s life miserable. However, she never agreed to not earning a profit while doing this.

    Was this being evil? Probably. However, Lily¡¯s motivation always revolves around profits. Without profits, Lily would never dare involve herself in things like this. She would rather lie in her bed and eat sweet and sour dried fruits than schemed against these people.

    "That is not possible!" Ron wanted to curse. He wanted to trash Lily¡¯s smiling face. Just how hateful was this woman? To Ron, Lily is the only person that is preventing him from achieving his goals. He eyed Zhou Jingren¡¯snguid posture as he sat next to his wife. "Are you letting her decide this matter?"

    Zhou Jingren gave him a shrug in response. "What¡¯s mine is hers." He added. How could he stop his wife from ying? Lily had always been like this before they got married. And Zhou Jingren was not nning to change this side of her.

    "Foolish," Adrian chimed in.

    "Well... there is no stopping us from selling the shares to anotherpany if you agreed." Lily said, her tone was full of amusement as she poked at her husband¡¯s shoulder. "I want the dried mango." She uttered before shifting her gaze back to the three men in front of them. "After selling the shares... I will then release the evidence of the insurance fraud and guess what will happen?"

    "You¡ª "

    "Lily!" Frustration crinkled in Thomas¡¯ eyes. "This is too much! How could you do this just after the old man died!? You knew the effects of this scandal! It could destroy lives, jobs, and dreams! Are you going to do this just because of a few millions?"

    "Is that my problem, Mr. Lee?" she responded. The freezing contempt in her voice was clear as she raised her chin. As if she was challenging them to answer her. Was it her fault that the old man and Ronmitted those crimes? Was it her fault that Thomas did his best to cover it? "Was it my fault?" she asked as a sinister smile hung in her lips.

    "What a B*tch," Adrian said in a low voice. While he was also aware of these fraud cases, Adrian still chose to help his father in hiding those shreds of evidence. In fact, Adrian was surprised when his father told him that Lily and Zhou Jingren found out about this matter.

    "You can only me yourselves." Lily shrugged as she started eating her dried mangoes. "This tastes very good." She smiled at her husband. "So? Are you going to buy the shares or not?"

    "The price is not profitable for us. As a businessman, you should know this." Ron said. He knew that talking to a woman like this would not take him anywhere near his goal. He would not want to end up like Isaac and sumb to his anger. By now, both Ron and Thomas already knew that Lily is especially good at making people angry.

    "Not my problem. It¡¯s either that... or your reputation and yourpany." Lily said. "The choice is really easy here. You are only making it difficult for yourselves."

    "If we buy this... what will happen to the fraud charges?"

    "I will give it back to you." Lily immediately answered without batting an eyelid. "The media will never know what happened in the past. Win-Win, right?"

    "Then... how can you assure us that you won¡¯t betray us in the end?" Thomas said as he swallowed his saliva. For some reason, he felt that his deal with Lily was extremely wed. It made him feel as if Lily was doing him a great favor. When in fact, the woman was also using him to attain her goals.

    His memories seemed to take him to his college years when he used to study medicine andw. He clearly remembered one phrase that could perfectly describe Lily¡¯s actions right now.

    *Use selective honesty and generosity to disarm your victim*

    Lily might have shown a sincere move to make him feel that she was very generous in helping him. However, in the end, her actions only covered the dozen of dishonest ones that she was about to make.

    If this is not cruelty... then what is?

 Chapter 514 Test Ki

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 514 Test Ki</h4>

    "I believe we need to discuss this further with the shareholders," Thomas said when he realized that they were not getting anywhere with their discussion. After all, Lily¡¯s greedy nature was something iprehensible to him. True, he knew that this was business after all and businessmen like Lily existed in every part of the world. However, her decision to do this while also ¡¯helping¡¯ him at the same time didn¡¯t really sit well with him.

    He stared as Lily rose from her seat with a slight smile on her lips.

    "Since that is the case... then... we won¡¯t stay for long," Lily added. She then left with Zhou Jingren without giving them another nce.

    "How hateful," Adrian said. Until now, he could still feel the sting from Lily¡¯s p. The fact that he couldn¡¯t really touch Lily was infuriating him. "What are we going to do now?" he asked as he eyed Ron and Thomas¡¯ dark face.

    "We can force her to sell it to us," Ron immediately suggested. "She won¡¯t have a choice." He shifted his gaze toward Thomas. "Call an emergency board meeting tomorrow. Its us against her. This time... we will win."

    ###################################

    After Lily and Zhou Jingren left the Lee Residence, they immediately went back to their hotel to rest.

    "Are you sure you¡¯re alright?" Zhou Jingren touched Lily¡¯s forehead. "You look pale."

    "I¡¯m tired," Lily answered as she snuggled on his chest. "This constant flying is tiring me out," She answered before closing her eyes, masking the suspicions that she felt inside. "You can go ahead and transfer the shares under my name. I will sleep for a while before dinner."

    "Hmmm. Jichen is already working on it." Zhou Jingren kissed Lily¡¯s forehead. "I will call for some room service. Don¡¯t sleep yet... let¡¯s have dinner first." He leaned in to give her a light kiss on the lips. "I will also call Jichen."

    Lily nodded. "I will go take a cold shower and order more cheese," she said before going to the bathroom.

    After thirty minutes, Lily stared at her reflection in the mirror. Lily always hated drying her hair. However, for some reason, she felt that she needed to do so before leaving the bathroom. She sighed as she eyed the two boxes of pregnancy test kits in front of her.

    For a few days now, Lily had been suspecting that she was pregnant. The changes in her body were just too obvious to not notice. She seemed to love eating and sleeping more and more these days. She held her robe as she bit her lips. Another sigh escaped her mouth. For some reason, taking the test scared her. Was it because she was too cowardly to face the results? Maybe.

    What if she wasn¡¯t pregnant? What if she was only giving herself false hope? This was the reason why Lily refused to tell Zhou Jingren about this matter. She was afraid to disappoint him and most of all, she was afraid to disappoint herself.

    She stared at her reflection, trying topose herself. This was only normal, right? The feelings of fear and excitement? Anxiety and nervousness mixed with the fear of disappointing oneself should be normal for a woman like her, right? She furrowed her brows.

    Lily had been denying it for a few weeks now, but she knew that killing Jack had an immense effect on her mental health. She wasn¡¯t regretful in any way and she would never regret her actions. However, just like what Zhou Jingren told her before, killing someone would haunt her.

    It was the constant questions in her head, the what if¡¯s. Lily wished that she could stop thinking about the matter. She wished she could just pretend that it didn¡¯t matter, but she couldn¡¯t. Her mind had been programmed to over think, over analyze things. She had been ustomed to thinking about all the what if¡¯s and all the possible effects of every action.

    The only thing that Lily wondered was how damaged had she been because of what she did. Was it possible that she was only imagining the things that she felt because she wanted to stop thinking about that matter? Was it possible that this was her own mind¡¯s way to divert her attention? Was this even normal?

    What if she was going crazy?

    Her hands squeezed into a fist as determination shed within her eyes. If she kept on doubting and letting her fears win, she would never know the truth. Without any hesitation, Lily ripped open the boxes and read the instructions carefully before she performed the test.

    She then closed her eyes, trying to suppress the sudden surge of emotion inside her. She could feel butterflies running around her stomach as sweat trickled down her forehead. She opened her eyes and looked at her face from the mirror. She had gotten even paler.

    Lily was not able to stop herself from chuckling. She remembered how even being kidnapped didn¡¯t give her these kinds of emotions. To be honest, this was the first time that Lily felt so many various emotions within the span of two minutes. After what seemed like forever talking herself out of her nervousness, Lily finally had the courage to look down and stare at the result.

    She then furrowed her brows. The first kit had a clear straight line that told her she wasn¡¯t pregnant. She held it closer to her face as she narrowed her eyes at the faint horizontal line. It was so faint that she really wasn¡¯t sure if it even existed. Was she hallucinating? Was it because she had kept this test kit in her bag for a few days now?

    She decided to check the second test kit and this time the horizontal line was clearer than the vertical one. Lily frowned. The results only made her more nervous and anxious. It wasn¡¯t really clear if she was pregnant or not and this seemed to make her more distressed than before.

    The worst thing was, she could not tell her husband about it as she knew he would overreact and would summon a few doctors to test her. Moreover, she would not want to make him excited only to disappoint him if she was not really pregnant.

    ......

    Thank you: Njugu68 for the Kofi! This chapter is for you!

    For Support here is the link to my kofi: https://ko-fi/theblips

 Chapter 515 Irritatingly Beautiful Smile

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 515 Irritatingly Beautiful Smile</h4>

    At first there was music. It echoed inside the white room before screams and shouting assaulted Lily¡¯s senses. She opened her mouth to say something but no words came from her mouth. She clutched her throat, desperately trying to scream, yet it was futile.

    She stumbled, her limbs turning weak. "What was happening?" she asked herself as her gaze became hazy. She eyed the door a few feet away from her. She needed to leave this ce. Lily started crawling. Her body felt weak yet she persisted. Then she froze.

    She could smell the rustic smell of blood before she could even see it. Her eyes roamed around the room, and there it was. A small drop of red in the corner of the room. Then she heard the sound of liquid dripping. She eyed the ceiling and trembled when she realized that the once white ceiling had now turned into a puddle of red.

    She needed to leave this ce! She continued to crawl. Why did it feel like she had crawled for hours? Why did it feel like she hadn¡¯t moved an inch away from that blood? Panic rose within her as the pitter-patter of the drops of blood behind her intensified.

    She needed to leave. She needed to leave now!

    Lily trembled before she jolted up. Sweat trickled down her forehead.

    "Hey... are you alright?" Zhou Jingren sat beside her and turned on the bedsidemp. "Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded in response before meeting his eyes. Seeing her face, Zhou Jingren pulled her into a hug. She felt him wipe her forehead with one hand as his other arm circled around her. Reminding her that he was there next to her, "I¡¯m here," he uttered.

    "Hmmm," she nodded and closed her eyes. The erratic beating in her chest slowly calmed down. "It was a funny one." She ended up telling him about the dream. Thetter listened to her words before getting her a bottle of water.

    "Do you want to see a doctor?" he asked. Zhou Jingren feared that Jack¡¯s death might have affected Lily more than he thought. While Lily was showing that it did not affect her, Zhou Jingren feared that she was just trying to lie to herself. Killing someone was never easy.

    "No, I¡¯m good," she sighed and stared at him. "How do you do it?" Lily managed to ask after a few minutes of silent deliberation.

    "Do what?"

    "Forget," her voice was as steady as her eyes.

    "You don¡¯t," his hand caressed her cheeks. "There is no way to forget things. You just get used to it, and learn to live with it."

    Lily pursed her lips and nodded at his words. There was no forgetting things, only getting used to them.

    "I am here for you," he uttered. Zhou Jingren knew that Lily did not need any other assurance from him. However, a simple reminder wouldn¡¯t hurt either. "You know that right?"

    She nodded silently. She knew this man would never leave her. She stared at his gentle gaze as she wondered if he wanted her to tell him more, if he wanted her to tell him her thoughts.

    "You can tell me... once you are ready," he leaned down to kiss her lips.

    "Can you read my mind?" she chuckled. How could he just say stuff as if he knew what she was thinking?

    "I can¡¯t." He gave a lowugh. He didn¡¯t need to know what she was thinking. Lily¡¯s anxiety was painted all over her face. But he decided not to tell her this. Instead, he pulled her closer into his embrace. "Sleep. I am here."

    ..........................

    Lee Group Head Office

    The emergency board meeting was called by Thomas to discuss the matters pertaining to Zhou Jingren and Lily. He knew that somehow, Ron had already convinced the board to kick Lily out of thepany.

    Lily was a threat. That was the reasoning that the old man used to manipte all the major shareholders to rally against Lily and Zhou Jingren.

    "We don¡¯t need someone like this in thepany," one of the shareholders said in disgust when he heard about Lily¡¯s offer to sell her shares back at an extravagant price. "This is illegal."

    Of course, they had not told the board about Lily¡¯s threats.

    "Something must be wrong with this woman¡¯s thinking," another shareholder chimed in. He gave Thomas a suspicious gaze. "She wouldn¡¯t be this confident if she didn¡¯t have any leverage against us."

    "Well... she threatened to sell her shares to thepetitor at a lesser price," Ron said. "This is the reason why we called this meeting. Her threats are rming. We need her gone from thispany as soon as possible."

    "You said that she also included Zhou Jingren and his mother¡¯s shares?"

    "Yes," Thomas answered. "I always thought it was less than forty percent. However, after talking to thewyer, we discovered that they have a total of forty two percent."

    "Forty two? Does this mean... she could be the biggest shareholder of thepany if she got Zhou Jingren and Zhou Dae Un¡¯s shares under her name?" Gasps and murmurs echoed inside the room.

    "Gentlemen... I just don¡¯t understand one thing... why are we so adamant about kicking her out? Isn¡¯t she a tycoon? Isn¡¯t this great for thepany? I¡¯m sure she wouldn¡¯t want to bankrupt us just because her husband didn¡¯t have a good rtionship with thete director, right? After all, she is a businessman."

    "Mr. Wang, what are you saying?" Ron¡¯s face turned ugly. "I can tell you more than five reasons why she is bad for thepany, but I know you already know this. The only thing that I can tell you now is that an acquisition could happen if we let her stay. And all of us here know the effect that it could have on ourpany, right?"

    "Right," a soft voice echoed inside the room, prompting everyone to turn their heads towards the entrance of the conference room. And there she was...

    A woman, wearing an all white suit with an irritatingly beautiful smile stered all over her face.

    "Lily!"

    ...........

    Thanks for the Kofi: Njugu68

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

 Chapter 516 Profit is Profi

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 516 Profit is Profi</h4>

    "Why is she here?"

    "Who let her in?"

    "Is that Lily?"

    "Did someone invite her?"

    Questions, incoherent murmurs, and gasps echoed inside the room as they watched Lily sat on one of the vacant chairs next to Thomas.

    "Why are you here?" Ron asked. As she watched Lily sat opposite to him.

    "As the biggest shareholder, I have the very right to be here." She said. "Even if I¡¯m not invited." She sent the old man an arrogant smirk. She then looked at the other Shareholders. "Thank you for waiting. I think we can start the meeting now."

    Various expressions shed on the older men¡¯s faces. Some were clearly speechless because of her words. Some were surprised, and some faces reddened in anger.

    "Who invited you here?" one middle-aged shareholder asked. "This is a private meeting, you shouldn¡¯t be here." In response lifted her shoulder in a half shrug before she beamed at the man.

    "You are not a major shareholder. Jun Liang¡¯s shares are only five percent, that is¡ª "

    "I am now," Lily said before she handed a folder to Thomas. "I now own both Zhou Jingren and Zhou Dae Un¡¯s shares." She leaned against her chair. "This means... I own forty-two percent of thispany." Her lips bloomed into a satisfied smirked as she watched everyone¡¯s face turned purple. Anger and frustration immediately clouded the atmosphere.

    Murmurs arouse between the group as some of them insisted on seeing a copy of the documents. Seeing the panic and confusion in their faces, Lily¡¯s eyes crinkled. All the shareholders are male and if her guess was right, most of them should have the same beliefs as Isaac. The way they red at her was enough for her to have this conclusion.

    "You ¡ª they transferred it under your name!?" Ron asked in disbelief. Zhou Dae Un and Zhou Jingren could not just sell their shares to Lily because they own a sizeable amount of stocks in thepany. Their contract stated that they needed to get the signatures of at least seven of the ten shareholders to be able to sell the shares.

    Ron and Thomas originally thought that this rule will not allow Zhou Jingren to sell his shares to Lily. Who would have thought that they will decide to give it to her?

    "Is this even legal?" One shareholder asks the other.

    "I am his wife and Zhou Dae Un¡¯s daughter-inw. These shares are gifts..." she answered. "For my birthday months ago." Lily could not celebrate her birthday because Jack kidnapped her. So her reasoning is only reasonable, right?

    "Lily... Don¡¯t you think this is a bit excessive?" Thomas asked.

    "Is there really such as thing as excessive when ites to business, Mr. Lee?" She countered. "No offense but... profit is profit."

    "So you are nning to sell it fifteen percent more than the market price?" One shareholder dared to ask. No one in this room could believe that something like this would happen. "Aren¡¯t you afraid that... the media will get ahold of this?"

    "Oh, No... I am sure that Mr. Lee and Mr. Liang will make sure that it won¡¯t happen."

    "What is she talking about? Are you going to let this happen?" the man directed his question to Thomas. "As the CEO... you have a responsibility to take care of thispany! If you are nning to protect this woman, then I guess we should choose a new CEO!"

    "Mr. Lin, calm down. Thomas is not nning anything like that." Ron interjected. He then eyed Lily¡¯snguid position. "You seem so confident that you can use this as leverage against us. Let¡¯s not forget that the shareholder¡¯s contract would ¡ª "

    "Shh." She raised held her hand. "Let¡¯s cut the chase. I already said that you and Thomas will protect me. Or have you gone deaf from your age?"

    "How dare you strode inside her and disrespect Secretary Ron?" the shareholder name Mr. Wang chimed in. "He might be the previous director¡¯s secretary but he is very much involved in thispany just like everyone else!"

    On the outside, the words sound as if he was protecting Ron Liang and reprimanding Lily. But someone with a deep mind could easily say that there was something wrong with his statement. Ron is not a shareholder. He is the previous director¡¯s secretary. However, just like everyone else... he is very much involved in thispany.

    Why would he involve himself so much in thepany when he was only a secretary? Moreover, the director was already dead.

    As expected, Ron Liang¡¯s face turned ugly as realization shed in the rest of the shareholder¡¯s eyes. How could he miss the meaning behind Mr. Wang¡¯s poisonous words? These men had been in the industry for decades. Surely, something like this is so easy for them toprehend.

    Interest shone in Lily¡¯s eyes as she heard the man¡¯s words. She rested her elbow on the circr mahogany table and propped her chin into her palms. She looked at Mr. Wang, assessing him for a few seconds before she answered, "You are right. I shouldn¡¯t disrespect someone as significant as Mr. Liang."

    "She¡¯s crazy, isn¡¯t she?" Surprisingly, Adrian who was sitting the farthest from Lily spoke. He had been keeping his silence since this meeting started because he felt that he could contribute nothing good to this meeting. Not when his anger towards this woman is clouding his thoughts.

    "Crazy is an understatement, Mr. Lee," Lily answered. Meeting the man¡¯s eyes, a sinister gleam glinted in her orbs. "Trust me... Crazy is such a simple word to describe me."

    "Is this the reason why you are here? To disturb this meeting?" Ron asked, unamused. The fact that he is not someone important in thispany is true. He used to be the director¡¯s secretary and a good friend. But aside from that, he is nothing. Thew would not allow him to be here as he simply does not have the right to be here. "We already told you that we needed time to decide!" He said, his voice stern, like a father trying to reprimand a child.

    ############

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the kofi: Njugu68

 Chapter 517 She is Framing Me!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 517 She is Framing Me!</h4>

    "Oh! No." Lily¡¯s knowing smile immediately made Ron nervous. "Why would I do that? I mean... If I sell the shares to the otherpany, I would lose the fifteen percent that I want." She wanted to roll her eyes andughed at the older man¡¯s reaction. Why is this man too stupid? Did he manage to survive this long because he was dependent on Chen Shi¡¯s ns?

    "On the contrary... I am actually here to convince everyone to buy my shares!" Lily said. "Honestly, I don¡¯t have any interest in the medical field. My interests lie in profits... and profits alone."

    "Miss Lily, the price that you want is too extravagant. We know that you simply want to profit and take advantage of us. We cannot allow you to do this. We are all businessmen here. I think it is best if..."

    "You misunderstood." Lily interrupted him. She eyes Ron¡¯s face as she slowly showed a sh drive in her hand. She tilted her head towards the other shareholders. "These gentlemen will make you decide if you will buy my shares or not." She grabbed theptop in front of Thomas and immediately opened the files on the sh drive.

    A smile crept up on her face.

    "What is this?" one shareholder asked. It was easier for him to see the content of the sh drive as he was sitting next to Lily. "Isaac and Ron..."

    "What is it?" Ron grabbed theptop from Lily. Slowly, hisplexion paled. His hands trembled. His wide eyes were glued to the screen.

    "It¡¯s called... ckmail material." Lily chimed in. She then leaned back and watched as chaos ensued. Shouting immediately began as the other shareholders grabbed theptop so they could see its contents. Murmurs, yelling, and some surprised gasps. Everyone started talking to each other as they started asking Ron questions.

    "Twenty-two cases?" One shareholder said. "How did you find out about this matter?" he asked.

    "She is ckmailing us!"

    "If this goes out of this room. We are dead!"

    "How could you do this, Ron? Just..."

    The shareholders all showed horror in their faces. But who are they trying to fool? Lily knew that these people were all foxes. They must have known about this matter long ago but ignored it. After all... this is bringing them millions of profits.

    The thing about some businessmen is that their moral values are sometimes blurred. Just like Lily. If she was one of these people, she too would also try to fight to keep this secret buried. Just like these people, Lily would act surprised as she sneered inwardly at the person who is ckmailing them.

    She roamed her eyes at the people around the table. Even Thomas who was sitting next to her was visibly shaken by what she just showed everyone. She met his eyes. If this man thought that this was the bomb she was about to drop then he was wrong ¡ª so wrong.

    "Well, the thing is... I wouldn¡¯t actually know about this matter if Ron¡ª "

    "What are you saying?" Ron interrupted her. The mention of his name seemed to send shivers down his spine. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of scheme Lily is nning. Was she targeting him? Why?

    "Mr. Liang... your expression hurts me." Lily feigned a sad smile. "After what you told me... I just thought..."

    "What the hell are you talking about?" he rose from his seat as his hand trembled.

    "Uncle Ron? What is she saying?" Thomas furrowed his brows. His confused gaze mirrored the eyes of everyone else in the room. "What is going on?"

    "I don¡¯t have any idea what this woman is talking about!" Ron hissed. "What are you trying to say?"

    "Well, Mr. Liang is actually interrupting me all the time. How could I say what I want to say?" she pouted before she chuckled. Her gaze turned serious. "Did you think you can just ckmail me without any consequences?"

    "What are you talking about!?" The sudden realization hit Ron. Lily is trying to frame him! She wanted to tell everyone that he was the one who caused this! He felt rage surged inside his blood.

    "Mr. Liang? You caused this?" Almost immediately, the shareholders started asking questions.

    "What did you do, Ron!?"

    Of course, everyone would think that Lily was only retaliating. After all... she was someone whose status is higher than every one of them. Why would she waste her time ying around if someone did not offend her?

    "Lily! Stop lying! Why are you dragging my name into this?"

    Lily only responded with a smile as she tapped her phone. Everyone lowered their voices as a recording yed.

    "Those are images of you bullying Demi on the balcony. The other¡¯s are the articles that I am nning to release once you won¡¯t help me kick Thomas out of thepany. I will let the world know that he r*ped her."

    Ron¡¯s voice echoed inside the room. It was followed by Lily¡¯s voice. Back and forth, the two argued and talked about framing Zhou Jingren if she won¡¯t help Ron get rid of every Lee in the Lee Group.

    "That is not true!" Ron yelled. He reached out to grab Lily¡¯s phone. However, she was quick enough to put it in her bag. "Stop lying! You b*tch! That is not true!" Ron¡¯s face turned red in rage. He gritted his teeth as he watched the faces of everyone surrounding him.

    This was not true! The one on the audio was not him! "I didn¡¯t do it!" he uttered. "I didn¡¯t talk to this woman! She is lying!" He pointed a finger at Lily. "She is framing me!"

    "Please... Ron... let¡¯s stop the pretense. Why else would Demi just disappear in the face of the Earth if you did not hide her? Just to keep her away from me?" Lily added some oil to the fire. She eyed the frozen Thomas and smirked. "Mr. Lee... Do you have any opinions about this matter?"

    The smile hung on Lily¡¯s lips as she thought about the recording. Lily recorded this conversation when Isaac Lee talked to her about the divorce a few weeks back. She only changed a few things and had her brother adjusted the voice and Bam! She already had something that would make Ron leave thepany on his own ord.

    Isn¡¯t she lucky to have a brother like Qin Yuanfeng?

    ...........

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Njugu68 and Momandmonkies!

 Chapter 518 A Clean Method

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 518 A Clean Method</h4>

    Lily¡¯s voice seemed to echo inside Thomas¡¯ head. He slowly shifted his gaze at her. Seeing her gave him an innocent smile made him tremble. Never in a million years, would he think that Lily would solve this matter like this.

    He thought she would secretly do it with the help of her husband. Maybe ask someone to hurt Ron, scare him into leaving the Lee Family alone. Or threatened to kill him if he will continue his ways.

    Who would have thought that Lily would choose something like this to remove the man from their lives? This method will not only remove Ron from the Lee Family. This would also avoid him from suspecting that Thomas already knew about the matter with Chen Shi.

    This is a clean method that would never be traced back to Thomas. He stared at her eyes as he swallowed his non-existent saliva. Thomas is already in histe fifties. However, he would not deny the fact that he had never met anyone just like Lily.

    This woman sitting next to him was nothing like every other businessman that he met. The fact that Lily delivered her end of the bargain perfectly was enough proof of her talents and abilities. "I ¡ª I..." Thomas stuttered for a few seconds. Honestly, Lily¡¯s methods made him speechless. "Uncle Ron... is that true?" He asked the older man.

    Before Ron could open his mouth, Lily¡¯s voice already echoed inside the room. "To be honest, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he had something to do with the director¡¯s death, as well." She uttered in a gloomy voice, just enough for everyone to hear.

    "You¡ª" Even Ron was speechless. He doesn¡¯t know what to do or how he would react to this unexpected situation. The surprise and horror stered on Thomas¡¯ face was enough to tell him that thetter does not know about this matter. This immediately made him conclude that this was all Lily¡¯s doing. "Why?" He asked. Ron felt that his throat started to dry out. Each word that he spoke would require a certain amount of effort just so he could let it out of his system.

    It was as if the world narrowed down on him as he eyed the disappointment in everyone¡¯s eyes. Ron was no longer a child. However... the suffocating feeling from the other shareholders seemed to bore down into him. "How dare you involve Isaac in all this?" he managed to ask. "Isaac is my friend! A brother! I would never hurt him!"

    Lily did not respond to his question. Shenguidly leaned back, the smile on her face never disappeared.

    "I suggest you leave this ce," Thomas uttered. His lips were pursed in a grim line. "Please leave before I do something out of my character." He lowered his gaze, his jaws clenched as he balled his hand into a fist. Since Lily already gave him everything, Thomas only needed to do his part and gave them the perfect acting.

    Silence followed his words. The matter with Isaac and Ron is the Lee Family¡¯s concern and no one else in the table wanted to involve themselves in this matter. Everyone¡¯s face turned grim as they waited for Ron to utter something- a word of defense, a rebuttal, anything that will change Thomas¡¯ mind.

    However, Ron did not say anything. He only stared at Lily¡¯s face for a few seconds. He tried to gauge her expression. But it was futile. Lily returned his gaze. Mockery swirled in her orbs as the smirk on her face became even more evident.

    "You will regret this!" He hissed at Lily. "You will regret doing this to me!" Without waiting for Lily to respond, Ron walked out of the conference room, his face dark as he got his phone and dialed Chen Shi¡¯s number.

    Lily ruined their ns!

    After Ron left, the meeting continued and in the end, Lily agreed to lower down her demands. The fifteen percent became ten and eventually eight. Lily had no problems in this matter. After all, her initial offer was only five percent. She would not decline a three percent increase in her initial expectations.

    After the meeting, Lily went to Thomas¡¯ office in the pretense of talking to him about the management of the Company. While everyone reluctantly agreed to leave, they were actually happy that they could solve the problem that could possibly destroy this empire.

    "You came prepared," Thomas noted the moment Lily took the seat across him. "I was not expecting that you would choose a... peculiar method to approach the problem."

    "I already gave you the end of the bargain. Now... I want the evidence against Miss Yani Chen." Chen Shi¡¯s legal name in Singapore was Yani Chen. However, when she pursued her career abroad, she changed it into Chen Shi as it was easier to remember.

    Thomas stared at Lily for a few seconds before he handed her another sh drive. "The password is the date that Isaac died." He uttered. "I have a question."

    "Hmmm?" she epted the sh drive.

    "What if... I was lying? What if... I don¡¯t have the evidence and I was only trying to use you to get rid of Ron? What will you do?"

    Lily snorted in response. "I will burn you together with yourpany." She answered without batting an eyelid.

    "You ¡ª " Thomas nodded. "I always thought that you are nothing but a normal woman. Someone cunning and smart. Someone who wanted to prove their worth in our world. I am wrong."

    Lily stifled augh. "Of course you are. I am far from being normal. In fact..." she made a deliberate pause as she leaned towards him. "Being normal scares me."

    Thomas nodded and pursed his lips. "I was not expecting that you would easily sign that use." He changed the topic. Thomas was talking about the use that would protect them once Lily decided to betray them and expose their deeds into the outside world.

    "Mr. Lee... If I want to betray you and yourpany, I can easily do it with or without that use." She smiled. "Of course... I am not doing it." She continued. "For now... I am very upied with other matters." A meaningful gleam shed in her eyes.

    ...........

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Njugu68 and Momandmonkies!

 Chapter 519 Still a Mother

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 519 Still a Mother</h4>

    Beijing- Zhang Recordings

    "Miss Chen... here are the new recordings of the G Empire girl group." Chen Shi nodded at her assistant as she looked at the newposition of pop songs on her hand.

    "What do you think about them?" Chen Shi¡¯s soft voice could always leave anyone in awe. Even her secretary who had worked with her for years could still feel herself blush at the sweetness in thetter¡¯s tone. Her words could immediately make anyone feel as if they were valued as if they were significant.

    "I think the group¡¯s dancing is fantastic. However, their singing is just normal. I don¡¯t think they will stand out without a lot of auto-tunes." Seeing Chen Shi nodded at her, the assistant smiled.

    "How about their... attitude? You were there when they were waiting for the recording, right? Did you see something?" Chen Shi had always been particr with manners. In China, she is always known because of her good temper and for avoiding some people whose attitude is questionable. This was on top of her singing career.

    "Ah... One girl is really quiet. The others are pretty loud and childish. But one is really arrogant and even scolded the attendant for bringing her a really hot drink. She said it could damage her vocals. If I wasn¡¯t there... I am sure that she poured the drink into the poor man¡¯s face." she sighed.

    "Alright. Keep observing them..." Chen Shi raised her eyes from the paper that she is reading and gave her assistant a gentle smile. "And please... remember their names."

    "I understand, Miss Chen." The assistant bowed in embarrassment. While Miss Chen is known for being a singer, she is also a very good business person and overall a very smart woman. Miss Chen could easily remember the names of the people under her and would even greet them with their names from time to time.

    No wonder Miss Chen is greatly admired by her juniors in the industry.

    The loud vibration of Chen Shi¡¯s phone brought the assistant out of her stupor.

    "You can leave now," Chen Shi uttered. After seeing the assistant left her office, the kind and gentle smile on Chen Shi¡¯s face immediately disappeared. "Do you have news for me?" Her brows drew together.

    They had already agreed that Ron would never call him during the day. This is only except for two things. One is when there is an emergency about their ns, and two is if it is about Demi.

    The thought of her only daughter only made her frowned deeper. "Did something happened?" she asked and rose from her leather chair.

    "It was Lily." Ron¡¯s grim voice reached her ears. He then started telling Chen Shi about what happened in Lee Group¡¯s office.

    "So she framed you," the contempt in her voice was apparent. "Do you think she knew something about us? Do you think she told Thomas about it?"

    "I don¡¯t think so. I think... the reason why she got rid of me is that she is threatened that I could influence Thomas and Adrian¡¯s decision. Aside from that, I couldn¡¯t think of any reason why I would earn her ire. The two of us never really talked for a long time without Isaac or Thomas around. So... I don¡¯t understand why she would suddenly target me."

    "You said that she did not... say something to Adrian? Why is that possible? I thought... she and her husband have a terrible rtionship against that man?"

    "I¡¯m sorry Yani... I don¡¯t know." A loud sighed echoed on the other line. "I want to investigate but... I don¡¯t want Thomas to think that I am trying to hide any evidence against a crime that I did notmit. Lily... that hateful woman had actually hinted that I am involved in Isaac¡¯s death. And we both know how that Thomas respected his father despite his imperfections. I fear that¡ª "

    "There is no need to investigate this matter. I tried called Jun earlier and inquired about Demi¡¯s location. He refused to tell me." As cold and evil as she is, Yani is still a mother. She adored Demi as much as she adored her life. Until now, Yani is regretting letting her own daughter grew up with her father instead of beside her.

    "Maybe you could ask him about Demi." Her voice wavered. "I am scheduled to see Jun next week and I want to discuss Demi¡¯s care and welfare. I want to get our daughter and let her stay with me."

    "I will try to talk to my brother about this matter. Until now, he is still refusing to answer my call. What about Lily? Do you have something nned for her?" He asked. "Yani... I am telling you. That woman is pretty dangerous. You should take care. Don¡¯t let her know anything about us and Demi. I don¡¯t want our daughter to suffer anymore."

    "Well... for one. Demi¡¯s resolve is not as strong as mine. She is weak, mentally, and emotionally. This is where I have miscalcted. I have never included someone like Lily in my equation. Now??? the chance of Demi bing the Madam of the Lee Group is pretty low. Ron... " she made a dramatic paused. "I can only me myself and my wrong judgment in this matter."

    "Yani! What are you talking about? Our daughter deserves that best, and it wasn¡¯t our fault to want the best for her. Will you listen to yourself? This is not your fault. You are only thinking about our daughter¡¯s future. As a parent, this is only normal for us."

    "I don¡¯t even know where my daughter is, Ron." Yani¡¯s voice quivered. "What kind of mother am I? I ¡ª I already sacrifice my daughter¡¯s body just to teach her about schemes and now... I failed her."

    "I failed our only daughter and someone else needs to pay for this." She added.

    "Do you have a n against Lily?"

    "I do," Yani¡¯s gaze turned dark as she looked at the view from her floor to ceiling window. "I do have a n to destroy that woman. And I won¡¯t stop... not even if she begs me to."

    ................

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Njugu68 and Momandmonkies!

 Chapter 520 Endorsements

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 520 Endorsements</h4>

    After Lily left the Lee Group¡¯s office, she immediately went back to the hotel and ask Yang Mi to schedule a meeting with Jun Liang. She needed exnations about this Chen Shi and she wanted to know what happened years ago.

    "You have been sleeping a lottely." He sat next to Lily as he loosened his tie. While Lily was attending the meeting with the Lees, Zhou Jingren volunteered to talk to the authorities and politicians about the construction of Lily¡¯s mall.

    "I told you... it¡¯s the trip. For some reason, the ne ride is making me dizzy."

    He gave her a worried look. In response, Lily pulled him towards her. Hooking her arms around his neck, Lily kissed him. She held him tight against her body. After a few seconds, Lily let go and smiled. "I am hungry. Did you order anything?"

    "Hmmm." He nodded and stroked her head. "Do you like to stay here for a few days? So you can rest before we go back to Hong Kong?"

    "Oh. No. I think it¡¯s better if we leave tomorrow so I can just stay in Sky City. The people from Luxembourg have been talking and sending me messagestely. I think they will visit Hong Kong soon. Maybe Eliza will... So I have to rest before then."

    "Alright..." He leaned down to kiss her forehead. He closed his gentle eyes as he masked the suspicion in his orbs. His wife had been really tiredtely. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was some sort of defense mechanism that she is showing to cope with what she experienced with Jack. "I will call you once the food is here." He smiled and gave her another kiss.

    ..................

    Shanghai.

    "The news about Lily and Cindy already died down." Manager Hao knitted his brows at the CEO of Yu Entertainment. "How could you ask her to mention Lily in theing press conference? The script that you gave her is just... wrong."

    "Manager Hao... I am only doing what is best for your sister. I believe that this issue will boost her poprity."

    "CEO Yu, with all due respect, Lily offered Cindy those pieces of jewelry. There wasn¡¯t any issue at the photoshoot either. We can¡¯t just create something out of it! Lily was smart enough to be cordial with my sister while everyone is watching! You can¡¯t really say that she called my sister nasty names just because of that jewelry. It is¡ª "

    "Just tell your sister to follow the script. I am the CEO of thispany. I only do things that will benefit us in the long run."

    Manager Hao sneered inwardly. "How could fighting against a person like Lily benefit us?" she argued. She immediately wondered why this man is trying to ruin her sister¡¯s reputation. For the umpteenth time, Lily¡¯s question about the awards echoed in her mind. "CEO Yu, my sister is already famous. I don¡¯t think she still needed to boost her name by dragging Lily¡¯s name into it."

    "Manager Hao." CEO Yu clenched his jaws. "You are overstepping. Please don¡¯t forget that the contract stiptes that I am the one in charge here."

    "Is that why you are slowly removing some of Cindy¡¯s endorsements and giving it to Qiao Qiao?" Manager Hao¡¯s face turned ugly. "CEO Yu..." she made a deliberate pause. "I would like to ask you. Do you have something against my sister?"

    Yu Jing narrowed his eyes at the woman sitting in front of him. Manager Hao was known to defend the talents against her. However, she had never defended Qiao Qiao like this. "Manager Hao... Do not forget that Qiao Qiao is also under you. Would you want me to give the endorsements to someone that is not under you?"

    Before Manager Hao could open her mouth to argue, CEO Yu continued, "I don¡¯t want you to y favorites here. One is your sister, and one is a new face with lots of potential. Qiao Qiao is already pretty known in Hong Kong. I am sure that she can further show her talents here in China. Moreover, Cindy has a lot of endorsements. Can¡¯t she just give one or two to Qiao Qiao?"

    Manager Hao did not answer him. Her naive sister is always willing to give the endorsements. Especially when Qiao Qiao already talked to Cindy about it. However, this setup will not fool Manager Hao.

    Manager Hao could not deny that Lily¡¯s words seemed to change her perspective towards Qiao Qiao. After observing her actions, Manager Hao seemed to observe that thetter seemed fake and is not really sincere in her words. Manager Hao remembered theunch where Lily invited them.

    At that time, she thought that Zhou Jingren was indeed Qiao Qiao¡¯s secret admirer. While she did not have any proof about such assumptions, Qiao Qiao was also very vague about it. She never denied anything and would always blush every time his name was mentioned. These actions led everyone surrounding Qiao Qiao to believe that something else is indeed going on between Zhou Jingren and her.

    At that time, when Zhou Jingren escorted Lily in that event, Qiao Qiao showed a hurtful expression as if someone just betrayed her. Until now, Manager Hao could still remember how Qiao Qiao cried on their way home as if she was bullied.

    That incident immediately made Manager Hao decide that it is time to transfer Qiao Qiao to Maind China. The manager thought that she was protecting Qiao Qiao from possible issues and even from Lily¡¯s schemes.

    "I only have one question CEO Yu." She met thetter¡¯s eyes. "Of all the endorsement that Cindy has... why did you chose those two endorsements?" Manager Hao was talking about the charity that Qiao Qiao is now endorsing. These charities involve children and women. This was something that Cindy and Manager Hao had supported for years.

    Why would CEO Yu suddenly ask the charities representative to transfer the endorsement to Qiao Qiao now that the awards ising? "CEO Yu... isn¡¯t it unfair? Those two charities are something that my sister supported. She had been their ambassadress for two years now. Why suddenly change this at this time?" With the awardsing, the endorsements about something that her sister supported is really helpful. How could their own CEO do this to her sister?

 Chapter 521 Just Be Reasonable

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 521 Just Be Reasonable</h4>

    Seeing Yu Jing frown only made Manager Hao¡¯s resentment grow inside her. "Since Qiao Qiao didn¡¯t sign the endorsement yet, I suggest you cancel it." She uttered.

    "I was not expecting that you would y favorites."

    "Isn¡¯t that what you are doing?" Manager Hao retorted. "Just because my sister¡¯s name was dragged in some false rumors created by people who wanted her to lose the awards, does not mean that you can do this to her. We cannot deny that Cindy is the front runner in the awards. If you take these endorsements and give it Qiao Qiao people will start asking questions."

    Slowly, an arrogant smirk hung on Yu Jing¡¯s face. "Manager Hao is truly valiant. You dared to tell me what to do?" Yu Jing rose from his seat. "I can destroy you and your artist in a day, Manager Hao. Because of me... Cindy Hao exists. Because of me... she got the neers awardsst year. I created her. I have the right to do what I want with her and her career."

    "You ¡ª " Manager Hao¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief.

    "Actually, there is still a way to fix this." CEO Yu walked towards the wall that was used to disy all the awards that he had over the years. "If you want those endorsements back, then... let Cindy create some hype using Zhou Jingren and Lily¡¯s name." He continued as he used his hand to touch one of the ques with his name on it. "If you don¡¯t want the press conference, then... I can only give the endorsements to Qiao Qiao."

    "CEO Yu!" Manager Hao felt anger ripped through her. How could this man scheme against her and Cindy?

    "Manager Hao... Some people in China wanted to use your sister against that woman. I suggest you should just... listen to me. Do that interview so you can keep the endorsements for your sister."

    "CEO Yu, those endorsements are hers to begin with. How could you threaten us like this?" CEO Yu¡¯s words about the people who wanted to use her sister only confirmed her suspicion that someone else is behind this.

    Yu Jing sneered. "This is only temporary. People will forget. Your sister has a lot of fans that will protect her. They will only put the me on Lily and would refuse to listen to the truth. If you are smart enough... you will take this proposal without asking any more questions."

    "Wait... so you wanted to use my sister against Lily and sacrifice her career?"

    "I said nothing about sacrificing her career." CEO Yu looked at her. "Let me exin everything in simple words. Your sister will do a press conference and deliberately mention her encounter with Lily. She will not say that Lily bullied her. But she will use the words on the script to imply that the bullying happened. Lily unted her wealth in front of her and everyone else. It was as if... she was looking down on your sister."

    He continued. "She does not need to answer questions about the encounter. She won¡¯t give anyments against her or mention her name. She will then end the conference with a smile on her face. Then she will have her endorsements back."

    "Isn¡¯t this a win-win for your sister?" he added. "She will get the sympathy of everyone, people will pity her and she will get her endorsements back. It is simple."

    "CEO Yu, that is not my concern." Manager Hao answered. "I understand everything about that script. My concern is not the lie or the scheme that you are nning. My concern is involving Lily¡¯s name! It¡¯s Lily Fi Zhou that I am worried about."

    "You are worried that she will destroy your sister¡¯s career?" She nodded in response. "Do you think that she can just waltz in China and start ruining people¡¯s lives? Manager Hao, do not forget that my Family had been around in the Entertainment industry for years! Our influence in the industry is vast. I can assure you that¡ª "

    "You don¡¯t understand," Manager Hao shook her head. "I have seen her ruin lives without lifting a finger. If you want to destroy someone¡¯s life then... please find someone else and stop involving my sister in this matter." Manager Hao wanted to avoid Lily at all costs.

    She is not a fool. She knew that something else was going on here. CEO Yu clearly said that someone wanted to ruin Lily. These words easily removed the involvement of Qiao Qiao¡¯s name in this matter. The CEO could say that Qiao Qiao was chosen because she was also working under Manager Hao. He could say that this was not intentional, and that whoever is behind this randomly chose Qiao Qiao for their schemes.

    However, she is not buying this. For some reason, Manager Hao felt that this scheme had something to do with Qiao Qiao too. She bit her lips as she recalled Lily¡¯s smiling face when she innocently asked her about the awards.

    If Cindy will bite this bullet... then she is sure that Lily will retaliate. CEO Yu will then pretend to help them and all their attention will be on this fight that they started. This will only stray their focus away from the awards.

    Moreover, the possibility of Lily winning was too big. Manager Hao could not really risk it. In fact, she would not even waste her time fighting a battle that she will surely lose. This is a fight that could cost them her sister¡¯s career and Manager Hao would never let that happen.

    "Manger Hao..." CEO Yu¡¯s lips lifted into a sinister smile. "This matter is already decided. If your sister will do it, I will force other members of your team to say something. They will say some things that will show how Lily bullied your sister and eventually her fans will still defend her against Lily."

    "You¡ª "

    "Think about it. Since you refuse, you will also lose the endorsements and the matter that you want to avoid will still happen. Can¡¯t you just be more reasonable and agree? At least if you agree you will get the endorsements back."

    ............

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Njugu68 and Momandmonkies!

    Instagram: @blips01

 Chapter 522 Peculiarities

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 522 Peculiarities</h4>

    When Lily arrived in Hongkong, the first thing that she did was go to FG Tower to tour Qin Yuanfeng. Then she was nning to meet Jun Liang in Hong Kong as thetter was traveling and will pass by Hong Kong for a few hours because of his connecting flight.

    "Alright, Cathy needed assistance in the PR department," Lily said as she walked next to her brother. "With the current issues against me. She needed all the help that she could get." Sheughed. "Cathy will tell you more about this job." Qin Yuanfeng nodded.

    "I don¡¯t really need a job." He answered. His voice low.

    "I know. What you need is a social life." Lily said. "Bei Tian told me that you are always staying in your room and refused to go out with him.???

    "I can¡¯t waste my brain cells."

    Amusement shed in Lily¡¯s eyes before sheughed. "I¡¯m surprised that Bei Tian hasn¡¯t tried to kill you yet." Qi Yuanfeng and Bei Tian had been living in the same house since Qin Yuanfeng arrived. She knew that the two are exact opposites and was expecting a fight to ensue.

    "He already did. Twice." He answered. Hearing this, Lily erupted into a puddle ofughter.

    "He didn¡¯t win," he said nkly. "It was a fair fight. I think Zhou Jingren might be a little better than him."

    Lily only smiled. Zhou Jingren told her that Bei Tian¡¯s martial arts is better than his. Was it possible that he was being humble? "Hey, Yang Mi... do you want to bet with me?"

    "No President." Yang Mi answered with a straight face. How could she bet against someone like Lily? She knew Lily will win and she would not want to give her money to someone like Lily.

    "Alright... I will bet with myself then." She uttered. The sound of the elevator interrupted their conversation. Lily immediately went out of the elevator and walked towards her office where Mr. Rossi and Cathy are waiting for her.

    Lily wanted to slowly make Qin Yuanfeng ustomed to thepany. After all, this man is also a Fi. Now that Lily is already nning to build a family with Zhou Jingren, she knew that she needed all the help that she could get. So, she decided to train this brother of hers so he could take over Fi Group in events where Lily needed a long break- like giving birth.

    When the trio arrived, Mr. Rossi and Cathy are casually having a conversation over coffee. The two immediately greeted the three.

    "Cathy will train you in PR. While Mr. Rossi will train you in management." Lily said.

    "I don¡¯t have a business management degree." Qin Yuanfeng said.

    "We know," Cathy answered as he stared at Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s familiar face. When Lily introduced Qin Yuanfeng to Cathy, she almost could not believe that Lily actually had a twin brother who is pretty identical to her. "A degree is actually not that needed. We value skills the most and we all know you are the most skillful person in this room."

    "I don¡¯t think so." Qin Yuanfeng frowned. "Ick interpersonal skills, I am not a big fan of people and stupidity." Seeing Cathy and Mr. Rossi smiled, immediately made Qin Yaunfeng frown as he wondered if they were mocking him.

    "You are a very honest young man." Mr. Rossimented. "You actually reminded me of Lily."

    Qin Yuanfeng turned his gaze towards Lily, who was calmly drinking her tea before he met Mr. Rossi¡¯s eyes. "I will take that as apliment." He uttered, his face devoid of any expression.

    "I like him already," Cathy beamed towards Lily. "Now... I am not an expert on theputer myself but I have some people working under me. You don¡¯t have to work closely with them. But it would be best if you interact with them from time to time. You don¡¯t have to worry, most of them hated social interactions as much as you do."

    Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s gaze darted towards Lily before he nodded. He knew that he is far from being normal and this was the reason why working as an idol in China was too difficult for him. Pretending to be someone else is not his forte. He wondered if Lily consider this peculiarity when she decided to take him in this ce.

    "Yuanfeng... you should learn as much as you can." Lily said a smile was on her face. "These two are one of the best in the industry."

    Qin Yuanfeng nodded in response. Actually, he does not have any problems working with people that Lily trusted. Qin Yuanfeng felt that Lily is an excellent judge of character and because of this, he would trust her decision in this matter. Qin Yuanfeng lowered his gaze. In fact, in this world, the only two people that he would trust are Lily and Zhou Jingren.

    "Alright... let me show you something." Lily rose from her seat and walk towards her table.

    "We have a problem," Yang Mi¡¯s icy voice echoed inside the room. She did not wait for anyone to ask what was going on as she grabbed the remote and turned on the TV that was mounted on the wall. "This person is saying that you bullied Cindy Hao during the photoshoot. You unted your wealth in front of her and showed her how inferior she was. The online gossip sites are exploding with meanments."

    Everyone clenched their teeth as they watched the news in front of them. However, unlike them, Qin Yuanfeng was staring at Lily. He narrowed his eyes when he noticed that Lily¡¯s eyes were actually close as she bit her lips. "Lily?" he uttered and stood from his seat.

    His face immediately turned ugly when Lily grabbed the edge of her table. She opened her eyes as she furrowed her brows.

    "Lily?" It was Cathy. She and Mr. Rossi also stood and walked towards her. "Are you alri ¡ª " her eyes widened when she saw Lily lose her footing.

    "Lily!" Qin Yuanfeng strode towards his sister as he catches her in his arms. "Call Zhou Jingren! And a doctor!" he yelled as he held Lily tighter.

    ........

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

 Chapter 523 Happiness

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 523 Happiness</h4>

    For Zhou Jingren, happiness is rtive. The slice of bread or the clean water that will make the poor happy is not something that could impress the rich. For years, he believed that happiness is subjective. However, he also knew that the best type of happiness is the one inside you. It is the explosion of emotions inside a person.

    To Zhou Jingren happiness is Lily. It¡¯s seeing her happy, seeing her smile- it¡¯s her. All of her. She is his happiness, his life. However, he never thought that one day, he would feel something more... than what he felt when she agreed to marry him. More than what he felt when she asked him to kiss her.

    It was something that no words, not even the ones with the deepest meanings, couldprehend.

    He smiled softly as he curled his hands around Lily¡¯s hands. He slowly squeezed her fingers. The happiness that he felt when the doctor informed him that she was pregnant was something otherworldly. It was surreal. He wondered how Lily would react about the news. Would she smile? Would she cry? Maybe she will do both at the same time.

    He knew how she had always wanted to have a child. Though Lily never said it straight into his face, he knew how much she struggled inside. Slowly, Zhou Jingren kissed the back of Lily¡¯s hand before he stroked her cheek.

    He saw her eyelids fluttered. "Hey," Lily¡¯s voice was soft and weak but her eyes were far from that. Her gaze immediately turned alert as she roamed her eyes around the room. She blinked for a few times. She was probably making sure that she was not dreaming. That he was indeed sitting next to her.

    Zhou Jingren felt a sudden throb in his chest as he thought of Lily¡¯s thoughts. "Hey... I am here." His words had the promise of assurance, certainty. He leaned closer towards her as he met her eyes.

    "How are you feeling?" he asked and clutched her hand tighter. He wanted her to feel his warmth. He wanted to tell her that she was safe. That he is here... with her. And that he will never go away.

    "I feel sleepy." She answered. "I fainted." He nodded in response. "Is there something wrong with me?" her brows knitted. Seeing Zhou Jingren shook his head, Lily heaved a sigh of relief. "Then... what is it? Was it the stress?" Lily fears that it had actually something to do with her anxiousnesstely.

    Once again, he shook his head and stroked her head. "We¡¯re pregnant." His voice was slow, soft, andforting.

    "I¡¯m sorry?"

    Seeing her confused gaze, Zhou Jingren smiled a gentle smile. "I said... You and I are going to have a child soon." Lily widened her eyes for a few seconds before tears pooled in her eyes. No words came from her mouth as she nodded.

    "We¡¯re pregnant," she met his eyes as she felt her world explode. Various emotions flooded inside her. A slight smile escaped her lips as she absorbed his words.

    We¡¯re pregnant.

    It was a short deration that contains assurance. It was as if he was telling her that he would always stand next to her, care for her, and be her support no matter what happens. He was telling her that he will apany her on this new journey.

    "Six weeks." Zhou Jingren smiled and leaned closer to kiss her forehead. "I love you."

    Lily nodded and close her eyes to savor this special moment. Then she felt him sat next to her. He rested his forehead against hers, his hot breath caressed her cheeks. He let out a slight chuckle before Lily felt a drop of his tears on her face.

    She didn¡¯t need to open her eyes to know that her husband was crying. She stayed silent. This was their moment, and there are no words enough to fathom the emotions that they currently feel. This is a moment that she ¡ª no. This is a moment that the two of them will treasure forever.

    Lily¡¯s arms unconsciously made its way into Zhou Jingren body. She hugged him, pulling him into an embrace. "Thank you," she uttered softly as tears fell from her eyes. "We love you."

    ...

    "Alright, this will be the tests that we are going to perform in the next few days. And these are the vitamins that you have to take. If you want to take something from abroad, you can also do it. Just inform me or ask me if it is suitable for you and the baby. You are not allowed to do any heavy lifting on the first trimester. You are not allowed to stand or sit on lengthy periods either." The doctor handed the prescription to Zhou Jingren as he eyed Lily and smiled.

    "This may sound like it¡¯s too much but please understand that you had problems with your ovaries before. So please... do not make any hasty movements and stay in bed as much as possible. That is until the end of the first trimester."

    "How about exercise?"

    "It is best to avoid it for now." The doctor said. "You can do it in the third trimester. For now, you have to be as gentle as possible to your body. Eat healthy foods and avoid stress. More fruits and vegetables and sleep more."

    Lily nodded as smiled at her husband. "How about...." A mischievous smile escaped her lips as she gave a meaningful nce at Zhou Jingren.

    "Oh! that matter!" The doctorughed. Most of the time, the husbands were the ones really eager to ask these types of questions. "It is best to avoid it for now. It can wait." he eyed Zhou Jingren. "President Zhou... Please control yourself. A few months is not that long. This is for the baby and Mrs. Zhou¡¯s overall health."

    Zhou Jingren chuckled in response. He nodded at the doctor¡¯s words. When ites to shamelessness, is there really anyone that is more shameless than his wife?

    ............

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

 Chapter 524 To Trust One Person

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 524 To Trust One Person</h4>

    Zhang Recordings

    "Lily fainted and was rushed to the hospital," Chen Shi¡¯s right-hand man, Chen Luan snickered as he delivered the news. "I was not able to find out the reason behind this... but my guess is it had something to do with the news at that time."

    "Really?" A cruel smirked escaped Chen Shi¡¯s lips. "How weak." She mocked. "Is this her first time having this kind of issue?"

    "My guess is yes. She never had an issue with actresses in Europe. She attends events but does not really interact with them."

    "That¡¯s because she looks down on them." Chen Shi smiled. "Call Qiao Qiao. Tell her she did an outstanding job. The contract is ready for her."

    "Are you really going to sign her with thepany?" He furrowed her brows. "She is a bit stupid and too ambitious. While her talents are mediocre at best. She is not really that beautifulpared to other artists in her generation. Even that Cindy Hao is more beautiful than her."

    "Luan... she is a pawn." Chen Shi smiled. "Pawns exists to protect the king."

    "But pawns are basically useless."

    "She is powerless." She nodded at his words. "But pawns can be very useful. They always end up dying in the end but... they are extremely good as decoys and sacrifices."

    Shen Luan nodded and beamed at her. "Elder cousin is really smart. I will remember your teachings." Heughed. "So the contract..."

    "Put Cindy Hao¡¯s name in that contract. Qiao Qiao needed a little push. One of these days, I want you to identally show that contract to her. Make her realize that we are also eying Cindy Hao. Her jealousy will then consume her."

    "Anger and jealousy is an excellent motivation, right?" Chen Luan nodded in approval at his cousin¡¯s brilliant mind. "Alright... I will update you if I have something new."

    Meanwhile, Cindy Hao and her sister are also experiencing some problems.

    "Look at what you did! Qiao Qiao actually got two of my endorsements!" Cindy blurted. She stumped on her bed and pouted at her sister. "Those were really important to me!"

    "Are they as important as your career?" Manager Hao countered. "Would you rather have someone like Miss Lily and President Zhou as an enemy?"

    "The script said that I don¡¯t have to mention her name! Just use some vague words about the matter and the media will fill in the details for me!" Cindy¡¯s face turned ugly. "Look at what you did? With or without that press conference, her name was still out there and I can¡¯t even go to my taping because of the media outside! Plus, I also lost the endorsement that could have helped me for the awards!" Her face reddened as she red at her sister.

    "You did this because you prefer Qiao Qiao over me, right!?" she added as she rose from her seat. "If you really like her over me then why did youe back here in China?"

    "Cindy... will you stop this? Can you be logical for a while?" Manager Hao walked towards her sister. "Let¡¯s not involve ourselves in this matter. CEO Yu is only looking for someone that will act as Lily¡¯s target while he works on boosting Qiao Qiao¡¯s name. This is all a game for him. Cindy, in this world full of schemes you should always use your brain and think about the long-term effects of things."

    "What do you mean?" Cindy asked.

    "Didn¡¯t you notice? Qiao Qiao was acting really kind to you. She asked to have your makeup team, and you easily agreed even if thepany told you that those people are for you only. You even agreed to lend some of your high-end clothes and pieces of jewelry that was gifted by prominent people! Do you think they will be happy if they saw her wear those clothes and jewelry?"

    Cindy stared at her sister, confused.

    "Cindy... she is digging a grave for you!" This resulted from Manager Hao¡¯s analysis after her conversation with Lily. "At first, I was not sure. But, Lily¡¯s words woke me up from all these... schemes that are about to happen. This press conference and endorsement is the final straw that made me realize that Qiao Qiao is nning something behind our backs. She is involved in all this." She pulled her sister toward the couch.

    "Didn¡¯t she asked you if you could give those endorsements a while back? This was before both of you were nominated. You immediately said yes. Why is that? Because you never thought that her name will be included in this year¡¯s nomination."

    Cindy silently nodded at her sister¡¯s words.

    "Why is that?" Manager Hao asked. "Because you underestimated her. Am I right? She is good. But you still underestimated her. This is because you are so naive. She acted weak in front of you. She praised you and boosted your ego, letting you think that you are above her."

    "That ¡ª " Cindy turned speechless as her sister¡¯s words. Every word that Manager Hao said was actually true! She had underestimated Qiao Qiao because she looks so weak and simple. She always acknowledged that Cindy is more talented than her. Qiao Qiao actually praised her in everything that she does. She also never failed to send her flowers every time she signed a new contract or endorsements.

    "See? All this time, she had been manipting you and me. She must have beenughing at us behind our backs. To her... we are pawns- stupid people that she can easily manipte."

    "Sister..." Cindy widened her eyes when she realized how stupid she had been. "What are we going to do now? Those issues won¡¯t stop if I don¡¯t say something about it. I can¡¯t just let them..." Cindy did not continue her words when she saw her sister shook her head.

    "We don¡¯t need to do anything." Manager Hao uttered.

    "But... We can¡¯t trust CEO Yu or anyone about this matter! This will only earn Lily and her husband¡¯s ire."

    "We don¡¯t have to trust anyone else. We only need to trust one person... and that is Lily."

    .........

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

 Chapter 525 Request and Wants

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 525 Request and Wants</h4>

    While this is happening, Lily and and Zhou Jingren are cooped up in their house, snuggling and sleeping as he insisted on taking care of her.

    "Is this really necessary?" Lily smiled as he held the spoon towards her. "I¡¯m pregnant. I¡¯m not paralyze."

    "The Doctor said not to tire you."

    "Eating is not tiring." She chuckled. Since they arrived, Zhou Jingren insisted on feeding her. "I am not a baby, alright?" She said before she grabbed the spoon away from him. "I am a capable woman. You should stop treating me like a baby." She said before shoving the vegetables in her mouth. "I don¡¯t like eating this stuff. I want to eat some chicken and milk tea."

    In response, Zhou Jingren nodded and dialed Secretary Go¡¯s number so he could go and get Lily her request.

    "Are you going to stay here with me until I gave birth?¡¯ Lily asked. "You are not nning to do that, right?" she asked as she started eating. Seeing him frown, Lily let out a low chuckle.

    "Don¡¯t you want me to take care of you?"

    "I would love that. However, I am sure many people will start asking questions because of your absence. I honestly don¡¯t want them to know that I am pregnant."

    "I understand." He nodded. "Chef Yang will arriveter today and mother will arrive tomorrow morning. She will take care of your needs."

    Lily nodded and smiled. She would not insist that she is very much healthy and is capable of looking after herself. She knew it wasn¡¯t true. Right now, Lily¡¯s priority is to finish the first trimester of the pregnancy and lessen the possibility ofplications and miscarriage. Because of this, she would ept all the help that she could get.

    Well... that is, except Zhou Jingren¡¯s help. Lily chuckled inwardly. She can¡¯t have him carry her from the bed to the bathtub all the time or feed her! She understood that this was his way of showing that he cares, but this... this is just too extravagant, ah.

    Thetter would even carry him from their room to the living room and towards the kitchen! Lily knew that she could not live like this for the next nine months! Of course, she will not tell this directly to his face. "You know... we needed all the money that we could get. Raising a child is very hard. I need some motivation!" Lily used her love for profits to at least make the man feel a little bit lighter.

    "What motivation?"

    "Sorry... I believe I chose the wrong word. I mean... I need payment! You have to pay me for carrying our son for the next nine months!" She smiled. As expected, the crease in her husband¡¯s forehead lessen as heughed. Lily felt thetter¡¯s amusement from her words.

    "Giving birth to a child that is half me is the greatest payment that you could have," he countered as he took one slice of grape and threw it in his mouth. "Imagine having a little me running around here."

    She feigned surprised at his words. "Why are you saying that my child will look like you? Is there something wrong with my appearance?"

    Again, Zhou Jingren let out a boisterousughter. Seeing this, Lily continued, "If my child will look like me then... aren¡¯t you so lucky? You should double my payment if that happens!"

    "You already took everything from me. Myst name, money, body, properties. What kind of payment do you want this time?"

    "I would have said your body but I still need to wait for another five weeks and two days before I could have that. Not that I am counting." She said sternly before he met his eyes. Slowly, a mischievous grin appeared in Lily¡¯s face before both of them fell into a puddle ofughter that echoed inside the whole residence.

    The fragile atmosphere immediately turned jovial as the two continued to tease each other. For them, this child is the greatest blessing that they could have. The couple teased andugh at each other¡¯s antics as they ignored the storms that is trying to shake their empires.

    ........................

    "President, I apologize but President Zhou specifically told me not to tell you things that will only stress you out." Yang Mi lowered her gaze and avoided Lily¡¯s eyes. She had always vowed to protect and prioritize Lily at all times. However, she could not deny that fact that Zhou Jingren¡¯s orders are valid.

    Yang Mi knew how much Lily liked children and she would not want to endanger Lily¡¯s child by giving her more problems.

    Lily shook her head in response. Zhou Jingren had actually dared to tell Yang Mi not to update her about the things that they have been investigating? She immediately dialed her husband¡¯s number.

    "Stop telling everyone not to update me about things." She uttered when her husband picked up his phone. "I want to know. I can¡¯t just sit down here. I want to... scheme against someone!" she dered and heard his helpless sigh on the other line.

    "Jingren... I am so bored! I need to think and scheme against someone! This is our child¡¯s future hobby! You can¡¯t take that away from us!" She said beforeughing. "I am just kidding."

    "I know." He answered. "I just don¡¯t want you to get stressed. I will take care of everything. So you can rx and rest." He let out another sighed. "How are you feeling? Mother is already on her way. Did you like Chef Yang¡¯s food?"

    "Hmmm... but he already left before I woke up. Anyway... don¡¯t change the topic! I want to know everything about that news and the people behind it."

    "Are you sure this won¡¯t stress you out?"

    "Of course." Lily stop herself from rolling her eyes. For some reason, the thought of scheming against someone made her excited. She frowned at her thoughts. Was this normal? She remembered reading about pregnant women with peculiar requests and wants. Was it possible that this pregnancy made her more evil?

    Lily widened her eyes as she swallowed her saliva. It seems that her mind had run rampant again.

    .......

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Unnisara

 Chapter 526 An Innocent Soul

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 526 An Innocent Soul</h4>

    Zhou Jingren said a few moreforting words towards Lily before they ended the call. After putting the phone down, Zhou Jingren stared at Qin Yuanfeng and Bei Tian sitting opposite to him. "Do we have any luck?" he asked. The kind demeanor on his face while talking to his wife was now gone.

    "Someone from Beijing." Qin Yuanfeng said. "Smart but not smart enough. I have the address. This is a team in the ck market that is known to spread fake news and create multiple ounts just to troll someone. If you want, I can shut down their system from here."

    "If we shut it down... they will only create a new one." Zhou Jingren stood from his seat. "They will have stronger defense and it will be difficult for us to attack them next time that they do this to my wife." His face was dark as he stood in front of the floor to ceiling wall in his office. "I can¡¯t have her worry about useless attacks on the Inte."

    "Then... do you have something in mind?" Bei Tian asked. A budding suspicion was swirling in his eyes as he looked at Zhou Jingren. "You are not nning to..."

    "Dispose of them." Silence followed Zhou Jingren¡¯s words.

    "Dispose like..."

    "Like burn them." Zhou Jingren interrupted Qin Yuanfeng."I want their leader captured. Their bases burned down to the grown and everyone dead."

    "Jingren??? that... you can¡¯t just do that without any warnings."

    "They decided to create some rumors about Lily and release edited photos of her with other businessmen when she was still in Europe. They should have expected this kind of retaliation." Zhou Jingren said, his jaws clenched.

    Bei Tian and Qin Yuanfeng eyed each other before both nodded at Zhou Jingren¡¯s words.

    "I will get it done tonight." Bei Tian stood from his seat. "What are we going to do with the leader of the group? Interrogate him?"

    "No... I have something better." Zhou Jingren paused as he looked at Bei Tian. "Tell him to do exactly everything that he did to Lily to the person who paid him to do it."

    "Then?"

    "Then..." he tilted his head towards Bei Tian. "Kill him."

    Seeing this, Qin Yuanfeng lowered his head. He swallowed his saliva as he recalled Jack¡¯s previous actions. He felt that Zhou Jingren and Jack are two sides of the same coin. Both men do not have any regard for human life. Jack does it without any reasoning or exnation. He kills whoever he wanted to kill. Burn everyone that stood in his way. And killed for fun, for satisfaction, and for his ego.

    While Zhou Jingren is different. He is killing to protect Lily. Zhou Jingren believed that his actions are justified because he is protecting his wife. He would do terrible things, not for fun or satisfaction but for his beloved woman. Qin Yuanfeng was sure that Zhou Jingren would not hesitate to destroy a nation, killing hundreds of people while thinking that he is doing it because of Lily.

    To Qin Yuanfeng, both men are scary. Both have lusted for blood and would not hesitate to kill someone who offends them. However, he found Zhou Jingren scarier as his motivation is protecting someone. Compared to Zhou Jingren, Jack¡¯s motivation is a bitcking.

    If something happens to Lily, Qin Yuanfeng was not sure that Zhou Jingren will lose all the control that he had inside. He shivered inwardly as he thought about it.

    ...???......

    Yu Entertainment

    "Come here," Yu Jing held his hand towards his beloved as he gave her a gentle smile. "Stop worrying about it. I paid the best group of hackers to edit the photos."

    "But... people will think that Cindy released it. What if..." Qiao Qiao bit her lips as he lowered her head.

    "So?" Yu Jingughed. Seeing Qiao Qiao not move an inch, he stood from his leather chair and pulled her towards the couch. "Stop worrying. There is no way that they would know the truth. I already told you. I hired the best of the best. Tracking them would be hard. "

    "Jing... those photos are too much. Lily already fainted because of the news about her bullying Cindy. What if something terrible happens to her this time?" her innocent eyes immediately made Yu Jing pity her even more.

    "Such an innocent soul." Yu Jing said. "Don¡¯t worry... I will protect you." He held her closer to him before kissing her forehead. How could he disregard such a weak female like this? Yu Jing grunted inwardly.

    So what if those photos that he just released a day ago were extremely malicious? So what if it will make people think that Lily managed to grow herpany because she was sleeping with her colleagues? Lily bullied his Qiao Qiao and made her more insecure. How could Yu Jing let this woman live a happy and peaceful life?

    He lowered his gaze and look at the weak woman in his arms. His Qiao Qiao only deserves the best and Yu Jing is going to give her the world.

    "Jing... you are spoiling me too much," under the gaze of a man like Yu Jing, Qiao Qiao¡¯s face turned red. "I don¡¯t think... I could ever pay you for everything that you did for me."

    "Payment?" A shed of unfathomable expression gleam in his eyes. "Why don¡¯t you marry me and spend your life with me? This will be the only payment that I will ept." He gave her a gentle smile.

    "Are you ¡ª Are you proposing?" her face reddened even more as she tried to mask her real thoughts. How could she marry someone at this time? She is still young, and she is bound to achieve great things as long as she does not marry anyone.

    "Of course, I am. I know... I don¡¯t have the ring now... but I will go and see my grandmother so I could give you our family heirloom." He smiled. "How about this... think about this matter and you tell me your decision on my grandfather¡¯s birthday next week?"

    "What do say?" Yu Jing smiled, anticipation apparent in his eyes.

    ..............

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Unnisara

 Chapter 527 The Peak

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 527 The Peak</h4>

    Sky City

    "Those are fake photos," Lily said the moment she saw her photos that had been on the Inte in the past few hours. "To think... that someone would actually try to do something this stupid only means that they thought the people are stupid to believe such things."

    "President... thements are..." Yang Mi did not continue her words. She was about to warn Lily about the meanments, but thetter already started reading them.

    "I see..." Lily nodded. "So there are actual people as stupid as them."

    "I believe President Zhou is already taking care of this. But I am still wondering why the photos are still online. He could easily remove it from the trending topics."

    "Yang Mi... if he will remove the photos theizens will only think that it was me who did it. Then they will criticize my influence and might even think that this is all true."

    Yang Mi nodded her head before she turned towards the entrance. "That must be The President¡¯s mother." She immediately went to check if the person who wanted to have ess to their house is Zhou Dae Un and let her inside.

    "Mother." Lily smiled as she gave the older woman a hug. "How was your trip?"

    Zhou Dae Un immediately congratted Lily and even gave her a bangle made of white gold and diamonds as a gift. "And stop worrying too much. Zhou Jingren told me that you already knew about the matter with the photos and the bullying rumors?" Zhou Dae Un took a sip at the tea that Yang Mi prepared.

    "I am not worried about those." Lily smiled. "Since when did people care about the truth, anyway? We live in a world where everyone seemed to think giving their opinions about something that was posted online is... the recent trend."

    "Good. I like your mindset." Zhou Dae Un then started talking to Lily about their ns in the future. Since Lily and Zhou Jingren will have a child soon, they needed to find a ce that is suitable for their children. "This ce... is big. But I don¡¯t think that stairs are suitable for a toddler. Are you nning to move to a bungalow? Or a safer house?"

    "I have been thinking about this matter sincest night." Lily sighed. "I don¡¯t know... Ourpanies are based here so moving into Maind China is not an option for me. I have a few properties that my grandmother left me. It is located in a pretty secluded and private neighborhood in Hong Kong."

    "Ah... that would be a great idea. I suggest that you move before your stomach gets big. These stairs are pretty inconvenient once you are already seven months pregnant."

    Lily nodded at Zhou Dae Un¡¯s words. She remembered that Grandmother Ye left her one of her properties at The Peak. It was a ce that is exclusively for the wealthy, located in the northern part of Hong Kong. It also has a great view of the whole of Hong Kong and offers really good security.

    She immediately made a mental note to tell Zhou Jingren about this matter. However, she never thought that thetter was already thinking about this as well.

    "This is the only mansion avable in The Peak. It¡¯s pretty. This is a five-bedroom mansion with over eight thousand square feet of floor area. It surrounded by dense woods, meaning it will be very good for your health."

    "It also has an outdoor and indoor swimming pool. There is also a smaller dining area that is overlooking the outside swimming pool here." He continued.

    "This is a very elevated location that features a stunning view of the Hong Kong skyline."

    Lily¡¯s eyes went wide as she saw the image on Zhou Jingren¡¯sputer. "This is exquisite!" she eximed. "Knowing that Hong Kong is the home of more than ny percent billionaires in the world, I¡¯d say that... this three hundred and fifty million is a very fair price." She nodded and examined the images of the other parts of the house as well.

    "I already paid half. But if you don¡¯t like it... I can always cancel. Do you like me to schedule a viewing?" He asked. Seeing his wife smile like immediatelypleted his day.

    "Of course! We can also drop by my grandmother¡¯s house!" she beamed. "I am surprised that you were already thinking about this matter."

    "Well... this penthouse was designed for singles and couples, not for a family. I already thought of buying a house after you agreed to marry me way backst year. But because of our busy schedules, I was not able to discuss it with you."

    Lily nodded. "Still... a house like this is actually perfect for us."

    "And it has five rooms. Perfect for our kids."

    Lily immediately lifted an eyebrow at her husband¡¯s words. "What does it have to do with our kids?"

    "Well... it¡¯s enough for four kids." he beamed.

    "Excuse me?" Lily¡¯s eyes immediately widened. "I want two or three. Not four."

    Seeing his wife¡¯s exaggerated reaction, Zhou Jingrenughed before he pulled her towards the bed. "Whatever you say, boss," he said before kissing her neck.

    "This is inappropriate." Lily immediately held her hand in between Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips and her skin. "The doctor said you are not allowed to act lecherous around me."

    "I am not allowed to kiss you like this?" he leaned down and kissed her ears.

    "No!" She said as she moved away from him. "This matter is non-negotiable. I can¡¯t let you seduce me like this!" She uttered, her face stern. "No kisses on my neck and other parts of my body!"

    "Are you sure?" a mischievous grin escaped his lips.

    "Of course! Well, maybe my neck is all right. But anywhere below that is not fine. Okay... maybe my breast is an exception." She said before beaming. "Alright... just until my chests... that¡¯s final!"

    In the end, Zhou Jingren burst into a puddle ofughter as he pulled her to kiss her forehead. "You are amazing," he uttered before kissing her lips.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Unnisara

 Chapter 528 My Next Ink

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 528 My Next Ink</h4>

    While Zhou Jingren and Lily were having a blissful night, Yu Jing and Qiao Qiao are having the exact opposite. In China, the night wasn¡¯t so peaceful at all.

    While the two were tangled in bed as they kissed each other, Yu Jing suddenly received a call from his mother.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Is this true?" the usatory voice of her mother made Yu Jing frowned. "Are you sleeping with one of your artists?"

    "What are you ¡ª " He walked towards hisputer and opened it. What he saw almost made his eyes popped out of their sockets.

    "Answer me, Jing! Did you really get involved in something like this with a lowly actress?" His mother¡¯s words brought him out of surprise.

    "She is not just a lowly actress!" Yu Jing hissed. "How dare you call her a lowly actress, mother? Did you forget? You were once an actress too!"

    "You!" He heard his mother¡¯s voice trembled. "How dare you talk to me like that?"

    "I don¡¯t want you to look down on her!"

    "What are you talking about? Have you forgotten about your father and grandfather? Have you gone crazy? They will remove you from the will if you keep on embarrassing our family like this!?"

    "Mother! You think... you think this is embarrassing?" In Yu Jing¡¯s mind, how could one be embarrassed because of love? How could his mother speak as if this is such an embarrassment?

    "What is embarrassing is when you are sleeping with another woman while being engaged to another! Yu Jing! Do you want to murder me? Do you want me to die from heart problems? Solve this matter as soon as possible! I don¡¯t want your fiance to know this! Leave that Qiao Qiao and stop seeing her!"

    "I can¡¯t do that." He said as he eyed the fragile Qiao Qiao waiting for him on his bed.

    "You¡ª "

    "I will introduce her to grandfather¡¯s birthday. Let¡¯s talk when you are already calm." He then ended the call without waiting for his mother to say something.

    "Did something happened?" Qiao Qiao asked. Her brows furrowed. "Why is your mother so angry?"

    "I think you should go home for now." Yu Jing dialed his secretary¡¯s number and instructed him to send Qiao Qiao home.

    "But why?" Qiao Qiao¡¯s eyes reddened. "Did I... upset you? Did I do something wrong?"

    "No. Of course not." Yu Jing sighed before pulling him into a hug. "You know what? Let¡¯s just stay here. Stay here and hide for now. I will fix this."

    "What is the problem?"

    "Someone released images of us online." He said. "Don¡¯t worry. I will contact the same group that I paid before. I will have them remove this in a few minutes."

    "Images of us?" Qiao Qiao frowned. She had been careful not to be seen with Yu Jing. She had avoided cameras and make sure to wear a scarf and big sunsses that covered most of her face every time she is with him. "What kind of photos?" She eyed Yu Jing who was now back at hisputer. Eyeing the screen, her face immediately turned pale. "How ¡ª How did they get those?"

    "It was an image of her in a robe sitting next to Yu Jing! There were also photos of her sitting on hisp and kissing him. It was pretty obvious that all these photos were taken inside Yu Jing¡¯s t. She eyed the floor to ceiling windows in his room as she shivered. Was it possible that... "Jing... the window."

    "That is impossible. That is a reinforced ss. Someone from the outside cannot see what is going on inside my t." He answered. Yu Jing dialed the number of the person that he paid to create those photos towards Lily. He frowned when he heard the operator¡¯s voice informing him that the owner is currently unavable.

    Seeing Yu Jing¡¯s troubled expression, Qiao Qiao bit her lips as she stared at the photos. Suspicion raced inside her. Was it possible that this was Lily¡¯s work? But... how did she found out about her and CEO Yu? Did she underestimate her all along?

    ¡¯Impossible!¡¯ she thought inwardly. She made a meticulous n! There is no way that Lily would know about her, and CEO Yu as she was very careful. Moreover, If Lily wanted revenge, she could easily do it with CEO Yu. After all, he was the one who did all those things. He paid the hackers and the people who created online rumors against Lily.

    It wasn¡¯t her. Qiao Qiao was just a bystander watching everything from her bubble. This was already in her ns. She wanted other people to do it for her so she could have a clean exit once Lily deals with those people.

    She never thought that it would be possible for Lily to include her in this matter. First, there was Cindy who was involved with Zhou Jingren in the news. Then there were the rumors of Lily bullying Cindy in the photoshoot that Qiao Qiao had set up in advance. She originally expected that Lily would confront Cindy and would make the naive woman cry.

    While Lily did the opposite, Qiao Qiao was still able to use it to convince Yu Jing that this only showed how Lily looks down on every actress. This was proof that what she told Yu Jing about Lily¡¯s actions in Hong Kong was true. Then the rumors of bullying was released.

    She was able to use every scenario to attack Lily while also protecting herself. She didn¡¯t involve her name and acted low key. So how could Lily involve her in something like this? ¡¯I shouldn¡¯t panic,¡¯ sheforted herself. She could still use this and turned around the situation against Lily.

    While Qiao Qiao¡¯s mind was thinking of retaliation and schemes. Yu Jing¡¯s mind was about to explode as he read the email that was sent by the person that he paid to destroy Lily¡¯s name.

    No, it wasn¡¯t an email. It was a message written in blood. It was something that he never expected to get anytime soon. It was a threat.

    "What is that?" Qiao Qiao leaned closer to look at the screen. Her eyes widened as she read the message.

    *DO IT AGAIN*

    *AND YOUR BLOOD WILL BE MY NEXT INK*

    ...

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Unnisara

    Priv user? Join discord for exclusive chat group: https://discord.gg/qDkAf2q

 Chapter 529 Madam Yu

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 529 Madam Yu</h4>

    "That¡ª Is that a threat?" Qiao Qiao trembled as she read the image over and over again. "Jing... let¡¯s report this to the police!" her voice started to shake. This should be Lily¡¯s doing! Is Lily going to kill her next?

    "No... we can¡¯t." Yu Jing gritted his teeth. "If we do that, they would know that we contacted this group of people. We can¡¯t let that happen." He said before he deleted the image. "If this is true..." he swallowed his saliva. "If they are dead, then... we can¡¯t have the police trace them to us." He immediately turned off the burner phone that he is using to talk to the group of hackers.

    The more Qiao Qiao thought about it. The more she got nervous. Lily was indeed a very tricky person to deal with. She wondered if she should call Chen Shi about the matter and ask for her help.

    Chen Shi¡¯s assistant Chen Luan should be able to help her, right? But... what if they won¡¯t?

    "What are we going to do now?" Qiao Qiao asked Yu Jing. "The images... If the hackers arepromised then... who will take them down?" Yu Jing didn¡¯t answer her. Instead, he stood from his seat and walked towards his closet. "Jing... I¡¯m afraid."

    "Don¡¯t be." Yu Jing said as he started dressing himself. "This is temporary. I will talk to Manager Hao so she could at least try to solve this matter with you."

    Qiao Qiao sneered inwardly. Manager Hao? That woman is dumb. There Is no way that she would help her. "Jing... what if she refused?"

    "Then we create something bigger than this. We can easily bury this scandal if we create a bigger one." Yu Jing clenched his jaws. "To bury Lily¡¯s issue, they actually released something like this. They are fighting fire with fire. Embrace yourself, I believe that more things areing our way."

    "Jing..." Qiao Qiao sat on the bed as she used her hand to cover her face. Her shoulders trembled, her low sobs echoed inside the room. "This is all my fault. This is all my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have told you about what happened way back in Hong Kong. I shouldn¡¯t have..."

    "Shhhh.... What are you talking about?" he kneeled in front of her and pulled her into a hug. "I am your man. You should tell me everything. This is not your fault at all."

    "But your mother..." Qiao Qiao didn¡¯t continue her words. Based on her research, the Yu Family is verypetitive and is very traditional when ites to business. They would not hesitate to kick someone out of their family if that person ruined their reputation.

    "My family always believed that reputation is everything. However... my father is different. Don¡¯t worry. I am sure that they will still ept you no matter what happens. Also... my grandfather¡¯s birthday is next week. I will ask someone to get your measurements tomorrow for your gown. I am nning to formally introduce you to the family as my fiance."

    Qiao Qiao only nodded at his words. She was originally nning to refuse the man¡¯s proposal because she was still too young to get married. Moreover, she always believed that she can still achieve more.

    More fame, more money, a wonderful career, a rich and prominent husband. Qiao Qiao always believed that she deserves to have such things. However, Lily¡¯s retaliation ruined her ns. How could she go out and pretend to be innocent now that the cyber world is feasting their eyes on her indecent photos?

    What she needed now is an escape n, and that is Yu Jing. It will be very easy to exin to her fans that they have been secretly seeing each other and is truly in love. She was sure that her fans would support her engagement.

    What she needed to do now is to impress Yu Jing¡¯s family. Make them like her, then boom! She could even be the next Madam Yu if she wanted to.

    ......

    Sky City

    While the Inte blew up because of Qiao Qiao¡¯s scandal, Lily and Zhou Jingren had a splendid sleep.

    Lily woke up because of her growling stomach. She eyed the clock and frowned when she realized that it was already eight in the morning. ¡¯Must be the vitamins,¡¯ she concluded. The doctor said that it is only normal for her to be sleepy and tired in the first trimester. Moreover, he also added some vitamins that could make her sleep more.

    She eyed the vacant spot of the bed and sigh. Zhou Jingren must have already left for work. She thought as she pulled the nket on top of her head. She felt like she had slept for ten hours or more and yet she is still tired. What kind of sorcery is this?

    After a few more minutes of lying down, Lily finally parted with her bed and go down to eat breakfast.

    "You¡¯re here?" Lily asked when she spotted Yang Mi in the living room. "Is there a problem?" she asked.

    "I will apany you and the president today," Yang Mi stood from her seat. "Madam Zhou Dae Un is on her apartment a few floors downstairs. She has a cold and President Zhou told her not toe to see you and risk infecting you with her colds."

    "Oh." Lily nodded. "Must be the travel." She went towards the kitchen and started eating her breakfast. "Are we going somewhere today?" She asked herself.

    "You have scheduled a viewing with the President. Go Jichen and President Zhou will pick us up at ten in the morning." Yang Mi immediately reminded Lily. She eyed Lily¡¯s nonexistent bump and wondered if it was okay for her to go to The Peak. Yang Mi heard from Go Jichen that Lily needed to take care of herself because of her previous problems.

    "I¡¯m good. Don¡¯t worry too much." Lily lifted her head to meet Yang Mi¡¯s eyes. How could she miss the concern in thetter¡¯s tone? Lily¡¯s lips lifted into a gentle smile. "Thank you for your concern." She added.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Unnisara and MiszNewra

    Priv user? Join discord for exclusive chat group: https://discord.gg/qDkAf2q

 Chapter 530 Lady Lucilla

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 530 Lady Luci</h4>

    The ride from The Sky City to The Peak was not that long. However, Lily still fell asleep in Zhou Jingren¡¯s arms during the whole drive towards the ce. When they arrived in the mansion, it was already almost eleven and the sun is really hot.

    "What is that?" Lily woke up when the car halted. She looked at the people in front of their car that seemed to have a heated argument. "Why are they blocking our car?" she eyed the tall woman, wearing an all-white suit and the other woman wearing a sundress.

    "Can you ask what is going on?" Zhou Jingren asked Secretary Go. In response, thetter walked out of the car and started talking to the women. "The tall woman in white is a real estate personnel that¡¯s supposed to guide us today. I forgot her name, but Jichen should know her. He already talked to her for a couple of times about the mansion." He exined to Lily.

    She nodded in response before stifling a yawn. "Summer is here. It is very hot outside. It is making me sozy to move."

    "Well... I can carry¡ª "

    "Nope." She straightened her back and shook her head. "No carrying." Her serious face prompted her husband to give a low chuckle.

    "Alright. No carrying."

    "President, I will park the car over there. Then we can start the tour with Miss Ye." Secretary Go said aftering back. "The woman that she was talking to is another resident in The Peak. She is living just a few houses away from the Mansion. That woman wanted to buy the mansion for her sister. But her sister will arrive next week and I have been talking to Miss Ye for two months now. Miss Ye decided to prioritize us. Moreover, we already paid half of the house while the woman only wanted to pay ten million for the reservation fee."

    Secretary Go continued to inform them about the current situation. However, Lily¡¯s eyes were already on the estate that was sitting on top of the hill. It was the mansion that she saw on the images with Jingren. However, she felt that the images doesn¡¯t do it any justice.

    "Exquisite, right?" Zhou Jingren whispered. "It fits you."

    His words sent a brief smile on Lily¡¯s face. "Such a sweet tongue." She said, her eyes were glued to the wrought-iron gates of the house. "We will not go inside the property?" She asked when she noticed that they stopped just outside of the gates.

    "Miss Ye wanted to show us the view while we walk towards the mansion." Secretary Go answered. Not long after, the group was already outside of the car admiring the mansion from afar.

    "This is one of the most expensive mansions in The Peak," Everyone turned towards the woman named Miss Ye. She walked towards them, a smile stered on her face. "I am Ye Ting, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you." She held her hand to Zhou Jingren then towards Lily and Yang Mi. After she introduced herself, she immediately started telling them about the history of the house as well as its special features as they walked towards the mansion.

    "These oaks were nted by the first owner for his beloved wife." She gestured towards the lush oaks that lined towards the driveway of the mansion. "In fact, he also named the mansion under his wife, Lady Luci. Everyone said that she is from the Royal Family of Europe. A woman of genuine beauty and elegance."

    The group continued walking as Lily and Zhou Jingren started asking questions about the mansion. In response, the real estate agent answered them politely. However, this peaceful interaction was interrupted by a loud honk of the car that was just outside of the wrought-iron gates.

    They turned their heads towards the man who went out of the car, then towards the woman that Miss Ye was talking to earlier. An apologetic smile immediately bloomed at thetter¡¯s face. "I really apologize for the inconvenience. I guess I would have to leave you so I can ask them to leave us." She sighed.

    "May I know what the problem is?" Lily asked. She wasn¡¯t in a mood of any confrontation right now as she was honestly enjoying this tour.

    "The woman, Mrs. Randolf wanted to give a fifty percent down payment of the house." Miss Ye answered. "I already informed them that this is not possible as Mr. Zhou already paid half. But she is insisting that I ept it. Now the problem is... I am only an agent, I can¡¯t just ept checks from people. Moreover, this house is already considered sold."

    "Then... let¡¯s go talk to them first. I don¡¯t want them to ruin my experience in this house." Lily said as she pulled Zhou Jingren and marched towards the gates. "Yang Mi prepare the documents of this house as well as the other half of the payment. Go and talk to thewyers with Jichen. Juste back here after you are done."

    Yang Mi didn¡¯t have to ask Lily to repeat the question. She already knew that Lily liked this ce. She and Go Jichen immediately run towards the parked car and left.

    "Is there something that we could do for you?" Lily asked the couple who was ring at them as if they just stole their precious child. Irritation shed in Lily¡¯s eyes. The agent already told them No. How could these people still dare show themselves in this ce?

    Then she remembered that some rich people think that the world belongs to them and they are not really used to people turning them down. Especially the rich heir and heiresses.

    "This property is not for sale. Mywyer is already processing the papers of this mansion. I would advise you to leave the property before I call the police for trespassing." The man arrogantly said. He eyed Lily then Zhou Jingren before he sneered. "Leave now before I lose my temper."

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Unnisara and MiszNewra

 Chapter 531 Neighborhood

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 531 Neighborhood</h4>

    "Mrs. Randolf, please let¡¯s not create a scene here." Miss Ye calmly said. "This house is already marked sold on our website. As I said..."

    "Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do in my own neighborhood?" Hearing the aggressiveness in the woman¡¯s voice, Zhou Jingren took a step in front of Lily, hiding half of her body from the view of the couple. "Do you even know who I am?" the woman¡¯s face was ugly as she continued, "Me and my family have been in this neighborhood for years! I should be a priority!"

    "Mrs. Randolf..."

    Miss Ye¡¯s words were interrupted when Mrs. Randolf held her hand in front of the agent¡¯s face. She then looked at her husband. "Did you call ourwyers? Is it done? I can¡¯t wait to call the police to arrest these people."

    "Mrs. Randolf, please stop being so unreasonable." Miss Ye said. "I already informed you this¡ª "

    "Shut it!" Mr. Randolf hissed as he dialed his phone and put it on a loudspeaker. "I will let you listen to ourwyer¡¯s words."

    "This is insane." Lily rolled her eyes. "I was originally thinking that this neighborhood is peaceful and quiet. Who would have thought that¡ª "

    "Shut up, you fox!" Mrs. Randolf interrupted Lily. "You don¡¯t have the right to be here."

    "Jingren... is that a dog?" Lily shifted her gaze towards her husband. "I seemed to hear a dog barking." She then turned to look at Mrs. Randolf. "Oh... I thought it was a cute little dog. Turns out... it was just her."

    "You ¡ª " Mrs. Randolf walked towards Lily, however, her husband was quick to stop her.

    "Mr. Randolf?" The voice of thewyer on the other line interrupted them. "Mr. Randolf, I am sorry to inform you that the ce is indeed not for sale anymore. I¡ª "

    "Did you offer them money!?" Mr. Randolf¡¯s face turned ugly. "I told you to give them extra!"

    "Mr. Randolf... that¡¯s not how it works in this country. I gave them ¡ª " thewyer¡¯s words was cut off when Mr. Randolf ended the call and red at Lily and Zhou Jingren. "You bought this ce?" he asked.

    "Is that even a valid question?" Lily¡¯s words almost made Zhou Jingren smack his own face. Was it really true that pregnant women tend to change their attitudes? Lily had been very vocaltely, which is quite the opposite of her previous self.

    "Yes, we did." Zhou Jingren answered. "We would appreciate if you leave the ce on your own before we call the cops and have you arrested for threatening us." Since Lily¡¯s temper is ring, Zhou Jingren decided to be the calm one. Two fires could easily make an explosion while fire and water would bnce each other.

    "Then... how about we buy it from you?" Mrs. Randolf was quick to suggest. She already promised her cousin and sister that they are going to stay in this ce for their vacation next week. She would not want to lose some face if she goes back on her promise. "We can add five percent of the price."

    In Mrs. Randolf¡¯s mind, a normal person would easily agree to her offer. Sadly, the couple in front of her was far from normal.

    "There are mansions in the neighborhood before The Peak. The view is pretty nice there too. If you want, I can have my butler apany you for a tour. And of course, it is cheaper than this ce." It was as if Mrs. Randolf¡¯s attitude changed in a few seconds. The middle-aged woman even gave Lily a gentle smile, as if she was not threatening to have them arrested a few seconds ago.

    "No." Zhou Jingren¡¯s short answer immediately made the couple frown.

    "But..."

    "It¡¯s okay, La. I¡¯m sure your cousin will understand." Now that Mr. Randolf realized that the couple in front of him actually had the money to purchase this house on their first viewing, he decided to be more cautious.

    As someone who had been staying abroad most of the time, both Mr. And Mrs. Randolf does not have any idea who their neighbors were. To them, such a thing is not really important. After all, they don¡¯t really stay in this ce and are spending most of their time in the US. They only visit this ce once they are going to attend an important event or have a business meeting in China or Hong Kong.

    Mr. Randolf was aware that people who stay in this ce were not to be taken lightly. In fact, this was the initial reason he bought a house in this part of the world. He was nning to retire at a young age and create a beneficial rtionship with the billionaires living in this area for his sons and daughters.

    "But..."

    "It¡¯s alright. We are here to attend Old Man Yu¡¯s birthday next week. We are not here for trouble." He tightened his hand around his spoiled wife¡¯s arms. He wanted to send her a warning to tread carefully. These people bought a three hundred million house. He was sure that these two are somehow influential and are part of the elites in Hong Kong.

    Mrs. Randolf pursed her lips. She understood her husband¡¯s thoughts. In fact, this was the reason why she had a sudden change in her attitude. She eyed the couple and silently nodded.

    "Okay, since you won¡¯t sell this ce then... we won¡¯t disturb you any longer. We really thought that we could buy the house before you. It was nothing but a misunderstanding." Mr. Randolf surely knows how to choose his enemies. He might be arrogant and domineering, but he is not that stupid and clumsy. He smiled before leaving with his wife in tow as he made a mental note to research more about the people living in thismunity.

    "My apologies Mr. and Mrs. Zhou." Miss Ye quickly apologized after the couple left. "This encounter is fairly normal in a neighborhood like this." She smiled.

    "Really?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. "Why is that?" They started walking towards the house.

    "Well... First, most people here are rich. They think that they can use their money on everything. This ce is very expensive, so it made some people think that they are entitled to boss around anyone who is not living in this neighborhood just like agents. Some people would even scare off buyers by trying to intimidate them." She smiled. "Of course, there are those people who are very kind and weing too. An example is the Yu family living a few houses away. Those are decent people."

    "Every time someone new bought a house in this area, they never fail to send them a weing gift! Moreover, Madam Yu is a very kind person who likes to involve herself in the society too." Miss Yu added, a smile stered on her face.

    "Of course, most of them does not really mind their neighbors at all. After all, they were busy and most only stays for a few days before flying out of the country for their businesses.

    .........

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Momandmonkies

    Thank you so much for the support. :) I can¡¯t tell you how grateful I am.

 Chapter 532 Respect and Honor

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 532 Respect and Honor</h4>

    After Zhou Jingren and Lily went to see the house they immediately told Yang Mi to find a very good ce to purchase some furniture.

    Zhou Jingren only shook his head when he heard Lily mentioned that she is only nning to bring his piano and their clothes. She is nning to buy new furniture for the house.

    "I wanted to invest in beautiful pieces so it willst longer. Something that would still exist twenty years from now." Lily said as she instructed Yang Mi to always chose quality over the price. "This will be our home. A ce where we raise our children and maybe grandchildren. We should invest in very good furniture. She made a deliberate pause when she realized that she should stop convincing someone like her husband.

    Zhou Jingren is the type of man that would agree to anything that she says. With this in mind, she could not stop the smile from blooming on her face. "Jingren, do you have a request? I am nning to make two rooms as our offices. Then one as our bedroom. We should also create a separate room for a butler. Or the people that will take care of the mansion."

    Zhou Jingren couldn¡¯t help but smile as he heard Lily babble about her future ns. Her words seemed too sweet, that he wondered if this was a hallucination. Was he really this lucky to have a woman like Lily stand by his side until he grows old?

    "Alright... I really want to pick furniture in person. I don¡¯t want to judge things base on a presentation. So maybe... we could find a decorator and schedule a day to pick the type of wood that I want for the furniture. Rosewood would be nice and oak too. Maybe we could include some mahogany. What do you think?" Lily¡¯s question brought him back from his stupor.

    "Everything you say is fine." He nodded. "You can do what you want." He added before giving her a gentle smile.

    Lily beamed in response before she went back to talking about her ns in the mansion.

    ............

    When Lily arrived in Sky City, she immediately asked Yang Mi to give her updates about what had been going ontely. To be honest, Lily was not that interested in the issues anymore as it does not affect her in any way. Moreover, she is nning to use another ssic move that she learned from her grandmother.

    ¡¯Use absence to increase respect and honor.¡¯

    Create value through scarcity. This was a ssic move from her grandmother¡¯s teachings. First, establish yourself in the business world. Then withdraw and keep your silence. This will make people talk, make people assume that you are nning something.

    Make people fear your absence. It will keep the enemies wondering if you are scheming against them. It will give them suspended terror. Something that is essential to maintain your air of unpredictability.

    In the first ce, too much presence in the news does not necessarily mean that it will bring her profits. So why tire herself when she won¡¯t benefit from it?

    However, all this n seemed to crumble and turned into ashes when she heard Yang Mi¡¯s words.

    "A scandal?" her mind went spiral. Zhou Jingren¡¯s face immediately flooded her head. "Can you give me the tablet?" Lily had been limiting her time with herptop and tablet as Zhou Jingren insisted that the radiation is bad for her and their child¡¯s health.

    Lily chose toply as she knew Zhou Jingren was just concern about her health.

    When Yang Mi gave her the tablet, Lily immediately checked the news. It wasn¡¯t really hard to find as it was still trending. Her mouth flew open. She was speechless! Zhou Jingren was ruthless and direct, ah.

    He instantly destroyed someone¡¯s career in less than a day! Seeing Lily¡¯s reaction, Yang Mi immediately cleared her throat.

    "Mr. Qin Yuanfeng was the one who tracked the hacker who released those photos." Yang Mi said. "President Zhou said that this is only the start. I think... I think he is nning to kill Miss Qiao." Yang Mi said with a straight face. "She deserves it."

    Lily shifted her gaze to her secretary and saw the disgust in Yang Mi¡¯s eyes. "Death is too easy." She said.

    "An untimely death is actually us saving them from themselves." For the first time, Yang Mi decided to tell Lily her thoughts about the matter. "Their stupidity is astounding. We are only saving the from people like them."

    Hearing this, Lily let out a burst of boisterousughter. Who would have thought that Yang Mi¡¯s thinking is very direct too? She then gave Yang Mi and a knowing look. Now that she is pregnant, it is possible that Yang Mi is also stepping up on her game and decided to go all out in protecting her.

    "Then... let her do what he wants." Lily smiled. "Their deaths have nothing to do with me." She said as her lips curled into a sinister smile. "What about Cindy Hao?"

    As if on cue, Lily¡¯s phone vibrated. When she saw the caller ID, Lily immediately answered it.

    "Hmm?" she gave the tablet back to Yang Mi as she rose from the couch and walked towards Zhou Jingren¡¯s piano.

    "Miss Lily... I... I am calling you because I want to thank you." Cindy¡¯s voice trembled. It was clear that the younger woman was trying to gather all the courage that she had to utter those words.

    "Thank you?"

    "Yes. I want to thank you for finding out the truth about the bullying scandal." Cindy added.

    "Oh..."

    "Miss Lily... thank you for believing that I would not do such a thing. I originally wanted to have a press conference to clear this up. But our CEO did not agree with my sister¡¯s request. He also forbid me frommenting on this matter. I really apologize for causing all this drama."

    "It¡¯s alright," Lily said. She could feel the gratitude flowing from the younger woman¡¯s words. A smile hung on Lily¡¯s lips. "I understand." She added.

    ......

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Momandmonkies

 Chapter 533 Nothing But a Fly

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 533 Nothing But a Fly</h4>

    Beijing

    After a few more days, Qiao Qiao and Yu Jing¡¯s scandal only intensified. The problem is no matter how much they try to pay some people to remove it from the top trending, it seemed to have a way to go back to the top.

    As expected, people started ridiculing her and rumors of her being nominated because of Yu Jing started circting online.

    "Sister Hao, I don¡¯t understand. Why is it that you refused to help me? This news ruined my reputation. Avoiding reporters every day is very hard for me. So far, the filming of my uing films was also affected. You know that I am not the female lead on this one. They can easily rece me if I still refuse to show up." Qiao Qiao were all in tears.

    It has been days! Why is that the news is still there? "The images did not stop. The person responsible is too malicious. Sister Hao... please help me."

    "Qiao Qiao... why are you asking for my help now? When you got together with our CEO did you asked for my opinion about it?" Manager Hao felt furious. How could this woman stole her sister¡¯s endorsements and hope that she will still help her? "I already asked CEO Yu to transfer you to another manager. I am sure that he will give you the best one."

    "Sister Hao! How could you do that? You have been with me since I started!? Are you really going to leave me at this time?"

    "Qiao Qiao listen to yourself. First... you have an indecent rtionship with our CEO behind my back. You were not honest and chose to lie to me. Then you asked him to give you the endorsements for my sister. And now... you wanted Cindy to save you?"

    "I am only asking to release something that would attract everyone¡¯s attention." Qiao Qiao lowered her head as she tried to hide the fury in her eyes. She clenched her teeth inwardly as she made a mental note to destroy this woman after she gets out of this difficult situation. "A photo of Cindy holding a bouquet of flowers and choctes would immediately raise some questions and gossips. I¡¯m sure it will be trending in a few hours. Many people will talk about her lover. Please, Sister Hao. I promise to give back the endorsements to Cindy after this."

    Qiao Qiao was truly desperate. Yu Jing already promised her over and over that he will remove the news, but it¡¯s futile. After a few hours of its removal, it will go back to top trending again. Moreover, Qiao Qiao also had suspicions that Yu Jing purposely dyed this matter as he wanted to force her to ept their rtionship in public as soon as possible.

    Qiao Qiao already tried calling Chen Luan about this matter. But the man refused to help her and even had the guts to tell her that she was the one who made her bed. If one would really think about it, Chen Luan was right. They only told Qiao Qiao to help them destroy Lily¡¯s name, and they did not really tell her how to do it.

    Getting close to Yu Jing was her choice. Seducing the man was something that she had thought of.

    Because of this, Qiao Qiao was left with no choice but approache Manager Hao and asked her if she could release a photo of Cindy that will create some rumors online. She was hoping that this would be enough to bury her images on the Inte.

    "Only asking?" Manager Hao sneered. "You are only asking? Qiao Qiao... this situation really made me see who you truly are. Why would you drag my sister¡¯s name into this matter? She was also a victim of some vicious rumorstely that are made by jealous people. Do you think those people will let this go once I release a photo like that?"

    "Moreover, why would you want to bury this issue? CEO Yu seems to favor you a lot. Why not just release a statement that you are indeed together?"

    "We are already nning to do that." Yu Jing was already talking about a press conference like this. In fact, the man already gave her a script. "I just want to have those indecent photos remove on the top trending. I ¡ª I don¡¯t think I can still continue to work while knowing that everyone had been watching those photos for days now."

    One of the photos clearly showed her breasts and legs. Because of this, Qiao Qiao had been refusing to go to her scheduled filming and photoshoots. How could she let people look at her now?

    "Why don¡¯t you ask CEO Yu about this matter?" Manager Hao asked. "I already told CEO Yu that I am not going to help you." Manager Hao decided to put her foot down. She can¡¯t let this woman involve Cindy in this matter.

    "Sister Hao... please..." Qiao Qiao broke down. "Do you really want me to be disgraced like this? We have been friends for years. We went through so much in Hong Kong. How could you just leave me now? Sister Hao, are you really that cold-hearted?"

    "Qiao Qiao... this situation... has nothing to do with me," Manager Hao uttered. How could this woman mention their past friendship after she decided to betray her and Cindy? How shameless! How dare she talk about friendship when she was the one who betrayed Manager Hao out of nowhere? This woman dared to scheme against her and use her body to seduce some corporate heir so she could take advantage of his influence. Then once she encountered a problem, she would approach Manager Hao for help?

    Manager Hao sneered inwardly. "Please leave... As I said... CEO Yu is nning to give you a new manager. From now on... you and I... are no longer connected."

    "Sister Hao! How could you kick me when I¡¯m down? How could you¡ª ¡¯

    "Qiao Qiao... this time you are too dumb." Manager Hao gave her a cold, knowing smile. "You attacked the Queen... but you missed. I hope this will serve as a lesson. Do not target a tiger... when you are nothing but a fly."

    .......................

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Momandmonkies

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 534 A Frog

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 534 A Frog</h4>

    Hong Kong

    Today, Lily was scheduled to take a lot of tests that she needed for the pregnancy. Then she asked to meet Zhou Jingren in a furniturepany so they could choose the type of furniture that they wanted for their house.

    "The previous furniture that you chose was already at the house. What we need is to find an auspicious date to move and we are all set." Zhou Jingren said as he eyed the table that Lily was touching.

    "Mother said next week is good. If we can finish everything next week, then... I am good. So far... I don¡¯t like to renovate anything in the mansion. I feel like... there is something really nice in its structure. It is unique." Lily answered, her eyes were on the table that was made from mahogany. She slowly ced her hand on top of the furniture. "I like this one. But I am looking for Chinese Rosewood."

    "Look... ever there. I think that¡¯s rosewood." Zhou Jingren pointed at one of the furniture that was disyed inside a ss box. "That should be one of their expensive pieces."

    Lily smiled as she pulled her husband to see the furniture. Unbeknownst to them, this interaction was witnessed by Xuan Hui. When he saw that Lily and Zhou Jingren are walking his way, he immediately walked in the opposite direction to avoid the couple.

    He let out a deep sigh as he reached his car. He was about to open his car when he saw his reflection on the window. Another sigh escaped his mouth. His eye bags seemed to have be bigger and darker. His once handsome face was long gone and was reced with what looked like a middle-aged uncle.

    He tried to ignore the pang of sadness in his heart as he boarded his car and drove away from the furniture house.

    Qin Fei had been very demandingtely. He always knew that she is always like this, but Xuan Hui¡¯s problem is the fact that his own wife seemed to suspect his every move. She would follow him around, making sure that she does not interact with another woman. She would check his phone andputer every night and would listen to his calls!

    The worse is Qin Fei had actually abandoned her responsibility as a mother and as a businesswoman. She seemed to have forgotten her identity when she offered to be her husband¡¯s secretary. While he thinks that this is a bit toxic, Xuan Hui understood that this was all because of him. Qin Fei does not trust him anymore.

    He broke his wife¡¯s heart, and now he needed to suffer the consequence of his actions. Xuan Hui¡¯s lips thinned into a grim line when she thought of Lily¡¯s smiling face. Lily seemed so happy as she touched the table. Her eyes seemed to sparkle under the gaze of her husband. She looked more beautiful than thest time that she saw her. She looked loved and... just happy.

    Sometimes, Xuan Hui would wonder if he loved the wrong woman. Surely, his life would be different now if he loved Lily, right? Surely, he would look like the handsome Zhou Jingren being pulled by her fairy-like wife as they chose furniture for their home.

    When he realized what he was thinking, Xuan Hui immediately shook his head. What was he thinking? Qin Fei is his wife. The only woman that he loved. And she is the only woman that he will ever love.

    He doesn¡¯t love Lily- that is something that he was sure of. However, he couldn¡¯t deny that he envied her. She was smart and ruthless. She is strong and confident. She is the exact opposite of the woman that Xuan Hui loved.

    ....................

    Maind China, Beijing

    "Weak," Chen Shi scoffed when she eyed the article released by an entertainment tabloid. "Too careless and naive. Did she really think that no one would know she seduced her own CEO? Pathetic." Anyone who saw Chen Shi¡¯s disgusted face right now would say that they don¡¯t know this person. Her elegance and kindness seemed to vanish into thin air as she sneered. "Did you tell her that this is not our fault? She should solve this matter on her own."

    "Yes. I already did." Chen Luan shook his head. "She is too young. Maybe she is a little good when ites to her actions, but this... this is too easy."

    "Hmph!" she threw away the tabloid towards Chen Luan. "I don¡¯t want to read it anymore! Did you hear anything from Ron? Do we know anything about that institution where Jun Liang imprisoned my daughter?" she asked. In her mind, Demi was not a mental case. She was only like that because she was broken-hearted.

    She believed that this is but a phase in every woman¡¯s life. Surely, every woman¡¯s heart had been broken at least once, right?

    "Negative. I am asking our people to follow him around. He is in India now but will soon fly back to Singapore in a few days. I hope by then... Ron will have the chance to talk to him." Chen Luan answered. "How about Lily? Are we going to give up now that Qiao Qiao¡¯s reputation is already damaged? She would not really believe if we tell her that we are still going to sign her, right?"

    "Wrong." Chen Shi said. "That woman is naive. She will believe everything that ising from me. I heard that the young CEO is nning to introduce her to his parents?" He nodded in response. "Well... I understand why Qiao Qiao does not like to announce this rtionship even though they already have proof. I mean... look at that CEO. He looks like a frog in a hot water." She snickered. "Now... Qiao Qiao will be forced to marry a frog." Herughter echoed inside her study.

    "I was really surprised that she chose to seduce that man. Oh, well... his family has a little influence on the entertainment industry. I guess that was the reason why she did it."

    "Still..." Chen Shi gave a mockingugh. "He is a frog."

    ............

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Momandmonkies

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 535 A Quick Hug

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 535 A Quick Hug</h4>

    The Peak, Hong Kong

    After that day, Lily and Zhou Jingren had been very busy talking to some decorators.

    Today, Lily chose to visit and see some people that Zhou Jingren hired from the orphanage as well as the new furniture. Since the moving date is already decided, Lily took this as her final visit before the move.

    "I think we should change the paint in our office," Lily said to herself as she examined the rooms. "Add it to the list of the things that I want to do." She told Yang Mi, who was following her around. "Also... get me a list of the people living in this neighborhood." She added. Lily is not nning another evil scheme, alright?

    She was curious about the identity of the people living in this kind of ce. Moreover, she always believed that it is better to be always informed about matters like this.

    "Madam," a meek voice interrupted them. She immediately turned to look at one of their new maids. It was a young woman, probably around neen years old. "A woman iming to be Madam Yu is downstairs. She asked if she could see you."

    Lily lifted an eyebrow as she eyed Yang Mi. No words were exchanged between the two as Yang Mi was already on her tablet looking for information about the Yu Family.

    "Alright... it is hot outside. Bring her inside to the living room. Also... prepare some refreshments." She uttered and watched as the maid bowed and left without saying anything. "Yang Mi... please get me a list of everyone working in this ce as well."

    Lily understood that Zhou Jingren hired all these people to help them as well. However, she was not thatfortable having a stranger in her house. This was the reason why she refused to stay in Lilian¡¯s mansion and chose to stay alone in her t. Having people watch her every move seemed disturbing to her.

    She is not really against having them. It¡¯s just that she is not veryfortable with it. "I believe, you can get their files from Jichen." She added. She knew that Zhou Jingren must have already done aplete background check and was sure that Jichen have the files on him.

    Yang Mi nodded at Lily¡¯s words. She then started talking about the Yu Family "There are two Madam Yu in this household. The older one is Lu Xialu, she is the wife of the current patriarch. The next is Jiang Ruo she is the wife of the current CEO of Yu Corps and... the mother of CEO Yu Jing from Yu Entertainment." She eyed the smile on Lily¡¯s face that have be even brighter.

    "Alright... let¡¯s go." She carefully walked downstairs towards the visitor waiting for them. "Good Morning." Lily greeted when she saw a middle-aged woman wearing an expensive Gi Yellow Sundress. Lily remembered seeing this dress in one of fashion magazine this month. As someone who shops a lot, Lily is already very familiar with luxurious items like this. This however, did not affect the smile on Lily¡¯s face.

    "Good Morning!" the woman¡¯s tone was cordial as she stood in front of Lily. "You must be the Madam Zhou. I am Jiang Ruo from the Yu household a few houses away. It is a pleasure to meet you." She pulled Lily into a quick hug.

    "The pleasure is mine," Lily responded. "I have heard a lot about the Yu Family." She lied as she gestured for them to sit down.

    The woman¡¯s face had a quick change when she heard Lily¡¯s words. But, she was quick to hide it. Of course, it was toote as Lily already saw the change in her expression. Lily thought that this must be because of her son¡¯s scandal. "Well... we are an old Family." Madam Yuughed awkwardly before she changed the topic. "I am here to give you this." She handed Lily a box with a small golden envelope on the top.

    "I just realized that the day that you are scheduled to move is also my father-inw¡¯s birthday. So I can¡¯te in here to wee you and your husband into the new neighborhood." Jiang Ruo said, the smile on her face didn¡¯t falter. "Because of this, I decided toe in here to give you some auspicious fruits and cookies that I personally baked."

    "This..." Lily feigned surprise. "Thank you. I didn¡¯t know that this ce would be this weing."

    "Oh... please... we are new neighbors. Aside from this, the Golden Envelop is also an invitation for my Father in Law¡¯s birthday. We know that moving houses is very tiresome. However, we would appreciate if you attend the birthday party and meet the entire neighborhood and some prominent businessman."

    "That is wonderful." Lily smiled. "I would love to tell my husband about this matter."

    "Good. Now... I know that you are busy with furniture and decoration. So I won¡¯t stay for too long."

    "Aren¡¯t you going to have some refreshments at least? It is a very hot day." Lily said.

    "Oh no! I have some other important business to attend to. I apologize for the inconvenience. We are also busy preparing for the birthday party. But I would love to have some tea with you after all this... craziness." She gave a softugh.

    "Then... I will walk you out¡ª "

    "Oh, please... it¡¯s alright. You don¡¯t have to go outside and expose your skin in this heat."

    "Alright then..." Lily shifted her gaze to one of the servants standing a few feet away from them. "Please walk Madam Yu out." The maid nodded and immediately apanied the older woman out.

    "She seemed nervous," Lilymented softly as she eyed the woman¡¯s disappearing back. "Inviting us two days before the event and expecting us to show to meet everyone... hmmm..."

    "President, this woman used to be an actress before she got married to the Eldest son of The Yu Family. However, despite her husband being the eldest son, the old man seemed to be very logical and does not favor him. He treats his three sons equally and has hinted that he will leave thepany to the most capable person in the family."

    "So... this made everyone in the Yu Familypetitive?" Lily asked. "I see..." She smiled.

    .......

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Momandmonkies

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 536 Unlucky

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 536 Unlucky</h4>

    The monotonous hiss of the car wheel over the rain-washed highway made Lily smile. She loved it. The sound of the rain against their windshield seemed to make her excited.

    "You keep on smilingtely." Zhou Jingren noted. "I like it." He added. After the pregnancy, his Lily seemed to be more cheerful. She seemed to smile at the smallest things, and this is making him ecstatic.

    "Hmmm." Lily only nodded. "I used to hate the rain." She said as he leaned on his shoulders. "For some reason, I think it is good. I am starting to love it. Maybe it was because it¡¯s been really hot the past few days and the rain is just... refreshing." She closed her eyes and inhaled her husband??s scent. "Are you not going to apany me to see Jun Liang?"

    Lily and Zhou Jingren are on their way to one of a high-end coffee shop at the airport to meet Jun Liang.

    "Of course, I will."

    "Oh."

    "Don¡¯t you want me to be there?"

    "No, it¡¯s alright. I would love for you to apany me." Lily smiled. Since she got pregnant, Zhou Jingren had been very careful around her. He would apany her every time she goes out of the house. However, when Lily was at the mansion, Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t stay with her as he had a meeting to attend to.

    Lily does not have a problem with this setup at all. In fact, she liked it. Hispany makes her lighter and more secure. "Oh! Before I forgot... someone invited us to a birthday party tomorrow." She said almostzily. To be honest, Lily is not in the mood for this party. She is not in the mood to act cordial and smile to everyone.

    "Tomorrow?" He lifted an eyebrow. "Are you talking about the Yu Family¡¯s invitation?"

    "You knew?"

    "The second son of the patriarch personally invited me, yesterday. He went to my office just to tell me that we are invited. He even handed me a golden invitation to the event." He answered.

    "Interesting," Lily uttered as she opened her eyes. She stifled a yawn. The sound of the rain seemed to make her more sleepy. "Are they trying topete who could invite more influential people?" She chuckled. "The second son, huh?"

    "Well... because of Yu Jing¡¯s scandal, his father is having arguments with the Old Man." Zhuo Jingren said. "The Second son chose to take advantage of the situation." This was a simple case of healthypetition between the rich. They wanted to show off, who among them have the most connections hoping that it will make their father favor them.

    Lily stared at her husband. She wanted to ask how thetter knew this information. However, she already knew the answer to her question. "I talked to Madam Yu yesterday. She personally gave me the invitation and even said that they would really appreciate our attendance."

    "Then... are we going?"

    "Of course! Yu Jing and his... future wife ising too." Lily gave him a meaningful smile. "I mean... they already announced their engagement this morning, right?"

    "Hmmm. They did." Qiao Qiao was able to turn the public opinion to her side after announcing that they are indeed in a rtionship and are in fact engaged. She was crying as she said that the only reason why they did not announce their rtionship sooner was that she does not want to drag his name down. She would not want people to think that he is corrupt and had been bribing people just to help her.

    Qiao Qiao mentioned that she does not want people to think that she got all her movie deals and endorsements because of Yu Jing¡¯s connections. Of course, the people immediately sided with her.

    Many believed that the entertainment industry is very toxic. Because of its toxicity, it forces many people to hide their rtionships and avoid public persecution. Do you know how hard it is to hide your rtionship with other people because of fear?

    Another group of people ruthlessly said that Qiao Qiao indeed stole those endorsements and movie deals from other artists under the management. Many were quick to point out that Qiao Qiao is very beautiful and CEO Yu is not that good looking. Many said that a woman like Qiao Qiao would not easily entertain someone like CEO Yu unless they are after benefits and money.

    ¡¯Gold Digger Qiao¡¯

    The sentence started trending, causing another uproar in the cyberworld. Many argued that this is genuine love. However, a lot of people still point out the reality in the world today.

    [So what is she is after his money? She is only being practical! He seemed happy with her. What is your deal people? Hmph!]

    [Miss Qiao, in life, girls needed to kiss a lot of frogs before they find their prince. I have money too! Maybe you coulde and kiss me as well! Hahahaha]

    [Can we just leave them alone? Loving is not wrong! So what if he is not good looking? Do you really think women are all shallow? We don¡¯t just choose a man because they are handsome!]

    "People are really ruthless," Lily said as she read thements online. "This is a very scary world." She noted as she continued reading thements online.

    "It is funny." Zhou Jingren said.

    "What¡¯s so funny about it?"

    "Well... this happened without your idea or brilliant schemes. What do you think will happen if you decided to scheme against them?" His lips lifted into a smile as a shed of pride can be seen in his eyes.

    Lilyughed in response. "Well, you give them the bullet and they use it to shoot themselves. That man... that Yu Jing? Also had a hand in all this." She added. "Qiao Qiao is unlucky to meet a man like him."

    "Hmmm... Unlucky indeed." He added.

    Lily turned silent as she started watching the press conference of them dering their rtionship. Qiao Qiao must have thought that she could easily manipte someone like Yu Jing. She had actually underestimated the man. Qiao Qiao lowered her guard when she thought that the man seemed too stupid.

    She had forgotten the fact that Yu Jing is someone from the entertainment industry. He is someone who had met a lot of women who tried to use him because of his influence.

    ........

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Momandmonkies

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 537 Consequentialism

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 537 Consequentialism</h4>

    "I think Qiao Qiao lost because she did not expect that Yu Jing would be more skillful and smarter than her," Lily said. Suppressing the news was something that Yu Jing was very capable of doing. However, he never did it.

    Why? You ask?

    Because he wanted to corner Qiao Qiao. He wanted to make her submit and admit to the media that they are indeed together. Yu Jing must have known that Qiao Qiao does not really like him.

    Not that Lily mes him. This was all Qiao Qiao¡¯s doing and now... she will be forced to marry a maniptive man that she does not love. Her schemes had backfired on her.

    Unless Qiao Qiao would contact whoever is behind her to help her get out of this matter, then... she is ruined.

    ...

    Beijing, China.

    Yu Jing couldn¡¯t stop the smile on his face as he held his woman¡¯s hands. "You have been very silenttely. Is there something wrong?" he asked as he stroked the back of Qiao Qiao¡¯s hand. "You can always tell me everything." His voice turned soft. "What is it?"

    Qiao Qiao lifted her head and eyed Yu Jing???s face. She slowly shook her head and gave him a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. The press conference earlier was akin to her dering that she lost. She had fallen into a trap- her own trap.

    She had always looked down on Yu Jing not just because of his appearance but because she thought he was really easy to manipte. Just a little tear and thetter would immediately give her what she wanted. Seducing someone like this was too easy for her.

    She was wrong ¡ª so wrong. The man was slick and really smart. Acting like a man smothered by Qiao Qiao as he waited. Like a snake, the man waited for the right time to capture her.

    If her guess was right, Yu Jing should have already known that Lily will retaliate and will force her into a desperate situation like this. He must have known that Lily would reveal their photos and... Qiao Qiao didn¡¯t continue her thoughts when she realized something.

    The photos that were posted really looked like they were taken inside the house. It was as if...

    Qiao Qiao paled. It was as if it came from a hidden camera! She felt her hand trembled as she thought of the possibility that this was all orchestrated by Yu Jing because he knew that she won¡¯t be staying with him once this is done.

    It was as if the world narrowed down on her as she thought of Yu Jing releasing all those photos just to make her agree to marry him! Was that even possible?

    "Qiao Qiao... you look pale." Yu Jing¡¯s smiling face immediately made her feel disgusted. "Are you alright?"

    "I ¡ª I am not feeling well." She leaned on his shoulders as she masked the fury in her eyes. "How far are we from the hotel?" She changed the topic. Tomorrow is Yu Jing¡¯s grandfather¡¯s birthday and they are already on their way to the hotel in Hong Kong where they will stay for the night.

    "Oh... About twenty minutes." Yu Jing wrapped his arms around Qiao Qiao, as an unfathomable emotion shed in his eyes.

    "Then... I will sleep first. Please wake me upter." Qiao Qiao wanted to pretend that she was asleep so she could avoid talking to this man. Since Yu Jing had been ruthless in dealing with her, Qiao Qiao decided to be ruthless and schemed against this man as well. Does this man think that this is all the end? That he already won?

    "Oh. I want to talk to you about something. This is about your endorsements."

    Qiao Qiao¡¯s eyes flew open when she heard the man¡¯s words. "What about it?"

    "Well... people are saying that you are stealing endorsements from other actors. Because of this, I asked Manager Hao to make Cindy post something about this matter. I want her to say that she willingly gave you the endorsement."

    "Did she agree?" A shed on hope can be seen in Qiao Qiao¡¯s eyes. But it was short-lived. When she remembered the disgust in Manager Hao¡¯s eyes she knew...

    "Yes, they did." His words interrupted her thoughts.

    "They agreed?"

    "Yes. I threatened them so they had no choice." His nonchnce made Qiao Qiao nervous. What if... What if they asked for Lily¡¯s help? What if...

    "Jing... I think threatening them is wrong."

    "Qiao Qiao... there is no wrong when ites to this matter. She agreed to give it to you before. I was only asking her to tell her fans about it. Then we use it against her and boost your name in the process."

    Qiao Qiao turned silent. How did she miss this? How did she miss Yu Jing¡¯s ruthless mind? Once again, Qiao Qiao started ming herself because of her stupidity. She was too full of herself that she failed to notice the cruelty that this man can do.

    "Alright then." She nodded. Does she even have a choice anymore?

    "Good! Now you sleep!" Yu Jing held her closer. His Qiao Qiao deserved everything in this world, and he will do everything to give it to her.

    In Yu Jing¡¯s mind, whatever he did was good as long as the result was also good. It is a ssic Consequentialism. Something that he learned from his grandfather.

    Everything that he does can only be judged by its effects. Whatever he did to obtain the woman that he loves is not bad because, well... the effects made him happy. A smile blossomed on his face as he thought about living a prosperous life with his beautiful bride.

    If this isn¡¯t luck... then what is?

    He could only thank Lily and Zhou Jingren for pushing Qiao Qiao towards him. In fact, Yu Jing is nning to send them a gift of gratitude. After all, because of them, Qiao Qiao got his attention. Once again, he leaned down to kiss Qiao Qiao¡¯s forehead. Life is good ¡ª it¡¯s really good!

    ............

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Momandmonkies

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 538 Domestic Abuse

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 538 Domestic Abuse</h4>

    "This..." Jun Liang¡¯s face turned purple before he paled. His hand trembled as he swallowed the non-existent saliva in his mouth. "How did you get this?" He asked, his eyes glued to the contents on Lily¡¯s tablet. "How?" He eyed Lily¡¯s face. Memories of his painful past with Yani Chen immediately resurfaced in his mind.

    "Doesn¡¯t matter," Lily answered. "The important thing is... I can prove that she ckmailed you."

    Jun Liang gave the tablet back to Lily as he hurriedly drank his coffee. He then looked at the couple elegantly drinking their teas in front of him. Confusion shed in his eyes. "What do you want?" he asked. "You didn¡¯t show me this because... you pity me, right?" He turned his head to his left and to his right as if speaking those words would get him into trouble.

    "Smart." Lily beamed. "I want information."

    "What kind of information?"

    "We believe that Yani Chen is the one behind all the issues about my wife." Zhou Jingren said. "We want to know everything about the woman."

    "You ¡ª " Jun Liang shook his head. "She is not that stupid. She won¡¯t just attack you because of a failed marriage engagement. True, she might create a scheme or two but that¡¯s just it."

    A smile hung on Lily¡¯s lips. "Well... that is only if she doesn¡¯t care about her daughter."

    "She doesn¡¯t. If she cared, she would not have abandoned them years ago." Yani Chen didn¡¯t only abandon both of their children. She also refused to spend some holidays with them and even attend their birthdays. Sometimes, when she sees them, she would bring media and people who will take pictures of her and her children talking andughing.

    It was as if she only sees them so she could use them for her career.

    What kind of mother would do this to her children?

    "Or... she did it to avoid suspicions from you."

    "What do you mean?" Jun Liang knitted his brows as he asked Zhou Jingren. "What suspicions?"

    "We have reasons to believe that Demi is not your daughter," Lily answered the man.

    "That is impossible. Can¡¯t you see the simrities between Demi and me?"

    "I can. In fact... she looks a little like your brother too."

    "What nonsense are you talking about?" Jun Liang asked, confusionced his eyes. He always believed that Lily is a very smart person. So hearing her talk about something like this would understandably make him confused.

    "We have reasons to believe that she is your brother¡¯s daughter and not yours."

    "That ¡ª That is impossible." He leaned towards Lily and lowered his voice. "That is not possible Miss Lily, there is no way that my brother would... do that to me."

    "Well... as I said, this is only an assumption. We don¡¯t have any evidence of this matter. Surely, if you really wanted to know the truth, then you would get a DNA test." Zhou Jingren said. "Now this matter is not our concern anymore. We have warned you it is up to you if you believe us or not."

    Jun Liang went silent. It is true. The choice is still his in the end. Lily and Zhou Jingren does not have any business in this matter anymore. Moreover, they would not benefit from this issue.

    "What kind of information do you need?" he asked.

    "Well... we checked her profile online and... it¡¯s clean. In fact, it¡¯s too clean. If one would read her file, one would wonder if it was a file of a saint. Her past two marriages seemed to acknowledge the fact that it was a peaceful break-up. No hurtful words, no cheating. Both of her previous husbands even attended her wedding. It was as if a professional storyteller that is trying to describe a perfect woman wrote her files." Lily said.

    "Well... what can you expect from a sociopath?" Jun Liang suddenly unbuttoned his shirt. And showed a scar on his chest. Seeing Zhou Jingren frowned, he immediately closed his shirt, hiding the scar inside. "That woman carved my chest and dared to threaten me that she would file a case of domestic abuse against me."

    "So you give in?" Lily lifted an eyebrow.

    "What can I do? If I called the police it would be very easy for her to say that it was self-defense. That I was the one who hurt her." He let out a frustrated sigh. This issue really riled him up. "In this world, if a woman is hurt, everyone will sympathize and would call the man a monster. What about us, men? Is there anyw that protects us from abuse?"

    "And yet, you still agreed for a divorce and even agreed to give her money until the day she dies?"

    "Our divorce papers stated that I can give her money until I remarried," he answered Zhou Jingren.

    "But you never did."

    "I never did." Jun Liang nodded. "She made sure that I won¡¯t marry another woman again."

    Both Lily and Zhou Jingren turned silent at his words. Is it possible that the same thing happened to Yani Chen¡¯s second marriage as well? "It seems that I am seeing a pattern here," Lily said. "Did she ckmail you into not marrying another woman?"

    Once again, Jun Liang nodded at her.

    Lily furrowed her brows as she eyed Zhou Jingren. "So in her third marriage..."

    "She had been in her third marriage for four years now? She even dared to invite me to her wedding. That man is just like me and her second husband. Rich and hardworking. I am sure ... a divorce will happen soon."

    "Or... she would finally settle this time," Lily said. "She is getting older and her husband is pretty rich and influential. She is also very well known and is considered a national treasure in China. She actually has everything in her life right now."

    "Everything except her child." Zhou Jingren added. "Ron and Yani Chen was the person who instigated Old Man Lee to ask for an engagement. They wanted Demi to enter the Lee household."

    "The ¡ª The one that you mention earlier about Demi ¡ª You don¡¯t have any proof, right?" Jun Liang asked. How could he even think that his brother betrayed him like this? While he already had the feeling that Ron is talking to Yani Chen he always thought that this was only to update her on what is happening in her children¡¯s life when she was gone.

    However, this all changed when she noticed that Ron had been very aggressive with Demi¡¯s engagement. Because of this, he suspected that it was Yani Chen who wanted this engagement and had been asking for Ron¡¯s help. He always believed that this was the case. However, Lily¡¯s words don¡¯t make any sense to him.

    First, Lily and Zhou Jingren are the types of people that would not do something that won¡¯t benefit them. It is very hard for him to believe that Lily is doing this out of goodwill. So what was their reason for telling him something like this?

    "We don¡¯t have any proof. But you can easily find it out yourself." Zhou Jingren answered before he added. "I dislike women like her. Me and my wife will destroy her and we wanted you to cooperate with us."

    "Of course, this is only if we have some solid proof that this is indeed your wife¡¯s doing."Lily smiled at him.

    ...

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Momandmonkies

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 539 Lilys Backing

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 539 Lily¡¯s Backing</h4>

    Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s conversation with Jun Liang concluded in less than two hours. After all, Zhou Jingren¡¯s question about revenge was a very easy one. Lily was already giving the man a chance to retaliate against the person who made him suffer. Is there really a reason why he should decline her offer?

    The day ended with Lily and Zhou Jingren going back to Sky City to rest.

    The day of the move arrived.

    While Lily and Zhou Jingren were not raised in an environment that believed in all the things that most Chinese believe, Zhou Jingren¡¯s parents are different. Zhou Wu Ye and Zhou Dae Un believed in some traditional things to bring prosperity into the house.

    Lily and Zhou Jingren figured that following such things would not really make them lose anything. Moreover, this will serve as a small gathering for a few of their friends too.

    The first thing that they did was roll a pineapple around the house as they recite phrases that will bring them good luck. Next is everyone who entered the house, should carry at least one of the auspicious fruits. Oranges, pomegranates, apples, and peaches for prosperity, opportunity, safety, and good health.

    Aftering inside the mansion, someone immediately boiled water as they started giving red packets to everyone who attended the gathering. Next is the opening of windows and doors andstly is leaving the tap and stove open and running for at least three minutes.

    To be honest, Lily does not understand the reasoning behind these customs, yet she is extremely happy that she actually does not mind it. This house will be her new home with Zhou Jingren and having people celebrate this news with them made her feel excited and happy.

    The house moving ended with a small banquet with everyone who joined them.

    "Are you sure that we will still attend the party?" Zhou Jingren asked as he furrowed his brows. He looked at Lily who was changing into a knee-length pink pastel dress with spiral sequined embroidery. Her dress seemed to sparkle under the soft lighting in their room. "Aren¡¯t you tired?" he asked.

    "I am good," Lily smiled in response as she wore a ballerina pump with the same Swarovski embroidery that would glitter under any type of lighting. "How do I look?" she stared at her reflection before she turned around to look at her husband.

    "Gorgeous." He answered. Lily¡¯s smile immediately eased the worry in his heart. "Since you really wanted to go... then... alright." He said before he held her hand and pulled her gently towards him.

    ......

    "My grandfather will surely like you," Yu Jing grinned as he eyed Qiao Qiao¡¯s red long gown. "I am sure you are the prettiest woman at the party tonight."

    "Don¡¯t you think this will take the attention away from your grandfather?" The invitation clearly says that it was a cocktail party. Is it really alright for her to wear an extravagant gown? Qiao Qiao is only worried that this will make the old man furious instead of happy.

    "Stop worrying about it. I am sure he will like it. Also, turn off your phone. He doesn¡¯t like it when something will interrupt his speech. My grandfather is a very traditional man. So you better act with ss and elegance." Yu Jing said.

    "Oh... alright." Qiao Qiao nodded as she sighed inwardly. "Are we going to arrive on time?" she asked.

    "Hmmm... we will arrive on time. Also... I already told the butler that we will go to the back of the house directly. The party will be in front of the mansion. I want us to walk from inside of the mansion so people could see you once we walked down the stairs." He said, excitedly. "It will be fun."

    "Jing... I don¡¯t really think that is a good idea." She eyed Yu Jing¡¯s excited face. It was pretty obvious that he wanted to show off. However, all his ns would take away the attention of the crowd from the old man. Is that really a very good decision?

    This was not an engagement but the old man¡¯s birthday! What if it will only earn the ire of the Patriarch instead?

    "I understand your concern. It is normal to be nervous. " Yu Jing held her hand. "But trust me. I know my grandfather." Qiao Qiao could only nod her head as she turned off her phone.

    Of course, she was unaware that turning off her phone would be a fatal mistake at this time.

    While Qiao Qiao and Yu Jing were on their way to the party, Cindy and Manager Hao were also on their way to a press conference. Yu Jing threatened them and told them to help clean out Qiao Qiao¡¯s name by posting a statement on her social media. So they decided to retaliate.

    Why post it on social media when she can always have a press conference? Manager Hao knew that CEO Yu must have been scheming against them. Manager Hao only wanted to close all the opportunities that CEO Yu could use against them.

    "Sister... are you sure that we are going to breach the contract?" Cindy bit her lips as she watched her sister. "Can we even afford to pay that amount?"

    "Of course we can." Manager Hao had a few savings. True it will exhaust her bank ount but she knew that this is the only thing that she could do to save her sister. Moreover, Cindy paid more than half of the fee so they could pay for the early termination of the contract. "Plus... this is not the end of your career. We can still earn some money in the next few months." She smiled at her sister.

    Cindy nodded before she let out a sigh. Tonight, they will expose everything that CEO Yu made them do. She would tell everyone about the endorsements and the favoritism that thetter showed to Qiao Qiao. True, some of it might not be facts. But... with Lily¡¯s backing... does she really need to fear about this anymore?

    .......

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Momandmonkies

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 540 A Competitive Even

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 540 A Competitive Even</h4>

    Cindy Hao¡¯s press conference cause a massive uproar in the entertainment industry. After all, she is not just a small actress and the Yu Entertainment is considered one of the bigger agencies int he Industry. Aside from this, her words were extremely honest and direct. She called out Yu Jing and even have a few evidence against thetter.

    Various media personalities tried to contact both Qiao Qiao and CEO Yu but not even their secretary and assistant can get ahold of them.

    Meanwhile, Yu Jing and Qiao Qiao are having fun at the birthday party. After all, this was actually the first time that Yu Jing brought someone to introduce to his family. Moreover, he also brought someone as beautiful as Qiao Qiao! Even his grandfather seemed so happy for him on the outside.

    Of course, this was all pretense. This birthday party is documented and has video cameras watching their every move. Would they really risk losing control and expose their true selves to the media?

    "Qiao Qiao... this is actually the first time that Cousin Jing brought someone as beautiful as you." One of Yu Jing¡¯s cousin had a peal of condescendingughter.

    "In fact, this is the first time that he introduced someone to everyone."Another one chimed in. Their voices sound cordial and kind yet, Qiao Qiao knew that these people were allughing at them behind their backs.

    She knew that Yu Jing was not that good lookingpared to his cousins. His eyes were too small, his lips too thin. Even though his mother is a previous actress in her younger years, Yu Jing still inherited the qualities of his father that he also got from Old Man Yu.

    She also knew that growing up, Yu Jing had been bullied because of his appearance. He might be the eldest son of the current CEO of Yu Corp, but his appearance and his intelligence are sub-par. Compared to his cousins who are managing otherpanies, he is actually very average. Without the money that he used to buy branded clothes and pieces of jewelry, she was sure that Yu Jing would not stand out in the crowd.

    In the end, Qiao Qiao nodded and smiled. Her goal tonight is to impress them and she thought that having a forceful personality would not earn the approval of these people.

    "Ah... I heard that mother was able to invite the new couple who just bought the wonderful mansion a few houses away!" a woman who recognized herself as Yu Jing¡¯s younger sister said. Her appearance was somewhat like Yu Jing except for her beautiful phoenix eyes that she inherited from their mother. Her skin was also pale and looked delicate making her looked really beautiful especially when wearing make up.

    "I thought my father did the same thing too?" Yu Jing¡¯s cousin sneered. While some of them chose to hide their intentions, this one is pretty vocal about the currentpetition in the family. In fact, since Yu Jing and Qiao Qiao arrived, he had beenmenting about Yu Jing¡¯s ck suit and her gown.

    "Really? Who is this couple? Are we familiar with them?" Yu Jing asked as he gestured to the waiter for a ss of champagne.

    The conversation was interrupted when gasps echoed inside the whole garden. Low murmurs followed it before both Jiang Ruo and the Second Master of the Yu Family walked to wee the new guests.

    Meanwhile, Qiao Qiao¡¯s breath hitched when she saw a woman wearing a pale pink dress that seemed to sparkle under the light, making her look like a deity. She was walking hand in hand with her husband who was wearing a navy zer on top of a simple shirt paired with beige chinos. It was Lily and Zhou Jingren!

    Compared to everyone else, no one could argue that their outfits looked too casual. However, the way they walked and carried themselves screamed nothing but elegance and wealth. Clearly, the two exudes something else that made them stand out from the crowd.

    "Who invited them?" she heard Yu Jing hissed next to her. However, Qiao Qiao does not need to say anything to know that they were invited by the Yu Family. If she was right, then Lily and Zhou Jingren was the neighbor that they were talking just now.

    She lowered her head and tried to stop herself from looking at the woman who is socializing with other visitors. In Qiao Qiao¡¯s eyes, Lily was too bright. It was blinding her.

    "Jing... rx." Qiao Qiao said. At this point, she doesn¡¯t know if the anger from Yu Jing¡¯s voice was sincere or not. "We are about to present our gifts soon." She reminded him.

    As if on cue, the voice of Yu Jing¡¯s father echoed, announcing that they will begin presenting their gifts to the old man. Apparently, this is a custom that they always follow every year.

    The story says that to make his children morepetitive and work harder, the old man started opening his presents in front of everyone. He wanted everyone will know what kind of things his children and grandchildren got him.

    Because of this, the guests adapted. And it resulted in such apetitive event where people wouldpete who could give the best gift just to show their wealth to everyone.

    The Yu Family might not be as rich as everyone who attended the party, but the old man was very well respected and is adored by most of people here.

    After the announcement, everyone at the party got excited. After all, most of these people do not really care about the money they spent on a certain gift. They care more about the prestige that they will receive from everyone.

    This party isposed of politicians and prominent people from Maind China. This included very old families that goes back to thest dynasty in the country. With this type of visitors, who would dare miss this opportunity to show off?

    "Alright! Why don¡¯t we start with the power couple who just arrived?" It was Jiang Rou. She beamed at Lily and Zhou Jingren. After arrivingte, Zhou Jingren offered to drink two sses of wine in front of everyone and told them that Lily is allergic to alcohol. Since Lily did not drink the wine herself it should bepletely reasonable that she gives anotherpensation for beingte, right?

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Momandmonkies

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 541 Timeless

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 541 Timeless</h4>

    Lily lifted an eyebrow at Jiang Ruo before she smiled. She wondered if the woman had something against her. She then eyed the old man, who seemed to agree with Jiang Ruo¡¯s words. Lily and Zhou Jingren already introduce themselves to the old man right after arriving where he immediately asked them to drink some wine for beingte.

    As someone who still values traditional Chinese tradition, drinking some wine if you arete should be normal in this household. "Alright," she said as Zhou Jingren rose from his seat and held his hand so she could hold him.

    This action might be simple, but this earned a lot of envious stares from women at the party. After all, they were all human. A gentleman is not something unique, but a good looking gentleman is different. This is just how the world works.

    Zhou Jingren is not only handsome, but he is also sessful and wealthy. Aside from this, he seemed to treat his wife really well too. Isn¡¯t he just the perfect man?

    For some reason, this action made some men of the Yu Family irritated. How could they allow someone to outshine everyone? Isn¡¯t this the Yu Family¡¯s party? They were supposed to be the center of attention. Not some rich man who attended the party for the first time. Of course, most people were also logical enough to think that this was not the couple¡¯s fault.

    Are they supposed to attend a party wearing garbage bags just so they won¡¯t outshine everyone? Various opinionsced everyone¡¯s mind, yet not one of them said a thing. For them, envious gazes and jealousy are only normal. It is a part of everyone. In the end, the people who will sumb to these will lose and would be everyone¡¯sughingstock.

    Everyone eyed Lily, and Zhou Jingren as they walked towards the old man. Their jade-like skin and godly appearance were enough to attract everyone¡¯s attention. Moreover, this was the first time that the couple attended an event that involves mostly traditional families from China.

    "Ahhh... This is the heir to the Zhou Family¡¯s empire." Old Man Yu stated to another wizened man next to him. "And his wife is the owner of Fi Group from Europe. I believe I am very lucky to witness such a union. And I am even luckier to have them attend my humble birthday party." He let a burst of croakyughter before falling into a series of cough.

    "Aiyo... Old Man Yu... you are getting older and older. You should take care of yourself properly." The old man sitting next to himugh. He then turned to look at the couple approaching them. "I heard that they only received an invitation two days ago?" he lowered his voice. But it was enough for everyone around the table to hear.

    The meaning of his words was obvious. Everyone here has prepared for their gifts for months! How could Lily and Zhou Jingren have the time to do that? The two were not familiar with the way everything in this party works as this was their first time attending such event. It should be safe to assume that they will not give any outstanding gift today.

    But isn¡¯t that too embarrassing? Some older people who attended the party immediately got the old man¡¯s point and silently nodded their heads. No one would actually me them if they did not give something of value. However, it will surely give a poor taste to everyone else.

    As someone who just moved to this neighborhood, this may even cause some problems for the young couple as some people here will surely look down on them.

    To these people, reputation is everything. They would not hesitate to use their lives to guard their reputation. Losing their reputation is akin to losing their lives. How could they live without it?

    Everyone could only shake their heads inwardly. Poor couple. They haven¡¯t even started living in this neighborhood and everyone else will already think of them as lower than everyone else.

    "We receive the invitation two days ago." Lily¡¯s voice was soft as she approached the old man. "And we are very busy arranging furniture. So please forgive us for not taking a lot of time to think about our gifts." She then held her hand and presented a small velvet box that perfectly fits her hand.

    "Jewelry?" One guest whispered. "As expected... it is nothing special. I believe, they were not aware that this event was like apetition. Poor youngsters."

    Lily then looked at everyone on the table before she opened the box, revealing a watch that glittered under the lighting. "This is the only thing that I could find. It is a custom-made watch from GC Jewels that was sold three years ago. They only made three of these watches. One is owned by the king in UAE and one is owned by one of the previous presidents in the US. And thest one fell into my hands." Sheughed.

    Her voice was gentle and sweet, yet it was enough for everyone to hear. "This is not the most expensive watch in the world but my good friend, Fernando, the head designer and heir of GC Jewels personally handcrafted this. When I saw this particr piece, I immediately liked it and asked him if I could buy it. As I said... We didn¡¯t really take a lot of time to decide about this matter as we are very busy."

    Lily looked at the speechless old man as her gaze trailed towards Jiang Ruo who was sitting a few seats away from the old man. "I believe that this watch is timeless and therefore very fitting for someone like Patriarch Yu. I can only hope that this is enough apology for beingte." She gave the older woman a meaningful smile.

    Everyone in the old man¡¯s table turned speechless at Lily¡¯s words. They eyed the watch that was made of diamonds and various other stones as they felt their throat ached.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Momandmonkies

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 542 Nothing But Simple Man

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 542 Nothing But Simple Man</h4>

    "My! What an extravagant gift!" a mocking voice echoed behind Lily. "Are you not going to say something, father?" a man who is a foot shorter than Zhou Jingren stood next to him and smiled at the old man before he shifted his gaze to Lily. "Hi! I am Yu Shang! I am the youngest son of Old Man Yu! I believe we haven¡¯t introduced ourselves yet!" He beamed and did not wait for Zhou Jingren and Lily to answer him.

    "Father... this watch is even better than the watch that big brother gave youst year!" His voice was loud, to say the least. The stink of alcohol from the man¡¯s mouth immediately made Lily frowned. She took a step back and pretended not to notice the man¡¯s presence.

    "Old Man Yu. I hope you like my gift." A slight smile was on Lily¡¯s face as she walked back to her seat without waiting for anyone to respond.

    This action interrupted the silence at the banquet. "Ah! This is a very good gift!" The old man smiled before he gestured one of his security to drag his youngest son out of this ce. He ignored the faces of the other guests as he shifted his gaze at Lily and Zhou Jingren. "Thank you! I have never received such a generous gift before!"

    The old man does not know the exact value of the watch. However, Lily¡¯s words were enough to confirm that this is a very sought after piece of jewelry. "Let me drink this wine for you!" He said before gulping down the wine on his ss. He let out a burst of boisterousughter. "To think that this is something that you picked when you are very busy! I am very impressed, Madam Zhou!" he added before he eyed the man sitting next to him.

    "Ah... two days. It only takes her two days to prepare something like this. What do you think would have happen if she was invited a month before my birthday?" The Old Man was truly impressed by Lily¡¯s gift. While the old man is considered a hardcore businessman with very traditional Chinese views, he does not look down on any woman.

    In fact, he was truly impressed by Lily¡¯s achievement at such young age. The old man is a very simple person. He is easily pleased by hard work and achievements. To him, gender does not really matter when ites to business. What matters is one¡¯s wits and abilities.

    "See? I told you I am very lucky!" he lifted his chin and let out anotherugh. "Who is next?" he asked.

    While the Old Man was thrilled, Lily was feeling the exact opposite. In fact, she felt a little mad at this scenario. She knew that the changes in her emotion were because of her spiking hormones so she concealed it and just let a slight smile hung on her lips. She acted like a fool and ignore the fact that the old man is using her to embarrass his children!

    The Old Man¡¯s happiness from Lily¡¯s gift could easily insult his other children¡¯s presents. He is using Lily to silently increased thepetition in his household.

    Now that Lily gave her gift, the guests would normally expect the other member of the Yu Family presents to be more valuable. Now that is very hard to aplish.

    First of all, the watch that Lily gave was handcrafted and is considered very rare. Therefore, its value would be extravagant. Second, this gift is something that the old man could actually use and show off to his friends. He could wear this watch every day just to let everyone know that he owns one of the three pieces that was made.

    From now on, Lily¡¯s gift will bepared to everything that the old man received from his children. Isn¡¯t this very hateful? Surely, the old man¡¯s family will hate Lily and Zhou Jingren because of this matter.

    Lily started eating the grapes that Zhou Jingren peeled and stop thinking about this. Overthinking things is not very good for her current health.

    "Aiyo! Another watch and a painting?" the old man¡¯s voice interrupted Lily¡¯s thought. She eyed the old man¡¯s smiling face and fought the urge to roll her eyes. The old man might be smiling but the disappointment in his voice was very apparent.

    Lily eyed the man who gave him the gift. This should be the old man¡¯s eldest son and current CEO of Yu Corp. In the end, the man walked back to his seat that was next to Jiang Ruo¡¯s. Lily sneered inwardly. This couple... were only shooting at their own feet.

    Jiang Ruo was clearly the one who invited Lily to present her gift first. She never expected that Lily would dare give someone as rare as that watch and thought she could use this situation to embarrass her. Too bad... Jiang Ruo underestimated Lily.

    Lily wondered if this woman knew about Yu Jing and Qiao Qiao¡¯s connection to her. Not that this matter. Lily shifted her gaze to her left, where she met Qiao Qiao¡¯s envious eyes. Since she arrived, she already felt the woman¡¯s sharp gaze towards her. A smirked escaped Lily¡¯s lips before she shifted her gaze back to the Old Man.

    As expected, the Old Man¡¯s disappointed voice echoed repeatedly.

    "Aiyo... my children are already old. But look at their gifts? What should I do with this enormous piece of diamond? I can¡¯t even wear it without having it processed first." Heined. "You should learn from Madam Zhou¡¯s example! She is young but extremely brilliant!" In the old man¡¯s mind, there is nothing wrong with what he is doing. He thought his words would only help encourage his sons and grandchildren to work even harder.

    The old man didn¡¯t even care if his children will hate Lily after this. All he cared is for them to work harder and prove that they deserve to receive his inheritance. The old man knew what kind of woman Lily is. He knew that she is the type that would always stand up for herself.

    Because of this, he believed that this is an absolute test for his children and grandchildren. If anyone from his family would be stupid enough to offend Lily, then it will be their loss. After all, they let their stupidity and jealousy kicked the logic out of their heads.

    Facing someone like Lily and losing will only make them homeless. While winning will make them an absolute winner in the old man¡¯s hearts.

    As you can see... Patriarch Yu is nothing but simple man.

 Chapter 543 Comparable

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 543 Comparable</h4>

    As expected, the result of the gift-giving was an absolute mess. The old man started calling out his grandchildren for their gifts andpared it to Lily¡¯s gift.

    This caused a lot of dissatisfaction with the other members of the Yu Family. But no one dared voiced out their fury. They wouldn¡¯t dare expose their dirtyundry to the people watching them.

    After the gift-giving, some entertainers were called for everyone as the guests started mingling with each other. Introductions were made and conversations were started. The environment became lively as the moonlight spilled into the whole garden.

    "I am really tired," Lily whispered towards Zhou Jingren as she eyed the woman who was talking in front of them. After the gift-giving, a lot of people have started a conversation with Lily and Zhou Jingren. Many of them asked about the watch and some people really asked for Fernando¡¯s contact.

    Lily immediately made a mental note to ask her friend for some rmendation fee or even perhaps an advertisement fee because of this matter. Maybe a few percentages will do!

    "And sleepy." She added as she stifled a yawn.

    "Then I will go ahead and tell the old man that we are already leaving. You stay here." He excused himself and immediately walked towards where the old man was sitting.

    In response, Lily nodded and maintained the smile on her face.

    "Madam Zhou... I am not sure if you still remember me?" the conversation of the people around Lily was interrupted when Qiao Qiao suddenly chimed in. "I am Qiao Qiao... I know we didn¡¯t have a very good first meeting. But... I am hoping that we can bury the past and start over."

    Lily lifted her eyebrow. She eyed the men and women in front of her who was now looking at Qiao Qiao and her. She sneered inwardly. How could this Qiao Qiao be this stupid? Is she nning to take advantage of the fact that most members of the Yu Family dislike Lily to get close to them?

    Novice, she thought.

    "I can¡¯t seem to remember meeting you before," Lily said, her tone was kind and amodating. "I believe you mistook me for someone else."

    "Madam Zhou, this is Qiao Qiao... haven¡¯t you heard of her current engagement to my brother? CEO Yu of Yu Entertainment?"

    Lily gave a nk look to the younger woman who stood next to Qiao Qiao. "Who is that?"

    The woman gave an awkward smile. However, before she could open her mouth to answer, Qiao Qiao already beat her to it. "Madam Zhou is clearly joking. We already met way back in theunch of Harmony Isle. I¡¯m sure you remember¡ª "

    "I think you got the wrong person." Lily interrupted her whileughing inwardly. The level of dumbness is clearly entertaining to her. "I personally examined the invitation that I gave for theunch. I don¡¯t remember inviting you. Are you perhaps a plus one?"

    Again, everyone who was watching was rendered speechless at Lily¡¯s statement. It was one thing to say that she doesn¡¯t know the person who approached her, but to say that they did not invite them to a certain event is such a savage thing to say in front of their faces. Of course, some were also quick to note that Lily might be telling the truth.

    How could she remember everyone who attended a party? Her question was very valid. She was just being honest, ah!

    These questions didn¡¯t only make a lot of people speechless, it immediately made Qiao Qiao and Yu Jing¡¯s sister, Yu Lin very ufortable. How are they supposed to answer Lily¡¯s question now?

    Seeing their ufortable faces, Lily only lifted an eyebrow as she smiled. "Ah! I remember! Are you one of the entertainers who performed that night?"

    Qiao Qiao¡¯s face immediately reddened at Lily¡¯s words. How could Lily be this difficult to talk to? Nevertheless, she already achieved the scene that she wanted. Because of this, Qiao Qiao decided to up her game. "Madam Zhou must have forgotten that you personally gave me the invitation letter and asked me toe. We meet while you were fitting clothes."

    "Is that so?" Lily smiled. "My apologies. I easily forget uneventful things after a day or two."

    "Oh! It¡¯s alright. Please... I understand. After all, you are a very busy woman." Qiao Qiao responded gently. She then eyed everyone who was surrounding Lily and gave them a bashful smile. "It was really an honor meeting you."

    On the outside, Qiao Qiao¡¯s voice was really gentle and weak. Her cheeks were a little flushed as constantly fidget while talking to Lily. If one would analyze clearly, they could easily see that she was afraid of Lily.

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. "Miss Qiao seemed too weak and fragile and very smart too. Your fiance is very lucky to have someone like you." Sarcasmced her voice.

    "I am nothingpared to Madam Zhou." Qiao Qiao said meekly. To be honest, she wasn¡¯t sure why she approached Lily. She originally nned to take advantage of the opportunity that most of the people from the Yu household are very ufortable with Lily¡¯s presence because of the gifts. She wanted to use this to gain everyone¡¯s sympathy and approval.

    So she approached with the intent of making Lily insult her. She even conditioned herself to cry immediately after such insults. However... Lily seemed to enjoy talking to her!

    "That is very true," Lily answered nonchntly as if it is a very natural thing to say.

    "I ¡ª I¡¯m sorry?" Yu Lin interjected. Unable to believe Lily¡¯s straightforward attitude. After being praised, a normal person would thank the one who praised them and would also reciprocate. How could Lily be this shameless?

    "She said... She was nothingpared to me." Lily looked at the teenager and smiled. "And I agreed."

    Yu Lin¡¯s mouth went agape! Her eyes widened in disbelief. How could Lily just say something like this, as if... she was not embarrassed at all?

    "Is there a problem?" Lily asked, confusionced her voice. "Do you think me and Miss Qiao areparable?" she asked.

    "Of course not." It was Qiao Qiao. "Miss Lily is a Phoenix while I am nothing but a chicken."

    "That is true too," Lily nodded. Who would have thought that she would actually have this much fun? She saw Qiao Qiao¡¯s face reddened before she let out a low chuckle.

    This woman is only trying to dig her own grave, she thought as a mysterious light glinted in her eyes.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Momandmonkies

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 544 Unlucky

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 544 Unlucky</h4>

    Lily was about tough when she saw Zhou Jingren walking towards them. She assumed that thetter already told the old man that they are leaving. "Are we leaving?" she asked while ignoring Yu Jing¡¯s sister and Qiao Qiao. People like this are bound to make a fool out of themselves sooner orter.

    "The old man asked to talk to you," he said in a low voice. But it was enough for Qiao Qiao, and the other people near them to hear. He gave her a knowing look before he added, "I say... we talk to him. In private." He smiled as he held Lily¡¯s hands.

    Lily nodded before she looked at Qiao Qiao. "Miss Qiao... you seemed really enjoying the party. It seems that the news a while ago didn¡¯t affect you at all." She then eyed everyone else who pretended that they were not listening to the conversation. "I¡¯m sure... you already saw the trending news. Right?"

    When Qiao Qiao heard Lily¡¯s words it was as if something ominous started to spread from her chests. She felt her heartbeat raced as she wondered about the meaning behind Lily¡¯s words. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

    Instead of answering, Lily only smirked at her. She then held Zhou Jingren¡¯s arms and left with him. Lily¡¯s reaction puzzled Qiao Qiao. She hastily turns on her phone as she eyed everyone who was now on their phones as well.

    [CEO Yu, used of favoritism.]

    [Qiao Qiao; stealing endorsements?]

    [Is Qiao Qiao ruined?]

    [Petition: Boycott Qiao Qiao¡¯s movie!]

    [Petition: Remove the thief from the awards nominations.]

    Qiao Qiao staggered after she read the headlines of the gossip sites. Her hands trembled as her face lost its color. She didn¡¯t need to lift her head to see everyone¡¯s eyes full of ridicule. She can already imagine the mockery on their faces as they stare at her. She bit her lips andposed herself. Breaking down would only mean that she is guilty.

    Slowly, Qiao Qiao lifted her head and act as if what she just read does not concern her. She smiled at the people who were staring at her and silently walked towards Yu Jing.

    She was sure that Yu Jing does not have any idea of this matter.

    "You look pale. Are you feeling unwell?" he immediately asked when his woman¡¯s ashen face caught his attention.

    "Check your phone." She whispered before she downed a ss of champagne. "I don¡¯t want to go home." She added. She knew that Yu Jing will offer to leave this ce after he reads the news. However, to Qiao Qiao, that is akin to saying that they were afraid. That they were guilty.

    She would never do that! She needed all the courage that she could get to thicken her face and stay until the end of the party. She then recalled Lily¡¯s treacherous face. She gritted her teeth, irritation shing in her eyes. "I will go and freshen up." She said as she rose from her seat.

    At this point, Qiao Qiao was sure that Lily was backing Cindy Hao. It was the only exnation why she was would have the courage to breach her contract and use them of such things. Qiao Qiao¡¯s hatred towards Lily only multiplied. How could someone as hateful as Lily exist in this world? She clenched her jaw as she walked towards the kitchen to the mansion. She needed to teach Lily a lesson.

    The world is round. She should not expect that she always on top of the wheel.

    Meanwhile, Lily smiled at the old man sitting in a luxurious velvet chair in the terraces that was overlooking the whole party. This ce was located on the second floor of the mansion and also have a pretty view of the whole of Hong Kong¡¯s cityscape.

    "I supposed there is a reason why you wanted to talk to me in private?" On the inside, Lily was irritated. However, she still maintained herposure as she smiled at the old man.

    "Sit down," he used his hand to gesture towards the other two velvet chair opposite to him. "Did I offend you?" the old man¡¯s direct question surprised both Lily and Zhou Jingren. Seeing their faces, the old man let out a low chuckle. "I am old. But I am not a fool."

    "You are asking the wrong questions, old man." A sh on understanding can be seen in Lily¡¯s eyes. "I am exhausted. So... why don¡¯t you ask us what you really want to know?" The smile on her face vanished. "Do you need my help?"

    "Hah!" the old manughed. "What a smart woman!" he noted as he looked at Zhou Jingren. "You are a very lucky young man! Treasure her and never let her go!" He let out another boisterousughter. Amusement shed in his eyes.

    "Yu Jing was very unlucky to offend you." The old man added as his face turned serious. "Anyone in my family who would offend you would be very unlucky."

    Lily pursed her lips in response. She waited for him to continue.

    "However, we cannot really stop the inevitable." He let out a sigh. "Let me ask you this..." he eyed Zhou Jingren, then shifted his gaze back to Lily. "Once you already have children. Will you give them the thing that you worked so hard to establish, just because they are your from your blood?"

    Lily lifted an eyebrow at the old man. She chose not to respond. Before getting pregnant, it was very easy for her to say that she would not spoil her child. However, now that she is expecting a child, she found it hard to utter such words again.

    Maybe it was her hormones. Or maybe it was because she had be softer because of her husband. She doesn¡¯t know. For now, Lily decided to cross the bridge until she gets there.

    When Lily and Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t answer him, the old man chuckled. "My wife is dying." He said. "And I suspect one of my children is trying to kill the woman that I loved for sixty years now."

    ...

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Momandmonkies

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 545 Like an Emperor

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 545 Like an Emperor</h4>

    Trigger Warning: Suicide

    "Why would they want to kill their own mother?" Zhou Jingren frowned. "Are you going to ask my wife to find the people responsible for this? If this is your goal, then I would like to you stop talking now. The answer would be a no." He said. How could he let his wife tire herself dealing with other people¡¯s business?

    Lily is pregnant! There is no way that he would allow her to involve herself in other family¡¯s problems. This has nothing to do with them.

    "Hear me out." The old man calmly said. "I don¡¯t want to force you into anything. I only want you to hear me out." When he saw calmness in Lily¡¯s eyes, he continued. "I am already eighty years old. But... I am still working at mypany. I am nothing but a simple man. But I am a very proud person. I have worked hard to achieve what I have." He met Lily¡¯s eyes.

    "I promised myself that the only time that I would stop working is if I¡¯m dead... or if I lost the woman who supported me for sixty years." His lips turned into a mncholic smile. "Me and Lu Xialu had experienced a lot. And in this world... she is the only person who I trust the most. I would even trust her with my life." He looked at Zhou Jingren. "Do you understand?"

    Zhou Jingren nodded, however, he maintained the frowned in his face.

    "I¡¯m sure you do." Old Man Yu smiled. "I can see it." He added and shifted his gaze back to Lily. "I could not live in a world without her. Do you see where we are going with this?"

    Lily responded with a gentle smile. She side-eyed her husband as the old man¡¯s words echoed in her head. A world without Zhou Jingren...

    A pang of pain suddenly spread from Lily¡¯s chest. She immediately masked the pain in her eyes. "You wanted to kill yourself." She uttered. Seeing the old man nodded, a gleam of unfathomable emotion shed in Lily¡¯s eyes. "Don¡¯t you think telling a stranger like me is very inappropriate?" she asked.

    "It is." He nodded. "But... I would rather tell an unfeeling stranger about this than my ungrateful children." He smiled. "I wanted to talk to you because I want to propose a business deal."

    "A business deal... with a man who is about to kill himself." She uttered. "Sounds interesting."

    "I intentionally provoked you earlier." He ignored the sarcasm in Lily¡¯s voice as he looked at Zhou Jingren. "I apologize for that. But I still believe that I did nothing wrong."

    "You just made her the enemy number one of your family." Zhou Jingren¡¯s face darken. "Stop being selfish. Why would you drag my wife into this mess?" he asked. His voice was steady and not loud, but the chill from his eyes was apparent.

    "As I said... this is a business opportunity." The old man answered. "Of course... I know that you will back her up no matter what happens. With the two of you standing side by side... I am sure that whoever is crazy enough to scheme against your wife... will lose."

    "Then... what is this business opportunity that you were talking about?" Lily¡¯s question only made her husband¡¯s face darker. Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips thinned. Lily¡¯s nature is really unique.

    "The Yu Family is not a very wealthy one. Compared to your assetsbined, we are nothing. However... our influence in Maind China is very broad." The old man ignored Zhou Jingren¡¯s re. He could understand the young man¡¯s reasoning. In fact, he truly liked the fact that his proposition made Zhou Jingren angry. This only meant that the young man, his wife,es first before any profits.

    "I can give you ess to the people who owe me a favor throughout the years. These are not just individuals that you can easily meet in the streets. We are talking about people whosest name was long considered ancient. People whose gold reserves are more than the gold reserves of some countries in the world. People who could cause storms and could bury inds. People who would dare refuse to see Kings and Presidents of countries."

    "That is a very tempting offer," Lily said. "But I am sure this... would not be cheap."

    "Of course it¡¯s not." The oldughed. "This is the reason why I love talking to smart people."

    "Then... what do you want?" Zhou Jingren asked.

    "I want you to give my children a good war."

    "Excuse me?" Lily blinked. She heard him the first time, however, the old man¡¯s words only made her confuse.

    "I want you... to schemed against my children." This time, the old man said with a clear voice. "Make them fight each other. Thest man standing will then... inherit mypany. This is their test. This is their punishment."

    Lily and Zhou Jingren turned silent at the old man¡¯s words.

    Lily only stared at the old man¡¯s wizened face. A slight smile was on her face as she thought about his words. Like an emperor, the old man would want his sons to fight for the throne. He was both ruthless and proud. Cold and emotional at the same time. A man like this... seemed veryplicated.

    "What do you say, Mr. And Mrs. Zhou?" Old Man Yu smiled. "I can understand if you refuse or would want to..."

    "We will think about it." Lily interrupted him. "We have our own battles but I can understand the need for this to happen. I can also understand why you are doing this. In fact... if something like this happened to me... I would do the same. However, you have to understand that this requires a lot of thinking."

    Seeing the old man opened his mouth to answer her, Lily held her hand. A gesture telling him that she wasn¡¯t done speaking yet. "What you wanted is not just a small battle. This is a war. And wars are fought with sacrifices, brain, and a lot of betrayals." She eyed Zhou Jingren. "To be honest... I am not sure that this is something that we need right now."

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Momandmonkies

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 546 Irritated

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 546 Irritated</h4>

    "That¡ª" Lily gave the old man a knowing smile. "and I know you are lying." The old man lifted an eyebrow at her.

    "What lie are you talking about?"

    "You know who is trying to kill your wife." Zhou Jingren said.

    Surprised shed on the old man¡¯s face. He then let out a burst of heartfeltughter. "Do you read each other¡¯s mind?" he asked before he took a sip of his wine. "Ah... young love." His face then turned serious.

    "I didn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t know. I said... one of my children is doing it."

    Lily¡¯s eyes drifted from the old man to the wine in his hand. She then nodded. "So... everyone in your family knows." She stated. This is the only reason why the old man would want to punish everyone in his family. "But... what were you expecting? You raised them to be like this. You should have expected this to happen."

    If Lily was one of his children, she would probably do the same. Having a parent who only values your achievements is pretty tiresome. Sometimes, Lily would still say that she was lucky. She grew up in a toxic environment, but she still grew up to be the kind of woman that she is.

    True, she is a sinner. But who isn¡¯t? Still, she is very proud of what she had be.

    "Your words may hurt. But it is true. I raised them to be like this. But do I regret it? No. I believe that I still did the right thing. I do not want to associate myself withzy people." A sh of disgust gleam in the old man¡¯s eyes. He then let out a deep sigh. "I understand. I will wait for your decision."

    Lily didn¡¯t have to say anything anymore. She rose from her seat and left the old man alone. The world is such a dangerous ce.

    "Someone wanted to drug you," Zhou Jingren suddenly said beside her. She turned to see him reading a text from his phone. "Do you want to let her drink it instead?"

    "Hmmm." She nodded. She already understood that Zhou Jingren is talking about Qiao Qiao. As expected, the woman was dumb enough to big a grave for herself. "Let¡¯s watch and stay for a couple of minutes." Would Lily really miss a show like this?

    Of course not! She was too petty for that. Since this woman wanted to scheme against her, then... she would happily watch her sumb to her own schemes.

    ...

    "I think this is enough," Yu Jing tried to grab the ss of champagne from Qiao Qiao¡¯s hands. She staggered, and he immediately held her, letting her leaned against him.

    "I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s alright." Qiao Qiao cleared her throat as she gestured for another waiter to give her another ss of alcohol. "I have a surprise for you." She smiled. "I know you will ¡ª love it." She already paid the waiter to give Lily and beverage with a drug that she gave him. All she needed now is to wait.

    Qiao Qiao eyed Lily and Zhou Jingren from afar. They were seriously talking to the old man at the terrace of the mansion. "Your grandfather... didn¡¯t even look at me." She noted. "Not even once."

    "He is always like that." Yu Jingforted his woman. He grew up in a very tense environment. He always felt that talking to the old man was like walking on eggshells. He could not really remember a moment where the old man had joked around with his cousins. In fact, he never remembered him y with them. Not even once.

    When Yu Jing was younger, he used to wonder if the old man hated children. He was always away and does not really say anything warm to them. He would only ask them about their grades, their achievements. Then he would reward the outstanding ones and move on to the next topic.

    As someone who grew up mediocre, Yu Jing never once received a gift from the old man. As a child, Yu Jing hated this fact. However, no matter how much he worked hard, his cousins and even younger brother would always win.

    In the end, Yu Jing decided to use other methods just to achieve his goals. He might not be intelligent, but his grandfather had once said that Yu Jing is very clever. Until now, Yu Jing felt that this is the bestpliment that he received from anyone.

    Qiao Qiao downed another ss of wine before she frowned at him. "Do you think... he hated me? Does he look down on me because I am an actress?" He shifted her gaze back to the terrace and immediately smiled when she saw that Lily and Zhou Jingren are not there anymore.

    This only meant that the waiter would have the chance to give the drink to Lily. A smirk hung on her lips as she epted another ss of champagne and finished it in one go. She could not wait to embarrass Lily in front of everyone.

    "Hey... look. Lily and Zhou Jingren are done talking to your grandfather." She made her voice a little louder, making sure that the other members of the Yu Family heard her. "I believe your grandfather likes Lily a lot. Not that I med him. Lily is a very aplished woman."

    On the outside, she sounded like she was praising Lily. However, her words had the exact opposite. As expected, everyone in the Yu Family immediately frowned when they heard her words. Most of them scowled while some whispered some words towards each other.

    The hate that the old man created towards Lily was very apparent that Qiao Qiao immediately felt ted. "Hey... do you think... we can find something as rare as Lily¡¯s gift? Maybe this will make your grandfather like me." She decided to add fuel to the fire.

    "Stop it." Yu Jing suddenly said. "Don¡¯t talk about this anymore." Yu Jing is not stupid. How could he miss the fact that Qiao Qiao was trying to provoke them into doing something to Lily?

    Some of his cousins were already drunk. If provoked, some of them have a quick temper and would blow up on someone for the most unreasonable reasons.

    For the first time, Yu Jing felt irritated towards Qiao Qiao.

    ........

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Ka (Thank you!)

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 547 Life of Luxury

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 547 Life of Luxury</h4>

    "What?" Qiao Qiao furrowed her brows. "What did you say?"

    "I said. Stop talking about this matter." Yu Jing said. As much as he wanted to sound as gentle as possible, he was not able to hide the scorn in his voice. Sometimes, Yu Jing wondered if Qiao Qiao is really dumb or pretending to be one.

    Was it even possible that someone would be as dumb as her?

    "Are you telling me what to do?" Qiao Qiao¡¯s sudden change of expression was surprising for Yu Jing. She had always been nice. She is not capable of raising her voice. She is kind and gentle.

    Seeing this, Yu Jing immediately thought that she was already drunk.

    "Qiao Qiao... why don¡¯t we go home?" he held her arm. "I think you have enough champagne."

    "Let me go!" Qiao Qiao¡¯s face was scarlet red as she rose from her seat. She staggered, but she quicklyposed herself. "Do you think... I wanted toe here?" she sneered.

    Her voice attracted not only the attention of the people near them. It had even gotten the attention of the older generations that were sitting a few tables away from them. Yu Jing immediately masked the surprise in his face as he followed her.

    "You are drunk. Let¡¯s go home." This time it was not a request but amand. The gentleness in his face vanished as he turned stern. "Let¡¯s go." For the second time, he tried to hold her arm.

    "Let me go! You disgust me!" Qiao Qiao hissed. "You ¡ª You will not tell me what to do!"

    "Qiao Qiao..." Yu Jing gave everyone an apologetic smile. As he lowered his voice. "Let¡¯s leave. Now."

    "I said... let me go!" Qiao Qiao walked towards the waiter and grabbed another ss of champagne. She then looked at Yu Jing. "Why are you always following me around!? Can you remove yourself in front of me for a couple of minutes?"

    "Stop drinking," he held her hand and tried to grab the champagne ss. However, this only made Qiao Qiao angry. She turned her wrist and suddenly poured the champagne on his suit.

    "Oppps!" she feigned surprised. "I guess you have to leave and change now. Right?" she thenughed and turned her attention to the waiter nearby. She was about to get another ss when Jiang Rup¡¯s voice interrupted her.

    "I think you have enough wine for tonight, youngdy." Jiang Ruo is still a mother. How could she allow her son to be humiliated like this?

    "What are you talking about Old woman?" Qiao Qiao sneered. "I am not drunk."

    "Miss Qiao... please... leave now." Jiang Ruo sounded really disappointed. However, on the inside, she was already fuming. In the first ce, she was against the idea of him bringing this woman to the party. However, his son really insisted on introducing this lowlife as his future wife.

    Jiang Ruo looked at Yu Jing¡¯s grim face and silently gritted her teeth. Her son was truly unlucky to meet someone like this. She then looked at two of the security standing nearby. "Please escort Miss Qiao out of the property." She said. Her voice was gentle yet, Jiang Ruo knew that she could barely hold the fury inside her.

    "Try it!" Qiao Qiao said. "Try to touch me and I will sue you for assault!" She narrowed her eyes at Jiang Ruo before she looked at Yu Jing. "Look at how your mother is treating me! I already said that I am not drunk! Tell her I¡¯m not drunk."

    "Let¡¯s just leave." Yu Jing tried to grab Qiao Qiao¡¯s hands, but thetter immediately took a step back.

    "Don¡¯t touch me! You... You pig! You can¡¯t even protect me! Not from the people who schemed against me, and certainly not from your mother! What kind of man are you?"

    "Qiao Qiao... let¡¯s not make a scene. Let¡¯s talk about this when we get home."

    "Home? Who do you think you are? Do you think you are my husband?" She sneered and took a step towards the wine. "I want one of that. As your fiance, I have the right to drink as much as I want."

    Yu Jing clenched his jaws. He moved towards Qiao Qiao and held her arm. This time, he clutched it. Not enough to hurt her, but enough to stop her from walking towards the waiter. He then looked at the waiter. "Don¡¯t give her any more wine."

    "How dare you!?" Qiao Qiao yelled. "You ¡ª You think you own me? You think I would look at you if you are not influential? Let me go, you ugly piece of crap!"

    *PAK*

    The loud pping sound made a lot of people gasp.

    "You dare insult my son?" Jiang Ruo¡¯s voice was not loud. Her cold eyes swept through the woman that his son loved. "Do it again. I dare you to insult him again and I... I swear to the gods. I will tear you to pieces."

    "Ruo Ruo that is enough." Her husband¡¯s voice echoed behind her. "Let the security take her out of this ce."

    "No!" Jiang Ruo furrowed. Since she already lost herposure, then she decided to go all out and teach this woman a lesson that she will never forget. She narrowed her eyes at Qiao Qiao who was clutching her cheeks. "You think you cane in here and do what you want?"

    "I¡ª "

    "Mother... that is enough." Yu Jing said. He knew that her mother always looked cool and calm. However, as her eldest son, he had witnessed her lost control before.

    "I already told you that this woman is only with you because of your money!" Jiang Ruo hissed. "Jing... you never listened to me!"

    "Stop looking down on me!" Qiao Qiao responded. "Don¡¯t think too highly of yourself, you old hag! Did you forget that you married someone who looked like your son too? Are you telling me that you are only after his money too?" In Qiao Qiao¡¯s mind, Jiang Ruo married the eldest son of the Yu Family not because of love but because of his money.

    She knew that after getting married, Jiang Ruo decided to stay at home and raised their children while her husband works for the family. She bought things from her husband¡¯s money and enjoyed the life of luxury with the Yu Family. She stopped being an actress and leech off of her husband¡¯s wealth!

    Isn¡¯t she a gold digger too?

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Ka

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 548 Anywhere With You

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 548 Anywhere With You</h4>

    When she saw Jiang Ruo¡¯s face turned ugly, Qiao Qiao instantly smirked. She opened her mouth to add more insults but was interrupted when one of the security grabbed her arm. "What are you doing? Hey! This is assault!!! Let me go!"

    She tried to scream and kicked one of the security personnel, but it was futile. She was easily overpowered by the security and was dragged out of the mansion.

    "Let me go! Or I will sue you! I will sue the whole Yu Family for treating me like this!" She yelled. "I said... LET ME GO! Aw! You are hurting me! Let me go, you ¡ª you filthy creature!" Her voice echoed as two burly security personnel dragged her out of the venue.

    Then Yu Jing can be seen running after them, leaving his crying mother at the party.

    "I was expecting something more lively," Lily whispered towards Zhou Jingren. "I should learn how to lessen my expectations. Or I will always feel disappointed. It is not a very good emotion." Lily and Zhou Jingren started walking out of the Garden.

    "She will not give up." Zhou Jingren said. "I can always handle her for you." He uttered. "I don¡¯t want her to give you any more problems." He held her hand and brought it towards his lips. After kissing the back of Lily¡¯s hand, Zhou Jingren continued. "Just say the word."

    "Brute." She chuckled. "Can you let me enjoy the show for a while? This is more fun than watching some dramas online."

    "Do you even watch those?"

    "Of course." She smiled as the soft breeze danced towards them. She lifted her head to look at the moon that seemed to light the pathway in front of them. "It is a very nice night." She uttered. For Lily, every night with him is actually wonderful. But she chose not to say this out loud. "Why don¡¯t we... walk towards the house?"

    "Are you sure?" he nced at her shoes and nodded when he remembered that Lily was not wearing high heels. "Do you want me to carry you?" he asked.

    "Like piggyback?"

    "You are wearing a dress." Heughed at the excitement in her eyes.

    "Oh! Yeah... you are right. Then it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll walk, not a big deal. It¡¯s not that far, anyway. Plus, this is an exercise for me which is very good for my body at this point. And the fresh air is pleasant too. Of course, my feet won¡¯t hurt. I wore pumps! I know this ¡ª Ah!" Lily let out a soft scream when Zhou Jingren suddenly scooped her up, carrying her like a princess.

    "Put me down." She said. They were still in the mansion of the Yu Family. What if someone sees them like this?

    "Yeah... right." He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her lips before he started walking. "It¡¯s not a long walk."

    "I am heavy," Lily uttered softly. "I am getting fatter."

    "You are still beautiful."

    "I know!" Lily beamed and met his eyes. "I just wanted to hear you say it." Her mischievous grin turned into soft giggles as the duo walked out of the mansion gates. Surprisingly, Qiao Qiao was no longer outside. The couple immediately assumed that Yu Jing and Qiao Qiao left the mansion together.

    After what happened tonight, it would be very hard for the two to start over. After all, Qiao Qiao already said what was really on her mind. Surely, her words hurt Yu Jing, right?

    Of course, Lily knew that this matter is still uncertain. After all, a man in love is fairly blind to the ws of the person that they love. Take Zhou Jingren for example. Lily was greedy and petty and yet, he still thought this is cute and would even support her! Isn¡¯t this the ssic example of the quote ¡¯love is blind¡¯?

    Not that she wasining. Lily loves this side of her husband and she knew she would love this side of him forever.

    "Hey! Do you remember when we went to Japan, and you carried me towards the temple?" she asked, her eyes glued to the moon on top of them.

    "Hmmm." He nodded. "What about it?"

    "We should do that again," Lily said. "This time... you carry me and our child."

    "Why do I have to carry both of you?"

    "Because you love us, duh." She yfully rolled her eyes.

    "Junior people need exercise. Just let our child walk while I carry you." He said, his face stern. "That is perfectly reasonable."

    Lily widened her eyes at him, but she said nothing and shifted her gaze back to the moon.

    "Hey... Do you remember when we fell into that cave? And I fainted?" This time it was Zhou Jingren. He nced at Lily¡¯s face that was illuminated by the street lights. Her eyes sparkled as it reflected the crescent moon.

    "Of course! You fainted because I agreed to marry you. How can I forget this? All of our children will know this story."

    Heughed. "I knew you would say that." He stared at the road leading towards their mansion. "At that time... I really thought I would die. But I was happy I get to die in your arms."

    "Cringe," Lily said andughed. "You are such an enormous man and you say such cringey things."

    Zhou Jingren only responded with a low chuckle. For a few minutes, they chose to stay silent and enjoy the breeze that was sweeping the trees, making sway under the moonlight. For a summer night, the breeze was cold enough to make the duofortable.

    "I have a question," Lily uttered after a few minutes of silence. She can now see the iron gates of their mansion.

    "What is it?"

    "Do you believe in heaven?" she asked.

    "I don¡¯t know." Zhou Jingren shrugged. He lowered his head to look at her, "Why do you ask?"

    "Well... what if heaven doesn¡¯t exist?"

    "Then... I¡¯ll walk through hell with you." Zhou Jingren answered without batting an eyelid. "In fact, I¡¯ll walk anywhere with you." he smiled.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Ka

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 549 Blame

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 549 me</h4>

    A Hotel in Hong Kong

    "Mr. Chen you have to help me this time. Lily attacked me. All the news online and even that press conference was her doing. Then she drugged me! Isn¡¯t this because you asked me to provoke her? Isn¡¯t this... your fault too? " Qiao Qiao could not stop the tears in her eyes as she pleaded to Chen Luan. "I didn¡¯t want to offend her again. If not for the contract that you offered me."

    "Miss Qiao, this matter had nothing to do with us." Chen Luan answered on the other side of the phone. "Did we tell you to seduce that man?"

    "I ¡ª " In Qiao Qiao¡¯s mind, everything is the Chens fault. After all, they were the ones who wanted to offend Lily. Why does she need to suffer all this humiliation? "You were the ones who asked me to provoke her. Are you really going to leave me hanging at this point?"

    The issuest night and what she did at the party seemed too much for Qiao Qiao. Her career is on the verge of being ruined, even her rtionship with the Yu family is already broken before it started. How could she stomach all this? She needed to me someone!

    "Miss Qiao, are you usually this dumb? Or are you still drunk?" Chen Luan¡¯s mockery interrupted her thoughts. "I already told you. Your actions, your responsibility. Why would you ask us to bail you out for something that you did?" He sneered.

    "Also... please stop calling me anymore. I don¡¯t owe you anything. This is the consequence of your choices. You don???t have to contact us in the future. Also... forget about the contract. We are nning on giving it to someone else."

    "Mr. Chen... please... please don¡¯t say things like that. It ¡ª Mr. Chen? Hello? Hello Mr. Chen?" Qiao Qiao paled. She clutched the phone tighter as the call ended. She felt her blood boil, her hands trembled in anger. She wanted to scream, break some stuff, and yell at someone. However, she could not risk waking Yu Jing up.

    She looked at her reflection in the mirror as she let out a curse. Her eyes were swollen, the bags under her eyes were dark and her hair was a mess. She gritted her teeth.

    Last night was a mistake. She shouldn¡¯t have drunk too much. She shouldn¡¯t have lost all the control that she had. Qiao Qiao let out a deep sigh. Sheposed herself and tiptoed out of the bathroom. At least Yu Jing is still here. He could help...

    "You¡¯re still here?"

    Qiao Qiao turned towards Yu Jing who just got up from the bed. "What ¡ª What do you mean?" she asked. She could feel fear started creeping inside her chest. What does he mean? Is he going to kick her out too? Is he going to leave her too?

    Fear shed in Qiao Qiao¡¯s eyes.

    "Leave now." Yu Jing said shortly. "I don¡¯t want to see you for now."

    "Jing? What are you talking about?" she asked, panic apparent in her eyes. "Are you ¡ª What are you saying?"

    In response, Yu Jing stared at her for a few seconds. He said nothing as he opened hisptop and called someone on his phone. "Yes,e pick up Miss Qiao. Yes. That¡¯s ¡ª "

    "Jing! What are you talking about?" she walked towards Yu Jing. "Jing aboutst night..."

    "Alright. I will wait for you to pick her up." Yu Jing nced at her coldly as he ended the call. "Miss Qiao... fixed your make up. You have to leave. I still have a couple of meetings today."

    "Yu Jing! What the hell are you saying?" she asked. "Why would you want me to leave now when the people in Maind China are looking for me?"

    "Miss Qiao is really humorous." Yu Jing said as he opened the drawer and wrote a check. "Here is yourpensation... for pleasuring me. Since you already have your money, then you can leave now. I don¡¯t n on using your body today."

    Qiao Qiao¡¯s mouth flew open. She looked at Yu Jing, then into the check that he was giving her. "What are you doing? I ¡ª I don¡¯t understand."

    "What part of this don¡¯t you understand?" Yu Jing sneered.

    "Is this aboutst night? Jing... it was a mistake! I drank a lot of wine and I think... I think someone drugged me. It must be Lily! It should be her. Why else would I act out of my character?" She walked towards him and held his arm. "Jing... look we can go to the hospital so we could confirm that I was really drugged. You have to believe me this time."

    "Did you really think I¡¯m a fool?" Yu Jing asked. "I always thought you can be perfect for me. I guess I was wrong." He shrugged as he started undressing. "I will take a shower. I don¡¯t want to see you after this. Go and hide somewhere. I will fix the issues that¡¯s ruining my name and then... then we can go our separate ways."

    "Jing! You are leaving me? You are going to abandon me? Jing... don¡¯t you love me anymore?"

    "Love?" he sneered. "Is there really such a thing?" he asked. "Get the check and leave."

    "Yu Jing... what do you want me to do to fix this? I can do anything. Do you want me to apologize to your mother? I will do it. I will kneel in front of her. Do you want me to¡ª "

    "I want you to leave." Yu Jing interrupted her. "The only reason why you woke up here and not on the streets is that your body satisfied me in the past. Let¡¯s stop fooling each other." He turned his back on her and started walking towards the bathroom.

    "Jing! Jing... please listen to me. This is all Lily¡¯s fault. Please... she is trying to ruin us. Please... we can¡¯t just break up like this and let her win. We are supposed to fight together. We are supposed to act as one. We can always start over. We can..."

    "Fool," he snorted. "Stupid and fool."

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Ka

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 550 All Their Faul

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 550 All Their Faul</h4>

    While Qiao Qiao is having a very difficult time dealing with Yu Jing, Lily was having the exact opposite. She wasnguidly sitting down in the velvet couch as she ate the mixtures of fruits on the table. She eyed the outdoor pool in front of her.

    "It is getting hotter and hotter." She uttered and looked at the people standing to her left. She smiled. "So... Chef Yang... right? I don¡¯t know if you remember me..."

    "I do." Chef Yang Lichen interrupted Lily. His wizened face lightened as he continued, "I remember you like to y with stones."

    Lily giggled. Chef Yang is someone that worked in the orphanage since Zhou Jingren was a child. She had met the man when she was a child, as she used to ask him for snacks.

    "That¡¯s good." She nodded and eyed the two younger males who looked exactly the same next to Chef Yang. "And you two should be... Lin Luyang and Lin Siyang? Twins?"

    "Yes, Madam. I am Siyang." While the two of them have fair and almost the same facial features, Siyang is obviously a little leaner than his brother. "And this is Luyang." He pointed at his brother standing next to him. "He is a bit shy and is very silent."

    "I understand." Because of her schedule, this should be the first time that Lily met everyone that Zhou Jingren hired for the house. "And you are Hou Qingya?" she eyed the younger woman. "How old are you?"

    "I am neen." Hou Qingya answered, her head lowered as she avoided Lily¡¯s gaze.

    "Alright then... I hope we can all work together." She smiled and gestured for them to leave her. "Chef Yang... please stay." She uttered in a low voice.

    "Does Madam want anything?" the old man had his hair dyed ash blond. His phoenix eyes stared back at Lily. "A specific type of food?"

    "No. But... I would ask you to supervise everything in the house." Lily said. She is not good when ites to house matters and she is very aware of this. She does not want to stress herself in something that she is not good at. Moreover, this is not a gigantic house a single man like him could easily handle it. "I believe Zhou Jingren already informed you about this?"

    "Yes," The older man nodded. Zhou Jingren indeed told him that Lily might not want to manage the house as her priorities are differentpared to some newly married women.

    "Then good." Lily nodded. Hearing this, the older man bowed and left. "Do you have something for me?" Lily said, almostzily as she eyed Yang Mi who just arrived. "Did you have breakfast, already?" she asked.

    "Yes, President." Yang Mi nodded. "Miss Qiao is with Yu Jingst night. But... I have heard the news. Yu Jing is going to clear his name, eventually."

    "Only his?" she asked.

    "Hmmm. So... I believe your initial n will happen soon. Qiao Qiao won¡¯t have a choice but to talk to you."

    "Good." She said as she threw another grape into her mouth. "Then let¡¯s wait for her toe." Qiao Qiao is a very selfish person who would not hesitate to sell her soul to the devil just to achieve what she wanted. In Lily¡¯s mind, it would not take too long for Qiao Qiao to realize that she is on the verge of being destroyed.

    If her guess was right, then Qiao Qiao would soone to seek for Lily¡¯s help. Qiao Qiao would then tell her about the person who asked her to provoke Lily in an attempt to save herself.

    Just as Lily expected, Qiao Qiao showed up in the mansion after a couple of hours. She was wearing big dark sunsses that covered most of her face and a scarf on her lower face and neck.

    "Thank you for agreeing to see me," Qiao Qiao said weakly. All these things made her feel really exhausted. She did not dare remove the sunsses on her face as she looked at Lily. "I know you are probably expecting this." She watched as Lily sat opposite to her.

    "Do you need anything from me?" Lily lifted an eyebrow.

    "Yes, and No. I ¡ª I mean..." Qiao Qiao made a deliberate pause as sheposed herself. "I need your help, yes. But I believe that you also need mine."

    "Why would you say that?" Interest shed in Lily¡¯s eyes. She stared at the distressed woman who was fidgetting under her gaze. "Take off your sses." She added.

    In response, Qiao Qiao bit her lips. She hesitated for a few seconds before sheplied. She is already about to lose everything. Does it really matter if Lily will ridicule her now? She met Lily¡¯s eyes.

    "I see." Lily nodded. She thought that the reason why she was wearing something to cover her eyes was that Yu Jing hurt her. Turns out she was wrong. Qiao Qiao had really dark bags under her swollen eyes. "You are here to beg?" she asked.

    "I am here to convince you to stop doing whatever it is that you are doing. I am not the person you should target." Qiao Qiao said. Since that Chen Luan refused to help her, then why would she hide this fact to Lily? All she wanted now is to see that Chen Luan and Chen Shi go down with her.

    In Qiao Qiao¡¯s mind, this is something that they started. So why does she have to suffer alone?

    "Hmmm? Then who should I target Miss Qiao?" Lily asked.

    "I am not sure what kind of bad blood you have with her but... the woman who asked me to provoke you is called, Chen Shi." Hatred shed in Qiao Qiao¡¯s eyes. That woman is the reason why she is in this situation right now. That woman deserves to suffer!

    At this point, Qiao Qiao only wanted to ruin that Chen Shi as well.

    "I see." Lily nodded. "But why would she do that?"

    "How should I know?" Qiao Qiao retorted. "She just asked me to provoke you and maybe... maybe find a way to create some rift in your marriage. That¡¯s all."

    "And this... this was the root of all this?" Lily asked. "What did she offer you in return?"

    "A contract with Zhang Recordings. It was her husband¡¯spany. If you are not familiar, it is one of the biggest recordingpanies in Maind China. Any sane person who wanted to have a solid footing in this industry would want to have a contract with them." Qiao Qiao said.

    "So... let me get this straight." Lily leaned towards her. "You... you did all this because they offered you a contract? And somehow... you think this is all their fault?"

    ...

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Ka

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 551 Classic Strategy

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 551 ssic Strategy</h4>

    "Of course it is!" Qiao Qiao answered without batting an eyelid. Who else would she me in all this? "Everything started when they offered me something. My guess is... they are not even nning to give me the contract in the first ce. All they wanted was to find someone fool to do their bidding."

    Qiao Qiao said as anger surged through her like a magma. She clenched her hands, her knuckles turning white. "I don¡¯t have any intention of fighting with you. But... what they offered was truly... Now that I thought about it. It was just too good to be true." She added as she eyed Lily¡¯s smiling face.

    "Is that so," Lily said calmly. "So... what do you need in return? This information is not for free, yes?" she asked.

    "My career." She answered almost immediately. "I want it back."

    Lily snorted. She stared at Qiao Qiao¡¯s serious face. "Do you think... I¡¯m a god?" sheughed. "What makes you think that I can just give it to you like that?"

    "You ruined me! Surely, you have a way to give it back to me, right? All this news... you can remove it. You can even ask Cindy and Manager Hao to take me back. Isn¡¯t this what you are good at?"

    "So you are not only a fool. You are also delusional." Lily pursed her lips. She actually didn¡¯t know if she wouldugh or cry at this woman¡¯s stupidity.

    "What are you saying?" Qiao Qiao asked. "You ¡ª I already told you everything that would help you. Why can¡¯t you help me with the issues that I am currently facing?"

    "What about your lover? He is also very capable of doing this." Lily said.

    "Lover?" Qiao Qiao sneered. The word only made her more emotional "That man... That man is going to clear his reputation and leave me." A pang of pain rushed through her chest. She immediately furrowed her brows. She should feel nothing but anger towards Yu Jing. Why is she feeling sad now?

    "Miss Qiao... you don¡¯t seem to understand something." Lily started. "To be honest... I don¡¯t have the time for pointless discussions and I couldn¡¯t lower my brain just so I could amodate yours."

    "You¡ª "

    "I am not done talking." Lily interrupted her. "Yu Jing is still in love with you. He won¡¯t abandon you just like this."

    "But¡ª "

    "I said... do not interrupt me." Lily said, her voice stern. "Your name and Yu Jing¡¯s name is connected. If he... would not help you out, then you could use the media to your advantage. You can use the media to criticize him and he knows this."

    Lily continued. "So... helping you would be a logical thing to do. He might not show it... or say it... but the man still likes you. Just wait and see."

    "So ¡ª you¡¯re saying that I can¡¯t do anything but wait?" Yu Jing¡¯s words about her hiding echoed in her mind. It is possible that... She swallowed her non-existent saliva. Was it possible that Yu Jing will forget about everything that happened and... will forgive her?

    The thought of Yu Jing forgiving her immediately made her ecstatic. She pursed her lips and carefully thought about Lily¡¯s words. Yu Jing let her stay in the hotel that night. He also gave her a good sum of money as ¡¯payment¡¯. He might have stared at her coldly and said some really hurtful things.

    But his actions... his actions still showed that he cared for her. Evenst night, the man changed her clothing and let her sleep in bed with him. Even after she disrespected him and his family.

    Qiao Qiao¡¯s eyes turned bright. The thought of losing Yu Jing made her desperate, and the thought of earning his forgiveness made her so happy. Was it possible that she had developed feelings for the guy?

    "So... All I can do now... is wait." This time, it wasn¡¯t a question. She was not trying to ask anyone. She was trying to console herself, make her feel a little better.

    "Do you see it now?" Lily¡¯s lips turned upwards. "Emotions are a veryplicated matter, Miss Qiao. You should not underestimate it."

    "I ¡ª Are you sure that this will happen? Are you sure that he will do something about the current issue?"

    "Of course he will," Lily assured. Yu Jing¡¯s reputation is at stake here. Just like every businessman, Yu Jing will surely guard his reputation. This is only a natural thing to do.

    Seeing this, Qiao Qiao nodded and gave her a sad smile. "Well... then... I ¡ª I will leave now. He told me to hide and not show myself in the public for a while. So... I¡ª "

    "I hope... we will never see each other again." Lily said and smiled at Qiao Qiao. She doesn¡¯t have any idea about the things that Qiao Qiao thought of. However, judging from the spark in the woman¡¯s eyes, it was obvious that she thought Yu Jing will still help her out.

    She was wrong. Lily was sure that Yu Jing will use Qiao Qiao¡¯s name to save himself. Yu Jing grew up in a verypetitive environment with people always scheming behind their backs just to gain their grandfather¡¯s approval. He might look a little dense, but Lily was sure the man should not be underestimated.

    These conclusions made her think about the kind of rtionship that Yu Jing has with Qiao Qiao. A man who would do what he did just for Qiao Qiao would not just give her up because of one single incident. He liked her. That is a fact. He might even be obsessed with her.

    Of course, Lily does not have a way to confirm this. However, she was almost sure that Yu Jing is certainly not done with Qiao Qiao. If her guess was right... then Yu Jing is scheming to permanently have Qiao Qiao stay with him.

    Make her lose her hope, her friends, her career, her everything.

    The game was really easy. First, Yu Jing isted Qiao Qiao. He made her feel helpless, hopeless. Then she would think that the only person who could help her was none other than Yu Jing. She would then beg for his help. And he would reluctantly give her onest chance to prove herself.

    Because of this... Qiao Qiao would be very grateful and might even decide to dedicate her entire life to the person who saved her. It will be a win-win for Yu Jing.

    Make her lose all hope, then save her when she was about to drown. Isn¡¯t that a ssic strategy used to manipte someone?

    Qiao Qiao bit her lips as she silently nodded. After this, she would never want or deal with Lily ever again! She then left without saying another word to Lily.

    "President... Miss Qiao must have thought that she could still bewitch CEO Yu." Yang Mi sneered as she stared at Qiao Qiao¡¯s back.

    "Actually... you are right." Lily answered. "She already bewitched him. This... She can only me herself for having this kind of ending." Knowing Qiao Qiao, she would never ept that she did something wrong. Lilyughed inwardly. This matter... is no longer her business.

    Yang Mi looked at Lily¡¯s side profile. She did not understand what her point was. However, she knew that Qiao Qiao¡¯s ending would not be any good.

    "She deserves it." Yang Mi uttered, her gaze dark. "She deserves it."

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Ka

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 552 Red Lips and Perfectly Curled Hair

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 552 Red Lips and Perfectly Curled Hair</h4>

    Lily only smiled when she heard Yang Mi¡¯s words. As malicious as it may seem, Lily actually agreed with Yang Mi. Qiao Qiao deserves it. "Ask someone to bring me more fruits." She said. Lily does not need to think about Qiao Qiao anymore. "Ask someone to watch Yu Jing¡¯s moves."

    "Yu Jing?" Yang Mi asked. She always thought Yu Jing was just someone who Qiao Qiao used and manipted. So why do they also need to watch that man?

    "Hmmm... in fact. I want you to call Jingren and tell him to watch everyone in the Yu Family." She uttered as she stifled a yawn. "Tell them to bring the fruits to my room." She rose from her seat and walked towards their master¡¯s bedroom. Lily felt exhausted.

    ¡¯This is proof that talking to a brain-dead person will exhaust you¡¯ she uttered inwardly and yawn.

    After a few hours of sleeping, Lily woke up and decided to enjoy the rest of the day pampering herself. So she prepared a nice hot bath and decided to read a book as she enjoyed the jacuzzi.

    "President," Yang Mi¡¯s soft voice made Lily frowned. She clearly told her that she does not want to be disturbed unless it¡¯s Zhou Jingren or it¡¯s something important.

    "Come inside," she said and put her book at the caddy tray on the tub. "What is it??? she shifted her head to look at the frowning Yang Mi.

    "Someone is insisting to see you," Yang Mi¡¯s brows were creased, she pursed her lips. "I already told her that you are busy. She still insisted that she will wait until you are not busy. She said this has something to do with themunity in The Peak. I already made some research about it and knew that this is mainlyposed of wives of the people living in this ce. It was like a club of married women living here."

    "Who is this?"

    "Jiang Ruo of the Yu Family. She introduced herself as the President of themunity." Yang Mi sneered. "Forgive me President but I have to disturb you and tell you about this matter. The woman was pretty insistent on telling you. I feel like... It was as if... she needed something."

    "Yu Family..." Lily uttered. "Alright... since she wanted to wait... then let her wait." She sighed. Why do people keep on disturbing her?

    Then slowly, Lily¡¯s eyes widened. It was as if... she just had a Eureka moment. She then grabbed her phone on the caddy and dialed Zhou Jingren¡¯s number.

    "I just had the best idea." She said excitedly.

    "Hmmm?" His gentle voice reached her ears. "What is it?"

    "Did you know that the word Pac came from the Latin word that means peace? Or to agree?" she asked. "My point is... this is where the word the Pacific Ocean came from. It was said that Ferdinand Magen named it the Pacific Ocean because it was a peaceful ocean."

    "He was wrong." He answered.

    "I know!" she retorted. "That is not my point."

    She heard Zhou Jingren¡¯s deep chuckle. Lily immediately pouted. "Listen to me."

    "I am listening."

    "There¡¯s this... group of inds in the Pacific that is a part of Micronesia. Its call the Marshall Inds. It¡¯s a group of small inds. Have you heard about it?"

    "Hmmm. I did. Why?"

    "You know... I was just asking." Lily actually thought that living on a small ind alone would be very good for them. However, now that she thought about it carefully, it has its own negative side too! While people could not disturb them anymore, it will be very hard for her to move around for her business!

    She can¡¯t just spend her life on an ind and leave her business alone. "I ¡ª I was asking because I thought, you didn¡¯t know." Like a candle losing its light, Lily felt that the enthusiasm that she felt earlier vanished.

    "I have read about it." Zhou Jingren answered. "You are bored?"

    "A little." She sighed. "I want to work."

    "You still have to wait."

    "I know." Her baby is already eight weeks. She still needed to wait for another month before she could move around more. She let out another sigh. "Are you busy?"

    "I am having a meeting."

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s words immediately made her speechless. Meeting? He answered her nonsense call when he was in a meeting?

    "Oh... then I end the call now. I will see you...ter?" Once again, Lily heard Zhou Jingren chuckle on the other line.

    "Alright..." she added. "I love you."

    "I¡¯ll see youter. I love you more."

    After the call ended, Lily could not stop herself from giggling. If her guess was right, the man must be sitting in front of his subordinates while talking to her.

    "Hey Yang Mi?" she eyed the woman standing by the door wearing her signature ck suit. "Do you think... I am a spoiled wife?" she asked.

    "Yes."

    "..."

    Lily widened her eyes for a few seconds. Before she burst into a puddle ofughter. Yang Mi didn¡¯t even batting an eyelid before she answered her.

    "But you deserve it." Yang Mi continued, her face was stoic. In response, Lily smiled and nodded.

    "Grandmother trained you well." She said before she gestured for her to leave the room and tell that Jiang Ruo to wait for her. Since that woman wanted to wait... then let her wait.

    And true to her words. It took Lily over forty minutes to finish bathing. Then another ten minutes just to pick up a delicate dress. Another twenty minutes to fix her hair and makeup and finally, ten more minutes in taking the right picture that she could send to her husband.

    For Lily, thest step was very crucial. She needed to send her husband those photos to entice him toe home early. Because of this, she took another five minutes in sorting through the photos on her phone.

    Then with her red lips and perfectly curled hair, Lily marched out of her room and into the terraces wondering if the woman was still there waiting for her.

    ............

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Ka

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 553 Tea Party

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 553 Tea Party</h4>

    "Madam Yu."

    Jiang Ruo turned towards the door only to see Lily smiling at her as if she did not make her wait for over two hours. She gritted her teeth as she forced a smile on her lips. All throughout the years that she stayed in this neighborhood, Jiang Ruo had never been disrespected like this. "Hi, Lily... is it alright for me to call you Lily?" she immediately asked.

    Calling Lily Madam Zhou is something that she is very ufortable doing. This was mainly because of the fact that Lily is almost half her age. Moreover, she believed that she is superior to Lily simply because she is older and has stayed in this ce longer. Calling her Madam would only make them equals.

    In terms of seniority, Jiang Ruo is considered the senior. Suffice to say, Lily should respect her in this neighborhood.

    "No problem." Lily¡¯s smile bes even more brilliant. "To be honest, I was notfortable with the name. I mean... no offense, but the word Madam is for the older women. Definitely not for me."

    Jiang Ruo held her breath. Was she insulting her age? However, she decided to let this go, for now. "Then good," she eyed Lily¡¯s perfect brows and wless makeup as she wondered why she was sote. Was she really doing something very important?

    But what could someone like Lily do? Her research told her that Lily is taking a break from her business because of what happened earlier this year.

    "First... let me apologize for beingte. I was actually not expecting a visitor, so I already scheduled some very important matters." Lily said. The absence of sincerity in her voice made Jiang Ruo frowned. This was the exact opposite of what Lily showed her the first time that she came to see her.

    She immediately wondered if this was because of what happened at the birthday party. "No worries. I was actually very idle, and it was partly my fault for not announcing my visit in advance. Plus... the view from here is spectacr." She eyed the sea of buildings that is visible from the terrace.

    "Hmmm. May I know what brings you here?" Lily asked.

    "Oh! I already told your secretary about this. Here..." she handed a pink envelop that was about the size of Lily¡¯s hand. "This is the formal wee letter from themunity." She gave a gentle smile. "It was also an invitation... for a tea party."

    "A tea party?" Lily was immediately reminded of the tea party that she used to watch when she was younger. For some reason, a pink dressed barbie with her perfect smile and meticulously arranged hair stuck in her mind. "With all the women in living in this neighborhood?"

    Lily used to wonder how the wives of rich people spend their time. This should be one of their ways to save themselves from boredom, right? She recalled her childhood with Tang Lingyun.

    If her memory serves her right, she did not remember the woman being invited by tea parties like this. Was it because... Tang Lingyun and Qin Mo were not rich enough? Lily then thought about her grandmother Lilian. For some reason, Lily didn¡¯t remember her say about parties like this too.

    Maybe it was because her grandmother seldom attends events that are not rted to business. Moreover, Lilian rather talk about war strategies and how to apply this in business than the newest gossip in town.

    "Yes. In fact, I am the President of our littlemunity of housewives." Jiang Ruo¡¯s words brought her back from her stupor. She watched as Jiang Ruo covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled. It was an extremely elegant move, something that takes a lot of practice and getting use to. "We do this every month and would change venues every month. This is when we... women show off their closets or ourtest collections of jewels that our husbands bought for us."

    "Oh... that sounds... fun?" Lily said as she faked a smile. Fun? That is not her definition of fun. In fact, she thought events like this are extremely boring. This is an absolute waste of her precious time!

    To Lily, time is money, and wasting her time idling and talking about bags and shoes is an absolute waste of money!

    "So... are you going to join us?" Jiang Ruo asked. "Of course we would understand if you declined but... this tea party is actually the second tea party that we are going to do this month. This was specially scheduled to wee you to themunity."

    Lily only nodded as she opened the envelope. Inwardly, all she wanted was to curse and maybe tell Jiang Ruo that her Gi silk scarf does not go with the color of her long dress. She urged herself to read the contents of the card.

    "Twelve women?" she uttered when she saw the names at the back of the card.

    "Oh! Those are our permanent members. As you can see... most people who own a ce in The Peak also have properties elsewhere. They don¡¯t actually stay in this ce and would only visit for vacation." Jiang Ruo exined. "These were wives of businessmen and politicians who settled in Hong Kong and Maind China. But don¡¯t worry, I believe three more women will join us. They are from abroad and will stay in this neighborhood for a couple of months. So... it will be fun."

    Lily didn¡¯t miss the excitement in the older woman¡¯s voice. "You said... the venue changes every month?"

    "Oh! Yes... I was actually here to talk to you about this matter as well." Jiang Ruo gave an awkward smile. "If it¡¯s not too much trouble, the other women are very interested to see your collection of dresses. I mean... after the giftst night. Everyone was very interested to see if you have other jewels from your friends."

    "So... you wanted to have the ¡¯tea party¡¯ here?" Lily wanted to confirm.

    "Yes. I hope that is alright with you. If not... then you don¡¯t have to worry, I will tell them about it. I ?? I mean... everyone heard that you took a break from your job. So we thought... maybe we will help ease your boredom by doing the tea party."

    Lily shook her head inwardly. "I¡¯m sorry... but I have to decline this time." She uttered,pletely surprising the woman opposite her. "I have not met all these women and to be honest... I am not veryfortable in letting strangers walk inside my home."

    .......

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Ka

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 554 Deep Words

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 554 Deep Words</h4>

    For a few seconds, Jiang Ruo went speechless. She looked at Lily, unsure of what to say next. To be honest, Jiang Ruo never expected that Lily would actually decline her request.

    All of them were actually very excited to have a tour of the house and to see Lily¡¯s closet that they started calling her just this morning about it. Moreover, she had actually told them that Lily will surely agree and even told them to prepare their gifts and clothes for this party.

    So... what is she going to say now? "I ¡ª Lily... is this... because of what happenedst night?" she asked. The tone of her voice didn¡¯t change. She was not here to antagonize Lily but to get closer to her. "I would like to apologize. I have avoided talking about it because I found it rather embarrassing that my son would actually bring someone like Miss Qiao. As a mother, I knew that I didn¡¯t raise my son very well." She uttered and lowered her head.

    In this matter, Jiang Ruo waspletely sincere. After the confrontationst night, she had realized that she didn¡¯t raise his son very well. Or why else would he choose a woman like Qiao Qiao? This was all her fault.

    "Oh... no," Lily answered as she shook her head. She then eyed the approaching servants who brought another batch of refreshments for them. "This has nothing to do about what happenedst night." Lily was actually bbergasted. She thought that her reasoning waspletely understandable. Anyone with sane minds would not let anyone inside their closet at their first meeting!

    "It¡¯s just that... Me and my husband value our privacy." She immediately used Zhou Jingren¡¯s name, hoping it will be enough to stop his Jiang Ruo. She was wrong.

    "Ipletely understand that." Jiang Ruo nodded. "But the girls are already expecting to have this party. If you don¡¯t mind... we can do it on the pool instead. Then maybe you can show them a couple of the collections that your friend made?" Jiang Ruo¡¯s motivation is really simple. She already promised her friends that this party will happen. And she will do everything not to lose some face over this matter.

    "I cannot assure you that," Lily answered. "I have to tell my husband about this matter before I can decide." Of course, she decided to pass everything to her husband. If he says no, then there is no way that this woman will open this topic again. "I will call you tonight to talk about this matter." She added the same smile was on her face.

    As expected, when Lily brought up Zhou Jingren, Jiang Ruo had no choice but to shut her mouth about the topic. As newlyweds, it ispletely understandable for a younger woman like Lily to consider her husband¡¯s opinion about something like this. "I understand. Then... I will expect your call tonight." Jiang Ruo responded with a smile. "I am sure everyone would be thrilled if Mr. Zhou would agree to have this party in your mansion."

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. "Actually, now that I thought about it... I can only remember meeting two of these women on the list. Aside from you, of course. Did they attend the partyst night?"

    "They did. But they did not have the time to introduce themselves. You also left the party ahead of everyone else."

    "I see... that ispletely reasonable."

    "This is an excellent tea, by the way." Jiang Ruo changed the topic. "Japanese?" she asked.

    "Gyokuro Tea and yes, it is from Japan," Lily answered. Not long after, their conversation shifted from the party to type of teas to traveling then into pieces of jewelry. It was a pretty rxed conversation that Lily had actually enjoyed.

    As someone from the older generation, Jiang Ruo is very knowledgeable. She also seemed very soft-spoken and elegant. Moreover, Lily could not really detect some pretense from her. All she could sense was some awkwardness that thetter showed every time Lily¡¯s views about a certain topic shed with hers.

    After another thirty minutes, Jiang Ruo bid Lily goodbye. After all, it was already five in the afternoon and she needed to go home before her husbands arrive. Since Lily had a great time, she decided to have the maid packed some of the tea that they just drank and give it to Jiang Ruo.

    This simple gesture was instantly appreciated by Jiang Ruo as she went home with a satisfied smile on her face.

    "What do you think of her, Yang Mi?" Lily asked. She rose from her seat and walked inside the mansion. "Do you find her weird?" Lily asked.

    "I don¡¯t," Yang Mi answered as she wondered why would Lily asked her such a thing. "She could have any other motives but... I find her sincere, for now." She answered honestly.

    "Hmmm. A person standing in the mountain will most likely wonder what is found uphill of the mountain... or what are the things that he can see if he goes down the mountain." She paused as she eyed the big painting on the patio that Zhou Jingren made for her. "Only a few people will wonder what is behind that mountain." She shifted her gaze to look at the woman standing next to her. "Do you get it? Always... and I mean always... pay more attention to what you cannot see."

    Seeing Yang Mi in a daze, Lily smiled at her. "Think about it. I will go back to my room and take more pictures." She said before walking towards the stairs, leaving Yang Mi staring at the painting alone.

    Maybe Lily¡¯s words were deep but understanding this should not be a part of Yang Mi¡¯s job, no? Yang Mi shook her head inwardly. With the way Lily thinks, only a few people could actually understand her, and that includes Lilian and Zhou Jingren.

    Sadly... Yang Mi is not one of those. For Yang Mi, being simple is always the key.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Ka

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 555 Magic

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 555 Magic</h4>

    Jiang Ruo went home with a big smile on her face. Honestly, she did not expect Lily to be this knowledgeable. Be it in Political affairs or Philosophical knowledge, Lily seemed to know it all. She can always answer her inquiries and even present her own arguments in such an elegant way. Jiang Ruo knew that only a few women in this neighborhood canpare to Lily¡¯s knowledge.

    Not only this, but she is also very knowledgeable when ites to fashion and trends. To be honest, Jiang Ruo started to like this Lily.

    After the conversation, Jiang Ruo assumed that Lily would agree to host the party. So when her friends called her to inquire about the matter, she assured them that there is no way Lily would no say to their request.

    Jiang Ruo found their request harmless. This had been a part of theirmunity for years. It should be normal that someone like Lily who just transferred in this neighborhood would follow its unspoken rules.

    However, all this smug smile and confidence crumbled when Lily called her just thirty minutes after she left the mansion. The worse was when Lily informed her that Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t give his permission to have the party at their house.

    Everything happened too quickly that she didn¡¯t have the time to react and say anything else. The next thing she knew, Lily already ended the call!

    Jiang Ruo balled her hands into a fist. Her irritation immediately turned into rage, pounding loudly inside her. She watched her reflection on her dresser and frowned. "Does she think I¡¯m dumb?" she asked herself. It wasn¡¯t even an hour since she left and Lily already called her!

    Wasn¡¯t that too obvious that Lily only used the name of her husband to make her leave? Then once again, she used the name of her husband to decline the request! She gritted her teeth as she wondered how is she going to inform her friends about this matter. After a few minutes, tears welled in Jiang Ruo¡¯s eyes.

    She was too angry, she couldn¡¯t stop herself from crying.

    Meanwhile, after Lily called Jiang Ruo, she decided to check out her emails and call her brother to check if he is doing well. She then tried to watch some dramas only to get bored and turn them off after a couple of minutes.

    "This life is not for me," she whined as she threw the remote on the couch. Shjust too idle! Lily had been working a lot in the past few years that she had actually forgotten what it feels like to be this... rx.

    In the end, Lily fell asleep as she waited for her husband toe home.

    When Lily opened her eyes again, it was already dark outside. The dim shade of themp on the bedside table immediately made her frowned. She didn¡¯t remember turning on themp before she fell asleep. She jolted up, rmed.

    "Rx... it¡¯s me." Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice reached her ears. It easily eased her raging heart, calming her in the process. She turned to the man lying next to her.

    "Come," he gently pulled her back into his arms. He held her tighter, closer as he kissed the back of Lily¡¯s head. Zhou Jingren had been lying next to her for a couple of minutes now and yet... the first thing that Lily did was panicked. Her silence was enough confirmation of the panic that he saw in her eyes when she woke up.

    "Hey... I didn¡¯t notice you." Lily said in a soft voice. She turned to face him and reached to kiss his lips. "I miss you," she uttered.

    "I miss you too," he leaned down for another kiss. "You were snoring... I didn¡¯t dare disturb you." He joked. He wanted to ease the trouble in his wife¡¯s eyes. "Yang Mi told me that you were really bored."

    "Hmmm..." she nodded and snuggled closer towards the nook of his shoulder.

    "Then... why don¡¯t you work with me? Be my secretary?" This was a decision that he never even considered before. But, after he saw what happened to Lily after waking up, he immediately thought of a way to let her stay beside him all day.

    "What about Go Jichen?" Lily asked. She does not need to ask for Zhou Jingren¡¯s intention. Lily already knew that this was something rted to her reaction earlier. "I am a very strict secretary." She smiled. "And I demand double of Go Jichen¡¯spensation."

    "What do you mean double? I thought you would do it for free?"

    "Triple then." She beamed. "And again... as your secretary... you should listen to me all the time."

    "Isn¡¯t that the other way around? I thought I am the boss?"

    "Then... No." She pouted. "Your loss."

    Seeing Lily pout like a kid, Zhou Jingren let out a low chuckle. "Hungry?" he asked.

    "I am only hungry for you," her pout vanish as she winked at him. This was followed by low chuckles and giggles. In the end, Zhou Jingren had to carry his wife out of the bed and brought her to the terrace where they decided to have their dinner.

    While eating, Lily started to tell Zhou Jingren the things that happened earlier. This included Jiang Ruo¡¯s request for Lily to host the party and when Lily used his name to decline.

    "You should have told her that I am not veryfortable having here in here without telling us in advance." Zhou Jingren¡¯s brows creased as he eyed his wife. "Don¡¯t talk to any of these women again. They will only stress you out."

    His words instantly earned a raised eyebrow from Lily. She rested her elbow onto the table and propped her chin into her palm. "Are you trying to protect me from them? Or... the other way around?" she smiled and met her husband¡¯s eyes.

    "Well... I would prefer to have a peaceful life in this ce. But if you decide to ruin some poor woman¡¯s mind... then you have my full support." He shifted his gaze back to the steak.

    Lily beamed at her husband¡¯s words. Is it really possible for someone to love and fall in love again the next day? Because this... this magic is what she is feeling every day.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Ka

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 556 A Pointless Figh

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 556 A Pointless Figh</h4>

    After dinner, Lily and Zhou Jingren spent some time outside to look at the city lights from their terrace before going inside.

    "To be honest, I have no interest in the Entertainment Industry or investing in one," Lily said before she yawned. "I am not very interested in Chen Shi¡¯s recordingpany as well. I don¡¯t know... I just think that the Entertainment industry is a very... toxic ce."

    "Then don¡¯t worry about it." Zhou Jingren said as he started massaging Lily¡¯s legs. He just asked Lily about her opinion on investing in the Entertainment Industry because of Chen Shi. "For now, Chen Shi is not doing anything. But Jun Liang called me earlier today, informing me that his brother indeed begged him for Demi¡¯s location. Now... he is adamant to get a DNA test done."

    "Finally. He is a smart man." Lily said. "Also... starting from now... I will go with you in your office and just stay there to sleep. I get so bored here and to be honest, I don¡¯t want to interact with other people in this neighborhood."

    "Excellent decision."

    "That Jiang Ruo is very scheming. She must be used to being respected because of her seniority. I don¡¯t know... my instinct is telling me that she is trying too hard to get close."

    Zhou Jingren nodded at her words. He then crawled into bed with her.

    ...

    Yu Mansion

    "So... when are you going to have a press conference?" Yu Helong, the Eldest son of Old Man Yu leaned against his leather chair as he stared at his son sitting opposite him. "You already left that woman, right?" he asked.

    "Of course." Yu Jing took a sip of his coffee. "Two days from now. But I already released somements about this matter on the tabloids."

    "Good." His father nodded. "This is your mistake. Next time you should choose someone that can fake it better." He sneered.

    "Stop mocking me father," Yu Jing chuckled. "I really like that woman."

    "If you like her, then make her leave the entertainment industry. That ce is so treacherous. We already have enough matters in our Yu Family. We don¡¯t need any more drama."

    "I understand." As expected, his father would tell him to make Qiao Qiao leave the industry. He smiled inwardly. This only made him feel that he did the right thing. "Where is mother? I haven¡¯t seen her since I arrived. Is she still upset aboutst night?" he changed the topic.

    "Your mother is throwing her usual tantrum. She had been crying in the bathroom since I arrived."

    "Then.... Buy her something." Yu Jing immediately suggested. Growing up, Yu Jing is not a stranger to this scenario. He had seen his mother breakdown in the most simple things. She would cause drama and cry and would refuse to eat for days until his father would buy her something nice. A new bag, designer shoes, and jewelry.

    "Hmmm... already ordered one from Europe. This time... it is different. I haven¡¯t heard the whole story yet, but her attendant told me that she went to see Lily earlier."

    The mention of Lily¡¯s name instantly made Yu Jing frown. "Why would she see her? Are you..." He did not continue his words when he saw his father shook his head.

    "I didn¡¯t ask her to do anything. But I believe after the events at the birthday party, she med herself for the embarrassment that we all had. She thought it was because she made Lily gave her gift first."

    "Still... she should avoid that woman." Yu Jing said. "Lily Fi Zhou is not someone that she can just offend."

    "Hmmm... I will talk to her about this matter."

    "I am serious father. Do not offend that woman."

    "I understand. I am not that petty. Moreover, I already decided to avoid her when my father called her and Zhou Jingren for a private conversation. With mother getting weaker and weaker every day, I can feel that the old man is nning something sinister."

    "Do you think... Do you think grandfather told them about the poisoning?"

    "I have no idea, Jing. Everyone is on edge right now. Father... is very adamant about his will. He said that he won¡¯t change his will and this... this is making everyone nervous."

    Yu Jing turned silent at his father¡¯s words. "Then... stop thinking about it. So what if we won¡¯t get something from his inheritance? Yu Entertainment is an independentpany. We can survive on our own even without him. My only concern... is... you, mother, and my younger siblings."

    "I won¡¯t let them get hurt."

    "Then... you better send them abroad." Yu Jing said. "My sister and brother. Send them abroad before grandmother die."

    His father stared at him for a few seconds before he nodded. He too had been thinking about this matter for a while now. "I will do that as soon as I can." He said.

    "Good. Their safety should be our priority." Yu Jing added. His grandfather¡¯s ruthless and unpredictable ways had affected everyone¡¯s lives. He would not want his younger sister and brother to experience whatever it is that will follow their grandmother¡¯s death.

    He let out a deep sigh. He might be a monster in his own way. However, to Yu Jing, family is everything. His father, mother, and siblings are the most important people in his life. He would not want them to get hurt just because of a pointless fight.

    "Jing... I don¡¯t want you to misunderstand your grandfather."

    Yu Jing lifted his head to look at his father. He met his eyes as he nodded. His father had always been calm and levelheaded. This was the reason why his Old Man Yu chose him to manage thepany. Aside from this Yu Helong also seemed to understand Old Man Yu¡¯s reasoning in everything that the old man does.

    Maybe this was because Yu Helong is his Eldest son or maybe this is because his father is naturally smart. "Alright," he assured his father. What is there to misunderstand? Old Man Yu was a ruthless man that would rather have a stranger inherit hispany.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Ka

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 557 Normal

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 557 Normal</h4>

    The very next day, Lily apanied Zhou Jingren to his office and spent most of her time reading some of the contracts that he needed to approve. Then she spent the rest of her time browsing the and sleeping.

    While she was having a wonderful day in Zhou Jingren¡¯s office, the housewives at The Peak were not feeling ecstatic at all. Some were frowning, while some had their brows knitted as they continue to talk over Lily¡¯s matter.

    At first they could not believe that someone would actually declined Jiang Ruo. Why would a junior like Lily do that? She just moved into the neighborhood! How could she be this... disrespectful?

    Some were very quick to point out that it was Zhou Jingren who declined and not Lily. Does this mean that Lily can¡¯t do anything to change her husband¡¯s decision? Can¡¯t she just convince her husband? Every wife should have the ability to make their husband agree to a small request like this.

    Some immediately said that they will visit Lily themselves. While some asked their husbands to befriend Zhou Jingren so they could advise him not to get involve in his wife¡¯s lifestyle. After all, Zhou Jingren is young. He, just like everyone else, needed some guidance too.

    At the end of the day, the venue of the party was changed. But, everyone still decided that they will send some invitation to Lily. After all, the original purpose of this tea party was to wee her to themunity.

    ......

    Maind China, Zhang Mansion

    Chen Shi massaged the back of her neck as she read thetest entertainment news. "Did you cut her off?" she asked the man sitting opposite her.

    "Already did. Don¡¯t worry, she won¡¯t bother us anymore." Chen Luan answered.

    "Good." She closed the entertainment website and started looking at the paper in front of her. "What is this? I thought my husband already approved these contracts?"

    "Madam, Mr. Zhang... said that these films are not worth it." Chen Luan answered. He had been working with Chen Shi for years and this... this was the first time that her husband declined something that she suggested. He wondered what could be the problem. Was it possible that Mr. Zhang was simply not in the mood?

    "But... those films are all gems! How could he..." Chen Shi furrowed her brows and dialed her husband¡¯s number. Sincest week, her husband had been very busy with thepany that he is barely staying at home. She wondered if her husband only declined because he was too stressed out. "You know what?" she canceled the call. "I will go and see him in his office." He rose from his seat and walked towards her room to change.

    Unbeknownst to Chen Shi, Zhou Jingren was already attacking her silently by targeting her husband.

    "So... you made a younger woman seduced her husband?" Lily widened her eyes at Zhou Jingren. When Zhou Jingren nodded, Lily¡¯s mouth dropped. She stared at him in disbelief. "You didn¡¯t tell me!"

    "You didn¡¯t ask." He shrugged, his eyes were glued at the documents on his table.

    Lily nodded and pursed her lips. That is a valid argument. She actually didn¡¯t ask him if he is doing something. She stared at his side profile. Chen Shi had a pretty good reputation in China. Her records are squeaky clean, and she is very smart.

    Aside from the medical records they have in her first marriage, Lily was not able to find anything that could help them against the woman. In fact, this was one of the reasons why Lily opted to wait for Chen Shi to attack her first before she does something.

    Who would have thought that Zhou Jingren is already doing his magic behind their backs? Now that Lily thought about it, Zhou Jingren¡¯s n on attacking her husband was perfect. Tony Zhang is a well-known businessman in the entertainment industry.

    He is a producer and the owner of Zhang Entertainment that is the motherpany of Zhang Records. He is very wealthy and influential in the industry. With this kind of man in Chen Shi¡¯s back, it would be hard for them to ruin the woman.

    Taking him away would only weaken Chen Shi¡¯s defense. Isn¡¯t that genius idea? Lily smiled at her own thoughts.

    "In his industry, having a mistress is pretty normal." Zhou Jingren said. "Some younger actress and actors would agree to sleep with producers and directors to get a good role. Some pretty well-known actresses started this way. Everyone knows this... but not many people talk about it."

    "This is why I told you I am not interested in this industry." She said. "Mistress, huh. So Chen Shi must know about this and yet... she just let her husband sleep around with younger women?" she turned silent as she propped her chin into her palm. "This Anthony ¡¯Tony¡¯ Zhang have children right? I mean... he was married before he met Chen Shi but divorced his previous wife?"

    "Hmmm... Bei Tian is already talking to his ex-wife. So far... she won¡¯t openly admit that her husband cheated on her with Chen Shi. I bet it was part of the divorce settlement."

    "Then that will be hard to prove. Chen Shi is a pretty meticulous schemer. Even the number that Qiao Qiao gave that was supposed to be Chen Luan¡¯s number is a burner phone. We can¡¯t even prove that Chen Shi really talked to her in person." Lily said. "A smart and silent schemer who likes to use puppets."

    Chen Shi is already in her fifties. If she is not smart, she would not have survived this long while ckmailing and scheming people. The only reason why she made a mistake in her first marriage was that she was pretty young back then. It was not because of herck of knowledge but herck of experience.

    They are actually lucky that Old Man Lee had these records in this safe. Or they won¡¯t really have anything against that Chen Shi. "Hey... I am wondering... Thomas said he heard this when Ron was talking to Chen Shi, right?" Zhou Jingren lifted his chin to look at her. Seeing him nod, Lily continued, "Do you think??? he didn¡¯t tell us everything?"

    "I do."

    Lily narrowed her eyes. She can¡¯t wait to talk to that Thomas Lee again.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Ka

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 558 Artwork

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 558 Artwork</h4>

    A few days after Lily declined Jiang Ruo¡¯s offer, she received an invite that says the tea party will be hosted in another mansion next to their house. This immediately made Lilyugh.

    These group of women knew that she would decline, so they actually chose the house nearest to her mansion. They even chose a public holiday to have this party.

    She immediately wondered why these women were so adamant about having her at this party. Surely, they must have a good motive for doing this, right?

    "Alright... that¡¯s good." Lily said as she eyed the newly installed Swarovski chandelier that Fernando just gifted her for the house. "Next... you can put this artwork over there." She pointed at the space before the stairs. This piece of artwork was another gift by Fernando.

    It was made of various precious stones that were used to create a photo of her and Zhou Jingren¡¯s wedding picture. This artwork made Lily very ecstatic. It¡¯s not just because the stones that used were all sparkly, it was because this looked really pretty.

    She had been nning to make something special for her wedding, but her art skills were close to none. So she asked Zhou Jingren to turn their wedding photo into a big painting that she was nning to put in their bedroom. But this thing was not very easy to do.

    Moreover, Zhou Jingren had a business to run. So it is taking him too long to finish it.

    "A little to the left." She instructed the twins. "Be careful not to damage any stones." She smiled. Fernando knows her too well. Even the color of the stones and the cut were very precise. She wondered if he personally made this or just supervised the entire process.

    Nevertheless, Lily was very thankful. However, she can¡¯t help but wonder about the price of this piece. Surely, Fernando would not invest in something worth millions, right? Or who knows? Maybe that profiteer wanted something from her in return. She chuckled at her thoughts.

    "Madam, Mrs. Jiang, and two other women are in the entrance. They said they wanted to personally give you something." The meek Mu Qingya said. "Shall I go ahead and let their cars inside?"

    Lily lifted an eyebrow. She eyed the artwork and nodded. "Bring them to the living room." She uttered before she went upstairs to change her clothing. This time, Lily decided not to put on any makeup and chose a casual loose dress to entertain them.

    Just as expected, when Lily came back downstairs, three women were elegantly sitting in her living room, eyeing the artwork that Fernando gave her. A smirk escaped her lips.

    "Lily!" Jiang Ruo¡¯s voice echoed inside the house. She, together with two other women who are visibly younger than her, stood from their seat and waited for her to arrive in the living room.

    "Madam Jiang." Lily nodded. "And who might this be?" she smiled at the younger women.

    "This is Madam Liu and her daughter Liu Chin, they live just next to your mansion."

    Understanding immediately shed in Lily¡¯s eyes as she nodded and shook the two women¡¯s hands. Jiang Ruo must be here to formally introduce her to the person that will host the party.

    Of course, this is Jiang Ruo¡¯s another ploy to make her join this tea party for the ¡¯extra rich housewives¡¯. Lily chuckled inwardly.

    "It is my pleasure to meet you," Lily said politely. These people didn¡¯t do anything worth scheming, yet. So, she chose to act polite and warm. There is nothing wrong with acting like a human being once in a while, right?

    "The pleasure is ours," Madam Liu looked obviously younger than Jiang Ruo, her hair was straight ¡ª too straight for Lily¡¯s taste. Her yellow knee-length dress only made her look younger. In fact, she looked just like a sister instead of a mother.

    "I can¡¯t believe that you are her mother," Lily started and stared at Liu Chin. "I thought you were sisters."

    "I already told her the same thing." Jiang Ruoughed and elbowed Madam Liu. "I told you she will say this."

    Madam Liu smiled, an obvious red tint can be seen crawling in her neck. "We are here to give you a present... we are originally nning to give it to you at the party but... I was afraid that you won¡¯t be attending without a personal invite."

    Interest shed in Lily¡¯s eyes as she eyed the box that Liu Chin was holding.

    "I already told you, she will attend." Jiang Ruo said. She shifted her gaze back to Lily. "I already told her that you will join us. But she still insisted to personally give this to you before the party. I hope you don¡¯t mind."

    A smile bloomed on Lily¡¯s lips. This Jiang Ruo seemed to have increased the level of her maniptions. epting this gift would only mean that she will attend and declining this would surely hurt this Madam Liu¡¯s emotions. She eyed Madam Liu and as expected, the absence of emotions in her eyes was enough for Lily to conclude that these two n this whole thing ahead of time.

    They wanted to corner her into epting the invite. "Thank you," Lily said as she epted the box that Liu Chin handed her. Since these people wanted her to attend this party, then she will dlyply.

    "See? I hate to say, I told you so." Jiang Ruo smiled at Madam Liu. She then looked at the artwork behind Lily. "Oh by the way, that is a very beautiful piece."

    "I know," Lily said without any modesty. She doesn¡¯t need to look behind her just to appreciate the artwork. "It is very beautiful."

    "Look at those gems. That must be very expensive."Liu Chin spoke for the first time.

    "I¡¯m sure it is. Did you particrly asked someone to make custom art for your wedding photo?" Jiang Ruo asked. Her eyes were still glued on the artwork.

    "Actually, I don¡¯t know." Lily shrugged. "It was a gift. From my best friends." She smiled as her gaze turned gentle. She was truly grateful for this gift, ah.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Ka

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 559 Intimidating and Terrorizing

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 559 Intimidating and Terrorizing</h4>

    "That is amazing." Liu Chin said. "Would you mind... introducing me to the people who made this? I would love to have a custom made artwork like this with my image on it. What do you think mother?"

    "Absolutely," Lily said. "However, only people with ck diamond cards have the privilege to meet my friend in person. Don¡¯t take this personally but... he is very private and secretive. He is very picky when ites to his friends too."

    "You mean... Mr. Fernando from GC Jewels?" Jiang Ruo said. She shifted her gaze back to Lily. "That chandelier... did he made that too?"

    Lily nodded in response. She was very proud that she had a very close rtionship with that profiteer.

    "Magnificent. I have never seen such wonderful artworks!" Jiang Ruo pped her hands together as she beamed. "You really should introduce us to this friend of yours. He is very talented." She added as if she just miss the fact that Lily said they would have to be a customer before they can meet him.

    Of course, they would have to be a customer! They needed to buy something to meet Fernando. Or else how would she profit from all this referral? Lily smiled at the women¡¯s excitement. Maybe attending this party would be such a good idea after all.

    Their conversation was suddenly interrupted when Zhuo Jingren walked inside with Secretary Go in tow. His face stern face softens when he saw Lily. He walked towards his wife without even ncing at the women that she was talking to.

    "Hey, did you forget something?" Lily rose from her seat and kissed him. "This is Madam Jiang and Madam Liu as well as her daughter Miss Liu Chin."

    "Hmmm... I will go to the study and will go back to the office." He said before turning his back on the other women in the living room without saying any word of greeting. This action immediately made Jiang Ruo and Madam Liu¡¯s face turned sour. The tant disrespect was very obvious that turned scarlet.

    "He is not veryfortable with strangers," Lily said, her tone apologetic but the absence of emotion in her eyes was apparent. She smiled. "But... I already told you that thest time that you were here, yes?"

    Madam Liu and her daughter turned to look at Jiang Ruo as if asking for a confirmation. Jiang Ruo never mentioned about this matter and only told them that Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t agree to host the party.

    "Oh... I¡ª I must have forgotten about it." Jiang Ruo waved her hand. "Don¡¯t mind it... he is still young. I am sure he would learn to adapt soon." Who was Lily fooling? Zhou Jingren was a man known in the business world. Talking to other businessmen is a part of his job. How could he act like that in front of them?

    She wanted to add something and criticize this behavior, however, she immediately remembered her husband¡¯s stern words about Lily. So she chose to swallow her fury and smiled instead.

    "Hmm... he is the type of person that would not mind anything other than business." Lily said. "We have so many simrities... it is sometimes very frightening." Her point was simple, just like Zhou Jingren, she too would always prefer to talk about profits and business. "But it¡¯s alright... I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t understand that." Lilyughed.

    Seeing the women¡¯s ufortable faces seemed to make her giddy. Lily¡¯s only goal is to make them ufortable as much as possible so they would avoiding in here again. And by the looks of it, she feels that she is actually about to achieve her goal.

    "My mother used to work in my grandfather¡¯spany before she got married." Liu Chin¡¯s voice was shrill and for some reason, Lily found it very irritating. The younger woman seemed to be in her early twenties too. "Actually, just like my mother, I am working in my grandfather¡¯spany right now too. So you saying that we don¡¯t understand that... is not true."

    "Forgive Liu Chin. She is very impulsive sometimes." Madam Liu held her daughter¡¯s hands as she gave an apologetic smile at Lily.

    "Is that so..." Lily smiled. "Miss Liu... being impulsive is not very good for business. Did your grandfather tell you about this matter?" Lily asked softly. She eyed Liu Chin¡¯s red face then shifted her gaze towards Madam Liu. "Madam Liu seemed to be really calm and collected. You should learn from her."

    An awkward silence descended the room after Lily¡¯s words. These women were all equipped with years of scheming, how could they miss the poison in her tone? Lily wanted to say that Liu Chin didn¡¯t actually learn from her mother¡¯s calm character. Isn¡¯t that a direct insult to her upbringing?

    Liu Chin opened her mouth to rebut, however, her mother was quick to re at her. She closed her mouth, anger apparent in her eyes. Liu Chin never expected that Lily would be this kind of woman.

    "Ah... Lily only means well," Jiang Ruo decided to make the environment lighter. She smiled at Liu Chin. "Please take it as an advice from a very sessful businesswoman." She said. At this point, Jiang Ruo finds it hard to analyze Lily.

    The woman was very unpredictable that just by thinking about her is making her dizzy. At one point, she already thought that they are already friends, then the next minute, Lily declined her offer and act as if nothing happened. All this... is making Jiang Ruo confuse. Was this because she was looking down on them for being just housewives?

    "I guess... we have already aplished our goal," Jiang Ruo said awkwardly. "It is best that we leave now. We still have some shopping to do." She tried to act excited but it was futile. She was unable to dispense the tense atmosphere with her words.

    In the end, the trio bid their goodbyes to Lily. They all left looking more confuse and ufortable than before they arrived at Lily¡¯s mansion.

    One minute she is smiling and weing the next she is throwing poisonous words behind her smile. This woman¡¯s inconsistency is very hard to analyze. In fact, they found this attitude very intimidating and terrorizing.

    It is making them walk on eggshells around Lily!

 Chapter 560 Women

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 560 Women</h4>

    "Mother... I say we should not let that woman into our house!" Liu Chin fumed. She clenched her hands and red at the tall gates towering over them. "She is so... rude."

    "Chin Chin... you are still young." Jiang Ruo said. "Lily is a tycoon. She is like your grandfather and her worth is even more than your father¡¯s." Sure enough, her words immediately calm the younger woman down. "She has the right to act whatever she pleases."

    "Does this mean... we are going to let her bully us? Why do we have to bend just to cater to her wants?" Liu Chin said.

    "Stop it Chin Chin." Her mother reprimanded. "Lily doesn¡¯t need us. But she is still a part of thismunity. We should not turn our backs on her."

    Liu Chin frowned at her mother¡¯s words. Turn their backs on Lily? What does that even mean? Why does her mother is making it look like as if Lily needed their help? In the end Liu Chin maintained her silence. Sometimes, it is easier to shut her mouth than talk to her mother and her friends.

    "I believe it was because she came from the west." Jiang Ruo uttered. For Jiang Ruo, Lily¡¯s disrespect is nothingpared to the future benefits that she will bring in her family.

    Jiang Ruo looked at the greeneries outside of the car as she thought of the Old Man¡¯s request to talk to Lily and Zhou Jingren at his birthday party. The old man is not really the type that would have a private conversation with people that he does not admire. This only meant that Lily might be the key to winning the old man¡¯s will.

    The thought of the will immediately made her mood even worse. What kind of man would leave a nk will? A will that says whoever will win would be the owner of his properties abroad and hispany? Everyone is just too confused about the old man¡¯s will. They are all too wary and nervous about this matter.

    A mad man. That old man is a madman. That is the only thing that should be enough to describe him.

    Her husband told her that the old man deliberately did this so his children would not kill him. Knowing that the will was not set, no one would dare attack him and risks losing their rights to thepany.

    In Jiang Ruo¡¯s mind, getting close to Lily instead of bing her enemy is the key to her family¡¯s safety. Of course, this is something that she guessed from her own instinct about the woman. She felt that whatever ising will involve Lily and her husband.

    So why not just have a rtionship with them now?

    ...

    "Now... I am sure that they are up to something," Lily uttered as she epted the freshly sliced fruits from Yang Mi. "Their persistence is truly... very surprising."

    "I believe they wanted to create awork." Yang Mi answered. This is fairly normal for rich women. These are the type of people who wanted to get close to someone that could benefit them. It was like a business but theirs involves, gossips and shopping.

    "Hmmm... that is right." She nced at the artwork and smiled. She truly looked pretty with the gems that sparkled under the light. "How was the thing that I asked you to do?"

    "I found out that Mr. Zhang is indeed sleeping with a model. A new one. However, unlike the previous ones, he seemed to spoil this woman with gifts." Yang Mi answered.

    "Really?"

    "Yes... also... Mr. Zhang has been seen in the woman¡¯s t twice this week. He is trying to hide this fact but our people got some pictures of him sneaking out of the building. He seemed to really like this woman."

    "Good! It is always nice to like someone." Lily smiled as she continued eating the fruits. "And Thomas?"

    "Well... he agreed to meet here in Hong Kong."

    "Wonderful!" Lily beamed.

    "Also," Yang Mi made a deliberate pause as she nced at Lily. "We found something else."

    "Hmm?"

    "Samantha Chen." Yang Mi said. "She is rted... to Chen Shi. We can¡¯t confirm this yet, but Bei Tian is already working on it. This might be the reason she is with Adrian."

    Lily turned silent at Yang Mi words. She remembered herst conversation with Samantha and how she always mentioned that she didn¡¯t have a choice. "So... it wasn¡¯t just because of her father?" Lily asked.

    "Her father is really ill and Adrian is helping her out with contacting the best doctors for her father."

    Lily nodded as she frowned. She could never forget the sadness in Samantha¡¯s eyes thest time that they had a conversation. Slowly an idea sprouted in Lily¡¯s mind. First Zhou Jingren and Demi¡¯s marriage. Then Adrian and Samantha¡¯s marriage. Isn¡¯t that too obvious? Chen Shi wanted ess to the Lee Family¡¯s wealth.

    But why? Was it because of greed? Hate? Or... revenge?

    Lily maintained her silence until Zhou Jingren arrived. She then started telling him about the things that she discovered.

    "Do you think... there is a connection that we are missing?" Lily asked. Someone like Chen Shi would not have schemed like this without an excellent motivation. It is only reasonable that something pushed her to go as far as sacrificing her own daughter for her cause.

    "I will call mother and talk to her about it." Zhou Jingren said. "I believe she was nning something big... but she did not expect you toe in the picture."

    "That is true." Lily nodded.

    ....

    Meanwhile, the person that they were talking about was busy reading contracts that her husband had actually declined. She gritted her teeth as she eyed another contract that Tony Zhang asked his secretary to return. "Chen Luan..." she uttered. "I want you to check Tony¡¯s location in the past few weeks. I want detailed reports of where he was, where he slept, the name and age of the woman that he slept with, and the amount of money that he spent on them. Everything." She narrowed her eyes at their wedding photo on her table.

    The only reason why a man would decline something that would give him profit is if he was too busy doing something else. He was too distracted to even read a contract. This only means one thing and one thing alone.

    Women.

    .......

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the Coffee: Ka

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 561 Trapeze Dress

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 561 Trapeze Dress</h4>

    "I think its time that we give her a little trouble," Lily said as she fixed her makeup. She chose another loose dress that could easily hide her stomach and paired it withfortable sandals. She then looked at Zhou Jingren. "I am tired of waiting." She uttered.

    "I don¡¯t want to wait for Chen Shi to schemed against me. So I want you to bother her as much as possible." Lily sat next to Zhou Jingren, who was having his tea. "Art of war. Inying ns. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest." She smiled.

    "So you wanted me to give random minor attacks to keep her on edge and tense?" he eyed Lily. The goal of this particr part of the art of war is to make the enemy weaker by not letting them rest. After all, being on edge and always defensive is tiresome. This will only suck their energies and therefore they won¡¯t have the time to scheme against Lily anymore as they will focus their energy on defense.

    "You sure that¡¯s a good idea?" he asked. "If she will know it was you... she might attack us." He eyed her stomach. "I don¡¯t think that is best for now."

    "She won¡¯t have the time to do that," Lily said. What Zhou Jingren did to Tony Zhang the reason why Lily developed this n. Zhou Jingren started this. It is only fair that she finished it with a bang. "A person who did a lot of wrong things over the years is naturally paranoid. This is basic human psychology. The fear of uncertainty. The fear of our pasting in to bite us."

    "Then... I will arrange that." He nodded, understanding shing in his eyes as he stared at Lily for a few seconds. Her n is excellent. Once Chen Shi¡¯s attention is divided by small, random attacks, she won¡¯t have the time to think about Lily for a short while. This will give Lily enough time to talk to Thomas and n a counter-attack before Chen Shi could start her scheming.

    At this point, it was obvious that Chen Shi wanted to know Demi¡¯s location. She might want to get her daughter on her side before she started scheming against them.

    "You are going to the tea party?" he raised an eyebrow.

    "Hmmm. It will start at two."

    "It¡¯s already two."

    "Let them wait," Lily beamed. "It¡¯s too hot outside."

    "If you don¡¯t want to go, then don¡¯t go. Why force yourself to be with people that you don¡¯t like?"

    Lily instantly beamed at his words. "If I won¡¯t show myself, they will onlye in here for various reasons and invite me over and over again. Wouldn¡¯t it be nice for them to just avoid me after this party?"

    "Good point. Then...e... I will take you there."

    "It¡¯s just the next mansion. No need to..."

    "It¡¯s hot. You need an umbre and a driver."

    A smile instantly blossomed on Lily¡¯s lips as she thought of his words. She then nodded and followed him out of their room.

    ...

    "She¡¯s already ten minuteste." One woman whispered to the other, her eyes towards Jiang Ruo. "Are you sure... she wille?"

    "Of course, she will. Even Madam Liu confirmed it."

    "Then that is good." The woman took a sip of her tea. "It is pretty hot today." She eyed her knee-length Versace dress and immediately regretted not wearing the silk dress that she just bought, because it was much cheaper than this one.

    "I know! Even if we are inside the house... it¡¯s still very hot. This makes me wonder when are we going to visit Madam Liu¡¯s closet."

    "She¡¯s here!"

    "Lily is here!"

    "Where!? Is that her husband?"

    "How lucky... this makes me want to go back to being young."

    "Just give them a few years. That sweetness won¡¯tst long."

    "Hahahaha... But he is very sweet. Right?"

    "What is so sweet about it? I think they only wanted to show off to older women like us."

    Everyone had various opinions about Zhou Jingren personally sending Lily to the party. However, when Lily walked inside the house, everyone had their best-smiling face stered all over their faces.

    The introduction soon followed and to be honest, Lily barely remembered any of the women¡¯s names. Not that she is being mean... it¡¯s just that, she really thought that this interaction is pointless. She was not really nning on staying here for too long.

    Moreover, the only reason why she is here is that she doesn¡¯t want to be invited to this kind of event again. Of course, this would still depend upon the benefits that she will get from thismunity.

    To Lily, benefits are everything. If these people will only give her negativity and stress then she would definitely abandon them. However... if they have some profits to offer, then... who knows? Lily chuckled inwardly at her thoughts.

    "This dress is really nice," As expected the conversation really started with her dress. "Isn¡¯t this from Holly Fulton?" Lily¡¯s dress was a white trapeze one that she chose mainly because it was veryfortable in this type of weather.

    When ites to clothes Lily would always choose somethingfortablepared to skimpy and expensive ones that are very hard to walk into. Way back when she was in Europe, Lily always chose a trapeze dress because she is always in a hurry and wearing it won¡¯t even take a minute of her time.

    Moreover, it was fashionable and she very easy to remove, especially after a tiring night where she would just wash her face and sleep. If she remembered it correctly, she had this dress for more than a year now.

    Sure, she loves shopping and buying new clothes as well as shoes. But this does not mean that she would chose them over her oldfortable clothing, especially in this kind of weather. Moreover, she would never wear something like that just to impress people she doesn¡¯t like.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    I posted Lily¡¯s dress on discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 562 Unspoken Rules

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 562 Unspoken Rules</h4>

    As someone who grew up in this neighborhood, Liu Chin and her mother are very familiar with dresses and shoes. They spent most of their time traveling around the world to watch fashion week. Most of their money was also spent buying luxurious clothes and shoes.

    Some of which are dresses that they haven¡¯t even worn once. To Liu Chin, this was not burning money. To her, this is an investment. Her designer bags and shoes are something that even her great-great-granddaughter could inherit.

    Normally, during tea parties, some women in the neighborhood would show off their newest limited edition clothes. This is not because they are bragging about their money. No... they don¡¯t need to do that. This is mainly to brag about the influence of their family or their husbands.

    Buying limited edition clothing that can only be bought through invite is a very good way to tell everyone that their household was influential. This is not about who had more money in their bank ount. It is about who is more influential in the fashion world.

    Everyone expected Lily to wear something extravagant. Maybe thetest summer collection of a reputable brand. Or wear a piece of jewelry from her friend¡¯s exclusive line. Yet she did nothing of those. Instead, she wore a seven hundred dor dress that was released almost two years ago! Isn¡¯t this an insult to everyone¡¯s effort?

    Liu Chin frowned as she looked at Lily¡¯s sandals. It was a simple Chanelmp skin one. This immediately made her more irritated. She tried to keep her irritation to herself as she smiled and talk to other people. But when Lily asked to go to the powder room to freshen up, she was not able to stop herself from following her.

    They were already inside the Liu Family¡¯s mansion and her mother was about to open her closet so she could show everyone her newest collection. This one is a collection of dresses that she purchased from Mn fashion week. While Liu Chin was pretty excited to see everyone¡¯s reaction, her anger made her chose to confront Lily instead.

    "That was very rude of you," Liu Chin said when she noticed that Lily was alone in the room that could amodate two people. She closed the door and made sure to lock it so no one would disturb them.

    "Excuse me?" Lily smiled.

    "Everyone here is wearing branded and expensive clothes. They made an effort to buy those limited edition ones so they could wear them at this party. While you..." she narrowed her eyes at Lily. "I know you are rich, Miss Lily. I also know you are worth more than all women here. So... I just want to know if you are deliberately doing this to provoke us. And make us exclude you the next month¡¯s tea party."

    "Miss Liu... I don¡¯t see any reason why I should exin my clothing to you or anyone else in this house." Lily¡¯s casual tone only made her more irritated. How could she be so calm? Liu Chin is the host. This is the Liu Family¡¯s mansion. Isn¡¯t she afraid that Liu Chin will ask her to leave? "Plus, I didn¡¯t see you included such standards in your invitation," Lily added.

    "It is an unspoken rule." Liu Chin said. She really wanted to ignore Lily nad her behavior. However, she saw how much her mother prepared for this party, and Lily was just not making any efforts to blend in. Everyone else was so excited and yet this woman...

    Lily¡¯s nonchnce is really bothering her.

    "Miss Liu... let me tell you something." Lily finished applying her lipstick. "My clothing... does it really offend you because you think they do not belong in this party." She eyed her reflection and lifted her small handbag from the marble sink. "It offends you because... despite out-earning everyone... I was not wearing anything worth staring at." Lily looked at Liu Chin¡¯s carefully arranged hairdo and her jewelry.

    "Wouldn¡¯t that make you and everyone else here... a materialistic bitch?" Seeing Liu Chin widened her eyes at hernguage, Lily let out a low chuckle. She knew that like most women at this party, Liu Chin had been ring at her for a few minutes now. To be honest, Lily did not deliberately do this. She didn¡¯t actually know that this would be a freak show of who wears the most expensive summer dress.

    "There is nothing wrong with living the way we are living." Liu Chin hissed. Lily¡¯s words actually made her realize that she actually hated the fact that Lily was not acting like them.

    "Of course," Lily smiled. "But there is something wrong in being shallow. Miss Liu... growing up in a privileged household does not excuse you from thinking that the outside world will bend just to follow your ¡¯unspoken rules¡¯."

    "You are in my property, Miss Lily. I think it is only fair that you follow the rules here..." Liu Chin was not someone that would just swallow bullying like this. "You can¡¯t bully me in my own house."

    "Now... why is it that when you demand someone to wear something just to please your ego it¡¯s called an unspoken rule. But when someone says no... they are bullying you?"

    Once again, Liu Chin was speechless at Lily¡¯s words.

    "I was originally nning to leave after this... but because of this... I decided to stay. You know... to irritate you." Lily smirked before gently pushing the woman away and walking out of the powder room.

    For some reason, this reminded her of a TV show where women living in the same neighborhood get judged based on their material possessions. Lily would not be a hypocrite and say that she hated those.

    She loves dresses and shoes and bags and everything that glitters. However... she is buying dresses and designer bags for herself and not for anyone¡¯s approval.

    She wears clothes and chose her bags based on her mood and not to show it off to the world. Okay, maybe she does show it to the world... sometimes. But that does not diminish her point... she would always choosefort over the price tag.

    ...

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 563 Nasty

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 563 Nasty</h4>

    "This one is given by my husband from Paris and this one is from Mn. I bought this after the fashion week!" Madam Liu smiled affectionately as she showed everyone the new gowns and shoes that she bought from her recent trip. "And oh! Look at this..." she pointed at the statue inside the disy box made of ss. "These are crystals that were handcrafted by a genius designer in Mn."

    "This is exquisite!" one woman eximed. "This makes me wonder. As someone who seemed to be close with the owner of GC Jewels, you must have a lot of collections of dresses like this. Am I right?" the woman beamed excitedly at Lily.

    "I do," Lily said. As someone who loves sparkly things, she has an outstanding collection of clothes like this. But, most of them were in Europe as she decided not to bring it because it won¡¯t fit the closet in Sky city. However, now that she already has an enormous closet waiting for her in the Mansion, Lily decided to ship it to Hong Kong soon.

    "Then... would you mind letting us see?" the woman seemed to be of the same age as Lily. She smiled, her beautiful face lighting up as she asked. Lily lifted an eyebrow in response. Her gaze thennded on Liu Chin¡¯s smug face behind the woman. After that incident in the bathroom, Liu Chin had been watching her every move like a hawk waiting for her prey to make a mistake.

    "Madam He, Lily already said that her husband does not approve of us going into her closet." Jiang Ruo interjected. Her words made the woman frown.

    "But... Madam Jiang... I believe it is always nice to show off some of the things that you don¡¯t even wear." The woman named Madam He frowned. She then smiled at Lily. "Everyone here agrees with my opinion but does not have the heart to voice it out because well... they are a little intimidated." She let out a peal of sarcasticughter.

    "Madam He is right." Liu Chin added. "I remember that it is our time to have charity work for a certain charity next month? Why don¡¯t we do it at that time too? It would be worth it to pay some money to gain ess to Miss Lily¡¯s closet." Liu Chin was sitting elegantly at one of the velvet chairs inside the closet. Her kind words earn the nods from the women.

    It was quite reasonable. Surely, someone like Lily would not decline such a thing, right? After all, this time, it is already a charity work. Moreover, in front of everyone, saying no is quite embarrasing. Or so Liu Chin thought.

    "I¡¯m sure my husband would not agree." Lily watched as the smile on Liu Chin¡¯s face disappeared. Did she really thought that doing this would work?

    "But it is charity..."

    "We support more charity than anyone else in this room," Lily said her gaze straight. "I say... we don¡¯t really need more. Especially if it will cost us our privacy."

    She then smiled. "But since you are so passionate about charity work. Might I suggest that you personally do it to show your... sincerity? I have a few charities that needed volunteer work from passionate people like you and..." she shifted her gaze at Madam He. "Madam He." She then roamed her gaze at everyone else. "Is anyone else interested to do some volunteer work?"

    The room turned silent as disbelief shed in everyone¡¯s eyes. How could Lily just reject a request like that then turn the situation around just like that? These people care about their reputation a lot! If they decline now...

    "I would be interested." One woman said. It was followed by another one and a few more nodded their heads at Lily¡¯s direction.

    "Magnificent!" Lily pped her hands excitedly. Of course, she did not miss sending a provoking smile at Liu Chin. "I¡¯m sure everyone will be ecstatic to hear that you will help out with the cooking to feed¡ª "

    "I¡¯m sorry?" Liu Chin¡¯s face turned red. "I thought this is some charity work?"

    "Oh, yes... next month an orphanage will open its doors to reputable people like you. Everyone who will join needed to do some work in the orphanage. Simple stuff like cooking and cleaning. While the children will enjoy themselves in a pool or beach." Lilypletely made this event up. However, who would dare question the authenticity of her words? Moreover, she can easily ask Zhou Jingren to do this event for her. "Of course... the media will witness such magnificence. I am sure this will only boost themunity¡¯s name."

    "Will you be joining too?"

    "Of course I would! I was the one who organized this event! It is just a really small way to make the kids feel special. I mean... knowing that some good mothers and women washed your clothes and nkets... I¡¯m sure they will be ecstatic." Lily¡¯sughter echoed as she watched some women, including Liu Chin and Madam He¡¯s faces turned ugly.

    Feeling this happy while lying should not be healthy, right?

    "Does this mean that you will watch their clothes too?"

    "Oh! No... I already have my own assigned task but you girls will be perfect for those menial jobs." She lifted her chin towards Liu Chin as if telling her to argue with her. But wouldn¡¯t that damage Liu Chin¡¯s reputation?

    "Good! Now... we can talk about the details of this volunteer work." Jiang Ruo tried to pretend to be happy. But she too could not hide the surprise in her voice. "Let¡¯s continue the tour so we can talk outside of the closet."

    Everyone nodded their heads and let out a sigh of relief. Some of them immediately decided not to provoke Lily anymore.

    You see, this is the difference between Lily and these women. They were too afraid to ¡¯ruin¡¯ their reputation and name. Unlike them, Lily is well known for being nasty in the business world. People see her as treacherous and very difficult to deal with. Her saying no to something like this would not surprise anyone in the business world.

    Inside these women were already shooting daggers at Lily. However, on the outside, they were smiling and nodding their heads trying to show everyone that they truly love the idea of doing some volunteer work.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 564 Master Your Image

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 564 Master Your Image</h4>

    Lily had a beautiful smile stered all over her face.

    She nced at the group of women¡¯s fake smiles and patted her back inwardly.

    Lily was not always the type that would ept what the society foists on her. It wasn¡¯t because she likes to piss people off ¡ª alright, maybe that was one of her reasons. But her main reason was that she wanted to create her own identity.

    Just like her grandmother, Lily would rather be called different than blend in and let society define her identity. This was one of the things that herte grandmother always told her.

    ¡¯Forge your own identity. Work hard,mand attention, and master your own image.¡¯

    This sounds simple. But in a world where society always had something to say about everything, having your own identity is quite difficult.

    Lily continued to smile until the tea party finished. Of course, she did not miss the ufortable nces that some women gave her, but who cares? She was enjoying such stares.

    "You must be... Lily?" Lily turned to look at the man behind her. She lifted an eyebrow.

    "Oh. My apologies. Where are my manners... I¡¯m Gannon Liu. At least that¡¯s my business name." The man towered over Lily as he held his hand in front of her. Seeing Lily just stare at him, he shook his head and continued. "I am the eldest and heir apparent of Liu Enterprise."

    Lily only nodded. Judging by the facial features, this man must be Liu Chin¡¯s elder brother. She then turned her attention back to thedies that were busily appreciating a painting that Madam Liu bought in an auction from Italy.

    "Bored?" the man seemed to ignore Lily¡¯s bleak reaction as he stood next to her. His hands in his pockets as he eyed the painting. "You don¡¯t like arts?" he asked. Lily was standing by the door and was really far from the group of women.

    "Hmmm." She nodded and crossed her arms across her chest. She thennguidly leaned against the wall. "This is supposed to be a tea party for the women... don¡¯t tell me... you¡ª "

    The man¡¯s eyes widened before she chuckled and shook his head. "I have some important matters to discuss to my... mother."

    Lily pursed her lips and nodded. Gannon must have thought that Lily didn¡¯t see his gaze was not in his mother but to the woman who seemed to be close friends with Liu Chin. The woman named Madam He. A knowing glint shed in her eyes.

    She shifted her gaze back at the women and that was when she realized that Madam He was also looking at their direction. She turned her head towards the woman and met her gaze. Of course, Lily didn¡¯t miss the fury in the woman¡¯s eyes.

    Judging by the woman¡¯s look, she seemed to be in herte twenties. But Lily could be wrong. Because of technology, every woman here looked younger than their actual age. The absence of pores in their faces only made them younger.

    "Alright... it seems that she is still busy." Gannon said. "It is nice to meet you." He said.

    Lily was expecting the man to leave, but then she heard him clear his throat, trying to get her attention. Lily shifted her gaze towards Gannon. She lifted an eyebrow and waited for him to speak.

    "Here is my card," he handed her a small business card. "Call me if you need anything." He then winked at her. "And... I mean... anything."

    Lily felt goosebumps all over her body as she looked at the man smirked at her. This was totally unexpected, ah! Lily thought the man was sleeping with Madam He... so... what is he doing now? She shifted her gaze at Madam He and as expected, her face already turned red.

    It was as if she was about to cry!

    Not long after, she excused herself and told everyone that she is not feeling well. She needed to leave ahead of them.

    Lily could only chuckle at the woman¡¯s actions. She could not reallyugh out loud and risk them thinking that she had gone crazy, right? Lily instantly made a mental note to ask Yang Mi to give her every little dirt of these people. Who knows... maybe she could find some information enough to ckmail people for some information.

    Lilyughed at her own thoughts. A pregnant woman should avoid thinking about ckmails and other nasty stuff! Of course, she was quick to correct herself. Pieces of information will give her knowledge and well... knowledge means money!

    After a few more ufortable conversations, the tea party finished before five. And just like what Zhou Jingren told her, he was also there to drive her home.

    "Did you have a great time?" he asked after kissing her lips.

    "Hmmm." She beamed. "Tell me... do you have the files of people living here?" she asked. After seeing her husband, Lily realized that she doesn¡¯t need to wait anymore. Her husband should have the files of everyone living here, right?

    After all, Zhou Jingren would note to this neighborhood without knowing that this is safe for his family.

    "I do," he started driving out of the Liu Family Mansion. He then nced at his beaming wife before turning his eyes on the road. Zhou Jingren doesn¡¯t need to ask if Lily was nning anything. She could already feel the mischief behind her wife¡¯s smiling face.

    He shook his head inwardly. This neighborhood has some scandalous secrets. He wondered what kind of storms will his wife raise soon. Zhou Jingren then sighed inwardly.

    Maybe he should double or even triple the security at the mansion. Then... add another person to guard Lily.

    "I want to see it." Lily¡¯s voice interrupted his thoughts. "I can see that this neighborhood is very interesting. Maybe all those gossips will help me survive my first trimester." She then let out a dry, sinister chuckle.

    Seeing this, Zhou Jingren could only smile. Helplessness shing in his eyes. Love is indeed mysterious. Love is indeed Lily.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 565 Men!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 565 Men!</h4>

    Maind China

    After a few days of waiting, Chen Shi finally received the news that she wanted about her husband. And just as she expected, he was indeed seeing another woman- a younger, more beautiful one.

    She clenched her fist, unable to hide the anger in her eyes. How could he be this dumb and let her catch him? Chen Shi was not upset that her husband had cheated on her! She was more upset that she caught him!

    If Chen Shi can do it, she was sure that the paparazzi could do it too! Wouldn¡¯t this ruin the perfect marriage that they had been portraying in the media?

    "Shall I go ahead and call him?" Chen Luan¡¯s voice brought her back from her stupor.

    "No!" she gritted her teeth. "No... I don¡¯t want to talk to him." If Tony Zhang wanted to y like this, then she won¡¯t have any other choice but to pretend not to know anything. Since her husband is too stupid... then she could only make the public think that she is a victim. Someone who had been fooled by her own husband.

    This will only give her more benefits during the divorce.

    "We have a lot of things to do. Don¡¯t even mention that man again." She hissed and stump into her leather chair. To her, a man like this is not worth keeping. No?? is there really a man worth keeping?

    Memories of her sad aunt resurfaced in her mind. That old man Lee was the reason why her aunt died. He just like every other man is heartless! She gritted her teeth and close her eyes. She tried to calm herself.

    "For the second night in a row, our props had been ruin by random gangs." Chen Luan gave her a folder full of photos. "We tried to report this to the police. But it can¡¯t seem to identify the gang members from the CCTV. Maybe they were just having fun and..."

    "Having fun? For two nights straight?" She sneered. "Double the security in the taping¡¯s location. If you were able to capture one of these... these nasty men don¡¯t report it to the police and keep him for interrogation." He uttered.

    "Understood."

    "You also said something about one of our singer¡¯s image that was sent in the email?" Chen Shi was too busy being angry that she had wasted a lot of time away from her business.

    "Hmmm... here is the image." Chen Luan handed her arge photo of one of the male idols working under their recordingpany. She narrowed her eyes at the photo. "Cocaine?"

    "Seemed like it. We have a total of five photos like this. Different locations but all of them showed that he is trying to sniff something."

    "Stupid!" Chen Shi threw the photo away. "STUPID! How could he let the media caught him!?" Her chest raised as she balled her hand into a fist. "Did the email said anything else? Money? Did they demand some money?"

    "Unfortunately not. The email didn¡¯t have anything else. I also tried to ask our people to check the IP address, but it was routed to one of theputers in our office. I checked the CCTV and discovered that no one was there when the email was sent."

    "A hacker?"

    "Possibly. We don¡¯t know yet." Chen Luan said. His statement immediately made Chen Shi scowl.

    "Go and asked that man if he offended someely. Maybe a politician. Did he decline someone¡¯s request? I want to know his schedule in the past few weeks." Things like this are normal in the entertainment world. "This is the reason why they should not offend the wrong person and should always know their ce." She uttered.

    "Did you receive any news from Ron?" All the problemstely had been causing her headache.

    "He said... Jun Liang did not tell him Miss Demi¡¯s location."

    "Then schedule a meeting with Jun Liang! That old man must have forgotten about our past." She narrowed her eyes before she started massaging her temple.

    Men!

    Men!

    Men!

    Men are the root cause of all her problems right now! And she hated it! She hated feeling this angry over someone insignificant. She hated how she could not just throw an object to someone else¡¯s head and risk showing her real personality to someone. She, Chen Shi, hated men!

    Chen Shi gritted her teeth. If she wanted to scheme against Lily, she needed to make sure that Demi is safe beside her. She could not risk it. As a mother, she would never risk the safety of her only daughter. "Inform Ron that he cane to China as soon as he can. He needed to lie low." She added.

    "Understood." Chen Luan nodded.

    .........

    The Peak, Hong Kong

    Unfortunately... Chen Shi¡¯s ns are already ruined before it even started.

    "Really?" Lily¡¯s lips lifted into a smile as she held the phone closer to her ears. "So you... wanted to give Demi to me?" Jun Liang let out a sigh on the other line.

    "Do I have a choice?" he asked. "Lily... I have been betrayed by my own brother. They must have beenughing at me for raising a child that is not even my own."

    "Then... no worries. I will ask my people toe and get her. Then... I will transfer her to a secure facility that will of course help her mental illness."

    "Just... Just promise me you won¡¯t hurt her." Jun Liang¡¯s words contained a hint of sadness. For years, he treated Demi like a daughter. He loved her, showered her with presents. True, he was not there when she grew up and this had contributed to her current mental state. However, this does not mean that he would let someone hurt her.

    The only reason why he would ask Lily to take care of Demi is that he had a feeling that Chen Shi will talk to him soon. He only wanted to put Demi in a safe ce. Something that even he doesn¡¯t know. He wanted to keep her safe.

    "Depends." Lily¡¯s answer instantly made him a little depressed. But he already expected this.

    "I understand." He uttered, his voice low. Lily and Chen Shi are both monsters. However... between the two, he would rather trust a stranger like Lily than a treacherous woman like Chen Shi.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 566 She is The Trophy.

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 566 She is The Trophy.</h4>

    The Peak

    "Surely, Bei Tian is so efficient when ites to these things." Lily beamed as she ended the call with Bei Tian.

    "Bei Tian is also having a tour in Europe. This is because of that Italian Mafia that Jack left after his death. Jichen told me that those people are resisting Bei Tian simply because he is Asian. He said they are all about family and have suggested making Liam the leader... or you." Yang Mi uttered. Seeing Lily lift an eyebrow towards her, Yang Mi immediately lowered her head and bit her lips.

    "Go Jichen, huh." Lily gave her a meaningful nce before chuckling. She had heard the same words from Zhou Jingren. However, Lily does not really want to involve herself in the mafia or any other organization for that matter.

    Technically, she was already involved because she was using Zhou Jingren¡¯s resources, which is mostly from his people in the ck market. However, she does not want to go as far as bing the leader of a mafia. Especially now that she was already pregnant.

    "Alright. Now that Demi is already with us then... Chen Shi can screw herself." She held the cup of tea closer to her face, inhaling its aroma. She then took a small sip as she wondered why she was not having any morning sickness. Lily always thought that getting pregnant means going to the bathroom every morning to vomit.

    Sure, she was really sleepy and tired, but other than that, Lily does not feel any difort in her body. Zhou Dae Un said that it might be because of the herbal tea that she drank before getting pregnant. Some of those were said to ease morning sickness and would generally make women feel a little better.

    However, Lily thinks that this is because she was having a son. A son only meant less drama, right? She giggled at her own thoughts.

    "Chen Shi seemed to be having problemstely. Some paparazzi caught their props being ruined for a couple of days. Of course, they said it was nothing but drunk people having fun and they already reported to the authorities."

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. She thenzily leaned on the couch and started reading some files that Zhou Jingren sent her from her tablet. These were the files of the household in The Peak. "Did you already asked Jichen about the event that I told you about?" she asked while reading each household¡¯s files.

    "I did. He said... it will be done."

    "Wonderful." Today, Lily decided not to go with Zhou Jingren and spend some time reading some gossips about the ¡ª wait, this is not gossip. And there is nothing shameless in gathering some information about the enemy first.

    Bullets are required in a war. Only a fool would go to war without anything that could easily defeat the enemy. In Lily¡¯s case, this information is akin to missiles. It could ruin lives, homes, and even... an entiremunity of women. She beamed as she continued to read.

    "President... I just want to confirm. The volunteer work that you wanted to do involves cleaning and making food for children?" Yang Mi asked. "You mean... those women will clean and cook for them?"

    "Don¡¯t forget washing clothes. That is important too."

    "I ¡ª uh... did they really agree to do it?" Hesitation clouded Yang Mi¡¯s gaze. "I mean... they are really rich women known for the extravagant lifestyle. Why would they agree?"

    "Because of shame," Lily answered without batting an eyelid. Her eyes were still glued to the tablet. "They are afraid of shame. They would rather join a battle that they cannot win that... ruin their reputation. Yang Mi... these people... are not like us. You and me... were trained by Lilian."

    Yang Mi only nodded at Lily¡¯s words.

    ...

    Yu Household, The Peak

    "So... you are going?" Yu Helong asked, a tinge of worry shed in his eyes. "Ruo..." he sighed. "How could you fall into Lily¡¯s trap?"

    "Helong... I am fine." Jiang Ruo smiled at her husband. All she wanted was to get close to Lily. But, her approach seemed wrong. But is this enough to make her lose all hope? No. In fact, this only challenged her to try even harder for her family. "Besides... Lily was right. This could easily boost the name of themunity. This will benefit us all."

    Another sigh escaped her husband¡¯s lips. "Ruo... We are already old. I cannot just tell you what to do. But remember... Lily is used to raging wars against men. And she won... over and over. She won. Do not think that a simple scheme would be enough to defeat her."

    "I know." She bit her lips. Now that she thought about it. Lily is actually very different from most women in this neighborhood. Unlike most women who love to show off their dress and bags as trophies, Lily is different. She doesn¡¯t need to show off her trophies. That¡¯s because SHE is the trophy.

    A woman like that should be very hard to handle.

    "Did you have news about mother?" she changed the topic. Although they live in the same mansion as Old Man Yu, the sick matriarch had been transferred to another house behind the mansion where the old man stayed most of the time to take care of her.

    "She won¡¯t live for long."

    "Then the will?"

    "Still nothing." Yu Helong said. "They are getting impatient. I can see it in their eyes. Second brother is especially mad about this matter."

    "Why would he be mad? He wasn¡¯t even mad when your sister poisoned your mother. Is he mad that he might not be included in the will? Or he is mad that your mother is still alive?" Jiang Ruo sneered. Disgust apparent in her eyes.

    "Both. That man can be dangerous. He had been eying the CEO position for so long now. He is only waiting for father to die before he will challenge my position. And the fact that the will is nk... is preventing him from hurting father."

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 567 Targe

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 567 Targe</h4>

    Lazy Days.

    Lily considered these days verynguid, rxed and tiring. For some reason, Lily gets tired even if she is only lying and reading some contracts or cases that had been filed against the Zhou Capital. She knew this was because of the pregnancy, so instead ofining, Lily decided to spend this time reading more and more things to increase her knowledge.

    After all, Lily does not really think that she is intelligent. She cannot memorize a page just by looking at it and does not even know most of the elements from the Chemical table of elements. She is also not very good at math, but she doesn¡¯t care.

    Lily believes that anything can be done with hard work and persistence.

    During these days, Lily had been going with Zhou Jingren to his office while asionally going to see Qin Yuanfeng in Fi Group Tower. Since her stomach is still small, and she had been wearing loose dresses, no one really knows aside from their family and close friends that she is pregnant.

    "Father sent a lot of supplements from his recent trip abroad," Lily said. She was not close to Qin Chuan, but she still considered the man as someone rted to her. Though Qin Chuan is not saying anything about their rtionship, the man is trying his best to create some contact by calling every now and then. He would also send him gifts from his travels and would sometimes invite Lily and Qin Yuanfeng to dinner or lunch.

    However, Zhou Jingren refused to allow Lily to travel because of her pregnancy. In the end, only Qin Yuanfeng would be able to join his father.

    "You should check it with the doctor." Zhou Jingren answered. His eyes were glued to hisptop as his fingers flew into the keyboard. He had been really busytely because of Bei Tian¡¯s absence. However, the man is off to a mission in Europe so he doesn¡¯t really mind.

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. This time she was reading about the cases that were filed against Zhou Jingren¡¯s security agency. Thispany is quite close to Lily¡¯s heart simply because of her first encounter with Zhou Jingrenst year where she thought he was her new driver from thepany.

    "I can see that multiple sexual assault cases had been filed against thepany." Aside from this, there are also a lot of ims about sexism. Lily found this interesting.

    "It¡¯s from one of our contractors in Maind China." He answered. "Those are really small cases. We are taking care of it."

    "Alright." Lily nodded and continue to read. However, this peaceful environment was interrupted when Go Jichen told them that the Second Master of the Yu Family is here... as scheduled. "You have a meeting with him?" she asked Zhou Jingren.

    "Yes. He scheduled a meeting after the birthday party. But my schedule had always been full." Zhou Jingren lifted his head to look at her. "Stay here..."

    "I am not nning to move." Lily smiled. She was sitting on a couch just a few feet away from Zhou Jingren. "Even if you ask me to."

    A few minutester, Yu Tingye came walking inside. An obvious surprise shed in his face when he saw Lily sitting on the couch,zily reading. She nced at him and smiled before shifting her gaze back to her tablet.

    "President Zhou..."

    "Mr. Yu..."

    The two shook their hands before sitting opposite to each other. Yu Tingye then gave Lily a wary nce before looking at Zhou Jingren. "President Zhou... I have some important matters to discuss with you... if you don¡¯t mind..."

    "No." Zhou Jingren interrupted him, his face instantly turned dark. "She stays."

    "Oh!" Yu Tingye nodded. "My apologies. I just thought that... well, never mind now."

    "Hmmm. I am a very busy man, Mr. Yu... so the sooner we can finish this meeting, the better." Zhou Jingren leaned against his leather chair as his fingers started drumming on his table.

    "Then, I will be direct. I know I don¡¯t have the right to demand what you and father talk about at the party. But??? I would like to know if you will involve yourself in my Yu Family¡¯s business."

    "You are wrong." Zhou Jingren nced at Lily before turning his gaze back to Yu Tingye. "The old man did not call for me. He wanted to talk to my wife."

    Yu Tingye looked at Zhou Jingren¡¯s serious expression before he sighs. "Then... I would ask you to stay away from the Yu Family¡¯s Business." He decided to be direct. "A couple of days before you move, I knew that you were... looking into some files about everyone in The Peak. I know that this is normal for someone like you. However, after father¡¯s birthday... I started to doubt the reason why you initially asked someone to look into our personal information."

    Zhou Jingren lifted an eyebrow. "You are saying that I deliberately move to the neighborhood so I could target your family?"

    "I don¡¯t know anything about your motives. All I¡¯m saying is... you have no business with the Yu Family. My mother is already dying. Please don¡¯t make us more... miserable."

    "Do I really need to make you and your family more miserable?" he asked. "I thought you are perfectly doing that to yourselves?"

    "President Zhou... I am not here to fight. I am only here to talk like civilized people. I am politely asking you not to involve yourselves in our family. That¡¯s all."

    "Mr. Yu... I believe you are talking to the wrong person. We are not trying to involve ourselves in your business. However... I can¡¯t say the same thing for your father."

    "You ¡ª Are you saying that father really wanted you and your wife to inherit thepany?"

    The couple¡¯s eyes met. A sh of surprise appeared in their faces. What does he mean by this? The couple did not remember the old man mention anything about inheriting thepany. Nor did he mention about Lily getting anything from his will.

    Was he hiding something from them?

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 568 Her Faul

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 568 Her Faul</h4>

    "Why would you even think that I would inherit thepany?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. She could feel the wheels of her brains turning like crazy. Instantly, assumptions and possible scenarios clouded her mind.

    Yu Tingye instantly pursed his lips. He looked at Lily then into Zhou Jingren before frowning. He deliberately said that to gauge Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s reaction and it seems that they do not understand what he was talking about. Does this mean that the old man is not nning to make Lily or Zhou Jingren his sessor?

    "Well... he is a very tricky old man." Yu Tingye said, his eyes were still on Lily. He wanted to see if he could spot something from her face. Unfortunately, Lily was only staring nkly at him for a few seconds before shifting her gaze back into her tablet.

    At this point, Lily already realized what the old man is trying to do. He wanted to make her themon enemy of his three sons and one daughter. Now, Lily didn¡¯t know why the old man would do something like this. All she knew is that no matter how much she declined to what the old man told her, it will still happen.

    Lily assumed that the old man told his sons and daughter that he would leave thepany to someone capable. And that might be the reason why Yu Tingye is here trying to confirm if that someone is Lily or her husband.

    Lily never considered the fact that the old man might leave a nk will simply because that would be crazy. Why would he leave hispany in limbo after his death? Wouldn¡¯t that cause more chaos and possible destruction to his belovedpany? The stocks would surely plummet faster than she could even blink.

    Now... who would want apany like that? Lily knew that it would be very hard to recover from a fall and thepany might even end up filing for bankruptcy. With these dire consequences, the old man would never do something crazy like that, right?

    Unfortunately for Lily, she underestimated the old man¡¯s fury. His wife is dying, and he will soon follow her. Even in death, he vowed to be with her. All he wanted was for them to die peacefully of old age. But his children... his children made the only woman that he loves suffer because of what? Wealth!

    The wealth that they didn¡¯t even earn! The wealth that Old Man Yu and his wife worked so hard to build. Was it really wrong to train his sons topete with each other? The world is not kind. The old man was only showing them the harsh reality of living in the business world.

    True. He wanted to raise wolves and tigers. And true, he should have expected to be bitten by them. But all he wanted was to raise men that people would fear and respect. Was he wrong to value hard work more than blood? Was he wrong to only appreciate the ones who worked the hardest and had the most aplishments?

    Was he supposed to treat his children as babies and give them every little thing that they wanted just because... they were his kids?

    No! The old man worked so hard for hispany. He and his wife spent almost all of their time working their asses off to survive in the business world. For Old Man Yu, it is only fair that he trained his children to be as aggressive as possible. To be aspetitive and smart as possible. It is only fair that the person who will inherit hispany has the same passion and capability as his!

    But what happened? They poisoned his wife so he will stop focusing on hispany. They made her suffer. While only one of them did it. Everyone knew... but they said nothing. It was a crime... by omission.

    And all of them... will suffer soon.

    The old man was wise. Growing up cleaning the shoes of the businessmen and selling newspapers made him aware of the reality. It made him more observant and skilled. He never started off as someone rich and famous. No.

    He didn¡¯t have a family to support him. He didn¡¯t have the education or the proper certificates that his children have. What he had were his guts... and his woman.

    "Dragging someone innocent. Is not wise." His wife, Lu Xialu struggled to speak. She looked at her husband and smiled. "Let¡¯s not involve her in this matter." Despite the pain that she felt, her eyes were gentle as she stared at his sharp orbs.

    "Shhhh..." Seeing her struggled to speak, the old man immediately clutched her hand and held it towards his lips. "Do not speak." He said, his tone gentle as he tried to stop the tears from pooling in his eyes. "Do not speak..." He kissed the back of her palm. "Rest... I will handle it." His voice trembled as she looked at her pale face.

    The wizened woman nodded silently. The man before her was a monster. Not even one of their kids or acquaintances knew what kind of man he was outside of this country. However... despite all the crimes that he did, she, Lu Xialu would always love him. "Do not cry... old man." She whispered. "This... this is just temporary. We will soon see each other again." She forced a smile from her wrinkled lips.

    However, she was interrupted by a wheezing cough. She knew she didn¡¯t have much time to live. She heard the doctor said that her airways had been inmed. And to be honest... she was ready. She was prepared to die. She was old, and she already lived enough years with him.

    However, her only regret was her children. Lu Xialu know that everything was her fault. She let him raised them this way. Now... this mistake will haunt their children forever.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 569 The Organization

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 569 The Organization</h4>

    Zhou Capital

    After Yu Tingye left, Lily and Zhou Jingren concluded that they needed to stop associating with anyone from the Yu Family. They could not involve themselves in something that does not have anything to do with them.

    Of course, they are also open to the idea of talking to the old man. If he won¡¯t stop his sinister ns, then Lily and Zhou Jingren will be forced to counterattack and might even ¡¯identally¡¯ ruin hispany.

    The old man should know that the duo could easily destroy thepany that he worked so hard for. On their way home, Lily and Zhou Jingren had another conversation about the Yu Family and even Chen Shi until Lily fell asleep in Zhou Jingren¡¯s arms.

    "What¡¯s happening?" Lily looked at the line of cars towards the peak. She frowned. She woke up because she heard some noise outside of the car. "Did something happened?" she shifted her gaze at him.

    "Hmmm... a little ident. Jichen... turn around. Let¡¯s go to Sky City." He uttered in an ominous voice.

    "What happened?" she asked, confused at his reaction.

    "There was a small fire in the mansion."

    "What?"

    "It was not big. It wasn¡¯t even enough to damage the whole kitchen." He gave her an assuring nce. "Rx... we are going to Sky City." He then called someone to check the CCTV¡¯s and find out what happened to the kitchen.

    Lily turned silent. She narrowed her eyes as she thought about any reason why someone would want to burn their kitchen. "What if it was an ident?" she uttered.

    "Maybe. However, Chef Yang and the maid were not in the mansion. No one was in the kitchen, not even the twins. They are investigating the matter now." He held her hand. "Don¡¯t worry. We will know soon."

    "If it wasn¡¯t an ident, then... it should be a warning." She met her husband¡¯s eyes. "Someone wants us to stay away in the mansion. Or maybe even in themunity."

    Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t answer her. He pursed his lips as he watched his wife. "The Yu Family..."

    "Possibly. They are the only ones that could do it right now. People like that are bound to make mistakes and miscalctions." Lily said. "Whoever did this..."

    "I will take care of it."

    Lily turned towards him. She understood that he only wanted to take care of her. However, Lily wouldn¡¯t just stay silent after this incident. She could not let the Yu Family endanger her pregnancy or her child. She needed to act... and she needed to do it as soon as possible.

    ......

    "A fire?" Old Man Yu lifted an eyebrow as he nced at the screens that were showing him everything happening inside and outside of the mansion. Some of the CCTV¡¯s are specifically showing what is going on outside of Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s mansion.

    "Hmmm." The western man sitting on the velvet chair nodded. He then crossed his legs and stared at the old man¡¯s back. "It wasn¡¯t big." He added, his warm voice had a tinge of amusement.

    "And Lily?"

    "Safe." He answered. "Old Man... your children are crazy. They must have inherited it from you." He chuckled but immediately stopped when Old Man Yu looked turned towards him. "What? I am stating a fact." He shrugged.

    "As long as Lily is safe... then it¡¯s fine." Old Man Yu walked towards the velvet chair opposite to the young man. "You are too young to even talk about what I did in the past." He said as he sat down and met the man¡¯s ocean blue eyes.

    "I would agree with your statement. Myte father is ruthless... but... he is not as ruthless as you."

    Old Man Yu ignored this statement. Instead, he poured himself some hot tea and drank it.

    "Your children are provoking Lily... if she destroys them... what will happen to you?" the young man gave a meaningful smile as she thought of watching Lily from the restaurant when he was still in Singapore.

    It would have been better if he was really there... watching her as she ridiculed the Lee Family during that dinner. Nevertheless, he already did his best to help her by telling the attendant to only listen to Lily¡¯s words.

    "I am old. What do you think will happen to me?" the old man countered. "They are stupid enough to provoke her. Let them suffer the consequences."

    A burst of loudughter echoed inside the study. "This ce is secured right? No one should know... that this exists, yes?" the young man asked.

    "Hmmm." The old man nodded. He poured himself another cup of tea. "If that happens then... she will have thepany and... my position in the brotherhood."

    The young man instantly lifted an eyebrow. "Once she turns thirty, she will have Lilian¡¯s seat. Why would you want to give her your seat?"

    "Then... would you prefer that I give it to either of my sons or to my sinister daughter?" his lips thinned. "The organization doesn¡¯t need someone like them."

    The man nodded. "Are you really nning to kill yourself after your wife¡¯s death? You already have their permission, right?"

    "Hmmm." Once again, the old man nodded.

    "Your death... will cause somemotion in Asia." This is a fact. Once the old man dies many of their members might try topete for the old man¡¯s seat. Presidents, kings, and influential people will wage some senseless wars against each other that could possibly affect the economy and of course the world. "Are you sure this is a splendid idea?" he asked.

    "My death... will happen sooner orter. There is no difference."

    The young man looked at Old Man Yu¡¯s tired face as he nodded. "As I said... Lily will have her seat soon. Let¡¯s not forget that her grandmother¡¯s seat is higher than yours and mine. You cannot give her your seat or introduce her to the organization before... she turns thirty."

    Old Man Yu frowned at his words. "Lily is twenty-eight. We still have two years. If we introduce the concept of the things that we do for the world... she will easily adapt and prepare herself for the role that her grandmother used to have."

    The young man narrowed his eyes at Old Man Yu as a dangerous aura swept inside the room. A suffocating chill enveloped the room. "No. Let her discover this on her own and you... will listen to me if you don¡¯t want yourpany to crumble overnight. Do you understand me... old man?"

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 570 An Accomplished Woman

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 570 An Aplished Woman</h4>

    "I understand." Old Man Yu answered, his gaze straight towards the young man who is not even half his age yet. "However... my family¡¯s matter..."

    "Provoking her was their mistake. You already know this. Let them suffer or we will intervene." The young man said unamused. The friendly vibe that he used to have vanished. "She is an aplished woman. She will handle this with... grace." He added. He was specifically here to warn the old man not to break their rules.

    True, standing in the room with a woman like Lily can sometimes put pressure on them. After all, it is indeed very tempting to tell her everything that she needed to know and watch her eyes widened in amazement. However, they needed to follow the rules. Lily is not mature enough for the role. She still needed a couple of years to mature and be strong enough just like herte grandmother.

    "She is... just like Lilian." Old Man Yu nodded. "When... I first saw her??? it was as if I was talking to Lilian. It is amazing how she could teach Lily to think just like her."

    "This is good. Lilian was an excellent woman." Just like every human being, Lilian made mistakes in the past too. Her biggest one was probably ruining her rtionship with her daughter just to try and marry her to someone that is not associated with the organization. As a mother, it is only reasonable for Lilian to try marrying her own daughter off to someone that is not after her power and position.

    The brotherhood actually understood her actions. Her daughter might be smart, but... she was unlike her. Bec was naive, and it would be very easy to target her just to get to her mother. If her daughter takes over her seat, there is no way that she willst long. Lilian was only trying to avoid this. So... she made an arrangement to have Bec marry a man from a very good family.

    Who would have thought that she would run away? However, instead of using the organization to search for her own daughter, Lilian didn¡¯t abuse the power that she holds and only used her own methods to find her. This was something that made them respect the woman even more.

    No one can be perfect, and Lilian was just like that. She had her own weaknesses, but her mind is not one of those.

    "The Mafia..." Old Man Yu did not continue his words. "Lilian does not like to involve herself in matters like this. Are you nning to..."

    "We already did." He answered. "Lily needed to grow her power and the only that it will happen is for her to have a concrete backing in Europe and a steady one in Asia." Both men knew that this matter is not about worth anymore. This is not about money and properties. This is about information and influence. Those are the two things that people would die for. And those are the two things that Lily needed to have.

    "Alright." Old Man Yu stood from his seat. "I believe I don¡¯t have to walk you out, right?" he asked. "I have to prepare myself for Lily¡¯s visit."

    "Hah! You are assuming that Lily would visit you? What about her husband? I heard that he gets pretty protective and..." he held a finger in his temple. "A bit crazy." He gave a mockingugh. "If I am him... I would burn your children to the ground beforeing in here to talk to you." He shrugged. "But... I am crazy so." He then chuckled and left the old man standing alone in his secret room.

    ......

    After that fire, Lily and Zhou Jingren went back to Sky City and tightened their security. Two men have now been assigned to follow Lily all the time and when Daohu recovers, he will soon follow her too. The security of their mansion had been tripled as Zhou Jingren added some intimidating locking mechanisms to the house that includes fingerprint and iris scan that records everyone who will go inside and outside of the mansion.

    Meanwhile, Bei Tian¡¯s face was grim as he looked at Lily and Zhou Jingren. His arms are crossed, lips thinned. "I have to make apromise. Or they will not submit to us.??

    "So... they wanted me to lead them? We all know I can¡¯t do that." Lily¡¯s face was equally dark. She was already on her way to talk to Old Man Yu andy her trap when Bei Tian arrived, telling her that she is now the leader of a mafia organization. This instantly turned her already bad day into worse.

    "I am managing them. But... they will introduce you as their leader." Bei Tian nced at Zhou Jingren. "It¡¯s either that or they attack the Tang Empire which already belonged to us."

    "I believe this is a good thing." Zhou Jingren said. "This will only make people in the ck market fear you and be wary. We can always take advantage of this matter."

    Lily turned silent. She already has a lot of things to deal with. "I don¡¯t want to get involve in the ck market."

    "You don¡¯t have to get involve." Bei Tian said. "I also agree with Zhou Jingren... I believe... this will give you a solid footing in Europe. Which is always an outstanding thing for business."

    Lily frowned before she rose from her seat. "Do what you want. I have my own matters to attend to." She turned her back at them and walked out of Zhou Jingren¡¯s room.

    The only thing that could satiate her anger and irritation right now is knowing who set that fire into their mansion. She gritted her teeth. This Yu Family is only adding to the things that she has to think about.

    She needed to know what the old man really wanted and finish this family as soon as possible.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 571 Laying Traps

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 571 Laying Traps</h4>

    When Lily walked inside the mansion, the first thing that she noticed was the number of disyed things that seemed toe from different countries. From elephants to the Eiffel Towers. And many other things that were safely disyed in a ss box. For some reason, the Yu Mansion instantly reminded her of a museum.

    "Please... this way," the butler gestured Lily to follow him towards the second floor of the mansion. This house is where the family of the Eldest Yu Helong lived. However, since today is a weekday, everyone seemed busy working outside of the mansion. Lily nodded silently as she followed the butler onto the stairs.

    The mansion is bigger than Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s mansion. The house was a three-story mansion that features a delightful view of Hong Kong and an extensive garden with a maze and a swimming pool. Because of its beauty, many family gatherings are held in the garden, just like the birthday of the old man.

    "Please take a seat," the butler said after he let Lily inside Old Man Yu¡¯s study. "Master Yu is already on his way here." He uttered as he bowed and told Lily that he will prepare some refreshments for her.

    For the second time, Lily nodded as her eyes were glued at the enormous wedding portrait just behind Old Man Yu¡¯s leather chair. The painting looked really old, and it somehow reminded Lily of her grandmother and grandfather¡¯s portrait in London. She frowned. Even the coloring was simr.

    The fact that her grandmother and grandfather are a few years younger than Old Man Yu only meant that they are of the same generations. Lily¡¯s knowledge in art is quite limited, so she wasn¡¯t really sure if this style of artwork was popr at that time. Nevertheless, they are quite... old and very beautiful.

    For some reason, just looking at the painting made Lily emotional. Memories of her grandmother resurfaced in her mind. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder about her grandmother¡¯s reaction if she would know that Lily is pregnant.

    All throughout the years that Lilian and her had been living together, Lily never once saw her grandmother get excited or even talk about kids. To Lily and everyone else in thepany, Lilian had always been cold, chilly. In those seven years, Lily could count the times that Lilian would show emotion around her.

    And it was mostly when she around her husband¡¯s grave.

    Lily¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when she heard Old Man Yu walk inside the study.

    "She is beautiful... right?" His voice was gentle and for some reason Lily detected a little bit of... weakness in it. Was it because he was talking about his wife? Or was it because of exhaustion?

    "She is lovely." Lily nodded. Lu Xialu was in fact beautiful, not the type that would enamored multiple men. Still, no one would say that she was ugly. While Old Man Yu is not exactly someone that Lily would call handsome. However, she could not deny the emotions that was apparent in the couple¡¯s eyes at the painting.

    "May I know why you are here?" the old man sat opposite her. He examined Lily??s face. "Was it because of the fire two days ago?" he asked.

    "Yes."

    "Then I would assume it was not an ident."

    In response, Lily eyed the old man¡¯s wizened face. She recalled the reports that they receivest night about the fire. "No, it wasn¡¯t." She shook her head.

    "And you are here because? You thought it was me?" He asked and looked at the butler who just arrived with the refreshments.

    "No. I know it wasn¡¯t you." Lily answered, ignoring the butler that was standing near her. "And I also know... it was of your spawns."

    "Hah!" the old man gestured for the butler to pour some tea for him before he smiled at Lily. "Then... are you here to ept my proposal?"

    "This reaction makes me wonder if you have gone senile," Lily said. She pursed her lips when she realized that she could not really stop her anger anymore. She could still feel rage rushing inside her. First, the fire then there was the case with the Mafia.

    Lily immediately thought that this was because of the pregnancy. She immediately tried to control herself. "A war... is expensive." She said. "In business, war involves a lot of money and some losses. That is something that I cannot afford."

    The old man stared at Lily as confusion clouded his gaze. "So?? if you are not here to agree to my condition then..." he didn¡¯t continue his words as she watched the sudden change in Lily¡¯s expression. Her grim face vanished as a smirk blossomed on her face. Seeing this, the old man leaned against his chair and lifted an eyebrow at Lily.

    The realization hit him. Slowly, he nodded, as if silently giving Lily the permission that she never asked. "So... you areying traps." He uttered in a low voice. Not long after he uttered those words, the door to his study was burst open.

    "Father! I didn¡¯t know that you have a visitor." The woman who a little identical to Lu Xialu gave a surprising look as she eyed Lily, then shifted her gaze back into the old man. "My apologies," she said and walked towards them. "I am not expecting to see Miss Lily today." This woman is the third child of Old Man Yu.

    Lily and her already met at the old man¡¯s birthday party. So she quickly approached and acknowledge Lily¡¯s presence. "I heard about the fire in your mansion. I am hoping that you and your husband were not hurt." Yu Yanwan gave Lily a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes.

    "We are lucky the fire was not that big." Lily smiled at the woman standing in front of her. "But to be honest... at the same time... I think it is such waste that the fire was not even enough to damage the kitchen."

    "W-What do you mean?" Yu Yanwan asked, confused at Lily¡¯s words.

    "Well... it was too small. Killing the one who caused it... seemed not worth it." She beamed and looked at Old Man Yu. "Isn¡¯t that right... Uncle Yu?"

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 572 Questions

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 572 Questions</h4>

    "U¡ª Uncle Yu?" Yu Yanwan frowned as she stared at her father for confirmation. Why would Lily call him uncle? Instantly goosebumps skittered around her body as the realization hit her. Was it possible that Lily will inherit everything?

    Slowly, her face lost its color. "Am I... missing something here?" she asked, her eyes fixed on her father.

    "Oh..." Lily smiled knowingly. "I figured... I should start calling him uncle." She then gave the older woman a mocking gaze. "Maybe... I should start calling you elder sister as well?"

    Yu Yanwan widened her eyes. "Miss Lily... must be joking. Why would you want to call me your sister? It¡¯s not like my father will adopt you... I..." Her mouth went agape. It was as if a bucket of water was poured inside her. She looked at her father as her heart drummed against her chest.

    "What is going on, father?" She asked, angerced her tone. "Are you nning to make her your heir?" Her face turned ugly. "You are not nning to tell us about this, right? If I didn¡¯te when I heard that she was here... Then... were you ¡ª Are you nning to hide this from me too?"

    Growing up, Yu Yanwan knew how unpredictable her father was. His decision seemed so random yet, he always seemed to know a lot. She swallowed her non-existent saliva. Does this mean that...

    "Oh! I am only kidding." Lily¡¯s fakeughter echoed inside the room. She used her hand to cover her mouth as sheughed. Yu Yanwan instantly frowned at Lily¡¯s randomness. She tried to wrap her brain around Lily¡¯s words. "Forgive my humor." Lily added, mockery apparent in her tone.

    Confusion instantlyced her gaze as she stared at Lily¡¯s smiling face. She then remembered her outbursts and instantly stared at her father¡¯s face. Her eyes grew wide. Why would Lily make that kind of joke? It was as if... she was trying to see her reaction.

    Realization instantly hit her. She red at Lily before shifting her gaze at her father. Like a child caught stealing, Yu Yanwan instantly bolted herself out of the room, knocking one of the ss disy on her way out. Her face ugly as she dialed her second brother¡¯s number. He needed to know that Lily is here visiting their father!

    "Now you see," amusement coated the old man¡¯s words as he looked at the broken ss on the floor. "This is the reason why I would rather have a stranger manage mypany. One is too soft, one is too confused and thinks that he is the best, one is too ruthless and dumb and one... well... he never cared about anything else other than his vices. All are ambitious, but not one can give me results."

    "Can you me them?" she retorted. In response, the old man shrugged. Seeing this, Lily smiled. "Being ruthless is good. Your daughter is showing some serious guts."

    "She is stupid and easily angered. A person like that won¡¯tst too long in the business industry. She always thinks that I will hand her everything that she needed and would often act sweet around me and her mother so we would give in to her wants. When she realized that she could not manipte us, she poisoned her mother." The old man clenched his jaws. "Not that I am ming her. I raised her that way."

    Lily shook her head as her lips thinned. "I don¡¯t have proof yet. But... your daughter¡¯s actions are very suspicious. Rushing in here once she heard that I am having a conversation with you... seemed suspicious to me." Why would Yu Yanwane in here, interrupting her conversation with the old man?

    She wanted to know why Lily was here. That is the simple answer. However, there is also the possibility that she is afraid that Lily already knew about what she did. Fear is a very mysterious emotion. It will make someone panic, therefore ruining theirposure. And to Lily... people who are panicking are the ones that easily make mistakes.

    "Do whatever you want."

    Lily lifted an eyebrow at the old man¡¯s statement. "You don¡¯t care?"

    "She poisoned her mother. If I can... I would have burned her using my own hands." If only killing someone¡¯s family is not a taboo in their brotherhood. He would have punished her daughter a long time ago. Of course, this nonchnce did not surprise Lily. This is not the first time that she encountered parents like this.

    She only nodded at the old man. The currents are still too chaotic. It will be difficult for her to prove that Yu Yanwan was indeed involved in the fire. But, her trap had beenid. All she needed now is to wait for the fish to try to snatch her bait.

    "Your son asked us about your will." She continued.

    "Hmmm." The old man nodded and chuckled. "They are more concern about a piece of paper than the health of their mother."

    Lily pursed her lips.

    "Those people are too busy looking at the trees that obscured thendscape. Their priorities are always wealth and money. Of course... I cannot me them. They were raised in a verypetitive environment." Raising them topete was supposed to be a part of their training for the old man¡¯s seat. Only the strongest was supposed to fill in his vacant seat once he dies.

    However, his method greatly backfired. Now... his seat will be vacant after his death. "Tell me... Lily..." he made a deliberate pause as he stared at Lily¡¯s eyes. "If you are in my shoes... what would you do?"

    Lily lifted an eyebrow. "I have no idea." This was an honest answer. Lily found the old man¡¯s actions rather confusing. The old man seemed smart and in love with his wife. However... he seemed to be so distant with his children. These beg the question, why?

    Why would he subject his children to an environment like that? It wasn¡¯t like he was preparing them to lead the world or something. Moreover, they don¡¯t own a conglomerate or a multinationalpany. Why raised them that way? Lily just does not see why he needed to be so ruthless to his children. And it is making her ask questions...

    ...

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 573 Purely A Feeling

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 573 Purely A Feeling</h4>

    After the conversation with the old man, Lily went to the mansion to check the damages caused by the fire. Because of Zhou Jingren¡¯s arrangement, Lily now has two tall bodyguards following her around with Yang Mi.

    The damage in the kitchen was indeed small. It fact, it was not enough to damage any furniture. It was because the twins were able to put out the fire. However, as part of precaution, they still called the fire department to take care of things.

    This made Lily a little relieved. She let out a sigh as she watched the mansion from the driveway. She was angry. The person responsible for this really needed to pay. However, this made her realize something.

    Safe is nothing but a word. In her world, it does not exist. And she really needed to prioritize her safety more.

    "Madam... someone is here to see you." She heard one of the bodyguard¡¯s voice. Prompting her to turn around and see Jiang Ruo walking towards her way. She smiled.

    "Is there another tea party?"

    Jiang Ruo¡¯s smile didn¡¯t falter when she heard the sarcasm in Lily¡¯s words. "I heard about the fire." She said. "I am happy that you are safe."

    "Thank you."

    An awkward silence instantly followed as the two stared at the house. For a few seconds, the two didn¡¯t utter a single word.

    "I heard that you had a talk with father?"

    "Hmmm... words travel fast." Lily couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of lies did Yu Yanwan added to her words.

    "Yanwan called my husband about it." Jiang Ruo exined. "She said... she said father might be nning on making you the heir. Or maybe he already made you the heir."

    Lily smiled as she shifted her gaze to the elderly woman next to her. As expected, Yu Yanwan wanted to have her brother behind her back and make Lily their enemy. Isn¡¯t this what the old man always wanted? To make them fight her? Not literally, of course. "How much do you trust this... Yu Yanwan?" Lily asked.

    In response, Jiang Ruo pursed her lips. She met Lily¡¯s eyes. She would never trust a woman who would dare poisoned her mother. However, she chose to stay silent. She knew that Lily is a smart woman. Naturally, her silence is already enough to answer Lily¡¯s question.

    Seeing this, Lily pursed her lips and nodded. "So... why would you listen to her? Don¡¯t you think she is only trying to use her brothers against me?"

    "I didn¡¯t. We... didn¡¯t believe her words. We know that the will is nk and we also know that father didn¡¯t make any changes in the will. Yanwan... is too impatient, and she had been telling father to change the will. She is trying to convince him to divide everything equally." Jiang Ruo made a deliberate pause as she stared at Lily¡¯s side profile. Yu Yanwan had always been impatient about the will. She and her second brother were the ones trying to get the old man to change it.

    Meanwhile, Jiang Ruo¡¯s husband, Yu Helong, is not very interested in this will. He was working his ass off only for Jiang Ruo and his family. True, he is too soft, but he is hardworking and smart. However, unlike her brother and sister, Yu Helong does not like scheming. Maybe this was a bad thing for the old man and that could be the reason why he does not favor his eldest son too. But this was actually an outstanding thing for Jiang Ruo.

    Marrying some who doted on her and give everything that she and her kids wanted was enough for her.

    An unfathomable expression shed in Lily¡¯s eyes. A nk will... She didn¡¯t hear the old man mention anything about it. Jiang Ruo must have assumed that she knew because of her conversation with the old man.

    Now that Lily knew about this ¡¯nk will¡¯ she now understood why the old man is still alive. At first, she always wondered why they poisoned their mother and not the old man himself. Now... she knew that it was only because they were waiting for him to change his will.

    To be honest, this is a very smart move from the old man. Lily scoffed inwardly. She was sure that the old man already made a nk will even before his birthday party. He made this before meeting Lily. This seemed so random. However, Lily¡¯s instinct is telling her that something is wrong.

    "Your husband seems smart. Tell him not to get involved." Lily said.

    "I only wanted the best for my family." Jiang Ruo nodded. She didn¡¯t need to exin to Lily that she and her husband is not involved in this fire. She does not need to tell her not to target her family. All she knew is that Lily would target anyone that would offend her.

    It was that simple.

    "Listen... I know the tea party didn¡¯t really go well. And I would apologize for that. I guess... my approach was really wrong as I thought... you are just like anyone else. And... that was shallow of me." Just like everyone else, Jiang Ruo is not perfect. And this was not an excuse. She was not smart, she is shallow and a bit dumb. However, she would always... prioritize her family above everything else.

    It was obvious that the old man wanted to involve Lily in the Yu Family¡¯s matter. She stared at Lily¡¯s eyes. "I¡¯m sorry for what happened at the birthday party and I¡¯m sorry for forcing you to attend that tea party. I just... I just thought it was the best way to get close to you."

    In response, Lily lifted an eyebrow and smiled. An apology from Jiang Ruo is something that she never expected. She then shifted her gaze back to the mansion.

    In this cruel world, the usual people who stayed and survive are the ones who know how to bend their will and ept that they are not perfect. They make mistakes and they have ws. Of course, Lily is still skeptical about this apology.

    She is not very familiar with this Jiang Ruo and while she can see the sincerity in her eyes, she would not trust anyone who had survived this long in the Yu Family.

    For some reason, there is something about the Yu Family that Lily cannot seem toprehend. It was something different... something sinister. The worse is... she doesn¡¯t even know what it was. It is purely a feeling.

    She wondered if this was only because she was pregnant, or she had actually be paranoid because of her past experiences.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

    New novel link: https:///book/17053597506428005/Lazily-Yours

 Chapter 574 Rude

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 574 Rude</h4>

    Maind China

    "Thank you," Chen Shi¡¯s beautiful smile instantly made the attendant blush.

    "You are very much wee," the attendant gave her a bashful smile before bowing. In front of a person like Chen Shi, the young attendant was not able to stop herself from being so happy her smile reached her ears.

    While this was her first time seeing Chen Shi in person, she already heard stories about this legend. She is kind and smart, talented, and virtuous. True, she had been divorced but her previous husbands still have an excellent rtionship with her. Isn¡¯t that proof enough that Chen Shi is a very kind soul?

    The attendant instantly made a mental note to ask for Chen Shi¡¯s autograph once she leaves the restaurant. For now, what she needed to do is snap some secret photos of Chen Shi as proof that she had served this goddess in this restaurant.

    The attendant was all giddy as she left the private room that Chen Shi¡¯s booked in advance. Next time that she wille inside, she will hide her phone and take some photos of Chen Shi. Isn¡¯t this exciting?

    Meanwhile, a sneer instantly escaped Chen Shi¡¯s lips as she watched the back of the attendant. She shifted her gaze to the big private room that she booked for this meeting. The beautiful chandelier caught her attention. She nodded in approval.

    This is one of the most private restaurants in the City. It is only right that everything about this ce is elegant. From the wine-colored carpet to its soundproof walls, this restaurant screams luxury and... money.

    "He is already on his way. He said... he is trying to make sure that no one is following him around." Chen Luan¡¯s low voice echoed, interrupting Chen Shi¡¯s thoughts. In response, thetter only nodded. Her gaze straight towards the tea set that was sitting at the center of the circr table.

    The past few days were stressful to Chen Shi. She had been busy to the point of not sleeping while her husband was busy sleeping with a model turned actress white lotus. She hated it.

    She hated how her husband easily paid those paparazzi for the photos they took of him and his ¡¯girlfriend¡¯. Chen Shi was actually expecting that at least some of the photos will leak online, prompting a good scandal that will help her with the divorce. Contrary to her expectations, nothing turned up online.

    She then discovered that he was actually spending a ton of money to pay people to keep those photos. How hateful! Chen Shi could not stand the fact that without those photos she could not force Tony Zhang to give her a suitable amount of money!

    The only thing more hateful than this is she could not do anything as her husband always have people following her around. If she releases those photos herself, she was sure that the man would use this against her. Chen Shi gritted her teeth. She vowed not to let that hateful man get away with this!

    Her chest raised as she narrowed her eyes at the tea set. She could feel anger boil inside her like ava threatening to melt her insides. The problems that she had been experiencingtely is also another thing that is giving her stress.

    Her singers and artists had been harassed both in their homes and on the taping sites! All the security that she assigned was useless as these attacks seemed to be very calcted with the exact timing and strategies to avoid the security! It was obvious that someone is trying to ruin her.

    This is not only costing her money. It is also making the investors ask questions about the dys and problems in the taping. It is ruining Chen Shi¡¯s credibility.

    Now, Chen Shi could not afford to ruin her name from these people. After all, she was using this opportunity that she is more capable than her husband. This would have gained the sympathy of those investors and would make them chose her over Tony Zhang when the timees.

    She had been working so hard to make them see that she deserves the CEO position. And this¡ª All these things happening around her is not making her look good at all! She let out a sharp sigh, irritation shing in her eyes.

    She eyed the door as she wondered about the call that she receivedst night. The man imed that he knew what is happening to Chen Shi and who is behind all these. At first, Chen Shi finds it hard to believe him. However, when he mentioned all the minor incidents that she hid from the media, she immediately scheduled to meet him.

    Surely someone capable of knowing all those incidents in the set and some personal stuff that happened to her singers is pretty influential. Moreover, she was actually hoping that the man really knows what he is talking about.

    "Are you sure he said he ising? He is three minuteste." She hissed at Chen Luan.

    "Yes, I think he should be..."

    Chen Luan¡¯s words were interrupted when the door of the room was flung open. Then a man in his twenties walked inside, followed by another man who looked a little familiar to Chen Shi.

    "You arete." She stated. Chen Shi did not bother to hide the displeasure in her tone. She also did not bother to smile, or even asked for their name. Judging from the capability of these people, it is safe to say that they already knew about her true colors.

    The man only lifted an eyebrow as he opened the button of his suit and sat opposite to Chen Shi. "So... you won¡¯t even ask for my name?" he gave her a smug smile. He then rested her elbows on the mahogany table. His fingers started drumming a tune that she was not very familiar with. "I am about to help you and yet... you are showing such... animosity towards me. Isn¡¯t that... a bit rude?

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 575 Too Bad

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 575 Too Bad</h4>

    Reminder:

    Zhou Huifang- Zhou Jingren¡¯s cousin.

    Qi Xi the one from Gaming industry.

    Chen Shi narrowed her eyes at the young man and shifted her gaze into the other man following sitting beside him. Now that she thought about it, both of them look really familiar. She was sure that she had seen these two somewhere. "You called me. That only means you also need something from me." She uttered.

    "Alright then... Let us introduce ourselves. I am Qi Xia from Qi Gamings. I am also the captain of The Ivory Squads that is making its name in the gaming industry around the world. And this... this is my friend Zhou Huifang." He gestured at the man sitting next to him. "And we are here to help you."

    "How will you help me? I am not even sure if I can trust you or if the information that you will give me is urate." She said. Their names sounded familiar. These two are not very popr in the media nor they are big names in the business industry, so it is only normal for her not to recognize them. She figured that she might have seen them in some lifestyle magazine before and that is the reason why she found them familiar.

    Her words earn a chuckle from both men. She frowned.

    "Miss Chen... we can assure you that the information that we have is beneficial for both of us." Zhou Huifang said the same smug smile was on his face.

    "Then tell me... who is behind all these?" she asked. "And what is the price of helping me?"

    "Very direct." Qi Xia pursed his lips. "Miss Chen... are you familiar with someone name Zhou Jingren?"

    Chen Shi lifted an eyebrow. She stared at Qi Xia¡¯s face, then shifted her gaze towards Zhou Huifang. How could Zhou Jingren target her? She was sure that she didn¡¯t leave any proof when she asked Qiao Qiao to ruin Lily. Unless... Qiao Qiao told them about her.

    However, Lily and Zhou Jingren are both careful people. She was sure that they would not just believe someone like Qiao Qiao. After all, she is shallow and dumb. Her words do not have any weight. Especially when she doesn¡¯t really have a shred of evidence that Chen Shi was involved in this matter.

    "His influence in the ck market is huge. And he is the one responsible for the harassment that your people received this past few weeks. Now... we are not sure why would someone like him to target you and to be honest, we do not care. Each of us has our own goals and secrets." Zhou Huifang gave her a meaningful look.

    "What do you want in return?" she asked. Chen Shi wondered why these two would choose to tell her this information. "What do you need from me?"

    "Well... for starters. We want your help in ruining both Zhou Jingren and his wife." Zhou Huifang answered as he handed two images to Chen Shi. "These are Lily¡¯s biological father and brother."

    A sh of surprise can be seen in Chen Shi¡¯s face as she looked at the images.

    "We are going to target his father while you... you target her brother."

    "What do you mean?" she looked at Qi Xia.

    "Miss Chen... stop acting dumb." Qi Xia leaned towards her. "We know you are far from being dumb."

    "So you wanted to hurt her by turning her father and brother against her?" Chen Shi asked. "What does that aplish? As far as I know, she did not publicly dere these two as her family. Are you sure that she cares for them?" she sneered. "You two are dumb to think that a woman like her would get affected if you turn her family against her."

    "Do you think she values them that much?" she added.

    Both men turned silent at her words.

    "See? You don¡¯t even know." Chen Shi snorted. These two are really young and inexperienced. "Lily is... smart and cunning. Do you think she would sit while you ruin her family? She would retaliate and destroy you."

    "Miss Chen... we won¡¯t really know until we try." Qi Xia answered. To be honest, the reason why they approached Chen Shi is that of her brains. And to make her act against Lily and Zhou Jingren. They wanted to have a powerful ally, and this woman is just the perfect person for that role. "As I said... we are already working with someone to get close to Lily¡¯s father. Once we seed, this will cause a few problems for Lily."

    "It might not be enough to destroy her and her husband. However... it will surely cause a few heartaches and misunderstandings."

    "So... you wanted me to invest in something that will only cause a few misunderstandings?" Chen Shi asked, sarcasmced her tone. She would never waste her time just for a few misunderstandings. She immediately wondered if these two were actually serious.

    "Be honest... did you tell me this because you wanted me to scheme against her?" she asked. Judging from the way that these two talks, it was obvious that they have no idea about Qiao Qiao.

    "That is one of the reasons." Zhou Huifang answered.

    "Then no." Chen Shi shook her head. "You have a stupid n. And I won¡¯t waste my time just to give them small heartaches."

    "Miss Chen..." Zhou Huifang eyed Qi Xia as he made a deliberate pause. "Once our n seeds... we will gain a million-dorpany and we will have a chance to ruin Lily." He was talking about Qin Chuan¡¯spany. "We can give you half of everything."

    "Company?" Chen Shi turned towards Zhou Huifang. "How sure are you that Lily will allow that?" Chen Shi is not the type of person who would mindlessly scheme against someone without a proper n. She is not dumb enough to work with these two people that could easily expose her true self.

    For Chen Shi, working alone is always better than working with these two men. Too bad, their excellent looks were not proportionate to their brains. She sighed inwardly.

    Too bad. Just... too bad.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 576 Deception

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 576 Deception</h4>

    "Miss Chen... this is not just about us." Zhou Huifang uttered. "We have rallied people that she offended in the past and ... we are adamant on destroying her." To Zhou Huifang, the reason why his father is not the CEO of theirpany is because of Lily.

    In response, Chen Shi narrowed her eyes. "You are hiding something." She uttered. "What is it? What is your true goal?" Chen Shi had been scheming since she was a child. Does this people think that they could just lie in front of her face like this? She sneered inwardly.

    "Well... I believe that is the only thing that you needed to know for now. We will tell you all the details once you decide to work with us." Qi Xia eyed Zhou Huifang. He knows that Zhou Huifang is desperate to ruin Zhou Jingren. However, in his opinion, informing someone as treacherous as this Chen Shi is the wrong move. It is always better to keep some information to themselves.

    However, Zhou Huifang does not think like this. He opened his mouth and decided to tell Chen Shi bits and pieces of their n. "We are targeting Zhou Capital and Zhou Wu Yang¡¯spany. We need some distractions. Surely a troubled Lily is enough to make distract her husband."

    Qi Xia instantly frowned. He wanted to p his own face at this man¡¯s stupidity. How could he think that Chen Shi is a simple person that would not take advantage of their ns? He gritted his teeth. He understood that Zhou Huifang is desperate but... this is just too much!

    He already told him not to tell Chen Shi about this to avoid someplications! How could Zhou Huifang act so careless now?

    "Zhou Jingren¡¯s father?" As expected, Chen Shi instantly showed interest at the mention of Zhou Capital and Zhou Wu Yang. Their conversation was interrupted when the door was opened and the attendant that served Chen Shi earlier walked inside with the orders that Chen Luan made for them.

    The trio did not utter a word as they waited for the woman to leave.

    "Tell me about his father." Chen Shi continued when the attendant left. "And tell me about this... n."

    "We can¡¯t tell you anything for now. If you want to find out about his father, then... you do the research. And as for our ns... you will know everyone once you agreed to work with us." Qi Xia said, his face stern. He wanted to end this meeting before the stupid Zhou Huifang could make another mistake.

    "Really?" Sarcasmced Chen Shi¡¯s tone. She eyed Zhou Huifang, then smiled at Qi Xia. "Well then... I will call you tonight. I needed some time to decide about this matter." She then stood from her seat. "I already paid for the coffee." She uttered before leaving the room with Chen Luan.

    The moment she left, Qi Xia¡¯s face instantly turned dark. "Are you crazy?"

    "What?" Zhou Huifang asked.

    "How could you tell her about Zhou Jingren¡¯s father? That woman... is dangerous! Don¡¯t you understand?" Qi Xia grew up in a household surrounded by entertainers. Both of his parents were in the entertainment industry for years! Surely, she can spot a fake person like Chen Shi.

    "Xia... rx." Zhou Huifang leaned against the chair and gave anguid smile. The distressing reaction that he showed Chen Shi earlier vanished as if it was never there in the first ce.

    "What do you mean? Obviously, she is looking down on us!"

    "Let her," Zhou Huifang smirked. "Let her underestimate us. Let her think that we are stupid. Let her insult us." He elegantly took a sip of his coffee. "All warfare is based on deception. As someone who experienced Lily¡¯s schemes... you should already know that." He looked at the man sitting next to him.

    "Huifang..." Qi Xia didn¡¯t continue his words. Deception? He met his eyes as he furrowed his brows. "So you wanted her to let her guard down? Why? She is not the enemy."

    Zhuo Huifang clicked her tongue before he gave a low chuckle. "She is smart and cunning. She is resourceful and experienced. We all know that she is more influential than us. In front of dominant power, we need to act weak. Let her think that we are not capable of betraying her."

    "Then... we can be her ally. Use her resources and ns. We can use her influence and once she tries to do something against us... we retaliate at the most unexpected moment." Zhou Huifang pursed his lips as he tilted his face towards his friend. "Do you get it?"

    Qi Xia frowned. For some reason, this Zhou Huifang seemed to change a lot since Zhou Kang¡¯s disappearance. His eyes had be sharper, his brains more alert, and his smile... is more sinister. Slowly, he nodded at Zhou Huifang¡¯s words.

    "You see... a war needed resources. If we can win a war by using other people, then... why not? We can watch as Chen Shi scheme against them. Then... wait for Lily and Zhou Jingren to be exhausted. And... we strike them."

    For the second time, Qi Xia nodded. "Are you sure that we are capable of turning the shareholder against Zhou Jingren¡¯s father?"

    "Of course! They saw what my father did to thepany! They knew what he is capable of. Just because thepany belongs to him by birth, doesn¡¯t mean that he should manage it. Zhou Wu Yang had been gone for too long. He doesn¡¯t have any idea how to run apany."

    "Alright then... we should go" Qi Xia said as he rose and from his seat. The duo then left the restaurant with their confident smiles.

    Meanwhile, Lily was smiling from ear to ear. She was lying on her husband¡¯s legs as she looked at the calendar on her phone. "Two more weeks." She uttered.

    "What do you mean?" Zhou Jingren asked. He was reading a document when Lily asked if she could use his leg as her pillow. Despite knowing that they have more than four pillows in the bed, Zhou Jingrenplied without saying anything.

    "Two weeks!" Lily repeated as she rolled her eyes and beamed. "Two more weeks!"

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 577 What if...

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 577 What if...</h4>

    Sky City

    The lingering aroma of ck coffee inside the kitchen made Lily frowned. She stared at the mug in Zhou Jingren¡¯s hands. "That coffee smells... weird." She uttered and went back to reading the book in her hand. Since the fire at the mansion, Lily and Zhou Jingren decided to stay for a few weeks in Sky City before going back to The Peak. This is because Zhou Jingren did a lot of changes in the house for security.

    "Then... I won¡¯t have this brand of coffee anymore." He said as he put the mug to the sink. "It¡¯s a new brand that I decided to try because of Chef Yang¡¯s suggestions."

    "Hmmm... we should drink more tea instead of coffee." She said. Lily understands that pregnant women have a better sense of smell than normal people. However, she had actually not experienced smelling something that made her ufortable, until now. "And keep that coffee away from me." She added as she started eating her sd. She then shifted her gaze towards Yang Mi. "It¡¯s Sunday... you are supposed to have a day off. Why are you here?"

    "I receive some phone calls from Mr. Qin Chuan. He had been asking if you are going to be busy in the next few weeks. He wanted to schedule a visit and have dinner with you and Qin Yuanfeng."

    "He should have called me."

    "He said... he does not want to disturb your rest. Moreover, he only wanted to know if you are going to be free. So he called me instead." Yang Mi exined.

    "Alright... I guess I would have sometime after I cross the first trimester two weeks from now. Book an excellent restaurant for dinner."

    "I understand." Yang Mi nodded. She nced at Zhuo Jingren as she wondered why Lily seemed to be in a poor mood this morning. She wondered if it was because they fought or... it was because of the coffee. She shook her head inwardly. Maybe being pregnant would make someone more unpredictable. The thought of pregnancy instantly made her cringe.

    This is the reason why Yang Mi would never want to be pregnant.

    "President... there is also something that Cathy and Mr. Qin Yuanfeng discovered in social media just yesterday. I figured... you needed to know this." She handed Lily the tablet that was showing a screenshot of a social media post. "Qin Yuanfeng created a..." she made a deliberate pause. "Like a program that would detect Chen Shi¡¯s image once posted on any social media tform. He is uh... very adamant that we create something like this for the people who offended you in the past."

    Lily furrowed her brows. She narrowed her eyes at the photo before giving the tablet to Zhou Jingren that was sitting opposite to her. Chen Shi and Qi Xia? That is an unexpected coboration, however... the man sitting next to Qi Xia is a different story.

    "Where did he get this?" Zhou Jingren asked. Yesterday, he and Lily spent the entire dayzing around while watching movies. Since he does not want to be disturbed by any random call, he put his phone on silent and discovered that he missed a call from Qin Yuanfengst night.

    "An attendant working in a restaurant posted it. The images were taken down a few hours after it was posted. f course it was already toote. It was obvious that she took it without their consent."

    "Zhou Huifang? I thought his father and sister took care of him and convinced him that Zhou Kang is the evil one?" Lily asked Zhou Jingren. "What is he trying to do now?"

    "He always thought he would inherit thepany after his father." Zhou Jingren said. "I will tell his father about this matter."

    Lily pursed her lips before she nodded. Chen Shi, Qi Xia, and Zhou Huifang are people from different industries. Aside from business prospects, the only reason that those three are seeing each other is because of Lily and Zhou Jingren. Slowly Lily rested her elbow on the table as she started twirling her hair around her finger.

    They are nning something. They should be. Lily then looked at Zhou Jingren. "Are you aware of this program that Yuanfeng is making?"

    "I am. I have helped him create some algorithms for this software."

    "A software..." Lily uttered, her tone soft as she smiled. "So... it is something that we can install in aputer and we can use remotely for another purpose?" she asked.

    "We created it to track social media posts and mentions about you and the people who might target us. There is no other purpose." Zhou Jingren said, his voice stern, hoping that it would be enough to change Lily¡¯s mind.

    As Lily¡¯s man, Zhou Jingren already knew that Lily is thinking about the other thing that can make her happy. Profits.

    "Oh! But... we can also create something simr and install it..."

    "No." Zhou Jingren said. Seeing his serious face, Lilyughed and shifted her gaze to Yang Mi.

    "Yang Mi... you should find someone like him in the future. Someone that is not afraid to say no even if..." she looked at Zhou Jingren as the smile on her face vanished. "He knows that he will sleep on the couch tonight."

    Yang Mi gave Lily an awkward smile as she shook her head inwardly. The President¡¯s tendency of thinking about profits while dealing with some issues is very... unique. How could she think about enemies then just switch to thinking about ways of earning money?

    Yang Mi tried her best to keep a straight face. "President, since it is Sunday, I am not staying for long." She managed to say before excusing herself and leaving Sky City.

    As someone who had been around Lily all this time, Yang Mi can see the changes from her attitude. She cringed. Being pregnant is scary, ah!

    Yang Mi made a mental note not to get pregnant. She could not deal with something like this. Moreover, Lily seemed lucky not to experience the morning sickness from the movies. What if she is not like that?

    And what if... she won¡¯t find a husband as understanding as Zhou Jingren?

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 578 Tremble

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 578 Tremble</h4>

    Today, Lily went to The Peak to check out some constructions that Zhou Jingren insisted to have. It has been days since Lily saw the ce so she took some time to check everything. Moreover, Lily is off to an important mission today.

    Since herst conversation with Jiang Ruo, thetter had been sending her texts and updating her about certain charities. This time, she did not invite Lily and forced her to do anything. Instead, she updated her about certain activities that theirmunity is hosting.

    While Lily found this funny, she would sometimes send a reply and appreciate the older woman¡¯s efforts and dedication. It was obvious that Jiang Ruo wanted to make herself and her family look good. And this is not Lily¡¯s business anymore.

    To Lily, acknowledging insignificant things like this would only waste her energy. To her, Jiang Ruo is not a friend nor an enemy. She was just someone that she met. There is no point in wasting her brain cells to someone like this.

    However, today is different. Last night, Jiang Ruo sent her a text about having brunch with some women in themunity.

    "Lily! I was not expecting you toe!" Jiang Ruo greeted Lily with the same smile that she always has on her face. She then gestured for Lily to take a seat next to her.

    "Elder sister... did you forget to inform us that Miss Lily will join us today?" Yu Yanwan¡¯s shrill voice echoed inside the private room of the restaurant. "I thought this is for everyone living in..." she did not continue her words as she narrowed her eyes at Lily.

    Technically, Lily is someone living in The Peak while she... Yu Yanwan is not. She eyed the other four women with them and stayed quiet when she saw them smiling at Lily. She had forgotten that these people were so used to faking their faces that this had be a habit. These women always had smiles ster all over their faces as they roll their eyes inwardly.

    "Is there a problem... Miss Yu?" Lily smiled.

    "Sister Yanwan... we should just forget about what happened in the old man¡¯s birthday. It wasn¡¯t Miss Lily¡¯s fault that the old man liked her gift more than he liked yours." Madam He added fuel to the fire. She then sent a meaningful gaze at Liu Chin who was also joining them. "Isn¡¯t this the best time to forgive and forget?" These women didn¡¯t know that Lily and Yu Yanwan met a few days back at the old man¡¯s house. So they immediately assumed that Yu Yanwan does not like Lily for the embarrassment that they received because of her gift.

    As expected, the thought of what happened at the birthday party immediately made Yu Yanwan frowned. How could she miss the poison in Madam He¡¯s words? She wanted to rub it in her face that the old man liked Lily¡¯s gift more than he liked her gift! What is more hateful is the fact that she could say nothing against her words!

    They were already suggesting that they forgive and forget. Saying no will only make them look down on her. Yu Yanwan knew that this woman only wanted to provoke her into fighting with Lily. And she would not allow that.

    "Madam He is right," Lily nodded. "Forgiving and forgetting are fantastic. Unless that involves someone cheating on their husband, then... that is a different story." Sheughed. "Of course... what happened at the party is notparable to that terrible¡ª terrible thing." She dramatically widened her eyes. "Isn¡¯t that right... Madam He?"

    "Lily... why would you even mention such a thing?" Madam Liu answered. Lily¡¯s appearance was unexpected. However, she would not let this ruin her day. This lunch was supposed to be for another charity that they were nning. That is why she, Liu Chin, Madam He, and even Yu Yanwan is here because they were the ones who are organizing this charity. "We are here to discuss the charity and not sinful things like that."

    Lily only smiled at Madam Liu. ording to her research. Madam Liu is a very religious woman. While she loves luxury and shopping, she spends most of her money donating to Christian organization that helps the poor and people in need.

    Don¡¯t get Lily wrong. She has nothing against religion. However, she found most of these religious people as hypocrites. She eyed Madam He and gave her a knowing look. She then wondered what would happen once this Madam Liu knew that his son is... screwing with the married Madam He. Would she ask her husband to write him off his will? Would she fight with Madam He?

    A fight... would be entertaining to see. Lily frowned inwardly. A pregnant woman like her should not wish people to fight, no?

    Lily chuckled inwardly when she saw Madam He¡¯s ashen face. "Of course." Lily uttered while staring at the older woman¡¯s eyes. Originally, Lily was not nning to attend this brunch. In fact, she already declined Jiang Ruo¡¯s offer. However, she immediately changed her mind when she knew that Yu Yanwan would also attend the meeting.

    Would Lily really miss the opportunity to provoke Yu Yanwan into doing something? Of course not!

    "It¡¯s alright mother... Miss Lily, we are actually here because of a certain charity event two months from now. It was something that..." she started exining about the purpose of the charity. "I would assume that you are here because you decided to... donate some funds?" Liu Chin gave her a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes.

    Liu Chin knew that Lily would decline and would ...

    "Of course!" Lily¡¯s smile interrupted her thoughts. "Money is not a problem. I can always give some donations to children who needed an education." Lily said.

    As someone who grew up in a very tough environment, Lily didn¡¯t have a very good educational background. This topic is very important to her. Aside from her donations to various charities, she also had a lot of schrship opportunities for college students.

    "Really?" Liu Chin asked, surprised shed in her eyes.

    Lily nodded in response. "I am very particr about learning. This is the reason why I despise people who pay their way to get a degree. Why not give that money to someone who needed that education?" A tit for tat. Since she already knows everyone¡¯s dirty little secrets, Lily decided to have a little fun. She gave Liu Chin a provoking smile. "This reminds me... I heard that you will graduate this year. May I know your ns after your graduation?" she asked Liu Chin.

    This Liu Chin is pretty lucky. She was born into a rich family that pampers her and her brother. Growing up, this woman spent most of her time shopping and building socialworks with other rich kids from all over the world. However, despite all this, Liu Chin was forced by her mother to go to a university to study.

    And since Liu Chin does not want to take the exams, her mother used their influence to get her into university. Since her IQ and extracurricr activities didn¡¯t pass the universities requirements, her mother paid a lot to let her in.

    Her mother, Madam Liu cheated, and Liu Chin knew.

    And watching them tremble under Lily¡¯s gaze is really entertaining. Lily wondered if this was because she is pregnant... or she is just turning more and more like her true self every single day.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 579 Counter-productive

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 579 Counter-productive</h4>

    Lily smiled at the two women across her.

    "I ¡ª " Liu Chin stuttered. It was as if a bucket of water was spilled inside her as she stared at Lily. Shen then bit her lips as she wondered if Lily knew about the matter with the university. "I am already an intern in my grandfather¡¯spany. After graduation, he will hire me to be a manager in one of our stores in Maind China." She answered. This was originally her mother¡¯s n.

    While Liu Chin does not approve of this and wanted to spend her time doing vlogs and traveling, she could not just say this in front of Lily.

    "Good n. Congrattions on your future graduation, by the way." Lily said.

    "Chin Chin... working in your grandfather¡¯spany while going to school at the same time must be tough. Are you nning to take a momentary break after graduation?" To make the atmosphere lighter, Jiang Ruo instantly swayed the conversation away from Lily. "Perhaps a vacation in the Maldives?"

    "Oh..." Liu Chin shifted her gaze at Jiang Ruo as she balled her hand into a fist. "I would directly work at my grandfather¡¯spany. I don¡¯t need to have breaks or vacation." This was a lie. But Liu Chin doesn¡¯t care. In front of Lily, she would never say something that would make Lily look down on her.

    "Sister Chin is a very hardworking woman," Madam He added. "She would not spend her time doing such things. After all, her grandfather is nning to train her for the VP position."

    "Really? That is impressive." Lily said and eyed the attendant who is bringing the tea that she ordered.

    "My Chin Chin is very outstanding," Madam Liu beamed, pride visible in her eyes. "In fact, her father and I have been receiving a lot of marriage proposals. Mostly, they are from other prominent families in Maind China. But after our thorough examinations, not one of the gentlemen passed our requirements."

    "Well... marrying someone that your family likes is very important." Lily nodded. This was another statement aim to infuriate Yu Yanwan.

    ording to the information that she received, Yu Yanwan married someone that does not have the same status as the Yu Family. The man was also younger than her and very good looking.

    He was one of the old man Yu¡¯s employees. While the old man didn¡¯t say anything about this marriage, Yu Yanwan¡¯s brothers were against it. They always thought that the man only married Yu Yanwan because of her money. After all, she wasn¡¯t that beautiful and her attitude is also very nasty. Even her brothers knew that it would be hard for a man to marry someone like her.

    Because of this, Yu Yanwan chose to marry her husband abroad and only came back when she was already pregnant with her eldest son. This forced her brothers to ept her marriage with her husband. But, until now, it is said that this husband of hers does not really attend family events because her brothers always gave him the cold shoulder.

    They would often ostracize him and exclude him in their conversations. Additionally, the old man used this as an opportunity to challenge his sons by making the man a manager despite his mediocre aplishments. When the man proved to be useless in the office, the old man was quick to throw him in the gutter, leaving him jobless. Slowly, this created a rift between the Yu Siblings.

    Currently, Yu Yanwan¡¯s husband is trying to create his own business. Since he didn¡¯t have the job nor the funds, he is currently using Yu Yanwan¡¯s money. This only made Yu Yanwan¡¯s brother look down on him.

    The fact that her brothers look down on her husband should be one of the reasons why Yu Yanwan poisoned her own mother. After all, her mother never did anything to help her out from the bullying that she received from her ¡¯family.¡¯

    Now that Lily thought about this, Yu Yanwan was only the victim of her own circumstances. Maybe she loves her husband and maybe she only wanted to be happy with her family. However, her family¡¯s ways forced her to fight and even aim for something higher.

    Of course, this was all Lily¡¯s spections. Yu Yanwan poisoned her mother, and that is just horrible. There is not enough reason to justify such actions.

    Lily shifted her gaze to Yu Yanwan and smiled. Sometimes, anger and over all emotions are counterproductive. And Lily was trying to take advantage of this fact.

    She wanted to make Yu Yanwan angry and emotional. This will not only make her lose herposure. It will also make her do things that will reveal weaknesses and true colors.

    Why, you asked?

    Because Lily already received the result of the investigation that Zhou Jingren did. The fire was indeed not an ident, and someone very familiar with the mansion caused it. That person used some of the CCTV¡¯s blind spot to get in and get out of the mansion in a few minutes.

    Too bad the newly installed CCTV outside of the mansion caught him sneaking in and out of the property without his knowledge.

    After a very ¡¯thorough¡¯ interrogation. They found out that Yu Yanwan paid him to create a minor fire that was supposed to burn down the mansion¡¯s kitchen. Of course, it was a failure.

    The women turned silent at Lily¡¯s words. They knew about the things that happened with the Yu family as it was one of the biggest scandals in the Yu Family years ago. This only made the environment more awkward.

    "You are wrong." Yu Yanwan spoke. "If you love someone... why does the opinion of other people matter? They are not the ones marrying your partner. They are not the ones that will live with him until you grow old. So why would you care about what they think?" She met Lily¡¯s eyes. "Love is love, and it has nothing to do with your family¡¯s approval. You should think about the things that will make you happy instead."

    As expected, Madam Liu¡¯s face turned ugly after Yu Yanwan¡¯s words. She red at Yu Yanwan. "Well... we have unique values and traditions."

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 580 Love is a Blessing

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 580 Love is a Blessing</h4>

    "Of course, I don¡¯t me you for growing up like that." Madam Liu¡¯s tone was harsh. When ites to her values, Madam Liu is known to be very strict. She would not hesitate to argue with someone who insulted her way of raising her two children.

    To Madam Liu, love is a blessing. But falling in love and staying in love are two different matters. As someone who had been married for almost thirty years, Madam Liu knew that starting a family needs hard work and patience. It needs devotion and faith. Without these... a marriage will fail.

    Now she understands the need for attraction in marriage. However, she also believed that looking for the ideal qualities in a partner is needed for a longsting rtionship. And this is where... she and her husbandes in.

    Madam Liu feels that she has all the right to choose these qualities for her daughter¡¯s future husband. After all, she only thinks about her daughter¡¯s welfare. She only wanted what¡¯s best for her.

    Yu Yanwan¡¯s face contorted. She red at Madam Liu. "Well... are you going to live with your daughter¡¯s husband? Why would you think that you know what¡¯s best for her? This is her life. Why not let her decide who she wanted to marry? After all, she will be living with the man until she grows old." she argued. Yu Yanwan knew that Madam Liu is unlike her own mother.

    While her mother never cared about her decision, Madam Liu was the exact opposite. But for Yu Yanwan, Madam Liu¡¯s controlling actions will soon ruin her children¡¯s future.

    "That is enough." Liu Chin interrupted the awkward silence. She already saw her mother¡¯s face getting redder and redder, and she would not want to make her more furious. Liu Chin knew that the result would be horrible if her mother loses herposure. "I think you already made your point." She looked at Yu Yanwan.

    She then held her mother¡¯s shoulders. "My mother is exhausted. We are going to leave first." She uttered. Without saying a word, Madam Liu stood from her seat and walked out of the room.

    "Well... that was intense." Lily chimed in. As the ¡¯bystander¡¯, Lily thoroughly enjoyed the show. She gave Yu Yanwan a provoking smile. "Quick and intense but... you have an excellent point."

    Jiang Ruo cleared her throat. "Why don¡¯t we... um... rx. Let¡¯s take some time to calm down." She said while shaking her head inwardly. What happened earlier was too quick and unexpected that she felt her brain short-circuited and she could not react in time. She then eyed Lily¡¯s smiling face and sighed.

    Lily only said a few things and the conversationpletely turned for the worse. With the same smile on her face, Lily watched as she enjoyed the drama. She instantly wondered if Lily deliberately did it. However, if one would analyze things properly, Lily would not benefit if these women would turn against each other. So why do it?

    Was it because she wanted to entertain herself? But what kind of terrible human being would create some chaos just for fun? Another sigh escaped her lips.

    "I think you have done enough trouble for today." Jiang Ruo froze when she heard Yu Yanwan¡¯s voice. She looked at her sister-inw, surprised apparent in her face. How could Yu Yanwan say something like that to Lily? Is she courting death?

    "What do you mean?" the smile on Lily¡¯s face was innocent. This, however, was enough to infuriate Yu Yanwan even more.

    "You think I didn¡¯t know what you were trying to do?" Yu Yanwan sneered.

    "Sister inw... please... I think we all need to rx. Miss Lily is here for the charity. Let¡¯s all¡ª "

    "This woman is trying to get our inheritance and yet you ¡ª you dared invite her here!" Yu Yanwan gritted her teeth. "Don¡¯t you know what happened when she met with father?"

    Jiang Ruo awkwardly eyed Madam He. "Sister, this is our private matter. I think we should not discuss this in front of other people."

    "Why?" Yu Yanwan asked. Lily¡¯s face only made her more infuriated. After seeing the Lius left, Yu Yanwan realized that Lily manipted her! She had fallen into a trap! She lost herposure and now... she owes the Liu Family an apology!

    Yu Yanwan was not nning to make any enemies today. Especially not from someoneing from one of the well known political families in Hong Kong. Today, Yu Yanwan wanted to get close to the woman and create some connections that might help her husband with his business.

    Obviously, this rtionship already crumbled before it even started.

    "Are you afraid that people willugh at the Yu Family?" she sneered. This Jiang Ruo is just good ¡ª too good. And it is honestly, making her more angry. How could Jiang Ruo try to act cordial around a woman like Lily? Isn¡¯t she afraid that the old man will make Lily the heir?

    Yu Yanwan already informed her brothers about this matter. In fact, she made some exaggerated stories about Lily just for them to hate her! So how could she stand Jiang Ruo acting all friendly towards Lily?

    "Sister inw¡ª "

    "Stop it! Before you say something dumb, ask your husband for this woman¡¯s records in Europe!" Yu Yanwan had seen Lily¡¯s records and achievements. She knew that Lily is a very greedy businessman who loves acquiringpanies. She is scheming and evil through and through. How could Jiang Ruo associate herself with a woman like this?

    Yu Yanwan then shifted her gaze at Lily. She narrowed her eyes. "Father will never make you an heir. I will never allow that to happen!" she dered, her face stern. There is no way that she would allow Lily to have theirpany. Yu Yanwan needed this money and she will not hesitate to fight against Lily if she will stand in her way.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 581 Strategic Retrea

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 581 Strategic Retrea</h4>

    "Miss Yu... Is there anything that you can do?" Lily asked. "Aside from being all red and angry. Is there anything else that you can do to stop your father?"

    "You¡ª "

    "What records are you talking about?" Madam He interjected. "I mean... if she is someone dangerous. We should..."

    Her words were interrupted when she heard Lily snicker. Madam He instantly narrowed her eyes at her. "Miss Lily, reputation is very important. We can¡¯t have someone whose reputation is questionable. We can¡¯t have people think that we are roons of the same hill."

    "Reputation." Lily snorted. "Coming from you?? That is a very big word! " She then made a deliberate pause before giving a peal of sarcasticughter. "This makes me wonder what will happen if someone in your neighborhood cheats on their husband or wife. Would you avoid them too?"

    "That¡ª "

    "You should not spout nonsense like that." Yu Yanwan blurted. "Cheating is a sensitive topic for some women."

    "I agree." Lily nodded and shifted her gaze towards Yu Yanwan. "My apologies if I offended you."

    "I ¡ª " Yu Yanwan¡¯s expression changed. She eyed Jiang Ruo and Madam He, unable to utter a single word. "That does not apply to me." She managed to say. "And ¡ª stop straying the topic! If you think you can make father give you everything because you are more sessful than us, then you are wrong."

    "Then... why don¡¯t you talk to your father?"

    "Sister... I think this is enough. I think it is better to reschedule this lunch. Let¡¯s avoid causing any more trouble."

    Yu Yanwan scowled. "Shut it! Jiang Ruo... I will remember what you did today!" In Yu Yanwan¡¯s mind, this is all Jiang Ruo¡¯s fault. She was the one who invited Lily and even let the woman bullied her. Because of this, she lost the possible connection that she was about to establish with the Liu Family. She narrowed her eyes at Lily. Yu Yanwan¡¯splicated emotions shone in her eyes.

    Growing up, Yu Yanwan never felt the love of her father and mother. With her three brothers, fighting for their attention had be a part of her day. Yu Yanwan felt that the only person who made her feel that she was valued is her husband. Feeling unfavored and alone, Yu Yanwan harbored some deep anger towards her father and mother.

    Lily being acknowledged by her father only made her feel worse.

    It was something that she used to feel as she grew up. This instantly made her decide to warn Lily to stay away from her family. The fire was her first n. She needed Lily and Zhou Jingren to leave The Peak, hoping that it would make them fear for their safety.

    And she seeded. Lily and Zhou Jingren is temporarily not living near her parents. However, seeing Lily with her father at the mansion immediately made her rage. How could Lily tantly ignore her warning? Why is she still trying to involve herself in the Yu Family¡¯s matter?

    Isn¡¯t this infuriating?

    Yu Yanwan huffed as she rose from her seat. She needed to prevent Lily from gaining the attention of her father. She needed to keep this woman away from her family. A sinister glint shed in Yu Yanwan¡¯s eyes. "Stay away from my family!" she uttered before she strode out of the room.

    "I ¡ª I guess... I will have to leave. I mean... I guess the meeting is already over." Madam He said before she followed Yu Yanwan out of the restaurant. After all, Lily just gave her some clue that she is aware of Madam He¡¯s infidelity. What if Lily will inform her husband about this matter?

    "You are really good at making people angry." Jiang Ruo instantly noted when the other two women left. "Is this a talent? Or something that you developed because of the business industry?"

    "Sometimes... you have to stir the water to catch the fish." Lily answered as she looked at Jiang Ruo. "But that is not the reason why you invited me here, right?" Lily smiled. "You have been trying to talk to me for days."

    "I ¡ª " Jiang Ruo lowered her gaze. She had been trying to invite Lily for lunch and shopping or spa. Yet, thetter always declined her invitation. So when Jiang Ruo receive the news that Yu Yanwan would join them today, she immediately took advantage of this opportunity to invite Lily. She hoped that this was enough to entice Lily to see her. "You are right." She added.

    "Hmmm?" Lily lifted an eyebrow, waiting for the older woman to say something.

    "My mother-inw is dying. I ¡ª I¡¯m not even sure if you already know that." Jiang Ruo gave a mirthless chuckle. She then turned towards Lily. "It will be chaotic so... my husband and I are nning to leave the country after the funeral. He is nning to submit his resignation after his mother¡¯s death."

    Lily pursed her lips and said nothing. Seeing this, Jiang Ruo continued. "I mean ¡ª We are not saints and we don¡¯t have the right to dictate you but my son. Yu Jing is ambitious and he might... he might make a hasty decision to join in the chaos."

    "I would assume that you will ask me not to hurt him?"

    "He is my son." Jiang Ruo uttered. "He is not perfect but I don¡¯t want him to get hurt. As you can see... Yu Yanwan is very determined to win. Her second brother will not allow that to happen."

    "And you are nning to offer me something in return?" Lily asked. There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and Jiang Ruo knew this.

    "Information." Jiang Ruo said before she opened her bag. "This ce does not have cameras in their private rooms." She handed Lily a sh drive. "Please open this once you have the time."

    "Do you think this is enough to make your son safe?"

    Jiang Ruo eyed Lily as she nodded . "This... I think this is enough to protect my family." She added. Just like Yu Yanwan, Jiang Ruo had seen those reports about Lily. She knew about this woman¡¯s capability and because of this, she and her husband decided to give up before the fight even started.

    After all, they were not stupid people. Strategic retreat might make them lose their dignity, but this will make them live to fight again. Moreover, they have enough funds tost them a lifetime tofort. Why waste energy in a pointless battle that they cannot win?

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

    36 strategems. #36: Runaway

 Chapter 582 Nonsense

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 582 Nonsense</h4>

    Anger almost overpowered Yu Yanwan as she walked out of the restaurant. Her gaze turned dark, sinister. She had been keeping her frustrations in check. Trying her best to calm down and retain herposure.

    But Lily¡¯s smile is just so infuriating. She felt her fury burst inside her as she started driving towards the Yu Mansion. She then picked up her phone and dialed a number. "I want her gone," she uttered. "I want that old woman dead today."

    "But... that will be hard considering..."

    "Just do it!" she hissed. There is no way that she would allow Lily to get close to the old man again. She would never allow Lily to manipte the old man into giving her the estate and thepany.

    After ending the call, she dialed another number. "I want you to prepare an article for me. I am sending you a couple of photos and notes that I wrote."

    "What headline do you want this time?"

    "I want the world to know that Lily Zhou caused the death of my mother." She dered.

    "And the money?"

    "I will send it to you today. Just prepare the article and release it once I tell you to. And delete my number. I will use a burner phone to contact you next time." She ended the call without waiting for the man to say something. She tightened her grip to the steering wheel as she let out another cursed.

    She needed to visit her mother before her death.

    .......

    It did not take long for Yu Yanwan to arrive at the Yu Family¡¯s mansion.

    "Your mother is too weak. I am not allowing anyone to visit her." Old Man Yu instantly declined his daughter¡¯s request to see his wife. "For months you didn¡¯t visit her. Did you hit your head? Perhaps a kick by a donkey woke you up?"

    "I hated mother for ignoring me." Yu Yanwan answered as she sat opposite to her father. "After everything that happened. I have the right to hate you and her."

    "And yet, you still wanted my money."

    "I deserved it!"

    "Your mother and I worked so hard for what we have. We gave you everything from food to money to education. It is not my fault that you are still miserable now." The chill in the old man¡¯s voice was apparent. If she was a teenager, this voice would have made her tremble and cry.

    "I am not miserable." She stated, her voice firm. "I am happy with my choices and I will never regret what I did." Yu Yanwan will never me her circumstances to her choices back then. Her husband is the only person who made her feel that she matter. Because of this, she will always choose him above everyone else.

    Instead, she med her parent¡¯sck of emotion and attention. Because of them, she sought the attention of other people. Because of them, she learned to rebel just to have a little of their time. Because of them... she had be the ruthless, unforgiving and hateful daughter that everyone in the family despises.

    "I know that you are nning to leave your properties to Lily." She added.

    "You are still stupid as ever." The old man retorted. "If not for the fact that we looked identical, I would have thought that you are not my daughter."

    "You ¡ª How dare you?" While she is already used to the way the old man spoke to her, this kind of statement still gives her some heartache. She forced down the blood in her mouth as she cursed the old man inwardly.

    "Yanwan..." the old man let out a sigh. He then started seeping his tea. "How could you be so blind?" he asked as he gritted his teeth. For years, he tried his best to fulfill his promise to his dying wife. However, in the end, he decided against it. Lu Xialu is already dying. Why would he stop himself from informing this ungrateful woman of the sins shemitted?

    ???Your mother was the only person who helped you when you were alone. How could you do this to her?" Old Man Yu met his daughter¡¯s eyes. As expected, a sh of fear can be seen swirling in Yu Yanwan¡¯s orbs.

    "Mother abandoned me when I needed her help! What help are you talking about?"

    "When you were in New Zend giving birth to your eldest child. Did you think it was a coincidence that a specialist from Australia helped you gave birth? Do you think... it was out of pity when the doctor didn¡¯t charge you for the expensive operation?" The old man snorted. He then smiled as he watched her daughter¡¯s face paled.

    "Before getting pregnant. Did you think an oilpany would hire your under-qualified husband who only worked as a small assistant in ourpany? Were you really that stupid?"

    "I¡ª "

    "When your newborn caught that... Kawasaki illness did you think it was a coincidence that another specialist was magically present at the hospital when you admitted your child?" Another snort escaped the old man¡¯s lips. "Your mother... helped you!" He uttered, making sure that he pronounced each word properly.

    "Without her, you would have been homeless, childless, and might even be dead!"

    Watching Yu Yanwan¡¯s face turned from purple to white to green seemed to make the old man feel a little bit better. "And yet you ¡ª you still hurt her."

    "Father ¡ª I... what are you talking about?" she asked confused. Does this mean that her father knew about the poisoning? But that should not be possible. If he knew, she was sure that he will hurt her. She was sure that he will retaliate and make her suffer.

    So what nonsense is he spouting now? She shook her head inwardly as the old man¡¯s words sunk inside her. Like a sharp knife slowly carving in her heart. Unknowingly tears pooled in Yu Yanwan¡¯s eyes. "What are you talking about?" She wanted an answer. She wanted to know the truth.

    But as usual, her father pursed his lips and stared at her face as if she had gone crazy.

    "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" she yelled.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 583 She is Free

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 583 She is Free</h4>

    Old Man Yu sneered at his daughter¡¯s reaction. Because of his responsibilities to the organization, he and his wife were forced to keep these secrets to their graves. After all, her wife used the organization¡¯s influence to do those deeds.

    However... seeing Yu Yanwan act so mightily, dering that she deserves everything that he and Lu Xialu earned, is infuriating him. Slowly, a sadistic smile appeared on his face. His daughter¡¯s mental state is weak. Would she be able to live knowing that she hurt her mother, who actually protected her in the shadows?

    "Yanwan... you will be miserable for the rest of your pathetic life." He uttered in a low voice. "Even in your mother¡¯s dying state, she said nothing hurtful to you. She never mentioned what she did and even asked me to keep this as a secret."

    True, Lu Xialu was notpassionate and was not really close to their children. However, unlike him, she did her best to support them in the shadows. In front of him and her children, Li Xialu was cold and strict. However, she was a mother. She gave birth to her children. She might not be physically close to them however, this does not mean that she really abandoned them.

    "How does it feel, Yanwan?" he asked. "Does it liberate your anger? Does it make you feel happy, brave, and strong?"

    "What are you talking about? Are ¡ª Are you insane?" she balled her hands into a fist. Disbelief clouded her gaze. Now that she thought about it. Everything that Old Man Yu mentioned is true. Those events happened in the past... those unexinable events. "You can¡¯t fool me." She uttered. Her mother was the type of woman who always supported her husband¡¯s decision.

    Yu Yanwan never heard her mother argued with her father even once. She never heard her fought against the man for the way he raised them. All she did was support her own husband while making sure that her kids were alive. So... how could Old Man Yu im that Lu Xialu did something to help her out?

    How could Yu Yanwan ept these words? She hurt her mother simply because of what she did in the past. She thought that this is her retaliation. This was her mother¡¯s karma. Once again, she stared at her father¡¯s aged eyes, and slowly, her gaze wavered.

    Tears started falling on her cheeks. He was not lying. The old man never lied to them. He would rather hurt their feelings than give them false hopes. This was the reason why he told them about the nk will.

    Yu Yanwan swallowed her nonexistent saliva. Guilt flooded inside her, threatening to engulf her sanity.

    "You can leave now." The old man said as he finished his tea and leaned against his chair. "From now on... think about all the things that magically appear in your life while you were away. Think about all the conveniences and coincidences that happened in your life. Then... think about your mother."

    "Yu Yanwan... you are such a disappointment. You and I... we will rot in hell together." The old man said before he gestured for her daughter to leave him alone.

    ...

    Not long after Yu Yanwan left, her mother passed away. The woman holding Old Man Yu¡¯s sanity passed away.

    Contrary to the expectations of the people attending the matriarch, Old Man Yu never utter a word. Not a word of goodbye or any apology to her wife. He just... sat there.

    For years, the old man wondered what will happen if she left him. After all, he was a terrible human being. For years, he feared that one day, he will wake up without her by his side. All those years, he never thought that losing her would be this... unbearable. Her death only made her realize how wrong he was. He never thought that losing was like having his heart ripped out of his chest.

    He stared at his wife¡¯s gentle face as he wondered if she felt any pain when she had herst breath. He stared at her as he thought about their past memories. Hundreds of thousands of memories flooded his old mind, reminding him of the love that they cultivated over the years.

    The old man held his wife¡¯s hands gently as he let out a deep sigh. Atst, his wife is free. She will not feel any more pain nor any inconvenience. Isn¡¯t this a marvelous thing? She will no longer suffer from the poison that is slowly eating her lungs.

    Slowly, tears fell onto the old man¡¯s cheeks. He then chuckled. He always thought that he already shed enough tears for her. He was wrong.

    The old man held her wife¡¯s hands towards his face. He then gently kissed her hands as he uttered his vows when he married her. This was not the end. This was only the beginning.

    Slowly, his sons and daughter were informed of the matriarch¡¯s death. And slowly, each of them showed themselves with their families in tow. After a few minutes of staying with her, the old man chose to leave and retire in his room.

    He also chose this opportunity to let his family see his wife for thest time before she will be cremated. After all, her wife truly cared about them. The old man stayed in his room and refused to receive any visitors except for hiswyers.

    As expected, this instantly caused tension inside the mansion. After all, his family is still there with him. The old man¡¯s action in seeing hiswyers instantly reached their ears. The changes in their faces were pretty fast. From sadness to nervousness. Soon after, old man Yu¡¯s actions instantly be the topic of each family.

    After a few hours, this news reached the ears of the media. Lu Xialu and Old Man Yu are one of the most influential and respected couples in Hong Kong, not just because of their age but because they are very sociable. They have good rtionships with everyone and do not really have enemies in the countries.

    At one point, the two received some awards for being generous. Moreover, the decades of marriage was another thing that the media admired.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 584 Mentality

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 584 Mentality</h4>

    Sky City

    "Really?" Lily asked, surprised shed in her eyes. She eyed the clock and frowned. It was still early in the morning. Zhou Jingren¡¯s news about Lu Xialu¡¯s death seemed to erase all the sleepiness that she felt.

    "Hmmm... She diedst night." Zhou Jingren handed Lily her ss of milk. "Jichen said that the old man instantly called hiswyers a few hours after her death."

    "So Yu Yanwan... decided to kill her mother because of what happened yesterday," she said to herself. She was expecting Yu Yanwan to scheme against her or even Old Man Yu. Who would have thought that she would go as far as killing her own mother? She probably thought it would make the old man unstable.

    Lily instantly wondered if Yu Yanwan seeded. "I am not going to the funeral." She uttered after drinking her milk.

    "I understand. There is no need for you to go."

    Lily then turned silent as she thought about what Yu Yanwan did. At the end of the day, was it really worth it? Lily asked herself.

    Slowly, her mind drifted towards her father. If what happened to Yu Yanwan happened to Lily, she would probably ignore her father and live away from him. Why stress herself over something like that?

    But then again, everyone¡¯s mentality is different. Lily shook the weird thoughts in her head as she remembered what Jiang Ruo showed her.

    ...

    Days passed.

    The matriarch¡¯s funeral was finalized without any problems.

    "You submitted a resignation letter?" Yu Yanwan furrowed her brows as she walked inside Yu Helong¡¯s office. "Why? Are you nning to leave?"

    "It was a letter for my early retirement." Yu Helong answered, his eyes were glued to the paperwork in front of him.

    "What about father? Did he say something? What about your position? Who will be the new CEO?"

    "I don¡¯t know about the position. I already have a flight scheduled three days from now. I am spending some time with my wife and children abroad. It will be a family vacation." His tone wasnguid. It instantly made Yu Yanwan frustrated. How could her elder brother leave at this time?

    "If you leave, then second brother will surely take over your position." She stated. Her second brother had been working hardtely. He is also quite close to some major shareholders. She was sure that they would not hesitate to vote for her second brother once Yu Helong leave. "Are you really letting him take over thepany?"

    "That is no longer my concern anymore. Father already agreed to let me retire because of my health."

    "You ¡ª That¡¯s a lie!" Yu Yanwan said. "You are perfectly healthy." She ced her hand on her waist as she red at her older brother. "Tell me... why are you doing this? Is something forcing you to leave? Are you being threatened?" In her mind, the only reason her brother would do this is that he is afraid of something... or someone.

    "Was it Lily?" she asked. It was obvious that Jiang Ruo is fairly close to Lily. However, Yu Yanwan knew that Lily cannot be trusted. It would be very easy for her to betray Jiang Ruo and Yu Helong. "Answer me!" she demanded.

    In response, her brother lifted his head to stare at her younger sister. "Yanwan... Do you have anything inside your mind aside from the inheritance?" He leaned against his leather chair. "Are you really struggling with your husband? Why are you so concern about these things when our father is still perfectly healthy?"

    "Elder brother..." Instantly Yu Yanwan¡¯s tone turned usatory. "Is this because of Lily? Before she arrived you have been talking about the will too! Why are you suddenly leaving now?"

    "Before she came... I wondered why father would leave a nk will."

    "You¡ª "

    "Yanwan... don¡¯t you want to have a peaceful life? All this chaos is exhausting. If you really needed some money for your husband¡¯s business I can..."

    "This is not just about the money and you know that." She hissed. "We are their children. Whatever they own automatically belongs to us. Moreover, we grew up without them because they were so busy with their businesses. As their children... we deserve to have the business. Don¡¯t you agree with me?"

    Yu Yanwan knew that her brother had always been calm and collected. He is an absolute pacifist and does not believe in fighting and violence. Aside from this, Yu Helong was also very logical and does not base his decision on his emotions. This was the only reason why their father allowed him to be the CEO of theirpany.

    However, as sad as it may seem, Yu Yanwan would not hesitate to admit that without Yu Helong, their chances of beating Lily is close to none. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Yu Helong let out a sigh of disappointment.

    "Yanwan... it isn¡¯t even a week after our mother¡¯s death." He said, his voice had a tinge of mncholy. "Are you not even sad about her death?" He wanted to ask her if she felt at least a little bit of guilt, but he decided against it.

    Judging from Yu Yanwan¡¯s actions right now. It was pretty obvious that she does not regret anything.

    Surprisingly, his words made Yu Yanwan quiet. She stared at her elder brother¡¯s face and pursed her lips. "Mother... she was never a mother to me."

    "That is not true and we both know that."

    "You ¡ª " Yu Yanwan widened her eyes, wondering if Yu Helong knew about the matter that the old man told her. "Was it really wrong to think about the future of our children instead of wallowing in sadness?" Yu Yanwan found a way to divert the conversation. "At some point, we needed to move on and live our lives. But that is not now."

    "Children? You are only thinking about yourself. Our father is still alive, stop thinking about his inheritance, and focus on thepany instead." Yu Helong knew that his sister was the one who poisoned their mother.

    However, to avoid chaos, he said nothing about the matter.

 Chapter 585 Elite

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 585 Elite</h4>

    Yu Helong would always choose peace. He would always prefer to be quiet and just let his hard work speak for itself. Of course, his father found this a problem. Someone who prefers peace over scheming is not an ideal businessman.

    Yu Helong would avoid confrontations and would always calmly approached situations. But, he could not deny that he also had his own weaknesses. And that was his cowardice.

    When Yu Helong knew that his sister had been poisoning their mother, he did nothing. It was because he didn¡¯t want his father to punish everyone. He knew how much old man Yu loves his wife. He also knew that her death could have devastating effects on the old man.

    However, he couldn¡¯t watch the old man kill his sister. He couldn¡¯t just watch him tear this already damaged family apart. Yu Helong let out a deep sigh as he stared at his sister¡¯s distressed appearance. "Yanwan... when was thest time that you had a good sleep?" This was a rhetorical question.

    Judging from his younger sister¡¯s appearance, it was clear that she didn¡¯t have enough rest. "Stop thinking about money and focus on yourself. The old man gave us enough to survive. Let¡¯s not be greedy and ask for something more."

    "What do you mean? Helong... this is our right. We earn this right when they chose their business over us."

    "It is your right to think that way and I will not waste my time arguing with you. I already said my part. You can think whatever you think. I will leave thepany and that is final."

    "You are a coward!"

    Yu Helong didn¡¯t bother to correct his words. This was true. He was a coward. He is not afraid to go to war. He is more afraid to watch the effects of chaos. He is more afraid to build the bridges that were ruined because of small misunderstandings.

    Yu Helong only pursed his lips as he watched his sister leave his office in anger. Maybe he was selfish and simple. But to Yu Helong, his priority is already his family. Jiang Ruo, Yu Jing, and his other children. They are the ones that matter most to him.

    He would not do something stupid and endanger them. Not after what he discovered about Lily and her grandmother.

    Another sigh left his mouth as he thought about the deal that Jiang Ruo made with Lily. That sh drive that was his, and it was he who discovered that Lily¡¯s grandmother might be close to their father.

    When he did his research about Lily, Yu Helong stumbled upon photos of Lilian Fi. Of course, this was not surprising to him. What is surprising is the ce where the photo was taken. It was in what seemed like a castle or a mansion.

    The thing is, Yu Helong remembered seeing his parents having the same photo as Lilian. He even remembered one of the statues behind this photo He dug all of their family photos and found one with his parents on it.

    It was taken in the eighties or so the date behind the photo said. After doing more research, he discovered that it was taken in an exclusive event in the neen-eighties. This event was said to be for the elite and people of influence.

    Now... the presence of Lilian in those events in Europe is already expected. However, his parent¡¯s presence? Not so much. His parents are Asians, and they did note from influential families in the East.

    His parents started theirpany from a loan. They didn¡¯t have the proper education nor the training to do it. They were smart and hardworking, and that is the reason why they seed, or so he thought.

    After seeing the photo, Yu Helong also understood that his parents are very secretive people. They were not really the type that would show off their wealth and the only time that the old man would show his influence is during his birthday. It was the time where people that they haven¡¯t met before would show up to their door, smiling, bearing gifts.

    Now that he really thought about it. He doesn¡¯t really know anything about their parents. He knew that the old man is strict and would value achievements. He knew that has many friends in Maind China and Western countries.

    Aside from that.... He knew nothing.

    But then again, this should not be any of this concern. He already submitted his resignation and the old man already epted it. Moreover, he already gave everything that he gathered to Lily, hoping that it will shed some light on the old man¡¯s weird behavior around her.

    In the end, he could only hope that Lily will think to treat it as a piece of important information. He could only hope that Lily will soon contact him or his wife to inform them that she will agree to keep Yu Jing out of this.

    The thought of Yu Jing instantly made him a little down. His son refused to go with them abroad because of Yu Entertainment. Of course, he understands this reasoning. After all, he just got out of a scandal and he is working hard to maintain his image.

    However, when he told Yu Jing not to involve himself in the fight for an inheritance, the young man refused to answer him. Yu Jing only said that this will depend on the situation. He also didn¡¯t promise his father that he won¡¯t try to get some shares from their grandfather¡¯spany.

    The conversation almost turned into an argument because Yu Jing insisted that they have the right to fight for the shares. This was because Yu Helong was the eldest son and he had been the CEO of thepany for years. Even a toddler would agree that this is a very reasonable exnation.

    Yu Jing failed to understand one thing.

    If Yu Helong¡¯s suspicion about Lily and her grandmother being close to the old man is right. Then this could mean that the old man has a deeper reason in involving Lily in their family matters. And Lily... well... she is already a strong opponent.

    But what about her husband? Would Zhou Jingren really stand and watch if Lily chose to acquire theirpany?

    Yu Helong might be coward. But his survival instincts are on point.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 586 Blank Look

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 586 nk Look</h4>

    Lily and Zhou Jingren knew nothing of the scenes happening after Lu Xialu¡¯s death. To avoid interacting with anyone in the Yu Family, they stayed in Sky City and did not visit The Peak for a couple of days.

    Since Lily didn¡¯t hear about the old man¡¯s death, she expected that their previous conversation about suicide was nothing but a ploy to make her agree to his offer. She was wrong.

    Lily and Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t receive any invites from the old man simply because he was the one nning on seeing them. But instead of seeing Lily, the old man decided to visit Zhou Jingren in his office while Lily was in Sky City.

    Zhou Jingren stared at the old man silently, his eyes devoid of any expression. "Are you here to convince me about your offer to my wife?" he asked.

    "No." Old Man Yu shook his head. The confidence that the old man used to have before his wife¡¯s death was now gone. Zhou Jingren frowned as he saw the vulnerability in the old man¡¯s eyes. Does this mean that he is not nning to kill himself anymore? "I am here to talk to you."

    "About what? If it¡¯s not yet clear to you... my wife and does not want to involve ourselves in your business. Please find someone else to help you."

    In response, the old man pursed his lips. He stared at Zhou Jingren for a few seconds. "I understand. But this is not about my family. I have decided to give my 53% shares to Lily. She deserves it more than my sons and daughter."

    "You can¡¯t just¡ª "

    "I already did." The old man stated. "I don¡¯t care if she sells it or profit from it. My time is running out, and I already made up my mind."

    "You¡ª "

    "I understand the need to protect her. After all, she is already pregnant." The old man gave him a mirthless smile. "Congrattions on being a father. I know how much she struggled to conceive and I..."

    "What did you say?" Zhou Jingren interrupted him.

    "I said congrattions on being..."

    "How did you know these things?" Zhou Jingren¡¯s face turned dark. Lily¡¯s pregnancy was supposed to be a secret. Only a few people know of this matter. He narrowed his eyes at the old man¡¯s calm expression. "How long have you been spying on us?"

    The old man¡¯s lips thinned. He only shook his head and smiled at Zhou Jingren. "There are things that cannot be exined using simple words. You have to see it to believe."

    "I am warning you old man if you do something to¡ª "

    "Don¡¯t worry. I understand that her safety is the priority." The old man was here to know the extent of Zhou Jingren¡¯s emotions towards Lily. He knew that he does not have the right to test Zhou Jingren. However, he could not stop himself from doing so.

    Zhou Jingren and Lily reminded him or his wife and him back when they were younger. "I would assume her pregnancy is one of the reasons why you declined my offer?"

    Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t answer the old man¡¯s question. Since meeting Old Man Yu, Zhou Jingren had been flooded with questions about his peculiar ways. And the more he tried to dig into the old man¡¯s past, the more confused he became.

    Zhou Jingren also knew that this is one of the reasons why Lily decided not to get involve. He doesn¡¯t need to ask his wife to know that she also found this old man... mysterious and confusing. His past seemed clean. It shows how an old man who used to sell newspapers and sleep on the sidewalk be sessful because of his wits and hard work.

    To be honest, it was very remarkable. With no one¡¯s help, the old man and his wife raise from rags to riches and establish an empire from their own blood and sweat.

    However, the fact that he cannot seem to read the old man bothered him. Zhou Jingren couldn¡¯t tell if the old man was lying or if he was serious. The only reason why Lily knew that the old man is hiding something is not because of his expressions but because of Lily¡¯s ability to analyze things.

    Now, Zhou Jingren is not a god. He cannot predict anyone¡¯s actions or urately read someone¡¯s emotions through their faces. However, seeing the old man¡¯s nk look seemed to tell him that the old man is dangerous. All the bells in his mind were ringing, telling him that he was in front of a dangerous individual.

    The thing is... the old man was never involved in the ck market. He built his empire using clean methods and did not associate himself in dirty politics. He also didn¡¯t have any issues or scandals. So how could he give off this aura of dominance and confidence?

    Was he only faking it? Zhou Jingren wondered.

    Maybe because of his age?

    Maybe it was because of his experience in talking to businessmen for decades of years?

    "I think you are underestimating your wife too much." The old man¡¯s voice interrupted his thoughts. "Lily is a strong woman. You should not underestimate a woman¡¯s ability."

    "Protecting her does not mean that I underestimate her. This is not about who is stronger. This is about me protecting my wife and child," He answered. "And I don¡¯t appreciate you spying on my wife like you ¡ª like it is any of your business."

    The old man had the same nk look on his face as he nodded. He then rose from his seat and left Zhou Jingren¡¯s office without saying any word of goodbye. This conversation was enough proof that he made the right choice. Zhou Jingren¡¯s troubled expression told him what he needed to know.

    Slowly the old man made his way into the elevator as a smile blossomed on his wizened face. Making Zhou Jingren the person who will inherit his seat is the right thing to do.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 587 Clauses

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 587 uses</h4>

    A few hours after the old man visited Zhou Jingren, the news about his death started to spread on the business industry. It was tragic and very dark as some people imed that the old man took his own life. The media instantly stormed the Yu Family¡¯s estate.

    How could the old man just die a few days after his wife? Theories and conspiracy theories instantly flooded the Inte. Did he take his own life because of sadness? Was it because of his wife¡¯s death?

    Isn¡¯t this genuine love?

    However, another part of the inte imed that the old man died not because of despair but because he was murdered. People iming that they heard a gunshot outside of the property suddenly made posts about this matter online.

    What could have happened?

    Of course, the Yu Family did not confirm nor deny this matter. However, both Lily and Zhou Jingren knew the truth. The old man already told him his n after his wife¡¯s death and true to his words he didmit suicide.

    "I knew it! She killed our father! She must have been threatening him!" Yu Yanwan paced inside her second brother¡¯s office. "Are we just going to believe that he killed himself on his own ord?" She stopped pacing and turned towards his brother. "I think we should do something about this."

    "Yanwan... no offense, but what you are saying right now does not make any sense." Yu Tingye uttered. "I think we should... focus on father¡¯s funeral before making such assumptions."

    "Can you stop being a coward for once?"

    "Waiting is not being a coward. You can¡¯t just spout nonsense like this without any evidence! Are you trying to drag everyone in trouble with you?"

    "Father went to Zhou Jingren¡¯s office before his death! Isn¡¯t that proof enough that they threatened him?"

    A sigh escaped Yu Tingye¡¯s lips. "Father is a businessman. It is natural for him to visit a bank to fix his finances."

    "You are making excuses for Zhou Jingren!" Yu Yanwan hissed. This is why he hated her brother¡¯s so much. Theyck the guts that she possessed and get easily scared by someone more influential than them. "You keep on making excuses for everyone¡¯s action." Yu Yanwan started pacing again.

    In the past few days, Yu Yanwan lost a lot of weight as she could not stop thinking about her father¡¯s will. She wanted to talk to him about it again, but her husband keeps on saying that this will make her look bad in front of the media. After all, her mother just died.

    Discussing such matters in times of grief is not very good for her image. While Yu Yanwan did not care about her image, she cares about her husband¡¯s reputation. After all, he is trying his best to start his own business. She could not just throw his hard work into the bin.

    But, who would have thought that Old Man Yu would suddenly take his own life? Yu Yanwan felt betrayed. She felt blindsided. Now it will be toote for her to try to change that will.

    The more infuriating thing about this matter is theirwyer¡¯s refusal to tell her about the will. Thewyer insisted that a reading is not necessary as requested by the old man. She is clueless about the will and inheritance.

    And this... this had taken its toll on her mind. She cannot sleep nor eat and had been drinking coffee just to keep herself up. Her anxiety is killing her. "I am convinced that they have something to do about his death." She stated, her hands balled into a fist. "We need to do something about it."

    "I don¡¯t think that is..." his words were interrupted when a man in a suit walked inside his office and introduced himself as one of thewyers tasked by the old man to deliver a letter to his children.

    Both Yu Yanwan and Yu Tingye froze as they eyed the letters that the man just gave them. However, Yu Yanwan recovered quickly. She instantly tore the letter open and read its contents.

    Slowly, her already scowling face turned uglier. Her breathing quickened as she eyed her brother¡¯s calm expression. "Five percent? He left us... two percent of his money?" she uttered, disbeliefced her tone. "How much did he..." she leaned and down grabbed the letter in her brother¡¯s hands.

    Then her eyes widened. "Twenty percent?" Her gaze shifted towards thewyer standing next to them. "What do you mean by this?" Yu Yanwan could not believe her eyes. Is the old man mocking her? "What about the shares? What about the properties?"

    "Miss Yu... please calm down." Unfazed, thewyer took another document and handed it to Yu Tingye. "This one stated that each of his sons will have one property abroad and... all of his properties in maind China and Hongkong will be given to Miss Lily Fi- Zhou. This document is signed by the old man. There are also witnesses that¡ª "

    "What?" Yu Yanwan snatched the paper and read it. She felt her eyes almost popped out of their sockets as she read the contents of the document. She trembled and eyed her brother, then thewyer. "What does this mean?"

    "Miss Yu, this means that if you decide to contest the will, we will file a case against you and your husband for murder and voluntary manughter for poisoning and killing your mother." Thewyer said. "The document is very straightforward. Not just you, but everyone in your family will lose all the privileges that the Old Man Yu and Madam Lu gave to your family. This includes all the memberships that you and your husband have. The vi in New Zend as well as your husband¡¯s current investors."

    "Wha ¡ª That is not possible." Yu Yanwan took a step back. Disbelief shing in her eyes. "That is not possible!"

    "Old Man Yu already knew that you will say this. So he added that any misconduct will also make you lose all your inheritance. Misconducts include cursing, questioning the will, calling thewyers and your brother¡¯s dirty names, throwing tantrums, and everything that would threaten to ruin the Yu Family¡¯s name and reputation." Thewyer sneered, disgust clear in his face. "Do you have any other questions? Miss Yu?" he asked.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 588 Kidnapping

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 588 Kidnapping</h4>

    "How ¡ª how could¡ª "

    "These are the changes that old man Yu made just before his death." Thewyer added.

    Furious, Yu Yanwan walked towards thewyer. "You are lying! Give me the true will! I will show it to my ownwyers!"

    "Miss Yu these documents were signed by the old man himself. Two other people signed it as witnesses. And please don¡¯t touch me. Let me remind you about the use of the will. I have a recorder with me that I can use against you if you darey your hands on me or your brother."

    "What?" Yu Yanwan forced herself to swallow her anger. She then red at thewyer and turned towards her brother. "Are you allowing this person to bully me like this?"

    "Sister... please calm down."

    "What do you mean calm down? This is extremely unfair! How could he do this to me?" Slowly, Yu Yanwan sat on the chair as she broke down, crying. She felt betrayed, hurt, and insulted. How could her own father do this? Isn¡¯t this worse than receiving nothing?

    One insult and she will lose everything. What kind of punishment is this?

    "Miss Yu, let me remind you that we also have a solid case against you for the murder of your own mother. I can assure you that once you break one of the uses that I mentioned earlier, you will not only lose everything. You will also go to jail for the rest of your life." Thewyer then smiled at Yu Tingye. "I will go ahead and deliver these documents to your younger brother. Please call me if you need anything else."

    "Elder brother! Are you really going to let them treat me like this?"

    "You... poisoned mother." Yu Tingye¡¯s words were enough to shut her sister up. He then looked at the documents on his table and read the uses under his inheritance. As expected, some uses told him not to try to question the will or he too will lose everything. A sigh escaped his lips.

    "Too bad the old man didn¡¯t give us the shares." He stated. It was a waste. Yu Tingye already started buying some shares from the other shareholders. This was after he had a conversation with Lily and Zhou Jingren. Because of this, he is not too worried about the inheritance anymore.

    Moreover, the money that he will receive from his father should be enough for him to survive. Just like what Yu Helong told him, fighting against Lily will only cost him a lot of resources. And there are practically zero ways to question the will.

    Additionally, Lily is an aplished woman. If thepany falls under her hands, it only means more profit for him and Yu Helong as they already own a few shares under their name.

    Of course, Yu Yanwan¡¯s thoughts are the opposite of his two elder brother¡¯s opinions. She gritted her teeth. She could barely hold her fury as she bid his brother goodbye. She was about to call the mediapany when she remembered that she forgot to buy a burner phone.

    With these in mind, she marched towards her car, convinced that the only way to stop Lily is to expose her to the media. Unfortunately for her, Zhou Jingren would never allow his wife to encounter this type of problem.

    "Who are you?" Yu Yanwan instantly asked the two men who approached her. She eyed the CCTV in the parking lot and instantly paled when she saw them turned in the opposite direction. It was fairly obvious that someone changed them. "Why are you following me?" she asked. She did her best to stop her voice from trembling. But it was futile.

    "I am the daughter of..."

    "Please follow us peacefully. We don¡¯t want to hurt your husband."

    "W ¡ª What?" Yu Yanwan stuttered. She tried to look towards her left and right, trying to find someone that could help her. It was futile. She nodded and instantly followed the two into a ck-tinted car. "Where are you taking ¡ª " her words were interrupted when she noticed that someone is already sitting inside the van.

    "Hello, Miss Yu."

    "You ¡ª You are Zhou Jingren!" she stated, fear shing in her eyes. Why would Zhou Jingren want to see her? She swallowed and stared at the man¡¯s stern face. "What are you doing? This is illegal!" she said, hoping that it was enough to scare off the man.

    "I assumed you already received the letter that the old man left?" he asked, his deep voice only made more afraid. Yu Yanwan never talked to Zhou Jingren before. She was not very familiar with the man. However, from the party, she saw him swooning over his wife.

    Facing Zhou Jingren now only made her realized something. Zhou Jingren and her father... almost have the same way of speaking. The same presence and even the suffocating environment around them are almost identical.

    "Did you lose the ability to speak?" Zhou Jingren slowly shifted his gaze towards her. His cynical eyes bore inside her soul, sending shivers of fear into her spine.

    "I did!" she answered. She tried to maintain herposure but in front of Zhou Jingren... it was useless. "What are you doing? Are you going to kidnap me?"

    "Kidnapping involves people or things with value. And you are not one of those. I suggest you stop ttering yourself and hurting your ego."

    "You ¡ª Is this how you talk to someone older than you?"

    "This is how I talk to people who are nning to hurt my wife."

    It was as if a lump suddenly grew in her throat. "I¡ª "

    "I know what you are trying to do." Zhou Jingren snorted before he shifted his gaze to the seat next to him. "What you did to your family is none of my business. However, it is my duty and responsibility to protect my wife. And this... this is me protecting her from people like you."

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 589 Leeches

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 589 Leeches</h4>

    "I ¡ª I didn¡¯t do anything to your wife."

    "Yet." He added as he held a box in his hand. "Miss Yu... do you know that losing forty percent of our blood could kill us?" he asked as he raised the ss to Yu Yanwan. "It will make your body lose the ability to control blood pressure. And that is enough to cause death."

    "Why would you say something like that?" she eyed the box and looked at the slimy ck things that were inside. "What is that?"

    "Leeches." He answered with a straight face. "The type that likes to drink human blood." He eyed the leeches and smiled. "Silly little creatures."

    "Are... Are you trying to threaten me?"

    "No... I am trying to tell you that 500 leeches are enough to kill an adult. Of course, that will depend on your overall size, but the point is... the death won¡¯t be pleasing."

    Yu Yanwan swallowed her saliva. She felt her goosebumps skittered across her skin as she tried to show that she was not afraid. "What is your point?"

    "Nothing much. Just... little information to keep you calm." He covered the box and turned his attention towards Yu Yanwan. "Now... let¡¯s talk about the article that you wanted to release my wife."

    "How did you ¡ª " she pursed her lips when she realized how stupid her question was. "I was not nning to release the articles. It was... At that time I was furious, so I called that man to write some false news. But I wasn¡¯t nning on releasing it." She instantly denied it.

    "Hmmm... Is that so?" Zhou Jingren gave a mirthless smile.

    "Yes! Yes.... Of course. I was not nning to do it."

    "What about after reading the will?" he asked.

    Yu Yanwan turned silent at Zhou Jingren¡¯s question. For a few seconds, she thought that Zhou Jingren might be trying to make her give the wrong answer. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Having me here without my consent is illegal. This is kidnapping."

    "Miss Yu... is really delusional. Why do I need to kidnap you? I can just kill you If I want to. Do you think... your husband is brave enough to look for you?"

    Yu Yanwan widened her eyes when she saw Zhou Jingren held a gun. "Now... don¡¯t look at me like that." He chuckled. "If I wanted to shoot you... you would be dead by now."

    "You ¡ª you can¡¯t scare me with these guns and leeches of yours!"

    "I know." He nodded. "And I don¡¯t just scare people. Do you see that ss next to your seat?"

    In response, she looked at the ss full of yellowish substance.

    "Familiar?" he asked. "Of course... isn¡¯t that the poison that you use against your mother?"

    "That ¡ª That is not true!"

    "So... when I heard that you are nning to release news against my wife. I thought... maybe you deserve a wake-up call." Zhou Jingren said almostzily. "Now... I don¡¯t want to waste my time in silly conversations. So I would like to give you something. A gift... for trying to make it look like my wife caused the death of your mother."

    "But I didn¡¯t release the news."

    "The intention to hurt my wife was enough." Zhou Jingren said. "You and your husband were given the same poison." He then held a tablet and showed it to Yu Yanwan. I asked him to chose. He could drink it save you or... you drink it to save him. Do you want to hear what he said?"

    "I¡ª" Yu Yanwan stuttered. For some reason, she does not have the courage to hear her own husband¡¯s words.

    "It¡¯s fine." Zhou Jingren instantly waved and turned off the tablet. "Drink it or we force him to drink the poison. Don¡¯t worry... it won¡¯t kill you. As long as you get the monthly medicine for¡ª "

    "There¡¯s a medicine?" she asked. "You mean..."

    "It will slow the poison down." He interrupted her. "Now... my people will contact you every month. They will give you the medicine to keep you alive for a while."

    "Why are you doing this?" she asked. Yu Yanwan didn¡¯t even know the emotions that she is feeling inside. She felt angry and hurt for her husband¡¯s decision. Then there was anger towards Lily, and confusion at Zhou Jingren¡¯s action. "I didn¡¯t even do anything to you and Lily!"

    "Did you forget the fire?" Zhou Jingren smiled. The fire was something that could have harm Lily or even traumatized her. Zhou Jingren could not even begin to imagine what could have happened if Lily was inside the mansion during that incident.

    What if the fire was not stopped? What if...

    The what-ifs are enough to make him infuriated. He would never allow this woman to hurt his Lily!

    "You will never get away with this!" Yu Yanwan hissed. "If you think I will..."

    "Then... we can just kill your husband." Zhou Jingren said. "Since you really wanted to lose him then¡ª "

    "Wait!" Yu Yanwan instantly said when she saw Zhou Jingren started to dial someone¡¯s number on his phone. "I will drink it! I will drink it! Just ¡ª let him go!"

    Zhou Jingren pursed his lips as he watched thetter drink the liquid in the ss in one gulped. He then smiled at her. "Now... you will live just like your mother." Zhou Jingren said. "In a month, one of my men will contact you. If you want to stay alive, then you better see him. My people are watching you. One mistake and your husband will end up dead in a ditch somewhere." He met her scared eye. "Do you understand me?" he asked.

    "I ¡ª I do. I understand you."

    "Now... leave. I don¡¯t want to ever see you again. Go get your husband in the hospital and remember... if you try to do something. We will know. We always do."

    Yu Yanwan did not wait for Zhou Jingren to utter another word as she ran out of the van. Her face pale, her heart drumming against her chest.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Thank you for the coffee: Anon

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 590 Impressing Lily

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 590 Impressing Lily</h4>

    "Find a way to kill her." Zhou Jingren uttered as he watched Yu Yanwan¡¯s disappearing back. "Don¡¯t make a mess. I want her to disappear without any traces." He ordered the man that escorted the woman towards the car. In response, the man nodded and left.

    People like Yu Yanwan would not stop until they have revenge. And for Zhou Jingren it is better to end her before she could even talk to someone like her husband. This will avoid furtherplications.

    "Jichen... release the documents that show she had been stealing in her father¡¯spany. Make it look like she ran away."

    Go Jichen who was on the driver¡¯s seat nodded. Yu Yanwan offended the wrong person, and now she will pay for her wrong choices. He always knew that Zhou Jingren had the intent to kill Yu Yanwan when he heard about the inheritance.

    However, killing someone inside the car would be too messy.

    After a few minutes, Go Jichen started driving away from the parking lot. They then went back to the Sky City and spent the rest of the day with Lily.

    On that night, the news of Yu Yanwan siphoning some funds out of thepany to a swiss bank ount reached the ears of every newspany in the city. Soon after, reporters were seen swarming in front of Yu Yanwan¡¯s house.

    A few hourster, Yu Yanwan¡¯s husband was seen filing a missing person report at the police station. Of course, no one believed him. How could she go missing on the day that the scandal was publicized? Everyone instantly assumed that she ran away with the money!

    What a shameless woman!

    ...

    Lily on the other hand just lifted an eyebrow as she listened to the news on her tablet. She eyed Zhou Jingren who was sitting a few feet away from her.

    "Yu Yanwan disappeared." She stated.

    "Hmmm." He nodded.

    "Were you involved?" her statement made him turned his head towards her.

    "Yes."

    Lily nodded in approval at his honesty. Then she pursed her lips and looked at her tablet. She already knew that Zhou Jingren will do something about this matter. After all, Yu Yanwan caused a fire inside the mansion.

    "Did she feel any regret?" Lily asked. "Did she show any remorse after she killed her mother?"

    "No." He shook his head, his gaze gauging her reaction.

    A sigh escaped Lily¡¯s lips. "Her ending was too easy." She pouted. "We could have watched as we y with her a little bit."

    "You are pregnant." He answered and walked towards her. "I don¡¯t want to risk it. The woman is too unstable and heartless. I don¡¯t want her to cause any more chaos."

    "You have a point." Sheid her tablet beside her. "Still... it would have been fun."

    "Well... my lovely wife. It is not worth it. She is not worth it." Sitting next to Lily, Zhou Jingren leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Let¡¯s chose our fights carefully from now on. If it¡¯s not worth it, then let¡¯s end them without having second thoughts." His doting tone was the exact opposite of his malicious words.

    Lily only nodded at his words. She gave him a grateful smile. He did it to protect her and their child. "You know... you look really handsome. Did you just shave? Or had a new haircut?" her gentle smile turned into a mischievous grinned. In response, Zhou Jingren¡¯s stern face instantly vanished.

    He ran his fingers into Lily¡¯s smooth hair as he helplessly shook his head. "What do you want this time?"

    "What?" She widened her eyes in exaggeration. "I am telling the truth. You know... like a normal human being."

    "You are far from being normal."

    Lily yfully narrowed her eyes. She then beamed at him. "Alright... I am not normal. Now... please... can you please get some milk tea for me?"

    "It¡¯s already nine in the evening." He answered.

    "Are you saying no?"

    Zhou Jingren instantly shook his head as if his life depended on it. "No. Of course not. I was just saying that It¡¯s still early. It would be easy to find that in at this hour."

    "Are you trying to use sarcasm on me, President Zhou?"

    "Huh? What is that?" He asked before swiftly moving away from Lily. Hisughter echoed inside their room as he grabbed a simple V neck shirt from their closet and run out to go get what Lily wanted.

    "You are the best husband!" he heard Lily yelled after he left the room. "And the most handsome too!" she added. In response, Zhou Jingren only shook his head and smiled. He then changed his shirt and grabbed his keys.

    Zhou Jingren could easily have someone buy this for them. After all, they have people guarding the Sky City. He also had his men living in the next few floors down them. However, he felt that this is something that he should do as her husband and father to their child.

    Before leaving Zhou Jingren asked two of his men not to let anyone inside their t. Since Sky City is located in the middle of a busy street, it was very easy for Zhou Jingren to find a shop that sells milk tea.

    He made an order before he sent a text to Go Jichen to buy all the machines needed to make one. Since Lily loves to drink milk teas, then he will learn how to make one!

    This will not only save him some time. This will also impress his wife. The thought of impressing Lily instantly made him smile.

    "Is someone sitting here?" A man tall blond man with ocean blue eyes smiled. "I hope you don¡¯t mind? The shop is pretty full. I am just waiting for takeout. So... it would not take too long."

    Zhou Jingren nodded and turned towards his phone.

    "Did you order some hot chocte too?" the man asked, the same smile still stered on his face.

    "Yes." Zhou Jingren answered. Aside from the milk tea he also ordered two hot choctes. One for him and one for Lily, in case she decides that she wanted to have his milk chocte instead.

 Chapter 591 Used and Abused

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 591 Used and Abused</h4>

    "I heard it is good?" The man continued.

    "Depends on how you define good." Zhou Jingren answered and looked at the queue of numbers on the screen. This specific shop does not offer any drive-through, so he was forced to go inside to order.

    The man smiled in response and also turned towards the numbers. "That is right. In my case, I love to drink everything that is sweet." He made a deliberate pause. "Do you know that our taste buds shrink as we grow older?"

    Zhou Jingren turned towards the man. Seeing this, the man¡¯s piercing blue eyes crinkled as he continued. "As we grow older, we will lose the ability to distinguish between sweet and sour and salty. Point is... we should enjoy this taste now that we can still taste them. Do you agree with me?"

    "Our sense of taste will start fadings once we turn seventy." Zhou Jingren answered. "And it also includes your sense of smell." The man¡¯s surprise was apparent as he lifted an eyebrow. Zhou Jingren??s knowledge must have surprised him. "Of course, having a certain disorder is different."

    "Impressive." The man¡¯s voice was warm as he gave a nod of approval. "How about emotions? Do you think... it also shrinks and fades as we grow older?"

    Zhou Jingren pursed his lips, the elegance that the blue-eyed man possessed was undeniable. However, he does not have the time for this. "My order¡¯s ready." He said as he walked towards the counter, ignoring the man¡¯s mysterious gaze.

    Walking out of the shop, Zhou Jingren gave the man a small nod before going back to his car. The peculiarity of the man did not bother him. After all, this world is full of peculiar people.

    And if he wanted to check every person who attempted to talk to him, then he would spend nights and days to do something so pointless. His wife would surely consider this as nothing but a waste of his precious time. The time that he could use to earn profits.

    And as for the man¡¯s question, Zhou Jingren could only say that there is nothing permanent in this world. Emotions are fragile and not many people have the ability to cope with their changes.

    Of course, this emotion does not include his love for his wife.

    ...............................

    The man smiled as he stared at the brand of the hot chocte in his hand. "This is good," he uttered before taking another sip. "I want to buy this shop. Yi, ask someone to give the owner a check tomorrow."

    "Understood." The shorter man named Yi nodded. If Lily was here, she would have easily recognized these two people. After all, they were one of the people who attended theunch for her Harmony Islest year. "Are we going straight to the airport?" he asked. "I already have the first-ss tickets with me."

    "Yes. We are going home." The blue-eyed man smiled and happily drank his hot chocte. "Do you have any news from our people in Luxembourg?"

    "No. Everything is silent. Social unrest is not expected anytime soon. But... we will see. This will still depend on the Grand Duke¡¯s decision."

    "I agree." He nodded, a mysterious smile stered on his face.

    ...................................

    Meanwhile, Lily¡¯s smile instantly grew bigger when she saw Zhou Jingren came back with her milk tea. Her eyes sparkled like a child who just got her first star. "Thank you," she held her hand and epted the tea.

    She then started sipping it before grinning. "You are bing more and more handsome as you grow older. You honestly reminded me of an old-aged wine. You know... the type that only gets tastier as they grow older."

    "If drinking milk tea will make you like this... then I will start making milk tea tomorrow." he answered, amusement apparent in his voice.

    "You will make milk tea for me?" sheughed, unable to believe his words. Isn¡¯t that a waste of his time?

    "Of course.?? A smug smile shone on his face. "I already asked Jichen to buy the machine required tomorrow. I tried looking into some recipes online and it wasn¡¯t that hard." He started drinking his hot chocte. "This is too sweet." He uttered and put it on the nightstand.

    "But it¡¯s good, right?" Lily beamed. "Hey... look at my stomach." She raised her shirt and showed her stomach. "I can feel a little bump but it¡¯s still small, no? I was expecting to have a bulging stomach soon. After all, I am almost three months pregnant."

    "I don¡¯t think it will be that big. Are you sure this isn¡¯t caused by your milk teas?" he touched her stomach and slowly stroked it. "I think it¡¯s just milk tea."

    "Then.... Our child¡¯s nickname will be milk tea." Lily dered. "And I will tell him or her that this was your fault." She put her hand on top of his. "I¡¯m sure he or she will hate you." She then let out a low giggle.

    Zhou Jingren shook his head in response before he leaned down to kiss her lightly on the lips. "I think milk tea is a good nickname. As long as the child will look like you then... I don¡¯t have a problem calling ¡ª Aw!"

    "Why would you want to call our child milk tea if he or she will look like me?" She frowned.

    "Well, because just like a cup of tea you and our child will always make my life better. Aw! Stop pinching me!"

    "Then stop making me cringe!" Lily dramatically hugged herself. "You are making me shiver."

    "I know a lot of ways to make you shiver." He winked. "If you know what I mean." He said before suddenly running away from Lily. He knew what wasing.

    As expected, pillows instantly started flying towards him as heughed at his wife¡¯s antics. "You should stop it... and just thank me for being too sweet." He teased. "A while ago you just said I¡¯m the best husband in the world. Now... you are trying to hurt me with these pillows. I really feel used and abused."

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 592 Karma

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 592 Karma</h4>

    The topic of Yu Yanwan¡¯s disappearance slowly died down. It has been a few days since her husband reported her missing and until now the police didn¡¯t find any traces of her location.

    The absence of proof that someone took Yu Yanwan only made media conclude that she ran away. And she shamelessly took the money from her father¡¯spany.

    "President, Mr. Beau is already on his way for the shareholder¡¯s meeting," Yang Mi said. After Old Man Yu¡¯s funeral, the contents of his will became the focus of everyone in the business industry. After all, the fact that he gave hispany to Lily is very controversial.

    The old man has two sons that are working in hispany. Why give it to someone that he just met a couple of weeks ago? The assumptions that the old man owe Lily and herpany was also part of this rumor.

    Because of this, the stock price of Yu Corp instantly went down. It wasn¡¯t really surprising. This is normal if an important figure in thepany passed. Now that question is... will they be able to get back on their feet now that the CEO Yu Helong also resigned?

    "Good," Lily responded. They are on their way to the shareholder¡¯s meeting with the executives from the Yu Corp. "How about Yu Helong? Is heing?"

    "He is also on his way."

    "Good." Lily nodded. Lily does not like to be a part of Yu Corp. This was something that does not interest her at all. This was also the reason why she did not like to fight with Yu Helong and Yu Tingye about the shares.

    What she did not expect is for them to give up the fight before it even started.

    After knowing that she indeed inherited the shares, Lily was originally nning to sell it to the brothers. After all, thispany belongs to them in the first ce.

    However, since the prices went down, Lily immediately changed her n. If she wanted to profit from these shares, then she needed thepany to recover. And for that, she needed to meet everyone, including the ¡¯retired¡¯ CEO Yu Helong.

    After a few more minutes, Lily arrived in the Yu Corp¡¯s office and went to meet the major shareholders of thepany.

    These men and women were already familiar with Lily and her achievements. Because of this, her ns didn¡¯t meet any objections. Contrary to Lily¡¯s expectations, everyone supported her decision to rehire Yu Helong and have him cooperate with Mr. Beau for the changes that Lily wanted in thepany.

    The only thing that Lily noted in the meeting is Yu Jing¡¯s appearance. The man just sat with his father without saying anything. However, after the meeting concluded, he and his father approached Lily.

    "Alright," Lily smiled and nodded. Yu Jing and his father invited her to Yu Helong¡¯s office for a private conversation. She and Yang Mi followed them to the topmost floor of the building.

    "Is there something that you want to ask?" she asked the moment she sat down in the plush sofa. "I don¡¯t have much time as I needed to have lunch with my husband. So... I am in a hurry."

    "It was about my sister." Yu Helong uttered. "Is she still alive?"

    "I don¡¯t know." Lily shrugged. "Are you nning to find her?"

    "No. I just wanted to make sure that I¡¯m not crazy." Yu Helong said as he sat opposite to Lily. He then let out a sigh. Maybe Lily didn¡¯t really know if his sister is still alive. But... Lily also never said that she is not involved in Yu Yanwan¡¯s disappearance.

    This only confirmed his earlier suspicions. "Thank you for not making it hard for everyone." Yu Helong added. "I hope that we can work together in the future."

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. "Mr. Beau will be in touch with you." She then shifted her gaze towards Yu Jing. "I am assuming that you are training him for the position?" Yu Jing¡¯s ufortable expression instantly made Lily lift an eyebrow.

    Is he afraid of her? She wondered.

    "I am here because... I want to invite you to my wedding." Yu Jing said. While Qiaoqiao was notfortable in seeing Lily in their wedding, Yu Helong and Jiang Ruo were pretty insistent about this matter. "Two months from now. in Shanghai."

    "Qiaoqiao already announced her retirement from showbiz right?" Lily confirmed. She heard Yang Mi mentioned that Qiaoqiao is already living with Yu Jing. It seems that Yu Jing¡¯s n to put Qiaoqiao in a cage finally paid off.

    "Yes. We agreed that she would stay at home after our marriage. Just like my mother." Yu Jing forced a smile. "We will send the invitations a few days from now."

    "Well... congrattions! Yang Mi... please check out my schedule. And prepare a generous gift for the couple." Lily said, her eyes crinkled. Living with a man that you don¡¯t love is enough punishment for someone. However, living with a maniptive and emotionally abusive man like Yu Jing is a different case.

    Lily could not imagine the amount of emotional torture that Qiaoqiao will receive in this marriage. Of course, this does not involve Lily at all. She knew that Yu Jing is a smart man and there is no way that he will allow Qiaoqiao to try to scheme against Lily anymore.

    She met Yu Jing¡¯s eyes as she gave him a knowing smile. Qiaoqiao only brought this to herself. This is her own Karma. In response, Yu Jing avoided Lily¡¯s gaze and started talking about the wedding and the venue.

    Yu Jing was originally nning to question the will that his grandfather left.

    However, after his father told him that his aunt¡¯s disappearance might be connected to Lily and Zhou Jingren, Yu Jing instantly changed his mind. To him, the battle is not worth it at all.

    Yu Jing could give his best and scheme against them. He could contact a few of the influential people that he knew, but even then... he knew that he will not win. There is no way that he will.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 593 Grateful

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 593 Grateful</h4>

    After settling the problem with the Yu Family, another wonderful news reached their ears. George is awake! Isn¡¯t this something that warrants a celebration?

    When Lily heard that George is already awake, she instantly went to the hospital where they transferred him. It was a very jovial day. However, Lily¡¯s excitement was short-lived. Telling George about what happened to Jack is making her anxious.

    Jack was supposed to be George¡¯s heir. He was training him to follow in his footsteps and lead the mafia. Jack¡¯s death would surely devastate him.

    As expected, when Lily informed him about the events that happened when he was in aa. George got quiet. He lowered his head for a few seconds before turning to meet Lily¡¯s eyes. "Did he hurt you?" he asked, his hand clutched the nket in his hospital bed.

    "No, he didn¡¯t. At least... he didn¡¯t have the chance. Jingren rescued me." She forced a smile. Lily was supposed to feel guilt for killing Jack. She was supposed to feel remorse maybe even fear. Would it be wrong to admit that killing Jack gave her the feeling of liberation?

    Would it be wrong to say that she never regretted stabbing him to his death? Lily bit her lower lip as she let out a sigh. "I¡¯m sorry." She uttered. She was not sorry for killing Jack. But she was sorry for George. She was sorry for him having to deal with the aftermath of Jack¡¯s death and actions.

    "I know," George nodded as he held his hand and pat Lily¡¯s shoulder. "But... I couldn¡¯t say that I was not expecting it." He gave a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. "I raised a wolf. I forced him to be one. I knew he wasn¡¯t ready. I never treated him like a son. A machine... maybe. But not a son." He let out a deep sigh.

    George knew that Lily was not sorry for killing Jack. And it is only right that she should not feel regret for doing something that she thought was right. "Jack was the one who poisoned me. He then kidnapped you and forced your brother to work for him. That alone is enough reason for him to die. I just... I just wished that you didn¡¯t kill him yourself." He held Lily¡¯s hands.

    "I¡¯m sorry that you have to do it." He added, his eyes gentle, kind, and warm. "I always knew that he liked you but I just thought... it would pass. I thought it was nothing but an infatuation. I was wrong."

    Lily returned his gentle smile. She lowered her head, hiding the swirl of different emotions in his eyes. Lily understood the ramifications of killing someone. She also understood that George and Zhou Jingren have the same sentiments towards the matter. Both men wanted to protect her from guilt, from the regret and countless sleepless nights.

    However, everything that happened was her choice. And if they would ask her right now... if she would do it again. Lily would dly nod and raised her head to look at them. She would dly do it again to protect Zhou Jingren and herself.

    "Where is Jingren? I haven¡¯t seen him since I woke up. Is he avoiding me?" Amusementced George¡¯s tone. His attempt to lighten the atmosphere instantly paid off. "That man must have been afraid that I will chastise him for not saving you on time!"

    "Will you?" she asked.

    "Of course I will! How dare he not rescue you on time? If it was me... I would have gotten you out of there in two days! That man is¡ª "

    "Is what?" Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice echoed inside the hospital room. He walked inside and kissed Lily¡¯s forehead before looking at George. "I am what?"

    "You are... weak." George said beforeughing. "Lily... I suggest we train this man properly. Now that he will be a father and me a grandfather... we need people who can protect you. We don¡¯t need a weak ally. What do you say?"

    "I can defeat you in hand to handbat in¡ª "

    George and Zhou Jingren started to banter in front of Lily. This led to Lily giggling and nodding at their jokes. The atmosphere instantly turned lighter as the trio started talking about what happened in the past few months.

    This included the Yu Family and Lee Family¡¯s schemes. The conversation was light and carefree. It was something that made Lily¡¯s smiled all throughout the day. The fact that George called himself as a future grandfather made Lily grateful and happy.

    Watching Zhou Jingren and George joke about baby names and who gets to carry the baby first is just... refreshing. Of course, both of them instantly turned silent when Lily said that she will get to carry to the baby first and not them. After all, they are not the one giving birth.

    How could they argue about who gets to carry first as if she was not in the room with them? As for the name of the baby... well, it was also Lily¡¯s right to choose the name. How could they argue about names without even consulting her?

    No way! Lily instantly told them that only she will name her own baby. She is the mother. This should be one of her perks!

    In the end, the duo stopped talking about baby names and started talking about business and Arison Holdings and the future of the Mafia group. Since George is still not yet a hundred percent well, he agreed to let Bei Tian handle the mafia. Then Cathy will take care of Arison Holdings with his other son Liam Arison and Qin Yuanfeng.

    Of course, Zhou Jingren would still keep track of Liam¡¯s actions and make sure that he will not scheme against Lily again. The day with George was very blissful. Everyone had smiles on their faces as they went home and discussed menial stuff about their business.

    "I think... it is time that I introduced George to my father." Lily said with a delighted smile on her face.

    ...

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 594 Security

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 594 Security</h4>

    A few dayster, the constructions at the mansion concluded. With all the unconventional changes that Zhou Jingren made, one could say that the mansion is now the most secure house at The Peak.

    "It¡¯s been rainingtely," Lily said, almostzily. She looked at the view from the balcony. She smiled at the rain-soaked ground and the thousands of liquid orbs falling from the ck clouds above.

    "It¡¯s cold here. Why don¡¯t we go inside?" he uttered. He nced at Lily¡¯s satisfied smile. Slowly, his gaze shifted towards the greeneries bathing at the oblivious rain. He tilted his head towards the sky. "This rain won¡¯t stop anytime soon. We should go inside." He said.

    "Hm." Lily nodded. "I don¡¯t want to leave the bed today. But you have a meeting and I already said that I wille with you."

    "You can always stay here."

    "It¡¯s alright. I would rather be with you in this kind of weather." She eyed his gentle eyes. "A king-size bed without you is just... a bed." She watched as his lips tugged upwards into a silly grin.

    "Do you want some milk tea?" he asked, amusement shed in his eyes.

    "Not in this weather. No... I would rather have you."

    She watched as a tinge of scarlet started to spread in Zhou Jingren¡¯s neck. Lily smiled. "You know that we got married in June, right? But... we never really celebrated our anniversary. I want a celebration!"

    "On our anniversary... you fainted, and we discovered that you were pregnant. I was supposed to surprise you for a trip to Japan for a wedding photo."

    "I know." She beamed. "Jichen told me."

    "He did? I told him not to tell anyone that I rescheduled to trip!" he lifted an eyebrow before he pursed his lips and nodded. "I guess... he forgot that I am still his boss. I should probably remind him that he is still working for me."

    In response, Lilyughed. "Don¡¯t scold him. It was Yang Mi to who told me. She said she ¡¯identally¡¯ saw your schedule in Go Jichen¡¯s tablet. Of course... we know that Jichen is not the type that would allow someone to see your schedule, right?" Lily winked. "I think... the ship is sailing."

    "I told you I am the best matchmaker." He gave a smug smile before he leaned down to kiss her. "Let¡¯s not involve ourselves in their matter. Jichen is secretive and shy. I don¡¯t want him to think that we are trying to y with their emotions."

    "But... that is what you are doing. Manipting them behind the scenes."

    "Of course. I know they are meant to be together. Just like how I know that you are meant for me."

    Lily held her hand in front of Zhou Jingren¡¯s face. "That is enough cringe for today!" she uttered, her eyes wide. "You have a meeting in two hours. We should go."

    Seeing this, Zhou Jingren chuckled and carried his wife inside their room.

    After a few minutes, Lily and Zhou Jingren left the mansion with their bodyguards and Secretary Go.

    "When is your next doctor¡¯s appointment?" Zhou Jingren asked as he eyed Lily. He watched as his wife stared at the pitter-patter of the rain against their windshield.

    "Three days from now," Lily answered. "I think I was scheduled for another blood test."

    "Then I will apany you. How about that dinner with Qin Chuan?"

    "Oh... he ising next week. He said he is nning to introduce us to someone. Must be a business partner."

    "Hispany is doing good. Your father is a talented businessman."

    "Hm. I also think he will ask Qin Yuanfeng to work for him. He must have heard that he is working for the Fi Group." Lily said. Qi Yuanfeng is an asset that fewpanies have. Any businessman would always want someone like him.

    "Are you going to let him go?"

    "You can ask him." Lily shrugged. "If he wanted to leave, then there is no reason enough to convince him to stay. He will only find ways to leave. Plus, he is an adult. He should know whichpany will benefit him the most."

    "You seemed really confident that he won¡¯t leave?"

    Lily chuckled in response. Her eyes were still on the windshield. "Qin Yuanfeng admires you. There is no way that he will leave." Lily could see that Qin Yuanfeng respected Zhou Jingren. "You are the elder brother that he never had." She continued.

    "Then we should let him decide." Zhou Jingren said. "Your father should also know that what he did before is not something that someone like Yuanfeng could easily forget. You should probably talk to Qin Chuan about this."

    "Nah." She smiled. "Let Qin Yuanfeng deal with his emotions like a mature human being. He is already in histe twenties. Once he takes over thepany, he will be the CEO of a conglomerate. I would not want him to be one of those cold CEO with something in their brains. A mature human who can¡¯t handle their emotions like a man."

    "What are you talking about?" Zhou Jingrenughed and shook his head. He then shifted his gaze towards their driver. "What is going on?" he asked when he felt the car came to a stop. Not long after, his phone rung. Seeing it was Secretary Go, he instantly answered it.

    "What happened?"

    "President it was an ident. Because of the rain, we didn¡¯t see the caring out of the driveway. It was a small one. I will deal with it."

    "Go ahead. Just give them our card. There is no need to prolong the matter." Zhou Jingren ended the call. For security reasons, Zhou Jingren and Lily are using two cars at the same time.

    One car is for Secretary Go and one guard while the other is for Zhou Jingren and Lily with another driver. Zhou Jingren also rode in different cars every day. Since he wanted to keep Lily secured, he decided to go all out and make sure that no one would be able to predict the car that they are riding for the day.

    However, after a few minutes, he received another call from Go Jichen. "Is it done?" he asked.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

    Check this out: https://forums.soompi/topic/451878-original--the-viins-wife/

 Chapter 595 Twins

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 595 Twins</h4>

    Zhuo Jingren frowned. "Then tell her to talk to ourwyers." He said as he eyed the rain outside. "We need to go now. I don¡¯t want to bete."

    "President, the woman asked if we could take her to the hospital. She suffered some trauma from the ident." Go Jichen answered on the other line.

    "Go ahead and take her. I will leave with Lily." Zhou Jingren then ended the call and told the driver to leave Go Jichen and the car behind. After she heard the conversation, Lily eyed the car in front of them and looked at the woman standing in the rain. She watched as Go Jichen escorted the tall, blond woman inside his car to probably take her to the hospital.

    Then Lily eyed the Lamborghini sports car that the woman was driving. Maybe it was because of the rain, but Lily could not see any damage to the car. Maybe there was a dent, but she was sure that there was no life-threatening damage from the ident.

    Still, it could easily give someone trauma. She decided to stop thinking about it and leaned against Zhou Jingren¡¯s shoulder instead. The sound of the rain is making her sleepy again.

    The drive from the mansion to Zhou Jingren¡¯s office took a little more time because of the rain and the little ident that they encountered. Nevertheless, Zhou Jingren still made it to his meeting with his recent clients.

    As he was busy with his meetings, Lily spent her time reading books as she waited for Yang Mi and Qin Yuanfeng to arrive.

    "You are sote." Sheined when she saw Qin Yuanfeng enter Zhou Jingren¡¯s office with hisptop in hand. However, thetter did not answer her. Instead, he sat opposite to Lily, opened hisptop, and started typing furiously.

    "What is wrong with him?" Lily asked Yang Mi, who followed behind Qin Yuanfeng.

    "He won¡¯t say anything." Yang Mi answered. "The rain is terrible. I hate it."

    "Hm. You will love it soon." Lily grinned. "Do you have the thing that I asked?"

    "Yes... Here." When ites to business and assignments, Yang Mi is very prompted and strict. She is also very dedicated and hardworking. Maybe this was one of the reasons why Lilian decided to make her Lily¡¯s secretary. "Mr. Qi and Mr. Zhou have been having meetingstely. Zhou Huifang is investing in Qi Xia¡¯spany so the meetings looked normal."

    She handed Lily some images. "Yuanfeng got this from CCTV¡¯s around Beijing and Shanghai. They have been meeting a doctor and thiswyer." She pointed at another man. "Since they are of the same age, no one really found this meeting suspicious."

    "So... this Zhou Huifang asked Zhuo Jingren¡¯s father to assign him in the province? One of their faraway branches?" Lily uttered as she looked at the current information about Zhou Huifang. "And this Qi Xia... I thought Bei Tian handled the situation with this man after that Christmas party at the orphanage?"

    "Well... they didn¡¯t find him there and you ¡ª Um the ident with Jack Arison happened after the new year so... I don¡¯t think we had the time to deal with him. After a few weeks, President Zhou also dealt with Zhou Kang so everyone thought that it would be alright since we already cut off the head of the snake."

    "That is true." Lily nodded at Yang Mi¡¯s words. "Then... this only meant that Qi Xia is doing this because he had his own reasons and not because he wanted to get close to Zhou Kang and the Zhou Family."

    "And this Zhou Huifang..." Lily narrowed her eyes. "It seems that he is still dreaming. He needs a wake-up call." She uttered before turning towards her brother. "Yuanfeng... can you please make that program that detects mentions and faces? I want to know everything about this Zhou Huifang. He seemed so confident to talk to Chen Shi."

    "Hmmm." Qin Yuanfeng nodded without looking at her.

    "Also... " the smile on Lily¡¯s face turned mysterious. "Are you interested in making a software that could?? you know... something that could track our enemies? I know it is illegal to tap into private phone conversations or... security ess to a certain household." Lily cleared her throat. "Of course... these are just examples. I¡¯m sure you can¡¯t do anything illegal. I mean¡ª "

    "I can do that." Qin Yuanfeng turned towards Lily. "That¡¯s not too hard."

    "Really?" her smile grew wider she then started talking about other things such as making robots and spying on the cameras of the other buildings. Anyone who was listening could easily say that Lily was talking nonsense. But this was all on the outside. If someone with decerning eyes would listen to the conversation, they would see that while Lily does not have the knowledge Qin Yuanfeng has, she handled the conversation very well.

    She then emphasized the importance of Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s knowledge as she praised him. Then slowly, Lily talked about other silly stuff that would hook her brother more and more into the conversation.

    Maybe this was Lily being maniptive. Or maybe this was her trying to make her twin brother feel that she values him.

    "So an algorithm sounds real hard, huh." Lily smiled gently as Qin Yuanfeng started talking about programming and the difficulties that he faced.

    Then the duo started talking about some of Lily¡¯s ideas that involved business and of course.... money.

    The more Yang Mi listened to the twin¡¯s conversation, the more she realized that Lily and Qin Yuanfeng are not so different after all. While Lily¡¯s goal was profit, Qin Yuanfeng wanted to challenge himself and his skills. Two opposing goals. Two unique sets of skills. But, these two could easily make a deadlybination.

    Yang Mi sighed. She knew that these two are only talking about this because President Zhou is not here. She was sure that Zhou Jingren would not allow his wife to look like a hooligan. Or maybe he will.

    In the end, Yang Mi only shook her head. Lily¡¯s own charisma is already working on his brother. Sooner orter, she was sure that these two will wreak havoc in the business world once again. Wait... that was a wrong statement.

    Eventually, Lily with the help of her husband and her brother, will soon wreak havoc in the business world again.

    Not long after, their conversation was interrupted when Go Jichen walked inside. "Madam someone wants to see President Zhou. I know that President Zhou is still in a meeting so I am wondering if I will let her inside first."

    "Are you talking about the woman from earlier?" Lily lifted an eyebrow.

    "Yes, Madam. She insisted oning here to thank President Zhou for allowing her to go to the hospital. She does not have a change of clothing so¡ª "

    "Wait..." Lily interrupted him. "First, she went out of her car even if its raining and asked you to take her to the hospital because the ident traumatized her? Then now she is here... wanting to thank my husband with her wet clothes on?"

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 596 Kowtowed

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 596 Kowtowed</h4>

    Silence permeated the room. When Secretary Go realized the meaning behind Lily¡¯s words, his face instantly turned ugly.

    "My apologies Madam, I will send her out of the building now." He gave her a low bow. He wondered how that woman was able to convince her to bring her here. "This will now happen again." He added, regret and guilt shing in his face.

    "Bring her outside of the office. Since she is so grateful to the man who didn¡¯t drive her to the hospital, then... we should let her." Lily gave a dismissive wave. She then eyed Yang Mi and as expected, thetter was ring daggers at Secretary Go. Lilyughed inwardly before she stood and followed Secretary Go outside of Zhou Jingren¡¯s office.

    Shenguidly stood at the door of Zhou Jingren¡¯s office, crossing her arms in front of her as she leaned against the wall. After a few seconds, a woman wearing a coat on top of her wet dress walked towards the office. When the woman saw Lily standing, she paused. Confusionced her eyes. She shifted her gaze towards Secretary Go, questions apparent in her face.

    "I heard you wanted to thank Secretary Go¡¯s boss for allowing you to go to the hospital?" Lily smiled.

    "I ¡ª Yes... My name is Adalind Brooke. I was supposed to visit my cousin living at The Peak this morning when the ident happened." Adalind forced a smile. "I was umm ¡ª I was expecting to talk to Mr. Go¡¯s boss?"

    "I am the boss... of his boss." Lily¡¯s smile slowly turned into one of mockery. She watched as more confusion swirl in the woman¡¯s eyes.

    "Oh... I was um expecting that... well, nevermind then. I want to thank you for letting him drive me to the hospital. And I am sorry for the incident earlier. I know I wasted your time earlier so... I ummm... I could pay you for the disturbance¡ª "

    "Fifty thousand in check please." Lily beamed. Surprise reced the confusion in Adalind¡¯s eyes.

    "I¡¯m sorry?" she wanted to confirm that she heard the right thing.

    "Fifty thousand for the disturbance." Lily¡¯s watched as the woman¡¯s jaw dropped. Disbelief shed in her eyes. How could Lily demand an amount when she knew Adalind¡¯s words were nothing but a part ofmon courtesy?

    Seeing Adalind¡¯s reaction, Lily forced down theughter from her throat. First, the ident. What kind of woman would just go out in the rain without an umbre or anything that could protect her from the weather? Second is the hospital. Trauma? Really?

    Lily sneered inwardly.

    Then she wanted to thank Zhou Jingren for allowing Go Jichen to drive her to the hospital? For some reason, this irritated Lily to the core. The woman thought thanking Zhou Jingren was more important than changing into decent clothing!

    If Lily was a normal woman, she would think nothing about this matter. However, she was Lily, and scheming runs in her blood. She narrowed her eyes at Adalind. The ident seemed orchestrated to have Zhou Jingren bring her to the hospital.

    However, it was obvious that she miscalcted as she does not know which car Zhou Jingren was using. Lily turned to look at Yang Mi, who was standing behind her. She met Yang Mi¡¯s knowing eyes and thetter silently nodded before turning towards her tablet.

    "I did not bring my checkbook with me. But... I can call my cousin. Please give me a minute." Adalind answered. She immediately dialed her phone and started talking to someone. Lily waited for the call to end before she smiled at Adalind.

    "Alright... then I guess... you will have to wait in the waiting room until you get your check?" Lily said as she nced at the woman¡¯s wet clothes. She didn¡¯t wait for her to utter another word as she shifted her gaze to Secretary Go. "You should apany her in the lobby. After all... you two already hit it off."

    Lily turned her back against them and walked inside Zhou Jingren¡¯s office. The smile on her face instantly vanished. How could women still try to covet her husband? Irritation sprang inside her. She tried to calm herself and use her logic, but it seems that her emotions are winning.

    She sighed before closing her eyes. Pregnancy, she uttered inwardly. "Do you have anything for me?" she uttered.

    "That woman is the cousin of Mrs. Randolf. The woman who wanted to buy the mansion." Yang Mi said. "Miss Adalind Brooke winner of a modeling reality show. She modeled for prominent brands in Paris and Mn during Fashion Week. Twenty-four years old, single from Ohio, USA."

    "A model," Lily uttered. This could exin the woman¡¯s tall and slim physique. She then recalled the woman who tried to buy the mansion on their viewing day. There was nothing memorable about the woman aside from her attitude. Lily smiled. "Alright."

    Seeing Lily¡¯s sinister smile, Yang Mi turned silent. She then handed Lily a bottle of water. This was the reason why young and handsome CEO¡¯s in Europe does not really attract Yang Mi¡¯s attention. She always felt that a lot of people will try to seduce men of influence.

    Maybe this is a normal thing as it is only natural for someone to dream of having power and influence. However, Yang Mi thought that this life is very chaotic. She would not stand a chance in this kind of lifestyle.

    Her thoughts were interrupted when Secretary Go suddenly strode inside and knelled in front of Lily. The action was nimble and quick that even Yang Mi was unprepared for it. Secretary Go kowtowed while he apologized profusely.

    "Stop it," Lily eyed Yang Mi and in response, thetter instantly helped Secretary Go up. "That was weird. Don¡¯t do that again." This was an order. Lily is not a goddess. She felt that she does not deserve that kind of... apology.

    "I thought I told you to apany her?" Lily asked, her gaze darted towards Secretary Go¡¯s red forehead.

    "Her cousin arrived after a few minutes and just gave the check. Miss Brooke wanted to give it to you in person, but her cousin Mrs. Randolf insisted that they leave so she could change her clothing."

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 597 Thrill

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 597 Thrill</h4>

    "What were you thinking?" La Randolf wanted to curse the woman sitting next to her. "Really? Adalind? Is there something wrong with you?"

    In response, Adalind rolled her eyes. "Did I do something wrong? I only wanted to see him. It¡¯s not like I was nning to steal him or something."

    "That¡¯s stupid. You are here to have a vacation and not flirt with a married man, again."

    "You are making it sound as if flirting with a married man is such a terrible thing to do. La... you know me. I always wanted a challenge."

    La looked at her cousin in disbelief before shifting her gaze back to the road. She pursed her lips. "The men here have different views from your ex-boyfriends in the US."

    "What are you talking about? Men are alike. They have two brains and they can¡¯t use both at the same time." Adalind smiled. "I am not giving up though."

    La let out a deep sigh. She always knew that her cousin is very hard-headed. So convincing him not to ruin another marriage is futile. "Your choice then. Just... don¡¯t call me when you need help. I will leave with my husband tomorrow night."

    Adalind pouted. She folded her arms across her chest. "You should stop treating me like a kid. And I am really bored alright? You can¡¯t me me for having just a little fun."

    "Yeah... it¡¯s obvious that you enjoyed it." Sarcasmced La¡¯s tone as she eyed her cousin¡¯s wet clothes. "If you keep doing stupid things like this... I don¡¯t know... Uncle and Aunt sent you here so you could fix your life. If they knew that you are once again looking for men to entice then I can¡¯t help you out anymore."

    "Then don¡¯t tell them," Adalind answered nonchntly. "Once you leave, I get to live at your house right? Just tell them... I am safe and is enjoying my vacation in your mansion."

    La turned quiet. Since she was not able to buy the mansion that Mr. And Mrs. Zhou bought, she promised her cousin that she could stay in their house after they leave Hong Kong. Now, she didn¡¯t know if she should still allow her to upy her home, knowing that she is already back hunting married men.

    "What¡¯s with that look?" Adalind asked. "I already told mother and father that you agreed to let me stay. So... you can¡¯t back out now."

    "Uncle and Aunt only wanted the best for you. And yet... here you are ruining your future because you wanted to have a challenge. Just because of a little fun."

    "La... you can¡¯t say something like that. You have never experienced the thrill of having sex while their wives are sleeping next door. Or... almost getting caught or having sex in the car. Now that I thought about it... your life is so tedious."

    "It is not boring." La frowned.

    "You always travel from country to country with your busy husband. Is that even enjoyable? You should have fun sometimes."

    "If your definition of fun is sleeping with a married man for the sake of thrill, then... thank you very much. I will pass."

    "Come on! You are such a saint." Adalind rolled her eyes as she looked at the drenched sidewalk. "Sex is human nature. You should enjoy it before your libido decreases."

    La chose not to answer her cousin. It was pointless. They are opposite when ites to their views. Adalind is the type of woman that does not really believe in marriage and staying with one partner for the rest of her life. This was the exact opposite of La¡¯s beliefs.

    "Alright... if you really don¡¯t want to enjoy life with me... then it¡¯s fine. Just don¡¯t me me once you are already wrinkled and you still haven¡¯t enjoyed your life as I did." Adalindughed. Her eyes crinkled as she shifted her gaze at her cousin¡¯s unamused expression.

    Life is too short. Why not enjoy it while you can?

    ......

    Meanwhile, Lily never mentioned the incident to Zhou Jingren. She does not see any point in doing so. Her husband is already busy with work and catering to her needs. She would not want him to think about these irrelevant matters.

    Moreover, it was a brief interaction. There is no point in mulling over something like that. But this does not mean that Secretary Go would not tell Zhou Jingren about what happened.

    Secretary Go could not stop himself from apologizing over and over for what he did. In the end, Zhou Jingren sighed and asked him to stop kowtowing. He also asked him not to talk about this matter again. After all, Lily never mentioned it to him. This only meant that her wife didn¡¯t find this relevant at all.

    He also told Go Jichen to avoid women like that. A woman ensnaring a man for their own hidden agenda ismon in the business industry. Espionage has caused the downfall of manypanies. In fact, some downfall was caused by some fox-like women who created chaos inside thepany.

    A few dayster, Zhou Jingren and Lily received an apology letter and some gifts from Mr. and Mrs. Randolf.

    "It is only natural that you gain some weight." Zhou Jingren noted when Lily asked him if she gained some weight. "But no... I think you need more food and milk tea." He uttered as she helped her zip her dress. "This dress really suits you."

    "Thank you." Lily beamed. She handed Zhou Jingren a ne that Fernando made a couple of years ago. Without saying anything, Zhou Jingren sped the ne around her neck. "Are you sure... you¡¯re noting with me and Yuanfeng?" she asked. Tonight, Lily and Qin Yuanfeng is nning to meet with Qin Chuan.

    "No... you should have some time with your father and brother alone. I will be with George. Just text me when you are ready for me to pick you up." Zhou Jingren said as he kissed her temples. He then looked at their reflection in the full body mirror in front of them. "You are so beautiful." He uttered before kissing her again.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 598 Small Needles

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 598 Small Needles</h4>

    "I know, right?" Lily grinned. "You are so lucky." She added before turning towards him. She kissed his lips. "We should go now."

    "Hm." He nodded and led Lily out of their closet. After a couple of minutes, Lily and Zhou Jingren arrived in a hotel where they will have the dinner that Lily scheduled with her father.

    "Call me once you are done." Zhou Jingren reminded. Seeing Lily nod, he leaned forward to give her a kiss. He then instructed Lily¡¯s two bodyguards to keep their eyes on her. After making sure that Lily reached the restaurant safely, Zhou Jingren left to see George.

    Meanwhile, Lily instantly spotted Qin Yuanfeng standing at the entrance of the restaurant. She smiled. "Why are you standing here?" she asked. "Is he already inside?"

    Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s face turned stiff. He stared at Lily¡¯s face for a few seconds before he answered. "He is with someone."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Let¡¯s go." Qin Yuanfeng said before leading her inside. The moment Lily spotted her father, the smile on her face vanished as if it was never there in the first ce. She stood a few feet away, eyes narrowed at the woman sitting next to her father. She felt her world stopped revolving as she saw the woman¡¯s features.

    "Lily! Yuanfeng!" Qin Chuan instantly beamed when he spotted them. He stood from his seat, smiling. "Come... I want you to meet someone." His cheerful voice woke Lily up from her stupor.

    "Let¡¯s go," Qin Yuanfeng walked alongside Lily. His face is equally nk as Lily¡¯s expression.

    "Everyone please meet my good friend, Miss Su Ma." Qin Chuan¡¯s delighted expression only made Lily more irritated. She sat opposite to the woman named Su Ma and waited for her brother to sit next to her. "She is a voice actress that I met in one of my recent trips to Wujin district. She is also known as..."

    "The voice actress who never showed her face in any the public." Qin Yuanfeng finished his father¡¯s statement. "I remember." As someone who spent most of his time with hisptop, he had stumbled upon some forums online about this woman.

    Su Ma¡¯s face turned red at Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s words. She gave a gentle smile as she stood from her seat and bowed towards the siblings. "Mr. Qin told me a lot about you and your sister. It is my honor to meet you." Her soft voice reached Lily¡¯s ears. She then sat back on her chair and poured some tea to Lily and Qin Yuanfeng.

    "Please ept this tea. This is the specialty of our restaurant."

    "You own this ce?" Qin Yuanfeng asked.

    "Yes." Su Ma smiled. "I used all my savings to start this oriental restaurant back in Wujin. After a few years, I got lucky and was able to branch out in Hong Kong. Imagine my surprise when Mr. Qin told me that we will have dinner here?"

    Su Ma held the tea in front of Lily, who was still staring at her. "Is there something wrong, Miss Lily?" she asked, her brows furrowed. "I ¡ª Did I say something that made you ufortable?" she asked.

    In response, Lily epted the teacup however, she didn¡¯t drink it. Instead, she ced it in front of her. "It¡¯s too hot for my tastebuds." It was a silly reason. However, this was the only thing that she could think of at this moment.

    Lily watched as Su Ma nodded and smiled. "Oh... my apologies. I will ask someone to rece it." She then turned towards an attendant and give specific instructions about the tea.

    Meanwhile, Lily only stared at the woman¡¯s features that were clearly identical to herte mother, Bec Fi¡¯s face. The woman was obviously shorter than her mother. This Su Ma was about 5¡¯1 or 5 feet tall while her mother was 5¡¯4.

    Ideas ¡ª various ideas swirled in Lily¡¯s mind.

    "Lily... I am so d that you were able to attend today." Qin Chuan¡¯s voice made Lily snapped out of her theories. "Miss Yang Mi told me that you are rather busy. So... I was hesitant toe here.???

    "She was very busy." It was Qin Yuanfeng. When Qin Yuanfeng saw Lily¡¯s nk reaction earlier, he already knew that she would be too troubled for this meeting. "Also... she just acquired anotherpany. So her schedule was extremely tight." He added.

    "Is that so?" Qin Chuan looked at his daughter. Ignoring the questions in Lily¡¯s eyes, he continued, "I heard that you are already working with the Fi Group?" He asked his son.

    "Yes... I am."

    "You two are already talking about business." Su Ma chimed in. "We haven¡¯t even ordered something. Why don¡¯t we make our orders before you start talking about your jobs?"

    "Oh! Of course... here... you already know what I wanted to eat. Please make the order for me. How about you, Lily? Yuanfeng? What would you like to eat?"

    Lily instantly lifted an eyebrow at her father¡¯s words. She nced at her father¡¯s bright face. His hair was groomed properly, his eyes sparkled under the light of the chandelier as his lips slightly lifted into a gentle smile. He looked younger and... happier.

    For some reason, Lily felt a brief tug in her heart. She shifted her gaze towards Su Ma that was happily looking at the menu. Memories of her mother... good and bad ones resurfaced in her head, like small needles reminding her of what transpired in the past.

    "Here... Lily wanted to have the Sichuan pork and Shrimp with Vermicelli and Garlic." Qin Yuanfeng answered. When he saw Lily¡¯s reaction earlier, he already knew that she would act this way. After all, Lily grew up with their mother. Unlike him, she was lucky enough to hold their mother¡¯s hands and hugged her. "Hey... I remember that Jingren mention about milk teas? Would you like some?" He asked. Hoping that it was enough to calm the currents of emotions in Lily¡¯s eyes.

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 599 Acciden

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 599 iden</h4>

    "Just some warm water," Lily answered. Slowly, she balled her hands into a fist, her knuckles turning white. Lily turned her gaze away from Su Ma. "Thank you," she uttered. She knew what was Qin Yuanfeng trying to do and she was very grateful for his help. "So... you met in Wujin."

    "Yes, we did. It was really an ident." Su Ma smiled. "I was on my bike. I always bike every morning just to relieve stress. At that time someone called me on my phone and I didn¡¯t notice Mr. Qin crossing the street." She used her hand to cover her mouth as she let out a giggle. "It was a silly ident."

    "Well... it was a good type of ident." Qin Chuan mused.

    "Why would you say that?" Lily asked before she chastised herself inwardly. She could feel herself control slipping. She knew that the result won¡¯t pleasant once she let her inner self win. She bit her lips and lowered her eyes at her phone.

    She stared at the home-screen image on her phone. It was her wedding photo with Zhou Jingren. She was wearing her red gown in his arms, smiling as thetter tried to maintain a calm expression. Slowly, Lily felt herself calm down.

    But, Lily didn¡¯t try to correct herself. She stared at Qin Chuan and Su Ma¡¯s ufortable expression and smiled. "Are you married?" she asked Su Ma.

    "I ¡ª " Su Ma avoided Lily¡¯s eyes.

    "She is not." Qin Chuan answered, his voice had a tinge of authority. But it was not enough to intimidate Lily. "She just lost her husband a few years ago."

    "Oh... then are you in a rtionship with Qin Chuan?" Lily continued as she watched her father¡¯s expression changed. Her calling him Qin Chuan did not miss his ears.

    Su Ma¡¯s eyes widened at Lily¡¯s questions. Her face turned red as she looked at Qin Chuan¡¯s way. "I ¡ª I don¡¯t know."

    "Yes, we are." Qin Chuan¡¯s voice echoed after Su Ma¡¯s answer. He then met Su Ma¡¯s eyes and held her hand. "I realized that we are not getting any younger. So why waste time? We are not some teenagers who haven¡¯t experienced love before. I think you already know that I liked you since I met you."

    "Chuan... I... this is embarrassing."

    "Do you think having feelings for someone is embarrassing?" he asked, his eyes turned gentle.

    "I ¡ª No. But your children are here. We should¡ª "

    "No." Qin Chuan stubbornly shook his head. "The other reason I wanted you to meet them is so I could do this... let them know that I am in love. I am happy and hope that they will wish us well." He then shifted his eyes towards Qin Yuanfeng, then towards Lily.

    "Chuan... let¡¯s not do this here." Su Ma forced a smile on her face. "It is embarrassing." She turned towards Lily. "Miss Lily, please don¡¯t mind us."

    "Oh!" Lily gave a mirthless smile as she waved her hand dismissively. "I don¡¯t mind. We are all adults here. Surely, doing stuff like that in front of your children whom you haven???t seen for months should not be that embarrassing." Animosity coated Lily¡¯s words. "Right?"

    "I ¡ª Please forgive him this time." Su Ma said. "He was lonely and was in a gloomy ce when we met."

    "Really?" She feigned surprise. "I thought... he has been like that for thest twenty years or so of his life?"

    "Lily," Qin Chuan uttered in a gloomy voice.

    "Is there something wrong?" She smiled. "You know... all these public disys of affection are making me hungry. Perhaps... we can stop this for twenty minutes and we can concentrate on eating? I really cannot wait to leave this ce."

    "Lily!"

    "It¡¯s alright." Su Ma held Qin Chuan¡¯s arm. "I always knew she would not ept me. I already told you that she won¡¯t just ept this. We should just..." Su Ma didn¡¯t continue her words. Tears instantly started streaming down her cheeks. "I should just... This is a terrible idea. Just call me once this is all done." Su Ma wiped the tears in her eyes as she rose from her seat.

    "Where are you going?" He held her hand. "Are you going to leave?"

    Su Ma eyed the other guests that were now looking at them. She shook her head. "Let¡¯s talk once we are all calm. We are attracting everyone¡¯s attention." She used her other hand to remove Qin Chuan¡¯s hand. "Call me." Without waiting for him to say another word, Su Ma walked out of the restaurant alone.

    "Someone told me I have the talent in making people speechless. Now... I guess I also have a hidden talent of making people walked out on their own." Lily shrugged as she met her father¡¯s angry eyes.

    "How dare you do that to Su Ma?"

    "Su Ma? Oh... you mean the woman who looked exactly like my mother?" Lily narrowed her eyes at Qin Chuan. As expected, thetter¡¯s expression changed, his furious eyes vanished.

    "I just¡ª "

    "You were guilty. I get that." Lily said. "But... that poor woman... is not my mother. Does she even know that she looked like her?"

    Qin Chuan turned quiet. He never told Su Ma about his past simply because he was afraid that she will judge him. He was afraid that she will leave.

    "I see." Lily nodded. "Did you check her background? Her past?"

    "What are you trying to say?" Qin Chuan frowned. "Are you trying to say that she is trying to seduce me?"

    "Why are you being so defensive?" Qin Yuanfeng spoke. Since Qin Yuanfeng didn¡¯t have the chance to met their mother, his emotions are not as intense as Lily¡¯s.

    "So... you didn¡¯t do any background check. You just let her get close to you because she looked like my mother?" Lily rified. "Tell me... are you really my father? The stupidity here is just... mind-boggling, I can¡¯t even believe that you didn¡¯t even have her checked!"

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 600 Complicated Things

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 600 Complicated Things</h4>

    "I was originally nning on proposing tonight," Qin Chuan uttered.

    "But we ruin it." Qin Yuanfeng snorted. He turned towards Lily and as expected, Qin Chuan¡¯s words were not enough to remove the smile on her face. Qin Yuanfeng already knew what wasing. He shifted his gaze towards his father.

    "Then... please don¡¯t contact me again. I don¡¯t want to see you anymore." Lily¡¯s said calmly. She then stood from her seat and look at Qin Chuan. "This is a case of pure stupidity. I don¡¯t want to associate myself with stupid people."

    "You ¡ª " Qin Chuan didn¡¯t continue his words when Lily started walking away from him. His face turned serious. He could not understand why Lily would react this way. Maybe a proposal is wrong, but it didn¡¯t happen. So is it really worth cutting their rtionship like this?

    Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s sigh brought him out of his stupor. He watched as disappointmentced his son¡¯s eyes. "Don¡¯t tell me..."

    "I am going." Qin Yuanfeng interrupted him. "We made mistakes in the past. Let¡¯s learn from it. Instead of sumbing to our own emotions... let¡¯s think about the effects of our actions instead." He stood from his seat and strode out of the restaurant to catch up to Lily.

    With his huge strides, Qin Yuanfeng easily caught up to Lily. He stared at her side profile for a few seconds as he carefully thought of the words that he would say.

    Maybe it was harsh, but the truth is, Qin Yuanfeng is not really that affected. He does not care much about his father and the only reason why he is still seeing him is that Lily and Zhou Jingren urged him to.

    There was a time when Qin Yuanfeng felt a lot of emotions. He felt so much that he became numb. Then he felt nothing. He does not sympathize with his father and the only person that he sincerely wanted to get close to is Lily and Zhou Jingren.

    A sigh left his mouth. He decided againstforting Lily. Qin Yuanfeng is not very good with words and he feared that he will say the wrong thing.

    "Zhou Jingren is still with George. I already book a ride." Lily uttered. She eyed the descending number at the elevator and clenched her jaw.

    Qin Yuanfeng nodded. "Are you ¡ª Are you hungry?" He was supposed to ask if she was alright. Yet, in the end, he chose to change his words. Lily was a smart woman. Surely, she will not let something like this ruin her mood.

    "I will eat at home," she uttered.. The duo left the elevator with Lily¡¯s bodyguard and walked towards the ride that she booked.

    "Do you think I overreacted?" Lily asked the moment the car started moving. She eyed Qin Yuanfeng that was sitting next to her.

    "I think... emotions areplicated things. I can¡¯t really say if you overreacted or not since I didn¡¯t know what you felt at that time." Qin Yuanfeng answered. He carefullyid out his words, hoping that it won¡¯t make Lily more irritated.

    "Fair enough," Lily leaned against her seat. She closed her eyes and let out another sigh. Her mother¡¯s death and that ident caused her countless nightmares. It is only normal for her to react this way.

    After all... her mother died protecting her.

    "I will investigate that woman." Qin Yuanfeng said. He watched Lily¡¯s eyes fluttered as she nodded at his words.

    The ride towards the Mansion was clouded with ominous silence. The siblings were in their own worlds as they thought about the past and what could happen in the future.

    Lily¡¯s thoughts however differ greatly from her brother¡¯s. Her gut is telling her that something is definitely wrong about Qin Chuan and Su Ma¡¯s meeting. The simrities of how Qin Chuan and Bec met and how he met this Su Ma was not some coincidence.

    Or maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe it was really fate that brought the two together. Maybe it was destiny.

    Lily snorted at her own thoughts. She does not believe in coincidences and by now she was sure that in her life, coincidences does not happen.

    ...

    Zhang Residence.

    Chen Shi instantly furrowed her brows when she heard Chen Luan¡¯s news. She looked at Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s file in front of her and narrowed her eyes at the simrity that the man has with Lily. This alone is enough to irritate her even more. "Can¡¯t we find someone that works in the Fi Group? Maybe someone working under him? Seducing a man like this could be quite challenging. However, it will be worth it in the end."

    "Unfortunately, this man is very... for theck of terms... Irrational. His behavior is unpredictable. He is antisocial and does not attend gathering outside of work. He is also very silent and is always looking at hisputer as if his life depended on it."

    "Men like these should be very easy to handle." Chen Shi uttered. "He does not have friends and is not close to anyone. They just need a little attention and affection. Any woman could do that."

    She eyed Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s image and sneered. "Can¡¯t we just pay someone to seduce him? Everyone has weaknesses. It is so easy to get close to an introvert like this man." In Chen Shi¡¯s mind, manipting a man and a rtionship is easy. Men are weak creatures. Give them a little skin, act weak, make them feel manly, make them feel needed and they would easily sumb to your charms.

    This does not require science orplicatedputations at all. To Chen Shi, men are simple. They don¡¯t need that much effort. Just a little brain and tears and they will be someone¡¯s knight in shining armor.

    "I will try to contact more people." Chen Luan answered. "Mr. Qi and Mr. Zhou had been calling ustely. They have been asking for progress."

    "Don¡¯t answer them." Chen Shi hissed. "How about my daughter? Do we have any idea where she is?" Chen Shi was still so busy with herpany and marriage that she still haven¡¯t had the chance to meet with her ex-husband.

    This issue had caused her a lot of stress and time that she was forced to agree to Qi Xia and Zhou Huifang¡¯s proposal of working together.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

    600 CHAPTERS! Thank you for staying with me.

 Chapter 601 His Destiny

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 601 His Destiny</h4>

    After that dinner, Lily thought Qin Chuan would not have the courage to see her again. She was wrong.

    The very next day, Qin Chuan went to see Lily alone in the mansion. It was something that he felt he needed to do before leaving Hong Kong to talk to Su Ma. Surprisingly, Lily did not refuse to see him.

    "This is a very beautiful house," Qin Chuan eyed the enormous mansion in front of them. His gaze shifted towards Lily¡¯s humorless expression. "I wanted to apologize for what I didst night." His gaze darted towards the pool next to them as he let out a sigh. "It was a mistake."

    "What was?" she asked.

    "Cornering you like that. I know it was supposed to be a family dinner. I ¡ª I just thought we are all mature enough to handle the situation."

    "Are you here to apologize or to tell me that I am not mature enough to cope?" she lifted an eyebrow at the absence of emotion in Qin Chuan¡¯s voice. Really? The man showed himself her to call her someone immature?

    Disbelief shed in Lily¡¯s eyes as an evil thought clouded her mind.

    "It wasn¡¯t like that." Qin Chuan frowned. He met Lily¡¯s eyes. "I just want you to be more reasonable. Be more logical."

    "Exin."

    Qin Chuan pursed her lips at Lily¡¯s authoritative tone. He instantly wondered if Lily¡¯s wordsst night about cutting him off was true. "At first the only reason why I wanted to get close to Su Ma was that she looked a lot like Bec. I mean... I made some research. Some people can look the same, simr. So I thought... why not? There is really nothing wrong with getting close to someone that looked like the woman that you loved."

    Lily folded her arms across her chests as she gave Qin Chuan a nk look. Last night, she and Zhou Jingren had a lengthy conversation about the matter. In the end, they concluded that what Lily did was right. Her mental health is still the most important, especially now that she is pregnant with their child.

    Cutting off someone that could potentially cause her stress and more problems were only right.

    "Well... I was wrong. Su Ma is... kind and gentle. She is both funny and stern. She is also very hardworking. Falling for her was really easy." Qin Chuan added. "I know you are still affected because of how she looks. But... our hearts really cannot choose who we fall in love with."

    "Silly," Lily responded. "It¡¯s a chemical reaction in our brains. Of course, we can¡¯t dictate who we fall in love with." Her words instantly made Qin Chuan nod. "However, we can choose who we invest these emotions. We chose who we spend our time with. We chose who we date. At the end of the day, it still boils down to our choices."

    "You can¡¯t stop yourself from falling. But you can always choose to avoid situations where you might fall in love with someone." Lily added. "I am not ming you. Seeing a person who looks like your dead beloved should have some reactions in your brains."

    ??If you don¡¯t me me, then why the hostile reaction?" he asked, his tone calm. He already thought that it was only because Lily was highly emotional as the result of her pregnancy. "Lily... listen." He leaned towards her. "I ¡ª I was not there when you grow up and I understand why you are distant. However, I only wanted to get close to you and even Yuanfeng. I want to be a part of your lives."

    "I never expected that I would meet someone like Su Ma." Qin Chuan added. "To be honest, I never thought that I would still like someone as much as I liked your mother. This is not a part of my calctions. This is not a part of my ns. I ¡ª I just hope that you could give a chance."

    "A chance for what?" she hissed before quickly calming herself down. "I already told you... I don¡¯t want to associate myself with you anymore."

    "Just this once." Qin Chuan uttered in a gloomy voice. "Just let me prove that I am not making the wrong decisions this time. Su Ma is a kind woman, and I want you to see that."

    Lily stared at her father¡¯s distressed face. She thought about her conversation the other night with Zhou Jingren. His suggestions about seeing a specialist that could help Lily with the trauma from her mother¡¯s death echoed inside her head.

    She knew Zhou Jingren only wanted the best for her. And for that, she owed it to him, herself, and to their child to ovee the emotions that she still has about that ident.

    "Alright," a smile slowly made its way into Lily¡¯s lips. "By her reactionst night, I would presume that she doesn¡¯t know I am pregnant?" she asked.

    "Your pregnancy is a secret. I never told anyone about it. Not even Su Ma." Qin Chuan uttered. Lily¡¯s pregnancy is hers to announce.

    "And... you still haven¡¯t told her about my mother and everything that happened in the past?" she confirmed. Again, her father shook his head. Seeing this, Lily continued, "Good. Then... I don¡¯t want you to reveal anything about my personal life to her. Or... what happened to the past. That includes my mother."

    Qin Chuan frowned. He wanted to ask Lily why she wanted to do this, but he decided against it. This was Lily¡¯s decision and to avoid more trouble Qin Chuan decided to give in to her demands. "Alright," he nodded. All he wanted is to have the chance. A slight chance to prove that he was right in following his emotions this time.

    Lily gave a satisfied nod. She then stood from her seat. "I am a bit tired. I want to rest. Please excuse me."

    Qin Chuan reluctantly nodded. What else could he say? Lily already turned her back on him and started walking towards the mansion. "Someone will escort you out of the property." He heard her utter, almostzily as she walked away from him.

    Disappointmentced Qin Chuan¡¯s eyes. In the past few months, Lily had be a little open to him. She even let him attend her wedding. It was obvious that she had started to open up to him. However, now... her coldness was enough to freeze him.

    Determination shed in his eyes. Lily was only like this because of her mother. But, this will all change once he could prove that Su Ma is not dangerous and that being with her was his... destiny.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 602 Sweet and Sof

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 602 Sweet and Sof</h4>

    After that encounter with Qin Chuan, Lily continued with her day, unbothered by her decision to cut him off. There is no point in mulling over something that would not make her happy. Today, she went shopping! It wasn¡¯t really shopping as she does not n to buy anything. What she wanted though is to check out supplies she needed to buy for her newborn.

    Zhou Jingren already told her, he already told her they will buy all the things they needed in Europe. Besides, they already decided that she will give birth in Switzend because of their health care.

    Right now, Zhou Jingren already asked his people to find a wonderful house in Switzend where they could stay after Lily gives birth. When Lily told him that this is quite extravagant, Zhou Jingren reasoned that he only wanted the best healthcare and environment for Lily and their child after giving birth.

    Giving birth is difficult, and he wanted her to befortable after giving birth. Plus, Switzend is such a marvelous ce. It would be nice to stay there for a few months.

    The thought of giving birth in Switzend also made Lily excited. After all, Switzend is just a few hours away from Luxembourg. She thought that having the Grand Duke and his family meet with their little angel would be pretty nice.

    If one would think about it, The Grand Duke and his family are the only blood-rted family that Lily had aside from Qin Yuanfeng.

    "President, from the files that I have, this Su Ma is a very secretive voice actress. She does not attend events and meetups. Or if she does, she does not introduce herself to everyone.

    A lot of people assumed that she is ugly, and that¡¯s why she avoids meetups. However, many also said that it is only because she is avoiding someone or is afraid of someone." Yang Mi said as the duo walked inside Harmony Isle.

    "Is that so?" Lily asked. "How about her family?"

    "Well... her husband died a few years back. She is currently fifty- five and her daughter is twenty-three, a pianist living abroad."

    "And her face?"

    "Unfortunately, we could not get images of this woman. She never posted images of her family or her on her social media. Qin Yuanfeng is already working on her elementary photos, hoping that he would get something from her previous school."

    Lily nodded. This Su Ma exists before the fast evolution of the digital world. Lily could only hope that her school kept a record of their students¡¯ photos.

    "Miss Lily!"

    Lily and Yang Mi halted their steps and turned to see Su Ma walking towards them. Su Ma smiled. She stood next to Lily, her white knee-length dress perfectly contrasted with Lily¡¯s red one. "Qin Chuan told me that he went to see you this morning."

    "I thought you left Hong Kong?" Lily ignored thetter¡¯s statement as she started walking.

    "Well... I decided to spend some time shopping for myself before leaving." Su Ma followed Lily. "I was not expecting to see you here."

    "Hm." Lily nodded.

    "Listen, aboutst night..." Su Ma made a deliberate paused. "I would like to apologize for cornering you like that. At that time, I didn¡¯t understand why you were so disrespectful. I admit, I overreacted and be emotional."

    Lily pursed her lips. Qin Chuan must have told this Su Ma that Lily is giving them a chance. She continued walking as Su Ma followed her.

    "I know... this is all new and even I felt overwhelmed by all these." Su Ma continued. "However, I am still grateful that you decided to give us a chance. This rtionship... Qin Chuan is really making me happy. And I don¡¯t want him to feel bad while being with me."

    "Oh... are you buying some jewelry?" Su Ma asked when she noticed Lily walking towards a jewelry shop. Since this woman had been following her around, Lily could not just go to the nursery section of the mall. She would not want this woman to know that she was pregnant.

    "Yes."

    "Oh. Then... I hope it¡¯s not a problem. Would it be okay if I buy you one? As a present for knowing you." Su Ma¡¯s voice was too sweet and soft, it was irritating Lily.

    "Alright. Buy one for Yuanfeng too." She uttered. Is there really a reason for her to decline? Lily was not nning to give this woman random ideas, but she also wanted to get rid of her as fast as possible.

    "Oh! I would like to buy it on GC Jewels. I have a VIP card that we can use you view their collections." Su Ma smiled sweetly. "I know that you might have their VIP as well but please let us use mine. After all, this is a gift from me."

    Lily nodded, saying nothing. All she wanted is for thisdy to leave her.

    The duo started walking towards the GC Jewels store in Harmony Isle. "You seemed really familiar with the store? Have you visited the ce before?"

    "Oh! I have been to the other store before. To be honest, this is my first time going to GC Jewels. I was already nning toe here so I could buy a watch for Qin Chuan. As an apology forst night." Su Ma said. "So I already made my research the other night."

    "I was originally nning to give him one, anyway." Su Ma shrugged.

    In response, Lily nodded. "So after this... you are going to leave?" Lily met her eyes for the first time.

    "Yes. Qin Chuan... don¡¯t know that I am still here. He thinks that I am already in China." Su Ma¡¯s lips lifted into a gentle smile. "I don¡¯t want him to worry about me" She then shifted her gaze into the store. "We¡¯re here."

    For the umpteenth time, Lily nodded. The duo then walked inside the store as Su Ma asked for the attendant to help them. She eyed as Su Ma gave her orange level VIP card to the attendant.

    "A few months ago I got lucky enough to be invited into one of the prominent brands in Hong Kong¡¯s fashion week because of the card." Su Ma turned towards Lily. "Now that I thought about it... that card has given me a few perks and benefits already."

    ...

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 603 All For You

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 603 All For You</h4>

    "Is that so?" Lily gave a knowing smile. An Orange level VIP card? She turned her head away as she wondered why would someone like Su Ma lie about it. Orange level cards do not give you any benefits aside from a small percentage discount. This is something that Lily is very familiar with.

    Of course, she would not confront this woman. It would be a waste of her energy and time. After they went inside the room where the exclusive collections of jewelry were disyed, Lily immediately chose an earring and a watch for Qin Yuanfeng. It was nothing special. It¡¯s not like she would wear it, anyway.

    All she wanted is to get rid of this woman so she could enjoy the rest of her day. She could easily tell Su Ma to leave her alone. But, Lily does not really want tobel herself as the crazy stepdaughter who wanted to ruin the possible marriage of her father. Alright, maybe she is crazy. But she would never stop someone¡¯s marriage.

    She would rather have her father marry this woman and learn his lessons soon. Than stop his marriage and be the antagonist of her father¡¯s ¡¯destiny¡¯. The thought instantly made Lilyugh inwardly.

    Moreover, she also wanted to see how this woman acts without Qin Chuan.

    After she made an order for Qin Chuan, Su Ma instantly made the payment. All this time, she was smiling and talking in a very gentle voice that Lily was not really used to. To be honest, the woman had this warm voice that could easily lull someone to sleep.

    "Do you want to have coffee with me?"

    "No." Lily shifted her gaze towards Su Ma. "I still have to buy a few things for our house."

    "Oh! I used to study interior design, do you want me to..."

    "No." Lily smiled. "I have a very entric style. But thank you. I think you should probably rush home. I mean... you wouldn¡¯t want to make Qin Chuan worry, right?"

    "That is right," Su Ma returned her smile. "Well then, thank you for being so nice. I was not expecting that you will give us the chance. I mean... afterst night." She smiled almost shyly. "I hope this will be the start of our rtionship."

    "Of course," Lily answered nonchntly. She then turned towards the opposite direction with Yang Mi silently following her around.

    "President... that woman¡ª "

    "Let¡¯s not talk here," Lily uttered in a low voice. Does that Su Ma think that she could fool her? Lily¡¯s lips curled into a sadistic smirk. Her previous assumption that someone is scheming behind her back is right.

    Showing her emotions on the first night that she met that woman was the right thing to do, Lily concluded. Now whoever is behind this would think Su Ma¡¯s presence would bother Lily.

    Too bad.... Just too bad. She is someone who was already used to people trying to rile up the emotions inside her. Bec¡¯s face bothered Lily the first time that she saw that Su Ma. But... it would not bother her forever.

    "Make sure that no one is following us,?? Lily uttered. Aside from her bodyguards who were following her around, Lily wanted to make sure that Su Ma is not following her.

    After walking for a few more minutes, Lily decided to go to a store that sells nkets and pillowcases. Then she went to buy some cleaning supplies before finally going to the section for infants.

    Lily did not stay too long in the mall as she was already tired from walking a lot. She asked one of her guards to bring the things that she bought at home while she goes to see Zhou Jingren in Zhou Capital.

    When Lily arrived in Zhou Capital, an enormous banner instantly caught her attention. "Hong Kong Business Awards?" Lily halted her steps and look at the banner.

    "Madam," one of the employees bowed when she saw Lily walking towards the executive elevator of the building. By now, everyone in Zhou Capital was very familiar with Lily and Yang Mi. "The President and Zhou Capital had been nominated for the awards. Mr. Go asked us to put some banners and some balloons." The employee exined when she saw Lily eyed the big banner outside the bank.

    "I see. Thank you." She smiled before walking towards the elevator. "Yang Mi?"

    "Yes, President?"

    "If I¡¯m not wrong... this should be the fourth time that Zhou Jingren was nominated for these awards right?"

    "Yes, President. But, this is the first time that he epted the nominations."

    "Alright," Lily uttered. Before she arrived, Zhou Jingren does not really have a media presence. She figured that it was because he was avoiding the attention of the Zhou Family. Since the Zhou Family is already back to its rightful owner, Zhou Jingren can now expose himself to awards like these.

    Lily smiled as pride rose inside her. Zhou Jingren deserved this nomination. "We should prepare something for him." She said in a low voice.

    In response, Yang Mi nodded.

    Yang Mi does not really know if Lily was talking to her or her unborn child as she was stroking her tummy while she spoke. Yang Mi read that pregnant mother¡¯s always talk to their unborn babies. This should be one of those times, no?

    After a few seconds, Lily and Yang Mi arrived inside Zhou Jingren¡¯s office. Lily had a big smile stered on her face. "Congrattions!" she walked towards him, beaming as pride swirled in her eyes.

    "Thank you." He turned towards his wife and let her sit on hisp. Lily folded her arms across his neck before she pulled him for a long, warm kiss.

    "You deserved it." She said almost inaudibly as she rested her forehead into his. Her warm eyes met hers. "We are so proud of you," Lily added, excitement clear in her eyes.

    Zhou Jingren was someone who worked really hard for hispany. He made a name for himself because of his hard work and perseverance. Lily could never imagine how much this man had endured for his dream.

    And Lily will be very proud to tell this story to their child and grandchildren.

    "I did it for you," he responded, his voice gentle. "It was all for you to marry me."

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 604 Like In The Movies

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 604 Like In The Movies</h4>

    "So the decided to nominate you and yourpany?" Lily asked. "For the financial services provider?"

    "Hmmm."

    "Then... this meant interview and TV guesting, right?"

    "Yes. Jichen already fixed my schedule for the next few weeks. The awards are in two weeks so... the schedule is pretty tight."

    Lily nodded and smiled. This award is pretty big in Hong Kong¡¯s business industry. "You wasted three years of yourpany just because of the Zhou Family." She stated before she stood from hisp and walked towards the seat opposite to him. "I am so happy for you."

    "The timing is bad. I was about to decline it. The schedule only meant that I will busy. I don¡¯t want to stay in the office as I try to catch up with my paperwork just because of some interview."

    "Yet, you said yes."

    "I figured that... winning this award would mean that I get to thank you in public." He answered before he started typing on hisptop. "I am doing as much work as I can now so I can have some free time in my schedule."

    "You don¡¯t have to do that." Lily gestured for Yang Mi to gave her the food that she bought earlier. It was some doughnuts and a slice of chocte cake that looked really appetizing in her eyes. "I mean... I can always go with you in your interviews and guesting. It¡¯s not that big of a deal. I can act as your manager, scriptwriter, makeup artist, director, and maybe even your secretary."

    A low chuckle escaped his lips. "You do know... its an interview and not an audition for a TV series, right?"

    "Oh! I would have loved to see your abs on TV." She beamed. "Never mind that. I don¡¯t want any other woman to see that." She nodded towards Yang Mi and gestured for her to leave. She thenughed inwardly at the difort in her secretary¡¯s face.

    "I think it is high time that you give Secretary Go a vacation. I can force Yang Mi to apany him on a remote ind somewhere." She added. "I can act as your secretary for a few days, you know."

    He raised his head and stared at her mischievous grin. "Very tempting Madam Zhou but you are pregnant. You don¡¯t need to stress yourself over my schedule."

    "Well... Go Jichen is working his ass off. I think... I can already see his scalp. He might go bald before he turns thirty. Now that will be a big problem, I don¡¯t think Yang Mi would like to be with a bald man." She met his eyes andughed.

    "So you were staring at his... scalp?"

    "My... is that jealousy in your eyes?" she teased before she rolled her eyes and opened her cake. "Its a joke President Zhou."

    Surprisingly, Zhou Jingren gave a low chuckle. "I know... Jichen is an inch shorter than me. You won¡¯t be able to see his scalp as he is always standing around me."

    "Are you saying that I¡¯m a dwarf?"

    Zhou Jingrenughed a heartfeltughter. Lily¡¯s talent in putting words in his mouth seemed to increased because of her pregnancy. "Aren¡¯t you?" heughed even more, his voice echoing inside his office.

    Lily pouted before she shoved a slice of cake in her mouth. "Then go find another manager for your interview. I won¡¯t apany you anymore."

    "Madam Zhou.... Talking while your mouth is full is not good." He said, smiling. Seeing his wife pout while eating is just the cutest thing. How could he resist doing this to Lily?

    "President Zhou must have forgotten... I have a very talented mouth." Lily said before turning away from Zhou Jingren.

    "Jichen..." Zhou Jingren called his secretary over the phone. After a few seconds, Secretary Go walked inside.

    "President?"

    "Did you already give the thing that I asked you to give Madam Zhou?"

    A sh of understanding instantly glinted in Secretary Go¡¯s eyes. "I didn¡¯t have the time, President. But I can..."

    "Nevermind. She is upset right now. You can throw it away." As expected, Lily¡¯s ear perked up at her husband¡¯s words. She straightened her back as she pretended not to listen to their conversation. She continued to eat her cake.

    "That... President... I hope you don¡¯t mind me saying this but that... that deed was worth millions. Are you really going to..."

    "What is it?" Lily interrupted him. "What deed?"

    "I think Madam Zhou is no longer mad." Zhou Jingren uttered as heughed inwardly. "Give her the deed of the property in Switzend."

    Go Jichen instantlyplied. He tried to hide the embarrassment that he felt inside. He knew that this couple is very yful, but he didn¡¯t know the extent until now. Go Jichen lowered his head after giving Lily the deed. He didn¡¯t know if he wanted tough or cry at this current situation, ah.

    "Alright... Jichen... you can go now. I think Madam Zhou is satisfied already." Zhou Jingren said. In response, Secretary Go left the office faster than one could even blink. This ¡ª He is not very interested to know about the things that will happen after he left, alright?

    "You are making it look like I love money. This is as if... I don¡¯t have a principle and I am someone that would easily give in to worthless possessions." Lily grumbled. "Alright... maybe I do. But you shouldn¡¯t let anyone know that side of me. That is a highly guarded secret."

    "I thought everyone around you already knows that?" he answered, amusementced his tone.

    "They do!" she answered. Like a child who found a treasure, Lily hugged the piece of paper near her chest. This... this ce is where they will live after giving birth. This ce is a treasure.

    "That¡¯s not my point." She uttered. "Everyone knows that I love earthly things but... it is very easy to calcte. If they knew that I love this house because you bought this for me, then they will conclude that I love you more than my money. Which is true, by the way."

    "Now that is not a very good conclusion." Lily continued, not minding the fact that Zhou Jingren already stood from his seat and is walking towards her. "If they knew that I love you more than money then... What if they try to take you away from me?" she asked. "You know... like in the movies."

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 605 Luxury

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 605 Luxury</h4>

    The Peak

    Lily stared at the hues of green in her eyes. She watched as the trees danced, choreographed by the warm wind of an early summer morning. It wasn¡¯t even eight in the morning and Lily could already feel the heat tingle against her skin.

    "August ising." She uttered. "The rain wille soon." August in Hong Kong is known to have at least two or three typhoons. Lily used to have a problem with rains. However now, she is actually excited to spend her timenguidly lying in her king-size bed with Zhou Jingren as they listen to the rain outside of the mansion.

    "How is London?" Lily turned towards Cathy who was sitting at the wrought-iron chair opposite her.

    "As usual." Cathy shrugged as she sipped her coffee. She turned towards the view outside of the terraces. "This is an exquisite spot."

    "Hmmm. I liked the view the most." Lily answered, she took one croissant and put it on her te. "George is recovering pretty well."

    "That is good," Cathy said. "To be honest, Arison Holdings have a different custom than Fi Group. It is tiring, to say the least."

    "Given that you are managing Arison Holdings and still helping out with Fi Group, it is only natural that you will feel tired." Lily smiled. "However, with your current schedule... I was not expecting that you wille to Hong Kong just for a visit."

    "I heard that you were asking questions about Lilian."

    Lily pursed her lips in response. She already asked Yang Mi to make inquiries about the letter and sh drive that Jiang Ruo gave her. She already guessed that this was the reason why Cathy is willing to drop everything just toe to see her.

    "I am curious," Lily uttered. "I mean... now that I met someone from my grandfather¡¯s family... I realized that I knew nothing about grandmother and grandfather¡¯s past. Aside from the basic." She lied. Except for Zhou Jingren, Lily didn¡¯t show that image to anyone else. Not even to Yang Mi.

    For now, Lily wanted to keep everything a secret. After all, she does not even know if she has something. However, just like what the sh drive stated, Lily indeed remember the same photo as the one that Yu Helong found. Now... this alone is not really enough to warrant any suspicion. Lilian is a prominent figure, it is only natural that she was invited.

    Also, Old Man Yu might be a struggling businessman at that time. However, no one really knows about his connections in Europe. The images are not enough evidence for them to assume that her grandmother and Old Man Yu might be acquainted.

    What bother¡¯s Lily is the art in the Old Man¡¯s study. His wedding portrait that had the same stroke and art style as Lilian and her grandfather¡¯s photo. Now that Lily thought about it... a lot of portraits on Lilian¡¯s mansion have the same art style.

    "I understand the curiosity. However... Lilian is a very private woman. If you want to know more about her then... you should probably go back to the mansion and try to check her office. Maybe she left something... a safe or something else." Cathy said.

    Lily remove her eyes from the greeneries in front of them as she looked at Cathy. "Surely... you wouldn¡¯t juste here to tell me that, right?" she asked.

    "You are always so smart." Cathy let out a low chuckle. She finished her coffee and smiled at Lily. "I want to tell you that the past belongs to the past. There is no point... looking through it. I think we should focus on the future instead."

    Her statement instantly made Lily lift an eyebrow.

    "And before you assume that I know something.... Let me tell you now." Cathy interrupted the words that she wanted to ask. "I don¡¯t." She added. "But as I said... your grandmother is very secretive. I just... maybe I deduced some things. That is all."

    Lily nodded. Understanding shed in her eyes. Her grandmother is indeed a very secretive woman. Lily always feeling so far away from her grandmother. It was as if... she was so near yet so far away from Lily.

    She recalled Lilian¡¯s experienced eyes as she looked at Lily. Unlike other people, Lilian¡¯s gaze does not really intimidate Lily. Maybe it was because of the tinge of pity swirling in her orbs every time she looked at Lily. Or maybe because... at that time, Lily had experienced a lot of terrible things to fear a weak old woman like Lilian.

    "Well then... do you know someone close to grandmother?" Lily does not really remember her grandmother meeting her friends for coffee or tea. That is, aside from the people who helped Lily. Like George and Mr. Rossi as well as Cathy and Yang Mi. There was also the doctor who helped Lily.

    Now that she thought about it, she never actually met someone whom her grandmother was close to. She had not even met anyone from the Fi Family! At first, Lily didn¡¯t bother thinking about this as she does not have the time to do so. She was busy running apany and... scheming against people that she never cared about things like this.

    However, now that she is idle, she had all the time to think about the things that she missed before.

    "Honestly? No." Cathyughed. "It¡¯s weird, right?" Seeing Lily nod at her words, she continued. "Well... she had a driver before. But... I think he already passed before Lilian passedst year. Also... the butler in the mansion. Aside from those two? I can¡¯t think of anyone else." Cathy let out a sigh.

    "Now that I thought about it... Lilian had a lot of acquaintances but I met no one of her friends." Cathy added, her face devoid of any expression as she met Lily¡¯s eyes that were identical to Lilian¡¯s.

    Lily turned silent. In their world, friends are considered a luxury. People that will stand behind your back no matter what happened are rare. She shifted her gaze back to the tress in front of the mansion.

    Questions and more questions.

    They piled up in her head like a stack of paper, waiting for her to read them. However, the more she read those papers, the more confused she got. The more she asked questions, the more she realized that her grandmother was a very mysterious person... just like Old Man Yu.

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 606 Meant To Be Shared

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 606 Meant To Be Shared</h4>

    "Oh, well... Let¡¯s not talk about things that we don¡¯t know the answer to." Cathy let out another chuckle. "Let¡¯s talk about you and your pregnancy." She smiled.

    "How are you? Are you eating well? Did you experience morning sickness?" Interest shone in Cathy¡¯s eyes.

    "I don¡¯t think I will experience such things," Lily answered. "Actually, I like to drink milk teas. Aside from that... I didn¡¯t have any cravings or any peculiar changes." A smile dangled on Lily¡¯s lips. "However, I don¡¯t think I am the right person that you should ask when ites to my changes. It should be Jingren."

    "Did you already think of a name? Do you think it will be a girl?"

    Lilyughed before she answered Cathy¡¯s questions. The conversation instantly turned lighter. Cathy¡¯s eyes seemed to sparkle as they talked about child care and stuff that she needed to before giving birth.

    "Switzend is a wonderful ce to give birth. Staying there for a few months is only right. You and Jingren should have this time to bond with your child." Cathy noted.

    Lily smiled in response. Just thinking about their child is making her heart flutter. After a few more minutes, Cathy bid her goodbye. Her flight back to London is already scheduled in the afternoon. And before that, Cathy will also meet with Qin Yuanfeng as thetter ising with her to London.

    This should be Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s first time traveling to London for business matters. This will also be the first time that Qin Yuanfeng will visit Lilian¡¯s mansion. Originally, Lily wanted to take her brother to the mansion herself. However, because of her pregnancy, she refused to travel for now.

    "Madam.... Here is President Zhou¡¯s schedule for the rest of the week." Lily turned towards Secretary Go.

    "What time is it?" she asked.

    "Almost nine in the morning. We are about to leave for the office." Secretary Go stated. She eyed the various type of bread next to Lily as he wondered howe Lily is not really gaining weight despite eating a lot of stuff every day. A silly idea instantly came into Secretary Go¡¯s mind as his eyesnded on Lily¡¯s stomach.

    Was it possible that the child absorbed all the food?

    But.... That seems impossible, no?

    "Why are you staring at me like that?" Lily¡¯s question brought him back from his stupor.

    "I ¡ª " he avoided her gaze. "I was only thinking about the gender of um- I don¡¯t want to sound intrusive or anything. Please forgive me."

    Lily responded with a chuckle. She then waved her hand dismissively before her gazended on her gorgeous man walking towards her. She smiled.

    "I will leave now. I will see you for lunch?" Zhou Jingren leaned closer to kiss her. In response, she lifted her chin, kissing him.

    "Hmm. I will see youter." Lily smiled. She then watched as Zhou Jingren and Secretary Go left her on the terrace of the mansion. She closed her eyes and lifted her head towards the cloudless sky. After a few minutes, Lily went inside to have a long bath.

    Today, she was nning to visit George before going to see Zhou Jingren in her office. The poisoned caused a lot of damage to George¡¯s body that it would take a few more weeks before he will fully recover. However, the thought that he is already awake is enough to make Lily happy.

    "President... Adalind Brooke is here bringing gifts." Yang Mi interrupted Lily¡¯s thoughts.

    "Did Jingren already left?" she asked. She was about to peel her clothes off her body for her rxing bath. A sh on irritation glinted in her eyes. Who visits a house before nine in the morning?

    "Yes. He left before Miss Brooke arrived."

    "Good. Let her in." She said as she eyed her reflection. Because of the sun earlier, Lily¡¯s cheeks had turned scarlet, her usually pale skin had a tinge of a beautiful tan. She smiled.

    .....

    The first thing that Adalind notice when she walked inside Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s mansion is therge photo made of small gems. It was Zhou Jingren and Lily at their wedding. She stared at the intricate artwork, appreciation apparent in her eyes.

    As a model, Adalind had traveled around the world. She had seen a lot of beautiful artworks and she could not deny that this... this is one of the most beautiful things that she saw.

    "Please take a seat. I will prepare some refreshments for you." A small maid uttered. She nodded in response. Eyeing the velvet couch, Adalind smiled. It seems that this house is not only beautiful and luxurious on the outside, she thought.

    Her eyes went back to the artwork as she stared at Zhou Jingren for a few seconds. As someone already immune to beautiful faces, Adalind could say that Zhou Jingren¡¯s appeal is not on his features or his physique. It¡¯s the way that he held Lily in his arms.

    It¡¯s how his eyes shone in that artwork. Zhou Jingren seem to be the type of man who loves his wife wholeheartedly. Adalind smiled inwardly.

    Does that really exist? She mused.

    In her experience, men are not as fickle as women. However, talking about a man¡¯s sexual preference is different. A man could be loyal to his wife and their marriage life. But... being faithful is a different matter. She eyed the stairs next to the artwork and wondered if Zhou Jingren is still upstairs. It¡¯s too early for him to leave.

    The thought of him stepping out of the shower, with nothing but a towel wrapped around his body made her grinned. Zhou Jingren seemed too perfect on the outside. The man was made to be enjoyed by women... like her.

    Lily should not be too greedy. She should share her husband with other women, no?

    She giggled at her own thoughts. A woman like Lily would never share her husband. However... Adalind believes that this is not Lily¡¯s decision at all. Can she really stop her husband from wanting another woman?

    ...

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 607 Replaceable

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 607 Receable</h4>

    "Why are you here?"

    Adalind almost jumped out of her seat when she heard Lily¡¯s voice. She turned towards Lily who was already standing next to her. She was too engrossed in her own thinking that she did not even notice Lily approached her.

    "Oh!" Adalind smiled as she rose from her seat. She looked at Lily. "I am here to apologize for what happened the other day. My cousin gave me a good scolding. I now understand how inappropriate it was."

    "Apology epted. " Lily walked towards the other seat, leaving Adalind standing like a statue. "Is this for me?" Lily eyed the pink box wrapped in red ribbons. If her guess was right, it should be some sort of cake or cookies.

    Adalind nodded. Lily¡¯s straightforward behavior surprised her. She sat opposite to Lily. She was expecting to see Zhou Jingren just before he left for work. "I baked it myself."

    "Good." Lily eyed the small maid earlier as she handed the box. She then shifted her gaze to Adalind, the same smile still stered on her face. Adalind responded with an awkward smile.

    She stared at Lily¡¯s smiling face, wondering what to say. For some reason, Lily¡¯s actions made her feel awkward. "Also... I am here to... I heard that you own one house here? The other one with the flowers? I am wondering if you are selling it?"

    "No."

    "Oh... maybe we can negotiate? I mean... I really needed a ce to stay. I am currently staying at my cousin¡¯s house right now. It¡¯s been a few days and I am loving Hong Kong. So I thought... I should buy something in this ce. In case I want to take a break."

    "I agree. Well... just in case... how much are you willing to pay for that three-bedroom house?" Lily asked, interest apparent in her eyes.

    "If you want my parent¡¯swyers will reach out to your secretary for the offer."

    Lily smiled. "Your parent¡¯swyers... are they going to buy the property for you?"

    "Yes. My father asked me what I want for my next birthday and I already told him I want a property here. You see... I am very interested in that house. I love the flowers and the view is spectacr."

    "Hmm..." Lily nodded. "Too bad. It¡¯s not for sale."

    "Why not? You already have a mansion. Thedy that I talked to said that you never really stayed in that house, anyway. It would be a waste if you... let it rot just like that."

    "Miss Brooke..." Lily made a deliberate pause. "Are you familiar with... emotional attachments?" she asked. "You know... when you get too attached to something very important to you?"

    Adalind¡¯s lips lifted into a smirk as she fought the urge tough at Lily¡¯s question. "Are you saying that you are... emotionally attached to.... a house?" Mockeryced her tone.

    "Oh. You haven¡¯t heard of it?" Lily responded with another question. She lifted her chin a little as she looked at Adalind. Slowly, Lily¡¯s eyebrow raised. "Is that an unfamiliar concept for you?"

    As expected, her words erased the smile on Adalind¡¯s face. Why does it seem that Adalind was the one who needs to feel as if she was ignorant? Adalind¡¯s question was supposed to make Lily feel as if she was being too emotional over the house.

    Her question was supposed to make Lily feel as if she was overreacting. Adalind thought that her words could easily pressure Lily into selling the old house. She was wrong.

    "Well... I am not the type that gets emotionally attached easily." Adalind retorted. "Things are things. They are easily receable." She smiled. "Just like people."

    Lily snorted, amusement apparent in her eyes. In today¡¯s standards, this woman was very beautiful. She¡¯s tall and slim, her hair was long and silky. And her eyes... well... looking at her eyes reminds Lily of the boundless ocean. Who would have thought that she would be as shallow as the water in a small bucket? Isn¡¯t that... ironic?

    "Don¡¯t you agree with me?" Adalind asked. Growing up, Adalind saw how people in her life alwayse and go. They are just like things... temporary. So why attached yourself to something that will soon disappear from your life?

    Isn¡¯t that a waste of your emotions? A waste of your tears?

    "I think you are right. People are indeed receable. You can easily rece a husband or a lover. But I don¡¯t think you can rece someone that you really love. I mean... if you lose someone that you love. You don¡¯t just rece them. You don¡¯t just forget them." Lily smiled. "One way or the other... you will get used to their absence. But... I don¡¯t think you can ever rece them."

    "For someone who is at the pinnacle of the business industry, your views are unique. I¡¯d say... it is much weakerpared to the other businessmen that I met before." Adalind¡¯s father had been in the industry for years. He too believed that he can easily rece people every time that he wanted to. Just like how he reced her mother with someone younger. Or how he reced Adalind with his stepdaughter. To Adalind and her father... everything is just... receable.

    "The business world is... not a ce for the weak, Miss Brooke and... believing that you cannot rece someone that you truly love is not being weak." Lily said. One can easily rece an employee or a director and manager. You can rece your maid or your butler. But... you can never rece a mother who died saving you. You can never rece a grandmother who trained you. Or the man who treated you as his daughter.

    The thing is... you can never rece a person who you really love.

    "Well, I think it is unique. But this might be because of the fact that you are a woman. I mean... we all know how men think about women in the business world. They generally see us as someone more emotional than them." Adalind shrugged. This happens not only in the business world but in the whole other industry.

    ...

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 608 Upbringing

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 608 Upbringing</h4>

    "Being emotional does not mean that we are stupid," Lily said. She stared into Adalind¡¯s blue eyes as she wondered about the things that made her believe this way. Whatever it was.... Lily had nothing to do with it.

    As someone who thrived in this kind of industry, Lily had been in a lot of situations where men looked down on her and her women subordinates.

    Some men think that women became sessful because of the help of their equally influential partner. In some cases, this is true. Some women in power have husbands or partners backing them. Cleaning the messes that they made on their way to sess. But this is different from Lily¡¯s case.

    "Anyway... if you want, you can double the price my father will surely pay for it." Adalind said confidently. "Everything has a price, Miss Lily. I¡¯m sure even your... emotional attachments have one."

    In response, Lily smiled. "That is true. If I am in need of money... I would surely take your offer. But..." she made a deliberate pause. "I am in a position where my current finances are already enough to fund my extravagant lifestyle until I turned a hundred. So... no. Thank you very much though. But there are a lot of houses in this neighborhood. Maybe you can ask someone to sell you their mansion."

    "Well... I can only hope that you will reconsider this decision." Adalind rose from her seat. "I will try to talk to other people, maybe they will consider selling their houses in this ce. I mean... I would really want to be your neighbor."

    Lily pursed her lips. She then looked at the maid and instructed her to walk Adalind out of the mansion. "Yang Mi?" Lily uttered as she watched Adalind¡¯s disappearing back. "Do you have the information of the people who are attending Grandmother¡¯s house?" she asked. The house that she inherited from Grandmother Ye was surrounded by tall gates. Additionally, the image of the roses was not posted online. There is no way that Adalind would know about it unless she deliberately asked someone about the information.

    "Yes, they are the same people attending the mansions in this neighborhood." Yang Mi answered. Since most people in this neighborhood are traveling because of their business, they hire somepanies to maintain their houses. This is a normal thing for the people in this neighborhood.

    "I see." Lily nodded. "So that Adalind was snooping around." She concluded. Her grandmother¡¯s mansion was not for sale. There is no way that Adalind would know about its view or flowers if... she did not intentionally ask someone about Lily and Zhou Jingren. "Do you know whatpany they are from?"

    "They are a smallpany that was..." Yang Mi checked herptop. "That was bought by Liu¡¯s a couple of months ago."

    "Liu Family?" Lily uttered. "I see... It seems that Adalind found some friends." She smiled before rising from her seat. "Ask the maid to throw away the cake and prepare some of our imported teas. I want to visit the Liu Family. And fire thatpany. Find another one to maintain my grandmother¡¯s house."

    Yang Mi nodded in response. She stared at Lily who was already walking towards their room. Yang Mi always thought that Lily does not like the house that she inherited from her grandmother. However, it seems that she was wrong. She immediately did Lily¡¯s orders before going to Lily¡¯s room.

    "The tea is ready." She uttered while eyeing Lily¡¯s blood-red dress. "Shall I inform the president that we are dropping by at the Liu Family¡¯s house?" Yang Mi asked.

    "Hm. Tell him I will still meet him for lunch." Lily uttered as she grabbed the handbag that she just received from Europe. She then walked out of her room with Yang Mi in tow.

    ...

    Liu Residence

    "Is that so?" Liu Chin lifted an eyebrow. "What a waste, then. She is not really using the house. Is she nning to just leave it under the care of some strangers?"

    "I don¡¯t know." Adalind shrugged. She took a sip of her coffee.

    "Well... if you want, I can ask my husband to find a good house for you in this neighborhood." Madam Liu smiled. "I am sure there are a few people who would sell their houses... with the right price."

    "But... the pictures that you showed me was really lovely. I would really like that house that Lily owns. Do you ... Do you think you can help me convince her to sell the house?" Adalind asked.

    "That woman is really hateful. If you want to convince her, then you must be careful." Madam He scowled as she remembered herst meeting with Lily. The conversation was too hateful. She really felt angry for days! Good thing her husband bought her a new purse, or she would not even go out to attend Old Man Yu¡¯s funeral.

    "You should not misinterpret Lily." Adalind smiled. "She is from the business world. Someone who is used to talking and interacting with men. It is only normal that she would have such a forceful personality." Adalind¡¯s words sounded kind and gentle. However, if one would dissect her carefully, it was a very misleading statement.

    Talking and interacting with men?

    As expected, the housewives before her did not miss the meaning of her words. Madam Liu instantly frowned while Madam He rolled her eyes in disgust.

    "She is very smart and maniptive." Adalind continued. "Of course... this is only normal for someone who grew up with nothing but her grandmother. I mean... a child still needed to have the love and affection that real parents offer, right?" she smiled as she sneered inwardly.

    The pretentious women before her instantly nodded their heads. Seeing this, Adalind was not able to stop the sinister glint in her eyes. Adalind never expected that manipting these group of women could be this easy.

    "I agree." Madam Liu said. "Our upbringing always affects us when we grow up. To be honest... I quite pity Lily." She said. "I also heard from my husband that her domineering grandmother alone raised her." She shook her head. "Shecks love and attention. Isn¡¯t she... pitiful?"

    ...

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 609 Offended

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 609 Offended</h4>

    Their conversation was interrupted when one of the Liu Family¡¯s maid walked towards Madam Liu. She bowed. "Madam, Miss Lily is here. She is..."

    "Don¡¯t let her in." Liu Chin interrupted the maid. "I don¡¯t want to see that woman again, mother. Don¡¯t let her in." She turned towards her mother. "Lily was the one tho orchestrated that argumentst time. She is maniptive and does not have any respect for us."

    "Chin Chin... we should probably..."

    "Did she say anything else?" Madam Liu asked the maid, interrupting Madam He¡¯s sentence.

    "She... umm.... " The maid hesitated. "She said she came bearing gifts and if you won¡¯t let her in... she will call the Master."

    "She will call my husband?" Madam Liu raised an eyebrow. "What arrogance." She snorted. "Did she think my husband will side with her?" She turned towards the maid. "Don¡¯t let her in."

    "Understood." The maid started walking away from them.

    "Who does she think she is?" Madam He blurted out. "Such arrogance will be her downfall soon."

    "She must have known that I was the one who told Miss Brooke about the house."

    "So what if we told her about that house? It¡¯s not a big deal." Liu Chin sneered. "We should probably tell Aunt Ruo about this or..." Liu Chin didn¡¯t continue her words when she heard her mother¡¯s phone rung.

    "Please excuse me." Seeing that it was her husband, Madam Liu instantly rose from her seat. She walked a few steps away from the group of women before answering the call.

    "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" her husband¡¯s loud voice boomed against her ears. Madam Liu flinched.

    "What are you¡ª "

    "Why did you breach the confidence of one of our clients?"

    "What are you talking about?" Madam Liu asked, confuse. However, she still kept her tone calm and gentle. After all, she was still standing next to her friends."And how dare you scream..."

    "Check out your phone. I sent you some images... Lily Zhou¡¯s secretary just sent it to my secretary a couple of minutes ago!" her husband hissed. In response, Madam Liu frowned as she checked her phone.

    Her husband never raised his voice or talked to her like this before. She instantly wondered what could make him do such a thing now. She opened an email and slowly, her eyes widened. She trembled, almost dropping the phone to the ground.

    "Did you see it?" She heard her husband yelled on the other line. "DID YOU SEE IT?" he asked. Madam Liu eyed her friends as she walked even a few more feet away from them. She could not have them witnessed an argument like this.

    "That is ... that is the proof that you paid for Liu Chin¡¯s education! Do you know how Lily got ahold of this? What do you think will happen if your father or my father will hear about this? Ha? What have you done? Why did you provoke her?" her husband continued.

    Madam Liu held the phone tighter, trying her best to stop herself from shaking. She could already feel her face losing its color from the possibility of their family knowing about the matter.

    "This will be a huge scandal in my circle! Do you know how many people like the initiative of ourpany to give out schrships to the unfortunate students? Do you know how many praises I received from my father because of this initiative? My family is in the Academe! What do you think will happen to the directorial position at the university?"

    "You know how much I wanted that position to impress father! How could you ¡ª " Her husband continued to barrage her with words that she never heard him utter in the past.

    "Husband..."

    "What?" he hissed. "Are you going to say that you did it for our children?"

    "I ¡ª husband... I don¡¯t understand why she would do this. This is ..."

    "Liu Linyue!" her husband interrupted her. Hearing him called out her name like this sent some throbbing pain in her chest. She could not even remember thest time that she heard him call her name like this. "Lily sending me this proof does not matter anymore! What I want to know is... why would you do this to Liu Chin when... I and my whole family owns a university! We are from the world of academics! We are proud, educated people who are known in the Academic industry! How could you ¡ª " Her husband let out a sharp breath.

    "Husband... Do you..."

    "How could you do this?" Her husband continued. "Your father is a very prideful man. What do you think will happen if Lily sends this information to him? This... Liu Linyue this is such a p in your father¡¯s face. Do you think he will let our son and daughter work with him after this?"

    "What about Liu Chin¡¯s friends? Her social circle that she worked so hard to build all over the years? Did you even think about this matter before doing this behind my back?" he hissed.

    "Husband... please let me exin..."

    "Exin? Lin Linyue... do you think I am so dumb? What are you going to exin? You faked our daughter¡¯s records to get her into the university that you liked. I told you to let her decide what she wanted! I told you not to meddle in her affairs! Now... what are you going to exin to me?"

    "Husband... Liu Chin is just a child. How could you have her decide on her future? I only... I thought about having her take business management so she can work in my father¡¯spany. She is not particrly good at academics so I thought... I thought... there is no way that she will work in your school. Having my father take her under his wing would secure her future." She exined.

    "As a parent, securing their future is our job. Do you really want her to waste her life doing travel videos and eating in prestigious restaurants?"

    She heard her husband let out another sigh on the other line. "What you did was still wrong." Her husband uttered.

    "I know... but... I did it for our daughter¡¯s future and I see nothing wrong with that."

    "Liu Linyue... you did it for your pride. Not for Lin Chin."

    "That is not..."

    "Stop lying to me." Her husband interrupted. "I know that you don¡¯t want us to lose some face. I also know that you are only thinking about our prestige, but this... this might ruin everything that you worked so hard to build. This could ruin us."

    "Then..." Madam Liu swallowed her non-existent saliva. "What do you want me to do?" she asked. Lily¡¯s smiling face then resurfaced in her mind.

    "I don¡¯t know!" She could hear her husband paced. A habit that he always does while thinking. "How did you offend her? I thought... I thought you have such an excellent rtionship with everyone out there?"

    "I- I don¡¯t know." She lied.

    "Her secretary said that you betrayed a client. Liu Linyue... I don¡¯t understand this statement. Why would she say that?"

    "I don¡¯t know. I honestly don¡¯t know how I offended her."

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 610 Privacy

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 610 Privacy</h4>

    "Don¡¯t lie to me," her husband¡¯s voice had a tinge of warning. "Do you think she will waste her time looking for evidence if you did not do something wrong? Do you see me as a fool?"

    "Husband... you have to believe me this time. I didn¡¯t really do anything wrong. Maybe we can ask father to.."

    "Linyue... if you keep on lying to me. I won¡¯t be able to help you. We both know how your father is very strict about this. If your brothers and sister will get ahold of this scandal, they will surely kick us while we are down. Then they will send our son out of thepany. We can¡¯t let that happen."

    "But..."

    Her words were interrupted when the maid approached her. "Is there something that you need?" she asked.

    "Madam... Miss Lily is still outside. She did not leave earlier and she... she told me to ask you..."

    "Let her in!" Madam Liu said. She waited for the maid to leave before speaking to her husband. "She is here."

    "Then... handle this well. Linyue... remember to save our face. Treat her well." Her husband said. "And please... avoid any arguments or confrontations. I will talk to Mr. Zhou about the matter with her wife. I am sure he is not aware of her actions. Maybe I can... get us out of this situation by talking to him." Not long after, her husband ended the call.

    With a sigh, Madam Liu held her phone closer to her chest. A line appeared between her brows. Was this Lily¡¯s retaliation because she did not let her inside? Or is it because of telling Adalind about her other house? But... isn¡¯t this too petty?

    Madam Liu eyed the entrance that led towards the terrace of their mansion. A few secondster, she saw Lily walking at the entrance, her red dress swaying, dancing at the breeze. Lily smiled at her.

    "Madam Liu..." she uttered. "What you did was quite rude." Lily¡¯s eyesnded towards the group of women not far away from them. "I don¡¯t like it."

    "Lily," Madam Liu felt an enormous lump in her throat. She forced a smile. "I was... it was a misunderstanding."

    "Is that so?" Lily lifted an eyebrow before she snorted. "First you told Adalind and maybe showed her images of my house. Then, you refuse to let me inside when I even wasted some of my precious energy to prepare some gifts for you. Then you tell me it was a misunderstanding?" Lily¡¯s sweet tone vanished.

    "Lily... let¡¯s not do that here." Madam Liu managed to say. She dreaded everything about Lily. Her cunning eyes, the way her lips curled into a mocking smile, her sharp words. Everything about Lily is making her ufortable.

    "Do what?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. However, she did not wait for Madam Liu to say something. Instead, she sashayed her way into the group of women. "Ladies..." Lily uttered, gaining everyone¡¯s attention.

    "Lily... how did you get it?"

    "Ask your mother." She shrugged and sat at the vacant seat. "She graciously let me in... after some..." Lily¡¯s eyes darted towards Madam Liu¡¯s pale face. "Threats." Seeing everyone¡¯s reaction only made Lilyugh inwardly.

    "Lily is only joking. She really loves to say such funny things." Madam Liu gave a wryughter. "I let her in." She met her daughter¡¯s eyes, hoping that thetter would not say something that might anger Lily. However, just who was Liu Chin?

    "Why? I am not veryfortable with hering into our house."

    "And what are youfortable with... Miss Liu?" Lily retorted. She then opened a pack of nuts that Zhou Jingren got for her and started throwing some in her mouth. "Cheating to get into the university?"

    "You¡ª "

    "Liu Chin Enough!"

    "Mother!"

    "This is not the right time and ce to discuss this matter." Madam Liu sat opposite to Lily. "Lily... please... this is a peaceful gathering let¡¯s not ruin the day by spouting such nonsense." She tried to make her voice sound as confident as she could be.

    "Well... I am specifically here to ruin your peaceful day. So..." Lily smiled. She then turned towards Adalind. "I always wonder how did you know about my house. So this is where you got them, huh."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "My privacy," Lily uttered. She then looked at Madam Liu, then to Liu Chin. "I always wonder why Miss Brooke knew that I have such a beautiful garden in that house. It was such a mystery. So... can you imagine my surprise when I was informed that the cleaningpany that is maintaining the house is from the Liu Family?"

    "That ¡ª Lily... we didn¡¯t mean to do it. It¡¯s just a house. Don¡¯t you think you are overreacting?" Madam Liu asked.

    "I agree. It¡¯s only the garden. Do you really have to force your way in here and act like a disrespectful bitch?" Liu Chin was not able to stop herself. As expected, her mother¡¯s eyes instantly widened when she heard Liu Chin¡¯s words. However, Liu Chin does not have the time to think about her mother¡¯s reaction anymore.

    "It¡¯s my privacy," Lily said. "If you don¡¯t know what that means then... I will show you the meaning behind the word."

    "Lily please..." Madam Liu tried to maintain her calm facade. It was obvious that Lily wanted to tell everyone about the things that she sent towards Madam Liu¡¯s husband.

    "Lily! You are stressing everyone out!" Madam He rose from her seat and walked behind Madam Liu. She then started rubbing Madam Liu¡¯s back. As if trying to calm her down. "There was a reason why we didn¡¯t agree to let you in earlier. I think... you should leave now." She eyed the two burly men standing a few feet away from Lily and the woman who was calmly holding her tablet.

    "I think they are right," Adalind added. "You are making them ufortable. Lily... this is not the ce to show how intimidating you are. This is just a small gathering, not somepany meeting."

    ....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 611 Direct and Indirec

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 611 Direct and Indirec</h4>

    "True." Lily shrugged before she rose from her seat. "Since you don¡¯t want me to show it here... I will..." she looked at Madam Liu. "Send it to the press instead."

    "Wait! Lily..."

    "Hm?" Lily lifted an eyebrow.

    "Please... sit down. Let¡¯s... Let¡¯s not blow this out of proportion." Madam Liu said. If Lily will reveal this scandal to the public, her husband¡¯s career and maybe even her daughter¡¯s education will be over! What will happen if Liu Chin¡¯s socialite friends know that she got into the famous university not because of her brains but because of illegal means?

    "Mother, what does she mean? What is happening here?"

    Lily looked at the mother and daughter duo, then her gazended into Madam He. Her lips curled into a mocking smirk. Lily is very adamant to keep these people out of her life simply because of her pregnancy. She knew that she cannot hide it forever, but she believes that this is not the right time to announce such news to the world.

    As much as possible, Lily wanted to hide this from her neighbor. This is not only to secure herself and her child from the people scheming behind their backs. She deliberately decided to do this so she could spend her time with her husband as both of them witness their little bundle of joy growing inside her.

    "Madam He... I remember that it was you who suggested that we have a tour in my closet? You dared to ask to see a woman¡¯s closet despite meeting them for the first time." Lily is petty, alright? This is something that she could deny. She is petty, and she loves to y people against each other. "Since you don¡¯t know what privacy is... I will..." Lily dialed a number on her phone.

    "Yes... send it to Mr. Liu. Thanks, Yuanfeng. Wait... you should also send it to everyone in the Liu Family." She ended the call and watched as Madam He paled.

    "What did you do?" Liu Chin asked. "What ¡ª " she immediately opened her phone. "What is this?"

    "What is it?" Madam Liu asked. Confusionced her eyes as she also opened her phone. Silence followed her question as she covered her mouth in horror. She stared at the photos on her phone then into Madam He. "This ¡ª Xun... you ¡ª "

    Lily watched in amusement as Liu Chin and her mother stared at Madam He. A mixture of disgust, hostility, and distressed glinted in their eyes. She took back her seat and started eating her nuts as she waited for the drama to ensue.

    Not long after she sat down, the sound of a resounding p reached her ears.

    "How dare you sleep with my son!" Madam Liu fumed. Her eyes wide as she red at Madam He. "You harlot! You are a married woman! How dare you betray me!"

    "You are sleeping with my brother?" Liu Chin held her phone in front of Madam He¡¯s face.

    "That... is not true. They photoshopped those photos!"

    "Photoshopped!? Do you think we are fools? I know your tattoo in your thighs! You showed it to me one time! Not even mother knows this! Do you think Lily would know that you have a tattoo in this part of your body?" Liu Chin raised her voice. "Is this why you alwayse in here when my brother is not working? Is this why you became my friend?" Madam He is still in her thirties. Despite her age, she still looked as if she was still in her twenties.

    "Liu Chin... Madam Liu listen to me. Lily is just trying to ruin our friendship! Please... let¡¯s all calm down." Madam He stuttered as she clutched her face. She and Gannon had been sleeping around for a few months now. However, they make sure to keep it as a secret. This was mostly because of Gannon¡¯s parents that are not as liberated as everyone else.

    They would never approve if Gannon would marry a divorced woman who is older than him by a few years. This was also the reason why Madam He decided not to divorce her husband yet.

    "You disgust me!" Liu Chin said. "I always see you as an elder sister! It turns out you only got close to me and my family because you like my brother! You ¡ª You are a predator!"

    "Liu Chin! How could you say that? Gannon is an adult male! We are in love!"

    "In love!? My brother is sleeping with two or more other women in Hongkong and maybe even more abroad you fool!"

    "That¡¯s not true! Gannon likes me!"

    "Yeah... you can keep telling that to yourself!"

    "You¡ª "

    "Enough!" Madam Liu interrupted. "Stop it!" She then turned towards Lily. "I am not sure why you are doing this but this could ruin families and friendships that we have built for years."

    "Aside from the fact that I am petty, I am merely showing the meaning of the word privacy," Lily answered as she shrugged. In Lily¡¯s vocabry, there are two types of attacks.

    Direct and indirect. Both can be used independently but are more effective whenbined.

    These two are something that she uses in dealing with her enemies all the time. For instance, the entertainment that she is watching now is the result of her direct attack. While her aim is to cause chaos, Lily¡¯s indirect attack alsoes in the form of letting Adalind know how capable she was.

    From Yang Mi¡¯s reports, Lily already knew what type of woman Adalind is. And she knew thetter is trying to get close to her husband. And this... this scene in front of them should be enough to let her know that Lily is not someone that anyone could offend.

    This show of capability was designed to intimidate a woman like Adalind. And Lily could only hope that it will work. If not, then... Adalind is not a very lucky woman.

    Lily turned towards Adalind and as expected, Adalind¡¯s face was devoid of any expression as she stared at Lily¡¯s sinister smile.

    ...

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 612 Challenge

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 612 Challenge</h4>

    "Madam Liu... truly knows how to joke." Lily added. She shifted her gaze towards the three women a few feet away from her. "I didn¡¯t ruin your friendship, you did. Think about it."

    "You vile creature!" Liu Chin was about to walk towards Lily when one of Lily¡¯s bodyguards stood next to her. Towering over everyone, the tall bodyguard stared down at Liu Chin, his face stern. However, it was not enough to scare her. "Get out of my way! This woman is..."

    "My... My..." Lily didn¡¯t remove her gaze from Madam Liu. "Your daughter is pretty stupid, no?"

    "Liu Chin... stop it! Don¡¯t involve her in our family matter." Madam Liu walked towards her daughter. She held Liu Chin¡¯s arms. "Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s talk inside."

    "But¡ª "

    "They are leaving." Madam Liu said. She then looked at Adalind and Lily. "Please... this is a family matter."

    Lily shrugged in response. She smiled at Madam He and Madam Liu. "You know... I can always give those to Mr. He.... You know, to help you out with your rtionship with Gannon." The changes in Madam He¡¯s face was instantaneous.

    "You can¡¯t do that." Madam He uttered. If her husband will know that she is sleeping with a younger man. He will surely leave her. While Madam he does not care about assets and money, she cares about her name! What would everyone say if they know that her husband was the one who filed the divorce?

    What will they say if they discovered that she cheated on him? Horror shed in her eyes as she thought of being ostracized by her friends and family.

    "Let¡¯s go inside and talk about this." Madam Liu said. "Miss Lily, Miss Adalind, we will not see you out." She then red at Madam He. "Follow us!"

    Lily nodded in response. She looked at the trio¡¯s disappearing back before looking at Adalind.

    "Evil," Adalind said. "I like it."

    "I can send the proof to Mr. He and everyone in this munity¡¯, but that¡¯s too easy," Lily said.

    "You seemed to enjoy ruining someone¡¯s family."

    "Coming from you? That sounds... less dramatic." Lily retorted. She grinned and threw another nut in her mouth.

    "Those things... I don¡¯t think they are any of your business." Adalind suspected that Lily already know something about her. "Does it make you happy? Seeing the aftermath of the chaos that you caused?"

    "You should ask yourself the same thing."

    Adalind pursed her lips. Lily¡¯s words were enough proof that she indeed have information about her. But isn¡¯t this a marvelous thing? Adalind beamed.

    This will make it more challenging, right?

    "I can see that you are taking this as a challenge, instead." Lilyughed inwardly. This was not a surprise. A woman like Adalind is not someone that one could easily intimidate. However, her methods are less brutal than her husband¡¯s. She cannot wait to see what Zhou Jingren will do to this woman.

    "We humans love the exhration of victory. A minor challenge and maybe some setbacks are going to make it worth it."

    Lily lifted an eyebrow before she burst outughing. Her shoulders shook, tears welled up in her eyes. "Worth it?" she uttered, mockeryced her tone. "You think... you will win?"

    Adalind frowned, amused at the ridicule in Lily¡¯s eyes. How could Lily be this confident? "We are fickle creatures," Adalind said. "You can¡¯t really trust someone¡¯s promise." Adalind assumed that Lily¡¯s confidence came from the promises that Zhou Jingren made. But how could Lily be this naive?

    Men are always like that. They spout nonsense promises then forgot about it the next day. They would then apologize and do it all over again. It is a never-ending process of heartache and expectations. Does Lily even know this? Adalind wondered.

    It was obvious that Lily is smart and... scheming. However, she seemed to underestimate the fact that her husband is still a man. And just like every man, he will always fall for someone that will make him special.

    "Hm." Lily nodded. "True. That is true." Lily then rose from her seat. This conversation was enough for her to conclude that this Adalind is not giving up anytime soon. "But... isn¡¯t this nice?" she met Adalind¡¯s eyes. "If you can get him then... he is yours." She knew that he will never betray her.

    Not after all the things that they went through.

    However, if and only if... Zhou Jingren will leave her for someone younger, slimmer, and more beautiful, then this only means one thing. He is not someone that deserves Lily¡¯s heart. A person who betrays her for some superficial things is not even worth a second of her time.

    "You mean that, right?"

    "Of course." Lily nodded. "Of course... if you fail to do so. Then just think that you are really unlucky." Thest person that tried to get into Zhou Jingren¡¯s pants already left this world. However... she would never tell Adalind about this. Lily could not wait to have Adalind face the consequence of her own actions.

    Lily¡¯s lips curled into a smile before she started walking away. Since Adalind wanted a challenge, then she will let her feel what real challenge is. "Call Zhou Jingren... tell him I aming." She uttered towards Yang Mi. In response, Yang Mi nodded as she shivered inwardly.

    The smile on Lily¡¯s face was beautiful ¡ª too beautiful, she found it frightening.

    Yang Mi lowered her head. She heard Lily¡¯s conversation with Adalind and to be honest, she too could not wait to watch that woman suffer. Her thoughts then started to analyze what Lily did earlier. Lily was clearly baiting Adalind.

    Lily knew that there is no way that Adalind will win this game. So she graciously challenged her. Lily was encouraging Adalind to move towards the mountains, where fighting is obviously more difficult. She was baiting her.

    Then she would cut the chance of retreat as she ruthlessly ambushed the enemy. Isn¡¯t this too cruel?

    Of course, Yang Mi would never me Lily for doing such a thing. She was only teaching someone a lesson. It was not her fault that the lesson she was about to teach involves... dying. Right?

    After all... this was Adalind¡¯s choice.

    .....

    Do you agree with Lily¡¯s methods?

    Instagram: @blips01

 Chapter 613 Hungry

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 613 Hungry</h4>

    Zhou Capital

    "Why are you staring at me like that?" Zhou Jingren asked as he put some vegetables in Lily¡¯s bowl. "Eat and stop staring at me like I¡¯m food." He added.

    "You are food." Lily rested her elbow on the table and propped her chin on her palm. She smiled. "Just not the edible type. But still enough to satisfy me."

    Zhou Jingren smiled. He shook his head inwardly. "You think you can stop me from feeding you vegetables by using thesepliments?" he lifted an eyebrow. "Eat. You need this."

    "You know me so well." Lily pouted. "It¡¯s soggy." For some reason, after getting pregnant, Lily is not very interested on eating vegetables.

    "It is healthy." He fired back before he took one slice of bitter gourd and held it towards Lily¡¯s mouth. "It¡¯s packed with minerals and vitamins like iron and potassium. This is perfect for the healthy development of you and our child.

    "What is that?" she eyed the green vegetable.

    "Bitter gourd."

    "So... it¡¯s bitter?"

    "Hmmm." He nodded. "But as I said... you need this."

    "Just add some meat on top of that."

    Zhou Jingren instantlyplied. He especially asked Chef Yang to make healthy food for Lily and their child.

    "This ¡ª This is ¡ª What kind of vegetable is this?" Her eyes widened. "Is this raw?" Lily swallowed the vegetable without chewing them. She instantly grabbed her milk tea and started drinking as if her life depended on it. "What is that?"

    "Another one." Zhou Jingren ignored Lily¡¯s overdramatic reaction as he got another slice. This time, he used a spoon and added a lot of meat on top of the vegetable.

    Lily instantly widened her eyes. "Are you trying to make me faint?" she asked. "This... this vegetable is really weird."

    "Well... it¡¯s healthy."

    "Still! It¡¯s weird. It¡¯s husky and its weird!" She frowned. Seeing Lily pout like a child, Zhou Jingren chuckled.

    "I sincerely thought that you will like it."

    "I don¡¯t have weird tastes." She answered.

    "Really?" He lifted an eyebrow as he met her eyes. As expected, Lily¡¯s frowned disappeared. A smile tugged her lips.

    "You are different."

    Another low chuckle escaped his lips as he opened another food container and started peeling the shrimps that were inside it. Seeing this, Lily pursed her lips. She tried to stop the glee from showing in her face. It was futile.

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s warmth is contagious. His affectionate behavior is enough to melt Lily into a puddle of messy hormones. Lily felt butterflies tugged her stomach as her gazended at his bobbing Adam¡¯s apple. She swallowed her saliva, frustration slowly overtook her. Their doctor said that they are not allowed to have intercourse as of the moment because of the nature of her pregnancy.

    Isn¡¯t this... unfair? Lily bit her lips and turned her gaze away from her husband. Every night... every single night Lily had been fighting against her urges to ravage her husband. She is trying her best to avoid looking at his luscious lips, and his chest, and his sculpted biceps. She is doing this for their child, she chanted inwardly.

    She really should stop thinking about matters like this in broad daylight. Lily scolded herself inwardly. But can someone really me her? They just got married, alright? It is only right that she should think about these things.

    "You are so red." Zhou Jingren noted. "Are you alright?" Concernced his voice. "Do you want to go to the hospital?" He asked.

    In response, Lily shook her head. She stared at his worried expression beforeughing. Lily could not really say that she wanted him. She would not want to open a can of worms... in the middle of the day.

    Moreover, she knew that her husband is also trying his best to control himself. This is the reason why the topic of making love rarelyes up to their conversationtely.

    "I¡¯m hungry." She answered. ¡¯For you¡¯ she wanted to add, but she decided against it. Instead, she swallowed her frustrations and smiled. "I want you to feed me." She demanded.

    Is it really possible to want someone so much, that even their Adam¡¯s apple is already turning her on? Lily chastised herself inwardly. Maybe she just had too much... milk tea?

    Seeing various emotions shed in Lily¡¯s eyes, Zhou Jingren chuckled. He then started feeding his wife. Zhou Jingren was not some ice bloke. He could feel her frustrations. He could see lust and desire swirling in her orbs every time she looked at him.

    Every night... Every single night Zhou Jingren had been trying to lessen the frustration of his wife by not taking a bath! He was hoping it was enough to turn her off. However, it seems that it was futile. The more he watched her turn red and avoid his gaze, the more he wanted to have her.

    True, they could satisfy each other by using other methods. In fact, they already did. But both of them knew that this was not enough. It will never be enough.

    Zhou Jingren smiled. He stared at his lovely wife as he started feeding her. They have a lifetime together. A lifetime to have each other until they faint from exhaustion.

    "We should talk about... scheming." He suggested the only thing that could change the current atmosphere in his office. He held a file in his hand and handed it to Lily.

    "Scheming?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. "Against who?"

    "I have something interesting to show you." Zhou Jingren said, the same gentle smile was on his face. "I knew you are always into feminism and women¡¯s rights. I found this case a couple of days ago. I believe you already read it."

    "What is it about?" As expected, interest instantly shone in Lily¡¯s eyes. To Lily, scheming is therapeutic. This is indeed the only way that could get her mind off things like... having her husband¡¯s manhood inside her!

    ...

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 614 One Hell of a Scary Wife

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 614 One Hell of a Scary Wife</h4>

    This is madness!

    Lily noted as she stared at her husband¡¯s handsome face. However, her attention switched to the file in her hand. "Sexism?" Lily remembered reading about this a few weeks back. This was a case filed by a woman from Zhou Jingren¡¯s security agency.

    "She¡¯s threatening to file a case against the head of thepany. Sexual Assault."

    "And did he?"

    "He is gay." Zhou Jingren said. "If the one threatening is a guy then... I might believe that the head assaulted him. But this? Nah." He shrugged.

    "And the sexism case?"

    "Well... she found some good backing from the women¡¯s rights advocate. They wanted to sue thepany for employing eighty percent male."

    "Uhhh... but this is a securitypany." Lily uttered. "What do they expect?"

    "Well... they wanted to have fifty-fifty at least. They said we are sexist for only making the women work menial jobs in the office. We have a couple of women in the field but the numbers are pitifulpared to."

    Lily lifted an eyebrow. In concerts, people get too rowdy and chaotic. Especially if the fans would start trying to approach the idols or artists. This would mean a lot of pushing and screaming and cursing. Because of this, most people assigned to do such jobs are tall, burly men who can easily stop the crowd.

    "There are just some things that women cannot do. Or if they can... it is not as productive as men." This is the hard truth. This is biology. "So she found a backing, eh?" Lily knew that the woman would not have the guts to try and sue a big name like Zhou Jingren if she didn¡¯t found someone that she could lean on. Someone that might be as big as Zhou Jingren in the business industry.

    "Women¡¯s rights advocates andwyers are pretty pushy about the matter. It won¡¯t take a long time before the media will get ahold of this case."

    "What are we doing about it?"

    "For the sexism.... We can¡¯t do anything about it. We are indeed employing men mostly because of the job requirement. We have female security and they are all trained and experienced. Some even came from the military. These are for our female clients who are morefortable in having female security around them. Mostly, celebrities have such demands."

    "So... you wanted me to get involve?"

    "No... Madam Zhou... you are already involved. All of my properties are legally under your name. If the media knew that someone who advocates women empowerment is being sued for sexism then... it will be chaos."

    "I understand," Lily said as she continued reading the file. The woman that was suing them was someone from a branch in maind China. She used to work as a manager in the branch but she was fired a couple of months back. The documents stated that they fired her because of ipetence.

    It was said that someone robbed the construction site overnight and lost hundreds of thousands worth of equipment thanks to her and her people¡¯s ipetence. The initial investigation said that it was raining on that night and the woman was not in her office. No one knows where she went.

    There were some rumors of an inside job, but no one was able to prove it because the culprit destroyed all the cameras in the vicinity. However, since she was not seen in her office around the time of the robbery, the head manager assumed that she skipped working that night without informing him. This made the head manager decided to fire her without asking for her exnation.

    The records say that this was not the first time the woman skipped working without informing their head manager. So firing her using her previous records was quite easy. However, the woman still ims that she was fire unjustly and it was because she was the only woman working in that team. She is iming that she was bullied by everyone including the head manager.

    Of course, she does not have any proof of this. But... thewyers are trying to blow it out of proportion. Soon, they might even start contacting the media to gain everyone¡¯s sympathy.

    Lily narrowed her eyes at the woman¡¯s image. She instantly wondered why someone would back her up. All the evidence shown by the head manager was enough to prove that the woman is tardy and her performance level was always below average.

    There are also multipleints about her mean behavior against new hires. This... this is a battle that she would surely lose. So why would someone try to help her? Lily eyed Zhou Jingren¡¯s side profile as she thought about his words.

    All of his properties are indeed under her name. This includes his shares and ownership of the securitypany that he founded for the orphanage. It was clear that her husband brought this up to her attention because he wanted to protect her.

    "Alright. I will deal with this." She smiled. This was not the first time that Lily dealt with someone filing a case against herpany. However, this will be the first time that she is doing it in this part of the world. "Anyway.... I sent some files to Mr. Liu about her daughter. Please expect him toe to see you soon."

    "He already called me. We have a meeting tomorrow in the afternoon. People at the peak seem to think that I have a say in your decision. Do you know why they think that way?" Did Lily do something to make them believe that he is the primary decision-maker in this marriage? Because... that is wrong ¡ª so wrong.

    In response, Lily giggled. Like a small child caught stealing a candy, Lily beamed at him. "Well... I always use your name to decline their request. This should be enough to make them think that I always ask you about everything." She grinned. "And hey.... You are making it sound like I¡¯m a super scary wife that decides about everything in this marriage."

    Zhou Jingren stared at her sly grin before he nodded. "Hmmm... that¡¯s because... it¡¯s the truth. You are one hell of a scary wife."

 Chapter 615 Are You Here to Beg?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 615 Are You Here to Beg?</h4>

    The Peak

    "These are the goals for the next quarter as well asst quarters reports." Yang Mi handed Lily a stack of papers. "I sent a copy of the presentation to your email and printed it out as well."

    "Alright." Lily nodded. "Did Qin Yuanfeng and Cathy arrived safely?"

    "Yes. They are already in London."

    "Good." She nodded and took the file from Yang Mi. She then eyed Zhou Jingren¡¯s vacant seat in their home office and pouted. Today, Lily decided to spend her morning checking out the reports from Fi Group. Because of this, she didn¡¯t apany Zhou Jingren to his office.

    She missed him.

    It wasn¡¯t even two hours, and she... missed him. It seems that this pregnancy made her even more clingy than her previous self. "Our profits are up by twelve percent." She uttered. "Good." At least, her disappearance at the beginning of the year was not able to affect thepany that much.

    "Hmmm. The projects in China and Singapore are also going well. Mr. Rossi wanted to ask if you would attend the opening of the mall."

    "No. Mr. Beau and Mr. Rossi can take care of that." As much as Lily wanted to attend this event she is afraid that her body won¡¯t make it.

    "I understand." Yang Mi nodded as she scribbled on her tablet.

    "Do you have an update about that Su Ma and Qin Chuan?" Lily asked. "How about that Chen Shi?"

    "Oh... Mr. Qin Chuan is taking Miss Su everywhere. I believe that they are currently in Bali enjoying a vacation. As for Miss Chen... she is currently busy with the damages that President Zhou made in her projects."

    "And thepany?" Lily asked. "If he is incapable of running thepany, then... I would intervene. Money is still more important than anything else." She added. How could Qin Chuan act like a teenager? Leaving thepany to travel the world with a woman that he met a few months ago?

    "The VP is handling the finances well. I already sent you an email on everything that Qin Yuanfeng found about thepany. These includes their profits and goals."

    "Good." She nodded. She understood the guilt that Qin Chuan must have felt when he lost Bec Fi. However, what he is doing now is just... unjustifiable.

    "Also... about the card that you mention?" Yang Mi added. "Fernando was able to trace it." Every VIP card that was given by GC Jewels is very exclusive. Because of this, the card has a special code that will detect that date and time that it was given to a customer. Some of the cards even contain the information and image of its owner.

    "Since that card was only an orange level, they did not have the information that you ask. However... Mr. Kim was able to trace the date and time that it was given."

    Lily snorted. She shifted her gaze at Yang Mi. "Let me guess... it was given Junest year?" she gave a mocking smile. Seeing this, Yang Mi swallowed her nonexistent saliva before she nodded.

    Yang Mi then shivered inwardly. She is already very familiar with this type of smile from Lily. This is something that still made Yang Mi tremble, even to this day. Who wouldn¡¯t? The malice swirling in Lily¡¯s eyes every time she does this is just... frightening.

    "Mr. Kim... Fernando asked if you wanted the video when the card was given to the customer."

    "No need," Lily uttered. "I already know who it is." She then shifted her gaze towards the stack of paper in her hands. "I am not in the mood to read right now." She rose from her seat and walked out of the study with Yang Mi in tow.

    Lily could not stop herself from smiling as she thought of the people behind this scheme. For some reason, she instantly thought about Chen Shi and her new allies. It was as if Lily¡¯s instinct is telling her that there should be a connection somewhere. However, she was not in a hurry to discover the truth behind this Su Ma.

    Lily wanted them to enjoy the show. Let them think that they are winning, that their ns are seeding. Then... she will destroy them. This time... Lily is going to destroy them and make them wish that they were not born in this lifetime.

    Harsh? Maybe... However, these people are threatening her peace.

    "Why are you following us around?" Lily halted her steps as she turned towards the maid that was walking behind them.

    "Madam... you said earlier that you don¡¯t want anyone to disturb you so I... I didn¡¯t inform you that someone is here to see you."

    "Who?" She lifted an eyebrow.

    "Madam He. She said she wanted to have a private conversation. She said it was important."

    "But you didn¡¯t inform me because... I told you not to disturb me?" she asked. In response, the maid nodded slowly.

    "Excellent work. Keep it up." Lily nodded. "Where is she?"

    "On the terrace. I already prepared some refreshments and inform her that you are doing something important. Still, she insisted to wait."

    "Alright." Lily smiled. As expected, the people that Zhou Jingren hired are all smart. She gave the maid ast look before she walked towards the terrace. The maid is smart enough to know that Lily does not have any friendly rtionship with the people in this neighborhood.

    "You are here?" Lily instantly asked when she saw Madam He standing near the baluster as still as a statue. Despite having over five chairs on the terrace, the woman stood while watching the view of Hong Kong.

    "Lily,¡¯ Madam He said almost eagerly. She walked towards Lily with an awkward smile on her face. "I am here to talk to you about yesterday."

    "Are you here to beg?" Lily lifted an eyebrow.

    "I ¡ª I am..." Madam He stuttered. As expected, Lily¡¯s direct words surprised her. Was Lily already expecting her toe here?

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 616 Like a Plague

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 616 Like a gue</h4>

    "I am here to ¡ª yes. I am here to beg." Madam He decided to swallow whatever it is that is left of her pride. "About Gannon... we sincerely love each other."

    "And... I¡¯m sure your feelings have nothing to do with me" Lily said, sarcasmce her tone as she sat on of the wrought-iron chairs.

    "My point is... please don¡¯t..." Madam He hesitated for a few minutes. She eyed Yang Mi, then shifted her gaze back to Lily. "Please don¡¯t take him away from me."

    "I¡¯m sorry?" Lily gestured her to sit down opposite her. "What did you say?"

    "I know you like Gannon and when I told him about this h¡ª "

    "Stop right there." Lily held her hand in front of the woman¡¯s face. "Are you trying to make meugh?" However, seeing the woman¡¯s serious expression, Lily concluded that the woman was indeed serious. "What made you think that I like him?"

    Lily fought the urge tough at the woman¡¯s delusions. She tried to maintain a serious expression, however, this type of stupidity is too much for her. Before Madam He could open her mouth to utter a word, Lily already burst outughing. Her shoulders shook as she tried to stop herself from her glee.

    What kind of stupidity is this? This Madam He seemed so creative! She should just create her own art to express her creative mind!

    "Please stopughing at me." Madam He frowned.

    "I was under the impression that you are here to beg me not to tell your husband about your affair," Lily said. She held her aching stomach fromughing too much as she continued. "Who would have thought that you are here to talk to me about something this... nonsense?"

    "Please stop denying it. I know Gannon is very good looking. I also know that you have taken an interest in him since the first time that you saw him at the tea party."

    "Madam He... let me stop you again." Lily gave her a silly grin. "Have you seen my husband?" she asked. Seeing the look on Madam He¡¯s face, Lily let out anotherughter full of ridicule. "Then... I would assume that you know he is more good looking than your.... Boy toy, right?"

    "Don¡¯t call him that!" Madam He hissed.

    "Opps." Lily yfully covered her mouth. She widened her eyes at Madam He. "Apologies. My mouth loves telling the truth even without my permission."

    "Please... Lily, stop mocking me like this." Madam He¡¯s face reddened. "You are a woman. You should understand that I really liked him. I love Gannon. I can¡¯t imagine myself living without him in my life."

    "And your husband?"

    Madam He¡¯s face instantly turned stiff. She lowered her head, avoiding Lily¡¯s gaze in the process. "I didn¡¯t marry him because I love him. " She uttered, her voice low, almost inaudible. "I know... I know our circumstances are different so you probably don¡¯t understand what I feel right now." She let out a sigh.

    Madam He then lifted her head to stare at Lily¡¯s face. "I love him. Please.... I am begging you. Don¡¯t take him away from me."

    "Madam He.... It seems that you failed to understand why I showed those photos to Madam Liu and her family." Lily said. "I was trying to make everyone understand that invasion of privacy is... very frightening. I was being petty, and I thought the best thing to exin it is to invade everyone¡¯s privacy." She let out a dramatic sigh. "I was not trying to break your heart."

    "But ¡ª " Madam He bit her lips. She met Lily¡¯s eyes. "I¡¯m sorry. If that is what you need from me... then, please... I¡¯m sorry. I will not do it again. I will not see the Liu Family from now on. Just please... don¡¯t make him leave me. Gannon is my everything... please." Slowly, tears welled up in her eyes. She fought the urged to cry, but it was futile.

    Madam He¡¯s emotion towards Gannon is something that only she understood. "I¡¯m sorry." She sobbed. "I know.... I was too stupid. I know I shouldn¡¯t have provoked you. Please ¡ª Just please forgive me."

    In response, Lily lifted an eyebrow. She then eyed Yang Mi, who automatically gave the woman some tissue to wipe away her tears. "I have not talked to your Gannon since that tea party and I can assure you that he does not interest me. He is not ripe enough for my... tastes." She smiled.

    "But ¡ª Liu Chin said..."

    "Liu Chin wanted you toe in here to fight me," Lily said. "She is manipting you and trying to use you against me."

    Madam He lowered her gaze and started fidgeting. Seeing this, a sh of unfathomable expression glinted in Lily¡¯s eyes. It was too fast that even Yang Mi failed to notice it. "Liu Chin wanted to ruin you. She must hate you so much for sleeping with her elder brother."

    "Think about it...." Lily added. "They grew up together. I bet they were really close too. She knew that her brother loves sleeping around with women. And she does not have a problem with this. However... when she knew that you were sleeping with her brother, she instantly blew up on you. Isn¡¯t this unfair?"

    "I ¡ª You are right." Madam He said.

    "Then she told you that I liked her brother?" Lily chuckled. "No offense but Gannon is not evenparable with my husband and I know... you knew this." She smiled as she leaned towards Madam He. "She only wanted us to fight. You should just avoid her like a gue."

    "I¡ª "

    "Also... I am not trying to break your rtionship with Gannon. I am already married and I am perfectly happy with my rtionship. I am in love and will continue to love my husband every day." Lily¡¯s expression turned gentle. "However... let me tell you this.... Someone else in the neighborhood is walking around trying to seduce every man that she can."

    "What ¡ª What are you trying to say?"

    "Someone is trying to seduce your Gannon, and that is not me." Lily let out a dramatic sigh. "I don¡¯t have any intention of talking about someone behind their back but seeing you like this.... Its... it¡¯s breaking my heart." As if on cue, Lily¡¯s brows furrowed, her lips morphed into a sad smile. "As a woman... I just can¡¯t help but warn you against someone that could definitely break your rtionship."

    "Who ¡ª Who is it?" Madam He asked.

    ...

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 617 A Genuine Friend

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 617 A Genuine Friend</h4>

    Lily stared at Madam He¡¯s beautiful face as she wondered what kind of skincare regime did this woman follow to keep her face look that young and beautiful. "It¡¯s Adalind." she stated.

    "Miss Adalind Brooke? What are you trying to say?"

    "Madam He... I think it is best that I show this to you. You can be the judge. I mean... I can see that you are a very logical person." Lily then turned towards Yang Mi. "Please show her the files about Adalind." Yang Miplied without saying a word. This was not the first time that she saw Lily manipte someone and she knew this would not be thest either.

    "Please take a look. These are Adalind¡¯s files from the US, she came here to avoid her scandals that involve a married CEO."

    "Scandals." Madam He repeated the word, not missing the fact that it wasn¡¯t just a single scandal Lily was talking about.

    "Oh... she is known for sleeping around with people who already have a partner." Lily leaned back as she let Madam He read the file. "I mean... Gannon is pretty yful when ites to women. I would not be surprised if... she would target him first. After all, she is already close to Madam Liu, right?"

    As expected, Madam He¡¯s hands trembled. She held the tablet tighter as anguish shed in her eyes. Adalind was younger, taller, and more beautiful than anyone else at The Peak. This was a fact that even Madam He had to sadly ept.

    "What if this was the actual reason she became close to Madam Liu?" Lily added fuel to the fire. When it came to maniption, these women.... were not on her level yet. "I mean... if she was looking for a house.... She could easily approach Madam Jiang as she is the most active member of themunity. But she chose Madam Liu, instead. Now that I think about it. That is ... very suspicious, no?"

    Madam He nodded without saying anything. She continued reading the files about Adalind. Slowly her face turned ugly. "What kind of woman would want to ruin marriages and rtionships?" She scowled. "This woman...."

    "I know. That¡¯s why I feel obligated to tell you about this matter. I mean... Liu Chin reacted pretty badly. What if... What if it was because of Adalind? We don¡¯t really know the type of seductive poison that woman has. You should probably warn your man about this."

    "Gannon was trying to break up with me. Last night... when he heard that Madam Liu and his father were already aware of our rtionship, he broke things off." Sadness shed in Madam He¡¯s eyes. "I begged him not to do it. I know he loves me. But his parents are... they must have threatened to tell his grandfather about it." She gritted her teeth.

    "Or... they think that Gannon is more suited to have Adalind in his life. I mean... Adalind came from a very rich family in the US. If Gannon marries her¡ª "

    "No! That will never happen!" Madam He hissed, as she squinted her eyes at Adalind¡¯s image on the tablet. "I will never allow that to happen!"

    "Madam He.... As your neighbor... and maybe a friend. I don¡¯t want you to get hurt. I truly think that she is a dangerous woman and if you¡ª "

    "I can handle her! If she tries to touch my man... I will definitely crush her into pieces."

    "Madam He... Please mind your health. I don¡¯t want you to get sick because of too much anger." Lily¡¯s words were gentle.They were soft and kind enough to absolutely convince someone like Madam He that Lily was a friend. A kind and gentle friend.

    "Thank you so much for letting me know about this matter." Madam He uttered as she gave the tablet back to Yang Mi. "I will save this rtionship, no matter what happens."

    In response, Lily¡¯s lips curled into a slight smile. "If you and Gannon are truly meant for each other then ... I am sure that not even a harlot like Adalind would be able to break you apart. I can assure you that I have my backing against that woman. Also... I will not inform your husband about this matter. As a woman... this is my responsibility."

    As expected, tears started to stream down on Madam He¡¯s face. She stood up from her seat and transferred to the vacant seat next to Lily. "I never thought that you would be this kind... Lily, I apologize for misinterpreting your actions as arrogance." She held Lily¡¯s hands. "Thank you. Thank you so much for your help."

    "Please stop crying..." Lily¡¯s face reddened. "You are making me cry too." She wiped the nonexistent tears in her eyes. "We women should stand next to each other in events like this. We should... We should support each other."

    Instead of stopping her tears, Madam He broke down into a puddle of tears. She sobbed as she pulled Lily into a hug. "I¡¯m sorry." She uttered. Her emotions were running rampant inside her. Madam He really loved Gannon, and she had thought that Lily was trying to take him away from her. However, now that she thought about it, Zhou Jingren seemed to pamper Lily a lot. The couple also seemed happy and in love.

    How could Lily look at Gannon if her heart was already with her husband?

    However, Adalind was a different thing. She was a single woman who had enough looks to seduce her Gannon. "I¡¯m really sorry." She uttered. Now that Madam He thought about it. Lily was truly a righteous woman. Despite being ostracized by everyone, Lily still epted her and even told her about Adalind.

    Lily was a strong woman and everyone, including her, misunderstood her. This made Madam He feel apologetic and really sad. She felt nothing but guilt for what she had done to Lily. However, this was not the time to wallow in these emotions. Lily had already decided to help her. With Lily¡¯s kind heart and gentle smile, Madam He was confident that she had earned a genuine friend this time.

    Of course, Madam He was only thinking about this because she didn¡¯t see the spark of mischief in Lily¡¯s eyes. Nor the sinister smile on Lily¡¯s face as she hugged Madam He.

    ...

    Shoutout to Dragon777 for helping me proofread this chapter! Thank you!

 Chapter 618 Time is Money

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 618 Time is Money</h4>

    A huge smile dangled on Lily¡¯s lips as she stared at the streets of Hong Kong. Even now, the conversation that she had with Madam He kept echoing in her mind, making her giggle from time to time. Sheughed at her own thoughts as she ignored the stare at Yang Mi was giving her since they left the mansion.

    Lily felt that her passion lies in making people fight each other. Wait... that statement made her sound evil. At the thought of this, anotherughter escaped her lips.

    "I remember Jingren will have a photoshoot with the other nominated individuals for the Awards?" Lily asked as she turned towards Yang Mi. "Are we having lunch outside of his office?"

    "Yes, President... it is at a restaurant downtown. Go Jichen has already booked a private room for everyone."

    "And the shoot?" Lily asked.

    "It will be in the same building, so there is no need to travel."

    "Alright." Lily smiled. She was actually very excited for this time¡¯s awards night. Since The Fi Group did not qualify for these awards, she really wanted Zhou Jingren to win it.

    Of course, the probability of him getting it was very high, as Zhou Capital was already one of the biggest banks in Asia.

    While Lily was smiling like she just won the lottery, Madam Liu and Liu Chin had scowls on their beautiful faces. They red at Madam He as thetter stared at the documents that she had given them.

    "I never expected that you would stoop this low, Madam He. Why would you try and ruin someone else¡¯s reputation?" Madam Liu questioned. "The fact that you, a married woman, were sleeping with my son is already bad enough. Why would you even try to drag someone who is innocent into this instead of repenting for your sins?"

    "Madam He... I understand that you are concerned about our age gap and my current status. But... But Gannon promised that he will marry me once I divorce my husband."

    "Gannon told us that he broke up with youst night."

    "That was because you threatened him." She reasoned. "I am sure that once I divorce my husband..."

    "Your father married you off to Mr. He to seal a business deal." Madam Liu¡¯s sharp words made Madam He flinch. The reality seeped through her, reminding her of her current circumstances. "There is no way that your father would allow you to divorce your husband and marry my son."

    "But¡ª My mother will surely understand my feelings. I¡¯m sure she will..."

    "Madam He... we already know that you and my son will never happen." This time, Madam Liu was calm and collected. "There is no way that I will allow my son to marry a used rag like you."

    "Madam Liu!" Madam He widened her eyes. She stared at Madam Liu and then, into her daughter¡¯s stern face as thest light of hope inside of her slowly disappeared.

    "I know it is harsh but... you brought this upon yourself. This is fate. There is nothing you can do to change it."

    Madam He felt tears burn her eyes as her lower lips trembled. She used to consider these two women as her dear friends. At one point she even thought that Liu Chin would support her rtionship with her brother. However, the disgust in their gazes was too apparent, they were sending small needles into her heart.

    Slowly, Madam He rose from her seat. Since they won¡¯t believe her then... there was no other way. She would prove to everyone that Adalind is a scandalous woman. Then these two would regret everything that they said to her. "I hope you won¡¯t regret this." She uttered before walking out of the Liu Mansion.

    The realization that her rtionship with the Liu¡¯s started deteriorating because of Adalind was making her infuriated. Not long after she left, she immediately dialed a number on her phone. She had to make sure that Adalind wouldn¡¯t have the chance to seduce her man.

    Of course, Lily was unaware of this. All she wanted to do was to use a borrowed knife to deal with Adalind. After all, she was a weak, pregnant woman. Lily¡¯s best course of action was to let other people fight in her stead.

    Lily was still smiling as she looked at Zhou Jingren being photographed with various clothing. Now that she thought about it.... Her husband was truly good looking, ah. She was sure that even most models from the west were nothingpared to her man.

    "You seem really happy."

    Lily¡¯s thoughts were interrupted when she heard the voice next to her. To her surprise, it was none other Adalind. "Why are you here?" she asked.

    "What do you mean?" Adalind smirked before she undid her ponytail and shook her hair. An action that reminded Lily of those annoying TVmercials about shampoos. "I am a model... a supermodel." Adalind stressed on the word supermodel. She wanted Lily to remember that she, Adalind Brooke was still revered, as one of the top models in the US.

    Lily instantly lifted an eyebrow. She never expected that Adalind would really have the guts to do something like this to get close to her husband. However, instead of worrying, she leaned back on her chair.

    This should not be Lily¡¯s problem anymore. She eyed Zhou Jingren and two other businessmen who were talking to the director of the shoot. As expected, his face was already dark while the other two men were staring at Adalind with big smiles on their faces.

    "So... you will be included in this shoot?" Lily asked.

    "No. But... the director is a good friend of mine and he asked me to help him direct the shoot. After all... I am very experienced In this type of thing."

    Lily snorted. She folded her arms across her chest and smiled towards Zhou Jingren. "Alright... Good luck with that."

    Adalind rolled her eyes at Lily¡¯s arrogance. How could Lily be this confident? Clearly, Adalind was younger and more beautiful than her. She was also taller and was confident that she would look good while standing next to Zhou Jingren.

    After a few seconds, the director called Adalind and introduced her to the group of men. When they heard that she was a supermodel, almost everyone instantly agreed to have her direct their shoot.

    "So... you were hired by the people behind this award to direct the shoot and you asked a friend to help you out?" Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice was cold, intimidating enough to make the director flinched.. He looked at the director a few feet away from him. "You epted the job despite knowing that you are notpetent enough to do it?"

    A thick silence instantly nketed the whole studio as they stared at Zhou Jingren¡¯s stern face. "This is a photoshoot that was supposed tost an one hour. Nothing more. Do you think I have the time to pose with your model?" he continued. His sharp words were enough to make everyone in the shoot ufortable.

    These men were all businessmen. To them... time was money. Wasting their time in the photoshoot only meant one thing, wasting their money.

    "Mr. Zhou this is only to make sure that you will have a very good¡ª "

    "Do you think this is one of the requirements for winning the award?" Zhou Jingren interrupted. His intimidating aura swept through the entire room as he turned towards Adalind. "This is a waste of my time."

    .....

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 619 Contamination

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 619 Contamination</h4>

    "My apologies Mr. Zhou but there seems to be a misunderstanding somewhere." The director smiled. It was normal for him to meet a person like Zhou Jingren every now and then. After all, these people stand at the pinnacle of sess. Their arrogance waspletely reasonable.

    "Miss Adalind Brooke is an expert that is working for us. She has already been working for one of our magazines abroad. She is not just having a vacation here in Hong Kong. She is also working for us in some of our projects."

    "Don¡¯t worry President Zhou... Miss Brooke ispletely professional and she won¡¯t direct you to do something that you are ufortable with." He added. "Isn¡¯t that right, Miss Brooke?"

    "Oh please... you can call me Adalind." Adalind smiled. "And yes. I will be directing the shoot. Don¡¯t worry it will not take a lot of time."

    The other businessmen nodded as they smiled. Having a supermodel should make their images look better, right? However, Zhou Jingren was different. He did not see the point of doing this at all. "I only have twenty minutes." He uttered before walking towards the current set up.

    Seeing this, a smile surfaced on Adalind¡¯s face. She followed Zhou Jingren. "Mr. Zhou... this is the pose that I want you to do. Nothing special but the background on this one will be an office." Her lips curled into an enchanting smile as she leaned forward, letting Zhou Jingren smell her sweet cologne.

    Zhou Jingren stared at the pose in the photo. He furrowed his brows at her actions but said nothing. He then sat on the leather seat and looked at the camera.

    "Mr. Zhou... your tie is a bit crooked, let me fix it for you." Adalind ignored Zhou Jingren¡¯s stern expression as she leaned forward, making her hair fall down her face, framing an enchanting sight in the process. Lily was in front of them. It was only normal for him to act tough and unaffected.

    "Miss Brooke." Zhou Jingren¡¯s words were enough to stop the woman from touching him. "Do you know what happened to thest woman who schemed against me?" He lifted his chin, meeting her blue eyes.

    "Mr. Zhou, what are you talking about?" Adalind froze for a few seconds, however, she still shamelessly fixed his tie. "I am only doing my job."

    "I see." Zhou Jingren nodded.

    "It¡¯s fixed now." Adalind beamed. "Now we can start the shoot. Mr. Zhou... where are you going?" she asked when she saw Zhou Jingren rise from the chair and take off his coat. He then started removing his tie as he walked towards Secretary Go. "Mr. Zhou.... Is there a problem?" Surprise shed in Adalind¡¯s eyes as she watched Zhou Jingren walk away from her.

    "Throw it away." Zhou Jingren uttered as he handed the coat and tie to Secretary Go. "Let¡¯s go."

    "President Zhou!" The director ran towards Zhou Jingren. He never expected that Zhou Jingren would be this hard to handle. "Please ... may I know why you are leaving? The shoot is not done. We also can¡¯t reschedule this for another date. We need this done by tomorrow for the magazine."

    "I am sending you my own photos tonight." He answered without looking at them. "Taken by professionals abroad."

    "But the background."

    "Not my problem." Zhou Jingren said. This was not apetition of who would have the best photo or who has the best attitude. This was about business. Zhou Jingren would not mind if these people would not have an image of him. As long as they mentioned hispany then... he did not have a problem at all.

    "Mr. Zhou... May I know why you suddenly decided to leave?" The director decided to press for answers when he saw Zhou Jingren ignore his attempt at stopping him.

    "I have another meeting in fifteen minutes." Zhou Jingren answered. He then turned towards Lily and gave a gentle smile. "Let¡¯s go?"

    "Alright." Lily¡¯s eyes swept through everyone present, including Adalind. Her lips tugged upwards into a provoking smile. The difference between her and Zhou Jingren was his direct behavior. A no was a no. A yes was... a yes. Simple but direct.

    Zhou Jingren is not the type toplicate things. He would not want to drag something that he is ufortable with. Unlike Lily, this man does not waste his brain cells thinking about schemes to embarrass someone and beat them at their own game. He just... attacks and leaves.

    With the same smile, Lily held her husband¡¯s hands as they left the ce. She did not expect him to be that direct but she couldn¡¯t really say that she didn¡¯t like it.

    "Mr. Zhou! Mr. Zhou! Please wait!"

    When Lily heard Adalind¡¯s voice, she let go of Zhou Jingren¡¯s hands. "I will wait for you in the car?" she whispered. In response, Zhou Jingren stared at her wife¡¯s cunning eyes. He nodded and leaned forward to kiss her.

    "Mr. Zhou!" Adalind eyed Lily¡¯s back as she wondered why would she leave instead of confronting her. Adalind¡¯s eyes thennded on Zhou Jingren¡¯s secretary who was holding the coat for him. "May I know... May I know why you decided to leave the photoshoot? Was it because of me?" Adalind was only a few inches shorter than Zhou Jingren so it wasn¡¯t hard for her to look at his handsome features.

    "Yes."

    A sh of surprise glinted in Adalind¡¯s eyes at his direct response. "I¡ª May I know why? Am I making you ufortable somewhere?" she smiled. Her ambiguous words were enough to make someone blush.

    "Knowing your records... I don¡¯t think I can even breathe the same air as you." Zhou Jingren said, his words cold as ice . "People who like to ruin marriages... are dirty. I want to keep my wife safe from contamination."

    "You¡ª " Zhou Jingren¡¯s harsh words made her freeze. For a few seconds, she was speechless. What kind of answer was that? "Mr. Zhou why are you insulting me like this... I didn¡¯t do anything to you. Why would you..."

    "Miss Brooke... this is nothing personal. I just don¡¯t like to associate myself with the likes of you. And I have the right to dislike someone."

    "But you have no right to say something as harsh as that." Adalind fired back.

    "Wrong. I have the right to say whatever I want. You also have the right to ignore it. But you didn¡¯t and that is not my problem anymore."

 Chapter 620 Beauty and Jealousy

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 620 Beauty and Jealousy</h4>

    Adalind stared at Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes. She felt her face turn hot as she swallowed her bitter tasting saliva. She had never met a man as blunt as the one standing before her.

    "Mr. Zhou¡ª "

    "I have no interest in interacting with you Miss Brooke." He bluntly said before turning towards the exit. However, how could Adalind pass up this opportunity?

    She already had her friend wait for an opportunity like this to secretly take some ambiguous images of them together! Originally, Adalind wanted to take some photos of Lily embarrassing her in front of everyone. However, since Lily left, she wanted a photo with Zhou Jingren instead.

    "Mr. Zhou... wait..." she walked towards him before intentionally stumbling on her heels. Her eyes instantly widened, her mouth agape as she waited for him to catch her. But what happened was out of her expectations.

    When Adalind realized that Zhou Jingren did not even turn to look at her, it was already toote. A loud thud echoed in the lobby as she hit the floor. Still, Zhou Jingren did not stop walking away from her.

    He never once turned his head, nor halted his steps. He just continued walking as if he never heard her fall on the floor. The pain in Adalind¡¯s foot woke her up from her stupor. She instantly paled when she saw her twisted foot. The pain that followed was excruciating.

    "Ahhh!" She intentionally made her voice louder, hoping it would be enough to stop him from walking away, but it was futile. Zhou Jingren was already on his way towards the door, his back facing her. What a cruel man! She thought.

    He was supposed to catch her, stop her from falling. Then he would carry her and check if she was alright. However, none of those things happened.

    "Miss Brooke? Are you alright?" One staff member asked. Concernced her face, however, not even she was able to hide the disgust in her eyes. She heard the conversation between the two. "Hey! Someone call for an ambnce! I think Miss Brooke¡¯s feet are broken. It¡¯s starting to swell." The staff called out before turning back to Adalind, "Miss Brooke, please stay calm. Let¡¯s wait for the ambnce so we can take you to the nearest hospital."

    People started to crowd around her. Many of them saw what happened and even heard the entire conversation. While they all showed concern to the beautiful foreigner on the outside. On the inside, many were not able to stop themselves from rolling their eyes.

    The thing about beauty is... that it is always bound to attract jealousy from other women. As Lily said... women are poisonous creatures. They love and they destroy, equally.

    Seeing a beautiful woman like Adalind being embarrassed by an equally appealing man only made most of the women who witnessed the situation smile inwardly. Wasn¡¯t this enough to prove that beauty does not always guarantee that one will have the man of your dreams?

    "Don¡¯t touch me!" Adalind hissed as she pped away the hand of the staff who touched her feet. "It hurts! Don¡¯t touch me!"

    ...

    When Lily saw Adalind fall, the first thing that she did was giggle. It was just too entertaining, ah. When she saw Zhou Jingren walk away like he had not even heard the woman fall to the floor, she giggled even more.

    Seeing Adalind¡¯s expression was really making her smile. "That was epic." She noted when Zhou Jingren got into the car. With the same smile on her face, she leaned towards him as she folded her arms on his neck. She pulled him for a light kiss.

    "Hmmm." He nodded. To him it was always right to put people in their right ce from the get-go. He would rather spend his time pampering his wife than scheme against someone that he could easily destroy without even lifting his hand. "I already asked someone to do the renovations for our house in Switzend. And the nursery." He added,pletely changing the atmosphere inside the car.

    Lily lifted an eyebrow in response. "But... we don¡¯t know the gender yet."

    "It¡¯s alright. The furniture is all peach for now. We can always paint it once we know the gender."

    "Then... it¡¯s all good." She nodded. "About the photo shoot."

    "Don¡¯t worry about it. They only want it so they can put it on their website and magazine. It¡¯s not that big of a deal."

    "This is your first award since you started Zhou Capital. Are you sure this is not a big deal?"

    "Of course. I will ask Secretary Go to take care of it. Then we can have an interview in my office tomorrow."

    Lily nodded in response. Some people in the business industry were peculiar creatures. After that the car turned silent as they rode towards Zhou Capital.

    When Lily arrived at Zhou Jingren¡¯s office, the first thing that she did was sleep. These days, Lily felt like her energy was too low and all she really wanted was to lie down and sleep. When sheter awoke, it was already four in the afternoon.

    Since Zhou Jingren was still working, Lily decided to check out some of her emails from the Fi Group. And one particr email caught her attention.

    It was an email from the COO from one of the biggest oilpanies in the world. The image of a blond man with piercing blue eyes caught her attention as it was attached to the email. For some reason, she felt that she already met this man somewhere. However, Lily was quick to shrug this feeling off.

    She then read the email that specifically requested a meeting. However, the thing was, the man insisted on seeingLily and did not agree on seeing Mr. Rossi or even Cathy. Of course, Lily did not find this weird. After all, he was an executive of one of the top oilpanies in the world. It was only normal for him to demand such a thing.

    "President... please take a look at this." Yang Mi handed Lily the tablet. "This is Miss Su Ma¡¯s social media ount. She does not really post any personal images, just some choreographed images of books and her cat. Then just a while back, she posted this." Yang Mi¡¯s face turned ugly as she eyed the image on the screen.

    ...

    Thank you for DRAGON777 for helping me out in this mini mass release!

 Chapter 621 Divine Intervention

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 621 Divine Intervention</h4>

    It was a ring.

    To be precise, it was a diamond ring in a woman¡¯s ring finger. Instantly, Lily¡¯s eyebrow lifted. She then returned the tablet back to Yang Mi. She was sure that her father would call and meet up with her soon to announce his happy engagement. If her guess was right, his background check must havee back clean. Or else he would not be so eager to propose.

    Lily didn¡¯t give this matter another thought as she went back to reading her mail. "Send an anonymous email to that woman. Tell her we know who she truly is. Have her send us money to a foreign bank ount." She uttered.

    "President, what if... she asks Mr. Qin to help her out?"

    "She won¡¯t, that will only make him suspect her. She would not want to create any doubts between them. Especially now"

    Yang Mi nodded in response.

    Lily then sent a text to Qin Yuanfeng about the matter.

    "He wants to marry her?" Zhou Jingren asked when Lily told him what happened. However, what he got in response, was a nk look on Lily¡¯s face. "What¡¯s wrong?" He asked as he sat next to her.

    "I¡¯m wondering. If... If I die... will you rece me with someone that looks just like me?" she propped her chin onto her palms. She watched as surprise shed in his eyes.

    "No." His tone had a hint of assurance, no, a promise. "If you die... I die too."

    Lily snorted. She was already expecting such an answer from him. "He is stupid."

    "He is in love." He retorted softly. "We tend to do crazy things if we are in love with someone."

    "He is not in love with Su Ma. He is in love with my mother, he is in love with the image of my mother in that woman." Lily remembered the simrities on how Su Ma and her mother act. The way they say some words, their mannerisms and even the way theyugh.All of this was something that Su Ma showed thest time that she met her.

    It was really not that surprising, after all... Su Ma was very familiar with Bec Fi.

    "Do you have a n?" He asked, concernced in his tone.

    In response, Lily nodded and gave a mirthless smile. "I will see them at the wedding." She uttered.

    What could be more scandalous than ruining someone else¡¯s wedding? For now... she would let Su Ma and everyone behind her think that she is limiting her interaction with Qin Chuan. "That man needs divine intervention." She added. "And I am giving it to him. I only hope he can take it."

    "Alright. Don¡¯t stress yourself too much about this matter. Secretary Go is always willing to help Yang Mi out whenever she needs any assistance. For now... we should go home."

    Lily instantly beamed at his words. The word ¡¯home¡¯ sent a tinge of warmth into her heart. She closed herptop and gave it to Yang Mi before heading out of the office with Zhou Jingren.

    ...

    "A fractured bone?" Adalind frowned as she stared at the X-Ray in front of her. "Do we need surgery?"

    "Unfortunately, yes." The older doctor nodded. "I can see that you already have a dislocated midfoot because of wearing heels for long periods of time. The CAT scan revealed that these injuries are far more serious than we originally anticipated. The ident earlier only made it worse. This time surgery is needed."

    "So... it wasn¡¯t just a sprain?"

    "No. It wasn¡¯t."

    "Will I be able to walk again?"

    "Of course. This is nothing major. You will be able to walk again after some time and of course... rehabilitation."

    "How long will it take me to walk again after the surgery?"

    "This will depend on how you take care of your body. Half a year should be enough time for the bone to heal. It could be another year before you can start walking in heels again."

    Adalind¡¯s face morphed into an ugly scowl. "Alright." She nodded. Not long after, the doctor left her alone in her room. She then started calling her agency and her parents to inform them about the matter. Adalind¡¯s legs were one of her assets, having this ident was a deal-breaker for her.

    "Damn it!" She cursed after she ended the call with her parents. This ident was not worth it at all! Aside from the fact that she failed to get Zhou Jingren¡¯s attention, she also encountered such an ugly ident that might affect her career in modeling. After all, a year and a half of rehabilitation would take away a lot of modeling opportunities from her.

    "When I heard about the ident I almost couldn¡¯t believe it." Adalind flinched when she heard a woman¡¯s cold voice.

    "Madam He? Why are you here? I think it is already past visiting hours." Adalind frowned. For some reason, she always felt weird around this Madam He.

    "Such things cannot stop someone like me." Madam He chuckled. She walked towards her. "How is your foot?"

    "I will have to undergo surgery."

    Madam He widened her eyes at Adalind¡¯s words. She stared at the woman¡¯s bandaged foot on the bed before giving out a sad sigh. "That¡¯s too bad." Madam He did not even bother to hide the glee in her voice thatpletely contrasted with the surprise on her face. "What will happen to your career now that you are injured? Are you going back to America to recuperate?" she asked.

    "I decided to stay here. My parents will send theirwyers tomorrow to help me buy a new ce. I can¡¯t stay at my cousin¡¯s ce as her mansion has stairs and it will be such a hassle to move around with my injury."

    "You will stay here?" Madam He asked. "But... who will take care of you? I mean... you are alone."

    "I can hire some people to take care of me. My stepmother already promised me that she will send some of the best therapists here. My mother also said the same thing." Adalind shrugged. "It is not a problem."

    "I see." Madam He smiled as she hid the fury in her eyes. "Oh! I brought this for you." She handed Adalind a box. "Its choctes. One of the best in Hong Kong. They are dark choctes though. I hope you don¡¯t mind its bitter taste. It is good for your body."

    "Thank you." She epted the box. "That is so sweet of you." Adalind smiled. To be honest, being alone with this Madam He was giving her a weird... vibe. Not enough to scare her but it is truly making her ufortable. "Oh... I am tired and it¡¯s alreadyte. I hope you don¡¯t mind but... I want to rest now."

    "No problem. I was in the hospital when I heard the news so I thought... I would just drop by and see you." Madam He¡¯s tone was cordial. "I apologize for disturbing you. I will take my leave now. Don¡¯t worry... I will visit you after your surgery."

    "Thank you."

    "Of course." Madam He nodded. "We women... have to support each other." An enchanting smile dangled on her lips. "I will see you next time. I hope you have a good rest." Without waiting for Adalind to answer her, Madam He walked out of the private room.

    "Will you be doing the surgery?" she asked the man standing next to the door of Adalind¡¯s room.

    "Yes." The doctor nodded. This was the same man that showed Adalind the result of her X-Ray and scan earlier. "Do you want me to cripple her?" he asked.

    "No... I am not that mean." Madam Heughed as she started walking with the doctor. "Just... make her unable to wear heels again." She smiled.

    "Then... that will happen." The doctor nodded before walking in the opposite direction leaving Madam He smiling alone as she walked towards her car.

 Chapter 622 Unbelievable Sensation

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 622 Unbelievable Sensation</h4>

    WARNING: R18

    Thunder rumbled, the cold wind hugged Lily¡¯s skin. She shivered as she eyed the dark skies, being lit by bolts of lightning.

    Lily never expected that it would rain tonight. Not that she didn¡¯t like it. She liked seeing the grass turn greener after a night of rain. The exotic smell of wet earth that reminded her of home.

    What is home? Lily smiled inwardly.

    "Hey. You should probably close the window. The rain is getting harder. There will be a storm tonight. Some parts of Hong Kong have already lost their electricity." She felt Zhou Jingren hugged her from behind. His other hand reached out to close the window in front of Lily.

    "I never thought that rain would one day be therapeutic." She uttered as she felt him inhale her scent.

    "You smell so good." He uttered, his voice low. "You smell like home." Lily smiled when she heard him. By now, both of them knew that home was not a ce. It was an idea, a concept. It was a concept of them being together.

    Years ago, Lily thought her home was the Fi Group. However, now...

    She turned towards him. Folding her arms around his neck, Lily lifted her chin, her gaze lingered at his lips before she finally stared at his eyes. She could smell his masculine musk.

    A gentle smile dangled on Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips as he leaned in closer, the dimly lit room made his handsome features more pronounced. Slowly, his lips touched hers. It was a light kiss, one that ended just as quickly as it arrived.

    Zhou Jingren then rested his forehead on hers, their faces were inches apart, they could feel each other¡¯s hot breath travel across their skin. Lily chuckled, she could feel her pulse quicken.

    Was it even possible to get aroused just by being this close to her man? She felt the need, the lust inside her started to intensify. So much so that her heart started drumming against her chest. As if she was in danger.

    Maybe she was really in danger. A different type of danger. The type of danger where she would easily lose the precious child inside her once she became careless. The desire in her eyes only intensified when she felt his hardened manhood press against her stomach.

    She swallowed her non-existent saliva, her mouth felt dry- so dry. She closed her eyes, hiding the urges swirling in her orbs. Slowly, she felt him tilt his head, lowering his lips towards hers.

    This time, the kiss was not light nor quick. His hands started stroking her waist, gently caressing her body before itnded on her breast. Lily flinched. She felt her urge and desire explode like hotva, melting away her sanity.

    In less than a minute, Lily felt her heart pound against her so hard, threatening to jump out of her chest. Maybe it was the excitement, maybe it was her pent up desire or maybe it was the fact that she was nervous. Either way, Lily wanted this. She wanted to touch him, feel him. She wanted him, inside her.

    She felt him wrap his arms around her body as he carried her towards their bed. Lily was so engrossed in her own urge and desire that she did not notice him open her robe, revealing her naked body underneath.

    He stared at her for a few minutes, his eyes turning from gentle to intimate faster than she could even blink. Once again, he leaned in for a kiss, his lips sealing hers. His hands started trailing along the curves of her chest, making her breath hitch in the process.

    Eagerness instantly reared its way into Lily. She wanted him, and she wanted him now.

    Suddenly, she felt his hands halt at her waist. He let out a deep groan filled with anguish and deprivation as he stopped. He drew his head back, forcing himself to stop kissing her.

    Lily stared at him in response. Stunned, she blinked. "Is there¡ª Is there something wrong?" she asked, her voice a little hoarse.

    "Nothing."

    "Then... why? Why did you stop?" she asked, confusionced in her tone.

    "I feel devious doing this without the doctor¡¯s permission."

    "I¡¯m sorry?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. "You want a doctor¡¯s permission to sleep with me?" She feltughter bubble inside her. "I am thirteen weeks now."

    "But¡ª "

    "I know my body." She interrupted him. Grinning, Lily pulled his head and whispered. "If you stop now... I¡¯m buying a vibrator tomorrow and¡ª "

    His lips interrupted hers, sealing her words at the same time. "No." He lifted his head and stared at his wife. Slowly, Lily¡¯s lips curled into a yful smile.

    "Then?" she raised an eyebrow. She was expecting him to kiss her again. She had fantasized about this moment for weeks now. However, she found him kissing her cheek, then her chin, followed by her forehead. Lily smiled. She could feel his gentleness as he continued raining kisses on her face.

    And finally, he kissed her. She instantly felt her desire explode inside her. She pulled him closer, her hands tugged at his sweatpants, pulling them down. She really could not wait anymore. The butterflies in her stomach intensified as he started fondling her breast. His mouth trailed down her neck and onto one of her nipples.

    Lily closed her eyes shut. Overwhelmed by her desire, she let out a low moan. Her back arched as his hand reached into her core. His tongue started indulging her. First her breast then her stomach. She felt the tingling inside her double.

    Another moan escaped her lips. She bit her lips as she felt his hot breath in between her legs. Her core ached for him, for his mouth, his tongue, and him.

    And then he worshiped her. Bestowing her with the unbelievable sensation she felt when his tongue stroked her core. Lily felt her body shiver, every fabric of her being begged for him. Her hand made its way towards her breast, massaging them as her waist started moving.

    She could feel her climax, threatening to burst as he shoved a finger inside her. It was surreal. She could feel herself tremble under his touch. "I want you..." she managed to whisper in between her moans. "I need you, now."

    ....

 Chapter 623 This is All About Me

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 623 This is All About Me</h4>

    She felt him pause. She let out a sigh of relief. Lily wanted to climax with him inside her. This was something that she had dreamt of over and over again. She opened her eyes and bathed in his naked form.

    She used her tongue to wet her lower lip, biting them as she met his eyes. Without saying anything, Zhou Jingren lowered himself into his core. He missed her. He missed her more than she could even think of. He stared at her beautiful face as he entered her.

    "Did I hurt you?" he asked. His voice had a tinge of concern. Seeing Lily shake her head, his gaze turned gentler. "I missed you," he said in a low voice as he filled her with his hard manhood. He felt her core tightened around him. Tempting him to start moving.

    And he did.

    His hips started moving in a rhythm, making sure that Lily wouldn¡¯t feel any difort. His heartbeat started intensifying, his breath quickened. He missed this. All he wanted was to shove every fabric of him inside her.

    But he was not a fool. A sliver of hismon sense knew that he might hurt her. He couldn¡¯t let that happen.

    With the same gentle thrusts, he felt Lily raise her hips, meeting his body. He swallowed his saliva as his head started turning nk. He fought the urge to ravage her. He couldn¡¯t hurt her.

    "Faster," Lily¡¯s words seemed to wake him up from his stupor. He blinked at her and watched as lust swirled in his wife¡¯s orbs. "Please..." she begged. Zhou Jingren clenched his jaws. He could feel thest straw of his self-control break, snapping inside him.

    Before he knew it, he hammered into her, making sure she wouldn¡¯t feel any difort somewhere. His thrusts be faster, his grunts and moans, louder. He could feel his heart m against his chest, his climax loomed inside him. "I¡¯m¡ª "

    "Me too," Lily uttered as she wrapped her legs around his waist, giving him ess to the deepest part of her. Their tempo increased and together, they reached the apex. Unlike before, Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t stay on top. He pulled out andid next to her.

    This made Lilyugh. Humor filled her eyes as she turned towards him. She could still feel her heart hammering inside of her. She tried to catch her breath.

    "Did I hurt you?" He asked for the second time. In response, Lily gave a seductive smile. She sat on the bed before straddling him.

    "No." She answered. She was about to lean down to kiss him when she noticed his growing hardness against her core. "I¡¯m ready when you are." She raised an eyebrow and her lips curled into a smirk. "We have the whole night."

    For a few seconds, concernced his orbs. He shook his head helplessly. How could he even say no to that? A smile escaped his lips as the rain continued to drum wildly against the room.

    Bolts of lightning lit up the sky as moans and grunts echoed inside their room.

    ######

    Zhang Residence, Maind China

    Chen Shi watched her husband frown as he read the terms of the divorce. She smiled inwardly.

    "You want me to give you my shares in Zhang Entertainment?" Tony Zhang barked. "Do you think I¡¯m a fool?"

    Chen Shi snorted in response. "You know... you should have thought about this when you decided to cheat on me."

    "I will never give you my shares."

    "You don¡¯t seem to understand my words." Chen Shi uttered. "You cheated on me. If I release the images and videos of you and your young mistress. What do you think will happen to her career? What do you think will happen if I cry in front of the media?"

    "You¡ª You are ckmailing me?" he asked. "How dare you!?"

    "No... Tony! How dare you!" She dramatically yelled. She walked towards him as she kneeled. "And now you want to leave me?" Tears instantly started streaming in her cheeks. "I loved you! I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you! How could you do this to me?"

    "What are you doing?" Paned his eyes when he realized that they were currently on the terrace of the mansion. He stared at her pained expression in disbelief as anger burst inside him. "Stand up! What are you doing?"

    "No!" Chen Shi shook her head, her ruined mascara made her pitiful to look at. "I will not stop kneeling."

    "What the hell are you doing?" Tony Zhang raised his voice. He roamed his eyes towards the tall gates and as expected, his eyes caught one sh of a camera. "You¡ª You are framing me!" He stood from his seat, fury apparent in his eyes.

    "Guards?" Tony Zhang yelled. "Someone is trying to trespass the property! Catch that person!" He then stared at his wife in disbelief. "You are framing me?" he asked. "How dare you!?"

    Slowly, the sadness in Chen Shi¡¯s eyes vanished. She then stood up and met her husband¡¯s eyes. "I told you... You should have thought this through carefully before letting the media catch you."

    "You¡ª "

    "Yes, Tony. Everything would have been alright. I would have let you sleep with her as long as you want." Her lips curled into a sinister smirk. "You could have had her as long as you were careful about it. But... what did you do?" She asked. "You got careless, Tony."

    "Yani! How could you¡ª "

    "How could I what?" she lifted an eyebrow. "Oh wait... you thought I didn¡¯t know about how you sleep with younger models behind my back? You think... I didn¡¯t know about how many women you¡¯ve slept with during this marriage?" she chuckled.

    "Mr. Zhang... I am not a fool." She tilted her head and watched as surprise, anger and even confusion swirled in her husband¡¯s orbs. "Now... I want you to sign that divorce... or I will release that photo of me kneeling in front of you together with the photos and videos of you cheating behind my back."

    "You¡ª "

    Another snort escaped her lips. "Yes.... Me. Tony.... At the end of the day.... this is all about me."

    .....

    Proofreader: Dragon 777

 Chapter 624 A Game Worth Playing.

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 624 A Game Worth ying.</h4>

    Seeing her husband¡¯s wizened face morph into an ugly scowl, Chen Shi giggled. What is more beautiful than seeing pigs suffer because of her?

    "You bitch!" Tony Zhang hissed. "You think you can get away with this?" He snorted before tearing the divorce papers in front of her. "You have underestimated me!" He added before walking inside the mansion. "You can pack your things. Mywyers will see you tomorrow."

    Chen Shi squinted her eyes at Tony Zhang¡¯s disappearing back. What could have gone wrong? She stared at the torn divorce papers on the floor as she wondered. Tony Zhang seemed so brave that she could not stop herself from suspecting that something was definitely wrong. Chen Shi gritted her teeth at this. She opened her phone and dialed Chen Luan¡¯s number.

    "It¡¯s me." She uttered. "Release the news." She then ended the call without waiting for him to say something. Since Tony Zhang wanted to y this way, then she would give the man a game worth ying.

    ....

    The tangy smell of orange zest and meat made Lily¡¯s stomach grumble as she opened her eyes. She frowned and shut her eyes as she pulled the nkets over her head.

    "It¡¯s already ten in the morning. You need to drink your vitamins and have breakfast." Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice called out. She felt him sit next to her, pull the nkets away from her head. "Come on." He nudged her arm. "Breakfast."

    "I¡¯m tired." She grumbled.

    "And hungry. I can hear your stomach from here."

    Lily pouted. She opened her eyes and inhaled the delicious scent of her beef and broli. "That¡¯s some breakfast."

    "You need energy." He gave her a boyish grin before leaning down to kiss her. "Are you feeling sore somewhere?" he asked.

    In response, Lily shook her head. She smiled at the concern in his voice before she sat on the bed. "I feel like I can still¡ª "

    "Nope. Eat breakfast first." He rose from the bed and waited for her to get herself out of the nkets. "Its Sunday. Do you have any ns for tomorrow?"

    "No. I want to stay in bed all day." She stood and walked towards the table where the food was located. With a wide grin, she eyed the variety of dishes on the table.

    "I made orange beef and broli. I used Australian beef. The other dishes were made by Chef Yang."

    "Looks appetizing."

    "Hmmm... here are the vitamins that you need to drink after breakfast." He added as he sat on the vacant seat.

    "What time did you wake up?"

    "Two hours ago."

    "So... you didn¡¯t sleep?"

    "I had about four hours of sleep." He responded as he started adding beef to Lily¡¯s bowl. "Do you want to go shopping? Or eat somewhere?" He asked.

    "No... I want to sleep. Maybe we can watch some movies?" Lily said as she started eating.

    "A movie would be good." He nodded. "When I woke up, the Inte was buzzing with scandalous news. It¡¯s about Chen Shi."

    "You mean her husband?" She raised an eyebrow. "She finally decided to divorce him?"

    "And I think the man didn¡¯t agree. This might be why she released those scandalous news to gain sympathy from everyone."

    "Wicked n." She beamed. "How about that Adalind? Did you hear anything from her?"

    "No." He answered. "Yang Mi is waiting for you downstairs, so she might have some answers about it. Also... Madam He sent two boxes of imported perfumes as well as various choctes from Italy."

    "Then Adalind must be suffering right now." She let out a low chuckle. Not long after, the couple finished eating. Lily got herself dressed, and went downstairs to see Yang Mi before watching movies with her husband.

    Her petty heart just couldn¡¯t miss knowing what happened to that woman. Moreover, information is always crucial for Lily, ah.

    "Really? And... Madam He asked the doctor to make her unable to wear heels again?" Lilyughed. Wasn¡¯t that more cruel than crippling her? Madam He¡¯s n will make Adalind believe that she could still wear heels. That she could still grace the modeling industry with her long beautiful legs after a few months.

    What would happen once she discovers that she could not wear heels again? After all the therapy and hope. The blood, sweat and struggle. At the end of the day, Adalind would learn that she would never be able to walk down the runway again.

    It seems that she chose the right knife to use against that Adalind. Lily let out another giggle. "But... her legs should be insured no? I mean... models like her should have their... assets insured."

    "Yes... but the insurance only covers idents on the runway and while modeling. This one is not." Yang Mi answered. "From the news that Go Jichen gathered, her mother and stepmother wille to visit her with theirwyers for a house. I¡¯m afraid that they will¡ª "

    "Yeah. Adalind might tell them about my grandmother??s house." Lily nodded. "But who cares?" Sheughed. The fact that Adalind will suffer soon was making Lily smile with glee. "They will not get the house. My guess is... they will directly go to Zhou Jingren, thinking that their influence might be enough to convince him." A devious smile appeared on her lips.

    Yang Mi nodded.

    "Alright. Let¡¯s watch it from a distance for now. Madam He will deal with Adalind sooner orter. That woman is devious and scheming. She is just the perfect... friend."

    "President... what about Madam He? As we can see... that woman is pretty scheming. I did my research about her family and from what I could gather... her father and mother are influential in China. It was rumored that they married her off to Mr. He, who is more than eight years older than her because of... a business deal. If we don¡¯t deal with Madam He... I¡¯m afraid that¡ª ."

    "Oh... Yang Mi... please. I don¡¯t need to deal with Madam He." Lily smiled. "People like her are the ones that ruin their own lives. Just watch... she will ruin her life on her own. She does not need my help for that."

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 625 Gay?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 625 Gay?</h4>

    News of Tony Zhang¡¯s infidelity quickly became the hot topic in the media. On top of that, some younger models also imed that they had slept with Tony Zhang and were promised fame but this never happened. Instead, when Tony Zhang was done with them, he quickly moved on to a younger and more beautiful model and totally forgot about them.

    Seeing all the responses from the Media, Chen Shi had another celebration for her win. The sympathy that she got this time was overwhelming. After all, many people believed that they had the perfect marriage.

    "Are we going to ept this interview?" Chen Luan asked.

    "No. Tell them... I don¡¯t have anyments for now." Chen Shi responded. She is a heart broken woman now. How could she have a media interview? What she needed to do was grieve. Grieve due to her husband¡¯s betrayal.

    "Hmmm... Mr. Zhang still refused to sign even after seeing those horriblements about him. I wonder why he is so confident about this."

    Chen Shi squinted her eyes. "Are you sure that Lily and Zhou Jingren are not meddling with this?"After talking to Zhou Huifang and Qi Xia, Chen Shi made sure to be thorough about everything.

    "Yes, I am. We have all the emails and phone calls that Mr. Zhang has received. We also have his schedule for the past few weeks and he has never interacted with Lily, Zhou Jingren, or... any of your ex-husbands."

    "Hmm." Chen Shi sipped at her tea as she nodded. How could Tony Zhang have the confidence that he will still survive after all the scandal and threats that she gave him?

    "I think... this is because... Mr. Zhang is underestimating you." Chen Luan continued. "If you think about it. Mr. Zhang has been very sexist in this marriage. At first, he insisted that you stop working and stay at home like a beautiful trophy wife. Then all the properties that he purchased during this marriage are all under his name simply because... he thought he was the provider. In my humble opinion. This man... is underestimating you."

    "I have the same suspicion that this is the reason why he did not sign the divorce. How could he let someone like me win? I am nothing in his eyes. He never... once thought of me as an equal. I believe he is underestimating me." Chen Shi added. Men like this wer the reason why she hated them.

    She snorted. Disgust apparent in her face. Tony Zhang will regret this. He would regret everything that he had done in this marriage. "So... the shares? How many do we have so far?" She asked.

    "Twelve percent. Some shareholders still refuse to sell their shares because they are quite close to Mr. Zhang."

    "Did you try and double the offer?"

    "I did. But... they still refused. Some said this was not about money but loyalty. These people have worked with Mr. Zhang since thepany started. They know how talented he is."

    Chen Shi gritted her teeth in response. Loyalty? That word is nothing but a word! It does not exist. These people refused to sell their shares to her simply because she was a woman.

    There was no other reason. Those people are sexist pigs who only look down on women. The thought of this only made her more infuriated. "And... my daughter?" This was another problem she is facing right now. How could her daughter just vanish without any records?

    "I think... Jun Liang is hiding her. Maybe he is nning to use her against us? Even Ron can¡¯t find her anywhere."

    Problems and more problems. Chen Shi felt her headache just from thinking about these matters. Originally, Chen Shi was not nning to divorce Tony Zhang. However, the paparazzi had collected more and more pictures of him and his mistress in bed. While Chen Shi offered payment to keep them quiet, some people were taking advantage of this and deliberately took more pictures so Chen Shi could pay them.

    Moreover, she was afraid that one day someone from the big mediapanies would get a hold of this and would use this against them. Chen Shi gritted her teeth. This was all Lily¡¯s fault. Since Lily came into the picture, all of her ns were ruined.

    Since Lily came, even theirpany suffered some problems. And now divorce was looming over her head. That woman is a bad omen!

    She let out a sharp breath. Dealing with Lily while having all these problems is very difficult. "Do you have an update about Lily¡¯s father?"

    "Yes. He proposed to Miss Su and they will have dinner with Lily soon. But since Qin Yuanfeng left the country, he won¡¯t be able to join them."

    The mention of Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s name instantly made her scowl. That man was another problem of hers. What kind of man would avoid a beautiful woman who was clearly interested in having a rtionship with him? Was that man gay? She wondered. He must be!

    "Alright." Chen Shi said. She then opened her tablet and started reading the news about her husband¡¯s infidelity. The kind words from her fans instantly made her mood better, lighter. A smile dangled on her lips. She scrolled down and started checking out videos from drama channels.

    At least, she still had the backing of her fans. No matter where she goes... these people would always stand behind her. Chen Luan¡¯s gasp interrupted her thoughts. "What¡¯s wrong?" she asked.

    Chen Luan stared at her. He didn¡¯t utter a word as he handed her his tablet. Chen Shi instantly read the contents of the news.

    Slowly, her face turned ugly. She bawled her hands into fists as she started reading the article that was released a few seconds ago. "Take this down!" She yelled. "I want you to take this down now!"

    As expected, Chen Luan rose from his seat and started calling people. Why did a mediapany start writing about Chen Shi¡¯s rtionship with her children? The article was clearly saying that Chen Shi chose fame over her children.

    What kind of mediapany would release this now that Chen Shi was about to have her divorce with her cheating husband?

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 626 Walking Into a Trap

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 626 Walking Into a Trap</h4>

    While a lot of her fans knew that she had children before, many of them assumed that Chen Shi was a very private person. So they did not bother to delve into her past or her children. They were not aware that Chen Shi had left her children with her ex-husband to pursue her career in Maind China. They also didn¡¯t know that she seldoms saw her children because of their schedule.

    She read the article again. She couldn¡¯t help but feel enraged at this mediapany. This article was trying to turn the tables around her. As expected, some hatefulments were already under the article.

    [What kind of mother would leave her children just to be famous?]

    [I always have a bad feeling about Miss Chen. Isn¡¯t she just too perfect? It¡¯s like she is very good at hiding secrets!]

    [+1000000000 I wonder how many secrets this woman is hiding.]

    [What a shameless woman! As a mother I would never leave my kids for money!]

    [Mother¡¯s like her are so hateful! From now on, I will never buy something from herpany!]

    [Are these proof legit though?]

    [The timing of this article is very suspicious! Omg! I can smell some conspiracy here!]

    [Timing or not... Miss Chen still abandoned her two children! The fact that her first husband is rich does not mean that he could provide the love that her kids needed! We all need a motherly figure to guide us! I suggest we boycott Miss Chen!]

    [Boycott!]

    [Im disgusted!]

    [Boycott! Boycott! Boycott!]

    [On the outside this Miss Chen looks soft and gentle. Isn¡¯t she just another white lotus? This makes me wonder why her husband cheated on her! Mr. Zhang must have known that he married a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing!]

    [+10000000000000000000000000]

    Chen Shi could feel her face getting hotter as she continued to read thements of the article. She eyed the shared button and cursed when she saw that the number of shares had already reached five hundred. It wasn¡¯t even five minutes since the news was posted and the people who shared the article... "Chen Luan! How did it go? Did they agree to take it down? Tell them I will pay for them to take this down!"

    "I¡ª They are not answering our calls."

    "Then... go to their office! Do something! Stop standing here and do something about it!" She fumed. "The only person who had the guts to do this is Tony Zhang! I want to kill that old man!" She uttered. Chen Shi wanted to scream, she wanted to break Tony Zhang¡¯s face and use his blood to paint this room. However, at the end, all she could do was throw away her tablet, breaking it in the process.

    "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Her shrill scream echoed inside her house. "That Tony Zhang will regret crossing me! He will regret this!" The sound of vases breaking followed her screams.

    Chen Shi almost could not contain her anger. However, she could not just show this to the media. "Call Jun Liang." She barked. "Tell him to release a statement about me and our children! Tell him to defend me! Or else... I will release the images of my bruises when we were still married!"

    In response, Chen Luan nodded. He hastily dialed Jun Liang¡¯s number. Unbeknownst to them... they were already walking into a trap that Lily especially set up for them.

    #################################

    SINGAPORE

    "She will call you soon," Mr. B leaned against his leather chair, his lips curling into a smug smile. "I told you... you can never fathom the way her mind works."

    Jun Liang responded with a sigh. He looked at the new trending topic in Maind China and could not help but shiver. "What did Mr. Zhang say about the divorce?" He asked. Mr. B assured him that Tony Zhang would not agree to any of Chen Shi¡¯s terms. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the things Lily might have told Mr. Zhang for him to be this confident.

    An issue like this could easily make him bankrupt. This could ruin all the efforts that he put in to create his empire. He eyed Mr. B¡¯s handsome features. This man was almost as good looking as Zhou Jingren. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the two were rted.

    Surely, Zhou Jingren would not allow another capable and good looking man to work next to Lily right?

    "I cannot tell you." Mr. B said. His all white suit and the absence of emotion in his eyes only made Jun Liang more confused. People like this... are very hard to deal with. After all... you don¡¯t really know if you have already offended them. "All I can say is... Yani Chen.... will get a taste of her medicine soon."

    Jun Liang nodded. He did not miss the sinister in Mr. B¡¯s his tone. He instantly wondered about the identity of this man. It seemed that Mr. B was very confident with Lily¡¯s n. However, behind the man¡¯s smiling facade, Jun Liang did not miss the blood thirsty aura that would asionally sweep the room as the man spoke.

    The vibration of Jun Liang¡¯s phone made him frown. He eyed the number and as expected it was Chen Luan¡¯s right hand man. "Hello?" He answered as he met Mr. B¡¯s eyes. "What do you want?"

    Until now, Jun Liang still could not hide the anger in her tone every time that he talked to this person. "You want me to say something to defend Yani Chen?" He sneered? "Or what?" He challenged.

    As expected, the person instantly threatened him about the domestic abuse case. Jun Liang gritted his teeth. Mr. B already informed him that this would happen. However, hearing them threaten him again was still making him angry. "No!" He uttered.

    "I say... let¡¯s stop this!" He added. "I will never allow you to threaten me again!" Again, his eyes darted towards the smiling Mr. B. "I don¡¯t want to hear from you or Chen Shi anymore!" he said before ending the call.

    "How shameless!" Jun Liang said. "How could she even ask me to do this? After all the things that she did to me?" He then let out a sharp breath as he tried topose himself. He could not let this woman affect him anymore.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 627 Options and More Options

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 627 Options and More Options</h4>

    "I can¡¯t really say, I told you so." Mr. B said, with the same smile stered on his handsome face. He then dialed a number on his phone. "It¡¯s me." He said. "Did you get the recording?" He asked. "Alright. Good."

    Jun Liang listened as Mr. B talked about paying people to make the article trend for days before he finally ended the call.

    "Thank you for your cooperation." Mr. B uttered as he rose from his seat.

    "What will happen to Chen Shi now?" Jun Liang asked. As someone who had been a victim of that woman¡¯s schemes, he was really interested to know how she would receive her own karma soon.

    "Mr. Liang... Miss Chen loves ying games. So we let her y." Mr. B said. "And beat her at her own game." His smile turned devilish as he continued. "Do you know what it feels like to look down on everyone? To think that you are the smartest? To sneer at everyone¡¯s stupidity?" He chuckled. "It¡¯s heavenly."

    "But..." He made a deliberate pause. "Losing to those very people whom you deemed as dumb is excruciating. She underestimated you and her husband. She always thought that she would win. That her ns were perfect. If my guess is right... she might have even started celebrating. Imagine her despair once she loses?"

    Without waiting for Jun Liang¡¯s answer, Mr. B turned his back on him and walked towards the door.

    ....

    Zhou Capital, Hong Kong.

    "So this is called brown sugar milk tea?" she asked as she stared at the cup in her hands.

    Secretary Go nodded at Lily¡¯s words.

    "And....but there is no tea in it?" she confirmed.

    "Yes, Madam." For the second time, he nodded. Since Zhou Jingren was still in a meeting, Secretary Go had to buy the milk tea for Lily.

    "So... why is it called milk tea if there is no tea in it?" Lily held the creamy liquid in her hand. She nced at Secretary Go. "Do you know why?"

    "No Madam. All I know is that this is a Taiwanese drink that is very popr right now. People call it bubble tea. It has tapioca pearls which the younger generation really loves."

    "Oh." Lily nodded. She leaned against the couch and eyed the drink. "Alright. I will try this one." She then gestured for Secretary Go to leave her. "Thank you." In response, Go Jichen bowed and left to attend Zhou Jingren¡¯s meeting.

    "Yang Mi." Lily uttered as she started drinking the bubble tea. She opened her phone as she sent a text to Zhou Jingren. "Let¡¯s go. I will buy something for Jingren." She said.

    Today, Lily decided to buy something for her husband. Little things that would remind him of her. Now that Lily thought about it, she hadn¡¯t really bought Zhou Jingren anything that could be used every day. Sure, she bought him a watch and that pen, but he seldom used them. The man has a lot of watches and he thought that using it might damage Lily¡¯s gift.

    In the end, Zhou Jingren only uses it for special events, which were also very rare.

    After having these thoughts, Lily had a Eureka moment! She could actually buy him some designer ties. Stores like Gi and Louis Vuitton sold ties that Zhou Jingren could use every day. Maybe she could even buy cufflinks for her man and force him to use it every day!

    This time, Lily went to a mall that only had luxurious and imported brands.

    "President, these are the list of all the ties in Gi, Burberry and Louis Vuitton. Though, we are not sure if this is avable in Hong Kong. I am still checking out the ties in other brands." Yang Mi handed the tablet to Lily the moment they entered the room.

    To make their shopping more convenient, Lily told her that she wanted to see all the ties that the store offered online. This would give her an idea of the materials and designs used in each tie.

    "Alright. I want some bright colors. Pink, blue and red? Also, some ssic monotone colors with minor prints. Silk is good too." Lily said as they walked towards Louis Vuitton. She smiled as she eyed the various branded stores around her.

    In response, Yang Mi nodded. To be honest, she had never seen Zhou Jingren wear pink ties. He always preferred dark colors like blue or ck and not bright ones, like red and pink. However, knowing President Zhou, he would never hesitate to wear anything that Lily would ask him to wear.

    The duo entered Louis Vuitton while their bodyguards stayed at the door. After all, walking around inside the store with two tall men following you around could easily attract the attention of people.

    "I want this and this. The pink one too, and red. Alright... two red and as for the rest, one each." Lily didn¡¯t have to examine the quality of each tie as she knew that Louis Vuitton would not disappoint her. Moreover, she could not really spend a lot of time walking and standing. She needed to shop in the shortest time possible.

    Lily started pointing ties with distinct colors and immediately asked the attendant to wrap them for her. She wanted to surprise him alright? Lily wanted to buy him a hundred ties! And she wanted to have them wrapped up in a big ck box.

    Sheughed inwardly. Maybe being too bored was not really good for her. After Louis Vuitton, Lily went to other stores such as Burberry and Chanel to check out their ties. After all, Zhou Jingren could not wear ties from one brand. The purpose of this shopping was to give him options.

    Options...

    Options...

    And more options...

    Lily smiled inwardly. She could not help but wonder about her husband¡¯s face once he discovered that she bought him a hundred ties. She covered her mouth, unable to stop the giggle that had been bubbling inside her for a while now.

    "I keep on staring at this tie. While wondering why you are so happy staring at it."

    Lily turned towards the man who stood next to her. Gannon Liu. The man who made Madam He borderline crazy. She turned towards the tie in her hands and ignored him.

    Men like him... deserved to just burn in hell.

 Chapter 628 Manipulation

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 628 Maniption</h4>

    "If I hadn¡¯t known that you talked to Xun Yiyi, I would never have believed that you have this style in manipting people to do your bidding." Gannon Liu continued. "Who would have thought that fooling her would be this easy?" He chuckled. In response, Lily walked a few steps away from him without saying anything.

    Xun Yiyi was Madam He¡¯s name. This Gannon must havee to know about what Madam He had done to Adalind. Lily walked towards the cuff link section.

    "Why are you avoiding me?" Gannon¡¯s deep voice echoed behind her. "Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t utter a word." He chuckled, amusement apparent in his tone.

    "Mr. Liu... please stop following me around." Lily said without looking at him. "You are not the type of pet that I am willing to adopt."

    "What?" Gannon lifted an eyebrow. "Hahaha..." he burst into a puddle ofughter. "How amusing."

    "You are a very interesting woman." Gannon mused. When Gannon knew about what Madam He did, he honestly could not believe it. How could Madam He fall for the maniption that Lily used to make her hate Adalind? When in fact, Adalind never once caught his attention.

    True, the woman was drop-dead gorgeous. However... easy women were not his type. He would always prefer women who avoided him, women who say no, women who hate him on their first meeting. Conquering them is just more satisfying than women who open their legs to everyone.

    He eyed Lily¡¯s side profile and was not able to stop the grin that was appearing on his lips. A strong and independent woman who was at the pinnacle of the business world. Surely, conquering someone like Lily would be more satisfying than ordinary housewives that he had slept with.

    "Did you know that you are a very interesting character?" He asked. He knew that Lily wouldn¡¯t answer him. However, was this really enough to stop him from getting to know her? He eyed the tie in Lily¡¯s hands. "So... you like red? Is it because... it means power and strength?" he asked as curiosity shed in his eyes.

    Again, Lily didn¡¯t answer him. Talking to a man like Gannon was just a waste of her time.

    "You know... I can always tell Xun Yiyi that you are only manipting her. I am sure she will hate you if that happens." Gannon uttered. As expected, his words made Lily turn her head towards him.

    "You¡¯re threatening me." She uttered in a low voice.

    "Well if you like, we can discuss this over some coffee or tea?" He lifted an eyebrow as a smug smile crept across his face. "Surely, twenty minutes won¡¯t affect your schedule, right?"

    "You can try." Lily shifted her gaze back to the cuff links. "I¡¯m sure Liu Chin will be ecstatic to know that I sent her files to the media because of you."

    "Wicked." He beamed

    Lily smiled. She turned to look at Gannon. "You have no idea?? what wicked is, Mr. Liu." She then walked towards the attendant, so that she could pay for the ties she chose for Zhou Jingren.

    Gannon let out another smile as he watched Lily leave the store with her secretary in tow. "What an interesting woman." He uttered before picking out the exact ties that Lily had chosen for Zhou Jingren.

    ....

    "President, that man is extremely shameless." Yang Mi said when they left the store. "From our research, I¡¯ve gathered that he has slept with at least four women in The Peak, all married. All older than him by a few years."

    "He is a pig," Lily uttered. "Call Madam He for me. Tell her I would like to have a coffee with her." She uttered. "Preferably today."

    Yang Mi instantly nodded and dialed Madam He¡¯s number. The woman had been asking to meet Lily since the other way. There was no way that Madam He would decline Lily¡¯s request. And just as she expected, Madam instantly agreed to meet with Lily.

    Madam He was even so excited when she heard that Lily had free time to meet with her this afternoon. After Lily finished her shopping, she immediately went to her meeting with Madam He in one of the coffee shops just a couple of blocks away from the mall.

    When Madam He saw Lily, she almost jumped from joy. She beamed, her face full of happiness.

    "You¡¯re not going to drink coffee?" Madam He asked when she saw Lily order some milk tea instead. "The coffee in this ce is the best."

    "Oh." Lily shook her head. "I am trying to have a healthy lifestyle." She smiled. "We are trying."

    Madam He¡¯s eyes widened at Lily¡¯s words. "Really? Oh my! That sounds really exciting. I am happy for you. Did you already see a doctor?" This sentence from Lily totally removed any and all the suspicions that Madam He had in her mind about Lily. Lily and Zhou Jingren were already nning to have a child. There is no way that Lily would have the time, energy, or even interest to steal Gannon away from her.

    "Yes. I used to work really hard in Europe and it has somehow made me lead an unhealthy lifestyle the past few years. So the doctor advised me to have a very healthy lifestyle."

    "I am so excited for you! My parents know a lot of specialists in the field of medicine. I can ask them to find someone that could help you." Madam He offered. The sooner Lily got pregnant, the better it was for her and Gannon.

    While Madam He truly considered Lily her friend and confidant, she could not stop the insecurity from sprouting in her mind. After all, Lily was still a woman. To her, every woman is a threat when ites to her rtionship with her Gannon.

    "We already found one from Japan. So... we will be traveling a lot in the next few weeks. I might even stay in Japan next month." Lily lied without batting an eyelid. "How about you? Are you nning to have a child anytime soon?"

    .......

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

 Chapter 629 Suppor

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 629 Suppor</h4>

    Seeing Madam He¡¯s expression, Lily instantly widened her eyes. "Oh! I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to overstep my boundaries. My apology. Please forget I ever asked about it."

    "Oh! No... No." Madam He shook her head as she gave a dejected smile. "It¡¯s just that my husband and I have been trying for years now. I mean... we have been married for more than ten years." She lowered her head and let out a sigh. "I would always love to have a child of my own you know."

    "Then... what is stopping you? I¡¯m sure they have a lot of methods right now."

    "We are trying our best."

    Lily nodded as she pursed her lips.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Madam He asked.

    "Well... it¡¯s nothing." Lily eyed the server who just arrived with their order. She uttered a word of thanks before meeting Madam He¡¯s eyes. "I mean... please don¡¯t get offended at my words, it¡¯s just that..."

    "Do you want to say something? Please go ahead."

    "No... I¡ª " Lily bit her lips. "I just... " She leaned closer to Madam He as she lowered her voice. "I thought.... You were nning to divorce your husband. I mean... having divorced parents could have detrimental effects on the child. Of course... this is a case to case basis. So please don¡¯t mind me. Just think of them as some random musings."

    Madam He stared at Lily¡¯s face. "I understand." She nodded. "Actually, this was also another reason why I was worried." Another sigh escaped her lips before she took a sip of her coffee. "When I started falling for Gannon... I was afraid that I would get pregnant with my husband. I mean... don¡¯t get me wrong. I love children. I think they are adorable. But... having a child with someone you do not love is..." She shook her head.

    "Hey." Lily smiled. She then held Madam He¡¯s hands. "It¡¯s alright. I am not here to judge you."

    "Thank you. I will turn forty in a few years and I think.... I am starting to doubt myself. Maybe having kids is just not meant for me."

    "What do you mean?" Lily asked. "Are you telling me that you will give up?"

    "I¡ª "

    "Yiyi..." Lily started. "Having a child is a blissful moment. It¡¯s unbelievably surreal. Imagine yourself being in a happy family with your own child? With the man that you love? Isn¡¯t that... a dreame true?"

    Madam He stared at Lily¡¯s sparkling eyes.

    "I¡¯ve always loved kids." Lily continued. "And having one with Zhou Jingren is just..." Her smile turned gentle. "A blessing."

    Madam He swallowed her saliva as she stared at Lily¡¯s beautiful smile. She remembered the disgust in Gannon¡¯s face a few days ago as he talked to her. Would she really love to have Gannon¡¯s children? Of course! To her... that was not even a question worth asking. She loved Gannon and making him happy was her priority. Slowly, an idea sprouted in her mind.

    "What about Gannon, does he n on having kids with you?" Lily asked, curiosityced her tone. "I mean... after getting married." She smiled.

    Madam He felt her throat tighten at Lily¡¯s words. She could not really tell her that Gannon was adamant about leaving her. "Of course. We were talking about it just a couple of days back." She lied.

    "That sounds exciting! I¡¯m sure Madam Liu would love to have a small little Gannon running around her mansion. You know... I heard stories about scary mothers-inws. But all of them changed their attitude once a grandchild was involved."

    Madam He gave a wry smile. Lily¡¯s words seem so innocent, so... cordial that she was not able to feel any malice from her. However, she still could not stop the jealousy in her heart. Lily and Zhou Jingren were married. They were happy and now they were nning to have children. While she...

    "I am nning to divorce my husband as soon as possible." She dered. She is already getting older. How could she let herself stay in a loveless marriage? How could she let Gannon go without fighting for him?

    As expected, Lily widened her eyes. "But..."

    "I want to marry Gannon." She said. "I love him and I think... I think I want to spend the rest of my life with him."

    "That¡ª Are you certain that it will work? I mean... please don¡¯t take offense but I have heard stories about Gannon¡¯s past. I am just wondering if he is willing to settle down with you."

    "He will." Madam He was full of certainty. Gannon will stay with her. He won¡¯t have a choice. Not when she is already carrying his child. Excitement shed in her eyes. Once she is already married to Gannon, there is no way that the Liu Family will still reject her. After all, she will be carrying their first grandchild. "He loves me." She added. She wasn¡¯t really sure if she was trying to convince Lily or herself, with this statement.

    However, Madam He was sure that Gannon would not abandon her once she gets pregnant with his child.

    "Well then... you know that I will always stand behind you, right?" Lily gave a sincere smile. "I mean... with all the craziness in the world. I want you to know that you will always have my support."

    "That¡ª " Madam He felt her lips tremble. A while ago, she was thinking dirty things about Lily. Then she was jealous of her happiness. And now... Lily was saying things like this? How could she even avoid the guilt inside her? "Thank you. Just know that you can always ask me for any favors. Anything at all."

    Now that Adalind and Lily are already out of the picture, Madam He felt a little assured that Gannon won¡¯t leave her. All she needed to do now was get pregnant. The thought of having a family with Gannon made her heart jump. She could feel her pulse rise in excitement.

    Not long after, Madam He immediately bid Lily her goodbye. She started talking to herwyer about the divorce. Madam He was not nning on wasting any more time. She would not waste another day of her life being unhappy.

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 630 Sad Reality

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 630 Sad Reality</h4>

    After seeing Madam He, Lily went back to Zhou Jingren¡¯s office as they had agreed to go home together.

    "So? Do you like my gift?" Lily beamed as she watched Zhou Jingren open the huge box filled with neckties. "I want you to wear one every day." She said while staring at the amusement in her husband¡¯s eyes. "You know... as a reminder."

    "Reminder of what?" He asked, amused at her statement.

    "That I own you?" She folded her arms across her chest before chuckling. "So? Do you like it?"

    "You know I do." Zhou Jingren smiled at his wife¡¯s yful grin. "I will wear anything you want."

    "Good." She nodded. Her gaze trailed down to his exposed neck underneath the unbuttoned shirt. "So... how about you wear one now?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "You know... " Lilyughed. "A tie would look good on you." She leaned closer. Using a finger, Lily touched his neck, dragging her hands down, towards his chest. "Even if.... It¡¯s the only thing that you are wearing."

    He chuckled. "Ties are versatile little things. There are a couple of ways to use it. Aside from putting it on my shirt."

    Lily responded with a soft giggle. She stood next to him, her hands sliding towards his strong abdominal muscles. She leaned closer, her lips just a few inches away from his ear. "Now that I think about it... we really have a good headboard. Though... I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s durable enough."

    He raised an eyebrow as he turned his head towards her. "Do you want to try it out?"

    However, before Lily could answer him, a knock on the door echoed, instantly interrupting their sensual atmosphere.

    "What is it?" Zhou Jingren hissed. After a few seconds, one of the twins walked inside and bowed.

    "We received a box outside that is addressed to the madam. We have already scanned the box. It is safe. It alsoes with a bouquet of flowers and a card." Since that fire, one of the things that Zhou Jingren added to the mansion was a scanner that is able to detect bombs or other harmful chemicals that came inside packages. He then instructed everyone to always use this in case someone sends them gifts.

    "And it¡¯s for my wife?"

    "Yes, Master."

    "Then... we will go down to see it." Zhou Jingren said. He then watched as the man left the room without saying anything.

    "What a waste." Lily smiled at him. In response, Zhou Jingren let out a sigh.

    "I will change. You can go ahead and check out your gift." He kissed her forehead before walking towards their closet.

    A sly smile appeared on Lily¡¯s lips. She narrowed her eyes at the door as she thought about this gift. How dare the sender interrupt her moment with her husband? She then walked out of her room to check out this gift.

    When Lily reached the living room, the small ck box that was about the size of a cup caught her attention. It wasid next to a bouquet of various roses. "Please throw the flowers away." She looked at one of the twins standing by the door. "You are.... Lin Luyang?"

    "Yes, Madam." Lin Luyang nodded before following Lily¡¯s orders without asking any questions. Seeing him put the flower away, Lily approached the box. That bouquet was full of fragrant flowers that would surely trigger her allergies. She could not risk getting sick while being pregnant.

    She eyed the card that Lin Luyang had left. It was from the bouquet. Slowly, Lily opened the box and instantly frowned at the gold bracelet inside. Who would dare give her this? She read the card and instantly, her frown deepened.

    "Who¡¯s it from?" she heard Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice echo behind her.

    "Gannon Liu," Lily uttered. The man was thanking her for buying him a tie. He even included a photo of him wearing the same exact tie like the one that she bought for Zhou Jingren. "Apparently, the man wants to thank me for buying him a tie. So he gifted me a bracelet."

    Zhou Jingren sat beside her. He eyed the note in her hand and chuckled. "Doesn¡¯t suit him."

    "I know." Lily nodded. "I wonder... does he want to sow discord between us?"

    "That is pretty obvious." He nodded and grabbed the handwritten note from Lily¡¯s hands. "Luyang... throw the card away and donate this bracelet to a charity or something." He uttered.

    "Yes, Master." Once again, Lin Luyang followed Zhou Jingren¡¯s orders.

    "That man... seems to think that a simple note can break us apart." He gave a cold chuckle. "How silly."

    "Well... I did see him earlier. But don¡¯t worry about it. Someone else will take care of it for us." She grinned. Madam He¡¯s love for Gannon seemed unfathomable. There is no way that she will leave Gannon now after all the things that Lily told her.

    A woman like Madam He only wanted to be happy. She wanted a thrill. She wanted to be appreciated, to be taken cared of. Just like most women, Madam He only wanted to be loved. These were the things that she found in Gannon¡¯s arms. So... why would she let go of something that made her happy?

    "You are talking about that Miss Xun?" he asked as he curled his arms around Lily¡¯s waist, pulling her into a hug.

    "Yes. Isn¡¯t she a pitiful woman?" Lily asked. "She is so fragile. She is nning to divorce her husband so she can marry Gannon Liu."

    "Be careful and take care of yourself. I don¡¯t want you to interact with unstable people like her. They can be dangerous when provoked."

    "Of course." Lily smiled. "I am not provoking her. In fact... I am keeping her as a friend." A vicious woman whose weakness is her emotion was equivalent to holding a ticking time bomb. However, just like every time bomb, when used right they are fatal to the enemy. "You know... what¡¯s sad?" Lily asked

    "Women like Madam He are quitemon. They easily get blinded by love and give their everything to the first person that shows them affection." She sighed. As sad as it may seem, this was a reality.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 631 A Depressing Topic

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 631 A Depressing Topic</h4>

    She met her husband¡¯s eyes. "In a world full of you and me. People like Madam He... are just unfortunate, aren¡¯t they?" she said.

    "Well... this is a dog eat dog world. Everyday, people are taken advantage of. It¡¯s just how life is." He stared at her. "Don¡¯t tell me you are starting to feel bad for Madam He?"

    "Of course I feel bad for her. Do you think my heart is made of stone?" She chuckled. "As a woman. I feel bad. I am watching her ruin her own life because of what I said. Of course... I feel something."

    "And... do you me yourself?"

    "Of course not. Why would I me myself for her choices? I gave her a gun. Is it my fault if she chooses to shoot herself?" She raised an eyebrow.

    "Talking like a true Viin." he grinned.

    "Come on." Lily rolled her eyes. "We are all Viins. Some are just smarter and more influential than others. But... all in all. All of us are viin¡¯s in someone¡¯s eyes."

    "A strict father is a viin to his teenage daughter¡¯s love life. A doting mother could be the viin to her son¡¯s marriage." She shrugged. "The thing is... at some point, we always think that we are right. We all have stories and we all have reasons for our behavior."

    "I know you would say that." Zhou Jingren smiled. If only he could block all this negativity so that Lily couldn¡¯t feel it, he would have done it a long time ago.

    The thing is... this was their world. This has been Lily¡¯s world even before they met a year ago. This is the kind of world that molded her into who she is now.

    "Humans are more vulnerable than most animals. I mean.. We have the capability to think but also overthink. We can smile on the outside while we cry every night when we are alone. Animals just worry about food, sex and for a good habitat to live in. While we... we worry about everything else." Lily said. "Our mental capability makes us strong and vulnerable at the same time."

    In the case of Madam He, her mentality has a big influence on how she makes all the choices in her life. In Madam He¡¯s mind, Gannon is her knight in shining armor. The only person who showed her what love truly is. How could she let go of someone like that?

    "This is actually true." He nodded. "We are programmed that way."

    Lily let out a sigh. "We should stop talking about this. It is a depressing topic." She then stood up from the couch and pulled him towards the kitchen so they could have their dinner.

    "You know... about that case. The one against the Security Company?" Lily asked while eating a drumstick.

    "Hm? What about it."

    "That woman... the one who filled a case was nowhere to be seen. Its as if... she ran away? But you already know this, right?"

    "Yes. Her location is currently unknown."

    "Well... this is enough proof that someone strong is indeed helping her with this case. I mean... surely, she does not have the money to hide from us. Moreover, I also used my connections to check the women¡¯s rights group if they sheltered her. Which waspletely understandable. But... they didn¡¯t."

    "Hmmm... I thought so too." He nodded. "And that woman¡¯s statement was too... scripted. It was as if... she practiced it over and over and over again. You know... reminds me of someone in a tape recorder."

    "That is true. Good catch. I already sent the audio to Qin Yuanfeng so he could analyze it. For now... all we can do is wait."

    "Speaking of Qin Yuanfeng. How is he? He is staying in your grandmother¡¯s mansion, isn¡¯t he?"

    In response, Lily shook her head. "No. He is staying in my previous t. He said... the mansion was too big for him. He felt like... someone was watching him all the time."

    Zhou Jingren instantly lifted an eyebrow. "I never thought that he was such a scaredy cat."

    "That mansion is old. Even I feel scared staying in a ce where my grandmother and grandfather died." Lily shrugged. "Plus that house has a lot of secret doors. I was not able to prove it. It just felt like... you know... like someone is watching me as I sleep?"

    "But... we don¡¯t really know. At that time, I was pretty depressed so maybe I was imagining things. Or maybe it was the maid just moving my things while I was asleep." She added.

    "Well.. Don¡¯t tell me that my dear wife is really afraid of ghosts?"

    "I told you! It is better to have a living human as an enemy than a ghost. You can kill humans! Ghosts are already dead! How are you going to defeat them? Even a ck belt in all martial arts is useless against them!" she red. She actually had a point, right?

    ....

    Maind China, Chen Shi¡¯s t,

    Contrary to Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s peaceful night, Chen Shi was having the worst time sinceing to Maind China.

    Tearing the tabloid in her hand, Chen Shi walked towards herptop and started reading the meanments from her fans. She gritted her teeth, displeasure apparent in her eyes.

    "That damn Jun Liang!" She hissed. Since Jun Liang declined her request, Chen Shi had been experiencing outbursts like this. Chen Shi was used to using people, manipting men to her advantage. She was the type to always find a way to win.

    She is the one who ckmails people, scares them and uses them. She is smart and cunning. And she has never failed with her methods.

    Until now, Chen Shi could not understand why Jun Liang did not agree to her demands. Was he not afraid to lose his precious reputation in Singapore? Was it because he knew that Chen Shi could not release this news at this time?

    If Chen Shi releases this news, she was sure that the media would shred her ims and use her of trying to gain sympathy by using a controversial issue like this. Did Jun Liang be smart enough to know this?

    She gritted her teeth as she closed herptop. This matter... she needed to wait before this issue about her being the worst mother died down. Only then, could she actually take her next steps.

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 632 Perfect Puppe

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 632 Perfect Puppe</h4>

    Maind China, Chen Shi¡¯s t

    Chen Shi had already lost count of the number of days she had not been sleeping well. She was exhausted, but tonight, sleeping was still unlikely for her. Watching her reputation being kicked down the drain was hurting her. It was breaking her heart and torturing her mind.

    "I already told you. The one behind this is Zhou Jingren and yet... you never believed me." Came from behind her.

    Chen Shi frowned. "Why are you here? I thought you wanted to keep this partnership a secret?" she asked Qi Xia. "And where is your friend?"

    When Qi Xia knocked on her door, she almost could not believe her eyes. First it was already one in the morning. Second, she assumed that he wanted to keep their involvement with each other a secret and third, she could not find any reason for him to be here.

    "I came here to see how you are doing. And don¡¯t worry... no one knows that I¡¯m here. Even the CCTV¡¯s outside were blocked."

    His answer did not go well with Chen Shi. Blocking the CCTV and making sure that no one witnessed himing in here... is a good way to avoid detection. However, it was also a good way to kill someone without being noticed.

    Her gaze darkened as she grabbed the small pistol below her table.

    "Whoa! Miss Chen!" He put his hands up in the air. "I am not here to hurt you."

    "Men are liars." Chen Shi uttered. She tightened her grip on the pistol. "Why are you here?"

    "I am here to let you know... that we found your daughter."

    As expected, the expression on Chen Shi¡¯s face changed. "Where is she?"

    "Zhou Jingren has her." His nonchnce instantly made her doubt. "He captured her...no, the correct term should be kidnapped."

    "Why? My daughter didn¡¯t do anything to him."

    "You seem to misunderstand something." Qi Xia smiled. "Zhou Jingren is the type of person that would kill someone before they could even scheme against them. Your daughter was not a threat to their rtionship. But... she was a threat to Lily. Demi could hurt Lily and target her."

    "You are saying that he kidnapped my daughter for such simple reasons. These are not small usations. Do you have proof? How did you know that he kidnapped her? And is she¡ª is she still alive?" Chen Shi asked.

    "We are not sure where she is... right now. We also don¡¯t know whether she is alive or not. However¡ª " Qi Xia handed a shdrive to Chen Shi. "This should have all the proof that you need. Demi was able to escape that mental facility that her father put her in. We were able to follow her till Berlin then... all traces of her, disappeared. We used all our resources to find her."

    "At first... failed. But we didn¡¯t give up. Until... we found some traces of Zhou Jingren¡¯s right hand man in the area. Now... why would his right hand man visit Berlin?"

    "Did you see this right hand man kidnap my daughter?"

    "No. But¡ª "

    ??Then... how do you know that he took her?"

    "The timing was just perfect. A man like him would not just go to Berlin without any official business. From the things that we have gathered so far... Zhou Jingren¡¯swork in the ck market is vast. But... their ties in the west are weak. They could easily rule Asia but not Europe and certainly not Germany."

    Chen Shi eyed the sh drive. An assumption was at least better than having nothing at all. She clenched her jaw.

    "Would Zhou Jingren really do it?" She lifted her gaze and looked at Qi Xia. "Hurt someone who does not have the ability to fight back?" Demi was a harmless woman. How could Zhou Jingren take her like that? She would understand if... he would scheme to ruin Demi¡¯s reputation. But to take her away and possibly kill her?

    Isn¡¯t that a bit too much?

    Qi Xia leaned towards Chen Shi. He smiled at Chen Shi¡¯s troubled expression. "Miss Chen... any man would not hesitate to do something like that to protect the woman that they love." He said in a low voice. While Chen Shi was smart, her emotions were still her weakness. After all, they were not talking about just some random stranger here. They were talking about her precious daughter.

    "Why are you doing this?" she asked.

    "Oh. I already told you that, we want your cooperation. We can see that you are not doing much against Qin Yuanfeng so we thought... we could show our sincerity by looking for your daughter."

    This was a lie. Qi Xia and Zhou Huifang never did look for Demi. All they did was create evidence¡ª Fake evidence. They needed to act against Zhou Jingren without being noticed and Chen Shi would be the perfect puppet for them.

    At first, the duo thought that Chen Shi was very capable. However, when they heard that Zhou Jingren¡¯s right hand man had been talking to Tony Zhang, they immediately went back on their decision to have her as an ally.

    What Qi Xia and Zhou Huifang wanted was someone who already had nothing to lose. Someone who would give their everything to destroy theirmon enemy. And Chen Shi was the perfect person to do that.

    Now that Chen Shi believed that it was Zhou Jingren who kidnapped her daughter, a retaliation should be expected.

    He smiled inwardly. "We know that you don¡¯t really care about your children. But... this is just¡ª "

    "I care about them!" Chen Shi hissed. "Someone is manipting the media to paint me as a bad mother. But... that is not true."

    "I care about them." She added.

    "Well then... I hope this is enough to help you. Now that you already know what happened to your daughter, I hope... you can take this fight seriously. Zhou Jingren is the viin in all of our lives and we need to work together. Or... we won¡¯t have a chance against him."

    ....

    Prrofreader: Dragon777

    Edit: This does not affect the cost of the chapter.

    Hi everyone. If you don¡¯t have Instagram and have FB. Please join this page and group.

    I will post all the short stories to my fb page so you can vote too.

    FB Page: https://.facebook/queenblips/

    FB Group: https://.facebook/groups/776651756171818/

    Thank you so much for the support everyone!

 Chapter 633 Sheltered and Prepared

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 633 Sheltered and Prepared</h4>

    Chen Shi turned silent. She stared at Qi Xia¡¯s face as she thought about Zhou Jingren and Lily. "Do you know if... Zhou Jingren is also involved in the matter regarding my ex-husband?" she asked.

    "We are not sure. But... he might be."

    "Is there something else that you want to tell me?" she asked. She needed time to think about all this alone. "If you don¡¯t have anything to say then... please leave now. I am not veryfortable with you in here, knowing you could try to kill me anytime."

    "Miss Chen is really something. After everything that I did, are you still doubting me and Zhou Huifang?"

    "Men are treacherous creatures." Chen Shi said.

    Men cannot be trusted. This was the rule that she had long imposed on herself.

    Seeing Chen Shi¡¯s resolute expression, Qi Xia stood from his seat. He could not really me this woman for not trusting him. "Alright... I will leave. But I hope this is enough proof to convince you that we are on your side." His lips thinned.

    "I know." Chen Shi nodded. After making sure that he already left, she instantly opened herptop and started reading the proof that he had handed her.

    She frowned. The thing is... this was actually not proof but an assumption. This was an opinion- their opinion. The crease in the middle of her brows deepened as she thought of everything that Qi Xia had said. It seemed that Qi Xia and Zhou Huifang really wanted to have her attack Zhou Jingren.

    But why?

    Was it because she also had a smallwork in the ck market? Or was it because they wanted to stay anonymous? Those two really underestimated her. Closing herptop, she walked towards her bed, still thinking about her daughter.

    If Demi really left the facility, then why did Jun not say something about it?

    All these things were making her more confused. She opened her phone and dialed a number. "Samantha." She uttered. "How is everything on your end?"

    "Your father is doing well. Thanks to your husband." She rose from her bed and started pacing around the room. "No. You can¡¯t see him, yet. I¡¯ve already told you. You can only see him once everything is done. Yes, you have to tell Adrian to convince his father to transfer the shares under his name."

    "I already told you. The Lee Group is rightfully ours." She nodded. "Good. It is good that you understand this. Men are nothing but tools Samantha. You must remember that." Chen Shi then ended the call before throwing her phone on the bed.

    Since she could not really act against her enemies without causing a turmoil, she will focus on her real goal after all this time. After all, Zhou Jingren might have been eliminated as the heir of the Lee Group but Adrian was still there.

    She could still have the revenge that she wanted against the Lee Family. Of course, it might cost her a lot. But... it would be worth it.

    In the end... it would all be worth it.

    ...

    Hong Kong

    Finally, after a few weeks of being idle, Lily finally went back to the Fi Group to attend a meeting with all the executives. While she was not working as the CEO, Lily was very much involved in herpany¡¯s matters, as she was still the one making big decisions such as... expanding thepany into the petroleum industry.

    This was another big step that thepany was taking since Lily became its CEO. This would not only make them one of the biggest conglomerates in Asia but in Europe as well. Moreover, this would also open a whole lot of opportunities for the future of the Fi Group.

    Today, a meeting about the acquisition of a petroleumpany that was focused on exploration and production of petrol was going to be held. To everyone else in the business industry, this was a very huge move from the Fi Group. After all, explorations, drilling and fuel production would cost billions if not trillions of dors.

    Even a hugepany could not just decide to delve into something like this if they are not very confident with their research,skills and leadership.

    "This is not something that we can just decide overnight." Lily uttered as she continued to read the statistics.

    "We don¡¯t have to decide about it right now." Mr. Rossi smiled. "This is why I asked them to give us at least a month to decide if we will go through with the acquisition." Lily nodded. Thepany that they were nning to acquire was not on the verge of bankruptcy, it was the other way around.

    Thepany was doing very well. But the scope of their exploration was limited due tock of funding. Now, they could easily get a loan from banks. However... they chose to have someone like Lily buy thepany instead.

    Which was not a bad deal considering that Lily¡¯s Fi Group was a super power in Europe. Moreover, Lily¡¯s ws were slowly making their way through Asia. The CEO of the Petroleum Company was banking on this fact. They wanted to take advantage of Lily¡¯s influence which would also increase their scale of their exploration in the oceans in the foreseeable future.

    The thing was... Lily was hesitant about going through with the acquisition. It wasn¡¯t due to the fact that she was afraid to gamble. No. It was just that this is such a big project that she felt the need to be involved in the whole process. However, this would not be possible as she will give birth in a few months.

    To Lily, The Fi Group was just like her child. She had spent so much time and effort to develop thepany. Letting someone else take the lead on such a huge project was a very difficult thing for her.

    "Yuanfeng will arrive soon as he is almost done with his business in the Arison Family. I hope we can use his expertise to further deepen our research about branching out into the petroleum industry." Mr. Rossi added. "He is a very talented man, Lily. "

    "I know." Lily nodded. The thought of her brother made her feel a bit at ease. Her brother was really smart but hecked experience with the schemes and tricks used in the industry. He needed to learn.... And he needed to learn from the best. In short... Qin Yuanfeng needed to learn from her.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 634 Like Her Child

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 634 Like Her Child</h4>

    Zhou Capital

    "Look at this... there board of directors agreed to have the Fi Group acquire thepany." Lily said. "I mean... I understand the need to increase the scope of their exploration. And I also understand that having a conglomerate like us take over, is a good decision but... isn¡¯t this... too.." She narrowed her eyes at the documents in her hand. "Suspicious? I mean... the heir and heiresses of thispany. They must have known that their profits were increasing. Thepany would surely grow in five years time. It will double or even triple their profits."

    After her meeting with Mr. Rossi and the executives, Lily instantly went to see Zhou Jingren to share her concerns about the acquisition.

    "Do you understand what I¡¯m trying to say? Do you think I may have be...paranoid? Maybe my mind is trying to separate from my body?" Lily asked. When reading the documents, she could not help but feel like... it was too easy. Everything was too easy as if... it was handed to her on a silver tter.

    Does something like that even exist in the business world?

    Now, Lily was used to forcibly acquiringpanies. So maybe this was the reason why this scene was quite new to her?

    "It is very suspicious indeed." Zhou Jingren pursed his lips as he started reading the documents from Lily¡¯s hand. "But perfectly understandable for an ambitiouspany like them. I mean... they could easily buy the shares back once they are able to."

    Lily turned silent. She still could not remove the feeling that something is wrong. It was as if... she was missing something here. She frowned, "The board of directors will surely agree to have thispany under our wing. After all, they will only care about profits and this so far... this petroleumpany screamed money and more money."

    "Don¡¯t look at me like that." Lily red at him when she noticed the disbelief in his eyes. "I love money! But this is different." Lily said. She lowered her gaze as the realization hit her. If this deal had happened before meeting this man, she would have epted it without batting an eyelid.

    However, it was different now. With her being married and pregnant, she felt that she needed to prioritize safety over all else, including money. It was as if... she did not want to gamble anymore. "You know... pregnant women are supposed to have a really strong sense of smell. This is designed so they can avoid poisonous chemicals that could potentially harm their child."

    "So... you think that this instinct is the same? Maybe it is telling you to stop doing it to avoid danger?"

    "Yes...something like a radar? Maybe it is telling me that something is not right and it could potentially hurt me or our child." Lily nodded.

    "So? Are you nning to sign it?"

    "Actually, if the board agrees... I won¡¯t have any other choice but to agree too. Of course, I could easily use the fact that I am the CEO and thergest shareholder. I can use my power to... decline. But without any strong reason, I will not only lose the trust of my directors. I will also lose the reputation that I have worked so hard to build with them."

    At the end of the day, Lily was still a businesswoman. She is not deciding for herself. She was deciding for herpany, for her employees and for the profit of the shareholders. This is something that she had learned to live with.

    This is where her dilemmaid. She could either listen to her instinct that she couldn¡¯t exin or do the right thing, profit-wise.

    "You still have a month to decide right?"

    "Yes."

    "Then... let¡¯s use that to dig into thispany, figure out what¡¯s wrong. I will ask Bei Tian and Yuanfeng to help us out. " He held her hand. "Stop worrying about it."

    Lily smiled in response. A normal person would not worry about the things that might happen. But she was far from normal. Her mind was not programmed to work like that. ???I have another doctor¡¯s appointmentter."

    "I know." He gave her an assuring smile. "I will go with you." Lily¡¯s check up was scheduled in the afternoon as it was most convenient for their schedule.

    She nodded.

    "You really should stop overthinking about things. You are pregnant. This will only cause stress and anxiety. You know how that is not healthy for your body and our child."

    Lily let out a sigh and forced a smile. "I have been with the Fi Group for almost ten years now. Before meeting you... Thispany was my life."

    "I know... but maybe trust Mr. Rossi and Cathy to find out what is wrong? We also have Qin Yuanfeng. His expertise withputers could help us." He leaned in closer to kiss her temple. "Your mental health is as important as your physical health."

    "You know... I just wish that sometimes my mind had a switch that I could just turn off. That way. It would be very helpful in times like this." She said. The thing is... she could not just tell her mind to stop working. To stop thinking. To stop analyzing.

    Thinking about different possible scenarios was the only thing that could make her feel better. It was exhausting ¡ª too exhausting for her mind and body. But it was not something that she could just stop because she wanted to.

    Knowing that she had already figured out the next ten moves of a scenario made her feel safe. It made her feel sheltered and prepared for what was toe. It gave her confidence and assurance that no matter what happened, she could easily deal with it using her schemes.

    "I¡¯m sorry." She uttered in a low voice as she lowered her head. She didn¡¯t know if she was apologizing to Zhou Jingren or her child. Or maybe the both of them.

 Chapter 635 Diabetes

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 635 Diabetes</h4>

    "Hey! Why are you apologizing?" He held her hand.

    "I don¡¯t know," she shrugged. "Dealing with a person like me... must be quite tiring."

    "Who told you that?" He lifted an eyebrow.

    "It¡¯s my assumption."

    "Then that is a wrong assumption."

    "So... you¡¯re not tired of me?"

    "Of course, not."

    A smile instantly dangled on Lily¡¯s lips. "Alright. I will believe that," she beamed. Of course, she knew that he was not tired of her. However, she still needed to hear it from him.

    "Anyways, we should go see the doctor now." She rose from her seat. She could always think about possible problems. Or she could think about the possible happy things that would happen once she gave birth. She smiled. "We are going to hear the heartbeat of the baby again."

    Zhou Jingren and Lily instantly left Zhou Capital to visit one of the most prestigious maternity hospitals in Hong Kong. While the two had already decided to give birth in Switzend, they still needed to see their doctor in Hong Kong for their scheduled check up to monitor the baby¡¯s growth and Lily¡¯s overall health.

    "Your weight gain is pretty good." The Doctor smiled at the couple. "However, I can see an increase in your blood sugar level. Have you been eating a lot of choctestely?"

    "Oh!" Lily eyed her husband. "No... but I¡¯ve been drinking a lot of milk tea? Oh, and brown sugar milk tea too."

    "Then you should probably stop it. Or limit it. A pregnant woman usually has glucose build up in their blood, which is normal as your centa tends to produce hormones that can cause this build up," the doctor exined. "We need insulin to handle this. And if our body can¡¯t produce enough insulin, then our blood sugar level rises. This will eventually cause gestational diabetes."

    The doctor continued, "I am not trying to scare you but this gestational diabetes can affect the baby as this will increase the risk of him or her having type 2 diabetes."

    "Oh. Then, I will avoid drinking milk tea," Lily instantly answered.

    "Well, you can limit it. Remember, too much of anything is bad for you."

    "How about the baby¡¯s heartbeat?" Zhou Jingren asked. "Is everything normal?"

    "Yes. The baby is very healthy. You heard it yourself. The heartbeat and growth is good. He or she is a little on the taller side, but considering your height and Mrs. Zhou¡¯s height, this is perfectly normal."

    "Then, that¡¯s fantastic," Lily beamed.

    The doctor continued giving them some advice while educating them about Lily¡¯s health. She then gave them another prescription for a new set of vitamins for the baby. Not long after, the couple instantly bid their goodbyes.

    "Lily?" a shrill voice echoed in the hallway as they were about to walk towards the elevator of the building. "Why are you here?"

    Surprise shed on Lily¡¯s face when she saw Su Ma. She instantly fought the urge to ignore this woman as she smiled. "Miss Su."

    Su Ma had her usual gentle smile which was enough to irritate Lily. She walked towards them. Slowly, her eyebrows knitted. "Are you sick? I mean... are you alright?"

    "Oh! We¡¯re fine," she answered. "We are here because my husband insisted that I visit a dietitian. He thought that I was too slim and not gaining enough weight."

    "Oh!" Su Ma nodded as she eyed Zhou Jingren. Lily was indeed slim. "I always thought that you gained a little muscle since thest time that I saw you," sheughed. "Would you like to have some coffee downstairs? There is also something that I wanted to talk to you about."

    In response, Lily eyed Zhou Jingren, a sly smile apparent on her lips. "Of course. He will wait for me in the car."

    Su Ma nodded before they started walking towards the elevator.

    "You aren¡¯t having coffee?" Su Ma asked when Lily didn¡¯t order one. Instead she had ordered some soy drink.

    "The doctor told me to avoid caffeine for now." Lily lied, "It causes anxiety, and well... I can¡¯t really sleep because I¡¯m over-thinking. Apparently, this is one of the reasons why I¡¯m not gaining any weight."

    "I understand. Then you should start having milk and also limit tea. Tea also has caffeine right?"

    "Yes, it does. Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought you were already in Maind China?" She eyed Su Ma¡¯s hands, and as expected, the big diamond ring was still on her hand. "Nice ring by the way."

    "Oh this? This is what I wanted to talk to you about." Su Ma¡¯s voice turned soft. She eyed her ring finger and smiled. "I know... I know you haven¡¯t talked to your father yet.I originally came to Hong Kong to talk to you about this. Meeting you here is just a coincidence. And I¡ª I don¡¯t want to cause any trouble and I don¡¯t want you and Qin Chuan to argue because of me. So I..."

    "You what?"

    "I wanted to tell you that your father proposed to mest week. And I... I said yes." She lifted her head and met Lily¡¯s eyes. To her surprise, Lily gave her a huge smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes.

    "Well, what can I say? Congrattions!"

    "You¡ª You¡¯re not angry?" Su Ma asked. She was expecting Lily to walk out of this cafe or maybe even p her. Then she would have a reason to cry to Qin Chuan about Lily¡¯s behavior. But this....

    "Is there a reason that I should be angry? Isn¡¯t this a good thing. From now on, you will be a part of my family."

    "Are you really happy for us?"

    "Of course!" Lily beamed. "Having someone like you in the Qin household is very good news."

    "Really?" Su Ma asked, unable to believe Lily¡¯s words.

    "Miss Su, I am truly happy for you. I truly think that you and my father deserve each other. Like two puzzle pieces. You two just fit together."

    "I..." Su Ma awkwardly smiled. She had already practiced the perfecteback for Lily once sheid her hands on her or said something hurtful about this marriage. Even her recorder was switched on and ready in her purse. "Then, thank you!"

 Chapter 636 Against The Law

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 636 Against The Law</h4>

    "Please. There¡¯s no need for gratitude." Lily beamed. "You and father have my full support on this. So... when are you nning on having the wedding?"

    "Oh... He wanted to have it this year. I told him I can¡¯t really do that... I mean... we have barely known each other for a few months. So I suggested we do it fall, next year but he..." Su Ma lowered her gaze. "He kept on insisting. Well, we had a small argument. He then agreed to have the wedding next year but... he insisted on getting our marriage certificate that day."

    "So... you two are already married?" Lily asked in amusement.

    "Yes. We already have the certificate. He asked me to keep it a secret because... he did not want you to get upset. But I feel like lying to you is just wrong."

    "Well... Congrattions. So you are officially Mrs. Qin. Should I start calling you stepmother?"

    "No. Please don¡¯t. I mean... at least not until Qin Chuan tells you about our marriage certificate himself." Su Ma let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. This has been weighing on my heart for the past couple of days. The guilt of keeping a secret as big as this is a lot for me."

    Lily snorted. "To be honest, this was not a surprise to me. I already knew this would happen one day. I just... well... I can¡¯t really deny the fact that him not being honest with me is..." She lowered her head. "A little sad. After all, he is still my father."

    "It¡¯s just depressing," Lily added, her lips morphing into a sad smile. "Please don¡¯t mind me. I can assure you that I am happy, for you, and him."

    Seeing Lily¡¯s sad eyes seemed to send nothing but pure ecstasy into Su Ma¡¯s body. She smiled inwardly. "I understand. This is why I wanted to tell you about the marriage. I just... I know how you feel. To be honest, I would feel the same way if something like this happened to me." The sincerity in Su Ma¡¯s voice was undeniable.

    Lily nodded in response. It seems that Su Ma¡¯s acting had improved, she thought inwardly. Isn¡¯t this just an Oscar-worthy acting? "Thank you. I will wait for my father to tell me about it himself. I am sure he wille soon, to see me and Yuanfeng."

    Lily and Su Ma briefly talked about the wedding and their ns before Lily bid her goodbye. Zhou Jingren was still waiting for her inside the car, so she couldn¡¯t really stay and talk to Su Ma too long. Of course, Su Ma gave a cordial smile as she hugged Lily.

    When Lily sat in the car, they instantly went back to The Peak so they could have dinner. Zhou Jingren decided not to ask her about the conversation and talk about other matters in the business industry instead. After all, if Lily wanted to tell him something... she would surely do that.

    "Apparently, they are already married." Lily uttered while eating the vegetable sd that Zhou Jingren had specially made for her.

    "Qin Chuan and Su Ma?" he raised an eyebrow.

    "Hmmm." Lily snorted and rolled her eyes. "I don¡¯t understand the goal behind this scheme. Like seriously... did they really think... I would care if something bad happened to Qin Chuan? I mean... I would attend his funeral if he died? But would I kill someone for him? Absolutely not."

    "But... you were still nning to what was that again? ¡¯Divine Intervention¡¯, was it?" he quoted beforeughing. "He is a mature man. He doesn¡¯t need your help. What he needs is an appointment with his psychiatrist. He needs to deal with his guilt and decide whether he really wants a rtionship with his kids or not."

    "Stop mocking me." Lily shoved another spoon of sd in her mouth. "I was originally nning on showing up at their Chinese traditional wedding while wearing white and showing some evidence that the woman was not Su Ma but Tang Lingyun instead."

    "But... they are already married and my guess is they are not nning to have the wedding anytime soon?"

    "They want it next year," Lily said. "That man is crazy. You were right. You know what? I should have Yang Mi book him into one of the most famous mental institutions in Maind China. Report that he is having another breakdown so they can barge into his office and pick him up."

    "That is against thew." Heughed.

    "I know!" Lily fired back beforeughing. A scene like that would have been hrious. She could even call the media and have them witness the scene. She let out another amusingughter. "I was actually expecting that hearing her say that they are already married would once again make me angry. Or hurt. But nothing happened. In fact... I had to fight the urge tough. Like I wanted tough at them."

    Lily felt that having this conversation with her husband was helping her deal with whatever it was that she felt inside her because of what happened in the past. It made her feel lighter and happier. She felt like having these conversations with him was just what she needed.

    "Well??? this is because you don¡¯t care about him anymore." Zhou Jingren said. "And Ipletely approve of this feeling of yours." He dabbed a napkin on his lips. "If you really wanted to deal with that woman. We can always have her killed. Simple. Her daughter is abroad and I don¡¯t think she cares much about her mother."

    "You wanted to order a hit for her? What for?" Lily asked. "Whoever is behind this might use that against us."

    "That is only if they could find proof that it was us." Zhou Jingren said as he took a sip from his wine ss. "People like them do not deserve our time. The sooner we end them, the better. But of course... this is only if you want her dead. If you like, we can wait for a short little while until we know who is behind this before we kill her."

    "So this will only end with her death?" Lily asked.

    "There is no other ending." He answered. "And this is only because I am being generous andzy."

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 637 Nada

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 637 Nada</h4>

    Unedited

    .....

    Lily¡¯s loudughter echoed inside the dining area. "So you are saying that this is only because you arezy?"

    "I amzy. The awards night will be a week from now. And I am busy with thepany. Plus, you are pregnant and you have to talk to Qin Yuanfeng about that Oilpany. You have a lot of things to take care of. This ¡ª You don¡¯t need this." He shrugged.

    "You know what? I agree." Lily smiled. "I don¡¯t need them. But... don¡¯t kill her. We need her." Someone else wanted to disrupt her rtionship with her father. If she ever had one. And she is really curious to know who would dare do that.

    The couple continued with their conversation and had a wonderful rest that night.

    ....

    The Peak

    "Hey."

    When Lily heard Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice, she instantly smiled as she opened her eyes. His soothing tone seemed to make her more sleepy. She stifled a yawn and pulled the sheets closer to her body. "Hey. Good Morning."

    He leaned forward to kiss her.

    "Is there something wrong?" she asked. She did not miss the slight line between his brows.

    "Qin Chuan is here, furious. He wanted to talk to you."

    "What time is it?" she frowned.

    "Six."

    "Why would hee here?" This was a stupid question. She already knew that it should be about his beloved Su Ma. The right question should be why would hee in here furious.

    "He demanded to see you." He answered. "If... I think I would not be able to stop myself if I would be the one talking to him."

    Lily pursed her lips at his answer. She knew that Zhou Jingren never liked Qin Chuan simply because of his terrible choices in the past. Because of the current event¡¯s Zhou Jingren¡¯s strong dislike against the man doubled if not tripled. Not that she mes him.

    Zhou Jingren has the right to be angry considering that he knew about everything that happened to Lily in the past.

    "Then let him in." Lily met Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes as she shrugged and pulled him for another kiss. "You can stay beside me." She uttered. She honestly does not feel safe with Qin Chuan anymore.

    "I will." He uttered before pulling her up so she could freshen up and change her clothes. "Last night... Su Ma was shot on her way to Maind China. She is still in the hospital. She is alive. They just finished an operation, and she is currently in the ICU."

    Lily halted her steps, she turned towards him. "She wanted to frame me." Her face darkened. "Have Go Jichen find all the offices on that floor yesterday. She must have been there to consult someone about the changes that she made in her face. Cross Checked it with everyone who performed the operation on herst night. Every medical personnel who visited the hospital yesterday who also had a clinic on that same floor."

    "I already did." Zhou Jingren said. "I already asked Jichen to check out the doctor that she visited in that hospital. I will text Yuanfeng to cross check it.We will have our results soon, don¡¯t worry too much about it."

    Lily frowned. That Tang Lingyun must have thought that she could outsmart Lily by using the fury of her father.

    Since Su Ma came here to visit Lily, it was pretty obvious that her purpose would be telling Lily about her marriage. Lily¡¯s previous reaction when Su Ma was introduced was enough to make her the prime suspect of this... incident.

    Surely, the shallow Qin Chuan would have this assumption too. What a stupid man, Lily thought inwardly as she stared at Zhou Jingren. Maybe falling in love is truly enough to make a person like Lily, Zhou Jingren, and even Qin Chuan unreasonable.

    A few minutester, Lily and Zhou Jingren marched towards the terraces where Qin Chuan was pacing with his red eyes and unkempt hair. "Did you do it?" He stopped walking and asked when he spotted Lily and Zhou Jingren.

    "I¡¯m sorry?"

    "Su Ma was shot on her way to Maind China. She is currently in the intensive care unit right now. Did you do it? Did you just try to have her killed?" he asked in a stern tone.

    "Answer me! Are you the one responsible for the attempted murder of my wife!?" he asked. His chest raised, his eyes bulged in anger.

    "Why would I want to kill her?" Lily asked, she sat on the vacant seat next to Zhou Jingren.

    "She must have told you about the marriage! She originally felt bad about it. She wanted me ¡ª she had been urging me to tell you! She must havee here to tell you about it. Am I right?"

    "Yes, you are. She told me that you are already married." Lily calmly responded. "So you came in here... to ask me if I was the one who asked my people to kill her simply because you are already married?"

    "You are the only capable person to do it without any traces of evidence! I want you to be honest with me! Did you ¡ª Did you do it?"

    "What makes you think that I care about your marriage?" she retorted. "Do you think I would waste my time and resources just to kill someone irrelevant?"

    "You ¡ª Lily... I did my end of the bargain! You promised me that you will give us a chance. I never mentioned your pregnancy to anyone. Not even to her! How could you do this? You promised that you will give us a chance! How could you go back on your own words?" He then turned to look at Zhou Jingren. "And you ¡ª I know what kind of man you are!"

    "I also know you love my daughter. How could you allow her to do this? If you were in my shoes, what would you feel? Zhou Jingren... I ¡ª this entire thing is making me speechless! As a man who loved my daughter... you should have known how it feels like when someone would try to kill the love of your life!"

    "You know..." Lily interrupted Qin Chuan¡¯s rant. She looked at the beautiful sun shining on the horizon. "If I... decided to have someone kill her... do you think I would be too stupid to do it after she just saw me?" A smile left Lily¡¯s face as she met her father¡¯s eyes. "If I wanted her dead... there is no way she would have survived." she said. "Nada,zilch. She would have zero possibility of even arriving in the hospital breathing."

 Chapter 638 A Coincidence?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 638 A Coincidence?</h4>

    "You¡ª Don¡¯t you dare say something like that in front of me!" He yelled.

    "My house..." Lily shrugged. "I can say whatever I want."

    Qin Chuan was about to say something when he heard Zhou Jingren snort.

    "I think you are only wasting your time here." Zhou Jingren said. "Have you ever met a criminal who confessed to their crimes?" he asked. "First, let me tell you this. Killing your wife won¡¯t give us anything but problems. Do you really think we are stupid?"

    His question made Qin Chuan silent. Zhou Jingren continued, "Mr. Qin... people are manipting you and you easily let them. They want to create a rift between you and Lily, and it seems that they are seeding. As someone who loves my wife dearly, I should tell her to cut you off from her lifepletely. Of course... the choice is still hers."

    "Su Ma means nothing to us. Do you really think we would waste our resources trying to kill someone as insignificant as her?" Zhou Jingren added.

    "I am here to ask questions and I want answers." Qin Chuan said with a stern tone.

    "No, you don¡¯t deserve anything from us. And next time you decide to barge in here you¡¯d better remember this. I don¡¯t just try, I do it." Lily uttered before she rose from her seat. "Please leave. Your wife needs you."

    "I¡ª Maybe..." Qin Chuan stuttered. He didn¡¯t know if he should apologize for overreacting. However, he also felt like he had the right to ask questions. Maybe his approach was wrong, as Lily was a pregnant woman. But... he almost lost the love of his life. Surely, no one would me him for thinking Lily was responsible for that incident.

    Now that he thought about it, Lily¡¯s reasoning was indeed right. If she wanted Su Ma dead, there was no way that she would have survived. Moreover, Lily and Zhou Jingren are not stupid to target Su Ma in Hong Kong. It would only make them look more suspicious.

    Suspicious.

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s words earlier echoed in his head. "Do you know something about Su Ma? Do you know something I don¡¯t?" he turned towards Zhou Jingren. He then shifted his gaze at Lily. "Do you?"

    A snort escaped Lily¡¯s lips. "Didn¡¯t you find something when you investigated her background?" She walked towards the baluster and looked at the pool sparkling against the sun.

    "I didn¡¯t. Su Ma is... clean. Everything matched from her stories. I saw images of her and herte husband. Her family pictures which include her. Is there something that I missed?"

    Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s silence immediately made him nervous. "Are you hiding something from me?" he asked. Qin Chuan felt his pulse rise. "Lily?" Now that he thought about it, his daughter was a very reasonable woman. She was not the type that would let her emotions win.

    "That woman... might be Tang Lingyun." Lily uttered, her eyes still on the pool.

    "Tang...but she disappeared, right?" Qin Chuan was familiar with Tang Lingyun and Qin Mo. "She stabbed Qin Mo and disappeared, right? How do you know this? Do you have proof she is Tang Lingyun?"

    "Tell me... Su Ma had a daughter. Do you know where she is? Did you meet her before marrying Su Ma?"

    Once again, Qin Chuan turned silent from Zhou Jingren¡¯s question. ording to Su Ma, her daughter med her for her husband¡¯s death. They lost contact right after her husband had passed. Qin Chuan never asked questions about this matter as Su Ma kept sobbing during the conversation.

    He also decided not to ask her anymore questions because he feared that she would break down again. "I... She told me her daughter hated her for her husband¡¯s death."

    "Apparently, her daughter is abroad. But... till now... we weren¡¯t able to find her." Zhou Jingren said. "Her social media says she is travelling to various ces to perform. But our people couldn¡¯t physically find her." He stared at Qin Chuan¡¯s confused face. "Now... tell me... do you think this is not suspicious enough?"

    "Are you saying you couldn¡¯t get a hold of her? Because Su Ma said her daughter hated technology and does not use her phone a lot."

    "And... you believed her?" Lily snorted. "Really?" She turned towards Qin Chuan. "I am telling you this, not because I want you in my life. I don¡¯t. I hope that¡¯s already clear. If you don¡¯t believe us, fine. It won¡¯t hurt us. If you believe us then... it¡¯s a way to know the truth." Lily would not waste her resources in helping this man. Not after he chose to marry a woman whom he met a few months back. Lily could not be bothered dealing with people who think with their penis.

    Qin Chuan stared at Lily. His jaws thinned as he thought of her question. Of course, he believed Su Ma at that time. The woman was practically crying in his arms as she told him this sad tale. However now....

    "Do you have any other proof that she is Tang Lingyun aside from her suspicious daughter?" he asked.

    "If you are familiar with GC Jewels then you should also know that anyone who holds their VIP card has a record. Last year, I saw Tang Lingyun receive her orange card. Something that does not really give you any other benefits aside from a few discounts."

    "She bought me something from that store." He said.

    "Yes. I was there when she bought it. She also bought Yuanfeng and I jewelries from the same store." Lily nodded. "The card she used was Tang Lingyun¡¯s. The fact that she did not recognize the type of card she owned was another thing I noticed when she bought jewelry." Lily sneered. "That card is the lowest tier of VIP cards that they have."

    "But... Isn¡¯t it reasonable that she does not know such things? Su Ma is not someone who loves shopping. She just likes to stay at home. She¡ª "

    "Wrong question." Lily interrupted him. "Don¡¯t give us reasons why she is not Tang Lingyun. Instead... ask us why would someone want to get close to you by using my mother¡¯s face."

    Lily continued, "Did you really think it was a coincidence? You meeting her... her voice, herughter, her mannerisms. Does she not remind you too much of my mother? Did you really think meeting someone exactly like her was fate?"

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 639 Never About Money

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 639 Never About Money</h4>

    Slowly, Qin Chuan¡¯s eyes widened. Bec and Su Ma¡¯s simrities were just too obvious to miss. Sometimes, he wondered if Su Ma was Bec, who had amnesia and forgotten all about him.

    "Well... Did you ever wonder why someone would want to imitate her? Or how was she able to imitate my mother so well?"

    Qin Chuan took a step back. He felt his body tremble at her words. Bec had lived in the Qin mansion with Tang Lingyun and Qin Mo for years. Surely, Tang Lingyun would have had enough time to notice every single detail about Bec.

    "But¡ª "

    "Your choice." Lily interrupted him. "I honestly don¡¯t want to see you again. If you want to talk to me, please contact mywyer or Yang Mi." She said before she turned towards Zhou Jingren. "Have someone escort him out. I will go back to sleep." Lily didn¡¯t wait for Qin Chuan to respond as she walked inside with her head held high. She would never regret cutting off a person like Qin Chuan.

    Seeing Lily¡¯s disappearing back, Zhou Jingren stood from his seat. He then stared at Qin Chuan¡¯s gloomy expression. "You made your bed. Now... you can sleep in it." He uttered before instructing one of the twins to escort Qin Chuan out as they were done talking.

    When Zhou Jingren went back to their room, Lily was already lying on the bed. He sat next to her and let out a sigh. "Are you going back to sleep?" he asked. She nodded in response.

    "I need at least an hour more." Lily said as she let out a yawn. "I am really sleepy and talking to someone like that man was too exhausting for my poor brain."

    "Then sleep. But you have to wake up for breakfast so you can take your vitamins."

    "Yes sir." Lily saluted. Zhou Jingren responded with a low chuckle.

    "Alright." Zhou Jingren leaned down to kiss her forehead. He then walked out of the room and went to his study.

    Sitting on his leather chair, Zhou Jingren said, "So... Zhou Huifang?" He stared at Bei Tian who was sitting opposite to him. Before Qin Chuan came, he was in here talking to Bei Tian.

    "First.. Did Lily say we could kill his father?" Bei Tian asked.

    "No."

    "Oh." Disappointment shed in Bei Tian¡¯s eyes. "Too bad, huh. If we kill him... it will be easier you know."

    "Death is too easy for him." Zhou Jingren said. "Let¡¯s stop talking about irrelevant people. So, Huifang?"

    "Yes. He has been very secretivetely. But we managed to find a few phone calls he made to... Europe and some states in the US." Bei Tian stood from his seat and stared outside of the window. "It seems that Zhou Kang¡¯s influence has been embedded into his head."

    "So he hates us." Zhou Jingren stated.

    "For some reason... he thinks that we stole everything from him." He turned towards Zhou Jingren. "I told you. I don¡¯t want to get involved in this Zhou Company. It just doesn¡¯t make any sense that they make me an heir when I am already busy dealing with everything behind your back." He let out an exasperated sigh.

    "It was their choice. Not mine." He shrugged, "You know... you can always inherit thepany once you want to settle down."

    "That thing is not for me." Bei Tian clenched his jaws. "Also... I may not be very smart but I feel like someone is watching us. I cannot confirm this suspicion but... I just think someone could be monitoring our movements."

    "What do you mean?" Zhou Jingren frowned.

    "Do you remember the hospital equipment we stole from the Lee Group a couple of months back?"

    "Hm, What about it?"

    "The person that I assigned to deal with it was able to sell it to another hospital in Thand. And guess what? He told me that the people who bought it seemed to be expecting him. It was as if... they knew where we got the equipment. At one point, they even mentioned Old Man Lee¡¯s death which made the conversation extremely ufortable."

    Zhou Jingren turned silent at his words. To be honest... his instinct had been telling him the same thing. He knew that this had already startedst year. Howevertely, the feeling seemed to intensify. "We need to know if someone is indeed watching us. I will talk to Qin Yuanfeng. Maybe we could set up some bait or stir the waters to catch the fish." He uttered.

    "Good. I will focus on Chen Shi and Zhou Huifang then."

    "You know... I have this suspicion that Zhou Huifang is involved in this matter with Tang Lingyun and Su Ma. Were you able to trace where Tang Lingyun went when she disappeared after stabbing Qin Mo?"

    "No. But... we are working on it. If Zhou Huifang is indeed involved, then I¡¯m sure that he is covering his bases." Bei Tian answered as he walked back to his seat. "I always thought that he was a little dumb. Dumber than me. This whole thing is just making me wonder... how was he able to have the guts to fight us? And... where did he get his resources?"

    "That is right. Zhou Huifang neverundered money from thepany and was well behaved until a couple of months back." Zhou Jingren added. He knew that they were missing something here, something crucial.

    "Anyway, I will leave now." Bei Tian said. "I have a flight to Russia at nine in the morning." He yawned. "I have not slept sincest night."

    "You should not exhaust yourself too much. Why don¡¯t you take a vacation? Maybe on a beach somewhere?"

    "Nah." He met Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes. "I¡¯m good. Once Lily gives birth, you will be busy taking care of her. By then.. All the work will be on me. I need to eliminate as many enemies as I can by then. To lessen the burden on both of you."

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips thinned. "You are not required to do this. Your health matters too. I know this is not about the money... "

    "This is not about money." Bei Tian interrupted him. "It was never about money." A gentle smile escaped his lips.

    ....

    Proofreader:Dragon777

 Chapter 640 Tricks

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 640 Tricks</h4>

    When Lily woke up again, it was already nine in the morning. Zhou Jingren had tried to wake her up around eight but she refused to leave their bed. In the end, Zhou Jingren had told her that he would leave ahead of her as he had a meeting scheduled at nine.

    After having breakfast she went to the Fi Group first to tell Qin Yuanfeng about the oilpany. She also wanted to ask about his trip to London and his experience in the Arison Family¡¯s Company. It was just another uneventful morning for Lily.

    "So he called you just to ask if you knew about Su Ma¡¯s incident?" Lily wanted tough at Qin Chuan¡¯s stupidity. "Did he tell you he married her?"

    As expected, Qin Yuanfeng frowned. "He married her?"

    "Of course he did. They already got their marriage certificate and are nning the wedding for next year."

    "He is crazy." Qin Yuanfeng turned to hisputer. "So that Su Ma came here to frame you? How bold."

    "And stupid. I mean... If I wanted her dead, I would not do it in Hong Kong just after she met with me. Does she think I¡¯m crazy or worse, stupid?"

    "She probably thought you would have a pretty bad reaction during that meeting. She was banking on the fact that you were upsetst time. Maybe she was hoping you would lose your cool and p her? If that happened, she would give her a reason to cry in front of Qin Chuan. And... it would make you an instant suspect in this incident."

    "Hmmm..." Lily nodded. Obviously, that must be the thing Su Ma had hoped would happen. However, she reacted differently. Su Ma knew she wouldn¡¯t have another chance to try and frame Lily, so she still went through with her initial n.

    "Stupidity at its finest." Qin Yuanfeng uttered. "That woman... must have thought that Qin Chuan would immediatelysh out on you¡ª "

    "He did." Lily interrupted him. "He went to see me just this morning and asked me if I was the one responsible."

    "He did?" When Lily nodded, Qin Yuanfeng continued. "Is he insane? Does he really think you are dumb?" Disbelief shed in his eyes. "Does he think our world revolves around his life? Does he really think we care so much about his woman?" Displeasureced his tone.

    "So... I decided to cut him off. From now on... I don¡¯t want anything to do with him." Lily shrugged. She does not need to surround herself with unhappy and unlucky people. After all, emotional distress was an infectious disease.

    "And he agreed?" He asked.

    "Does he even have a choice?" Lily snorted. "He already made his choice when he came to my house and asked me if I was the one responsible for that incident."

    "Well... unfortunate people only draw misfortune towards themselves. You are pregnant, it is only right to avoid them." Qin Yuanfeng nodded. "Is Su Ma still alive?"

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. "Jingren told me they got blood and some other DNA samples from Su Ma. They willpare it to Tang Lingyun¡¯s daughter, Qin Fei¡¯s DNA just for evidence. Of course, we won¡¯t give it to Qin Chuan."

    "Did you tell Qin Chuan about Tang Lingyun though?"

    "I did. Then I said my goodbyes." She nodded before continuing. "That Su Ma is following someone¡¯s orders. There is no way she had the brains to even think about this scheme. My guess is... there is still something wrong with her body, maybe she needed another surgery. So they used this opportunity to do that."

    "Who are they?"

    "No idea." Lily shrugged. "I am only guessing, for now. It won¡¯t take long before I find out who is responsible for all this." Narrowing her eyes, Lily continued. "And when I find them, they will face my retribution."

    "You don¡¯t have to do it anymore. Let Jingren deal with this matter. You should trust him more."

    His words instantly made Lily silent. For a few minutes, she stared at her twin brother. "Am I... not trusting him?"

    "I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m single." He shrugged.

    Lilyughed at his statement. Of course this man did not know. Why is she even asking him?

    "Alright. I still need to go and have lunch with Jingren. Tell me if you find something suspicious about the petroleumpany. I want to know everything about the people behind thatpany. Their hobbies, their sleep routines, books they read, people they talk to, whether they prefer coffee or tea. Everything."

    "Hmm... got it." Qin Yuanfeng nodded. He understood every little information mattered since they were dealing with something¡ª or someone¡ª No. This time, they were trying to deal with Lily¡¯s instinct. Not some facts but instincts.

    Don¡¯t get him wrong. Qin Yuanfeng does not trust something he cannot see, but he truly believed in Lily¡¯s capability in sensing danger. Maybe this was a twin thing? Maybe it wasn¡¯t. But there was something in Qin Yuanfeng telling him Lily might be right.

    After seeing Lily leave, Qin Yuanfeng stood from his seat. He walked towards his own coffee maker and grabbed his umpteenth coffee for the day. "What is it?" He hissed when he noticed someone open his door without permission. He turned towards the door and saw a woman looking at him with her ashen face. "What is it?" He asked as his irritation grew.

    "I told everyone not to disturb me!" He added and walked back to his table without sparing the woman another nce.

    "I¡ª I... Mr. Rossi asked me to give these files to you. But I... I identally spilled something in it. So I uh... I will print another¡ª "

    "You are fired." Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s voice echoed inside his office. He lifted his head and stared at the woman¡¯s weak appearance. "Leave and pack your things. Tell the HR Department I fired you."

    "But¡ª But... I..." the woman stuttered as tears pooled in her eyes. "Mr. Qin..."

    "I see." Qin Yuanfeng interrupted her. Tricks like this were useless against him anymore. He picked up his phone and instantly dialed the security. "I have a deaf employee in my office. She¡¯s fired. Escort her out of my office and also bring someone to clean her mess."

    "Mr. Qin!" The woman eximed in an attempt to stop him.

    .....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 641 Scary Fickle Creatures

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 641 Scary Fickle Creatures</h4>

    "Please Mr. Qin... I will not do this again." The woman kneeled, fear apparent in her eyes. In response, Qin Yuanfeng sneered. He narrowed his eyes at the woman¡¯s clothing.

    "Hurry," he said before ending the call with the security personnel. Lately, women had been trying all kinds of tricks to get closer to him. At first, he thought this was only because he was new here. However, the tricks that these women used seemed to have be more and more pathetic.

    He watched as the woman broke down on the floor. Trembling under his scrutinizing gaze. Unfazed, Qin Yuanfeng turned his attention towards hisputer instead. Women were fickle creatures¡ª scary fickle creatures. It was in his best interest to avoid them as much as possible.

    After a few minutes, two security arrived with a couple of cleaning crew in tow. This was not the first time that this had happened in Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s office, so the group was already familiar with the things that they were required to do without any instructions given to them.

    Seeing Qin Yuanfeng busy with hisputer, the security and cleaning crew silently did their job without saying anything. When Qin Yuanfeng saw the cleaning crew leave, he opened his phone and dialed Zhou Jingren¡¯s number.

    "It¡¯s me. I fired another person today. Maybe it¡¯s best that you take her and ask who sent her inside the Fi Group just to try and get close to me."

    "Alright." When he heard Zhou Jingren¡¯s confirmation, he nodded and ended the call. In times like this, trust was not something that he just could give to other people. To be honest, the only two people that he had trust in for now were Lily and Zhou Jingren and he firmly believed that telling them his observation was the right thing to do.

    With this in mind, he sent Zhou Jingren the file of the fourth woman that he fired just this month and the other twost month. This needed to be stopped.

    ....

    Zhou Capital

    "What?" Lily asked. "Isn¡¯t that normal? He is quite a good looking guy. Women are always attracted to good looking ones. At least... women like me." She chuckled. "But yes, it is always better to be thorough."

    "Are you saying that women are only attracted to good looks? There are women who are attracted to the rich and famous too. It might not be the looks alone."

    "Husband..." Lily started. She propped her chin on her palms as she grinned. "I think... it¡¯s not being rich and sessful that attracts women. I think... it¡¯s this mentality that men with dreams and ambitions, and are willing to do something about it are hotter than those who don¡¯t."

    "Alpha males?" Zhou Jingren asked.

    "Hmmm... You know... the cold, ruthless, rich and handsome CEOs." Lily giggled. Zhou Jingren shook his head at Lily¡¯s statement.

    "Our men are already interrogating the woman that was just fired today." He said.

    Lily pursed her lips. She shifted her gaze towards the floor to ceiling ss window. "Yuanfeng is not someone that they should mess with. He already learned his lesson and is smart enough to avoid repeating it. Unlike his father."

    "By the way... Su Ma woke up." Zhou Jingren said. "Our people are closely watching them." Lily didn¡¯t say anything. Those people did not even deserve a sentence from her. Instead, she smiled to herself. Watching that Tang Lingyun and Qin Chuan deal with each other would be entertaining.

    Lily was not a hundred percent sure that Qin Chuan would believe her. But, she had already nted the seeds of doubt inside him. All she needed to do was wait for it to grow and mature.

    Lily had said that she wouldn¡¯t get involved with Qin Chuan anymore and she would stay true to that. However, she never said that she would leave Su Ma alone. The fact that she had the audacity to imitate her mother was enough to warrant her death.

    However, this was too early. Everything was too early. Moreover, Lily was waiting for Su Ma to make some mistakes, any mistake which would lead them to the real culprit behind all this.

    Lily was not a very forgiving person. She was petty and she did not just forget the people who offended her. And this Su Ma? Well... She would receive her own punishment soon enough.

    "That woman is iming to be a voice actress right? We should be able to find some recordings of her voice. We shouldpare that to her current voice. I mean... some people might sound alike but each of us have our own unique voice because of the folds of our vocals. Maybe she practiced and had some training but... there is no way she would be able to copy the real Su Ma¡¯s voice."

    "Alright." Zhou Jingren nodded and dialed Bei Tian¡¯s number. He then informed him of Lily¡¯s n. The reason why they didn¡¯t do this before is because they wanted to be careful.

    They didn¡¯t want the person behind this to notice that they were investigating Su Ma. They only wanted them to think that their ns were seeding with no issues. They wanted to paint it as if Lily had been affected by this scheme.

    The person behind this was using the ¡¯Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao¡¯ strategy which was a good strategy against a stronger opponent like Lily and Zhou Jingren. Since the enemy cannot face them directly, they tried to create a problem elsewhere. They attacked, what they thought was very important to Lily to distract her from their true objective.

    Well, if Qin Chuan was that important to Lily then... they might have seeded. But he is not. To someone like Lily who never experienced a fatherly love, Qin Chuan¡¯s existence is easily receable by the people who truly cared for her. George and Mr. Rossi were good examples of this. Even Cathy¡¯s presence could easily rece Qin Chuan as she had been beside Lily, guiding her along with Lilian.

    Now that the conflict between Lily and her father had been established. This will make the enemy think that victory wasing their way. And this¡ª this was the right time for them to counter attack.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 642 Peace

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 642 Peace</h4>

    "Chen Luan?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "He was the one who paid the women to get close to Qin Yuanfeng?" she asked, confused.

    "Should be Zhou Huifang and Qi Xia." Zhou Jingrenmented. "Not many businessmen know that you are connected to the Qin Family in maind China. But I¡¯m sure Qi Xia knows this information."

    "These people." Lily sighed. She shook her head. "Is there something we can do about this Zhou Huifang?"

    "For now? No. Bei Tian and I think that he has someone behind his back. Someone helping him toe up with these ns. We traced a call to various ces in Europe, US and even Dubai. Some in Hongkong and Asia as well. This is an encrypted call and we can¡¯t really trace that person that he is calling, except for the location."

    "Dubai?" Lily frowned. "Then... he is calling a frequent traveler. A businessman perhaps?"

    "That¡¯s my guess as well."

    Lily nodded at Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. She then walked towards the window to watch the busy streets of Hong Kong below. She eyed the mass of people dressed in business or casual clothing as they walked down the streets like ants, crossing the street and following the crowd.

    Sometimes Lily wondered what could have happened to her if she was one of them. Normal, working everyday just to be able to feed herself. People who worked non stop to feed their families. People who struggled to pay rent sometimes. She thought of the time when her mother was still alive and they had argued about her working in that bar.

    At that time, Lily thought she would never have any other choice but to work as a hostess. She could earn easy money, pay their rent, buy some food and maybe even some good clothes. At that time, she thought that was the only way¡ª her only way of survival.

    At that time, Lily thought her life was already extremely difficult. So when her grandmother trained her, she vowed¡ª she promised never to experience that kind life again. She studied hard¡ª so hard she barely slept. Lilian was a strict teacher and she wanted no less than perfection from her only granddaughter.

    Lily was not originally bright so those lessons were excruciating for her. She used to wonder, why did she need to study theories and strategies of dead people from the past. Why did she need to analyze an event and scrutinize it just to see which theory was used? Wasn¡¯t that madness? She was only trying to take over a business. She was not going to rule the world.

    At that time, Lily thought studying was hard¡ª so hard she had almost given up at one point. She never learned any other skills, aside from things that would not fill her stomach. Things she needed to know in order to deal with various businessmen. Things she needed to manipte people and make them do her bidding.

    Was that evil? Of course it was. Lily would not justify any of her previous actions. It was evil. She would not say that she did this or that because they deserved it or because they chose to cross her. No. The truth was... she did all those horrible things for herself.

    It was for her own satisfaction.

    She let out a sigh. Looking back, she never once thought she would one day want a peaceful life. She never thought she would wish to just sit down and think about the beautiful sun or the warm breeze. She turned her head towards Zhou Jingren who was busy signing some papers at his table. Slowly, her lips lifted into a smile.

    Zhou Jingren changed something inside her. He made her wish for those people to just stop scheming behind her back.For them to just give Lily and Zhou Jingren as well as their child a peaceful life. Of course, this was nothing but a dream¡ª something that will never happen. Peace was nothing but a theoretically possible ide a dream that would nevere true.

    Lily was a horrible person. She had hurt a lot of people that she knew... she knew one day, her own Karma woulde to bite her in the ass. It would be a cycle. A never ending cycle of fighting, winning and revenge. This was the life she had before meeting him and this would be the kind of life that she would have in the future as well.

    To Lily, the only thing that changed was actually being with someone as strong and independent as her. With thembined, she was sure that they could ovee whatever scheme the world would throw at them. Lily turned towards the street again.

    From up here, they looked so little, so vulnerable.

    She lifted her head and looked at the other tall buildings surrounding them. "I want them dead." She uttered in an almost inaudible voice. "I don¡¯t want to give them the chance to retaliate once I give birth." She added.

    Lily knew that killing them would not be possible now. They can¡¯t just beat the body of the snake and not expect it to bite back. No... what they needed to do was cut its head off first. And to do that... they need to find who or what was after them, seeking to sow conflict and hurt her and her precious family.

    She turned towards him."You don¡¯t mind, right?" Seeing Zhuo Jingren¡¯s reaction, Lily instantly asked. Killing was not really Lily¡¯s style. She was the type that would toy with her opponent first and leave them to destroy each other. Surely, her words surprised him.

    "Of course, not." He nodded, his jaws thinned. He could see the fire in Lily¡¯s eyes. Something inside her... must have changed. "That will happen." He added.

    "Good." She smiled and turned back to the streets. Now that she was pregnant, she should stop the urge she had to y with people and end them as soon as possible. Their child¡¯s safety should be her greatest priority. "All good." She whispered as she eyed the clouds on top of Hong Kong.

    It seems that rainy days were ahead of them.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 643 Control

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 643 Control</h4>

    Somewhere in the Nethends.

    "She¡¯s pregnant," the blue-eyed man frowned as he raised his head to look at the starless night above. His voice echoed inside the room that was dimly lit by a couple of candles.

    "She¡¯s a woman- a married woman. Of course, she would get pregnant." A voice full of mockery responded. "You just couldn¡¯t help yourself, could you?"

    "I believe he is not worthy." The blue-eyed man answered. "The seat was handed to him. Unlike all of us, he never had to work for it."

    "That is not something you can decide." Another croaky voice echoed. "Harringfort... you disappoint me."

    The blue-eyed man turned towards the older men sitting at the circr table. He smiled as he looked at their various expressions. This was already expected. After all the things he had done, this reaction was something he had already expected. "Then... I will ept my punishment." He said.

    "Do you understand why we are punishing you?"

    "I am a mere messenger. I should not have involved myself and dabbled into his life. I shouldn¡¯t have tried to test him. But what¡¯s done is done."

    A sigh echoed after his words. "Antone... your potential is endless. But the way you handled this situation was truly disappointing. There are other ways to prove if a member is not worthy. Dabbling into his life while he is unaware of our existence is just stupid. You should have known better."

    Antone Harringfort met the old man¡¯s eyes. "I will stand by my beliefs. I believe testing him before we approach him is the best way to prove if he is worthy."

    "You do understand the repercussions of your actions, do you? Now... the people who know of our existence, people who were eying the old man¡¯s seat now know about Zhou Jingren and possibly Lily too. What do you think will happen then?"

    "If he can ovee it then... it would only mean he is worthy to be one of us." Conviction was apparent in Antone¡¯s voice. He truly believed he was not in the wrong about what he did to Zhou Jingren.

    "Zhou Jingren is not an issue. He is not one of us, yet. But Lily is... she is one of us. Her grandmother was one of us. We cannot risk her safety, especially now that she is pregnant."

    "I agree." Another man answered. "The order seeks to control without domination. This was the reason why not many know who we are. They know we exist but they can never prove it. You know some people are already suspecting you as a part of something more powerful than the EU and UN. And yet you got careless."

    "My apologies. I know I have gone overboard. But I believe this is the only way to test Zhou Jingren."

    "Why are you worried about someone who belongs to the lower seats?" One retorted. "You keep on saying it is because you think he is not worthy and he does not qualify. Do you not really understand this is not about him? This is about Lily! A member of our council. One of the highest seats in the Specter. Our strategist. Do you understand that?"

    Antone turned silent. He lowered his head. Lily was a very capable woman. How could a simple scheme get to her? However, he chose to remain silent.

    "Imprisonment." The older man who was sitting opposite to where Antone was standing said. "A month of imprisonment. You will be isted away from the world. By then... I hope you will be able to think about your wrongdoings. Your friends and family will be told that you are on a vacation somewhere in Asia. We will be sending them cards and pictures of you by the beach. We will ask them not to contact you for the time being."

    The old man continued, "Does anyone object?"

    Silence followed the old man¡¯s words. Seeing the other four people at the table pursing their lips, he continued, "Then... it will be done." He immediately pressed a red button in the center of the table. Not long after, two tall guards walked inside and escorted Antone Harringfort out of the room.

    "He is obsessed with Lily." One voice echoed when the door of the room closed.

    "I¡¯m sure he is." A voice agreed.

    "He is not obsessed with her. He is obsessed with her seat." Another voicemented.

    "Antone knows that people are watching him and yet, he still took a risk. He approached Zhou Jingren knowing people were watching him from afar. His actions were so malicious. He truly wanted to eliminate the man."

    "We are all malicious." Another man answered. "We can¡¯t me him. Everyone wanted power." He sighed. "Now...unto the real topic as to why we are here today."

    "Hmmm... Shall we ask someone to hijack some oil tankers to increase the prices of oil in the market?"

    Targeting an oil tanker would make the oilpany devise other tactics to avoid piracy such as changing the route into longer and safer ones, making the travel time longer, and the price higher. This will also affect the price of the oil that they are carrying.

    "We can start in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Let¡¯s also include the ships traveling through the Arabian Sea. Have someone contact the Somalians."

    "But this may not affect the US economy." Another one answered. "If we want to control the US then we need a n that is bigger than piracy."

    "Then... what do you suggest?"

    "Civil war."

    "Raise chaos inside the US soil? That might be possible."

    "Of course it is. Since that man does not believe that we exist, then... let us show him how capable we are. Let his country suffer!"

    The men nodded unison and continued talking about manipting the market to maintain the current status quo of the world. The poor need to stay poor and the rich need to stay rich. To do this... people are needed to be programmed to be poor.

    And thisdies and gentlemen... is the best way to control the world without dominating it.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 644 Logic

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 644 Logic</h4>

    The Peak

    "The more you know, the more you realize you don¡¯t know." Lily read aloud before she closed the book and turned towards Zhou Jingren. "This means that I have yet to master a lot of things. And I am perfectly aware of that." Lily held her head high. She had been having this ¡¯discussion¡¯ with Zhou Jingren for a few minutes now and she was not nning to give up any time soon. "All I wanted was to eat something spicy."

    "I told you. Spicy food will cause heartburn. I did my research. You can request any other food aside from spicy ones."

    "But I want to eat spicy chicken wings." She furrowed her brows. "The fact that I don¡¯t know this information should be enough reason for you to let me eat some of it."

    "What kind of logic is this?" he raised an eyebrow.

    "The right kind of logic."

    Zhou Jingren shook his head helplessly. "Yeah... No."

    "But the doctor said... the only bad thing was having too much of anything! I only want five wings." She dered and smiled when she saw Zhou Jingren¡¯s frown deepened. "Alright. Maybe three?"

    Lily continued. "Alright! Two! I want two spicy chicken wings!" This was not a request. This was a demand. However, for some reason, her husband was not budging at all. It seemed that not many threats work against this man anymore.

    "One and we¡¯re good." He answered. In his defense, he knew how painful acid reflux was. Spicy food would only increase the chances of acid reflux. How could he let her experience this? As expected, Lily pouted. She folded her arms across her chest.

    Narrowing her eyes at Zhou Jingren, Lily said. "Alright... I will have one and I will sleep on the floor. The cold and lonely floor. All alone."

    "Why would you sleep on the floor?"

    "If you let me have two. I will sleep on the bed with you. That¡¯s it. No more negotiations. I am hungry and tired."

    "Then I will sleep on the floor with you."

    Lily widened her eyes. How could this man be so unreasonable? "Alright. I give up. I won¡¯t eat. I am not eating anything until you give me two spicy chicken wings."

    "Then... let¡¯s starve together."

    "You¡ª " Lily almost could not believe her ears. Fury shot inside her. "You¡ª You are unreasonable." Seeing Zhou Jingren just stare at her with the same gentle expression on his face, Lily decided to give up. "Okay. One wing then." She said in a low defeated voice.

    "And you are sleeping on the bed?" he raised an eyebrow.

    "Yes."

    "Good." A sly smile appeared on his lips. He stood from their bed and walked out of their room to get what Lily needed. After a few minutes, Zhou Jingren came back with a tray so they could have their dinner in their room. "You are bing really spoiled." He uttered as he started putting the food on the table. "I might just spank you one day."

    Lily instantly burst outughing. She walked towards the table. Stepping on her toes, Lily raised her head to kiss him. "You are the best husband in the world."

    "Hmmm. I know. You are one lucky woman." He smiled. "I am hungry. We wasted too much time in our negotiations." Lily responded with a low chuckle before she rolled her eyes.

    The duo then started eating. After dinner, Lily spent a couple of minutes watching the news from her tablet while Zhou Jingren finished working on a few documents. "Hey... Tomorrow is a holiday. I think we should go and visit my grandmother¡¯s house."

    "Tomorrow... You have to choose which clothes you will wear for the awards night. Then we can go to Grandmother Ye¡¯s house."

    "Oh! The awards night is the day after tomorrow. I almost forgot about it. What are you nning to wear?"

    "White."

    "Then... I¡¯ll wear a red gown." She beamed.

    After Zhou Jingren was done with his paperwork, the couple decided to sleep early.

    ......

    Lily woke up to the smell of butter on toasts. She scrunched her nose before she opened her eyes.

    "Do you know that you still drool while sleeping?" Zhou Jingren¡¯s face was so close to hers she could see the specks of gray in his irises. She immediately opened her mouth to fire back only to receive her husband¡¯s kiss, immediately making her swallow her words.

    "Good Morning, beautiful." He beamed as he leaned in to kiss her forehead.

    "Go away."

    "I brought breakfast."

    "Leave breakfast here and go away." She uttered. What kind of man would tell his wife about their drool? She does not drool alright? Maybe sometimes but not always.

    "And you snore a lot too."

    "Stop it." She hissed, irritated.

    "But... I still love you."

    "Stop it!" She pulled the nkets to cover her head. This Zhou Jingren was making her embarrassed. She felt heat crawling up her neck. She knew she was turning red. For some reason, she was blushing! "Go away!"

    Her words only made Zhou Jingrenugh. "Come... let¡¯s have breakfast so we could leave as early as possible. It would be nice to have lunch at Grandmother Ye¡¯s house. Plus it is about to rain."

    Lily responded with a groan. She wanted to say no and pretend to be angry. However, the way Zhou Jingren mentioned her Grandmother Ye¡¯s name made her smile underneath the nkets. This man... he sure knew a lot of ways to coax her.

    With the same smiling face, Lily and Zhou Jingren started their breakfast as they talked about the current events in the business industry. After all, it was very important to have a vast knowledge of these events as this might affect the world market and ultimately their businesses.

    The couple left the mansion around eight thirty so Lily could get the gown that she will wear for the awards. Lily decided to choose the best one this time as this would be for Zhou Jingren. Just the thought of standing next to him was already making Lily extremely proud.

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 645 Lunch

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 645 Lunch</h4>

    "I gained a lot of weight. So they needed to do somest minute changes to the dress that I chose." Lily said after sitting on the front seat of the car. "But it¡¯s all good. So... we will get ready in the hotel where the awards will be held?"

    "Yes, everything is prepared. We should get there around one for the makeup and clothes so we will have a lot of time to take some pictures as the awards will start at six in the evening." He answered before leaning in to kiss her. Today, they chose to have the car for themselves while their security was following them in another car. Since it was a holiday, both Lily and Zhou Jingren gave their secretaries a break. He started driving towards Grandmother Ye¡¯s house.

    "Did you ask someone to bring food to grandma¡¯s house? I mean for lunch. I am really hungry."

    "I bought some snacks for you at the back. Lin Siyang, his brother and Chef Yang should be there waiting for us at the house." He answered, his eyes still on the road. Lily beamed in response.

    "Thank you." She uttered before reaching out for the snacks that he had bought for her. Seeing that they were some nuts, pickled snacks and some dried fruits, Lily could not help but shake her head inwardly. Zhou Jingren was really someone who would look out for her health. While she... she had been craving for junk foodtely.

    She wanted some fries, chicken and burgers. However, she knew that her husband would not let her feast on such things. Maybe one or two but he would not allow her to eat that kind of food everyday. Of course, this was not a problem. Lily understood his concern towards her health. In fact, she was grateful to have someone as caring as this man.

    Lily started eating the dried fruits. Not long after, Lily and Zhou Jingren arrived at the peak and made their way to Grandma Ye¡¯s house.

    "What is going on?" Lily frowned when she saw Chef Yang outside of the house, his hands on his waist as he talked to four people in front of him. When Chef Yang spotted their car, an obvious relief shed across his face. He then instructed Lin Luyang, who was standing behind him to open the gates for them.

    Their arrival also got the attention of the people that Chef Yang was talking to. After parking, the duo instantly got out of their car and walked hand in hand towards Chef Yang.

    "What is going on here?" Zhou Jingren asked.

    "Master... these people told us that they are here to see the house." Chef Yang said. "They showed us some paperwork that says they are allowed to do so as the house is already in the market."

    "Which house?" Lily asked.

    "This house. It has been on the market sincest week. We are here to have a viewing but this man here is not letting us through. We have already called the police as these people could not show any proof that they own this house. They are trespassing." A man wearing a ck suit said. He furrowed his brows as he red at Chef Yang and Lin Luyang.

    "And... who are you?" Lily asked.

    "My bad, I am Lao Chenggu, I am a real estate manager. My people called me today since they cannot get inside the property with their clients."

    "I see. Mr. Lao. I own this property and It is not for sale." Lily answered. She stared at the Mercedes that was parked a few meters away from them. By the looks of it, the ¡¯client¡¯ that they were talking about should be inside the car watching them.

    "Well that is simply a lie. This property is for sale and¡ª "

    "I am Lily Zhou and I own this property." Lily interrupted, irritation shed in her eyes. "Whoever told you that this is for sale is lying."

    "But¡ª "

    The man did not continue his words when he saw two tall men who stood behind Zhou Jingren and Lily. He swallowed his saliva. In front of brute force, they are obviously powerless as they are small and skinny. "Then... we will wait for the police officer to rify everything." He chided. He then eyed the Mercedes behind them before he instructed his people to call the police and ask them where they were.

    "You know... it would be easier if you just let us in. Awsuit would be a waste of time for all of us." He uttered.

    "True. This is nothing but a waste of time." Zhou Jingren said as he turned to Lily. "Let¡¯s go inside." Why would they waste their time talking to these clowns? His wife was already hungry. Her food should be their priority. He then shifted his gaze towards Chef Yang. "She¡¯s hungry. Is the food ready."

    "Yes Master."

    "Then... let these people wait here. Let¡¯s go inside."

    "Oi! How could you do that? We don¡¯t even know if you are truly the owner of this ce! You can¡¯t go inside¡ª "

    "Why do we have to prove to you that we own this ce Lily fired back. "Are you someone significant?"

    "Alright..." Zhou Jingren stroked her back. "Let¡¯s go inside so you can eat." Zhou Jingren had been around Lily this whole time. It was enough time for him to learn that pregnancy and hunger should note together.

    At the mention of food, Lily instantly nodded before ring at Mr. Lao. The couple was about to walk towards the gates when they heard someone clear their throat.

    "Excuse me." A woman said. "Excuse me... are you Mr. And Mrs. Zhou?"

    Zhou Jingren was not nning to stop walking, however, Lily was different. She halted her steps, prompting her husband to stop walking. She then turned towards the older woman that looked oddly simr to Adalind Brooke.

    Seeing them stop walking, the woman smiled. "Hi, I am Charlotte Swanson. I am sure you know my daughter, Adalind?" She turned towards the brte standing next to her. "This is the current Mrs. Brooke, Eleonor Brooke, Adalind¡¯s stepmother and I am her biological mother. Would you mind speaking with us for a few minutes?"

    "Yes. I mind." Lily answered without batting an eyelid. "I need to have my lunch." She added.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 646 Hermes

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 646 Hermes</h4>

    The smile on Mrs. Swanson¡¯s face disappeared when she heard Lily¡¯s reply. She recalled her husband¡¯s repeated warning against this Lily Zhou as she narrowed her eyes. She was about to open her mouth when the woman beside her spoke.

    "Then...we will wait." Mrs. Brooke gave Lily a cordial smile. "We will wait until you are done with your lunch." The duo then watched as Lily and Zhou Jingren walked inside the house without even inviting them in.

    "Why would you agree to wait?" Mrs. Swanson hissed. "I knew it. You are not concerned about Adalind at all. You are just here to impress your husband." Mrs. Swanson always went all out when it came to the needs of her daughter. However as a stepmother, Eleonor is different.

    " Charlotte." Eleonor Brooke turned towards the fuming Charlotte Swanson. "Is this really a ce to show your nasty attitude?" She rolled her eyes. "You can buy a Hermes... but not ss. That is pretty obvious now." She smirked before walking towards the car.

    "You bitch." Mrs. Swanson cursed. These people were still looking down on her when in fact, her husband was richer than Adalind¡¯s father! Her husband has even more money than that bastard and this Eleonorbined!

    "What are you waiting for? Are you going to just stand out there and let your makeup melt under the sun? I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want people to see what you really look beneath that wless makeup, do you?" Elenor said, making Mrs. Swanson more furious as her face turned red. She looked at the real estate agents.

    "What the hell are you looking at?" she screamed before walking towards the car. "How dare you embarrass me like that!?" she instantly exploded after mming the door of the car shut. "You don¡¯t have the right to treat me as if I am beneath you considering I am worth more than you! And stop thinking too highly of yourself! You might be younger than me by a few years but your husband is a serial cheater! He will soon leave you for someone younger and hotter!"

    "Please Charlotte..." Eleonor Brooke held her hand in front of the woman¡¯s face. "Your voice is giving me anxiety."

    Mrs. Swanson raised her right hand as if to p her.

    "Go ahead. p me." Eleonor gave a smug smile. "Let¡¯s show Adalind that you are still the jealous and narcissistic woman she hated while growing up."

    As expected her words were enough to stop Mrs. Swanson. "You¡ª How dare you!?"

    "You know... now that I think about it. Your daughter is like this because she had a mother like you."

    "That¡¯s not true! Her father gave her whatever she wanted as she grew up! It¡¯s not my fault that she is like this."

    "And yet, you enabled her." Eleonor Brooke sneered. "Her father gave her every material thing and you enabled her. You two are to be med for your daughter¡¯s life right now."

    "Stop talking as if you are righteous! Are you not someone who only married my husband for your family business that was on the brink of bankruptcy?" The change on Eleonor¡¯s face instantly made Mrs. Swanson beamed. "You think I would let someone near my daughter without knowing their life story?" She snorted. "B*tch."

    "At least... I don¡¯t have the audacity to cheat on my husband. I am a woman of ss and culture. Unlike some slut I know of."

    "Are you calling me a slut!?"

    "If the shoe fits, please feel free to wear it." Eleonor said, nonchnce apparent in her tone.

    "Hah! I always knew that you were a nasty woman. I wonder what your husband would think if he knew that you are like this!? I remember Robert loved a kind and sweet woman¡ª "

    "Oh please... Charlotte, move on. Robert likes it when I call him nasty things in bed. You know... the things that you never call him."

    "You¡ª "

    ......

    While the two continued arguing inside the car, Lily and Zhou Jingren started their lunch inside the house with the view of the beautiful flowers nearby. Lily had always been allergic to strong flowery smells, however, the thing about roses was that they start gradually losing their smell as the years pass.

    This was because gardener¡¯s tend to breed them by their appearance and not their wild and natural smell.

    The colorful roses instantly made Lily smile. She remembered how much her grandmother loved roses. This beautiful bungalow that was mostly made of stones sat on top of a small hill that was surrounded by roses. During the night, the light that was ced near the roses would be lit, creating a beautiful otherworldly scenery.

    "Can we stay here tonight?" Lily asked, her eyes still on the flowers. "My grandmother left me her books that I found in her study. I would love to take a look at them." After arriving in Hong Kong, this was Lily¡¯s first timeing in here because she was too busy and because she wanted to spend time dealing with her own grief from her grandmother¡¯s passing.

    After all, Lilian and Grandmother Ye¡¯s death was only a month apart from each other.

    "Of course. I will ask them to prepare the master bedroom." Zhou Jingren said as he filled Lily¡¯s bowl with various vegetables. The house was not new however, it was well maintained. This house was said to be one of those stone houses that was built on world war two and used as a meeting ce of some rebels.

    Because of its history and the age that this house was built, Lily and Zhou Jingren chose not to renovate the ce. They wanted to preserve the beautiful vintage vibe and archaic beauty that the house had.

    "Thank you," Lily uttered as she smiled. Lily remembereding into this house when she was younger. Her grandmother used to take her to the hidden stairs behind her bookshelves. The stairs led to her secret study just underneath this ce.

    Now that she is here... Lily would love to visit that ce once again.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 647 Uncultured

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 647 Uncultured</h4>

    "I told you we shouldn¡¯t have let them leave! It¡¯s been more than an hour! Almost two hours! She¡¯s a small woman! Does she really need more than an hour to eat?" Charlotteined. "This is all your fault!"

    Mrs. Brooke snorted in response. She folded her arms across her chest and stared at the closed gates in front of her. An hour was not really too long to eat and shepletely understood this. However, this woman next to her had beenining about it for a few minutes now.

    She closed her eyes as she let out a deep sigh. Being with Charlotte was so taxing, it is draining her mental capabilities. No wonder, Adalind hated her mother.

    "This woman is too much. How could she let us wait outside of her house? Basic human courtesy¡ª "

    "It is her right not to let us in." Mrs. Brooke chimed in. "Her house. Her rules." She added, making sure to use the simplest words to make this woman understand her point.

    "Why are you so calm about this? You saw what happened to Adalind! This is all Lily¡¯s fault. Adalind treated you like a mother. How could you side with Lily?"

    "Mrs. Swanson... what happened to Adalind was not Lily¡¯s fault and we all know that. It¡¯s not like she pushed her. Your daughter followed a man¡ª a happily married man. She already promised us to avoid a scandal while staying here. Even her father was unhappy about her previous actions. But look at what she did?"

    Mrs. Brooke continued, "She tried to seduce a married man and when she was unsessful she pretended to fall hoping he would catch her. And now you are saying that it was the wife¡¯s fault?" She gave a sarcastic chuckle. "No wonder your daughter thinks that her actions were right. You really should stop letting her get her way."

    "Do you really think you have the right to lecture me about children? Someone who¡¯s never had one does not have the right to lecture me about parenting." Charlotte said smugly. "You are not a mother. Therefore... you are not a woman. Stop pretending that you are so righteous and that you are always in the right."

    Mrs. Brooke ignored Charlotte¡¯s words. She looked out of the car and stared at the unopened gates again. Talking to a woman like this would only make her dumb. A woman like Charlotte would never understand why she chose not to have kids and Mrs. Brooke did not need to make this woman understand her reasoning behind it.

    She slowly shifted her gaze towards the blond beside her. Typical bimbo, she sneered inwardly. A racist woman who thinks too highly of herself. Someone too entitled, a person who thought that whatever they did was reasonable and right.

    A knock sounded on her window, interrupting her thoughts. Seeing that it was the man who talked to the agent earlier, she instantly opened her side of the window. "Mrs. Brooke, Mrs. Swanson, pleasee inside, the Madam will talk to you now."

    "What took her so long? You know... this is really disrespectful. She did not even let us in! Typical uncultured asian woman!" Before Mrs. Brooke could say anything, Charlotte already beat her to it. Ranting about what Lily did. She gritted her teeth, irritation shing in her eyes. This Charlotte was really too stupid.

    How the hell did the woman survive this long in the higher echelons of society?

    She red at her, warning her to stop talking. But it was futile. Charlotte started ranting about Asian cultures and how this disrespect would be known in her circle of friends.

    "Mrs. Swanson is truly funny," the man who was dressed like a Chef sneered. "Have you seen the port approach the ship?" the man asked, rendering Mrs. Swanson speechless. "It is always the other way around."

    He added, "Since it is you who need something, you need to wait and be respectful." He then left without waiting for them to follow him.

    "What does he mean by that?" Charlotte looked at Mrs. Brooke. In response, she shrugged. Charlotte¡¯s stupidity was no longer her fault. She then walked out of the car and followed the man towards the house.

    "Hey! Wait for me!" Mrs. Brooke heard Charlotte called behind her. But she never stopped walking. To be honest, she does not want to associate herself with this woman anymore.

    All she wanted was to finish the business here, buy a good house for Adalind then just go home and never see this woman again.

    "Hey! Can you stop walking too fast?"

    Mrs. Brooke heard Charlottein behind her. ¡¯That¡¯s what you get for wearing a six inch stilettos,¡¯ she muttered inwardly while rolling her eyes. Seriously, both of them knew that this house was sitting on top of a hill. Who would wear their Louboutins in a ce like this?

    After a few seconds of walking, the house finally came to their view. It wasn¡¯t big but the authority that the house seemed to have was enough to attract anyone¡¯s attention. ¡¯No wonder Adalind liked it¡¯, she thought.

    "Please sit down. The Madam wille down soon. I will prepare refreshments for you." The man pointed at the chairs and tables under an oak tree. He then walked in the other direction without even waiting for them to take their seats.

    "So disrespectful." Charlotte said. "How could everyone here be so disrespectful? Why is even Adalind staying in this ce? You should just tell her father to make Adalind go home." She grumbled and sat on one of the chairs.

    "Since we arrived, you have beenining about everything and everyone endlessly. Since you really hate this ce, why don¡¯t you leave ahead of me?" Mrs. Brooke sat on the vacant seat next to Charlotte.

    "Yeah... You have no idea how much I want to just go home and leave this godforsaken ce as soon as I can."

    Mrs. Brooke sneered. When Charlotte saw her daughter when they arrived a couple of days ago, she instantly told Adalind how she loved Hong Kong and their culture. And yet behind her daughter¡¯s back she was acting like this. What a terrible human being, she thought.

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 648 Magazines

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 648 Magazines</h4>

    "This ce is very beautiful," Mrs. Brooke ignored Charlotte¡¯sints. She stared at the greenery that seemed to breath in the aroma of the hot sun. The sea of flowers reminded her of her own grandmother¡¯s garden in Wales.

    "This ce is too hot." Charlotte uttered. "Why would Adalind want to live in a ce like this?"

    "She wanted to get close to another married man." Mrs. Brooke answered. Aside from that, there was no way Adalind would choose such a hot ce to live in.

    "I will die from the heat." Charlotte continued. "Plus, people here are really disrespectful¡ª "

    "Asians are known for their respectful behavior, Charlotte." She interrupted her. "Just because you didn¡¯t get your way, does not mean you were disrespected."

    "You¡ª "

    "I presume you are here to try and buy this ce?" Lily¡¯s words interrupted the two¡¯s conversation. They turned their head towards Lily who stood there in a white, knee- length dress.

    "Of course we are. This ce is for sale. Do you think we came here just to sight see?" Sarcasmced Charlotte¡¯s words.

    "This is not for sale. I already told your daughter the same thing."

    "We saw it online."

    "That ad was fake. Created by some malicious people. We already took it down and we are going to sue the agency who entertained you." Lily sat opposite to them. She held her hair, preventing it from being blown away by the wind and smiled at Charlotte. "This house is an inheritance. It is very important to me. This is not up for discussion."

    Mrs. Brooke stared at Lily¡¯s smiling face. She could already feel the way Lily¡¯s mood changed after she had her lunch. Women, she thought inwardly. They are just lovely little creatures aren¡¯t they?

    "Demand a price." Charlotte lifted her chin in arrogance. "I will pay you in full." Isn¡¯t this just an old house? It Is always easy to build a house like this. "I am sure the money I will pay you would be enough for you to build a house like this. My daughter likes this house so I am buying it."

    Lily examined Charlotte. Even the way the woman spoke reminded her of Adalind. How interesting, Lily thought. Both Adalind and Charlotte seemed too self absorbed that they don¡¯t really know what is the meaning behind the word ¡¯important¡¯.

    "Everything has a price. I¡¯m sure you know that." Charlotte continued. "Don¡¯t worry, I can afford it."

    Lily pursed her lips in response. She then eyed the approaching Chef Yang who was bringing various drinks and waited for him to finish putting the sses on the table before speaking again. "No." She uttered in a low voice.

    "What do you mean?" Charlotte asked in confusion.

    "No." She repeated. "I¡¯m not selling it and the next time you wille to this ce, mywyers will contact you for harassment."

    "But why?"

    "Alright... Charlotte that¡¯s enough." Mrs. Brooke chimed in. She looked at Lily. "Look Mrs. Zhou, we both know this house is sentimental to you. However, my stepdaughter is insistent on owning this house. Why don¡¯t we have apromise? I know you have your own mansion so maybe you can rent this ce to us instead?"

    Lily shook her head. She sipped her lemonade before she eyed the roses in front of them. "No." She said. "This is a pretty simple word. And it is not up for discussion."

    "Then... I will let my husband call your husband. Don¡¯t me me..." Charlotte started.

    "My husband is already talking to yours." Lily eyed Charlotte. "Apparently, they know each other from a conference in New York? Small world, isn¡¯t it?"

    "Considering Adalind¡¯s ident was your fault, you should¡ª "

    "Excuse me?" Lily asked the blond woman.

    "I said... it was your fault my daughter tripped. You shouldn¡¯t have been there in the first ce."

    Lily fought the urge tough. She looked at Mrs. Brooke who seemed too embarrassed to even meet Lily¡¯s eyes. "Is this woman serious?" she asked.

    "She is." Mrs. Brooke nodded and turned towards Charlotte. "I think we should just go? Mrs. Zhou here said this house is not for sale. Maybe we should start looking for a condo downtown. There are other high end ces in Hong Kong too... If you really want to spend your money, you can even buy Adalind an ind just at the coast of Hong Kong."

    "Mrs. Brooke is actually right. Hong Kong is a very beautiful city. The Peak is not the only ce she can live. If she really wanted a high end ce then I suggest..."

    "I am not looking for your opinion. Since my daughter wants this ce... then I will buy it for her. She has been working so hard for all this timeh only to have her foot damaged because of you. She deserves to live in this house."

    "Well..." Lily turned towards Lin Luyang who was standing a few feet away from them. Zhou Jingren insisted that Lily should not be left alone while talking to these women. So the twins were assigned to stand close to Lily while their two bodyguards are also nearby watching them. "Luyang... give it to her."

    In response, Lin Luyang handed a stack of magazines to Charlotte and Mrs. Brooke.

    "What¡¯s this?" Mrs. Brooke asked.

    "Magazines for all the businessmen in Hong Kong." Lily smiled. Seeing the confusion in their eyes, she continued. "Married businessmen with their addresses." Slowly, her smile turned into a malicious grin. "Hong Kong is full of rich and married men. Adalind would surely love to choose the best. Tell her these magazines are the best resource. Then she can decide where to live."

    She added. "Of course, tell her she can live wherever she wants. But she should choose a ce closer to the married man that caught her attention. You know... for her hobby."

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Want to buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi/theblips

    Discord: https://discord.gg/kXsa2DN

    Instagram: @blips01

 Chapter 649 A Suspec

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 649 A Suspec</h4>

    "You¡ª "

    Before Charlotte could say anything, Mrs. Brooke already rose from her seat. She gently put the magazines on the table.

    "We will take our leave. Thank you so much for seeing us." She then turned towards Charlotte. "Let¡¯s not create a scene here. Let¡¯s go." Her words had a hint of warning. For some reason, she could feel that Lily was intentionally provoking them.

    Mrs.Brooke hated ying games and she was also the type of person who hated being yed with. However, who was Charlotte Swanson? Obviously, Mrs. Brooke¡¯s words did not go through the woman¡¯s thick skull.

    "You bitch!" Charlotte hissed. "If you want to leave then leave! This woman just insulted my daughter! Do you think I will let this pass?"

    "Insulted?" Lily smiled. "I was helping her find her next man. Am I not being friendly enough? Would you like me to contact each of the men and introduce her to them too?"

    "How dare you!?"

    "A truth... is not an insult Mrs. Swanson. But I guess you don¡¯t know that, do you?" Lily smirked. She eyed Mrs. Brooke as she nodded inwardly. This Mrs. Brooke seemed to be smart enough to avoid the situation.

    "You really dare to say that in front of me?"

    "Why wouldn¡¯t I?" Lily challenged. She then chuckled as she watched Charlotte¡¯s face turn red in anger.

    "Really? You think you are¡ª "

    "Alright... Charlotte, let¡¯s go, that¡¯s enough." Mrs. Brooke interrupted as she held Charlotte¡¯s arms. "Let¡¯s leave this ce,e on."

    "What do you mean? I am not leaving? What? You are scared of her? This woman needs to be taught a lesson!" Charlotte rose from her seat. She towered over Lily with her five foot ten height. Narrowing her eyes, she ced her hands on her waist. "Do you think I am scared of you? My husband could destroy you and your husband! You think too highly of yourself. Why don¡¯t you try and visit the US again after this. I will have the FBI arrest you! You¡ª You¡ª harlot!"

    "Charlotte... that¡¯s enough...e on!" Mrs. Brooke said when she saw the smile on Lily¡¯s face. There was no way she was not setting them up. "Let¡¯s go!"

    "Leave me alone! Let me go!" Charlotte exploded. "I will not leave until this woman agrees to sell this house!" She then pointed a finger at Lily. "You will pay for what you said about my daughter!"

    "Alright..." Lily rose from her seat. Some beautiful women are really just that. Beautiful with no brains. Isn¡¯t it such a waste?

    "Where are you going?" Charlotte asked in histeria.

    "Mrs. Brooke said you are leaving. Are you noting with her?"

    "I am not¡ª "

    "Of course... she will. We are going now." Mrs. Brooke faked a smile as she tightened her hold on Charlotte¡¯s arms. She then leaned towards her. "Let¡¯s leave now. Do you really want to disappoint Adalind? She always thought you have stopped your entitlement a long time ago."

    As expected, her words immediately lessened the anger in Charlotte¡¯s face.

    Seeing this, Mrs. Brooke added, "Let¡¯s leave this ce... now."

    "We are not done here!" Charlotte narrowed her eyes on Lily before stomping her feet and walking ahead of Mrs. Brooke.

    "I really apologize for her behavior. Let¡¯s not see each other again." Mrs. Brooke said. She did not wait for Lily to answer her as she followed Charlotte out of the property.

    "Did you really have to treat me like a child?" Charlotte said when Mrs. Brooke caught up to her.

    "What do you mean?" Mrs. Brooke eyed the CCTV in the area. This property might be old but it had all the technology needed for security.

    "What you did in there! You were treating me like a child. Can¡¯t you just mind your own business?"

    "Charlotte if we were in the US... I wouldn¡¯t have cared about you at all. I would have left you behind, alone inside the enemy¡¯s territory and evenugh if the media would announce that you went missing. But we are here in Hong Kong... we shared the same transportation and hotel. I am also the current wife of your ex-husband. If you disappear I might be a suspect. I don¡¯t want that to happen."

    "You¡ª You think she will kill me?" Charlotte asked.

    "How should I know? All I¡¯m saying is, don¡¯t offend the wrong person inside their own property or you will end up in the pacific ocean." She eyed Charlotte. "I¡¯m sure the fishes would love to have you there."

    Charlotte turned silent at Mrs. Brooke¡¯s words. This woman was right. This was not their territory and as brave as she was, no one would really help her in this ce if she was killed or kidnapped. She harrumphed and marched towards their car faster. They needed to leave this property as soon as possible.

    "Adalind needs to attend the awards night." Charlotte dered.

    "Adalind just had her operation." Mrs. Brooke said while rolling her eyes as the duo got inside the car.

    "So? You would just let Lily insult my daughter? She just called her a slut!"

    "She is a slut." Mrs. Brooke said. "A rich one."

    "You¡ª If Robert hears this..."

    "Please... Charlotte can you stop acting like a toddler? Robert does not care about my opinion when ites to his daughter."

    Charlotte red at her. "I will have Adalind attend that awards night! She will have multiple escorts to help her walk. I can¡¯t have that woman look down on my daughter. I don¡¯t want her to look down on me either!"

    "If you do that... there is a possibility she won¡¯t be able to wear heels again."

    "The US should have the technology to restore her broken bone. We have money, that is not a problem. All I want is to show Lily that she messed with the wrong woman."

    "All this..." Mrs. Brooke made a deliberate pause. "All this for a house? Do you really think it¡¯s worth it? You are spoiling your daughter too much Charlotte. If you continue like this, she will never find her happiness in this world."

    Charlotte¡¯s frown deepened at Mrs. Brooke¡¯s words. "That will not change my mind. I will ask my husband for an invitation to this awards night and you know what?" she smiled. "I am going with my daughter!"

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 650 Ominous Place

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 650 Ominous ce</h4>

    M Hospital Hong Kong

    "I am leaving." Mrs. Brooke dered. "This is madness."

    "So you think it¡¯s alright for her to insult me like that?" Adalind¡¯s beautiful brow¡¯s furrowed.

    "Darling... it wasn¡¯t an insult. She was describing you based on her research." Mrs. Brooke said. "The truth hurts but it should not offend us."

    "Don¡¯t you dare say something like that in front of my daughter!" raged Charlotte. "If you don¡¯t want toe with us then don¡¯t! I only have two invites anyway!"

    In response, Mrs. Brooke snorted. She stared at Adalind. "This is a bad¡ª a very bad idea. If something happens while you are out there... the hospital won¡¯t be held liable as you have already signed a waiver form stating this is what you want. We don¡¯t really know what will happen, Adalind you are a mature woman. Please think about it carefully."

    "Adalind sweety... listen to your mother, alright?" Charlotte held her daughter¡¯s hands. "We can¡¯t just let her think she is above us. She is looking down on you, which means she is also looking down on me. Now... this just hurts my feelings." Charlotte¡¯s eyes glistened.

    "Charlotte... this is not about you! Stop talking about your feelings and think about your daughter¡¯s health. If an ident urs, she might not be able to walk again. Only a crazy mother would tell her to attend an event just a few days after an operation." She red at the dense woman in front of her. "Are you out of your mind?"

    "Well... she can wear ts? Is that really a problem? The gown will hide it anyway. My daughter is already tall¡ª taller than most women in this ce. She does not need heels to stand out."

    Mrs. Brooke let out an exasperated sigh. Talking to Charlotte was already stressing enough. Now Adalind was also leaning towards her biological mother¡¯s reasoning. "Adalind... listen to me. We don¡¯t want an ident to happen¡ª "

    "I¡¯ll be careful." Adalind interrupted her. "I think my mother is right. We can¡¯t just allow them tough at us."

    Mrs. Brooke¡¯s eyes widened. She stared in disbelief at the mother and daughter duo. How could stupid people like this exist in the world? "If you want to retaliate then... you can do it after you are healed. I don¡¯t care what you do as long as you do it after making sure you can get out of here safely."

    "Adalind... don¡¯t listen to her. I am your biological mother. I gave birth of you, I took care of you. I know what¡¯s best for you. I know what¡¯s best for the both of us."

    "Charlotte... can we stop this?" Mrs. Brooke said. "For once... can you think about your daughter and not your bruised ego?"

    "What do you mean? I am¡ª "

    "Alright... both of you stop." Adalind interrupted her mother. She stared at Mrs. Brooke and smiled. "I know you are concerned about me. But I am fine. I can actually walk. I am not going to wear high heeled shoes and I won¡¯t run. I promise I¡¯ll be careful. Just¡ª Just please don¡¯t tell my dad about this?"

    "I can¡¯t hide this to Robert. I¡¯m sorry." Mrs. Brooke was raised in a family that did not tolerate dishonesty. How could she hide this from her own husband? This Adalind might have given her a headache and a lot of problems but she was truly concerned about her and even treated her like her younger sister. "He is your father and he deserves to know this."

    "Why are you being so unsupportive?"

    "Because it¡¯s wrong." Mrs. Brooke rolled her eyes at Charlotte¡¯s words. "Is that even a question?"

    "Then please leave." Adalind said in a stern tone. "Since, you are not here for me then... please leave." Hearing her words, Charlotte instantly beamed. Pride swirled in her eyes. Finally, Adalind was able to see who is truly there for her. Lifting her chin, she gave Mrs. Brook a smug smile.

    "Are you sure?" Mrs. Brooke asked. "Are you sure you won¡¯t reconsider? You know I¡ª "

    "No. I am going to the awards night. Please leave me alone." Adalind turned her head away. She always saw Eleonor as a friend, an older friend. Growing up, she thought that woman was strict but she had her own reasoning enough to convince Adalind¡¯s father.

    Eleonor was the one who convinced her to pursue modelling and even paid for her modelling lessons while she was still a teenager. She is strict but Adalind could feel the woman truly cared for her. However now... she felt Eleonor was only doing those things to make her look good in everyone¡¯s eyes.

    To make her the model stepmother, the model housewife. Adalind snorted inwardly. Her biological mother might be selfish and unreasonable sometimes, but at least, she can¡¯t stand it when other people are insulting her daughter.

    "Alright. I hope you won¡¯t regret this." Mrs. Brooke let out a sigh. It seems logic had totally left this duo. She walked out of the hospital only to bump into another woman whom she remembered as Mrs. He. She gave a sad smile.

    "Is something wrong?" Mrs. He held the fruit basket closer as she asked. "Did you have a fight with Adalind?"

    Mrs. Brooke only shook her head and said nothing. She then left, leaving the confused Madam He on the door. This Mrs. He seemed too friendly with Adalind that Mrs. Brooke thought it suspicious. Maybe she was just being paranoid, she thought.

    Growing up with a very entric grandfather and strict grandmother, Mrs. Brooke seemed to have this... ability or an instinct. The ability to sense danger and predators. This is an ability that had already saved her from grave danger for a few times now.

    It was a sense, a feeling of danger that she could feel after talking to a person. It was as if she could sense the madness in someone, prompting her to avoid them. It was the same feeling she felt when she was around Lily and every time she saw this Mrs. He.

    A sigh escaped her lips as she walked inside the elevator. She needed to inform her husband about this so she could already leave this ominous ce.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 651 Swee

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 651 Swee</h4>

    When Lily and Zhou Jingren arrived at the red carpet, it was already five thirty in the evening. This was a red carpet event so many other executives and businessmen needed to line up and have their images taken on the red carpet.

    However, Since Zhou Jingren was nominated, they had their own entrance and ess to the red carpet. They did this to avoid the nominees from being stuck in the line of businessmen that were waiting for their turn for the pictures.

    Every Year, Hong Kong recognizes the most influential and sessful businesses in the City. Aside from recognizing people with influence, they also gave awards to businesses based on two factors, the financial part, which includes the profit margin growth and the non-financial part, which is about the operational management and the CEO¡¯s rtionship with his shareholders and executives.

    This award is second only to Hong Kong¡¯s International Business Awards that would be held in the next two months.

    There are two ways to be included in the nominations of these awards. First was by applying and second was through a rmendation from the board of judges for an outstanding achievement by an individual. However, Zhou Jingren¡¯s and hispany¡¯s nomination was different. He had been nominated for 3 consecutive years but he had declined each time.

    This year, the board automatically nominated him without having any second thoughts. Some of them expected Zhou Jingren to decline. Just like the previous years. However, this time, he epted it without saying anything.

    This surprised a lot of people including the board of judges and somepetitors. After all, Zhou Jingren was already a big name in the finance industry. His win was guaranteed.

    "Are you nervous?" Zhou Jingren whispered towards his lovely wife. He eyed his wife¡¯s off shoulder line red gown and smiled. "You look beautiful tonight."

    "Thank you," she smiled as she eyed the couple ahead of them. They were waiting for their turn for the red carpet photographers. She looked at him. For the first time in seven years, Lily could not deny that she was nervous about attending an event like this.

    She was nervous for him!

    Was this even logical?

    "It¡¯s alright." He leaned over to kiss her temples. "Why don¡¯t you just stop thinking... rx and look at me." He whispered. "Then... appreciate the view." He smugly added.

    Lily widened her eyes before she beamed. This man surely knew how to make her smile. "I might just avoid you one day." she said.

    "Why would you do that?" Amusement shed in his eyes.

    "The doctor said I should avoid sweet things. You know... as I might risk gestational diabetes."

    Zhou Jingren chuckled as he shook his head.His eyes sparkled with affection. "I am the good type of sweet. Something you need in your body."

    This interaction was small and low key. However, some people who were taking photos noticed this and some even took some pictures of their genuine smiles. Some people who were just watching the businessmen arrive quickly posted it on their social media. After all, the two looked like deities with Zhou Jingren¡¯s white tux and Lily¡¯s red gown that was embroidered with ck sequins.

    "They look too beautiful." One woman gushed. "They look perfect for each other, no? I wish I had the guts to be as sweet as that to my boyfriend."

    "Aiyo... you are lucky you have one! I don¡¯t even have a girlfriend. These people throwing out dog foods to us are horrible." A man eximed.

    "Who is that?" One woman on the scene said when she saw two women wearing ck couture gowns walking towards the special entrance for nominated businessmen. "Were they invited? They look like foreigners to me." she whispered towards the man next to him. She did not wait for him to utter a word as she walked towards the foreigners with her camera on hand.

    This was a local business award ceremony so multinationalpanies that started abroad were not included. To their knowledge, people who were nominated were all locals from Hong Kong. So why would foreigners walk onto this special entrance?

    Were they lost?

    "Hello...Good evening. I am Jai. This entrance is only for nominated businessmen. May I know if you are escorting someone nominated?" This was not the first time tonight that someone thought they could just use this entrance just because the other entrance has longer lines.

    "We are invited." Charlotte held her daughter¡¯s arms as she handed their invitation letter. She then roamed her eyes and finally caught sight of Lily and Zhou Jingren a few feet away to their left.

    "I¡¯m sorry... Mrs. Swanson and Miss Brooke. This invitation is for the other entrance. You should be able to see it once you turn right that way¡ª"

    "What other entrance?" Adalind asked. Because of her thick makeup, she was able to hide her pale appearance. She lowered her head at the woman in front of them.

    "The one with line that¡ª "

    "You mean the entrance with long lines of people?" Charlotte sneered. "You should just let us in. My daughter is sick. Can you at least have her use this entrance?"

    "Madam, this entrance will lead you to the VIP seats that are already reserved for the nominated businessmen. If you ess the hall using this entrance you will need to go around the area to ess your seats. That is more tiresome and inconvenient for ¡ª "

    "Then let me talk to your manager." Charlotte said. "I don¡¯t know why you won¡¯t let us use this entrance. It is not really a big deal."

    "Mom... they are going in." Adalind said when she noticed Lily and Zhou Jingren walk towards the red carpet where their picture will be taken.

    "Come." Ignoring the woman who approached them. Charlotte tightened her arms around her daughters. "Smile." She whispered as they approached both Lily and Zhou Jingren.

    "Mrs. Swanson? Miss Brooke? Excuse me? Where are you going!? Ummm excuse me?" These words were ignored by both Charlotte and Adalind as they marched towards the couple.

    Charlotte narrowed her eyes towards Lily, a sinister glint shed in her blue orbs before she pushed her daughter towards the floor.

    "Ahhhhh" Adalind screamed as she fell towards the ground

    .....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 652 Concern

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 652 Concern</h4>

    "Adalind!" Charlotte dramatically eximed. She used her hand to cover her mouth, her eyes widened at her daughter¡¯s state. "Someone help us. She¡¯s injured." She then turned towards the people surrounding them before finally sitting her sight on Zhou Jingren. "Please someone carry her." She pleaded.

    She watched as Adalind¡¯s face contorted. "Ahhh!" she cried out in pain. Seeing this, a sudden panic rose within Charlotte, she felt that she did not use a lot of force into pushing her daughter towards the floor. However, since Adalind was still recovering from her surgery, she quickly lost her bnce and fell.

    "Please someone." She eyed Zhou Jingren and Lily¡¯s nk expression.

    "Mrs. Swanson, we already called the ambnce. We can¡¯t really touch Miss Brooke because we still don¡¯t know what is wrong with her. We are not medical experts and we have no knowledge in first aid either." The attendant named Jai uttered. While she was following the duo so she did not see Charlotte push her own daughter onto the floor.

    Seeing Charlotte and Adalind act like clowns, Lily sneered inwardly. When the duo caught her eyes earlier, the first thing that she did was look at Adalind¡¯s feet. Of course, she was not able to see it as she was wearing a ck long gown. However, she instantly wondered why someone who just had surgery a couple of days ago, would attend an event like this.

    She eventually figured that Adalind was not wearing heels, however, wasn¡¯t this madness? What kind of mother would allow her daughter to endanger herself like this? Unknowingly, Lily put her hand on her stomach. She then eyed Adalind on the floor and Charlotte¡¯s panicked expression.

    Did Charlotte expect Zhou Jingren to carry her daughter? As expected, Charlotte was indeed looking at Zhou Jingren, her eyes pleading.

    "Let¡¯s go?" she heard Zhou Jingren say. "They are done with our photos." He said as he turned his head away from the duo. In response, Lily smiled and nodded. Adalind might be tall but she is skinny. To carry her, one does not need to be as tall as Zhou Jingren. She gave the duo onest look before sending Charlotte a provoking smile.

    She was petty, alright?

    When Charlotte saw Lily¡¯s provoking smile, she immediately exploded. "You¡ª Where are you going? Hey! You two! Where are you going?"

    "Mrs. Swanson, they are invited guests. Mr. Zhou is someone that the board of judges specially nominated. Please refrain from shouting at them like that. This is still a formal event, after all."

    "You¡ª " Charlotte red at the woman. "Where is the ambnce? Why is no one carrying my daughter to safety? How could that man just leave like that? He was big enough to help my daughter leave this ce! Can¡¯t everyone see? My daughter needs help!"

    Charlotte added, "Why is no one helping my daughter?"

    "Mrs. Swanson, our first aid team are already on their way. Please¡ª "

    Charlotte did not listen to the attendant¡¯s words, she kneeled in front of Adalind. "Are you alright? Does it really hurt? Didn¡¯t you drink a pain reliever beforeing in here?" she asked. Her daughter just had surgery and one of her prescriptions were pain relievers. So why was she still in pain?

    After much deliberation, Charlotte concluded that she did not use any extreme force to push her daughter down. So... she shouldn¡¯t have reacted this way. Charlotte frowned. Maybe her daughter was acting with her?

    "You b*tch!" Adalind hissed, her sweat trickled on her forehead. "Get away from me!"

    "But¡ª " She eyed her daughter¡¯s foot that was still wrapped in bandages.

    "I should just have listened to Aunt Eleonor! Get away from me!" Adalind said, her voice hoarse as she fought her urge to grab this woman¡¯s head and m it on the floor. What kind of mother was Charlotte Swanson? What kind of mother would deliberately hurt their daughter just to gain attention?

    "How dare you talk to your mother like that? I was only being concerned. This¡ª "

    "Get her away from me." Adalind eyed Jai and a couple other men that were standing next to her. "Get this woman away from me! She is trying to kill me! Call the police."

    "What¡ª What are you talking about?"

    "Please! Someone call the police! Someone is trying to kill me!"

    Charlotte widened her eyes at her child¡¯s antics. How could Adalind misinterpret her actions? She was only trying to help! "Adalind... you are ill. Stop this now." She turned towards Jai. "How far is the ambnce? She¡¯s hallucinating. She needs medical attention as soon as possible."

    "I am not crazy! Just please... someone... get this woman away." Tears started to stream down Adalind¡¯s face. Disbelief flooded inside her as she stared at the monster of a woman that gave birth to her. She then recalled Elenor¡¯s disappointed face when she asked her to leave the country. She should have just listened to her. She should have just stayed away.

    "Mrs. Swanson... may I advise you to leave the premises? Miss Brooke is currently injured. It is not good to agitate her even more. Plus... we are distracting the other businessmen that areing for their photo shoot. The Ambnce is¡ª Oh.... They are here." Jai and her people instantly let the medical personnel examine Adalind while Charlotte dialed a number on her phone.

    "Husband," she said when the man from the other line picked up the call. "I was bullied." She added, her voice hoarse. "Please... I want toe home. My daughter does not want to talk to me anymore. Please... book a ticket for me as soon as possible. Alright. Thank you. I love you." She then ended the call and eyed Adalind who was now being loaded onto a stretcher.

    She was sure Adalind would hate her after this. So she decided to give her space and just leave Hong Kong. She knew no matter what happened her daughter would still forgive her soon. All Adalind needed was time. After all, Charlotte Swanson was still Adalind¡¯s mother. And she would stay as her mother until she died.

    She narrowed her eyes at the entrance of the hall. That Lily and Zhou Jingren would experience her retaliation soon.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 653 Opportunity

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 653 Opportunity</h4>

    Or not.

    Charlotte was unlucky. Zhou Jingren had already covered all his bases and was not nning to give her another chance. In Zhou Jingren¡¯s mind, giving second chances to people was akin to giving them a dull knife to sharpen.

    He had always been like this. He crushed his enemies in entirety as he always thought stopping midway would incur him more losses in the future. He also did not like prolonging the game, as it will only demand more of his time and money.

    Does he really need to spend his time and money on nning against his enemies?

    To Zhou Jingren, that is so unproductive. War costs money. And to him, It was always better to win the war before it even started. So when Charlotte first showed up, Zhou Jingren immediately did his research and discovered she was the wife of a businessman in Los Angeles.

    "He offered you a business deal?" Mr. Swanson¡¯s brother asked. "Like a multimillion dor business deal and asked you to divorce your wife?"

    "He didn¡¯t ask me to divorce her. But... he showed me evidence she was cheating on me with a younger man in his twenties. Someone who just graduated university. She bought him a condo without my knowledge and visits him every month. Apparently, she had been staying with him every time she went to see her daughter."

    "That Charlotte is really something!" his brother fumed. "What a shameless woman!"

    "She is already on her way to the US. Mr. Zhou¡¯s assistant reached out to me just after Charlotte called. He told me what she did to her own daughter. Mr. Zhou saw her push her daughter onto the floor. He said the CCTV¡¯s in the area would be able to show this as well."

    "So... if he didn¡¯t tell you to divorce her then¡ª "

    "He didn¡¯t tell me to divorce her. But he told me to do the right thing." Mr. Swanson interrupted his brother. He sighed. "Our prenuptial states once she cheats, she will lose everything that I gave her including all the things she purchased using my money. Her car, her ck cards, her house in Hollywood. Everything."

    "So you are... having second thoughts?" his brother snorted. "Are you telling me that you are still nning to keep this horrible woman after all she¡¯s done? Have you be senile?"

    "No.... I just... well this business deal is really big. He is looking for a way to branch out here in the US and this¡ª this is just big."

    "So? What are we waiting for? Let me call ourwyers so we can serve her divorce papers the moment shends in the US." His brother said excitedly.

    In response, a sigh escaped Mr. Swanson¡¯s lips. He truly liked Charlotte and he thought that he would spend the rest of his life with her. But then she offended the wrong people. He already told her not to touch Lily as her Fi Group was even bigger than Mr. Swanson himself. How could she be this shallow? "Alright. Call ourwyers." He added, his face grim. At the end of day, he could not let go of the opportunity Zhou Jingren gave him.

    At the end of the day, he was still a businessman while Charlotte is just another cheating woman.

    ...

    After a few minutes of interacting with other businessmen, the awards ceremony finally started. To some businessmen, this awards night was apetition. But to others it was an opportunity to widen theirwork.

    While this was Zhou Jingren¡¯s first time attending the event, all the other businessmen weed him and were quite cordial. After all, some of these people were old and experienced enough to know how limitless Zhou Jingren¡¯s potential was. Especially now that he married another superpower in the industry.

    The awards night started off with a lot of speeches from various influential people in Hong Kong. Most of which had already met Lily when she attended Old Man Yu¡¯s birthday. She frowned at the thought of the old man. When it came to wealth the old man was not... really thatparable to his friends. Hispany was big but they had not yet branched out to Europe and seemed to focus their business in Hong Kong and Maind China.

    Theirpany just recently branched out to Asia. While they can be considered as steady, their overall profits were notparable to many youngerpanies. And this was making Lily a bit confused. The old man was obviously hardworking and smart. However, the fact that he did not choose to branch out of Asia was just... mind boggling. Was he perhaps afraid of something?

    She then remembered the old man¡¯s photos in Europe. It was proof that he had been to Europe and might have attended some of events that only included prominent people. The main purpose of these events was to create a broaderwork in the industry. A smart businessman would easily use this as an opportunity to establish a solid rtionship with people that could give them benefits.

    Now... since the old man had been invited to events, it should be logical to say he had some ties in Europe. Friends and acquaintances who invited him to those events. So, why didn¡¯t he use this opportunity to expand his business?

    "They are going to start with the awards." Zhou Jingren¡¯s words brought her back from her stupor. She smiled at her husband as pride swirled in her eye. Zhou Jingren was nominated for two awards. One for the business person of the year while one for hispany as the best financial service provider of the year.

    Both of these were prominent awards. While two people would be chosen for the business person of the award, only onepany would win the best financial service provider award. Lily beamed at the thought of this. She was sure that her husband would win both of these awards and to be honest, just the thought of him receiving his due recognition is making her heart leap with joy.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Guys, please don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel. Being in top 5 truly makes me more motivated to write. Hehehe... thank you.

 Chapter 654 Already a Winner

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 654 Already a Winner</h4>

    "I¡¯m sure Mr. Lao will get it again this year."

    Lily heard a man to her leftment. The VIP seats had a cabaret style seating arrangement. This was simr to a banquet style but instead of upying the whole table, there was an open end. The people at the table are seated in an arc facing forward and a total of six people sit in one table.

    The seating arrangement was also based on their industry. For instance, people from the restaurant industry had their own table while the people from the financial industry have their own area.

    "Mr. Lao and the LF Bank already won their third awardst year. There is no way someone will beat them this year." Another one answered. Still, Lily ignored the conversation.

    Mr. Lao owns another bank famous in Hong Kong and maind China. They have been around for decades now and are considered one of the oldest banks on this side of the world. It is only normal for people to assume he will still win the awards. However, she knew that would not be the case this year.

    She was confident her husband would get it this year. She held her head high with a smile stered on her face. This was a beautiful night. Why ruin it just because of some people¡¯s insignificant opinion.

    "And the Business Person of the Year Award goes to Mr. Lao Shing of LF Bank and Mr. Zhou Jingren from Zhou Capital!" The loud announcement was immediately followed by boisterous cheers and apuse. Lily beamed.

    She turned towards her husband and immediately gave him a hug. "Congrattions!" she whispered.

    "Thank you." He responded before kissing her. He then rose from his seat and together with the older Mr. Lao and walked towards the stage to get their ques. The main reason why there are two business persons of the year was because one is recognized in Hong Kong while the other is recognized in Maind China as well.

    To Lily, this was a weirdw considering Hong Kong was technically under China. However, this information was not enough to dampen her current mood. When the two men reached the stage, the announcer cleared his throat as he eyed the crowd.

    "Now... only one of them will get the que from Maind China." He smiled. "And that is..." He made a deliberate pause before he opened an envelope. "That is... Mr. Zhou Jingren from Zhou Capital!"

    The loud apuse echoed inside the hall. Having a neer win this award was quite rare as mostly, the people who won this were the ones who had won the awards before. Of course, this was only because many of these men were not aware that Zhou Jingren had been nominated before.

    While Lily could sense that the other people on their table were not as happy as her, she did not care. After all, Zhou Jingren¡¯s win was her win as well. Who cares about what they had to say about it? Unable to stop herself, Lily rose from her seat. She was brimming with happiness.

    What she did not expect was for the others to follow her. Some people who recognized Zhou Jingren did the same thing. Not long after, everyone rose from their seats to give the man a standing ovation. Slowly, the pping died down as Zhou Jingren walked towards the microphone for his speech.

    "To my lovely wife." He started as he turned towards Lily. He smiled and held his que. His eyes turned gentle, his smile warm as he looked at her. "This is all because of you. Thank you." He said. As expected, his words received another great apuse from everyone.

    He left the stage, his head held high as he walked towards his wife. On his way towards her, many acquaintances came forward to shake his arms, while some gave him a warm hug. Some of these people were business partners while some were his executives who also had their own businesses. After a few minutes of mingling, he went back to sit next to Lily. He then leaned forward to give her a light kiss her on the lips.

    "My lipstick," she said in a small voice while smiling. She then handed him a napkin so he could wipe the red lipstick that he got from kissing her. She had already warned him beforehand to avoid kissing her as her burgundy lipstick would surely stain his lips.

    "I can¡¯t stop myself." He answered as he dabbed the napkin on his lips. "Thank you." Beaming, he leaned in for another light kiss. This time, Lily only shook her head inwardly.

    After the best business person award was given, they started announcing the winners for other categories such as Start-up Awards, Enterprise award, Lifetime achievement award and many others.

    "Isn¡¯t this nice?" Lily whispered. Seeing people go to the stage beaming as they epted their awards seemed heartwarming to Lily. She knew that surviving in the business industry was hard. At the end of the day, everyone in this hall were all hardworking people who earned their right to be nominated.

    Seeing people being recognized for their efforts made her happy.

    "It is." He answered. He understood her words. As someone who started out from the Mafia. Zhou Jingren had to fight to survive in this world of foxes who love to wear sheep¡¯s clothing.

    "Are you confident that yourpany will win the financial services awards?" She asked.

    "With you by my side, I¡¯m already a winner."

    "Stop it. I am being serious."

    "With you by my side, I am confident I will win." He beamed and kissed her forehead. With her standing next to him, he was already a winner. Him winning all these recognitions was not evenparable to spending his life with her. A gentle smile shed across his face. "Thank you." He whispered.

    Lily smiled in response. "Thank you is a word." She answered mischievously while rolling her eyes. "Not enough to satisfy me and my big appetite."

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 655 Spotligh

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 655 Spotligh</h4>

    Zhuo Jingren only chuckled in response. As the lights were focused on the stage, not many people were paying attention to the couple. After the announcement of the individual winners, they asked everyone to enjoy some dance intermission numbers before they continued with the awards.

    This was also another opportunity for everyone to get some fruits and refreshments.

    "Strawberry juice." Lily answered when Zhou Jingren asked her what she wanted to have. He nodded in response and stood from his seat to get her juice. Almost everyone in the venue was having wine or champagne. However, they still had a variety of juices avable for everyone that does not like alcohol.

    Aside from this, they also served some vegetarian snacks and sweets that were good for pregnant women.

    "You don¡¯t drink wine?"

    Lily turned towards her left. She shook her head and smiled at the older man. She was sure that this was the same man who was talking about Mr. Lao earlier. "Health issues." She added.

    "By the way, congrattions. To be honest, I was not expecting Mr. Zhou to win as this was the first time he was nominated." He chuckled.

    "Thank you." Lily answered. "Mr. Lao is already a veteran in the industry. He deserved the recognition as well." This time, Lily decided to spend this night celebrating and just being with Zhou Jingren. There is no need for pointless arguments or scheming.

    "Here you go." Zhou Jingren said as he sat down next to Lily. He then started talking to the older man. Slowly, the conversation became jovial. As they started talking about business and the current economy.

    Lily could only smile as she listened. She watched as many other businessmen started to talk to Zhou Jingren. It was a peaceful thing to watch. Him being surrounded by men who wanted to build connections and business partnerships with him.

    While Lily knew that some of these people might be scheming behind their backs but she decided not to deal with this now. This was Zhou Jingren¡¯s night and he should have all the spotlight that he deserved.

    "My lovely wife is working with various agencies that protect women and help them get back on their feet." Zhou Jingren said as he eyed her. As expected, he never failed to acknowledge Lily even while he was talking with these people.

    Isn¡¯t that sweet? Too sweet.

    For him to still mention her even when she already took a step back so he could have the spotlight all by himself.

    Lily smiled in response. "We are working closely with the Zhou Capital to achieve our goals." She answered.

    "I heard that the Fi Group is working on branching out into the Petroleum industry?" One businessman chimed in. "Is that true?"

    "This matter requires countless meetings to decide. For now... we are keeping our doors open."

    "Smart." The man smiled. "It is always nice to think about your steps carefully. After all, this is such a big step for you and the Fi Group. Nheless, all of us will support you as this will also help the economy of Hong Kong."

    "Speaking of the economy, did you see how the market seemed to fluctuatetely? The price of oils are rising again."

    "True."

    The businessmen started talking about other stuff again which made Lily smile. Right now, she does not want to talk about Fi Group but Zhou Jingren and the Zhou Capital. She eyed her husband who was already staring at her.

    "Are you tired?" he leaned towards her.

    "No."

    "Hungry?"

    "Nope." She shook her head before beaming at him. "At least not for food." She said in a low voice enough for him to hear. Zhou Jingren chuckled in response.

    Not long after, the awards continued. And as expected, Zhou Jingren¡¯s Zhou Capital was indeed the winner of The Best Financial Service Provider awards. This time, he did not share the stage with Mr. Lao as he epted the que and gave another speech to thank Lily.

    It wasn¡¯t long before the night came to a close. Of course, both Lily and Zhou Jingren were still invited for an after party but they quickly refused as she was already sleepy.

    She eyed the time on her phone and shook her head. "It¡¯s still ten in the evening." She leaned on his shoulders after the car started running. "And I am already sleepy."

    "That¡¯s understandable." He answered as he held her hand. "I will give you a foot massage before you sleep. I already asked Chef Yang to make some nourishing soup for you. You can drink it before you sleep." Lily did not actually wear high heeled shoes for tonight. She wore two inch diator sandals which were veryfortable. She deliberately chose a long gown for this purpose.

    Lily smiled in response. Today will be the second night she will be staying in her grandmother¡¯s house and to be honest, she was loving it. "You shoulde with me into that room." Lily said. Last night, when she decided to check out the hidden room, she realized it was so dark and not one light was working.

    Lily was originally afraid of ghosts and because of this, she did not go through with her initial n to check out the room. She tried to ask her husband only to discover that he was already asleep.

    Since it was a holiday, Lily did not wake him up. After all, she knew how busy he had been for the past few days. "You know how to fix the light right?" she asked.

    "Hmmm."

    "Then please fix it for me." She said. First, Lily did not know any electrical stuff. Second, she was not veryfortable with having people inside her secret room. So her only choice was to ask the only person she could trust to do it for her.

    "Of course. I will do it tomorrow. Then I will apany you. Scaredy cat." He chuckled. Lily was scheming smart, ruthless and generally a very scary enemy. Who would have thought she was actually afraid of... ghosts?

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 656 Latin

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 656 Latin</h4>

    "Aw... don¡¯t use too much force." Lily said as she closed her eyes. "I think you are getting better at this." Shemented.

    "I need to. It¡¯s not like I have a choice." Heughed as he gently massaged her foot. In response Lily giggled before stifling a yawn.

    "I am really sleepy. I feel like my eyelids are too heavy." She said. "My eyes are not listening to me." She closed her eyes and mumbled.

    "Then sleep. I will finish this then I will shower before sleeping." He smiled when he saw Lily nod with her eyes closed. After the massage, Zhou Jingren tucked Lily in and went to the study that was inside Grandmother Ye¡¯s house.

    "How is she?" He asked Secretary Go who was already in the study.

    "She will survive. They will do another surgery in a few hours. Her mother is already on her way to the US." Secretary Go said. "Shall we cripple her?"

    "Don¡¯t let her walk again." Eyeing the bookshelves to his left, Zhou Jingren sat on the old swivel chair inside the room. "Did you send Mr. Swanson and Mr. Brooke the video of Charlotte pushing her own daughter down?"

    "Yes. It¡¯s done. I have not received any response from Mr. Brooke but Mr. Swanson showed his disgust. I believe he is already working on the divorce papers."

    "Good." He nodded. To Zhou Jingren, it was always best to deal with these pests before they built the confidence to try and attack his wife and child. "Do you have any other news for me?"

    "Mr. Qin is trying to talk to the Madam. As instructed, Yang Mi did not set up any appointment. Also... Su Ma will leave the hospital tomorrow."

    "And the DNA?"

    "It was a match. Miss Qin Fei is Su Ma¡¯s biological daughter. That woman is indeed Tang Lingyun. We also did our best to be as secretive as possible. If the enemy is not thorough enough, there is no way they will know we already started investigating Su Ma."

    Zhou Jingren nodded. At least now they had solid proof Su Ma was indeed Tang Lingyun. Once again, he eyed the bookshelf that also acted as the secret door towards a hidden room below the house.

    When Lily told him about this, he almost found it hard to believe that a sweet woman like Grandmother Ye would have such a ce inside her house. Of course, he quickly understood everything when he knew that this was just given to Grandma Ye by her father who was very active during the world war.

    "President... I think Zhou Huifang is really working with someone abroad. We cannot confirm this but his behavior on the outside is too calm. It is as if... he is too confident of his actions. Qi Xia however is different. He is more... nervous?"

    Secretary Go continued. "I believe Mr. Qi does not fully trust Zhou Huifang. Maybe he thinks Zhou Huifang is still hiding something. But we cannot confirm this. All of these are just my deductions from the files that Bei Tian gave me."

    "I understand." He responded. "It is alreadyte. You can stay here if you want or... you can stay in the mansion just a few houses away."

    "It¡¯s alright president." Secretary Go gave a wry smile. "I will go home now." Without waiting for Zhou Jingren to say a word, Secretary Go left the house with the same smile on his face.

    Meanwhile Zhou Jingren only shook his head at Secretary Go¡¯s action. He then stared at the bookshelves again. Narrowing his eyes at the book, he rose from his seat and approached the shelves. Lily said she remembereding inside the room once when she was a child.

    The thing is... the books that Grandmother Ye left Lily were also the books that are used to open the hidden room. Now, this only means the old woman is telling her to open it and visit the room again.

    He eyed the Latin titled books. Lily said although she cannot speaktin, she could read all of them as her mother used to read her some Latin books when she was a kid. At that time Lily thought it was pretty cool as this was anguage she never heard of before.

    However now that Lily thought about it, what happened when she was a kid was very strange. Why would she teach Lily Latin when the child could not even do basic math? Moreover Lily was only six or seven at that time.

    Something was just not adding up. He thought inwardly before walking back to his chair. For some reason, the fact that both of Lily¡¯s grandmothers died within a month¡¯s time sounded suspicious to him.

    Both women were old and both died of natural causes. However, this was what people told them. Lily was not on Lilian¡¯s side when she died and she was not also on Grandmother Ye¡¯s side when she passed. Even Lily expressed her sadness over this matter in one of theirte night conversations before.

    He let out another sigh before he dialed a number. "Tian."

    "Hm?" the other answered on the other line.

    "Can you find something for me?"

    "Sure. What is it?" Bei Tian asked.

    "Lily¡¯s grandmother told Lily her husband didn¡¯t have any contact with any other royalty from Luxembourg except his brother. I want to know if this is true."

    "Are you sure?" Bei Tian hesitated. "I mean... is this really something we should be doing? Lily is... I mean I¡¯ve never heard her talk a lot about her grandmother and grandfather."

    "Don¡¯t worry. I will tell her about this." He assured him. He truly appreciated the respect that Bei Tian had for Lily.

    "Alright then. If she gets angry at me I will tell her it¡¯s your fault. I will even say that you threatened to kill me if I refused."

    "She won¡¯t believe you." Zhou Jingren said.

    "Is there anything else you want to know?" Irritation apparent on Bei Tian¡¯s voice

    "Lilian... I want to know everything about Lilian Fi and her real family." Zhou Jingren said before ending the call. Lily never actually talked about her grandmother. He thought it was because she still felt a little hurt over her death or she just wanted to keep her grandmother¡¯s life private.

    Either way, Zhou Jingren did not have a problem with this. However, as Lily¡¯s husband and the father of their child, he felt that it is his responsibility to protect her. And well... he can¡¯t really do that without knowing what happened to Lily in those seven years when she was with Lilian.

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 657 Losing Her Mind

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 657 Losing Her Mind</h4>

    Maind China

    "Look at her! Why is she so happy?" Chen Shi fumed as she pointed at the big TV in front of her. "WHY IS SHE SO HAPPY?" She turned towards Chen Luan. "She did not win an award! It was her husband! Why is she beaming like that?"

    "I¡ª Maybe she is happy for her husband?"

    "Stupid woman." Chen Shi muttered as she turned off the TV. She could not stand watching Lily and Zhou Jingren being happy and giddy on TV. So what if he won an award. Is that really something to be so happy about? "How was the thing I asked you to do?"

    "Well... it will be hard to just use someone of sexual assault when he is always cooped up in a ce full of CCTV¡¯s andputers."

    "Is there a way to drug him? I don¡¯t know, maybe put it in his drink? Coffee? Is this really so hard?"

    Chen Luan pursed his lips in response. Qin Yuanfeng was actually very hard to deal with. "Why don¡¯t we... maybe focus our energy on Lily and Zhou Jingren and not Lily¡¯s brother?" He stared at Chen Shi¡¯s crazed eyes and sighed inwardly. Her obsessive behavior was really bing too much this past few days.

    To Chen Shi men were toys. Controlling them was her forte. However in the past few weeks, her control towards the men in her life was slipping through her fingers. This gave her a lot of stress and anxiety. This might be the reason why Chen Shi was now looking for another man to control just so she could satiate her thirst, and heal her ego.

    But nothing was really going their way. Qin Yuanfeng, who she was targeting is someone who is very hard to deal with. He is smart and avoids crowds. He also does not interact with many people and does not even work with an assistant.

    He does not allow anyone to go inside his office aside from Zhou Jingren, Secretary Go and Lily. He also works from seven in the morning until midnight and does not like to party or even have a coffee somewhere outside. What kind of man would choose such a boring life?

    And it was obvious that Chen Shi could not ept this fact. She wanted to control and to break someone¡¯s will. She thought she could easily do it with Qin Yuanfeng but she failed, miserably. Chen Luan thought that Chen Shi would give up and just scheme against Zhou Jingren instead.

    He was wrong.

    Chen Shi was still obsessing over the fact that she had never met anyone as entric as Qin Yuanfeng. She seemed unable to ept a man who is half her age was beating her in her own game.

    The loud sound of the door bell interrupted them. Chen Luan instantly stood from his seat and walked towards the door.

    "Who is it?" He heard Chen Shi ask behind him.

    "I¡ª" Chen Luan furrowed. He was about to close the door when he realized that someone left an envelope. He immediately picked it up and tried to shake it. "Someone left a gift." He knew it wasn¡¯t a gift. Not one of Chen Shi¡¯s fans knew she was staying in this ce.

    After making sure no one was indeed outside, Chen Luan went inside the house and gave the envelope to Chen Shi.

    "What¡¯s this?" She asked.

    "Someone left it outside so I¡ª"

    "Are you crazy? What if it¡¯s a bomb?"

    "I doubt it, it¡¯s so light. I tried to shake it¡ª "

    "Stupid! Get it away from me!" Chen Shi threw it back to Chen Luan. "Next time, don¡¯t just bring anything inside and give it to me. If you want to open it then open it somewhere alone ! Just don¡¯t¡ª " she made an exasperated sigh. "Don¡¯t put me in any danger!"

    "Oh! I... Then I will open it outside." Chen Luan said. It seemed that Chen Shi had also be more paranoid these days. He thought as he went out of Chen Shi¡¯s t.

    He first made sure he was alone before opening the envelope. As expected, there was no bomb inside. In fact, the only thing he saw inside was a sh drive that was tightly wrapped inside the bubble wrap. He let out a sigh as he walked inside the t again.

    "It was a sh drive." He showed the small device.

    "Nothing else?"

    "Yes. Just a sh drive."

    "Then throw it away."

    "But¡ª "

    "Just throw it away!" she barked. Why the hell would she open something she knew would make her more angry?

    "Oh! Then. I will just¡ª" a static sound interrupted Chen Luan¡¯s words. He froze as he looked at the TV. "What¡ª " He didn¡¯t continue his words when slowly, bold letters started appearing on the TV screen.

    *OPEN IT OR SUFFER*

    "What is happening?" The panic in Chen Shi¡¯s voice was instantaneous. "What is that?"

    Slowly the letter¡¯s dissipated before they started forming again.

    "It¡¯s a message." Chen Luang uttered.

    "I know, you moron!"

    "I think they want us to open the shdrive?"

    "No! I don¡¯t want to¡ª Ahhhh! Turn that off!" Chen Shi screamed when suddenly a loud hard metal music was heard from the TV. "Turn it off!" She squealed.

    "I¡ª??

    The duo started panicking as they approached the TV, trying to turn off the loud noise,ing from it. After a few seconds, Chen Shi was able to turn off her TV by pulling its plug, causing some damages to its wire in the process.

    "I think we should just open the file. I mean... Clearly, someone wants to send us a message. Maybe it was important information that we need to see." He watched as Chen Shi started to pace inside her living room, her eyes wide, hands balled into a tight fist. For some reason, he felt that Chen Shi was slowly losing her mind.

    And to be honest, this was making Chen Luan afraid. The only reason why Chen Shi let him near her was because he identified himself as a woman. He was feminine inside. He knew that Chen Shi always had extreme reactions to men and he felt lucky that Chen Shi actually saw him as a woman.

    However, if this woman goes crazy...

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 658 Different Frequencies

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 658 Different Frequencies</h4>

    "Open it!" Chen Shi said after a few minutes of pacing. "Now! Open it now." She added. After much deliberation, Chen Shi realized this must be about her daughter.

    What if her daughter was indeed kidnapped and they now want some ransom money? What if her daughter was still in trouble? Chen Shi started fidgeting. She sat on the couch and watched as Chen Luan opened herptop.

    Then a gasp escaped her lips. Her eyes widened, her mouth agape. Chen Shi¡¯s body trembled.

    "This..." she muttered under her breath. "How did they get this?" She rose from her seat. "How did they get this!?" She screamed.

    "I¡ª I don¡¯t know." Chen Luan answered. He always thought there was no evidence of Chen Shi¡¯s past schemes. But this...

    "This is fake. This must be fake! Someone is threatening me! Someone wants money from me!" Chen Shi fumed. For the umpteenth time she started pacing around the living room. "It must be Lily! There is no other person capable of doing this to me! It must be her!"

    "But... "

    "No buts! This is Lily! This should be the reason why Jun Liang was so confident in declining my order! He found a backer! Hah! He actually colluded with Lily! That man¡ª That man deserves to die!"

    "Alright... I think we should calm down. I think we should just¡ª "

    "No! That person deserves punishment! Jun Liang deserves to die! I am going to Singapore. Book me a flight to Singapore now!"

    "Wait¡ª the message is not done." Chen Luan pointed at theptop screen to let Chen Shi see the ount numbers shing on the screen.

    *If you want the original file*

    *Send 10 Million in USD*

    ount Number: 1000*******

    "This¡ª Isn¡¯t this an ount number of a swiss bank?" Chen Luan said.

    "Damn him. I¡¯m sure he told Lily about this! I will kill that Jun Liang! I will kill him!"

    "I think we should calm down and think about it." Chen Luan suggested. Even after many years of working for Chen Shi he had never seen her this upset, her crazed eyes were scaring him. "Please... let me get some water for you."

    "Book me a flight to Singapore. I will kill Jun Liang myself. The Lee Group is mine and I will get it from the people who stole it from my aunt. This¡ª I have been ying this game for so long. It is time to end it."

    .....

    Fi Group

    "She panicked." Qin Yuanfeng looked at Lily¡¯s smiling face.

    "Isn¡¯t it fun?" Lily said, she leaned against her chair, her eyes were glued to one of the screens on Qin Yuanfeng¡¯sputer. "She will go to Singapore and kill Jun Liang... let me tell you what she will do next."

    "What are you, some sort of fortune teller?" He raised an eyebrow.

    Lily chuckled in response. "How about a bet?" She asked. "Do you want to bet with me?"

    "What bet?"

    "She will kill Jun Liang and frame someone from the Lee Family... or attempt to frame me."

    Qin Yuanfeng turned silent at the certainty in Lily¡¯s voice. "You seem very confident?"

    "I am confident." She turned towards him, meeting his eyes that looked exactly identical to hers. "So? Are you in?"

    "Alright... let¡¯s bet. But... I don¡¯t have the money to¡ª "

    "Nah... If I win... you work under me. You will work with Yang Mi and apany me all the time."

    "You want me to learn from you?"

    "Don¡¯t you want to?" She fired back. "If you win... Fi Group is yours."

    "What?" He asked, confused. Could Lily be this confident that Chen Shi would do one of the things that she said? "But... I want to know what makes you so confident about this. I mean... betting the Fi Group? Isn¡¯t that too courageous?"

    Lily raised an eyebrow, a sly smile was stered on her face. "Are you in?" She asked, ignoring Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s questions.

    "Alright. Let¡¯s bet."

    "Good."

    "So? Are you going to answer my questions now??? He watched as Lily turned towards the screen again. The same smile was on her face.

    "Chen Shi is about to send you money. You should spend it properly." Lily said.

    Qin Yuanfeng turned towards the screen and as expected, Chen Shi was indeed giving directions to Chen Luan about the money. He shifted his gaze back to Lily. "How did you know that she would send the money?"

    "She wants to buy time." Lily said. "She knows money won¡¯t solve anything but death will." Lily folded her arms across her chest. "She wants to make sure Jun Liang is indeed working with me. She also wants to make sure that the money is for Jun Liang. Of course... there is no way she would know this. I mean... she does not have someone like you." Lily shrugged.

    "You still didn¡¯t answer my questions." He uttered. "How do you know she will kill Jun Liang and frame someone from the Lee Family? Or frame you?"

    "Actually framing me is too far fetched. So... If she wants to frame anyone it should be Thomas. That will make him a criminal and his son, the new CEO of Lee Group." Lily answered.

    "I know what will happen if Thomas is framed. I am asking you ... how do you know this will happen? How are you so sure? You are even willing to bet a multi-million dorpany."

    Lily raised an eyebrow. "How do you know I am not faking it? How can you tell I am so sure it will happen?"

    Qin Yuanfeng turned speechless, he opened his mouth only to end up closing it again. He wasn¡¯t really sure what to say. The sound of Lily¡¯sughter echoed inside his office, her head fell back, amusement apparent in her eyes.

    "I am joking." She uttered. However, this only made Qin Yuanfeng frown. What kind of joke is that? Did he miss something? He stared at her, confused. What part of that is the joke? The bet?

    "My dear brother..." Lily said while shaking her head. "It seems our brains... have different frequencies." She uttered. "It should be fun working with you."

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Vote now!: http://.strawpoll.me/20407973

 Chapter 659 A Game of Weaknesses

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 659 A Game of Weaknesses</h4>

    "I¡ª " Qin Yuanfeng blinked. "You still didn¡¯t answer my question."

    Once again Lily let out long heartfeltughter. Her shoulders shook as she hugged her stomach. Seeing Qin Yuanfeng was only staring at her as if she had gone insane, Lily fought the urge to evenugh out loud and turned serious. "Well... It¡¯s not hard. Just put yourself in her shoes and you will know what she will do next."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Like... think like her. You know... as if you are inside her." She exined.

    "I can¡¯t." Qin Yuanfeng answered, his face stern. There was no way he would be able to think that Chen Shi would attempt to kill her ex-husband and frame someone else for it.

    "It takes a lot of practice." She shrugged. "And evil thoughts."

    "Oh." Qin Yuanfeng nodded. It seems this was the only answer Lily was willing to give him. Or maybe his understanding about the matter was not as thorough and deep. He should¡ª

    "Stop thinking about it," Lily said. "I am simply good at guessing. This is not a case that can be exined usingputers and science."

    "But... I can use a program that can predict someone¡¯s reactions. You know... like the probability of them doing something."

    "Impressive."

    "It is." He agreed. "So the bet."

    "Hm? What about it?"

    Instead of saying something, Qin Yuanfeng turned towards theputer and started typing various characters Lily is not familiar with. "Chen Shi has a flight to Singapore tomorrow. The money is already in the ount. What am I supposed to do with this?"

    "I don¡¯t know, spend it?" Lily said. "Buy stocks, invest, do whatever you like. It¡¯s your money anyway. It¡¯s not like you will not earn more next time."

    "Oh." He nodded, understanding shing in his eyes. It seems this wouldn¡¯t be thest time they will swindle someone. "Then... do you have other people we can swindle?"

    "Of course! You are indeed a very fast learner." Lily beamed before turning towards her secretary. "Yang Mi?"

    "President we have a couple of things we can use to ckmail money from someone. First the Liu Family, Liu Chin¡¯s scandal can ruin her reputation. There is also her brother. We can easily ask him to give us money or the proof of him sleeping around with married women will be sent to his grandfather."

    "How about Madam He?" Lily lifted an eyebrow.

    "I¡ª We have the proof she is cheating. But¡ª "

    "Send a file to Mr. He about her cheating. Include an ount number under Adalind¡¯s name." Lily gave a sinister smile. "Make him hate Gannon and the Liu family for keeping this secret."

    "And the money?" Qin Yuanfeng asked. "I mean... this information is ours. Why are you giving money to Adalind?"

    Lily let out another boisterousughter. It seems working with Qin Yuanfeng would make her look younger fromughing too much! "Who says we¡¯re giving it to her? After Mr. He traces the ount, let¡¯s empty it. Transfer it to another ount he cannot trace."

    "But... this will cause chaos in your neighborhood, wouldn¡¯t it?" Qin Yuanfeng asked. He eyed Lily and Yang Mi¡¯s stern expression. It is obvious Yang Mi was already used to seeing Lily like this.

    "What chaos?" Lily turned towards him. Slowly her lips lifted into a mischievous grin. "We are here for the money, alright?"

    "That is right." Qin Yuanfeng nodded. "Then give it to me. I will work on it now." He turned towards hisputer. When Yang Mi saw this, she immediately gave Qin Yuanfeng her tablet that contained all the information.

    Then she silently sat next behind the twins. Lily¡¯s mind alone was frightening. Now that she met someone who had the same exact DNA as hers, it seemed to make her more... insane.

    Insanity.

    That is the only term Yang Mi could use for the twins. One was equipped with Lilian¡¯s scheming mind while one was equipped with otherworldly skills in programming. Wasn¡¯t that a scarybination?

    "Alright... maybe we can do five million for now. Tell Mr. He we will reveal this information if he won¡¯t give the money."

    "But... he is processing his divorce right now. This information will help him, no?"

    "Dummy," Lily rolled her eyes. "Mr. He is a man... you know an alpha male. How could he take the embarrassment of his wife cheating on him with a younger, more handsome man that is not even as rich as him? Yuanfeng ah, think about it. This is about the man¡¯s ego. He is rich, sessful and a little good looking. Do you think he will ept his wife loves someone who has less status than him?"

    "You have a point. But... what if he confronts his wife about this matter?"

    "To what?" Lily fired back. "To hear the truth from her? Isn¡¯t that more hurtful? His ego won¡¯t be able to take it."

    Qin Yuanfeng nodded. It seems that Lily¡¯s approach was much deeper than he originally thought. If he would ask Lily how she knew about this, he was sure she would once again tell him to put himself in their shoes.

    Now to Qin Yuanfeng, that was very hard to do. After all, his mind was used to using logic. This was the exact opposite of Lily¡¯s emotional approach. Now that he finally thought about it, Lily¡¯s approach was actually scarier than his.

    Lily was ying with the psychology and emotions of people. This was not a game of who was smarter, wiser or the most intelligent one in the room. This was a game of weaknesses. A person¡¯s weakness was Lily¡¯s greatest weapon.

    "Alright. I am done. Shall I send the email to him now?"

    "No," Lily answered. "What time is it?"

    "Ten thirty."

    "Hmmm... Send it before lunch." Lily smiled.

    "Why?" He asked.

    "Hungry people are more irritable." She answered before she rose from her seat. "Speaking of lunch... I am hungry." She smiled towards Qin Yuanfeng as if they just didn¡¯t do something that could ruin someone¡¯s life. "Do you want to join me for lunch?"

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 660 Premium Potatoes

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 660 Premium Potatoes</h4>

    "Swindling?" Amusement shed in Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes.

    "Yes president. The Madam seems to enjoy it a lot."

    Zhou Jingren nodded at Secretary Go¡¯s words. Knowing Lily, ckmailing people for money was like a game to her. No wonder Lily was spending more and more time with Qin Yuanfengtely.

    "The Madam caused a lot of chaos at The Peak. Mr. Liu and Mr. He are now at each other¡¯s throat. Mr. He is ming Mr. Liu for tolerating his son¡¯s behavior whereas, Mr. Liu is angry at Mr. He for ming his son when his wife was at fault for seducing Gannon."

    "I see." Zhou Jingren nodded. "Then let her be. Tell her instead ofing here, I will go to Fi Group to have lunch with her." He added before working on hisputer. "Is there something else?"

    "Well... Madam said to closely monitor Miss Chen Shi as she is about tomit murder."

    "Who is she going to kill?"

    Secretary Go instantly started exining what Lily did and how it had seemed to affect Chen Shi¡¯s psychological state. He also told him about Lily¡¯s guess about Chen Shi¡¯s next actions.

    "Did you tell Bei Tian about it?"

    "Yes. He already told our men to follow Chen Shi around. She is in Singapore right now and might be looking for an opportunity to frame someone. The Madam said she is going to frame Thomas Lee. It might be a weak case but it is enough for the shareholders to doubt him."

    "I understand." Zhou Jingren pursed his lips. Lily might make it seem as if she was ying but it was obvious she was using this opportunity to get rid of their enemies and train her brother at the same time. "Have Bei Tian contact Thomas Lee and Jun Liang about it. Let¡¯s set a trap for that woman."

    "Yes President." Secretary Go nodded. When he heard that Lily and Qin Yuanfeng were working together, he already felt the duo were nning to cause chaos everywhere. He was not expecting they would actually make families fight each other as they watched from the sidelines with popcorn in their hands.

    He shook his head inwardly. With Zhou Jingren¡¯s backing, Lily and Qin Yuanfeng could do whatever they want.

    ...

    The Peak

    "It seems you are earning a lot of money these past few days?" Zhou Jingren sat next to Lily. He eyed the news she was reading and smiled. "nning for your next schemes, eh?"

    "What do you take me for? I am not a money grubbing wife, alright?" She snorted and rolled her eyes. "I am a good citizen."

    "Says the swindler."

    "This is not called swindling. This is called grabbing opportunities." Lily said. "Every businessman should have this skill." Turning towards him, Lily nted a quick kiss on Zhou Jingren¡¯s cheeks. "For our future."

    As expected, Zhou Jingren chuckled at her words. "What are you reading?"

    "Africa." Lily answered. "They are one rich continent. Gold, Oil, diamonds. They have all those resources and yet they have the poorest countries in the world."

    "Well... corporates see them only as a mine." He answered. "Are you thinking about that petroleum deal?"

    "Yes, I am." She nodded and turned off her tablet. "I think the possibilities are endless. I mean... the potential of thispany is just... too big. I can¡¯t just ignore it."

    "Then don¡¯t. Why are you stressing yourself about this?"

    In response, Lily let out a sigh. She snuggled into Zhou Jingren¡¯s arms. Breathing his scent, a smile left Lily¡¯s lips. "Yuanfeng is working on the people behind thispany. I will have the file soon."

    "How is he? Your brother?"

    "I wanted to talk to you about this. I think it is better that he works under you instead of me."

    "Why would you say that? He is a very intelligent man."

    "He is! And he is making me feel so dumb." She pouted. "I hate it."

    "But you are not dumb."

    "I know! But... I am not smart either!" She retorted. "Working with him is like a wake up call. Maybe I should study calculus or something that will make me... you know... smarter."

    Zhou Jingren¡¯sughter echoed inside their room. "You know... Yuanfeng must be thinking the same thing. I mean... working with you can be intimidating too."

    "Really?" A sly grin reced Lily¡¯s pout.

    "Of course. You are extremely good at manipting people. You are better than Yuanfeng and I when ites to psychological warfare. I say... we can¡¯t really have everything In this world."

    "So you agree? You agree that I¡¯m dumb?"

    It was as if a bucket of cold water was poured inside Zhou Jingren¡¯s soul. He slowly turned his head towards her and as expected, Lily was indeed ring at him as if he just murdered her cat. "I¡ª I was just saying that¡ª "

    "You just called me dumb. Indirectly!"

    "But... you called yourself dumb first. I was just..."

    "You should have said I¡¯m not dumb!" Lily fired back. "That is basic etiquette."

    "Well... You didn¡¯t tell me you wanted me to lie to you? Aw!" He fought the urge tough at her. However, it was pointless. Lily¡¯s weight gain made her cheeks a little chubbier, cuter. He could not just stop himself fromughing at her pout.

    "We are not sleeping together, until I give birth!" She boldly dered. "You should find someone smarter and more intelligent to cuddle with."

    "Really?" He raised an eyebrow before sighing. "What a waste... I was nning to make French fries using the premium potatoes that we just¡ª "

    "You can¡¯t bribe me with food!"

    "Alright then," He nodded before getting out of the bed. "I will make some potatoes then... sleep on the couch. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow?" He watched as Lily widened her eyes at him, her expression turned from anger to horror before he could even blink.

    "Are you really going to sleep on the couch?" she asked. Disbelief apparent in her eyes. "Really?"

    .....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 661 Cerulean

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 661 Cerulean</h4>

    "Homemade French fries are the best, aren¡¯t they?" Lily said after drinking her tea. "You should make more of this instead of making me eat dried fruits everyday."

    "Though I used an air fryer to make this, it does not mean you can have it all the time. This is healthier than the ones you buy outside but as you said... too much of anything is not good." He replied as he took the empty tray away from her.

    "Hmmm." She nodded. At this point, arguing with Zhou Jingren about her food was useless. She knew the other won¡¯t budge when ites to her health. Not that she hated it.

    Lily knew she could be difficult sometimes and she was thankful she had someone like him by her side. Unconsciously, Lily held her stomach. A smile blossomed on her face. Her stomach was getting bigger and bigger everyday. Right now, it was a little visible. She was sure everyone would notice her pregnancy if she wore something that hugged her body.

    "I have assigned my men to follow Chen Shi around. Also... it seems our people who have been following Madam He noticed other people following her. Do you know anything about this?" Zhou Jingren asked.

    "Hmmm. I knew someone might be trying to hurt her."

    "Hurt her? The Liu¡¯s?"

    "We will know soon." She smirked. She had already stirred the waters. The Liu¡¯s and He¡¯s were already in chaos right now. She would soon know if someone from the Liu Family was indeed following Madam He around.

    "You seem to be concerned about Madam He."

    "I¡¯m not." She shrugged as the sound of thunder shook the Earth. Lily instantly looked outside, only to see bolts of lightning exploding from the sky. It was soon followed by strong winds and the loud hammering of rain.

    The fact that someone was following Madam He was not surprising to her. Initially, she thought it could be Gannon as thetter knew Madam He had met with Lily before Adalind¡¯s surgery. To test this, Lily decided to stir the waters to catch the fish.

    With Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s help, it was easy for Lily to cause a rift between Mr. He, Mr. Liu and Gannon. Lily¡¯s purpose was really simple. She wanted Mr. He to protect Madam He.

    How, you ask?

    Mr. He was a known personality in the business industry. He was a very prideful person. Discovering his wife cheated on him was such a big p to his face. However, this man would never hurt Madam He. He would not dare put his name and reputation at risk just because of a cheating woman. Instead, he would make sure that she is kept safe until the divorce is finalized.

    It was quite simple. If something happens to Madam He, the only person that could be the prime suspect is of course, her husband who just discovered she was cheating on him. Mr. He knew this. And no matter how much he hated his soon to be ex wife, he could not just throw away everything because of his anger.

    Lily knew the man was too prideful to eveny his hands on someone who he deemed as dirty. He would never hurt Madam He. Instead... he would protect her.

    Mr. He knew this scandal could potentially ruin Gannon¡¯s career. This could end him.

    To avoid this, the obvious action was to silence Madam He first. Now, this was something that Mr. He would never allow. In his eyes, Madam He was already smeared, dirty. He would not allow his sacred name to be involved in this woman¡¯s death!

    Don¡¯t get Lily wrong. She is not doing this out of guilt nor pity. She is doing this because she honestly thought Madam He... is a good ally, a pawn in her game. The booming sound of thunder interrupted her thoughts.

    "Qin Yuanfeng is clueless sometimes." She used Zhou Jingren¡¯s arm as a pillow as she snuggled closer. The rain outside seemed to intensify. "He honestly thought I was evil. I mean... it¡¯s true. But he is smart enough to know I have underlying goals in everything that I do." She grumbled.

    "Men are different." He answered, his hand started stroking her head. "We think differently. Some of us only see the color blue, green and red while women tend to recognize cerulean and lime and sage and carmine. To us cerulean is just sky blue, lime is green and carmine is red. Our brain is not reallyplicated you know."

    He added. "And yes, you are evil."

    Lily responded with a snort. "This is why I used the bet on him. I don¡¯t want him to think I am training him or that I¡¯m teaching him the ropes. It will be hard to force my way of thinking into his mind. I want him to think he is only with me because he lost a bet. And that I don¡¯t have a choice but to be with him as well."

    "Good thinking." Zhou Jingren nodded. "Teaching someone like him requires patience. I believe he is someone who constantly asks the whys and hows and your methods cannot be exined by these simple questions."

    "Hmmm." Breathing his scent, Lily nodded. She then closed her eyes. Her methods do not have scientific exnations. These are things that she does just because of her instinct. This was the exact opposite of her brother.

    The vibrations of Zhou Jingren¡¯s phone interrupted Lily¡¯s thoughts. She opened her eyes and let Zhou Jingren answer his phone.

    "Hm?" He lifted an eyebrow before he shifted his gaze at Lily. "Madam He is outside. Drunk and drenched from the rain. She¡¯s crying and wants to see you. Shall I let her in?"

    The ominous sound of thunder once again echoed.

    Lily eyed the window before letting out a sigh. Slowly, she nodded. "Alright. Tell them to prepare the guest room." She then went out of her bed and donned a robe to cover her pyjamas and bulging stomach. "Have someone prepare some ginger tea with lemon and honey." She added.

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Guys, I am not intending to offend anyone. You know me, I am into leaving breadcrumbs and then connecting everything at the end. Please remember that this is just fiction. This is all in my mind.

    The Africament is just something that I wanted to drop because it is connected to resources and oil and petroleum which is where the story is going. I am trying to drop hints here and there about where we are going so I might mention other things in the future about other countries as well.

    If I offended someone, please forgive my ignorance. I am enjoying writing the novel so much that sometimes, I just write everything base on the plot. I hope you are enjoying my writing too.

    Much love,

    Blips

 Chapter 662 Her Faul

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 662 Her Faul</h4>

    Madam He shivered as she epted the towel that the man gave her. "Thank¡ª Thank you." She whispered. She wasn¡¯t sure if the man heard her as the loud gush of wind swept through them. Despite having the umbre around her, Madam He still felt cold. She knew this had nothing to do with the rain.

    "You should just keep the umbre for yourself." She said, her croaky voice trembled. "I am already wet from the rain... I¡ª " She lowered her head as tears spilled from her eyes. How did she be this miserable?

    "We are here." The man¡¯s voice was deep. The absence of emotion in the man¡¯s tone somehow made her feel better. She raised her head to look at him. His stern face weed her. "Leave your shoes here. They are wet. The slippers are over there. Follow me inside." He added and turned his back without waiting for her to answer.

    Madam He silently nodded. She took off her shoes and got into the slippers before following the man inside. "Sit." He said. "Madam ising." She nodded before staring at the man¡¯s disappearing back. Another tear escaped her eyes. She could not help but pity herself.

    "It iste." Lily¡¯s crisp voice echoed, making her turn towards the source of the voice. Lily was wearing a ck robe, her face was bare and her hair was tight in a messy bun. She must have been sleeping already, she thought. Another sh of guilt glinted in her eyes. Did she make the right decision ining here?

    "Are you drunk?" Lily asked as she handed her another towel. "Dry your hair." She ordered. There was no sympathy in her voice. Madam He swallowed her saliva beforeplying. "They are preparing for some hot ginger tea. It is good to avoid colds and cough. It¡¯s also a good cure a hangover." Lily¡¯s voice echoed.

    "Thank you," Madam He¡¯s meek voice followed. She turned her head away, avoiding Lily¡¯s gaze in the process. At this point, Madam He felt like a needy child. All Lily did was actually help her and yet here she was... miserable and depressed.

    She heard Lily sigh. "What happened?" Lily asked.

    "I¡ª " Madam He shook her head in response. She felt telling Lily all this burden was the right thing to do. However, she was afraid. What if... what if she would abandon her too? What if... "There is something wrong with me." She said, her voice soft. "I can¡¯t get pregnant."

    Tears.

    Tears she didn¡¯t know she still had trickled down on her cheeks. Her silent sobs soon echoed inside the living room. "I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know... I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m here." Aside from being alone, Madam He thought inwardly. "I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know... I don¡¯t have a ce to go."

    "Did you get yourself checked by a specialist?"

    "Yes. And¡ª the result just came in today. I¡ª I tried calling Gannon but he was not answering his phone so¡ª so I went to his t and I¡ª " her shoulder¡¯s trembled before she fell into another puddle of tears. "Lily... he is already with someone." Memories of him in bed with another woman swarmed inside her.

    "Why? I told him I am divorcing my¡ª my husband. I told him I will give him everything. My family is not poor. We are not poor! Do you think I am ugly? Do you think I am not good looking enough for him? Maybe¡ª Maybe he thinks I am too old for him?" she ranted as she epted the tissue that Lily handed. "Am ¡ª Am I not enough?" she asked.

    This was the question that she had been asking herself as she walked towards Lily¡¯s house. Was she not enough? "Maybe¡ª Maybe... I need to give him more? Maybe... Maybe Ick something?" She then leaned closer to Lily, she held her hand. "Maybe... you can tell me something? Can you tell me what I need to get him? To have him?"

    Seeing Lily just stared back at her, Madam He¡¯s eyes sparkled. "Do you know what is wrong with me?" She asked. "Do you think I am so old? Do I really look old? Maybe he thinks I am not smart enough?" Hope swirled in her orbs. Lily was a smart and independent woman. Surely, she had a way to help her fix this, right?

    "Please..." She begged. "Can you tell me what is wrong with me? Did I do something wrong?"

    "Xun Yiyi," Lily started. She leaned back and stared at Madam He¡¯s pitiful state. The woman¡¯s face was pale, her mascara was smeared all over her face, it made her look more pitiful than hideous. "What makes you think that you are the problem?" She asked.

    As expected, Madam He turned silent at her words. She stared back at Lily. Seeing this, Lily continued, "What makes you think there is something wrong with you?"

    "I¡ª " Madam He gulped. Lily¡¯s words echoed inside her head like a bell. Since meeting Gannon, she had been constantly asking herself if she was enough. She had always thought that Gannon was too good for her. She thought having him love her was a blessing. Now that he is keeping his distance from her, it was only natural for her to wonder if she did something wrong.

    "Did you hurt him?" Lily asked.

    "I would never do that."

    "Did you not give him your best."

    "I¡ª I gave him my everything."

    "Then?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. "What makes you think there is something wrong with you?"

    "I¡ª If there is nothing wrong with me then... why would he leave?"

    In response, Lily shrugged. "Drink your tea and calm yourself." She gestured to the tea that Chef Yang just served them. "It¡¯s hot. Be careful."

    Madam He silently nodded as she furrowed her brows. She eyed Lily¡¯s peaceful expression. Could it be possible that there is really nothing wrong with her? Could it be possible that Gannon just left her because he wanted to? Because he was heartless? Shaking her head, Madam He took a sip of the ginger tea.

    Gannon told her he loved her. He said he adored her. So... why? Why would he leave her? It should be her fault. She must have done something wrong along the way.

    .....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Last day of voting today: http://.strawpoll.me/20407973/r

 Chapter 663 Too Heartbreaking

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 663 Too Heartbreaking</h4>

    "You don¡¯t need to pity me." Madam He said after taking a sip.The absence of sadness in Lily¡¯s eyes seemed to hurt her but a small part of her told her this was what she needed right now.

    "You don¡¯t need it." Lily said. "You are not here for my sympathy."

    "That¡ª that is right." Eying her tea, Madam He lowered her head. "I¡¯m sorry."

    "Why are you apologizing?" Lily asked. "If you are sorry for disturbing my sleep. Then... apology epted."

    "Gannon... Gannon Is already sleeping with someone else." Madam He lifted her head. She met Lily¡¯s eyes. "I tried to keep him. I schemed against Adalind, I suspected you. I feel like... I did my best to stop something inevitable. And it was not enough.... Lily. I feel as if Ick something important. I feel as though I¡¯m not enough, that I¡¯m inadequate." She sobbed. "I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m such a mess."

    "I don¡¯t think you should apologize to me, Xun Yiyi. You should apologize to yourself."

    Another sob escaped from Madam He. She felt her lips tremble. "I¡¯m sorry." She closed her eyes as her train of thought went back to what she did earlier. She had wanted to walk in front of a running truck, to kill herself. For her, losing Gannon was equivalent to a death sentence. She loved him and she never thought she could even survive without him.

    However, she didn¡¯t pursue this n. Instead, her feet took her to Lily¡¯s mansion. She didn¡¯t even know why she was here in the first ce. Was she here looking for sympathy? Maybe. Was she looking for advice? Maybe.

    Or maybe she was just looking for a friend on whose shoulder she could cry without being judged.

    "It is not your fault Gannon is like that. Hell, he was already like that before meeting you. Did you expect loving him more would change him?" Lily¡¯s sharp words echoed inside her. Like small needles, it pricked her heart. The pain was excruciating, but it was not enough to kill her. How unfortunate.

    She opened her mouth to argue. Gannon must have felt it right? He must have known she loved him this much. And yet, he didn¡¯t change. Was it because... her everything was not enough for him?

    Lily¡¯s snort interrupted her. Madam He lifted her head only to see Lily smirking at her. Was she mocking her? Before she could say something Lily¡¯s voice echoed.

    "Let me guess. You were just asking yourself if your everything was not enough for him. Am I right?" Lily said. She elegantly took a sip of her ginger tea, her eyes never left Madam He.

    In response, Madam He nodded. She could feel the intensity of Lily¡¯s gaze, boring inside her. Was she angry? Was sheughing at her inwardly? Was she ming her for ruining her own life?

    "Xun Yiyi... why did you cheat on your husband?" Lily¡¯s question came as a surprise. She stared at her, unable to say a word. Lily continued, "When you decided to cheat on Mr. He... you already knew this is wrong, right?"

    "I¡ª "

    "Did you expect you will be happy after cheating? Did you expect you will live happily ever after like those fairy tales after meeting the man you thought you loved?" Lily chuckled. "This is not a fairy tale my dear. There is no fairy godmother that will fix you up once you are broken. There is no prince that will kiss you once you die. No. There are only evil ones and the ones who are more evil."

    Madam He lowered her gaze. She could not deny the sting from Lily¡¯s words. What did she expect? Cheating on her husband was already morally wrong. Did she really expect she could find happiness after what she did?

    She balled her hands into fists. She already had a good life. A rich husband who doted on her. True, he might not have loved her the way she wanted him to. And she might not love him no matter how much she tried to. But... at least they had each other. They were content with one another. They were peaceful.

    Then Gannon came. In him she found everything her husband failed to give her. The attention, the sweet nothings, the thrill of having a rtionship.

    At the end of the day, the only person she could me was herself. She ruined every good little thing she had. She was responsible for her own demise. "I¡¯m sorry." She raised her chin and stared at Lily¡¯s face. She had been fucking all the good things in her life just for the sake of her own happiness. She did it because she wanted more. Because she was greedy for more.

    And Lily was right. She, Xun Yiyi, owed an apology to herself.

    The absence of emotions in Lily¡¯s eyes seemed to awaken something inside her. Lily was right. She was not here for sympathy. She was not here to hear advice. She was here to find herself.

    "Thank you," a tear rolled down her cheeks. She, Xun Yiyi, had prided herself in her own intelligence. She thought she deserved more. However, in her journey to find her own happiness, she had actually forgotten a very important thing.

    She forgot to love herself.

    Along the way, she thought loving someone too much was enough to make them stay. No. You can¡¯t convince someone to stay just because you love them. No. You can¡¯t have everything in this world just because you think you deserve it. Your happiness does not depend on other people. Your happiness does not depend on the things you think you deserve.

    No. Happiness is something that you yourself have to find. It is inside you. You can¡¯t just find happiness outside of you without cultivating it inwardly. And to cultivate this happiness, what she needed to do was love¡ª to love herself.

    A sad smile dangled on her lips. In her journey... she had forgotten to love herself. And she had actually no idea how to start doing it again. Her world had revolved around Gannon that she did not even know what made her happy anymore.

    Wasn¡¯t this too heartbreaking?

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 664 Last Tears

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 664 Last Tears</h4>

    "How is your divorceing along?" Lily asked. If her guess was right, Mr. He never confronted Madam He about the evidence she sent him.

    "It is in its final stages."

    "And your parents?" The Xun Family were one of the older families in Maind China when it came to retail business. They were also one of thepanies which were able to branch out to Shenzhen where they started doing online business. They are considered as one of the forefathers of the retail industry.

    "My mother is quite epting and said she will wee me back to the family while my father¡ª he is quite traditional and does not believe in divorce." She bit her lips before letting out a sigh. "I was nning to buy a condo and live with Gannon after my divorce. I¡ª I guess this is not happening anymore."

    "You are giving up?" Lily raised an eyebrow, surprise apparent in her voice. "That¡¯s surprising." She actually thought this woman would kill someone just for the sake of Gannon.

    "I tried to ¡ª at least I thought of killing myself on my way here." Ignoring Lily¡¯s words, Madam He let out another sigh. She stared at her now empty cup. "I¡¯m a mess."

    "You are."

    "I¡¯m sorry."

    "Xun Yiyi... for once... can you stop apologizing to other people?" Lily folded her arms across her chest.

    "I¡ª I can¡¯t do that." Madam He¡¯s meek voice responded. "I¡¯m a mess and this is all my fault."

    Lily rolled her eyes. "Yes, you are a mess and this is all your fault. I mean... just..." Lily gestured towards Madam He¡¯s face. "Look at your face. You look horrible. When was thest time you slept?" Without her make up, Madam He¡¯s bags were quite obvious.

    "I¡ª I don¡¯t know." She closed her eyes as memories of Gannon entangled with someone in the bed that she used to sleep in hunted her. Was this her punishment for being immoral? Slowly, a tear trickled down her cheeks. She couldn¡¯t stop it.

    The pain was still there. Like a fresh wound, she could not just stop the bleeding with her realizations. Her lips morphed into a sad smile. Maybe this was her karma. The karma she deserved.

    "Do you really want to keep a man like him?"

    Madam He did not need to answer Lily¡¯s question out loud. Both of them knew that she really hoped to spend the rest of her miserable life with Gannon.

    "You know before you came into his life... he was already like this, yes?" Lily continued. "He had been sleeping with a few other married women living in The Peak. Women who were members of the same munity¡¯ you are so involved with. Of course Madam Liu is not aware of this. But... her daughter is."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Liu Chin is not aware of your rtionship with Gannon. But... she is aware of the women... before you."

    "She didn¡¯t say something to me."

    "Of course she wouldn¡¯t. She doesn¡¯t owe you anything. Let¡¯s be honest here... the women in your munity¡¯ do not like each other. They like to upstage each other. There¡¯s a difference."

    "Liu Chin... did she... did she cause Gannon to leave those women?"

    "No idea." Lily shrugged. "I didn¡¯t have the time to ask those women about their infidelity. That would be an awkward conversation, wouldn¡¯t it?"

    "That is true." Madam He said.

    "Do you need more tea?"

    "No... I¡ª It¡¯s enough. Thank you."

    "Good. Then... rest. We can talk tomorrow when you are... not as hideous." Lily rose from her seat. "Lin Siyang... guide her to her room." Lily uttered. Soon after a young man stood next to Madam He.

    In response Madam He gave a sad smile to herself.

    "And oh!" Lily halted her steps. She turned towards Madam He. "If you are nning to kill yourself. Please don¡¯t do it in my house." Lily smiled before leaving. "Goodnight." She heard Lily said as she walked towards the stairs.

    Madam He nodded silently. Tears were once again pooling in her eyes. Could she just stop crying? She asked herself inwardly. This¡ª All this was just embarrassing. She hugged the towel tighter. Lily¡¯s words echoed inside her. ¡¯If she wanted to kill herself¡¯

    Does she really want to kill herself? Does she really want to end her life just because of a man like Gannon? She gulped. No. Dying is the easy way out.

    She had been through a lot already. She can¡¯t just end her life because of a heart break.

    "Please follow me."

    Madam He eyed the young man and nodded. She rose from her seat before she followed him towards another room in the ground floor of the mansion.

    She was lucky, she thought. She was lucky to hear the reality from Lily. It was the wake up call that she needed. Lily¡¯s words might be harsh. But it was the truth. The harsh reality.

    "These are all clothes that the Madam didn¡¯t have a chance to wear yet. The bathroom is right there. Have a goodnight." She heard the young man said in a respectful yet aloof tone.

    "Thank you," she managed to say as she walked towards the bathroom. The tub immediately made her sigh in relief. She took off the towel from her body before eying her reflection on the huge mirror.

    Slowly, tears spilled on her cheeks. She immediately wiped it. She wished she could just stop crying. However, she could not deny that her messy state was breaking her heart. How did she be like this? She asked herself.

    She sobbed, wiped the messy mascara and raised her chin a little higher. This would be thest tears that she would shed for Gannon. This would be thest tears that she will shed for her broken heart.

    "I promise." She uttered as she met her eyes. Slowly a gentle yet painful smile blossomed on her face. This will be thest night that she will let herself suffer like this.

    Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow would be her new beginning.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 665 A Goddess

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 665 A Goddess</h4>

    "You seem really kind today," Zhou Jingren noted. "Was it because of the french fries?" He smiled as he watched Lily remove her robes and lie down next to him.

    "What do you mean?" she feigned ignorance. "I am always kind."

    "Hmmm... that is true." Chuckling, he put the book he was reading on the bedside table and turned towards her. "Are you nning on using her?"

    "My... My... Why would you even think that? Do you see me as a vile creature taking advantage of a weak woman like her?"

    "Would it hurt you if I said yes?"

    "Yes." She smiled.

    "Then no. You are kind and beautiful and harmless. A goddess sent by the heavens."

    Lily responded with a low chuckle. She beamed at her husband¡¯s words. "Gannon needs to suffer. That man... is a predator." She turned towards the ceiling. "Of course, Xun Yiyi made some poor choices too. And she will pay for that. This wasn¡¯t Gannon¡¯s fault entirely."

    Lily continued, "When a man does this, people seem to look away, ignore his actions and me the woman for being a slut. But when a woman does this... she is automaticallybelled as the dirtiest creature on Earth. Isn¡¯t that unfair?"

    "The world is unfair to everyone." He pursed his lips. "So... you want to make the Liu Family suffer?"

    "Not me." Lily said. "But Xun Yiyi will. Not really the Liu Family but... Gannon." She shrugged. "Or we don¡¯t really know. To be honest... a broken hearted woman can do anything. Some of them... even kill... for revenge."

    Zhou Jingren stared at Lily¡¯s side profile. Lily might be harsh and direct but her kindness inside was undeniable. She was saying all these harsh words and yet she was doing the opposite. She was helping Madam He. Not in the kindest ways but in a way that would wake thetter up from her daydreams.

    He leaned forward, giving her a light kiss on the cheeks. "You did a good job." He uttered. "We are proud of you." He added. In response, Lily smiled, her gaze was still on the ceiling.

    ...

    When Madam He woke up, it was already nine in the morning. She jolted up, her eyes wide. She overslept! She immediately walked out of her bed only to pause midway. This was not her ce.

    There was no Gannon next to her. Shaking her head, Madam He sat back on her bed. A sad sigh escaped her lips. She did not need to panic. She did not need to prepare breakfast for him, or prepare his clothing, or his lunch. They were no longer together.

    Was he even ¡¯together¡¯ in the first ce? Her lips morphed into a sad smile. She then walked towards the bathroom and changed into another dress that was prepared for her.

    Not long after, Madam He went out of the room. When she asked about Lily, the maid instantly informed her she was on the terrace, waiting for her.

    A sh of embarrassment and guilt glinted in her eyes. She had caused a lot of disturbance in Lily¡¯s life. She lowered her head and walked towards the terrace.

    As expected, Lily was there. Eating some sliced fruits, a magazine was in her hands. Madam He cleared her throat. "Good¡ª Good Morning." She said in a low voice.

    "Hmmm. Sit, they will prepare your breakfast soon." Lily uttered without looking at her.

    "Aboutst night..." Madam He said awkwardly. She might have drank some alcoholst night, but she clearly remembered everything that happened. This included Lily¡¯s words. "I want to thank you for letting me stay."

    "Well... thank you for not killing yourself inside my house." Lily answered, her eyes still on the magazine. "That would have been a mess."

    "I¡ª Yes... it is good indeed." Madam He gave a tight lip smile. "I¡ª "

    "No need to apologize." Lily interrupted her. Slowly, she closed the magazine and looked at the view from the terrace. "We all make mistakes." She shifted her gaze towards Madam He. "You look better without your makeup."

    "I¡ª " Lily¡¯s randompliment surprised her. She felt heat spread from her neck as she lowered her gaze. She wore a lot of makeup before because she was afraid to show Gannon that her skin had some impurities now that she was a bit older. "Thank you."

    Lily only responded with a smile. "What are you nning to do now?"

    "Leave." Madam He answered without batting an eyelid. The first thing that she would do is actually to apologize to her husband. But she chose not to say this in front of Lily. It was futile. She knew she would not earn his forgiveness. However, this would at least serve as a closure to the marriage she had destroyed.

    She continued,"I want to leave this ce and travel the world. I have a couple of investments that are going well. I am nning to go to Paris and... travel Europe."

    "Alone?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. In response, Madam He let out a sigh.

    "Yes. Alone." Now that Madam He thought about it, she could not even remember the time she traveled alone. "My divorce will be finalized in a few days. After that... I will leave this ce." She shifted her gaze towards the buildings of Hong Kong. "I will miss this ce."

    "Will you?"

    "I¡ª" Shifting her gaze back to Lily, Madam He felt her lips tremble. She smiled. "I don¡¯t know."

    "And Gannon?"

    Madam He stared at Lily¡¯s face for a few seconds before she smiled. "I am setting him free."

    "No revenge?" Lily asked.

    "I don¡¯t know. I made mistakes, wrong choices. It wasn¡¯t entirely his fault that I am weak willed and insecure." This was a fact that she had eptedst night.

    "I see. So... you will let him do it again, huh." Lily took a sip at her tea.

    "I¡ª " Madam He turned silent. Will she really allow him to seduce other vulnerable married women again? She gulped as an idea came into her mind. "I don¡¯t know." She lied. She knew exactly what she was going to do.

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Contest winners:

    1st price: First and Last dance by apurva16

    2nd price: The Arrogant Brute by Emprezz

    3rd price: Little-Red-Lily by RedSonia

    Please DM me on insta or discord.

    If I get a total of 10k votes this Wednesday- 4 chapters mass release Friday.

    If I get a total of 14k votes this Wednesday - 6 chapters mass release Friday.

    Please keep on voting!

 Chapter 666 Last Resor

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 666 Last Resor</h4>

    Seeing Madam He turn silent, Lily only smiled. It seems that the woman finally realized what she had done.

    "Madam," Lin Siyang called out. "Madam Liu is here to see you. She said it is very important that you see her right now."

    "Is that so?" Lily met Madam He¡¯s eyes. "Let her in." She added before Madam He could say something. "Do you want to watch a show?" Lily asked her.

    "What show?"

    Lily shrugged in response. "You can go back to the guest room. I will call you so you can listen to our conversation."

    Madam He stared at Lily for a few minutes before she nodded. To be honest, she already saw Lily as an ally. There should be no harm in listening to her conversation with Madam Liu, right? Moreover, Lily was the one who offered it. She immediately left the terrace and went back to the guest room.

    "You actually sent Mr. He the evidence of his wife¡¯s infidelity?" Madam Liu blurted when she saw Lily. She walked towards her, furious. "Did you really want my family to suffer from all this?" She said, unaware that Lily¡¯s phone was already connected to Madam He¡¯s.

    "What do you mean?" Lily asked. "Why don¡¯t we take our seats first and act like normal people having a conversation?" Lily eyed Liu Chin who was following Madam Liu.

    "It was you who told Mr. He that we have people following Xun Yiyi." Liu Chin¡¯s voice was full of usation. She red at Lily. "Xun Yiyi deserves to die! Why did you have to involve yourself in something that does not concern you?"

    "I don¡¯t know what you are talking about." Lily answered. She smiled at the duo. "Are you in the wrong house?"

    *BAM*

    "Stop messing with us!" Liu Chin said after mming her hand on the table. "How did Mr. He know about the affair? Why would he know we have people following Xun Yiyi around? Even Xun Yiyi is not aware of this! I am sure it was you! I know you also have people following her around. I know you are trying to spy on her too! Tell me... why did you have to tell Mr. He about it? Do you really enjoy seeing other people suffer?"

    Lily held her hand up. She then turned towards her side. "Rx. They are not going to harm me in my own home." She uttered. "They would not risk losing their heads in my mansion."

    "You¡ª" Madam Liu said before looking at the person who seemed to magically appear behind Lily. It was the same tall guy who apanied Lily when she visited their mansion. She gritted her teeth at Lily¡¯s tant threat. "Stop... threatening us! We are not as vulgar as you!"

    Lily only smiled at them in response. "So... what were you saying again?"

    "You¡ª why are you protecting Xun Yiyi?" Liu Chin continued. "Because of you, we are in chaos right now! Mr. He is threatening us and it is affecting our family."

    "Are you ming me for your problems? What? Was I the one who slept with Madam He? Was I the one who paid others just to get into my school? I don¡¯t remember doing such things." Lily said.

    "You¡ª "

    "Stop it Chinchin. It is pointless. "Madam Liu Sighed. "Lily this is a Liu Family matter. This has nothing to do with you! Can you at least... stop being so nosy!?"

    Madam Liu continued, "Lily¡ª I am here to warn you. Stop involving yourself in our family! Stop protecting that woman!" The only person capable of having someone follow Madam He unnoticed was Lily. She was sure that when Lily noticed the Liu Family¡¯s people following Madam He around, she immediately informed Mr. He about it. Lily was looking for ways to spite them and what better way to irritate them than protecting the woman that they wanted to die?

    "So... you are saying that you want to have Xun Yiyi killed?" Lily said. "My... you are so bold,ing in here and telling me to stop what I¡¯m doing so you can kill her. Isn¡¯t that too evil?"

    The duo turned silent. This was theirst resort. They knew that Madam He was still disturbing Gannon. "She is forcing herself on my brother." Liu Chin said. "She, a married woman, is forcing herself onto my brother!" If their grandfather gets a hold of this then Gannon¡¯s Liu¡¯s career is done. The strict old man might even remove him from his will! Liu Chin would never allow this to happen. "She should be ashamed of herself!"

    "I see... and this was all her fault." Lily nodded.

    "Of course it is!" Liu Chin answered. "She seduced my brother even if she was married. What a slut! Just because you seem to be good friends now, doesn¡¯t mean that you can just tolerate her." Liu Chin added. "We are here to warn you. Don¡¯t involve yourself in this problem. Or you will regret it!"

    Lily smiled in response. "If I wanted to involve myself, I would have revealed to your grandfather and your friends that you got into your university because of money. I mean... I don¡¯t have any reasons not to do that." As expected, Liu Chin widened her eyes at her.

    "You wouldn¡¯t dare."

    "Why wouldn¡¯t I?"

    "Lily..." Madam Liu uttered. "Can¡¯t you see? We have stopped disturbing you. We never invited you to our tea party again. We didn¡¯t show your house to anyone. Can you at least... do your part and stop this? It is honestly ruining our family. As an upright woman of this society, I was actually expecting more from you. Now... I only feel nothing but disappointment."

    "Big word." Lily said. "First, let me rify, I did not tell Mr. He everything that Madam He did. Why would I? Will it benefit me? Will it make me more rich?" She chuckled, her eyes crinkled. "It wasn¡¯t me. You should ask Mr. He about it yourself. I¡¯m sure he will tell you the same thing."

    "I don¡¯t believe you."

    "Then don¡¯t." Lily shrugged. "I am not involving myself in your problems. I don¡¯t have the energy to do such unprofitable things."

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 667 A Favor

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 667 A Favor</h4>

    Liu Chin narrowed her eyes at Lily. She did not believe any of her words. However,ing here was useless. They already knew she wouldn¡¯t say anything about this matter. She gritted her teeth, anger apparent in her eyes. "The next time that you try to ruin us..."

    "There will be no next time." Lily said. "Don¡¯te onto my property again. And I won¡¯t touch your family. This is only fair." Lily beamed. Of course she won¡¯t do anything to them. But this does not mean Madam He won¡¯t.

    "Mother... let¡¯s go. We are wasting our time bying here." Liu Chin said, her eyes were still glued to Lily. "I am telling you... we know it was you and we will be watching you!" She squinted her eyes before she held her mother¡¯s hands and left the terrace with a sinister smile on her face.

    She knew Lily won¡¯t stop dabbling into their lives. Did Lily really think they wouldn¡¯t retaliate? Liu Chin sneered inwardly.

    "You shoulde back here." Lily uttered softly before ending her call. She then waited for Madam He toe back and join her. Lily turned her head to see Madam He walking towards her. As expected, Madam He¡¯s face was already a mess. Her eyes were once again swollen, her face pale.

    "The Liu Family is really something." Lily said. "Marching in here just to tell me to stop following you around so they can hurt you? How sinister."

    "Did you tell my husband about what I did?"

    "Of course not." Lily said. "Why would I even do that? Will that benefit me?" She lied. "And I already told you I won¡¯t involve myself in this matter."

    "Then... who...."

    "That should be a question you need to ask your husband. Or... I can try and find it out for you."

    Madam He lowered her gaze. The conversation earlier in between Lily and the Liu¡¯s echoed in her head. "Then... were they really nning to¡ª "

    "To be honest, it makes sense." Lily interrupted her. "They wanted you to stop following Gannon around. A simple no would not make it through your thick skull. If I was Madam Liu, I would do the same. Of course, I would do it in a more meticulous and quick way."

    Madam He gulped. Lily had always been direct to her. And to be honest, she quite liked it when Lily was being honest and harsh. Her direct words might hurt sometimes but it was the truth she needed to hear. "I understand." She let out a sigh before lifting her head. "So... did you really ask your people to follow me around?"

    "Don¡¯t tter yourself. " Lily retorted. "I was not concerned about your welfare. I was only doing it to check if you will really follow Gannon around. You know... I like gossip sometimes."

    Madam He turned her head away, a small smile blossomed on her face. Lily might have said harsh words but she could still feel her concern towards her. "Thank you." Without Lily¡¯s people following her around, who knows what the Liu¡¯s would have done to her? While Madam He knew Lily might lie to her, she also had this gut feeling inside her telling her to trust Lily¡¯s words.

    She knew Lily might be lying, she might be trying to manipte her right now. But she did not care. Lily was a friend. The type of friend that would always tell her that she looked ugly in her dress. The one friend that would always tell her the harsh truth. The only friend she needed right now.

    "Thank you is a mere word. You owe me one favor now." Lily met her eyes. "Soon... I will ask for a favor and you are not allowed to say no to me."

    "Of course." Madam He smiled. She knew that there is no such thing as free lunch in this world. Another sigh escaped her lips. It¡¯s funny how she did not like Lily when they first met. She thought Lily was a threat, another pretty woman who could gain Gannon¡¯s attention. Then she started suspecting Lily actually liked Gannon.

    Now that she thought about it, it¡¯s funny how she had grown from hating the woman to actually liking her. Lily was indeed misunderstood. Her strong personality was too blinding, sometimes getting close to her was very intimidating. It was even frightening. "I will leave now." She said.

    "How about breakfast?"

    "It¡¯s alright. I needed to leave and talk to my soon to be ex-husband." Madam He gave a sad smile. She made a mistake. Something that cannot be fixed by a mere apology. But... she would still apologize for what she had done. "He deserves an apology from me." He might not have loved her the way she wanted him to but the man had been with her for more than ten years. They had treated each other with respect once upon a time.

    Madam He¡¯s lips were already curled into a slight smile, yet sadness still shone from her eyes.

    A sh of understanding glinted on Lily¡¯s eyes."Take care. I hope¡ª I sincerely hope that you will find your happiness in yourself."

    Madam He nodded silently. It might take some time¡ª a long time. But she knew she would soon forget him. She would soon... heal. One day, the scars inside her would no longer remind her of her stupidity and painful decisions. Instead, they would remind her of how strong she had be. "Thank you." She said before she stood from her seat. "I honestly would want to see you again."

    Lily only responded with a smile. "The world is too small. We will soon see each other. And please... don¡¯t forget... you still owe me a favor." She chuckled.

    "I understand." Madam He smiled at Lily as tears pooled in her eyes. Why was she even crying? Why was she being emotional now? She immediately turned her back and walked towards the exit. "Let¡¯s see each other again, Lily." She said in a low voice only she could hear. "Let¡¯s see each other again."

    .....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Bye Madam He. Jiayou!

 Chapter 668 Vengeance

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 668 Vengeance</h4>

    Two days after Madam He left, Lily received a message from thetter. It was an image of her in an airport with her luggage. She told Lily that her divorce was finalized and she was about to leave the country. She also hoped that one day, she would be able to meet with Lily again.

    "Really?" Lily lifted an eyebrow as she continued to listen to Yang Mi¡¯s report. She eyed the image from her phone before turning it off. "She personally showed Gannon¡¯s grandfather the evidence? So... what is happening with the Liu Family now?"

    "It was chaos." Yang Mi said. "Gannon¡¯s grandfather disowned him and was upset with Madam Liu. Now Mr. And Mrs. Liu are trying to pacify the old man. But it seems that whatever Madam He said to the old man was very effective as he is now threatening to remove them from his will if they keep on pestering him." Yang Mi pursed her lips before she continued. "Also... I believe Madam He included Gannon¡¯s past and the evidence about Liu Chin as the old man is really mad at the siblings right now."

    "She did a good job." Lily smiled. Madam He was a smart and vicious woman. Lily knew that she would deal with Gannon before leaving but she did not expect she would deal with the whole Liu Family as well. "She might have recorded the conversation I had with the Liu¡¯s and... let the old man listen to it."

    "That is highly possible." Yang Mi agreed. Lily always knew how to choose who she associated herself with. Maybe it was an innate talent, but she was really good at recognizing the viciousness in people.

    Lily gave a tight lipped smile before she turned towards the pool. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Mr. He was able to forgive Xun Yiyi after she confessed to everything that had happened. But this was not her concern anymore.

    "I heard Su Ma was already released from the hospital?" Lily sipped into her hot morning tea before she opened herptop to read the current news online.

    "Yes, President, Su Ma was released yesterday. She was already in Maind China with Mr. Qin."

    "Hm. Good for her." Seeing that there was no interesting news, Lily closed the tablet and started eating some fruits. When she woke up earlier, Zhou Jingren had already left for his office. "I will visit Qin Yuanfeng today, Chen Shi was already in Singapore for too long, her ns should be in its final stages by now." She said. She wondered what Qi Xia and Zhou Huifang would do once they knew Chen Shi was doing her own thing in Singapore.

    Lily rose from her seat and went to her room so she could change her clothing. She then went to see her brother dearest in Fi Group.

    ...

    Maind China

    "She went to Singapore?" A line appeared in between Zhou Huifang¡¯s brows. He squinted at the coffee in his hands before meeting Qi Xia¡¯s eyes. "Is she dumb?"

    "I can understand her. She does not really trust us. It will be hard for her to be our puppet. She is also smart and cunning. She would not just believe something because of our mere assumptions."

    "Or maybe..." Zhou Huifang ced his coffee on top of his mahogany table. "Maybe she does not really care about Lily and Zhou Jingren. Maybe her goal is different than ours."

    "She is a liability." Qi Xia uttered. "We already revealed ourselves to her."

    "I know."

    "Then... shall we dispose of her?"

    "No." Zhou Huifang slowly shook his head. "We can¡¯t do that. She is too smart for that. She could easily predict that once we deem her as useless, we would try to silence her. So... it is safe to conclude she is prepared."

    "I told you we shouldn¡¯t have approached her. Huifang... I don¡¯t want any problems. We can¡¯t afford to make mistakes now."

    "I know." Zhou Huifang nodded. "Tang Lingyun is actually doing her part. Lily and her father¡¯s rtionship is already broken before it even started. I¡¯m sure that woman will y her part well. She will soon serve her own purpose."

    A snort escaped Qi Xia¡¯s lips. "We saved her from the police. She owes us her life. But... that woman is not making Lily busy. Lily is not even leaving Zhou Jingren¡¯s side." If this continues how is he going to have the chance to approach her? How is he going to have the chance to act as her knight in shining armor? How is he going to have her in his arms?

    "I know what you mean." Zhou Huifang nodded, understanding shed in his eyes. They are nning to take away everything from Zhou Jingren. His money, his woman, hispany. Everything...

    However, this was going to be hard if Lily was around. When dealing with a super power, the best way is not to engage them in a fight. "I am trying to contact that man who we talked to. But it seems he is not around anymore. His number is unreachable." He recalled the blue eyed man who promised to help them as long as they have a n against Zhou Jingren.

    "Maybe the man is just busy." Qi Xia shrugged. "Or maybe... he got cold feet. We don¡¯t even know why he hated Zhou Jingren or why he really wanted to help us. At this point, we can¡¯t really trust anyone aside from the two of us."

    "Hm." Zhou Huifang agreed. "Then... let¡¯s take it slowly. We are not in a hurry. Let¡¯s n properly, make sure that we win and take everything away from him." He finished his coffee as he stared at the frame on top of his table. Beating Zhou Jingren right now was impossible.

    They needed help. They needed some allies.

    "We should start contacting the people that they have offended before. I am sure there would be a lot of people who want revenge." Qi Xia added. Zhou Jingren and Lily offended a lot of people on their way to the pinnacle of sess. Surely, a lot of them would want to have the satisfying taste of vengeance, right?

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Emprezz and RedSonia pls DM me. thank you.

 Chapter 669 Illogical

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 669 Illogical</h4>

    When Lily reached the Fi Group, she was surprised to know that Qin Yuanfeng hadn¡¯t left his office for two nights in a row.

    "You did this just so you could watch Chen Shi?" Lily asked as she made herselffortable on the couch that he was using as his bed. "I should probably buy you a bed, and renovate this office so you can actually live here."

    Qin Yuanfeng didn¡¯t say anything, instead, he handed Lily a stack of newly printed drawings. "My office." He uttered, his eyes on hisputers. "Floor n."

    "This... You are nning to buy a property at the Peak?"

    "Hmmm. I want a house so I can create an underground office with all the securities measures I want."

    "Then good. I won¡¯t have any problems." She nodded as she examined the floor n that also included what he wanted for this office. "So? Do you have something new for me?"

    "Hmmm... I feel like someone is trying to pry on your security cameras. I am not sure so I trying to stalk them in case they will show themselves again."

    "Security? In our house?" A line appeared in between Lily¡¯s brows.

    "Yes. With the technology that we have now, no one is really safe from other people. I already installed all the security precautions for all of your CCTV¡¯s. This includes the GPS in your car. I already told Jingren about this."

    As expected, Lily turned silent. She stared at the stack of papers on her hand as her mind started swirling into a direction that she did not want to explore. She could feel a different kind of suspicion building inside her.

    "Also... check out the folder next to you. That¡¯s the file on that petroleumpany." He added, interrupting Lily¡¯s stupor in the process. Sensing that Lily had turned silent, Qin Yuanfeng turned his head towards her. "Is there something wrong?"

    "No." She lied. Lily felt that the only person who could understand her gut feeling was her husband. "Thank you." Lily turned towards the file. She then absentmindedly started reading each of the people in the file.

    For some reason, Lily had this feeling that someone was indeed watching her. At first she thought, this was only because her hormones were all over the ce and that she was actually over thinking¡ª something that was normal for her. Maybe her tendency to overthink became illogical because of her hormones? Who knows.

    "The people who own thispany are clean. Not the spotless clean type as they still have their own skeletons hiding in their closet. However, I don¡¯t think they are suspicious. Maybe they only want to do this because they know that the influence of Fi Group could help them." Qin Yuanfeng said, while typing mercilessly on his keyboard. "It¡¯s up to you." He added.

    Lily shrugged in response. This is not something that she could just decide after one night. She thought before she continued reading the files on her hand.

    ....

    What Lily didn¡¯t know was that someone was trying to scheme against her through Zhou Jingren.

    "Your wife has been acting like a saint in front of you while causing chaos everywhere." Liu Chin said, her eyes straight towards Zhou Jingren. "Before Xun Yiyi left, she stayed at your mansion. After that, she talked to my grandfather and showed him the proof that your wife had in our family. I came here to tell you that she is not the type of person that you think she is." She said, her shrill voice echoed inside Zhou Jingren¡¯s office. Sheid the images of Lily and Madam He together on top of Zhou Jingren¡¯s table before pushing it towards him.

    "I printed it out in case you won¡¯t believe me. Or in case, she lies and says that she did not manipte that woman into ruining Gannon¡¯s life." She added.

    "Miss Liu... you came in here... demanding to see me or that you will release this news to the media?" Zhou Jingren said, ignoring the photos in front of him. "You are threatening me."

    "Mr. Zhou... I know what I did was pretty harsh but as you can see... I am desperate. My grandfather just removed my brother out of his will and hispany. I don¡¯t even know if he removed me too. But he is threatening to remove my mother from his will too. Your wife caused this." Liu Chin lifted her chin, confidence apparent in his eyes.

    In Liu Chin¡¯s mind, Lily was very good at acting like a saint in front of her husband. To her, there is no way that Zhou Jingren knew about his wife¡¯s nasty and scheming behavior. Any man would despise a woman like that. A woman too intimidating and evil will always end up alone.

    "I see... so you wanted to release the news that my wife helped Madam He in ruining your lives?"

    She nodded.

    "Are you going to include the evidence that Madam He showed to your grandfather? Including you and your mother threatening her life?"

    "You¡ª " It was as if a lump magically appeared in her throat. Her eyes widened at Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. "You knew."

    "Miss Liu... let me ask you this.... What makes you think that I don¡¯t know what kind of woman my wife is?" He chuckled. Liu Chin must have grown up in a ce where her mother acted differently when her husband was around. "I would assume that you had a very sad childhood." Zhou Jingren said.

    "I¡ª This is personal... I¡ª " She stuttered. Her mother was always kind and sweet around her father. While she was not as gentle when he was not there. Her mother always told her to adapt to situations and to always¡ª always please her soon to be husband. This led her to believe that all women were like this.

    Treacherous creatures who acted like sheeps in front of their husband while revealing their devilish side when they were not with him.

    "Miss Liu... what made you think that it was actually Lily who manipted Madam He into sending those proof and not me?" Zhou Jingren raised an eyebrow.

    .....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 670 His Life Was Done

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 670 His Life Was Done</h4>

    "I¡ª " Liu Chin furrowed her brows as she wondered if Zhou Jingren was only ying with her emotions. Was he making fun of her? "It should be Lily." Certainty apparent in her voice. "She is shallow and petty. She wants to cause chaos simply because some women in themunity wanted to see her closet. She is too illogical."

    "I see." Zhou Jingren nodded. "You can leave now." He said.

    "Then¡ª What about Lily?"

    "What about her?"

    "I¡ª nevermind!" Liu Chin uttered. "I hope you will deal with her ordingly," She added before leaving his office. At least, she was able to aplish her goal ining here today. Liu Chin immediately called her brother¡¯s number. After a few rings, his groggy voice reached her ears.

    "What?" he asked.

    "You are drunk?"

    "Not yet." He answered. "What is it?"

    "Where are you now?"

    "Why do you care?"

    "Elder brother... are you in your t? I aming!" She ended the call without giving him the chance to decline. She gritted her teeth as she left Zhou Capital.

    Seeing her brother like this was just heartbreaking. Liu Chin immediately drove towards Gannon¡¯s t and used a key card that he gave her when he bought this ce. A loud sigh escaped her lips. She would do everything to help her brother out.

    ...

    The thick smell of alcohol assaulted Liu Chin¡¯s senses the moment she walked inside his t. She furrowed her brows, her eyes scanning the mess in front of her. "Elder brother!" She gasped when she saw him, lying on the couch, shirtless. "Are you alright?"

    "Why are you here?" His brows furrowed, irritation apparent in his tone. "Leave me alone Chin."

    "Brother... listen... I did something to help you out. I went¡ª "

    "I don¡¯t care." He interrupted her.. "Leave me alone."

    "Elder brother... you are still drunk. You said¡ª " She said when she realized that his breath still smelled of alcohol. She eyed the empty bottle of alcohol lying near him and let out a long sigh. "If you keep this up, you will get sick. I understand that you are angry... but... please take care of yourself." Her voice turned gentle.

    She let out another sigh before she added. "Come... Go sleep in your room while I clean this ce up." She nudged her arm, "Brother... let¡¯s go... I will help you up."

    "What are you doing?" Gannon hissed. "I told you to stay away from me."

    "I was only trying to help you out! Why are you being so cruel?" Unable to stop herself, Liu Chin blurted. She could feel her face turned scarlet as tears pooled in her eyes. "I just want to help you out! Is that so wrong?"

    "Shut it Liu Chin." Gannon said. He opened his eyes and red at his younger sister. After a few seconds he pushed her hand off him. He rose from his seat and grabbed a half empty bottle. "Leave me alone." He walked towards his room.

    "Brother..." Liu Chin followed him. She tried to grab the bottle of alcohol away from him, but it was futile. Her strength is not even half his. "Stop drinking... you need to rest. Why don¡¯t you sleep? I will make a soup for you to avoid¡ª "

    "Can you stop acting like you care? Stop pretending will you?" He hissed. "Stop this¡ª whatever this is... grandfather said that I am no longer a part of the family! You should stay away from me."

    Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she shook her head. "No. Please.... "

    "Stop it. You are a coward! Mother, father and even you did not even try to help me out in front of grandfather! All of you¡ª are cowards!"

    "Brother!" How could she help him when she was also miserable? Her grandfather knew about the university and now hated her, scrutinizing everything that she did for thepany before. He was doubting her capability. "Please stop... just... I know you are angry." She tried to calm herself. "We can talk once you are not drunk. Just... get some sleep first."

    A snort escaped her brother¡¯s lips. "Leave me alone." He said before going inside his room. The Liu Family was now standing against him. His grandfather was so mad at him that he even warned the otherpanies not to hire him.

    What kind of grandfather would do such a thing?

    Now that he lost his grandfather¡¯s backing, Gannon felt like his life was done. He had a little savings, his parents refused to help him until he begged and kneeled in front of his grandfather, and his sister was now pestering him like a cat. Could his life get any worse than this?

    Shutting the door behind him, Gannon fell into his bed before letting out a curse. That Xun Yiyi really did good in ruining his name.

    "Elder brother?"

    "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" He exploded. This Liu Chin is just too obnoxious and stupid. "What? Why are you crying?"

    "I¡ª I was just... trying to be helpful."

    "If you want to be helpful then... leave me alone! Don¡¯t even think of seeing me again!"

    "But...brother..."

    "Stop acting like a love sick puppy!" He hissed, irritation shing in his eyes. "I am your brother! Can you look at yourself? What are you still a teenager?"

    "I¡ª "

    "I¡ª I¡ª I¡ª" He mimicked her. "Stop acting like a child and grow up! I am your elder brother for crying out loud! I already told you¡ª you and me... there is no way that we will happen! Do you understand?" Memories of her confession when she was still a teenager resurfaced in his mind.

    "But¡ª don¡¯t you really see me as a woman?"

    "I see you as a stupid woman!" He answered. "I don¡¯t know if you are just being stupid or... you are really this obnoxious. I already moved here so I could stay away from you! I have avoided you so that you will move on from whatever it is that you are thinking! This... pretense will not convince me otherwise." He said. "Now... leave... leave me alone and don¡¯t even think ofing on her again!"

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 671 Conscience

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 671 Conscience</h4>

    Lily was unaware of what was happening between the siblings. What she was aware of, was the fact that Chen Shi was already making her move.

    That night, she scheduled a meeting with Jun Liang.

    "Are you sure this is it?" Qin Yuanfeng eyed his twin sister. For some reason, he could feel his palm start to sweat. Was he excited? He asked himself inwardly.

    "Hmmm. She already met with Ron, her primary aplice." She answered while eating dried fruits. The meeting would happen in a few hours and it seems that Qin Yuanfeng couldn¡¯t stop fidgeting. "Why are you so tense?" She asked.

    "I don¡¯t know." Shaking his head, Qin Yuanfeng turned to hisputer.

    .....

    A few hours passed.

    Singapore.

    Chen Shi started pacing. She bit her lower lip as she folded her hands in front of her chest. In a few minutes, she would have the chance to talk to Jun Liang and ask him about her daughter.

    "You should stop pacing." Ron¡¯s voice echoed. "If you can¡¯t decide whether we should do this... then we should just stop you know." After all, Jun Liang was still his brother¡ª the brother he betrayed because of a woman. He stared at Chen Shi¡¯s troubled face before sighing. "If you want¡ª "

    "No. " Chen Shi shook her head. "We need to know where our daughter is. And you need to be the CEO of Lee Group. Everything is already prepared. We can¡¯t back out now." She uttered. Since Jun Liang dared to side with Lily then he should not me Chen Shi for being merciless.

    The thought of Lily and Zhou Jingren made her resolve more solid. She needed to end this now. "What time is it?" she asked, frowning at her watch. "He should be here any moment now."

    "Yani... you know that we can¡¯t reallye out from this one right?" Ron asked. "I want to make sure that you really know the consequences of murdering a person."

    "What consequences? We are framing Thomas Lee. There will be no consequences for us except for... our conscience." She paused and turned to look at him. "You already lost yours the moment you betrayed your own brother."

    Ron clenched his jaw in response. Who would have thought that one day Yani Chen would use this reasoning against him? Unable to stop the guilt form further spreading inside him, Ron lowered his head, as his hand balled into a fists. This was the woman that he chose to love, he chanted inwardly. It was only right that he stood by her side no matter what happened.

    "I will call Thomas and tell him my location so he can easilye here." Chen Shi said as she dialed Thomas¡¯ number on her phone. Not long after, she heard thetter¡¯s voice on the other line.

    "Hey... Thomas? It¡¯s me... Yani Chen." She uttered, her voice trembling. When Thomas asked her what was wrong, Chen Shi immediately started telling him her n to see Jun Liang today.

    "You¡ª You probably don¡¯t know this... but... but he used to hurt me when we were married. So... so when he asked to see me today, I immediately felt the need to call someone to inform them that if something happens to me... I¡ª "

    "Okay, calm down." Thomas interrupted him. "You are saying that Jun used to abuse you when you were married years ago?"

    "Yes... but I.... I didn¡¯t have the courage to tell anyone about this." She started sobbing. "I... I just feel that I don¡¯t have the choice anymore. I need to tell someone about this.... We don¡¯t really know if... if he will hurt me again tonight."

    "Yani..." Thomas feigned his surprise. "Then...we should call the police. I mean... this could ruin him!"

    "Thomas.... Do you really think that I would want to see the man that I used to love in jail?" Her voice wasced with sadness. "While our marriage didn¡¯t work out in the past, it doesn¡¯t mean that we lost the love that we had for each other."

    "So what are you trying to do now?" Thomas asked. "Do you want me toe and watch as you meet him?" he offered.

    "I¡ª Will you?" Chen Shi said before letting out another sob. "I am so sorry about this... I didn¡¯t mean to disturb you but after leaving Singapore... I lost contact with a lot of my friends and I only have your number in my phone."

    "No¡ª No... it¡¯s alright. I will help you. Are you seeing him in a public ce? Maybe that should help?"

    "No... he wants it in a hotel."

    "Then... what is your room number? I wille and stay in the other room. Once I hear any disturbance, I will immediately go to your room. You can leave your door open or just leave your key card outside."

    A smile instantly blossomed on Chen Shi¡¯s face when she heard Thomas¡¯ words. As expected, not many men would refuse to help a pitiful woman like her. "Thank¡ª Thank you. I don¡¯t know how to thank you for this favor."

    "No need. I aming... just tell me your hotel and room number." Thomas said.

    "Of course. I will leave my keycard outside as well... just for¡ª security."

    A sigh echoed on the other line. "Alright... Yani.... I will see you soon. Take care of yourself."

    "Thank you Thomas." Chen Shi beamed as she ended the call. She then turned towards Ron. "Everything is set. You should probably leave now." She pulled him up and kissed him on the lips. "I will see you after this. And together... we will conquer the Lee Group, alright?"

    ....

    Unbeknownst to her, Thomas was watching her every move in the room across hers.

    After ending the call, Thomas Lee sat next to Mr. B and eyed Jun Liang who was sitting across from him.

    "It seems that Lily¡¯s n is doing well." he uttered before his lips turned up into a smile.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    If I get a total of 10k votes this Wednesday- 4 chapters mass release Friday.

    If I get a total of 14k votes this Wednesday - 6 chapters mass release Friday.

    Please keep on voting!

 Chapter 672 A Motherâ€¦ In Name

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 672 A Mother... In Name</h4>

    "I guess.... I should go now?" Jun Liang gave a tight-lipped smile when he saw his own brother leave the room. He could feel sweat trickling down his back as he hoped that he wouldn¡¯t ruin everything just because he was nervous. Eying the police standing behind Mr. B, he smiled. At least, his safety was assured. Seeing Mr. B nod at him, Jun Liang rose from his seat.

    He should just calm down and trust the process. Without saying another word, Jun Liang walked out of the room and stood in front of Chen Shi¡¯s room. He opened his phone and dialed her number. "Hey... I am outside." He said the moment she picked up the call.

    Not long after, Chen Shi opened the door, a gentle smile was stered on her face. For some reason, this instantly irritated him. However, this did not surprise him. After all, he was already a victim of this woman¡¯s scheme years ago.

    "Come in." She said and gestured for him toe inside.

    "Why do you want to see me?" he immediately asked. He could not deny that this woman still affected him. The mention of her name could make him angry, and seeing her... seeing her just brought some painful and hateful memories from all those years ago.

    "Please sit down." Chen Shi said. She sat on one of the chairs in the living room of the en suite room. "Please... Jun... just hear me out." The absence of animosity in her voice instantly made him wonder why she had be like this. Why would she hate men so much? He wondered.

    He sat opposite to her and watched as she poured some tea for both of them. "I would like to talk about Demi." She added before she handed the teacup to Jun Liang. In response, he epted the cup but put it back on the table.

    "I am not here to drink tea." He uttered. Who knows what kind of poison this woman might have put in her tea. Moreover, Mr. B told him not to take anything from this woman.

    "I¡ª " Chen Shi lowered her head, she bit her lips, tears started pooling in her eyes. "I only want to see my daughter."

    "Demi is in a hospital. Her mind is not right."

    "Are you calling her crazy?"

    "She needs medication." Jun Liang said. Demi might just have inherited her mother¡¯s crazy genes. However, unlike Chen Shi, he would make sure that Demi got the right treatment that she needed. The child might not be his real daughter, however, he had long treated her as one. And he was not nning to change this just because of Chen Shi¡¯s stupidity.

    "Are you telling me that she is still in a mental facility?"

    "Of course. I already told you about this. However, just to make sure that you won¡¯t go and get her, I will not divulge the location of the ce."

    "But¡ª "

    "No buts... Yani, I know how treacherous you are!" While Demi was actually with Lily, Jun Liang was always updated with his daughter¡¯s condition. He had been talking to the people taking care of Demi and was happy to know that his daughter was showing progress in her mental state.

    "Jun! How could you say that? I know we parted in a very chaotic way, but she is still my daughter! I have the right to know her location!"

    "Chaotic?" He snorted. "You call that chaotic? Yani Chen... stop acting as if you are a saint. When we parted, you threatened to sue me for something that I never did if I didn¡¯t change the settlement terms! You also refused to see our children for months, using the pretense that you couldn¡¯t spend some time with them without trembling as our marriage really traumatized you!" He said almost in one breath. It was obvious that the past had been bugging him until now.

    Seeing Chen Shi just stare at him, he added, "You even forced me to attend your second marriage just a year after our divorce just to show to your friends that we were happy with our current situation! You used me for your name and reputation! You barely saw our children because you were obsessed with building your name and reputation! You are always about you and yourself! And you dare im that you are a mother?"

    "Jun... please all these things happened more than fifteen years ago. Can we... can we move on? Forget about all these? Jun... we are already old. We can¡¯t continue to hold these things in our hearts forever. We should learn how to forgive and forget." Her voice was soft¡ª too soft. It immediately made Jun Liang fume in anger.

    Jun Liang stared at Chen Shi¡¯s face as he clenched his jaws. "Believe it or not. I had forgiven you a long time ago." He uttered, his deep voice devoid of any emotion. "However... forgetting is a different thing." While he knew that Mr. B and the others were recording this conversation right now, Jun Liang still could not help but feel emotional.

    This woman ruined his life. She made him do things... that were against his morals just for the sake of showing the public that they were indeed happy and even pretend to be in love even if they were already divorced. He gulped. "Demi is my daughter. I was the one who raised her. I am not the perfect father and I know that, I am also to be med for what happened to her. However... you were nothing but the one who gave birth to her. You are a mother... in name, nothing more."

    Slowly, tears streamed in Chen Shi¡¯s eyes. His harsh words were true and she hated it. She hated how it hurt her. "I am willing to give you the proof that I was lying about the bruises¡ª my bruises. After this, I won¡¯t be able to use the abuse to threaten you. I will do this in exchange for Demi¡¯s location." She said, her gaze straight towards his brown eyes. "This is for my daughter."

    ....

    Please vote for the mass release! Thank you!

 Chapter 673 A Minor Sacrifice

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 673 A Minor Sacrifice</h4>

    A snort escaped Jun Liang¡¯s lips. He immediately turned his face away, hiding the disgust in his eyes. If this was a few months back, he would have easily agreed to this kind of exchange. However, Lily already had evidence against this woman¡¯s cruel schemes. The evidence she was talking about was useless against him now.

    "And If I don¡¯t agree?" He challenged her. "Are you going to reveal that to the public?"

    Chen Shi immediately frowned at his words. This Jun Liang differed greatly from the previous man that she knew and the one she used to ckmail all the time. Was it because of Lily? She thought. "Are you... Are you not afraid to lose everything that you have now?" She asked.

    "Yani Chen... I am already old. Do you think I care?" he sneered. "I already equipped my son with the right knowledge in handling the family business. I am confident that he will take over after I resign."

    "You ¡ª" she gulped. Narrowing her eyes on him, a realization hit Chen Shi. This confidence was not because of Lily or Zhou Jingren. It was because their son had be capable of handling the business. "So... you only agreed in the past because you are afraid that no one would be able to take care of our children once you go to prison." She concluded.

    "Every normal parent would do that. Of course.... you are unaware of this. After all... you are not a parent." To Jun Liang, whatever he went through was only a minor sacrifice for his children. As he continued to give whatever Chen Shi wanted, Jun Liang also made sure that he was teaching his son everything about the family business.

    He made his son as independent as possible in case Chen Shi really ruined him.

    "I see..." Chen Shi nodded. She then took a sip of her tea before she continued, "So... you are no longer afraid that I will ruin you." Jun Liang¡¯s lips thinned as he stared at her. "But... what about Ben?" She smiled.

    Ben Liang.... The illegitimate son of Jun Liang before he met Yani Chen. The person who was only working as the manager of a prestigious shopping mall in Singapore instead of Liang Pharmaceuticals. While many people knew that Timothy and Demi Liang were Jun Liang¡¯s children, only a few knew about Ben¡¯s existence.

    Many thought that Ben was actually Jun Liang¡¯s half brother. What the people did not know was that Ben was an illegitimate son of Jun Liang and his father¡¯s maid. This was a secret that the Liang Family tried to hide to avoid embarrassing the heir of the Liang Family at that time, which was Jun Liang.

    This was also one of the reasons why Ron Liang felt everything was unfair. Why would they still make Jun Liang inherit the family business when he could always rece him? After all, Ron was just as capable as his brother. He did not have any scandal that could ruin their family¡¯s name.

    He felt that Jun Liang¡¯s birthright was not enough to justify this decision. Jun Liang made a mistake by impregnating someone who did not belong in their social circle. He was supposed to be punished! Why would their parents help him hide this fact?

    "You want to reveal Ben¡¯s true identity?" Jun Liang asked. To be honest, he was already expecting this move from a person like Chen Shi. "You want to tell everyone that he is the son of a maid?" He snorted. "You think it will matter?"

    "Of course it will." Chen Shi lifted her chin, confidence apparent in her eyes. "What do you think will happen if... I tell the media that you killed Ben Liang¡¯s mother!?"

    "That is not true!"

    "So? Do you believe that the media cares about the truth? My dear.... They care about drama, conspiracies and entertainment." Chen Shi smiled. "Since Ben Liang is your firstborn, people will surely demand that you give him the right to manage Liang Pharma. It is his birthright. Just because he is the son of a maid, does not mean that he is unqualified."

    Jun Liang¡¯s lips thinned as he narrowed his eyes at this nasty woman. "So... you would prefer your son... to lose his current status rather than not get what you want? This ¡ª This is truly an eye-opener for me. Tell me Chen Shi, why do you favor Demi more than Timothy?" he asked. "They are both your children. They came from your womb. Why would you sacrifice the other just for a small location?"

    Chen Shi turned silent at his questions. Why? It was because... just like her, Demi was a woman. It was as simple as that. She despised men.... all of them. But she chose to maintain her silence as she gritted her teeth in irritation. ¡¯It seems that this Jun Liang would not really tell her the location of her daughter,¡¯ she thought.

    "Tell me..." Chen Shi made a deliberate pause as she stared at Jun Liang¡¯s face. "Is... my daughter really with you?"

    As expected, surprise shed in Jun Liang¡¯s eyes. How could Chen Shi know about this? "Of course she is. Why would you even think that? She is safe and is currently being treated."

    "I received reports that she ran away from the facility." Chen Shi decided to do everything to make him say something. After all, Jun Liang was already dead in her eyes. There was no harm in telling him about the information that Qi Xia gave her. "My people seem to think someone kidnapped Demi. There were traces of her in Europe then... she was gone. She disappeared from the face of the earth." She gulped. "Tell me the truth Jun... as her mother, I deserve to know the truth. Is my daughter still with you?" she asked as fear shed in her eyes. "Is she... is she still alive?"

    .....

    Please continue to vote! Thank you for the support!

 Chapter 674 Heroic

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 674 Heroic</h4>

    "She is." Jun Liang muttered. "I can assure you that she is still alive."

    Hearing this, Chen Shi let out a sigh of relief. "Then... what will make you give me her location?" She asked as irritation shed in her eyes. If this man wouldn¡¯t give her Demi¡¯s location then she would not waste her time talking to him anymore. She was sure that once Jun Liang died, she would have ess to where Demi was held through their son, Timothy.

    "Nothing. To be honest, I don¡¯t trust you around our daughter. I don¡¯t want her to think that your actions are fine. I don¡¯t want her to be like you."

    Instantaneously, Chen Shi narrowed her eyes at him. "Then... I guess this conversation won¡¯t take us anywhere." She said. "Leave! I don¡¯t want to ever see you again!"

    For a few seconds, Jun Liang turned silent. He then stood from his seat and turned his back to her to walk towards the door. What came next was something that he had already expected. It was something that he had signed up for. Even Mr. B had asked him if he was sure about doing this and he graciously assured him that this was what he wanted.

    Thest thing that Jun Liang remembered was losing consciousness after being struck by something hard at the back of his head. This was a risk that he was willing to take.

    When Chen Shi saw Jun Liang lost his consciousness, her eyes instantly turned cautious. She took a glove and used all the force that she could muster to drag his body back to the small living room. She only had a couple of seconds before she would call for Thomas Lee¡¯s help, she thought.

    She then ran towards her bag and got a small knife that was carefully wrapped with tissue to avoid leaving her fingerprint on it. Holding the knife in her right hand, Chen Shi inhaled a long deep breath. She stared at Jun Liang before she used the knife to create some defensive wound in her arm.

    A hiss escaped her mouth as the pain from the small gashes made her pale. Chen Shi was not used to pain, however, this was nothing new to her. This was a technique that she had used in her two previous marriages to make it look like she was abused while they were asleep and drunk.

    After she made sure that her wounds were convincing enough, she inhaled sharply and put the knife in Jun Liang¡¯s hands, making sure that his fingerprints were all over the knife. She then held the knife again before stabbing it into her left arm. Making sure that she did not hit any major artery in the process.

    Bolts of pain instantly shoot up inside her. She trembled, her hand shook as she opened her mouth into a silent scream. She needed to endure. She needed to endure all this for her daughter, for her ns. Biting her lower lip, Chen Shi watched as the scarlet blood from her wound soaked her clothes.

    She then made sure to spill some of the blood onto Jun Liang before taking off her gloves and running towards the bathroom to dispose of the gloves in the toilet. This was already nned ahead of time. She created more mess inside the bathroom, making it look like she was panicking and ran towards the bathroom in an attempt to hide from Jun Liang.

    Then she went back to the living room and dialed Thomas¡¯ number. "He¡ª Hey... are... are you already in the hotel?" She asked with her trembling voice.

    "Yes. Are you alright? What happened? Did he¡ª "

    "Thomas... you need toe here... please.... You have to help me. I think he¡ª " Flinching, she kicked one of the vases, creating a loud thud as it hit the carpeted floor. "I think he will kill me... I... I am hiding in the bathroom and I... Oh my god... He stabbed¡ª "

    "Yani? Yani? Are you alright?"

    "You need toe here... please...e in...e in here... I... Oh my god!"

    "What is happening!" The panic in Thomas¡¯ voice is apparent. "I aming." He ended the call without waiting for her to say anything. A smile instantly crept on Chen Shi¡¯s face. She then stood on the wall that one cannot see while entering the suite, the heavy vase was in her uninjured arm. Tonight... Thomas will identally kill Jun Liang. And she... she would be the abused ex-wife whom the heroic Thomas saved from her crazy ex-husband.

    The sound of the door being opened reached her ears. Chen Shi instantly smiled. She tightened her grip on the vase as she endured the searing pain from her other arm.

    "Yani? Jun Liang?" Thomas¡¯ voice echoed, his footsteps muffled by the carpeted floor was the only thing that one can hear inside the room. "Yani? Are you alright?"

    "I¡ª I... "

    "Yani?" Thomas strode towards the living room. Seeing Jun Liang lying on the floor with a bloodied knife on his hand, Thomas turned towards the bathroom. However, before he could take a single step, a hard object hit his head. His gaze instantly turned dark as he fell on the floor with a loud thud.

    Chen Shi immediately beamed. Watching both Jun Liang and Thomas Lee on the floor was somehow very satisfying to her. Narrowing her eyes at the knife on Jun Liang¡¯s hands, Chen Shi kneeled so she could take it from him and use it to create the same wounds on Thomas¡¯. After all, this was self-defense. He tried to defend Chen Shi against the crazy Jun Liang.

    Because of this, he ended up with a couple of gashes and stab wounds as well. Of course, he was able to use a vase to knock this Jun Liang unconscious and use another vase to break his skull before finally losing his consciousness in the arms of the woman that she saved.

    Isn¡¯t that heroic? Chen Shi chuckled. However, before she could do anything, the door in her hotel room burst open.

    "Police! On the floor! Now!"

    .....

    Hi everyone, please don¡¯t forget to vote! I honestly need the pressure of this so I can write more! Lol. I love you all!

 Chapter 675 Impossible.

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 675 Impossible.</h4>

    Unedited: Previous chapters are already edited.

    ....

    Chen Shi¡¯s squeal echoed inside the room. "Officer! Help me! Please... help us... Thomas just lost his consciousness. I ¡ª " Panic apparent in Chen Shi¡¯s face as the bells inside her minds went off. "Help! Please... help... I am wounded!" She pleaded.

    She looked at them, misery clear in her eyes as she screamed for help, hoping it is enough to convince them that she was the victim here. However, the officers ignored her, instead, they let some medical personnel check both Jun Liang and Thomas Lee.

    Her eyes instantly widened. What is happening?

    "Excuse me, officer?" She was the one with a knife stuck in her arm. Why are they helping them instead of her?

    Chen Shi was about to move when one officer approached her and asked her not to move as she was under arrest.

    "Excuse me?"

    "Miss Chen, you are under arrest for... " the rest of the officer¡¯s words came as a buzzing noise in Chen Shi??s ears. Her eyes were so wide, she could feel them almost popped out of its sockets. For a few seconds, Chen Shi stood frozen, face paled with blood in her arms.

    The next event turned blurry inside her mind. It was as if Chen Shi¡¯s worldpletely shut down as she was taken to a hospital before being taken to prison. Was she dreaming? She asked herself over and over as she sat in the cold prison, alone and helpless, enduring the throbbing pain in her arm.

    The news about Chen Shi¡¯s arrest became a hot topic in both Singapore and Hong Kong. After all, she was a celebrity with millions of fans who adores her. However, a lot of Chen Shi¡¯s fans did not believe these ims. Many immediately made some conspiracy theories about this being set up by her third husband as revenge.

    Some even started a petition to let her go as she was a really kind person incapable of hurting a fly. However, this all stopped when someone imed that Chen Shi is not actually nice but someone who uses people and maniptes them into doing what she wanted.

    Soon after, her second husband revealed how Chen Shi ckmailed her and asked the media not to sympathize with a woman like her.

    At first, many of her fans did not believe it. How could their goddess do this? Chen Shi is perfect. There is just no way that she will ckmail someone! However, Jun Liang¡¯s statement and some evidence showing Chen Shi¡¯s injuries in the past were self-inflicted was enough proof to turn the situation around.

    After Jun Liang released his statement, a few other artists followed. Some of them felt that Chen Shi really manipted them into doing something that they did not want to, while some im that they saw Chen Shi throw a tantrum when a man identally touched her.

    Of course, this became a hot topic in the media. The debate of male abuse soon trended in all social media tforms as people started pointing out how unfair society is to men. If women want equality then isn¡¯t it fair that men have the samews protecting them from their abusive wives and partner too?

    What happened to both Jun Liang and Chen Shi¡¯s second and third husband was proof of how far a woman can go when she is smart and determined enough. A scheming woman is as scary as an abusive man. And the sad reality is that they are still favored when ites to thews. For instance, if something like this happened to a woman, to the wife, the husband would surely receive the greatest punishment that the state could give.

    It was a never-ending debate. However, the fact that Chen Shi will stay in prison for a long time is undeniable.

    Of course, this issue does not affect Lily at all. She won the bet and now Qin Yuanfeng will work under her. This and the fact that Chen Shi is already in jail was enough to make Lily¡¯s day.

    "How about you buy me some... Chicken wings?" Lily beamed towards his brother. "I want a bucket of spicy ones."

    In response, Qin Yuanfeng pursed his lips and gave her a knowing look. He hated how Zhou Jingren already warned him about this request from Lily. Is it possible that Zhou Jingren and Lily knew each other so well, they could also predict each other¡¯s words? He snorted and rolled his eyes.

    That is impossible.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Lily asked. "If you are toozy to buy, we can always order of course you will have to pay."

    "No." He answered shortly.

    "What do you mean no? You don¡¯t want to pay for it? I won the bet, remember?"

    "This is not part of the bet." Turning towards hisputer, Qin Yuanfeng decided to ignore everything that Lily will say in the next hour. Zhou Jingren already warned him about this behavior. At first, Zhou Jingren told him to decline Lily and tell her about the health benefits of eating healthy while pregnant. However, Qin Yuanfeng felt that he does not dare to lecture Lily.

    So he chose to ignore her instead.

    .....

    The Peak

    "Congrattions." Zhou Jingren beamed at his wife. "You won the bet."

    "That nothing new." A smug smile was on Lily¡¯s face. "Yuanfeng will start to apany me tomorrow. Anyway... did you know that Samantha Chen is actually rted to Chen Shi¡¯s rtive from Yunnan? I mean... she imed they were brothers and sisters, but it wasn¡¯t proven. She then took Samantha under her wing and trained her to be an actress."

    Lily continued. "I think Chen Shi was really smart. Not smart enough, though." She shrugged. At the end of the day, I am d that both Jun Liang and Thomas are safe and... Samantha just filed for divorce. I guess the only thing stopping her from leaving that Adrian is her father." She shook her head as she silently wished for Samantha to find her own happiness.

    ....

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote! If we reach 10k votes by tomorrow, I will have mass release friday! Thank you for your support!

 Chapter 676 Just Be Youâ€” Be Human

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 676 Just Be You¡ª Be Human</h4>

    A few days after Chen Shi¡¯s nameced every newspaper in Maind China and Singapore, more and more evidence of her abusive and maniptive nature came to light. Seeing this, Lily let the media and the people pressure the government into giving Chen Shi the punishment she deserved.

    "You really came here just for this?" Lily lifted her eyebrow at Jun Liang before shifting her gaze towards his sons, Ben and Timothy. "You don¡¯t have toe in here and thank me."

    "Well... my father is safe and justice is about to be served. Isn¡¯t that something to be thankful for?" Ben said. After what happened with Chen Shi, Jun Liang decided to announce his existence to the media. He even publicly apologized for doing this to his own son. Aside from this, he also announced his resignation before appointing Timothy as the CEO and Ben as the VP of Liang pharmaceuticals.

    "Plus... we agreed to have the coborative project that we spoke of before." Jun Liang was all smiles. It was as if a big, rusty nail had been pulled out from his chest. "I figured, why not take advantage of this opportunity to thank you and talk about business?"

    "Of course." Lily beamed. She then turned towards her brother sitting silently on the couch inside Lily¡¯s office. "Also... I want to introduce you to my brother, Qin Yuanfeng." Since Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s office was still under renovations, Lily told him to upy her office instead.

    The peculiar Qin Yuanfeng instantly agreed and chose to move his whole set up inside Lily¡¯s sleeping are the small and dark sleeping area! When Qin Yuanfeng told her about this, Lily immediately fought the urge tough out loud. Why would he prefer to say in that small room instead of Lily¡¯s spacious office?

    When asked, Qin Yuanfeng only told her that it will make him morefortable. Suffice to say, Qin Yuanfeng got what he wanted. This time, though, Lily forced him out of the room to at least interact with Jun Liang and his sons¡ª to socialize. To Lily, creating a barrier was dangerous. Istion was not something good if you want to seed in the industry.

    Of course to a hacker, a secure room where they can stay all day is a dreame true. But her brother was not just a hacker. He was not just someone that would work under her forever. He needed to learn to socialize and mingle with others. Build connections and rtionships that will help him in the business industry.

    To Lily, reputation and connection was everything and she wanted Qin Yuanfeng to see this. Also, Lily wanted to slowly teach her brother some of the things that she learned from her grandmother.

    "Brother?" Jun Liang stared at Qin Yuanfeng for a few seconds. "Twins?"

    "That obvious, huh?" Lily chuckled. As expected, Qin Yuanfeng only nodded and gave a slight smile without saying a word. "Yuanfeng is training under me. So... he will soon start traveling around to visit the other subsidiaries. I hope you can entertain him in Singapore."

    "Of course!" Timothy answered. His gaze lingered towards Lily¡¯s face for a few seconds before he turned towards his tea. After seeing the video of Chen Shi being crazy at the hotel, Timothy was grateful for Lily¡¯s help in making sure that his father was safe. He was not particrly close to Chen Shi so her arrest did not have any emotional affect on him. Of course, seeing his mother attempt to murder his father was still heart breaking.

    Lily and Qin Yuanfeng talked to¡ª scratch that. Lily continued talking to the Liang Family while Qin Yuanfeng listened and sat there silently, asionally nodding his head, observing the people around him as if they have nothing to do with him.

    Seeing this, Lily let out a sigh inwardly. Maybe this approach wouldn¡¯t work for him. She immediately made a mental note to ask Zhou Jingren for tipster on. Maybe thetter could help her.

    .....

    The Peak

    Zhou Jingren instantly raised an eyebrow when he heard Lily¡¯s question. "Why are you so adamant on changing him?" he asked.

    "Why not?" To Lily, she was only doing this for thepany and for her brother¡¯s own interest. "This is what¡¯s best for him."

    In response, Zhou Jingren shook his head. He could already see what kind of mother Lily would be someday. "Why would you force him into doing something that he is notfortable doing? Did you even ask his opinion about this matter?" Of course, he would do his best to get some sense into his wife¡¯s head. After all, she was not just his woman, she is his partner, the mother of their future children and the woman that he would spend the rest of his life with.

    As expected, Lily turned silent at Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. She frowned as realization hit her. "Do you think I am going overboard?" she asked.

    "Of course you are." He knew Lily already knew the answer to her question. "Why are you trying to control him? Let him live his life peacefully. I mean... he too experienced some abuse while growing up up with his step mother. It is only understandable that he would keep his distance from other people. However, I can see he blindly trusts you and me. We should not break that trust."

    Lily pursed his lips as she lowered her head. Maybe Zhou Jingren was right. Maybe she was really taking it far. "Then... what should I do?" Lily was not good with building familial rtionships either and her tendency to attempt to control someone would also show.

    "Let him do whatever he wants. He is not a child after all. Let him heal, train him but don¡¯t spoon feed it to him like a toddler." Zhou Jingren smiled. "It¡¯s simple. You don¡¯t need to pity him or treat him as if he is special. Just be you¡ª be human. Be the sister that he needs."

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel!

 Chapter 677 Smart Young Master

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 677 Smart Young Master</h4>

    Lily¡¯s lips thinned before she let out a sigh. The logic behind Zhou Jingren¡¯s words was undeniable. Now that she thought about it carefully, she had been obsessing over her brother¡¯s naturetely. The urge to control and manipte was the underlying reason behind this behavior. Lily instantly concluded before she opened a book that her husband just gave her about motherhood.

    "You know... your brother needs a sister." Zhou Jingren continued. "Not a mother."

    "Yeah. I know." Lily responded with a gentle smile.

    ....

    After the conversation, Lily decided not to try and change or force Qin Yuanfeng into something that he was notfortable with. However, this did not mean that she stopped showing him all the twists and turns in business. After all, she was adamant on having him help her manage thepany when he was ready.

    "Today is a holiday, so I decided to invite everyone to a small pool party." Zhuo Jingren said as she sliced the tomatoes for Lily¡¯s sd. With his apron on, he continued to slice all the vegetables for his wife.

    "Everyone?"

    "Hmmm. Yang Mi and Go Jichen as well as Yuanfeng and Bei Tian."

    "Oh! Bei Tian is back?" Lately, Bei Tian had be so busy that Lily rarely saw him. She couldn¡¯t even remember thest time that they talked in person.

    "Yes. He will stay for two days before going back to Europe."

    "Oh!." She nodded and watched as Zhou Jingren gave her the sd before removing his apron. He then got a fork and ate a spoonful of Lily¡¯s sd as he sat next to her.

    "I already asked Chef Yang to prepare something for the barbecueter. The weather is not as hot as before and it is not very cold either. It is just perfect for an outdoor get together."

    Lily nodded in response. She then started eating her sd before following Zhou Jingren out to prepare the grill. Before lunch, Yang Mi arrived followed by Yuanfeng then Go Jichen and Bei Tian.

    "Hey... Yang Mi... I was surprised to see that you came here before Jichen." Bei Tian beamed. "Are you two arguing?"

    "What are you talking about?" Yang Mi frowned as she red at Bei Tian who was sitting at the wrought iron chair a few feet away from her. Hisnguid posture and Hawaiian shirt paired with the smug smile on his face instantly made Yang Mi irritated. "Please mind your own business." She said as she turned her head away.

    "Oi! Jichen... Look at her." Bei Tian continued. "You are not in a rtionship yet and you are already making her angry. Say, do you need some lessons from this young master?"

    A snort escaped Secretary Go¡¯s lips. "Thank you for the offer, Young Master Bei but... considering that I have been in more rtionships than you¡ª I would rather pass. It is best for Young Master Bei to spend his time interacting with women instead of trying to teach an experienced master like me on how to treat women."

    "Hah?" Bei Tianughed. "Jingren! Look at Go Jichen being so smug about sleeping with two models. Oi... Yang Mi... did you know? This Jichen¡ª "

    "Halt!" Go Jichen held his hands. "This is not relevant. Let¡¯s mind each other¡¯s personal life."

    Seeing Yang Mi¡¯s face turned sour, Bei Tian instantly let out a victoriousughter. "Lily... let me ask you something..." He turned towards Lily who was watching her husband grill the meat for them. "Yang Mi is skilled in martial arts, no?"

    "Hmmm. She is." Lily smiled at the silly smile on Bei Tian¡¯s face. "She is extremely good at it too."

    "I heard that Go Jichen is well trained too!" Bei Tian added. "How about we make a bet?"

    "What bet?" Qin Yuanfeng chimed in. He turned towards Bei Tian. "What are we betting?"

    "I want to know who is better! Yang Mi or Go Jichen. I will vote for Jichen! Fifty thousand!"

    Shaking her head, Lily rose from her seat and decided to help Zhuo Jingren with their food. Both Yang Mi and Secretary Go were well trained but it was obvious Yang Mi would unanimously win a fight against thetter. After all, it was pretty obvious that the stupid Go Jichen liked Yang Mi. Would he really hurt the woman that he liked?

    "Make It a hundred! I will go with Yang Mi!" Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s voice echoed. Of course, he would side with his sister¡¯s secretary.

    "Deal!" Bei Tian beamed! "A hundred thousand! If¡ª "

    "How childish." Yang Mi interrupted Bei Tian¡¯s words. She rolled her eyes and decided to open her book. "I am not fighting."

    "Ohhhh... Miss Yang here must be afraid to fight!" Bei Tian teased.

    "I¡¯m not afraid! I am better than him!" Yang Mi retorted.

    Secretary Go¡¯s ears perked the moment he heard Yang Mi¡¯s words. Squinting his phoenix eyes towards Yang Mi, he said, "I am better and more experienced than you. In a fight between us, there is no way I will lose."

    "You? " Yang Mi snorted. ???Yeah... keep dreaming. I¡¯m not fighting... I honestly would want to spare your feelings. I don¡¯t want you to run to your boss crying like a child."

    "You¡ª"

    "See? Jichen... this woman is really proud, ah!" Bei Tian said. "You should prove her wrong! After all, you are a man! You should show who the real man is in a rtionship! What do you say, Yuanfeng?"

    "Well... if she doesn¡¯t want to fight then let¡¯s not force her. Aw! Why are you throwing your book towards me?" Qin Yuanfeng asked, almost irritated. He was just answering his question, ah. This Bei Tian was really shallow! He thought inwardly.

    "Don¡¯t mind him Jichen..." Bei Tian stood behind Go Jichen and started massaging his shoulders. "This Yang Mi is too much! I think she is using the fact that she knows that you like her! She knows that if you two fight, you will always let her win!"

    Go Jichen nodded. "That is right. She is taking advantage of¡ª"

    Silence.

    A thick nket of silence followed Go Jichen¡¯s words as he widened his eyes and stared at Yang Mi for a few seconds. He felt his throat turn dry, his face turned scarlet red. Did he just... Did he just confess?

    "Ha!" Bei Tian¡¯s loudughter instantly echoed . "Silly humans!" he eximed. "This young master is really the smartest!" He let out anotherughter.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon 777

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for mass release!

 Chapter 678 Eastern Garden

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 678 Eastern Garden</h4>

    Instantaneously Yang Mi¡¯s face turned red. She red at theughing Bei Tian before huffing. A man who couldn¡¯t even say what he really felt inside was... not worth it. She sneered before turning towards her book.

    ¡¯This Bei Tian is really nosy,¡¯ she thought inwardly.

    Of course, Bei Tian didn¡¯t stop from there. Heughed before he added. "So since... we are now aware that Jichen likes Yang Mi. Is it safe to assume that this fight will not happen as Jichen will surely let Yang Mi win?"

    "Shut it!" Yang Mi hissed. "There is no letting me win! I will win." She dered boldly. She hated how men always think they are better than women because of their brute strength.

    "Jichen? What do you say? Hm?"

    This interaction continued as Lily and Zhou Jingren prepared the barbeque.

    "You know it¡¯s always nice to have something like this every now and then." Lily noted. Chinese have a lot of holidays like this. Previously, they didn¡¯t have the chance to host parties like this because they didn¡¯t have a nice outdoor ce like this.

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s sky city was located on the top floor of the building where they could see nothing but clouds on the outside. It was not really a good ce to spend time with close friends and family.

    "Hmmm.... " Eyeing the beautiful view in front of them, Zhou Jingren nodded. "You know... this ce is really nice to raise a child." He said as he eyed her stomach.

    "It is." She beamed in response. "By the way... I received a call from Luxembourg just this morning."

    "Are they nning to visit?" He asked.

    "Not they. But Eliza will. Her twin brother mighte too." Eliza said that she would travel across Asia for some humanitarian work. As a royalty, this is normal for someone like her. "And she wants to give me some stuff for the baby. Said it was from her older sister."

    "Did you inform them that you will give birth in Switzend?" He asked.

    "Not yet. But I will do it once shees in here." Lily said before she called out to Lin Luyang and Lin Siyang to help them put the cooked food on the table.

    "You know... the weather is beautiful. Aren¡¯t you nning to swim?" Lily said as she followed Zhou Jingren towards the group. By now, Bei Tian had already stopped teasing Go Jichen and Yang Mi and was on his phone, frowning as he talked to someone.

    Not long after, the group started eating before Go Jichen and Qin Yuanfeng decided to take a swim and of course, a race on the pool. It was a jovial day for everyone as Lily and Zhou Jingren also joined them.

    "Hey! I have a suggestion!" Bei Tian raised his hand as he watched everyone by the pool. By now, he was the only one that didn¡¯t join them. "I know a ce with a good hotpot where we can y archery! I want to bet!"

    "What is his deal with betting today?" Lily muttered in Zhou Jingren¡¯s ears. She was currently piggybacking on Zhou Jingren¡¯s back with her legs on his waist and arms around his neck. "Hey, Tian... Did you lose a bet?" She asked. As expected, Bei Tian¡¯s face contorted.

    "He did." Zhou Jingren¡¯s confirmation followed. "He wanted to bet against us and win to heal his bruised ego."

    "Hey! I just wanted to have fun, alright? Archery is good for the body!"

    "Do you think I have the strength to y archery?" Lily asked. She waszy, alright?

    "Then... just watch us. We can bet instead. What do you say? Hm?"

    Lily shook her head inwardly. She opened her mouth to decline however, Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s words echoed before hers.

    "I want to bet."

    "See? Only Yuanfeng gets me." Bei Tian beamed. "Archery is fun! Come on!"

    Lily rolled her eyes as Bei Tian continued convincing them one by one. In the end, Lily agreed to his offer. It was not because of the archery, it was because of the hot pot that Bei Tian promised to pay for. After staying in the pool for a few more minutes, Lily and everyone else, decided to change their clothes to rx before having their dinner at the hotpot ce that Bei Tian was telling them about.

    At exactly four in the afternoon, the group left the mansion to visit a ce that was not really that far from The Peak. The grand patio instantly caught Lily¡¯s eyes.

    With the bamboo andnterns everywhere, Lily instantly got the ancient Chinese vibe that the ce was showing. From the small pond to their left to the warm lighting and soft music as well as the intricate carvings on the stone walls. To the ancient chinese clothes that the attendants were wearing. Everything about this ce instantly made Lilyfortable.

    "Eastern Garden." She muttered the name of the ce under her breath. "Is this a new ce?" She asked Bei Tian.

    "Not new." Zhou Jingren answered. "But... it¡¯s unpopr to the masses. People who came here need to reserve a month in advance. That and... this is an extremely private ce."

    Lily turned silent. He clearly said that they need reservations to enter however, she didn¡¯t remember them calling to reserve their seats. Sensing the question in her mind, Zhou Jingren continued.

    "You can reserve or... buy a spot inside the restaurant. Like a small private room that is floating on theke located at the back of the restaurant. Bei Tian urged me to buy one for meetings but I have not used it before." He exined.

    "Oh!" Lily nodded in response. She then held her husband¡¯s hands as they walked towards the private room that they owned. After a few seconds of walking, the group finally reached theke and as expected, awe instantly shone in their eyes.

    Theke was not big. What left them in awe was the beautiful garden surrounding theke. Various flowers that danced under the wind as they reflected the light of the setting sun was enough to mesmerize them.

    "This ce... is magical!" Lily said as she let out another gasp.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    I¡¯m releasing a lot of chapters today for the priv. Please continue voting!

 Chapter 679 Earn More Money

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 679 Earn More Money</h4>

    The attendant then walked towards the wooden bridge that was connected to their floating... cottage.

    "This ce is better at night." Bei Tian noted. "The lighting here is awesome."

    "I thought you said this ce has archery?" Qin Yuanfeng asked as he followed them inside.

    "This ce is too big. It is just behind thiske. Right over there." Bei Tian pointed to the spot near theke. "Archery is good at night!"

    "How is it good when it¡¯s dark? Will we even be able to see the target?" Yuanfeng argued.

    "That¡¯s the point!" Rolling his eyes, Bei Tian gave a smug smile. "It¡¯s night, the lighting will not be good. You can¡¯t just rely on your eyesight. You will have to rely on your... emotions." Closing his eyes, he put his right hand on top of his heart. "It is always best to rely on your emotions while ying archery."

    "What kind ofme thinking is that?" Yang Mi sneered. "What emotions are you talking about????

    "Aigo... you won¡¯t understand. You don¡¯t even know what emotion is." Bei Tian countered. To be honest, he had never seen Yang Mi smile. This woman was like a walking statue. How could she understand emotions?

    "First, there is no such thing as emotion in ying archery." Yang Mi said. "What, are you going to kiss your bow before shooting?"

    As expected her words instantly made the othersugh. "What?" Yang Mi asked, confused. "When shooting the arrow... there is only the bow and your target." This is just like killing someone, there is only your gun and the target. Why was Bei Tian talking about emotion?

    "You see? I am a very emotional guy." Bei Tian said. "While you are a cold and mean woman. We are the exact opposite. This means... you won¡¯t understand what im talking about." He paused before turning towards Secretary Go that was sitting next to him. "Jichen... why do you like this woman?" He casually asked.

    "Bei Tian you are going overboard, ah!" Yang Mi red at the man sitting opposite to her. "This is none of your business!"

    "What do you mean? Jichen is my friend. I saw him in the orphanage before." Holding two of his fingers in front of Yang Mi¡¯s face, he added. "We are this close. So... it is only normal for me to be concerned about his choice in women."

    "Are you really concerned? Or jealous?"

    "Jealous of what?"

    "I don¡¯t know." Yang Mi shrugged. "Tell me... do you like Go Jichen? Do you want to be his girlfriend?"

    "Wha¡ª" Bei Tian widened his eyes before both him and Go Jichen dramatically acted as if they were about to puke. "What are you talking about?" He managed to ask before turning towards Go Jichen. "Jichen... are you certain that you really like this woman? You know, you can always change your mind right?" He then looked at Qin Yuanfeng who was sitting next to Go Jichen. "Me and Yuanfeng will support you on changing your mind."

    "Why would you like him to change his mind?" Yang Mi said, irritation shing in his eyes. After the realization of what she asked soon settled inside her. Slowly, her eyes widened. "I¡ª I mean... if he changed his mind then it has nothing to do with me! Do you really have to say this in front of my face?" She frantically said as heat shot up her ears.

    This created another harmonious teasing andughing as Lily and Zhou Jingren also joined in on teasing the two. Not long after, the people carrying the ingredients for their hotpot arrived. Various meat and vegetables that were thinly sliced as well as rice noodles and some seafood were served in front of them.

    Two types of broth were also served for the group. After making sure that their orders were already served, the attendant immediately left. With the chopsticks, the group started their dinner as they watched the sun set from the horizon.

    "This is a really nice ce, no?" Lily said as she put some thinly sliced squids on Zhou Jingren¡¯s bowl. She then eyed the lights that seemed toe from the bottom of theke. The ce was not only quiet, it was also surrounded by trees, flowers and a great view. This was such a good ce to just rx and enjoy each other¡¯spany.

    "Alright... I¡¯m done eating." Bei Tian¡¯s voice echoed. "Who wants to bet with me?"

    "Me." Qin Yuanfeng answered almost immediately.

    "And me." Everyone turned towards Yang Mi.

    "Then... I will join too!" Secretary Go chimed in. Would he really miss the chance to show off his skills in front of Yang Mi? Of course not!

    "Good! How about you two?" Bei Tian turned towards Lily and Zhou Jingren. Slowly a sly smile blossomed on his face. "Wait... do you know archery?" he asked Lily.

    "No." She answered without batting an eyelid. Why stress herself over something she was bad at? To Lily this does not make any sense at all! She would rather earn money and focus on learning a skill that will make her earn more money.

    "I see." Bei Tian nodded. "Too bad." He eyed Zhou Jingren before he added. "Then... why don¡¯t you let Zhou Jingren y instead of you?"

    "No." Lily answered. Why would she waste her time with archery when she could sit close to her husband and just enjoy the view with him? "We will watch. But to motivate everyone... I will give an extra hundred thousand to the winner." She added as she continued eating.

    Lily was aware that sports like this is not really her forte. Of course, there is also the fact that she is not very interested in learning the skill. To her, earning money is the ultimate skill! It is the only skill that she needs.

    "Then... all good!" Bei Tian beamed. "We should start ying after we finish our dinner!"

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote.

 Chapter 680 Emotional

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 680 Emotional</h4>

    After enjoying the hotpot, the group went to a secluded area of the Eastern Garden to enjoy some archery. The archery went really well as the group started showing off their archery skills. Of course, Lily and Zhou Jingren just watched from the sidelines. Having a good conversation over some very nice chocte drink.

    "Go Jichen was top when he trained in the securitypany." Zhou Jingren said. "He might act silly at times but he is extremely good at his job."

    "Of course, he is good. He has a good boss, he needs to step up his game or he will be reced." Lily chuckled. "Speaking of your securitypany," she made a deliberate pause as she eyed Bei Tian who started hitting the bullseye one by one. "I am surprised that the media is not yet aware of what is happening behind the scene."

    "I already scheduled a meeting with this woman." He said "People are unaware that you will be involved in this matter. So... your presence is going to be a surprise. But don¡¯t worry, I will let you handle everything."

    "Jingren... she can¡¯t just threaten us or thepany." Lily said. "You know that." In the industry that they were in, being feared was always better than being loved. Of course, this was something that Lilian taught Lily. "This woman¡¯s case might not be strong. However, it is enough to shake the reputation of Zhou Jingren¡¯spany and Lily¡¯s name. After all, Lily was known for advocating women¡¯s rights.

    A sh between her advocacy and business might be inevitable soon. Of course, she was already prepared for this. She was only waiting for those people to show themselves.

    "I have a meeting tomorrow. With the petroleumpany." Lily said.

    "Did you already make your decision?"

    "No. They are nning to discuss theirpany with us. I mean... I believe they want to convince me and the executives to make them one of our subsidiaries. I mean, who does that? I can understand if theirpany is on the verge of bankruptcy. But this?"

    "What is stopping you?"

    "I don¡¯t know..." She shrugged. "Instinct."

    Zhou Jingren smiled. However, before he could say something, Bei Tian¡¯s voice echoed. Prompting them to look at the group.

    "If you are so good then let¡¯s bet! Just you and me!"

    "Why are you being a child?" Yang Mi asked, irritated. "You lost. It¡¯s that simple."

    "Then... bet with me!"

    "Mr. Bei is really hrious! Do you think I have millions of dors to bet with you? I am working hard for my money!"

    "Then let¡¯s bet something else!"

    "Alright! If you lose you will be my servant for a day!" Yang Mi said. "You will do everything that I want! Clean my room and bathroom! Everything!"

    "Aiya... you think I don¡¯t know how to clean a bathroom?" He countered smugly. "If I win... you marry this bloke right here." He pointed at Jichen.

    "Oi Bei Tian... I¡¯m not a bloke."

    "Why would I marry someone I don¡¯t like?" Yang Mi folded her arms across her chest.

    "Then don¡¯t lose." Bei Tian said. "That simple!"

    Zhou Jingren instantly shook his head. He leaned towards Lily and lowered his voice. "If you don¡¯t want Yang Mi to dig her own grave, you should tell her not to do this bet."

    "Why? Bei Tian lost." Lily shrugged before she smiled. "Unless he is baiting Yang Mi?" She raised an eyebrow.

    "I told you. Bei Tian is better than me in martial arts and guns." Why else would his adoptive father make Bei Tian his right hand man? "Do you really think Yang Mi can beat him in archery?"

    "Yang Mi is very good too."

    "Do you really want her to marry Jichen?"

    A mischievous smirk hung on Lily¡¯s lips. "Of course not." She widened her eyes, feigning her emotions. "Why would you even think that? I would never put Yang Mi in that situation!"

    Zhou Jingren chuckled in response before he turned towards their friends.

    "Well... maybe not marry?" Go Jichen chimed in. "Maybe a date!"

    "I won¡¯t date you!"

    Go Jichen¡¯s face instantly turned scarlet. "And you think I would want to marry you? Dream on woman...dream on!"

    "You¡ª" Yang Mi clenched her fist. She turned towards Lily, only to see her smiling towards her direction. Sighing, she looked at Bei Tian again. "Alright. A date then."

    "One week of dating!" Bei Tian said. "This is only fair. This young master is rich and talented. I am a very expensive servant! And cleaning a toilet is not as easy as you think."

    Seeing the logic in Bei Tian¡¯s words, Yang Mi nodded. She would win anyway. Why think about losing against this clown? "What kind of game do you want to do?"

    "Emotions." Bei Tian¡¯s words made Yang Mi frown. "I told you... we shoot using our emotions. "

    "How are we going to do that?" Yang Mi asked, confused. Until now, she could not figure out how to shoot with her emotions. Was she supposed to say I love you to the bow before shooting? Maybe shout something emotional?

    Emotional.

    Yang Mi was never one. So.... How was she going to use her emotions to shoot?

    "Blindfold you dummy!" Rolling his eyes, Bei Tian snickered. "Blindfold Archery!"

    A snort instantly left Yang Mi¡¯s mouth. Blindfold? Yeah, right. "Alright!"

    "Good! Now... we need witnesses. We can¡¯t just bet with no witnesses, alright? I don¡¯t want you crying and saying that this bet did not happen once you lose."

    Yang Mi rolled her eyes in response. "I¡¯m not going to lose but yeah... we can ask the President to be the witness. "

    "Or we can just record your words?" Qin Yuanfeng suggested as he turned his head towards Lily and Zhou Jingren who were whispering sweet nothings to one another. "Are we really going to disturb them?"

    "I second that!" Secretary Go said excitedly. As someone who looked up to both Zhou Jingren and Bei Tian, he was very familiar with his skills.

    "Then... let¡¯s do it!" Yang Mi said almost immediately. She could not wait to make this smug Bei Tian her servant!

 Chapter 681 This Young Master

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 681 This Young Master</h4>

    When Zhou Jingren said that Bei Tian was even better than him in martial arts and self defense, Lily thought he was joking. After all, she always saw Bei Tian as someone who jokes a lot and had the talent to make every situation lighter, funnier.

    Moreover, a man who epts that another man is better than him? That is very unlikely. Lily thought that maybe her husband just wanted to make himself less impressivepared to his best friend.

    Well.... Lily was wrong.

    She never thought that one day, she would see Yang Mi this embarrassed to the point of wanting to cry. Who wouldn¡¯t? Before the blindfold, Bei Tian was not even hitting the bullseye.

    Now however, with his blindfold on, Bei Tian never missed a shot. Everything happened too fast that when they realized their mistake in agreeing with the bet, Bei Tian already let go of his tenth arrow.

    *SWOOOSSSHHH*

    Another bullseye.

    A gasp escaped Lily¡¯s mouth. She immediately turned towards Yang Mi who only hit seven bullseyes with her blindfold. Worried that Yang Mi would attack Bei Tian, Lily pulled her husband up and approached the group.

    "You tricked me!" Yang Mi hissed, anger apparent in her eyes. No wonder Bei Tian was adamant on having a witness for their bet. He already knew that this would happen. She clenched her hands, her knuckles turned white. "You lied to me!"

    "Hah?" Bei Tian said the moment he removed his blindfold. "Why would I lie?"

    "You¡ª" Yang Mi¡¯s face turned hot. She knew she was blushing. "You pretended that you don¡¯t know how to y!"

    "I didn¡¯t!" Bei Tian smiled. "I told you.... I am a very emotional person. That is something that you won¡¯t understand."

    Irritation shed in Yang Mi¡¯s eyes. This man.... This man tricked her! She turned towards the smiling Go Jichen. The smile on his face was enough confirmation for her. Fighting the urge to punch Bei Tian and Secretary Go¡¯s smug face, she let out a sharp breath.

    "Wow! Bei Tian!" Lily¡¯s voice echoed behind her. "I never expected that you were actually this good!" For some reason, Lily¡¯s presence behind her was enough to calm her down.

    "Aiyo... I¡¯m blushing." Bei Tian said. "Jingren... you better watch out. Maybe one day your wife will be so impressed by my skills she will leave you for me."

    "Yeah... right." Zhou Jingren smiled. "So... what were you betting again?" he pretended not to know.

    "Well... since Miss Yang here tragically lost to me. She will date Mr. Go for a week." Bei Tian smiled. "And yes, you are very much wee!" These two needed divine intervention, ah. Everyone should thank him for doing this.

    "Really?" Lily feigned surprised, she looked at Yang Mi. "You agreed?" Yang Mi nodded silently before she turned her head away from them. To be honest, Bei Tian¡¯s silly behavior made hercent. It made her underestimate this man.

    First, underestimating someone who Zhou Jingren trusts is a mistake. A big one. Her eyesnded on the target tens of feet away from them. The fact that Bei Tian suggested this ce only meant that he was very familiar with the sport.

    The man keeps on babbling nonsense, teasing her and Go Jichen that she had actually forgotten that Bei Tian was actually Zhou Jingren¡¯s right hand man. Surely, Zhou Jingren would not trust anyone with mediocre capabilities, right?

    "Wow that is a pretty impressive talent." A voice behind them echoed. "This is actually my first time seeing someone shoot an arrow that fast. Are you perhaps... someone who ys the sport professionally?"

    It was a man and a woman. Both looked like foreigners with the auburn hair that almost looked ck because of the lighting and lovely freckles. Siblings, Yang Mi instantly concluded.

    "Oh. No." Bei Tian said smugly. "No offense but that skill is basic to me."

    As expected his words surprised both Yang Mi and Lily. However, both chose not to speak and observed the two people who approached them.

    A boisterousughter followed Bei Tian¡¯s words as the man who was a little shorter than Zhou Jingren shook his head. "Then... do you want to y with me?"

    "No." Bei Tian shook his head. "You have no chance." He then turned his back and put his bow down. Turning his head towards his friends, a smile dangled on Bei Tian¡¯s face. "And we are going home."

    "How arrogant." The woman smiled. "I like it." She eyed Bei Tian¡¯s tall frame and fit physique. "Just one game?"

    "I don¡¯t like ying games." Bei Tian answered.

    "Must be all talk, no skills." The man snickered. "Perhaps, he only got lucky?" His words were obviously intended for the woman beside him, however, his eyes never left Bei Tian.

    "Aiyo... this young master is pretty tired already. Unless, the bet is really tempting, this young master will not y a game."

    His words rendered the two speechless. What kind of man was this? How arrogant can he be? "If you want a bet... then let¡¯s bet." The woman said, her eyes scanned the group before she nodded inwardly. All good looking people with ss like skin and branded clothes. Surely, these people were members of high society in Hong Kong right?

    "What bet?" Bei Tian asked.

    While Bei Tian started talking about money to the two, Lily and Zhou Jingren were silently observing their surroundings. Not long after they chose to go back to their seats and let Bei Tian handle it.

    "Did you see it?" Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s low voice echoed next to Lily. She flinched in response. She was too engrossed in her own thoughts that she actually didn¡¯t notice her brother sitting next to her.

    "Yes." She answered. Of course she knew these people. "And... can you please not do that again?" She said as she stroked her chest. "Are you trying to scare me?"

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Don¡¯t forget to vote!

    Question: Can you imagine Bei Tian dying hahahah... I can¡¯t. I love him

 Chapter 682 We Live Together

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 682 We Live Together</h4>

    "Oh.." Qin Yuanfeng nodded as he leaned back. Maybe his face was really close. He then looked at the twins. Who were still talking to Bei Tian.

    Twins.

    These two were the children of the Corneels. A Family hailing from Nethends who owned the petroleumpany that the Fi Group was considering to buy. Their presence here should be understandable as Lily has a meeting with them tomorrow.

    "In USD?" the woman¡¯s voice echoed. "You want to bet a million in USD?"

    "Is that too much?" Bei Tian said. "Since you cannot afford then¡ª "

    "Of course we can afford!" the woman said. "However... this is too much! For an archery contest, it is too much."

    "Then don¡¯t bet." Bei Tian sneered. "I¡¯m going home."

    Qin Yuanfeng frowned at Bei Tian¡¯s words. Once again, he leaned towards Lily. "Why is he acting so arrogant?"

    "He has the right to be arrogant." Lily uttered as she pursed her lips. The possibility that Bei Tian knew who these people were was very likely. She met Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes and for a few seconds, a sh of understanding glinted in their eyes.

    This was enough to confirm her previous assumption. Zhou Jingren had asked Bei Tian to dig into this family the moment she mentioned it to him. Slowly, Lily¡¯s lips curled into a smile. The fact that Zhou Jingren was protecting her back without even her knowledge was just... heartwarming.

    "Bei Tian is making them mad." Lily said after a few seconds of silence. "Anger is a veryplicated emotion. It tends to change us. Our personality and the way that we think."

    "Oh." He nodded. "That woman keeps on looking at us. It is making me ufortable."

    "Maybe... she just thinks that you are handsome." Lily teased. "I mean... you look like me." She beamed. "So you are really good looking too." Giggling at her own joke, Lily nudged Zhou Jingren¡¯s arms. "Right, husband?"

    Thetter smiled helplessly. Since bing pregnant, Lily had be more mischievous. She had beenughing a lot, her smile seemed carefree and her eyes... her eyes always shone with mischief and gentleness. This made Zhou Jingren happy and grateful at the growth that both of them have had since meeting each other again.

    He stared at her side profile, his gaze gentle and warm. He immediately wondered if their children would inherit any of their traits. Wouldn¡¯t it be fun to have a mini Lily running around the mansion?

    "Alright! Half million then." Bei Tian¡¯s words echoed. "If you can¡¯t afford that then... I will go home."

    "Mister... this is very illogical." The man said. "I can bet a hundred thousand in USD but not half a million. That is too extravagant for something like this."

    "Aigo... you people won¡¯t understand. This is my passion." Bei Tian said. "I y with everything that I have. And I have spent years just practicing my impressive skills. If you think it is not worth half a million then let¡¯s stop this conversation right now." He turned his back on them and walked towards Zhou Jingren and Lily¡¯s direction, a sly smile stered on his lips.

    Surprisingly, the duo did not stop him. Instead, they started whispering towards each other. Seeing this, Lily shook her head. It seems that the duo had fallen into Bei Tian¡¯s trap. As expected, before Bei Tian could reach Lily and Zhou Jingren, the man called out to him.

    "We agree." He uttered as he held his phone and dialed a number.

    If Lily¡¯s guess was right then he might be calling his bank abroad. This was also the reason why the two were hesitant in agreeing to the bet. After all, withdrawing arge amount of money in a short period of time might alert their father, the owner of the Petroleumpany.

    "Good!" Bei Tian beamed.

    "This Bei Tian is really something." Qin Yuanfeng said. "How confident Is he that he will win?"

    "He doesn¡¯t need money." Lily said. "He is having fun." In Bei Tian¡¯s line of work, having fun was a luxury. Lily smiled before turning towards Yang Mi and Secretary Go who seemed to be arguing a few feet away from them. Sighing, Lily shook her head inwardly.

    Secretary Go was too soft while Yang Mi had a really dominant personality. The two were opposites. Logic says that opposites attract but... how are they going to continue with their rtionship if they can¡¯t even agree on something?

    Judging from their bodynguage, it is safe to assume that these two are already sleeping together. However... they are not yet in a rtionship. The two were just trying to create such aplicated rtionship.

    Did they really think that they wouldn¡¯t develop strong feelings after sleeping with each other for a few times? How silly.

    "Alright! Let¡¯s start!" Bei Tian said, almost jumping up and down. This behavior instantly made the Corneels sneer as they wondered what kind of man would act like this even in the presence of a woman¡ª a beautiful woman.

    Veronica Corneel folded her arms across her chest, disgust shing in his eyes. The man before them was very good looking¡ª totally her type. However, his behavior instantly turned her off. Eyeing the silent Qin Yuanfeng, an idea seemed to sprouted in Veronica¡¯s mind.

    "Hey... we are already betting but we haven¡¯t introduced ourselves yet." She smiled at Bei Tian, her gaze darted towards Qin Yuanfeng. "My name is Veronica Corneel and this is my twin brother Veron Corneel. May I know your names?"

    "I am young master Bei." Bei Tian said before he introduced Yang Mi and Go Jichen as well as Qin Yuanfeng. Of course, he also included Zhou Jingren and his wife Lily Zhou¡ª a name that is not as popr as Lily¡¯s european name.

    "Oh!" She sent a sweet smile to Qin Yuanfeng. "I hope you don¡¯t mind me asking. I am a very direct person... so I may sound offensive but I really want to know if you are avable?"

    "No, he is not." Bei Tian uttered shamelessly. "He is with me. We live together."

    Lily almost choked on her own saliva when she heard Bei Tian¡¯s words. She fought the urge tough out loud as she nudged her brother.

    "Oh!" Qin Yuanfeng added. "Yes... we live together."

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 683 Best Angle

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 683 Best Angle</h4>

    A sh of disappointment shed in Veronica¡¯s eyes when she heard Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s reply. "Oh..." She nodded. It seems that this group of people were dating each other. What a waste, she thought.

    "May I know if you want to give me a chance?" Veronica beamed. She knew that her straightforward nature could sometimes offend people. But she was raised in a very liberal family. Sex was not really an issue to them.

    She eyed both Bei Tian and Qin Yuanfeng as dirty thoughts swirled inside her mind. We don¡¯t really know if the two will not agree to spend the night with her, right? After all, she is not only pretty, she is also tall and fit. She has all the qualities that a man would want to see in a naked woman. Moreover, she would really love to spend a night with some handsome and rich Asian.

    "Why would I give you a chance?" Qin Yuanfeng asked, almost clueless. In his mind, this woman was not only weird. She was also stupid. She agreed to have a bet with them, then they ask them for a chance? Isn¡¯t that too stupid? He fought the urge to roll his eyes.

    Stupid woman!

    Veronica opened her mouth, surprised at Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s questions. Seeing everyone stare at her as if she was a different species, she cleared her throat and looked at her brother. "Well then... we should start." She said awkwardly. Veronica had always been a person who loved beauties. She just couldn¡¯t help herself. Veronica nodded at her brother.

    Not long after Bei Tian and Veron agreed on the terms of the contest. This time, they would do a contest of who can shoot the farthest. When Bei Tian suggested thirty meter¡¯s Veron and Veronica immediatelyughed at him. What thirty meters?

    They wanted seventy meters.

    Seeing Bei Tian frowned, the two started to be confident. Just as they expected, this man can shoot arrows as long as the target is not that far. However, a target that is seventy meter away from you does not just require precision. It also requires a lot of arm strength and concentration¡ª something that the two are very familiar with.

    "Seventy?" Bei Tian asked.

    "Yes. Seventy. Of course... half a million should be worth that much right?" Veron asked as he sneered inwardly. "I mean... I would understand if you back out now. After all, you are not a professional."

    "Really?" Bei Tian asked before beaming. "Then... let¡¯s make it a hundred!" Bei Tian¡¯s eyes widened as if he just said the best idea someone hade up with. "No... No... hundred and twenty meters!"

    "Hundred and what?"

    "Hundred and fifty!" Bei Tian added. "Of course, I can perfectly understand if you back out now." Beaming, he added.

    "Beware of bluffs." Veronica whispered. "He is bluffing." There is no way that someone like Bei Tian couldn achieve that feat. Moreover, both Veronica and Veron loved archery, they knew every person in the Guinness book of world records who is rted to archery.

    "I know." Veron answered before turning towards Bei Tian. "Are you sure about that?"

    "Of course! We can even make it a hundred and seventy meters. I mean... no sweat but that is not that far." Squinting his eyes at the field, Bei Tian continued to act smugly.

    Seeing Bei Tian act like this, both Lily and Zhou Jingren started their heads helplessly. For some reason, Bei Tian had a special way in dealing with people. This was something that not many of them had.

    A man who can be both deadly and funny is rare and they are lucky to meet someone like him in their lives.

    "Alright then... I hope you won¡¯t regret it. Veronica... please hand me my bow." Veron said. To be honest, he was not that confident that he could even hit a target that far. However, he would never back out just because of his uncertainty.

    "Wait... Wait... what are you doing?" Bei Tian asked.

    "I am going to start. This is taking a lot of my time." Veron answered, irritation shing in his eyes.

    "But the target is not moving yet."

    "What do you mean moving?"

    "Moving... like it¡¯s not still?" Bei Tian answered. "You don¡¯t know what a moving target means?"

    "I¡ª " Veron instantly met his sister¡¯s eyes. "That is not part of the deal."

    "Oh! Then... it¡¯s ok. I can perfectly understand if you backout now. After all, you are just a professional." Bei Tian gave a sly grin instantly irritating the siblings.

    The fact that Bei Tian is using their own words against them is so infuriating.

    "Mr. Bei... I think we have a misunderstanding somewhere." Veronica said. "I mean... a moving target at Hundred and seventy meters?"

    "So you only shoot still targets?" Slowly a sinister smile crept on Bei Tian¡¯s lips. "How about a moving dear? Or a moving human?"

    "I¡ª that is illegal."

    "Is it?"

    "Mr. Bei... I didn¡¯t think I would meet a really funny man like you in this country." Veron said, easing the tension that he felt inside. "But... since you insist on having a moving target then... we will oblige."

    "Brother¡ª "

    "Bluff." Veron interrupted his sister. "He is trying to make us think that he is very good. He is trying to intimidate us into backing down." He said.

    "But¡ª "

    "No buts." Veron said. This man had been irritating them all night. Will he really let this opportunity go to embarrass him in front of his friends? Turning towards Bei Tian, he smiled. "Mr. Bei... I hope you don¡¯t mind but... I would like to make sure that you can afford betting with me. Is it possible that we get this into writing?"

    "Of course!" Bei Tian said. "Even better... we can record a video of each other. Isn¡¯t that the best proof ever?" He nodded towards Qin Yuanfeng. "Choose the best angle, alright?"

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    I am enjoying writing these chapters so much. Its light and funny. Heheheh

 Chapter 684 Beauties

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 684 ¡¯Beauties¡¯</h4>

    After they finished recording the video, the group instantly started with the contest. Of course, Veron insisted on going first.

    His aim was simple. He wanted to make Bei Tian nervous. Surely, his skills were enough to intimidate him, right?

    Twenty arrows.

    Two moving targets.

    The fact that this ce had mechanisms that could cater the needs of their game was really surprising even for Veron. Since the target was very difficult to hit, they chose to have the contest based on their scores.

    While Veron was sure that hitting the inner gold ring was almost close to impossible, he at least knew that he could still get a decent score.

    After letting go of his tenth arrow, a proud smile instantly hung on Veron¡¯s lips. As expected, he was not able to hit the golden ring but his score was still satisfactory. The fact that he only missed one arrow even surprised him.

    "Mr. Bei should watch carefully." Veronica smiled as she sat next to Bei Tian. "My brother¡¯s skills are already at a professional level. However, because of ourpany, he doesn¡¯t have the time to focus on his passion. I¡¯m sure you will learn a lot from him."

    "Of course." Bei Tian said before drinking from the water bottle. All this talking made him really thirsty, ah. It seems that having fun always had its price. "He looks just like a master. Look at that posture. Those perfect biceps." He smirked. "Notparable to Yuanfeng but.... That will do."

    "You¡ª" Veronica widened her eyes. How could this man be so shameless? Veron was still her brother! Isn¡¯t it too gross to talk about this? She immediately turned her body away from Bei Tian, disgust apparent in her eyes.

    "Whoo... that was twenty arrows!" Veron¡¯s voice echoed before he walked towards them, beaming. "You better go and check out my scores. I don¡¯t want you to say that I cheated or something."

    "Of course." Bei Tian smiled before he asked Qin Yuanfeng to apany him. Together with Veron and Veronica, they started adding Veron¡¯s scores.

    In the end he got 74 points.

    "Aigo... why are you so proud?" Bei Tian mocked. "That¡¯s seventy four points out of two hundred. In my vocabry that already means you failed." He said, his chin raised slightly, making him look more arrogant.

    "This man..."

    "Brother... calm down. We can¡¯t stoop down to his level." Veronica immediately stopped her brother. "We are here for business not to get in trouble with the locals." She reminded him. As expected, Veron turned silent. He unclenched his fist and turned his head away.

    "Your turn." Veron said, hoping that he would have enough patience to deal with this man.

    "Where are you going?" Bei Tian asked when he saw him walking towards the bench with his sister. "Are you sure you won¡¯t watch me? You know... to make sure that I won¡¯t cheat?"

    "No!" Veron snarled. Now, he was already regretting his decision toe in here with Veronica just because of ¡¯good looking people¡¯. Rolling his eyes, he mentally noted not to apany his sister again in appreciating ¡¯beauties¡¯.

    This was infuriating him! Everything about this is making him angry.

    "Brother your face is so red. You should calm down."

    "This is your fault." He hissed. "Are you happy that he is ridiculing me?"

    "I¡ª " Veronica lowered her head. "Im sorry... I didn¡¯t know."

    "We should have stopped when he suggested that extravagant bet!" Originally, Veron didn¡¯t want to have the bet. But his sister convinced him into agreeing with it. He nced at the group sitting at the other bench. Seeing them smile and chat as if they didn¡¯t just bet half a million was... insulting.

    The group seemed to be having so much fun! They wereughing and obviously enjoying this show. He immediately wondered if they had started mocking him when they heard his score.

    A curse escaped his mouth as he eyed Bei Tian who already started shooting while.... Humming? Why would he hum? Was he not taking this seriously?

    "That man is mocking me." He said.

    "Or he is just enjoying himself." Veronica said, trying to calm down his brother. In fact, she also thought that Bei Tian was indeed mocking them. However, saying her opinion out loud would only add fuel to the fire. She would not want to get her brother into trouble, especially now that they are in a foreign country.

    A sh of regret glinted in Veronica¡¯s eyes. She and her brother were ying on their own on the other side of this ce when she spotted Qin Yuanfeng walking with some bottle of water in his hand. Seeing a good looking man in this ce immediately made her feel excited. So, she asked her brother to go to the other spot and join them.

    Too bad... they encountered a fox like Bei Tian. Sighing, her eyes darted towards the target. She widened her eyes for a few seconds before letting out another sigh. It seems that Bei Tian was baiting them earlier.

    He was acting as if he was being too arrogant. Then he started pretending to have second thoughts on the seventy meter distance before proposing a hundred and seventy meters. This made them conclude that he was only bluffing. That he was all talk while trying to intimidate them into backing out.

    They thought Bei Tian was too embarrassed to back out because his friends were watching. Well... they were wrong.

    So wrong.

    Turns out, they had stumbled onto a fox who was genuinely enjoying his schemes. A bold man who was not afraid to put them in their ces. Eyeing at the targets again, Veronica sincerely hoped that her brother wouldn¡¯tsh out on her. After all, this was her fault.

    Knowing her brother¡¯spetitive nature, she was sure that this incident wouldn¡¯t let him sleep tonight. This might even affect their meeting tomorrow.

    He had already lost.

    Bei Tian¡¯s arrows were inside the golden ring and he still had at least five more arrows to shoot. What a beast. She thought.

    "We lost," She heard Veron utter. "I lost."

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 685 Data

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 685 Data</h4>

    Bei Tian hadn¡¯t even finished shooting all his arrows when Veron already left in a huff. "Take care of the bet." He snarled. Losing to someone who was not even taking him seriously was more insulting than losing to a professional!

    "Brother!" Veronica called out however, her brother didn¡¯t stop. He walked out of the venue without saying anything else. This was something that Veronica had already expected. Sighing, she walked towards Bei Tian who had just finished his twentieth arrow. "You won." She said, avoiding his gaze as she stared at the target from afar.

    "Of course I would." Bei Tian beamed. "Your brother?"

    "He went out. I will take care of the payment." She said as she held her phone in her hand. After a few minutes, Veronica stared at Bei Tian¡¯s smug face, an overwhelming guilt glinted in her eyes. "It¡¯s done." She had previously given her contact to Bei Tian together with the video so contacting them about the payment was not a problem.

    "Alright." Bei Tian beamed. "Your wee."

    Veronica froze. What kind of shameless man did she and her brother meet? Without waiting for her to respond, Bei Tian walked towards his friends, the same smug grin was on his face. Seeing this, Veronica lowered her head as she left the ce silently, hoping that this incident wouldn¡¯t affect their presentation tomorrow.

    Or else... their father would surely kick them out of the family. Biting her lips, Veronica started to look for her brother.

    Seeing Veronica¡¯s disappearing back, Bei Tian¡¯s face suddenly turned serious. He then met Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes before shifting his gaze to Lily. "That man is too ill- tempered. You should be careful."

    The sudden shift in the atmosphere was expected. "Of course, there is nothing to worry about. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t do anything to you." After all, they were looking for someone to buy their shares, not someone to sue.

    "Well... Young master Bei just won a lot of money tonight! Why are we talking about other things unrted to this money?" Lily beamed. "I mean... we were cheering for you."

    "What cheer?" Bei Tian frowned. "I didn¡¯t hear anyone cheer for me."

    "Silly Bei Tian... if we yelled your name, we would have disturbed your concentration. So we prayed for your health instead. We prayed that you would have enough stamina to sustain shooting all the arrows." Yang Mi smirked. "Now that you win, isn¡¯t it fair that you pay us? For our prayers?"

    "Huh? What does this have to do with my money?" Bei Tian¡¯s loud voice was followed with boisterousughter that instantly made the atmosphere a little lighter. The group started talking for a few minutes, joking with each other before they decided to go home.

    It was a nice day and everyone really had fun. Because of this, they decided to have a get together every holiday. After all, they already considered each other as family.

    "Did you have a great time?" Zhou Jingren smiled as he leaned on the door of the bathroom, his arms folded across his chest, as he stared at Lily.

    "Hmmm." She nodded before applying a serum on her face. "It was fun." Lily never really had this kind of fun as she grew up. Now that she thought about it, these people were considered her first friends. After finishing her skin care routine, Lily and Zhou Jingren went to bed with smiles on their faces.

    Sometimes, you don¡¯t need blood rtions to consider each other as family.

    .....

    Fi Group

    "I already told you, it¡¯s alright if you choose to stay here. You don¡¯t have to apany me." Lily said as she looked at her brother who was wearing a dark blue suit. With his serious expression, the suit instantly made him look a little older. "If you are notfortable attending a meeting then I won¡¯t force you to."

    "It¡¯s alright." Qin Yuanfeng said. "I will apany you. After all, I lost our bet."

    "Speaking of our bet. I just want to inform you that they already caught Ron. He was in Mysia trying to hide from the authorities."

    "Good. That man was as horrible as Chen Shi." For some reason, Qin Yuanfeng already developed a lot of hatred against people who could betray their family just for their own self satisfaction.

    "Hmmm. And Jun said that he is not nning to inform Demi about her real parents."

    Qin Yuanfeng pursed his lips in response as he handed Lily a folder. "Take this."

    She raised an eyebrow. "Information about the Corneels? I don¡¯t think I need this."

    "Hm? What do you mean? This contains everything about them. Data about their behavior and previous actions. I created a graph¡ª "

    "What do you mean? What data?" Lily flipped the pages before she nodded, understanding flickered in her eyes.

    Her dear brother had actually analyzed the Corneels previous actions and tried to create a graph that shows who is more likely to change their mind all the time and who is more likely to argue with Lily.

    "You don¡¯t need it?" he asked.

    "Actually, I do." Lily said. If she could analyze what someone could do, her brother could analyze the past behavior of a person through his data. Wasn¡¯t this the perfectbination? Knowledge was very important to Lily, and having this skill in the form of Qin Yuanfeng was really helpful to someone like her. "Thank you. This is very helpful." She beamed.

    "President, the Corneels are here." Yang Mi¡¯s voice echoed inside Lily¡¯s office.

    "Did they see you?" She asked while keeping the folder close to her. This file might not be something that she could use right now, however, she was sure that she would use this file soon.

    "No. Mr. Rossi is already talking to them, leading them towards the conference room."

    "Good!" Lily beamed. She then shifted her gaze towards her brother. "You ready?"

    He nodded in response.

    "Then... let¡¯s go." Lily smiled as she walked out of her office and towards the Conference room a few floors down.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Please keep on voting.

 Chapter 686 A Leader

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 686 A Leader</h4>

    Veron was in a bad mood today. He only had an hour sleepst night and his head was starting to ache. He forced a smile out of his mouth as he nodded at Mr. Rossi¡¯s words, pretending that he was listening to him.

    "Pleasee in." Mr. Rossi led them to a conference room and told them that Lily Fi- Qin was on her way with a few executives and shareholders that would join them for the presentation. Another smile left his mouth as he told him that he understood.

    "Are you alright?" Veronica asked, her brows furrowed as she stared at her brother¡¯s face.

    "Really?" he countered, irritation apparent in his eyes. Was that even a valid question? His lossst night was still haunting him. It might even take him a few days before he would recover from that loss. "Prepare the presentation." He ordered. "We need to make a good impression."

    Veronica nodded in response. The fact that their father actually trusted them to show the executives these reports was such a big deal. They needed to nail this presentation. Not long after they arrived another assistant came inside followed by a few executives.

    A jovial atmosphere was instantly established as they started introducing themselves.

    "President Zhou is already on her way."

    "Zhou?" Veron asked as the memories of the man and woman who were watching them came into his mind.

    "Yes. She just got married to another tycoon in Hong Kong a few months back." The executive across him answered.

    Veron nodded in response. The world might be small but it was just way too coincidental if the people that they metst night were President Zhou and her husband. He is aware that sometimes, looks could be very deceiving however, the coincidence was just too much to handle.

    Just how unlucky was he if...

    The sound of the door being opened interrupted his stupor. Both Veron and Veronica turned their heads towards the door only to widen their eyes in shock. The mouths went agape, eyes so wide they could feel it threatening to jump out of their sockets.

    It was Yang Mi followed by Qin Yuanfeng then... then... Lily!

    This¡ª Veron felt his throat turned so dry, his throat tightened as he froze for a few seconds. How could he be this unlucky? Veron wanted to curse but even his brain felt numb. It felt like his brain had just decided to stop working on its own.

    "Hey!" Veronica was the first to recover, she elbowed her frozen brother as she smiled towards Lily¡¯s direction. Just like her brother, she too was surprised however, she managed to calm herself. They can¡¯t act like clowns in front of everyone.

    "Good Morning," Veronica managed to get the words out of her mouth before she introduced herself and her brother. The knowing smile that Lily gave them immediately told her that she knew who they were, she remembered them. The possibility that Lily already knew their identity since she saw themst night was also undeniable.

    After a few seconds, Veron finally managed to say something. This immediately sent some relief inside Veronica. The presentation quickly started. It wasn¡¯t really much as Lily and the other¡¯s already had this data with them. This meeting was supposed to establish a favorable impression from Lily. After all, their father was retiring soon, Veron and his other sons were already trying to upstage each other looking for investors to support them for the CEO position.

    However, once Lily buys the majority of the shares of thepany, this arrangement will change. They were sure that Lily will have her people take over thepany and the sons of Leon Corneel will be left to manage the field work, production, mining and other jobs that involve management.

    Of course, this was not a problem. They knew that this was only temporary. Moreover, Lily could easily appoint one of the brothers to act as COO or maybe even the representative of thepany and for other executive positions.

    After Veron¡¯s presentation, some executives immediately started asking questions¡ª simple ones. These people were obviously in favor with buying thepany as the profits were already guaranteed. Seeing this, Veron kindly answered all the questions as much as he could as he waited for Lily or Qin Yuanfeng to ask one.

    This did not happen.

    Lily and Qin Yuanfeng sat there listening and nodding as he continued to answer the questions from other people. Why was Lily not asking questions? Veron immediately wondered what kind of game Lily was ying at.

    Was she angry aboutst night? But that was pretty illogical, wasn¡¯t it?

    After all, they won. Why would Lily feel anger towards them? Moreover, Veron and Veronica didn¡¯t even engage into any conversation with Lily and her husband. Questions started popping out in Veron¡¯s mind. He could not deny that Lily¡¯s silence was even more intimidating than all of the executivesbined.

    He cleared his throat, and stared at Lily¡¯s face. "President Zhou... may I know if you have any questions regarding the reports sent by us for the acquisition?" He asked.

    "Mr. Corneel." Lily smiled and her eyes sparkled. "These reports are the same reports that your father gave usst month." She said as her gaze darted towards Veronica before shifting it back to Veron. "Suffice to say, we are already very familiar with these things."

    "That¡ª "

    "After an acquisition, we will have ess to your books. We might decide to cut or add some budget for the purpose of integration of the twopanies. New people will be hired, some will be fired. I¡¯m sure this has caused a lot of stress in your end?" This type of buy out does not necessarily mean that Lily and the whole Fi Group will change the whole Corneel Oils and Co. In fact, the aim is only to grow its financial portfolio while letting the Corneels operate exactly as it did before. However, the employees do not know this.

    Being a leader in a multinationalpany does not only mean satisfying the shareholders with profits. It also means creating the right environment for its employees to work in.

    Seeing everyone stare at her, Lily smiled at Veron. "I want assurance Mr. Corneel. I want the ns that you have to ensure that the productivity of your employees will stay the same even after the acquisition. We all want profits and I want you to assure me that yourpany will continue to produce the same results even under the pressure of a new management."

    Veron stared at Lily, his face devoid of any expression. He sighed inwardly.

    ¡¯So this is Lily Fi- Qin,¡¯ he thought inwardly.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 687 The Puppeteer

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 687 The Puppeteer</h4>

    "Thank you for your question," Veronica intervened when she saw her brother turn silent. Smiling at Lily, Veronica started exining the initiative that she started with her other sister to make sure that their employees didn¡¯t get affected with the transition.

    "I see." Lily pursed her lips. "Then it¡¯s all good." She nodded before Veronica started exining about some other initiatives that she had started. Clearing her throat, she eyed Qin Yuanfeng who was silently sitting next to Lily. By now, she could guess that Lily and Qin Yuanfeng were rted as their simrities were too obvious to miss.

    Last night, she did not notice these simrities as she really did not pay attention to Lily and was only staring at Qin Yuanfeng. After all, Veronica did not have any interest in women.

    "Are there any more questions?" Seeing Qin Yuanfeng just stare at her, Veronica¡¯s smile became even more brilliant. Turning her gaze towards the other executive, Veronica decided to give her best as she answered the other questions from Mr. Rossi.

    After Lily asked her question, it did not take that long before the meeting came to an end. After all, Lily had already stated that they had seen these reports before. There was no need to ask more questions if they already knew the answers. After the meeting, everyone went to have lunch at one of the most prestigious eastern restaurants in Hong Kong.

    .....

    Fi Group

    It had been a few hours since the Corneels left and until now, Lily was still maintaining her silence. She stared at the files that her brother had given, her eyes narrowing on the Corneel siblings. Veronica and Veron were actually the youngest of the six children of Leon Corneel. The two oldest were from histe wife who died when she was still in her twenties and the other four were from his second wife who was still together with him now.

    Sitting opposite to her was Qin Yuanfeng who was equally silent, staring at the painting of Lily that Zhou Jingren made for her. This was the scene that Zhou Jingren and Bei Tian came across when they arrived.

    "What is wrong with them?" Bei Tian asked Yang Mi as Zhou Jingren walked towards Lily.

    "I don¡¯t know." Yang Mi shrugged. Since the meeting, Lily had been silent and would only talk asionally during that lunch. Seeing this, Bei Tian sat opposite to Qin Yuanfeng.

    "Hey," Zhou Jingren leaned and kiss Lily¡¯s forehead. "What¡¯s wrong?" he asked.

    "Nothing much," Lily said as she stood from her seat. "We should go now. It is gettingte." Lily was only waiting for her husband toe and get her so that they could go home together. "Let¡¯s talk when we get home." She pursed her lips. She grabbed the file that Qin Yuanfeng had given her and left the office with everyone else.

    Even with Zhou Jingren around, Lily still stayed silent, her gaze was glued outside of the car as she asionally sighed. Of course, this silence was enough to make everyone else uneasy. Did Lily encounter a certain problem? Was she in trouble?

    Tons of questions started to pile up inside Zhou Jingren¡¯s mind. However, he chose to stay silent and wait for Lily to tell him everything. After arriving at the mansion, Lily immediately changed her clothing and sat on the terrace with Zhou Jingren.

    "Someone is ying a game with me." Lily uttered, her voice low. Her eyes darted over Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes before she looked at the view of the whole Hong Kong city that sparkled as it lit up against the night sky.

    Zhou Jingren instantly frowned at her words. "What do you mean?"

    "The Corneels... they are trying to y a game with me. And someone might be behind them, acting as the puppeteer, manipting everything from the shadows." Lily clenched her jaws. "I hate it."

    "I had asked Bei Tian to investigate the Corneel Family but nothing came up. They are not squeaky clean but who is? Their background seemed normal to me. They are just a normal rich family from the west. Nothing about them stands out from the normal rich families out there." From the illegal methods that they used to deal with their enemies, to taxes, the Corneels looked ordinary in Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes.

    Lily chuckled in response. Normal? Does that even exist in her world? "Them being normal bothers me." Meeting Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes, Lily responded. "Veronica and Veron, the youngest of his six children were sent to deal with a multi million dor deal." She sneered. "Someone in that family wants to use me to deal with the two. Making them lose their father¡¯s favor."

    If there is one thing that Lily hated the most, it is being used. It was being a pawn in someone else¡¯s game. "They thought they could easily manipte me into saying some unfavorable words against the twins." Both Veronica and Veron were clearly unaware that the reports were already given to Lily. This prompted them to present the same reports, making them look like clowns in front of Lily.

    This realization immediately ruined her day. Someone wanted to use her! How could she let them do that? Irritation grew apparent in her eyes.

    What Lily hated about all this is the fact that she could feel that someone was messing with her but she had no idea who it was! She had crossed a lot of people, offended more than a dozen businessmen and destroyed more than five business empires! She had a lot of enemies and it could easily be one of them.

    As someone who was called an irondy by her previous enemies in Europe, it was only normal for someone like Lily to have a long list of people who wanted to get her. This was the reason why being toocent was not a luxury she could afford.

    "Did you schedule a meeting with Leon Corneel then?" Zhou Jingren asked.

    "No, I didn¡¯t." She said before smirking. The people who sent Veron and Veronica wanted them to fail. Will she really allow that to happen? "I will tell their father that the twins did a good job." She smiled.

    In this type of scheme, doing the most illogical thing was the best way to make the enemy panic.

 Chapter 688 Limeligh

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 688 Limeligh</h4>

    Fi Group.

    "Apparently, there is somepetition going on between the siblings." Yang Mi said.

    "Hmm." Lily nodded in response. "It is normal for siblings topete. Somepete for their parent¡¯s attention and some for influence and wealth. In a society where the strong are revered, this is something normal inside the household of influential families. " As expected, the siblings were indeedpeting on who could gain their father¡¯s favor. She turned her attention to Yang Mi. "Are you alright?"

    "Yes, President."

    "The bags under your eyes say otherwise." Lily shifted her gaze towards the files in front of her. She knew that Yang Mi was never the type to easily open up to someone. She was not as emotional and would always think things thoroughly before doing something. "Can you fix it?"

    "President?"

    "Whatever it is that made you lose your sleep." She continued, her gaze still on the file. "Can you fix it?"

    ??I¡ª "

    "If the answer is no. Then... let it go." Lily uttered. "What are you waiting for?" She chuckled. Slowly, her head turned towards the beautiful woman standing next her. "But if the answer is yes.... Then, what¡¯s stopping you from fixing it?" Lily gave a gentle smile. "Fix it before it¡¯s toote."

    Ignoring the changes in Yang Mi¡¯s face, Lily started reading the file in her hand. Human rtionships wereplicated. While Lily was aware that she was in no position to give advice, she also knew that sometimes, Yang Mi could be a little stupid.

    Pride was a difficult thing to handle. And when pride was coupled with stupidity, it could easily ruin someone¡¯s happiness. Lily straightened her back. It was normal for someone to fall in love. What is not normal was to keep on running from it.

    Emotions can beplicated at times and Lily was aware of that. She was also aware that Yang Mi¡¯s sense of duty might be greater than what she felt inside. However, she could not stay with Lily forever. She needed to have a life. A man that would take care of her, as family.

    If Lily was right, this was something that had been weighing on Yang Mi¡¯s mind. The line between duty and emotion. The line between her responsibility to the person that she vowed to protect and the person who she might spend her life with.

    Lily pursed her lips. As much as she wanted to give life-changing advice to Yang Mi, she chose to maintain her silence. She knew Yang Mi was smart enough to figure it out on her own. A smile dangled on Lily¡¯s lips as she felt Yang Mi stare at her side profile.

    "Thank you," Yang Mi uttered in a low voice. Lily responded with a nod.

    "So..." Lily started breaking the silence inside the room. "Veron and Veronica are favored because their mother absolutely loves them. However, the two are not really interested in business." She stated. "Veron loves sports, archery, surfing, skydiving. Just like his twin sister. Interesting."

    If they don¡¯t like handling a business then.... Why were they here in the first ce?

    "Their mother." Yang Mi stated. "Mrs. Corneel is a socialite in Europe. She is close friends with some famous singers and prestigious families in both the US and Europe."

    Lily nodded in response. ording to the reports, their father must have let them do whatever they wanted. Travel, parties, shopping. Everything. However, their mother was different. She was a bit strict and wanted all her children to learn everything about business. In fact, all six of their children, including her two stepchildren studied business management.

    Growing up under the pressure of society must have been hard. She thought. "Call Leon Corneel. Tell him I am very grateful that he sent someone as knowledgeable as the twins." Lily uttered, a sly smile stered on her face.

    In fact, the presentation that the twins did was not that good. The information presented at the meeting was something Lily and everyone else in that room were aware of. How could they enjoy such a presentation? It was a good thing that Lily¡¯s executives were extremely polite and still pretended to show interest in the topic. However, that report already created an unfavorable impression towards the Corneels Oils and Co.

    The fact that they sent someone inexperienced was enough to leave a bad taste in the mouth of those executives. Were they not worth it? Why would they send someone who just graduated from the university to handle a multi-million dor deal? Were they underestimating them?

    Lily smiled at the thought of the scheme. Unlike her executives, it was very clear in her eyes, it was almost blinding. She could instantly guess that someone in that family wanted the deal to fail. They wanted to use the twins to represent thepany and make the executives think that they were disrespecting them. This would also give some negative results to the twins.

    However, Lily was not stupid. She could already smell something like this from a mile away. What she did not expect is for someone to boldly try to use her in the politics inside the Corneel Family.

    "Tell him, I would love to meet for a coffee. Perhaps we could schedule one during one of his trips to Asia." Lily added. Leon Corneel¡ª a name that was famous in the oil industry. A businessman, a husband, and a father.

    Lily immediately wondered what dark secrets this man was hiding. Chuckling at her own thoughts, Lily instantly thought of the possibility that it was Leon himself who wanted topromise the deal. But why?

    He and his associates were the ones that proposed the acquisition of thepany. Why would he use this method to back out now? Was someone forcing him to do this?

    Someone might be trying to use hispany to gain ess to Fi Group. But why?

    Questions upon questions started piling up inside Lily¡¯s head. A smile soon hung on her lips. It seemed that she had been out of the limelight for so long, people were starting to forget who she was.

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 689 Foundations

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 689 Foundations</h4>

    Unknown location

    "She did what?" A deep voice echoed inside the walls of the study. Frowning, the man turned his head towards the woman opposite to him. Slowly, a smile slithered on his aged face. Soon, his smile turned into a low chuckle."So.... She must have got it. What a smart one."

    "I told you," the woman pursed her lips. "She is one hell of a woman." She took a sip of her tea. "There is no need for us to intervene. I am sure Lily can handle it."

    "She is pregnant. She cannot exhaust herself."

    "With her husband by her side, there is no way Lily will exhaust herself. He would never let that happen."

    The man nodded, his face turned serious. "She is starting to ask questions."

    "I know." A sighed escaped her lips. "Even her husband is starting to dig into the past. Sooner orter... they will know what happened to Lilian." Sadness shed in her eyes. The fact that they could not say a thing about it had been weighing her down. "If only we could..."

    "Our families will suffer." The man interrupted her. "Even Lilian was not able to do something against them."

    "But... if we could tell her about them..."

    "Cathy..." the man made a deliberate pause, his gaze turnedplicated. "What happenedst year was proof the organization cannot be trusted. We don¡¯t know... It would not surprise me if they nted someone to get close to Lily."

    "You are saying..."

    "A spy." He nodded. "Tread carefully. They have been ying the world with their idiologies, controlling the global market, wars, very. If they can do that while avoiding the eyes of everyone, they can easily nt someone near us- near Lily."

    Cathy¡¯s face turned serious. Just like what Lilian said before her death, do not trust anyone.

    Doubt.

    Doubt as much as you can. The world is a treacherous ce, they should be careful.

    "The goal is to protect Lily not get her in trouble." The man continued. "I believe, informing her about this will put her in danger."

    "But... we need her to be vignt. Without knowledge, Lily might make the wrong decisions, wrong choices. We can¡¯t¡ª We can¡¯t let her be the next Lilian." Shaking her head, the side of Cathy¡¯s lips turned downwards.

    "Ironic isn¡¯t it?" the man lifted his eyebrows. "Information... knowledge was the reason why Lilian died. Do you want the same thing to happen to Lily? Knowledge might mean power... but sometimes, it could get us into trouble. Sometimes, too much knowledge could mean danger."

    "I¡ª "

    "See? We only have two options." he snorted. "First, we watch from the sidelines. Let them approach her first before we dive in and inform her what happened. Or... " Slowly, a sly smile can be seen in her face. "We let her find out by herself."

    "You mean¡ª "

    "As you said... she is a smart woman. She will figure it out soon, whether we intervene or not . It won¡¯t take too long for her to know the truth. It won¡¯t take too long for her to trace the connection of Lilian¡¯s and her Grandmother Ye¡¯s death."

    Cathy nodded before letting out a sigh. She always thought the worst thing about knowing a secret was keeping it. She was wrong. The worst thing about it is the fact that she would be forced to watch in the sidelines knowing she could have revealed the secret and saved someone.

    "She is happy now." The man continued. "Let¡¯s not ruin it."

    "Lilian was happy too." Cathy¡¯s face turned ugly. "Bec was happy too! But where are they now?" She felt her throat tighten. If only she knew about all these things years ago. If only Lilian told her about all these things ten or twenty years before her death. It would have been different. The oue... would have been different!

    She gritted her teeth before drinking the remaining tea that she had.

    "Cathy... you are still as ill tempered as ever." The man smiled. "You really think you can stop an organization that treats itself as gods? Lilian... was not able to stop them. We both know she is more powerful than both of usbined. Do you think... the oue would have been different if you were aware who the enemy was?"

    "Who knows?" She retorted. Just because they are weaker, does not mean they are not capable of doing something. A small action, a small counter attack, a small n.

    "All I know is telling Lily what we know will put her in danger. She is too scheming to let it go. We cannot put her pregnancy at risk. We saw what happened to her seven years ago. She cannot go through something like that again." His voice contained authority. "I understand your concern and I know you have long treated her as your daughter. However, all you can do for now is to protect her from the shadows."

    For a few seconds, she turned quiet. Slowly, she nodded in approval. "I understand."

    "Good. Now... manage the Arison Holdings well. Impress George, you know how he treats Lily. His support towards Lily is vital. We needed to continue everything that Lilian started. Slowly, secretly."

    Cathy¡¯s lips thinned. If someone would ask her, the only thing she regretted the most is not being powerful enough. Not being influential enough. Not being smart enough. She regretted not being enough to protect Lilian and Bec. She hated it¡ª everything about the past.

    Compared to that organization, Cathy and even Lily was just a small ant. Something that could be crushed easily by their influence.

    "So we pretend." Cathy said. "We continue to pretend that we are dumb blokes ying on their palms."

    "Yes. We pretend." He nodded. "We pretend we are unaware. We pretend that we are dumb. We pretend they don¡¯t exist. We have been doing this since Lilian died. We can continue doing it even now."

    Another sigh escaped Cathy¡¯s lips. She eyed Mr. Rossi and nodded. "Then... I guess... we don¡¯t have another choice."

    Understanding shed in their eyes. Their goal was to protect Lily. Their goal was to ensure her safety as they hope.

    Hope one day, Lily would find out the truth on her own and will somehow... use her brains to shake the very foundations of the organization and lead it to its destruction.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Surprise?

 Chapter 690 Shoulders

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 690 Shoulders</h4>

    Lily took a deep breath. She can do this, she thought as she eyed the target board a few feet away from her. Wasn¡¯t this just a gun? She can handle conglomerates! She should be able to handle a weapon as small as the Glock 9mm Luger in her hand.

    "You don¡¯t have to be so nervous." Zhou Jingren said behind her.

    "I¡¯m not nervous." First, Lily¡¯s current emotion was moreplicated than just being nervous. Of course, she would not deny the fact that she was a bit afraid¡ª afraid to embarrass herself in front of her husband. That might soundical but this was a fact. "What should I do.... If I don¡¯t hit it?" A silly question. Lily shook her head inwardly.

    "Don¡¯t stop shooting." He answered.

    "Oh." She nodded. Was that even applicable in real life scenario?

    "Why are you being so tense?" He chuckled and held her hand. "You are shaking."

    "I think... you should stand a bit farther than me." Lily cleared her throat. "I can do this. I¡¯m a big girl." Images of Jack¡¯s bloodied face quickly shed in her mind. It seems Zhou Jingren was right, after all. Killing someone was not something you could forget after a few months. Lily gulped. Wasn¡¯t this just a part of her training? Why is she even thinking of killing someone now?

    "Alright... as you wish. Just... be careful of the recoil."

    "I thought this one doesn¡¯t have a recoil?"

    "Less recoil than most handguns. It¡¯s designed for women." Taking a step back, Zhou Jingren answered.

    Lily¡¯s lips thinned. Designed for women¡ª women who can¡¯t defend themselves. She mused. Lily used to think that there was no need for her to learn these things. However, the more she tread into this world, the more she realized her skills in defending herself was almost close to non- existent.

    So she started training Martial arts. However, she got pregnant and therefore was forced to stop. She also tried learning how to shoot however, she had to stop because of her fragile pregnancy.

    Now that she was already five months pregnant, Lily thought she could start learning how to shoot again. She might even start bringing her own gun soon.

    "It¡¯s not like this is your first time using a gun." His voice made her frown. She urged herself not to retort to his words.

    "Are you afraid that you won¡¯t hit the target?" the amusement in his voice was apparent.

    "Who said that I¡¯m afraid? Im a big girl, alright?" she argued. She was not afraid about this. What she was afraid of was disappointing him. After all, he had already trained her before she got pregnant.

    Lily was aware of her capabilities and she was almost sure she would not hit the target. And yes, she was that bad. Her aim was somewhat crooked. It was something not even science could exin. For some reason, Lily thought this has something to do with her eyesight.

    She could not really align her sight with the target!

    Gritting her teeth, Lily decided to stop thinking about this matter and concentrate on the circr target ahead. She could not let this weakness win against her! This is all inside her mind! Mental state!

    "You should stop pressuring yourself." Zhou Jingren sighed. "I think it is best to stop thinking about who is watching you. Remember this is between you and the target. Nothing¡¯s standing in your way. Just you, the gun and the target."

    Lily tightened her hand around the grip. "I think this handgun is too heavy for me." She uttered, earning a small chuckle from her husband.

    "That gun is customized based on your weight." Lily doesn¡¯t need to see his face to know he was smiling widely behind her.

    "Eh? You can do that?" she asked, eyeing the target.

    "I had someone customize it so you can press the trigger, instead of pulling it. This will increase your uracy as it will prevent your hand from moving."

    "Really?" She put the gun down and turned to look at him. "You can do that?"

    "Of course, I can. And this gun is a new one. It is not the same gun you usedst time."

    Lily nodded. "Impressive." She uttered. Her knowledge when it came to things like this was limited. And she was not really shy to admit that before Zhou Jingren, she had no interest in things like this. "Alright then." She turned towards the gun and held it in her hand. "Let me try it."

    A gentle smile instantly became apparent in Zhou Jingren¡¯s face. He stepped closer, towards her.

    *BANG*

    The loud sound of a gunshot echoed inside the practice range in Zhou Security.

    *BANG*

    *BANG*

    "Did I hit it?" Lily¡¯s voice followed.

    "Did you close your eyes?" Zhou Jingrenughed as he carefully took the gun away from her hand. "You can open your eyes now." After unloading the magazine of the gun, Zhou Jingren made sure it was not loaded before heid it in front of Lily. "I say... you did a good job."

    ??Well..." Lily beamed. She eyed the target that was now moving towards them. "I think... I am a genius."

    "What genius is she talking about?" Bei Tian¡¯s voice echoed behind them. "Aiyo... you didn¡¯t even hit the head of the target. If that circle was the head then... you hit the shoulders... your target can still run."

    "Tian... don¡¯t ¡ª " Zhou Jingren was about to tell him not to provoke Lily. However, it was toote, Lily¡¯s face was already red.

    Narrowing her eyes at Bei Tian, a sinister smirk appeared on Lily¡¯s face. "Mr. Bei... considering that my aim is so bad... I say I got lucky, hitting the shoulders instead of the head."

    "I agree." Bei Tian chuckled ignoring Lily¡¯s red face. "It is indeed luck! Whoa! Whoa! Don¡¯t point that on me!" He said, his hand covered his head. "What ¡ª is she crazy? Ask her to stop!"

    "You think he can stop me?" Lily sneered, her finger wrapped around it¡¯s trigger as she took a step closer to Bei Tian.

    "Oi! Jingren! Stop her, what are you doing? Do you want to get me killed? I am your brother!"

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Bei Tian is asking for it. Please don¡¯t forget to vote.

 Chapter 691 International Lawyers

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 691 International Lawyers</h4>

    The grin on Lily¡¯s face became even more brilliant. "Bang!" She said beforeughing out loud. Seeing Bei Tian pale as he stared at her, only made Lily snort. "Not loaded." She uttered before walking back to Zhou Jingren.

    Sometimes, ying with Bei Tian was too fun, Lily could not say no to herself.

    "Is she crazy?" Bei Tian stood next to Zhou Jingren. "And you didn¡¯t even help me!"

    "I unloaded the gun myself." Zhou Jingren said. "I thought you were leaving?"

    "I am!" Bei Tian snarled. "I have a flight in two hours. I was here to say goodbye and of course to check if her aim improved." His voice became louder. "No improvement. Ouch!" Zhou Jingren suddenly elbowed him.

    "You are ying with fire."

    Bei Tian made a face in response. He then turned towards Lily who was closely examining the target. "Let her practice without pressing the trigger so she will get used to it."

    "Hmmm." Zhou Jingren nodded. "Wait for me." He said before walking towards Lily. "Hey..." He kissed her temple. "Don¡¯t mind him. You did a good job."

    "Of course, I did a good job!" Lily smiled. She intentionally made her voice louder. "Why don¡¯t you let me use him as a target? You know... to see if I can really hit the head?"

    "Oi! You are going overboard! Just because you are a woman doesn¡¯t mean I will let you talk to me like that!" Bei Tian chimed in.

    "Talk like what?" Folding her arms across her chest, Lily raised an eyebrow at him.

    "You know..." Bei Tian said. "Like a target!" He said. "You can¡¯t talk to me as if I have no emotions, ah! I easily get offended and hurt." He pouted, prompting Lily tough again. She then turned towards her husband. "I think I will go for one more round."

    "I will go to the office upstairs. I¡¯m sure thewyers and that woman areing." He said. "Yang Mi will apany you." He leaned down to kiss her lips before he walked out of the range with the smug Bei Tian in tow.

    "President." Yang Mi said next to her. "That Bei Tian is going overboard. Mocking you like this just because he is a little talented? Hmp! We should show him that you are capable of being the best at everything!"

    "Yang Mi..." Lily smiled. "He is trying to challenge me." Of course, this was not going to work to against Lily. She knew that her skills were limited. "And... we can¡¯t be the best at everything. I can¡¯t just wake up tomorrow and be an expert at everything."

    "But President," Yang Mi bit her lips. Until now, she could not recover from the fact that Bei Tian was better than her. She hated that man. "I think you should train very well and show them a miracle." She uttered.

    In response, Lily shook her head. A smile was still on her face. Of course, she would continue to practice. She knew that her aim would improve soon. Of course, not to the point of defeating a man who killed people for a living.

    Lily was not that ambitious. This was not a fantasy world where people just learned skills overnight. She chuckled at her own thoughts. "Of course, I will." She nodded before turning towards the unloaded gun. After wearing a face mask, Lily loaded the gun before aiming it to the next target.

    She might not be an expert at shooting but... she will never hesitate to kill someone to protect the people that she loved. With or without a gun, Lily was sure she won¡¯t have second thoughts in defending herself and her family.

    Another Bang reverberated inside the range. It was followed by another, then another until Lily exhausted all the thirty three rounds inside the magazine. With a smile on her face, Lily removed the face mask and made sure the gun is now empty with the special bullets that Zhou Jingren ordered that will be safe for a pregnant woman like her.

    "President, Secretary Go said that the other party already arrived to talk to President Zhou. The woman was with twowyers and two bodyguards." Yang Mi informed Lily. In response, she nodded.

    "I will change." She said before washing her hands. Lily was currently wearing a tactical outfit that Zhou Jingren chose for her. This outfit included something that could protect her stomach.

    "President, you actually hit the center! Once!" Yang Mi almost jumped in happiness when she saw the target.

    "It was luck." Lily said. All she needed to do is learn shooting, practice and be an expert in handling a gun. Then... she could rely on her luck. Smiling, Lily walked towards the executive elevator that will lead them towards Zhou Jingren¡¯s office.

    "So she actually came huh." Lily muttered. She was talking about the woman who filed a case against Zhou Jingren¡¯s securitypany. She filed a case of sexual assault against a superior and imed that thepany was sexist for mostly hiring men instead of women.

    "President, Secretary Go also said that thewyer Miss Su is bringing women who you might recognize. They are internationalwyers who support women¡¯s rights." Yang Mi eyed Lily. "Thesewyers tend to involve themselves in cases that involve sexual harassment against corporations and bigpanies. They represent women who cannot afford to represent themselves. And they mostly get what they want. Mostly."

    "Interesting." Lily smiled as she walked out of the elevator. With the same smile on her face, Lily started undressing herself and changing into somethingfortable- a knee length dress that could hide her bump. She then paired it with medium heels and a ck coat thatpleted her formal look.

    "President, here are the files." Yang Mi handed Lily a folder. "This contains the new demands that the woman made for her to withdraw her case against thepany."

    "Demands." Lily pursed her lips. "The audacity." She sneered as she walked out of the office and walked towards the elevator that would lead them to the conference room.

    .....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 692 A Victim

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 692 A Victim</h4>

    Su Mingyu stared at the man sitting opposite to her. This was her first time, meeting the man famed for his achievements in the financial world. Pursing her lips, she turned her gaze towards the man serving them coffee and some refreshments. This was Mr. Zhou¡¯s secretary, Mr. Go , famed for being an expert in martial arts and for his loyalty towards his boss.

    She had heard stories about these two. Working in apany with people that they saved, meant hearing stories about their excellent traits all the time. However, Su Mingyu knew that this was all fake. A kind CEO? Does someone like that even exist?

    She was sure that Zhou Jingren was only using the orphanage, creating a show in helping all the troubled teenagers in starting their lives for fame. For the media¡¯s satisfaction. A sneer escaped her lips.

    "Can we start now?" she asked herwyer.

    "Of course," Miss Jones, a US born¡ª Britishwyer who volunteered to take her case for free answered. "President Zhou, here are thepensations that we want." She said as she handed a folder to Zhou Jingren.

    Seeing Zhou Jingren ept the file, Miss Jones continued, "My client was sexually assaulted and was a victim of sexism in yourpany. I don¡¯t know why you wanted to schedule a meeting with us. It was already made clear that we do not want to settle."

    Her words instantly earned a raised eyebrow from Zhou Jingren. Eyeing the contents of the folder, he snorted. "You didn¡¯te here to settle. Yet you dare show me a list of things that you want?"

    "Compensations... I would call thempensation." Miss Jones uttered. "My client was traumatized. Her anxiety is off the charts as she couldn¡¯t help but fear for her life. We want properpensation for this."

    "Why not wait for the court to decide?" He countered.

    "Surely, you already know that the court will always favor our case." Miss Jones said. "We have all the evidence that we need. Once we make the evidence public, the media will tear you and yourpany to shreds." She smirked. "Once that happens everything about you will alsoe to light."

    "A tant threat." Everyone turned their heads at the woman who walked inside without even knocking.

    "Excuse me? This is a private meeting. I¡ª " Miss Jones didn¡¯t continue her words when she saw Lily¡¯s features. She stood from her seat, a smile instantly blossomed on her face. "Miss Fi."

    "Miss Jones, " Lily nodded. Her eyes then shifted towards Su Mingyu. "Miss Su and I presume this is... "

    "Miss Hernandez." The other woman sitting on the other side of Miss Su also stood from her seat.

    "It¡¯s good to see you again?" Lily smiled before she sat next to Zhou Jingren. "Please ignore my entrance. I didn¡¯t realize that I took a lot of time in shooting my targets. I had a little more fun. I actually forgot the time."

    Gulping at Lily¡¯s words, Miss Jones and Miss Hernandez eyed each other. Only a fewwyers in their industry were not aware who Lily was. Unfortunately for them, they were a part of the majority. "Miss Fi, forgive the disrespect but... may I know why you are here? This is a private meeting." Miss Jones

    "Exactly." Lily smiled. "A private meeting with me. As the owner of thispany, I have the right to attend this meeting."

    As expected, Miss Jones and Miss Hernandez furrowed their brows.

    "What is going on?" Su Mingyu asked. She was expecting to only see Zhou Jingren today. Why would his wife suddenly join them?

    "Jichen... give them the current proof that I own the most shares of thispany." Lily uttered, propping her chin into her palms. She then watched as Secretary Go gave them a folder that he had already prepared beforehand. This was the transfer of ownership that was just approved by the board of directors a few months back. It was a document that made Lily the highest shareholder of the security group.

    "This¡ª "

    "I understand theck of research. After all, some major shareholders do not really work in thepany. Some just like to stay in the background as the CEO¡¯s manage thepany." Lily was talking about older shareholders who prefer to just show themselves during board meetings, despite holding thergest amount of shares in thepany.

    One example of this is the Qin Industries. Despite Lily owning the most shares in Qin Chuan¡¯spany, she never showed herself in thepany and would only send representatives to deal with Xuan Hui as he was running thepany, acting as its CEO. "Of course... we all know that I am not like this." She smiled.

    "So... the demands." Lily continued.

    "Compensation." Su Mingyu corrected her. "It¡¯s apensation for the emotional damages that this case has caused me."

    "Alright, Miss Su. We will handle this." Miss Jones smiled at Su Mingyu, hoping that she understood the current situation in front of them. "Miss Fi¡ª "

    "Mrs. Zhou." Lily interrupted her. "Call me Mrs. Zhou."

    "Oh... I¡ª My apologies." Miss Jones¡¯ eyes darted towards Zhou Jingren¡¯snguid state as she wondered if this is something that they n ahead of time to surprise her and her team. "As I was saying, this is ¡ª "

    "No." Lily interrupted her again. She shifted her gaze towards Su Mingyu. "It¡¯s a no. We won¡¯t give you anypensation. Your stress does not concern me. And I¡¯m sure as hell, it does not concern anyone in this room."

    Seeing Su Mingyu¡¯s face started to change its color, a sly smile slithered on Lily¡¯s face. "Filing a case against us, is your choice. Why would you want us to pay for something that you felt after your actions?" She snorted. "It¡¯s funny how youe in here and try to threaten us with something as small as this."

    "I am a victim."

    "Everyone is." Lily shrugged. "Miss Su, let me tell you this, there is no way that you will win this case against me." She met Miss Jones¡¯ and Miss Hernandez¡¯ eyes. "Both of them know that. I suggest you just give up."

 Chapter 693 Falsified

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 693 Falsified</h4>

    "Intimidation and coercion." Miss Jones said. "I was expecting that this would happen. But I never expected it toe from you."

    Lily pursed her lips in response. "Intimidation maybe. But coercion? Not yet, Miss Jones. Not yet."

    "This was the reason why I chose to fight against greedy corporates who can easily crush anyone that would dare file a case against them." She met Lily¡¯s eyes. "A sexual harassment case can be fatal for anypany. It is not something to be taken lightly."

    Miss Hernandez added, "Moreover, Mr. Zhou allowed a hostile environment for women. Catcalling, obscene jokes and being abused by their male colleagues. These made a lot of women leave thepany. If you think that this is something that you can just get out of by mere coercion then you are wrong." Disgust shed in her eyes. "My respect for you... all of it just vanished the moment you tried to intimidate my client."

    "Impressive." Lily smirked. "The thing about sexual harassment cases is... they can be falsified. However, the media will always blow it out of proportion. I¡¯m sure... this is what you mean when you say that this is not to be taken lightly?" Lily lifted an eyebrow.

    "You saying that things can be falsified¡ª"

    "Is it not true?" Lily interrupted. "Are you saying that you didn¡¯t do it before?"

    "You¡ª "

    "You see.... I am not afraid to y dirty." Lily uttered, her chin lifted as she sent a provoking gaze towards the twowyers opposite her. "If you really think that this harassment will stand against mypany then... I guess... we will see each other on the court."

    Miss Jones¡¯ lips thinned, her beautiful brown eyes darted towards Zhou Jingren then towards Lily¡¯s smiling face. Everyone in this room except Su Mingyu was very familiar with Lily and her capability. Lily was one of the many who supported cases against conglomerates and corporates. She made sure to let everyone know she supported women¡¯s rights and absolutely hatedpanies who did not respect these rights.

    So... seeing Lily act this way was truly surprising to her and Miss Hernandez. After all, both of them had worked with Lily in the past. Both of them knew how much she supported women even without the recognition, even without the media surrounding them.

    Was this because of her husband? Slowly, she narrowed her eyes towards Zhou Jingren. A man who stood behind his wife, forcing Lily to act against her beliefs. What a coward. She thought, disgust shing in her eyes.

    "You know," Lily said after a few seconds of ufortable silence. "False usations like this only affects two types of people. The innocent that had been wrongly used and the real victims out there."

    "Why were you so insistent that what I experienced was fake?" Su Mingyu¡¯s face turned red. "I was harassed repeatedly by my colleagues!"

    Lily gave her a knowing smile. However, she did not answer Su Mingyu. Would she reveal that the person involved prefered men more than women?

    Of course not. This was an ace. Something that they could use on the court against this woman.

    "It¡¯s alright Miss Su, you don¡¯t have to say anything. We will handle this." Miss Hernandez assured her.

    "You are afraid of her!" Su Mingyu exploded. "I can see it in your faces! You fear her!"

    "Miss Su... let¡¯s calm down. This is¡ª "

    "Why would you want me to calm down? I was abused! I am the victim! Why is she treating me as if I¡¯m a liar? If someone should feel guilty about all this then it should be them not me! It¡¯s him." She pointed at Zhou Jingren. "He allowed such things to happen under his nose!"

    "Miss Su... I would advise you to stay silent." Miss Jones held Su Mingyu¡¯s hands. "Please." She met Su Mingyu¡¯s eyes. "Let us handle this."

    "No!" Su Mingyu suddenly stood from her seat. "I knew this would happen! I knew that you would force me to settle! I know you will force me to just keep quiet and ept some payments!"

    "Miss Su¡ª "

    "Stop it!¡¯ Su Mingyu said. Seeing Lily looked at her as if she was the criminal was too infuriating. She was a woman too. Why was she siding with those people? Narrowing her eyes at Lily¡¯s smiling face, Su Mingyu mmed her hand against the table. "You¡ª Aren¡¯t you embarrassed of yourself? You are a woman. But instead of sympathizing, you chose to use your power to try and silence me! You dare try to me a victim like me?"

    "Did I?" Lily tilted her head with the same smile on her face.

    "Oh you think I don¡¯t know?" Su Mingyu snorted. "These two... Did you send them to me?" She pointed at the women next to her. "Did you send them to convince me to withdraw the case? Did you?"

    "Miss Su.. Please take your seat."

    "Let me go!" Su Mingyu shook Miss Jones¡¯ hands away. "I know where this is going! You three already know each other! There is no way that you didn¡¯t n all this beforehand." She turned towards Miss Hernandez. "Is this why you told me to observe carefully before I decide something? You wanted me to see this..." She waved her hand. "Whatever this is! Right?"

    "Miss Su..."

    "Stop touching me! I can¡¯t trust you two anymore!"

    "Miss Su... please..."

    Seeing the current chaotic scenario in front of them, Lily leaned back on her chair. Her hand started drumming against the rectangr mahogany table inside the conference room, waiting for them to finish their argument.

    Lily couldn¡¯t understand why Su Mingyu would just explode, losing herposure like this. She was sure she never med the woman and was only saying some stuff that might lead thewyer to convince Su Mingyu to withdraw the case. To Lily, it was a simple threat against twowyers¡ª nothing serious.

    Why would Su Mingyu think Lily sent thewyers just to try and chance her decision? To Lily, doing such underhanded schemes was not worth her time. After all, she was sure they would win.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 694 Scars

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 694 Scars</h4>

    Since thewyers and Miss Su could not really agree on what to say, they decided to leave the securitypany without achieving their goal. Furious, Su Mingyu continued to rant on the way to the ce that she was staying. She immediately fired the two and called them useless over and over again.

    "Thewyers that you sent me are useless!" She sneered the moment she entered the study. "You said they can assure me the things that I wanted! You said the Zhou Capital would easily give me what I want!"

    "Calm down." Su Ru, her adopted father, stared at his daughter. "What happened? Tell me."

    "Well... His wife came and imed that she is the rightful owner of thepany! She said... I should be talking to her instead of her husband! How shameless!" The reminder of Lily¡¯s smiling face immediately turned her face ugly. This action instantly made the scar on her lower chin more apparent. Despite trying her best to hide it with make up, there is no escaping from the old man¡¯s eyes.

    "What would you expect?" the old man said. "Zhou Jingren uses people, he takes advantage of everyone that he can use then dumps them when they are no longer useful. I told you not to agree to this meeting and yet, you just couldn¡¯t stop yourself, could you?"

    "I know!" she hissed, irritation shing in her eyes. "I should have listened. I¡ª I just can¡¯t stop myself! He killed everyone in our family, just because he thought we killed his adoptive father! Wouldn¡¯t it be fair if we make him suffer?"

    "Not now, Mingyu. Not now." Her father said. "Going to the tiger¡¯s den was a mistake. Because of this, his people were able to follow you here. We need to leave as soon as possible." He sighed.

    "Father... he won¡¯t touch me. It.. It just makes no sense." If she disappears, the only suspect could be Zhou Jingren.

    "You are still as stupid as ever." Su Ru shook his head. "I already asked someone to prepare your things. I will stay here while you will stay somewhere safe."

    "Why?"

    "Because I said so littless."

    "No. I mean why would you want me to hide from him? If I die¡ª "

    "Fool!" the old man snorted. "If you die... you die. The media will exaggerate the news for a week or two then another bigger news will rece the news of your death. It¡¯s not like you are relevant. Compared to Zhou Jingren and hispany, we are nothing but ants."

    "But... what about you?" she asked. "Why would you want to stay here?"

    "Diversion. I cannot leave this ce now. This is the price that you will have to pay for being careless. This is the price that I need to pay for your immature actions."

    "Father I¡ª "

    "Leave now. Call me once you are there."

    "But¡ª "

    "No buts and you must remember. Revenge... is a dish always best served cold."

    Seeing the certainty in her father¡¯s eyes, Su Mingyu nodded. A shed of understanding glinted in her almond eyes. Standing from her seat, a sigh escaped Su Mingyu¡¯s lips. "I¡¯m sorry." She said avoiding her father¡¯s gaze.

    "Don¡¯t apologize to me. Apologize to yourte mother¡¯s memories, to our ancestors¡¯ memories." He answered. "I hope this will serve as a lesson to you. Do not let your anger drag you down. Think with your mind, not with your heart. Mingyu... you are still young. You can achieve a lot of things, as long as you make ns and execute them properly."

    Su Mingyu bit her lower lip as she nodded. "I will leave now." She turned her back against her father and left the room without waiting for him to respond. Years ago, when Su Mingyu lost everything, she had vowed not to never let her emotions cloud her judgement again. However, this was something that she could not just control.

    Slowly, her hand made its way into the scar on her neck. It was the same 3rd degree burn scar that her father had on his back from saving her. She gritted her teeth. The once revered and worshiped Inagawa family was now forced to change their name, their appearance, their actions, their ent just for revenge.

    They were forced to hide in the shadows, bide their time as they waited for their revenge against the man who ordered his people to burn them alive. She had been hiding with her father for seven years. SEVEN YEARS of nightmares, of painful memories!

    "Mistress... we should go now." She heard a respectful voice behind her. In response, Su Mingyu nodded silently.

    She had been nning... scheming and waiting for the day she could see Zhou Jingren. Hoping that her face and cold attitude would be able to seduce him. However, in the end, her emotions failed her. She still exploded in anger, losing herposure and her chance to get close to him¡ª close enough to be able to strangle him to his death.

    Slowly, her hands balled into a tight fists, her knuckles turned white. She needed another way to get close to him. However, since her n to seduce him was already out of the picture, she needed another way to do it.

    Lily¡¯s smiling face immediately swarmed inside her head. Lily seemed like a capable woman. She immediately wondered why Lily would allow Zhou Jingren to use her. Was it possible that she was not aware of his past? Was it possible that she was not aware that she married a lunatic, a killing machine who would not even spare children?

    Memories... Hundreds of memories of her family screaming from the fire.

    Su Mingyu instantly closed her eyes, hiding the pain in her eyes. They did not deserve it! They did not deserve to die!

    "Mistress. The master instructed us to take you to an underground hiding spot near Shanghai." The man said. Once again she nodded. At least now... they had someone helping them behind the scenes. She thought before she let out another sigh.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    TANAKA FAMILY: ZJ¡¯s Adoptive family from Japan

    INAGAWA FAMILY: A family killed by ZJ as retaliation for his father¡¯s death. Mentioned around 60+ chapters? This is another Yakuza Family.

 Chapter 695 Oblivious

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 695 Oblivious</h4>

    "She is hiding something." Lily said the moment Su Mingyu rushed out of the office with the two internationalwyers. "Her reactions do not make any sense to me." As someone who can easily read people based on their reactions, Su Mingyu was acting totally opposite to what she was saying.

    The woman was too fragile. Too unstable. Her crazed eyes were just too different from the files that she had on her.

    "I have another meeting in Zhou Capital in less than an hour." Zhou Jingren responded. "We have to leave now or... I will bete." Being a CEO was not an easy task. The meetings just never end. He smiled at the thought. This was the life that he chose to have. Why was heining right now?

    Lily.

    One word that is enough to exin everything that he felt inside. He wanted to spend more time with her, snuggling, talking andughing. However, this was not something possible. At least not right now.

    "Of course," Lily responded, smiling as she walked out of the conference room with their secretaries in tow. "Qin Yuanfeng is also waiting for me at the FG Tower." She sighed. As theirpanies became bigger and bigger, Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s schedule had be more and more chaotic. She could not help but wonder what would happen once she gave birth.

    "Being a woman is not easy." She smiled. "Mothers are superheroes, you know."

    "Of course they are." Zhou Jingren nodded as they entered the elevator. Women were the most resilient creatures on earth. They cry when they¡¯re mad, they forgive, they love, they make choices, big and small ones that will not only benefit them but everyone around them. "Of course, you are." He added, his eyes gentle as ever he stared at her.

    "Stop it." Lily beamed. "We have kids around us." She eyed Secretary Go and Yang Mi who were standing in front of them inside the elevator. Lily pursed her lips as she thought of her other options after giving birth.

    She knew that she and Zhou Jingren could not continue having these schedules if they wanted to create a happy and functional family. A sigh left her lips. Of course, this did not go unnoticed by her husband.

    "Stop thinking about it." He whispered, as if aware of the things inside her mind. "We will find a way." He added.

    ....

    Fi Group

    "Mr. Qin, she is still insisting on speaking with you. Shall I¡ª "

    "Let her in!" Qin Yuanfeng interrupted the attendant on the phone. He removed his eyes from hisputer. "Let her go to the conference room." He added as he sent a text message to Lily, informing her that Su Ma was there to see him.

    Not long after, Qin Yuanfeng left Lily¡¯s office to go to the conference room.

    "Yuanfeng!" Su Ma eximed the moment her eyesnded on him. "I am so d that you decided to see me." She was about to give him a hug, when Qin Yuanfeng, held his hand in front of her face.

    "Stay." He said.

    "I¡ª" Su Ma¡¯s face reddened before she cleared her throat and sat opposite to the man that reminded her too much of Lily¡¯s face. She immediately hid the irritation in her eyes. "I came here to try and convince you to see your father."

    "What father?" he asked.

    "Yuanfeng!" Su Ma¡¯s eyes widened. "How could you say such a thing?"

    "What thing?"

    It was as if there was a lump in Su Ma¡¯s throat. She immediately wondered if this man had some problems in his brain. Qin Chuan failed to mention anything about this at all! "I¡ª I wanted to let you know that your father had been really sadtely. He¡ª He is so different from the Qin Chuan that I met before."

    "Then... make him happy."

    "You really don¡¯t understand my words?" Su Ma asked, disbeliefced her tone as she wondered if Qin Yuanfeng was only pretending not to care or if he was really this oblivious. "Do you really hate your father so much?"

    "No."

    "Then? Then why don¡¯t you want to see him? Maybe over dinner? I¡ª I know Lily said some words against me. Maybe she thinks I am a gold digger for marrying your father. But I can assure you that¡ª that I never had any bad intention towards him. I love Qin Chuan. I really do."

    "She didn¡¯t." Qin Yuanfeng answered.

    "What do you mean?"

    "She didn¡¯t say something against you."

    The seriousness in Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s face immediately made her wonder if he was only acting. Or maybe the man was just that shallow. Su Ma decided to extend her patience as tears lingered in her eyes. "I¡¯m sorry." She uttered. "I know... I know... I am the reason why you hate your father. I.. I don¡¯t know... maybe I should just leave him. I¡ª " her shoulders tremble, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I love him too much, I can¡¯t bear to see him this sad. This heartbroken."

    "Then leave him." Qin Yuanfeng shrugged. "Are you here to tell me that you want to leave him?"

    "I¡ª " confusion instantly shed in Su Ma¡¯s eyes. "That is not my point." Why would Qin Yuanfeng say something like this? All she wanted was for him to pity her and put himself in her shoes, making him realize that her current situation is not really easy! Was this man really this dumb?

    Irritation shed in her eyes.

    "Then what is your point?" he asked.

    "I was just asking¡ª no I am begging you to see your father. Maybe it will make him a little more happy." All she wanted was to turn this man against Lily!

    "Oh!" He nodded, understanding shing in his eyes. "Then... No. I won¡¯t see him."

    "But¡ª Don¡¯t you care about him? Yuanfeng... he is your father. Someone who loved you since you were young. Don¡¯t you really care about him?"

    "Care? Yes¡ª I care."

    "But?"

    "But... caring does not mean I want to see him."

    Su Ma¡¯s mouth went agape, speechless at Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s words. Was this really Qin Yuanfeng? Did she meet the wrong man? Is he ying a game with her?

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote!

 Chapter 696 Are You Dumb?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 696 Are You Dumb?</h4>

    The more, Su Ma thought about Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s reaction, the more furious she became inside. Why was this man making fun of her?

    "Yuanfeng... your father loves you so much. I¡¯m sure you know that since you lived with him for more than twenty years, right?"

    Qin Yuanfeng pursed his lips in response. All he remembered was his father being a pushover and doing whatever it was that his wife asked of him. "Why are you here?" he asked. "Are you here to cry in front of me?"

    "I¡ª That is not the reason why am I here."

    "Perhaps... your head became muddled from too much crying?"

    "No. Don¡¯t you really get it?" Su Ma snarled before she bit her lower lip, realizing that she had gone out of her character. "Your father needs you." She said meekly, hoping it was enough to convince Qin Yuanfeng her intentions ining here were ¡¯pure¡¯. "Since the¡ª the ident that almost cost me my life. He has been different. Distant. I think¡ª I think it was because he thought your sister was the one who wanted to kill me."

    Seeing Qin Yuanfeng stare at her, Su Ma continued, "I tried to convince him it was not Lily. I mean¡ª she seemed really happy for me. She even offered to call me step mother. But it seems he still med her and maybe even himself for what happened."

    "As his wife, I just can¡¯t watch him like this. I can¡¯t watch him wither away with his sadness." Slowly, her tears started falling down her cheeks. She eyed Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s apathetic gaze as she wondered if this man was really this difficult to talk to. If he was... she would be forced to use everything she had just to convince him to see his father.

    "No." Qin Yuanfeng answered. "I won¡¯t see him."

    "But¡ª "

    "No, Miss Su. I will not see him."

    "What do you want me to do? Do you want me to leave him? Yuanfeng... I love your father so much! I can¡¯t¡ª I cant just watch him act like this. Do you want me to divorce him? Do you want me to just¡ª die?" She intentionally made her voice louder, hoping the people outside would hear her sobs.

    Not long after, the door opened as someone served them some refreshments. Seeing this Su Ma made sure to exaggerate her reactions even more. "I am your father¡¯s wife now. It is my responsibility to make him happy. Please you have to understand this. If you really want me to leave him¡ª then I will do that!" she bravely said as she held her chin higher.

    "How could you be this heartless?" she added. "Do you really want me to leave your father?" She continued sobbing. Any man who was watching her right now would surely feel her sincerity and therefore sympathize with her.

    Unbeknownst to her, Qin Yuanfeng was contemting a very important thing in his mind. He had witnessed Chen Shi¡¯s deeds a few days back and he was actually afraid this woman would pull the same tricks on him. "We have a camera here that also records audio." He stated, hoping it was enough to scare this woman.

    In Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s mind, many people would surely believe this Su Ma if she suddenly shouted that he is hurting her. After all, he was a six foot tall man and this woman was really small one. Moreover, she had been crying like crazy, as if Qin Yuanfeng is bullying her. As if he said something so hurtful towards this woman.

    "What¡ª What are you talking about?" Su Ma asked, confusionced her tone. Why would this man talk about cameras?

    "You can¡¯t say that I hurt you. We have cameras." Qin Yuanfeng said. First, he had been around Lily too much to know that women are capable of everything. Lily was capable of scheming, ruining someone¡¯s life and manipting people. He had also seen a lot of women who acted so innocent and harmless but were actually wolves that could devour anyone at any given time.

    Memories of Chen Shi¡¯s crazy behavior with Jun Liang and Thomas Lee swarmed in his head. What if he met someone as crazy as Chen Shi? Wouldn¡¯t that be too scary? He shivered involuntarily.

    "Why would you even think I would do that to you?" Su Ma asked. Was she missing something? "I only came here to try to convince you to see your father." Su Ma only wanted Qin Chuan to think she honestly cared for him.

    Lately, Su Ma had noticed Qin Chuan had been acting weird, staring at her while she was sleeping and muttering words to himself. This behavior scared her. Despite trying her best to make him feel cherished and loved, Su Ma could not seem to stop herself from thinking Qin Chuan already knew who she really was.

    Seeing Qin Yuanfeng shrugged at her words. Su Ma became even more confused. "Yuanfeng... I am begging you. Can you at least see your father when you are not so busy? Perhaps a weekend? He would really love to hear something from you." Using her handkerchief, Su Ma wiped away the tears in her eyes. "If you want, I can leave the house during your visit." She offered.

    If Qin Yuanfeng would agree to this arrangement, Su Ma is already nning to use this opportunity to test Qin Chuan. Surely, he would not want her to leave during this visit right? This will only create another chaos that would cement the ending of their rtionship.

    To Su Ma, this is the best case scenario. A win- win for her and the man who gave her a second life, Zhou Huifang.

    "No. I won¡¯t." Qin Yuanfeng answered. "I keep saying no. And yet, you keep on insisting and asking the same questions over and over again. Are you dumb?" he frowned.

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Imagine all that effort and QY was like: Are you dumb?

 Chapter 697 A Miracle

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 697 A Miracle</h4>

    Fi Group

    "So? What did she say?" Lily had been fighting the urge tough in front of her brother since he started reiterating what had happened earlier. She immediately lowered her head and looked at her phone, pretending that she was not about to die from holding herughter.

    "She got mad and walked out." He answered. Seeing Lily being busy with her phone, Qin Yuanfeng shrugged and turned towards hisputer. "Disrespectful Su Ma!" He uttered. Su Ma was the one who begged to see him. Why was she acting as if he bullied her?

    He never even touched the woman! As proof, he even made sure to create a copy of the video and audio file in the conference room just so he could send it to Zhou Jingren and Bei Tian. It is always better to be safe than be sorryter on.

    Because of Su Ma¡¯s actions earlier, Qin Yuanfeng thought that he needed to find a way to trace the real person behind that woman. While he already had a program running for this woman, Qin Yuanfeng was aware that he did not spend a lot of effort in doing this task as he thought it was not a priority. After all, Lily already decided to cut Qin Chuan off and he had also decided to stand by his sister¡¯s decision.

    "I found the connection between her and that Qi Xia." He said after a few seconds of silence.

    "I am not surprised it¡¯s him."

    "This Qi Xia thinks that he is so smart. Every time he meets with Su Ma, he turns off the video cameras located on the street that they were meeting. He also had someone hack the CCTV of the restaurants and hotels that they meet at." He started exining. "He found a decent hacker that can easily wipe the images of them talking. He also made sure that the hacking cannot be traced back to him by using viruses that would damage the restaurant¡¯s CCTV permanently."

    "So you have proof that it¡¯s him even without any CCTVs?" Lily asked as she rose from her seat and walked towards Qin Yuanfeng.

    "He forgot about the dashboard camera on Su Ma¡¯s car."

    "You can hack into that?"

    "Of course, I can." He answered smugly before his fingers flew into the keyboard. He then showed a clip with Su Ma entering a restaurant followed by Qi Xia a few minutes after. "Took me a while to filter all the images. But it¡¯s there. This should be enough to prove they are the ones who wanted to create chaos between us and our father." He let out a sigh.

    "Well, Su Ma seeded. Qin Chuan was too foolish even to think that he can still have a second chance with my mother in this lifetime. He was living his fantasies through Su Ma."

    "I think he already knows that she is not the real Su Ma." Qin Yuanfeng answered.

    A snort instantly left Lily¡¯s lips. "Of course, he does."

    "He does?"

    "Yes. However, he is too afraid to confront her. He is afraid of losing the woman who looks and acts like my mother. He is afraid of losing his second chance." She sneered. "Why don¡¯t you send all this evidence to him? Include the DNA test."

    "If he sees that.... he might hurt her."

    "And?" Lily lifted an eyebrow before snorting. "He won¡¯t just hurt her. He will kill her."

    Qin Yuanfeng froze at the certainty in Lily¡¯s voice. He turned his head towards her. "You want him to kill her?"

    "That woman is a nuisance." Lily shrugged. "We can¡¯t just waste our time dealing with someone like her." Irritation shed in her eyes. She already had a lot of things to think about. She can¡¯t just deal with this Su Ma and Qin Chuan¡¯s fantasy-like romance anymore.

    "Let¡¯s have them deal with each other instead." She added. Sensing the silence in her brother, Lily removed her eyes from the screen and met her brother¡¯s eyes. "What?"

    "Why would you want him to kill her?"

    "I don¡¯t want him to kill her. I know... he would kill her. Unless there is a miracle somewhere or if someone would intervene." She went back to her seat. "Plus Qin Chuan need help. He needs to go to a facility that will help him deal with his loss and guilt. He can easily im insanity and we could have him admitted to a high-end mental institution."

    "So¡ª " Qin Yuanfeng hesitated for a few seconds. "If something like that happened to you and Jingren. If... someone would pretend to be your husband. Would you kill him too?"

    "Of course, I will. What kind of question is that?" She answered without batting an eyelid. "Just send the proof to Qin Chuan and let him handle it. If he won¡¯t handle it then... let him suffer knowing that he is living with an impostor." Qin Chuan already made his choice. Now, he will have to face its consequences.

    "What about Qi Xia?"

    "That man has been bothering me for a few months now." Lily didn¡¯t forget what Qi Xia didst December after the Christmas party at the orphanage. "He needs to just stop being a nuisance." She added. She just hated how much she could not understand Qi Xia¡¯s actions.

    Why would he always involve himself in their lives? Is this bravery? Or stupidity?

    "Qi Xia is working with Zhou Huifang."

    "I know," Lily said. "But since he is Zhou Jingren¡¯s cousin, then I will let him handle that man." Lily opened her tablet as she started reading thetest news for today. She then shifted her gaze at Yang Mi. "Any news from Leon Corneel?"

    "He sent an email thanking you. His secretary wants to schedule a call with you. Because of the time difference we need to have it in the afternoon which is morning in the Nethends. We could have it tomorrow or next week as that is the only time that you would be avable."

    "Then... next week is good." She continued browsing. "Also... send a card of appreciation to Veron and Veronica. Let¡¯s create some traps for the people who want to use me against them."

 Chapter 698 Trouble

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 698 Trouble</h4>

    Sitting next to the window of his mansion, Qin Chuan inhaled the scent of oak which was mixed in with the aroma of the coffee in his hand. He eyed the unmoving dangling leaves as he sat there like a painted picture, straight and silent. He immediately wondered where the wind was.

    Why would the wind leave the tree?

    "It didn¡¯t," he muttered to himself after he took a sip from his hot coffee. Straightening his back, Qin Chuan eyed the picture frame on top of his table. It was a picture of him and Su Ma. Slowly, his face turned grim. Frowning, Qin Chuan finished his coffee before he stood up to get the frame from the table.

    That woman was a fake, he thought as he held the frame tighter.

    "CRACK"

    Seeing a crack appear across the frame, a snort immediately left his mouth. Tang Lingyun, Su Ma. The names kept on repeating inside his head, like an rm clock which refused to stop ringing.Still holding the frame, Qin Chuan went to his table to turn hisptop on. He then put the frame in one of the drawers.

    Once again, he stared at the email that came from an anonymous sender. He knew that Lily had sent this mail to remind him that the woman he had been sleeping with was not Bec but the person who had made Bec¡¯s life miserable. A sad smile slithered on his face. The thought of being too stupid to recognise the fact that he had been fooled and used flowed through him, scorching his insides like a hotva.

    He was so stupid.

    He was a fool to not recognise a snake like Tang Lingyun. He eyed the file that included Qi Xia seeing Su Ma. He immediately wondered why this man would want to ruin his rtionship with his children.

    "Rtionship." He uttered, dragging the word out of his mouth. Did they really have one? His stupidity had ruined it before it even started. Closing the window, Qin Chuan started working on hisputer.

    After a few minutes, a knock on the door interrupted him. "Hey " With her gentle voice and a kind smile stered on her face, Su Ma walked inside. "It is pretty hot today. Why don¡¯t we turn the¡ª "

    "It¡¯s fine." He interrupted her, his eyes glued to theputer. "I need to finish this before going to the office. Did you have lunch yet?"

    "No." Su Ma shook her head. She immediately wondered if Qin Chuan had noticed her red and puffy eyes.

    "I made some pasta earlier. You should try it out." Qin Chuan said without turning his head towards her.

    "Are you alright? You seemed tired?" She asked, trying to gain his attention.

    "I need to finish everything today. I still have another meeting in a few hours. You should eat and rest."

    "Oh." Su Ma nodded, disappointment shed in her eyes as she lowered her head. It seems that Qin Chuan had changed a lot as ofte. Her mind instantly started running rampant. Was it possible that Lily knew about her real identity?

    That was impossible.

    Even if she did know her true identity, it was obvious that Lily did not care about her father anymore. If she did, she would have done something to reveal the truth to everyone.

    "Can I stay here for a bit?" she asked.

    "Hmmm." He nodded.

    Su Man narrowed her eyes at Qin Chuan before she rose from her seat and got her favorite tea cup as well as some tea for herself. "I went to Hong Kong today." she said. As expected, Qin Chuan instantly froze at her words.

    "Why?" he asked.

    "I went to see Yuanfeng." A sighed left her mouth. "I asked him to see you." His jaw clenched at her words. Seeing this Su Ma continued. "He almost attacked me."

    "Did you see Lily?"

    "No." Su Ma met Qin Chuan¡¯s eyes. "They hate me."

    He said nothing. He stared at her pale face before turning back on hisputer.

    "I only wanted him to see you. But he- " She sobbed as she waited for him tofort her. Qin Chuan¡¯s coldness immediately surprised her. Did she miss something?

    "So you risked your own safety just to try and make me happy." Qin Chuan sighed. His eyes immediately turned gentle. "Drink your tea. It will calm you down." He handed her a tissue.

    "Chuan... they hate me. Is there something I can do to mend this rtionship?"

    "No. Lily and Yuanfeng are two very different people." Two people that he doesn¡¯t really know.

    Now that Qin Chuan thought about it. He didn¡¯t really know a lot of stuff about Lily and Yuanfeng. He knew that the both of them were smart and scheming but aside from that- he knew nothing.

    Not their hobbies nor their favorite food. Now that he thought about it, Qin Chuan could not recollect any memory of him bonding with them. Aside from the lunches that they rarely had with one another, he never actually spent a lot of time with his son and daughter.

    A mocking smile escaped his lips. He could only me himself¡ª he alone is at fault for his mistakes. However, as he watched Su Ma drink the tea while sobbing , Qin Chuan couldn¡¯t help but put the me in this woman too.

    She fooled him. Gave him hope, yed with his emotions and made him doubt his daughter. This woman¡ª was the reason why his rtionship with Lily ended before it even started!

    "Is something wrong?" Su Ma asked. A sh of fear could be seen in her eyes. "Did¡ª something happen?" Su Ma fought the panic inside her as she watched Qin Chuan stare at her as if... as if... he was about to kill her. "Chuan?" She gulped before her gaze turned hazy, nausea overtook her senses.

    "What did you do?" she asked as she used the table to support herself. He poisoned her? "Qin Chuan!? What did you¡ª " Slowly, she felt her throat tightened. She could feel her limbs became numb. "Chuan¡ª " she called out desperately for him to help her. It was futile

    However, Qin Chuan¡¯s dead eyes met her pleading ones. Right then and there... Su Ma knew¡ª she knew she was in trouble.

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 699 Mask

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 699 Mask</h4>

    The coldness that seeped through Su Ma¡¯s back was enough to wake her up. Her eyes flew open as she jolted up, confused at the darkness around her.

    "Hello?" she uttered, her voice croaky. She immediately noticed the pain from her dry throat. "Chuan?" Her heart started racing, drumming against her chest. "Chuan?"

    ¡¯CLICK¡¯

    Su Ma squinted her eyes as the lighting inside the room assaulted her sight. She frowned as she tried to make out of her surroundings.

    "You are awake." Qin Chuan¡¯s voice echoed. Su Ma instantly froze, her gaze focused on the man sitting in an iron chair a few feet away from her. It was Qin Chuan, his legs crossed, his gaze cold as he stared at her. "Took you a long time." He added.

    "Qin Chuan?" she managed to say. Despite her raging heart, Su Ma managed topose herself. "What is happening?" She tried to move her hands only to discover that she was in chains. Su Ma gulped, panic apparent in her eyes. "What is going on?"

    Qin Chuan pursed his lips in response. He stared at her for a few seconds before a smile slithered in his handsome face. "You don¡¯t know?" His voice was cold, chilly.

    "Qin Chuan! What is going on!? Get these chains off me!" she demanded. "Qin Chuan!" Almost immediately tears immediately stream in her eyes. "Why would you do this to me?" she sobbed.

    Qin Chuan responded with a snort.

    "Qin Chuan! What are you doing? How could you¡ª What did I do?" Of course she knew what she did. She continued sobbing, her pleading eyes caught his cold ones. "What¡ª Why would you do this to me?"

    Still, she never got a response. Instead, Qin Chuan continued staring at her.

    "Chuan! Please... I am begging you."

    "That face does not belong to you." He answered. Su Ma froze in response, she gulped in fear as she noticed that the stern look in his eyes changed into something that¡ª that she did not recognize. She balled her hands into a fist as she forced the fear out of her system. She could not show him that she feared him.

    "What are you talking about?" she asked. "What are you saying?" Seeing Qin Chuan stared at her again, Su Ma continued, "Was it Lily? Did she say something about me again? Chuan... your daughter is trying to ruin us and you are letting her do it! You are letting her in!"

    She added, "Can¡¯t you see? Your daughter does not like to see you happy! She is trying to sabotage our rtionship."

    "Coming from you¡ª the word sabotage sounds funny." He sneered. "Are you perhaps trying to make meugh?"

    "You¡ª " Su Ma could not help but feel that her brain had stopped working. She and Qi Xia never actually nned anything in case Qin Chuan discovered her identity. She swallowed her nonexistent saliva as she stared at the man in front of her.

    Su Ma never thought that Qin Chuan would discover her identity this early. "Chuan... please... this is all Lily¡¯s n. She wanted us to fight. She wanted me out of your life. She wanted to manipte you. Can¡¯t you see it?" she asked. The only thing she could do now is hope¡ª hope that her tears would somehow convince Qin Chuan into letting her go.

    "Are you really letting her win? Are you really letting her ruin your life? Our life?" she asked.

    Still, Qin Chuan maintained his silence. At this point, Qin Chuan already put all the me on Su Ma¡¯s action. True, he was weak and stupid, however, this was all because the woman yed with his emotions. This Su Ma manipted him and his heart.

    The thought of meeting this woman immediately made him irritated. He remembered being too happy, too excited when he met her. Now, all he felt was anger. How did he even fall for her tricks?

    Inwardly, Qin Chuan knew it was because he was simply weak. Su Ma yed with his weaknesses so well. She gave him hope that maybe this was his second chance with Bec. Maybe this was the universe telling him to give himself another chance at love.

    He was wrong.

    It was all a lie. A n to ruin his rtionship with his daughter. "Why?" he asked. "Why would you want to ruin my rtionship with my daughter?"

    "I¡ª I don¡¯t know what you are talking about."

    Narrowing his eyes at the woman on the floor, Qin Chuan realized he could never hurt a woman with the same appearance as Bec. He snorted. Since he could not hurt this face.... Then.... Why not remove it?

    A sinister thought sprouted in his mind as he stared at the woman who fooled her. This Su Ma... this woman deserved everything that was about to happen to her, he thought inwardly before he stood from his seat.

    "What are you¡ª Chuan? Where are you going? Are you going to leave me here?" she panicked. "Qin Chuan! Are you nning to imprison me in this ce?" Seeing him walk towards the door, Su Ma immediately tried to stand only to fall onto her knees. Her legs¡ª for some reason, she could not feel her legs.

    She widened her eyes. "What did you do to me?" she asked. "What happened to my legs?" She stared at Qin Chuan who paused to look at her helpless state.

    "You can¡¯t run anymore." He said before his lips turned upwards into a sinister smile. "You will stay inside this room... until I get tired of you."

    "What do you mean? Qin Chuan are you mad? This is illegal! What are you doing? People are going to look for me! Let me go now!" She trembled, unable to stop the fear from flowing inside her. "If¡ª If you let me go, I promise... I won¡¯t tell the police about this matter. We can start over, I will forgive you. We can leave this ce. Away from Lily."

    Another snort echoed. "That face does not belong to you." He answered before leaving the room to get something that could peel off that face¡ª that mask Su Ma was wearing.

    .....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 700 The Miserable Mr. Qin

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 700 The Miserable Mr. Qin</h4>

    When Su Ma woke up again, she was already on a bed, lying with her limbs shackled to it. The overwhelming dizziness overtook her. "Qin Chuan?" she uttered when she saw him standing just a few feet away from her bed.

    "I cant¡ª I can¡¯t move my body." She said, her voice hoarse. "What did you do to me?" Seeing the sneer in Qin Chuan¡¯s eyes, fear instantly crept inside her. Thest thing that she remembered was losing consciousness from the hunger and thirst. She gulped. Her hunger and thirst was no longer there. Was it possible that Qin Chuan had fed her?

    "Please... let me¡ª "

    "Now... you don¡¯t look like her anymore." A smile became apparent on his face before he turned his back on her. "Enjoy the food. That will be the only thing that you will have in the next three days." He said before leaving the room.

    "Qin Chuan! What do you mean?" She tried to sit down but her body was so numb she could not feel her limbs anymore. "Qin Chuan!" she yelled as she looked at the room. It was a white room with no window nor toilet. No table or furniture aside from the bed that she was lying on. "Qin Chuan please...." She begged.

    Does this mean that she would spend the next three days alone in this room, with no food, no water without the capability of moving a inch?

    "Qin Chuan!" She screamed when she noticed him close the door.

    "You can scream as much as you want. Your choice. Enjoy it... Tang Lingyun." He said, his apathetic voice made her shiver. "Enjoy the solitude." He said before he left, his footsteps echoing behind him.

    "Qin Chuan!!!!!! Let me out of here! What did you do to me!"

    "Qin Chuan!"

    "Please!!!! Let me go!"

    Her voice echoed inside the underground of the Qin Family mansion. However, Qin Chuan never stopped walking. His steady steps took him out of the underground prison while he hummed a tune. With his stern face, Qin Chuan walked towards his study to prepare before going to his office.

    The image of Bec Fi on his table caught his attention. A sad sigh left his lips.

    As hard as it was, he needed to move on. He needed to let go. He held the frame gently as he smiled. Lily and Qin Yuanfeng seemed happy now. Without him, the twins were happy and content. With the same gentle smile on his face, he dialed a number on his phone.

    "Lawyer Xi?" Qin Chuan said. "Yes, it is me. I would like to see you tomorrow at my office. Yes... it is about my will." The same smile was on his face as he gently put Bec¡¯s frame back on top of his table. "Hmmm. Yes... I will make somest minute changes."

    Not long after, Qin Chuan ended the call before he left his study and went to his office.

    "Mr. Qin, the police are here to talk to you about Mrs. Qin¡¯s disappearance. Shall I let them in?" His secretary¡¯s voice woke him up from his stupor. He immediately donned a sad smile before walking towards therge portrait of him and Su Ma on his wall.

    "Of course. Let them in." He answered. "Prepare some refreshments for them." Tears started to pool on his eyes before he turned towards the officers who just walked inside his office. "Please sit down." He gave them a sad smile.

    "Thank you, Mr. Qin." The tall officer smiled. "I understand that it was you who reported Miss Su missing?"

    "Yes, Officer. I have never heard from her for... four days, three hours and seven minutes now." He nodded. "My apologies... I just...." Avoiding the officer¡¯s eyes, he held the photo of Su Ma that was on his table. "I don¡¯t understand... why she would leave without letting me know?"

    The officers started asking him questions about Su Ma and the things that he noticed before she left. Of course, Qin Chuan told them ¡¯everything¡¯ that he knew. This included all of her jewelry going missing as well as some of the images and documents that she considered dear. At the end of the interview, the officers concluded that there was indeed a possibility that she ran away.

    Of course, the issue of violence also came up. However, Qin Chuan had always been known as a good man and all of his employees said the same thing. He was too in love¡ª they had never seen as happy as he was when he was with Su Ma.

    The possibility of him hurting her was just¡ª close to nonexistent.

    Moreover, Mr. Qin Chuan¡¯s sadness was real. One could clearly see the sadness in his eyes, the loneliness from his voice and his miserable appearance. He was depressed from losing her.

    Wasn¡¯t he just too pitiful?

    The officers immediately promised him that they would do their best to find Miss Su. However, when the officer¡¯s left, Qin Chuan¡¯s face changed. From sadness to being apathetic. He sat on his leather chair as he stared at Su Ma¡¯s photo.

    Slowly, the sadness in his eyes was reced by disgust. He could not wait to burn all these photos, he thought inwardly. Maybe he should burn them in front of Tang Lingyun, let her feel the agonizing pain from the fire.

    He smiled. Someday¡ª Someday, Tang Lingyun would wish that he would just kill her. She would beg, kneel in front of him. She would not plead for him to let her go. She would plead for him to bury a bullet in her head, ending her life instantly.

    And he could not wait for something like that to happen.

    ....

    "Hey do you think... Miss Su really left him?" the police officer asked the moment they left Qin Chuan¡¯s office.

    "The walls have ears, Officer." The older detective said. He turned his head to his left and right, as if afraid someone might have heard the younger officer¡¯s words. "The walls have ears." He said before dragging the young officer towards the elevator.

    ......

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Happy 700 Chapters!

 Chapter 701 Reflection

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 701 Reflection</h4>

    The next time that Tang Lingyun woke up, the first thing she saw was a hideous person. She screamed in horror, yelling for Qin Chuan¡¯s name, begging for him to let her go.

    It took Tang Lingyun a long time to realize she was actually looking at her reflection. She immediately closed her eyes. How could Qin Chuan put a mirror on the ceiling? Tears flowed down her cheeks when she realized the hideous human wrapped in bandages and chained to the bed was her. The hideous human who can¡¯t even lift her limbs¡ª was her.

    She tried to yell, scream until her voice became hoarse. Yet, all she heard was the echo of her own voice, her own sobs.

    She was hungry, thirsty. She was a mess. Qin Chuan was a monster¡ª that was something that she had realized since thetter kept her inside this cell. The man was even worse than Lily! He never hesitated to hurt her, leaving her hungry and thirsty for three days then using some gas to make her lose her consciousness so he could feed her¡ª or do whatever it is that will quench her hunger every time she woke up.

    And now this.

    Qin Chuan wanted her to watch her own hideous appearance as shey on the bed unable to move her body. If this is not cruelty, then what is?

    Tang Lingyun already thought of killing herself multiple times. Biting her tongue until she bled out and died. However, she could not do it. Tang Lingyun was aware she loved herself too much to even consider suicide. No¡ª inwardly, Tang Lingyun still hoped maybe one of these days Qin Chuan would pity her.

    He was still human, right? Surely, he would pity the woman whom he slept with for the past few months! Surely, he would soon find it in his heart to forgive her for what she did. After all, they were all humans. They make mistakes.

    They should be forgiven.

    ....

    While Lily had already told him Su Ma would disappear soon, Qin Yuanfeng was still caught by surprise when he heard about her disappearance on the news. After all this, he still felt Lily??s capability to think like her enemies was mind boggling.

    How could a person just calcte someone¡¯s decision? After his thorough research, Qin Yuanfeng concluded this was because Lily experienced something devastating in the past. Because of this, Lily learnt to put herself in the shoes of her enemies to predict their possible reaction in her schemes.

    It is a genius way to prepare ten steps ahead of the enemy, however, Qin Yuanfeng realized that Lily needed to delve into very toxic and negative thoughts of those people to be able to think like her enemies. She needed to act like them, think like them. She needed to be evil.

    Qin Yuanfeng sighed as he stared at Zhuo Jingren. "These are the files that I have of Qi Xia and Zhou Huifang." He hesitated for a few minutes. "Maybe you can deal with them as soon as possible."

    Zhou Jingren stared at Qin Yuanfeng for a few seconds before he nodded. "Come." He stood from his seat and walked inside with Qin Yuanfeng in tow. "Lily wants you to learn." He uttered as he walked towards his study. "Do you have yourptop with you?" Silly question. Of course, Qin Yuanfeng would not leave his house without aputer.

    "Hmm. What about it?"

    "It¡¯s still five in the morning. Lily is still asleep. You still have the time to hack into Qi Xia¡¯spany." Zhou Jingren opened hisputer inside his study.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I could easily kill them." Zhou Jingren paused as he met Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s eyes. "I would do it without even blinking." He added as he started typing towards hisputer. "But... I want to keep my wife happy."

    "What¡ª why are you talking about that now?" Qin Yuanfeng asked. In his mind, making Lily happy involved sexual pleasure! Why would Zhou Jingren even talk about this in front of him? He cringed inwardly.

    This was just too much. Is this man trying to tell him that he is single? He eyed Zhou Jingren with suspicion on his face.

    "You think too much." Zhou Jingren chuckled. "Stop it. Or you will never find someone in the future." He then gestured for Qin Yuanfeng to sit on his leather chair. "Grab yourptop. Myputer should have enough for you to hack into their firewall."

    "So... you want me to steal from them?" Qin Yuanfeng asked. Was it possible Lily and Zhou Jingren loved to swindle money from people?

    "No, dummy. I want you to create a virus and ruin their system." Zhou Jingren answered. "No money involved." He answered before chuckling. It seems that Qin Yuanfeng was starting to adapt to Lily¡¯s methods.

    "And?"

    "Ruin hispany, make him panic then monitor his phone and everything that he could use tomunicate. If cornered, he won¡¯t have a choice but try to ask people for help. Then trace every call that he makes. As well as every call that Zhou Huifang makes. This way, we will know who is backing them before we dispose of them." He sat opposite to Qin Yuanfeng.

    "So are we asking them for money?"

    "No." Zhou Jingren said. "Contacting them is too risky." Clearly, his methods are not like Lily¡¯s. He would not want to risk being discovered just because he wanted some money. "Just let them run around like headless chickens. Then... watch as the give us all the ammunition we need."

    "Oh." Qin Yuanfeng nodded before he started typing furiously on hisputer. "This might take some time. Qi Xia¡¯spany has a good firewall that can even withstand the best of the best hackers in the world."

    "No problem. We can wait." Zhou Jingren smiled. "Remember normal people panic at the first sight of trouble. But we also need to consider that they might not react the way we want them to."

    "And if they don¡¯t react like we expected?"

    "Simple." Zhou Jingren answered. "We save our time and effort. We kill them."

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    I wanted to give everyone closure before moving on to bigger enemies. Please don¡¯t forget to vote.

 Chapter 702 Qin Yuanfengs Talen

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 702 Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s Talen</h4>

    When Lily woke up, it was already nine in the morning. However, since today was a Sunday, she decided to stay in bed for a while longer before going towards the study to join Zhou Jingren and Qin Yuanfeng as they busily typed on theirputer.

    "What is going on?" she immediately frowned when she saw their serious expression. "Are we trying to hack into something?" she beamed as she eyed both men.

    "Hmmm." Zhou Jingren answered. "Qin Yuanfeng is. I am only trying to check his progress."

    "And?" A smug smile appeared on Lily¡¯s lips.

    "Another thirty minutes or so and were good."

    "Good. Then we can¡ª "

    "No." Zhou Jingren interrupted her before he smiled and kissed her lips. "Why don¡¯t we go downstairs and eat something?" he asked, leading her out of the room without waiting for her response.

    Lily only chuckled in response as they walked hand in hand towards the kitchen. She was starving anyway and she can always convince this man to gain some profits from Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s talent,ter.

    .....

    Meanwhile, Qi Xia¡¯s sweat trickled down his forehead, his hands balled into fists as he eyed his people working their asses off to protect their system.

    "We are toote." One of the programmers said. "They are already in¡ª "

    "No. Do something about it!" Qi Xia snarled. "We can still do something!"

    "But¡ª "

    "No buts! Just do it." He said. A broken system would cost him millions as this would affect thepany¡¯s mobile games and the servers that they are using for his gaming team. A curse left Qi Xia¡¯s mouth as he started pacing inside the room where all of his programmers worked.

    The loud tapping of keyboards continuously echoed inside the room, making him more and more irritated. "Is it done?" he asked.

    "No. We are toote. We didn¡¯t detect the breach on time. When we ¡ª "

    "Can someone rece this man?" Qi Xia said. "There should be something we could do! Something that could... maybe slow them down?"

    "Yes, we can try and slow them down."

    Qi Xia immediately felt relief washed over him. Hackers would always try to get into his system all the time, however, this was the first time that an attack like this happened. He immediately wondered if this was the work of hispetitor, after all, the gaming summit was about to start next month.

    Another curse left him at this thought.

    "Mr. Qi... the hacker... I think the hacker¡¯s goal is to destroy the system. Not alter it. You see¡ª " the programmer started exining his recent discovery.

    "Slow them down! Slow them down! I will go and make some calls." He said before leaving the room. Convinced it was theirpetitor, Qi Xia immediately started calling people that could possibly help him.

    However, it was toote. When he came back, his people immediately informed him that the hacker nted a virus that created some sort of a loop in the system. This was enough to ruin his day. With his ruined mood, Qi Xia tried to do this best to contain the situation. But it was futile.

    "Fuck." He uttered when he reached his office. From Chen Shi¡¯s imprisonment to Su Ma¡¯s disappearance and now this! This¡ª this was only making him more stressed! He immediately dialed Zhou Huifangs number.

    "Huifang. I won¡¯t be able to see you in the next few days. I will be very busy with mypany." He uttered.

    "Did something happen?"

    "Yes, the summit ising. I will be busy."

    "I understand." Zhou Huifang sighed. "I guess... I will be forced to call that guy again, hoping that I will be able to contact him this time."

    "Hmmm... for now, I will focus on mypany. We encountered a small problemtely so I wont be able to help you with nning."

    "I understand." Another sighed escaped Zhou Huifang¡¯s lips. "Also... my father talked to mest night. I believe Zhou Jingren already knows I was trying to contact their past enemies. My father warned me."

    The line in between Qi Xia¡¯s forehead deepened. "Is he trying to threaten you?"

    "Yes. It was a tant threat." Zhou Huifang said. "Thatpany belongs to my family, my father should be the CEO and I should have been the one that will follow in his footsteps. But he was a fool. A coward."

    Qi Xia turned silent at Zhou Huifang¡¯s words. "Zhou Jingren¡¯s father is not someone we should be afraid of. Maybe we should just kill him so your father can take over thepany."

    "Fool." Zhou Huifang echoed. "He is not scary. But his wife is... Zhou Dae Un is."

    "Did you find out something about that woman?"

    "I did and it is not good." Zhou Huifang said. "Let¡¯s talk about this when youe here."

    "Alright." Qi Xia nodded. At this point, he was already at the end of his wits. Sadly, he did not have the time to think about this matter as hispany was also in trouble. He let out a sharp breath, irritated at the fact that he was less influential than Zhou Jingren.

    ...

    The Peak

    "Divide and conquer, eh?" Lily smiled at Qin Yuanfeng. "Good thinking."

    "Hmmm... took me a long time to get inside but... it¡¯s good now. Qi Xia should be panicking. I already installed something in his phone so we can record everything that he said." He shoved a spoonful of porridge in this mouth. "I¡¯m hungry."

    Lily chuckled in response before she looked at her husband. "So... Levi and Eliza will be arriving at one in the afternoon. Everything is ready, right?" Lily asked Qin Yuafeng to stay for the weekend as she wanted to introduce him to Eliza and Levi. After all, Yuanfeng was also Bec¡¯s child and Lilian¡¯s grandchild.

    Moreover, this would also broaden Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s influence. This will be a great help once he starts managing Fi Group.

    "Also... I heard Bei Tian will arrive tomorrow?" Lily beamed. "Tell him to buy some choctes for me. I want the most expensive ones."

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    nning to end Zhou Huifang and Qi Xia before tackling Corneels. Let¡¯s see.

 Chapter 703 Cinderella

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 703 Cindere</h4>

    Unedited

    .....

    "Why would you want him to buy you choctes when I can always buy you one?" Zhou Jingren lifted an eyebrow.

    "Because I¡¯m petty." Lily beamed. "The man did not even give us something when he won against the Corneel twins. Yang Mi was right, you know. I was praying for him."

    Qin Yuanfeng snorted. "He only won because he was familiar with the ce. That Corneel sibling was pretty stupid."

    "Speaking of the Corneels... I heard Leon will visit Fi Group soon?"

    "Yes, he will." Lily nodded at Zhou Jingren. "I believe most of the board members wanted to buy the shares. So... he will be here to sign everything. His two oldest sons will apany him."

    "Not, Veron and Veronica?"

    "Of course not." Lily narrowed her eyes. "If I told them that I hated the twin¡¯s presentation, I am sure that Leon would bring them to this meeting. However, I told them that I love the presentation. So he will do the opposite."

    "You seemed to be sure that Leon is the one who does not like this deal to happen." Qin Yuanfeng said without lifting his head to look at Lily as he ate his breakfast.

    "He is the CEO. He knows everything about thepany. Moreover, this is a multi-million dor deal that could forever change the future of theirpany. There is no way that he would just assign this to one of his sons."

    "Fair enough." Qin Yuanfeng nodded. "Don¡¯t worry about it, I will trace every meeting that he had in the past few months. It might take a long time, but it¡¯s not that hard to do."

    "Thank you." Lily smiled in response.

    After their brunch, Lily and Zhou Jingren decided to take some time to rx as they waited for Eliza and Levi to arrive. While Qin Yuanfeng was once again typing on hisptop inside Zhou Jingren¡¯s study.

    "Are you going to apany them around Hong Kong?" Zhou Jingre asked as he sat next to Lily.

    "In Hong Kong, yes. But in China, no."

    "They are going to China?"

    "Hmmm." She nodded. "Then Korea, then South East Asia. Eliza likes to travel around the world doing volunteer work here and there while dragging her brother along with her. Mika said that the only reason why Levi agreed to apany her is for her safety."

    Lily continued, "Eliza is a very adventurous type of girl. Totally opposite to her prim and proper elder sister. Of course, I am not saying that this is bad. All I¡¯m saying is... she should be more careful. She is a princess after all."

    "You are also a princess, right?" Zhou Jingren chuckled. "You should be more careful too."

    Lily rolled her eyes in response. "What princess are you talking about?" Sheughed. "You know... when I was younger, I loved princesses and their happy endings. However... as I grew older I realized that being a princess does not actually suit me."

    "Really? Why would you say that?" He asked. "If we think about it, Lilian was like your fairy godmother who saved you from the clutches of your stepmother. You are like... Ummm Cindere?"

    "So you are the prince?"

    "Of course, I am." He lifted his chin and winked at her. "I think I look like one, no?"

    "Dummy." Lily beamed. "You don¡¯t look like a prince, my love. You are a king. There¡¯s a difference."

    Zhou Jingren beamed. He then gave her a small kiss on her cheeks. "So? You are not Cindere?" he asked.

    "My story sounds like Cindere¡¯s story. But... she is too meek for my taste. Considering that the story happened in an era where women are not supposed to be loud and frank, it¡¯s good. The story is good. But I think... The hero of the story is not Cindere." Smiling, Lily continued. "It¡¯s the fairy godmother with her beautiful fairy dust."

    Lily added, "First, Cindere is nothing but a careless woman who still left her shoe even though her fairy godmother made it to perfectly fit her. Second, the prince is nothing but a bloke who can¡¯t even recognize the woman that he loved just because she¡¯s not wearing a princess dress. And third, the story only tells us to be more feminine so we could find our one true love."

    "Isn¡¯t that sad?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. Lilian never taught her to be feminine. She taught her to stand her ground, defend herself, and seed. Those are the things that the meek Cindere never learned.

    "Just to be clear, I don¡¯t hate Cindere. I just dislike every fairy tale out there that helps define how a child views themselves as a woman." She shrugged. "Of course, Cindere is still popr with everyone as just like Cindere, most of us have this hidden desire to be rescued. It¡¯s a basic human instinct to want someone to appreciate us and convince us that we are worthy after all."

    "You know... you would make a great motivational speaker." Zhou Jingren teased before he nodded. "But I do agree with you. The things are ...we live in a very cruel society where kind people like Cindere do not really exist. It¡¯s all about benefits, it¡¯s all about what the society thinks of you."

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded as she rested her head on Zhou Jingren¡¯s shoulders. "After growing up, I realized that I did not want to be Cindere, anymore. I wanted to be the fairy godmother. Then I thought... She ignored Cindere for a lot of years and only approached Cindere when the ball was about to start. What if... " Lily made a deliberate pause as her smile grew wider. "What if... the fairy godmother, wanted Cindere to be the queen so she could use her in manipting the prince as well as the Kingdom?"

    "You really are a wicked one, aren¡¯t you?" Zhou Jingren chuckled. Yep, he will not allow Lily to tell stories to their future children. Never.

    ....

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote. Thank you!

 Chapter 704 Disneyland

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 704 Disnend</h4>

    Lily had already expected Eliza and Levi¡¯s arrival. What she did not expect was the fact that Levi and Qin Yuanfeng would actually bond over video games! What was more surprising was seeing Zhou Jingren join in on them!

    Lily was all smiles. She had never seen her husband this excited about little things like a game. However, she also understood that this was something that Zhou Jingren never had when he was a child.

    "Well... I don¡¯t know how to y those games." Eliza grumbled before sipping her orange juice. Her eyes were glued at the gigantic screen in front of them. "Do you know how to y any of those games?"

    "No," Lily responded. In fact, she had never seen Zhou Jingren y any video games before. "I don¡¯t think I am good enough to y those games. And I am a very petty person. I hate losing. I don¡¯t want to hate someone over a game."

    "Same," Eliza uttered. "My elder brother never yed games while growing up. He took his responsibilities very seriously and was all about the throne and learning everything about it. However, Levi and I are different."

    Lily pursed her lips in response. Seeing this, Eliza continued. "By the way, my elder sister asked me to give you some tea that would be good for pregnancy. And... mother also asked me to give this to you." She handed a ck velvet box about the size of her hand. "It¡¯s a moon rock that belongs to Grandpa Frederick. Mother said you should have it. This was given by a friend who went and harvested these rocks from the moon around the seventies. We don¡¯t really know who gave him this piece of rock, but it is pretty valuable and expensive."

    When Lily opened the box, her eyes immediately widened. She heard about Moon Rock costing millions per gram and she was expecting to be given a small rock, maybe the size of her pinky.

    No.

    The rock lying inside the box was as half as big as Lily¡¯s fist. It was enclosed in another ss-like box that seemed to have a mechanism that would need someone to enter a password to open it. "A password?"

    "We have no idea how to open the ss." Elizaughed. "I think my grandfather knew how to open it. But my father doesn¡¯t. Of course, this is not the reason why we decided to give it to you. It¡¯s just that... this is rightfully yours."

    Lily closed the box and smiled. "Thank you." She immediately wondered why her grandfather didn¡¯t bring this when he left Luxembourg. Was it possible that he actually didn¡¯t see the value of the rock? Maybe his love for Lilian is greater than this rock? Lily chuckled at her own thoughts.

    Maybe her grandfather just didn¡¯t want to risk going back to see his father again. She thought. "This is such a precious gift," Lily uttered.

    "As I said... it is rightfully yours." Eliza then let out a yawn. "I feel really sleepy. Jeg maybe?"

    "Of course. You should go and rest. I will tell Levi to sleep too. I will ask someone to call you down for dinner?"

    "Dinner? Can you bring us somewhere?" Eliza beamed. "Maybe an eastern restaurant in Hong Kong?"

    "I was already nning too." Lily chuckled. "It would be nice to enjoy dinner in one of the prestigious restaurants here in the City."

    Eliza let out another yawn. "My elder sister tried to convince my mother to change her schedule so she coulde too. She said she wanted to see your belly. Isn¡¯t she weird?" Eliza rolled her eyes. "She already has kids of her own and still wants to get pregnant. I don¡¯t see the point, really." Shrugging, she finished her juice. "As much as I love my nieces and nephews, I can¡¯t see myself getting pregnant and having my own children in the future."

    "That is because you haven¡¯t found the person that you want to spend your life with." Lily smiled.

    "Actually, I already have someone that I will spend my life with. Or at least... that¡¯s what father said." Eliza gave another shrug before rolling her eyes. "For our country." Sarcasm apparent in her tone.

    Eliza then turned towards Lily. "I envy you. You have a grandmother like Lilian and a grandfather that could leave everything behind just for the woman that he loved."

    "Is this such a sad topic?" Lily forced a grin. Of course, Eliza would say this as she didn¡¯t experience all the things that Lily went through. After all, it was always easy to say that we were envious of someone when we don¡¯t really have an idea about their past or their pain. "Why are we even talking about this?" She raised an eyebrow.

    A sh of sadness glinted in Eliza¡¯s eyes before she smiled. "You¡¯re right. We should just enjoy this vacation with everyone."

    "You should. I will bring you to different ces in Hong Kong. We can even go to Disnend, though, I might not be able to walk a lot." Now that Lily thought about it, she had never been to Disnend in Hong Kong.

    "Disnend is for kids," Eliza responded with a low chuckle.

    "For kids or adults, it doesn¡¯t matter. Disnend is a joyful ce." Lily beamed. "We should go. And this is not a suggestion."

    "Really?"

    "Of course! Isn¡¯t it nice to be a kid sometimes?"

    Eliza immediately turned silent at her words. It took her a few seconds before she nodded and beamed at Lily. "You are right," Eliza said. "We should go with everyone. It will be fun." Eliza thought when was thest time that she had fun in a ce for kids. Yes, that was almost twenty years ago.

    When she was still so small, she could not even remember what she did in that ce as she spent most of her time sleeping. Moreover, like royalties, they could not just spend some time in a very crowded ce like Disnend as children.

    Well... they could. But that would require renting the entire ce and not letting anyone in for security purposes. Spending all your time, alone in a huge ce like Disnend doesn¡¯t sound so fun, right?

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Don¡¯t forget to vote! Thank you for your support!

 Chapter 705 Hobby

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 705 Hobby</h4>

    Later that night, Lily and Zhou Jingren decided to bring everyone to a Michelin star restaurant in Kowloon for dinner, it was a cozy restaurant that only offered eastern dishes.

    Located on the highest floor of Eastern Tower, Eastern Court was a one star restaurant famed for its Char Siu that melts into your mouth when eaten and the extremely delicious Taro Duck. It is also known for pairing Cantonese dishes with great wines from around the world.

    "This looks really nice." Eliza said as she eyed the view from the floor to ceiling wall surrounding them. Dressed in a light blue knee-length Gi, Eliza looked just like a goddess as she smiled at the sight of Hong Kong during the night. "This ce seems very popr." She said as she noticed the amount of people inside.

    "It is popr mainly because of their wines." Lily smiled. "Sadly, I can¡¯t have any tonight."

    "I believe they serve some tea?" Zhou Jingren said as he started reading the menu. Not long after, the group ordered and chatted about random stuff including the game that Zhou Jingren, Qin Yuanfeng and Levi were ying earlier.

    "So... charity work?" Lily eyed Eliza¡¯s beautiful dress before she stared at her cousin¡¯s side profile. "Do you always like working for Charities?"

    "Do I have a choice?" Eliza beamed. "Kidding. Of course I love it but my elder sister is the one who actually does all the paperwork, the schedules and hosts the events. I just love traveling around the world, seeing and eating stuff that¡¯s new to me."

    "Sounds tiring to me."

    "It is." Eliza fired back. But she would rather sleep inside their private jet than stay inside the pce all day. Smiling, she turned towards Lily. "Why don¡¯t you tell me about running a business giant? Is it hard dealing with people who can easily choose their businesses and profits over your friendship?"

    "Hmm. I don¡¯t think there is such a thing as friendship in the business world. There are benefits, advantages and disadvantages. That¡¯s all."

    "Dealing with a multi-million dorpany sounds really stressful. Did Lilian teach you everything?"

    "She did. And I worked as her secretary for a while so I was very familiar with thepany before even bing its CEO." Lily answered. "You sound like you really like Lilian." Lily could not forget Eliza¡¯s admiration when they talked about Lilianst Christmas.

    "Yeah,I just love independent women. Like you. It makes me jealous sometimes." Eliza smiled. "But we can always dream, right?"

    Lily pursed her lips. "Aside from charity work, did you ever try to pursue other things? A hobby perhaps?"

    "Ballet." Eliza answered before she turned quiet. However, before Lily could react, a smile was already stered on Eliza¡¯s face. "I love to dance and surf. Of course, I can¡¯t just leave my responsibilities to pursue my passion. You understand what I mean, right?"

    Lily nodded as she thought about any hobbies that she had aside from scheming against people.

    There were none.

    Now that she thought about it, Lilian actually never introduced any fun things to her. Well... maybe there was horse riding but aside from that, did she never try to learn anything fun? She smiled at her own thoughts. It was as if she was only programmed to run the business and scheme against her enemies.

    How humorous, Lily thought.

    To be fair, Lily never saw Lilian do anything herself aside from her asional horse riding and going to thepany everyday. Until now, Lily admired the dedication that her grandmother showed in running thepany.

    "Do you like dancing too?"

    "Oh, yes." Lily smiled. Dancing. It wasn¡¯t really a hobby but it was a requirement as it will help her in balls and banquets. It would help her blend into the society of the famed and wealthy. "I trained. But... I am not that good at it."

    "Is there really something else that you are not good with?"

    Lily chuckled at her question. "If I tell you that I am only good at making money. Would you believe me?" A smallughter escaped Eliza¡¯s lips at this statement.

    "Of course not." Eliza shook her head. "That¡¯s impossible."

    "It¡¯s not."

    Eliza immediately widened her eyes at Lily, disbelief apparent in her face. "So... did Lilian teach you anything aside from running a business?"

    "Nope. I can¡¯t even cook properly." She was not proud to admit it alright! After all, she was a grown woman in herte twenties. However, Lily just found everything funny. She would admit that earning money is her forte. However, aside from this she was useless.

    "So how do you rx? Like... what do you do aside from managing yourpany?"

    "Scheming?" Lily covered her mouth as sheughed before shaking her head. "I am joking." Pursing her lips, Lily turned silent at Eliza¡¯s question. Before meeting Zhou Jingren, all she did was actually run thepany all day. Aside from that¡ª she could not really remember anything about fun.

    Even her socializing with the elites in Europe always had the goal of creating rtionships for influence.

    "I think your life sounds more tiring than mine." Elizaughed. "I could never run a business and sit around inside an office all day."

    Lily nodded. When her grandmother made her the CEO, she had already resigned herself to running thepany her entire life. No hobbies, no fun. It was all about profits and money.

    Of course, this was also partly because of her horrible past. Lily was a very guarded person. Aside from Li Shanshan and Fernando she had never developed any close rtionships with anyone else before.

    "What are your ns after giving birth?" Eliza asked. "Do you n to continue running the Fi Group?"

    "I don¡¯t know." Lily answered. "I want Yuanfeng to take over. But that is solely his choice. I won¡¯t force him into anything right now. So... I guess all I can do for now is wait?"

    "I remember my sister¡¯s attitude changed after giving birth. All of a sudden, she had be over protective and anxious about everything." Eliza recalled. "However she had be morepassionate, emotional, sweeter and overall a nicer person. After giving birth, I¡¯m sure some of your emotions will be affected too."

    "That is very true." Lily nodded in approval. In fact, she could already feel herself turn into someone over protective of her family. The thought of this made Lily smile.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 706 Mindreader

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 706 Mindreader</h4>

    Unedited.

    ...

    Everyone¡¯s conversation was interrupted when their orders arrived. The group started eating and spent some time enjoying the cityscape before they decided to go home and sleep as they needed to save their energy for their Disnend trip the next day.

    Just as nned, everyone started their day early. For them to enjoy the park, they started queuing before the park opens at ten in the morning.

    "You know, we can always rent the whole ce right?" Levi asked.

    "Jingren bought a tinum magic ess card," Lily answered. "We won¡¯t have problems lining up. That¡ª and we also have parking ess at the Disnend Hotel."

    "Plus... renting the whole ce to ourselves requires booking." Eliza added. "And it¡¯s boring." She shrugged.

    After a few minutes, the group was able to ess the park ahead of time because of the magic ess. They then started enjoying some rides and took a lot of photos. After spending a lot of time walking around, Lily and Zhou Jingren decided to eat and rest while Eliza, Qin Yuanfeng, and Levi decided to enjoy the ce and do some of the more extreme rides.

    "Would you like to join them?" Lily asked. Just like her, this was also Zhou Jingren¡¯s first time visiting this ce.

    "No." He smiled, licking the icecream in Lily¡¯s hands.

    "Don¡¯t mind me. I can stay here and wait for everyone." Lily smiled. "You can enjoy some extreme rides with them."

    "Thank you." Zhou Jingren nodded. "However, I think it would be better to enjoy these rides with you and our children. We can alwayse back."

    "Hey!" Lily held the ice cream away from her husband. "It¡¯s my ice cream. If you want one... then buy your own ice cream."

    "So greedy."

    Lily rolled her eyes before she started eating the vani ice cream that he bought for her. "This is my ice cream. It¡¯s only fair that I eat it." Her reaction only made Zhou Jingren chuckle. He helplessly shook his head as he leaned against the chair.

    "Hey look!" Zhou Jingren pointed at the people wearing some pirate costumes walking and taking pictures with everyone. He beamed as he tried to get Lily¡¯s attention away from the ice cream in her hand.

    Too bad, Lily already knew what kind of man her husband was. Instead of looking at the pirates, Lily turned her head towards her husband instead. "Really?" She lifted an eyebrow before she grinned. "Pirates?"

    "What? Everyone loves pirates! Are you going to ruin my childhood again?"

    "You are weird," Lily said as she started eating her ice cream while looking at the pirates, not giving her husband the chance to steal it away from her. She crossed her legs and smiled.

    "It¡¯s funny how the weirdest woman would have the audacity to call me weird." Zhou Jingren responded before he rose from his seat.

    "Where are you going?"

    "Buying the biggest ice cream." He walked towards the ice cream parlor without waiting for her to say something. Lily only responded with a small giggle. After a few minutes of waiting Zhou Jingren came back and just as he said, he bought the biggest ice cream avable on the store.

    "That¡¯s too big for you." She uttered. "You should share that with someone."

    "Nope. I am good."

    "But that¡¯s a lot!"

    "I can finish this in half an hour."

    "No, you can¡¯t! You should totally share that instead of letting it melt."

    Zhou Jingren gave her a silly face before he started eating the ice cream in front of his wife.

    "Mr. Zhou... you are letting it melt." Lily noted, not giving up on her real goal. "Mr. Zhou is truly a very greedy man."

    Zhou Jingren responded with a chuckle. "If someone would ask me if I could give them some ice cream, I would totally give them some." His face turned serious. "Sadly, no one is asking me anything. I can¡¯t just offer strangers my ice cream, right? That would be too strange. People might even call me weird."

    Seeing Lily narrowing her eyes at him, Zhou Jingren leaned towards her. "And I can¡¯t just offer anyone ice cream. I mean... I know not many people will refuse a good looking dude giving them ice cream. But what if... I attract too much attention from women who wanted to get a taste of my ice cream? Wouldn¡¯t that make you feel so mad?" A smirked slithered on his face.

    "What do you mean... your ice cream?" She furrowed her brows. "Who would want to taste your ice cream?" Irritation shed in her eyes. This Zhou Jingren seemed to be getting better and better of rebutting her, ah.

    She needed new strategies in dealing with this man. Lily thought inwardly.

    "This... " He pointed at the ice cream in his hand, confusion apparent in his eyes. "I thought you wanted me to share my ice cream?"

    "Stop it!" She hissed as she tried to reach out. "I mean me not other women! You dummy! Share it with me!"

    This immediately made her husbandughed out loud. He held his stomach as he gave the ice cream to his lovely wife. "Well... why didn¡¯t you say so? Here I thought, you want me to share my ice cream with other women. Aiyo... Madam Zhou, ah, I am not a mind reader. You should be more direct."

    Lily made a face as she rolled her eyes and started imitating Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. "Mind reader... Mind reader." This made Zhou Jingren let out another boisterousughter. Amusement apparent in his eyes.

    "Madam Zhou... yourpany is more enjoyable than those rides." He uttered in between hisughter. He would always prefer being with his Lily than enjoying a ride alone. Lily did not respond instead she chuckled and started eating Zhou Jingren¡¯s ice cream. "And it seems that Madam Zhou is really enjoying my icecream." He added.

    "Of course I am." She answered. Lily figured there is only one way to prevent Zhou Jingren from sharing his ice cream with other women.

    And that is to eat everything¡ª as fast as she could.

 Chapter 707 Her Family

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 707 Her Family</h4>

    It took them a few hours before everyone agreed that they were tired and that they could not wait for the fireworks to start. They decided to visit another spot in Hong where they could just sit down and enjoy each other¡¯spany.

    They chose to ride a traditional Chinese junk boat through the Victoria Harbour as they watched the Symphony of lights that would transform Hong Kong¡¯s cityscape into musical canvass.

    "This truly shows the ¡¯East meets West¡¯ concept of Hong Kong." Qin Yuanfeng uttered next to Lily. While he had been staying in Hong Kong for a few months now, he never really had the chance to go outside and explore the ce.

    This was mainly because he was not interested in leaving his house and office.

    "It does." Lily smiled as she leaned her head towards Zhou Jingren¡¯s shoulder. They had rented the whole boat to themselves. Meaning, they could have all the lounge chairs with nket¡¯s all to themselves.

    Wrapped in a nket, Lily snuggled closer to her husband. Burying her head at the crook of his neck. In response, Zhou Jingren wrapped his arms around her.

    "This music really shows the culture of Hong Kong," Levi noted as he sat next to Qin Yuanfeng. Everyone watched as the cityscape of Hong Kong lit up, apanied by the vibrant music in the background.

    The ride took another hour before it went back to the Harbour. The group then decided to go back to The Peak so that Lily could rest while Levi, Eliza and Qin Yuanfeng enjoyed some time by the pool with some drinks.

    When they arrived, Levi and Qin Yuanfeng immediately prepared some refreshments for Lily and wine for everyone else. And since Bei Tian was already in the country, he also came to The Peak just to join in on the fun with Yang Mi and Secretary Go so they can mingle with the twins again.

    After all, they had already met them on Skopelos and even spent Christmas morning together.

    "What¡¯s this?" Lily raised her eyebrow when Eliza gave her a ck envelope.

    "Open it," She gave an nonchnt smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. She then watched on Lily¡¯s king size bed, watching Lily open the envelope next to her.

    "An¡ª" Lily widened her eyes. "An invitation to an¡ª your engagement party?" Surprise shed in her eyes. "You¡ª" Lily didn¡¯t even know she was already engaged.

    "Yes, apparently. I am." Eliza shrugged. "I know you don¡¯t really like to fly considering you are pregnant but... this will happen when you are already eight or nine months? Isn¡¯t it convenient that you will also be in Switzend to give birth? I mean... Switzend is considerably closer to Luxembourg."

    "Harringfort?" Lily tilted her head. "Like the oilpany, Harringfort?" Seeing Eliza nod, Lily continued. "The one from Belgium?" Again, Eliza nodded.

    "I¡¯m actually surprised that you know him." Eliza gave a mirthless smile. "I guess their influence in the business world is that big?"

    "No." Shaking her head, Lily put the invitation back in the envelope. "They are quite secretive. Always keeping to themselves despite the fact that they own one of the biggest oilpanies and mines in Africa." The only reason why Lily knew this is because of Qin Yuanfeng and her research about oilpanies.

    "Oh." Eliza nodded before letting herself fall into Lily¡¯s cozy bed. A sigh left her lips. "I¡¯m twenty three." She added. "Too young."

    Lily pursed her lips in response, unaware of what words to say. After all, she never really had any close female or a sister by her side. And to be honest, Lily would not be ashamed to admit that she really sucked when it came to emotional conversations like this.

    Maybe it was because she was so used in manipting people or maybe it was because she found it hard to trust someone else aside from Zhou Jingren. She didn¡¯t know.

    "If you want to marry someone... you marry them." Lily said.

    "And if I don¡¯t?" Eliza turned towards her.

    Lily pursed her lips in response as she fought the urge to tell her to scheme instead. That would make her sound like an evil cousin, right? Moreover, Lily would not want to be such a bad influence to these people.

    "What?" Eliza asked again, sensing the distress in Lily¡¯s face, she smiled. "You¡¯re not going to tell me to kill him, right?"

    "God! No."

    "Then?" Eliza lifted an eyebrow.

    "Say No?" Lily said. A small giggle escaped Eliza¡¯s lips. "I¡¯m sorry, I am not really good at advising someone." Lily smiled. This was a fact. Maybe if Eliza was her enemy it would be easier for her to say something. But this sweet woman was nothing like that. So far, Eliza had treated her with respect.

    "I wish it was that easy." Eliza nodded, understanding shed in her eyes. "I wish saying no was as easy as the spelling out the word."

    Lily¡¯s lips thinned. As much as she wanted to say something against this set up, she knew that it was futile. She would not want to create some misunderstandings between the Duke and Eliza. "Is your family important to you?" Lily asked.

    "Of course." Eliza met her eyes. "Family is everything."

    "Would you sacrifice your life for them?"

    "Without even blinking."

    "Then... there¡¯s your answer." Lily uttered. She could not just force her belief on someone just because she thought it was right. "At the end of the day, what matters is what you feel inside.But... this ising from someone who never grew up in a caring family. This ising from someone who had a difficult childhood." Lily smiled. "This ising from a selfish woman who would always choose herself above everyone else."

    For a few seconds, Eliza turned silent at Lily¡¯s words. She then turned her head towards the ceiling. Lily¡¯s words only made her ask herself the question that she had been trying to avoid for a few years now.

    Should she think about herself? Or her family?

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 708 Never A Sister

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 708 Never A Sister</h4>

    "Think about it." Lily added. "Who will marry the man? Is it you? Or your family?"

    "Marrying me would mean that he is also married to my family and the country."

    Lily responded with a low chuckle. At the end of the day, everything would boil down to her responsibility as a princess of a country and her internal emotions. The thought of this, made Lily smile.

    Now that Lily thought about it, she felt extremely lucky that her grandfather left the royal family for her grandmother. While Lily¡¯s current life was chaotic, at least she did not have to think about other people aside from herself and her husband while making decisions.

    Wouldn¡¯t it be difficult to constantly think about other people¡¯s opinion all the time? To be prim and proper in everyone¡¯s eyes? To be the model that the younger ones in your country would look up to.

    She turned towards Eliza. To be honest, she pitied her. But could she do something about it? Maybe? Maybe not.

    Lily shrugged inwardly. She was pregnant. As much as she would love to help someone rted to her, she could not act like Mother Theresa while being pregnant. That and she would not want to involve herself in a rich family that was hiding themselves from the spotlight.

    "Oh." She uttered as she recalled an email that she received not too long ago. "I remember receiving a meeting invitation from Mr. Harringfort. He wanted to ¡¯personally¡¯ meet me. I think it was because he heard about the uing acquisition. At that time, I had to respectfully decline because of my pregnancy." She smiled. "But... it would be really nice to meet your fiance. You know for¡ª wait¡ª "

    Lily made a deliberate pause as she lifted an eyebrow. "You have met him before the engagement, right?"

    "Once." Eliza answered. "I haven¡¯t heard from him for almost a month now. I heard he was busy and even his family could not contact him."

    "Strange." Lily uttered. "But considering the current events in the Oil Industry, he might really be busy." Lily was talking about the current increase in oil prices because of the pirates from Somalia hijacking oil tankers.

    "So you were nning to branch out into the oil industry?"

    "Petroleum, yes." Lily nodded. At this point, denying it was useless. As a businesswoman, Lily would always prioritize profits and the welfare of herpany over all else. Despite her instincts telling her not to do this, to not to sign the acquisition, Lily¡¯s sense of responsibility still won over it.

    After all, herpany employs thousands of people. She could not ignore the fact that this project could increase their profits and therefore would also increase the sry of her employees. Of course, this does not mean that she had stopped being wary and cautious about this deal.

    She had already asked Qin Yuanfeng to monitor not just the whole Corneel family but also the people that they associate themselves with. Aside from this, Lily had also set up some security protocols in case thispany would try to do something that is against Fi Group¡¯s goals and objectives.

    "Wouldn¡¯t that make you more stressed? I mean... giving birth and taking care of the baby, recovery and now... a multi million dor deal? Wait¡ª are you nning to make Yuanfeng rece you?"

    "Rece? No." Shaking her head, Lily startedbing her hair. It might sound too prideful and egoistic but she knew that no one would be able to rece her in her ownpany. "Representative, yes." She would make him a proxy, someone that would represent her. "But of course, that is still far away. My brother needs to train, learn the in¡¯s and out¡¯s of running thepany." Learning to scheme against someone and win. Qin Yuanfeng needs to learn how to win.

    "I think he is a very smart man." Eliza noted. "Obviously smarter than my brother."

    "He is."

    Silence nketed inside the room for a few seconds before Eliza let out another sigh. "I envy Qin Yuanfeng." She uttered. "I wish, I could have someone like you to guide me too." Her lips morphed into a sad smile.

    "Well, life is unfair." Lily said. She didn¡¯t really know how to react to Eliza¡¯s words. Was she supposed tofort her and assured her that she would be here to Eliza? Wouldn¡¯t that sound weird?

    A knock interrupted their stupor. "I¡¯ming in." Bei Tian¡¯s voice echoed before he walked inside Lily¡¯s room. "Levi and everyone else is already at the pool." He walked towards Eliza and Lily. "Why are you so serious?" He frowned. "Are you nning to murder someone?"

    A grin immediately stered itself on Eliza¡¯s face. Sadness disappeared from her eyes as she chuckled. "We are cultured women in the twenty-first century. We don¡¯t need to kill someone to prove that we are standing on top of the food-chain." She stood from the bed. "Lily, I will go ahead and join them." She smiled as she walked towards the door.

    Interest immediately shone in Bei Tian¡¯s eyes as she stood in front of Lily. "What¡¯s with her?" he asked the moment Eliza left the room.

    "No idea." Lily said. "Tell Jingren, I will go down in a bit. My feet are sore so I will rest for a few minutes."

    "You should just sleep." Bei Tian¡¯s eyes turned gentle before he turned towards the door. "Sleep. Don¡¯t force yourself too much."

    "Mr. Bei sounds so caring." Turning towards him, Lily gave a teasing smile. "I never thought Mr. Bei had a sweet side too."

    For a few seconds, Bei Tian stared at Lily¡¯s face before he shrugged and left without saying anything. He knew that she knew. He knew that she knew how much he cared for her. He knew that she could feel it.

    Lily was not dumb. She must have known. He thought as he left the room before smiling to himself. Of course, Lily knew. But to her, he was a brother.

    Sadly, to him... she was never a sister. Of course, these thoughts did not matter now. Walking out of the mansion, the smiling Zhou Jingren caught his eyes. He nodded to himself as gentleness shed in his eyes.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 709 Beliefs

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 709 Beliefs</h4>

    In the end, Lily ended up sleeping and was not able to join them. After a few minutes, Zhou Jingren decided to sleep next to his wife while the others enjoyed the view from the peak by the pool.

    The next day, Lily and Zhou Jingren woke up early as they still needed to go to their respective offices. "You are awake?" Lily smiled at Eliza who had just walked out of her room.

    "I slept earlyst night." Eliza responded as she eyed Zhou Jingren who just finished making fresh juice for Lily. His action immediately made her smile as it somehow reminded her of her father and mother. Sitting next to Lily, she said, "Mr. Bei told us that he would bring us to one of Fernando¡¯s clubs in Hong Kong. I was not even aware that Fernando owns clubs."

    "He owns a lot of clubs. Mainly because he likes to party every time he visits countries.Also... are you sure you are allowed to go to clubs?"

    "Hmmm." Eliza nodded. "Depends on the type of wig I wear." She beamed. "Levi and I have done it a lot before. Of course, we do a lot of stuff to change our appearance, wigs and prosthesis."

    "Really?" Lily raised an eyebrow.

    "Of course." Eliza beamed. "Plus... I have the boys with me. Bei Tian and Qin Yuanfeng and Secretary Go and of course Yang Mi. Bei Tian also promised some security. Of course, if you and Zhou Jingren areing with us then... it will be better."

    "Of course, we will." Lily smiled. Now that Lily thought about it, she could not really remember when was thest time that she went to a club with her friends.

    "But we will leave early." Zhou Jingren said as he sat next to Lily.

    "Of course." Lily beamed.

    "You are leaving for your office?" Eliza changed the topic, "Meetings?"

    "Yes, I have a meeting. Sadly, Yuanfeng is not yet awake. So I will go by myself."

    "Can Ie with you?"

    "You want to visit Fi Group without Levi?" Lily asked.

    "Hmmm. He cane with Yuanfeng." She quickly opened her phone and sent a text to her brother.

    "Then, all good." Lily nodded before the trio started eating.

    After a sumptuous breakfast, the trio left the mansion. Lily and Eliza went to the Fi Group while Zhou Jingren had to go to his office to sort out some things.

    When Lily and Eliza arrived at the Fi Group, Lily just acted as usual and started doing the things that she was supposed to do. While she is busy signing papers, Eliza spent some time on herptop and doing some stuff that were rted to her current charities.

    They were already working when Qin Yuanfeng and Levi arrived around noon.

    "We were waiting for you." Lily smiled at her brother. For some reason, seeing Qin Yuanfeng bond with a cousin is made her happy for him. She stood from her seat. "We are going to have lunch then do some shopping."

    "We just had food." Levi said as he eyed Lily¡¯s office. As expected his eyes immediately turned towards therge painting in Lily¡¯s office.

    "We¡¯re not asking you to eat with us dummies." Eliza retorted. "We are asking you toe shop with us so you could bring our shopping bags back." She chuckled, amused at her own words.

    Lily also chuckled. In the end, Qin Yuanfeng and Levi apanied their sisters shopping for some things that Eliza could bring back to Hong Kong.

    "So you are saying that snow white is not good for my ¡ª our niece?" Eliza eyed Lily in disbelief. Last night, she heard Zhou Jingren and Bei Tian joked about Lily¡¯s particr dislike against princesses. Of course, she thought it was nothing but a joke to tease her and Yang Mi.

    "I¡¯m not telling you not to buy them." Lily shrugged, ignoring Eliza¡¯s question. Instead she started eating the shrimp that Qin Yuanfeng peeled for her. Who cared about snow white? Seafood was everything, alright?

    Eliza pouted. Last night, she was talking nonstop about Disnend and how good it is to enjoy a day in the fairytale world, away from politics, away from the real world. Who would have thought that Zhou Jingren would tell her to talk to Lily about fairy tales so that she could stop swooning over it?

    Then Bei Tian had also chimed in about how Lily¡¯s views about the world were somewhat different than the people¡¯smon beliefs. And this was what made her a difficult opponent. Who doesn¡¯t love fairy tales?

    Memories of her Barbie princesses collection immediately came to her mind. "What¡¯s wrong with snow white?" she asked, trying to push her luck, hoping that Lily would tell her that she was only joking.

    "Nothing." Lily beamed, her eyes glued towards her brother as he helped her with the crabs. In response Eliza cleared her throat. Growing up, Eliza was not able to interact with a lot of people her age. Because of this, her childhood was full of watching fairy tales and dreaming about them.

    Again, Eliza pouted. Every princess she watched always reminded her of good qualities that a woman should have, loyalty, kindness, hope, gratefulness and bravery. She always believed that these are all the traits that a woman should have. While she was not someone who embodied all these traits, she was hoping to teach her nieces about the things that she learned for watching and reading all those princess books that she had. "Come on." She uttered.

    "We are eating." Lily responded. Turning her head towards Eliza, she smiled while meeting her curious eyes. "If I tell you my thoughts now... you would not want to finish your lunch."

    Interest shed in Eliza¡¯s eyes. What thoughts would make her not want to eat her food again? "You are bluffing." She beamed. "Your personal opinion would not really affect my appetite." To her, Lily¡¯s opinions are hers and she would not try to convince her otherwise. "Come on." She added, hoping that Lily would move her attention from her seafood and tell her something interesting.

    Something opposite to the beliefs that she had since she was a child.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 710 A Dark Side

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 710 A Dark Side</h4>

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. Pursing her lips, she propped her chin on her hands and continued to watch her brother help her with the food. First and foremost, she knew Eliza¡¯s real goal.

    Since Eliza met with Lily, she had been really curious about her views and opinions on things. Like a child, she would constantly ask about Lily¡¯s opinions and thoughts about almost everything. At first, Lily thought this was normal. After all, Eliza had been sheltered all her life.

    However, after some time, Lily realized that Eliza had strong views against her current royal status and she wanted Lily¡¯s opinions to justify her current opinions.

    Eliza, did not want to marry someone. She wanted to live a free life away from all theplications that apany the status of royalty. However, her courage was not strong enough to even think about leaving her family behind like her grandfather.

    Unconsciously, Eliza wanted someone to build up her courage with strong views and opinions, pushing her to decide her own fate instead of just letting her family decide it for her. And that someone was Lily.

    Of course, she did not mind doing this. Lily does not mind sharing her opinions to someone who needed it. She would never mind inspiring someone to stand up for themselves and yell fuck you to the world that they were so used to.

    However... Lily wanted to spend her time eating. She would not want to focus on talking about people in a fairytale book. Instead, she wanted to focus on the seafood in front of her.

    To Lily, this was a rare chance, ah! This was a rare chance for her to eat a lot of food without her husband¡¯s constant nagging. The thought of Zhou Jingren made her giggle.

    However, this was short lived. For some reason the sound of the door to their private room being opened, made her freeze. Slowly, she turned her head and as expected, her husband was indeed walking towards her with Secretary Go and Yang Mi in tow.

    Lily gulped before she forced a smile to her face. "Hey!"

    "Hey." Leaning towards her, Zhou Jingren smiled before kissing her forehead. "I can see that everyone already started without us."

    "Oh! I was uh... really hungry. I was working very hard today." Lily said. "I need food."

    "Hmm." Zhou Jingren chuckled and nodded. He then sat next to Lily and asked Yang Mi and Secretary Go to upy any vacant seats. Their private room was enough to amodate eight people so there were still a lot of vacant chairs around the table.

    Seeing Lily¡¯s forced smile, Zhou Jingren leaned towards her. "Were you afraid that I would stop you from eating too much seafood?"

    "Everything that is too much is bad for your health." Lily uttered, imitating her husband¡¯s tone.

    "Eh?" Surprised shed in his eyes. "My wife is learning." He stroked her head before beaming. "Don¡¯t worry about it." Judging from the number of shells in front of Qin Yuanfeng, Lily didn¡¯t actually eat a lot of shrimp and lobster.

    "Then... good!" Lily beamed before she gestured to her brother, silently telling him to keep peeling for her.

    This interaction was enough to make Eliza and even Levi smile. It was always nice to have a very good rtionship despite having busy schedules and sessful careers.

    Seeing this, Zhou Jingrenughed as he shook his head helplessly. He then asked Yang Mi and Secretary Go to make their orders so they could start eating too.

    "As I was saying... your opinions would not affect my appetite." Unfazed, Eliza continued after Zhou Jingren and the other¡¯s finished ordering her food.

    "What is she talking about?" Zhou Jingren asked.

    However, since Lily was busy eating, Qin Yuanfeng was the one who informed him that Eliza wanted to hear about Lily¡¯s opinions on princesses.

    "Oh... you wouldn¡¯t want to hear it." Zhou Jingren beamed. "At least... not while you are eating." He was sure that Lily had some pretty convoluted ideas about the world.

    "Really?" Disbelief shed in Levi¡¯s eyes. "Eliza is collecting all types of Barbie wearing princess dresses from all over the world. I guess that¡¯s the reason why she wanted to hear your opinions about them."

    "What?" Eyeing her brother, Eliza chuckled. "I love them, alright?"

    "Then... don¡¯t listen to my opinions." Lily uttered in between eating her seafood. "If you love them... you should just stop now and learn that some things in this world are better off untouched." Beaming, she turned towards Qin Yuanfeng again, waiting for him to finish peeling so she could continue eating.

    "Come on, Lily... how bad could it be?" Elizaughed. "Let me guess... I know you are a feminist so... I guess your opinion involves women wearing dresses to impress the prince? I mean... those thoughts are normal for a strong woman like you."

    "Hmmm. It is indeed normal." Lily said. "I mean... many women already pointed it out. Still, I believe that we should not give false ideas to kids, letting them think that there is such a word as happily ever after."

    "The thought of happily ever after... gives us hope." Eliza retorted, grateful that Lily finally turned her head away from the food. "It is always nice for those kids to have something to hope for."

    "True. But let¡¯s be realistic here. Snow white was an underaged girl lying in a coffin when the prince decided to kiss her. Tell me... how twisted is the prince to kiss a dead woman in a coffin?" Lily beamed. "In the original novel... sleeping beauty was r*ped and impregnated by a king while she was sleeping. After r*ping her, the king left for nine months. Did I fail to mention he was married too?"

    "You¡ª " Eliza swallowed her non-existent saliva as she watched Lily smile at her.

    "She gave birth while sleeping. Then... the fairies help the twins breastfeed, sucking the poison out of her, waking her up in the process. When the king came back¡ª she was already awake and guess what... she fell for him." Seeing everyone turned silent, Lily smiled. "Every story has a dark side." She shrugged. "Would you like me to continue?"

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    please don¡¯t forget to vote!

 Chapter 711 Difference

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 711 Difference</h4>

    Silence nketed the room. However, Lily ignored it and started thanking Qin Yuanfeng for her food.

    "You sound really well read."

    "My grandmother had most Italian novels in her library. The one who wrote this version was an Italian, I think." She answered Levi. Lily used to read and dance to cope up with the loneliness and sadness that she had felt eight years ago.

    "Wow." Eliza smiled awkwardly after a few seconds of silence. True to her words, Lily¡¯s story was indeed enough for her to lose her appetite. "I¡ª I never even thought of it in this way." Seeing Lily just nod and continue eating, Eliza was not able to stop the envy inside her.

    She wished she could act as nonchnt and smart as Lily. Her independence, her wisdom and the way she acted was just so refreshing to Eliza that she could not help but want to be like her. She let out a sigh. If this was five years ago, she was sure that Lily¡¯s presence would have made tons of impact to her choices. To her childhood. "So... what happened next?"

    Lily raised an eyebrow at Eliza. "You want more?" Surprised shed in her eyes.

    "Of course," Eliza responded. "It was enough to make me lose my appetite... so, why not just continue?"

    "Well... she became a mistress." Lily smiled as she started eating again. "When the queen came to know that the king loved someone else, she tried to kidnap the twins, cook them and make the king eat them."

    Eliza widened her eyes. "And?"

    "Of course, she didn¡¯t seed."

    "Oh. Then... that¡¯s good. So what happened?"

    "The cook never killed the children. Instead he hid them as he cooked twombs instead. Then... the queen watched as her husband enjoyed the dish thinking it was the children." Lily answered nonchntly. "Of course, the queen was not satisfied. She wanted revenge. She didn¡¯t know about the r*ape. She didn¡¯t know that it was her husband¡¯s fault."

    Lily continued, "She tried to burn sleeping beauty... alive as she called her various nasty names. Of course, as the protagonist of the story, sleeping beauty found a way to stall. She told the queen that she wanted to strip the golds and pearls and jewels that she was wearing. The queen agreed and thought it was indeed reasonable."

    "So she started stripping and every time she removed a piece of clothing, she would scream. Prompting the king to find the source of the ¡¯noise¡¯. When the king discovered that the queen was trying to burn the love of his life, he immediately instructed his soldiers to toss the queen into the fire instead."

    "And they lived happily ever after?"

    "Of course, they did." Lily smiled. "The mistress and the king with their children alive and well, lived happily ever after. The story was so twisted that Disney had to change more than half of the story to make it more appropriate for the kids."

    "Wow. I¡ª I am speechless." Eliza said.

    "And you know... the author said that the moral of the story is that as long as luck favors you. Then... you will always win. Sometimes even sleep-r*pe has a happy ending." Lily ended the story with a sigh.

    "I have never heard of this version." Zhou Jingren noted as the others nodded. "It is indeed a very disturbing one." He immediately wondered what kind of library Lilian kept in her study.

    "I agree." Lily pursed her lips as she watched the attendants serve them the order Zhou Jingren, Secretary Go and Yang Mi had ced earlier. "Hey, can I have some?" She pointed at the lobster, her eyes sparkling as if she did not just tell them one of the most gruesome stories that Eliza and Levi had ever heard.

    "Of course," Zhou Jingren smiled.

    "If you were the queen." Staring straight into Lily¡¯s eyes, Eliza continued. "I mean... you are very smart. So... I am curious..." She dabbed the napkin on her lips. "If you were the queen in the story. What would you do to the sleeping beauty? And how will you assure that it will seed?"

    "What do you mean?" Lily asked.

    "I mean... are you going to torture the mistress, poison them? Kidnaps the children? What would you do to the sleeping beauty?"

    A soft chuckle escaped Lily¡¯s lips. "What makes you think that I will do something to her?"

    "She¡¯s the mistress, right?"

    Lily shook her head. Why would she punished the one who was r*ped and impregnated while she was asleep? "I would ask the cook to kill my husband." She smirked. "And I¡ª will let the pigs eat him." She grinned. "Because that¡¯s what he deserves. To be eaten by his own kind."

    Eliza stared at Lily¡¯s smug face, speechless. When she heard Lily¡¯s story, she could not help but put herself in the shoes of the queen and asked herself what she would do to sleeping beauty once she discovered her husband¡¯s deed.

    Eliza never asked herself what she would do to her husband. Instead, she asked herself what she would do to the woman who was raped by her husband. A sh of guilt instantly glinted in her eyes. She lowered her head, embarrassed by her own thoughts. How the hell did she even think that this was all sleeping beauties fault? She gulped as she tried to shake the guilt away.

    Was this the difference between Lily and her? If something like this happened in real life¡ª if her husband cheated on her, Eliza would have surely focus the brunt of her anger towards the mistress. Maybe on her husband too¡ª but she would think of ways to hurt the mistress first.

    Eliza would think that it was the mistress fault and might even think that her husband was the innocent one. She might even think that her husband did it because he was only human, that he sumbed to temptation. Then she would focus her anger towards the woman who seduced her husband. Forgetting the fact that it always takes two to do a tango.

    Was this the difference between Lily and her?

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Thank you for your support and Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel!

 Chapter 712 Spoiled

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 712 Spoiled</h4>

    Unedited.

    ..............................

    Lily didn¡¯t mind Eliza¡¯s dampen mood as she finished her food. She was here to eat, ah. She would never let someone¡¯s mood affect her current appetite.

    "The lesson is to look at the things that you cannot see from the surface," Lily said after Eliza continued asking her about her opinions and thoughts about things. "There are two sides to every coin." She said before she finished a ss of water. Lily leaned against the chair, she was really too full and sleepy, she wasn¡¯t too sure if she could still apany Eliza shop.

    Eliza nodded at her words before she sighed inwardly. Despite Lily¡¯s stories, Zhou Jingren, Secretary Go, and Yang Mi still had a very blissful meal. Everyone looked really satisfied with their food, except her. Slowly, her lips lifted into a smile. True, she was not able to enjoy her food. However, she was still able to learn a very good lesson from Lily.

    As expected, she would harvest a lot of lessons from this visit. She looked at the slight smile on Lily¡¯s face. The more she interacted with Lily, the more she respected and admired her.

    "We should leave and start shopping before I fall asleep." Lily¡¯s words made everyone chuckle. She eyed her husband, "Are you going back to Zhou Capital?"

    "Hmmm. I have another meeting at one."

    "Oh! Unfortunate." Lily beamed. "I guess, I will see you tonight? Dinner? Tell Chef Yang, I want some seafood."

    "We are having some vegetables tonight." Zhou Jingren uttered before leaning down to kiss her. "I will settle the bill." He added, not letting her speak. "You go ahead and have a nice shopping." Standing, Zhou Jingren did not wait for Lily to argue about their dinner. He immediately gestured for Secretary Go to follow him.

    A small smile easily broke on Lily¡¯s face. She shook her head, amusement apparent in her eyes. Zhou Jingren is really caring and she is loving it. For some reason, seeing him impose some rules on her food is making her feel giddy inside.

    A part of this was because Lily always liked to control things. Letting someone control this small aspect of her is... refreshing.

    Not long after Zhou Jingren left, the group also decided that it was time to leave as well. Eliza was still excited about shopping while Lily was in a hurry to go home so she could sleep.

    "Alright," Lily said. "I will let Yuanfeng go with you. My back is starting to hurt." Lily said after visiting a few stores. Slowly, Lily could already feel the changes in her body. She gets tired easily and her back is starting to hurt especially after walking so much. The doctor said that it was because her spine is supporting the growing fetus inside her.

    "Why me?" Yuanfeng said. "I am not very familiar with the ce." He frowned. That¡ª and he promised Zhou Jingren not to let Lily out of his sight.

    "Then... Yang Mi will guide you two. Yuanfeng and I will get some refreshments. Text me once you are done." Lily¡¯s words immediately earned the approval of Levi and Eliza. After all, everyone is already aware of Lily¡¯s current condition.

    "I want some... milk tea." Lily immediately said after sitting down. They chose to stay in a coffee shop that is pretty known in the city.

    Qin Yuanfeng only gave her a stern look before shaking his head. Again, he wondered, how could Zhou Jingren know that Lily will try to demand something like this today. Is it possible that Zhou Jingren can read Lily¡¯s mind? "No. I will get some tea for you." He said before he called the attendant.

    Seeing this, Lily only let out a chuckle. Her husband... Zhou Jingren is so thorough, he must have warned Qin Yuanfeng ahead of time, prompting thetter to decline her request. "Oi, Yuanfeng. Did you forget that I am your sister?" Lily asked. "Howe you listen to Zhou Jingren more than me?"

    Ignoring her question, Qin Yuanfeng only shrugged andpleted his order. "This is good for you." He answered. Was it so obvious that Zhou Jingren told him these things beforehand? Did his reaction made Lily guess Zhou Jingren told him to watch over her if he was not around?

    He sighed inwardly. Maybe being a spy is not really for him, he thought.

    "Lily Fi Zhou... what a coincidence."

    Both Lily and Qin Yuanfeng turned their heads. "Qin Fei." Lily eyed the other woman who was following Qin Fei around. "It is nice to see you." she smiled.

    "You gain wait." Qin Fei sneered. "Good for you." She eyed the man sitting opposite to Lily. "It seems that your man spoiled you, a lot."

    Lily immediately lifted an eyebrow, not missing the sarcasm in Qin Fei¡¯s voice. Surely, Qin Fei knew who Qin Yuanfeng was. Moreover, the fact that they looked almost identical was a dead giveaway that they are brothers and sisters. Smiling, Lily nodded at her and three women behind her. "You seemed to have lost a lot of weight."She smirked. "Does this mean that your husband is not spoiling you these days?"

    Qin Fei¡¯s face immediately turned red from Lily¡¯s words. She balled her hand into fists as sheposed herself inwardly. "My husband wanted me to look beautiful." She answered. "And I honestly would not want to gain some weight and make him look at other women." She uttered. "Correct me if I¡¯m wrong but... I always thought your husband was Mr. Zhou from the Zhou Capital, right?"

    Lily immediately fought the urged to call Qin Fei stupid. "Yes. He is indeed my husband." Just like Qin Fei, Lily¡¯s voice was a little louder this time.

    "But... this¡ª " Qin Fei hesitated, unease apparent in her face as she turned towards the woman next to her. She eyed Qin Yuanfeng again before she turned towards Lily and smiled.

    Qin Fei does not need to say something for Lily to know her real goal. Eyeing the socialite apanying Qin Fei, Lily immediately guessed that they have been watching them for a few minutes now.

    As expected the woman is still as dense as ever.

    ...

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 713 Value

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 713 Value</h4>

    "How is your mother?" Lily fired back. After Tang Lingyun had stabbed Qin Mo, Lily had never heard anything about Qin Fei and Xuan Hui. "I presume your father survived from that¡ª unfortunate incident?" It¡¯s funny how Lily thought that rubbing salt to someone¡¯s wound was one of her best talents. Seeing Qin Fei¡¯s face change, Lily beamed.

    The issue of Tang Lingyun stabbing her husbandst year was big. After all, she used to be an actress while Qin Mo was a well known businessman. To add to that, Qin Fei and Xuan Hui spent some time in the police station due to being used of killing Xuan Hui¡¯s secretary also made it to the news. Before Qin Fei could open her mouth to argue, Lily continued, "It¡¯s been half a year? I wonder... did they found out why your cousin disappeared?"

    Qin Fei¡¯s ashed face instantly contorted. She could feel her throat tightened at Lily¡¯s words. When it came to using words, Lily could still easily rile her up. "Feifei... I think we should just leave. We still have a few meetings to attend to. Let¡¯s not waste our time here." The woman beside Qin Fei said, sympathy apparent in her face.

    Who doesn¡¯t know that Qin Fei¡¯s weakness was her family?

    When Qin Fei told them that Lily Fi Zhou was a really hateful woman, the three of them did not believe this. After all, Lily¡¯s face from the news, always had a slight smile that would make her look approachable. Seeing Lily Fi¡¯s nasty attitude, the three of them immediately decided to believe Qin Fei this time.

    "Let¡¯s go." Another one said.

    In response, Qin Fei red at Lily, her face contorted into an ugly scowl before she forced an ugly smile that looked as if she was crying instead of being happy. "Of course, my father is fine." In fact, Qin Fei only heard news about Qin Mo these days. She had never seen him since Tang Lingyun stabbed himst year. "You sound as if... my family¡¯s demise is making you happy. Does hurting the people who raised you for twenty years, make you happy? Are you really that cold hearted? Does ruining families make you happy?"

    "Ruining the people who can¡¯t help but offend me, makes me happy." Lily answered without batting an eyelid. The reason why she let this woman go is because she thought that she would learn her lesson and focus on her family instead. After all, she already had a child to attend to.

    To be honest, Lily actually thought that this woman might have matured after what happened to her family. After all, Qin Fei and Xuan Hui knew that Lily could ruin them anytime. For some reason, a hint of suspicion glinted in Lily¡¯s eyes.

    Both Xuan Hui and Qin Fei never tried to engage Lily unless... they thought they had a strong backing, helping them from the shadows. Lily immediately shook the thought out of her head.

    "Are you threatening me?"

    "Qin Fei... let¡¯s just leave." One women nudged Qin Fei. As the children of businessmen, they had heard about Lily¡¯s achievements in the business field from their father¡¯s. They were smart enough not to even think about offending a woman that even their fathers respected.

    "Come on Qin Fei. This is not worth it."

    Qin Fei narrowed her eyes at Lily. She immediately recalled Xuan Hui¡¯s conversation on his phone about Lily and his n to leave Qin Industries. In Qin Fei¡¯s mind, Xuan Hui had found a reliable backer that would help them get rid of this woman.

    Of course, she was not nning to do anything against Lily for now. After all, Xuan Hui didn¡¯t tell her what his n was. Qin Fei immediately made a mental note to have a conversation with her husbandter tonight to confirm their ns.

    "Let¡¯s leave. Feifei."

    Slowly, Qin Fei regained herposure as she continued to stare at Lily¡¯s cunning smile. Talking to someone like Lily was enough to kill a person with heart problems. It was a good thing she didn¡¯t have one. "It¡¯s nice to see you Lily." She said as she recalled the image that she took earlier with Lily and the man opposite her.

    With the right angle, it is very easy to make a photo ambiguous and confusing, easily making people conclude the right thing. "I hope we never see each other again." She added before walking away from Lily. A sharp sigh immediately escaped her lips. "Now... do you believe me? That woman is a bully."

    "She had the right to act that way. After all, she is more sessful than our fathers." One woman answered. "I also heard some news." The woman turned her head left and right, making sure that no one was close enough to hear her next words. "You know that my mother works in an international magazine right?"

    "Hm?" Qin Fei nodded, irritation apparent in her eyes. How did the conversation switch away from her? These people were supposed to sympathize with her. Was this because... she was not as relevant as before?

    "I heard that Lily Fi Zhou will be included in this year¡¯s Forbes Top Thirty Real Time Billionaires. My mother said that she made it this year. Last year her worth made it to the top fifty. Now... she is I believe top twenty- nine? Isn¡¯t that a great achievement?"

    The irritation in Qin Fei¡¯s eyes immediately became anger. Billionaire? Really? Was this the reason why these women ignored Lily¡¯s nasty behavior towards her? Because Lily was a fucking Billionaire?

    Qin Fei gritted her teeth. Funny how these people seemed to forget about Lily¡¯s attitude earlier, when they heard about the Billionaire news!

    Do people really value someone based on their money and not on how they treat other people? The more, she thought about it, the more Qin Fei raged inwardly.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Thank you for your support and please don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 714 Inferior

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 714 Inferior</h4>

    Unedited.

    ...

    "That woman ¡ª "

    "Is irrelevant." Lily interrupted her brother¡¯s words. Beaming, she eyed the attendant who was serving their order and waited for him to leave before she continued talking. "She had a son." She added.

    For a few seconds, Qin Yuanfeng stared at her.

    "I realized if she would stop disturbing my peace then... I would not let her son lost a mother." Lily added. Until now, Lily still could not forget her conversation with Zhou Jingren about adopting the child, in case something happens to Xuan Hui and Qin Fei. A sigh escaped her lips.

    If Qin Fei and Xuan Hui found a backer, she would not hesitate to ruin them. However, the fact that she is currently pregnant might change their previously nned arrangement about the Xuan Hui and Qin Fei¡¯s son. How unfortunate, she thought inwardly.

    "Her husband is a smart man. I checked the current profits of Qin Industries and it is doing pretty good. I think he is afraid of you."

    "Of course, he is. He and his woman killed someone. He knew I could ruin him." Lily beamed. Xuan Hui¡¯s fear could steam from the fact that Lily could take away everything from him in a blink of an eye. He knew what she was capable of. Staying away is actually a very smart decision for him.

    ....................

    Xuan Residence.

    "I saw Lily today." Qin Fei did not even bother knocking on her husband¡¯s study. She copsed on the couch before letting out a deep sigh. "I was pretty tired today." She added, ignoring the dark look on her husband¡¯s face.

    "Then sleep."

    "Didn¡¯t you hear me?" She snapped back. "I said, I saw Lily today. She was very disrespectful. You should totally make your ns ¡ª "

    "What ns?" he interrupted her. Standing from his chair, Xuan Hui walked towards the bar in his study and pour himself some whiskey.

    "Stop acting dumb. I heard about your ns against Lily. Tell me... who was it? The one that you talked to?"

    A frown made its way into his face. "What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

    "I mean... the n to ruin her? Hui... "she made a deliberate pause as she met his cold eyes. "Can you stop hiding things from me? I mean... I know you are trying to protect me and our son, but ¡ª "

    "What are you talking about?"

    "I heard you talk to someone on your phone a few nights ago." She uttered, expecting him to tell her the truth. "I heard you mention getting out of Qin Industries."

    "You were listening to my calls again?" his face turned grim. "You promised me you will stop ¡ª "

    "I am your wife. Why can¡¯t I listen to your conversations?" she retorted before shrugging. "Alright. I¡¯m sorry. I know... I already promised not to act as your jealous wife. My mistake... I was about to knock on the door when I heard you talk to someone. When you mentioned Lily¡¯s name, I got curious, so I listened? This was not really my fault, right?"

    Seeing the grim look on his face disappear, Qin Fei immediately added. "So? Are you going to tell me the entire n?" She grinned. "Today, that woman disrespected me and looked down on me in front of my friends. You know... how hard I am working to build connections with those socialites from China. And yet... that woman just embarrassed me in front of them. Can you really stand seeing me bullied?"

    "There is no n." Ignoring Qin Fei¡¯s words, Xuan Hui sat beside her and started drinking his whiskey.

    "What do you mean?"

    "There is no n. Is that so hard to understand?"

    "What ¡ª But I heard you talk about getting out..."

    "I am nning to leave thepany and that¡¯s about it. I am not going to let some people use me to try to antagonize Lily. I would not put you and our son in any danger."

    Qin Fei¡¯s eyes instantly widened at his words. She felt anger started to boil inside her veins. "You are afraid of her?"

    "I am afraid that she will hurt my family." Xuan Hui said. "And you should be too."

    "Hui! Are you really going to allow her to bully me? I am your wife! How could you let her destroy us?"

    "Did she approach you first?" he asked.

    "Of course she did."

    "Qin Fei... can you ¡ª for once tell me the truth."

    "I am telling the truth!"

    "You think she would waste her time bullying you?"

    As expected, his words made her silent. She pursed her lips. Was that really something so unbelievable? "Why is that so hard to believe? Was it because... she was more sessful than us now?"

    "You really don¡¯t get the point, do you?" Standing up, Xuan Hui decided to go back to his paperwork rather than waste his time walking to Qin Fei. "You are tired. You should see our son and sleep so ¡ª "

    "No!" Qin Fei said. "I am not leaving until you exin why you won¡¯t do something about our current situation! I want to know the truth! Everything... stop hiding whatever it is that you are hiding and tell me why you are so afraid of her."

    "Stop it."

    "Xuan Hui! Stop ignoring me and ¡ª "

    "I said STOP IT!" his loud voice made her flinched. Tears immediately pooled in her eyes as she stared at him, surprised at his outburst.

    "You ¡ª "

    "Lily is out of our league! Simple!" Xuan Hui said before turning towards his table. "We already have a son, and that should be our priority."

    "Are you telling me to just bow my head as she unts her wealth in front of me?"

    "Yes!"

    "You ¡ª "

    "Unless you can do something about it, then... you swallow down your anger and focus on our family instead."

    "Is this because she is more influential than us?" Qin Fei asked as she met her husband¡¯s eyes. She immediately noticed the ridicule in his orbs, as if she had just asked something so silly. "Are we just going to let her do whatever she wants because... we are inferior?"

    "Yes!" He answered without batting an eyelid. This is how the world works.

    ....

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote.

 Chapter 715 Not Anymore

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 715 Not Anymore</h4>

    Chapters are unedited for now. I can¡¯t ess google docs.

    ...........

    "You ¡ª You are choosing to side with her?"

    He immediately scowled at her words. "What are you talking about?"

    "Why would you not do something to avenge me?"

    Xuan Hui shook his head, helplessness apparent in his eyes. "Qin Fei ¡ª You should stop this nonsense."

    "Or what?" Tears started streaming in her eyes. "Hui... I felt that ¡ª are you regretting marrying me instead of Lily?" This was a question that had been bugging her since Lily came back. "Are you? Was it because she is prettier than me now? She is more influential?"

    "Qin Fei... you are tired. You should rest, sleep. I still needed to finish a lot of things for the uing board meeting."

    "Does this mean that you really like her?"

    "Qin Fei¡ª "

    "No! I want your answer! I want to hear your answer now! Did you regret marrying me? Did you regret everything that you did to hurt Lily in the past? Answer me!"

    "Yes!" Xuan Hui¡¯s lips trembled as he watched the sadness into his wife¡¯s face. "Qin Fei... I am tired!" He added. "I am tired of everything! I am tired of you always asking me these questions! I am tired of you wanting to be whatever it is that you could think of while ignoring our son! I am so tired of you... not trusting me!"

    "You ¡ª You treacherous creature!" Qin Fei yelled before she threw her phone on the bookshelves behind his seat. The loud sound of her phone hitting the walls echoed inside the room, "You created me! You made me not trust you! You made me pregnant! You made me insecure about my body! You ¡ª it¡¯s you who made me this way!"

    Xuan Hui¡¯s stared at Qin Fei¡¯s face for a few minutes before sighing. "I guess... marrying each other was really a mistake." He slumped into his leather chair, defeat apparent in his face.

    "What did you say?" Qin Fei asked. "What did you just say?"

    "You heard me, Qin Fei... We can¡¯t always act like this. We are already parents! We have a son, a life together! We have a future and yet you ¡ª You keep on drowning into your insecurities! Your jealousy!"

    "What are you saying?" Qin Fei sobbed. "Did you forget what you did to me? Hui! You cheated on me with my cousin! You sleep with another woman!" She walked in front of his table. "You promise me you will only love me!"

    "It was a mistake! Something that would never happen again! I thought ¡ª I thought we already move past this? I thought you already forgave me?"

    "Forgive? It was so easy to say ¡ª "Tears continued to flow on her cheeks. "How could I forget? How could I forget killing someone for you!? Tell me? Xuan Hui? How could I forget that because of what you did... I killed my own cousin!?" She stared at her hands. "And now you are saying that you made a mistake? That you are regretting everything? You ¡ª How dare you!?"

    "Feifei ¡ª "Slowly, his eyes turned gentle. "Can we at least... move on from this?" How could Qin Fei keep on bringing things like this up? "If you want to keep this rtionship, then I believe we should forget about the past. Everything about it. It is best that we move on and just stop thinking about Lily and Zhou Jingren. Let¡¯s focus on our life instead."

    Despite his anger and regrets, Xuan Hui could not deny the fact that he loved Qin Fei. "Let¡¯s do our best to save this rtionship, Qin Fei... this is for our own child." Lily seemed to have ignored them when they didn¡¯t do something to offend her. So why not just continue avoiding her? They have avoided her for half a year now... isn¡¯t that an achievement on their part?

    "So... you just wanted us to stay like this forever? Act like Lily¡¯s ves, working for herpany while she earned all the profits? Qin Industries is supposed to be mind!" Qin Fei raged. She then recalled the things that her new friends told her earlier. "Xuan Hui! The only thing that would make me find peace is by taking everything that is supposed to be mine! That woman took everything from me! The business! My parents! My brother! Lily took everything from me!"

    "And what would be the cost of this?" Xuan Hui asked. "Can¡¯t you see? The fight hasn¡¯t even started yet and we are already losing. Years ago, we took away from Lily and now... she took something from us in return. Qin Fei... can¡¯t you see? This is Karma. The Karma that we deserved from hurting someone all those years ago!" He let out another sharp breath. "I am so tired, Qin Fei."

    Seeing Qin Fei just started bawling, Xuan Hui added. "I am so tired of being your doormat. I am so tired of adjusting, thinking, and hoping that everything will be alright soon. I am just so tired of sitting here and thinking about what you are doing every day because I am too scared that your jealousy will eat you up and you will end up offending Lily!"

    "I am so tired of everything. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I never met you! Sometimes... I think about what would have happened if I didn¡¯t enable this behavior of yours. If I ¡ª If I did not tolerate this terrible attitude. If I didn¡¯t spoil you!"

    "Xuan Hui¡ª "

    "And Yes... I am wondering what would happen if I divorce you."

    His words came like a thunderbolt towards Qin Fei. She stilled and stared at her husband¡¯s serious expression. "Don¡¯t you love me anymore?"

    "I am saying that once I knew that you tried to offend Lily again, I will file the divorce myself and ask the court that you are an unfit mother. You do not deserve to see our son and you needed to undergo a treatment in a mental facility before you will be given visitation rights." He answered with a straight face. "I still love you, Qin Fei. The Gods know how much I regretted feeling this way. However ¡ª loving you do not mean that I would tolerate these actions. Not anymore."

 Chapter 716 Serial Killer

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 716 Serial Killer</h4>

    "You are going to leave me?"

    Once again, Xuan Hui shook his head in helplessness. "Rest, we will talk once you are well rested."

    Qin Fei turned silent for a few seconds. She stared at her husband¡¯s calm expression as her thoughts started to run rampant. Seeing him ignore her, Qin Fei stumped her feet and stormed out of his office. Should she really settle for this kind of life?

    When Qin Fei left, a sad smile instantly broke onto Xuan Hui¡¯s face. If given a chance, he would not hesitate to leave Qin Fei. However, he did not want to deprive his son from experiencing a mother¡¯s love. A sighed escaped his lips.

    He loved Qin Fei. This was a fact that he could not deny. Despite seeing her at her worst, his feelings for her were as strong as what he felt before. Of course, the regrets were there but it was not enough to stop his heart from feeling this way.

    Sometimes, Xuan Hui wondered if he was a fool. Was his heart really this stupid? How could he choose to stay with a woman like Qin Fei? He used to wonder what he saw in her. She was beautiful, sure. But that was only on the outside and he was aware of this even before marrying her.

    Qin Fei was nasty, jealous, insecure and over all a crazy woman. Yet, he was still crazy for her. For a few seconds, Xuan Hui stared at the family photo that they had taken a few months back. Their smiles seemed genuine and anyone who would see the photo could easily say that they were happy, in love and content.

    But, this was not the case.

    Slowly, his jaws thinned as he dialed a number on his phone. He loved Qin Fei and maybe it was the right time to have someone help her. He knew she was not stable after the pregnancy with the depression and the guilt of killing her cousin and yet, he continued to let her feel this way.

    He was such a horrible husband. He thought before he started talking to hiswyer.

    .....

    Meanwhile, the topic about Qin Fei was never mentioned again as Lily and Qin Yuanfeng enjoyed their drinks while waiting for Eliza and the others. It did not take long for Lily to decide to go ahead of them so that she could sleep.

    A few hourster the twins arrived in the mansion while Lily was sleeping. Then, they left with Bei Tian to go to the club while dragging Qin Yuanfeng along with them. Since Lily was still tired, she decided not to go with them. Instead, she spent the whole night cuddling with her husband.

    The next day, Lily was told that everyone had a st at the club, partying, dancing and going home around three in the morning. Levi and Eliza were scheduled to leave the next day and knowing that they were enjoying their visit so far was good enough for Lily.

    "Yang Mi, I want you to ask Qin Yuanfeng to check everything about the Harringfort Family." Lily leaned against her leather chair, her hands drumming the top of her office table. She was not nning to involve herself in the matters of the Royal Family of Luxembourg, however she just found it odd that the timing between the acquisition of Leon Corneel¡¯spany and this engagement was too perfect.

    Lily could not remove the suspicion that they were somehow rted. Of course, part of her knew that this might just be her hallucinations from her tendency to overthink about everything. "Do you have anything new for me?"

    "Su Ma¡¯s body is still not found." Yang Mi answered. "The police are thinking that she ran away and might close the case soon. Everything was too perfect, too clean that Mr. Qin is now earning everyone¡¯s sympathy. He seems so sad from her disappearance, his people said that he is so heartbroken, he asked his people to take every photo of her inside his office and home. The photos also showed that he has already lost some weight. It is very convincing, ah."

    Lily nodded. "So, she is still alive." She mused. Qin Chuan must have tortured that woman. She immediately wondered how much punishment he would give to Su Ma. "Yang Mi... I have a question."

    "Hm?"

    "If... a serial killer started killing r*pists, torturing them, cutting their limbs before letting them die. Would you say that the serial killer was right for punishing the r*pists? Would you forgive the serial killer for doing such things?"

    "I¡ª " Yang Mi stared at Lily¡¯s face. "Yes... I would think that the killer was right for killing the r*pist. I think he is doing the right thing by killing those people. And Yes, I believe his actions arepletely forgivable."

    "Hmmm... So once Qin Chuan asks for an apology. Do you think I should ept it?"

    "No." She answered. "Mr. Qin is not a serial killer, killing the ones who wronged innocent people. He is hurting the one who made a fool out of him. There is a difference."

    "I thought so." Lily smiled. It is always good to talk to people who she trusted the most. "Well then... once Qin Chuan calls for a meeting. Tell him, I am not ready to speak to him. Tell him, I am not ready to let him back in. In fact... I don¡¯t know if I will ever do that." She would not want to stress herself with stupid people again.

    "Understood."

    "Also, give me the reports that Mr. Rossi wanted me to check. I will finish everything today so we can focus on the Corneel Family and theirpany." Lily smiled. She needed to fix this before giving birth, she thought inwardly.

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel. I hope I can get back to 3 chapters soon.

    Mass release schedule:

    July 20- 6 chapters

    July 27- 5 chapters

 Chapter 717 Warning

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 717 Warning</h4>

    Previous chapters already updated.

    UNEDITED.

    Eliza and Levi¡¯s quick vacation had been fun. However, the two still had to leave because of their responsibilities. The two excitedly told Lily that they would visit her once she gave birth in Switzend.

    After the twins left, Lily started working with Qin Yuanfeng for the Fi Group. With the continuous growth of her stomach, Lily had been very careful. Because of this, the surrounding security around Lily doubled as Zhou Jingren insisted that this is a necessity. Of course, Lily is not that dumb to refuse such arrangements.

    Surprisingly, people like Zhou Huifang still found ways to contact her. In fact, the man had the guts to show up in Lily¡¯s office.

    "I could not remember thest time that we saw each other." Zhou Huifang said. "I can see that you are doing really well."

    Lily smiled in response.

    "Is he really necessary?" Zhou Huifang nced at Qin Yuanfeng who had hisptop on Lily¡¯s table, his eyes, however, was glued at the man sitting opposite his sister. "I mean... I am here for a private conversation." He added.

    "He is necessary," Lily said. She might be a schemer, but she could not deny the fact that her ns are not foolproof. Her weakness lies in surprises, like what Zhou Huifang is doing right now. This coupled with the fact that she could not really defend herself in martial arts and is pregnant is somewhat scary for her.

    She was scared, alright? Maybe it was because of her growing child or the sad reality of the world, Lily had been scaredtely. Of course, she could call this normal. This should be a part of her maternal instinct.

    Turning towards Qin Yuafeng, Zhou Huifang cleared his throat. He could not fathom the woman in front of him. He could not understand why she seemed to fear meeting him alone. He shrugged before letting out a deep sigh.

    Of course, this was mainly because he could not see Lily¡¯s growing stomach as she was calmly sitting on her leather chair and did not bother standing up to shake his hand earlier.

    "Alright then..." he nodded and turned his attention towards Lily. "This year, my uncle Zhou Kang died. Of course, I know you are perfectly aware of that." Seeing Lily nod, he continued. "He was kidnapped, he just disappeared. We never found his body and in the end, he was dered dead."

    "I am aware."

    "I know that you are aware of who did it." He added before letting out a sad smile. "It was Zhou Jingren and his father. You don¡¯t have to lie to me. I know. Despite my father not telling me the truth, I know about it. I also know that this was because of what he did to their family." Everyone who knows Zhou Kang knows about this. However, not one of them had the guts to say something.

    "And?"

    "And... I am letting you know that on that day, Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t just killed my uncle."

    Lily lifted an eyebrow.

    "He killed my brother ¡ª my younger brother. He disappeared along with my uncle."

    Lily lifted an eyebrow. "You think... Zhou Jingren killed Zhou Xiaodan?" Of course, Lily remembered the Zhou Siblings clearly. Zhuo Xiaodan was someone who had been under the spectrum. He might look like a tall mature man, but he still acts like a ten-year-old boy. "Why would you think he would kill an innocent person?" As the youngest of the siblings, he was extremely close to Zhou Huifang and their father.

    Zhou Jingren never told her anything about Zhou Xiaodan. All she knew is that Zhou Huifang¡¯s sister went abroad to study while Zhou Huifang was assigned far away from the capital.

    Lily also never inquired about the man as he was not really relevant.

    "My father refused to talk about it. And he was at my uncle¡¯s house when... he disappeared."

    Lily frowned. First and foremost, Zhou Kang was not kidnapped. He had a meeting with Zhou Jingren in an abandoned building. There is no way Zhou Jingren would have ess to Zhou Xiaodan.

    Lily¡¯s memories took her to the time when she had a conversation with Bei Tian just after she was rescued from Jack. Bei Tian specifically told her that Zhou Jingren had the tendency to lose himself when ites to Lily. As someone who does not really think of Zhou Jingren¡¯s past, she took the statement with a grain of salt.

    "He killed my brother." Zhou Huifang insisted. His tone became stern, his face grim. "There is no other exnation why he disappeared or why my father refused to talk about him!"

    "And by telling me this you¡ª "

    "I wanted you to know that he is not the person that you thought he is." His voice shook. "I took the liberty to do some research." He handed her a sh drive. "Of his deeds in the past."

    Understanding immediately shed in Lily¡¯s eyes. "So you wanted me... to fight with you in your quest for justice?" Lily was almost a hundred percent sure that this was what Zhou Huifang wanted. However... how dumb could he be to think that Lily would betray Zhou Jingren?

    "You are a businesswoman." Zhou Huifang said. "It is normal for you to value business and money about everything else." His face rxed as he leaned against his chair. "As someone who is considered one of the most influential women in the world, I would assume that you value your reputation a lot. Would you really tie yourself with a murderer like him?"

    Lily only stared at Zhou Huifang, her face devoid of any expression.

    "I am warning you." Zhou Huifang added. "I am only here because I wanted to warn you. His enemies... are many. Too many to count. And when theye for him... you know what will happen to you, right?"

    A snort escaped Lily¡¯s lips. However, before she could open her mouth to answer, Zhou Huifang already beat him to it. "And no. I am not afraid if I die. If I be his next target. Once that happens, my people will release the evidence that we have against him. It might not be enough to convict him, but it will be enough to ruin both of you."

 Chapter 718 Testing the Waters

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 718 Testing the Waters</h4>

    Lily chuckled in response. Disbelief shed in her eyes. So Zhou Huifang wanted to turn her against her own husband? But wasn¡¯t this too illogical? "And you think, I would just believe you with no proof?" Lily decided to ask more questions. For some reason, she felt this man woulde in here and convince her of something so... simplistic.

    Was it possible someone was telling him to do this?

    "I already told you, there is no way¡ª "

    "That is not proof." Lily interrupted him. "That is your opinion. Just like how I believe you are not your father¡¯s son."

    "You¡ª "

    "Your father was smart enough to cower in front of power. He saved you and your sister from the clutches of the one capable of killing you all." She made a deliberate pause as she gave him a stern look to the face. "And yet you chose to betray all his effort. Tell me... are you dumb or in stupid?"

    Zhou Huifang frowned. He knew convincing her would not be this easy. However, the person he talked to had assured him that once Lily understood the logic behind Zhou Jingren¡¯s actions, she would believe his words and would act against her husband.

    "He is only using you," Zhou Huifang uttered. "For the money, for connections, for your brain." This is the exact same thing the man had told him to say. Surely, Lily would be smart enough to start investigating her husband¡¯s past, right? "Whatever it is that he told you... it is not true." He added, his face grim. How could Lily just trust someone like Zhou Jingren?

    Businessmen did not act like this. They don¡¯t just give their trust to people they know for less than a year. He frowned. The man had also told him Lily and Zhou Jingren already met a few years back and actually knew each other since they were kids. However, he found this unbelievable.

    Why would a rich Fi associate herself with a boy from an orphanage? Moreover, that guy did not give him any concrete evidence about this. He only told him all evidence was wiped clean because of Zhou Jingren. How silly was that? With the current technology we have, there was no way that evidence could just vanish into thin air.

    "Now..." Lily drummed her fingers on the table. This is getting interesting, she thought. "Why would you think he will use my brain?"

    "Well... your business perspective. You are a very knowledgeable person. Your presence alone is enough to boost his stocks."

    "That is true." Lily nodded. "However, it does not tell me anything. Humans would always get attracted to people they think are good for them. Business-wise, marrying him is good for my ns to branch out in Asia. It was like a business deal with sexy abs and lots of sex." She smiled.

    "You ¡ª"How shameless! He fought the urge to yell at her shamelessness. However, he forced himself to stand his ground. The man had told him Lily was good at reading people. Therefore, she could easily make someone ufortable. She could easily use this to her advantage in manipting their emotions.

    But what else could he say? Even Lily was shameless enough to ept that she also married him for business. It wasn¡¯t a union full of love and affection. It was for benefits, for money. Disgust immediately shed in his eyes. "You married a sociopath." He hissed, irritated at the fact that Lily was so good at making him speechless.

    "And you are only fooling yourself, Mr. Zhou. Did you think about your father¡¯s emotion if he lost another son? The reason why your father cowered is because of you and your sister. Just like a true businessman, he was able to weigh his options and choose the one that would not only let him live but will also make him stay under thepany that he loved so much for years toe." Ridicule shed in her eyes. "And yet you ¡ª" She shook her head in disappointment.

    "My father is a coward! He is not a man!"

    "At least he is not stupid, sacrificing his children just for the sake of dead people."

    "I can see that I am wasting my time bying in here." He rose from his seat. He tried his best to talk some sense into this woman. Surely, the man would now help him in his quest for vengeance, right? This is what the man promised.

    He already made a mental note to call Qi Xiater and inform him about the deal.

    Lily only stared at him with a slight smile on her face. Someone was testing the waters, and she was very interested to know who was trying to make an enemy out of her and Zhou Jingren. "You know... If I were you... I would just live in the mountains and keep my silence. The world is such a horrible ce, having a silent and peaceful life is a luxury for people like us."

    "I am done with being stupid." Zhou Huifang said. "And I am done with watching Zhou Jingren and his father enjoy the things my father worked so hard to achieve! The Zhou Company is supposed to be ours! I watched my father work so hard only for him to be a VP with a small share under his name! Tell me... isn¡¯t that injustice? Do you think you can just bend justice because you are rich?"

    "Mr. Zhou has been a part of this society long enough to know that justice is indeed meant for the rich not for the righteous." Lily answered. At this point, she was already sure someone else was manipting this man into thinking like this. "When your uncle killed and raped people, you were silent. You watched him bully your father and grandfather because it did not affect you and you were living the extravagant life that you wanted. And now...now that you have lost all the benefits of being an heir apparent, you scream of justice just because of shares? Of your brother¡¯s disappearance? If this is not hypocrisy... then what is?"

 Chapter 719 Turning the Tables

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 719 Turning the Tables</h4>

    Zhou Huifang knew he was wrong. He knew showing this sense of righteousness for whatever it is that he felt right now, was a little toote for him. He had witnessed Zhou Kang¡¯s actions before and knew they were wrong, and yet, he never screamed for justice then.

    And Lily was right. It was partly because it did not concern him. It did not affect him in any way. It was because Zhou Kang loved to give him exclusive privileges, things his father never gave him. However, with Zhou Kang gone, and the Zhou Company back in the hands of Zhou Jingren¡¯s father, Zhou Huifang now felt it was not fair for him to suffer alone.

    He wanted to have the Zhou Company back. He wanted to have all the benefits of being the center of attention, of being an elite. He believed thepany should have been his to inherit. He believed that he and his father deserved more than what they had left right now.

    "It is greed," Lily¡¯s words echoed inside him. "You want more... and so you are using everything that you could think of, using justice for your personal intentions." She snickered. Her gaze filled with mockery as her eyes trailed down to his ck suit then slowly, back to his face. "You are just like me." Lily added. "Greedy little thing."

    "Don¡¯t!" He interrupted her. "Don¡¯t you make it sound as if I am like you." He knew she was right. He was indeed greedy. But it was only because he truly believed this is what he and his father deserved. He felt he and his father were entitled to everything that they had worked hard for over these years.

    "You can deny it." Lily met his raging eyes. "You can yell and tell the world you are not like me. But at the end of the day, you will sit here and fume. You will sit in the corner of your study as you think of ways to get more." She smiled. "You will always want more of everything and not having it will frustrate you, it will make you unhappy, bitter and toxic."

    He opened his mouth, trying to argue against her words. However, no words came out of his lips. She was right. Lily was right. He immediately felt his face turned hot, his heart drummed faster, louder against his chest. A person who could read him as if he was an open book¡ª that was Lily. How frightening.

    For a few seconds, fear shed in his eyes as she stared at Lily¡¯s face. "Toxic people... deserve to die." Lily added. "They only add pollution to this world. They are nothing but poison to humans."

    "You¡ª Are you threatening me?"

    "No idea what you¡¯re talking about." Lily shrugged before beaming at him. The person using Zhou Huifang must have thought Lily and Zhou Jingren would kill thetter. They wanted to know how far Lily and Jingren would go to just to cover up the evidence that Zhou Huifang was talking about.

    Too bad... it was just too bad.

    "I am here with good intentions. I am warning you¡ª "

    "Someone sent you here to die." Lily interrupted him. "Fool. You are nothing but a person who is blinded by greed and stupidity. People are using you behind your back and yet... here you are, acting so righteous in front of me. In this world... there is no right or wrong Zhou Huifang. There is only the puppet and the puppeteer. You choose who you want to be." She pursed her lips and watched as he paled. It seems that her initial guess was indeed right.

    "I don¡¯t know what you are talking about."

    "It¡¯s alright." Lily nodded before she took out a small rectangr card from her drawer. Slowly, she pushed it towards Zhou Huifang¡¯s way. "My number. Call me once you realize that I am right." These people wanted to use Zhou Huifang against her. So... why not turn the tables on them? Why not use this stupid bloke against them?

    "I¡ª "

    "Did you think my husband would hurt a kid? Was this really your own conclusion? Or... did someone tell you about it?" A sinister smirk slithered onto Lily¡¯s face. "Come on... I know you already know that answer to my question. Did they tell you about Jingren killing your brother too? Did they tell you toe here, confront me so I can tell my husband and in turn... he can silence you?"

    "What are you¡ª "

    "You are here on a suicide mission, Zhou Huifang. You have been yed." Lily uttered. Any smart man would not confront an enemy that is more powerful than them. They would not have the courage toe into the tigers¡¯ir to threaten the tiger. Unless, someone would tell them that they could convince the tiger to convince the lion. "Do you understand now?"

    Zhou Huifang felt his upper lips tremble. He stared at Lily¡¯s face for a few more seconds, his gaze wasplicated, confused. He balled his hands into tight fists before he grabbed the card on the table and strode out of Lily¡¯s office with a grim face. Lily was right. He was indeed here for a suicide mission.

    Seeing him gone, Lily gestured for Qin Yuanfeng to follow her into his smallputer room.

    "What¡¯s wrong?" Qin Yuanfeng asked.

    "Is this room secured?"

    "Of course." He nodded and closed the door behind him.

    Lily stared at her brother before she started pacing.

    "What¡¯s wrong?"

    "Follow Zhou Huifang and create a trail that will connect him to Qi Xia."

    "Why?" he asked.

    "They are nning to kill him."

    "What?"

    "Now... I want you to do it now. Do not let him out of your sight. Not even for a moment."

    Qin Yuanfeng immediately opened hisputer and started typing. "Are you going to tell me who is nning to kill him? And why?"

    "I don¡¯t know." Lily answered. "But today or tomorrow... that Zhou Huifang will die and they will pin it to me or Zhou Jingren."

    Qin Yuanfeng stopped typing when he heard Lily¡¯s words. He turned his head at her, confused by her words. "How did you¡ª "

    "Because... that is exactly what I would do." She interrupted him. "If I were the enemy that is exactly what I will do."

 Chapter 720 A Good Husband

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 720 A Good Husband</h4>

    When Zhou Jingren arrived at Fi Group, Lily immediately told him about Zhou Huifang as they went home to The Peak.

    "It is surprising how he would be this dumb," Lily said as she finished beating the eggs.

    "Well, he was born and raised in a household where Zhou Kang exists. Actually, it is not very surprising to me. Are you sure you are going to bake at this hour?" He eyed the flour. "I mean... shouldn¡¯t you be resting?"

    "Baking is something that I should learn."

    "For?"

    "For myself?" Lily answered. "This is for my growth. I realized that I needed to grow for my children and you know... personal reasons." Rolling her eyes, Lily started mixing all the wet ingredients with the dry ones. "You should support me on this."

    "I support you in everything." He grinned. "Even if that involves burning the house."

    "Hey! That hurts."

    "What hurts?"

    "That¡ª " Lily used a whisk. "I will let everyone else eat my cooking except you."

    Zhou Jingren chuckled in response. "Shall I call everyone, now?"

    "You seem too excited to have them taste my cooking?"

    "Of course, I am. I¡¯m a proud husband after all." He eyed the batter. "What are you going to bake? Cookies?"

    "Really? Does this look like some cookie? Wait! Do you think the batter is too dry? Do you think I should add more milk?" Eye widened, Lily eyed the batter.

    "Why would you add milk?"

    "I don¡¯t know." She shrugged and used a spat to show the consistency of the batter. "You said it looked like I¡¯m making a cookie."

    He chuckled. "Your ability to overthink is really on a higher level than us mortals. I was only asking. I didn¡¯t say it is too gooey."

    "It is?" She lifted an eyebrow.

    "What does the recipe say? Wait... what are you making? Chocte cake?"

    "Yes. Chocte carrot cake."

    "A what cake?"

    "I said... A chocte carrot cake!"

    "And... do you have a recipe?"

    "No." Lily shook her head. "This is purely based on my instinct."

    Zhou Jingren stared at her in disbelief, his mouth agape. "So¡ª uh... you are telling me that you are baking in the middle of the night, using your instinct just because you like it?"

    "Hm?" She shifted her gaze towards the eggs. "Maybe more eggs and yes... is there something wrong? This should be my new found¡ª passion."

    He gulped as he fought the urge to facepalm himself.

    "Is there something wrong with following your instinct?" Lily asked.

    "No-No... It¡¯s not that. But I find this a very strange type of instinct." Now that he thought about it, his wife turned into a totally different person after getting pregnant. He eyed her stomach. This should be the child¡¯s fault, no? "Would you like me to help you?" he asked.

    "Nah. I can do this. I am a grown independent woman after all." Lily answered. "This is something that every mother should learn how to do. You know... when our child goes to school, I am nning to bake him snacks. Cookies and stuff."

    "Really?"

    "Of course. I will be a hands-on mother."

    "Maybe you should just let Chef Yang do that."Zhou Jingren said. He would not want to traumatize their child, alright?

    "But every mother does that?"

    "You are already good at earning money. Maybe... you can just stick to that? How about I do the baking instead?" He suggested. "I mean... as my wife... you need to rx and have some time for yourself. I can¡¯t allow you to do all that after working your ass off all day."

    Lily pursed her lips in response. Zhou Jingren¡¯s words indeed sound reasonable. "Alright... this is ready. I should bake it and wait for forty minutes then it¡¯s all good." After tossing the cake into the oven, Lily immediately smiled at her husband. "You should taste it. I know... it might not taste that good but I am learning."

    "If you want to learn then you should follow some recipe¡¯s first."

    "But.... I was nning ton creating my own recipe."

    He sighed. When ites to talking with his wife... there is really no winning. Only agreeing or losing. "Alright then." He nodded. "But moving forward... I mean after you give birth, you should not focus on things like this and just focus on taking care of our child. I don¡¯t want you to be so tired."

    "Jingren, ah. This is a part of motherhood. Cooking and baking¡ª "

    "I will do that." He interrupted her. "I will make the snacks and bake for you and our child."

    "Really?"

    "Hmmm." He nodded as if his life depended on it. "You already took care of our son for nine months, then you would suffer the pain ofbor and giving birth. I think it is fair that I do this to our son just too ...pensate."

    "Hmm." Lily¡¯s lips thinned. "Then alright." She smiled. "It would be nice to teach our children that cooking and baking is not something that only women should do."

    "Right... that is also another reason why I wanted to do this." He let out a sigh of relief inwardly. At least... he already convinced her not to do the cooking, he thought.

    He was wrong.

    "Still¡ª I am nning to learn cooking and baking and you¡ª you will be the judge. You will taste everything that I make." Beaming, Lily crossed her arms across her chests. Does Zhou Jingren think that he was a fool? Sheughed inwardly. "After all, you are my husband, my partner, and my lifetimepanion. You should witness my growth!"

    In this conversation, there was no winning. Only agreeing or losing.

    "Alright." He nodded in defeat. Can he really do something about this? Shaking his head, Zhou Jingren pulled her in his embrace. "Alright... I will taste everything that you serve."

    His words immediately made Lilyugh on his arms. "Good."She tiptoed and kissed his cheeks before kissing him on the lips. "What a good husband."

    "What a naughty wife." He answered before his lips captured hers.

    ....

    Unedited:

    Mass Release Schedule- I have to make some changes because of Mass Release event.

    Monday- 20th- 5 chapters.v- Will start at 3 am GMT+8

    Tuesday- 21st- 5 chapters

    Thank you for your support and don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel

 Chapter 721 To Protec

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 721 To Protec</h4>

    .

    On the next day, Lily went to the Fi Group as usual. She wanted to know more about the things that her brother found out. Unfortunately for her, Qin Yuanfeng hadn¡¯t found out anything.

    "Like nothing? No mails, calls or even a text message? He just went straight home?" she asked.

    "Nada."

    "Strange."

    "Very strange." He nodded, his eyes on hisputer. "Not even Qi Xia. Both of them are not calling or texting. Well that might be because Qi Xia is also very busy with hispany and a gaming summit is going to be held soon."

    "Still." Lily sighed. Maybe she was just over thinking? "You know what? I think I should stop thinking about this."

    "Hmmm."

    "Yang Mi?"

    "President."

    "What do I have for today?"

    "You were supposed to review¡ª "

    "Give me something that is not boring." She interrupted her secretary before sighing. She then leaned against her leather chair and inhaled the scent of freshly brewed coffee from Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s table. She missed coffee, she thought. However, just thinking about coffee immediately made her frown.

    Last night, it was one of the ingredients that she used for her chocte carrot cake. It turned out to be so bitter even her husband was not able to control himself and told her it sucked. She pouted. Zhou Jingren never said harsh words about her cooking. So, him saying something like that could only mean that it was inedible.

    This immediately dampened her passion to learn.

    "Mr. Rossi is meeting the person that is about to be the ambassador for Harmony Isle in Asia. He is an actor, an idol wait... it says that he is a multi talented, actor, dancer and singer from Maind China. With tens of millions of followers on his Weibo. He just finished a very sessful series with him as the lead actor. It trended not just in Asia but also in Europe and Australia."

    "Sounds interesting." Lily said almostzily. "How old is he?"

    "Twenty five."

    "Oh." Disinterest shed in Lily¡¯s eyes. "Hey, Yuanfeng." She turned towards her brother.

    "Hmmm?"

    "You were an idol before. What do you think of being in the limelight again?"

    "No thanks."

    "Was it that boring?"

    "More like tiring and toxic."

    "Oh." Lily nodded. "Do you think... I would be a good actress?"

    "No."

    "Excuse me?"

    "I said no."

    Eyes widened, Lily waited for him to give her a reason why he thought that way. However, Qin Yuanfeng did not even nce at her direction. "Hey! What do you mean? Are you saying that I can¡¯t be an actress?"

    "No."

    "Why?"

    "You are too bold. That is not going to work in China."

    "Oh!" Lily pursed her lips. She thought her brother would say something along the line of her not having a talent to act, turns out it was about the industry and how they viewed female actresses. She nodded in approval of his words. Most people in China would prefer the cutesy, kind and gentle actress. The white flower ones. Obviously, Lily was nothing like those women. "Call Mr. Rossi, tell him I will attend this meeting. Also... can you schedule a call with Cathy and don¡¯t forget to check for Mr. Corneel¡¯s flight schedule so we can amodate him once he visits Hong Kong with his sons.

    "Understood." Yang Mi nodded.

    ....

    Zhou Huifang¡¯s Residence, Maind China

    The smell of alcohol inside the room was thick, it wafted through the air, upying Zhou Huifang¡¯s dark room. "Wake up!" his father hissed as he opened the blinds. "It iste. Why are you still in bed?" He nudged his son before shaking him out of his sleep.

    "Why are you here?" He asked in a daze.

    "Is that even a question?" Zhou Jingtao asked. "Get dressed and get that woman out of here." He pointed at the naked woman sleeping soundly next to his son. "I will wait for you outside. Let¡¯s have breakfast together."

    Zhou Huifang frowned before he buried his face back into his pillow, cursing inwardly. It did not take too long for him to ask the woman that he metst night to leave his ce. After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he got dressed and went out to see his father smoking on his balcony. "I thought you quit?" he said as he leaned on the rails sat next to him.

    Zhou Jingtao did not respond, instead he puffed, the smell of tobo immediately reached his son. "You are digging your own grave." He uttered, face grim.

    "You knew."

    "Everyone knew!"

    "Is that why you are here? To talk some sense into me?"

    "I am telling you to stop. It is pointless."

    A snort escaped his lips. "You telling me this¡ª This is just hrious. Just because I am the son of a coward, does not mean that I should be one."

    "Xiaodan did not die because of Zhou Jingren. It was because of Zhou Kang. He killed him and not Zhou Jingren."

    Zhou Huifang turned silent before lines appeared In between his brows. "You are lying."

    "I am not." Zhou Jingren met his son¡¯s troubled eyes. "The reason I didn¡¯t want to talk about it before was because... it was partly because of me. It was my fault. I was not able to protect him."

    "Did they tell you to lie to me?"

    "I am not lying. I¡ª "

    "You think I would just believe whatever it is, that you say?" Zhou Huifang hissed. "You think I would allow you to lie in front of my face?"

    "As I said¡ª "

    "I don¡¯t believe you!"

    "Then what do you believe?" Zhou Jingtao hissed. "Your useless beliefs? Your sense of whatever it is that you call it? If you want to avenge his death then... do it. But do it to me and not to the people who had nothing to do with his death."

    "You¡ª "

    "I know my brother was crazy and yet, I never did anything about it." Zhou Jingtao¡¯s face reddened. "For years I let him and father bully me into doing things for them. I did it without anyins because I wanted you and your siblings to be safe."

    Zhou Jingtao continued. "Both were heartless and cruel. Because of that I did unimaginable things. I did it all to protect you, to protect our family. However... one day, I heard them talking about Lanying and how they were going to use her against Zhou Jingren." He gulped, his eyes never leaving his son¡¯s. "I had to do something."

    "So you betrayed grandfather and uncle."

    "I did what I could to protect you and everyone else I care about!"

    ....

    1/5 please don¡¯t forget to vote

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 722 Previous Submission

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 722 Previous Submission</h4>

    Seeing his son turned silent at his words, he let out a sharp breath. "I had to do everything that I could to protect you. Even if that meant betraying my blood."

    Zhou Huifang felt his eyes turn hot. He lowered his gaze as he gritted his teeth. "You betrayed your family."

    "I did.I betrayed them for the sake of the people that I love." To Zhou Jingtao, what he did was not wrong. "However, you and Xiaodan are different. You got too close to Zhou Kang. Back then... I could not contact you. When... when he tried to murder me... and pin it on Zhou Jingren. I did not want to ruin my cover. So I¡ª "

    "I mourned for you." Zhou Huifang uttered. "Me and Xiaodan mourned for you and it was¡ª a lie. Everything was a lie! You manipted us into thinking you were dead!"

    "Zhou Kang was after me! You and him were close! If ¡ª If I asked you ¡ª If at that time, I asked you to choose between us. I knew you would choose him. Do you really think I would trust someone who does not even appreciate everything that I did for over the years?"

    "You¡ª You are a useless father." He screamed.

    A snort escaped Zhou Jingtao¡¯s lips. "I am." He nodded. "I know, I am." Still, he believed that whatever it was that he did was only done because of his inner goal of protecting his family, his children. Maybe at one point, he made a lot of mistakes. Maybe he was not the perfect father.

    And he regretted it. He regretted everything and wished that he could just fix them. But... life was not meant to be like that. Life is cruel. It will force you to live the life that you choose. To remember all the terrible decisions that you made in your life. To live with your regret and your guilt.

    It will then force you to dream about those decisions every night. It would make you realize that sometimes death was better than life as it would give you peace. "Xiaodan died because of me." Zhou Jingtao added. "If you want to punish someone... if you want to avenge him, then, you should do it to me. I deserve it." He lowered his gaze before he finished his cigarette.

    "Zhou Jingren and his family stole everything from us." Zhou Huifang said, his voice low. "I want to¡ª "

    "Listen to yourself." His father let out a low chuckle. "You sound like Zhou Kang." He turned towards the busy street just below them. "We stole from him. It was not the other way around."

    "But¡ª "

    "Didn¡¯t you know? We are the one who ruined his life, his father and mother were forced to run away because of your grandfather. He lived in an orphanage. Growing up, he did not have the education and the privileges that you and your siblings enjoyed. He worked his way from the streets to where he is now."

    "Are you really satisfied with all this? With how everything turned out?"

    "Huifang... if you want to survive in this world. Let that kind of thinking go."

    "What¡ª "

    "One where you feel that you deserve more. The thinking that makes you want more. The thinking that stops you from feeling satisfaction." His father said. "I am satisfied with how everything turned out. I lost one son but I still have you and Lanying. I am working under thepany that I love and... I am working to atone for my sins. Working my way into earning the forgiveness of the people that I¡ª ruined."

    Zhou Huifang clenched his jaw as he watched the side profile of his father. Seeing this, Zhou Jingtao continued. "I don¡¯t want to lose you or Lanying. So... I want you to understand that all this is not Zhou Jingren¡¯s fault. Hell... this is not anyone¡¯s fault. We are all victims of a tragic fate. And we need to ept that before we lose ourselves in the never ending cycle of revenge and hate."

    "You coward."

    "Being satisfied is not being a coward." Zhou Jingtao sighed. "I am already old. I don¡¯t want to involve myself in chaos. I wanted to let go of the pain, ept it as fate and cherish the time that I have left. Hopefully with a happy family"

    "Well.. I am ¡ª "

    "If you want to die then go head." Zhou Huifang interrupted him. "You are an adult and I have no control of your life. I tried my best to protect you from everyone else however... I cannot protect you from your own stupidity. If you want to end your life for meaningless reasons, then go ahead. I am not going to convince you to stop." By now, he already understood his son¡¯s greed was eating him alive. No amount of convincing would stop him from thinking that the world owed him just because he experienced a little set back, a little heartache.

    Zhou Huifang turned towards the streets. He already expected his father to talk to him about what he did yesterday. However, he never expected him not to stop him from what he was about to do.

    "You are young Huifang. Unlike me, you have an opportunity to start over. To have a clean te, no sins or regrets. Be wise, and know who truly is your ally. You should be smart enough to know that ¡ª To know what you want." Zhou Jingtao added. "I hope you will realize that because of your greed, people are able to take advantage of you easily. They are using you to fight for their senseless cause. Or maybe you already know it and yet, refuse to acknowledge it. Unfortunately, I cannot do anything about that." He stood from his seat and eyed his son.

    "I did my best in protecting you. For all these years... I have be my father and brother¡¯s ve. I am not a hypocrite to me them for what is happening in our lives now. Because... My previous silence, my previous submission was also something that contributed to all of this. To protect you and your siblings, I did what I thought was the best for our family at that time. There are some things that I cannot control and I apologize for that. However, I truly hope that you will think about it. Spend some time to really analyze everything, before you do something that you cannot take back. Something that will leave you with regret for the rest of your life."

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    2/5

    Don¡¯t forget to vote.

 Chapter 723 Actress

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 723 Actress</h4>

    Unedited:

    ...

    Zhou Huifang watched as his father gave him onest disappointed look before leaving his t. He gritted his teeth, his face sullen. He hated how Zhou Jingren was able to convince his father to lie to him.

    After a few minutes, Zhou Huifang went back to bed. Until now, he could still hear the ridicule from Lily¡¯s voice. Lily¡ª that hateful woman would easily mocked him because of what he did. However, he could not deny that Lily also had a very valid point.

    Someone might be treating him like a disposable ally. He let out a sharp breath as he copsed on his bed, his eyes close, face sullen. If someone is indeed using him then... would he really let them treat him like a fool?

    "Ugh!" He eximed as he clutched his head in frustrations. This cannot go on. He needed to call the man soon. He needed toe up with something!

    ######

    Fi Group

    "Huh?" Bei Tian stared at Lily, confused. "Why are you asking me such weird questions?"

    "Since you are here, you can be the judge of my character. " Lily beamed. First, she was bored. Second, reading hundreds of pages worth of reports is hurting her eyes. She deserves to have more fun.

    He furrowed his brows, suspicions apparent in his eyes. He immediately wondered what is Lily thinking this time. Sipping his tea, Bei Tian immediately asked her. "What character? Is there even another character aside from your evil self? What are you¡ª what do you call that Yuanfeng? The one with two personalities? Bipr or something?"

    "Multiple personality disorder," thetter answered.

    "Yes! That one!" Bei Tian narrowed his eyes at Lily. "Do you have another personality lurking beneath you?"

    "What? No!" She grinned. "I was thinking of acting."

    "Aren¡¯t you always acting?"

    "You¡ª"

    "You are always acting. I can sense it." Bei Tian said. "What? Are you nning to be an actress too?"

    "Yes!"

    "Like an actress¡ª actress? Like someone who acts on TV?"

    "Yeah... an actress. I am not aware that there are other types of actresses in the industry." Lily leaned against her chair, seemingly thinking about Bei Tian¡¯s words.

    "If you are going to ask me if you will be a good actress. I think¡ª you would do good in evil roles."

    "Excuse me?"

    "You know.. The evil stepmother or the evil fiance roles. Maybe a witch? Or powerful sorceress that loves to bully the protagonist."

    "But those are all mean roles." She retorted.

    "You are mean." He shrugged. "Acting like yourself is not that bad, ah."

    "Oi! Bei Tian...you are going overboard!" Yang Mi immediately reprimanded. "I will tell President Zhou about you bullying the madam!"

    "What bullying?" Bei Tian asked, wondering why Yang Mi would suddenly be hostile. "Is telling the truth considered bullying? Besides, she asked me a question, alright? She also did not tell me to lie!"

    "You¡ª "

    "Yang Mi... it¡¯s alright." Lily chuckled. "He is actually right. ying the role of something very familiar is good for a newbie like me."

    "Wait¡ª are you serious?"

    "Of course, I am!" Lily beamed in response. "Being an actress suits me!"She propped her chin into her palm and started thinking about being an actress.

    "Being an actress requires kissing people." Silence followed Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s words. "Do you want to kiss other men?" he asked.

    As expected Lily turned speechless. She actually did not think of this aspect!

    "Plus evil people are sometimes portrayed as... promiscuous. Meaning... bed scenes. Of course, you can use a body double. But do you really like your husband to watch your face next to a man¡ª on TV"

    "Hah! Yuanfeng is still the smartest!" Bei Tianughed, amusement apparent in his eyes. He then rose from his seat and walked towards Qin Yuanfeng to asked him about the things that he wanted. Seeing the two men started to talk about Zhou Jingren¡¯s business, Lily pouted and rose from her seat.

    "Yang Mi... Let¡¯s go."

    "Where are you going?" Bei Tian asked.

    "I am going to see how a famous actor acts in person."

    "You are bored, no?"

    "Hmmm. I can¡¯t think about scheming and killing all the time." She grinned. "Bad for the baby." She uttered before leaving the office with Yang Mi.

    Justtely, Lily realized that she actually had a choice. She could think about her enemies, their schemes, their future ns like she always did in the past seven years. Or... enjoy herself. Divert her attention to other things.

    For instance... baking. She even thought of maybe trying other things like knitting. Lily beamed inwardly. Of course, she is not nning to tell her husband about this matter. She knew he willugh at her silly reasoning.

    "Yang Mi?"

    "President?" Yang Mi leaned forward. "Is there something wrong?"For some reason, the smile on Lily¡¯s face is giving her weird vibes.

    "Do you know how to sew?"

    "Eh?"

    "How about knitting?" Lily lowered her voice. "Do you have other hobbies when you are not working for me?"

    Yang Mi cleared her throat. "President.... When I am not working for you... I just sleep." She immediately wondered if Lily knew how exhausting it is to work under her. Of course, she is not nning toin. She loves her job and everything about it.

    "Sleep?" Lily turned towards her. "You don¡¯t go out and party? Or do anything else?"

    She shook her head. Both she and Secretary Go are always exhausted because of their bosses. They would always prefer to just stay at home and sleep when they are given time off.

    "Oh! Then... " Lily did not continue what she was about to say. She would not want to take some sses just to learn these things. After all, she is an independent pregnant woman of the twenty-first century. Chuckling, an idea slowly sprouted inside Lily¡¯s mind.

    Seeing Lily smile to herself, Yang Mi immediately made a mental note to warn Secretary Go so he could warn Zhou Jingren about it.

    .....

    3/5

    Don¡¯t forget to vote!

    I already update chapter 720.

 Chapter 724 Chocolate Cosmos

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 724 Chocte Cosmos</h4>

    Unedited.

    ...

    The smell of jasmine wafted through the air, as the soft sound of Jazz nketed Mr. Rossi¡¯s office. "I didn¡¯t know you like Jazz?" Lily uttered when she entered the room. "I thought you have a visitor?" Lily asked. "Contract signing?"

    She elegantly sat opposite to him. A sigh escaped the older man¡¯s lips. "Too many changes. He had a lot of demands."

    "Really?"

    "Hmmm. He is a very well-known artist with millions of followers, so I was already expecting this." He then pressed dialed a number on his telephone. "Hey, can you do something about the smell?" he spoke over the phone before turning towards Lily. "He wanted Jasmine tea and Jazz music. He said... it will make him feel good."

    "Not good enough to sign with us," Lily chuckled. This is normal in anypany and this is not the first time that they encountered someone like him. "Well ¡ª I was here to see if I could get a signature from him. Too bad, huh?" Seeing the surprise look on Mr. Rossi¡¯s face, Lily instantly giggled.

    "You¡¯re a fan?"

    "Kidding." She beamed. "Find someone else if he wouldn¡¯t agree to our terms. While he is well known in China, we are well known all over the world. Maybe a Korean artist, one of those cute dancing idols. Their influence is vast in Asia and they are pretty good all in all."

    "I understand."

    Lily nodded before she walked out of Mr. Rossi¡¯s office so she could go to Zhou Capital. She instructed Yang Mi to call Zhou Jingren for him to wait for her instead ofing to the Fi Group to have lunch with her and everyone else.

    "President... It seems that they encountered some problems with the lift." Yang Mi said as she talked to someone on her phone.

    "On the executive elevator?" Lily eyed the elevator in front of them. The number was indeed changing. Up and down, as if someone was ying with it.

    Yang Mi nodded in response, "There was a problem. Mr. Li is inside with his PA and Manager." She then showed her the current CCTV inside the elevator. Just as she said, a man wearing a huge gray hoodie was indeed inside with a man and woman wearing suits.

    "I don¡¯t want to use the stairs," Lily uttered as she turned towards the elevator for employees. After a few seconds, Lily reached the ground floor and was greeted by the sight of her employees crowding towards the executive elevator.

    "Seems like they were able to fix it," Lily uttered to herself. She turned towards the parking lot spending no more time on the ground floor. She rarely takes this route, as her executive elevator would always take care of the parking lot for the executives.

    "President, someone is calling you."

    "Hm?" Lily halted her steps.

    "Mr. Li and his manager areing our way." Yang Mi whispered. "This man is called Li Xiaoming, his fans call him Baby Xiao because he looks cute and young for his age. His fans are mainly teenagers. Also..." As usual, she started informing Lily of the background of the man.

    Yang Mi knew that Lily had no idea who this man is. Maybe she did at one point, but she had the tendency to forget non-essential things. Moreover, this is not the first time that Lily had forgotten an idol¡¯s name.

    Yang Mi could clearly remember it when they were in Europe, a start-lit called Lily. Apparently, she and a lot of artists are doing an advertisement for Lily¡¯s retailpany.

    The starlit was very polite towards Lily. She was smiling and thanking Lily for choosing her. However, Lily only responded with an awkward smile. She actually forgot the name of the artist!

    First, this was not Lily¡¯s fault. The actress was not really that famous and Lily does not watch movies or news as she spent most of her time working. At that time, Lily does not even socialize and would only meet people unless it is absolutely necessary.

    This was the time when Lily was working on forcibly acquiring twopanies at the same time. This was also the same time where Lily¡¯s name started to spread in Europe.

    Because of this incident, the term ¡¯non- essentials¡¯ was coined by Yang Mi. Lily always said that meeting with people that will not benefit her in any way is non-essential. She and herpany could live without those people, therefore she doesn¡¯t need to meet them.

    "Hello! I am Li Xiaoming." The man said before he turned and epted a bouquet from the woman next to him. "I especially ordered this for you. I was hoping to see you today, but Mr. Rossi said you had an important meeting. The flowers are from Mexico."

    "Chocte cosmos?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. She epted the flowers before handing it towards Yang Mi. "Good taste. I thought thew protected it?" A flower that smells like chocte. This was the Chocte cosmos, one of the rarest flowers on the that is only found in Mexico. "A clone?"

    A sly smile appeared on the young man¡¯s face. "Smart.?? He chuckled, causing the surrounding women to gasp in admiration. "One would be amazed by its smell. Not many knew its name. I am impressed."

    "Thank you." Lily forced a smile. If she was a teenager, she would have loved the flower and have itminated. However, she had seen this flower before ¡ª the original one. "I appreciate the effort."

    "You are very much wee." A small dimple appeared on his right cheek, his eyes turned crescent. "Are you on your way to the parking lot? Would you mind if I tag along? Our car is downstairs."

    "Hmm." Lily nodded, eyeing the crowd with their banners outside of the building. Lily lowered her head before she started walking towards the stairs. She could easily use the executive elevator, but she is afraid that it might not work again.

    When Lily reached the parking lot, her car, along with her bodyguards is already waiting for her. "Thank you, Miss President, I will see you again soon." Lily heard Mr. Li said before he strode to his own car.

    "Yang Mi?"

    "President."

    "I know why being an actress won¡¯t work for me," Lily uttered as she went inside her car. "I can¡¯t live a life like that, ah. He was practically hiding from his fans. He can¡¯t go out and eat whenever he wants to, he can¡¯t have privacy. What a sad ¡ª sad life."

    ....

    4/5

    Another 5 chapters will be released tomorrow because of the event. Enjoy!

 Chapter 725 Trus

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 725 Trus</h4>

    Zhou Capital

    "Lily ising." Zhou Jingren said as he sat on his leather chair, his gaze straight towards the man sitting opposite him. "If you want to tell me something, then you better do it before she arrives."

    Xuan Hui let out a sigh, he lowered his head for a few seconds before speaking, "A few days back... Qin Fei met with Lily."

    "Hmmm."

    "She said Lily bullied her and wanted me to do something about it." He chuckled before he lifted his head and stared at Zhou Jingren. "I told her I couldn¡¯t do anything and we got into a fight."

    "You are not here because of your wife?" Zhou Jingren¡¯s gaze darted towards the steaming hot coffee in front of him. "What do you want?"

    "Protection."

    "From whom?"

    "I don¡¯t know." Xuan Hui shrugged. "Qin Fei thought that I was trying to get my revenge against Lily. Now... don¡¯t get me wrong. I hate her for ruining my family but... revenge¡ª I cannot do that. Not when I have a small child waiting for me every night." He cleared his throat before he took a sip of his coffee. "This argument stemmed from the fact that she heard me talking to someone a few nights back."

    Zhou Jingren raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to say something more.

    "It was Qi Xia... then it was a man named Mr. Zhuo Huifang. They told me they knew Lily ruined my family. They wanted me to cooperate with them. Said, they rallied people who Lily had offended. Said, that they have a backer. A strong one at that." Xuan Hui continued. "I wasn¡¯t looking for anymore trouble. I would not risk losing my son in this pointless war of egos. So... I said no. I told them... I was nning to retire and leave Qin Industries and more somewhere. Somewhere away from all this mess and struggle for power. I am only waiting to finish saving enough funds for my child¡¯s education and I will be off."

    "A backer?"

    "Yes, they said it was someone that I don¡¯t recognize. Someone not famous and a foreigner."

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes squinted. He stared at Xuan Hui¡¯s appearance for a few seconds, scrutinizing, gaging his sincerity. Pursing his lips, Zhou Jingren watched as the man started to fidget under his gaze. "You wanted me to protect you from them?"

    "I have this.. Fear." Xuan Hui sighed. "I know I might sound crazy. I don¡¯t know, maybe I have be crazy. But in the past year... I¡¯ve been through a lot. I lost everything. My mother, father and even my wife." Another sighed. The fact that he lost his wife was undeniable at this point.

    Since Lily came, Qin Fei was just...not the same woman that he had once loved. "I would not me Lily for everything. We offended her. We hurt her. And we are weaker than her. Now... because of this I have developed some anxiety problems." He chuckled. Lily¡¯s name alone was enough to make him nervous. After everything that happened to him over the past year, it was only normal for him to feel this... fear.

    Fear of what she would do next.

    "I know this is another punishment. She kept us alive just for this reason. It will be a never ending torture." This was the reason why he decided to move on. "And I felt this same feeling when they told me about this backer."

    "I don¡¯t want them to use me and my child." He said before he finished his hot coffee in one big gulped. "Can... Can I have some more?" He eyed Secretary Go. Prompting thetter to leave the room.

    "I don¡¯t want to say this in front of other people. But I think... my wife is in contact with Qi Xia and his coborators." He lowered his voice. "I think they are nning something and I don¡¯t want to involve myself or my son. I want to leave the country. Maybe go to Europe, start a new life."

    After a few seconds of silence, Xuan Hui cleared his throat again. "Do you believe me? Do you think... Do you think I have be crazy? Maybe I was over thinking?"

    "I will investigate your ims and I will contact you in the next few days. If you want to disappear... I can set it up for you and your son."

    "You can?"

    "Hmmm." Zhou Jingren nodded. "New name, new passports, a house, everything."

    A sigh of relief escaped Xuan Hui¡¯s lips. He did the right thing after all. "Then I will start settling my finances." He uttered.

    "And Qin Fei?"

    His words made Xuan Hui silent. He lowered his gaze, his hands clenched. "Sometimes... Love is not the only thing needed in a rtionship." He met Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes. "I love her. But... I can¡¯t sacrifice my poor son because of this emotion. He is innocent and I can¡¯t think of him losing both of his parents in a pointless fight."

    "You are a very smart man."

    "I will take that as apliment." Xuan Hui faked a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. He then epted the coffee that Secretary Go made for him and thanked him. Not long after, he rose from his seat and bid Zhou Jingren goodbye.

    "I will wait for your call." He said while shaking Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes. He knew he sounded like a loser bying in here. But who cared about this trivial matter?

    So what if the world thought of him as a loser? This was for his child, for their peace. Just the thought of his son immediately made him smile.

    "Hmmm." Zhou Jingren nodded and watched as Xuan Hui leave his office. "Go Jichen... I need you to call Bei Tian. Tell him I want to speak to him tonight."

    "Yes president."

    "For now... I don¡¯t want you to tell anyone about this. Including Yang Mi."

    "Understood." Secretary Go nodded awkwardly. He lowered his head, avoiding Zhou Jingren¡¯s gaze.

    Seeing this, Zhou Jingren clenched his jaw. The only thing that he got from all this was that¡ª someone close to them was supplying information to the other side. Someone close to them... was betraying their trust.

    Someone among them was a traitor.

    .....

    Edited 723 and 724

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    5/5

    Mass release tomorrow will start at 3 am GMT+8.

    Don¡¯t forget to vote

 Chapter 726 Fanbase

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 726 Fanbase</h4>

    Zhou Capital

    When Lily arrived at Zhou Jingren¡¯s office, the first thing that she noticed was the thick smell of chicken soup. Beaming, she walked towards Zhou Jingren¡¯s table. "Hey! Did you have Chef Yang deliver the soup here?"

    "He was already on his way to your office when I texted him to juste here instead." He rose from his seat and kissed her. "Bored?"

    "Not really, no." She hugged him. "I was busy daydreaming." Her gaze turned towards the table. "Chicken soup?"

    "With Korean Ginseng. Mother sent it yesterday. She said it would be good for you."

    "Sounds yummy. Are we going to have lunch now?"

    "It¡¯s not yet eleven."

    "Really?" she feigned ignorance and nced at her watch. "I thought it was already one in the afternoon. I am pretty hungry."

    "Mother also sent us some snacks, for you." He went back to his seat. "You should have some. Korean Chestnut Cookies. I haven¡¯t tried one before but she said it¡¯s good."

    Lily nodded without saying anything, she marched towards the mahogany table and started munching on the snacks. "Mother wille with us to Switzend no?"

    "She will. She is pretty excited about it."

    "How about your father?"

    "He will be busy with thepany but he will visit us once you give birth. And maybe stay with us for a couple of days."

    "Oh! Then it¡¯s good!" She said and started talking about businesses and some deals that theirpany just finalized. "I think I am set. After the Corneels, we can leave and go to Switzend."

    "Hmmm. That¡¯s good." Zhou Jingren said. The more Zhou Jingren talked to Lily the more guilty he felt for not telling her about what he had just discovered. However, this was because he was not really sure about it.

    At this point, this was nothing but suspicions on his part. Some part of him was hoping that his suspicions were not true. Some part of him wanted it not to be true at all.

    However, the other part of him knew that the possibility of someone betraying them is high.

    Since he does not have any proof about it, Zhou Jingren chose to maintain his silence until he and Bei Tian could find something. A proof, a trail, even a small breadcrumb. Something that would tell them Zhou Jingren is not crazy for thinking this way.

    After a few minutes, Lily and Zhou Jingren had their lunch before Lily left so she could go back to Fi Group.

    "President, some paparazzi are camping outside of the office. I am not sure if they are still here because of Mr. Li or something else."

    "This is why I said, they cannot have their own privacy. Everything about them is an issue. Even their deals withpanies need to be publicized." Lily sighed. "Just have someone inform them that Mr. Li already left earlier."

    "Hmmm."

    "Did you meet the actor earlier?" Qin Yuanfeng asked.

    "It was a brief meeting." Lily shrugged. "He was a boy ¡ª at least he looks like it. He looked sixteen to me."

    Bei Tian immediatelyughed out loud when he heard Lily¡¯s words. "He is a pretty well-known actor."

    "He is." Lily nodded. "Mr. Rossi would not really consider him if he did not have an excellent reputation and millions of fans in maind China and Asia. But... I told him to find someone else if he gets overboard with his demands."

    "His fans might attack you and yourpany if the deal won¡¯t happen." Qin Yuanfeng said. "Teenagers are pretty scary when ites to their idols."

    "You know what? I think you are right." Bei Tian uttered. "I actually agree. His fans, even the paparazzi, were aware that you were nning to make him your ambassador for the Harmony Isle. Since thepany is a big one, they might have expected that he already got it."

    "And... I did not even think about that." Lily uttered before she held her chin. "I understand your point. That is indeed a dangerous thing for a shopping mall." As Qin Yuanfeng said, some younger people were willing to take it too far when they felt that corporations had bullied their idols.

    "I will inform Mr. Rossi about it," Lily uttered before she dialed thetter¡¯s number on her phone. She then started telling him about the things that Qin Yuanfeng and Bei Tian told her. After a few minutes, Lily finished her conversation with Mr. Rossi. "That¡¯s a good dodge." She uttered.

    She would ept that since she became pregnant, she had stopped looking into unimportant details for deals such as this. This was because she trusted both Cathy and Mr. Rossi to handle it for her. A sigh escaped her lips.

    "There is a reason why we chose the ones with an enormous fan base," Lily uttered to herself. However, this fan base could also act as a double-edged sword. This is one of the reasons why some of these idols are really confident to demand something.

    The sound of soft beeps interrupted Lily¡¯s stupor. She furrowed her brows as she remembered that having these beeps meant that her name had been mentioned on the Inte.

    "What is it this time?" she asked,zily.

    "Hah... entertainment news. Baby Xiao¡¯s contract with Fi Group Confirmed."

    "Baby Xiao seen with the President of Fi Group. Will he be the first Asian star that thepany hires for their European Market?"

    "What kind of news is this?" Bei Tian¡¯s face turned ugly when he saw the image of a young man giving Lily flowers. "Who would dare¡ª "

    "That¡¯s entertainment news for you." Qin Yuanfeng uttered before he looked at Lily. "You nned this, yes?"

    Lily stared at her brother in disbelief. She grinned. "My... you are starting to think like me. Impressive."

    "What is happening?" Bei Tian grumbled. He really felt that these two were underestimating him, ah. "What is going on?"

    "Lily would not just allow someone to be seen with her... like this." Qin Yuanfeng exined. "It¡¯s either... she was unaware that this would happen or... she deliberately made it happen."

    "And I bet it was thetter." He added.

    ....

    1/5 ENJOY!

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel

 Chapter 727 Not Her Business

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 727 Not Her Business</h4>

    Unedited

    ...

    "Hey! I am not that evil." Lily beamed. Though she thought it was weird for that teenager to act like that, she actually did not think too much about it. "It was weird for him to even bring some flowers thinking he could meet me. But... I believed that was him being thoughtful. You know... like a niece meeting an aunt."

    "Hah!? He is like two-three years younger than you."

    Lily immediately rolled her eyes at Bei Tian. "He is a teenager. He looked like one." The man was not even wearing a suit. Instead, he was wearing some baggy hoodie and shorts. Now, Lily is not a very superficial ¡ª scratch that.

    Lily loves good-looking people. She loves to surround herself with beauties. She likes to see her husband dressed up, with his broad shoulders and proud smirk. She likes to watch people and their excellent looks, ah. She was only human, alright.

    However, that man ¡ª child was different. He literally looked like a teenager! The way he smiled and handle himself in front of Lily, made her think that she was talking to a high schooler ¡ª a scheming high schooler. Lily beamed at the thought.

    Looks like she won¡¯t be bored for the time being.

    "So... it is him or his manager who wanted to use his fan base to pressure us." She propped her chin into her palm. "Strange. For someone like his manager to even think that they could try to use his poprity against us."

    "Aiyo, you are being careless." Bei Tian uttered. "Tell me. Was it because he is cute? Is that why you smiled at him in the photo? Look at the image? Hah, I believe Jingren is fuming right now."

    "My husband is not that immature, Mr. Bei." She retorted. "And look at him! He looks like a child! I was just being a polite aunt."

    "Now, they are going to use this against you and yourpany. Aunt or not, you should not just smile to other men like that!"

    Lily gave him a look. "I always smile at people. I¡¯m not some ice goddess."

    "Anyway, the news is already out. His fans are celebrating, and it is already trending in social media sites. In less than thirty minutes, they received close to twenty thousand tweets. That¡¯s ¡ª mostly fake ounts. But still." Qin Yuanfeng said. "Do you have ns?"

    "No." Lily shrugged. "But since they wanted to use their poprity against us... then let¡¯s use it against them too."

    Bei Tian grumbled something that the siblings did not hear, his face dark as he stared at Qin Yuanfeng¡¯sputer screen. "Look at this... a flower. Baby Xiao bought an imported flower just for President Zhou. It is said that the flower is one of the rarest in the world." He then turned towards Lily. "What kind of flower is this?"

    "A fake one." She answered. "It¡¯s not really that rare. I mean... the fake one is not that rare you can order it somewhere. Not that impressive, to be honest. And why is this such a big deal?" Lily asked.

    "It¡¯s not." Bei Tian said before he rose from his seat, the same gloomy look stered all over his face. "Send it to me once you¡¯re done. I will see Jingren in his office." He then left the room without waiting for Lily to say something.

    "What¡¯s wrong with him?" Lily asked.

    "Hormones."

    Lily immediately chuckled at Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s answer.

    "So how are we going to use their poprity against them?" Qin Yuanfeng asked.

    "Simple. Let them think that he got the deal. Then drop him."

    "That is pretty harsh no?"

    "I am harsh."

    "But wouldn¡¯t that affect the mall? As you said... they could ¡ª his fans could boycott the mall and might even stage some rallies outside."

    "That is only if we drop him without any reasons." She beamed. Did someone really just schemed against her? What a joke, she thought." Besides, there is no way that his fans will stick to him once we created something that could ruin his reputation."

    "Why would you ruin his reputation?" the man or maybe his manager only wanted him to get the deal. Why would Lily want to ruin his reputation in return? Isn¡¯t that too much for a retaliation?

    "Silly." She met his curious eyes. "First, if we ept him. It means that we cowered and was intimidated by the news, by his fandom. This will make us lose the control, the power over the contract. Second, losing power over the contract means.... He could abuse it anytime that he wants to. He could demand things that are not in the contract and use his fandom to get it. Third, they will think that we are pushovers."

    Lily¡¯s face turned serious. She sneered. "If they think that we seeded because of people like them. They are wrong. Our sess was not because of endorsers. It was because of our hardworking team and employees." She leaned against her chair, disgust shing in her eyes. "Scheming against a schemer is such a bold move for them. But they seemed to have forgotten something. I don¡¯t y with the rules. I make them."

    Seeing the twins interact like this, Yang Mi could only sigh inwardly. Both are actually clueless that Bei Tian was jealous. They just continued their conversation as if nothing happened. Of course, she could not me any of them.

    But poor Bei Tian, she thought as she waited for Lily to give her instructions. Yang Mi immediately wondered if Lily knew that Bei Tian likes her. Surely, she must have felt it, right? After all, Lily was really sensitive when ites to emotions. She could easily read the people around her.

    Moreover, Bei Tian was pretty obvious to his emotions. He might not show it in front of everyone, but every now and then, Yang Mi could see him staring at Lily and Zhou Jingren with the sameplicated look that he showed earlier.

    Yang Mi sighed inwardly. Sometimes, she wonders if one day, she would be able to fathom Lily¡¯s thoughts someday. Yang Mi shook the thoughts out of her head.

    This is not her business. Not at all.

    ....

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

    2/5

 Chapter 728 Six

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 728 Six</h4>

    Unedited

    .....

    Li Corporation, Maind China

    "See? Isn¡¯t this easy?" Mr. Li Han smiled at his youngest son. "Now you will get the contract, and they won¡¯t be able to do anything about it."

    A sigh escaped his son¡¯s lips. He eyed the entertainment news on his tablet before staring at his father¡¯s eyes. "I don¡¯t like it." He answered. "You can¡¯t just use my name to get close to them. In fact, you cannot just use my name every time you want a contract with apany."

    "Why not?" his father asked before he finished a ss of whiskey. "You have my genes, my talent¡¯s, I created your name, your contracts." He gave him an unamused look. "Besides, this is for our family¡¯s business. I will contact them soon ¡ª in fact, I might just do that tomorrow. Give them a call and set up a meeting."

    "Father¡ª "

    "No buts, Young Xiao. You owe this to your family. Plus, you get the money and everything. Why are youining?"

    "Father¡ª"

    "What?" his father interrupted him, irritation apparent in his eyes. "Are you telling me you wanted to avoid enemies? Isn¡¯t it toote for that? A lot ofpanies already fell into this scheme. Stopining and just do your job."

    Li Xiaoming gritted his teeth. He lowered his head, avoiding his father¡¯s eyes. "Then can you at least tell your people to stop following me around? You already got what you wanted. The deal will be sign in a few days. Can I at least... get some time for myself? Alone?"

    "What are you talking about?" his father frowned. "Unlike other stars, you don¡¯t have any scandals or issues and that is because of my people. Can you ¡ª " he made a deliberate pause, his jaws clenched. "Can you just appreciate everything that I did for your career?"

    "Young Xiao... listen." He continued. "You are young. Enjoy this ¡ª your fame, the money. Everything. You can get whatever you want, everything that you want. Now... I know I sound like a controlling father, I know it sounds bad right now. But ¡ª this is for your future. I am only thinking about what¡¯s best for you."

    "Even if this is not what I want for myself?"

    "How do you know what you want for yourself?" his father asked. "You are young and naive." He gave a dramatic sigh. "Aiyo, it will pass. Whatever it is that you think you want will vanish. It¡¯s nothing but a temporary want, it will leave you sooner orter."

    "You see? This is why family matters. Your family will never leave you. I will never leave you. And you have to understand that." Li Han patted his son¡¯s shoulders. "Now... you go out and put a big smile into your face. The filming for your next film will start next week, so give yourself some time to rx. Stay in your t and rest."

    "Can you ¡ª Can you at least give me my bank card?"

    "What for?" Li Han asked.

    "Because it¡¯s my money?" Li Xiaoming retorted. "I want to use them."

    The lines in between his father¡¯s brows immediately deepened. "If you want to buy something, then you can tell me. I will buy it for you and just have someone send it to you. Just tell your manager to give the list to meter."

    Li Xiaoming sighed as he rose from his seat and turned his back against his father.

    "Don¡¯t forget to post on your Weibo. Thank the Fi Group for amodating your needs." He heard his father¡¯s words before he exited the room. Li Xiaoming¡¯s jaws thinned when he saw his manager waiting for him outside.

    "This is your schedule next week." As usual, his manager Li Hueli said in a stern, almost robotic voice. "Filming will start at nine in the morning. There will be an opening ceremony before that, and we will let a few fans have your signature."

    Li Xiaoming walked past his manager, both of his hands were shoved in his pockets, his head lowered as he continued walking. Ignoring his actions, his manager continued talking behind him.

    "Fi Group will confirm with the contract tomorrow or the next day. Just prepare yourself. This is an internationalpany. Once you signed with them, Mr. Li said that they might consider you for their otherpanies. This might even be the start of your international career."

    Hearing his manager talk non-stop, Li Xiaoming could not stop but pity himself. Half of the things that she was saying, does not even make sense to him. What contract? What international career? He gritted his teeth as he went inside his van with his manager. "I want to sleep. Wake me up when we arrive." He uttered, putting on his headset before he closed his eyes.

    When Li Xiaoming arrived in his t, his manager made sure to prepare some smoothie for him before she left. The usual, he thought as he opened his medicine cab and got himself some sleeping pills.

    For a few minutes, Li Xiaoming stared at the bottle of pills before he walked out of his bathroom and sat on his bed, his eyes glued at therge TV in his suite room. He clutched the bottle closer to him and for a few seconds, he wondered if this was all worth it.

    Hey on his bed, his face nk, his eyes were on the ceiling as the sound of the entertainment news from the TV reached his ears. He heard his name, they mentioned his nominations and awards and how his fans had seen him with the big Europeanpany just today.

    He let out a sad sigh before he opened the bottle of pills.

    One, two... maybe he will do three today.

    Four, five. Alright... six should be enough to knock him out all night.

    With no hesitation, he gulped the six pills and waited. Waited for the silence to muffle the sound of the entertainment news around him.

    Then there was darkness.

    ....

    You know what¡¯s sad? This is happening to some artist out there. Sigh.

    3/5

 Chapter 729 Angry For Your Sake

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 729 Angry For Your Sake</h4>

    The Peak

    "Are you sure about this?" Bei Tian¡¯s face immediately turned ugly. "What if it was Tang Lingyun? Maybe she told them about it?"

    "No. Tang Lingyun was not aware. She didn¡¯t know what Lily did to the Yang Family. Even Xuan Hui and the others were not sure if it was Lily who really did it."

    "But¡ª Xuan Hui did not really mention anything about the conversation, yes? What if it was only because of what happened to his wife? Surely, it was enough for them to know that it was Lily?"

    "I can¡¯t be sure." Zhou Jingren stood as he looked out on the window. "Actually I am not sure. I feel like someone is watching us. When Xuan Hui told him about the foreigner then... I immediately assumed that they had a spy. It is just a feeling that I can¡¯t let go."

    "Then... are we going to do something about this¡ª feeling?" Bei Tian said. "I mean... that is so unlike you."

    "I know. Trust me??? I know."

    "So?"

    "We??re taking Qi Xia."

    "Hm? Taking someone in broad daylight is illegal." Bei Tian chuckled.

    "And so is taking someone when it¡¯s night time." Zhou Jingren turned towards the only person aside from Lily that he would trust with his life. "Uncle already tried to talk with his son. However, until now, he is still cooped up in his house. If Lily is right, then Zhou Huifang does not have long to live."

    "And?"

    "Lily said they want to frame it either on her or me. So... we are framing Qi Xia."

    "You¡ª "

    "Yes, we will take him, frame him for killing his friend, torture him until he tells us who is behind this and then... kill him." Zhou Jingren titled his head. Slowly, a sinister smile bloomed in his face. "That man has been acting like a flytely. Buzzing in my ears, tempting me to crush him."

    "I heard that you asked Qin Yuanfeng to y with him?"

    "Hmm." He nodded. "He still has ess to his system. He can ruin it anytime."

    Zhou Jingren continued, "I had suspicions that he was working with someone before, and I wanted Qin Yuanfeng to find out if it was connected to his business. Apparently, it¡¯s not. This means that the person behind them may not be associated with them or even close to them. Maybe someone who they just met. Or someone who recently approached them."

    "Good thinking."

    "Hmmm. Now however, I am sure that it is not rted to them. But it should be someone powerful or else, they would not be this confident. Even Zhou Huifang really tried to tell Lily about my past."

    "We have offended a lot of people but I am almost a hundred percent sure that we haven¡¯t offended someone outside of Asia. We are not that powerful to even fight against those Itallians or those Mexicans. So¡ª a foreigner? Do you think¡ª "

    "It should be Lily." Zhou Jingren said. "She made a lot of enemies. Companies that she forcibly took from people, families that she ruined."

    "You are making it sound as if she is more evil than us. At least... she didn¡¯t kill anyone¡ª she killed one but that was self defense."

    Zhou Jingren raised an eyebrow at his words. "It is not about who is more evil or who is more kind. It is about our past. Lily is a cruel business woman. She may act like this now but... her history, the things that I read about her signifies that she had her own enemies, people that she offended for the sake of... profits." He shook his head. "And sometimes, leaving someone alive is more cruel than death. Letting them stand by the sidelines and watch as theirpanies are being ruined before their eyes is just as excruciating¡ª if not more painful than death."

    This is the reason why a part of him was always against Lily¡¯s style of dealing with enemies. It was too cruel, too malicious. Still, he was not nning to ask her to change her ways. Lily was not a perfect human. She too has made mistakes, lots of them, she does not know a lot of things. However, all these imperfections made her into who she was today, it made her realistic, it made her... human.

    And no matter how imperfect she was, Lily was still the woman that he loved.

    Bei Tian smiled. "Seeing you worry about other people¡¯s past is refreshing. But yes, I would agree with this logic. She fought against corporations and multinationalpanies. It is normal for her to acquire the ire of those people." He made a deliberate pause before he gave him an assuring smile. "Stop worrying too much. We will eventually find out who it is. Just to make sure, I will stay in Maind China and will personally take care of things here."

    "Thank you," Zhou Jingren sighed. With their past, slowlying back to bite them in the ass, Zhou Jingren was worried that their future might be more turbulent than what they were experiencing today.

    "Being worried doesn¡¯t suit you." Bei Tian chuckled. "It adds wrinkles to your face." He uttered. "Lily doesn¡¯t like ugly people. She might stop liking you once you get too old for her taste."

    "You are still sulking about the kid?" Zhou Jingren teased. "He does look like a teenager."

    "Still! He really had the guts to give her some flowers! You should be angry about this."

    "Lily doesn¡¯t like the fragrance of flowers. She¡¯s allergic. I¡¯m sure that flower ended up In the bin."

    "She is?" Bei Tian widened his eyes. "Alright then... I will forgive that kid."

    "You are so childish."

    "I was only angry for your sake!"Bei Tian hissed. "And I have the right to be angry." Even he did not have the guts to give Lily at least one flower! How could he let other men give her flowers just like that? He pouted. "I will leave now. I will give you some updates once I arrive in maind china."

    "Hmmm." Zhou Jingren leaned against his chair as he watched Bei Tian leave the room, with aplicated look on his face.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel

    Previous chapter already edited.

 Chapter 730 Apparent Suicide

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 730 Apparent Suicide</h4>

    When Lily woke up in the morning, she immediately got dressed and went downstairs to find Zhou Jingren who was already having his coffee.

    "You are early today," he said, his eyes on the news.

    "I feel like I overslept." She gave him a kiss and sat opposite him. "What are you reading?"

    "Suicide."

    "Hmm?"

    "Mr. Li Xiaoming... attempted to kill himself. It was not stated on the news but my sources said he overdosed himself on pills. When his manager arrived at five, he was already unresponsive so she called the doctor and he was taken to the emergency room."

    "Attempted?"

    "He is alive. Just still unconscious but alive."

    Lily pursed her lips, she stared at the juice in front of her before sighing. "He is young and sessful, why would he try to kill himself?"

    "It¡¯s not about being young and rich." Zhou Jingren said. "Having an empty wallet and being empty inside are two different things."

    Lily nodded. When she was at her lowest, she too had tried to kill herself. She lowered her gaze and started eating her breakfast.

    "It¡¯s his father." Zhou Jingren uttered. "Li Han, an unscrupulous businessman who uses his sons for profits. I hate people like this."

    "Really?"

    "Hmmm. Located in maind China, he¡¯s had two sons in his marriage. Both are actors. Both well known and sessful in their own fields. However, rumor has it that the two do not have any control of their finances." He shrugged. "Despite being in their twenties, those two cannot even take a penny out of their bank without their fathering with them."

    "Isn¡¯t that strange? Maybe they could file for an abuse? Use their fandoms?"

    "Their father used to be a prominent actor before he inherited the family business. Mining."

    "Hmmmm. So he knows the ins and outs of the entertainment industry?" Lily asked. "But that is just¡ª I mean... they are already adults. Why let their father do that to them?"

    "Not many people have the courage to even say no." Zhou Jingren answered. "Their father is also a pretty evil businessman." He passed her the tablet. "Take a look."

    Lily dabbed a napkin on her lips as she read the information on the tablet. "So... he might contact me soon? Even if his son is still in aa?"

    "He might just do that. Can you handle it?"

    "Of course I can."

    "I don¡¯t want you to tire yourself out. I can¡ª "

    "It¡¯s fine." She met his eyes. "I can do it." Lily said. She continued reading before she decided to finish her food. "The world is such a bitter ce."

    ...

    When Lily arrived at the Fi Group, some reporters were already outside of the building asking for theirment about the incident. Some were even courageous enough to ask if he tried to kill himself because of the contract.

    Of course, Lily immediately shut them up. The man did not sign a contract with them because he wanted a lot of changes. She immediately wondered if this was the work of Li Xiaoming¡¯s father.

    [Fi Group Denies Involvement in Baby Xiao¡¯s Apparent Suicide]

    "Who would even write a news article like this?" Yang Mi scowled. "Why would they drag us into something like this?"

    "People who would benefit from the news." Lily answered.

    "Still, this is not fair. Anyone in their right mind would know that we had nothing to do with this man. He just came here to talk about the contract. How could the media blow it up like this? How¡ª " Yang Mi¡¯s words were interrupted when her business phone rang. "Excuse me president." She walked a few steps away so she could take the call while Lily continued to read the news article.

    "President... it was Mr. Li¡¯s father. He wants to schedule a meeting as soon as possible."

    "No." Lily said. "I don¡¯t have time for such things." To be honest, this kind of father reminded her of Qin Chuan. And just the mention of his name was enough to irritate her.

    How could a father like that exist? How could such a selfish person be given the chance to have an offspring?

    After a few more minutes, Yang Mi ended the call and immediately told Lily how Mr. Li wanted to talk about his son¡¯s contract.

    "The audacity." Lily uttered. "Don¡¯t let him meet Mr. Rossi or anyone else. I don¡¯t like him inside my building."

    "Understood."

    The news of Li Xiaoming¡¯s suicide was in the news the whole day. Not many knew why he would try to kill himself, however, everyone was relieved that they were able to save him.

    Meanwhile, Zhou Huifang let out a deep sigh. He tightened his grip at the steering wheel, his face dark as he stared at his phone on the front seat of his car. "What is taking them so long?" he said to himself. Eyeing the abandoned building on the outskirts of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan.

    Zhou Huifang shivered. The ce in front of him¡ª was remote and scary. The perfect ce to murder someone, he thought. Eyeing his phone again, Zhou Huifang gulped before he started the car and did not hesitate to leave the ce.

    That man told him that they would meet at six in the morning. Well... that was two hours ago. He had been waiting at this eerie ce for more than two hours and the man did not even bother to call him. Maybe they knew that he failed in convincing Lily?

    But the man promised to help him even if he failed. Why would he refuse to see him now? After making sure that he was already a couple of meters away from the abandoned building, he immediately dialed Qi Xia¡¯s number.

    Surprisingly, he was routed to the voicemail. "Hey, it¡¯s me. I tried calling youst night. Call me when you are avable. I have something important to tell you." Frowning he drove his car out of the ce, maybe Qi Xia encountered another problem with hispany? Again?

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Late is better than never. hahahahah

    5/5

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 731 Gun Powder

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 731 Gun Powder</h4>

    Unedited.

    ....

    Hong Kong

    Xuan Hui had been careful.

    Since he left Zhou Jingren¡¯s office he had been sweet and loving towards his wife, hoping that she wouldn¡¯t notice his ns. He had been busy with his finances too. He followed Zhou Jingren¡¯s words and had been mindful about his actions. He also started preparing everything, selling his properties behind his wife¡¯s back. He needed everything that he could to leave this ce.

    He let out a sigh as he opened the main door of their house, letting himself in as silently as possible. Qin Fei already told him that she will sleep ahead of him as she was exhausted and to be honest, he would not want to wake her up. At least not when it was already one in the morning.

    He had been out with hiswyer, nning his clean exit from hispany. He also set up some funds for Qin Fei, just enough for her to livefortably until she bes sixty. Granting that she is not that stupid to fight against Lily, he was sure that Qin Fei could live her life even if Xuan Hui and his son are no longer with her.

    Clearly, Qin Fei¡¯s priority is her pride. They might still love each other but they have grown so much their goals are now different. He went inside his study, switching on the lights only to freeze at the sight of a man sitting on his leather chair.

    "Good Morning, Mr. Xuan." The man said enthusiastically.

    "Who are you?" He asked, his phone was immediately on his phone as he dialed the number of the police.

    "I wouldn¡¯t do that if I were you." The man said, turning towards the crib inside the study. "He is asleep. We don¡¯t want to disturb him... right?"

    "You ¡ª " Xuan Hui paled. "Who are you?"

    "You talked to Mr. Zhou?" the man ignored his question. "Tell me... what did you tell him?"

    "What ¡ª I don¡¯t know what you are talking about."

    "Really?"

    "Just who are you?" he took a step towards his son.

    "One move and this ce ¡ª this entire room will blow up."

    "What do you want?" he hissed, fear shed in his eyes. He met the man¡¯s light brown orbs as he silently put his phone back in his jacket pocket.

    "The truth. I want you to answer my question. That¡¯s all."

    "What question?"

    "What did you tell Zhou Jingren?"

    "I told him about Qi Xia¡¯s offer to work together. What ¡ª who are you? Are you Qi Xia¡¯s subordinate? Are you Zhou Huifang¡¯s?" He forced himself to look into the man¡¯s eyes. Hoping that the person Zhou Jingren assigned to follow him around already answered his call.

    "That¡¯s all?"

    "That¡¯s all! What else would I tell him?" he furrowed his brows. "Where is my wife?"

    "Sleeping."

    "Is she¡ª "

    "Of course. I would not hurt a woman." The man gave him a malicious smile. "Now... why would you tell him such things? Knowing... this will endanger your life?"

    "Why would it endanger my life? I already told Qi Xia, I will not work with him. I only told Zhou Jingren about this matter because I wanted to leave. I want to stay out of the ¡ª " Xuan Hui did not finish his words when he saw the man held a gun and gently put it on top of the table. His mind turned alert, eyes wary as his heart drummed against his chest. "Who are you?"

    "You don¡¯t have the right to know my name." The man said, the same smile stered on his face. "Now... tell me. Did he promise you anything else?"

    "My safety. He promised to make me leave Hong Kong and give me a new identity ¡ª don¡¯t point that to my child! Hey!"

    "Bang!" the man beamed. "Pressing the trigger is ¡ª so easy. I could do it with my eyes closed. Say, do you think.... I would be able to hit someone with my eyes closed?"

    "Are you crazy?" He gulped. He felt his body tremble, sweat dripped on his forehead. The air conditioner inside the room was useless as he felt his dampened back. "I already told you the truth! Now... can you at least¡ª " with a few long strides, he walked towards the crib only to discover that it was empty. "Where is my son?" He asked.

    "I don¡¯t know." The man shrugged.

    "You¡ª "

    A snort escaped the man¡¯s lips. "Did you tell him anything else aside from Qi Xia¡¯s offer?" Xuan Hui shook his head. He eyed the gun on the table as he wondered about the location of his son.

    "Good. Then you are useless to me." The man gave a sinister smile, so dark it sent shivers down Xuan Hui¡¯s spine. "Now... kill yourself."

    "Excuse me?"

    "I said... kill yourself."

    "What do you ¡ª "

    "Either you pull the trigger or... I kill your child." The man interrupted him. "Chose." He stood from the leather chair and poured himself some vodka. "You kill yourself now."

    For a few seconds, Xuan Hui turned silent.

    "Let me guess. You can¡¯t do it?" the man turned towards him. "You can¡¯t kill yourself for the sake of your child? How... selfish."

    "You don¡¯t know what you are talking about." In Xuan Hui¡¯s mind, if he kills himself, no one would take care of his son. His wife is already not in her right mind to care for herself. There is no way that she would be able to take care of their child, alone.

    "Eh? Really?" the man smiled before his face turned serious. "Since you don¡¯t want to ¡ª "

    The loud sound of ss interrupted their conversation.

    "Fuck." The man hissed before a gunshot followed, then another. Before Xuan Hui could even react, his consciousness already left him. His body fell into the floor, limp as his breathing turned sparse.

    What will happen to his child once he dies? The question seemed to echo inside him over and over as gunshots and the acrid smell of gun powder spread all throughout his office.

    After a few minutes, the gunshots stopped and the ominous silence took over the room. However, it was easily broken by a few footsteps.

    "This one is still alive. Call Mr. B." the man said as he held Xuan Hui¡¯s neck. "Barely," he added.

    ...

    1/3

 Chapter 732 A Wry Smile

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 732 A Wry Smile</h4>

    Unedited

    ...

    "And the child?"

    "Safe in the orphanage." Zhou Jingren answered. "Qin Fei was taken to a mental facility after the wound on her arms was tended. And they ruled everything out as robbery."

    "People believed that?" Lily asked, frowning.

    "Does it matter? That¡¯s what the authorities said. Xuan Hui may not be able to move his lower body again." Zhou Jingren said. "He would spend the rest of his life on a wheelchair as the bullet hit his spine. We are not even sure if he will wake up again."

    Lily nodded, his gazeplicated. At one point, she thought she loved Xuan Hui. Then she hated him for what he did to her. Slowly, this hate turned into indifference.

    Hating someone meant that you care about them, and Lily had long stopped feeling this emotion towards the people who hurt her before. She always believed that letting them live their lives instead of killing them is the greatest punishment that she could give them. She always believed that letting them live a miserable life as they watched her from afar is the greatest karma that they will experience.

    However, it seems that fate had another n for them. "The child will grow up alone."

    "The child is sickly." Zhou Jingren said. "We don¡¯t even know if he will survive." As someone who grew up alone in an orphanage, Zhou Jingren knew the difficulties that this child might experience. However, he would not be stupid to suggest that they adopt this child either. He nced at Lily¡¯splicated eyes.

    Lily is pregnant, and her maternal instinct has be visible.

    "Don¡¯t worry." Lily gave him an assuring smile. "I would not want to adopt the child either." She would not be that stupid to adopt the child of someone that she used to hate. Moreover, this will onlyplicate things in the future. "Just make sure that someone will watch over this child as he grows up. We don¡¯t want anyplications in the future."

    First, Lily is not that cruel to kill a child. Second, she also believed that this child had nothing to do with the past and everything that his parents did.

    "I understand." He nodded, relieved to hear her words.

    "Now... let¡¯s talk about this attack." Lily sipped her tea, her gaze straight towards him. "You are hiding something from me. What is it?"

    A sigh escaped his pursed lips. He stared at her face for a few seconds before he answered. "I¡¯m sorry. I just didn¡¯t have enough proof."

    "Of what?"

    "I think... someone is watching us and they had someone near us act as spies. Or maybe I have be paranoid."

    "Tell me about it." She narrowed her eyes. "I want to hear everything."

    Zhou Jingren then started telling him about what Xuan Hui told him and his conversation with Bei Tian after.

    "So... you think someone told them about my involvement with the Yang Family?"

    He nodded. "Few people know about it. I asked Xuan Hui over the phone if Qi Xia mentioned something to him. But he said no. Qi Xia did not borate and only said what happened to Xuan Hui was our fault."

    "Then what makes you think like this?" Betrayal. This was something that she dreaded the most. The thought of someone close to her betraying her is just unbearable.

    "A feeling."

    She smiled in response. "Just like my instincts?"

    "Just like your instincts." he nodded.

    Lily nodded and finished her tea. "Is there something else that you wanted to tell me aside from this?"

    "I am working on getting Qi Xia. At least Bei Tian is already in maind China, watching them. One wrong move and we get Qi Xia while Yuanfeng ruins hispany from the inside."

    "Hmmm." She let out a sigh. "So you never told me this because of my tendency to overthink?" He nodded in response. To someone like them, betrayal is not an insignificant thing. This could ruin trust and rtionship and of course cause a lot of disappointments and heartbreaks. He only wanted his wife to think about something without proof. "I understand." Lily forced a smile.

    Zhou Jingren was right. The thought of someone betraying her would probably affect her sleeping routine until she found something that would assure her. "Thank you." She added as he reached out to hold her hand, using his thumb to strong the back of her palm.

    "If I am right, then we will find it out soon. Also... we will interrogate Qi Xia to find out more information about the person who wanted to support them. In the meantime..." his gaze turned dark. "Zhou Huifang is still alive."

    "And?" she lifted an eyebrow.

    "They are too slow." He answered.

    "His father? Did he¡ª "

    "Zhou Huifang did not call his father. Instead, he tried to visit an abandoned building. Of course, the meeting did not happen and that might be because they knew someone was following him. He called Qi Xia and since Qin Yuanfeng is making him busy, he was not able to answer his phone."

    "So you n to kill your cousin?"

    "Not me. Qi Xia will."

    "So you will frame him."

    "Only if he still refuses to apologize to his father. I will give him until tomorrow toe clean and tell his father and mine about his ns and the person behind them. If he won¡¯t tell him, then I won¡¯t have a choice but do something about it."

    Lily nodded. "Then... do it the other way. Kill Qi Xia and frame your cousin."

    "Why?"

    "Zhou Huifang knows more than Qi Xia." She answered. "I have talked to Zhou Huifang and I know he knows a lot about you and your past. So kill Qi Xia and spare the one with the most information."

    "Alright then... that will happen." He nodded. Using a secured phone, Zhou Jingren immediately called Bei Tian so he could exin the changes in their n.

    Now that he carefully thought about it, sparing Zhou Huifang would mean a lot to his uncle. This will make his uncle grateful and therefore would be more loyal to Zhou Jingren¡¯s father. Lily must have thought about using this too.

    He gave a wry smile.

    ...

    731 is already edited

    2/3

    This iste. I will release the third one after a few hours.

 Chapter 733 Possibility

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 733 Possibility</h4>

    "Still no nothing on that person?" Lily asked as she sat next to Qin Yuanfeng. The sound of his keyboard echoed inside the small room.

    "No, all CCTV¡¯s had been deactivated an hour before the person arrived at their house. It was deduced that he arrived around midnight." He answered, eyes glued at hisputer screen. "However, I found a strange car a few blocks away from Xuan Hui¡¯s ce. All ck to tes. I tried to follow it but it disappeared around Kowloon. Whoever did it was a professional."

    "Jingren said that they are assuming the man was wounded."

    "Hmmm. I already checked all the hospitals but no one came. But we already expected this. The thing is, we don¡¯t know what the man looks like. Based on the recorded call, they can speak Cantonese fluently. It might be a native or someone who can speak multiplenguages," said Qin Yuanfeng. Eyeing Lily, he continued, "Jingren said it might be someone that you offended in the past?"

    "Probably." She shrugged. "The possibility is, let¡¯s say eighty-five percent."

    "And the fifteen?"

    "Someone hiding behind the shadows." She answered. "An unknown foe."

    For a few seconds, he turned silent. Jaws clenched, he shifted his gaze back to hisputer screen. A thick, intimidating silence nketed the atmosphere as Lily contemted about the current things happening around her.

    "Excuse me, President?"

    "Hm?" She turned her attention toward Yang Mi.

    "Mr. Rossi is asking if you could apany him to meet someone from Mr. Li¡¯s camp. His manager is insisting that we meet with her. I believe Mr. Rossi has encountered some trouble."

    "Right now?"

    "Yes, President."

    Lily rose from her seat. Face grim, she left her office and walked towards Mr. Rossi¡¯s office. As expected, when she walked inside his office, the older man was frowning at the people seated opposite to him.

    "President," Mr. Rossi¡¯s face lightened when he saw Lily walk in. She nodded in response as the three people sitting opposite Mr. Rossi rose from their seats. Lily was already familiar with the woman acting as Li Xiaoming¡¯s manager. However, this is the first time that she met the other two in person. One was Li Han, Li Xiaoming¡¯s father, and his older brother Stephen Li.

    "Hello, I am called Li Han, from the Li Corporation, I am also Li Xiaoming¡¯s father." Li Han immediately gave Lily a cordial smile. "This is my eldest son, you must have heard of him. He is widely known as the film emperor of China, Stephen Li."

    Instead of returning Li Han¡¯s smile, Lily turned towards Mr. Rossi, "Is there a problem?"

    "President... due to the current circumstances with Li Xiaoming, Mr. Li wants to switch the contract to his elder son instead." Mr. Rossi immediately told Lily about the old man¡¯s demands and his silly attempt to hide the threats in his words.

    "Is that so?"

    "I think there is a misunderstanding somewhere." Li Han chimed in as he watched Lily sit down next to Mr. Rossi. "I never demanded anything. All I¡¯m saying is you couldpromise. My eldest has already received a lot of nominations and awards in China and Asia. Aside from this, he also has an international filming this December. I believe this is a magnanimous offer considering Li Xiaoming is still in bed."

    "What makes you think that you have the right to offer anything to mypany?" Lily looked at the old man in disbelief. To be honest, she was already in a foul mood today. Now, the old man¡¯s presence only made her more irritated. "No." She knew that Li Han only wanted to use them to help promote the international presence of his eldest son. "That¡¯s not happening."

    As expected, Li Han¡¯s face instantly turned grim. "But¡ª "

    "This conversation is over." Lily rose from her seat. She then looked at Mr. Rossi. "Please have someone escort them out of the building." Without waiting for anyone to say something, Lily already marched out of Mr. Rossi¡¯s office with a dark look on her face. If this was a normal day, she would be willing to y with these people.

    However, because of what happenedst night, Lily wanted to stay alone for a while. She wanted to have some time for herself to think about things. "Yang Mi."

    "President?" Yang Mi caught up to Lily.

    "Release this news to the media. Pay for an article that will analyze the reason why Li Xiaoming tried to take his life. Tell them to make it out to be the pressure of being perfect. Slowly, divert it towards his childhood with his father and brother. Then... slowly release bits and pieces of news that prove that he does not have any ess to his money and that his father is the one who controls everything."

    "Understood."

    "Cancel everything that I have for today. Tell Zhou Jingren that I won¡¯t join him for lunch." Lily continued.

    "Noted President."

    "This Li Han must have thought that I would not go that low and that I would wait for him to create some news for the media to feast on. Too bad... I am not in the mood to deal with his bullshit today." Lily uttered to herself. When she arrived at her office, she immediately took her handbag and bid her brother goodbye.

    "I aming with you."

    Lily halted her steps and looked at Qin Yuanfeng. However, instead of asking why, she just shrugged and waited for him to set up hisputer so he could ess it using hisptop. She knew that going out alone is not safe for her. So why would she decline the help of someone that she trusts?

    "Where are we going?" Qin Yuanfeng asked when they stepped into the elevator.

    "The Peak."

    "You¡¯re going home?"

    "I am going to my Grandmother¡¯s house to think," Lily said. "Grandmother Ye¡¯s house is the perfect ce for me to be alone." Plus, she was nning to stay in that underground library, hoping to iste her thoughts as she tries to analyze all the clues that they had so far.

    "Oh!" Qin Yuanfeng nodded. "Then... let¡¯s go."

    ....

    3/3 Proofreader: Dragon777

    Still owe you 3 chapters for today.

 Chapter 734 F*cking Gay

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 734 F*cking Gay</h4>

    Li Corporation

    "I told you, she won¡¯t just let us pressure her." Stephen Li calmly said as he propped a grape into his mouth. "It¡¯s not that easy dad. You really should stop using us for your personal gains."

    "You still don¡¯t see it, do you?"

    "See what? That Xiaoming took his life because of you?"

    "You ungrateful brat!"

    "If giving you millions means that I am ungrateful, then... fine." He gave a dismissive wave. "Call me ungrateful."

    "Stop it!"

    "Stop what?" Stephen Li lifted an eyebrow. "I am warning you. She is not like the small CEO¡¯s that you could intimidate using our fandoms. She will retaliate and she will make it big. She will crush you like a bug." He snickered.

    "Are you cursing me?" Li Han scowled. "Don¡¯t you dare forget! I am still your father! I made you a star! I am the reason for everything that you have achieved till now!"

    "Yeah... Yeah... my father." He rolled his eyes in response. "The one responsible for how we turned out to be." He snorted.

    "You¡ª "

    "Father... stop being so melodramatic. Why are you so fixated on thispany? It¡¯s not like they are a well-known clothing brand or jewelry brand that could give us a lot of benefits. Fi Group is nothing like that. I don¡¯t ¡ª "

    "You don¡¯t have to understand things. You only need to follow my words. It is that simple." Li Han interrupted him. "Follow my words! Follow everything that I say and everything is good!"

    "Of course. I have to follow in your footsteps. However, I am telling you... I am not going to go down with you. I will not stand on a sinking ship, ah."

    "You ¡ª leave!" Li Han yelled. "You ungrateful twat! Do you want to kill me from too much anger? You fuck*ng gay! Don¡¯t show yourself before me unless I call for you!"

    "Alright." His son shrugged and stood from his seat. "I will see you when you need me?" he gave a mocking smirk before leaving Li Han¡¯s office with a grin on his face. If not for his father¡¯s threats to reveal his real sexuality, he would have already revealed this man¡¯s deeds to the world. Stephen Li thought as he left his father¡¯s office without any hesitation.

    Too bad, unlike him, his brother was not able to take their father¡¯s controlling behavior. Stephen Li shook the thoughts out of his head as he stered his usual smile for the paparazzi that was following him around.

    ...

    Li Han almost could not contain his anger as he watched his eldest son¡¯s nonchnce. He balled his hands into fists, his eyes turned towards the image of his two sons on his table, something that he always used to show to his investors. He gritted his teeth. "You nasty piece of homosexual trash!" he hissed. If not for the benefits that came with being the father of the film emperor, he would have already cut his ties with this disgusting creature.

    He walked towards his small bar and poured himself a ss of alcohol. It was still noon and yet, his urge to drink something spicy had never been this strong. Without hesitation, he finished the ss. He sat back in his leather chair as he used his phone to dial an international number.

    After a few rings, a man answered.

    "What?" his mellow voice immediately made Li Han irritated. It reminded him of Stephen so much that it seemed to make his blood boil in anger. "It¡¯ste. What do you want?"

    "She¡¯s not talking to me! She is looking down on me!"

    "Just keep her busy."

    "How?" He retorted. "She did not even look at me in the eyes and dered the conversation over before it even started!"

    "Just find some way to distract her. It is simple. Send your sons, tempt her. Just don¡¯t let her focus on her business too much."

    "How the hell am I going to aplish that? Did you forget? I am just a small businessman!"

    "Use your sons!" the man hissed, irritated. "Just do everything that you can to keep her busy. Throw some false news, make her deal with it. A scandal. I don¡¯t know... as someone who knows the ins and outs of the entertainment industry, that should be easy for you to aplish."

    "I don¡¯t think I can do that." Li Han said. "I don¡¯t ¡ª "

    "Then... do you have the money to pay for your debt?"

    "You¡ª "

    "Well then... there you go. Since you don¡¯t have the money, just do everything that I tell you to do. Or... would you want me to personally visit you in China? Maybe I could ¡ª reveal your son¡¯s sexuality and your youngest son¡¯s drug addiction to the media? But ¡ª that would ruin them both, right? Ruining them would mean no more money for daddy." He did not miss the ridicule thatced the voice. "Is that what you want?"

    "I ¡ª No."

    "Then, you have your answer. Just do everything that you can to keep her busy. The longer the better."

    "After that... After that will you¡ª "

    "Of course. I will consider your debt paid." The man chuckled. "And one more thing. Stop calling me during this hour. I need my rest."

    "I understand." Li Han forced the word out of her mouth. "I will update you as soon as I can." He ended the call and tightened his grip on the phone. There was no way that someone like him could keep a tycoon like Lily busy.

    "Ahhh!" He yelled in frustration. Just who was that man and why did he want Lily to be distracted? The man specifically warned him not to hurt Lily. This only meant that he cared about her welfare, no? So what was this man¡¯s purpose? A sharp sigh escaped his lips. His face turned uglier as he thought about what happened earlier with Lily.

    The woman seemed irritable and unapproachable. Lily looked just like what she looked like on the news. Fresh face, thin makeup that would have shown some bags if she had any. She did not look stressed at all. However... her clothes and the way she walked¡ª

    Li Han opened hisputer and typed Lily¡¯s name and profile with her previous images. Slowly, his eyes widened as the realization hit him. She ¡ª she might be pregnant!

    ....

    Previous chap already edited.

    1/3 Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 735 Queen of Paranoia

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 735 Queen of Paranoia</h4>

    The Peak, Grandma Ye¡¯s Residence,

    Lily knew that her Grandmother Ye loved books. Aside from reading, her Grandma Ye would spend a lot of time in this house to tend to her roses and have some time alone for herself. Lily used to wonder what would the older woman do in this house alone aside from tending her garden.

    The answer was writing.

    Surprisingly, her grandmother loved to write in notebooks that were bound in brown leathers. She smiled as she held one of the notebooks that was piled up just next to her bookshelves. Was this a diary? She asked herself but quickly shook her head. If this is something important, she would not have just left this thing out in the open.

    "Surprisingly, this ce is clean." Qin Yuanfeng uttered after he examined the room. He insisted oning inside the room before letting Lily in. "Are you paying someone to clean this ce?"

    "Yes. Once a month." The house is already old. Without maintenance, who knows what kind of nasty molds would grow around this ce. Sitting on the velvet chair near the firece, Lily let out a sigh of relief.

    This ce was not that big, however, everything about the room screamedfort, warmth. Something that she never felt when she was living in Lilian¡¯s mansion.

    "This ce is nice." Qin Yuanfeng sat on the other chair that is fronting the firece. "This is different from the mansion in London, no?"

    "You noticed?"

    "That ce is ¡ª creepy."

    "I know! But it was old so naturally ghosts roam around the ce all the time." Lily smiled at Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s face.

    "Ghosts? I¡¯m pretty sure someone is living inside the walls of that ce, watching me as I sleep." He hugged himself and shivered at the memories. "I am not afraid of ghosts. But I am afraid of creepy people watching over me while I¡¯m unaware."

    His words immediately made Lilyugh. "Paranoid."

    "Says the queen of paranoia."

    Anotherughter left Lily¡¯s mouth.

    "So you inherited this ce?"

    "Hmmm. I didn¡¯t expect her to give this ce to me as this was pretty important from her side of the Family." The Ye Family that she never had the chance to meet. Of course, Lily perfectly understood now that she was not really a part of the Family so she had no right to even meet them. Because of this, she was really surprised to know that Grandmother Ye gave this house to her instead of her Ye Family from maind china.

    What surprised her even more was the fact that they seemed not to care about this ce.

    "And those books?" he turned towards the bookshelf opposite to the firece.

    "Hers."

    "Intin?"

    "Yes. Intin." She nodded. "Grandma Ye was a very well read woman. She knew a lot ofnguages too. I remember she spoke English and German I think? Of course, I am not really sure. I was a child then and I don¡¯t really have the best memory." She shrugged. "I believe I heard her read books in three or fournguages."

    "Isn¡¯t that strange?"

    "What is?" She asked.

    "A Chinese housewife knowing stuff like that. I mean... don¡¯t get me wrong but the society in the past was extremely patriarchal. Meaning, women were not taught to read and write, instead, they were told to learn the arts. Embroideries and other feminine stuff."

    His words immediately made Lilyugh. "Well... Grandma Ye wanted to learn. I believe she did it secretly as I never saw her read something not in Pinyin when she was in the Qin residence. Or maybe there was really a problem with my memory." She stared at the stack of books on the table to her left. "But yes, I agree with you. That is extremely strange."

    "So... did she teach you how to read these books?"

    "A few words in Latin." She answered. "I was not particrly that bright while growing up and my interests were not into learning so I believe... she gave up when she noticed that I was not really interested to learn? So... I forgot most of it. I believe... I remember counting in Latin? But that was it."

    "So she taught you Latin but not English?"

    "No. Just Latin." At that time Lily did not think too much about it. First, she is not really interested in learning anothernguage. Even her grasp of English at that time was weak¡ª so weak it is embarrassing to even talk about it. Second, what kind of books were printed intin? At that time she was extremely ignorant and simple minded. Third, she did not spend a lot of time with her grandmother as she was sent to a boarding school that was located near the orphanage before.

    And once Tang Lingyun decided that she should stop going to school, thetter forbade her from going out of the house or even going with her grandmother and always used her health as an excuse to keep her confined.

    Moreover, when Lily was saved by Lilian, she focused all her energy in learning about the business and decided to stop thinking about her past. That included her Grandma Ye. Slowly, she had forgotten about these things and the reason why she could even remember them now was because she saw the Latin books and she talked about this with Zhou Jingren before.

    "Do you know how to read any othernguages?" Lily asked.

    "Russian, Mysian, Japanese and Korean. Aside from English and all dialects in China."

    Lily immediately widened her eyes. "All dialects in China? Like the dialect used by people in Yunnan?"

    "Hmmm."He nodded. "If you have a lot of time, then you don¡¯t have a choice but to learn something new or you will die from boredom."

    A smug smile slithered in Lily¡¯s face. "Hehe... of course you know a lot ofnguages. After all, you are a genius. You have my genes in you."

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    2/3

 Chapter 736 Ominous Squeaking

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 736 Ominous Squeaking</h4>

    "Alright. That was a terrible joke." Qin Yuanfeng said. "You have my genes in you but... you butchered it for some reason."

    "Hey! That was pretty mean."

    "I know." He chuckled. "I will be outside if you need me for anything." Standing up from his seat, he gave Lily a knowing look before leaving the study. He knew Lily wanted some time alone to think things through.

    Lily nodded and let out a sigh as she watched her brother leave the room. Then, she stood from her seat and walked towards the table in her grandma¡¯s study. After a few minutes, Lily found what she was looking for in one of the drawers.

    It was a shlight.

    Thest time that they were here, Zhou Jingren had informed her that the wiring used in the secret room was broken and they could only do one of two things. One was to let Zhou Jingren fix it slowly as it needs a lot of time to change all the internal wiring, or two, they could hire an expert to do it. Now, since Lily did not want anyone else inside the room, she chose to have Zhou Jingren do it instead.

    To visit this ce, Lily needed to use another way for lighting. Zhou Jingren suggested that she buy a chargeablemp to take with her. However, she did not have the time to do so. Moreover, her visit was unexpected. Excellent thing she was able to find a shlight inside her grandmother¡¯s study.

    To open the secret room, Lily needed to move one of the small dog statues that were sitting on top of her grandmother¡¯s table. Then she needed to pull a specific number of books from the bookshelves.

    Zhou Jingren said that the method did not use any current technology. In fact, now that the lights inside the room were not working, there is nothing inside that secret room that would scream modern. No electricity or technology. It was extremely outdated, but surprisingly, it still worked.

    The squeaking sound of the door reached Lily¡¯s ears. She turned the shlight on then grabbed her phone to also turn on it¡¯s shlight. It is always better to have more lights, right? After all, ghosts are afraid of lights. She chuckled at her own silly thoughts.

    Just like the previous time that she was here, the door opened halfway, only giving enough passage for a small person like Lily. Even her husband who is about six foot two would have a hard time squeezing himself into the door. The smell of old paper and dirt immediately assaulted her senses. She furrowed her brows before she grabbed her handkerchief and used it as a mask to cover her nose.

    After a few seconds of examining the wooden stairs that would lead her further down the room, Lily took her first step. Shuddering at the thought of ghosts. Before she could take her second step, she sent a text to Zhou Jingren to inform him that she was going downstairs. Beaming, Lily gave herself a pat in the back. If there were indeed some ghosts downstairs, Lily was sure that she had already covered all her bases, there was no way that her husband won¡¯t be able to find her in case the ghost decided to trap her inside.

    Aiyo, this is the most crucial step that those dumb blonds in horror movies forget to do! She chuckled and shook her head, helpless at the weirdness inside her.

    "Alright," she let out a sharp breath. "I can do this." She then made sure to close them behind her. Then she took the second step, then the third, the familiar squeaking of the floor reminded her of how much she missed doing this. After a few more steps, she arrived in another door that would finally lead her to the room. A smile crept on her face. Despite being a hundred years old, the mahogany and steel door still stood majestically, unbothered by the passage of time.

    Lily touched the door, memories from her childhood swarm inside her like a flood. There was no password or a retinal scan. Instead, there was a small puzzle on the door. Of course, it was a puzzle. After all, her grandmother absolutely loved puzzles.

    It was a simplebyrinth puzzle that ran from the top to the bottom of the door. One needed to manipte apact metal ball to reach the circle at the bottom of the door to be able to open it. Beforeing in here, Lily had actually forgotten the right way to finish this. However, now that she was in front of the puzzle, she could not help but think of all the times that her grandmother taught her how to open it secretly.

    The key is actually not in thebyrinth puzzle. Nope. It was on the ball. While maneuvering the ball towards the bottom would open it, the time and effort needed to aplish this are too big. One would need at least an hour or two to finish this.

    Her grandmother, however, created a shortcut that only she and Lily could use. With this in mind, Lily smiled before she started tapping certain points of thebyrinth before finally tapping the one at the bottom.

    *Sqeaauukkk*

    The loud squeaking surprised Lily. Has it been that long? She thought as she waited for the door to open itself. Other than her and her grandmother, no other people in the Qin Family knew the existence of this room. In fact, her grandmother used to tell her how her husband did not have any idea that beneath this house was another house she prepared for a zombie apocalypse.

    Of course, this joke always made the young Lilyugh. Really? Zombie apocalypse?

    Lily chuckled before she used her phone and shlight to illuminate the space behind her. Then slowly... her eyes widened, mouth agape as she stared at the room in front of her.

    ....

    Author question: What do you think is inside?

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 737 Space

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 737 Space</h4>

    In front of her ¡ª was nothing. No furniture, no books, nothing. Aside from a small stack of paper on the left side of the room, nothing else was there. No sofa, so bookshelves, not even a table.

    Lily started scanning the rest of the room before she frowned. This space seemed significantly smaller than the room that she remembered before. A hint of suspicion started sprouting in her mind.

    It was possible that her grandmother would change the space. But why? And removing all those stuff from this room would be extremely difficult. Was it possible that she had help?

    She remembered her grandmother telling her that aside from her and Lily, no one else knew about the underground house, so hiring someone to clean the space made little sense. Sighing, Lily walked towards the stack of paper and realized they were some old newspapers dated over twenty years ago. She tried to pick it up, only to realize that it was stuck on the floor. Another sigh escaped her.

    The oddly familiar flooring caught her attention. Another puzzle? She immediately wondered why her grandmother would go this far. Was she hiding something? It was not like she was a government spy or something. Lily shook her head at her own thoughts before she eyed the news. Narrowing her eyes at the date, she realized that it was on her fifth birthday.

    Did something happen on her fifth birthday? Unfortunately, Lily could remember nothing special about that day. There was a celebration, of course, it was a part of Tang Lingyun¡¯s benevolent stepmother image. Some cakes and gifts.

    Aside from that, Lily could remember nothing else. She wiped away the sweat on her forehead. Solving a puzzle was tiresome but... trying to solve something that did not even exist is more taxing, ah. Slowly, her curiousness turned into a brief irritation.

    Why would an old woman spend a lot of time in this ce only to remove everything from it? Of course, the possibility of another room behind this room is very high. However, this begs the question that had been bugging her for a while now. Why?

    Why would a stay at home socialite go to such lengths to hide a room where she used to read, sew and other menial tasks? Unless, she was hiding something of importance?

    Lily let out a low growl. This was hurting her brains! Slowly, she tried to pick up the newspaper again. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t budging. Was it glued on the floor? She used a little bit of force and this time she seeded. Then she realized that it was stuck in a small rectangr like a hole.

    No, it wasn¡¯t a hole, it was some sort of a dial for abination lock. But instead of numbers, this one had letters on it. The dial immediately reminded her of the one in the film Da Vinci Code, except that this was not in a cylinder stone, the dial was attached to the floor.

    A sigh escaped Lily¡¯s lips. Five letters. How was she supposed to solve a puzzle like this with no clues? AND HOW DID HER GRANDMOTHER INSTALL SOMETHING LIKE THIS INSIDE THE ROOM!?

    She grunted in frustration. The more she thought about it, the more she got suspicious. Was her grandmother hiding a nuclear bomb orunch codes to a bomb? What if she was one of those conspiracy believers that thought they found some proof of aliens or some other theories out there?

    "Alright." She eyed the dial. She could not remember anything with five letters. Her grandmother¡¯s birthday... should be in May, so using the month is useless already. It was obviously not a year or the day of her birthday as well.

    Lily was sure it wasn¡¯t hers as she was born in January, and obviously that is over five words. Surely, the clue should be rted to them, right? After all, her grandmother gave this property to her.

    But what if she was actually ying with her? Maybe it was her revenge when Lily refused to contact her before? "Grandma Ye, ah... that is not fair." She grumbled. "You know... how dumb I am, and yet you actually installed something that needed some ¡ª" She paused.

    Her grandmother knew that she is not a fan of puzzles. Narrowing her eyes on the dial, Lily realized two things. First, there is a possibility that her grandmother was only ying with her. She would make Lily think it through until she finally gave up. Second was that Lily already knew the answer but did not realize it yet. Of course, she thought that the first option is very probable.

    She remembered Grandma Ye as yful and doting. What if this was nothing but one of her petty revenge against Lily? But what if it¡¯s not?

    "Ahhh!" She sighed. "I give up!" Lily could not think of anything else that had five letters on it. Qin Jinghua? Qin Mo¡¯s name had five letters on it, but it does not make any sense to her! Why put Qin Mo¡¯s name? It was too simple! Who uses a simple answer like that?

    "Wait..." She eyed the newspaper. The date... is on her fifth birthday. What if the passwords were fifth? Surely, it was not a coincidence, right? Without any hesitation, Lily started turning the dial.

    F ¡ª I ¡ª F ¡ª T ¡ª H

    "CLICK"

    The loud rumbling from the ground surprised Lily. She stood, eyeing the floor as it changed in front of her eyes. What the hell was happening? She eyed the door and could not help but just want to leave and wait for Zhou Jingren toe so they could do this together. She felt the whole space shook slowly before the sound of a heavy furniture being moved against the wooden flooring reached her ears.

    Then she saw it.

    One of the walls near the newspaper moved.

    IT F*CKING MOVED! Surprised, Lily took a step back. Her eyes wide as she felt her heart raced. Anticipation was apparent in her light brown orbs.

    Wait... why does this feel like she was Indiana Jones doing some treasure hunting? A low chuckle escaped her lips. Maybe Angelina Jolie¡¯s tomb raider was a bitter fit. After all, she looked nothing like Indiana Jones.

    ...

    Previous Chapter already edited.

    Thank you for the support.

 Chapter 738 Genius Genes

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 738 Genius Genes</h4>

    "What took you so long?" Lily¡¯s smiling face was the first thing that Zhou Jingren noticed when he walked inside the study. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

    "I had to finish an important meeting." He sat opposite her. "I thought you were in the secret room?"

    "I was."

    "Wait ¡ª don¡¯t tell me you saw a ghost?" he raised an eyebrow.

    "What? Of course not." Beaming, she stood from her seat and pulled him towards the bookshelves. "But... I¡¯m afraid I will see one. So I waited for you." First of all, the room that she saw was just the same as the room that she saw all those years ago. This meant the room had been like this for god knows how long. Second, she had seen enough ghost movies to know that a pregnant woman and ghosts did not do well in one scene. What if the ghost took a liking to her unborn child? Lily shivered inwardly. Maybe her imagination was just over the top. But still...

    To avoid this, she chose to have a tall man apany her, hoping that it would intimidate the ghosts.

    After opening the bookshelf, Lily told him to use the light on his phone and follow her. "It is a little tight. But that is because this mechanism is really old. So it needs some overhauling." She uttered while going down the stairs. "Look at this," she pointed at the firstbyrinth on the door. "My grandma loves puzzles. Amazing, right?"

    "You said this house had been around for so long, this mechanism might have been here even before Grandma Ye owned this ce."

    "That makes sense." Lily nodded and started tapping on the door. Slowly, it opened, and once again, revealed the space. "Alright... maybe this mechanism existed before." She pointed at the next puzzle. Zhou Jingren¡¯s reasoning was right, maybe it already existed, and she just didn¡¯t realize it before.

    After entering thest letter of the code, the wall next to them moved and revealed the room. "This space didn¡¯t exist before." She stated as she walked inside the room, the floor squeaking beneath her. "I don¡¯t remember entering another password using thebination lock. When I was a kid."

    "So how did you figure out the code?"

    Beaming, Lily instantly turned towards him. "Simple. I¡¯m a genius."

    He chuckled in response. He heard from Yang Mi that Lily seemed to be in a foul mood earlier. So, seeing her act like this immediately made him smile. "Right. Our child will surely get this special genius gene of yours."

    "Of course." She walked towards the furniture and started removing the white cloth that covered them. "This chair... is really old. It might not be able to support someone of your frame." She walked towards the table and held a frame of her grandmother¡¯s younger photo. "She¡¯s beautiful, isn¡¯t she?"

    "Hmmm." He stood next to her, his eyes scanning the room. "This is an enormous room." He noted.

    "Yes, it is. Also... there should be a small kitchen over there. Though... I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s working anymore. We used it to boil water for her tea. I don¡¯t remember her cooking something inside this area." Smiling, Lily touched a small dent on the table. "I made this. It was, um... I believe I used some pencils to create such markings. Of course, grandma scolded me."

    Lily continued. "That chair should be good." She pointed at another wooden chair before she checked the drawers of the table.

    "Hey, there¡¯s amp in here." Zhou Jingren said. "I think it¡¯s working."

    "Do you have something that we could use to light it?" Lily asked.

    "No. But I can always go upstairs to¡ª "

    "Then nevermind." Lily interrupted him. "Don¡¯t leave me alone."

    Her words earned a chuckle from her husband. He shook his head and walked towards the bookshelf. "These books... are pretty old."

    "Hm."

    "Are you familiar with any of these?"

    "No." Lily shook her head as she opened thest drawer. "There¡¯s a vault in here." She remembered seeing the vault when she was a child. All those memories seemed toe back to her as she continued to explore the ce. This time, the vault did not require anyplicated coding. She knew that her grandmother used her birth date, except the sequence is different. Instead of having the month or date first, her grandmother used the year and jumbled the remaining numbers instead of using zero and five for may, she used five and zero. Lily was pretty familiar with thebinations as she saw her grandmother open this vault countless times when she was a child.

    Now that Lily thought about it, her grandmother had another vault in the Qin Mansion that Lily now owned. She immediately took a mental note to check that one outter as well. As expected, the vault opened after she entered the code.

    "She still had some jewelry here." She uttered as she held a jewelry box. Aside from the jewelry box, there was also a leather-covered notebook. Lily took both out and examined the vault. After making sure that nothing else was there, she closed the vault and sat on the chair next to the table.

    She examined the notebook and immediately noticed the yellowish edges of the paper as well as the aged leather. She opened the notebook and immediately saw that it was her grandmother¡¯s journal. But wasn¡¯t this too short for a life journal? Lily didn¡¯t remember seeing something like this when she was still in the Qin Residence.

    Without reading its entries, Lily started flipping through the pages and noticed that the dates were all random. Some were months apart from each other and some others just days from one another.

    "A journal?" she heard Zhou Jingren walk next to her.

    "Hmmm." She nodded. "I will pay respects to my grandmother before reading them." She slowly closed it. "We should visit the columbarium before this day ends."

    "Of course," he nodded. "What¡¯s inside the jewelry box?"

    Lily did not answer him, instead, she opened the box and examined its contents. "Some family heirlooms." She uttered before she paused. Frowning, Lily held a small grey rock. "What¡¯s this?"

    "A moon rock?" he asked.

 Chapter 739 Consequences of their Actions

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 739 Consequences of their Actions</h4>

    "I think so, yes." He shrugged. "I am not sure though. You should ask Yuanfeng... maybe he knows something."

    "Oh!" Lily put the stone back inside the jewelry box before closing it. "We should probably leave now. We can go to the columbarium before heading back home." For some reason, the rock together with her grandmother¡¯s diary made her curious.

    If not for the moon rock that she received from Eliza a few weeks ago, Lily would not have thought anything about it. However, in her world, coincidences rarely ever happened.

    "Alright." He nodded. "Can I borrow one of these books?"

    "Sure." She nodded. When she was a child, she remembered ying with the books on the shelves. "Be careful not to damage the others." She stood and walked towards the bookshelves. "What is that?"

    She looked at the leather book with gold markings on it.

    "Italian." He answered. "I believe this is The Prince."

    Instantaneously, Lily¡¯s eyebrow lifted. "The Prince?" She took the book from him. "The Nolo Machiavelli¡¯s, The Prince?"

    "Hmmm. I can¡¯t read Italian but yeah... IL PRINCIPE Di NICOLO MACHIAVELLI is pretty understandable." The thing about The Prince was that it was written in Italian instead of Latin. Of course, this might be because Machiavelli was from Italy.

    "It is The Prince." Lily eyed the other books in the shelves as she wondered, what kind of treasure would she find if she searched this ce. "That is very strange." She uttered. Seeing Lilian¡¯s favorite book here... was a very strange thing.

    "This book Is pretty old too, it¡¯s from the 1550¡¯s." He added.

    "The Prince was published in 1530¡¯s." She said. "This means... this is a very old copy. I am not an expert in books but this might be one of the oldest copies in the world. So¡ª " she met his curious eyes. "Why would a housewife have a copy of this book inside her secret room?"

    Zhou Jingren only shrugged in response. Lily gave the book back to her husband before she stared at the other stack of books inside the room. Just as she remembered, this room had always been like this. The room was always full of books that she didn¡¯t know, papers that she could read.

    "Let¡¯s go?"

    "Sure." She nodded as she held the jewelry box and notebook closer to her chest. She then held Zhou Jingren¡¯s hand as a small smile slithered onto her face. It seemed that her grandmother was also keeping secrets on her own, she thought.

    ...

    After they left her grandmother¡¯s house, Lily, Zhou Jingren and Qin Yuanfeng went to pay their respects to Grandma Ye before Lily insisted that they go to the Qin Mansion as she wanted to check her grandmother¡¯s room.

    "Are you sure?" Qin Yuanfeng frowned. "It is prettyte."

    "It¡¯s five in the afternoon." She retorted. Since she discovered some crazy coincidences, Lily had been really curious about things. She could just go home and think about it all night, ah! With this curiosity, Lily knew that she won¡¯t be able to sleep tonight.

    Zhou Jingren only shrugged when Qin Yuanfeng turned his gaze towards him. Sighing, he turned his gaze outside of the car. He wondered why Lily would insist on visiting the ce where she experienced abuse for years. Qin Yuanfeng would never be able to do that.

    This was one of the reasons why he chose to not see his father anymore. Another sigh escaped his lips before the sound of Zhou Jingren¡¯s phone interrupted the silence inside the car.

    "Hm?" Zhou Jingren answered. "Really? Alright... I might personally go there.Hmmm. Yes... alright." He quickly ended the call and turned towards Lily then towards Qin Yuanfeng who was sitting in the front seat of the car. "Qin Chuan... took Qi Xia" He said.

    "What?!" Lily asked, surprised.

    "There was an explosion in Qi Xia¡¯s office. A fire broke out and some people died. This all happened a few hours back. Bei Tian said... Qi Xia was not one of the people who had died. Instead... someone took him."

    "And that someone is Qin Chuan?" Qin Yuanfeng asked. Just like Lily, he was pretty surprised to hear about this matter.

    "Not confirmed yet. But... Bei Tian¡¯s men found some traces of him, working with some questionable people just a few days back and he was coincidentally around the area when the explosion happened."

    Lily frowned as she pursed her lips. "So... he had the guts toe after the people who nned all this." She sighed. Without asking for their help Qin Chuan had actually dealt with the people who fooled him. That meant... "Then... Tang Lingyun must have told him. There is a possibility that she is already dead¡ª or if he is that cruel then, there is also the possibility that she is alive somewhere, regretting her decision to y with someone who does not have anything to lose."

    "And you are nning to see Qin Chuan?" Qin Yuanfeng chimed in.

    "Only to see him torture Qi Xia," Zhou Jingren stared at Lily. Of course, he would also ask him about the backer that Xuan Hui told him about. "And to ask him if he will also do the same thing to my cousin."

    "Will you stop him?"

    For a few seconds, Zhou Jingren turned silent before he shook his head. "No." Zhou Huifang and Qi Xia had yed with Qin Chuan¡¯s emotions. They not only ruined his rtionship with his daughter, they also copied the face of the woman that he loved in an attempt to control him. These actions were bound toe back and bite them.

    And it happened. It did not take too long for Qin Chuan to start his retaliation. A man like him must have med both Qi Xia and Zhou Huifang for ruining his life. Though he was the one who made the wrong choices, it was only normal for him as a person, to me it on other people. After all... he was already broken. Just like everyone else, Qin Chuan was already broken long before he met Su Ma.

    "ying with his emotions... It was their choice." He added. "Now... they will be forced to deal with the consequences of their actions."

    ...

    Proofreader: Dragon777

 Chapter 740 Terrible Memories

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 740 Terrible Memories</h4>

    "So are you going to Maind China?" Lily asked this time.

    "Yes." Zhou Jingren answered without batting an eyelid. At this point, knowing the identity of their hidden enemy was the top priority.

    "When?"

    "Tonight. But don¡¯t worry, I will be back by the end of tomorrow and Qin Yuanfeng will stay with you for tonight."

    "Oh." She turned silent. "But you will apany me in the Qin Mansion, right?"

    "Of course." He held her hand. "I will leave with Go Jichen after dinner."

    "Alright." She smiled and turned towards the road. "What about Zhou Huifang?"

    "Bei Tian is watching him. Once Zhou Huifang finds out that Qi Xia¡¯s was not one of the casualties who suffered from the explosion, he might try to escape. Once he does that, Bei Tian will apprehend him."

    A sigh escaped Lily¡¯s lips. She truly hoped that this would be over soon.

    .....

    Qin Mansion, Hong Kong

    "Are you not nning to sell this house?" Qin Yuanfeng asked the moment they stepped out of the car. He eyed the huge house in front of them.

    "I am nning to sell this. However, I am so busy that I didn¡¯t have the chance to check this ce out. I know both my grandmother and grandfather have vaults, and I wanted to check them, personally."

    "Eh? Are you hoping that they left some gold or money in their vaults?"

    "Diamonds." She smirked. "But you were close. Keep trying." She chuckled and walked hand in hand with her husband towards the mansion.

    "So, when they left they didn¡¯t take the furniture with them?"

    "The furniture is a part of this house. Taking them would make it look like they can¡¯t afford to buy new ones. I mean, they wouldn¡¯t want everyone to think that they don¡¯t have any money." Lily exined to her husband. "It is a matter of pride." She eyed the grand interior of the house. "I lived in the back of the mansion. In the servant¡¯s quarters with ¡ª my mother."

    "Mother?" It was Qin Yuanfeng. "In servant¡¯s quarters?"

    "Hmmm. At first, I had my own room, which was not even half of Qin Fei¡¯s room, but mother wanted us to at least stay with each other. Of course, I didn¡¯t have a problem with that. But... they had a problem having her stay inside the mansion. So instead of her moving into my room... I moved into her room." Lily smiled. It was as if she could see her past self running around the living room. "Of course... This was a secret. Not one of Tang Lingyun¡¯s socialite friends knew that I am living at the back of the mansion."

    "So... when you stopped going to school you were staying in a dpidated space with your mother?"

    "Hey! It¡¯s not dpidated!" Lily retorted. "It was a small house but not to the point that we can call it dpidated. It had some small holes on the roof, but it¡¯s not a big deal since it was not directed to our beds. So we could still sleep even when it rained." She beamed. "And I didn¡¯t think too much about that. I was pretty simple back then."

    "Yeah, I remember." Zhou Jingren chuckled as they advanced towards the second floor of the mansion. "You were pretty simple."

    "And cute too." She smiled. "Don¡¯t forget about that."

    "Of course, you are cute. A little underweight, but cute."

    "Hey! I am not skinny!"

    "You are!"

    "Am not!"

    "Skinny and short."

    "Are you calling me a dwarf?"

    "Who said that you were a dwarf!?"

    "You just said it now!"

    Qin Yuanfeng could only shake his head inwardly as he watched the couple argue back and forth. He knew that Lily didn¡¯t have a grand life growing up. However, he didn¡¯t know the specifics of her past. Now that he thought about it, hers was actually more tragic than his life.

    While Qin Yuanfeng was sitting in a mansion being treated like a true young master, Lily had to live in a small space with their mother. Slowly irritation shed in his eyes. Bec Fi was really selfish to let her daughter suffer like that just because they scared her into hurting him. Was it alright for Lily to suffer so that he could live afortable life?

    In the end, that life may sound luxurious on the outside, but Qin Yuanfeng knew how horrible it was to live with his controlling stepmother and indifferent father. But... was that really the only reason why Bec refused to go home and see her mother?

    What if there was another reason for her options back then? Surely, if Bec loved Lily, she would not have condoned all those cruel things that were done to her daughter. What if... Bec loved Lily so much and that was the reason why she refused to contact Lilian? What if, at the end of the day, Lilian was actually their greatest enemy?

    Qin Yuanfeng shook his head. He immediately made a mental note to stop reading mystery novels in his free time. It is not very healthy for his brains, ah.

    "Alright! We¡¯re here." Beaming, Lily turned towards them as she opened the huge wooden door of the study. "Gentlemen... please enjoy yourself inside my grandparents¡¯ study."

    Both Zhou Jingren and Qin Yuanfeng just followed Lily inside.

    "I thought you were going to check out their room?" Qin Yuanfeng scanned the study before looking at Lily.

    "The study first before the room." She sat on the leather chair behind the mahogany table. "My grandmother seldom stayed inside this room. But Grandfather used to do all his work in here all the time." She said. "Grandfather was very strict back then, and he doesn¡¯t really like me."

    "And yet, you are smiling." Qin Yuanfeng said. When talking about terrible memories, one generally did not smile. Some people cried, some people got angry, and some just refused to talk about it.

    "What do you mean?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "If I was not treated horribly back, then... I wouldn¡¯t have turned out the way I am now." She answered. "I have helped thousands of women ovee the trauma of abuse from their childhood, marriage, parents, and rtionships. And that is because... I knew what they experienced before." She said, her face turning serious before she shrugged at him. With a smile, Lily added. "Because I was once like them."

    Having a bad inte connection today.

    Mass release Monday.

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 741 Danger and Death

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 741 Danger and Death</h4>

    It did not take too long for Lily to realize that there was nothing of importance inside her grandfather¡¯s study or their room. Even the vault was already empty, it had no diamonds or gold. Lily shook her head inwardly before she told Zhou Jingren and Qin Yuanfeng that they were leaving the ce. All this exploration was enough to make Lily hungry, ah.

    For dinner, the trio went to eat in a restaurant just outside The Peak before they retired back to Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s house. After an hour, Zhou Jingren left with Secretary Go while Qin Yuanfeng stayed with Lily for the night. When Zhou Jingren left, Lily decided to go to her room so that she could begin reading her grandmother¡¯s diary.

    The first few pages of the diary were not really that interesting. However, just as she expected, the diary only contained special events in her grandmother¡¯s life like her wedding, and Qin Mo¡¯s birth and his wedding with Tang Lingyun as well as some devastating past like the death of Qin Mo¡¯s younger brother and her husband¡¯s affair.

    The diary was written quite well that Lily could actually feel her grandmother¡¯s emotions while reading it. But it did not take too long for her to start frowning. Her grandmother did not include how she arrived into the Qin Family¡¯s home. However, after this, her writing seemed to have be erratic, nonsensical. As if she is skipping a lot of words. It even looked like she was merely writing words instead of sentences. Was she in a hurry while writing down all this?

    For instance, one sentence only said ¡¯someone at school Jinghua¡¯ then it would be followed by words like ¡¯research, research, research¡¯

    Or words like nervous, nervous, nervous. Every time, her grandmother would repeat a word three times just after an iplete sentence. Confused, Lily decided to continue reading. She then discovered that the writing about Qin Jinghua was always left iplete, whereas the entries about Qin Fei and the Qin Family wereplete. Was there a reason for that? She asked herself as she closed the diary. Frowning, Lily thought about the words, hoping that she could somehow get something from the partial sentences.

    ¡¯Someone at school Jinghua¡¯ was obviously written about her. However, the date ¡ª The date when the entry was written meant that she was only three years old at this time. She was attending a school for toddlers with Qin Fei. Was it possible that someone was watching her at school? This ¡ª This made little sense at all.

    Lily opened the diary once again before she noticed the time. It was already ten in the evening. She had been reading for hours now and she had actually forgotten to check her phone. She got out of the bed and got her phone inside her handbag only to see two missed calls from her husband and three texts telling her that he had arrived in China and was already talking to Qin Chuan. Then another one telling her that he loves her.

    Smiling, Lily tried to call him only to be answered by Secretary Go. He told her that Zhou Jingren was currently busy at the moment. Left with no choice, Lily just ended the call and decided to read the diary before she finally falls asleep tonight.

    ....

    China.

    The moment Zhou Jingren walked inside the Qin Mansion, he could immediately feel the thick atmosphere that wafted over the whole ce. The air was tense. It smelled of danger; it smelled like death.

    "I am not surprised that you woulde here. But I did not expect you would do it today." Qin Chuan¡¯s voice was full of sarcasm. It was from the voice that he showed thest time that he went to see Lily and Zhou Jingren in Hongkong. "I assume you had your people following me around?" he gestured for Zhou Jingren to sit on the couch just in front of him.

    "Not you." Zhou Jingren responded calmly. "Qi Xia."

    "I understand." Qin Chuan finished his drink before pouring himself another one. "Scotch?"

    "Thank you." Zhou Jingren nodded. Judging from Qin Chuan¡¯s scarlet face, he must have been drinking for a while now. He epted the ss but didn¡¯t dare drink it. Not in front of someone as unstable as this man. Seeing this Qin Chuan let out a low chuckle. He gulped the alcohol and poured himself another one.

    "I would not dare hurt the man that my only daughter loves." He said. "Are you here for Tang Lingyun? Or Qi Xia?" he asked, nonchnce apparent in his voice.

    "Are they still alive?"

    "Of course." Qin Chuan snorted. "Tang Lingyun told me about a person backing them. And of course... I am very curious about it. Did I interfere with any of your ns?"

    "No, we¡¯re good." Zhou Jingren said. "I came here to watch as you interrogate Qi Xia.

    "Oh? So you are already aware of this person backing them?"

    "Someone told us this a few days back." Zhou Jingren answered.

    "And you believe that someone? What if they lied to you?"

    "They attacked him a few days after he told me those things. He is struggling to stay alive as of this moment."

    "Still alive?" Qin Chuan asked. "Why would you want him dead? He just told you something important."

    A sh of amusement settled in Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes. Qin Chuan actually guessed that he wanted Xuan Hui dead. "He hurt Lily in the past." This was an honest answer. First and foremost, Zhou Jingren did not care about Xuan Hui¡¯s son. This may sound cold-hearted but he honestly did not care whether the child lived or if he died. All he cared about was Lily and their small family. Of course, he could not just say something like this in front of his pregnant wife.

    "Eh?" Qin Chuan smirked. "Then... we should kill him." He uttered beforeughing. "Don¡¯t worry.... I wouldn¡¯t interfere in your affairs. You can do whatever you like." He finished another ss of his drink before he rose from his seat. "Come... I will show you where I keep them."

    .........

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 742 Just Irreparable

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 742 Just Irreparable</h4>

    WARNING: SOME SCENES ARE NASTY. DON¡¯T READ WHILE EATING.

    .....

    Zhou Jingren followed Qin Chuan towards the basement of the mansion, where he opened a secret door connected to his wine cer. Zhou Jingren expected to see an unlit corridor with a stench of blood and rust, basically a ce where one could see Tang Lingyun and Qi Xia being gagged and in chains.

    Well, what he saw is the exact opposite of that. It was a hall ¡ª a white one. Clean and it smelt fresh and surprisingly warm. He eyed the man walking in front of him, who was now humming a tune that Zhou Jingren was not very familiar with. It seems that he had failed to understand Qin Chuan¡¯s character. Still, this would not affect his initial opinions about the man.

    The two continued walking until they reached a dead end that revealed another door. Zhou Jingren could not help but wonder how big this ce was. Qin Chuan used his fingerprint to open this door and walked inside.

    "We¡¯re here." Qin Chuan said. He immediately noticed that amusement in Qin Chuan¡¯s voice. "That room is where Tang Lingyun was held. She is still alive, of course. But I would not advise you to see her up close. She might bite you or something. And that¡ªThat is where Qi Xia is being held. I drugged him. So... he won¡¯t be able to regain consciousness for at least forty-eight hours? And when he wakes up.... He will be groggy, hungry, and thirsty."

    "You¡¯re starving them?"

    "What? Of course... not." Qin Chuan beamed, his chin raised as if he was extremely proud of himself. "That would be too cruel. I give Tang Lingyun food... just not every day. Of course, that will eventually happen to Qi Xia too."

    "And Zhou Huifang?" This actually made Zhou Jingren very curious. Surely, Tang Lingyun must have told this man that Zhou Huifang was working with Qi Xia.

    "Nothing." Qin Chuan turned towards Zhou Jingren before heughed out loud, seemingly amused by his own words. "He will die from his anxiety. What is more mentally exhausting than not knowing when your enemy will retaliate against you?"

    "So you are nning to terrorize him for life?"

    "I am nning to send him Qi Xia¡¯s limbs... one by one." Qin Chuan shifted his gaze towards Qi Xia¡¯s room. "Slowly... and surely... and slowly... but surely." His voice was low, it was almost like an ominous growl. "It will be fun."

    Zhou Jingren nodded before sighing inwardly. Does he like this man? No. The answer was pretty obvious.

    Does he approve of his wicked methods? Well... it seems obvious that this man was indeed Lily¡¯s father. And yes, he approved of his methods this time. "But what if... the person behind them retaliates?" he asked.

    "Oh? You think... I will stop here?" Qin Chuan sneered. Zhou Jingren did not answer him, instead, he chuckled.

    "I remember the time when you visited me in my office before. You were against blood back then."

    "People change. Cowards change.??? Qin Chuan answered, his hands shoved in his pockets. "Even losers like me change."

    Zhou Jingren gave a nod of approval before he walked towards Tang Lingyun¡¯s door to peek at her current state. As there was a small rectangr ss on the door, it is easier for Zhou Jingren to see her without really opening the door. When he saw Tang Lingyun... he immediately understood why Qin Chuan used this ss when he could just remove it and use bars made of iron.

    Inside was an extremely bright room with mirrors on its ceiling and walls. This made the room even brighter. Tang Lingyun was in the middle of the room, strapped to the bed with an IV in her arm. A way to make sure that she would not die from malnutrition. "She can¡¯t move?" It was a silly question. The yellowish liquid on the floor mixed with brownish excrement was enough to answer his question.

    "No. She had a little... ident." Qin Chuan chuckled. "I removed the mask on her face. Now... she can see her face all the time."

    Zhou Jingren nodded. What a cruel method to torture someone. "I am surprised that she is still sane."

    "Not anymore, no." Qin Chuan shrugged. "Oh well... she made her bed so... she should lie on it." This was what Zhou Jingren had told him when Lily cut him off because of his foolishness. Just like Tang Lingyun, he was also facing the consequences of his actions.

    Zhou Jingren turned his head away. To be honest, seeing Tang Lingyun like this made him ecstatic inside. He remembered how Lily refused to do something about this woman before, and he couldn¡¯t just defy her wishes. After all, she was still his boss.

    So seeing her like this was extremely satisfying to him. Tang Lingyun made Lily suffer. What she did waspletely unforgivable. "Keep her alive as long as you can." He uttered.

    "Of course, I will." He smiled. For years, this woman made Bec and Lily suffer. Now that he finally had her in his hands, he would not let this opportunity go. He would make Tang Lingyun regret ever knowing Bec and Lily and even him. He chuckled as he thought of the rats he had been starving for a while now. Once they are ready, it would be best to put Tang Lingyun¡¯s hand¡¯s in a box full of those rats. Then he would give her a lot of pain relievers, let her heal, and he would start the process again.

    Again and again and again... he will watch the woman suffer.

    After a couple of minutes, the two decided to leave and continue talking to his study. "How is she?" Qin Chuan asked. He might bepletely insane, but when it came to Lily, his demeanor instantly softened. Of course, he knew that it was already toote for him to start a rtionship with her anew.

    After all the crazy things that he did to hurt her, Qin Chuan knew that some things were just irreparable ¡ª just like their non-existent rtionship.

    "She¡¯s doing good. She is happy."

    "Of course... she is. After all... she has you and Yuanfeng. She has people who sincerely love her." He smiled, a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes.

    ....

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 743 From The Shadows

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 743 From The Shadows</h4>

    "This is what she deserves." Zhou Jingren said.

    "I agree," he nodded. Pursing his lips, he stared at the picture of the woman that he once loved. "Now... I understand your actions and I would like to apologize for my previous idiotic behavior. I was a fool back then... a coward who didn¡¯t even understand that Bec was hurt because of my cowardly behavior." He gulped. "Being emotional does not suit me." He chuckled.

    Zhou Jingren nodded in response. He would never hesitate to hurt the people that dared to hurt even a hair on Lily. However, this begs the question, why did he not hurt Xuan Hui or even Qin Fei? He could easily kill them, make them suffer for what they had done to his wife.

    This was because he respected Lily¡¯s decision. He always believed that being in a rtionship with someone did not mean that he could just do whatever he thought was right and just. Zhou Jingren and Lily had mutual respect for each other¡¯s capabilities. Both of them could deal with their enemies on their own and they would not overstep on each other¡¯s boundaries by doing whatever it was that they thought to be right.

    For instance, Lily did not enjoy killing her enemies. She liked to make them suffer and live in misery. While he was the exact opposite. Most of his enemies were dead and others have vanished. An excellent example of this was the Qin Family who raised Lily, they were left to live after taking everything from them, Qin Mo, Qin Fei, and Xuan Hui. Even Tang Lingyun was still alive and breathing. While the Zhou Family who betrayed Zhou Jingren and his father are all dead.

    Zhou Jingren knew that by killing their enemies, he would save time and effort. However, he would not want to dictate Lily to do that. She was her own person before she met him. And he would not want her to change her belief just to cater to whatever it is that he thinks is the right thing to do.

    To Zhou Jingren... this was marriage. It was not about changing yourself to cater to the needs of the other. It was about working together with your partner, despite the fact you two are the exact opposite of each other.

    "She¡¯s lucky to have someone like you by her side."

    Zhou Jingren smiled. It was actually the other way around, it was him who was lucky to have Lily beside him. "So... I would like to install cameras in Qi Xia¡¯s room." He changed the topic.

    "Fair enough. I will do my best to squeeze as much information as I can." Qin Chuan nodded. "From Tang Lingyun¡¯s words, the person that we are dealing with is not from this side of the world. A foreigner. From my analysis, you couldn¡¯t have offended a foreigner because your business is not as big in the west. So... the target might be my daughter."

    Zhou Jingren raised an eyebrow at the man¡¯s analysis. He nodded in response. "That was my initial thoughts too."

    "Then... you need to be careful. Lily is about to enter her third trimester soon. We don¡¯t want her to carry a lot of burdens or she might give birth before her due date." A sigh escaped his lips. He could not stop himself from rambling about things that he learned when he was reading about pregnancy back then.

    "I already nned something." Of course, Zhou Jingren was not dumb enough to tell this man their ns. "I will leave now. Lily is waiting for me to go home. A few minutes after I leave, my people wille here with the cameras."

    "Hmmm. One question." Qin Chuan said. "Zhou Huifang is your cousin... are you not nning to do something to him? I mean... this was my major concern. When I decided to take Qi Xia instead of him... I thought about you and your rtionship with him."

    "My people are watching him. One wrong move and he is dead."

    "You will kill him?"

    Zhou Jingren met his eyes. "Why not? That man dared to see Lily a few days back. I would not want him near her again."

    "Good. Good... or you can send him here? You know... to be interrogated."

    "I will think about that offer." Zhou Jingren rose from his seat. He walked towards Qin Chuan and held his hand in front of him. "I will see you soon, Mr. Qin." Seeing this, Qin Chuan also stood up. He held Zhou Jingren¡¯s hands, firmly shaking it before he smiled.

    "It is nice to see you, Mr. Zhou... I hope we can still work with each other in the future."

    Without waiting for another minute, Zhou Jingren left the study with Secretary Go.

    ......

    When Zhou Jingren left, Qin Chuan sat back in his chair, his face devoid of any expression. "She found a good man, Bec." He uttered in a gloomy voice. "You should rest well now." A sad smile crept upon his face. "Don¡¯t worry about Yuanfeng... I will make sure to keep them both safe. Even... Even if they don¡¯t recognize me as their father.... I will protect them from the shadows." He then stood from his seat and opened the vault on one of his drawers.

    If Lily was here, she would have easily recognized the notebook that was covered in the same leather as the notebook that she found in her grandmother¡¯s secret room. Frowning, he eyed the wordings on the diary that did not make any sense.

    ¡¯Is watching her¡¯

    ¡¯I need to do a lot of¡¯

    Why would grandmother Ye write something that did not make any sense in her diary? For the umpteenth time, he asked himself before he let out a sigh. He thought that by taking this diary from the Qin¡¯s family mansion, he would read about the things that Bec did with Lily during her time there. He thought he would at least feel closer to his wife.

    Another sigh escaped his lips as he looked at thest page of the book. It was a drawing of a ghost. Was Grandma Ye afraid of ghosts? He chuckled to himself. So far, this was the only thing that he actually understood in the entries.

    A ghost or a specter.

    ....

    1/5

 Chapter 744 Happiness

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 744 Happiness</h4>

    Lily woke up from the persistent knocking on her door. She jolted up, eyes still closed. "Who is it?" she asked.

    "It¡¯s me."

    "Yuanfeng? Come inside." She stifled a yawn. "Did something happen? What time is it?"

    "Five in the morning. Someone published a news article a couple of minutes ago about your pregnancy." He sat on her bed and showed her the news from hisptop. "I already removed it from the. It was from an entertainment website."

    "Why would they release it on an entertainment website?"

    He shrugged in response. "They thought it would get enough attention? It¡¯s not like people in the entertainment industry know you. It would have made sense if they released the news on a business page. But I guess they wanted anonymity. They got it from a site that is somewhat of a forum where anonymous people can reveal their experiences in dealing with celebrities. The one who wrote this topic said that you are an extreme bitch with a nasty personality. They even included Jingren¡¯s image and said something about you not beingpatible with him."

    "Really?"

    "Really." He nodded.

    "No... no... I mean the one withpatibility. Why would they even say that? Did they think I am not pretty enough?" She stifled another yawn.

    "That is not my point."

    "I know! Still... Jingren and I look good together. What do they mean by notpatible?" she frowned.

    "You are missing my point."

    "What is your point?" Lily asked. However, instead of responding, Qin Yuanfeng let out a sharp sigh and shook his head in defeat. Just what did he expect from talking to Lily while she was still half asleep?

    "You better go back to sleep." He stood and turned his back against her. "I will continue deleting this news article against you."

    "Oh! Wait.... Do you know who wrote such a thing?"

    "It¡¯s someone from the Li corporation. They thought it would be hard to track it. They were wrong." Finally Lily is on the right track, he thought inwardly.

    "Really? That old man said that I am notpatible with Jingren?"

    Qin Yuanfeng did not know if he shouldugh or cry at Lily¡¯s statement. Either way, he was sure that she was still sleepy. "Go back to sleep." He said. "I will take care of it." Without waiting for Lily to respond, he left the room and went downstairs with hisptop. "You are back?"

    "You are still awake?" Zhou Jingren eyed theptop in his hand. "Did she ask you to do something for her?"

    "No. I woke her up. The people from Li corp found someone to reveal Lily¡¯s pregnancy on an entertainment website."

    Zhou Jingren instantly frowned. "The old man did it?"

    "He went to see Lily yesterday. She was not in the mood to deal with his bullshit and she walked out, insulting him. I guess that was enough reason for him to retaliate. But ¡ª this is a really weak attempt to create an issue about Lily. I already took care of it." He sat next to Zhou Jingren. "How was... father?" He hesitated for a few seconds before he looked at him.

    "He is good. He is drinking... a lot."

    "Oh."

    "If you want to talk to him, you can always call him you know."

    "No, I don¡¯t." He answered without batting an eyelid.

    Zhou Jingren turned silent, his gaze glued at the younger man¡¯s side profile. "Do you hate him?"

    "No."

    "Then... why not call him?"

    "I feel nothing." He met his eyes. "But he hurt Lily." He added before he rose from his seat, leaving hisptop on the coffee table as he got himself a cup of coffee from the kitchen. He was actually being honest. He did not hate his father, he never did, however, this did not mean that he liked him either. With this in mind, he shrugged and decided to stop thinking about it. He would not waste his time for people who took over twenty years to realize that they were stupid.

    When he came back, Zhou Jingren was already on hisptop, doing something. "That was the bank ount that they used to pay the person who made the news. They tried to make it look as anonymous as possible." He sat next to him and gave him a bottle of water. "But is there really something known as anonymous on the web these days?"

    "Hmmm. I was looking into Mr. Li¡¯sputer." Zhou Jingren said. "Look at these photos." He turned pointed at the screen, it was a photo of Stephen Li with a man.

    "Eh? His son is gay?"

    "Hmmm. He might be using this to ckmail him into following his words."

    "Probably."

    "What are you doing?"

    "Copying it here... then I will remotely delete everything from hisputer."

    "Everything?"

    "Yeah... everything." Zhou Jingren answered. It did not take him a lot of time to delete every piece of data on the man¡¯sputer.

    "You are being petty. Why don¡¯t we just empty his ount? The one that he used to pay the person who posted the news?" Qin Yuanfeng suggested.

    "That is illegal. Did Lily teach you that?"

    "So is hacking into someone¡¯sputer!"

    "It was an act of petty revenge! Emptying someone¡¯s bank ount is bad. Don¡¯t do that. At least... don¡¯t do it after they just pay someone to ruin Lily. They will immediately know that the revenge had something to do with what they did to her."

    Wide-eyed, Qin Yuanfeng stared at Zhou Jingren before he nodded. So... deleting the content¡¯s inside Mr. Li¡¯sputer was fine since it is too small for revenge. They would not think that Lily would be so petty to do it. Mr. Li must have thought that Lily wouldunch something so big against him to retaliate.

    However, this would be different if they empty his bank ount. "You are right." He nodded in approval. "That is actually an excellent one."

    "Hmmm... you should stop thinking about money." Zhou Jingren said.

    "Money is important though."

    "Money can¡¯t buy happiness."

    "But it can buy food and clothes and a house full ofputers." Qin Yuanfeng uttered. "That is happiness."

    "How could you be so simple?"

    "Am I simple?" Qin Yuanfeng uttered. "I don¡¯t think I am."

    In response, Zhou Jingren shook his head, helplessly. Lily and Qin Yuanfeng were indeed twins. "I will get some sleep." He grabbed the bottle of water and walked towards the master bedroom.

    ....

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel

 Chapter 745 Hacked

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 745 Hacked</h4>

    Unedited

    ....

    "This is notplete." Zhou Jingren uttered when he read Grandma Ye¡¯s diary. "This is like a part of a sentence. Do you think... what if there is another part of this diary somewhere? Like the other part where the other part of the sentences was written."

    "That is very good logic." She nodded as she opened the diary, reading the entry again. "This is... most of this is about me. My name was mentioned. Thest entry was justst year. "It says... ¡¯I, her. Suspicious.¡¯ Now... that was a very, very interestingst word to write in a diary before she died."

    "I agree. Do you think she is talking about you?"

    "No idea." She shrugged before she yawned. "You know... what if... she was just having fun writing these things and decided... ¡¯oh! I will make my dear Jinghua the heir of my property so she could find this in my study and have fun solving these clues¡¯. I mean... what if she only wanted to mess with me?"

    ??Now... Why would she do that? When you disappeared, everyone thought that you died, but she never stopped writing about you." Zhou Jingren said. "That means two things. One, she knows that you are alive somewhere and knows that you wille back. Or two, she really just wrote this for the sake of writing. Maybe she wanted to tell you a lot of things, regrets, or words that she never told you when you were still ¡¯alive¡¯."

    "Yeah... I guess it¡¯s the first one. She must have known. Or at least... believed that I was still alive."

    "Hmmm." He gave the diary back to Lily as hey down next to her. "I will get some sleep. I have another meeting at ten in the morning."

    "Oh! By the way... did you see Qi Xia? You were really fast. Did you get some info about the foreigner?"

    "No. Unfortunately, Qin Chuan gave him a powerful drug. But we had a deal, and Bei Tian is already taking care of it."

    "Oh!"

    "You were right about Tang Lingyun, though." He said as he closed his eyes. "She is still alive and still being tortured. Qin Chuan said she had gone insane, but she might be pretending. Well... that would not matter. I asked him not to kill her."

    Lily pursed her lips, saying nothing. She then stored the diary in a safe ce before she snuggled in his arms. "I will sleep too." She said, smiling.

    In response, Zhou Jingren let her use his arm as his pillow as he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

    .....

    When Lily woke up, she was alone. She immediately checked her phone and read the note that Zhou Jingren left in a sticky note on top of the nightstand. He already left, and he reminded her not to forget her vitamins. Smiling, she checked the time and realized that it was already twenty minutes past ten in the morning. She immediately showered and dressed before she walked downstairs, only to see Qin Yuanfeng eating in the dining room with hisptop next to him. She immediately concluded that he was waiting for her, he must be nning to apany her to the office.

    "How was the news article?" She asked as she sat opposite to him.

    "Deleted." He chuckled. "And someone is fuming." He pointed at hisptop and showed Lily that he was actually watching Mr. Li throwing all his things on the floor, in rage.

    "Is this live?" It was a silly question to ask. She knew it was a live video. He must have hacked into their CCTV, she thought before she started eating her breakfast.

    "Unfortunately, the CCTV did not have any voice ess. We can¡¯t hear what they were saying."

    Lily only chuckled in response. Who would want to listen to an old man trash talk?

    Meanwhile, Mr.Li is not so happy to learn that the news was immediately taken down before it caught the eyes of the masses. Was Lily always watching the web?

    "B*tch!" he threw another ss towards the floor. Its loud crashing sound echoed inside his office. "AHHHH! How could this happened?" He yelled when he saw Stephen Li walking inside his office. "What are you doing here? I thought I told you not to see me again!"

    "Someone sent me the photo that you have. Did someone hack yourputer?" he eyed the mess in front of him before he sat calmly on his father¡¯s leather chair. He immediately opened hisputer, only to realize that it was empty.

    "What are you doing?" Mr. Li asked. "Don¡¯t touch myputer!"

    "Someone hacked yourputer. Is that why you are throwing a tantrum?"

    "What?"

    "You heard me." Stephen rose from his seat and walked towards the couch, avoiding all the sharp sses that littered the floor. "Is that why are you so angry?"

    "Who would ¡ª how dare they do this? Call the IT department! Now!"

    Stephen shrugged before he called his father¡¯s secretary and told her to call the IT for him. It did not take too long for the in-charge in the IT department to arrive in Mr. Li¡¯s office. He immediately checked theputer and just like Stephen Li he told him that someone hacked hisputer. Moreover, the files were permanently deleted and there is no way to recover it. Unless they know the person who hacked theputer.

    "You mean.. You didn¡¯t see it? You did not detect that someone was inside ourwork?"

    The man from the IT department shook his head and informed him that it is not a part of his job.

    "That is crazy! Are you sure you are doing your job right!?" You ¡ª You are useless! Get out! Leave!" The man did not hesitate. He immediately left. After all, it was pretty well known that Mr. Li is really this frightening when he is angry.

    "What did you do father?" Stephen asked the moment he was already alone with his father. "Did you offend someone powerful?"

    "What? No!" he hissed.

    Stephen lifted an eyebrow in response. "You sure about that? Hacking apany and just deleting the files on yourputer? Only someone who hates you would do that."

    3/5

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 746 Miss Universe

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 746 Miss Universe</h4>

    Unedited

    ...

    He frowned in response. Lily retaliating by deleting his files is unlikely. After all, a woman on the pinnacle of business is not that petty. "No." He answered.

    "Then... I don¡¯t know. Maybe someone just thought it would be fun to delete your files and your images of me and my boyfriend." Stephen chuckled. "Without those... "

    "I still have the original photos! Don¡¯t you dare do something that I won¡¯t like! Or else..." he narrowed his eyes at his son. "I will ruin you!"

    "Got it." Stephenughed. "If you ruin me... you will also lose multiple business opportunities. It would have been fine if my brother is still there supporting you. But he is not. So¡ª "

    "Do you really want to kill me from too much anger? Huh?"

    His son gave another low chuckle in response. "What a splendid idea! I should probably make you more angry every day!"

    "You ¡ª " He let out a sharp sigh. "Lily is pregnant."

    "And?" Stephen furrowed his brows. "What does it have to do with me?"

    "I am telling you she is pregnant! Do something about it?"

    "Huh? Are you ¡ª are you on something? Are you still drunk?"

    "You are an ungrateful son! I am telling you to do something about it! I don¡¯t know... create something! Make some noise about it!"

    "Ha?" Stephenughed. "I think you have gone senile."

    Mr. Li red at his son as he balled his hands into fists. "Tell the media it¡¯s yours. I don¡¯t know... just create some news that will distract her."

    Stephen let out anotherughter before he rose from his seat, intending to leave his father¡¯s office. His father needed saving, ah. He had actually be insane. "Father... let the Fi Group go." He uttered as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "They are out of our league."

    "Why don¡¯t you just listen to me? I made you this way! You are supposed to listen to everything that I say."

    "I don¡¯t know what happened to you. All I know is that this madness ¡ª this obsession that you have with Lily Zhou and the Fi Group, has nothing to do with me." He said in a serious tone. After his researchst night, he is already determined to stay away from his father if he insists on his crazy ns.

    "Where are you going?"

    "Out."

    "I am not done talking! Stephen! Get back here! STEPHEN!"

    .....

    When Lily arrived in the office, Yang Mi immediately gave her the things that she needed to sign before telling her that she had dinner with The Corneels tonight before their meeting tomorrow.

    "Did you already book everything?"

    "Yes, President. I also asked Chef Yang to take care of the food."

    "Alright. How about Zhou Jingren?"

    "He will have a meeting at six with his clients from the US so he won¡¯t be able to attend the dinner."

    "Oh!" Lily nodded. "Then... alright. You and Yuanfeng will apany meter."

    Yang Mi nodded in response. After a few meetings and signing a lot of papers, Lily immediately went to meet with the Corneels in one of the prestigious restaurants just in the same hotel where the group is staying. The group consists of Mr. Leon Corneel, his eldest son, Hector Corneel, and his second son Rein Corneel with his fiance, Miss Universe 2013 Athalia Montez.

    Of course, the fact that she was a previous Miss Universe was highlighted by her fiance when they introduced her.

    "I was not expecting to meet a previous Miss Universe," Lily said out of courtesy. She eyed the five foot eight women who sat next to her fiance as she wondered why she was here when Leon mentioned nothing about her.

    "Actually, I was the one who insisted that Ie with them so I could meet you." Athalia beamed, her smile so brilliant Lily was sure the room just got brighter just because of her white, shiny teeth alone.

    Lily chuckled inwardly at her crazy thoughts. This should be because of her hormones. With this in mind, Lily responded with a smile. After this, the group started making their orders as Lily quickly sent a text to Zhou Jingren, informing him that she is already in the hotel.

    "She actually wanted to meet you because her previous advocacy involves orphans as well as women¡¯s rights." Rein smiled at Lily. As it was not appropriate to talk about business over dinner, he thought he could use this opportunity to help his fiance get close to Lily.

    "So you are working with various organizations?"

    "Yes. UN, I was in South East Asiast week for a feeding program and I will probably go to Africa next month with some organizations that I was working with." Athalia answered.

    "Sounds exciting," Lily answered.

    "It is..." Athalia then started talking about the countries that she visited because of her organizations. Then, slowly, the topic turned towards her and Rein¡¯s wedding ns. Unfortunately for her, Lily¡¯s attention was on the frown on Leon¡¯s face. She immediately wondered if the man had any problems with his second son and his fiance.

    "Mr. Corneel," Lily called out his attention. "What can you say about the current situation in the oil industrytely?" Lily asked. "The pirates are causing a lot of problems that it is actually affecting the price of oil. I heard they are even expanding in Western Africa? I believe the Corneel Oil and Co have a few offshore oil storage in that area?"

    The table turned silent after Lily asked the question. Leon on the other hand remained calm. He dabbed a napkin on his lips before meeting Lily¡¯s curious eyes. "Hmmm... You are well informed." He smiled. "Piracy is really posting a threat in the supply chain of oil and it is indeed causing a lot of problems in the industry. Sadly, we are still unable to find ways to at least limit the attacks. The best thing that we can do is just avoiding the coast near the hotspot area. " He let out a sigh.

    Lily lifted an eyebrow. ??What about kidnapped crews? Let¡¯s not talk about yourpany but about the whole Oil industry. Surely, the cost of saving these crews is also affecting the price of oils?"

    ...

    4/5 Don¡¯t forget to vote.

 Chapter 747 Pirates

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 747 Pirates</h4>

    unedited

    .....

    "It is affecting the world market." Herman, the eldest, answered. "The prices all over the world are affected by the current situation. Of course, we are doing our best to cope, just like every other oilpany."

    "That is right," Leon said. "We are doing our best, along with everyone else."

    "Do you think... is there a way to stop this?"

    "No," Leon answered. "At least not now. Maybe soon."

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. "To be honest, I agree with you. It will be difficult to focus on stopping them. I truly hope that someday, this will change." However, an idea seemed to sprout in Lily¡¯s mind. Surely, these pirates are selling the oil in the ck market, right? She immediately wondered if Zhou Jingren knew something about this matter.

    Now that Lily thought about it, Lilian always said that she does not like involving herself in shady deals and the ck market. However... that is almost impossible considering the sess of her business. At one point, Lilian must have known people in the ck market too. However, if she was involved in the ck market, George would surely mention this to Lily.

    After a few minutes with the group, Lily was able to see two things. First, Leon and his eldest son are very knowledgeable in their business and two the second son is not here for the business but to open more opportunities for his fiance. Of course, Lily could understand why he wanted his fiance to get close to Lily.

    "What is this?" Lily smiled at the box that Miss Montez gave her.

    "A bangle from Bvlgari¡¯stest collection. It is a small token for weing us in this country."

    "Oh! Thank you." She opened it and smiled at the rose gold bracelet with a couple of diamonds and pearls. She then gave it to Yang Mi so she could keep it. "That is so sweet of you."

    "You may not know this, but she is extremely close to the CEO of Bvlgari and even modeled for their campaignst year." Her fiance said as pride swirled over him.

    "Impressive," Lily said, a little irritated at how the two would always interrupt her conversation with Leon and Herman. Are they really this oblivious that Lily is not that interested in talking about jewelry, bags, and this woman¡¯s advocacy? Still, Lily smiled, her face not showing an iota of the irritation bubbling inside her.

    Again, the conversation focused on Rein Corneel and his fiance. This continued until everyone finished their dinner. As Lily was not nning to antagonize everyone, she kept her mouth shut. Instead, she kept observing Leon and Herman¡¯s reactions, scrutinizing their facial expressions as they listened to Athalia and Rein praise each other¡¯s achievements. This continued until Lily decided to end the night and leave with Yang Mi and Qin Yuanfeng.

    "That woman ¡ª They actually dared to bring someone like her in front of me." She gritted her teeth as she sat inside the car. "They wanted to divert my attention so I would not ask some questions about the oil industry while we are dining."

    "Maybe they are just ufortable talking about their industry while eating?" Qin Yuanfeng said.

    "Ufortable?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. "They must have forgotten that they wanted me to buy theirpany. They are here to convince me, not the other way around." She uttered. These people have underestimated her and it is irritating every bone in her body. The ride towards the peak was full of silence as Lily thought of ways to stop this deal.

    At this point, she already knew that Leon does not want this deal to happen. From bringing that woman, to theck of interest in his eyes and hisck of enthusiasm. Everything about him was just so rude.

    "The man is known as a misogynist." Qin Yuanfeng said after a few minutes of silence. "Talking to a woman whose aplishment and status is clearly above his... must have upset him. Your presence must have made him feel horrible. Maybe it has nothing to do with his business decisions."

    "Why are you defending him?"

    "I am not." Qin Yuanfeng shrugged. "This is based on research."

    "Screw research," Lily said. They just arrived outside of the mansion. Without having second thoughts, she walked out of the car and went to her room to talk to her husband. Seeing this, Qin Yuanfeng just shook his head and followed Lily out of the car to go to his own room.

    "Hey," she kissed him before sitting on hisp. Her hands immediately tangled on his neck. "What are you doing?" she smiled. The irritation that she showed earlier vanished.

    "I just arrived. I am reviewing some stuff from the presentation earlier. How was your dinner?" he asked.

    "Boring." She shrugged and kissed his temple. "Are you busy?"

    He stared at her face for a few seconds before shaking his head helplessly. "What do you need me to do?"

    "Hey! You are making it sound as if I am only doing this because I need something."

    "You only do this if you need something." He chuckled. "That is a fact." He wrapped his arms on her waist.

    "I am not."

    "Then tell me... when was thest time that you sat on myp? Hmm?" he lifted an eyebrow.

    "That is only because... I am getting heavier." She reasoned.

    "And when was thest time that you held me like this?"

    "That is only because my tummy is getting bigger... If I do this ¡ª " She pressed her body against his. "You see? My tummy is not veryfortable."

    "Mrs. Zhou is really getting smarter and smarter every day." Beaming, he pressed his lips against hers as his gaze turned gentle. "Do you want to ask something?"

    "Heh... just a little information for research."

    "Research, eh?" he chuckled as he remembered how she always insisted that everything that she does is just a part of so-called research. For some reason, he found these actions adorable.

    "Hmmm." She nodded as if her life depended on it.

    "Alright... let¡¯s hear it."

    "I am curious... is there a way to hijack an oil tanker?" An evil gleam glinted in her eyes as she smiled. "You know... like what pirates do."

    ....

    Too sleepy. Will try to write another 5 chapters tomorrow.

    Thank you for your support!

 Chapter 748 Bears

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 748 Bears</h4>

    Unedited

    ....

    The Peak

    "Wait... so you are nning to hijack their tanker?" Zhou Jingren asked. "Why?"

    "No reason." She smiled. "That Leon... cannot be trusted. Everyone is expecting me not to y dirty. This is probably because they knew my grandmother is known for her clean reputation." She sneered. "They are wrong."

    "You mean the Corneel?"

    "Everyone." She narrowed her eyes. "Leon ¡ª alright, not just him. His son and even that fiance are acting suspicious. They are acting warm, as if... you know I can always spot fake people. No matter how big their smile is, or how warm they sound, I can smell them from a mile away."

    Her words immediately made her husband chuckle. "What are you a bear?" He froze. He widened his eyes when he realized how silly he is to insinuate that she is a bear.

    As expected, Lily¡¯s face already darkened. "Are you calling me fat, Mr. Zhou?"

    "Eh? No ¡ª No¡ª" he held his hands in front of him. "Bears have the best¡ª "

    "You just called me a bear!"

    "If you just let me¡ª "

    "Bears are fat!"

    "No, they¡¯re not. Hey ¡ª before you say anything, just let me¡ª "

    "You dare call me fat?" Lily narrowed her eyes at him. She stood and walked opposite him. "You really called me fat?"

    "No. I didn¡¯t call you fat. Bears have the best..."

    "I am not listening!" she covered her ears. "Don¡¯t you use whatever knowledge that you have to try to convince me that you didn¡¯t call me fat."

    "I didn¡¯t!"

    "I can¡¯t hear you!" Lily yelled. "You called me fat! Your child will hear about this bullying when he or she grows up! I will make sure to add and twist this story and make my child hate their father for calling their mother fat."

    "Hey! Hey! You are going overboard. Bears are¡ª "

    "I won¡¯t listen to you! These reasons ¡ª " Lily¡¯s words were interrupted by a knock on Zhou Jingren¡¯s door.

    "Hey!" Qin Yuanfeng walked inside smiling at the two before he froze on his feet. Did hee at the wrong time?

    "Yuanfeng! Good thing you are here!" Zhou Jingren instantly gestured for his brother-inw to sit down. "Come... I need your help with something."

    "Oh. What is it?"

    "Why are you here?" Lily chimed in.

    "I was going to show you the¡ª "

    "Before anything else," Zhou Jingren interrupted him. "Why don¡¯t you tell Lily what terrestrial mammal has the best sense of smell in the world?"

    "Bears." Qin Yuanfeng answered before Lily could rebut. As expected, Lily¡¯s ear turned scarlet. She pursed her lips, unamused by the fact that she could not act so childish in front of her brother and risk showing her true self in front of Yuanfeng. Lily cleared her throat, a smile bloomed on her face.

    "I know that." She said with a straight face. "I also happen to know that sharks have a good sense of smell.???

    "Actually¡ª "

    "Yuanfeng... there is no, actually." Lily interrupted him before he could correct her. These two... these two seem to think that they are so smart, ah. "Why don¡¯t you tell us why you are here? You know... you are interrupting our forey, ah."

    "Huh?"

    "She is joking." Zhou Jingren chuckled as he shook his head inwardly.

    "Oh! Then... please check your email. I sent you an encrypted one."

    "What did you send him?"

    "It was a video of some pirates hijacking an oil tanker two months ago. I got it from the satellite. I figured Zhou Jingren could analyze it before I showed it to you. I am not sure if I got something so..."

    "Really?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. "Isn¡¯t that illegal?"

    "Only if you get caught." Qin Yuanfeng shrugged. "Anyway... this one..." he pointed at Zhou Jingren¡¯sptop screen. "I think... I think these people are experts. Look at how organized they are. As if... as if they are very familiar with the interior of the ship. Is that even possible?"

    "Like expert pirates?" Lily asked, her eyes glued at the screen.

    "These are not pirates." Zhou Jingren said. "Are these the people that had been hijacking oil tankers?"

    "Yes. I had three videos. All from the different timeline and this man... right here? The one wearing shades? He is in the video, so they must be in the same group. Here... let me show you the other videos." Qin Yuanfeng used his phone to ess hisptop and showed them the other two videos. "Here look, it¡¯s the same man. Same built, the same tattoo on his right arm. Just a different hairstyle. Now... watch thest video."

    After confirming that it is indeed the same man, the trio watched all the videos again.

    "I was wondering... if they are trained or something. I mean... There are three umon types of ships and yet, they are so organized. From the time of the attack to the camera¡¯s blind spot. It is so organized and clean. Do you think I¡¯m wrong?"

    "I actually think you are right." Lily nodded.

    "Again, these are not pirates." Zhou Jingren uttered, his face dark. "Is there a way to get a closeup on that tattoo?"

    "Oh, right... let me grab myptop real quick." Qin Yuanfeng uttered before he ran out of the room.

    "Is there something wrong?" Lily asked her husband. "If those are not pirates, then... who are they?"

    "I know that tattoo... if I am wrong, they are an organization in South East Asia, terrorists." Zhou Jingren uttered. "Let me see the close-up photo so I can confirm."

    "But terrorists hijacking oil tankers? I haven¡¯t heard of that." Lily tried to recall the news about these events. "Wait... pirates are also called maritime terrorists, no?"

    "These are different." Zhou Jingren said. "These terrorists are involved in bombing and a lot of killings in South East Asia." His jaws thinned as he continued ying the video. "This could mean that there is a possibility these people are not Somali Pirates and are only using their name tomit atrocious crimes."

    "But... isn¡¯t that too... organized? First, terrorists wouldn¡¯t have the means to do arge scale assault like this. They would need resources and money, expertise, and a lot of practice to be able to pull this off." She stared at him. "Unless... someone is supporting them behind the scenes."

    ...

    Previous chapters are already edited.

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 749 Morale and Confidence

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 749 Morale and Confidence</h4>

    Unedited: Previous chapter already edited.

    .....

    "Alright, here." Qin Yuanfeng gave hisptop to Zhou Jingren. "It¡¯s too pixted, but if you give me some time, I can fix it."

    "Alright, send me the better one once you are done." Zhou Jingren said, face grim. He then turned towards Lily. "This has nothing to do with us. We should not dabble into things like this."

    "Oh! No... no... of course not. I am not going to do something about this matter. I am not about to involve myself in something that involves terrorists and national security." She assured him. "However... I have something to ask you. A favor... of course, I am willing to shoulder the expenses and consequences."

    "You sound serious?" Zhou Jingren lifted an eyebrow.

    "I am serious. Yuanfeng... why don¡¯t you give Jingren the current location of the Corneel Oils and Co. Oil Tankers all around Africa." She uttered. In response, Qin Yuanfeng immediately typed something on hisptop. After a few seconds, the interface changed, showing all the routes and locations of the Corneel¡¯s tankers.

    "You wanted to hijack them?" Zhou Jingren said, surprised shed in his eyes.

    "People in pressure.... Show their real colors," Lily said as she sat opposite him, the same smile on her face. "Leon thinks too highly of himself and hispany, thinking that anyone would invest their money just because of their potential. Well... I am taking it away ¡ª their pride."

    "You ¡ª " Qin Yuanfeng gulped. "Isn¡¯t that too cruel? Considering... they did nothing to you and thepany?"

    "Yet." Lily¡¯s stern gaze met her brother¡¯s confused one. "They have done nothing against me yet. And I would not wait for that to happen."

    "How certain are you that they will do something against you? Perhaps he is only another prideful businessman who took pride in his aplishments. We all know someone like that. People who worked hard for theirpany and are proud of their achievements."

    "And... you think that is normal for a businessman?" Lily scoffed.

    "Isn¡¯t it?"

    "No." Lily shook her head. "It is normal for us to be prideful, but this will depend on the entire situation in front of us. Pride is not a businessman¡¯s greatest trait, its adaptability. A wise businessman knows how to adapt to any environment. Sun Tzu¡¯s Art of war, chapter 1 stated If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are unexpected." Lily quoted before smiling at her brother. "All these.... Shows only one trait and that is... being adaptable to any situation."

    Qin Yuanfeng turned silent as he looked at Zhou Jingren¡¯s reaction or hisck of reaction. The man did not even show any surprise or disappointments in his wife¡¯s words.

    "How many?" Zhou Jingren asked, without asking any more questions about the reasoning behind Lily¡¯s words.

    "Four," Lily uttered. "I want one tomorrow and three in the next following days. Is that doable?"

    He stared at the screen for a few seconds before he nodded. "Doable. What are you nning to do with the oil?"

    "Sell it use the money for supplies and do it all over again," Lily said. "I want to see his reaction tomorrow. I want to know how he faces something like this when I am in front of him." She uttered as she turned towards her brother¡¯s eyes. "This is called, using the conquered foe to augment one¡¯s own strength."

    Qin Yuanfeng nodded, "Art of war, chapter two."

    "Good job." She smiled, impressed at her own brother¡¯s quick thinking.

    "So your goal is just to see how they handle it? Their reaction?" Qin Yuanfeng asked. This time it was Zhou Jingren who answered.

    "Her goal is victory."

    "How so? This action will only create a domino effect on the world market. An attack like that¡ª could affect the world market."

    "It will affect the worth of theirpany." Lily answered. "It will dampen their morale and confidence. And... people with low morale... are the easiest to manipte."

    For the umpteenth time, Qin Yuanfeng nodded. The lesson is always not to underestimate a pregnant woman, who is sitting at the pinnacle of the business industry for years. Pursing his lips, he nodded again. The lesson is not to underestimate his sister.

    "I can assemble the men tonight, attack at dawn or early in the morning." Zhou Jingren continued. "Africa... it will take a few hours for Bei Tian to arrive there. But our people are always ready."

    "Good." Lily beamed as she stood from her seat. "There are only 4 people including Bei Tian who will know of this n," Lily said. "No one else ¡ª Aside from the four of us, no one else should know this." The other two men nodded, their expression serious. Seeing this, Lily beamed at the two. "Good. I will leave. I needed a bath." She walked out of the office after giving her husband a kiss.

    Lilian is an upright woman who never involves herself in the ck market and everyone in the industry that Lily is willing to uphold this trait. They were wrong.

    With her enemies looming around, waiting for her to make a small mistake so they could strike her down, Lily is willing to do everything to keep her empire safe, to keep her family safe. When Lily arrived in the master¡¯s bedroom, she immediately took her clothes off and went to have a hot bath, enjoying the state of silence inside the bathroom.

    She then started humming a tune as she closed her eyes. Lilian¡¯s words then rang inside her head.

    ¡¯The business world is a huge war zone. Be ready to defend yourself, or you will lose. And yes... you should defend yourself before they even made their move. In that way, you are prepared and ready for the consequences of the war.¡¯

    ...

    Thank you so much for the support. Please be patient with me. My sons bday ising and yes.... they are both in August. u003e.u003c 1 week apart.

 Chapter 750 Stories

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 750 Stories</h4>

    Fi Group

    Just as expected, Athalia Montez was with the Corneels during the meeting. When Lily saw this, she immediately stered a huge smile on her face before greeting them. Today, she decided to have Mr. Rossi handle the meeting proceedings while she sat there as an observer, listening to the words that she had already heard before.

    Of course, her real intention was to observe their reaction when they receive the call about the hijacking. The smell of coffee lingered inside the room as everyone started discussing the business ventures. Surprisingly, unlike the previous night Miss Montez did not make any sound to distract the meeting.

    After a lengthy discussion, everyone decided to take a break. Lily then excused herself and decided to leave with Yang Mi so she could have her own snack back in her office. To be honest, she did not want to spend any of her time with Miss Montez and her obvious attempts to get close to Lily.

    "President, Mr. Leon Corneel is following us. Should I¡ª "

    "Let him in." Lily said as she walked inside her office. She had been anticipating a confrontation from this man since he sent his twin children to give that silly presentation. She sat on her leather chair and started ying on her phone. "Is there something that you need?" she asked when she felt his presence near her. "You should take a seat."

    "A few hours ago, one of our tankers was attacked near Africa."

    "Is that so?" she met his aged eyes. "Is there something I can do about it?"

    He pursed his lips in response. "We came here to negotiate about thepany. Not create chaos."

    "What does it have to do with the incident?" she feigned ignorance.

    "We know the value of ourpany. Other multi million dorpanies are trying to negotiate with us. However... we chose to strike a deal with Fi Group."

    "I know... that is something very surprising." And suspicious at the same time. Lily and herpany were not from the same industry as the Corneels. Why would they consider having a deal with Lily?

    "And yet... you did not appreciate it. Instead... you attacked mypany and my ship."

    "Excuse me?"

    "You heard me. I know it was you and your subordinates. The timing is just... too perfect, even a toddler would be able to tell it was you."

    "You¡ª" An unfathomable expression shed through Lily¡¯s eyes. "Are you saying that I attacked your tanker? How dare you!?"

    "Please... President Zhou, let¡¯s stop fooling each other. Just yesterday, we talked about piracy and now... my tanker just magically became a target to these pirates. Mypany is unlike otherpanies. We invest in security for our tankers. There is no way that a small pirate group would seed in attacking us without someone¡¯s assistance¡ª someone of influence."

    A snort instantly escaped Lily¡¯s lips. She stared at the old man. Frankly, she did not expect him to figure it out that easily. However, Lily already decided not to tell anyone about what she did. Unless these people could provide proof that it was her then these people¡¯s usations would just remain as such¡ª a baseless usation. "So... let me get this straight." She leaned against her chair, her fingers started drumming on her table. "You are saying that I caused an incident on your end to make you lose millions before buying out yourpany. Does... Does that really make any sense to you?"

    As expected the older man frowned. Why would Lily try to destroy apany that she was about to invest into? That¡ª That logic really did not make any sense if he thought about it. A business woman like Lily would never do that. First, fixing a ruinedpany would only cost her more. Second, an incident like this would mean that Lily¡¯s investments would also suffer. Not even the craziest businessmen would do something like that to their millions worth of investments.

    "But¡ª"

    "To be honest," Lily interrupted him. "I feel somewhat insulted that you think that lowly of me." The corner of her lips turned downward. "I always thought that you wanted me to invest in yourpany, basically making yourpany one of my subsidiaries because you knew how myte grandmother did not involve herself in underhanded schemes like that. This¡ª This just hurts me."

    "Your statement makes sense." Leon Corneel said with a straight face. "However, that only applies if you already bought thepany. We all know that is not what happened here, right? You have yet to sign the agreement. I wonder why that is. Everyone in yourpany seemed to love having mypany under Fi Group. However... until now... you haven¡¯t signed the agreement." He continued. "This¡ª This just makes me wonder if you really want to have us under you. So I told myself, there was no way you won¡¯t want us in yourpany. You have seen our awards and aplishments, only a crazy business person would decline such an offer."

    Lily only lifted an eyebrow at him. She pursed her lips into a thin line before she smiled at him. Seeing this, Mr. Corneel continued.

    "So... I thought you were only observing us. There is no way that you won¡¯t sign the contract. Then this happened..." he made a deliberate pause. "You purposely dyed the signing then attacked us while we were here with you. Then vo! You now have a reason to not sign with us."

    Impressed, a small snicker escaped her lips. The man before her was truly smart. So far, he had guessed all of her previous moves, including the fact that she nned to attack while they were here to lessen the possibility of suspicion. "I must say... this story of yours is believable. If I was a bystander, I would easily buy this story and condone Lily Zhou for what she did. Unfortunately... I happen to know that you don¡¯t want me to invest in yourpany. You can tell people this story... but it won¡¯t stop me from telling them that it was you who attacked your ownpany to prevent me from signing the agreement." She smirked at his dark face.

    "Mr. Corneel... between a tycoon like me and apany like yours... who do you think will win if we tell our own stories to the media?"

    ....

    Proofread by Dragon777

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 751 A Tes

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 751 A Tes</h4>

    "You¡ª "

    "I know... I know... I sound like an absolute piece of crap right now." She chuckled. "Totally unexpected from someone like me. But really... let¡¯s be honest here... did you expect me to not y dirty?"

    Mr. Corneel sat there, eyes wide, totally speechless at Lily¡¯s statement. In between the two of them, the media would surely believe Lily. This was because her story was way easier to believepared to his. This woman¡ª this woman is just like them! He thought inwardly.

    "So... are you going to tell me why you chose to y around with mypany?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "Or... are we going to keep ying this game?

    "I¡ª I don¡¯t know what you are talking about."

    "Really?" She did not believe him. In fact, she would not believe anything that came out of this man¡¯s mouth. Not when he could easily read her as much as she could read him. "Mr. Corneel... you already know what kind of person I am, right? You know... I am just making sure that you know what kind of person you are talking to."

    "You are threatening me."

    "Oh... no... no... Why would I threaten an upright man like you?" she grinned at him. "That... would be just cruel of me."

    "President Zhou¡ª I don¡¯t think you understand what you are getting into." Mr. Corneel uttered in a low voice enough for Lily to hear him. "This is beyond you¡ª In fact... this is beyond us all." His jaws thinned as he stared at Lily¡¯s face, scrutinizing. "I already told you, we are prepared for piracy like this. In less than forty eight hours, we will retrieve our people and will try to retrieve our oil." He said.

    "You know... Mr. Corneel, did it ever ur to you that someone else wants to stop this deal from happening?" she asked. "I mean... isn¡¯t it convenient that the attack happened while you were here? Isn¡¯t it convenient that I was your initial suspect the moment you heard the news? Isn¡¯t it convenient that... I now dislike you and yourpany because of your baseless usation?"

    He gulped. Now that Lily said this...

    "You see? What if someone wanted us to fight?" Lily shook her head. "Sadly... they have already seeded. We already lost each other¡¯s trust, causing a huge rift between us that will affect our business transactions moving forward." She rose from her seat. "I will give you my decision tomorrow. Let¡¯s stop wasting each other¡¯s time anymore." Lily turned towards the wall to ceiling window made of ss as she let out a sigh. "What a waste... Mr. Corneel... what a waste."

    Hearing her words, Leon Corneel could only grit his teeth in silence. That damn Mr. Yi told him that Lily would easily agree to this deal because of her greed. There is no way that she would let this opportunity pass. Because he wanted to get into this organization, he agreed. He agreed to everything that Mr. Yi told him to do.

    Seeing Lily¡¯s reaction, a thought instantly came to Mr. Corneel¡¯s mind. Lily might not be the one trying to sabotage this deal. It was his sons.

    When Mr. Yi approached him a couple of years back, hispany was not as stable or sessful as it was now. Because of the promises that the man gave him, he easily agreed and just like magic, hispany¡¯s worth soared. However, seeing hispany gather the attention of everyone, winning awards after awards and hearing people recognize his name was somehow addicting. He wanted the attention, he wanted the unending praises, the influence and the money that came along with it.

    So when Mr. Yi approached him a few months back, he was hesitant. How could he even give hispany to a woman who was not even in the same industry? However, before he could even voice out his concerns, Mr. Yi quickly reminded him how he was the one who put thepany on the pedestal and not Mr. Corneel. He even went as far as to threaten him. If Mr. Yi could put him to where he is now, he could easily take it all away. The money, the fame, the influence.

    Mr. Yi said he would not even blink an eye in taking away everything that Mr. Corneel loved so much.

    Mr. Corneel shivered inwardly. Just the thought of that man¡¯s eyes was enough to frighten him. How could he say no to a man like that? Seeing the fear in his eyes, Mr. Yi started telling him about an organization¡ª a group of people that work behind the scenes... controlling the ck market and the world¡¯s economy to maintain the status quo. He then started telling him how getting this acquisition could get him a seat in this organization.

    He promised, richness, more influence, more money, more fame¡ª more of everything that he had right now. Of course, the greedy Mr. Corneel easily agreed. Did he even have a choice?

    So... they made a n¡ª a simple one. Let Lily sign the contract and Mr. Yi would take care of everything moving forward. He even remembered Mr. Yi say that this was nothing but a simple... and small task. A test from the organization!

    Apparently, convincing Lily was like a test that he needed to pass, it was like a rite of passage. While he was still a little hesitant, he decided to trust Mr. Yi this time. After all, he was also holding his side of the arrangement that he and Mr Yi had made years ago.

    But his sons were different. Herman and Rein were both mad at him for deciding to let Fi Group acquire theirpany. In front of his angry son, he was forced to exin how this was all because he owed a friend everything that they had now; it was a grave mistake. His sons schemed to make Lily dy the signing. From sending the twins to bringing Athalia with them. The two were doing their best to create a bad impression in front of her.

    When he tried to stop them, the two threatened to reveal all his secrets to Lily. Now, this immediately shut him up. After all, Mr. Yi told him not to tell anyone about the deal. And due to this, Mr. Corneel was facing the greatest dilemma of his life. Was he really going to allow his sons to ruin this deal? Or inform Lily of the possibility that one of his sons was trying to sabotage this deal?

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 752 A Funny Woman

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 752 A Funny Woman</h4>

    He pursed his lips, unamused by the current situation that was thrust to him. Betraying his sons ¨C That was something that he could never do. He watched as Lily stared at the view from the window before he stood, his face grim. "If it is not you then... I will make sure to find who did it. Solve this before tomorrow. Then... we can talk." He left the room without any hesitation.

    He needed to think about his decision carefully. Choosing between his sons and what was promised to him by Mr. Yi... was by far, the biggest decision that he ever needed to make in twenty fours hours or less.

    When Lily came back to the conference room, she already expected the absence of the Corneel Patriarch. What she did not expect is still to see both of his sons in the room interacting with Mr. Rossi and the other executives

    "President Zhou," Athalia Montez was the first one to notice Lily¡¯s presence.

    "Miss Montez," Lily nodded.

    "You know... this is not my first time in Hong Kong, but every time I came here, I just¡ªI can¡¯t help but fall in love again and again." Athalia sat beside her, beaming. "Now that I think about it, having a wedding in this ce must be nice." Lily nodded in response. Wedding this¡ªwedding that, this woman was quite tactless. Lily didn¡¯t know if this is on purpose but it was quite obvious that not many people in this room liked this Athalia.

    While she was nice, her tendency to be over friendly was not very attractive. After all, everyone in this room was here for business and not to talk about flower arrangements and make ups.

    Lily eyed the other people in the room as Athalia started talking about her wedding again. Both Herman and Rein were in a serious conversation with Mr. Rossi while their secretaries were standing a few feet away from them. Both men seemed to be in deep thought, their attention was focused on the older man in front of them.

    Judging from the meeting earlier, Lily could see that the two were truly passionate about business. That¡ªor they were really good at pretending. Still, Lily could see that the two were even more passionate than their father, who was obviously faking his interest.

    This made Lily think of a plethora of possibilities¡ªendless number of possibilities. First, Leon¡¯s facial reaction did not make any sense to her. The man seemed to know a lot about their business. He was also showing some signs of having very high analytic skills. The man was both experienced and smart. So... why would he want Lily to sign the acquisition?

    Lily was sure that Leon¡¯s decision to sell the business must have met with a lot of dispute. His two sons alone must have said something about the matter. This could easily cause a big argument between the three, perhaps even a rift in their familial rtionship.

    So why would theye in here and pretend that they were happy about it? Lily had been around the three Corneels enough to know that they were not exactly on good terms with each other right now. Herman and Rein were obviously teaming up against their father. While Leon was standing firm on his decision, pretending that this did not affect him in the least.

    Was Lily right after all? Someone was forcing the Corneel Patriarch to do this?

    "So, I was thinking, a wedding in Italy would be really nice. " The woman interrupted her thoughts, like a flea buzzing near her ears, "I heard that you and your grandmother hail from Italy? Can you perhaps tell me some of your thoughts?" Lily turned towards the woman, the same smile was on her face.

    "No," she answered.

    "Eh?"

    "I didn¡¯t grow up in Italy. So... I can¡¯t tell you anything."

    "Really? I thought¡ªSorry, my bad. I always thought that you grew up in Italy." Still beaming, Athalia continued to talk about things that did not have anything to do with business. "I was just really excited about everything... I could not stop myself."

    "That is pretty understandable. Once upon a time, I was excited to marry my husband too."

    "Really? That sounds interesting, did the excitement wear off after the wedding?"

    "No... the excitement wore off... when I killed someone." Lily uttered. "It made me realize how life is so short... so why waste a lot of time on something as meaningless as a wedding? If you love each other... no amount of wedding will be enough to justify each other¡¯s emotions."

    "Eh?" Athalia immediately paled at her words. "Killed someone?" She gave an awkwardugh. "President Zhou¡ªPresident Zhou is really a funny woman."

    Lily only responded with a low chuckle before she turned her attention back to the brothers. As expected, her words were enough to silence the woman beside her. Of course, to Lily this was a good thing.

    Not long after, the meeting continued without Leon Corneel. This time, Lily was able to see how the two son¡¯s actually cooperated in answering questions from the executives. However, Lily was not done. After a few minutes, the two received a text that immediately changed their expression.

    It should be the second ship, Lily thought as she furrowed her brows. "Did something happen?" she asked, her voiceced with concern.

    "Nothing, please continue." Herman gave a fake smile.

    "Are you sure?" an executive asked.

    "Yes." He nodded in response. For a few seconds, his gaze darted towards Lily¡¯s direction as he met his younger brother¡¯s eyes. Two attacks in one day? Was this Lily¡¯s work? Impossible.

    Lily was not someone known for doing something like this behind her enemies back. Moreover, she was not the type that would mess with the business itself and affect the possible profit that she would receive in the future. Lily was only known to mess with the stocks, cause scandals and some other surprise attacks that will catch her enemies off guard.

    Plus, if Lily does not want to sign the acquisition it was very easy for her to do that without any exnations. The brothers¡¯ faces instantly turned grim, their jaws thinned. Was it possible that this was the work of their father¡¯s friend?

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 753 A Male

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 753 A Male</h4>

    Unedited

    .....

    After the meeting, the brothers immediately left with Athalia. With the second attack, this is already something that Lily expected. With a huge smile on her face, Lily continued with her day as if nothing happened. Of course, she also did not fail to inform the board about the current situation with the Corneel¡¯spany.

    The attack was something that even Mr. Rossi did not expect. However, not one of her executives doubted Lily or thought that she was involved in this incident. These executives had been with Lily since she started working for her grandmother. Everyone already knew how, just like her grandmother, Lily would never do an underhanded scheme like harming someone else¡¯s business.

    However, all this does not matter to Lily. First and foremost, the only reason why she was considering the deal is that she owed it to her subordinates. The money that thepany will give them is something that she cannot refuse. Attacking thepany behind everyone¡¯s back may be underhanded, but if one would think about it, Lily is doing this for her own peace. She already felt that someone was wrong with thispany, however, she could not prove it. So, she dealt with it using a way that would not make her look suspicious.

    Unpredictability.

    That is something that she wanted to uphold above everything else.

    At exactly five in the afternoon, Lily left the office to grab some of her favorite golden leaf donuts before she went to see Zhou Jingren. "Mother!" Lily eximed when she saw Zhou Dae Un sitting opposite to Jingren. She beamed. "Howe you didn¡¯t inform me that you areing? I would have bought more of these donuts." She immediately gave the boxes of donuts to Secretary Go so he could prepare it for everyone.

    Zhou Dae Un¡¯s eyes instantly turned gentle as she went to hug Lily. "Jingren said you are trying to limit your sugar intake." She kissed Lily¡¯s cheeks before she went back to her seat.

    "I counted everything. My calorie intake as well as my sugar. I should be good for the day." Lily gave a childish grin. "A person ¡ª A pregnant woman whocks sugar is bad too." If there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way, she thought inwardly while beaming. "Clearly, the doctor said that I can have sweets just not too much."

    "You bought three boxes of donuts." Zhou Jingren said, frowning. "Three dozens of donuts."

    "It¡¯s for you and your secretary." Lily rebutted. "What a stingy boss. I am thinking about your employees and you. This is not just for myself."

    This interaction immediately made Zhou Dae Unugh. "Aiyo... Jingren... don¡¯t worry, I will get a box and bring it at home so your father can have a taste of this ¡ª what was that again?"

    "It¡¯s a golden leaf donut," Lily answered. "My favorites. So... you are not staying? Why don¡¯t you stay for the night? You and father... I don¡¯t think you have spent a lot of time in the mansion with us."

    A sigh escaped Zhou Dae Un¡¯s lips. "We are so busy these days. Your father ¡ª that man is working closely with his cousin for thepany while I am taking care of things in Korea and Japan. We rarely see each other these days." She looked at her son and gave him a brilliant smile. "Beforeing back, your father and I used to joke how everything will surely change once we reveal ourselves to the world. We expectedte nights and a lot of meetings. Well... not seeing each other for days is clearly not one of our ns. But we could not help it."

    "Everything has a price, mother," Lily uttered as she eyed the hot tea that Secretary Go served her together with one donut. "Managing a business is difficult." While Zhou Jingren¡¯s father is managing their own family business, Zhou Dae Un is also taking care of her family business in Korea. However, Lily had no idea about any business that they had in Japan. "Are you perhaps nning to branch out in Japan?" she asked.

    "Oh! No... I am taking care of¡ª "

    "My adoptive parent¡¯s n." Zhou Jingren answered. "Tanaka¡¯s."

    Lily nodded as she made a mental note to ask Yang Mi about this specific nter.

    "Yes, the Tanaka¡¯s," Zhou Dae Un sigh. "It¡¯s a long story. To be honest... I almost had no energy today. I slept for two hours on the ne from Korea and I am still exhausted. But I have not seen Jingren in weeks... so I dropped by before going back to China. Also... I was hoping to have your permission for a gender reveal party. I mean... you two already know the gender right?"

    "Jingren thinks it¡¯s a son." Lily pouted "Personally... I don¡¯t want to know, but he is starting to call my baby, he." Clearly, Zhou Jingren wanted to have a daughter. So why would he say that it¡¯s a son? When he clearly wanted a daughter?

    "Why would you say that it¡¯s a male?" Zhou Dae Un eyed her son. "Did you ask the doctor? When is the next ultrasound schedule?"

    "We told the doctor not to tell us anything," Lily said before she red at her husband. "Now that you mention it... I think... someone must have cheated and asked the doctor."

    "What?" Zhou Jingren chuckled. "No! I didn¡¯t cheat."

    "Then... why are you so certain that it¡¯s a male?"

    "I was not sure, alright?" he countered. "It¡¯s just that... Your hobbies are weird. If we are having a daughter, it would be reasonable for you to love feminine things, no?"

    "That¡¯s not how it works." Zhou Dae Un giggled when she heard her son¡¯s words. "Where did this reasoninge from?"

    "That is very logical reasoning." During her pregnancy, Lily had been very scheming, short-tempered, and very maniptive. She even went as far as learning to shoot. She had been really strong and is just being an alpha. To him, this is a sign that they are having a male son. Was that really wrong to think based on logic?

    .....

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 754 Silver and Gold

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 754 Silver and Gold</h4>

    Unedited

    .....

    "That is a very sexist reasoning," Lily grumbled.

    "But I thought you wanted a son?"

    "Really?" Zhou Dae Un looked at Lily. "You wanted a son? Why? Wouldn¡¯t it be too cute to have a daughter? You know... we can buy clothes and essories and have pink rooms and lots of shoes! Maybe even a walk-in closet!"

    Lily smiled. "I really would love to have a son but... I will love my child no matter the gender. Of course... I will also make a walk-in closet for my son. Of course, with a lot of essories and shoes for him." Zhou Jingren nodded, proud at his wife¡¯s words.

    "Still, I think it¡¯s a boy." He added.

    "Why don¡¯t you just have a check-up so you can be sure about the gender? I mean... we need to prepare the room and the baby¡¯s things." Zhou Dae Un suggested before she frowned. "Sadly, there were some changes in my schedule and I won¡¯t be able to spend a lot of time with you after you gave birth. But... I will of course help you guys out after everything. I promise it won¡¯t take a week or two."

    "It¡¯s alright, Jingren will be there with me." Just talking about giving birth and them being new parents seemed to make Lily¡¯s heart jump with joy. Is this really normal for someone pregnant? She beamed. "Of course... he needed to take sses in changing diapers and stuff."

    "Mrs. Zhou is clearly underestimating me." He responded, his gentle eyesnded on his wife¡¯s blooming face. "I grew up in an orphanage. I am quite familiar with taking care of children. Or at least I watched a lot of people take care of babies. It should not be that hard."

    Seeing Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s banter like this immediately made Zhou Dae Un smile. Seeing the two in a peaceful and loving rtionship like this seemed to assure her that Zhou Jingren will live a very happy life. She sighed inwardly. Her biggest regret is not being with Zhou Jingren when he was still a child. However, this time, she sincerely hoped that she could be there for the couple as they celebrated one of the greatest joys in their rtionship. "Ah! Before I forget!" She gave Lily her tablet. "Look... "

    "What is this?" Lily looked at the image full of sparkling balls and socks.

    "It¡¯s a theme!" Zhou Dae Un eximed. "You two are always busy with your work. So... I figured I will do the decorating part for Christmas! What do you think?"

    "Silver and gold?" Zhou Jingren asked when he saw the image.

    "Hmmm. Sparkled and glitz and mour. I know Lily loves sparkling things so... why not? This would be the first Christmas that you guys will celebrate in your own home, so I thought... we should all make it memorable."

    "This¡ª "

    "Don¡¯t you like it?" the smile on Zhou Dae Un¡¯s face instantly vanished when she saw Lily¡¯s face reddened.

    "No... it¡¯s just... thank you!" Lily said. Lily was not very good at styling, so having someone take care of these things is pretty convenient. "I love it!" With all the sparkling things on the image, there is no way that Lily would not love it. Moreover, Zhou Dae Un was right, this is the first Christmas that Lily and Zhou Jingren will have on the house. This is not something that they should take lightly.

    "Great!" Zhou Dae Un beamed. "Now... swiped to the left if you wanted to see the Christmas tree! It is going to be silver and gold with lots of chic white lights! Plus... I am nning to add more lighting into the mansion the next time that I visit." She then excitedly started talking about decorations and even the decorations for the house in Switzend.

    Both Lily and Zhou Jingren only smiled as they listened to her wonderful suggestions. After a few more minutes, Zhou Jingren asked his mother if she wanted to join them for dinner. However, thetter immediately said that she needed to go. She had actually forgotten that her own husband wanted to have dinner with her when she got home. Zhou Dae Un spent a lot of time talking about decorations and the baby that she had forgotten about her beloved husband!

    Lily and Zhou Jingren immediatelyughed as they watched Zhou Dae Un strode out of the room while talking to her husband.

    "I actually forgot about Christmas!" Lily said the moment Zhou Dae Un left. "Who forgets about Christmas?"

    "We were pretty upied, you know." He pulled her towards hisp and kissed her forehead. "How was work?"

    "Busy. How about you? How about that matter?"

    "What matter?" he chuckled.

    "That matter!"

    "Alright... stop pouting." He let out another low chuckle. "But it should be done. Bei Tian made it look like it was the same pirate as the one from South East Asia. We¡¯re all good. In the next few days... we will attack another two."

    "That was pretty impressive, Mr. Zhou. Thank you! And send my thanks to Bei Tian, too. I should probably cook for him one of these days!"

    "Hmmm. You should do that the next time hees back!" Zhou Jingren beamed. "How about your meeting? Did you find out anything?"

    "Actually... I did." Lily then told him the findings of her analysis so far from their reactions as the two went to their car so they could go home and enjoy some dinner.

    "So... you are saying that there is some sort of a civil war inside the Corneel Family?" he asked, his eyes were outside of the car as he thought about Lily¡¯s words.

    "Probably." She shrugged. "But... Herman and his younger brother are pretty close. I can smell a rift between them and their father. I don¡¯t know... I feel like they don¡¯t want me to buy thepany, which is against their father¡¯s wishes. If their opinions are shing, then... there is a possibility that their cordial smiles were nothing but a show, a facade. And that something else is going on behind the scenes."

    "Then... I believe telling Qin Yuanfeng to monitor all the Corneel¡¯s phone calls is the right thing to do." Zhou Jingren turned towards his wife. "If someone is forcing him to sell hispany, then... we will know it once he dials their number tonight."

    ....

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

    Sigh... to be honest, all this pirated site is making me feel demotivated. u003e.u003c I feel like I should just stop uploading. I don¡¯t know.

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 755 Full of Gratitude

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 755 Full of Gratitude</h4>

    When Lily and Zhou Jingren arrived at the mansion, they immediately had their dinner before having a conversation with Qin Yuanfeng about what had happened earlier. Today, Qin Yuanfeng chose to stay back at the mansion as he hacked through the satellites and watched as Bei Tian lead the attack against the Corneel¡¯s.

    "Really?" Lily¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at her twin brother. "You altered the video?"

    "Hmmm. Blurred their faces and added some tattoo on Bei Tian¡¯s neck just to make it seem like he was one of the group that had been attacking the tankerstely."

    "Now that is impressive." Zhou Jingren said.

    "Was it obvious?" Lily asked.

    "What do you mean?" both men looked at her.

    "I mean... the pixels of the video. Does it look altered after what you did?"

    "No, it was good. I can assure you that¡ª" Qin Yuanfeng did not continue his words when he noticed Lily shook her head. "Is it wrong?"

    "No. Keep it that way." Lily gave him a smile full of assurance. "It¡¯s better that way."

    "You are suspecting something." Zhou Jingren stated.

    "Yes... I am." She answered, her gaze never left Qin Yuanfeng. "You have records of his phone call? Tomorrow, I want you to continue monitoring his calls. Include the brothers." She uttered. She could not wait to see their reaction tomorrow. Lily then excused herself, leaving Zhou Jingren and Qin Yuanfeng to discuss some specifics that she had no way of understanding.

    Lily was not yet sleepy, so she chose to read her grandmother¡¯s diary again. In fact, she had been reading the ready over and over since she got it. To Lily it looked like a puzzle, something that she hoped to put together one day. Not long after Lily started reading, her phone buzzed.

    Eyeing the caller ID, Lily immediately answered it. "Cathy!" she beamed. "How are you!" As expected, it was about the baby shower that Zhou Dae Un had nned. "You are joining us?" To be honest, she was surprised that Zhou Dae Un got Cathy¡¯s number. "As well as George!? That¡ª That is wonderful! Of course... I will make sure to invite the other¡¯s too. Fernando and Li Shanshan... of course!" After a few more seconds, Lily ended the call with a huge grin on her face. Excitement and joy could be seen swirling in her eyes as she sent a text full of gratitude to her mother inw.

    ...

    Unlike Lily, the Corneels were not having a very good night. The three men of the Corneel Family were pacing inside their suite room, each wearing a scowl on their face. With their footsteps muffled by the carpet, the three of them were having different things on their mind.

    Leon Corneel was extremely stressed out. Lily saying no, could easily cost him everything. While he already told his sons about the deal he made with his friend but he had never told them the real consequences if the acquisition goes south. He never told them the real reason why theirpany seeded. Why would he? That was akin to him epting that he was not the good businessman who everyone believed him to be. He would not let his sons think that theirpany only became this big because of that deal. He gritted his teeth as he thought about calling the man.

    Since he came here, Leon had already tried to dial that man¡¯s number several times. However, each time, he would cut it off before thetter could answer his call. He was afraid. He was scared of the man¡¯s response. Was he going to bankrupt thepany? Was he going to rally the shareholders against him? Was he¡ª Was he going to kill him for his failure?

    "We need to do something," Leon uttered after a long time of silence. "If you two are not responsible for this... then it could be a mere coincidence. The pirates must have found a leak of information about our security. We need to act. We can¡¯t just continue to pace inside this room as we grit our teeth in anger."

    "And what would you like us to do, father? Leave the meeting to take care of the pirates?" Herman sneered. "Why don¡¯t you call that friend of yours and ask him to help you? If he really wants Lily to buy thispany, then he should be willing to help us out."

    "Are you insane?" Rein chimed in. "Asking that man¡¯s help means that we are giving up. That cannot happen!"

    "Rein... It¡¯s a win¡ª win situation," said Herman as he sat on one of the velvet chairs. He turned towards his brother. "Even if that man will help us, there is no guarantee that Lily will agree to the acquisition. She is not dumb. I know... I know she was observing our interactions earlier. She must have seen everything."

    "What are you talking about?" Leon asked but he never got a response.

    "She was staring at us the whole time, observing our actions, listening to us talk. She was reading us like an open book." Herman added. "She knew something was going on. Though, she does not know what it is yet."

    "You¡ª You deliberately made it obvious," their father stated, disbeliefced his tone. "The pirates¡ª "

    "I told you! We are not responsible for attacking our ownpany!" the younger son said. "Do you really think we are that dumb?"

    Leon stayed silent. One more word and these two would threaten him again. He narrowed his eyes at them instead. "You ungrateful brats!" he hissed.

    "Call him father," his second son¡¯s words immediately made him freeze. "Call that friend of yours."

    "Wh¡ª What? No!"

    "There is no other option. Ask him to help us or..."

    "Stop threatening me!"

    "Rein?" Herman smirked at his younger brother. "What do you think will happen if Lilyes to know that someone else is forcing father to sell thepany to her?"

    "She won¡¯t buy it and will obviously start investigating this matter."

    "See father?" Herman said. "We all know that she is a very capable woman. It won¡¯t take too long for her to know who this person is. She will surely ruin you and... reward us." He narrowed his eyes at his father. "Now... call your friend."

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 756 Being Generous

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 756 Being Generous</h4>

    As usual, Lily arrived early in her office with a huge smile on her face. Not even the heavy traffic could affect her mood for the day.

    "Christmas ising." she stated when she met Mr. Rossi on the elevator. "It is a happy asion." As usual, thetter responded with a hum and a slight smile, his eyes crinkled as he thought about Lilian.

    Lilian was not big on celebrations but she always gave huge bonuses during the holidays. It had be one of the most anticipated things that every employee waited each year. "I want a silver and gold theme." He heard Lily add before he could talk about the Corneels. Once again, he acknowledged with a low hum.

    "Gold and silver would be perfect." He walked next to Lily. "Have you heard the news from Yang Mi?" What a silly question, he thought as he followed Lily towards her office. "The pirates got two of their tankers. Their loss was in hundreds of millions."

    "What do you think of that news?" Sitting on her leather chair, Lily asked the older man opposite her. "Please take a seat Mr. Rossi... Now tell me, what do you think about the attacks."

    "I think... signing the contract is a risk." It was an honest response. This was something that was not influenced by his knowledge about the Corneel¡¯s real goal or about the people behind this borate scheme just to get Lily into the oil industry. "A big one," he added. He could not emphasize how the effects of this contract could influence Lily and her family¡¯s future.

    Sadly, he could not say anything in front of her. The walls had ears and he would not want to endanger Lily, especially at such a sensitive time.

    "Hmmm... " Lily turned towards Yang Mi. "Print it out... and please give me your tablet."

    "Yes President." Yang Mi nodded and left the room.

    "What¡ª" Mr. Rossi felt his throat tightened as he epted the tablet from Lily. "This¡ª half the price?"

    "These people underestimated me." Lily ignored his question.

    "You are nning to offer them half of the original price?"

    "I am being generous." With the uing two attacks the value of thepany would surely decline. Offering them half of the price now was a very generous offer. Of course... she was not really nning to sign it. What she wanted to do was test them. She wanted to see if her initial suspicion about these people were right. "So... let¡¯s talk about the Christmas Decorations this year?" She beamed, ignoring the frown on the older man¡¯s face.

    "Of course... but¡ª "

    "Hmm? Something¡¯s troubling you?"

    "No¡ª no. Of course not." Mr. Rossi smiled. Worrying would not give them anything. Lilian trained Lily well, there was no way that she would not notice it. Soon¡ª Lily will surely connect all the dots. Soon.

    ......

    Herman fixed his tie as he smiled at his reflection on the huge mirror in front of him. "Are you ready?" He asked his brother. However, his eyes were focused on his coward of a father.

    "Hmmm. Are you sure she won¡¯t sign it?"

    "Of course." Confidenceced his tone. Even if their father¡¯s friend said that he would do something about the matter, there was simply no time to fix it. They just lost millions, there was no way that Lily would sign the acquisition after that incident. He beamed. The timing of the pirates was too perfect, he could not help but thank the gods for what happened. To be honest, both he and his brother did not have the guts to attack their ownpany on their own.

    Having other people do it for them, was the only way to stop this contract. However, they decided to thread carefully. After all, both he and his brother were not really aware of the identity of this friend that their father always talked about. Sure, they knew his name but they had never seen the man before. Both he and his brother did not want for this friend to know that they attacked their ownpany.

    He stared at his brother as he shook the thoughts out of his mind. The fact that his father was still hiding something from them was honestly bugging him. However, no matter how much he asked him, Leon Corneel never budged. He only told him that this was a deal. He never told them the details of this deal, or how and why did he owe it to this ¡¯friend¡¯ of his.

    The thought only made him more frustrated. He forced a smile. This was not the time to be frustrated. Not when they were about to force their father to tell them the truth about this contract.

    "You don¡¯t know what you are doing." Leon Corneel uttered as he looked at his two sons. These two... were seeking death. Still, his pride would not allow him to tell them the truth. He could not smear his name. Never.

    "There is no more time father. We should go." Rein smiled at him. "We don¡¯t want to create a bad impression, right?" Leon Corneel gritted his teeth. He could not just ept defeat.

    Leon Corneel stood from his seat and walked out of the suite first. His two sons followed him out before they went and dropped by Athalia¡¯s room so she could apany them.

    "Father has gone crazy." Herman said the moment they were inside the car. Leon Corneel had his own ride towards Fi Group. "Did you already schedule the meeting?"

    "I did. They all agreed to keep it a secret. Soon... father will be kicked out of his ownpany. The moment we arrive home, a doctor from a mental facility will dere that he had some problems in his mind, making him unable to think rationally. Surely, Athalia¡¯s words will be enough to convince everyone that he needs to leave thepany ASAP."

    "Good. That is just... good." Herman smiled before he nodded at Athalia. "You should do your job properly."

    In response Athalia nodded as she bit her lower lip. When it came to money, the brothers had forgotten that the man that they were trying to kick out in theirpany was the same man who raised them for years. How cruel, she thought as she lowered her head. What a cruel... cruel world.

    ....

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 757 Confusing

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 757 Confusing</h4>

    Unedited

    .....

    When the four of them arrived in the Fi Group, they expected to be weed by the executives with Lily and Mr. Rossi. Instead, what they got was the cold and suffocating atmosphere at Lily¡¯s office.

    "Good Morning!" Lily beamed the moment she saw the four of them. Contrary to the current atmosphere, Lily¡¯s smile was as brilliant as the sun. This immediately confused Leon and his sons. "Please take your seats." Lily continued.

    "We were expecting to see you with everyone else." Herman¡¯s tone was firm. "Is there something wrong?"

    "There is," Lily answered. "Let¡¯s discuss it over coffee?" As if on cue, the door of her office opened, revealing Yang Mi with some refreshments.

    "Miss Athalia, I asked my staff to include the rarest green tea just for you," Lily added. "I hope you like it."

    "Eh? How did you¡ª "

    "I remember," Lily answered before she turned towards Leon Corneel. However, her answer did not sit well with Athalia. Thetter stared at Lily, a foreboding feeling started to grow inside her as she eyed her fiance who was also giving her a confused gaze. This treatment is surprising for everyone as Lily had been cold to Athalia throughout the visit. This was the first time that she acknowledged thetter by offering some special tea.

    However, they did not have the time to think about this as Lily already started talking about the contract.

    "You will sign it?" Herman furrowed his brows. "After what happened? You will still sign it?" Surprise shed in his eyes. Was Lily crazy? How could she even think about signing it? She knew that there had been some tension inside the Corneel Family. While the contract states that the Company will be a subsidiary under Fi Group, it is still technically an independentpany that will be run by the Corneels.

    However, this setup is hard to aplish once there is a civil war inside the family that runs it. With the ckmail between Leon and his sons, this arrangement is bound to cause some losses ¡ª millions of losses. How could Lily do this?

    "Of course. Why won¡¯t I sign it?" she gave them a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. "Is there something wrong?"

    "I ¡ª It¡¯s just that ¡ª we were not expecting you to sign it. After what happened yesterday. The losses are just ¡ª its big. And I honestly thought signing it would not be beneficial to you in any way."

    "That is true. It is indeed a risk."

    "Then?" Rein chimed in. He too did not understand Lily¡¯s point.

    "Then... I am changing the contract. I would offer half of the original price. Every executive has signed and agreed to do this. I also¡ª "

    "What are you talking about? How could you¡ª "

    "Let me finish when I¡¯m talking." Lily snapped at Leon. "How disrespectful."

    "You¡ª "

    "I also happened to know that you blocked all the news about the incident yesterday. You paid a lot of money to keep it down so it won¡¯t affect your shares. Releasing the news will surely affect yourpany, no?"

    Silence followed Lily¡¯s words as the people opposite her stared at her, half in confusion, half in anguish. Seeing this, Lily smiled and continued. "Apany that prided themselves of having topmost security. Apany with the least attacks had been raided by pirates twice in a day." She widened her eyes. "Wouldn¡¯t that surprise the whole Oil Industry? Then... of course they will assume that another attack will happen. Many will sell their shares at a lower price, many will panic. What do you think will happen if something like that happens?"

    "What is your point?" Herman asked as irritation shed in his eyes. This was the only thing that he had been afraid of since he heard of the second attack yesterday. This incident will surely damage theirpany.

    "Point is... if you won¡¯t agree to me buying thepany with half of the original offer, I will release the news, make it trend for days." Lily beamed.

    "You are trying to ckmail us?" Leon hissed as the realization hit him. This is something that they could just decide without the approval of the board. Why is Lily making it difficult for everyone? That man said Lily was an extremely greedy person. Was it possible that she did all this, including the piracy just so she could buy thepany shares half of the price?

    "Call it whatever you want." Lily shrugged.

    "We can¡¯t just do that without the approval of the board. That means this will extend the process. Are you making my father sign the documents without the executives knowing of this matter? That ¡ª That is not possible." Herman said. Until now, Lily¡¯s words make little sense.

    "Well, then... " Amusement shed in Lily¡¯s eyes. "Yang Mi? Tell Yuanfeng to release it."

    "What? Wait! What are you doing?" Both Herman and Rein panicked while their father was staring at Lily with a troubled expression on his face. When he called Mr. Yi earlier, thetter promised that he would help him, however, he wanted Lily to buy thepany at all costs. This was the only condition that he would give him. Leon immediately agreed.

    "I agree." Leon¡¯s words immediately surprised his sons. Both stood from their seat, eyes wide, mouth agape.

    "Are you out of your mind?" Rein approached his father. "Why the hell would you do that?"

    "Rein calm down." His older brother said as he held his brother¡¯s arm. "Calm down."

    "No! This old man is too idiotic." He red at his father. "Do you understand what you are doing? Just because your friend wanted you to do this... does not mean that¡ª "

    Silence.

    It was as if someone had dumped a cold bucket of water into Leon and his son¡¯s head as they realized the words that Rein said. Everyone turned their heads towards Lily.

    "Too bad..." Lily said before she smiled, interrupting the thick silence inside the room. "I just decided not to buy it."

    ....

    Normal release will start tomorrow.

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 758 Intention

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 758 Intention</h4>

    Leon paled while his sons stood dumbstruck at Lily¡¯s words. A trap. This was nothing but a trap that Lily had created for the Corneel¡¯s. They then stared at Lily as she held her hand towards her secretary¡¯s direction. In response, her secretary handed her a piece of paper.

    With a smile on her face, Lily tore the paper and threw away the shreds in front of them. "Now... there is no contract," she said. "Too bad, you took a lot of timeing to a decision. You should know how much I hate waiting."

    "You yed us."

    She shrugged at Herman¡¯s words before she beamed towards Athalia¡¯s direction. "I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about."

    "But you already said that¡ª "

    "I don¡¯t remember saying anything." She interrupted Leon. "Isn¡¯t that right Miss Athalia?"

    "I¡ª"

    "What is she talking about?" Rein approached his fiance.

    "I don¡¯t know."

    "Are you... working for her?"

    "No! What are you talking about?"

    "I should have known about it! I should have known that you were working for her!"

    "Rein! What are you talking about?"

    Seeing this, the smile on Lily¡¯s face grew wider. She propped her chin on her palms and watched as Rein and Athalia started arguing as they revealed the n to make Lily as ufortable as possible. She then nodded at Yang Mi¡¯s direction, silently telling her to call Yuanfeng. Make him release the news to the media.

    "What have you done?" Leon asked when he noticed Lily¡¯s actions. "What did you do?" Everything seemed to happen too fast that until now, he was not able to grasp Lily¡¯s strategy in making them reveal their cards.

    "You nned all this." It was Herman. He narrowed his eyes at Lily. However, before he could take a single step, Lily¡¯s two bodyguards were already standing next to Lily. He paused, surprised at how everything else seemed to be so organized. It was as if Lily already predicted their reactions ahead of time. "Why? Why ruin us?" All they wanted was for her not to sign the contract. They seeded, yes. However, the news that she would release to the media might cost them theirpany.

    "No idea what you were talking about."

    Herman stared at Lily¡¯s face, his gaze unfathomable. The attacks must have been a part of Lily¡¯s ns. First, she needed a way for them to confess the real reason why they were here. So she orchestrated something that would surely stress them out. For a businessman, losing hundreds of millions worth of oil was surely enough to ruin their day.

    When facing stress, the division between them and their father became obvious. They had betrayed and threatened each other as they thought about their own benefits. They did all this while Lily watched and observed their actions. Then to end it all, she offered an impossible deal to their father. She tested the waters and immediately found out that their father would agree to anything as long as the deal would be signed.

    To their father, money was not important. It was the deal, this contract ¡ª Lily owning thepany was the most important. For some reason, the man had be crazy and thought that paying this friend of his was more important than his family. When Lily found out about this, she immediately backed out, creating more chaos and problems for them.

    This¡ª All this ¡ª everything was a trap, a game. And she had just won.

    He gulped, his hands balled into a tight fist. They should have known that this game was not about them against their father. It was Lily against them. They should have known that Lily would not let them leave with huge smiles on their faces after wasting her time like this. He met her clear and direct eyes.

    Time.

    That is the only thing that Lily invested in this deal. To people like her, time meant money. This must have upset her. "We¡¯re leaving," he uttered after a couple of seconds of silence. "We are leaving now!" This time, he directed his gaze towards his brother and father. These two needed to learn that in this game, Lily was the only winner.

    "But¡ª "

    "Now!" He hissed at his younger brother. He gave his father a sharp gaze. "You areing with us." The only thing that he could me in all this was their father. He was the only one who single handedly ruined theirpany just because of some promises made by this friend of his.

    Seeing his serious expression, both Leon and Rein with his fiance stood from their seats and started walking out of the door, leaving Herman in front of Lily. "You won." Herman added. "Don¡¯t bother our family again."

    "How presumptuous." Lily answered almost immediately. "You are making it sound as if I was the one who approached your family. Mr. Corneel... that is simply rude."

    "As you know now, it wasn¡¯t our intention."

    Lily smiled in response. "Intention." She made a deliberate pause. "Tell me, Mr. Corneel. What was your real intention."

    His throat turned dry as he continued to stare at her eyes. Their intention was to stop this deal while their father¡¯s intention was to make Lily the owner of Corneel oil and co. However, he was not going to tell Lily about this. Not after what she did to theirpany.

    "Ruining my peace." Lily uttered. "That was your intention. And there is no convincing me otherwise."

    "You are¡ª "

    "As I said... there is no convincing me that you are not here to threaten my peace." Her hand made its way into her stomach as a sinister smile slithered on her face. "You see? I tend to crush everyone that has that intention."

    He opened his mouth, wanting to rebut Lily¡¯s words. However no words came out of his mouth. Seeing this, Lily raised her hand and gestured for him to leave. "You and your family will suffer for your father¡¯s decision." She dered. "I heard your woman just gave birth?"

    "You¡ª" he widened his eyes.

    "Leave. Attend to your partner¡¯s needs. I am sure she needs you more than yourpany will ever do. I don¡¯t want to see you and your family in Hong Kong ever again." Lily added. "You lost millions today. You don¡¯t really know what you will lose in theing few days. You better value what you have now and stop stressing yourself over this matter."

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 759 Hohensalzburg Castle

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 759 Hohensalzburg Castle</h4>

    When Herman left, Lily¡¯s face instantly turned serious. She immediately went to see Qin Yuanfeng who was inside hisputer room. "Do you have something?"

    "The call was routed to a number in Mexico." He answered as his hands flew towards the keyboard. "Now here is what¡¯s strange. Remember I was watching the Old Man Li earlier? I was randomly tracing the calls that he made because I thought he was nning something against us. Look at this number."

    "The same one?"

    "Hmmm. The same number. He called this number during the time that he interacted with us."

    "Were you able to get a recording of this call?"

    "Unfortunately, I¡¯m not a god." He answered. "I wasn¡¯t able to get anything aside from the number. Still the fact that two people who are currently interacting with us called the same number is quite... strange." He eyed his sister. "What do you think?"

    "Do you know who owns this number?"

    He stayed silent for a few seconds. "Cartel."

    "I¡¯m sorry?"

    "It¡¯s a man associated with the Cartel." As expected, Lily turned silent at his brother words. She had never associated herself with the Cartels in Mexico nor did she remember offending anyone from those organized crime groups. Why would they even try to mess with her.

    "Then stop the investigation." She answered after she sat down on the seat behind Qin Yuanfeng. In response, her brother looked at her before he asked Yang Mi to get Lily a cup of tea.

    "Are you alright?"

    "From now on..." Lily gulped. "I want you to keep the investigation as secret as possible. No one, aside from you, Jingren and I, should know about these findings. On the outside, pretend that I already asked you to stop it." She said. She absolutely trusted Yang Mi and she knew Jingren trusted Bei Tian and Secretary Go too. However, she could not risk it. It was always better to keep this information to themselves. Qin Yuanfeng nodded in response.

    Seeing this, Lily closed her eyes. She leaned back her head and started massaging her temple. There was no way that someone from the Cartel would involve themselves in a business from Europe, a business that was closely rted to the Italian Mafia¡¯s lead by George. Or someone who married to a man who almost ruled the entire ck market in South East asia.

    No. Before the oil tanker, Lily never involved herself in any illegal activities that would somehow gain the attention of the mafias in Mexico. She opened her eyes and eyed Yang Mi who had just arrived with her tea. There was only one possibility left.

    Someone deliberately routed the call to someone rted to the Cartel so that she would stop looking into the matter. Someone wanted to scare her. Lily took a sip of her tea. Since they wanted her to stop then from now on, Lily would no longer show interest in this matter. Or at least, that is what she would do on the outside.

    "Are we really going to stop, just like this?" Qin Yuanfeng said. She nodded in response.

    "I am pregnant. I don¡¯t want to attract anything that could endanger me and my child." This was a fact. However, she would continue on observing everything. She would silently watch these people for now, to protect the people that she loves. "I need to unwind. I will go and shop, would you like toe with me?"

    "I will." Qin Yuanfeng said. He immediately closed hisputers and grabbed his coat before leaving with Lily.

    .............

    Hohensalzburg Castle, Salzburg, Austria

    It was said that the castle was built for the Archbishops¡¯ desire for recognition of their political authority and power. They were right. But, it wasn¡¯t the Archbishop who wanted to show their political authority. It was the Spectre.

    The silence in the room was thick, it was almost suffocating. Except, the men and women sitting on the long rectangr table were not affected by the current atmosphere in the room. They were used to it.

    "The month just started and the weather in Salzburg is already this cold," a manmented.

    "It is time for us to see the newest members that will soon rise in Asia." Another one voiced out. Just like everyone else, he ignored the man¡¯s previousment about the weather.

    "I will see him soon," Harringfort was not able to hide the amusement that was hiding behind the hood that covered half of his face. "There is no need to worry about this matter. Our real concern of today¡¯s gathering is to talk about the Cartels in Mexico. We are losing control over them."

    "That is indeed rming. Are we going to cause another war between two cartels?"

    "Better." Harringfort uttered. "I have informed the council about this. If my calctions are correct, a great war between those cartels ising. However..." his words were interrupted when one of his men walked inside, with a dark look on his face. He leaned towards Harringfort, whispering some words that made thetter frown.

    "Did something happen?" Someone asked.

    "Nothing." Harringfort shook his head as he gestured for his men to leave immediately. "I believe someone just ruined my ns. If this is the case, they are leaving me with no choice. I will instigate a war between the Cartels next week. I want someone to inform the DEA, warn them not to involve themselves. The Cartels will ruin themselves. This will serve as a warning. They need to follow thew or they will suffer."

    "You talk as if the council already approved of your ns?"

    "This was the initial n. However, I told them to at least consider my own ns. They had agreed. However, I encountered some problems. Now, they will have to follow what they had originally nned." A war between Cartel Groups was bound to attract attention. Aside from this, it would also involve a lot of innocent people. This was the reason why the council agreed to his ns in letting Lily and Zhou Jingren deal with it.

    However, just now, the council had just informed him that Lily decided not to involve herself. She must have decided to stop the investigation that she was doing when she heard that the number that the Corneels called were directed to a person in Mexico. However, this was something that he could not fathom.

    Why would she suddenly decide not to involve herself instead of attacking those people?

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 760 Picnic

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 760 Pic</h4>

    Harringfort was originally nning to use Lily and her resources. It was supposed to be simple. She would investigate into the Corneels and realize that a particr Cartel were doing child prostitution and human trafficking, then she would ask George and Zhou Jingren to wage a war against them. Using this method, Lily was bound to ruin them.

    He frowned as his hand slowly balled into a fist. He was banking on Lily¡¯s righteous nature to help the innocent. Why would she suddenly back out? Despite some of the council members discouraging him about it, he still insisted that Lily¡¯s righteous nature would win.

    Everyone wanted to be a hero. So why the heck would she refuse to be one? He narrowed his eyes as he thought of Lily¡¯s smile. Behind her brilliant and beautiful smile was a cunning eye. Was it possible that she figured out the real reason why he chose to route the call to that particr Cartel? Impossible.

    But the council clearly told him that Lily halted all of the investigations that she was doing with her brother. Everything about it had been deleted from Qin Yuanfeng¡¯sputer. The council would not say something like this unless their people that were keeping an eye on Qin Yuanfeng¡¯sputer saw him delete all of the files about the matter.

    Obviously, the person that he was thinking about was unaware of all the trouble that she would soon cause in Harringfort¡¯s career. Lily was in the mansion, leaning against Zhou Jingren¡¯s chests as thetter wrapped his arms around her body. "I want Ramen." Hong Kong was slowly transitioning to its cold weather. Having a hot bowl of Ramen was such a good way to escape the cold and warm her stomach.

    "I will ask Chef Yang to make one."

    "Tomorrow... I want chicken rice porridge for breakfast." She demanded.

    "Alright. I will mask Chef Yang."

    Lily giggled in response before she stood up. Moving away from Zhou Jingren¡¯sp, Lily walked towards his bookshelf and started scanning the title of different books in front of him. Seeing this, Zhou Jingren called Chef Yang and asked him to make some Ramen for Lily. Then he turned his attention back to the pile of papers in front of him.

    Hispany had been slowly reaching their ws out in the west. With Lily¡¯s help, everything had been going great for Zhou Capital. However, this meant more paperwork for him. Not that he wasining.

    "I asked Qin Yuanfeng to keep it subtle." Lily said, her gaze was still on the bookshelf. "He deleted everything about the matter on hisputers."

    "You think someone is watching hisputer?"

    "No idea." She shrugged. "But it is always better to be safe than sorry." She looked at him, beaming,pletely changing the atmosphere inside the room. "Yang Mi informed me that the Corneels left the country this afternoon."

    "Whatever you did. I¡¯m sure it was enough to scare them off."

    "And more ising." Lily uttered as she sat opposite to Zhou Jingren with a book about marketing in her hand. She started reading the book. "Rein will soone and see me. Between the brothers, he is the weaker one." Surely, her words were enough to nt some doubt in between the brothers. Rein¡¯s trust towards his fiance will vanish while Herman would not trust his brother thinking that Rein somehow leaked some information about the real situation to his fiance. Wasn¡¯t that fun? She smiled. Either that or Leon woulde crawling back, begging for her to sign the contract. By then, she would confirm the identity of the person who he talked to.

    Either way. There was only Lily winning this game in between the Corneels.

    "At least Herman is smart enough to leave."

    "He is... the future of Corneel Oils and Co. to be honest, if we had met under different circumstances, I would agree to be a business partner." She smiled. Lily was sure that Herman was able to guess everything that she did. Though, he did not have a way to confirm it. "What a waste." She added. Corneels Oil and Co would have a hard time recovering from four attacks. Surely, Herman and his father have some tough choices to make in theing days.

    "Tomorrow is a holiday. Do you have ns?" Zhou Jingren decided to change the topic. Talking about all these schemes was bad for a pregnant woman like his wife. He chuckled at his own thoughts before he eyed her. "How about we have a pic?"

    "Can¡¯t." She shook her head. "I can¡¯t walk that much. My stomach is getting heavier. Unless... you are nning to carry me?" Her words easily made him chuckle.

    "I was nning a pic next to the pool." He chuckled. "Of course, I can carry you down the stairs."

    "Next to our pool? That¡¯s not a pic."

    He only chuckled at herints. "Pic is eating outdoors preferably in a scenic view. The pool is outdoor and the view from the peak is quite scenic. Hence, it¡¯s a pic."

    She pouted. "Pic on our ownwn is not considered a pic."

    "By definition, it is."

    "It¡¯s not!"

    He handed her a small dictionary. "Check out the meaning of the word."

    "Don¡¯t get technical with me Mr. Zhou." She grabbed the dictionary. "And who uses this when we can have a dictionary on our phone?" She opened the dictionary and started looking for the word. "Is this word even in the dictionary?" Slowly, Lily frowned then she shut the small book. "You win. But it¡¯s winter. It¡¯s cold out there. I know the pool is heated but... who goes on a pic during the winter?"

    "Us." He beamed. "We are not some ordinary people. I will personally prepare a hotpot for you. So, what do you think? Of course, there will be a bonfire for the cold."

    She red at him for a few seconds before she nodded. "Alright. But this is only because of the hotpot."

    "Right. The hotpot." He nodded as he gave her a teasing smile.

    ....

    prooffreader: Dragon777

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 761 Perish Forever

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 761 Perish Forever</h4>

    After nning for the food that they will have for their pic the next day, Zhou Jingren and Lily had dinner. Then Lily went to bed while Zhou Jingren finished his paperwork. However, Bei Tian¡¯s sudden arrival made him halt everything that he was doing.

    "Did something happen?" Zhuo Jingren asked when he saw the dark look on Bei Tian¡¯s face.

    "Remember the Inagawa¡¯s?"

    Zhou Jingren frowned as memories of what happened more than seven years ago resurfaced in his head. "How could I forget?" he asked.

    "Their heiress is still alive. Ruokia Inagawa. She survived with the right hand man who is now her father. He adopted her after the incident. They are now using thest name Su."

    "Su? As in Su Mingyu?"

    Bei Tian nodded. "She goes by that name now. She infiltrated the securitypany years ago. And is now filing a case against us." He clenched his jaw. "We need to get rid of them."

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips thinned as he stared at Bei Tian¡¯s face. He then stood from his seat and stared at his bookshelf that was full of Japanese books from his adoptive father. He closed his eyes as he recalled the dark memories of what happened in the past. Fire and death, blood and screams. Old and young, male and female. He never considered any of this when he had asked his people to kill them as revenge for the death of his adoptive father.

    "Where did you get this information?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

    "That Su Mingyu was really suspicious. Qin Yuanfeng was reading her file when he noticed that her finger prints did not exist until six years ago. He did a little research and realized that she never had a fingerprint as they burned. So we tried to search her facial features and immediately found out that she had stic surgery done in Thand. When we traced it back, we discovered that it was because of severe burns on her body. Long story short, we were able to trace her DNA to the Inagawa¡¯s in Japan. Took us a long time but at least it¡¯s there. Qin Yuanfeng never had any idea who they were. He sent me the files the other day. When I read it, I immediately rushed here to inform you."

    Zhou Jingren nodded. "I see." Both his Tanaka n and Inagawa n were well known Yakuzas in Japan. However, unlike the Tanaka¡¯s, the Inagawa never stopped their illegal activities. Instead, they increased the scope of their business into other south eastern asian countries such as the Philippines. Gambling, drugs and human trafficking. All this made the Inagawa¡¯s one of the biggest organized crime groups in Asia.

    At first, the Tanaka¡¯s never cared about this. At that time, the old patriarch, Zhou Jingren¡¯s adoptive father and his wife Ida Tanaka, Zhou Jingren¡¯s adoptive mother, had already decided to register their business of lending money. With Zhou Jingren and Bei Tian, they started the Tanaka Capital. The rivalry between the ns only started when the Inagawa n also started to lend some money to the people who gambled in their underground casinos.

    Slowly, the Inagawa aimed to monopolize the business. They started sending death threats and destroying the properties of Tanaka¡¯s. Then they started sending their people to terrorize people who were associated with the Tanaka Capital. Because of this, Zhou Jingren¡¯s adoptive father started to increase the security of his business. He tapped into the Tanaka n¡¯s secret army and retaliated. They started destroying the Inagawa n¡¯s casinos and drug dens.

    It wasplete chaos.

    The Inagawa¡¯s took this as an attack and started attacking the Tanaka¡¯s. This time, they did not hesitate and started killing people from the Tanaka n. Of course, Zhou Jingren¡¯s father retaliated. After all, he was born from a Yakuza family. Did the Inagawa¡¯s really think that they could scare the patriarch with these petty tricks?

    To Zhou Jingren, something like this was normal for a family associated with the Yakuza. However, instead of spending his time nning against them, his father urged him to manage the family business. He then told Zhou Jingren to change the name to Zhou Capital. This was to symbolize that the Tanaka Family were already on the right path. So he let his father and Bei Tian take care of the violence while he... he took care of the business. He started traveling and meeting people. That was until someone killed his father.

    At that time, the business was already doing well. They had ns to move to China or Hong Kong and even nned to branch out to Taiwan and Tokyo. Everything was doing so great that Zhou Jingren had never even imagined that it was only the calm before the storm.

    After his father¡¯s death, he took an oath of vengeance.

    And he burned them all. Everyone in the Inagawa n¡ª everyst one of them.

    It was one of the most devastating news that shook the whole of Japan and Asia. How could a powerful n like the Inagawa just disappear in one night?

    Zhou Jingren never looked back. To him, killing the man who saved him and Bei Tian was enough to warrant the death of the whole n. Who would have thought that this past woulde and haunt him now that he was ready to settle down with his own family? Something sinister shed in his eyes. "Do you know where this Su Mingyu is?"

    "We have her location. As well as her father¡¯s."

    "Are they nning something?"

    "Probably. Jingren... I suggest¡ª "

    "I will personally kill them." Zhou Jingren uttered. There was no way that he would give the two some time to n against him and Lily. Especially now that Lily was heavily pregnant. "Tomorrow is a holiday." He uttered. "I will take care of it."

    Bei Tian stared at Zhou Jingren¡¯s back for a few seconds before he nodded. "Good. I will asked Yuanfeng toe here and prepare our men so we could¡ª "

    "No." Zhou Jingren said. "We let theme to us." He added. "Su Mingyu and her father wille to us." This time, the Inagawa n will perish forever, he thought inwardly.

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 762 Chess

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 762 Chess</h4>

    Because of the news that Zhou Jingren received, the nned pic did not happen. Of course, he also informed Lily about the things that Bei Tian and Qin Yuanfeng had discovered. After she gave some inputs about the n, Zhou Jingren left to see his parents. Because his mother was the one managing the Tanaka n¡¯s activities in the ck market now, he needed to cooperate with her to make everything about their n believable enough to fool Su Ru and Su Mingyu.

    Zhou Jingren said that it would take about a week of preparation before they can actually start with their n.

    Because of this, Lily was left bored with Qin Yuanfeng in the mansion. However, instead of sleeping, Lily decided to have some fun with her brother. "Check mate." She beamed. "I won this time." She said as she eyed the frown in Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s face.

    "You are surprisingly good at Chess." He said, his eyes still on the board.

    "I am not sure if that is an insult or..."

    "I am praising you." He interrupted her, prompting Lily tough out loud.

    "I know! Silly!"

    "Another game?" he asked.

    "No." She was expecting that Qin Yuanfeng would be better than her at Chess. Surprisingly, she had already beat her brother twice in a row. Wasn¡¯t this enough proof that she was smarter than him? Lily chuckled at her own thoughts before she rose from her seat. "I am hungry. I want another bowl of rice porridge."

    He nodded before he instructed one of her attendants to prepare two bowls of porridge for their lunch. "I was expecting to see you pacing around, hand on your chin, with a very worried look on your face today." He uttered as he started putting the chess pieces back on the box.

    "Why would I do that?"

    "You know why..." he shrugged.

    "Oh! No," she said as she walked towards their portrait made of gems. "I trust him." She knew that everything would go well. There was no need for her toment over her emotions. Moreover, worrying while being pregnant was not good for her and the baby.

    Hearing her words, Qin Yuanfeng nodded. Maybe couples who truly love each other have that special kind of trust. Sadly, this was something that he never experienced with his past lover. Heughed inwardly. If this trust existed between them, then maybe she would still be alive right now. Not that he regretted any of it.

    "Aren¡¯t you worried?" he asked.

    "I am." But would that aplish anything? All she could do right now was stay at home where she was protected while Zhou Jingren did his thing. She was no hero. Her presence right now, would only distract him. It would only make him worry about her safety, therefore distracting his emotions. She would not be that stupid to cause any danger for both of them.

    This was the reason why she chose to stay here instead of going with him. Good thing, Zhou Jingren and she had the same train of thought.

    "Alright." Lily said. "Go prepare your stuff so you can help them at a moment¡¯s notice." She added. "Of course, you can do that after lunch."

    ....

    It did not take a lot of time for them to finish their food.

    Lily chose to stay in their room while Qin Yuanfeng started doing his own stuff. After a couple of minutes, Lily fell asleep. However, this did notst long as Qin Yuanfeng woke her up.

    "Who?" she frowned.

    "A woman named Eleonor Brooke. She said you met with her a couple of months back." Qin Yuanfeng said. "She is someone who married to a certain Mr. Brooke. She is also Adalind Brooke¡¯s step¡ª "

    "Thank you. I remember. Did she tell you why she was here?"

    "She said it was important that you see each other now." Qin Yuanfeng uttered. "I can always say that you are busy, you know."

    "No nevermind that. I will go ahead and change. Let her wait inside in the living room. It¡¯s pretty cold outside." Lily immediately changed her clothes and went downstairs to see the purple dressed Mrs. Brooke. A smile immediately grew on Lily¡¯s face. "Mrs. Brooke."

    "Mrs. Zhou." She gave a cordial smile as she rose from her seat. She waited for Lily to sit on the couch opposite her. "I am sorry for not calling you beforeing in here. It¡¯s just that¡ª" she eyed Qin Yuanfeng who stood next to Lily. "I need to talk to you. In private." She made sure to emphasize on the word private, hoping to convey the importance of them talking to each other, alone.

    For a few seconds, Lily stared at the woman before she eyed her brother. In response, Qin Yuanfeng nodded, a sign that just like everyone else, Mrs. Brooke had passed the scan for potentially dangerous items before they let her inside. Meaning she was not carrying any weapons that could put Lily in danger.

    "Alright." Lily nodded. "Please follow me." She stood and walked towards Zhou Jingren¡¯s study with Mrs. Brooke following her. While Lily did not really know this woman, she also could not shake the feeling that she needed to hear the words that she would say. It was an instinct, a strong one.

    "You have a very beautiful house."

    Lily responded with a hum as she opened the door to Zhou Jingren¡¯s study. "Please, let¡¯s talk inside." She gestured for her to follow her inside.

    After making themselvesfortable, Lily asked Siyang to give them some tea. "I am assuming this is very important?" Lily spoke after a few minutes of silence.

    "I believe so, yes."

    Lily stared at the woman opposite her. She always knew that Mrs. Brooke was a very smart woman. Surely, thetter would not really waste her own time ining back to Hongkong after what happened to Adalind and her mother, right?

    "Well... let¡¯s wait for tea before we start talking?" Lily smiled. "How are you? Is everything going well for you?"

    Mrs. Brooke responded with a slight smile. An unfathomable expression shed in her eyes. "I have been well. However, Charlotte and Adalind... not so much."

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 763 Greatest Influence

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 763 Greatest Influence</h4>

    "Really?"

    "Yes, she has lost the ability to walk, so she was forced to cancel all of her contracts. Her mother just finalized her divorce proceedings and had been left with nothing, even her car was taken by her ex husband. Now, she is asking my husband to pay for her rent. Apparently, she had been cheating behind her husband¡¯s back." Mrs. Brooke started telling Lily about everything that Charlotte did after she arrived back in the US.

    "I never heard about the ident until my husband told me about it. However, since I already told him about Charlotte and Adalind¡¯s crazy n, he was... kinda expecting it. Of course, he was mad at the mother and daughter. I mean..." Mrs. Brooke shrugged. "We can¡¯t really say that everything was Charlotte¡¯s fault. After all, Adalind is a grown woman. She is not a child anymore. She made her decision and now, she will be forced to face the consequences of her actions."

    "That is just... sad, isn¡¯t it?"

    "I always knew that someday, Charlotte will cause the downfall of her own daughter. It was just a matter of when." She let an exasperated sigh. "I already tried my best to make Adalind see the kind of woman her mother was. For a few months, she stopped or at least limited her contact with her mother. Sadly, it didn¡¯tst that long. Charlotte was just... too good in her acting skills. She could easily influence the emotion of her child."

    "Adalind was really beautiful." Lily added. "It¡¯s sad to think that her career ended because of her own stupidity."

    "I know! I have talked to my husband. We could find ways to make her walk again. Of course, there are ways. But it will take years and... she won¡¯t be able to wear heels again." Another sighed escaped my lips. "This is the bed that she made. Now, she will be forced toy on it."

    "Well... I truly hope that she learned her lesson."

    "I don¡¯t know. I honestly don¡¯t." Mrs. Brooke shrugged. "I did my best to warn her against it. I knew the consequences could be dire. Seeing Adalind now, it makes me think. If I forced her to leave with me, I¡¯m sure this wouldn¡¯t have happened."

    "You are ming yourself?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "You already said she was an adult. It was her own fault. You should stop thinking about the what if¡¯s and just focus on her recovery."

    "You don¡¯t understand. Since that ident, Adalind has changed. She had been different. Silent¡ª too silent. It is scaring her father and I."

    "Then... maybe you should have a specialist see her." Their conversation was interrupted when one of the attendants came in with a cup of hot tea.

    "Thank you, Siyang." Lily said as she gestured for him to leave them alone. She then took a sip of the hot tea, her eyes never left the woman opposite her. Just like her, Mrs. Brooke also took a sip of her hot tea before she put it back on the coffee table in front of them. She then hugged her handbag closer to her body, distress was apparent on her face. She knew the conversation was about to be over soon.

    "Thank you for seeing me.¡¯¡¯ Mrs. Brooke repeated. "I am truly grateful. I mean... I know we were never close or anything like that."

    "Tell me." Lily shortly said.

    "Well... I don¡¯t really know how to tell you this." Mrs. Brooke made a deliberate pause as she opened her handbag and handed Lily an old photograph. "That is an image of my grandmother and grandfather taken in Wales. Can you see the garden behind them?"

    "Roses?" It was exactly like the ones in Grandma Ye¡¯s house. However, this one was obviously smaller in size. She eyed Mrs. Brooke, waiting for her to continue.

    "Yes. When I came here. I was reminded of the garden that my grandmother used to tend to when I was a child. I used to help her do it." A sad smile slithered on her face. "Because of that, I went back to wales a couple of weeks back and went to our old house. The garden is long gone, however, the memories are still there." Seeing Lily just stared at the photo, Mrs. Brooke continued. "Well... I started checking the photo¡¯s in our old albums just to see the garden once again and I got this..." She handed her another image. "I believe that is an old image of your grandmother and grandfather in our old house in Wales. The same garden as the one that you can see on your own grandparent¡¯s image."

    Lily stared at the old photograph and realized that Mrs. Brooke was actually right. She held the two photos next to each other. Even a toddler could easily say that this was taken in the same ce and might even be taken at the same time. Frowning, she stared at the photo before shifting her gaze back to Mrs. Brooke. "Then.. Maybe they used to know each other?"

    "It was so easy to assume such a thing." Mrs. Brooke said, a sad smile on her face. "I just¡ª I just happen to think that it is more than that."

    "Why would you think that?"

    "First, let me tell you why I married into the Brooke family when... I am originally from Wales." Mrs. Brooke smiled. "I was married because my parents insisted that I stay away from the family. I grew up in the US, I just went back to wales for a short vacation. Every time, my parents insisted that I limit my contact with my grandparents. I mean... my grandfather was pretty entric while my grandmother was really strict. I thought that was the reason why my parents hated it every time I saw my grandparents. I was a child back then. I didn¡¯t understand a lot of stuff."

    Mrs. Brooke made another pause as she took a sip of her tea before she continued, "When I was in college, my parents started telling me to stop visiting my grandparent¡¯s house. We got into an argument. I didn¡¯t listen to them and got close to both of my grandparents. I learned a lot of things from them. They¡ª I considered them as my greatest influence."

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 764 Title of a Book

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 764 Title of a Book</h4>

    "Soon after, I became estranged from my parents and got closer to my grandparents. That was until my grandmother died. No¡ª let me correct that. It was until, my grandmother was murdered." Mrs. Brooke¡¯s eyes turned sharp. "They thought it was a heart attack. That she died in her sleep. However, I know that was not the case. Everyone in my family knew that someone murdered her. Soon after my grandfather followed his beloved wife. This time he died of suicide." She balled her hand into tight fists. "It was murder. Someone killed my grandparents."

    Lily pursed her lips as she thought about Lilian¡¯s deathst year. The doctor said it was of natural causes and she immediately believed it. Lily had been away on business trips and doing everything she could for thepany that she was not able to spend a lot of time with her grandmother. She was not even there when she died. This was one of her greatest regrets in life.

    Lily had been trying to tell herself that her grandmother would prefer it like that. Lilian was never emotional, she would have hated to see Lily crying in front of her. Lily had assured herself that it was fine. That this was what her grandmother had wanted.

    She never asked questions simply because she was scared. Afraid to face the truth¡ª the fact that she was not there during thest days of her grandmother¡¯s life.

    "At first, my parents warned me to stay away. They begged me to leave Wales." Mrs. Brooke continued. "I did. I left them. But I never stopped investigating. I just¡ª I had this ability or I chose to believe that I have one. The ability to sense that something was definitely wrong about someone, or something. People call it instinct."

    Her words took Lily inside her own memory. Did she investigate Lilian¡¯s death? Of course not. Instead, she moved on. She went to her office, spent the night on Lilian¡¯s chair, crying. Then she moved on. She drowned herself in her job after Lilian¡¯s funeral and never even visited her house. She just¡ª She was really pathetic back then, Lily thought inwardly.

    "So... I stumbled upon this... I don¡¯t know. The Organization? I found it in one of my grandfather¡¯s old recording tapes. He loved those little recorders and always had one with him. He called it... The Order of the Specter."

    Lily frowned. She had never heard of an organization like that before. "Sounds like a title of a book or a movie." She noted.

    "I know. I always believed it was some book. I did my research and well... came up with nothing."

    "What were his exact words?" Lily asked.

    "He said ¡¯it must be the Order... the Order of the Specter¡¯ that¡¯s all. I know this sounds crazy but¡ª "

    "But you felt it was real?"

    Mrs. Brooke nodded. "I just... Because of this I started digging more. I went back to Wales and retrieved or at least tried to retrieve the contents in my grandparent¡¯s safe. Unfortunately, it was all stolen. There was a burry in town and my grandparent¡¯s house was one of the houses that they stole from. And I thought... it made sense... no one was living in the house at that time. Then I thought... what if it was a cover up?"

    "What if... What if someone was trying to steal my grandparents possession because they knew about something? Maybe it was some ck ops mission? I mean... my grandfather fought in world war two. Maybe he discovered something? Maybe some sort of evidence? I don¡¯t know... this was all an assumption." Mrs. Brooke bit her lips. "I know I sound crazy, right now." She let out a sigh. "Please... ignore my ramblings. I just... sometimes, I still hope that they were alive so I could just ask them about it."

    Lily stayed silent. She eyed the pool of tears in Mrs. Brooke¡¯s eyes and sigh inwardly. It seems that the death of Mrs. Brooke¡¯s grandparents really caused her a lot of trauma¡ª something that Mrs. Brooke never dealt with until now. "So ... my grandmother?" While Mrs. Brooke had a gripping story, Lily hadn¡¯t really heard anything about Lilian yet. Lily had been through a lot that trusting a stranger¡¯s words was something that she would never do.

    "Well... when I found that photo in your hand. I did some research and found out that Lilian Fi and my grandmother died with the same causes. Heart Attack, dead while they were asleep." Mrs. Brooke¡¯s clear gaze turned towards her. "I know... I sound really crazy. But... I don¡¯t know... I just... I just thought that maybe you could investigate?"

    "Then may I know why you stopped investigating the matter?

    Mrs. Brooke turned silent. Guilt shed in her eyes. "My parents¡¯ business went down. It just... after I started investigating, snooping around and talking to my grandparent¡¯s friends, our family business just... our employees turned against us. The government filed a case against us from some tax problems. We never encountered this kind of problem before."

    "So, you thought, it was because you started investigating their deaths that someone¡ª or this order of the specter was trying to warn you or something?"

    In response, Mrs. Brooke nodded before she lowered her head. "This was the reason why I married into a man that I don¡¯t love. My husband saved my family¡¯s business. In return, I became his wife while he used ourpany as a stepping stone in his ns to branch out into Europe." She then smiled at Lily before shaking her head. "It¡¯s not that I regret it. Mr. Brooke is truly a nice man. Slowly, I fell for him. I learned how to care for him. I love and respect the man and I am nning to spend the rest of my life with him." However, after what happened her parents had urged her to forget about what happened with her grandparents and not to involve herself in their matters ever again. Or she would suffer the consequences.

    Lily pursed her lips as she stared at Mrs. Brooke¡¯s face. So... two people who died with the same causes. Is that really something that she should investigate?

    ........

    Proofreader: Dragon777

    Thank you for the support and please don¡¯t forget to vote with your powerstones!

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 765 Elegant and Deadly

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 765 Elegant and Deadly</h4>

    "You don¡¯t believe me." Mrs. Brooke could see it in Lily¡¯s eyes. "I know... I¡¯m sorry for wasting your time. I just thought that¡ª "

    "I can¡¯t do it." Lily¡¯s words were as clear as day. "Even if I have the reason to... I won¡¯t do it." The stern look on Lily¡¯s face was enough to tell her that there was no convincing her. She eyed Lily¡¯s stomach. This decision should be partly because of her pregnancy. Sighing, Mrs. Brooke nodded with a small smile stered on her face.

    "I understand." She said. "I¡¯m sorry for bringing it up." Thest time she was here, Lily¡¯s stomach was still small. Naturally, she never had any idea that she was pregnant.

    "It¡¯s not a problem." Lily smiled. She did not need to exin the reason behind her decision. It was pretty understandable that she was pregnant. Could she really afford to investigate something that was purely an assumption based on some photos? The answer was a definite no. Her priority right now was her safety.

    Mrs. Brooke sighed inwardly. Just what did she expect from a business woman like Lily? Surely, she would not invest her time and energy into something that did not give her any returns. "You don¡¯t have to believe me. In fact.... You can just forget about the words I said." Lily didn¡¯t respond. Instead she took another sip of her tea.

    .......

    Maind China.

    When Zhou Jingren finished talking to his mother, it was already eight in the evening. The n was borate and yet fragile at the same time, one mistake could ruin everything. Because of this, they took a lot of time to discuss the details. Moreover, his mother and father had also asked him the details of what happened in the past.

    When he realized that it was already thiste, he immediately texted Lily that he would stay with Bei Tian for more nning beforeing back home.

    Zhou Jingren already knew that something was wrong when he walked inside the bungalow house where Bei Tian was staying. There was only silence apanied by the cold. As if a window had been left open. Bei Tian never left the windows open. Not when it was starting to get cold outside. Jingren knew how Bei Tian hated the cold.

    His face turned stern, senses on high alert as he took another step forward. Who would dare attack him in his own turf? Without saying anything, Zhou Jingren turned towards Secretary Go who seemed to sense the same thing. He then reached out the switch that was intended for the lights in the living room. Closing his eyes, Zhou Jingren tried his best to get used to the dark before he flipped it off.

    The next thing that Zhou Jingren knew, two pairs of hands were already gripping his suit, trying to subdue him. He stepped back, his movements fast as he lifted his leg, kicking the person who stood in front of him. Zhou Jingren did not hesitate as he sent a punch towards the second man, his fist collided with the man¡¯s jaw. He heard a grunt followed by a thud.

    He felt someone kick his back, he stumbled forward but he quickly recovered. The opponent was not here to kill, he thought as his hands found the thin tinum card that he specially made for himself. He had always hated knives, he would not want to always bring one in his travels. He found it too bulky, too savage.

    This card however was small and thin. It was elegant. It was deadly.

    Grabbing the card, Zhou Jingren moved towards the shadow who was approaching him. He tackled him, easily subduing the man in an arm lock before using the card to maim the tendon in the man¡¯s arm. The man let out a low growl, something that sent some satisfaction inside him. He smirked, moving as fast as he could to sever the man¡¯s Achilles heel.

    When it came to personally killing people, Zhou Jingren would never feel any satisfaction in killing them immediately. He always found some beauty in torture, in prolonging the agony. The man let out a scream. Seeing this, Zhou Jingren moved towards the next one. Just like the other, he maimed the man¡¯s tendon, preventing him from even standing up. If he lives, the man would surely suffer forever.

    Since the opponent did not show any intent to kill, Zhou Jingren chose to reciprocate, except he chose to punish them. The absence of bloodthirst from these men only meant that they might be here for a reason aside from killing him. He sneered. Unlike them, Zhou Jingren was the epitome of maliciousness.

    The fact that they dared attack him here, only meant that they were prepared to face the consequences of their actions. Another man fell down from his slim card. He gulped, he could smell the rustic smell of blood all over the room.

    "Alright... Alright... that¡¯s enough." The warm voice was followed by footsteps, tens of them. Zhou Jingren only became more alert. However, contrary to his expectations, the men did not attack him and Secretary Go, instead they surrounded him as the light in the living room was switched back on. "Ohhhh... that was pretty harsh."

    Zhou Jingren squinted his eyes at the man who was sitting on one of the couches that was not damaged from the fight.

    "You actually crippled them?" the man raised an eyebrow as he returned Zhou Jingren¡¯s sharp gaze. "Now... Now... I am not your enemy. Calm down. I am not here to kill you." The man¡¯s voice was warm and sweet. It reminded Jingren of maple syrup. He hated it. Squinting, Zhou Jingren took a step back as he observed the men surrounding him. His eyes thennded towards Secretary Go.

    Just like him, Secretary Go was unharmed. However, instead of a card, he was holding a small dagger. Something that he always carried with him. "Where is Bei Tian?" Zhou Jingren asked. There was no way that these people could have beat Bei Tian in a fight. Unless they used something to subdue him, like some poisonous gas. "Where is he?"

    "What is that in your hand?"Ignoring his question, the blond man asked. "Is that some sort of a weaponized card?" He eyes Zhou Jingren¡¯s bloodied hand. "I must say... I was not expecting you to be this ruthless." He chuckled. "But... I like it."

    "Where is Bei Tian?" Silence followed Zhou Jingren¡¯s words as thick tension filled the air. "Where the hell is he?"

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 766 Compromised Facade

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 766 Compromised Facade</h4>

    Antone Harringfort was livid. Contrary to the smile that he was showing to Zhou Jingren, his inner self was in turmoil. He eyed his men who were assisting the six people that were bleeding on the floor before he shifted his gaze to Zhou Jingren¡¯s bloodied hands.

    He never expected him to be this... malicious. Zhou Jingren must have sensed the absence of intent in his men. He must have known that they were only attacking him to test his skills. Still, he chose to punish them.

    Severing their tendons without having second thoughts was something that he never expected from a man who only made Bei Tian do most of the work. The smile on his face grew wider as the anger inside him started to boil. He could practically feel his anger seep out of his ears, like a fucking boiling kettle. "He is safe." Bei Tian was not the person that he wanted to see. He is not allowed to harm him.

    If he had known that this Zhou Jingren would ruthlessly do this to his people, he would have killed that Bei Tian ahead of time just to retaliate and make Zhou Jingren suffer. Gritting his teeth, he eyed Zhou Jingren¡¯s stern face. "Sit." He gestured for him to sit across him. "Your men are safe." He assured him. They used a gas to knock them out and that was it. Right now, his only regret is not harming those men. Fuck the rules! He thought inwardly.

    Why was he not allowed to harm Zhou Jingren and his people when Zhou Jingren was allowed to harm him? Stupid rules! He watched as Zhou Jingren sat opposite him, the tension in the air grew thicker.

    "Who are you?"

    "Call me Antone. I am not sure if you remember me¡ª "

    "I do. You are the man from the milk tea shop."

    He nodded, impressed at Zhou Jingren¡¯s sharp memory. "I am called Antone Harringfort." His thick ent became apparent every time he mentioned his real name. He hated it.

    "Where is Bei Tian?"

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s question instantly made him more irritated. How could he worry about a nobody when he was surrounded by people his size, willing to attack him under Harringfort¡¯s orders? Surely, Zhou Jingren was not stupid, right?

    "I already told you¡ª"

    "Where is he?"

    "In his room. Sleeping." This time, he told him the truth. There is no use in withholding unimportant information like this. "Now... let¡¯s calm down. If I wanted you dead... you wouldn¡¯t have been sitting across me right now." He forced a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes. "But you already know this, right?"

    "Why are you here?"

    Again, Zhou Jingren¡¯s tone immediately made him more furious. He forced the anger down and pretended to be amused by the man¡¯s words. "No bullshit, I see?" he grinned. Zhou Jingren only responded with a low hum. "I am here to talk about the future, Mr. Zhou. I hope you are ready to listen to everything that I say and decide carefully. This might cost you your family¡¯s life."

    "You are threatening me." Zhou Jingren stated.

    "Oh no. No... we don¡¯t threaten someone. We are not that low." Harringfort beamed, his blue eyes gleaming under the light of the room. His eyes thennded towards his men that was now fully tended. "Bring them to the headquarters. Attend to their family¡¯s needs." He ordered, taking his eyes back to Zhou Jingren. "The people that you hurt have families. Wives, children, parents and grandparents. Crippling them is way worse than killing them."

    A snort escaped Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips. Seeing this, Harringfort continued. "I was not expecting that you can be so ruthless behind the back of your wife."

    "Are you saying that I should have let them attack me just because they have families waiting for them at home?"

    Harringfort¡¯s lips thinned. "No. All I¡¯m saying is... you were too ruthless. Now, these people would live hating themselves for not being strong enough to defend themselves against you."

    "And... is that something that I should be concerned about?"

    Harringfort stared at Zhou JIngren¡¯s sharp features.

    "Mr. Harringfort, there is now in a fight. Dying and being injured is nothing but a part of it. They will get over it."

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s nonchnt answer was something that he never expected.

    "Now... are you going to tell me why you are here? Or are we going to talk about morals and values?" Zhou Jingren added.

    Still, Harringfort did not respond. Surely, he underestimated Zhou Jingren¡¯s will. He waited for his people to leave before he started speaking. "I am from an organization who is keeping the peace in the world."

    "The UN?"

    "The Order of the Spectre."

    "Never heard of it."

    "Let me finish!" Harringfort hissed, unable to hide the irritation inside him. This man¡ª This man in front of him was just so hateful! "Alright... As I said..."

    "No." Zhou Jingren said tly.

    "Excuse me?"

    "I said no."

    "What are you¡ª "

    ???You are going to ask me to join you." Zhou Jingren stated. "Even a toddler could guess that."

    "You should listen¡ª "

    "And I am saying no. I won¡¯t be joining some organization."

    Harringfort frowned. This was supposed to be a serious conversation, full of tension and thick suffocating atmosphere. He was supposed to tell this man what the Spectre could do. Instead, everything about this meeting had been a nightmare. From his injured people to this man¡¯s nonchnce and now... him refusing to listen to his words.

    He even had the guts to refuse the offer without even knowing what the Spectre is!

    "You should listen to me and listen well." He uttered, trying his best to hide the irritation in his voice. At this point, Harringfort already realized thating in here to talk to Zhou Jingren was the wrong decision.

    He was too close, his emotions towards Zhou Jingren and Lily were enough topromise the facade that he wanted to maintain. "Old Man Yu left his seat to you." He added. "I am not here to recruit you. I am here to tell you about the rules of the organization. It was not a matter of deciding whether you will join or not. There is only the matter of deciding when to talk to the council to solidify your position inside the organization."

    ...

    2/3 Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 767 Poker

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife 767 Poker</h4>

    The lines in between Zhou Jingren¡¯s forehead deepened.

    "I know you don¡¯t understand a lot of things right now and you don¡¯t have to. To be honest, I don¡¯t have the time to exin everything right now either. It is best if you experience it in person." He did not miss the smugness in Harringfort¡¯s voice. "For someone like you who¡ª grew up alone, being one of us, is considered a miracle. A blessing."

    Still, Zhou Jingren said nothing.

    "The Spectre is an organization which maintains the status quo of the world. Our goal is simple, keep everyone¡¯s feet on the ground. We prevent countries from colonizing another country, we prevent wars, we prevent monopoly of industries. We are the reason why a war between the US and Russia did not happen. We are the reason why the world market copsed and we are the reason why... it recovered." Thetter grinned. "You don¡¯t believe me." He said. "Of course, you wouldn¡¯t. I can understand the difficulty of grasping something as huge as this."

    "Again, I have no interest in this organization."

    "You still don¡¯t get it, do you? Harringfort pursed his lips. "I am not here to ask you to join us. I am here... to tell you that you are already one of us. Whether you like it or not, you are already a part of the organization." Zhou Jingren was about to answer him when he raised his hand, he held a finger in front of him, silencing Zhou Jingren in the process. "How about we y a game?"

    Zhou Jingren narrowed his eyes in response. Seeing this, Harringfort let out a low chuckle before his face turned serious. "If you lose... I kill Bei Tian."

    As expected, Zhou Jingren¡¯s face changed. "You wouldn¡¯t dare." This reaction only made Harringfortugh harder. Her clutched his stomach, mockery swirling in his eyes.

    "What? Is he your lover? I mean..." he held both of his hands and made a face. "I don¡¯t judge." He let out anotherughter. "Ah... look at your face. You¡ª I was not expecting this. Are you perhaps in love with that man?"

    Zhou Jingren turned silent. He eyed the Harringfort¡¯s men that were keeping their distance since thetter started talking. The other¡¯s must be guarding Secretary Go and Bei Tian, he thought. There were four of them, even without Secretary Go, he could easily defeat them. The only problem now, was the man in front of him.

    Based on the man¡¯s stature, Harringfort should be about his height. He was not very bulky or lean, but his eyes were enough to convince him that he too could fight. The only thing that he needed to do is¡ª

    "Now.... Now... I know what you are thinking. And I am telling you... stop it." Harringfort¡¯s voice interrupted his stupor. "Just to let you know... I won¡¯t be able to defeat you in a fight. You are fast and well... you seem to love fighting." Harringfort shrugged. "I don¡¯t. I use a gun and know a little martial arts but that¡¯s it." He eyed the blood from his men and scrunched his nose. "I hate the rustic smell of blood." He added. "However, before you decide to touch me... know this. My people are watching us and I am sure they will kill Bei Tian and that Secretary of yours before I breathe myst." Harringfort beamed. "Do you understand me now?"

    He nodded. Harringfort indeed had a point. Moreover, Zhou Jingren¡¯s knowledge about this organization was practically non-existent. He was not really sure if someone from this organization would attack Lily the moment he does something to this man.

    "Good! I always knew you were smart." Harringfort crossed his right leg over his left as he held his chin. "Now... about the game." His eyes sparkled with excitement. "Let me start by saying, I absolutely love anime. You shouldn¡¯t judge. I know you didn¡¯t have the time to watch them when you were younger so I can understand that reaction."

    Chuckling at his own words, Harringfort continued. "I stumbled upon this anime with a strange card game. They call it choice poker. Have you heard of that game before? No? Alright... let me exin the rules." Beaming, he rubbed his hands together as he signaled his men to prepare some tables and chairs for them. "Oh... you should really get rid of that knife... or that small card in your hand. The blood is making me ufortable."

    Zhou Jingren did as instructed. He kept the card on his jacket pocket before using a handkerchief to clean his hands.

    "Great! Now... we can start!" Harringfort excitedly said. "Choice poker... hmmm... where do I start? The rules of poker apply in this game. Each of us will get five cards per round. In each round, we are given the opportunity to exchange two cards." He gave a boyish grin, a gesture that reminded Zhou Jingren of some people that he met in the Casino before. Gambling. Harringfort clearly loves gambling.

    "This is where the fun begins." Harringfort continued. "The one with the highest bet has the ability to decide which type of cards will win. He can say two words, ¡¯Higher¡¯ or ¡¯Lower¡¯. Meaning, even if the one with the highest bet had an absolutely low set of cards, he could still win if he chose ¡¯Lower¡¯. Do you get it?"

    Zhou Jingren narrowed his eyes at the man opposite him. This was not a game of poker. This was a game of wealth. The one with the highest bet would decide which type of cards would win. Meaning, each of them would now try to bet higher than the other to get the opportunity to decide which set of cards will win.

    For example, if Zhou Jingren gets a two of cloves, three of hearts, five of cloves, seven of diamonds and king of spades, this means that his odds of winning against someone with a pair was practically non-existent. However, since he has the opportunity to change his cards, he can choose to change the king of spades and seven of diamonds, hoping that he will at least get a four and six or a pair. If he fails to get one of those, he will then bet as much as he can to have the opportunity to decide what type of cards will win.

    Now, let¡¯s say he gets the highest bet. Zhou Jingren will then choose ¡¯Lower¡¯. Meaning the lowest cards will win. However, Zhou Jingren will only win if Harringfort has a pair or a straight. If Harringforts card is lower than Zhou Jingren¡¯s cards, then despite having the highest bet and the opportunity to choose, Zhou Jingren will still lose.

    Of course, the advantage of having the opportunity to choose which one will win is still too tempting. It could practically turn the weakest set of cards into the strongest just by betting higher than the opponents money.

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s jaw¡¯s thinned as he continued to stare at the smile on Harringforts face. This game was clearly made to showcase one¡¯s wealth. He immediately wondered if this is something that the organization made so they could show how wealthy they were.

    "So... are you ready?" Harringfort beamed.

    ...

    This Choice poker is based on the anime: Kakegurui

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel!

    Please go to to read thetest chapters for free

 Chapter 768 Chips

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 768 Chips</h4>

    Chapter 768 Chips

    Unedited

    "Each chip is worth five hundred thousand," Harringfort dered, his gaze had a hint of amusement and glee. He sat opposite Zhou Jingren before he gestured to one of his men to give Zhou Jingren some chips. "I have a total of two hundred chips. How about you? How many¡ª "

    "Same as you." Zhou Jingren interrupted him. "A hundred million worth of chips."

    "Very good!" Harringfort beamed. "Well... I am really feeling generous today. So... how about we call your friend? Oh, wait. He is still asleep. How about your secretary? You know... for some support?"

    "You can do whatever you want." Zhou Jingren answered. To be honest, his mind is currently with Lily. He could not help but wonder if she was safe or if this man dared to attack her. What if he was nning to use Lily against him? "My only concern is my wife."

    "What about your wife? Are you telling me that you wanted her to join us?" Harringfort chuckled. "Don¡¯t tell me the smart President Zhou wanted to ask for his wife¡¯s help in ying a simple game of poker?" heughed. Seeing Zhou Jingren¡¯s serious expression, Harringfort made a deliberate pause. "Are you serious?"

    "I want you to assure me that she is safe." The fact that these people could enter the premises of this secured bungalow only meant that they had a way to bypass his security undetected. While the security in his house was not as strong as the one on The Peak, he still wanted to make sure that his wife is safe.

    "Oh! I thought... you wanted to ask for her to help you. Silly me. Of course, President Zhou would not do that." Harringfort gave another boisterousughter. However, instead of feeling irritated about the man¡¯s entric behavior, Zhou Jingren stayed calm. He pursed his lips as he eyed the boxes of ying cards on top of their table. He sighed. Without this man¡¯s assurance that Lily is safe, he would not y a single game against him. "Oh! You can call her."

    Zhou Jingren did not wait for the man to utter those words again. He immediately opened his phone and called Lily. Of course, he didn¡¯t forget to activate a certain application that would tell Qin Yuanfeng he is in danger. Good thing, he was able to warn Qin Yuanfeng ahead of time not to tell Lily about this in case he received the signal. "I can¡¯t call her. There is no... reception." Saying the words itself almost knocked his lungs out. Without reception, he won¡¯t be able to tell Qin Yuanfeng about the emergency. This could mean that he won¡¯t have a way to tell them about his current situation.

    "Oh! Right... I forgot about the signal jammer." Beaming, Harringfort gestured to one of his men to turn it off for thirty seconds. "Surely, that would be enough for you to confirm that she is safe no?"

    Zhou Jingren nodded in response. He only needed twenty seconds to send the signal to Qin Yuanfeng. This will then trigger another program that Qin Yuanfeng installed in the satellite owned by the Chinese government. Using the satellite, Qin Yuanfeng could easily track him. He immediately dialed Lily¡¯s number and waited for her to answer the call. He pressed the loudspeaker feature.

    "Hey," Lily¡¯s groggy voice reached his ears. "You are still awake?" she yawned. Zhou Jingren eyed Harringfort before he answered.

    "I am about to sleep. I just called to tell you, I miss you."

    "When are youing back?"

    "Tomorrow. I have some things to discuss with Bei Tian. Then I wille home... tomorrow."

    "Oh." Lily let out another yawn. "I am too sleepy."

    "I know." He smiled. "I love you. You should sleep now." He heard Lily hum before she responded.

    "I love you more. I will see you tomorrow."

    Zhou Jingren then ended the call. All throughout the conversation, his eyes never left the man sitting opposite him. This means he saw the rage in Harringfort¡¯s eyes as he listened to their conversation. He immediately wondered why this man would feel anger while listening to them. He shook the thoughts out of his head.

    "See? Did you really think I am that kind of man? I would never hurt a woman¡ª a pregnant woman." Harringfort grinned before he lowered his eyes, hiding the emotion that swirled in his blue orbs. "Are you ready?"

    Zhou Jingren nodded without saying anything. "One question." Zhou Jingren said. "How will we know who will win?"

    "Oh! I forgot about that!" Harringfort held his chin. "Well... we can buy more chips? Until we ran out of money?" he smirked. "Or... we can buy a total of five hundred million chips and... well, the first one who runs out of chips will lose. Of course, I ept other bets too... like an arm. Or an eye." He smiled. "Perhaps a life."

    "Good." Pursing his lips, he instructed Secretary Go for his checkbook. Both he and Harringfort immediately wrote a check for the chips. Then, they signed a contract¡ª something that Harringfort insisted on doing. A contract that says, no matter what happened, the loser would never me the winner. He mentioned that this is something that the organization required in bets like this. Of course, Zhou Jingrenplied.

    He doesn¡¯t have a choice. He never had one.

    The only thing that he needed to do now is to y and win. Again, losing is not an option.

    "Alright... we really should start." Harringfort rubbed his palms as he gave Zhou Jingren a boyish grin. Seeing Zhou Jingren nod at his words, he immediately gestured to one of his men to deal for them.

    "Hmmm... so again, we have an opportunity to exchange two of our cards before we can start betting against each other." Harringfort reminded as he excitedly looked at the five cards in front of him. Beaming, he picked two of the cards andid it in front of Zhou Jingren. "I am changing this, queen of hearts and ten of diamonds."

 Chapter 769 A Gambler

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 769 A Gambler</h4>

    Chapter 769 A Gambler

    The Peak

    When Qin Yuanfeng received the signal, he immediately checked the location of Zhou Jingren¡¯s phone. After realizing that he was already inside the house in Shanghai, he tried to ess the camera¡¯s inside. The fact that the camera¡¯s were now pointing at the walls immediately made him frown. When he tried to ess the past recordings, the only thing that he could find was that someone had moved the cameras, after that there was nothing. He immediately dialed Bei Tian¡¯s number. No answer.

    He then dialed Secretary Go¡¯s number. No answer.

    With a dark look on his face, he started to check the nearby CCTV¡¯s footage only to discover that they too had been moved and some of them were even destroyed. Something must have happened! He pursed his lips before he continued to find ways to ess the previous recordings of the footage. After a few seconds of deliberation, Qin Yuanfeng tried to hack the satellite so he could use it to ess and watch the bungalow where Zhou Jingren was currently at.

    Shanghai, China

    "Eh?" Harringfort raised an eyebrow when he saw that Zhou Jingren wanted to change two cards. The thing was... this is not just some two cards. Zhou Jingren actually exchanged a pair of eights. He widened his eyes as he stared at Zhou Jingren¡¯s stern face. Smiling, he immediately thought that Zhou Jingren decided to discard the pair of eights because he thought that Harringfort had a low set of cards.

    Too bad.

    Harringfort eyed his set of cards and beamed inwardly. He did not have low cards. In fact, he had a pair of nines, an ace, a three of spades and a five of diamonds. A while ago, he wanted to trick Zhou Jingren into thinking that he discarded his queen of hearts and ten of diamonds because he was aiming to have a hand of cards with a lower value. Guess it worked, he thought.

    Now Zhou Jingren immediately discarded his pairs so he could have a low number of cards too.

    "How bold," Harringfort pretended to turn serious at the sight of the pairs. He felt his hands sweat, his heartbeat racing as he thought about Zhou Jingren¡¯s reaction once he found out that Harrington was going to choose, ¡¯higher¡¯ instead of ¡¯lower¡¯.

    "You can bet now." The dealer uttered.

    "President Zhou... why don¡¯t you make the first bet."

    "Two chips." Zhou Jingrenid two of the chips.

    "Just a million? Really?" he smirked. "Raise. Let¡¯s make it twenty chips. For ten million."

    As expected, his bold move changed Zhou Jingren¡¯s face. "What? Scared now?" Harringfort taunted with the same smug smile on his face. His hand then made its way into the chips, "President Zhou... Really, both of us know that this is not a game of chance." He gave a small shrug before he started ying with two of the chips using his fingers.

    "Call." Zhou Jingren said. "And raise, total of eleven million."

    "Really? What makes you think that you can win against me, President Zhou?" Sarcasmced his voice. "I remember Zhou Capital just opened a branch in France. Isn¡¯t that too... wonderful? I was originally nning to send some flowers to congratte you. Then I realized... you only seeded because of your wife. Of course I could not really send her some flowers without ... making you angry right?"

    "You talk too much." Zhou Jingren¡¯s words made Harringfort frowned.

    "And you are too arrogant." He hissed. "Don¡¯t forget¡ª "

    "Are you going to kill me despite signing your so-called game contract?" When Harringfort did not respond, Zhou Jingren continued, "I thought so. You really should stop talking too much and focus on the game."

    Harringfort scoffed in response. He hated the fact that he could not hurt this man. No matter what happened, no matter how much this Zhou Jingren antagonized him, he could not hurt him simply because he was one of them. Just like Lily, Harringfort could not hurt Zhou Jingren because he was already considered a member of the organization after old man Yu passed away. He gritted his teeth in silence. "I call and raise. Thirty million."

    "Thirty one million."

    "Forty million!" Harringfort immediately responded. He knew that he would win. There was no way that Zhou Jingren could beat him in his own game. "I told you... you are not winning this game."

    Zhou Jingren only stared at him in response. His nk eyes only made Harringfort confirm his initial suspicion. Zhou Jingren must have realized that he had been wrong in his judgment. "So?" Harringfort asked. "Are you going to raise?"

    "No." Zhou Jingren shook his head. "I call."

    Hearing this, a smile full of victory bloomed in his face. Does this mean that Zhou Jingren is not very knowledgeable in these types of games? But that would be impossible, right? Zhou Jingren grew up with the Yakuza. He was exposed to this type of gambling. "Good. I choose..." he made a deliberate pause, trying to prolong the anticipation that he felt inside. "Higher." He said before he showed his card. Pair of nine.

    "Now... show me your cards." He demanded. He almost could not hear his own words as his heartbeat increased. He could feel his heart jump in anticipation and excitement.

    When Zhou Jingren finally opened his card, Harringfort was not able to stop himself from yelling. He jumped off his seat, eyes wide as heughed.

    He was right! He was right after all! Zhou Jingren might not have any idea how to y the game.

    Zhou Jingren lost!

    No pairs or straights. His cards were all small numbers. He must have thought that Harringfort would choose ¡¯Lower¡¯ instead of ¡¯Higher¡¯.

    This made Harringfortugh a cold ominousughter. He held his stomach, his shoulders trembling from glee. This man... this Zhou Jingren is only a good actor. Harringfort easily fooled him after all. "I won!" he beamed, chin raised. How could he miss the opportunity to irritate his opponent. "President Zhou..." he leaned forward. "Be honest with me... do you really know how to y this game?" he asked.

    In response, Zhou Jingren rested his elbows on the table. He leaned forward, meeting Harringfort¡¯s gaze that was full of mockery. "Mr. Harringfort... as a gambler... you really should know that winning one game does not really guarantee your victory right?"

 Chapter 770 Just or Unjust?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 770 Just or Unjust?</h4>

    Chapter 770 Just or Unjust?

    Unedited

    Harringfort leaned back, his posturenguid as he smiled at Zhou Jingren. "True." But this victory was enough to show him that Zhou Jingren does not have what it takes to win this game. Harringfort started thinking about the other possible consequences that he could add to make this game spicier, more enjoyable. "I think you are not taking this game seriously, President Zhou."

    Zhou Jingren scoffed but never responded.

    "How about we... increase the risk? Five hundred million was too small. How about we add something... something very important to us?"

    "What is the purpose of this game?"

    Harringfort gave a half shrug. "Just for fun."

    "First you came here to talk about a certain organization. When I refused to join you... you challenged me into a game. Why?"

    "Nothing important. Just in a mood to gamble." Would he really miss the opportunity to show the council that letting Zhou Jingren in was the worst decision that they could make? Aside from this, he wanted this man to know that he is a senior. Someone who needed to be respected. After all, he had been in the organization for more than three years.

    At thirty-three, he was one of the youngest in the organization. But, he should not be underestimated. Being the messenger of the Spectre is not a job for the faint-hearted. Now that he thought about it, these people... even the people who had been members of the organization for tens of years should respect him. He is, after all, the face of the organization.

    He stared at the distrust swirling in Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes as he wondered why he could not spot any anger in his opponent¡¯s eyes. He let out another grunt. This man...

    Since knowing that Lily had been married to Zhou Jingren, the hatred in Harringfort¡¯s heart against this man started to grow. The fact that Lily¡ª his Lily married someone else, had be one of the things that kept him awake sincest year. He, a prince by blood, should be the one who was supposed to marry Lily, the granddaughter of thete Friedrich, the rightful Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Since knowing this, Harringfort had been angry, to say the least.

    He felt that the world was not fair. Lily was supposed to be his. She was supposed to be his fiance. This was even confirmed by his father who knew about Friedrich¡¯s ties to the Luxembourg royalty. Now, he was reduced to someone like Eliza. A woman who seemed not to know what she wanted in life.

    A woman who can¡¯t even choose between her happiness and her responsibility. Weak-willed and pretentious! The thought of his own fiance made him want to puke his guts out. Imagining himself beside Eliza is... nauseating. How could he associate himself with a dumb woman like her?

    Compared to Lily¡ª ugh! Are the two women evenparable? Lily was akin to a shining star, while Eliza... is nothing but a stone in the river! Ordinary, forgettable. Without herbel as a princess, Eliza is just one of the passersby that he saw in Belgium. He gritted his teeth. He really should stop thinking about that woman.

    He had been avoiding her call for weeks now. He could only hope that she would cancel this engagement and save him the trouble of convincing his estranged father to cancel this deal¡ª whatever this is. He fought the urge to roll his eyes. He should stop thinking about things that would reveal his real intentions.

    He held his breath before he faked a smile, hoping it was enough to mask the anger that he felt towards Zhou Jingren. "Next?" thetter nodded in response. "The Spectre... is not just any organization President Zhou." He started. "We are not some organized crime groups like the Mafia or Yakuza or the triad. We are nothing like those... criminals." He watched as the dealer started to open another box of ying cards¡ª something that they agreed before starting to y the game. He then gestured for one of his men to get him a bottle of water.

    "Wine? Coffee? Tea? Or water?" he asked.

    "Water."

    "You heard him," he nodded at one of his men before turning his attention to Zhou Jingren. "As I said... we had been around for tens of years. It all began after to wrote his book, The Republic."

    "Is it better to be just or be unjust?" Zhou Jingren stated. "In the end, he concluded that it is better to be just than be unjust. Are you telling me that this organization is based on justice?" he scoffed.

    Harringfort shook his head before heughed. "No. You got it wrong. Our principle is based on the fact that justice in this world... does not exist. There is no just or unjust. There is only... the present." He continued. "Your justice is different from my definition of justice. You see? Everyone¡¯s definition of justice is different. Surely, the privilege like us has a different meaning of justice than the people living in the slums, no?"

    "What is your point?" Zhou Jingren asked. The rich have always had privilege while the poor do not. This is something that he knew since he was a child. "What is the point in talking about this? Are you trying to tell me that this organization does not care about justice? That this organization does not care about being just or unjust? If that is the case... then why does this organization exist?" He made a deliberate pause for a few seconds. "Does... Does the Spectre exist to control the world?" With the absence of justice and ethics, an organization with brains, brawns, and money could surely rule the world, he thought.

    "Bingo!" Harringfort beamed. "Now... you get it. Without considering what is wrong and right, we rule the world and maintain its status quo. To maintain... the power."

    "So... you are telling me... that The Spectre does not care about very, child pornography, and other issues. Instead... you care about maintaining the stability of power."

 Chapter 771 Lucky!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 771 Lucky!</h4>

    Chapter 771 Lucky!

    Unedited

    "Without us, the world would have fallen into a never-ending state of war, by now. Think about it." Harringfort reasoned. "Everyone wanted to rule. Everyone wanted to be powerful, to rule over the others. Without our intervention, this world... would have been littered with cruelty and murder, racism, and everything thates along with it."

    "You are trying to convince me that you are the good guys." Zhou Jingren calmly stated. "You are not."

    "And we aren¡¯t the bad guys either." Harringfort thenid two cards on the table, one two of hearts and one four of spades. "I¡¯d like to think that we are the good guys. After all, by killing tens of people, we were able to save millions. By enving a few, we were able to supply the needs of thousands."

    Pursing his lips, Zhou Jingren checked his own cards. "I can¡¯t be one of you."

    "You have no choice. It¡¯s either you take your seat or you die. The verdict is simple but cruel. But then again... life is cruel to everyone." Harringfort touched the card on the table. "I am changing these two." He then stared at Zhou Jingren¡¯s stern expression. "Whatever you have now... we¡¯ll take it from you. That is the punishment for ignoring the call¡ª our call. Not many people have the opportunity to be one of us, President Zhou. I would advise you to think about it carefully."

    "You said that this was Old Man Yu¡¯s doing?"

    "He chose you to be one of us before he died."

    "You ¡ª Did you know that he would kill himself?"

    Harringfort nodded.

    "And... you never stopped him?"

    "What for?" Harringfort lifted an eyebrow before he continued. "Death is part of life. Dying that way was his choice. It has nothing to do with us."

    "Why not choose his son instead?"

    "The position cannot be inherited by a son unless he was appointed by the dead member." Of course, Lily¡¯s case was different. Lilian never appointed her before she died. However, she had been training Lily to be one of them the moment that she met her. The five other people in the council had been eyeing Lily¡¯s progress since she entered the business world years ago. Her cruelty, decisiveness, and wisdom was something that not many people her age possess. Thanks to Lilian¡¯s training and Lily¡¯s experience, everything had been following the council¡¯s ns. Lily would soon take her seat. Once she turns thirty, she will be one of them. Whether she likes it or not¡ª she will be one of them.

    Of course, he was not going to blurt this out to Zhou Jingren. Revealing such secrets would be idiotic.

    Zhou Jingren nodded at his words before heid two cards on the table. Once again, it was a pair. This time it was a pair of three. Harringfortughed inwardly. He couldn¡¯t help but mock Zhou Jingren¡¯s actions. How could he be this stupid? Did he think that this move would fool a seasoned gambler like Harringfort? Mockery soonced his gaze. "You know President Zhou... life is just like gambling. Once you fail to read your opponent¡ª you lose."

    Zhou Jingren snorted. "You got it wrong. In gambling... there are no winners¡ª only losers." This was the reason why he is not very fond of gambling. As someone who worked in the financial industry, Zhou Jingren understood the anticipation that every gambler would feel while ying, the thought of being lucky, the thought of winning¡ª it is addicting. However... there is no such thing as winning in gambling.

    This was because... every addicted gambler would only stop once they lose all their money. Gambling is too euphoric, it is too addicting. It was the feeling of winning and the greed that lies behind it.

    "Hah! That is the exact mentally of someone who was not born from a wealthy family. You value money too much, President Zhou. To us... money is nothing but a means to enjoy ourselves. Money is a tool¡ª a tool to make us happy." Harringfort beamed. "Let me start with forty chips. That¡¯s twenty million."

    "Raise... twenty-one." Zhou Jingren answered. Of course, he never missed the insults that this man had been spouting since meeting him. However... he would never let it get to him. "You seemed to hate me a lot." He uttered. "Why recruit me if you hated me?"

    "I already told you! I am not recruiting you into anything!" Harringfort hissed. "What? You think this is some sort of a scam where we recruit people into joining us for money?" realizing his overreaction, he immediately narrowed his eyes at Zhou Jingren. "You are very good at pushing my buttons."And he hated it. Of course, he was aware that this hatred was because of his... jealousy.

    As embarrassing as it is, Harringfort would ept that he was jealous. Not because he loved Lily. No. He liked her seat, her aplishment, and her mind. Instead, he was jealous of Zhou Jingren¡¯s luck. This man... an unknown man like him married one of the most or future most influential woman in the world. Then he got a seat in the Spectre just because of what? He attended some birthday party!

    He shifted his gaze away from Zhou Jingren as he fought the urge to strangle him. He hated how he got every little good thing in this world without any effort. He is not someone from Royalty or someone from a very influential family. Still... he was lucky! How could someone like Harringfort ept this?

    Compared to Harringfort, this man in front of him was nothing! He never went to an Ivy league nor he had the best education in Asia! He was nothing! A fly who was lucky enough to be able to sit on top of an elephant! What made him more furious is the council¡¯s insistence on respecting him as he was already one of them. They actually punished him for intervening in this man¡¯s business!

    HIM! A prince! A mogul! The fucking messenger who had talked to every ruler in the world! How infuriating!

 Chapter 772 Reasonable Requests

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 772 Reasonable Requests</h4>

    Chapter 772 Reasonable Requests

    Unedited

    Meanwhile, Lily stared at the ceiling, face grim. She had been away since Zhou Jingren called him. For some reason, she could not sleep again. She had been tossing and turning, thinking about everything that had been going ontely. From Mrs. Brooke¡¯s words to her grandmother and grandfather¡¯s photograph. It seems that she really needed to visit the mansion again, she thought before she sighed. She then sat on her bed and started reading Grandma Ye¡¯s diary. At this point, Lily was positive that she had memorized most of its content.

    Another sigh left her lips as she got out of her bed and walked towards her walked-in closet. Zhou Jingren must be really busy right now, she thought. Marrying someone that was associated with the Yakuza surely had its bad times.

    Lily had been expecting something like this to happen. After all, she married someone dangerous like Zhou Jingren. This was her choice. It¡¯s just that sometimes, the feeling of worry overwhelms her logic.

    She wanted him safe.

    That is the only thing that she could think of right now. However, going with him in China is too risky ¡ª this is something that she understood. Still, she could not help but think about him. She immediately wondered if she should just call him. However, what if this action would disturb his nning with Bei Tian?

    In the end, Lily decided against calling Zhou Jingren. Instead, she got her violin out of its case and started ying.

    "Fifty million." Zhou Jingren¡¯s words woke him up from his stupor. He grunted and lifted his eyebrow.

    "Fifty?" Harringfort asked. "You are raising fifty million? Hah!" He then startedughing again. "Then... let¡¯s make it a hundred. Hundred million!"

    "Hundred and one." Zhou Jingren answered almost immediately.

    "Are you sure about that? You probably know that I would raise it to a hundred and fifty, right?" Seeing Zhou Jingren just stare at him, Harringfort let out a burst of mockingughter. "President Zhou... to be honest, I never liked you. If given a chance, I would ask my men to kill you as painfully as possible."

    "And yet, you are here. Ah..." Zhou Jingren nodded. "Let me guess... The Spectre would not want to see me dead."

    Harringfort did not respond. This was true. The council even said that Zhou Jingren dying would have a devastating effect on Lily. However, this could also strengthen her. Still, they did not believe that killing Zhou Jingren would give them more benefits than disadvantages. He eyed his cards once again.

    After exchanging two cards, his initial n still applied. This time, she is nning to choose, ¡¯Higher¡¯. With his ace, we still bound him to win this round. Harringfort thought about Zhou Jingren exchanging pairs of three¡¯s. The man must have thought that this would fool him. "Hundred and fifty million," Harringfort said. "Are you going to raise?"

    "No." Zhou Jingren shook his head. "I call."

    This action only made Harringfort smile. "Then... I chose ¡¯higher¡¯" This Zhou Jingren does not know how to y poker! This could be the easiest win that he could have while ying this game!

    "Reveal your cards now." The dealer said. Without any hesitation, Zhou Jingren revealed the card. Just like Harringfort, he too had an ace with him. However, this time, he still lost.

    Harringfort had an ace, then followed by a jack while Zhou Jingren had an ace and a ten of spades. This made Harringfortugh in glee. "How close!" He beamed, amusement apparent in his eyes as he ignored the fact that his initial suspicion about Zhou Jingren¡¯s moves had been wrong. "However.... I won again! President Zhou... you should tell me ¡ª I mean... be honest. If you don¡¯t know how to y the game. We can always choose another one! After all, I am a very kind gambler! I might just even let you choose the game!"

    Instead of answering him, Zhou Jingren gestured at the dealer, telling him to open another box of cards for the next game. He had spent a lot of time dealing with this lunatic. "Mr. Harringfort... how about we bet something extravagant?"

    "Like what?"

    "Well... it seems that this organization is really important to you. Why don¡¯t we bet about our seats instead? The person who will lose will leave the organization. How about that?"

    "Hah?" Harringfort said, making sure that he dragged the syble to emphasize his surprise. "Are you kidding? Did you think... did you think there is such a thing as leaving your seat? President Zhou... the only time that your seat will be vacant is if you die. There is no other way."

    "Well then... let¡¯s bet on something else."

    "Whatever you say..." Harringfort beamed. "As long as it¡¯s reasonable then, I have no problems with it."

    "Then... how about this." Zhou Jingren leaned towards Harringfort as the dealer started giving them their new set of cards. "If I win... you will give me some time to think about this."

    "How much time are we talking about?"

    "Half a year." That should be enough for him to do his research about these people.

    Harringfort narrowed his eyes. "Was this because of your wife¡¯s pregnancy?" Zhou Jingren nodded in response. This was indeed part of the reason why he chose six months. "Hah! And you really think you would win against me?"

    "To be honest... I am not very good at gambling. But I am very confident that I could beat a seasoned yer like you."

    As expected, his statement made Harringfortugh. "You? Beat me? Are you ¡ª are you perhaps hallucinating?" heughed for a few seconds before he continued. "And if I win?"

    "I do anything that you say."

    "Anything?"

    "Anything." Zhou Jingren nodded. "As long as it¡¯s reasonable."

    Harringfort chuckled. This bet is quite tempting, ah. After all... having a divorce is one of those reasonable requests, right? He gave another chuckle. "Alright... let¡¯s bet everything that we have. Money and the deal that we had just now. Let¡¯s end it all in one round!" he dered as he raised his chin, excitement shrouded his gaze.

    Sorry for thete release, today I made party favors for my sons bday this Saturday! Yey!

    Mass release: Monday and Tuesday

    Please dont forget to vote for the novel. Thank you!

 Chapter 773 FOOL

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 773 FOOL</h4>

    Chapter 773 FOOL

    "Deal!" Harringfort mumbled. "Deal!" His voice thundered inside the living room. "I really hope you won¡¯t regret this decision soon!"

    Zhou Jingren sneered inwardly. How stupid, he thought. "Alright." He had already learned enough information about this organization. He needed to end this game as fast as he could. "All in." He added without even checking his cards.

    "From the start?"

    "From the start." Zhou Jingren confirmed. "What is the use of gambling if... we y it by the rules?"

    "Hahaha..." Harringfort startedughing. "True... that is true. Where is the fun in gambling without the risks?" Just like Zhou Jingren, he pushed all of his chips to the middle. He had more chips than Zhou Jingren. This meant he would decide who would win. He then checked his cards and once again started beaming.

    There was no need to even think about this game. He really should start thinking about his request. Heid two of his cards in front of him. "I will change these." This time he wanted to change a pair of fives. Beaming, he eyed Zhou Jingren. "What? Regretting your decision now?" he taunted as he leaned back.

    As usual Zhou Jingren ignored his words. He showed two of his cards. "I am changing these two." A smirk slithered onto his face when heid another pair of fives.

    "Good! I like it." Harringfort uttered. "Now..." Slowly, he showed Zhou Jingren all of his cards. "I mean... I will decide what will win, right?" It was a full house. Three Jacks and a pair of sevens. Despite changing the five earlier, Harringfort still got a pair of sevens. It was unexpected but it immediately made him ted.

    This only boosted his confidence. He eyed the surprise in Zhou Jingren¡¯s face. Enjoying his reaction, Harringfort leaned closer, making sure that he would not miss a fraction of Zhou Jingren¡¯s micro expression.

    It was the expression of losing.

    The expression that Harringfort loved to see in his opponents. "Please don¡¯t tell me that I didn¡¯t warn you." He smiled. "I mean... I know... I know... I sound like a bully right now. I should have maybe allowed myself to lose once. But you should take into consideration that I am a pro at this. I have been ying this game since I became one of them. So you¡ª "

    "So... what will you choose?"

    "Excuse me?" Irritation shed in Harringfort¡¯s eyes. How dare Zhou Jingren interrupt him? He frowned.

    "What will you choose? You haven¡¯t said if you wanted to choose higher or lower, yet." Zhou Jingren said, his face serious.

    "Isn¡¯t that obvious? I want ¡¯Higher¡¯!" Harringfort roared. Was this man dumb? However, the thought of Zhou Jingren growing up in an orphanage made him smile. Of course, the man grew up on the streets. There was no way that he could have proper training in etiquette. That should be the reason why Zhou Jingren kept on interrupting him! His own thoughts slowly made him calm. "I choose higher," he repeated when he saw Zhou Jingren just stare at the card. "Now... let me continue."

    "Continue what?" Zhou Jingren slowly showed three of his cards. Three cards with number two. This was enough to make Harringfort pause before he once again fell into a puddle ofughter.

    "Are you a fool? Despite you having¡ª" he did not continue his words as Zhou Jingren slowlyid his fourth card. It was¡ª another two. Four of a kind!

    Harringfort gulped. His eyes went wide, he could feel it popping in its sockets. He shook his head, trying to see if he was hallucinating. He didn¡¯t have enough sleep in the jetst night. That must be it. He must be¡ª

    No, he wasn¡¯t.

    In front of him were four cards with the number, two¡¯s.

    Zhou Jingren won.

    His mouth fell as his gaze turned towards Zhou Jingren¡¯s smirk. He tricked him! The man tricked him into thinking that he did not understand the game. Harringfort thought that Zhou Jingren only epted the game because he didn¡¯t have the choice, thus forcing him to y a game that he doesn¡¯t know.

    Then he let him win. He pretended not to understand the game, changing cards, following his moves, betting nonchntly. Slowly, Harringfort thought that Zhou Jingren was only pretending to be calm on the outside. That he was already panicking, shaking inwardly.

    "You¡ª" Harringfort felt as if someone had ripped the air inside his lungs. He struggled to breathe. He actually lost? He lost to someone like Zhou Jingren! Gradually, his hands below the table balled into two tight fists. This man fooled him. "LEAVE US!" he bellowed. "LEAVE US ALONE!" he red at the dealer as well as some of his men who watched as Zhou Jingren made him into a fucking clown!

    "YOU FOOLED ME!" Rising from his seat, Harringfort pointed at Zhou Jingren. "You fucking made me look like a fucking clown in front of my people!"

    "Did I?" the mockery in Zhou Jingren¡¯s tone was so thick he could almost feel it suffocate him. Seeing Zhou Jingren smirk only made him rage. Harringfort¡¯s chest rose and fell into rapid breaths. Unable to control himself, Harringfort raised his hands and mmed it on the table, causing some of the cards to fall on the tiled floor.

    "YOU REALLY DARE FOOL ME!" he yelled. "You¡ª"

    "Did I tell you to bet higher?" Zhou Jingren interrupted him. Harringfort immediately opened his mouth to rebut only to realize the reason behind Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. The choice was his! Harringfort was bound to win as he had the option which cards would win. He could have said lower! But instead, he chose higher because of his fucking full house! "I didn¡¯t fool you Mr. Harringfort. It was you who fooled yourself."

    Harringfort felt his blood boil. For the second time, he pounded his fist into the table. "We are not done. I will remember this."

    "And the bet?"

    "I will honor it!" A gamble is a gamble. Win or lose, he was bound to honor his words.

    "If my guess is right... " Zhou Jingren slowly rose from his own seat. "You have never lost a game before." he chuckled, making the man opposite him more irritated. "Then... you should probably start getting used to losing. After all... I will be a member of your organization after six months. We would be seeing each other again, no?"

 Chapter 774 Six Months

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 774 Six Months</h4>

    Chapter 774 Six Months

    Unedited

    Harringfort squinted as he held his breath, hoping it would be enough to stop him from raising his hands against Zhou Jingren. But then again, he was sure that this man would be able to avoid his fist. After all, Zhou Jingren is obviously better at him in martial arts. "It was luck." Again, he could only me luck for what happened. Zhou Jingren just got lucky and nothing will convince him otherwise. "You got lucky." He convinced himself. There was no way that Zhou Jingren could have beat him in a game that he had been ying against everyone that he met ¡ª a game that he always won.

    "Did I?" Zhou Jingren smiled. "Lucky or not. I won. That means you lose."

    Harringfort gritted his teeth before he gestured for his people to leave. One of them walked towards them and put the ck case in front of them. "Five hundred million in cash," Harrington uttered. A gambler like him... would always have money on him. Of course, this was another way to establish how powerful the order was. For him to carry billions of cash in him. That is something that only the queen of the UK would do. "Serve this aspensation for the hassle." He said.

    "Compensation?" Zhou Jingren lifted an eyebrow. "You lose. That is the payment for losing the game. You can use other words, but at the end of the day, we know the truth." Zhou Jingren taunted.

    In response, Harringfort scoffed. "Six months." This was not against anyws in the order. After all, this was akin to Zhou Jingren¡¯s request. "I will see you in six months. Ready or not... you will serve the Order." He turned his back against Zhou Jingren and walked out of the living room. "Bei Tian and your people are alive. But... I injected something into his system. It will start to show symptoms after seven months. I have the antidote. You shall see me in this ce six months from now... or your friend will die." He said this as he continued walking without looking at Zhou Jingren again.

    The moment Zhou Jingren heard his words, he stilled. For a few seconds, he stood as still as a statue as he thought about his words. Was it a virus? Was it even true? Without another word, Zhou Jingren eyed Secretary Go who was sitting in a chair, chained. He then eyed the key on the table. Harringfort must have ced it there earlier. He thought as he started to unchained Secretary Go. "Where is he?" he asked.

    "Inside the masters."

    He nodded and together, the two went to the master¡¯s bedroom. Both had a dark look on their faces. "Don¡¯t tell anyone about what he said." He instructed before he went inside the room. Just as Harringfort had mentioned, every person guarding the ce as well as Bei Tian was indeed inside, bound by chains. He nodded at Secretary Go, silently instructing him to check if they were still breathing.

    Meanwhile, he immediately approached Bei Tian, who was lying on the bed. However, before he could check if he was breathing, Bei Tian¡¯s snore reached his ears. For a few seconds, relief flooded through him. Closing his eyes, he sat next to Bei Tian, sighing.

    Order of the Spectre.

    Order of the Ghosts.

    Six months.

    "Everyone is alive." Secretary Go uttered as he stood next to Zhou Jingren. "They seemed to be... sleeping."

    He responded with a low hum. "Call the doctor. Have him check everyone."

    "Understood." Secretary Go immediately called their medical personnel in China. "Done." Said Secretary Go the moment he finished the call.

    Both men fell into deep silence for a few minutes until the Doctor arrived.

    The Doctor¡¯s words were simple. A specific type of gas was used to make them sleep. Because of this, everyone will sleep in the next twelve hours or so. However, the doctor also assured them that Bei Tian and the others are all safe. Of course, further tests needs to be done once they wake up.

    However, for now, the doctor assured them that their condition is not life-threatening.

    "President...." Secretary Go hesitated for a few seconds. "Our new people are standing on guard outside. Are we going to¡ª "

    "Yes. Transfer them to a medical facility." Zhou Jingren uttered.

    Secretary Go nodded. "What... what are we going to tell the madam?"

    "They encountered an ident." Which was partly true. "I will talk to Lily about this myself. But moving forward, everyone will know that this is nothing but an ident."

    Secretary Go pursed his lips, his face stern as he repeatedly nodded his head. "President." He hesitated for a few seconds. "May... May I know how you won?"

    "I didn¡¯t," Zhou Jingren answered directly. He never won against that man. "I cheated." As someone who does not like gambling, we were also not very good at it. But... he knows some way to cheat.

    Secretary Go nodded. Of course, Zhou Jingren would cheat. The rules didn¡¯t actually say anything against cheating. If his guess was right, Zhou Jingren must have hidden all the two¡¯s he got and used it to have a four of a kind. As to how he did it, Secretary Go had no idea at all. But he knew that this was not the first time Zhou Jingren cheated on a game of poker like this.

    Meanwhile, Harringfort was in an extremely bad mood. His face was grim, clenched balled into a fist as he struggled to throw a tantrum inside his own car. "Yi," he forced the words out of his mouth.

    "Master," the man next to him answered.

    "Kill them. Everyone who witnessed what happened earlier. Kill them all."

    "Understood."

    "Burned them! Whatever you do just... don¡¯t let them tell anyone about this embarrassment."

    "Understood."

    Harringfort narrowed his eyes at the road that would lead them to his private jet. He would never forget such an embarrassment. And he would never stop until he paid the man back the embarrassment that he made Harringfort endure tonight.

    "Master, I believe the man... might have cheated."

    "Cheated or not... I lost." Harringfort uttered. If Zhou Jingren cheated, then Harringfort still lost for not even seeing the man¡¯s tricks. Does this mean he was too stupid to detect that Zhou Jingren was cheating? Now that he thought about this, Harringfort became more irritated.

    Mass release tomorrow.

 Chapter 775 One Thing

    <h4>Chapter 775: One Thing</h4>

    Unedited

    .....

    Zhou Jingren sat on the only chair next to Bei Tian''s bed. He stared at his sleeping cousin before he sighed. So far, no examination showed that Bei Tian had some sort of illness or virus. Aside from the small needle mark on his spine, there is no other sign that he had been injected with something.

    He recalled Harringfort''s angry tone as he walked out of the living room. Everything about it is off. From his tone to the way, his voice changed. It was as if¡­ he was talking to a different person. Moreover, he said that he already injected Bei Tian with something. Is it possible that he already injected him even before the bet? Was he nning to use Bei Tian when he saw how much Zhou Jingren cared for his cousin who had been with him since he was a baby?

    Zhou Jingren''s face turned serious. Bei Tian is undeniably one of the two people that he would trust with his life. He was a cousin, yet he had long considered him as his brother. He is someone very dear to him. Seeing him suffer because of something like this is making Zhou Jingren rage with pure anger.

    The small knock on the door interrupted his stupor. "President, the madam just called. She is asking when we are going to leave the Maind to go back to Hongkong."

    "Is mother already with Lily?"

    Secretary Go nodded in response.

    "Alright. Tell her we are leaving in an hour." He already arranged for Bei Tian to go and stay with his father while waiting for the test results. They already prepared a separate house for him to stay with. Then he would go to Hongkong and stay with Zhou Jingren, Lily, and Qin Yuanfeng.

    "How about the Inagawa''s?" Secretary Go asked. They had been nning on dealing with the Inagawa''s and their small army. Would Bei Tian''s situation affect their initial n?

    "We will still deal with them. After Bei Tian''s testes back, we will start the operation in destroying the Inagawa''s ties with the ck market in Japan. "That is the only thing left that could support them. Without it, the Inagawa''s or the Su''s would contact whoever it is that is helping them recover. However, after what happened tonight, Zhou Jingren already had his initial suspicions about this whole thing. "Also¡­ give Lily everything that we have against the Li''s." As much as possible he would want to make Lily busy.

    After what happenedst night, Zhou Jingren is wary and confused about this entire Order of the Spectre. First and foremost, there is no trace of the organization anywhere. No news, no social media posts, and no traces on the dark web. Of course, he already expected this result. However, this could only mean that these people can indeed hide from the eyes of the world.

    Second, Qin Yuanfeng didn''t really manage to see anything. Everything about the areast night seemed blurry from the satellite. All CCTV''s near the area were either disabled, broken, or blurry. Third, the signal on the phone was another issue. Harringfort obviously shut it down and turned it on, then shut it down again in a couple of seconds. This means that they have something that could control this, and if his guess was right, it was not just some signal jammer. Everything seemed so perfectly nned.

    It was executed perfectly that Zhou Jingren did not notice anything amiss when he was still outside of the house. He only felt that something was wrong the moment he already walked inside.

    Third, was the money. Harringfort had five hundred million with him. A man who walks around with that amount of cash is not something that one could underestimate. Then there is the fact that he threatened Bei Tian with something that would not show any signs in the next seven months.

    He could not seem to fathom thisst thing. It was because he hasn''t heard of anything like that in the medical field. Zhou Jingren could only conclude two things from this. Either that man is bluffing, as he wanted Zhou Jingren to show up six months from now. Or¡­ someone is going to help them hide the symptoms and give Bei Tian and antidote every now and then to hide whatever it is that is inside him.

    And that could only mean one thing.

    This person needed to be next to Bei Tian all the time. In this state, Zhou Jingren would not just let anyone near Bei Tian. So, that person must have the ability to get close to Bie Tian without raising suspicions from anyone. Meaning¡­ it is a person that is close to them.

    Meaning¡­. A traitor.

    He clenched his jaw and rose from his seat, his eyes straight towards Bei Tian''s face. He had long suspected that someone is a traitor. However, he had no way to confirm this since he basically doesn''t know who his enemy was. However, his knowledge of this organization just changed everything.

    A powerful organization that maintains the status quo of the world. Anyone that is greedy would never bat an eyelid in bing a member of this organization. But Zhou Jingren is different. To him, something like this screams chaos and danger. Memories of what happened to Lily earlier this year because of his enemy resurfaced in his mind. He could not allow something like that to happen again. He could not endanger Lily again.

    However, at the same time, he clearly remembered Harringfort saying that he never had a choice about the matter. And that there was no recruitment. There is only when he would start working with these people. That statement automatically makes this Organization more dangerous.

    An organization that does not take NO for an answer that ims to be powerful enough to stop a country from dominating the world is not something to be taken lightly. For a few more minutes, Zhou Jingren turned silent as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Let''s go." He said to Secretary Go. "We are going home." Both his and his father''s men are making sure that Bei Tian is safe. Now, all he needs to do is make sure that his life, his Lily safe.

    .....

    Mass Release Monday!

    Don''t forget to vote for the novel!

 Chapter 776 Provoke Zhou Jingren

    <h4>Chapter 776: Provoke Zhou Jingren</h4>

    Unedited

    .....

    Zhou Jingren sat on the only chair next to Bei Tian''s bed. He stared at his sleeping cousin before he sighed. So far, no examination showed that Bei Tian had some sort of illness or virus. Aside from the small needle mark on his spine, there is no other sign that he had been injected with something.

    He recalled Harringfort''s angry tone as he walked out of the living room. Everything about it is off. From his tone to the way, his voice changed. It was as if¡­ he was talking to a different person. Moreover, he said that he already injected Bei Tian with something. Is it possible that he already injected him even before the bet? Was he nning to use Bei Tian when he saw how much Zhou Jingren cared for his cousin who had been with him since he was a baby?

    Zhou Jingren''s face turned serious. Bei Tian is undeniably one of the two people that he would trust with his life. He was a cousin, yet he had long considered him as his brother. He is someone very dear to him. Seeing him suffer because of something like this is making Zhou Jingren rage with pure anger.

    The small knock on the door interrupted his stupor. "President, the madam just called. She is asking when we are going to leave the Maind to go back to Hongkong."

    "Is mother already with Lily?"

    Secretary Go nodded in response.

    "Alright. Tell her we are leaving in an hour." He already arranged for Bei Tian to go and stay with his father while waiting for the test results. They already prepared a separate house for him to stay with. Then he would go to Hongkong and stay with Zhou Jingren, Lily, and Qin Yuanfeng.

    "How about the Inagawa''s?" Secretary Go asked. They had been nning on dealing with the Inagawa''s and their small army. Would Bei Tian''s situation affect their initial n?

    "We will still deal with them. After Bei Tian''s testes back, we will start the operation in destroying the Inagawa''s ties with the ck market in Japan. "That is the only thing left that could support them. Without it, the Inagawa''s or the Su''s would contact whoever it is that is helping them recover. However, after what happened tonight, Zhou Jingren already had his initial suspicions about this whole thing. "Also¡­ give Lily everything that we have against the Li''s." As much as possible he would want to make Lily busy.

    After what happenedst night, Zhou Jingren is wary and confused about this entire Order of the Spectre. First and foremost, there is no trace of the organization anywhere. No news, no social media posts, and no traces on the dark web. Of course, he already expected this result. However, this could only mean that these people can indeed hide from the eyes of the world.

    Second, Qin Yuanfeng didn''t really manage to see anything. Everything about the areast night seemed blurry from the satellite. All CCTV''s near the area were either disabled, broken, or blurry. Third, the signal on the phone was another issue. Harringfort obviously shut it down and turned it on, then shut it down again in a couple of seconds. This means that they have something that could control this, and if his guess was right, it was not just some signal jammer. Everything seemed so perfectly nned.

    It was executed perfectly that Zhou Jingren did not notice anything amiss when he was still outside of the house. He only felt that something was wrong the moment he already walked inside.

    Third, was the money. Harringfort had five hundred million with him. A man who walks around with that amount of cash is not something that one could underestimate. Then there is the fact that he threatened Bei Tian with something that would not show any signs in the next seven months.

    He could not seem to fathom thisst thing. It was because he hasn''t heard of anything like that in the medical field. Zhou Jingren could only conclude two things from this. Either that man is bluffing, as he wanted Zhou Jingren to show up six months from now. Or¡­ someone is going to help them hide the symptoms and give Bei Tian and antidote every now and then to hide whatever it is that is inside him.

    And that could only mean one thing.

    This person needed to be next to Bei Tian all the time. In this state, Zhou Jingren would not just let anyone near Bei Tian. So, that person must have the ability to get close to Bie Tian without raising suspicions from anyone. Meaning¡­ it is a person that is close to them.

    Meaning¡­. A traitor.

    He clenched his jaw and rose from his seat, his eyes straight towards Bei Tian''s face. He had long suspected that someone is a traitor. However, he had no way to confirm this since he basically doesn''t know who his enemy was. However, his knowledge of this organization just changed everything.

    A powerful organization that maintains the status quo of the world. Anyone that is greedy would never bat an eyelid in bing a member of this organization. But Zhou Jingren is different. To him, something like this screams chaos and danger. Memories of what happened to Lily earlier this year because of his enemy resurfaced in his mind. He could not allow something like that to happen again. He could not endanger Lily again.

    However, at the same time, he clearly remembered Harringfort saying that he never had a choice about the matter. And that there was no recruitment. There is only when he would start working with these people. That statement automatically makes this Organization more dangerous.

    An organization that does not take NO for an answer that ims to be powerful enough to stop a country from dominating the world is not something to be taken lightly. For a few more minutes, Zhou Jingren turned silent as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Let''s go." He said to Secretary Go. "We are going home." Both his and his father''s men are making sure that Bei Tian is safe. Now, all he needs to do is make sure that his life, his Lily safe.

    .....

    Mass Release Monday!

    Don''t forget to vote for the novel!

 Chapter 777 Karma that She Deserves

    <h4>Chapter 777: Karma that She Deserves</h4>

    When Lily arrived in her office, her mind was already in turmoil. Possibilities and assumptions swirled inside her like a tumultuous storm. Lily sat on her swivel chair as Zhou Dae Un started telling her stories about her own pregnancy as if nothing happened. This was of course, not enough to distract Lily from her own thinking.

    After a few minutes of Zhou Dae Un talking, Lily excused herself to see her brother in hisputer room.

    "Did something happen?" Qin Yuanfeng asked Lily when he noticed her lock the door behind her.

    In response, Lily narrowed her eyes on him. "You knew."

    "Knew what?"

    "You are a good actor." Lily sat next to him. At first, she never thought anything was unusual about Qin Yuanfeng''s behavior. After all, it was normal for someone like him to forget his sleep. Huge eye bags should be a part of their fashion statement. Or so that''s what the movies about the hackers had told her.

    However, after Zhou Dae Un told her about the reason why she was here, Lily immediately concluded that her own brother knew something about it. "Don''t worry. I am not mad." To be honest, she was not that surprised that Qin Yuanfeng would choose not to tell her. Just like Zhou Dae Un, they understood the ramifications of making Lily worry about something like this. Or at least she was smart enough to know that Zhou Jingren told them not to tell her. He must have told them that he wanted to personally tell Lily about it.

    Qin Yuanfeng stared at Lily for a few seconds. "What would you like to know?"

    "Nothing." Lily uttered. She only wanted to confirm her suspicions. Just like Zhou Dae Un, Qin Yuanfeng was not with Zhou Jingren during the ident. There was no way that he could tell Lily all the details. Moreover, she also trusted Zhou Jingren''s process. "I just came here to confirm something and I got it." She stood from her seat and left the room without any other words. She could not wait to see her own husband.

    ............

    Hong Kong, Unknown Street.

    "President, a woman is blocking our way."

    "A woman?" Zhou Jingren immediately narrowed his eyes.

    "It is Miss Su." Secretary Go rified. "She insists that she wants to speak with you."

    Zhou Jingren pursed his lips. They were already a few blocks away from Zhou Capital, Su Mingyu must have been waiting for him since morning.However, blocking his way is just too bold for a woman like her. Zhou Jingren snorted. "Can she be seen in the CCTV''s?"

    "Yes president."

    "Good. Then let her follow us to Zhou Capital. Asked someone to send the recording of the CCTV''s to Lily for documentation purposes. Don''t let that Su Mingyu ride the executive elevator. Have two guards apany her while she is inside the building." He could not wait to know what type of scheme this woman wanted to do now. "Also¡­ ask Yuanfeng to ess all the camera''s in my office. Give him the ess codes. Record everything, including our conversations."

    "Understood." Secretary Go nodded as he sighed inwardly. Su Mingyu¡­ must have been itching to avenge her family members. However, it was futile. Zhou Jingren was going to stop everything that could possibly endanger Lily and their child. Even if that meant bing the monster he once was.

    When Zhou Jingren arrived at Zhou Capital, he immediately went to his office while Su Mingyu had to use the employee''s elevator, walking inside the building full of people. Contrary to her expectations, Zhou Jingren did not make her arrival a secret. Was it possible that he was not afraid that she would reveal the news to the media? Su Mingyu gritted her teeth as she watched the numbers in the elevator rise. She could not wait to reveal everything to the media.

    Since Lily dared to intimidate her and herwyers, Su Mingyu was going to ruin that woman''s name in the process too. An eerie smile slithered on to her lips. Just like how Zhou Jingren had ruined her family, she too would ruin Zhou Jingren and Lily''s marriage. She tightened her hands on her long coat that covered the already tattered clothes beneath it.

    If she was lucky today, Zhou Jingren might just let her inside his officeter. Su Mingyu continued walking until she arrived on the floor in which Zhou Jingren''s office was located. She hung her head down, trying to hide the small smirk on her lips as she listened to the guards knock on Zhou Jingren''s ss doors. When Secretary Go let them inside, Su Mingyu couldn''t help but feel the eleration of her heart beat. She jumped in happiness inwardly.

    Finally, she thought.

    "You are here without yourwyers? Aren''t you afraid?" Zhou Jingren''s warm voice reached her ears. She raised her head and eyed his handsome face.

    "I am," she tried to make her own voice quiver, trying to show how much she feared him. "But¡­ I heard¡­ that President Zhou is looking into my casetely." She had heard from her father that Zhou Jingren and his people were trying to dig into the past. This was one of the reasons why she was forced to reveal herself¡ª she was afraid that Zhou Jingren would involve the people that had nothing to do with it.

    "Is that so?"

    She nodded, trying to hide the anger in her eyes. "This has nothing to do with ¡ª" she gulped and turned her gaze away.

    "With?"

    "President Zhou." She stood in front of him, her hands clenched. "Do you believe in Karma?"

    "Did youe here to lecture me about Karma, Miss Su? If that is your goal, then let me tell you what I believe in." Zhou Jingren made a deliberate pause. "I believe that time is money. Losing my time while talking to you about your beliefs is¡­ wasting money."

    Su Mingyu stilled. She clenched her jaws. "Your wife¡­ is supporting apany that does not treat its employee''s well." She uttered. "She will soon get the karma that she deserves." And so will you, she thought inwardly.

    And so will you.

    ........

    2/5

 Chapter 778 Gods and Murderers

    <h4>Chapter 778: Gods and Murderers</h4>

    Su Mingyu continued, "Lily Fi-Zhou, the CEO and a major shareholder of Fi Group, also the owner of Zhou Security Group is a woman known for her support towards abused women either in a workce or domestic violence in general. The public will soon know that her security group is a group of sexist people. They will know how she refused to acknowledge the case about some higher ups in thepany being male chauvinists."

    "And you came here¡­ just to tell me this. Are you perhaps trying to scare me, Miss Su?" Zhou Jingren said as he looked at her with a cold and emotionless gaze. On the outside, his face was extremely calm, however, on the inside, he was already irritated. The reason why he agreed to talk to this woman was because he already knew that this conversation would involve Lily.

    "I am trying to tell you the consequences of your actions." She eyed Secretary Go who was standing next to the bodyguards just a few feet away from Zhou Jingren. She immediately wondered when they would leave. With them here, Su Mingyu could not really go through with her original n. "I will soon go to the media." She stated.

    "I used to wonder why Miss Su seemed so confident about all this." Zhou Jingren said as he turned his back against her. He then eyed the buildings in front of Zhou Capital. His eyes soon drifted towards the busy streets of Hong Kong. "Then¡­ I thought¡­ well, my wife thought that someone was behind you."

    Su Mingyu widened her eyes at Zhou Jingren''s words. She gulped, totally surprised at how direct the man was. How much did Zhou Jingren know? Was it possible that the conversation that she heardst night with her father on the phone was actually confirmed? If it was¡­ then how?

    "So¡­ my people tried to look for something¡ª anything¡­" Zhou Jingren continued. "Then we found something interesting about your past. We found out that you were not actually a Su. And that everything about you is actually a lie." His words almost knocked the air out of her lungs. Against the wishes of her adoptive father, she hade here to test the waters, to try to gauge the information that Zhou Jingren knew about them. However, seeing the news about Lily''s sess in a magazine somehow made her change her mind.

    She wanted to punish that woman for getting herself involved in her husband''s matter. At the same time, she hoped that she would get something out of this visit. At first she thought she got lucky. Zhou Jingren agreed to let her inside his office. Who would have thought that thetter would immediately say something like this? Was he not afraid that she was carrying something that could record him? Unless¡­ Zhou Jingren had some sort of a device to scan for bugs and recorders.

    "Coming in here¡­ while knowing that I am already digging up your past is a very bold move Miss Su." Zhou Jingren turned towards her. "Or shall I start calling you the Young Miss of the Inagawa n?"

    "You¡ª"

    Zhou Jingren responded with a scoff before he sat back on his chair, unperturbed by the woman''s pale face in front of him. He watched Su Mingyu''s face for a few seconds before he instructed everyone to leave them. "Let me guess¡­" he uttered when Secretary Go and others left the room. "You wanted to¡­ create some sort of a trap for me? You came in here and thought that you could set me up that easily?" Zhou Jingren sneered. "Fool." He added.

    "What are you ¡ª What are you talking about?"

    "I don''t know Miss Su¡­ why don''t you tell me?" he asked.

    "I¡ª" Su Mingyu stuttered. This was all unexpected for her. Zhou Jingren''s words, reactions and even his eyes were telling her that something was definitely wrong. "People know that I am here." She had been careful. Making sure that she stopped them in a ce where there was a CCTV camera watching them. She even turned on the GPS of her car just so she could documenting in here. "If you are nning to kill me¡ª "

    "I could kill you right now." Zhou Jingren interrupted her. "And no one would ask me why I did it."

    "You¡ª"

    "You know¡­ even your adoptive father would not have the courage to go public about your disappearance. The news will get shut down before it even reaches the eyes of the public. Your father will be killed once his location is revealed. Then¡­ it will be the end for you. It will be the end of the Inagawa n."

    It was as if a cold bucket of water was poured on Su Mingyu. She shivered under his intense gaze. "You won''t kill me."

    "Oh? Says who?" Zhou Jingren chuckled. "It ising, Miss Su¡­ whether you like it or not. Bing my enemy means death. The Inagawa n ignored that fact a few years back and look how they ended up. But you survived. You had the opportunity to turn your back against everything and start a new life away from the Inagawa''s, away from all the darkness. You even had a new name, a new home. But what did you do Miss Su?"

    "You killed everyone."

    "They deserved it."

    "Who are you to kill them?" Su Mingyu trembled in anger. If Zhou Jingren''s goal was to make her show her real emotions then he had just seeded. "Who are you to punish them for whatever sins that theymitted?" She tightened her balled fist as her knuckles turned white."You are not a god Zhou Jingren! You had no right to murder them! You are a murderer!"

    Zhou Jingren nodded. "Spouting nonsense about punishment and gods. You are indeed the heiress of the Inagawa n." He leaned back, resting his elbows on the arm of his swivel chair. "Tell me Miss Su, when the Inagawa n murdered my father just because he was a directpetitor, did you tell them these things too? Did you ask them why they would punish someone who was not their enemy. The Tanaka''s didn''t touch them Miss Su, I am not sure if you are aware of that but my father always stayed on his side of thene. Sure, he was a criminal. But¡­ he never killed someone innocent, someone who didn''t provoke him. Unlike you the Inagawa''s, my Tanaka n was on its way to changing their means. Legalizing their business and slowly withdrawing ourselves from the ck market. Yet your family still chose to kill my father. And now, here you are spouting this nonsense about gods and murderers in front of me. Howughable."

    ...........

    3/5

    2 more chapters. Also... please don''t forget to vote for the chapter.

 Chapter 779 â€œKind Waysâ€

    <h4>Chapter 779: ¡°Kind Ways¡±</h4>

    Hearing Zhou Jingren''s chuckle seemed to make her more mad. She struggled to contain her anger as she stared at the man as rage swirled in her eyes. Slowly she eyed the building opposite to Zhou Jingren''s office. Clenching her jaws, Su Mingyu did not hesitate to remove her coat, revealing her tattered suit in the process.

    However, before she could approach Zhou Jingren, thetter had already stood from his seat.

    "So you wanted totch on to me so I could push you to the floor? Did you want to create a perfect shot?" He ridiculed. "The photographer standing on the rooftop of the building opposite to my office is about to get caught for trespassing, Miss Su. You really should stop embarrassing yourself like this."

    His words immediately stopped her from moving. "You knew?"

    Smirking, Zhou Jingren opened his phone and called Secretary Go, "Take this woman out."

    "You knew all along?"

    "I didn''t." Zhou Jingren uttered. "But I figured it out." Su Mingyu just stood still in front of his table, a ce that could be seen from the building opposite to Zhou Capital. A person who was truly angry, someone whose emotions were already running rampant inside them do not calcte their moves. They don''t look at the time on their watch nor at the other people surrounding them. Su Mingyu was clearly waiting for something.

    Of course, this trick would not have worked even if Zhou Jingren didn''t detect it. The windows inside his office were all reinforced tempered ss that looked like a mirror. This would only reflect the light from the outside. If the photographer would try to take some pictures of his office, all he could see was a white image from the window re. He eyed the woman. "I am giving you the chance to leave. You can leave behind your past and start your life anew. Move on from everything that''s happened. I will forget about the case that you filed against thepany. Leave Hong Kong." Zhou Jingren made a deliberate pause.

    "You are young. You shouldn''t have created those news with the aim to ruin the people that you hate. Those news were not true. But don''t worry¡­ As I said¡­ I am willing to let this all go." He added. "You still have a great future in front of you."

    Su Mingyu only red at Zhou Jingren as she grabbed the coat on the floor. Without waiting for Secretary Go to arrive, she already walked towards the door. "We are not done here."

    "Oh we are..." Zhou Jingren said. "We are done Miss Su. If you are smart enough then you would know that this would be thest time that you will bother me and my family again."

    Su Mingyu clenched her jaw. She was about to open the door, when Secretary Go walked in with the Security.

    "Miss Su, please follow me." He uttered in a low tone.

    "Don''t touch me!" Su Mingyu hissed. "I can walk on my own!" She said while securing the coat on top of her tattered clothes. Her ns might not have seeded but she was about to release Lily''s news to the media. Sheughed inwardly. Soon¡­. any time soon¡­ that Lily would be the topic of the Inte once again. "I told you not to touch me."

    "I''m sorry Miss Su, but you are not allowed to use that elevator." Secretary Go gestured for her to use the elevator for the employees. After all, Zhou Jingren insisted that everyone needed to see Su Mingyu arrive and leave the building alive.

    "I know!" Su Mingyu immediately turned towards the other elevator.

    .......

    Not long after Su Mingyu left the building, Zhou Jingren looked at Secretary Go that was standing next to him. "Is it done?" he asked.

    In response, Secretary Go looked at his phone, checking a text that he received a few seconds ago. "Yes President. They now have Su Mingyu."

    "Then send everything to thewyer. Include the part where I specifically said that I am letting her go. That I forgave her and let her leave Hong Kong¡­ alive." Zhou Jingren said. Did Su Mingyu really think thating into a tiger''s den was such a wise decision? He immediately wondered if the woman was a fool all along.

    Or maybe¡­ Su Mingyu was just like any other people. Her emotions won over her mind. She used her anger to dictate her next moves. Su Mingyu had been too confident that Zhou Jingren would not harm her. She was hoping, or maybe thinking that Zhou Jingren was afraid to be the primary suspect of her disappearance.

    She was wrong.

    Now that Zhou Jingren already had some recorded conversations and videos about everything that happened, he would not hesitate to make the woman disappear. All he needed to do was show the media that despite Su Mingyu''s actions, he had already forgave her. That he was willing to let everything go.

    Then the world would side with Zhou Jingren and his "kind ways".

    "Yes, President. Yuanfeng already has copies of everything including the images of Miss Su arriving and leaving the premises safely."

    "Good." Zhou Jingren said. Wasting some time with this woman was never part of his n. Originally, the n was to attack their base while letting them think that Lily and Zhou Jingren were not in Hong Kong¡ª something that they had nned to make Su Ru and the people helping him lower their guards. It was supposed to be a one night attack, killing everyone in one go.

    However, since Su Mingyu came to his doors, Zhou Jingren didn''t waste the opportunity to manipte the woman''s emotions and record it for evidence. This was done to cover his bases before hemitted the crime¡ª the crime of killing the stupid people who dared to dy his appointment to see his own wife after staying away from her for days.

    "Send an image of her dead body to her father. Maybe¡­ put a finger in a box and send it to that old man. Then attack them a few minutes after he opens the gift." That would make the man angry, therefore losing all his cool and control. "Also¡­ as for the person who is now leading the New Inagawa n in Japan¡­the traitor" And the reason why he wanted to have an borate n with Zhou Dae Un. "Send him the image of his sister before you kill him. Before you kill Riku and his men."

    ......

    4/5

    Don''t forget to vote for the novel

 Chapter 780 Comfort of their Home

    <h4>Chapter 780: Comfort of their Home</h4>

    Unedited

    .............

    Secretary Go could only nod his head in silence as he thought about Riku''s stern smile and straight posture. He never thought the man would really betray Zhou Jingren because of his sister''s fate. However, he could understand the man''s reasoning behind it.

    No matter what happened, she was still Riku''s sister. She might be stupid and careless, however, at the end of the day, she was the only living rtive that she had. So Riku, betraying Zhou Jingren to try to find his own sister is somewhat understandable. However, understanding the man''s reasoning is different from sympathizing with him.

    Secretary Go had no sympathy for people who would dare betray the people who practically fed them as they grew up. After hearing Zhou Jingren''s words, Secretary Go immediately made the call. Since this had been nnedst night, it was easier for him to organize everything in a short period of time, after all, Zhou Dae Un''s men and Zhou Jingren''s people were already on standby, waiting for them to erase the remaining people who supported the Inagawas.

    The verdict was short and bitter. The Tanaka will once again win while the Inagawa will lose.

    Now, Riku''s only regret was actually betraying Zhou Jingren and losing thest chance of him seeing his sister, who was still in Zhou Jingren''s hands.

    What a sad ending to a pathetic life, Secretary Go thought.

    ...........

    Fi Group

    Zhou Jingren already expected Lily to interrogate him once they see each other. He was expecting her to ask tens of questions about Bei Tian and the people behind the attack. What he did not expect was for her to actually cry in his arms the moment he arrived in her office.

    There was no how are you''s, no I love you''s or that I was worried about you''s. There was only her warmth in his arms. Zhou Jingren held Lily tighter as Zhou Dae Un and everyone else excused themselves. He then lifted her up as they sat into the couch with her on hisp. "Stop crying, it might affect our child." He said gently.

    Lily immediately wiped the tears in her eyes. "Who''s crying. I was only faking it in front of your mother." She sobbed. Why would she cry? There is no need for her to cry!

    This made Zhou Jingren chuckle. Shaking his head, he held Lily closer to his chest. "I am safe as well as Bei Tian. There is no need for you to worry anymore."

    Lily red at him in response. She never expected that seeing Zhou Jingren would actually make her this emotional. She immediately med this action on her pregnancy.

    "What? Are you regretting that you married me?"

    "And If I do?"

    "I will make you un ¡ª regret it." He smiled before he started stroking her hair. "You look too cute when you are crying. I think I should start making you cry every day."

    "I will kill you," Lily uttered before snuggling into her husband''s arms.

    "You should probably stop saying harsh words like that. They said babies can hear their parents talk. We don''t want our child to know that you are this kind of vulgar woman, right?"

    "Stop teasing me."

    Heughed in response. In between having a heavy atmosphere and light ambiance, he would always choose thetter.

    "I was worried about you," Lily said after a few seconds of silence. Just thinking about all the possibilities in her mind was enough to make her go crazy about wanting to see him again. "I miss you." She added.

    "I''m sorry."

    "You should be!" Of course, she understood why Zhou Jingren never told her anything while he was miles away from her. "At least¡­ let me know that you are safe next time." She gently added.

    Zhou Jingren nodded before pulling her closer into another tight hug. "I''m sorry."

    "Stop apologizing," Lily said. "Show it next time."

    "I know." He said.

    "So? Are you going to tell me anything about it?"

    "Not here."

    "Alright." Lily nodded and continued leaning against her husband''s arms, feeling his muscles move as he wrapped his arms around her and listening to the man''s heartbeat.

    "I was expecting that dealing with the Inagawa n would take some time. Turns out¡­ Su Mingyu had the guts to deliver herself to us." Zhou Jingren said before he started telling Lily about everything that transpired in Zhou Capital.

    "So¡­ she wanted to use you of sexual assault too?" Lily scoffed. "How bold."

    "She is very bold. Which was surprising to me. I was wondering what could have triggered her reaction. Something must have made here to the office alone."

    "Or¡­" Lily made a deliberate pause. "She just wanted to see if she could seduce you."

    Her words only earned a low chuckle from Zhou Jingren before he gave a small shrug. "Probably. Any woman would want to see if they are capable of seducing me, no?"

    "Too bad. I already own you." Lily said calmly. "Of course¡­ since I am not a jealous person, I am very much open to things like this. I would even let them try to seduce my own husband. With the condition that they die if they don''t seed. "

    "That sounds very generous of you, Mrs. Zhou." He chuckled.

    "Of course¡­ everyone knew how calm and generous I am. I should be a model for all wives. Calm, generous, and not jealous."

    "You forgot murderous."

    "Oh! That too¡­" Lily said. However, the absence of mirth in her voice was enough to tell Zhou Jingren that something is still bothering her. It must be the ident, he concluded.

    "Would you like to go home?" he asked. Zhou Jingren just wanted a safe environment to tell Lily about everything that happened. To be honest, after knowing about the spectre, Zhou Jingren wanted to be more careful about his words.

    She nodded in response. In front of her husband, pretending is actually not an easy thing to do. Or her husband just knows her too well.

    Either way, shepletely understood why Zhou Jingren wanted thefort of their home for this conversation.

    ..........

    I lost my inte connection before midnightst night! I was waiting to post this chapt in thest hour so I could remind you to vote for reset.

    5/5

    Please vote for the novel.

 Chapter 781 Coward

    <h4>Chapter 781: Coward</h4>

    Unedited

    .....

    The already thick atmosphere inside Zhou Jingren''s study grew thicker as Lily continued to listen to her husband. Frowning, she crossed her arms across her chest. Soon after, silence followed Zhou Jingren''s words.

    "Order of the Spectre," Lily repeated after a few minutes. "So you wanted me to leave Hong Kong as soon as possible because of them?"

    "After New Year,"

    "Alright." She nodded without any questions.

    "Really?"

    "Yes," Lily nodded. "I understand your concern. We don''t really know if they are our enemy or ally yet. Safety is the major priority."

    "You aren''t telling me something." Zhou Jingren said after a few seconds of silence. "Did something happen while I was not here?"

    "No and yes," Lily said. "I mean¡­ I cannot really tell you something I don''t know and yes, something happened when you were away." She then stood from her seat and retrieve a picture from her purse. ??Do you remember Mrs. Brooke?"

    He nodded in response.

    "She came to see me while you were in China."

    "Why would shee back?"

    "My grandparents in her Grandmother''s garden in Wales." She said as she handed it to Zhou Jingren. "She mentioned something about both our grandmother''s dying the same way and¡­" she made a deliberate pause as she sat next to him. "She said it was the Order of the Spectre."

    "The Order of the Spectre?" One of his eyebrows rose.

    She nodded in response. Something inside Lily is telling her that this ¡ª all of this is not just a coincidence. Because of this, she decided to tread carefully and be more mindful of the situation. "But¡­ I decided not to deal with it." Lily added. "I am pregnant. I can''t just run around chasing a name. However, your words just now changed everything."

    "You wanted to¡­ pursue them?"

    "No. On the contrary, I wanted to hide." Lily dered her eyes turned stern. "I have my priorities and right now¡­ those people are not one of them." Lily is approaching the situation using the only method that Lilian taught her, priorities. She is using her brains to think about her real priorities at this moment ¡ª this very moment.

    "Then I¡ª "

    "No." Lily interrupted him. "I am pregnant, Jingren. Let''s not provoke any more people." She let out a sad sigh. "I ¡ª You can call me a coward. But I am not provoking any more people just months before I gave birth. I cannot take the risk. I cannot add this to the fear that I feel right now."

    "Hey, you are not a coward. You are a mother." Zhou Jingren gently said as he stared at Lily. He then pulled her closer to him. Saying nothing, he kissed her temple and tightened his arms around her. "I''m sorry."

    Lily stayed silent as she thought about this organization and what was its involvement in her grandmother''s life. Still, she would do nothing but observe for now. She just doesn''t have the courage to fight against an organization that is capable of hiding themselves like that. The thought of Zhou Jingren''s words made her sigh.

    Antone Harringfort.

    That was Eliza''s fiance. Was it possible that Eliza is involved in all this? "I want to go to Luxembourg," Lily said. "In theory, they could not do something when I am living in a pce with the Royal Family. " Being in public with the royal family is another thing that could help them. Being living alone in Switzend, away from Zhou Jingren, Lily is building a fortress around herself. She is building walls, isting herself from the outside world.

    This is something that the enemy could easily use against her. She believes that by staying in-crowd, Lily could shield herself from the enemy.

    "You nned to give birth to Luxembourg?"

    "No. I will be giving birth in Switzend, but I want to stay in Luxembourg for a couple of weeks before going to our ce in Switzend."

    He turned silent. Lily''s request is actually very reasonable. If she would stay with the Royal Family, her security would double. Moreover, attacking someone from the Royal Family is quite tricky and difficult because of their measures. "Then I will arrange it. All you have to do is inform them about your visit."

    Lily nodded. "Qin Yuanfeng ising with me."

    "And Yang Mi?"

    "She will stay to assist Mr. Rossi and Cathy," Lily said.

    That night, the two also talked about what happened to the Inagawas as well as Riku and his sister, as well as the traitorous things that he did by revealing some ins and out of their ck market dealings. Then they started talking about their ns, about the recent information that they stumbled upon. After the conversation, news about Bei Tian waking up reached their ears. It was something that immediately made them smile. After all, both considered Bei Tian as a part of their small family.

    When the Grand Duke heard about Lily''s visit, he immediately became ecstatic. Even the duchess couldn''t stop herself from beaming. The two immediately agreed and even asked Lily to stay in their pce ¡ª an offer that Lily immediately epted.

    Of course, Lily could not just leave immediately. After all, she had apany to take care of. Meetings were immediately held, a lot of paperwork was signed, and a lot of serious conversations between her and Qin Yuanfeng happened about the future of thepany.

    Lily originally wanted to expose her brother more to thepany. However, she found her brother''s talents rather useful. Of course, she was selfish enough to ask him to apany her to Luxembourg so she could use his talents to spy on their enemies.

    Moreover, Lily would also want to introduce him to the entire Royal Family of Luxembourg. Lily considered this as a good practice for Qin Yuanfeng''s social skills. After all, the Royals and even noble families tend to love their tea parties and insults under those sweet and savory choices of words.

    ........

    I will try to stabilize the release schedule this week. I have some big announcements to make.

    Please don''t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 782 Non-Existent Dots

    <h4>Chapter 782: Non-Existent Dots</h4>

    Unedited

    .......

    The Peak

    "What do you think?" Zhou Dae Un beamed at Lily, her eyes glimmered with excitement. "It''s silver and gold and glitters ¡ª lots of glitters."

    "I like it!"

    "You do?"

    "Yes!" Lilyughed as she eyed the twelve-foot tall Christmas tree near the stairs in the mansion. It was big, probably the biggest that she had in her own home. And just as Zhou Dae Un said, the tree seemed to sparkle from the lights that reflected the silver and gold essories that Zhou Dae Un painstakingly arranged with the help of the twin attendants. "Thank you! This is ¡ª it looks really good!"

    "I told you she will love it." Zhou Jingren''s voice echoed behind them. He walked towards Lily, hugging her from behind and kissing the back of her head. "It looks wonderful, mother. Thank you."

    "You are very much wee!" Zhou Dae Un smiled. Since that incident with Bei Tian, Zhou Dae Un and even Zhou Jingren''s father had beening to Hong Kong to apany them from time to time. "Well¡­ this is not done. I mean, look at the stairs. I have to put on the lighting and gands, of course, stockings and presents!"

    "You are nning to put presents on the stairs?"

    "Of course!"

    Lily nodded. "Alright then. I am so excited to see the finished look!"

    Zhou Dae Un immediately went back to her decorating as Lily and Zhou Jingren went to the balcony of the mansion to enjoy the view of the city lights. "Here, I got this for you." Zhou Jingren uttered as the two sat on the wrought irons chairs.

    "The Luxembourg Royal Family?" She opened the magazine and started reading its contents. "Asnae Royalties." She read.

    "I figured you would love to read that." He uttered as he epted a coffee handed by one of the twins. "They live aplicated life."

    "And the public," Lily uttered. She then thought of Eliza and her gloomy smile. "And tiring. Imagine always smiling for the camera and paparazzi." To her, having this kind of life is just like the life of actors but moreplicated as they are working for the state. They don''t give entertainment to people but act as a model for their citizens.

    She started reading about their profiles, hobbies, favorite colors, and even their favorite brand of tea. "This is very detailed."

    "It''s a magazine that can only be bought in Luxembourg. Not bought really, more like given free for its citizens. Christmas edition."

    "Oh." Lily stared at Duke Philemon''s spread. "Hey¡­ you know in China how emperors have a lot of mistresses? I mean concubines? Do you think the Royals do that too? I mean secretly?"

    "Probably." Zhou Jingren answered.

    "That would mean a lot of illegitimate children no?"

    "Hmmm."

    "And drama," Lily added.

    "They would probably keep that a secret. That could cause a big scandal."

    "I know," Lily said. "Well¡­ the Grand Duke agreed to introduce me as a family friend. Not a part of their family. I had to insist on doing this. He wanted to introduce me publicly as someone from the Royalty. He was pretty insistent at first."

    "That will onlyplicate things."

    "I know! I mean¡­ they already removed my grandfather. Introducing me as a Royal couldplicate things, as it means they will put his name back in the registry. I have made my research about this matter before. Just like most Monarchy in Europe, they are also following Salic Laws. Adding my grandfather might mean that he is not the true king but only a regent."

    "And you ¡ª you will be the Queen."

    "Precisely. Salic Laws do not really care if the ruler is a man or a woman. As long as they are legal to rule they could have the throne from the regent." Lily shrugged. "Managing apany is already soplicated and tiring. I wouldn''t want to involve myself in the matters of an entire country."

    Zhou Jingren nodded. So far, Lily has been approaching the situation in a very logical way. "So he insisted on announcing you as someone from the Royals, even if he knew the Salic Laws? Isn''t that a bit¡­ suspicious?"

    "I thought so too. But¡­ think about it¡­ do you think his children will agree to pass the throne to me? Prince Leandro is the next King. That is something that every citizen in Luxembourg knows. So, I thought, maybe there are somews that I am not aware of. I didn''t ask any questions as I don''t want to make it sound as if I am interested to know about it." She continued reading the magazine.

    "And did you tell him that you are going to return the Moon Rock?

    "Nope," Lily said. Another reason for her visit is to return the rock personally to the Grand Duke. She figured that the rock belonged to the Royalty of Luxembourg and she was not one of them. Lily wanted to assure everyone that she is not nning to be one of them. After all, Leandro and Mika are humans. They might have shown warmth in their meeting, but Lily is still unaware of what they really think behind her back. People are fickle.

    Lily does not want to cause any misunderstandings between them. So far, Lily is already contented in their current rtionship and she would not want to change that just because of a small misunderstanding. "I want to give it to the Duke in front of everyone. That rock is worth millions, and it looked pretty old. They should put it in a safe ce somewhere." She said as she thought about Grandma Ye''s moon rock on her jewelry box. For some reason, Lily had been convincing herself that it was all a coincidence. However, after Mrs. Brooke''s words, Lily''s own mind had been working nonstop to connect the non-existent dots ¡ª a task that she found almost impossible to solve.

    "Oh before I forget, Fernando called me. He said he and Li Shanshan won''t be able to join us for Christmas dinner. He said they will spend Christmas with his adoptive father''s family. But he promised that he would be here for New Year."

    "You know¡­. I am wondering." Lily lifted her head away from the magazine in her hand. "Just who was Fernando''s friend here? Why is he calling you instead of me?"

    ........

    1/3

 Chapter 783 Talents

    <h4>Chapter 783: Talents</h4>

    Unedited

    .................

    Somewhere in Austria

    "She decided to go to Luxembourg." An old man''s voice reverberated against the stone walls of the building.

    "You think Zhou Jingren told her anything about what happened?"

    "He won''t," Harringfort assured them, he focused on the candle that was inside a ss-like case on the wall instead of looking at their faces behind the hood. "It is only logical that he keep it as a secret. He understands nothing about us." He could not stop the chuckle from his mouth. "He must be wracking his brains trying to find out about us."

    "You seem to enjoy ying with him too much Harringfort. Do not forget it was your fault why we still needed another six months before we could get ess to his people in Japan." An older voice chimed in. "His mother had been working diligently in recovering the Tanaka n''s prestige in the ck Market. The unfortunate ending of the Inagawa is proof that they have been slowly increasing their power."

    ''No n can dominate the Yakuza''s'' Harringfort thought inwardly as he lowered his head. "I thought it was only logical to allow him a six-month deadline because Lily is pregnant." Before he agreed with that bet, he already figured that Zhou Jingren might be bold enough to demand some time. He found this reasonable and logical.

    He heard a sneer. "Logical? The only one who will benefit this is you and your crooked cause, Harringfort. Don''t ever think that we don''t know how you are using this as an opportunity for him to make mistakes. For us to dispose of him."

    "If Zhou Jingren makes a mistake in six months, then that is no longer Harringfort''s fault. It was Zhou Jingren''s choice to do it. We should not me the child for Zhou Jingren''s future mistake."

    "Stop making excuses for him!"

    "Neeson¡­ you seemed to like Harringfort too much. Was this because he is engaged to your granddaughter?" another voice echoed. Scoffs and sneers followed it.

    "Neeson had a point." Another answered. "If Mr. Zhou will make a mistake in these six months, that means he deserves death. Simple. This is not Harringfort''s fault any longer. After all, Mr. Zhou was the one who proposed the deal."

    Silence followed the man''s voice.

    "So Lily is going to leave Hong Kong?"

    "I''ve heard the news about her visiting Luxembourg. She is nning to give birth in Switzend which is only a couple of hours away from Luxembourg, maybe she only wanted to use this opportunity to rx while visiting ces before giving birth."

    "Was it confirmed though?"

    "Yes, it was. He will arrive on the seventh of January with her brother."

    "And her husband?"

    "No. Zhou Jingren will arrive on the ninth."

    Visit /lightnove/lworld[. for a better experience

    "Hm¡­ interesting."

    Harringfort only lowered his head as he listened to the conversation about Lily. This was not the first time that they talked about her and he knew this won''t be thest either.

    "And Japan''s situation?"

    "Let it be. Let''s not involve ourselves in the mafia''s matter. We have more pressing issues like¡­ the cartels. Harringfort¡­ give us an update."

    Harringfort immediately started telling them about the Cartels that he was handling a few days back. These guys had always been like this. To them, time is precious. Someone who cannot work with schedule and deadlines does not have their ce in this organization.

    "Also¡­ our testing for the virus is already in itsst phase. We are going to test it in humans soon." He ended the update. "Probably a couple of prisoners first."

    "Good."

    ......

    While they are busily discussing things that are happening in the world, Lily and Zhou Jingren were also discussing Christmas and the new year. Both had already decided not to focus on things that they cannot control. Instead, they wanted to focus on their family.

    This year, Lily and Jingren are nning to host a Christmas Celebration in their house. That includes dinner and gift-giving.

    "The most important thing is the sincerity of the gift, not the price." Zhou Jingren said. Lily pouted in response.

    "I am buying everyone a limited edition bag and clothes! I already called my friends in Gi. They are going to make something up for me. Limited edition bags are rare, but they are willing to do it just for me. Isn''t that adorable?" She lifted an eyebrow.

    "See? This is what I''m talking about. You wanted to beat me when ites to gifts. You are not sincere at all." He beamed. "I am giving everyone a painting ¡ª something that I personally painted."

    "Painted¡­"

    "Yes. I will¡ª "

    "You have the talent! I don''t." Lily interrupted him. "I am only good at earning money. I also spent a lot of time earning this money. You should not look down on these gifts, ah. This is a product of my years and years of working without eating properly." Lily gave a dramatic sigh. The connections and money that she earned all these years should beparable with Zhou Jingren''s talents, right?

    Zhou Jingren shrugged in response. "Who says that I am looking down on those gifts? I am talking about your intention. A gift should be personal and me¡ª "

    "Then¡­ I am cooking."

    "Eh? Excuse me?"

    "I said, I will wholeheartedly cook for everyone! This might take a lot of time, but I am willing to stand for hours just to cook for everyone''s dinner."

    "Eh? I ¡ª I am only teasing you. There''s no need for you to do that." Heughed. "You know how married couples tease each other, right?"

    Lily narrowed her eyes at him. "Well¡­ thanks to your teasing, I actually realized my mistakes. You are right. I should give some effort on my first Christmas¡ª "

    "Nope. There is no need." Zhou Jingren interrupted her. "No need to tire yourself out. You are pregnant after all. You should just let Chef Yang handle everything. You know what? Why don''t we use my paintings as gifts for both of us? Then you can add ¡ª " He did not continue his words when he noticed the smirk on Lily''s face.

    Laughter then followed his words.

    ........

    2/3

 Chapter 784 Practice

    <h4>Chapter 784: Practice</h4>

    "You seem to fear my talents. President Zhou." Lily chortled. Leaning on the couch, Lily started leisurely sipping on her tea. "I am a woman of many talents. Some of these talents are obviously scary but my cooking is not one of those."

    "That¡ª that is not my point."

    Lily responded with another chuckle before shaking her head. "I know. You only want to have my cooking for yourself. That''s quite selfish, but I love it." Lily said as sheughed. His adorable reactions every time she brought this topic up was just¡­. too cute."I will gift my bags and you gift your paintings. Now¡­ let''s talk about the schedule that you just told me earlier." Her face turned serious. "I thought you would be apanying me in Luxembourg?"

    "I will."

    "What do you¡ª "

    "I aming with you. I will also arrive on the fifth. But only you know this."

    Lily raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you want to see?"

    "I just decided to only tell you my schedule. Not a big deal." Shrugging, he smiled at her. "No need to worry. I just want to practice unpredictability."

    For a few seconds, Lily was silent. Unpredictability, huh.

    .....................¡­.

    For both Lily and Zhou Jingren the Christmas season was one of the busiest times of the year. It had a lot of events, invitations and sending gifts topanies in coboration with them. Both had their ownpanies to handle and both needed to attend some events and functions for the holiday. Aside from this, a lot of magazines had already scheduled some interviews with them to discuss the next year''s events and their ns for thepany in theing year.

    Soon, Christmas eve came. With Zhou Jingren''s parents, Zhou Jingren, Lily, Qin Yuanfeng, Bei Tian, Yang Mi and Secretary Go enjoyed a sumptuous dinner followed by a joyous exchange of gifts. Each of them had given each other a gift. After that, they had a quiet night with everyone under the huge Christmas tree. Chatting and drinking some alcohol while Lily had some tea.

    Two days after Christmas, Fernando and Li Shanshan arrived in Hong Kong for them to spend the new year''s with everyone at The Peak.

    "You are buying a house in France?" Lily smiled when she heard Li Shanshan''s news. "What''s wrong?" she asked. "That''s not the face of someone who is going to buy a house soon."

    "I will be away from you." Li Shanshan pouted in response. "I was originally nning to stay with you while you gave birth and help you take care of the baby."

    "But? Is this even about the house?"

    "Well¡­ partly. I am going to direct a film, a Hollywood one. I am using the funds for the payment of the house."

    "Wait¡­wait¡­. Hold on. Let me get this clear. " Lily squinted her eyes as she continued. "Payment." For a few seconds, Lily stared at her friend''s face. "You mean¡­ Fernando is not going to pay for the house? That man is loaded! What are you talking about?"

    "Hey! Before you chastise me, you should hear me out!" Fernando chimed in from the side where he was drinking with Zhou Jingren and Bei Tian. "That friend of yours insisted that we each pay half the price. It''s a mansion located on a hill! It''s not cheap. It will eat away everything that she had saved over the years. I told her that I can take care of everything but no¡­ you know how her brain works. You should convince her and just let me pay for everything."

    "Heh," Li Shanshan took a sip of her juice. "You talk as if I''m crazy. I am an independent woman of the twentieth century! I don''t need your money!"

    Lily immediately burst outughing when she heard the exact words that she once said to Zhou Jingren. "So you are going to spend all your savings for a house because of your pride?"

    Li Shanshan immediately gave her an unamused look. "Don''t you dare tell me that you haven''t uttered those words towards your husband." She said. "We are independent women in the twentieth century. We should¡ª "

    "I suggest you let him buy the house and put it in your name." Lily beamed as she intentionally made her voice louder. "In fact, he should transfer all of his properties under your name as a gift!"

    "You profiteer!" She heard Fernando shot from the side.

    "Stop eavesdropping, you dummy!" Lily responded beforeughing. "Being independent does not mean we should act like men. Shanshan ah, we deserve to be pampered. You¡ª Really¡­" Lily shook her head. "I don''t know what I would do with you. You should ask him for his ck card, the slick one! I heard he has some properties in Maldives? Maybe he can transfer those under your name too!"

    "You are a bad influence Lily! Stop it. Oi Jingren¡­ tell your wife to stop this nonsense."

    "Stingy!" Lily responded beforeughing. "I am not telling her to do it. This is only a suggestion. Shanshan¡­ why don''t I show you everything that Zhou Jingren gave me just for me to agree to marry him? He gave me a blue diamond. Millions worth of shares among many other things."

    "Hey! Oi Jingren¡­ stop her!"

    "What can I do?" Zhou Jingren shrugged. "I can''t just tell her to lie, can I?" He smirked as he raised his chin.

    At Zhou Jingren''s statementughter echoed inside the mansion.

    "You men should learn from Zhou Jingren." Lily said while smiling from ear to ear.

    "What are you talking about? You should stopparing everyone to your husband." Fernando said. "I am only happy that Li Shanshan is not a fox like you, ah." For the umpteenth time,ughter echoed. The group continued talking and joking around until their stomach hurt from too muchughter. Their conversation then shifted to Lily''s n on giving birth in Switzend and how Fernando and Li Shanshan would definitely visit her after she gives birth to her little one.

    Then it shifted to the gender of the baby. Lily said she didn''t know but Zhou Jingren insisted that it would be a boy. The discussion soon turned into a debate on which gender was better. It was followed by another banter andughter.

    It was already near midnight when the group decided to end the night so the men could rest as they were scheduled to cook for their new year''s dinner the next day. Of course, this was Lily''s idea too. After all, husbands should pamper their wives, especially pregnant wives like her. Li Shanshan might not be pregnant now but she would be soon. For which Fernando needed to practice.

 Chapter 785 Some Nights

    <h4>Chapter 785: Some Nights</h4>

    Unedited

    .....

    After spending their new year together, Li Shanshan and Fernando immediately went home on the second of January as they still needed to finish a lot of things for their dream ''house''. With their busy schedule, spending a lot of time would be impossible as everyone has businesses to attend to. However, the two promised once again that they will visit her once she is already in Europe.

    After the couple left, Lily and Zhou Jingren continued preparing for their trip to Luxembourg. To their surprise, before Lily and Qin Yuanfeng could leave, the twins receive a very special guest. Their father.

    "I was not expecting that you would agree to see me," Qin Chuan said. Lily did not miss the gloom in the man''s eyes. "You look really good." He added.

    "Thank you," Lily responded as she eyed therge droplets of the rain that tapped against the window of the living room. Slowly, her eyes darted towards her father. Pursing her lips, Lily decided not to break the thick silence that stood in between them.

    "What brings you here?" It was Qin Yuanfeng. His face was stern, almost as if he wasn''t talking to the man who he called father for more than twenty years.

    "Holidays." Qin Chuan gave a sad smile. "I was not big on holidays. In fact, I don''t¡ª I never celebrated it." But being alone on Christmas and New Year made him miss his children. It made him realize how short this life is. He could not afford to waste months or years being estranged with the two of them. "I understood the anger. I understood everything." He met his son''s eyes before meeting Lily''s indifferent gaze. "I am sorry."

    Another silence followed.

    "I know¡­ I know I don''t deserve a second chance. I know¡ª I am not¡­ I don''t even want to call myself your father. I am not that. I am well aware that I have never been a father to you and¡­ Yuanfeng. I also know that I don''t deserve anything from you. Not pity, not sympathy, and not the father and children rtionship that I already ruined before it even started." Qin Chuan continued. "But I am here¡­ I am here because I would like to let both of you know that I am waiting. I will be waiting for the day when¡­ when both of you would be proud to call me, father." He gulped as his eyes darted towards his children, his twins. He fought the tears that threatened to pool on his eyes.

    "I''m sorry." He added.

    For a few seconds, Lily stared at him. A few gray hairs caught her attention. The lines on the man''s forehead seemed to multiply. He was getting old.

    Her memories took him back on the days that she had longed for Qin Mo, the man whom she thought was her father, to love her. The days when she wished for him to at least attend an event in the school for her. The days when she cried as she did not understand why Qin Fei was more loved, more pampered, and more cared than her. She remembered ming Qin Mo for everything, her mother''s death, the unfortunate ident that almost made her lose her mind. It was all Qin Mo''s fault.

    Then the truth hit her. After all much deliberation, she realized that the one at fault was Qin Chuan, her real father. The cowardly man who let everything happen just because he wasn''t man enough to say no to his father. She gated him. Yet¡­ she knew that some parts of her wanted to know him. She was crazy and greedy for love, for the attention that she never had while growing up.

    And some nights, when she was awake, when her tired body would stop her from sleeping, she would think about all this. She wished that maybe not knowing Qin Chuan, not knowing the truth would have been better for her mental and emotional health. Some nights she would wonder what would have happened if Qin Chuan never agreed to marry his wife and married Bec instead. Maybe¡­ Maybe Lily and Qin Yuanfeng would not have been as damaged as they were. Maybe¡­ Maybe she and her brother would not have been as afraid as they were now.

    Lily turned her head away. She watched as the rain outside of the mansion drummed wildly against the window. The silence was soon interrupted by a loud thunder as the rain continued to intensify.

    Just like her emotions.

    Lily was human¡ª a weak one. Lily could not deny that despite hating Qin Chuan, she also used to hope that maybe one day, she would be able to think of him as her father. Was that stupid? Absolutely. Was that being weak? Maybe.

    She let out a sigh as she brought her gaze back at her father. "I''m sorry." Her voice shook. "I could not ¡ª I ¡ª " She lowered her gaze, avoiding the man''s pitiful gaze.

    ''Humans make mistakes.'' Lilian''s voice echoed inside her. These were the first words that she saw Lily. Human''s just like Lily make mistakes. We are not perfect and no matter how much we pretend that we are, no matter how much we show the world that we are kind and pure and generous, each of us has our own ws that make us imperfect. ws that make us unique. ws that make us who we are.

    The edge of Lily''s lips turned downwards as she stood from her seat. She lifted her head only to see Zhou Jingren standing by the stairs, staring straight at her. His gentle gaze instantly made Lily feel a little bitter, a little lighter. "You can stay for the night." She said. "The rain is pretty hard outside. You won''t be able to see the road." She added as she turned her back against her father. Lily looked into Zhou Jingren''s eyes as a single tear fell from her eyes, trailing down her cheek. "Let''s have dinner." She said before she took her step towards her husband. "Together."

    Lily maintained a stern expression. Despite the tears that followed her words, her serious face never broke. She felt her lips quiver as she took another step towards Zhou Jingren. Then another and another¡­ until she reached his arms.

    He then wrapped his arms around her, carrying her upstairs towards their room as the rain confidently cascaded the sky outside of the mansion.

 Chapter 786 Connection

    <h4>Chapter 786: Connection</h4>

    Unedited

    .......

    The Peak

    "Just to let you know. She hasn''t forgiven you, yet." Zhou Jingren shoved his hand in his pocket, his eyes glued at the man who sat in front of him. For a few seconds, silence surrounded them before the loud thunder outside cracked the air. "Lily is emotional because of her pregnancy. It will take some time." Zhou Jingren said. "If one would think clearly, everything that happened in the past was your fault. And yes, I am ming you for everything that Lily went through."

    Qin Chuan''s gaze didn''t falter as he nodded. "I know." Zhou Jingren did not miss the defeat In the older man''s voice. "I did note here because I was looking for your sympathy." Qin Chuan managed to say. "I came here to let you know that I will be waiting."

    "If you hurt her again¡ª "

    "I know." Qin Chuan interrupted him. "I know." Assuranceced his voice as he lowered his head. He recalled the awkward dinner earlier. Lily''s nk eyes and Qin Yuanfeng''s stern gaze. The two sat opposite him and ate their dinner silently as he thought of ways to say something ¡ª anything. In the end, Qin Chuan pursed his lips and stayed quiet. The dinner ended without anyone saying something.

    Not even Zhou Jingren utter a single word. However, despite the awkward environment, Qin Chuan still felt a little lighter, maybe even happier. If one would think about it, this was the first dinner that they had peacefully. No drama, no unnecessary insults. Just them eating together.

    "We will leave Hong Kong soon." Zhou Jingren said after a few minutes of silence. Until now, he does not have a favorable opinion of the man opposite him. However, he thought that the man at least deserved to know where his children will stay in the next few months. "Lily will give birth soon." He added. In response, Qin Chuan nodded, understanding shed in his eyes.

    There is no need for Qin Chuan to inquire more about the matter. He was even lucky that Zhou Jingren told him about their ns for his ¡ª his grandchild. Qin Chuan swallowed his nonexistent saliva before he let out a sigh. "I came here to give you this." He handed him a sh drive.

    "The torture?" Zhou Jingren said.

    "Qi Xia died the other day." Qin Chuan said. "He bit his own tongue."

    Zhou Jingren nodded in response. "And?"

    "He said he was not able to see the person who Zhou Huifang talked to, but he was able to speak to the man on the phone. He said he had a thick British ent, someone from Europe. He said he was not able to recognize some of the man''s words as he was not really used to hearing the ent. But he was positive it was from Europe." Qin Chuan said.

    Zhou Jingren nodded as he recalled Harringfort''s ent when he introduced his name. "Is there anything else?"

    "Blue eyes." Qin Chuan''s words snapped Zhou Jingren out of his stupor. "He said that Zhou Huifang would mention a man with blue eyes. They even call him blue-eyed man as they don''t know his name. But he promised ¡ª well, the man told them to gather everyone that you have offended in the past. The people that you and Lily offended in the past." Seeing Zhou Jingren''s grim face, Qin Chuan continued. "That''s why they sheltered Tang Lingyun and¡­ tried to ¡ª did what they did with Su Ma. He said the n was to distract Lily and remove her attention from you. They thought she would waste her time dealing with me and Su Ma."

    s, they were wrong. The truth was as clear as day. To Lily, Qin Chuan was not someone so important. Instead of dealing with him and Su Ma, Lily chose to cut ties instead. Qin Chuan shook his head inwardly. Just what was he expecting? Lily must have thought that he was nothing but a stranger. A father in name. Someone who donated his sperm to Bec.

    Now that he had the time to think about everything, Qin Chuan realized that Lily does not owe him anything. Not her attention, not her time and not her respect and love. In fact, he was the one who owed her a lot. A sad smile slithered on his face as he continued talking about what he did to Qi Xia.

    "So this blue-eyed man wanted Lily to focus her attention on you." Zhou Jingren stated. This was akin to a piece of the missing puzzle that he had been looking for. First, distract Lily. Then the case about Su Mingyu and the assault. If one would think about it properly, it was like someone wanted Lily to focus her attention elsewhere while Su Mingyu would work her with Zhou Jingren. Of course, this was nothing but pure spections.

    The only thing that made him think this way was the fact that Su Mingyu tried to set him up thest time that she saw him. What if that was the goal all along? Surely,ing in to see him with the purpose of setting him up for a sexual assault case, was not something that she must have thought of in one day, right?

    With everything that had been going on, would it be safe to say that the true goal of this blue-eyed man is to separate him from Lily? Now, if the blue-eyed man was indeed Harringfort, then why would he try to ruin Zhou Jingren''s marriage? Clearly, Harringfort said that Zhou Jingren became a member because of Old Man Yu''s death. So the hell would he try to sabotage his marriage? Was Zhou Jingren overthinking all along? Or Harringfort had some connection to Lily aside from him being the future husband of Lily''s cousin?

    "I also found something else." Qin Chuan said as he put his attention on the case that he brought with him. "Call me paranoid." Qin Chuan said. "But after what happened with Tang Lingyun I started to overthink everything. Analyzing things that do not really exist. That includes Qi Xia''s words." He then showed Zhou Jingren a decrepit notebook with leather binding.

 Chapter 787 Storm

    <h4>Chapter 787: Storm</h4>

    Unedited

    ..............

    Zhou Jingren was not able to hide the surprise in his eyes as he watched the familiar notebook.

    "Let me exin." Qin Chuan said. "After what happened with Tang Lingyun, I went back to the Qin Family''s mansion in Hong Kong. I mean¡­ they are technically a branch family, so I still have ess to that house. I was looking for things¡­ I thought I was looking for memories of Bec. I was snooping around in Old Man Qin''s room when I found a safe. It wasn''t locked."

    "You mean that safe was open when you got there?"

    "You are aware of the safe?" Qin Chuan asked before he nodded. "But yes, it was open. And when I checked, I found this." He handed Zhou Jingren the journal that makes little sense to him. "I mean¡­. It is not reallyplete. I tried to read it and understand its contents for weeks now. To no avail. A lot of words are missing. It was like ¡ª like it was only a part of a bigger journal? Anyway, I have the reason to believe that this has something to do with Lily. If you read it, you can see that her name and even school have been mentioned a couple of times."

    Zhou Jingren nodded in response. "Do you know who wrote this?"

    "Should be Old Grandma Ye." Qin Chuan answered, his face turned serious. "I have reasons to believe that some people had been watching Lily for a long time now. I know the text does not make any sense, but if you really analyze it properly, you would be able to see that she was mostly talking about Lily and her observations about her. It''s notplete, but you can still understand some sentences like the fact that she chose to get closer to Lily because she thought someone was spying on her. She wanted to protect Lily." He made a deliberate pause as he tried to read Zhou Jingren''s reaction. "There is also the fact that she¡­ she called Lilian Fi ¡ª Lily''s grandmother a few months before Lilian''s death."

    Zhou Jingren immediately lifted an eyebrow. "Did she mention this?"

    "It was one of thest entries. Not detailed of course, she mentioned something like, called Europe, Lilian. Pretty vague, but if you know Lily and her grandmother, you would be able to figure it out."

    "So you think someone had been watching her?"

    "And I have reasons to believe that these people were the same people who wanted to mess up my rtionship with her. I don''t know¡­ I tried to think about it. I spent a lot of time thinking¡­ just thinking about what happened in the past, but I can''t seem to understand why would they watch a child with no intention of hurting her."

    Zhou Jingren nodded. If these people have the intention to hurt Lily, then they would do it while she was nothing but a helpless child. He pursed his lips. Leaning back, Zhou Jingren stared at the journal in his hands. Soon, Lily would have more clues, more answers to the questions that she hasn''t asked yet.

    However, this would also mean more stress, more assumptions, and more anxiety for her. He let out a sigh. The current situation immediately caught him in a serious dilemma. He could give this to Lily, let her read it, and know whatever it is that her grandmother Ye hid from her. This would cause her, a pregnant woman, a lot of anxiety, a lot of stress. With her current condition, Lily''s body might not be able to handle stress, prompting her to give birth before her due date. That would mean¡­ danger to herself and the baby.

    He could not allow this to happen.

    Or Zhou Jingren could keep the journal for now. He could give it to Lily a few months after she gave birth. However, this might make Lily angry. After all, he had no right to keep something that is not his in the first ce. Sure, Lily might understand the reason why he did it. She might forgive him for doing it. However, this might damage the trust that she had for him. Lily might consider this a betrayal.

    Lily had been through a lot. Trust is not something that she would just give to anyone ¡ª even to her own husband. Zhou Jingren let out another sigh. He understood that Lily was already her own person before they met. She does not need him to survive ¡ª that is a sad truth about marrying an independent woman like her. Sure, the betrayal might hurt her, it would scar her. But Lily would survive, she always will. She will move on with her life, smiling, pretending that she was not hurt. She will stand tall and proud. She might not leave but the connection, the trust in between them is no longer there.

    She would doubt him. She would wonder if he was hiding something again. He could not let something like that happen.

    Zhou Jingren lifted his head and met Qin Chuan''s curious gaze. The man must have known that was inside Zhou Jingren''s mind right now.

    Qin Chuan nodded silently. He does not need to say anything to let him know his thoughts. He knows that Zhou Jingren is a very capable man ¡ª more capable than he was. He knew that no matter what, Zhou Jingren would always consider Lily''s wellbeing above anything else. He also understood the dilemma that the man was having now.

    "One of the twins will guide you to the guest room." Zhou Jingren uttered after a few minutes of silence. "With this kind of storm, a ckout might happen anytime soon. But we are well equipped with generators, so rest well. The storm shall pass sooner orter."

    Qin Chuan nodded as he stared at the certainty in Zhou Jingren''s eyes. He smiled. Zhou Jingren was right. The storm¡­ no matter how strong. It will pass soon.

    Soon¡­

    Qin Chuan rose from his seat as he gave Zhou Jingren another nce before leaving his office, smiling, his eyes glimmered with hope. True. The storm shall pass soon.

 Chapter 788 Empty Head

    <h4>Chapter 788: Empty Head</h4>

    "Are you sure about bringing me along with you? I mean I could¡ª "

    "Yes, you areing with us." Zhou Jingren responded as he eyed Bei Tian. "Along with the doctor. You areing with us."

    Bei Tian pursed his lips as irritation shed in his eyes.

    "I''m sorry." Bei Tian met his eyes. "I know¡­ I am a liability right now. Whatever it is that the man injected me could be viral. It is best to¡ª"

    "You are family." Zhou Jingren interrupted him. "And Europe has some good facilities. I already nned to have them check you while you are there. Just to assure us that you are fine."

    "And if it''s a deadly virus?"

    "Then¡­ we find him." Zhou Jingren answered almost immediately. "We kill him and we will die together."

    "Poetic." Bei Tian smiled. "But crazy."

    Zhou Jingren returned his smile. "Well¡­ we already had the doctors check your body. You don''t have any symptoms nor do you have any virus inside you. It''s either that the man was bluffing or¡­ he gave you something that even the doctors don''t recognize. Still, that is too far fetched to believe." Zhou Jingren shrugged. "I am going to see him six months from now so we won''t have any problems. I will get that antidote, if there really is one."

    A sighed escaped Bei Tian''s lips as he thought of not even knowing that he had lost his consciousness that night. He didn''t remember smelling something weird. All he remembered was reading aic before waking up in the hospital bed. Everything that happened just made him feel so useless, he felt that he was already starting to lose some weight just by thinking about it. "Hey¡­ do you think¡­ this virus is targeting my brain?" He said after a few seconds of silence. "I mean¡­ after that ident, I can no longer sleep well. I think my anxiety is always up and¡­" He raised his arms. "I am already starting to lose some weight. Did you ask the doctor to check my brains?"

    Zhou Jingren narrowed his eyes at him. "Do you want them to check your head?"

    "Of course!"

    "Are you sure?" Zhou Jingren asked.

    "Why¡ª Why do you ask?" Bei Tian asked, confused. Of course he was sure. He just wanted to make sure that his brain was not suffering from something that could affect his senses. What if his brain was already rotting? His eyes widened at the thought of having a rotting brain.

    "What if they find that it is really empty?"

    "You¡ª" Bei Tian was speechless. He red at Zhou Jingren, mouth agape, unable to retort his words. What if the doctors found out that his head was empty? What kind of question was that?

    "You know that I''m joking, right?" Zhou Jingrenughed.

    "I almost believed you!" Bei Tian responded almost immediately. "Can you stop cursing me like that?" He let out a long sigh as he shook his head. "How can a person survive without something in their head?"

    "Yeah¡­ your head is fine." Zhou Jingren nodded before he smiled. "I can assure that your brain is fine. One hundred percent fine."

    Bei Tian pouted before his face turned grim. "I will kill that man."

    "Hmmm."

    "By the way¡­. Why are you still in your study? It''s extremelyte. Are you fighting with Lily?"

    Zhou Jingren immediately shook his head. Smiling, he thought about what he did after Qin Chuan had left earlier. Zhou Jingren immediately went to Lily and told her everything. He then told her his dilemma and gave her the journal. Now, it was up to Lily to read it or not.

    Zhou Jingren realized that at the end of the day, everything was Lily''s choice. Again, the journal was not Zhou Jingren''s. It was not his ce to decide what to do with it. That¡ª and he trusted that Lily would make the right choice. Lily was after all a very smart woman. She would not do something that would endanger herself and the baby.

    "No, we are not fighting. I have to finish something before I sleep. You really should sleep now." Zhou Jingren said.

    "Are you sure?"

    "Positive."

    "Alright then." Bei Tian said. "Call me if you need anything, alright?" He gave him a worried look.

    "What is that for?" Zhou Jingren responded. "It''s not like my wife will bully me."

    "Really?"

    Zhou Jingren responded with a low chuckle. Did Bei Tian really think that his wife was bullying him? "Go sleep and stop thinking about your brain or it will really leave your head."

    Bei Tian huffed and left without saying anything leaving Zhou Jingrenughing at his own words.

    .........

    Meanwhile, Lily was staring at the two journals that she had ced on their bed. She sighed as she remembered Zhou Jingren''s honest words about his concerns. How did she be so lucky to have someone like him? Lily smiled as she opened the first journal that she found in Grandma Ye''s secret room. She started reading the familiar words again before closing it.

    Zhou Jingren said that some parts of the journal said there was a possibility some people had been watching her since she was a child. While her curiosity was killing her, Lily could not risk reading the journal now.

    To her, the past was a part of the past for a reason and her priority at this moment was her baby, Zhou Jingren and their little family. Of course, she would soon read the journal. But she would not do this while her emotions about her encounter with Qin Chuan earlier were still high. His affect on her current emotional state was undeniable and Lily would not want to lose her sleep because of another mystery that she won''t be able to solve today.

    Smiling, Lily stood from the bed and walked towards one of the luggage that she will be bringing to Luxembourg. Maybe she could read the journal on her way there.

    Lily was smart enough to know that after what happened earlier, she needed some time¡ª in her husband''s arms. Some time to think, to cry, some time to loosen up and rx. Once her emotions had calmed down, then she might start reading the journal.

    ......

    Check outments for the announcement.

 Chapter 789 Grand Ducal Palace

    <h4>Chapter 789: Grand Ducal Pce</h4>

    "You do know that Luxembourg has the highest density of Michelin starred restaurants in the world, right?" Qin Yuanfeng uttered as their ne started to descend.

    Lily raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to tell me to try all the Michelin star restaurants in the City." Lily was talking about the city of Luxembourg, the Capital of the country. She had long heard about this fact from Zhou Jingren and was in fact thinking about eating in some of those restaurants.

    "No." He shook his head. "Was only saying it, in case you didn''t know." Qin Yuanfeng said. "Do you know how to speak Luxembourgish?"

    "I''m sorry, what?"

    "Luxembourgish, their officialnguage." He rified.

    "I thought they spoke French and German?"

    "Most people there can speak at least fournguages. Including English, German, French and Luxembourgish."

    "Impressive." Lily said as she thought about letting her kid learn all thosenguages. "I can speak business French and German. Of course that only includes good morning and simple stuff not enough for an everyday conversation." Lily said. "I know you can speak a lot ofnguages but I don''t want you to show it."

    "You mean¡­"

    "Let them think that you can only speak and understand English."

    Qin Yuanfeng stared at Lily for a few seconds before he nodded. "Alright." He immediately understood Lily''s motive. He then turned his attention outside of the ne as it slowly came to a full stop. "We are here." He opened his phone. "Jingren said¡ª"

    "Shhh." Lily smiled, her eyes went towards the attendant that was approaching them.

    "Madam, Mr. Weber had already previously arranged a ride for you and Mr. Qin. Prior to ournding we tried to call them multiple times. Please wait for a few minutes." The attendant gave a sweet smile as Lily nodded.

    "Thank you."

    The attendant quickly excused herself.

    "Mr. Weber is Mika''s husband." Lily said. "He is an earl who owns a castle. A literal castle in the Eastern part of Luxembourg. Mika said that he also owns a business ss service for this airport. So he offered to arrange a ride for us."

    "They arete."

    "I know." Lily smiled. "Let''s wait for five more minutes before I call Mika." Lily opened her phone and started ying candy crush. Seeing this Qin Yuanfeng also opened hisptop and started working.

    Lily might have let hime to Luxembourg but he still needed to work for The Fi Group to be able to receive his sry. Of course, Lily was not forcing him to do this. Lily had generously given him a few shares that were worth millions. He could actually live off the rest of his life without even working just by receiving the returns from the shares every year. However, Qin Yuanfeng was adamant on learning the ins and outs of the business simply because just like Lily, he too was Lilian''s grandson.

    Business was a part of their DNA.

    After a few minutes, the attendant came back to inform them that they tried calling but were routed to the voicemail.

    "What time is it?" Lily asked.

    "Ten Thirty five." The attendant answered.

    "Alright, then." She gestured for the attendant to leave them.

    "They are waiting for us to join them for lunch?" Qin Yuanfeng said. "If this continues then¡­"

    Lily only responded with a smile before she dialed Zhou Jingren''s number. "We are at the airport. Please send the private ride. Alright. I will call youter. I love you." It was a good thing Zhou Jingren already arranged a private ride for them.

    "Someone wanted us to bete." Qin Yuanfeng''s face darkened.

    "I am a threat to the Royalties, Yuanfeng." Lily then narrowed her eyes at him. "But so are you."

    It was as if lightning had struck Qin Yuanfeng''s brain. "You are saying¡­"

    "The Grand Duke offered to introduce me as a Royalty but not you." Lily smiled. "After all, I am a woman. A business woman''s whose worth is almost half as much as this country''s GDP. Do you think¡­ I would want to sit on a throne, bound by rules andws of Royalty?" Lily made a deliberate pause. "But you my dear brother¡­ are different."

    "You know that¡­ and yet you decided toe in here. If these people murder us¡­"

    "Then Zhou Jingren will raise hell. George will destroy this countries market and Bei Tian will murder them. Plus¡­ we have a sociopath of a father." Lily chuckled. "I think¡­ we have quite a strong backing, don''t you?"

    "You¡ª "

    "Of course, I will make it clear that we don''t have any interest in the throne." Lily rose from her seat when she saw two ck Mercedesing their way. "Tell the captain we are using Jingren''s private ride instead." Lily ordered the attendant before she turned towards her brother. "Unless¡­ you want to be a Grand Duke in the only Grand Duchy State in the world?"

    "Eh? What? Of course not!"

    "Then good." Lily said. "Since both of us have no intention to rule from inside a castle then¡­ we should make it clear the moment we meet them." Lily only wanted to eliminate the hatred before it even started.

    The two then unboarded the airne and went directly towards the ride that Zhou Jingren had arranged for them. Smiling, Lily immediately thought about the faces of the people who wanted her to bete today. Surely, they knew that this petty scheme would not work against someone like Lily, right?

    "So the ride towards the Grand Ducal Pce is about thirty minutes." Qin Yuanfeng said. "We were scheduled to arrive at eleven so we could join them for lunch. Whoever arranged this whole thing is dumb."

    "I know." Lilyughed. Did they think they would be able to outsmart her husband? Speaking of Zhou Jingren¡­ Lily let out another chuckle. Zhou Jingren was using another method to get into the country. She could not wait to see himter on in the day.

    Yawning, Lily closed her eyes. The time difference is really going to mess up someone''s body, she thought. "Wake me up when we are about to arrive." She said calmly as if someone hadn''t just tried to scheme against them the moment they arrived in the country.

    This only made Qin Yuanfeng sigh.

    .........

    Thank you for your support.

    Note: This is a fiction novel. I''ve tried my best to do my research about the country but I can''t just copy everything from the. I created my own twists and turns. If anything offends you about the inconsistencies. Please let me know. Thank you.

 Chapter 790 Grand Duchy

    <h4>Chapter 790: Grand Duchy</h4>

    Unedited

    ...

    The Lunch that the Grand Duke hosted was held in the Grand Ducal Pce that was located in the City of Luxembourg. Just like every other special event, they hosted the lunch inside the Ballroom of the Pce, where the country''s heritage was proudly disyed inside the paintings that were encased in gold frames.

    "Are you sure their ce alreadynded?" Grand Duchess Esther Nesson- Nasae asked her husband, who sat in his office just a few rooms away from the Ballroom that was located on the first floor of the pce.

    "Yes." The Grand Duke frowned. "Pierre told me that they tried to contact Lily, but thetter never answered his calls."

    "Do you¡ª "

    "He might be lying." The Grand Duke added. "Pierre might be scheming something again."

    "Then¡­ we should stop lunch. I can''t allow this to¡ª "

    "No." The Grand Duke shook his head. "There is no need for that. I believe Lily is safe."

    "Are you certain? I just ¡ª can you try to call her again?"

    "I am positive. Let everyone know that the lunch will begin as scheduled"

    The Duchess stared at her husband as the line in between her brows deepened. "I understand." The duchess immediately assured herself that a woman like Lily is not someone that one could easily scheme with.

    Grand Duchess Esther immediately left the Duke''s office and went to the guests'' living room where her grandchildren together with Mika and the other''s were currently staying as they waited for Lily and her brother.

    "Mother!" Mika immediately greeted her mother. "Is everything alright? It''s almost Eleven and¡ª "

    Esther gave an assuring smile. "Of course. You arranged this schedule. Since when did we have any problems when ites to your arrangement?" Her gaze roamed around the people inside until it finallynded on her daughter''s husband. The Earl of the Dorf Castle in the East. The smile on her face did not falter. "We should all prepare ourselves. Lily will arrive soon."

    "But¡­ " As expected, Pierre''s face changed when he heard the Duchess'' words. "Without the ride, she won''t be able to ¡ª unless¡­ you were able to contact her?"

    "So¡­ she didn''t answer my husband''s call?" Mika immediately asked. "Maybe there is a misunderstanding somewhere?"

    "We should not jump into conclusions," Eliza spoke. "On a flight, we couldn''t really expect someone to be there on time. Dys could happen."

    "Lily''s flight alreadynded and is on her way here." The Duchess repeated, her gaze was glued at the earl. Watching the colors of his face change as she continued to show her confidence about the matter is just something that she would not want to miss. She gave the Earl a knowing smile before she left the room to go back to where her husband was currently working.

    "I already told them that Lily ising." She spoke. "As expected, Earl¡­ is doing something behind the scenes. Maybe she wanted my daughter to look inadequate in front of Lily. After all, she was the one who arranged everything." The Duchess spoke. "This ¡ª Instances like this really makes me wonder why she fell in love with that man. How could someone be so blind?"

    She walked towards the window where the Duke was standing, looking at the outside of the pce. "A man like that¡ª "

    "I was the one who arranged the marriage." The Duke interrupted her.

    "You arranged it before they were even born." She retorted as her face turned ugly. "If I had known that the house of the Webers would produce a man like that, I would have canceled the engagement before Mika was born."

    "Do you really hate him that much?"

    "Is that even a question? We all know the man was an activist. He had always been against Grand Duchy and the type of government that we worked so hard to maintain." Letting out a sigh, she stood next to him. "That man is a maniptive beast. I know he acts all sweet and gentle around us, but I can always spot a maniptive person like him."

    "It seems that this incident is really making you angry?" The Grand Duke turned to his wife. "Is it because¡­ you really like Lily? Or you wanted her to take Eliza under her wing, train her to be an independent woman like her?"

    The Duchess turned silent. She stared at her husband''s stern expression before smiling. You know me too well."

    "Of course."

    Esther shook her head, a few locks of her blond hair fell, framing her small face in the process. "I sincerely like her. She ¡ª She is someone that I wanted my daughters to be."

    "Hmmm. She is indeed a very outstanding woman." The Duke smiled as he tucked the loose hair behind her ears. "Pierre won''t do anything that might reveal his actual intentions. So¡­ you should be mindful. You know how he could easily twist his words and make you look bad to your daughter. You would not want to break Mika''s heart, right?"

    The Duchess let out a sad sigh. Divorce is not something that happens all the time in the Royal Family, however, it is not a taboo either. However, the only thing that is stopping her from suggesting such an arrangement to her daughter is because she could really see that Mika liked that man.

    The Duchess could not bear to see her daughter broken hearted just because of that person. Moreover, marrying into the Weber Family who had been open about their stance against the Grand Duchy was something that would have paved the way to a better rtionship between the two families.

    s, the arrangement did not have the result that they hoped for. The Earl found a way to control Mika and her daughter¡ª her daughter had be blind.

    "We should go now. It is almost time." She heard the Grand Duke said. The Duchess nodded in response as she held the Duke''s arms and together, the two walked out of his office to have lunch with the rest of the Royal family.

 Chapter 791 Haunted

    <h4>Chapter 791: Haunted</h4>

    Unedited

    ...

    As someone who had seen the images of the pce from the Inte and the magazine, Lily was not expecting that the Grand Ducal Pce would still surprise her. It was huge, its renaissance facade immediately made her smile as her eyes shone with excitement. Living in a ce like this does not seem bad at all.

    To someone like Lily, who had spent her childhood in Hong Kong then spent most of her time working for Lilian, appreciating the architecture was something that she was not very used to.

    Sure, she had read about it and researched it. However, in her previous travels, she was not able to just walk around and appreciate the beauty of each building, each history.

    "Lily!"

    Lily turned her head and saw the Grand Duchess running towards her, beaming. "You look gorgeous."

    "Thank you!" She returned the older woman''s cordial smile and gave her a hug. "This is my brother. Yuanfeng Fi- Qin."

    "It''s a pleasure to meet you!" the Duchess smiled.

    "The pleasure is mine," Yuanfeng responded politely, almost meekly. This would have easily made Lilyugh, however, in front of Esther she maintained a cordial and professional smile. After all, she did not really know who sabotaged her ride earlier ¡ª yet.

    "Please¡­ let alle inside. Everyone is waiting for you inside."

    "Lily!" To their surprise, Eliza came in running towards them, dragging her long yellow A-line dress behind her. "Yuanfeng!" A huge smile was stered on her face. "I''m sorry mother, I couldn''t wait. I just have toe here."

    "Eliza! You look¡ª "

    "Like a woman?"

    "I was going to say radiant, but yes¡­" Lily smiled. "You do look like a woman."

    "My elder sister designed this dress for me."

    "Mika?" Surprised shed in Lily''s eyes as they started walking.

    "She is a talented designer. I really like the feminine aspect of her designs. However, as the person who handles all of our schedules is always busy. I don''t really know how she handles all the designing and dressmaking. I believe she does it at night."

    "That ¡ª She sounds really hard working."

    "Of course! We have some hard-working genes just like you!"

    "This child." The Grand Duchess shook her head helplessly as she ushered everyone towards the huge carved door. "Forgive her." She said. "She had been talking nonstop about visiting you again in Hong Kong. However, her schedule didn''t allow her to do so." She chuckled.

    "Well¡­ I will be visiting Lily after she gives birth, so it''s fine." Eliza followed them, beaming from ear to ear. "Plus¡­ I¡­" she leaned towards Lily, whispering. "I already asked Mika to make arrangements for me so I could stay with you for a week or two. You know¡­ maybe I can also use the time to have fun in Switzend with Yuanfeng and my brother." She winked.

    "I can perfectly hear you, youngdy." The Duchess uttered. "And¡­ I thought your man will spend some time with you on this vacation? Antone did not cancel, right?"

    "He didn''t confirm either. So¡­" Eliza shrugged and continued talking about her ns to visit Hong Kong again. However, Lily''s mind was already in shambles. Antone Harringfort will apany Eliza? What does that mean? For a few seconds, anger rose inside Lily. However, she was still able to maintain her calm facade.

    "Man? Your fiance? He will apany you in Switzend?" she managed to say, hoping that Eliza would spill more information about the man.

    "He won''t," Eliza said before sighing. "Mother was assuming that he would because we had not seen each other for a few months now. However, why would he evene on a vacation when he was not even invited in the first ce?"

    "Is that how to speak about your fiance?"

    As expected, Eliza shut her mouth after she heard her mother''s words.

    "Please forgive her. She is sulking that Antone had been really busy with his family business these past few months. The man was always like this¡­ I believe you should get used to this absence. After all, he would not change even after you marry him. You know¡­ you might even try to convince him to¡ª "

    Of course, Lily was not able to hide the frown on his face. Unamused by Esther''s words, Lily bit her lower lip, hoping it was enough to stop her from giving the woman a piece of her mind. How could Esther allow her daughter to marry a man who didn''t even see her daughter for months now? What kind of mother would do such a thing?

    However, Lily was fully aware that it was not her ce toment on something that does not concern her. She eyed Eliza who was walking next to her. The tion that thetter showed when she saw Lily was now gone as she lowered her head, hiding her reaction from her mother''s words.

    This¡­

    Lily turned silent, she pretended to listen to the Duchess as they continued walking on the corridor of the Pce, their footsteps echoing behind them. She eyed the paintings that were carefully lined on each wall as well as some statues that looked as if they were made hundreds of years ago.

    Of course, this was her mere observation, after all, Lily was not an expert in the art.

    "They were made in the 16th century." The Duchess said, smiling. She must have seen Lily looking at each piece of art on the wall. "This pce had been through a lot of renovations. These arts¡­ a lot of these had been broken. You see that cracked? I believe that was made when the German soldiers led by a known German politician ruined this ce. This ce is rich with history and culture. It represents us." Lily didn''t miss the pride in the Duchess'' voice. However, there is only one thing on her mind right now¡­

    These arts were made years and years ago. This means that they are really old and probably hunted. Is she really going to stay in a ce full of haunted things? Lily shivered at the thought of it. She might¡­ not be able to sleep tonight.

    "Ah! Here we are!" The duchess stopped walking as she beamed at her, unaware of the horror inside Lily''s mind.

 Chapter 792 Pierre Weber

    <h4>Chapter 792: Pierre Weber</h4>

    Unedited

    ..............

    The Ballroom hall of the Grand Ducal Pce was huge. Sparkling chandeliers lit the area as huge paintings that were used to decorate its walls. Aside from the soft jazz in the background, everything from the gold trim and curtains to the white marble floor screamed, elegance. Something that immediately reminded Lily of her Grandmother Lilian''s mansion. Was it possible that her grandfather designed the ce to look a little like the pce where he grew up?

    "Lily, this is my husband. Pierre Weber, an Earl who owns the Dorf Castle at the eastern part of our humble country." Mika immediately introduced her husband to Lily before her eldest brother could even introduce his wife.

    "Mr. Weber. It is a pleasure."

    "I have heard a lot of wonderful things about you from my wife, Madam Zhou. It is very nice to finally meet you and this¡­ should be your twin brother? Mr. Qin?"

    "Hello. It is my honor to be here." Qin Yuanfeng spoke in perfect English.

    After the introductions, everyone started their lunch as they talked about Lily''s visit and her ns while she was in Luxembourg.

    "I volunteer!" Eliza excitedly raised her hand when they started talking about letting Lily see some of the most beautiful castles in Luxembourg.

    "I thought you hated walking around in a castle?" Eliza''s twin brother Levi chimed in.

    "Who likes to walk around in castles with no one to talk to but you and the security?"

    Mikaughed before she added. "You know that Lily is pregnant, right? She couldn''t just walk around in castles." As someone who already has her own children, Mikapletely understood if Lily would say no to the schedule that she had set for her.

    "To be honest, my stomach is getting heavier." Lily smiled at Eliza. "But I would love to stay in this ce and just¡­ chat." She lied. While on the outside Lily was smiling sweetly at everyone, her mind is already looking for reasons to convince Eliza to let her stay in her ce instead.

    Lily had been reading enough magazines to know that Eliza and Levi are living in their own castles with good security, just like the Grand Ducal Pce.

    "That would be great!" Eliza said. "You know what? This ce is actually really huge, and walking back and forth from your room to the dining could actually cause some difort for you. Why don''t you stay in Berg Castle?"

    "Or Lily could stay with us in my Dorf Estate." Pierre Weber''s words were enough to silence everyone. "You know how big the estate is, even twenty additional people are not enough to make the pce crowded."

    "Thank you very much for the offer but¡­ I think I would rather stay in this ce and not ruin the schedule that Mika had set in advance." Lily actually knew that Eliza would not just drop this topic because she said no today. She was sure that Eliza would try to convince her again to stay with her when they were already alone, by then, Lily would surely agree to the offer. "This ce¡­ looks really¡­ interesting. With its rich history, I am sure I would love to stay in this pce." She lied without batting an eyelid.

    "Is that so? Is this because you really like the pce or¡­ what happened earlier offended you?" Pierre however, chose not to drop the topic. "I mean¡­ forgive my ipetence. I have tried calling you again and again but¡­ I was routed to your voicemail. Was it because¡­ we werete for a couple of minutes?"

    As expected, his words immediately made the atmosphere thick, suffocating. He eyed Lily before giving her a cordial smile. "I hope¡­ my small mistake didn''t offend you. Of course, I would not me you if you for being offended, but I think it would be really nice for me to defend myself. Especially since this issue would involve my business." His tone was calm ¡ª too calm. That one would think he was speaking some happy thoughts instead of being passive-aggressive towards Lily and suggesting that she was narrow-minded for not answering his calls, despite him, the business owner himself, trying to call her to fix the issue.

    "You know Pierre¡­ this is something that¡ª "

    "Please forgive me, your highness," Pierre interrupted the Grand Duchess. "I am nothing but a small businessman who is trying to exin himself to a client."

    Lily snorted, immediately silencing the Earl. "Mr. Weber¡­ " she lifted her gaze, meeting Pierre''s innocent gaze. "I believe what the Grand Duchess meant to tell you was this was not a very appropriate topic while eating," Lily said. "It is very disrespectful for you to interrupt a woman as she tries to tell you that speaking such personal things in front of the Grand Duke was unnecessary and useless." Lily stered a sweet smile on her face before she calmly took a small sip of her small tea.

    Did Lily just call the Earl''s words unnecessary and useless?

    Silence followed Lily''s words. However, this silence was broken when someone used their knife to slice a dish. Everyone''s eyes immediately turned towards Qin Yuanfeng, who was calmly eating his food as if his sister did not just insult an Earl in front of him.

    "Ehem," Eliza cleared her throat. "I believe talking about business has its right time." She winked at Lily,pletely nonchnt of the fact that Mika''s face had be scarlet red. After all, insulting her husband was akin to insulting her.

    Lily shed a smile at Mika. "You know¡­ I would have forgotten about the issue if Mr. Weber didn''t mention it." Lily said,pletely putting the me on the man. "I mean¡­ it is not a big deal. I only wanted toe in time for lunch, so I asked my husband to arrange a ride for me and my brother. As someone who just traveled for more than fifteen hours from Hong Kong, it is expected for a pregnant woman like me to sleep while riding a car. So why was Mr. Weber making a big deal out of it? This of course makes me wonder¡­ " She shifted her gaze at the speechless Pierre. "Why would someone spoke about something like this in front of the Grand Duke himself?"

 Chapter 793 Intentions

    <h4>Chapter 793: Intentions</h4>

    Pierre''s face contorted. Half in anger, half in shame. Lily''s words were both direct and unexpected. How could a woman be so¡­ direct? He felt his face redden with shame. Slowly, he balled his hands into fist under the table as he tried to control his rage inside. "Madam Zhou¡­ I don''t seem to understand your words?" Then he looked at Mika and the Duke as he started speaking in German. "She is pretty rude." Hemented.

    Lily only responded with a smile as she also looked at the Grand Duke''s stern face. "I''m sorry for ruining the lunch." Despite understanding a little bit of what Pierre said, Lily didn''t want to prolong this conversation anymore. She had decided that she needed to rest from her flight. "I believe he owes me an apology."

    Again, it was as if lightning struck Pierre''s brain. Did Lily just ask him for an apology? He frowned and shifted his gaze at the Grand Duke, hoping that the man would give Lily some words of wisdom about respect. After all, Pierre Weber was not only an Earl, he was also the husband of the first princess of the country. He deserved to be respected!

    "What you did was rude Pierre," Grand Duke Phil uttered as he dabbed the napkin on his lips. "We are here to wee Lily, not talk about business and misunderstandings." He sighed. "I believe you owe her an apology. After all, her exnation does make sense. She is a pregnant woman. Every man would try to make their wives ¡ª especially a pregnant wifefortable. Moreover, she did not bring a secretary with her so it is perfectly reasonable for her not to answer your call while she was on her way here."

    Pierre felt as if a cold bucket of water was poured inside his soul. He looked at Mika whose face was also red from embarrassment. However, contrary to his expectations, his woman only lowered her gaze, saying nothing about the current situation. "Then¡­ my mistake. I apologize that my words offended you." He forced out the words in his mouth as his face got hotter and hotter.

    "So¡­ it was my fault that I was offended by your words?" Lily''s tone was light. Smiling, she bravely met the Earl''s gray eyes. "But I understand." Lily said. "Apology epted. What you did waspletely uncalled for. You really should learn when to talk about the reputation of your business." Her eyes turned into crescents as amusementced her voice. "Look, the environment around us is now ruined. Ah! That reminds me." Lily eyed her brother. "Can you please hand me the box?"

    Without saying anything, Qin Yuanfeng nodded and took the box from hisptop bag that he always carried along with him. He handed it to Lily and went back to eating his food.

    "This¡­" Lily eyed the Duchess that was sitting next to her. "I believe this belongs to the Royal Family of Luxembourg." She smiled and handed the box towards her. "This is something that my grandfather owned when he was still a prince. There should be a reason why he never brought this with him when he left Luxembourg."

    She watched as the Duchess'' jaw dropped in surprise. She widened her eyes at the box, speechless at Lily''s reasoning. "But¡ª But that is supposed to be¡ª" she stammered.

    "I have no interest in bing a royalty." Lily rified. "As well as my brother." She met the Grand Duke''s eyes. "This belongs to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the rich history of this lovely country. There is no need for me to have something that doesn''t really belong to me." Her goal was simple. She wanted to let both Leandro and Mika know that she and Qin Yuanfeng had no interest in the throne.

    Giving something back that a royalty had gifted to an individual might sound rude, but to Lily, this was perfectly reasonable. After all, when Eliza gave it to her, she really was not able to think about its possible repercussions.

    "Alright then." It was the Duke. His gaze was glued towards Lily before he looked at Qin Yuanfeng, smiling. "Thank you. I will keep this in case¡ª"

    "No."Lily interrupted him, certainty apparent in her tone. "I apologize for interrupting you but there is no ''in case I change my mind'' your highness. This rock belongs to the Royalty of Luxembourg and I¡ª my brother and I are not a part of the Royal Family." She smiled. "My intentions are clear, your highness. I am not a threat and ¡­ neither is my brother." Lily roamed her gaze at the other people on the table who was also looking at her, surprised at the way she handled the current situation.

    While most of them were aware that Lily was a very direct person, the Earl and Prince Leandro''s wife werepletely speechless. This¡ª both had never met someone so honest and direct in their lives! After all, they were nobles. All their lives, people have showered them with lies and pretense just to get on their good side.

    Meeting someone honest in their lives was considered surprising and¡­ rude.

    "Well¡­ that was a surprise!" The Duchess eximed after watching her husband ask someone to keep the rock somewhere safe. "I was not expecting that you would really return something that should be yours. I¡ª"

    "But that is not important." The Duke interrupted his wife. "The thing is¡­ Lily was very clear about her intentions from the get go. We should all respect that." His gaze lingered towards the Earl for a few minutes. "Well¡­ let''s not allow that to affect lunch! Where is the Chef? I want him to start serving the desserts!" he beamed at the attendant.

    Slowly, the thick atmosphere inside the ballroom hall dissipated, leaving only living Pierre ufortable as his gaze turnedplicated. After a few more minutes, theughter soon started in the ballroom and Eliza started talking about her adventures in Asia with her twin brother.

    Not long after the lunch was finished as Lily still needed to rest for the banquet tonight. Seeing how tired Lily was, the Duchess immediately offered to cancel the banquet and just move it to the next day.

    Surprisingly, Lily agreed to her suggestion. She was really tired, ah. She needed her sleep!

 Chapter 794 Engagemen

    <h4>Chapter 794: Engagemen</h4>

    "How could she even think about returning that?" The Duchess said as she started pacing inside the Duke''s office. "Do you think¡­ Do you think we offended her in any way? Is she mad at us about something? Maybe it was because you asked to introduce her as your niece! Phil¡­ what do you think? Why are you so silent? Do you¡ª"

    "If you really keep on talking like that¡­ I won''t be able to respond." He interrupted her. "And why are you so stressed about a small rock? Isn''t this good? Leandro will now feel assured that he will inherit the throne. That is both good for his emotional and mental health." The Duke smiled. "And please¡­ Esther. Lily is not a child. As you can see, she is very direct. She always says what''s on her mind."

    "Can you stop smiling like that? It is¡­ disturbing. Did the incident with Pierre really make you so happy?"

    "Why¡­ of course!" the Duke beamed. "Can you see how smart Lily is? I¡ª I can''t exin this but I purposely did not give Pierre a single nce. I didn''t even look at him!"

    "So you wanted Lily to know that you and him are on bad terms?"

    "And she immediately understood!" The Duke eximed. "That woman¡­ ah! that woman is so smart that it is somehow scary!"

    "Oh! Stop it!" Esther rolled her eyes. "Lily is not the type of woman that would be used by someone."

    "Why are you making it sound as if I was using her for my entertainment?"

    "Aren''t you?" The Duchess replied as displeasureced her gaze. "Philimon, I am warning you. I¡ª"

    "Esther¡­ First, I only wanted Lily to know that she could do whatever she wanted in case that fool Pierre would try to sow discord during lunch. Second, It was Pierre''s choice to act so smart and try to attack Lily. And third, I like Lily! She is my niece after all and I am very proud of her. " He squinted his eyes. "Why would you even think that I would dare use her against my enemies?"

    "It was just¡­"

    "I know¡­ I know¡­ and I''m sorry for making it look that way. It was just really fun, watching the Earl speechless, face red in anger and embarrassed." Slowly his tone turned soft. "Don''t tell me, you didn''t enjoy seeing him ufortable?"

    She responded with a sigh. "My only concern is our daughter. Did you see her face earlier?"

    As expected, the Duke turned silent at her words. Mika was indeed ufortable earlier. However, because he was having too much fun, he ignored his daughter''s reaction and just let Lily embarrass the Earl. He even agreed to have him apologize to Lily!

    "Do you think she will understand?" The Duke asked.

    "Of course, she will. Do you think your daughter is dumb? Your words could have easily stopped Lily from berating the man that she loved and yet you maintained your silence."

    Another sighed escaped the duke''s lips as he thought about Mika''s marriage. Despite the Earl''s shorings, they could really see Mika happy at his side. True, the Earl was arrogant and maniptive but he could make Mika and their grandchildren happy.

    "And that Antone," the Duchess grumbled. "You know he hasn''t seen your daughter for a few months already, right?"

    "Not even a video call?"

    The Duchess shrugged. "That is not the point. Antone owns a private jet, a helicopter and a couple of branded cars! With all the luxurious rides that he owns that man didn''t even try to meet Eliza for a date. What kind of engagement is this?" In front of Lily, the duchess was forced to talk as if she really liked the man for her daughter however, when she was alone with her husband, her opinion about Harringfort changed almost immediately. "Do we really have to let our daughter go to a man like that? To have a miserable marriage?"

    The Duke maintained his silence. Seeing this, the Duchess continued, "Phil¡­ if that man respected the engagement, he could have at least made an effort to see her and not always make excuses while sending you the most expensive jewels! Did you know? He didn''t even greet Eliza on her birthday! True! The man made some contact with you but it wasn''t your birthday! It was as if¡­ as if he only made contact with you to maintain your cordial rtionship with his father."

    The Duke nodded in response, still saying nothing. Antone Harringfort was an estranged prince. He had angered his father countless number of times that thetter had decided to limit his contact with his disrespectful son outside of their family business. It was indeed very reasonable for Antone to maintain a rtionship with him just because he did not want ruin Phil''s friendly rtionship with Antone''s father.

    "How is Eliza? Does she feel down because of this?" he asked.

    In response the Duchess shrugged. "She never liked him. I believe it is high time time for us to cancel this engagement. What do you think?"

    "Do you think that will make Eliza happy?"

    "I am positive that this engagement has been weighing down on her for a few months now. Plus meeting Lily surely affected her mood about an arranged marriage. After all, we all know how Eliza values her freedom. Unlike Mika, Eliza loves to spend her time outdoors, interacting with people and ying games with children. She is¡­ a very smart and special woman." The Duchess smiled as she thought of her youngest child. "And she has been talking about Lily these past few weeks. I think¡­ I think she really wants to get close to her."

    "Well¡­ I would not stop her to get close to someone like Lily. We all know how she will be a very good influence on our child. My only concern now is this engagement." The Duke let out another sigh. Was he really going to break the engagement?

    ........

    Don''t forget to vote for the novel!

 Chapter 795 The Duke and His Son

    <h4>Chapter 795: The Duke and His Son</h4>

    Unedited

    ..............

    "That woman¡­ how dare she humiliate me like that?" Pierre Weber was fuming. He kicked one of his antique chairs, before shoving the vase next to the bookshelves, sending it crashing on the wood tile in his office. Unperturbed by the loud crashing sound, Pierre started throwing things that he could hold unto towards the wall, making his office more chaotic and loud.

    "That woman is¡ª "

    "Pierre!" Mika''s voice immediately stopped him from throwing another of his antique vases on the painting just above his firece.

    "I told you not toe inside." His voice turned calm, opposite to the high pitched voice that he used earlier when cursing Lily. "Don''te in¡­ you will hurt your feet." He said when he noticed her took a step towards him.

    "Are you alright?"

    "Is that even a question?" he snapped. Realizing his mistake, his face immediately turned gentle. "I''m sorry.I¡ª I just¡­ I have been really stressed and I need some time alone."

    "Are you ¡ª Are you sure?" Mika bit her lips. "The kids ¡ª They can hear you."

    "Then¡­ take them to the other side of the castle. I just¡­ I needed some time."

    The most up-to-date novels are published on lightnov/elworl/d[.

    Mika nodded. She gave her husband''s office onest look before leaving.

    "Your highness." The steward of the house gave a low bow as he waited for Mika to pass him he then walked inside the Earl''s study after knocking. "My lord."

    "Clean this up!" Pierre uttered in disgust. "Everything! Clean them up!" he said, his face contorted into an ugly scowl. That Lily¡­ that woman will soon know how wrong she is for offending him!

    "Yes, my lord." It didn''t take long for the other attendants to clean the entire area and leave the room sparkling once again. After all, this was not the first time that something like this happened before.

    "My lord, I receive some reports that Madam Zhou already settles in the pce. She is well protected. Surprisingly, her husband is a capable man. Aside from that ride, her husband''s people suddenly arrive to make sure that she is safe. From her water to her food, everything needed to go through them. At this rate, sending a poison in her room will be hard."

    "I know!" the Earl responded. Unlike Leandro and Mika, as well as the other members of the Grand Duke''s family, this woman is very cautious. He narrowed his eyes before he poured himself some of his favorite scotch. "And her husband?"

    "Well¡­ he will arrive on the seventh. I have his flight details ¡ª it is saying that he will leave Hong Kong tonight and will arrive on the morning of the seventh."

    "Thest time I heard, Mika said he will arrive on the ninth." The Earl said. "They have been changing their schedule." He concluded.

    "Do ¡ª Do you want me to do some more research about this man?" his steward who had served his father as a knight suggested. "I mean¡­ these people. They are a threat to the Royal family. They are a threat to you ¡ª the future Grand Duke of this country."

    The mention of the word ''future grand duke'', immediately made the Earl smile. "Lily already rified that she is not a threat to¡­ my throne. In fact, she returned that useless rock that each of the Royal Family owns. Even her brother was quite nonchnt about it." He narrowed his eyes at his firece. "And for some reason¡­ that woman is quite believable."

    The steward nodded as he continued to stand a few feet away from the Earl. "But once the people will know that her grandfather was supposed to be the king, we might have a problem. Fredrick might have been removed in the family tree but¡­ he is still a royalty. We cannot have them tell anyone about it."

    "Lily already refused when the grand duke offered to introduce her as his niece during the banquet tomorrow with the other royal families in Luxembourg." Silence followed the Earl''s words. As someone who had been secretly working against Grand Duke Phil, the Earl of the Dorf Castle also had ambitions for himself. However, these ambitions are useless if he is not the one in power.

    First, he needed to remove the Grand Duke on his way. "You know what? I believe¡­ this is the perfect time for us to do our n." He smiled.

    "You mean¡­"

    "Kill the Grand Duke and pin it to Lily. Her presence is just the biggest excuse that we have." The Earl started to chuckle. Isn''t he a genius? Once the Grand Duke dies, they will soon increase the dose that Leandro had been drinking to end his life as well. Then¡­ Mika will be the Grand Duchess with him as the new Grand Duke.

    Isn''t this the perfect n?

    Smiling, Pierre walked towards his seat. "We should make it seem as if she was the one who nned all this." To him, something like this is really easy. Lily already had her people with her, it will be easy to use this opportunity to make people think that she was the one who poisoned the Duke and his son.

    Plus, it is believable. After all, she and her brother also had a im to the throne. It would be easy to say that Lily was only pretending her disinterest so people would not use her of murdering the royal family.

    "My Lord, forgive me, but I think it will be hard to frame Madam Zhou. First, it would not make any sense for her tomit the crime while she was in ournds. It is not only very stupid, but she could easily use this as an excuse to get out of the situation. Second, she could also use her current status as another excuse. She is a very wealthy woman. Why would she want to be a queen in a small country like ours when her business is already thriving not only in Europe but also in the other parts of the world. That is just¡­ it would not make any sense."

    ......

    Don''t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 796 Crooked

    <h4>Chapter 796: Crooked</h4>

    Meanwhile, Lily waspletely unaware of the Earl''s insidious ns. Despite thinking about ghosts and the haunted paintings inside the pce, Lily still fell asleep the moment she went inside the room. It was because she was really tired from the flight. When dinner time came, Lily asked Qin Yuanfeng to tell them that she was going to rest. Of course, everyone understood why she was exhausted.

    "President, Mr. Qin told me that the madam is already sleeping. Instead of having dinner, she just had some bread and decided to go back to sleep." Secretary Go said as he handed a tablet to Zhou Jingren. "This is what I have so far about Mr. Harringfort." He said.

    Zhou Jingren only nodded in response. They were already in the car towards the Grand Ducal Pce where Zhou Jingren scheduled a meeting with the Grand Duke before going to see Lily. "What do we have here?"

    "Mr. Harringfort tried to invite the Madam for a meeting during her break earlier this year. Of course, she immediately refused such an arrangement because of her health. This was when she was looking into the Corneels Oil Company." Secretary Go started exining every public thing that they knew about Harringfort. " He tried to invite her again but the Madam already told Miss Yang to tell him she would be busy for the rest of the year. So Miss Yang informed Mr. Harringfort''s secretary and they haven''t heard from Mr. Harringfort again. Also, based on my research Mr. Harringfort only saw Princess Eliza once after their engagement. After that¡­ he just vanished into thin air and would sometimes send her choctes and flowers but that was it. Not many people know of this, however, Mr. Qin Yuanfeng confirmed this from his¡­ research."

    "And the Grand Duke?"

    "Well Grand Duke Phil and Mr. Harringfort''smunication never stopped. In fact, we were able to trace a lot of calls from Mr. Harringfort to the Grand Duke. Much more than the number of calls he did towards Princess Eliza.

    "Hmmm¡­ the engagement had been announced more than a year ago. Before we saw the Royal Familyst year in Skopelos. But¡­ they only saw each other once?" he raised an eyebrow. "The man must have been very busy."

    "I was not able to get a schedule. Since he is a very private person. And their cyber security is also very hard to get into. Even Mr. Qin said it wasparable to the security of the white house in the US. However, it doesn''t mean that it''s unbreachable. We just needed some time to do it. But as I was saying, because we can''t get ahold of his schedule we looked into the records of his private flights. The man is indeed a frequent traveler. He has been to a lot of countries but he never stayed in one country for more than a week. The man was practically living in his ne."

    "Somewhat predictable for a businessman." Zhou Jingren answered. "So he tried to schedule a meeting with my wife." The man was already in histe twenties¡­ a Royalty who was engaged to another Royalty. It did not take too long for Zhou Jingren to connect the dots. Slowly, a sinister smile bloomed on Lily''s face. "So¡­ he was supposed to be my wife''s fiance, huh."

    Secretary Go shivered when he saw Zhou Jingren smile like that. He immediately wondered how he was able to conclude such things. "President¡­ I think¡­"

    Zhou Jingren turned towards him. "Harringfort should be Lily''s fiance if¡­ her grandfather became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Their ages match." While this was nothing but an assumption based on his data, he could not help but believe that this one was indeed real. After all, he did not miss the anger in Harringfort''s eyes every time that he stared at Zhou Jingren when they were ying a game.It was as if, Zhou Jingren owed him something when in fact, it was the first time that he spoke with Harringfort.

    Zhou Jingren had been wondering why the man had been trying to emphasize that he came from the orphanage and treated him with nothing but disgust because of his upbringing. Zhou Jingren thought that it was only because Harringfort was irritated that Zhou Jingren actually crippled his men. However, it seems that the hatred stemed from jealousy.

    Zhou Jingren let out a low chuckle. "What a nonsense man." He said. "Prepare a team outside of Luxembourg. Tell them to be on standby, I can feel that his highness Antone Harringfort wille to Luxembourg anytime soon to see his neglected fiance." If his guess was right, Harringfort was treating Eliza as rudely as he could because he was trying to make her and her family cancel the engagement.

    In this way, he could im that it was Eliza who did not want the marriage and he only wanted to make the woman happy. It was a smart strategy but very predictable. Even a toddler could easily predict such things!

    He smiled as he thought about Harringfort saying that he is not allowed to kill Zhou Jingren.

    "How silly." He uttered, his voice low and dangerous. Did that man really think that he won''t be able to analyze the situation based on the small facts that Zhou Jingren holds? "Did Yuanfeng find a way to track the people that Harringfort meet during his trips in the past six months?" he asked.

    "He said he needed some time."

    "Alright. I will talk to him once we arrive." Zhou Jingren thought of a good way to track Harringfort''s contacts and for that he needed his brother inw''s help.

    "President¡­ we are here." Secretary Go said as he went out of the car and opened the door for Zhou Jingren. In response, he went out of the car and eyed his secretary''s suit.

    "Your tie is crooked." He said before walking towards the huge pce doors of the Grand Duke''s Residence.

    ...........

    Please don''t forget to vote.

 Chapter 797 Fatal

    <h4>Chapter 797: Fatal</h4>

    "Mr. Zhou!"

    Zhou Jingren shook the Grand Duke''s hand as he smiled. "Your highness."

    "Please¡­ you and Lily just keep on calling me Your highness when I already told you countless times to call me uncle. We are family." The grand duke returned a smile as he gestured for Zhou Jingren to sit down. "Please¡­ let''s treat each other as family."

    Sitting on the chair opposite to the Duke, Zhou Jingren nodded. He eyed the entire office and was easily impressed by the decorations on the wall that perfectly depicted the history of the small but beautiful country.

    "We have been through a lot." The Duke smiled, eyeing the same statues that Zhou Jingren was looking at. "And we are proud of that."

    "You should be." Zhou Jingren said.

    "So¡­ I assume you didn''t juste here tonight ahead of your schedule because you wanted to chat about our history?"

    "As much as I would like to do that, I can''t. My knowledge in Europe''s history is not as rich as my knowledge in the history of most Asian countries."

    "Your direct words remind me of Lily. You two¡­ seem to be so alike but different at the same time." Heughed. "And I like that."

    Again, Zhou Jingren only nodded. "I am here for a deal."

    "A deal?" the Grand Duke narrowed his eyes. "Enlighten me."

    "I need you to increase the security around Lily while she is here. That''s all."

    "And?"

    "And in return, I will help you deal with your enemy."

    "Hah!" The Dukeughed. "Enemy? Mr. Zhou must be joking. When ites to enemies. I have countless number of them. There is no need for you to get involved when ites to my personal enemies but¡­ I can help you with your small request about security. I was already intending to do that. After all¡­ I know that she wouldn''t just suddenly decide toe here without a very serious reason."

    Zhou Jingren wanted to apud the Duke''s smart thinking. He ended up chuckling. "Thank you. I always knew that you would do that. However¡­ what I am offering you is something more than dealing with some activists."

    The Grand Duke immediately raised an eyebrow. He stared at Zhou Jingren for a few seconds as he contemted his words. "I already know that Lily is not a threat. I also happen to know that no matter what the people who hate me do to convince her and have her work against me, it would fail." Lily was even more wealthy than him and his familybined, why would Lily lower herself to serving a country like Luxembourg? Moreover, he had read about Lily for a long time and knew that the way she handled people was quite different.

    This method was not very suitable for a public figure like a Grand Duke.

    "Is¡ª Is that what you mean by activist?" he asked when he saw Zhou Jingren just stare at him with amusement in his eyes. Did he say something that would warrant such a reaction? Frowning, the Grand Duke waited for Zhou Jingren to exin.

    "Your son is dying."

    "Excuse me?"

    "Prince Leandro¡­ the next in line for the throne is dying." Zhou Jingren didn''te to this country empty handed. He had already asked Qin Yuanfeng to do a lot of digging about this country and its people. Because of this, Zhou Jingren was considered very knowledgeable about the Grand Duchy and its secrets. He smiled at the Grand Duke''s confusion. "Judging from your reaction¡­ I am guessing you don''t know about this n to kill the heir?"

    "What are you talking about?" The Grand Duke''s face immediately reddened. "Please¡­ exin yourself. These words¡­ These words are very dangerous Mr. Zhou. I would advise you to please exin yourself."

    Zhou Jingren''s lips lifted into a smirk. "I already told you. I want a deal."

    "What deal are you talking about? I¡ª I already assured you that I would increase security around Lily. What else do you need?" he asked, distressed immediately showing in the older man''s face. In response, Zhou Jingren stood from his seat and walked towards the huge portrait of the Duke''s family.

    "I want you to help me¡­ ruin someone."

    "Ruin¡­ Mr. Zhou¡­ I don''t think that would be possible. As you know Luxembourg is not as influential as other countries in Europe. We are not the US or Russia. How could I help you ruin someone?"

    "Before you say no¡­ hear me out your highness." Zhou Jingren said. "Just like my wife, I have no intention in causing trouble to you or your family. I have my own family to worry about and your throne is not my concern. Me and my wife only want to live a carefree life."

    The Grand Duke stared at Zhou Jingren''s back.

    "The request that I will make is considered smallpared to what I will do for your family." Zhou Jingren continued. "Prince Leandro is dying. We have data that suggests that he is unknowingly being fed poison. No symptoms, no sickness. It was something that he has been taking slowly. It is not fatal, yet."

    "How¡ª How do you know this?"

    "I cannot tell you." It was actually George who helped him figure this out. After all, his influence in the ck market in Europe was not as vast as George''s. "I have my ways, your highness." He turned towards the Duke. "But¡­ your son has been slowly and steadily consuming lead. Small amounts are included in his food or water, I am not sure about this. But¡­ someone in your household has been buying lead from the ck market for years now."

    "Lead?" a lump immediately appeared in the Grand Duke''s throat. Lead poisoning was undetectable unless dangerous amounts had already umted in the body. It would not show any signs or symptoms unless¡­ the amount inside one''s body was fatal. He immediately recalled the conversation that he had with his son earlier about his health examination telling him that his sperm count was very low¡ª too low for his age.

    Wasn''t that one of the effects of lead poisoning? Slowly, the Duke''s eyes widened as he stood from his seat. "Tell me everything!"

    .............

    Please add: The Viins Redemption.

    Dont forget to vote!

 Chapter 798 Decide

    <h4>Chapter 798: Decide</h4>

    Unedited

    ..................

    Seeing Zhou Jingren just stare at him, the Duke immediately added. "I will agree to whatever deal that you want. Just tell me everything."

    "Two things, don''t cancel Eliza''s engagement to Antone Harringfort. No matter what happens, don''t cancel it. And second¡­ I know that you own properties ¡ª inds that were put under a different name. I happen to know that you own a bunker, a ce where no one knows except you. I want ess in this ce."

    "You ¡ª You do know that this is information that is only essible to the Grand Duke, right? Not even my wife, who had been with me for more than thirty years, knew where the bunker was." They created this ce during world war two to protect the Royalties of Luxembourg. It was a highly fortified ce that is equipped with enough security to keep the people inside safe from a nuclear attack.

    It had its own food source, electricity, water, and most importantly aputerwork that could ess US satellites that were orbiting around the.

    "I know of its existence." Zhou Jingren lied. Before the Duke confirmed its existence, he had no prior knowledge of this bunker. All he had was mere spection. After all, every Royalty should have something that could defend themselves from wars, right? "But¡­ I am not sure of its exact location."

    The Duke pursed his lips. He didn''t even wonder how Zhou Jingren would know such things. What he was wondering is why. Why would someone like Zhou Jingren want ess to his bunker? "The fact that you are forcing me to choose between my son''s health and my daughter''s happiness is already so bold of you. However, the information about the bunker¡­ I believe you are going overboard with your demands."

    "Demands?" Zhou Jingren smirked. "I know the people feeding your entire family poison. I know where they bought the lead and I know when will be the next time that they buy it."

    "You ¡ª " The Duke felt his hand shook from Zhou Jingren''s words. "You mean my entire family¡­"

    "Including the people who poisoned you, took a small dose of lead to fool everyone." Zhou Jingren interrupted him. Smiling, he waited for the Duke to give him an answer. "Knowledge is never a problem, your highness. The problem is what am I going to do with the knowledge that I have."

    "Are you¡ª "

    "No¡­ I am not ckmailing you. I am making a deal with you. The location of your bunker and keeping Eliza''s engagement. In return, I will give you the information that you need to save your family and persecute the people who harmed them."

    "You have enough to persecute them?"

    "I could have my people kill them if you want me to. But that would be too messy. I would not want to involve your name in their deaths. So yes, I asked my people to find everything incriminating evidence that they could, enough for a death penalty."

    Again the Duke went speechless. The words that Zhou Jingren spouted does not make any sense. It seemed too impossible yet possible at the same time. He met the man''s dark eyes as he wondered what else Zhou Jingren knew. Is it possible that Lily also knew every information that Zhou Jingren holds?

    "Can you give me some time to decide about this? I ¡ª that is not an easy decision. Even my daughter''s engagement is something that I cannot ¡ª " he gulped. Zhou Jingren was forcing him to choose between two very important things for him.

    If the Duke would say no to his requests, Zhou Jingren would surely ask Lily to leave and he might not be able to contact him again. Moreover, the Duke could treat his family, but that is only the tail of the problem. He had no idea who poisoned his family, he would not have a way to cut off the snake''s head.

    The Duke knows that without Zhou Jingren''s help, finding the real culprit would be hard because just like what Zhou Jingren said, even the culprit took a small amount of lead to fool anyone.

    Meanwhile, saying yes to Zhou Jingren''s terms, means the Duke would have ess to the information that he had by sacrificing the happiness of his daughter. Also, that bunker was for him and his family in case something happens. After all, they are a very important part of their country. Their safety is the number one priority. Giving Zhou Jingren ess to everything in the bunker is such a big demand. Zhou Jingren is simply making him choose between his family and the country that he and his family are serving.

    Zhou Jingren''s snort interrupted his stupor. "Since when did you care about your daughter''s happiness?" Zhou Jingren lifted an eyebrow, sarcasm apparent in his tone. "We all know how Antone had been ignoring her for months now and yet you never dealt with the situation because you fear that it would affect your rtionship with Antone''s father. Why care now? Surely, a marriage that is bound to fail is not such a big deal, right?" A sinister smile slithered on Zhou Jingren''s face.

    All he wanted was for Antone to be tied to Eliza. Not necessarily a marriage, even an engagement is enough. This is something that he is nning to use against that man.

    "You know nothing about me and my family!" the Grand Duke hissed, irritated at Zhou Jingren''s words.

    "On the contrary, I know quite a lot of things about you and your family." Zhou Jingren calmly said. "Alright¡­ maybe not know ¡ª know. But I can certainly tell everyone''s favorite color, memorable scars, birthdays, favorite dish. After all, these are all public pieces of information." Zhou Jingren said. "Of course, this does not mean that I am ignorant when ites to your public affairs. I know that Leandro''s wife is cheating. I know that Pierre Weber was diagnosed with bipr disorder and I know that your wife¡ª "

    "Enough!" the Duke interrupted him. "I get it! I understand!"

    "Good." Zhou Jingren nodded. "Just know that I have no ill intentions towards you and your family. I only want those two small things in exchange for the survival of your n." He smiled. "I will leave now. Please ask someone to guide me to my wife''s room."

    ...........

    Priv Price change:

    1ss: 3 advance chapters.

    5ss: 10 advance chapters.

    There is a current event for september, if 500 + people will buy priv, each reader of the certain novel will get prices including rebate and badges.

 Chapter 799 Coaxing Her

    <h4>Chapter 799: Coaxing Her</h4>

    "And oh," Zhou Jingren stopped just before he could open the door. "Please¡­ don''t let anyone else know about the conditions that we have talked about tonight." He said before walking out of the Grand Duke''s office.

    ...

    When Lily woke up the next day, Zhou Jingren was already sleeping silently next to her. She smiled as she poked his face. "Hey, what time did you arrivest night? You didn''t even wake me up."

    Her soft voice stirred him awake. "About eleven in the evening." He responded, his eyes half-closed. Yawning, Zhou Jingren pulled her closer, making his arm her pillow, her back against his chest. "Too early. Let''s sleep a little more." He said.

    "It''s already eight in the morning. The Grand Duke just sent someone to get us for breakfast. Yuanfeng is already waiting for us downstairs."

    "That man doesn''t sleep. Let him wait a little bit longer." His soft voice echoed behind her ears. She giggled in response.

    "You are bullying my brother."

    "Am not."

    "Yes, you are!" She smiled. "I am not going to allow you to bully him."

    He gave a low chuckle. "Alright. We should not let him wait that long." The two immediately prepared for breakfast as Zhou Jingren started telling Lily about what he did before he went to her room.

    "Why would you provoke him?" she asked. She always knew that her husband is a very reasonable man. There is no way that he would just do it because of an address. "And fiance? Really? How would you know this?"

    "I am helping him and Harringfort being your fiance actually makes sense if you consider your age."

    "I am the same age as Mika."

    "But she is already married. My guess is, this engagement had long been decided before the child was even born. If your grandfather became the kind, there is a possibility that you would be Harringfort''s fiance."

    Lily nodded. His exnation is indeed reasonable."And what about your demands to the Grand Duke?"

    "Reasonable for the information that I hold."

    For a few seconds, Lily paused and stared at her husband''s eyes before she silently nodded before quickly switching the topic. "There will be a banquet tonight and I would meet a few noble families." She knew that Zhou Jingren does not want to talk about what he talked to the Duke, at least not when they are not in their territory.

    "I already prepared a dress¡ª "

    "Surprisingly, Princess Mika offered me a dressst night. She had been pregnant and she had attended events before. She said she had the perfect dress for me. Something that she never wore." Lily interrupted him. "But¡­ I agree. Asked Go Jichen to bring the dress inside the room."

    Who knows what kind of evil scheme would that Pierre Weber pulls off?

    Her words made her husband smile. "Here, I got this for you." He said as he handed her a tablet. "The people that you might meet tonight."

    "You¡ª you asked Yuanfeng to hack into the¡ª "

    "No, I didn''t. I don''t need his help in doing such a simple task." Zhou Jingren said as he helped her with her dress. Did Lily forget that he too can hackputers? True, he might not be as efficient as Qin Yuanfeng but he can always do it as long as he had the time¡ª something that Qin Yuanfeng always has.

    Lily nodded as she started reading about the nobles that might attend the banquet and some of their dirty little secrets that Zhou Jingren found about them.

    "I will be talking to the Duke tonight, so I might not be able to be there on time for the banquet." Zhou Jingren said. Hand in hand, the two started walking out of the room.

    .............

    This time, breakfast was held in another part of the pce. It was in another wing that is only avable to the most important visitor of the state. Just like the other ces of the pce, the ce was also adorned with sparkling chandeliers and gold in-cased paintings. The only difference with this one was that it had an ent wall that was full of images of some people that Lily does not recognize. Probably the people who once ruled this country and their families.

    The couple walked towards the circr table that is not as big as the table that they used the other night. "Lily!" As usual, the Grand Duchess and Eliza were beaming. "Good Morning. When Phil told mest night that your beloved arrived to join you, I was honestly surprised. I didn''t think that he would miss you after not seeing you for twenty-four hours." The Duchess smiled before she froze, looking into the side profile of her daughter.

    Unfortunately for Eliza, she found a man that is not like Zhou Jingren. She immediately thought about the argument that she just had with the Grand Duke earlier. When she asked him about canceling the engagement he refused to say anything to confirm what they had talked about the previous night. Instead, he said that he is still thinking about it.

    Was it really that hard to decide about this thing? Her pitiful daughter had been abandoned, forgotten, and treated unfairly! How could he still take some time to think about it? What Harringfort did was a tant disrespect of their daughter.

    "Are you alright?" Lily asked. "You seemed pale."

    "Oh¡­ I¡ª " she stuttered before she beamed, masking all the anger that she felt a couple of seconds ago. "I am fine. I just¡­ I thought I had a headache. I guess I worked too muchst night."

    "You should take some time off, don''t stress yourself too much." Lily smiled. "By the way, the Duke¡ª "

    "Oh! He had some emergency earlier today." Because of their fight, the Duchess asked the Grand Duke not to show his face in front of her while she was still angry. And hepiled without even asking questions. This even made the Duchess mad. How could he just leave without coaxing her like he always did?

    Of course, this was all inside her head. On the outside, the Duchess was beaming, her eyes sparkling as she started talking about her experience when she was pregnant.

    ...........

    So the event will start September 1.

    Also, since the novel is ending, I will try to pump out more chapters everyday. Thank you for your support everyone!

 Chapter 800 Top

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 800 Top</h4>

    Chapter 800 Top-notch

    Unedited

    Despite the Duchess¡¯ pretense, Lily and Zhou Jingren were well aware that one of the reasons why the Duke didn¡¯t join them for breakfast was because of what happened the other night. As someone who needed to make a choice, it was absolutely understandable for the Duke to feel that way.

    After their lengthy breakfast, Zhou Jingren and Lily stayed inside their room so she could rest and prepare for the banquet tonight. Slowly, time passed.

    The banquet was scheduled to start at six in the evening so by five, many nobles ¡ª people that Lily have never met before started to arrive. As usual, everyone is dressed in dresses and suits. Many of them chose to wear knee-length dresses from various designers all over the world. However, this is not something that concerns Lily as of the moment.

    It was already five and Zhou Jingren went to talk to the Duke, leaving Lily alone with Eliza as the two waited for the dress that Mika will send her.

    "I already told her to send the dressst night. Yet, her husband insisted on doing it today as she was exhausted and she needed her rest." Eliza frowned. True, the Earl¡¯s words sound so sweet and caring. However, Eliza never trusted that bloke. She found Pierre to be pretentious. A person that she just can¡¯t understand at all. Sometimes the man is too happy, sometimes sulky, and mostly, the man would react to small, irrelevant things.

    "You seem to dislike the man?"

    "Don¡¯t you?" Eliza turned towards Lily. "It was your first time seeing him and he was already acting like a jerk. Imagine seeing him for years now." She let out a sharp sigh. "Of course, I have no choice. My sister marrying him, an activist that had been against our government, was akin to a peace treaty. It was my father¡¯s way to silence the man. Despite all the praises, I would say my father definitely failed at that."

    "Mr. Weber... sounds like a very sweet man. Of course... it wasn¡¯t his fault that he got defensive in front of the Grand Duke. It was, after all, his business and well... I have a very broad contact list of people who do business in this country. It is a natural thing to try to defend himself."

    Eliza said nothing for a few seconds. "So... you think he didn¡¯t deliberately try to do it just so he could create some misunderstandings between you and my sister?" Her words made Lily smirked. She really could not underestimate Eliza. After all, she was someone from a Royal Family. Surely, the woman must have witnessed some schemes around her.

    "You are very perceptive," Lily said. "I like it."

    "Well... I have been reading the books that you told me to read. Since then, I have been very perceptive about everythingtely. Maybe not perceptive... maybe observant with the tendency to overthink things."

    Lilyughed along with Eliza.

    "That is a very... interesting notion. Interesting and spot on."

    The two continued talking about random things as they had their tea inside Lily¡¯s office.

    "Zhou Jingren¡¯s people are very strict, no?" Eliza observed. "I mean... I have met leaders from different states and not many of them bring their own Chef and supplies." Sheughed. It was as if Zhou Jingren was afraid that someone would poison Lily. Of course, this is pretty reasonable. In Eliza¡¯s mind, this is something normal for a husband who worries about her wife.

    Moreover, she knew that Lily must have enemies from all over the world because of her ways of dealing with business. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

    "Since I got pregnant. He had been paranoid about keeping me and the baby safe." Someone had poisoned everyone in this household. Why would Zhou Jingren risk it? Zhou Jingren had been meticulous about this. He arranged everything in advance just to make sure Lily is safe. Everything from her own personal chef to the source of food to the water that she drinks.

    Everything had been tested. Of course, everyone thought it was perfectly normal as they have heard and seen Zhou Jingren¡¯s care towards Lily before. Not even the Duke thought there was something wrong with his actions.

    That was until Zhou Jingrenid out the whole truth in front of him. A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Eliza immediately started beaming. She knew that her sister¡¯s taste in clothes is top-notch.

    On top of that, she is a talented designer. Eliza even suspected that her sister might have actually designed and made the dress that she will let Lily wear tonight. It could be some sort of free advertisement for her sister. Eliza giggled at the thought of her thinking about advertisements and marketing.

    She could not deny that since she had been talking and seeing Lily, her brains seemed to have adapted. It made her more curious in the world of business ¡ª in the world where a woman like Lily thrived.

    "What ¡ª What is this?" Eliza almost immediately paled when she saw the horrible state of the dress that one of the attendants brought them. ???Why is this..." Her eyes widened. "Did my sister ask you to bring you this?"

    The attendant nodded in response before he exined that the dress was sent this morning by the Earl¡¯s people, but they didn¡¯t inform them about it. Because of this, the long, pale blue dress was left unattended near the kitchen.

    "Why the hell would they bring this near the kitchen and not inform anyone about this?" Eliza asked. Her voice turned shrill and usatory. As expected! That Earl made another pointless scheme! "Who was in charge of the kitchen? Why is everything so messy? How about the guards? Did they have prior knowledge of this dress?"

    Of course, the attendant only lowered his head in response as he blurted some words in what Lily¡¯s assumed as the Luxembourgishnguage. This made Eliza even more irritated. She started talking in theirnguage as she continued to ask the attendant questions.

    Happy 800 chapters!

 Chapter 801 Invited

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 801 Invited</h4>

    Chapter 801 Invited

    Unedited

    "This is all that man¡¯s doing!" Red-faced, Eliza hissed. She started pacing inside the room. "I already know that he would try to get back at you!"

    "You know... if your mother sees you like this, she would immediately tell you to act like ady." The mysterious smile stered on Lily¡¯s face only made Eliza frown.

    "You seem to enjoy this? You ¡ª " Eliza sighed as she sat on the couch next to Lily. "I know how my sister loves this dress. She might think that you deliberately did this because of what happenedst night. I don¡¯t want her to think like that." Moreover, she would not want her sister to choose between Lily and her husband. Eliza knew how much Mika loves her husband. She also happened to know that just like Eliza, Mika would like to have a good rtionship with Lily.

    "I understand." Lily nodded as she opened her phone and started snapping photos of the dress.

    "What are you doing?"

    ???Telling her that I won¡¯t wear the dress because it¡¯s ruined." This is such a small thing. There is no need for Lily to waste her time getting riled up by something like this. "I would not ruin my mood just because of the dress." She calmly exined before she sent all the photos that she took to Mika.

    Sometimes, people just overplicate things when they can just calmly exin the situation to each other. Lily smiled as she saw Mika¡¯s name on the screen. "Look." She showed her phone to Eliza. "I will tell her about the current situation." Lily didn¡¯t wait for Eliza to respond as she directly answered Mika¡¯s call.

    Smiling, Lily told Mika about the things that the attendant said. She also made sure to include the furious Eliza on the frame, silently letting Mika know that Lily had Eliza as a witness.

    Not long after Lily started exining the current situation, Eliza also joined in and told her about the ipetence of the people tasked to deliver the dress. As expected, Mika didn¡¯t use Lily of tampering the dress and just apologized. She said that she thought Pierre would personally deliver the dress as an apology for what happened the other night.

    However, she was wrong. It seems that Pierre was really angered by Lily¡¯s words and he just asked his people to deliver it, causing the dress to get ruined. In the end, Mika also apologized for her husband¡¯s behavior and offered to personally send another dress for Lily.

    This time, Lily refused. The trip from Dorf¡¯s castle to the Grand Ducal Pce would take at least fifteen minutes. Lily simply does not have enough time for that.

    "Are you sure everything will be fine?" Eliza asked, wary and afraid that Pierre might be trying to do something to ruin Lily¡¯s name. Eliza knew that Pierre is not the type of person that would just give up easily. What if the man would decide to try and put a wedge between Lily and Leandro or Lily and the Grand Duke? "I can¡¯t believe my sister just apologized for her husband¡¯s childish behavior!" She grumbled.

    While on the call, Eliza wanted to cuss Pierre¡¯s actions. She had to bit her lips as she tried her best not to do it in front of her sister. She knew that her sister is very sensitive when ites to her husband. And Eliza is not nning to hurt her sister just because of that man¡¯s action.

    "Love is love," Lily said. She started typing on her phone, asking Secretary Go to bring the dress that was kept safe in another room. Not long after, Secretary Go came inside the room with a few of Zhou Jingren¡¯s people that would help Lily prepare for the banquet.

    "Ten minutes?" Eliza asked, confused. "You only needed ten minutes to prepare?"

    "I don¡¯t like wearing thick makeup." Lily reasoned as she started arranging her hair into a French twist, leaving a few strands to frame her features. Tonight, Lily was nning to wear a simple ck line gown that will not emphasize her stomach, with simple makeup and French twist. Nothing tooplicated, but definitely elegant enough for the banquet.

    After all, she was not here to impress people with her looks. Not long after, the two left the room. Meeting Qin Yuanfeng just a few doors away from Lily¡¯s room. The trio then made their way towards the stairs so they could join the banquet in the ballroom hall with the other noble families of Luxembourg.

    "We have a special visitor tonight." Qin Yuanfeng whispered as he supported Lily on the stairs.

    "Hm?" Lily lifted an eyebrow. In response, her brother eyed Eliza who was already a few steps away from them.

    "Antone Harringfort just arrived a few minutes before you left your room." He murmured. This made Lily freeze for a few seconds.

    "Like the one Zhou Jingren met?"

    He nodded in response.

    "Why would he attend? Was he invited? Is Zhou Jingren¡ª "

    "He is aware." Qin Yuanfeng said. "Me and Secretary Go will apany you until he is done with his conversation with the Duke."

    Lily¡¯s face turned serious. Zhou Jingren already told him that there is a possibility of Antoneing in here. This was after Zhou Jingren deduced the possible connection that the man had with Lily. At first, she thought it would be impossible for him to reallye in here with Zhou Jingren around.

    It would not make any sense at all. Was he trying to anger Zhou Jingren? Maybe he wanted to let Zhou Jingren know that he had ess to Lily¡¯s blood rtives? But this would do nothing.

    This would not intimidate Zhou Jingren at all!

    "I believe he wanted to show Zhou Jingren how influential he is." Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s voice stirred her out of her stupor.

    "Why would you say that?"

    "He brought A few Princes with him. He wanted to show everyone how he hangs with influential people and even tantly bring them to a banquet they were not invited to."

 Chapter 802 Intervene

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 802 Intervene</h4>

    Chapter 802 Intervene

    Unedited

    The initial purpose of the banquet was to introduce Lily as a part of the royal family. However, since Princess Mika sent the invitations before Lily could refuse, they had to make it look like this was another banquet held to celebrate an achievement they recently had.

    Another issue came when Lily got exhausted because of her trip. This valid reason made Mika and the Duchess reschedule the banquet. Of course, this was never a problem for noble families. This was mainly because the actual goal of these nobles is to interact with the other businessmen and important individuals from the neighboring countries of Luxembourg.

    Business ¡ª that was the primary goal of attending these events.

    They wanted to broaden their influence and take advantage of Luxembourg¡¯s open economy. Business and Influence. Isn¡¯t that what everyone wanted? Unfortunately, Harringfort was never here for the same reason.

    He was only here to show off. He was not here to build connections with these people who had been dancing in the hands of the Spectre for years now. He was here to make Zhou Jingren aware that he can touch him through the people that Lily knew. That he is an aplished man, someone with significant influence in many countries.

    On the outside, Harringfort was smiling as he discussed things that did not interest him. His face would asionally morph into something serious while pretending to show some interest in the current topic. His eyes would then dart to the enormous doors of the ballroom hall, waiting for Lily and Zhou Jingren to arrive.

    He could not help but wonder what would Zhou Jingren think about his presence tonight. Would he finally crack and show some fear in his eyes? These thoughts, however, reminded him of Zhou Jingren¡¯s emotionless gaze, making him frown. How could he forget that humiliation that he suffered that night? He gritted his teeth before his right-hand man, Yi, reminded him that they are currently in a public ce.

    With his reminder, Harringfort immediately told everyone around him who showed concern that he was fine. Just a little thirsty but obviously, he was enjoying the current event.

    "I heard that the Duke called us out tonight because of some important announcements about our economy and some other ns that he had for this year? He was nning to announce this news at the beginning of the year banquet, which will happen in the thirty first of January." He heard the noble beside him say. Harringfort responded with a smile.

    To be honest, the economy of Luxembourg was the least of his concern. Its changes would not affect him in any way. "As one of the countries with the lowest debts in the EU, I believe Luxembourg is going to have an excellent year. Your words, however, made me wonder about these ns." He pretended to show interest and started talking about Luxembourg¡¯s undisputed pro-business environment. "With its... broad banking sector, I believe the country will flourish, not only in Europe but in the world."

    As expected, his words were immediately met with nods of approval. After all, he was talking to businessmen who had invested their millions in the industry of this country. Moreover, most of these people were born and raised either in Luxembourg or in its neighboring countries.

    "Do you think it will be another bank?" Another one asked. The country is a financial hub, it is only normal for another bank to slither its way into Luxembourg. "Our problem is currently housing or real estate. I believe we don¡¯t need another bank and someone from the financial institution, no?"

    "Housing? If a private organization orpany that they would say that they would make such a venture possible, I would definitely invest millions in this project."

    "Same!" Just like Hong Kong and Singapore and every small country in the world, one problem that had been knocking on Luxembourg¡¯s doorstep was the housing, expensive real estate properties. This problem had threatened a lot of low-ie families over the years. Everyone in this room believes that addressing such a thing should be the priority of the Duke, and of course, half of them were already expecting that the Duke would address such concerns tonight.

    Or why would the Duke called them for a banquet just days before the thirty-first beginning of the year banquet?

    Harringfort on the other hand was forced to bit his tongue to prevent himself from retorting such stupid ims. The Country is small, it simplycks building space, and the growth of Luxembourg¡¯s poption is causing the imbnce of supply and demand.

    As many people wanted a living space, the cost of real estate would surely rise to meet thews of supply and demand. Moreover, Luxembourg is not the only country that had been experiencing this problem. He lowered his gaze, avoiding everyone¡¯s eyes.

    Without problems like this, each country like Luxembourg and Hong Kong and even Singapore would be the richest and the richest in the world. Would the Spectre really allow such things to happen? To maintain the peace of the world, Spectre had to intervene.

    The Spectre¡¯s solution is simple ¡ª and it involves all the banks in the US and UK. The solution involves robbing the middle ss of their hard-earned money. To put it simply, this housing crisis that everyone had been so worried about was nothing but a design project that the Spectre did to each country. They also wanted to use this method to earn from them while giving each government problems. Create some problems, let its citizen believe that something could be done about it. Let them hate the government then boom! They have a very good reason to form a left part.

    It was a simple and effective y that had been done since the beginning of time. Harringfort hid the disgust in his face as he continued to talk to the rich businessmen who already started to talk about favors and alliances.

    "Please.... Wee... her highness Eliza Nassae with her very good friend and CEO of Fi Group, Madam Lily Fi Zhou, and her brother Mr. Yuanfeng Qin." A high-pitched voice of the attendant interrupted their conversation.

    I apologize for the unedited chapters. My proofreader is currently very busy. So I don¡¯t have someone to edit again. My apologies.

 Chapter 803 Little One

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 803 Little One</h4>

    Chapter 803 Little One

    Unedited

    The moment both women walk inside the hall, Harringfort had been eying Lily. He stared at her, palms a little sweaty as excitement sparkled in his eyes. Harringfort was expecting Lily to at least recognize him, maybe even say hi? Or asked about his family¡¯s oilpany. He immediately started wondering about his answers.

    Would he shake her hand? Perhaps ask her about Corneels and everything that he heard about their demise? He could feel his heart started to beat faster, everyone around him seemed to disappear, dissolving into the messy state that he was in.

    However, the more Harringfort expected about things, the more disappointed he became. Just like a flower, bees and other insects had surrounded Lily! People who hovered over her, as if she was some sort of a delicious meal that they wanted to eat. His mood immediately dampened. He turned his head away, eyes obviously dampened by the current circumstances in front of him.

    The only thing that made him more furious about all this, is the fact that he does not have the right to react at all. Lily was after all not his woman. He gritted his teeth, pretending not to notice Lily and Eliza.

    "Your highness, I thought Princess Eliza was your fiance?" he heard someone say behind him. He was not surprised that it was Yi. The man might be working for him, but Yi never fell short in reminding him about everything, guiding him, and saving him from awkward situations like this. Harringfort eyed the blue-eyed man next to him, whose eyes perfectly mirrored his.

    "I know!" he hissed, irritated at Lily for not even noticing him. Harringfort could even confidently say that aside from the people of the Nassae Family, he is one of the most important people in this room. So why would Lily not approach him? Why would she skip introducing herself to him?

    "People are the onesing towards her way," Yi reminded him. "If you keep frowning, people will notice. Plus, Eliza ising our way."

    His words made him freeze for a couple of seconds before he turned towards Eliza¡¯s direction. Smiling, he decided to meet her halfway. "You look dashing tonight." Wearing a red dress, Eliza truly looked beautiful with her long curly hair and fine make up. However,pared to Lily¡¯s ck dress, Eliza¡¯s dress can be considered mundane. It was dull and lifeless.

    "Thank you, your highness." Eliza gave him a forced smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes.

    "Is something wrong?" He asked a nonsense question as he forced himself to avoid looking at Lily¡¯s way.

    "I don¡¯t know your highness," Eliza said. "I was just surprised that you still recognized me." Her voice was not loud, but it was not a whisper either. It immediately attracted the attention of people near them. "I thought... you had some sort of amnesia, making you forget that I still exist."

    Harringfort stared at Eliza for a few seconds, surprised at how confrontational she was. She immediately remembered knowing her when they were children. Back then, Eliza was timid and really quiet. Thest time that he met her, Eliza even avoided looking into his eyes.

    What could have changed? Lily.

    Of course, it was Lily. Why else would Eliza suddenly act so direct? Isn¡¯t this a trait that Lily was famous for? Heughed inwardly as he thought of Lily¡¯s influence towards Eliza. Perhaps having the two met was a good thing, he thought. "Your highness is truly humorous. Even the Grand Duke was well aware of my busy schedule." He answered.

    However, how could Eliza miss the amusement in his tone? She immediately assumed that he was making fun of her. Eliza felt her face turned hot, she could feel herself turning scarlet red. Did she use the wrong way to approach him, after all? She eyed Lily who was busy talking to some people that she already knew from the UK as she wondered what she would do if she was in this situation.

    And why the hell would Harringfortugh at her? She directed her gaze back to the man in front of her. The man looked exactly the same as the man that she saw months ago. His hair had obviously grown, but the cunningness in the man¡¯s eyes was still the same. With his blond hair, blue eyes, and trademark smirk, Antone Harringfort was obviously one of the most good-looking men in this room.

    However, this man does not respect her at all. If Harringfort does not like her then why not cancel the engagement instead of ghosting her like a damn high school girlfriend? The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. This man... This man is the reason many women out there chose not to marry someone!

    "Of course... he would be aware. After all, you are engaged to my father and not me." She fired back as she turned her back against him. Eliza immediately strode away from Harringfort without waiting for him to answer her. Smiling, she felt as if her words were enough to at least make him frown.

    She fought the urge to turn her head to look at his reaction. However, what she heard next made her freeze in her tracks. It was hisughter... behind her.

    Slowly, Eliza turned her head, only to discover Harringfort a few feet away from her. The man actually followed her. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. It was as if her brains had stopped working.

    Why would Harringfortugh? She was not supposed to be joking! It was an insult! It was supposed to anger him, ruin his mood, and make him leave early so he could rant to his father and cancel this damn engagement!

    "I have not seen you for so long... I think I have actually forgotten how funny you are." Harringfort said, his voice sweet ¡ª too sweet for her taste. Frowning, Eliza turned her back against him. This time, she walked towards Lily.

    "You should be careful, little one." She heard Harringfort utter the moment she took her first step towards Lily. "Schemes areing along your way."

    We have a small mass release today!

 Chapter 804 Exhausted

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 804 Exhausted</h4>

    Chapter 804 Exhausted

    Of course, Eliza didn¡¯t stop walking. So what if his tone sounded convincing? So what if he seemed too sure of his words? She rolled her eyes as she walked towards Lily, still irritated at the man who didn¡¯t even bother to approach her when she first entered the room.

    If only she could say something to her parents about this matter. If only she could cancel this stupid engagement for on her own.

    "You alright?" Lily asked when she noticed her stiff smile.

    "I feel fabulous." She roamed her eyes around the hall, looking for her sister. "Mika was neverte for something." Elizamented when she saw that she wasn¡¯t in the hall.

    "Yuanfeng told me that she already arrived just a few minutes before we walked inside the hall. However, The Duchess pulled her towards her office for a private conversation." Lily said as she smiled to another gentleman walking towards their way. "If you want to learn about business... you should observe and listen." Lily noted. "Stop sulking on old boys. They don¡¯t deserve it."

    For some reason, Eliza found Lily¡¯s words funny. It wasn¡¯t the meaning behind her words, it was the way she said boys. In Lily¡¯s eyes, Harringfort was nothing but a boy¡ª and old one. This was enough to lift her mood up. Smiling, she nodded and got herself a ss of champagne while listening in on Lily as she started another conversation with the man who approached them.

    Eliza didn¡¯t even bother asking how Lily knew that she had been studying business in the past few months. Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside the Duchess¡¯ office was the exact opposite of Eliza¡¯s mood. It was dark, gloomy and suffocating as the two women who sat across each other were frowning. Each in deep thoughts.

    "It wasn¡¯t Pierre¡¯s intention. Whatever Lily told you was wrong."

    "What makes you think that she said something to me?" The Duchess said. Her tone might be calm but the irritation in her eyes was apparent. She took a sip of her tea to calm herself as she met her daughter¡¯s eyes. "An attendant told me about the ruined dress, near the kitchen. I can show you the recordings, if you want me to." The Duchess said. "Stop protecting your husband."

    "Mother... it wasn¡¯t Pierre¡¯s fault. I already told you. Whatever happened was because of my negligence. There is nothing more to that. I actually forgot to inquire with the attendants about it."

    The Duchess¡¯s beautiful eyes narrowed in her daughter¡¯s direction. "I am your mother Mika. Do you really think you can lie to me?"

    "Mother¡ª"

    "That man is trying to sow discord between you and Lily. Obviously, Lily is too smart for his petty schemes. However... don¡¯t you dare think that I will let this pass. He has done enough damage. I don¡¯t want to see him in this household all throughout Lily¡¯s visit!" Her sharp eyes bore towards her daughters. "Do you understand me?"

    Mika nodded as she gulped. "Forgive me."

    "An apology will not change anything!" The Duchess said. "This will not change the fact that Lily already saw how negligent you are. In her eyes, this must be your fault. After all, you were so proud about how you could handle stuff with your perfect nning and yet you failed to send a simple dress! A small dress to her properly." The Duchess let out a sharp breath. "I¡¯m sorry." She sighed. "I¡ª"

    "I understand mother. There is no need to worry." Mika said. Growing up, she had witnessed her mother¡¯s temper re like this. However, not once did she raise her voice nor punish them severely. She had always been like this, calm on the outside yet boiling on the inside.

    The only man who witnessed their mother¡¯s fury should be their father, the Grand Duke.

    "Do you understand why I am upset?" her mother asked, her face still calm. She nodded in response. Seeing this, the Duchess continued. "You let your husband trick you. Even if you knew that there was a big possibility of him retaliating. You got careless my daughter. That is something that I never taught you." But then again, love can be blind and trusting. The Duchess let out another sigh. "You should remember that the man that you married belongs to the family that wanted to overthrow your father. The family that wanted us to leave this pce, this country."

    Again, Mika nodded, her back straight as she continued to listen to her mother.

    "Your husband might seem kind and generous to you." The Duchess continued. "But let¡¯s not forget that you are his wife, the mother of his children. That man is too... cunning. Mika you should not let him create any more problems in between our families."

    Mika nodded. Of course, to her mother¡¯s eyes, her marriage with Pierre was nothing but a strategy to make people think that the two families had already found their peace with each other. A facade to fool everyone. Pursing her lips, Mika lowered her head. She was not able to stop her hands from clutching her dress.

    If this was another day, Mika would have nodded and just gave her mother a smile. However, Mika¡¯s day had already started with a problem when Pierre ignored her and stayed in his office all day. When she asked him for breakfast, he only nodded and asked her to bring it inside his study. Now, this was something that rarely happened in their household.

    Pierre might be sensitive and his views might be different but he was always a good father to their children. He was sweet and a very good and kind husband. He was far from the person that her parents described him to be. Sometimes, Mika would even wonder if her parents only made those stories about the man because they wanted her to be by their side and act as a spy for the Nassae family.

    "Alright... let¡¯s finish this tea so we can apany the others in the hall. I am certain Leandro is already there waiting for us." Her mother said calmly. In response, Mika raised her head to look at the woman who raised her. Exhausted Mika nodded and smiled. Sometimes she wished she was not born as royalty. She sighed inwardly before drinking the rest of her tea.

 Chapter 805 Dangerous People

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 805 Dangerous People</h4>

    Chapter 805 Dangerous People

    Meanwhile, Zhou Jingren and the Duke were still having a serious conversation. It was so serious that the Duke had forbidden anyone from entering the office or to even approach the office. This immediately made Leandro a little suspicious. Why would his father not allow the guards inside the study? Was there something wrong? What could be so important?

    "Your highness, Mr. Zhou arrivedst night and had a long conversation with the Duke. No one knows what they talked about. However, the Duke didn¡¯t attend breakfast with everyone today. Also... the Duchess seemed to be in a very bad mood." His right hand man, Mr. Liv Rocht whispered as the two walked towards the hall where the banquet was held.

    Leandro nodded in response. It¡¯s funny how Lily hadn¡¯t even spent a week in this country and weird things had already started to disturb his family. "Where is mother?" Sensing the change of mood of the man walking beside him, he repeated his question. "Where is mother? Did something happen?"

    "No, your highness." Mr. Rocht shook his head. "However, the Duchess has been in a foul mood since the morning. When the First Princess arrived, she immediately brought her to her office and I believe scolded her for the things that she did to Madam Zhou."

    "Things that she did?" A line appeared in between Leandro¡¯s brows. "Why would she do that?"

    "I believe this was because of the dress." His right hand man then started talking about what happened with Lily¡¯s dress. That dress that Mika made herself but was ruined because of negligence. "I don¡¯t have the specifics of what really happened. I also don¡¯t know how the Duchess got ahold of the information. My guess is... it was Madam Zhou who told her herself or it was Young Princess Eliza."

    Leandro¡¯s gaze turned sharp. Because of a dress, Mika who had been really good at her job in taking care of their schedules was put in a very bad light. He gritted his teeth. He had been controlling himself, trying to understand the situation. However, this was too much!

    Lily was going to destroy their family if she kept on staying in this country. It was a good thing that he had already asked his wife not to get close to Lilyst night.

    "Your highness... your cousin, Mr. Rafa Neeson ising our way."

    Leandro immediately turned towards the man walking their way. He smiled, all the anger that he felt just seconds ago vanished. "Rafa!"

    "Your highness!" Rafa beamed. As someone who had been Leandro¡¯s ymate since they were young, Rafa was very familiar with the pce. Thus, when he heard that Leandro went to see the Duke, he immediately went after him to greet his uncle. When he saw that Leandro was not with the Grand Duke he immediately wondered if something had happened.

    Usually in banquets like this, Leandro and the Grand Duke together with the Duchess would always arrive at the same time to greet the guests.

    "Did something happen?" he walked next to the prince. "Where is the Grand Duke?"

    "Don¡¯t ask." Leandro sighed as he stopped walking and gestured for his right hand man to leave them alone.

    Rafa lifted an eyebrow waiting for Leandro to say something. "You two fought?"

    "What? No!"

    "Is this about your current guests?"

    Leandro¡¯s lips thinned. He let out another sigh before he started walking towards the hall. "Don¡¯t mind it."

    "Come on!"

    "Just stay away from them."

    "Zhou Couple?" Rafa frowned. His grandfather, Lord Neeson who was also the Duchess¡¯ father, specifically told him to try and get close to both Lily and Zhou Jingren. Why would his cousin tell him to stay away from them?

    "Just listen to me. I believe they are a veryplicated couple." Someone who does not value a moon rock worth millions. Someone who woulde in here and dere that she was not interested in the throne. Someone who was not afraid to insult the husband of a Princess. That was Lily Zhou. And to him, everything about Lily was just...plicated.

    He could not understand her.

    And it is always better to stay away from people who are too confusing. Leandro¡¯s principle had always been simple. Stay close to people you like and away from the ones you hate. He does not specifically hate Lily and Zhou Jingren. However, he does not like them either.

    That only left him one option. Stay away from them.

    Especially now that the two were causing trouble for his family.

    "You seem really angry. Do you want to get some fresh air?" he heard his cousin aske. In response Leandro nodded, silently. He was not angry. However, he could not say that Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s presence made him happy either.

    Alright... who was he fooling. He hated their presence. Leandro¡¯s gut was telling him that they were only here to bring trouble to his family. What happened yesterday and today was enough for him to conclude that he was indeed right.

    "Grandfather told me to establish a close rtionship with Mr. Zhou." He heard Rafa say as the two walked towards the balcony on the other end of the second floor.

    "Why would grandfather say that?" Surely, his grandfather knew how chaotic their life was. Getting close to them would not do them any good. "I am telling you... they are dangerous people."

    "I know!" Rafa smiled. "But so is everyone else in this household." He gave him a meaningful nce. "You know what I mean."

    "Business."

    Rafa nodded in response. If not for their big influence in both Europe and Asia, his grandfather would not have asked him to make them feel wee in this country.

    "I understand." Unlike him, Rafa had been very yful in both his career and life. The old man might be trying to get Rafa to learn a thing or two from the couple. Leandro let out a sigh.

    Lily and Zhou Jingren are considered a power couple. Everyone would just levitate towards their way to establish some sort of rtionship that would help them with their personal interest.

 Chapter 806 Peaceful Person

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 806 Peaceful Person</h4>

    Chapter 806 Peaceful Person

    Inside the Duke¡¯s office.

    "So... you are telling me that not everyone is poisoned in my family. And that the ones who were not poisoned... are not the culprit?" the Grand Duke asked with a frown, his lips turned down wards as confusionced his gaze. "What are you trying to say Mr. Zhou?"

    "Someone is trying to frame another person in your family." He smiled. Knowledge, information like this was not something that one could easily get just by hacking. However, the people in the ck market had their own ways. Buying information was one of the most popr ways to get the information that one needed. After all, everyone, even the most loyal ones in the ckmarket had a price for the information they held.

    Be it ckmail or money. The person being targeted for a certain information won¡¯t have any choice but to swallow their anger and give the information needed by the buyer. This onework of information had been around for so long. Yet, these kings and nobles still wonder in amazement how someone like Zhou Jingren was able to get a hold of this knowledge.

    "Of course... I will only tell you everything the moment I am assured that the address you gave me is the right one." Zhou Jingren nced at his watch. "A few minutes from now... and my people will confirm it¡¯s existence."

    The Duke clenched his jaws. So far, the information that Zhou Jingren had given him had been pretty vague. However, it was still rming. Framing a royalty, poisoning the next king, causing the next riot in the country. The n to overthrow him, the n of revolution because of the current problems that the country faced.

    Every little thing that Zhou Jingren had mentioned were things that he didn¡¯t even know existed. Be it, the n to ruin his marriage or the n to make Prince Leandro not being able to have a kid. All this... who would dare n all this against his family? He stared at Zhou Jingren as he clenched his jaws.

    Eliza¡¯s happiness and the location of his family¡¯s bunker was not sacrificed in vain. "Using theputer system of the bunker..." He hesitated for a few seconds. "Using it in the wrong way, could cause war. Please... just for the sake of the good intention that I have towards you and Lily. Please do not let the country face such consequences." He said in a serious tone.

    "Of course." He understood the ramifications of ying with such resources. However, Zhou Jingren was not nning to y with it. He wasn¡¯t nning to use it to earn money or learn some secrets. He wanted to use it to find the other members of The Order of the Spectre.

    The Duke smiled, immediately making the environment lighter. What was he thinking? He had his research about Lily before and he knew she was not the type of woman that would destroy someone who didn¡¯t offend her.

    So far, the Duke was confident that he didn¡¯t do anything that would warrant Lily or even Zhou Jingren¡¯s anger. How could Lily allow Zhou Jingren to cause a war that would destroy the small country of Luxembourg? Surely, Lily was not that heartless.... Right?

    Slowly, the smile on the Duke¡¯s mouth vanished. He could not help but fear the consequences of this action. What if Zhou Jingren ...

    He shook the thoughts out of his head as he stered another smile on Zhou Jingren¡¯s face. "You know... All these things... makes me think that you are in trouble." He made a deliberate pause when Zhou Jingren turned his attention towards him. "It¡¯s not like you are about to dere war on a country, right?" Heughed awkwardly. How could a banker dere a war on a country?

    "Of course..." Zhou Jingren nodded. "I am a pretty peaceful person." He smiled. "I hate chaos..."

    Seeing the calmness in Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes, the Duke let out a sigh of relief. For now, he would trust everything that Zhou Jingren would say. Not long after, he watched as Zhou Jingren picked up his phone and talked in anguage that he was not very familiar with. Was it Cantonese? Japanese? Or Mandarin? In the end, some familiar words reached his ears and he realized that Zhou Jingren was speaking in Korean¡ª fluently.

    The Duke waited for him to end his call before he nervously stared at him, waiting for him to confirm the location of the bunker.

    "Thank you, your highness." Zhou Jingren smiled. "I was not expecting Sweden. But... since my people were able to confirm it. Then... I shall tell you the information that you need."

    The Duke gulped. In his mind, there was no way that he would try to trick a man like Zhou Jingren. Someone who was able to gather all this information was surely not a person that he could easily y with. "So? Who is trying to poison my family?" he asked.

    "Pierre Weber. The Earl of the Dorf Pce along with his colleagues. Some people in your council, Prince Leandro¡¯s wife who was cheating with his right hand man. Two of the Duchess¡¯ attendants and your Knightmander."

    It was as if a cold bucket of water was poured inside the Duke¡¯s body. He felt as though his mind had stopped working, his body unable to react to any of Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. "You¡ª My Knightmander..." His best friend, the person that he trusted more than his beloved wife. The man who had witnessed all his struggles, defeats and wins. His Chief Knight.

    The man practically grew up with him! Memories of them practicing fencing together resurfaced in his mind. The man was there when he rode his first horse and held his first rifle. He was there when he was heartbroken and he consoled him when he cried over a dead horse!

    So how? How could he betray him?

    The Duke felt his hand tremble. "Stop lying!" He hissed unable to contain his emotions. He felt his chest tightened, his breathing turn shallow. "Stop... lying!"

 Chapter 807 Betrayal

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 807 Betrayal</h4>

    Chapter 807 Betrayal

    "If you won¡¯t calm down..." Zhou Jingren¡¯s words echoed inside the Duke¡¯s office. "You will die and people will think I hurt you. Meaning... I would be prosecuted and your family will die." He calmly said. He eyed the Duke for a few seconds before he smiled. "No one would want that, right?"

    As expected, the Duke forced himself to calm down. He started taking long breaths until he finally calmed his raging heart.

    "I am not asking you to believe me." Zhou Jingren said. "I am only hoping that you would listen and consider the fact that some brothers kill each other for wealth. Considering that these people are not your blood brothers then... you get my point, right?" Zhou Jingren shrugged as he thought of his own grandfather being killed by his own brother, for wealth. "Do you really think they will consider you someone special just because... you spent some time when you were kids? Just because you treat them like family?"

    The Duke¡¯s face reddened. He could not deny that Zhou Jingren¡¯s words were very much true. Even he, someone from the Royalty, had witnessed people, blood brothers, and blood sisters, killing each other because of random stuff. People are greedy, that is the only exnation that he coulde up with. He eyed the man who was calmly staring at him, waiting for him to calm down. "So my Knight Commander and Pierre Weber? And Leandro¡¯s wife... Lady Aurora?"

    "Or how else would the heir to your throne be poison when he had people checking his meals every now and then? It needed to be administered by someone that he trusted. Someone... that you trust. Someone that could get close to you and every one else in your family without causing any suspicion."

    Unable to contain his emotions, the Duke rose from his seat and started pacing. He clenched his hand as he thought of instances when his Knight would give him a ss of water. Aside from the Duchess, the only people who could just give him a ss of wine or water was his knight.

    Not even his children would dare give him water or drink some of his wine. Meanwhile, his son¡¯s wife... Lady Aurora could also be the closest person that could possibly poison his son. After all, the two had been married for years now.

    Aside from this, he could also see how much his son loved Lady Aurora. He could see him literally worship the woman like a goddess. "And you say that some of my wife¡¯s attendants are also working for Pierre?"

    Zhou Jingren nodded. "I have no specifics. I have no name. It is your job to find out their identities."

    The Duke stop pacing when he heard Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. "But what about Eliza? And Levi? Surely, some people close to them are also giving them poison. Who was it?" The two have no children yet. The Duke immediately thought of the effects of lead poisoning, which includes infertility.

    He immediately paled. "Tell me! What about them?" Slowly, his eyes widened. "And my grandchildren? Are they... " he felt his hand tremble. Children... Little children tend to show signs of lead poisoning, even if they only consumed small amounts of lead. He immediately scrambled to his table. He needed to call the doctor and have them checked.

    "Rx," Zhou Jingren said. "The children are fine. Weber is not that psychotic to poison his own kids."

    "Then his wife..."

    "Princess Mika... yes. She has poison in her system."

    "And my twins? What about Eliza and Levi?" He looked at Zhou Jingren and for a moment, he turned silent as memories of Zhou Jingren¡¯s words flowed inside his head. "Someone wanted to frame them." It wasn¡¯t a question, but a deration. This meant that the two were not given lead so they could easily make them the suspect as they are the only ones who are not poisoned.

    This...

    The Duke almost could not believe his own mind. How did this happen? He fell to his seat, defeated and exhausted. How could he put his whole family in danger without even knowing it?

    "Trusting people..." Zhou Jingren said. "You can trust them... and be good at them. You can be kind and generous and forgiving. You can be a good leader and a good friend. But... they are not liable to treat you the way you are treating them." Zhou Jingren continued. "Of course... do not just trust my words. Have someone test them. Silently. I can help you get rid of them... give you the names of their contacts. Give you proof of their illegal activities."

    The Duke mindlessly listened to Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. He nodded as if he understood some words that man sitting opposite him was speaking. On the outside, the Duke was calmly staring at Zhou Jingren. However, on the inside, he almost could not control his emotions. He could not keep his anger at bay.

    Everything... Everything about Zhou Jingren¡¯s words sounded painfully true that it hit him right in the middle of his chest. What Zhou Jingren said was true. You can be a good man, a kind man, a respectful human being. However, at the end of the day, no one is liable to treat you the same way that you treat them.

    But isn¡¯t this too cruel? All these people... even his attendants and servants... every one of them. He had treated them like family. He respected them and had been generous to them. Yet, in the end...

    But how could hein? Again, they are not liable to treat him or respect him the way he respected them. The painful truth hit him like a nail that was hammered In his chest.

    It was simple, direct, and it... was breaking his heart. The betrayal of these people... the betrayal of the trust that he gave them...

    "What do you have in mind?" Zhou Jingren asked.

    "I want to kill them." The Duke¡¯s gaze turned dark.

    "But... you know you are not allowed to that."

    "I know." the Duke gritted his teeth. "I know. Mr. Zhou.... I know."

    4/5

 Chapter 808 Half

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 808 Half</h4>

    Chapter 808 Half-Drunk

    Unedited

    On the other hand, Lily was also dealing with some drama in the form of Prince Leandro, Princess Mika, and Princess Eliza. The three are actually arguing a few feet away from where she sat. Their voices were in a low hush, making sure that only the three of them can hear whatever it is that they were talking about.

    "You know..." It was her brother. Qin Yuanfeng never left Lily¡¯s side since they arrived in the hall. "I think being royalty is tiring." He said. "And not as rewarding." He heard from Eliza that they always have events like this one. Events that needed everyone to interact with other people, nobles, and royalties from other countries. This is something that the poor Yuanfeng could not do. Talking to people about history and politics and the current issues in the economy is not his thing.

    Moreover, smiling while doing such things needs a lot of effort! How could these people maintain a smiling face while arguing? This is a question that he would never understand.

    "I feel you." Levi who was sitting next to Yuanfeng chimed in. Unlike Eliza¡¯s fiery and bubbly personality, Levi is the exact opposite. He is quiet and does not really like to argue much with people. Just like Qin Yuanfeng, he too would prefer to just do his hobbies. Surfing the waves and skiing, ying video games, and maybe even dancing. Just simple stuff that would give him a satisfying feeling. "Being like them is indeed hard."

    Both Qin Yuanfeng and Lily turned to look at Levi. However, both decided not to say anything.

    "Do you want to leave this ce? Maybe we could get some air?" Levi asked.

    "Can we do that even if the Duke is not yet here?" Qin Yuanfeng asked.

    In response, Levi only shrugged. "No. But no one would notice." However, Qin Yuanfeng still ended up refusing. How could he leave Lily alone in the middle of all the wolves eying her? More especially, that Harringfort had been trying to get close to Lily for a few minutes now. The only thing that is stopping the man is the fact that Eliza and the other Nassae siblings are standing next to Lily.

    "Ah! Cousin!"

    The trio¡¯s attention immediately turned towards Rafa who was walking towards Levi.

    "Your highness Levi." Rafa was beaming as he stood next to Levi. He turned his head towards Lily and Qin Yuanfeng. Smiling, he held his hand as he introduced himself as the Duchess nephew, the grandson of Lord Neeson. One of the most prominent family names in France.

    In response, Lily and Qin Yuanfeng shook his hand and also introduced themselves as random businessmen. All night, Lily had been introducing herself as Eliza¡¯s friend whom she met in Hong Kong. While all the businessmen that she talked to believed her words, Rafa is actually different.

    He had long heard of stories about Friedrick, the stubborn prince who abandoned his princedom to marry a struggling businesswoman. As someone who is rted to the Duchess, Rafa knows that this Lily is actually Friendrick¡¯s granddaughter and Qin Yuanfeng, his grandson.

    This was the reason why hepletely understood Leandro when he warned him about staying away. After all, no matter how much they look at it, Lily and Qin Yuanfeng have enough to threaten the royal family of this kingdom. No matter how much one denies it, the people who were supposed to represent this country are these two people next to Levi.

    Because of this, Rafe didn¡¯t ask any more questions when Leandro told him that Lily is dangerous. Of course, she was dangerous. She is more influential than most people in this room. Lily does need to cower and try to create rtionships with anyone in this room so she could have new clients and make money out of them. And someone who is not here for favors and gaining more influence can be considered dangerous.

    "I have long heard stories about Lilian Fi. She sounds like a really intelligent woman." He beamed. Even his grandfather who is a very entric man agrees that Lilian is one of the most powerful women in Europe. "I believe the previous Prince Fred has chosen well." He chuckled, making sure that his voice was low, just enough for Lily and Qin Yuanfeng to hear.

    "She is indeed a remarkable woman." Levi agreed. As someone who is almost always apanying his twin sister who can¡¯t stop talking about strong feminists like Lilian and Lily, he was already very familiar with these people. And to be honest, he would not want to stray this conversation towards that topic again. Having one Eliza is just enough for him. Sadly, he could not just blurt this all out to his cousin.

    "I know!" Rafa Neeson beamed. "However, I still think that leaving this prosperous country is the wrong decision after all. I mean... he was supposed to" He whispered. "Inherit the throne right?"

    It was said that Friedrick was actually the one who gave funds to his wife, Lilian to make some investments for the business. Meaning, Lilian would not have any sess in business without her husband¡¯s support. She might be a brilliant businesswoman, however, the fact that she is nothing without her husband is disgusting.

    Because of this... Rafa actually believed that the better choice was to be the king of this country where he could freely rule and do whatever he wants without worrying about any bankruptcy.

    Of course, these words immediately got Lily¡¯s attention. She pursed her lips and continued to listen as the man startedparing Lilian to other princesses at that time. He even went as far as mentioned to her grandfather¡¯s fiance, the woman that he was supposed to marry instead of Lilian. But instead of saying anything, Lily and Qin Yuanfeng stayed silent.

    First, they didn¡¯t know any of these things before. Second, the two would not want to create some argument with someone who was already half-drunk even when the party just began and third... well... let¡¯s just say that Harringfort was already walking on their way.

    Both Lily and Qin Yuanfeng know what would follow next.

    He would introduce himself and try to strike a conversation with Lily. After all... she was supposed to be the woman that was set to marry Antone Harringfort.

    5/5- I will update with edited versionter when I wake up. thank you for your support and don¡¯t forget to add Viin¡¯s Redemption.

 Chapter 809 Asian

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 809 Asian</h4>

    Chapter 809 Asian

    Unedited: Will be updated in a few minutes.

    "Your Highness!" As expected Rafa immediately greeted the man approaching them. In the world of business, Harringfort was known as the young genius who was working in the oil industry. He might not be the CEO but his list contacts far surpassed a lot of executives in the industry. Aside from this, he is also a prince who chose business over his royal duties.

    These two facts are one of the reasons why many people admire him. However, what many of those businessmen did not know is the fact that Harringfort is a gambling maniac¡ª this was something that Rafa knew. This was also the reason why Rafa and Harringfort are considered quite close. Both men are influential, both men came from prestigious families and both extremely love to gamble.

    Beaming, Rafa stood and walked towards Harringfort. He was about to introduce the man to Lily and the other¡¯s when the Knightmander informed them that the Grand Duke ising.

    Everyone immediately stood from their seat and waited for the Grand Duke to arrive. Seeing this, Lily also eyed the other entrance. She knew that Zhou Jingren would not show himself with the Duke. So, his only option is to use that entrance.

    And as if on cue, Zhou Jingren indeed walked inside. He roamed his eyes before he found Lily. He gave a small nod before he smiled and started walking towards her. At the same time, the Grand Duke arrived at the main entrance and was immediately greeted by a lot of nobles as well as the Princes that apanied Harringfort.

    "Hey." Zhou Jingren stood next to his wife, his eyes gentle, ignoring the fact that Harringfort is just standing a few feet away from them. To be honest, he already expected the man to show himself tonight. This is not something that surprised Zhou Jingren. Even the people that apanied Harringfort were something that he already expected.

    After all, he had already gambled with Harringfort once. And as impossible as it may sound, that one gamble already made him understand some of this man¡¯s personality; like that fact that he absolutely hated losing.

    Since Harringfort does not like losing, it would only make sense for him to meet Zhou Jingren again so he could show off, his wealth, his power and influence. Something that matters to a person like Harringfort but not to Zhou Jingren. Leaning down, Zhou Jingren nted a kiss to Lily¡¯s temple.

    "Hey, I miss you," Lily said, unperturbed by the fact that someone is ring at them. She gave him a gentle smile before she fixed Zhou Jingren¡¯s ties. "You look really good." To match Lily¡¯s ck dress, Zhou Jingren is also wearing an all-ck three-piece suit.

    "I am only trying so people will not mistake me as your mere driver, your highness." Zhou Jingren whispered. His statement immediately made her giggle as she thought of what happened when they first met. Or rather... when they met again.

    She mistook him for a driver. The thought of Zhou Jingren trying to fit his tall frame in his small car only made herugh even more. She immediately used her hand to cover her mouth as she tried to control her glee. Ah... memories.

    "Hey... you look really good when you are my driver." She whispered. "I told you... being my personal driver suits you best. Of course... there is also the option of staying at home but knowing you..." she smiled. "I know you would prefer to drive me then¡ª Opps." She let out another giggle. "I mean my beetle."

    Zhou Jingren chuckled in response, his hot breath just enough to linger in her neck. This flirty atmosphere was soon interrupted by none other than Harringfort. How could he stand watching these two whispered sweet nothing while he stood just a few feet away from them?

    "Madame Zhou... is this your husband?" He asked, a tinge of irritation quickly shed in his eyes.

    "Yes, my beloved husband please meet Mr. Harringfort. Remember? I told you about him wanting to meet for the oilpany?" Lily put her hand on Zhou Jingren¡¯s chest.

    "Of course... how could I forget?" Zhou Jingren smiled. "It is my pleasure to meet you." On the outside, Zhou Jingren¡¯s face did not contain any hint that he already met Harringfort before this. "And this is..." Zhou Jingren quickly turned his gaze towards Rafa who stood next to Harringfort.

    "Rafa Neeson... He Is the Grand Duchess¡¯ nephew. " Lily said.

    "Mr. Zhou... " Rafa nodded, a jovial smile was stered on his face, yet anyone can immediately tell that he is not very fond of Zhou Jingren. Despite his grandfather¡¯s warnings and words about getting close to Lily and Zhou Jingren, Rafa could not hide the fact that he considered Zhou Jingren¡¯s status a bit lower for him to qualify in this party.

    He was simply not from the world that many of the people here stood. To him, Zhou Jingren still needed to eat a lot of rice to have the right to stand next to Princes and nobles as well as prominent businessmen. Moreover, he had heard about Zhou Capital¡¯s n to branch out in Europe... or to increase its branches in Europe. To him, this was only possible because he used Lily. But this does not mean that Lily didn¡¯t benefit from this union.

    He had heard the news about Lily¡¯s Fi Group starting to dominate the market in Asia. Rafa was smart enough to know that this was also possible because of Zhou Jingren¡¯s help.

    Obviously, Lily and Zhou Jingren looked happy. However, anyone in the business industry would easily assume that the two only married each other because of their own personal interest. But if one would consider all these facts, both of them benefited from this marriage so it should be illogical for Rafa to only dislike Zhou Jingren.

    Rafa knew that this hate came out of nowhere and is somewhat illogical. He quickly turned his head away to grab a ss of champagne from an attendant. Smiling, Rafa avoided looking at the ring difference when ites to their height.

    Rafa gritted his teeth. How could an Asian just like Zhou Jingren be taller than his five foot eight frame?

 Chapter 810 Black Diamond

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 810 ck Diamond</h4>

    Chapter 810 ck Diamond

    Unedited

    Growing up, Rafa had always known that he was shorter than average people that he knew. He was shorter than Leandro¡¯s six-foot frame or Levi¡¯s who is a little taller than Leandro.

    Originally, he was not really insecure because of his height, however, his fiance... is actually a model who is very much taller than him! A woman who is already standing at five foot nine without her heels made him look like a fucking midget when they attend events! Slowly, this issue had be one of his insecurities.

    However, tonight this insecurity once again had be the reason why he found someone really irritating. To him, most Asians are really short, or at least not as tall as Zhou Jingren. Of course, in his mind, it was alright for Qin Yuanfeng to be almost as tall as Zhou Jingren, after all his mother is someone from the west.

    Zhou Jingren on the other hand was a different story. First and foremost, he is a full-blooded Asian! How the hell was he able to be even taller than both Leandro and Harringfort, who was about six one?

    What he hated the most was the fact that most people are looking their way! This would emphasize the fact that he was actually the shortest in this group! This immediately made him ufortable, and of course irritated that he was even shorter than an Asian man!

    Meanwhile, the man beside him also had other stuff going on in his mind. Harringfort was staring at the ring in Lily¡¯s hand that wasid on top of Zhou Jingren¡¯s chest. "Isn¡¯t this... a ck diamond?" he asked. The ring... this ring is very familiar. He was sure that he already saw this ring before.

    "ck diamonds are not really expensive." Rafa chimed in.

    "What do you mean?" Harringfort asked, frowning. He immediately wondered if the Grandson of Lord Neeson was actually a dumb man who is only using his family name as a mere decoration.

    "I mean... they might be rare, but they are not as expensive as Blue diamonds."

    Irritated, Harringfort red at Rafa. "The prices of diamonds are based on the intensity of their color, size, and rity." He then eyed Lily, hoping to earn a simple nod from her. "This ring... is really beautiful. As expected of someone who is on top of the food chain. Surely, Madam Zhou would not choose something that had a lower value than that of a blue diamond." The ring on Lily¡¯s right hand was obviously big, bigger than the previous ck diamonds that he saw. He was also certain that this is a natural ck diamond and not something that was man made.

    With this in mind, Harringfort immediately made sure to praise Lily. "I heard that Madam Zhou had a vast collection of jewelry. I am sure that all of them are exquisite and expensive. However, may I know your favorites?"

    "Favorites?" Lily had a mysterious gleam in her eyes. First and foremost... She loves everything that sparkles. "This.." She held her left hand in front of them. "My engagement ring." It was the blue diamond that was next to their wedding band.

    Zhou Jingren gave this diamond on their engagement day, and Lily had always worn such things during special events. She found the ring too exquisite and beautiful to be worn in her office. Of course, she already asked Zhou Jingren¡¯s permission to do this.

    As expected, it surprised both Harringfort and Rafa to see the blue diamond ring on Lily¡¯s other hand. "That looks exquisite." Harringfort pretended to be amused by the sight of the diamond. "Mr. Zhou sure knows how to pick his diamonds." He said. "How about that ck diamond? I was... I think I already saw that diamond before."

    "This is..."

    "The Spirit of De Grisogono." Zhou Jingren interrupted his wife. "I picked it especially for her. It matches with the outfit."

    "Really?" Eliza who was talking to her siblings approached them when she heard Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. She immediately held Lily¡¯s right hand and stared at the jewelry with an enormous stone. "Isn¡¯t that the secondrgest diamond ever found? I mean... that..." When she saw the huge diamond ring thates with the outfit, she initially thought that it was funny.

    Why would Zhou Jingren want his wife to wear a ring like that? However, now... Elizapletely understood Zhou Jingren¡¯s purpose. It was to show off his affection to his wife. She eyed the stone that sparkled against the chandelier on top of them. Today, the stone is sitting in a thirty-plus carat ring in the middle of over seven hundred diamonds.

    The Value of such a ring is just... it could even be more expensive than everyone¡¯s jewelry in this room. "This looks wonderful!" she said.

    "And... how did you manage to get such a ring?" Rafa could not stop himself from asking. How could someone like Zhou Jingren ess a stone that was made in Switzend? Isn¡¯t this one of the most sought after pieces made by a famous swiss jeweler? Not even his grandfather who was known in the business industry could have such item. "Are you sure it¡¯s real?" he asked, unable to hide the disgust in his tone.

    This stone could be considered a piece of art because of its rarity. He knew that this was found in Central Africa but after that, it seemed to vanish and would only show itself after it was carved and ced on the ring that Lily was wearing now. So how could someone like Zhou Jingren have essed such priced possession?

    "Everything has a price, Mr. Neeson." Zhou Jingren gave the man a meaningful nce before his gaze shifted towards Harringfort. "It was actually easy to get something that you really want. Especially if you wanted to give it to the most important person in your life." He smiled.

    "You didn¡¯t answer my question, Mr. Zhou. If this is not the real thing, I¡¯m afraid I would report you to the authorities." Rafa said. It was as if he forgot the warnings of his grandfather and cousin. Inside, he was already thinking of how to embarrass Zhou Jingren in front of everyone.

 Chapter 811 Not Qualified

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 811 Not Qualified</h4>

    Chapter 811 Not Qualified

    Unedited. Previous chap already edited.

    When Zhou Jingren saw the contempt in Rafa¡¯s eyes, he immediately wondered if this man was somehow rted to the Order. He was sure that he never met Rafa before, so the hatred in the man¡¯s eyes makes little to no sense. "It is real, Mr. Neeson." Zhou Jingren said. He owned this jewelry for years now. However, when he first showed it to Lily, thetter said it was too big. How could she wear something even bigger than her engagement ring?

    Moreover, she thought the events that they attended so far were not the right ce where she could wear something as huge as the ring.

    "Do you really think Lily would wear a fake, Rafa?" It was Eliza who was already ring at her maternal cousin. How could this man be so stupid to assume that someone like Zhou Jingren could not afford such jewelry? "Do you really think Mr. Zhou would allow his wife to wear something that would embarrass her?" she asked.

    "I ¡ª That... It¡¯s just that the ring disappeared in the public eye for ¡ª for¡ª "

    "Eight years..." Harringfort chimed in. "My dear young princess, the ring disappeared for over eight years in the eyes of the public. Of course, it is only natural for Mr. Neeson to doubt the authenticity of the ring." He knew that Zhou Jingren would not be this stupid to let Lily wear a fake, or if he is... then that could only mean he is not qualified to be Lily¡¯s husband.

    As expected, Eliza frowned at Harringfort. This man... seemed toe here to ruin her night! "Still, saying that he will call the authority with no proof is quite illogical!" So what if Rafa is her maternal cousin? First and foremost, she was not very close to the man. Second, she found Rafa too arrogant and sometimes tactless. And third, and the man is older than her and Levi for more than two years. Because of this, he used to bully them when they were kids.

    This only stopped when Levi had grown taller than him, his height seemed to have intimidated Rafa. "It is very thoughtless of you to assume that my paternal cousin would wear something that is not real!" Eliza added. The fiery Eliza could not stop herself from defending Lily in front of everyone.

    However, Eliza¡¯s high-pitched voice was enough to attract the attention of the surrounding guests. Many of the nobles immediately pretended not to listen, however, they have moved a little closer towards the group. Their eyes may be focused on the people that they are with, but their ears are perked towards Lily and the others. How could they miss a wonderful show like this?

    "Eh... Cousin... why are you taking this seriously?" Eliza¡¯s reactions also surprised Rafa. She had never expected Eliza toe to Lily¡¯s defense. He immediately wondered if Eliza was this stupid. Even Leandro and Mika didn¡¯t include themselves in the conversation because they also wanted to see if Lily was wearing the real thing! In short, the two wanted to embarrass Zhou Jingren too! So how could Eliza intervene and act like a fucking heroine?

    However, what he didn¡¯t know was that Mika and Leandro didn¡¯t intervene, not because they wanted to embarrass Lily and Zhou Jingren, but because the two agreed not to involve themselves with Lily. After a couple of minutes of discussions ¡ª which involved Leandro trying to convince his sisters to stay away from Lily. He was only able to seed in convincing his sister that Lily is indeed dangerous. Eliza on the other hand insisted that they are too stupid to even think that Lily is a danger to this country.

    Eliza had been pointing out that Lily only looks fierce and cold on the outside, but she is kind and generous on the inside. She also insisted that Lily was not a threat as she would not want a country to hold her back. However, the trio¡¯s conversation was interrupted when Lily started showing her jewelry.

    Nevertheless, Mika already decided not to involve herself with Lily. On the outside, she agreed to her brother¡¯s words. However, on the inside, Mika knew that Lily was nothing like the woman that Leandro described her to be. But this does not matter anymore. Mika¡¯s opinion of Lily does not matter as she is a married woman ¡ª and she chose to stand by her husband.

    Lily already embarrassed Pierre, not once but twice. How could she pretend that this did not hurt her? True, her husband was a little out of line yesterday, but this does not give Lily the right to call him out in public in front of the Grand Duke and Duchess. It only made Pierre look like he was disrespectful.

    "I was only saying that wearing a fake in an event like this could get them in trouble. Of course, I see anyone else here who would wear a fake, I would dly call the authorities and have them arrested. After all, this is a tant disrespect to the Grand Duke and Duchess."

    "Stupid," Eliza muttered under her breath. Another thing that he hated about Rafa is his way with words. Thetter was extremely good at dodging insults and making himself look like the victim when he was the one who instigated this whole thing.

    "It¡¯s alright, your highness." Lily joined the conversation. She sent Eliza a smile of assurance. "The ring... was something that Zhou Jingren bought when he first saw me years ago." She shrugged. "Love at first sight." She giggled. "When he saw the ring in an auction, he immediately thought of the woman that he saw... in a shopping mall. And thought... ¡¯hey, this ring would really look good at my future wife.¡¯ And so.... He bought them." Amused at Rafa¡¯s reaction, Lily continued. "Of course... if you are looking at the authenticity card... "She made a deliberate pause. "We can call the person who made this just to verify."

    "You ¡ª "Rafa frowned. "Do you personally know the person who made this?"

    "No." Lily beamed. "But I¡¯m sure his highness Harringfort knows the person who made the ring." Lily met Harringfort¡¯s eyes. "Surely, his highness would not mind calling the jeweler who crafted the diamond, right?"

 Chapter 812 Real

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 812 Real</h4>

    Chapter 812 Real

    Unedited. Previous chap already edited.

    Everyone¡¯s attention immediately turned towards Harringfort.

    "Will you?" Lily asked again when Harringfort didn¡¯t respond after a few seconds.

    "Is there... really a need for this?" Harringfort asked. He waspletely surprised by Lily¡¯s words. He immediately wondered if this was some test. Was it possible that Lily wanted to embarrass him in front of everyone? Was it possible that Zhou Jingren told Lily about him? But ... why? Wasn¡¯t he afraid that Lily will cower in fear of the organization and leave him?

    "Of course, there is." Lily smiled. " I am sure that your highness¡¯ connections are vast. After all, you have been traveling the world for months now. So... I am assuming you know such a famous person. Or... am I wrong?" Lily¡¯s eyes turned towards Eliza who was smirking at Harringfort.

    He silently gritted his teeth. So that was her intention, Harringfort thought inwardly. This was not because of Zhou Jingren but because of Eliza. That woman must haveined to Lily about his absence, making thetter hate him. Harringfort immediately started nning on how to get rid of this Eliza.

    In Harringfort¡¯s mind, there was no way that Zhou Jingren would tell his wife about what happened in China. So this should be Eliza¡¯s doing. Lily was retaliating because of Eliza!

    "Madam Zhou... you are not wrong," Harringfort said. That man knew him not as a businessman in the oil industry but as someone from the Spectre. How could he contact him now? "But... I don¡¯t see any reason for me to call him at this hour just to ask him about the ring, no?"

    "Then... there is no way that we can confirm if it¡¯s real?" The hateful Rafa chimed in. Until now, he was still convinced that Zhou Jingren and Lily was lying. Meanwhile, Harringfort lowered his head, hiding his rage against Rafa.

    How could Zhou Jingren make Lily wear something this huge just for it to be fake? He knew that it would attract a lot of attention! There is just no way he would want to embarrass his own wife! "Rafa... I think Mr. Zhou would not want to embarrass his own wife in an event like this." He said in a low tone. He really would not want Zhou Jingren to hear that he, Harringfort the messenger of the Spectre is defending him!

    This was just so embarrassing! Heined inwardly. Why did he end up defending Zhou Jingren in front of Lily? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to embarrass him? The more Harringfort thought about it, the angrier he had be.

    This situation was truly out of his expectations!

    "Stop it!" he whispered, hoping the man standing next to him will listen. "Stop it! Now!"

    "Hah... isn¡¯t this my future son inw?" the shrill voice of a woman interrupted the thick silence in between the group. Everyone turned their attention towards the red-faced woman walking their way. Wearing a ck gown with a huge sparkly clutch, the woman smiled at Rafa before turned her gaze towards the other people surrounding them.

    "Madam Lian," Eliza said, acknowledging the businesswoman from the US who married someone a rich businessman from France. This was the mother of Rafa Neeson¡¯s fiance who is currently out of the country for some modeling shoot.

    "Wait... is that what I think it is?" Without waiting for Rafa to answer her, Lian Shi swiftly approached Lily and held her hand, staring straight at the ck diamond in her hand. "How did you get this ring, youngdy?" She asked without even bothering to asked Lily¡¯s name.

    "Mother inw...do you know that ring?"Rafa immediately asked.

    "Of course! I was there during the auction eight years ago! Even your father inw was there!" Lian Shi immediately got excited, almost jumping out of joy, unaware that dark look in her future son inws face. Lian Shi actually arrivedte and the moment she entered, the side door, she immediately saw Rafa with the others. Of course, the first thing that she did was approached the young man to greet him. "This is so beautiful! I can still remember the way this was presented like it was yesterday!"

    "So... you know that this is the real ring?" Rafa asked.

    "Of course this is the real one!" Lian Shi said without looking at anyone but the exquisite ring. "I can already tell by just looking at its diamonds. Seven hundred diamonds... ah... I remember my eyes lit up, my heart palpating and my mouth¡ª "

    "Mother inw... how did you know this is the real one and not some fake stone? I believe... people from their countries love to copy fake things. There is no way of knowing that they also¡ª "

    "Aish... this child," Lian Shi interrupted him. "If his youngdy will check the other side of the ring, there should be some initials on it. Beside the initial is a small dent!" the older woman immediately turned excited. To her, having to see the ring up close is such an honor. "This ring was originally made by the jeweler for his wife. But when they argued one day, his wife got so upset and threw the ring in their room Unexpectedly, it hit a marble statue. Thus, there is a tiny... tiny dent on the other side of the ring." She beamed. "Of course, this did not depreciate the value of the ring. After all, this ring was made of love from a man to his wife.

    "Ehem..." Harringfort cleared his throat, relief washed over him. "So... this is the real ring?"

    "Yes! Of course! Someone who grew up in a family of jewelers like me can recognize a piece of real jewelry from a fake one." Once again, Lian Shi confirmed. "Isn¡¯t this so beautiful?" She started talking about the history of the huge diamond again.

    "See? I told you, this is real!" Eliza blurted out loud, interrupting the older woman. "Cousin... I believe you should have your eyes checked. Maybe there is something wrong with it."

 Chapter 813 Too Wasteful!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 813 Too Wasteful!</h4>

    Chapter 813 Too Wasteful!

    Of course, Eliza¡¯s nonchntment was enough to make Rafa¡¯s face turned red in embarrassment. However, he could not react in front of his mother inw. In the end, Rafa gritted his teeth, in anger and shame because of what happened.

    After Lian Shi exined the stone, the topic about the diamond slowly died as Harringfort took the opportunity to talk about business instead. In his mind, he still had the chance to embarrass Zhou Jingren. So, he started talking about things he did onvish vacations, skiing, skydiving, and his knowledge about his private ne¡ª things that are very specific and Zhou Jingren should not know about.

    And he was right. Zhou Jingren indeed does not know how to fix his private ne or how to make a yacht. However, Lily doesn¡¯t know about these things either. In the end, the one who asked questions as the quiet Qin Yuanfeng while Lily and Zhou Jingren started whispering again. This immediately made Harringfort irritated. He was about to open his mouth and call them out for this behaviour. Unfortunately, Qin Yuanfeng was smart enough to ask another question.

    In the end, Lily and Zhou Jingrenstarted talking aboutputations, altitudes, and even velocity. The more Harringfort tried to interrupt the two; the more Qin Yuanfeng asked him questions upon questions. In the end, the two started talking about gravity.

    Because of this, Eliza, Lily, and Zhou Jingren started talking about something else. Thispletely pissed Harringfort off. However, how could he refuse to answer Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s questions? Was he supposed to tell him to stop asking and make it look like he doesn¡¯t know the answer to his questions?

    Harringfort would never do something that would ruin his name!

    "As I was saying, I was already nning to make another customised ne for myself." He side-eyed Lily and Zhou Jingren. "Of course, I can always find time if one of you here would want me to help them out with their private ne. If you want, I can even give you a tour of the ne and perhaps the yacht."

    "So all this time, you were spending your time with your ne?" Lily suddenly chimed in. Her eyebrow lifted, and for some reason, her gaze was full of contempt and other emotions that he doesn¡¯t recognise.

    "Yes, I do. I studied¡ª "

    "I see." Lily interrupted him. While Lily and Zhou Jingren talked with Eliza, she was also keeping an eye with this Harringfort. "So... " she turned her head towards Eliza. "nes..." Smiling, Lily added. "Do you want me to buy you your own personal one as a gift?"

    Eliza¡¯s jaw dropped before sheughed. "Oh... no. It¡¯s fine. I am not too interested in material stuff. Plus, Levi and I use the country¡¯s ne every time we go to different countries. There is no need for us to buy a new one when we can still rely on our old private ne."

    Hearing this, the smile on Harringfort¡¯s lips vanished. One, Lily¡¯s condescending voice was enough to tell him that his words could not impress her. Two, when she asked Eliza about buying a private ne, her goal was simple. She wanted to know if Eliza wanted to learn about nes for him! And three, Eliza¡¯s words about buying a new one when they still have a functioning ne was like telling him that he was too wasteful!

    Harringfort had prided himself in reading the meaning behind people¡¯s words! How could he miss the meaning behind Lily and Eliza¡¯s words? He gritted his teeth in silence as he wondered about the things that could impress Lily. Wealth indeed is not one of it.

    "I agree." Zhou Jingren decided to add fuel to the fire. "Why waste money in collecting such expensive things? Instead of doing this, Lily and I tend to donate to the people who need help." He gave a jovial smile to Harringfort. "Please... don¡¯t take offence. We are all entitled to spend our own money. It¡¯s just that we chose to spend it differently."

    Lily yfully nudged her husband. "Hey?? are you shaming him for the way that he spent his money?" On the outside, Lily¡¯s words sounded like she was defending Harringfort. However, thetter felt something was off. Why would Lily protect him?

    And just as he expected, Lily¡¯s next words made him frown. "He loves nes. This just makes me wonder... Your Highness Eliza... since you and His Highness Harringfort had been engaged for a few months now. You must have seen his ne, right? After all... you are his fiance." Lily said, smiling.

    Eliza had never been to one of his nes. And this was not the issue. The issue is that Lily blurted this in front of many people just after Harringfort offered Qin Yuanfeng to check his ne! Lily wanted to embarrass him!

    But why was she attacking him? Harringfort eyed Zhou Jingren, who was not even looking at him and was not talking to Levi. Was it possible that Lily was only doing this because of Eliza?

    "Oh! Wait..." Lily said as she dramatically widened her eyes. "You haven¡¯t seen each other since the engagement party!" Lily said. "My bad. I am so sorry to even ask this question." Her eyes were gentle, voice sympathetic as she stared at Eliza.

    Anyone who was watching the scene would immediately think that Eliza talked to Lily about the situation and is hurt about the matter. Surprised, Harringfort could only gulp his non-existent saliva. How could Lily treat him like this when he spent his time trying to impress her with his knowledge? He felt his face reddened, his back damp with sweat that he didn¡¯t have earlier.

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel!

    Update: I am waiting for The Viin¡¯s Redemption Contract approval but I will release 4 chapters per week for the novel. It is light and funny! Please add it and leave some reviews if you like the novel. Thank you for your support!

    Tomorrow, new priv chapters will roll out. Pricing: 1 ss- 3 chapters. 5 ss- 10 chapters.

 Chapter 814 Trying Too Hard

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 814 Trying Too Hard</h4>

    Chapter 814 Trying Too Hard

    Seeing Lily defend her, Eliza felt a sudden warm feeling inside. She smiled inwardly as she eyed Harringfort¡¯s expression. Growing up, Eliza was not the type that would just keep quiet from the things that disturbed her. However, the engagement with Harringfort is not only one of those simple things that happen every day. It was something that involved two countries and their father¡¯s rtionship with each other.

    It was a deal.

    And breaking this deal... was akin to hurting her parents. So, she chose to keep quiet and just go through with whatever it is that her father wanted. After all, this was her responsibility. However, seeing Lily act like this in front of her seemed to awaken something inside¡ª something warm andforting. Something assuring.

    She lifted her head, meeting Lily¡¯s prating gaze. Slowly a smile bloomed in Eliza¡¯s face. She was about to say something when the clicking sound of ss interrupted them. Everyone turned their heads towards the Grand Duke, who was standing next to the Duchess in the main table. He was with his knightmander and leading executives. Of course, Pierre was standing next to him.

    "Good evening." His voice was not loud, but it was enough for everyone to hear. "I hope everyone is having a nice evening." Smiling, he eyed each and everyone in the hall. For a few seconds, his gaze lingered towards Lily and Zhou Jingren to his left before moving towards the other guests who attended the banquet.

    "First... I would like to thank everyone foring in here despite the changes in schedule." He continued. "There had been some emergencies that needed our attention. So we were forced to change the dates and time of the banquet. And for this... I would drink this ss of wine." Without waiting for anyone to answer him, the Duke gulped down the wine in his hand.

    To some, this was an astonishing action. However, both Lily and Zhou Jingren understood the stress that he must have felt inside him right now.

    "The reason why I wanted to have a banquet a few weeks before the thirty-first is that I have a significant announcement to make." The Grand Duke said. The smile on his face didn¡¯t falter. "As we all know, one of the biggest problems that we have is the housing crisis. Housing in this part of the world has be more and more expensive every year. To put it nicely, this is one of our younger generations¡¯ burden in the past few years. And to put it bluntly, it is causing a lot of people to leave our country. We are now considered an ageing country as fewer and fewer people chose to start a family in this country." He eyed his wife and his knight¡ª the man who had been poisoning him and his wife.

    The Duke was beaming, on the outside, his eyes sparkling with happiness¡ª an expression that took him a lot of time to practice when he was younger. However, only God knows that all he wanted was to punish the man and the people who endangered his family. "I am happy to announce that our country will soon open its doors to Fi Group and Zhou Capital¡¯s venture together to help us with the housing crisis." He forced himself to continue smiling as he met Pierre¡¯s sharp eyes.

    "That¡¯s right, folks. This will be a new venture that would make our housing prices lower than the market price. It would open to new real estate that would attract young families and more... investors!" He said before he raised another ss of wine. "I would like to thank Mr. And Mrs. Zhou for the opportunity that theirpany will provide our country!" he said. "To a more prosperous future!"

    "To a more prosperous future!"

    "To a more prosperous future!"

    "To a more prosperous future!"

    "To a more prosperous future!"

    "To a more prosperous future!"

    The sound of ss nking erupted, followed by cheers and some apuse. Everyone, including Zhou Jingren and the other¡¯s, raised their sses and drank their wines. Each has a happy expression on their faces. Fi Group is well known in Europe, while Zhou Capital is well known in Asia. This partnership would surely open to more and more opportunities for them to earn and invest! To the nobles from Luxembourg, this is the best news that weed them this year.

    However, to Harringfort, it was akin to a hard p in the face. Here he was talking about nes and expensive hobbies. unting how many nes he was able to customise throughout the years, how many yachts he made with nothing but his talents and money as he tried his best to impress Lily and everyone around him.

    While Zhou Jingren is throwing away money to help this small country solve a housing crisis? Harringfort balled his hands into fists. He could feel the blood in his throat from the anger that had been boiling inside him. Once again, Zhou Jingren beat him!

    Was this another luck? Harringfort could not help but feel he had been trying too much. He wore the best outfit, all in white, the best shoes and jewellery. His hair was fixed, his eyes shone against the light as the smartest of the smartest words flowed out of his mouth. He was here to win!

    Yet, in the end, Zhou Jingren simply gave millions for a project, and now, people are flocking towards him, praising his actions and business mindedness! He let out a sharp sigh before he excused himself out of the crowd. He needed air! He needed to breathe!

    When Harringfort reached the pce¡¯s balcony, he immediately kicked the concrete statue that stood a few feet away from him.

    "Aw!" he hissed when he felt the pain on his foot. "Fucking statue!" he red at the statue. "You stupid statue!" He almost could not contain the anger inside him as he let another sigh.

    "You were trying too hard."

    Harringfort almost immediately turned to the person who walked behind him.

 Chapter 815 Lurking Behind His Laughter

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 815 Lurking Behind His Laughter</h4>

    Chapter 815 Lurking Behind His Laughter

    "You are making it too obvious." Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice didn¡¯t contain a hint of anger nor contempt.

    "Why are you here?" he asked as deep lines started to appear in between his brows. "Did you follow me here?"

    "No. I came here to kick the statue." The mockery in Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice only made him more irritated.

    "Why are you here?"

    "I don¡¯t know... to mock you?" Zhou Jingren smirked. "Did you know that your fiance was about to be framed for killing her own father?"

    Harringfort eyed Zhou Jingren but didn¡¯t respond to his words.

    "I would assume that you knew about this and... that is why you had been distancing yourself from your fiance?" Zhou Jingren smiled. "I mean... other than the fact that you don¡¯t like her."

    "So what if I know? So what if I don¡¯t? What does it have to do with you?"

    A sly smile escaped on Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips. "So... you wanted to change the leadership of this country?"

    "That is none of your business!" Harringfort hissed. Turning towards Zhou Jingren, he continued. "You think you are so smart, don¡¯t you?" he scoffed. "Stop pretending as if you have any idea about the things that are going to happen in this country! Just because you know about the poisoning doesn¡¯t mean you know of our ns!"

    "Really?" Zhou Jingren lifted an eyebrow in response. "So... you wanted to ruin this country. Make its people suffer. What kind of organization would just watch a country fall?" As the richest country in European Union and the second richest country in the world, Zhou Jingren could not understand why this organization would want them to fail. Unless... another country would want to take advantage of the chaos and take over the country. But wasn¡¯t that too far fetched?

    A scoffed escaped Harringfort¡¯s lips as he walked towards the balcony, eying the streets of Luxembourg below him. "You are lucky, I am not allowed to kill you."

    "But?? I can kill you, right?" Zhou Jingren said, chuckling. "You know... for them to employ someone like you." Zhou Jingren shook his head. "I am wondering if they are crazy or just... doesn¡¯t exist."

    "Are you calling me dumb!?"

    "Your words." Zhou Jingren shrugged. "I was about to say, young and childish."

    "You¡ª " Right now, Harringfort already knew that talking against Zhou Jingren was fruitless. This man grew up on the streets! It was reasonable for him to be very good at pissing people off! "I am telling you. Don¡¯t get yourself involved. This country has nothing to do with you!"

    Zhou Jingren walked next to him. He eyed the streets as he pursed his lips. "So you are going to let them die, just like that?" He was talking about the Grand Duke¡¯s family. From the information that he received, Harringfort¡¯s father and the Duke were quite close. In private, Harringfort would even address the Grand Duke as uncle.

    So, how could he just let the Duke and his family die from the poisoning?

    "I told you¡ª"

    "It is none of my business." Zhou Jingren nodded. It was indeed none of his business. "I don¡¯t mind if they die." This was the truth. These people were not someone that Zhou Jingren would trust with his life. And his principle was simple. If he could not trust them with his life... then he wouldn¡¯t care if they die.

    In response, Harringfort gritted his teeth in irritation. "You don¡¯t understand what we have to do for this world." He said. "Stop pretending that you have figured it all out. Or you will be surprised when you find out the truth." Why was he even talking to Zhou Jingren? Harringfort let out a grunt. "Leave me alone!"

    "You wanted the Duke to cancel your engagement to Eliza?" Zhou Jingren continued, ignoring Harringfort¡¯s grim face. "Why don¡¯t you cancel it yourself?"

    "Can you stay away from me?" Harringfort hissed. "You asked for six months and now you are following me around? What are you, a dog?" He eyed Zhou Jingren and immediately got irritated at his calm expression. What was Zhou Jingren¡¯s purpose of talking to him?

    "Alright..." Zhou Jingren answered after a few seconds of silence. "I am just here to let you know that my wife won¡¯t ever like someone like you." Zhou Jingren said. He did not see Harringfort as a threat in his rtionship. However, the man¡¯s childish behavior was quite rming to him.

    The thing about Harringfort was that he seemed to overthink a lot of things, making him easily angered. A man who could barely control his anger, who also happens to believe that he came from a very powerful organization can be a bit unpredictable and hard to handle. And Zhou Jingren hated it.

    "What are you talking about?"

    "The truth." Zhou Jingren said. "You are trying too hard to impress her, even the other people around us could smell your motive. It was as clear as day." He continued. "Now... Lily is unaware about the Organization that you spoke of. I chose not to tell her about it as I found it unbelievable. I am warning you Harringfort, stay away from my wife."

    "Or what?"

    "Or..." Zhou Jingren leaned towards Harringfort¡¯s ears. "Or... I will kill you in the most gruesome way possible." Leaning back, a smile bloomed in Zhou Jingren¡¯s face. "You seem to know a lot of things about me and my past. Surely, you also know... how I kill people, right?"

    "So, you think I¡¯m afraid of you?"

    "If I lose her... I lose everything." Zhou Jingren answered almost immediately. "What could be scarier than a man who does not have anything to lose anymore?" Zhou Jingren took a step back away from him. "You are not allowed to kill me... but I am allowed to kill you." He added. Harringfort opened his mouth. However, before he could say a word, Zhou Jingren had already started speaking. "Of course... I am not threatening you. We are only talking about what if¡¯s." Zhou Jingrenughed, suddenly making the atmosphere confusing.

    Harringfort stared at Zhou Jingren¡¯s face. The man wasughing in front of him. Yet, it was undeniable that something sinister was lurking behind hisughter. "I am not going to touch her." He said. Even if he wanted to, there was no way that he could¡ª not with the council always watching Lily.

 Chapter 816 Why Lily?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 816 Why Lily?</h4>

    Chapter 816 Why Lily?

    Moreover, after that one encounter with Zhou Jingren, he had done his best to retrieve everything that they had on the man. He even went as far as using his personal resources to research about Zhou Jingren.

    And lo and behold, he discovered that the council had been hiding a lot of personal information about Zhou Jingren and even Lily. This only upset Harringfort even more. However, this could not change the fact that he regretted not researching more things about Zhou Jingren before meeting him.

    Still, this does not mean that he liked the man. And the things that he found out was not enough to convince him that Zhou Jingren deserved Lily. Inwardly, he still thought that Lily was too good for her own husband.

    "Good." Zhou Jingren said before he reached out and patted the man¡¯s shoulders. "Now... now... people are now thinking that you have been a very bad fiance, bullying your fiance and not seeing her since the engagement party. Do you need my help in clearing your name?"

    "Isn¡¯t this your doing?" Harringfort retorted. "Mind your own business Mr. Zhou!"

    Anotherugh escaped Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips. "Of course." He then turned his back against Harringfort.

    "Hey!" Harringfort said. "I know that you cheated¡ª in that poker game! I know that you hid some cards."

    Hearing this, Zhou Jingren halted his steps but he didn¡¯t turn to look at Harringfort. "So?"

    "What do you mean, so?"

    "So? What are you going to do about it?" Mockeryced Zhou Jingren¡¯s tone. "Cheating or not. You love to throw a tantrum over a game. Cheating or not... I outsmarted you." Zhou Jingrenughed. What a fool. Did Harringfort think that Zhou Jingren would y fair after Harringfort¡¯s people attacked him? After he made Bei Tian unconscious?

    Zhou Jingren would never let luck decide who would win in a game of death.

    "I can¡¯t do anything about it." Harringfort said. "But I am letting you know that it won¡¯t happen again."

    "Is that so?"

    Harringfort didn¡¯t answer. In a game of poker, he would never allow Zhou Jingren to win again. In response, Zhou Jingren scoffed.

    "Life is a game of poker, Mr. Harringfort. It¡¯s not about how good the dealer is. It¡¯s about how to handle your hand. In real life... cheating is not illegal. People do anything to win. It¡¯s not about winning the game anymore. It is about who outsmarts whom and who ends up being the fool at the end of the game." Zhou Jingren said before he continued walking, leaving Harringfort alone in the balcony.

    ¡¯Of course... you have to prepare yourself for a bluff.¡¯ Zhou Jingren thought inwardly before a smile bloomed on his face. Everything about Harringforting in here was wrong. Showing himself now, in front of everyone after he abandoned Eliza, was wrong.

    Acting like nothing happened in front of the Nassae siblings was wrong.

    Even his acting was just wrong.

    Everything about the man screamed that he wasn¡¯t here for Lily or Zhou Jingren.

    Inwardly, Zhou Jingren immediately thought about the micro expressions on Harringfort¡¯s face every time he mentioned the Duke. The light in the balcony was of course, not enough to make him see the man¡¯s face clearly, but it was enough to be able to see somethings that only confirmed his previous assumption.

    Harringfort might be here to make sure that Lily and Zhou Jingren would not intervene in whatever it is that they had nned for this country.

    "President," Secretary Go greeted him. He had been standing a few meters away from Zhou Jingren and Harringfort as they were having a conversation earlier in the balcony. "I have the list of the people that the Duke was nning to appoint as the next Prime Minister on January thirty first."

    "People?" Zhou Jingren raised his eyebrow.

    Secretary Go nodded. "He was still trying to n everything with the Knightmander. There were five of them. He said... Mika had been hinting that Pierre should be the next Prime minister. Of course, he immediately refused. But Pierre Weber was one of the candidates that his Knight Commander or his general had narrowed down to as one of the few people that should be the next prime minister that the Grand Duke will appoint."

    "I understand." Zhou Jingren nodded. "Contact Bei Tian and ask him for an update. Also... I want you to check something out for me."

    Seeing Zhou Jingren disappear in the corridor that would lead him to the Banquet hall, Harringfort immediately opened his phone and sent a text to one of his men. After making sure that there is no recorder near him, he dialed a number on his phone.

    "Zhou Jingren knew about the lead poisoning."

    "And?" the gruff voice on the other line asked. "Are you going to kill him?"

    For a few seconds, Harringfort turned silent."No." Harringfort might be an asshole but he would never break thew of the Order¡ª the veryw that saved him from his death years ago. "I would never do that."

    "I know." The voice responded. "Do you think he told the Duke about it?"

    Harringfort narrowed his eyes. "No, I don¡¯t think so."

    "Then... I will call the others. For now... leave him be. Observe and listen. Go to Pierre Weber. That man has been making stupid ns of hurting Lily Zhou. You have to stop him."

    "Stop... as in..."

    "I don¡¯t care! That man is a liability. Do whatever you like! Just... keep Lily safe."

    Harringfort nodded silently. "Alright." He immediately ended the call. Narrowing his eyes on the streets of Luxembourg, an idea started sprouting in his mind.

    A strange... and crazy assumption about Lily.

    Sinceing in the organization, they have been keeping an eye on her. Even when she was a child. Silently watching her as she grew up and made mistakes. They said she was supposed to be the person that would help them aplish their goals. However, for some reason, Harringfort could not see it.

    Goals? What goals? And why Lily?

    Lily was not a genius. Even her brother was obviously smarter than her. So why her? What did she have that others don¡¯t?

 Chapter 817 Grandfather

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 817 Grandfather</h4>

    Chapter 817 Grandfather

    The night ended with Harringfort going back to his hotel room angry and confused. On the contrary, Lily and Zhou Jingren spent the rest of the night mingling with the people around them.

    After a few minutes of standing, Lily decided to sit down and epted a ss of water from Secretary Go. She watched as Zhou Jingren continued his conversation with the Grand Duke and Pierre as well as the other ministers of the country. Slowly, a beautiful smile bloomed on Lily¡¯s face.

    "When I first saw you, I instantly thought of Fred."

    Lily turned her head towards the older woman who sat next to her. They were currently in a small round banquet table. Since most of the guests were mingling and talking, not many noticed the old woman who transfered next to Lily.

    The older woman smiled, her aged eyes squinted, making her wrinkles more prominent. "I am Loura Delles. Everyone calls me Madam Lou."

    "You knew my grandfather?"

    "More than anyone in this country today." A gentle smile was stered in her face. "He was removed from the history books because his father was too angry and felt that he abandoned the country. So... not many people in this generation know of him."

    Lily pursed her lips.

    "You got your cheekbones from him." Madam Lou continued. "And you are very beautiful too."

    "Thank you. I will take that as apliment."

    "Oh!" A sh of surprise glinted in the older woman¡¯s eyes. "I was expecting you to be bashful but..." sheughed. "You are exactly like Lilian."

    "You knew my grandmother as well?" Of course, this surprised Lily. ording to the Grand Duke and Duchess story, Lilian didn¡¯t stay too long in this ce.

    "Of course I do! I was there that day." Madam Lou leaned closer towards Lily¡¯s ears. "I was there when she insulted the previous Grand Duke." A light chuckle left her lips. "You should have seen his face turned red as he clutched his chest in anger." She covered her mouth as she elegantly left out another softugh, her actions were fast and premise, swift without losing its ss.

    This woman should be a noble or at least... someone from a really rich family who could afford an etiquette ss decades ago. Judging from the woman¡¯s features, Lily could say that she should be more than sixty years old. She should be about the age of Lilian. Of course, she didn¡¯t bother asking the older woman¡¯s age.

    Who would ask ady of her age? She thought inwardly, her eyes didn¡¯t miss the absence of a wedding band in the woman¡¯s hands. A widow, perhaps? In the end, Lily turned her head away. It seems that her ability in ¡¯gathering information¡¯ had doubled.

    This should be because of her pregnancy, she thought.

    "Did you grow up with my grandfather?"

    "My!" the older woman smiled, surprised at Lily¡¯s question. "How smart. Was it because... I look really old?"

    Lily only turned her head towards her. No words came out of her mouth. How was she supposed to answer that question? "You look like you could be my mother." She smiled. "Are you in your fifties?"

    As expected, her words made the womanugh. Madam Lou shook her head, her perfect bun still undisturbed by the action. "You are one witty woman. I like you." She leaned towards Lily again. "I really like watching and talking to beautiful and young people. Would you like to have some tea with me tomorrow?"

    "Sadly, I am not going to be avable tomorrow." Lily lied. "How about... I let my secretary call you in advance, if I can find some time? Surely, the Duke had some way to contact you, right?"

    "Yes... Yes he does." Madam Lou smiled as she looked at the Grand Duke. "I watched that kid grow up. From a little infant to what he is now. He still calls me grandmother." She lowered her voice. "Do I really look like a grandmother? I could be his mother but not a grandmother! I told him not to call me grandmother over and over. He always said he wanted his sons and daughters to call me grandma too. In the end, everyone in his family is calling me grandmother now."

    The older woman sounded jovial but Lily didn¡¯t miss the mncholy in her voice. Madam Lou continued. "I am not even married. And they are already calling me grandmother." Sheughed. "But you know what¡¯s the best part of being the grandmother of a royal family?"

    Lily raised an eyebrow in response.

    "It¡¯s the fact that they are all good looking people!" anotherughter escaped the older woman¡¯s lips. "I would not let someone not good looking call me grandmother!"

    Lily gave an awkwardugh. This woman should be in her seventies yet, her voice was still lively, her actionsical and her eyes were bright. However, this only reminded her of her own grandmother.

    Lilian might have saved Lily before. She might have taught Lily everything that she knew now. But... they had never really bonded over something aside from business. Well... there was that horse. But aside from the horse, her grandmother didn¡¯t really talk much about her other hobbies.

    A pang of sadness hit her¡ª something that she immediately med on her hormones. In all honesty, one of Lily¡¯s greatest regrets was the fact that she felt as if she really didn¡¯t know her grandmother outside of Fi Group.

    Lilian was never an emotional person. She was cold and calcting. And ... lonely. Yes, her grandmother might not say it but Lily knew how lonely she was.

    "Do you miss Lilian?" the woman next to her asked. "She was one feisty woman. It is hard to love someone like her. Her personality had always been strong, someone weak would immediately cower in fear. She was the woman that many of us wanted to be. Someone that could easily overpower a person¡¯s will just by looking at them. But... Fred... well he was happy with her." This time, Lily didn¡¯t miss the sadness in the older woman¡¯s eyes. "And I am happy for him! I am truly happy for both of them!"

 Chapter 818 Stay Broken

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 818 Stay Broken</h4>

    Chapter 818 Stay Broken

    The woman¡¯sst statement made Lily stare at her for a few seconds. This time, the sadness in the woman¡¯s voice was too apparent, Lily could feel it vibrate through her. "You ¡ª are you my grandfather¡¯s fiance?"

    She was originally expecting the woman to deny it. But the tear that rolled on the woman¡¯s cheeks was enough to answer her question.

    "Grandmother?"

    Both Lily and Madam Luo looked at the young man, probably in his early twenties, approached them. "Grandmother?" his gray eyes examined the older woman before she looked at Lily. "Did you say something to her?"

    "ude, where are your manners?" Madam Luo¡¯s voice turned steely. "Is that how you would talk to ady?" Her words were cold, yetforting. Something simr to Lilian¡¯s voice.

    "Grandmother, are you alright?" he turned his eyes to the older woman. "Did you hurt yourself?"

    "I am fine. Apologize to Madam Zhou."

    "I ¡ª " guilt shed in the man¡¯s eyes.

    "It¡¯s alright," Lily said. "It wasn¡¯t a problem."If this young man is rted to Madam Luo, then it would be normal for him to ask those questions. After all, Madam Luo was already crying when he spotted her. If Lily was in that situation with Lilian, she would immediately do the same thing.

    "I believe it iste now. We should leave." The young man named ude said. "The car is already waiting for us and I already said my goodbyes to the Grand Duke and Duchess. Here..." the man took off his dark blue coat. "Take this... it is a bit cold."

    Madam Luo was already wearing a long-sleeve gown with a scarf. She looked at Lily and smiled. "Will you have tea with me?"

    Lily turned towards the young man. Madam Luo already asked this question earlier... was it possible that she had forgotten? "I will let my secretary call you tomorrow to confirm, but I already have an appointment with the Duke. How about the day after tomorrow?"

    And just like that, Madam Luo¡¯s eyes turned bright. She beamed at Lily. "Really? You know... I love talking to beautiful people. I would really have to enjoy some tea with you. We could talk about the weather and paintings and art¡ª "

    The young man let out a sigh. "Grandmother... we should leave now."

    "Oh... is itte now?" Madam Luo asked before she stood and smiled at Lily. "It seems that my grandson is bored already. We should probably start saying goodbye with the Duke¡ª "

    "Grandmother, I already said goodbyes with the Grand Duke and Duchess. The car is already waiting outside." He gave Lily an apologetic look before he assisted her grandmother out of the hall.

    Lily watched as the two left the hall, aplicated look was in her eyes. ¡¯Madam Luo¡¯ She tried to recall if she had heard her grandmother Lilian mention that name before. So far, Lily can¡¯t remember an instance where her grandmother talked about the past. Or if she did, she was not very specific at all.

    Of course, Lily thought that it was because she missed her husband too much that even talking about his name would cause her some heartache. At that time, Lily was still healing from her own pains, so she didn¡¯t bother asking too many questions.

    "That woman was Madam Luo, we call her grandmother, but she is already sick." Eliza¡¯s voice beside her didn¡¯t surprise Lily. Thetter had been following her around all night, assisting her in everything that she does. What would surprise Lily is if Eliza would not sit down beside her after Madam Luo left.

    "She is a very sweet woman."

    "Isn¡¯t she?" Eliza chuckled. "She used to bake us a lot of cookies whenever she was in Luxembourg."

    "Oh?"

    "She keeps on traveling in the countries of Europe," Eliza said. "I am not sure if you know this but... she used to be engaged to your grandfather. They didn¡¯t have a proper engagement, though it was more of like a verbal engagement. Everyone knew that they were going to marry each other, but it was formally announced." Eliza took a small sip from her ss. "When your grandfather left, she was... heartbroken. Rumor has it that she followed Lilian and your grandfather around in London for a while. Rumor has it that she was stalking them and she had gone insane."

    Eliza let out a sad sigh before she continued. "But when she came back on Luxembourg, she was perfectly fine. But many people assumed that she would not stop pursuing your grandfather. She was in love, you know what I mean?"

    Lily nodded. That would exin the tears that the older Madam shed at the mention of the engagement.

    "However, when she came back after disappearing for so long, shepletely changed and stopped talking about Lilian and avoided the people from the Royalty for a while. Everyone thought that she already lost it. After all, her father and the Grand Duke at that time were close."

    "So, she just stopped talking about it?"

    Eliza nodded in response.

    "Before leaving Luxembourg, the servants in the castle would say that they could hear her crying at night. However, when she came back, the servants said that shepletely changed. I believe it was because your grandfather rejected her." Another sigh left Eliza¡¯s lips. "Poor Grandmother Luo. Despite her beauty and grace, she was not able to marry the man that she loved the most. In the end, she was heartbroken."

    Lily nodded before smiling. "This is why... it is better to just love than to fall in love." Lily quoted a saying that she found online. "For everything that falls will end up broken. Unless... you are a ball, then you will be fine." She smiled. "Sadly, our hearts are not made of rubber or stic. Falling always involves breaking. And some broken things... just stay broken."

    I will publish the rest tomorrow. Please don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 819 Allergies

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 819 Allergies</h4>

    Chapter 819 Allergies

    Lily looked at Eliza. How could she miss Eliza¡¯s reaction towards Harringfort? She hated the man.

    The thing about hate is that it actually coexists with love. They are basic human emotions that thrive together. The deeper you hate, the deeper you love. That was why Lily believed it was always better to be indifferent about things. She only wanted to let Eliza tread slowly. She could not rush her emotions and end up breaking her heart. After all, a man like Harringfort was dangerous¡ª very dangerous to be around.

    At the same time, Lily was also aware that she was a hypocrite for thinking like this. Didn¡¯t she hate a few people in the past too? She could pretend to be indifferent, yet, she still could not deny that underneath her cid face was something that anyone would call hatred. A deep, strong rooted hatred for the people who had wronged her in the past.

    In the end, she lowered her head, turning her eyes away from the curious eyes of Eliza. Human emotions wereplicated.

    "Well... Grandma has been rather calm about everything ever since. Actually, I don¡¯t remember her talking about your grandparents ever." Eliza sighed. "But if you really want to have some tea with her, I would be very happy to apany you. It would be nice to talk to ude. I haven¡¯t seen that man for too long since he chose to go to Harvard for his college degree. I believe he is only here because of the holidays." Eliza smiled.

    "I thought she didn¡¯t get married?"

    "Oh! ude... is the grandson of Madam Luo¡¯s brother."

    Lily nodded in response. After the conversation, Zhou Jingren with Qin Yuanfeng approached them and told Eliza that they would be heading to bed now. It was already ten in the evening and Lily needed her rest.

    After this, Zhou Jingren and Lily also said their goodbye¡¯s to the Grand Duke and Duchess.

    "It¡¯s funny how Prince Leandro and Mika are trying to stay away from you." Zhou Jingren sneered the moment they arrived in their room.

    "People are like that. Some go straight up and offend someone and some just stay away and would act indifferent unless it would affect them." Lily said. "Help me with my shoes."

    Zhou Jingren immediately bent down and helped Lily take off her shoes. He then started massaging her legs, slowly. The two then started talking about Harringfort and their conversation. Of course, they would not be this nonchnt if they were not sure that the room that they were upying had been cleared for any bugs or recording instruments.

    The two even went as far as installing small audio jammers around the room. Just in case, someone would be really so nosy and try to listen to their conversation.

    Lily waited for Zhou Jingren to finish his words before she answered, "So you think, he is here for something else?" Zhou Jingren¡¯s analysis actually made sense. Surely, Harringfort is not that dumb to juste in here and risk exposing himself, right? If the man was dumb, then he would not survive this long while working for powerful people.

    Now that Lily thought about it, there was indeed a possibility that she had underestimated Harringfort and this organization. Her eyes squinted at the thought of it. Was it possible that Harringfort was only trying to act dumb and easily angered around them to make her analyze him incorrectly?

    "We are going to have to change our ns." Zhou Jingren suddenly said after a few minutes of silence. "We are going to Sweden." He said.

    When Zhou Jingren and Lily woke up the next day, it was already noon. Today was supposed to be a rxing day for Lily as the Duchess had promised to give her a tour around the pce. She even promised to let Lily see the mini museum that they had where they kept all the valuables that the country had collected in the past decades.

    "The Prime minister ising today. He just arrived from meeting with someone from an important meeting in Belgium." Duchess Esther said as she drank her tea. Along with the Duchess, Eliza and Levi were alsoing and surprisingly, Antone Harringfort as well.

    Currently, they were taking their afternoon tea in another part of the pce. It was called the theater room. Arge space where the Duke and his family would enjoy some private performances from entertainers.

    Despite having a theater style seating, the duchess found a way to make some few changes. Aside from adding arge table in front of the stage that could amodate everyone, the duchess also made sure to prepare a lot of pastries and even an entertainer with a huge cello. The woman was silently performing in front of them as they started talking about each pastries that the Duchess was so proud of.

    However, Harringfort who sat next to Levi and Qin Yuanfeng was not thinking about this. His eyes darted towards Lily who had her own personal snacks and pastries. She was happily talking to Eliza and the Duchess as Zhou Jingren was slicing some of the pastries, making it small, bite sized pieces for Lily.

    Harringfort immediately wondered why the Duchess would allow such disrespect. Was she not even wondering why Lily and Zhou Jingren refused to eat her pastries?

    "Those pastries... why is she not eating them?" He asked, confused. In response, Qin Yuanfeng gave him an incredulous look.

    "My sister has a lot of allergies. And she is pregnant." Of course, Harringfort knew that this was a lie. He only wanted to see if anyone in this table knew that the food that they were eating might beced with lead.

    He eyed Qin Yuanfeng who was happily eating his food. Was it possible that he didn¡¯t know about the lead? Slowly, Harringfort took a small bite of the pastry near him. A small lead exposure was not really that harmful to an adult as long as they had a very good supply of important nutrients in their body.

 Chapter 820 The council

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 820 The council</h4>

    Chapter 820 The council

    To Lily and Zhou Jingren, Harringfort is somewhat childish. He likes gambling, and he gets irritated quickly. If someone described him this way, they would think that he is another rich young master who loves women, alcohol and expensive toys. However, if he was dumb, would he really survive this long while dealing with drug dealers, terrorists and world leaders?

    After Harringforts conversation with Zhou Jingren the other night, he had decided to step back and observe. By now, Harringfort had concluded that something is indeed wrong in this situation. Why would they insist on protecting Lily as if she was a piece of treasure?

    To Harringfort, humans are like stic things that one can buy online. Most of them are not thick enough to survive. While some are pretty useful, one could not deny that they are easily receable. And Harringfort could not understand why Lily had to be special when she can barely defend herself.

    ording to the information that he had personally gathered, Lily is not an expert in both firearms and martial arts. She does not even drive her car and does not know how to cook. Her physical strength should be below the averagedy who knows how to do these menial jobs.

    While Harringfort understood that Lily¡¯s value was on her level of analysis, he also happens to know a few other people like Lily. Smart, cunning, more ruthless and some of them were trained killers.

    So... why Lily?

    All night, Harringfort had been thinking about this matter. Instead of nning Pierre Weber¡¯s assassination, he was forced to analyse things about Lily and the organisation. As far as Harringfort knew, the organisation was the one responsible for Lilian¡¯s death. They even killed Lily¡¯s Grandmother Ye to stop her from informing Lily about the information that she knew.

    With the organisation that willingly kills every person that could expose Lily the whole truth, Harringfort could not help but wonder if it was really worth it. Back then, Lilian was a force that not many could handle. She was not only smart but ruthless and deadly.

    So, why kill her and not make anyone rece her seat? Instead, the organisation waited for Lily to mature and rece her. Since Harringfort Is not a part of the council, he does not have ess to the information that the council had.

    He only follows their orders without even asking questions¡ª and even if he could ask, he would instead choose to stay silent and carry on with his duties. After all, he was saved by the organisation a long time ago.

    At that time¡ª well maybe until now, Harringfort knew that the things that he did were to help humanity survive this jungle of a world. He might have harmed a lot of people, but he solely believes that he had saved thousands as well.

    So what if he had organised assassinations before? These actions were enough to cause a riot in some countries; it had caused damages and killed a lot of people. But without the chaos, there would be no changes. Without the revolution, there would be no new beginnings.

    Untilst night, Harringfort had never been so sceptical about the things that he knew before. He had never been so uncertain about the council¡¯s words. However, seeing how easily they want him to kill Pierre Weber just because of a n, Harringfort could not help but wonder what the real goal of the council was.

    In his eyes, there is no need to kill Pierre Weber as he had a lot of people following behind them. He is working against the government of Luxembourg because he sincerely believes that he could make significant changes. Moreover, he also thought that he was in the right. In Pierre¡¯s mind, there is something wrong with the government.

    While that may not be necessarily true, Pierre believed it wholeheartedly. And this belief is the reason why some people chose to follow him. For Harringfort, this is the first stage of a revolution. A leader with the impression that he was right.

    So... why would the council willingly kill the man?

    The more Harringfort thought about it, the more he concluded that it was because they thought Pierre found something that he could use against Lily. And there it was again... Lily.

    Everything seemed to revolve around Lily.

    ¡¯Lily was pregnant.¡¯

    Maybe that is the reason why the council is stepping up to protect Lily? Harringfort lowered his head as he thought about the things that had been happeningtely. For some reason, he felt that the council was not telling him something.

    Were they nning to use him against Lily? Were they nning to use him to save her? Or make him as her enemy? Slowly, an idea sprouted in Harringfort¡¯s mind. The only logical exnation that he coulde up with is pretty simple.

    The council wanted him to get rid of Zhou Jingren.

    This was a surprising conclusion. However, if one would think about it, the council knew how much Harringfort hated Zhou Jingren. They knew that his emotions could easilypromise this mission. However, they still sent him here.

    Was it because they wanted Zhou Jingren to embarrass Harringfort again? Was it because they wanted him to get riled up? After all the emotional roller coaster that Harringfort went through, he could not help but think that the council deliberately did this to him, and then they ordered him to kill Pierre.

    If someone would approach this in a very logical way, Harringfort was supposed to kill Pierre silently. However, the events that happened before the order came already made Harringfort raging towards Zhou Jingren. Someone would easily predict that he would use this opportunity instead to frame Zhou Jingren for Pierre¡¯s death. After all, Zhou Jingren would surely avenge his wife, right?

    Was it possible that they really wanted to use Harringfort against Zhou Jingren? Or... was he only over thinking about things?

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 821 Erase The Sin

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 821 Erase The Sin</h4>

    Chapter 821 Erase The Sin

    Harringfort was convinced that something else was going on aside from this. Could it be that the organisation wanted to do to Lily what they did to Lilian? Are they going to kill Zhou Jingren soon and use Lily¡¯s child to control her?

    But how is that possible? Clearly, they have instructed him not to touch Zhou Jingren. They repeatedly told him not to provoke him either. Were they trying to use reverse psychology to him instead?

    That is very possible.

    However, if that¡¯s the case, then those old people must have thought of killing him! They know that both Lily and Zhou Jingren were not pushovers. Meaning, they will retaliate, and if Harringfort made the wrong move, both Lily and Zhou Jingren would raise hell and kill him.

    Don¡¯t get Harringfort wrong, he is not afraid of them. However, he absolutely loves his current lifestyle. He would do everything to protect this privilege that he had over some people.

    "Are you alright?" Levi asked, unaware of what was going on in Harringfort¡¯s mind. "Your face is losing some colour... so if you want, I can make Eliza apany you. It¡¯s not really a big deal."

    Harringfort shook his head. "Maybe Ick some sleep." How could he not understand that Levi wanted to create some space for him and Eliza? What a good brother, he thought as he remembered how Levi understood that Eliza was a little interested in him.

    But who wouldn¡¯t get interested in his charms? Harringfortughed inwardly. He was handsome, smart, and young. He might be a little irritating, but that is something that most women love.

    Too bad, he is only attracted to smart people; smart and capable people like Lily. To him, Eliza is too loud and childish. She does not understand a lot of things. She might be beautiful, but Harringfort was sure that her beauty would not be enough tost her too long in this cruel... cruel... world.

    "Oh." Levi nodded and turned silent. The group then enjoyed their afternoon tea before they each said their goodbyes and rested on their rooms.

    "You are going to ask my permission to talk to her?" The Grand Duke¡¯s voice echoed inside his office as he looked at Zhou Jingren, wondering what he is up to right now. "I already told Lily she could do whatever she wants in this country. As long as she won¡¯t deliver drugs or kill people." He chuckled to himself.

    Twenty four hours had passed since the Grand Duke knew the truth about his friend and family, and the dark circles in his eyes already doubled, his cheekbones seemed to protrude, and cheeks were sunken. Was this because of the stress that he felt because of the big revtion? "You are making it too obvious." Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice was calm as usual. He sighed. "Did the Duchess ask you why you didn¡¯t sleepst night? Wasn¡¯t she worried that you seemed to have grown older overnight?"

    The Duke avoided his head in response. "I am dealing with it."

    "You know that they are trying to assassinate you, right? You and your son." Zhou Jingren repeated some information that he told him. "You should act swiftly and decisively."

    The Duke turned silent. "If your friend betrayed you and your family, what would you do?"

    "Kill them." Zhou Jingren answered without batting an eyelid. "By skinning them alive. I would revive them every time their heart would start beating slowly, remove their teeth and nails while they are conscious¡ª "

    "I understand." The Duke interrupted him. Does he really need to talk about all the devious details?

    "Why don¡¯t you ask me what Lily would do if someone would betray her?"

    The Duke turned his gaze back to the man who was sitting in front of him. "What would Lily do?"

    "Nothing." Zhou Jingren shrugged. "She would let the traitor go. Probably shoot the traitor in the leg or spine or gouge their eyes out, but then she will let them live."

    "Living like that is scarier than death." The Duke immediately understood the difference between Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s ways. Both of them were so different yet they share simrities; they are ruthless and both are scary.

    "Do you want to kill them?" Zhou Jingren finally asked as he tilted his head, his eyes shone with curiosity. As expected, the Duke leaned back and said nothing. What was the use of killing them? Would it change the fact that they were poisoned?

    Would it change the fact that their closest ally betrayed them? Would it erase the heartache of being betrayed?

    "It would not erase the sin." Zhou Jingren continued as if he understood what was going on in the Duke¡¯s mind. At the end of the day, killing them would not heal anyone. Instead, it might open up to issues and more problems. "Our ways are different. But sometimes, this revenge woulde as a threat, a warning for the people that are nning to hurt you in theing days." The world is cruel and brute; killing one evil would not stop the other evil from plotting your downfall. Unless... you show them how ruthless you are.

    After all, animals, no matter how rabid, would always act like an animal and would run away from something that could kill them. However, Zhou Jingren was not interested in saying such things in front of the Duke. He understood that he and this man are so different.

    "Old Lady Luo was Prince Fred¡¯s ex-fiance." The Duke switched the topic. "I don¡¯t see why Lily wanted to talk to the old woman?"

    "When she was with Lilian, thetter didn¡¯t tell her anything about her grandfather. She knows nothing of him." What Lily was interested in knowing was her grandfather and grandmother¡¯s past.

    "Then... no problem. Just please tell her not to mention the engagement as it would only make the older woman cry." The Duke smiled. "Grandmother Luo had been through a lot."

    "I understand."

 Chapter 822 Younger?

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 822 Younger?</h4>

    Chapter 822 Younger?

    The next day, Lily indeed woke up earlier to prepare for her visit to Madam Luo. However, she was not as excited to talk to the woman this time. It was because she knew that Madam Luo is already forgetful because of her age.

    To be honest, Lily doesn¡¯t even know if the older woman would remember her at all.

    "Well... if she doesn¡¯t remember me, I will remind her." Lily answered when Qin Yuanfeng asked her about it. She eyed the man sitting next to her. "You seemed to be friends with Harringfort?" she asked.

    "He is a brilliant man."

    "Really?" Lily immediately lifted an eyebrow.

    Qin Yuanfeng nodded silently. He was no longer the naive Qin Yuanfeng who was emotionally abused by his stepmother. At this point, he is already confident that they could already assess some people just based on their faces alone. Alright... maybe not wholly assess.

    Of course, if Lily would hear the thought of her twin brother, she would wonder if the man was earnest about these ims. To Lily, Qin Yuanfeng was only saying this because he and Harringfort had the same hobbies. "Be careful around him." She said before she turned her head towards the streets of Luxembourg.

    "I am."

    After a few minutes, the two arrived in arge five-bedroom house in a residential area in the west of Luxembourg. Of course, this surprised Lily as she was expecting to see Madam Luo live in a pce with a vast garden. Why would she live in a small five-bedroom house considering her family¡¯s status?

    Lily remembered that Eliza told her that Madam Luo is exceptionally wealthy.

    "Did you expect that we live in a mansion?" Madam Luo¡¯s grandson smiled when he saw Lily¡¯s surprised look. "My grandmother is extremely forgetful. She sometimes forgets things around the house. Imagine her looking for a specific pen in a mansion." Heughed as he nced at Qin Yuanfeng. "I thought her highness Eliza wasing with you?" he led them to the back of the house where Madam Luo was drinking her tea.

    "She is on her way. Something held her up." On their way out of the pce, Harringfort suddenly showed up and asked to talk to Eliza. Because of this, Lily was forced to leave ahead of her. After all, she didn¡¯t want to make the older woman wait for her.

    "Oh!" ude smiled. "Grandmother... Madam Zhou is here."

    Madam Luo turned her head away from the small pond in the middle of andscaped garden. "Madam Zhou?" Her confused eyes met Lily¡¯s before she smiled. "Lilian!? Come... Come... Sit down." She looked at her grandson. "Why didn¡¯t you tell me Lilian ising? I haven¡¯t prepared some gifts for her." She slowly stood from her seat. "I should probably change clothes first. Also... my hair does not look good. You should call¡ª "

    "Grandmother... that is not Lilian. That is Lily Zhou... Remember? The beautifuldy that you talked to the other night? She is Lilian¡¯s granddaughter." ude shot them another apologetic nce. "She is like this sometimes..." he exined. In fact, his grandmother seemed to have been like this a lot since she saw Lily at the banquet.

    "Lily..." the older woman stared at Lily for a few minutes. "Ah! The beautiful woman in ck? I remember!" She sat back on her seat. "I remember now! You are Fred¡¯s granddaughter." The mention of her ex-fiance¡¯s name immediately gave her a sad smile. "Please sit down. Just don¡¯t think about what I said earlier."

    "Of course!" Lily smiled and took her seat. "This is my twin brother, Yuanfeng."

    A gasp escaped the older woman¡¯s lips. "A twin?" her eyes lingered towards Qin Yuanfeng. "You¡ª you look exactly like him!" Of course, Lily knew this was not the truth. Qin Yuanfeng had beautiful phoenix eyes, something that he inherited from their father, Qin Chuan. To be honest, Qin Yuanfeng might look a little bit like Lily, but if one would look closely, they have a lot of different features.

    Of course, not many would do that and would only look at the simrities that they have. "Sit! Sit!" Madam Luo smiled and looked at the two of them. "You two... you are both handsome and beautiful. My... My... I really love looking at beautiful people. ude... help them with some tea." She eyed his grandson. "My grandson just graduated from Harvard. He might look gentle, but he is brilliant, just like your grandfather. Ah... I remember, Prince Fred looked really gentle too." She then frowned. "He was the exact opposite of Lilian."

    "Thank you." Lily epted the tea from ude who sat next to his grandmother. "You appear to be really familiar with my grandmother."

    "You mean Lilian?"

    Lily nodded.

    "I used to follow her around." Madam Luo being nonchnt made Lily wonder if she was telling the truth or was merely trying to say something that she imagined.

    "You do?"

    "Of course!"

    "Grandmother... you should not say something like that." ude said as he stared at Lily. "She is really forgetful."

    "Whose forgetful?" Madam Luo said. "You... This man had seen a lot of American culture. He hadpletely forgotten how to act like a gentleman." She reprimanded her grandson. "You should never call ady forgetful. I shall talk to my brother about this. Did he forget to teach you about respecting ady?"

    A sh of sadness can be seen in ude¡¯s eyes before he smiled at his grandmother. He lowered his head and said nothing. Even his grandmother had utterly forgotten that her brother is already dead. A sad sighed escaped his lips.

    "Aiyo... this man." Madam Luo said and looked at Lily. "He is still young. Look at him getting bashful by a few words. ude... in the future, you should learn from Yuanfeng. He should be your age if not younger than you, yet he is so well behaved."

    "..." What does she mean by younger? Qin Yuanfeng immediately wondered if he looked like a teenager.

 Chapter 823 I Was a Fool

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 823 I Was a Fool</h4>

    Chapter 823 I Was a Fool

    "Grandmother... he is older than I am." ude said in a small voice. He could always keep his patience around his grandmother. But for her to say that Yuanfeng looked younger than him was quite unfair. He had just graduated from college and only turned twenty-three this year! While Qin Yuanfeng and Lily were probably in theirte twenties right now.

    Qin Yuanfeng was also taller than him, and was wearing a suit. How could his grandmother mistake him for someone younger than him?

    "Really?" His grandmother widened her eyes before she let out augh. "My... My... Yuanfeng, you should teach my grandson about skincare. ude... don¡¯t get embarrassed. You should ask him about his skin care regimen. In your generation, this is a crucial matter. Take care of your skin so you don¡¯t look like you are already in your thirties." She let out anotherugh. In response, her grandson smiled and nodded in embarrassment. "He might look like this, but my grandson is a brilliant child." She said as she smiled.

    "He is pretty smart." Lily agreed. ording to Eliza, ude was close to his grandmother. He sort of grew up in her care as well. However, not having any choice but to limit seeing his grandmother upon going to study in the US. Seeing the young mane back to Luxembourg right after graduating college only meant that he really cared about Madam Luo. "And kind too," she added.

    "He is just like Fred, isn¡¯t he?" Madam Luo smiled before she whispered. "I raised him that way."

    "Of course." Lily nodded. "So... did you also go to London when Fred left the country?" This time, Lily realised that Madam Luo loved to call her grandfather by his name. So, she chose to call him by his first name, hoping it would make the woman morefortable in talking to her.

    "Yes! I was there... Let me see... ude... Why don¡¯t you bring me that box in my study? The one with the ck velvet cover. It should be under my table."

    "Grandmother... you don¡¯t have a box like that."

    "Really?" Madam Luo fell into deep thought. "Then... as long as it¡¯s velvet. I believe it was ck, but I guess it should be blue." She looked at Lily. "Fred loved that colour a lot."

    ude stood from his seat. "Please excuse me." He said and left the three of them.

    "Let me tell you a secret." Madam Luo said mischievously. "I don¡¯t have a velvet box in my office." She giggled. In the end, Lily and Qin Yuanfeng were not able to stop themselves fromughing as well. "That man thinks that I can¡¯t outsmart him." Sheughed with glee.

    "He seems to be quite a charming young man."

    "Of course, he is. I raised him just like Fred." Pride swelled in the older woman¡¯s eyes. "So... Fred and Lilian... they were a beautiful couple."

    Lily smiled. "Sadly, I was not able to spend a lot of time with my grandfather."

    For a few seconds, Madam Luo turned silent. Then she said, "That is truly unfortunate. Fred was a pretty good man."

    "Then... can you tell us about him and our grandmother?" This time it was Qin Yuanfeng. As someone who grew up without any good grandparents, he was inquisitive about his maternal grandparents right now. Moreover, he could not understand some of Fred¡¯s reasoning in choosing their grandmother over the throne.

    Qin Yuanfeng heard stories about their grandfather from Lily, Levi and even Eliza. However, every version of the story seemed different. While Lily barely told him anything about the man, both Eliza¡¯s and Levi¡¯s story were quite unbelievable. He just felt that their grandfather¡¯s decision to leave the throne for a woman was wrong¡ª or at least he would never do something like that.

    Women were dangerous.

    He had learned this in the most painful way possible. And to be honest, their grandmother Lilian sounded pretty dangerous herself. So... why would their grandfather abandon everything just for a dangerous woman? Was he looking to get himself killed?

    Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s reasoning was pretty simple. ording to the stories, the Fi Group was not as prosperous before as it is now. At that time, Lilian was nothing but an ambitious businesswoman in the business industry that was ruled by misogynistic men. Compared to his grandfather¡¯s status as royalty, Lilian¡¯spany sounded minuscule.

    Of course, he would never me his grandfather for doing so. After all, if he didn¡¯t go after Lilian, Lily and Qin Yuanfeng would not be here in this world right now. He only wanted to understand his reasoning. That¡¯s all.

    "Oh! Lilian... where do I start?"Madam Luo started. "I think she looked scary." The older woman shivered. "At that time... we were taught how to sew and how to satisfy our men. Of course... a few women learned how to write and read for the sole purpose of learning how to manage a household. You, younger people won¡¯t understand this." Sheughed. "But... Lilian was not like that. Now that I think about it... I doubt she ever learnt how to sew or make pastries."

    Lily raised an eyebrow as the older woman¡¯s description is pretty spot on. Lilian was indeed not like the other women out there in the world.

    "But I think... we tend to get attracted to something we are not?" Madam Luo continued. "Lilian was the opposite of the kind and gentlemanly Fred. Ah... Fred, I believe he was studying to be a doctor? Or a businessman? Look at me... being so forgetful about things." She shook her head. "Anyway... I followed the two in London. And to be honest... I was not there with kind intentions."

    This time the older woman¡¯s face darkened. "I was there to convince Fred to leave Lilian and show him what he was missing by being with her. Well... I started by following Lilian around. s... Back then, I was a fool." Her gaze turned stern as she looked at Lily. "You are a beautiful woman. You should not do the things that I did in the name of love." A sad smile crossed her lips. "You should never chase a man who already loves someone else... Do you understand me?" She repeated.

 Chapter 824 Mischievous Madam Luo

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 824 Mischievous Madam Luo</h4>

    Chapter 824 Mischievous Madam Luo

    After the woman¡¯s words, the atmosphere in the small balcony seemed to have be darker. Both Lily and Qin Yuanfeng had a solemn look on their face as they listened to Madam Luo.

    "Did you try to do something to Lilian?" For some reason, this conversation was making Lily¡¯s mind run rampant. Why does it seem that Madam Luo is showing some signs of fear? The way she described Lilian sounded as if Lilian hurt her. Was it because... Madam Luo was still bitter about her fiance leaving her for Lilian?

    "Try?" the older woman reiterated the word. "Let me see... I didn¡¯t actually touch her. If that¡¯s what you wanted to know. But I did things... Embarrassing and sinful things to her. Of course... all of them failed. She had her knight in shining armor."

    "You mean my grandfather?"

    "What? No! Fred was too timid. He could not protect Lilian! Plus he was no longer a prince and thus, his social standing was quite low as well."

    "A knight in shining armor other than my grandfather?"

    "Yes. Yes... other than Fred." A sweet smile bloomed in Madam Luo¡¯s face. "What? Did you think that no one else liked your grandmother just because of her dominant personality?"

    "..." To be honest, Lily really thought that no one else had liked her grandmother. But now that she thought about it. She really sounded silly and naive. Lilian was beautiful, brilliant and independent. She was headstrong and very motivated. How could men avoid her? Surely, someone out there must have liked her aside from her grandfather.

    Bees would always get attracted to flowers.

    "How silly." Madam Luoughed. "Ah... I never thought that you would actually think like this..." The smile in her face vanished again. "Wait... I have been talking to you for hours now but I can¡¯t remember you introducing yourself. Did I forget your names again?"

    "..." Again, Lily was speechless. How could Madam Luo remember everything that happened in the past when she could not even remember Lily? "I am Lilian¡¯s granddaughter. My name is Lily."

    "Hah? Did she pick that name for you?" Madam Luo once again, strayed from the topic beforeughing. "Ah... Lilian... how could you name your granddaughter after you?" She let out anotherughter. "As always her skills in things like this are quite mediocre. Let me tell you something about Lilian. She looks really confident and reliable but she can¡¯t really do most of the simple things around her. Unlike me... she was not trained in housework. Ahhh... this makes me wonder what Fred liked about her. She was a little pretty but... she was not really useful in the house. She was good at making money and being beautiful but aside from that she was mediocre at best."

    "..." Why did Lily feel as if the old woman was calling her out? Even Qin Yuanfeng cleared his throat when he heard Madam Luo¡¯s words. Wasn¡¯t this... a little too funny? Lilian and Lily were almost the same, ah! "Well... I believe my grandmother always said that there was no use in learning how to drive when she can pay people to drive for her while she thinks about her business." Lily decided toe into her grandmother¡¯s defense.

    How could she let this woman disrespect the dead!?

    "That really sounds like something Lilian would say." Madam Luo nodded. "To be honest... I consider her as my enemy." She sighed. "But I don¡¯t think she even looked at me that way."

    Lily pursed her lips. Isn¡¯t this one of the reasons why she wanted to talk to Madam Luo? A person who had been stalking you, who considers yourself as your enemy, would surely do their best to know everything about you.

    "Aiyo... why am I even talking about this?" Madam Luo said before she hollered. "ude... my pastries are still in the oven, take them out!"

    "You asked him to get the velvet box." Qin Yuanfeng said.

    "I did?" Madam Luo widened her eyes. "Then don¡¯t mind him. He won¡¯t be able to find something that is not there. So... I am sure he won¡¯t be back anytime soon." She then shifted her gaze towards Lily. "Where was I? We were talking about Lilian, right?"

    "Yes. You said something about a Knight in shining armor."

    "Oh! Yes... I remember... the butler in her mansion. I know he liked Lilian. That man... was not just Lilian¡¯s butler, alright? He is an influential person. What was his name again? Let me think¡ª Arthor? Tor... Tor something..."

    "Victor." Lily interrupted her.

    "Yes! Victor! That scary looking man was in love with Lilian too! Back in the days. These men had fiancees and they had all left them for Lilian too! Wait... I know another person... he should be a rich man from France but I can¡¯t seem to remember his name. I remember... he is extremely handsome too."

    Again, Lily was speechless. Why did it sound like they are talking about two different women? Was the old woman only hallucinating?

    "You are making it sound like my grandmother loved collecting men." Qin Yuanfeng chuckled.

    "Collecting? No of course, she¡¯s not!" Madam Luo red at Qin Yuanfeng. "You are making it sound like she was a bad woman!"

    Confused, Lily and Qin Yuanfeng eyed each other. Madam Luo was actually the one that was making Lilian look bad. Why was she ring at them? They were only confused!

    "Those men just flocked around her like bees. But she never turned to look at them!" Madam Luo said, her eyes full or passion. "Back then... I asked someone to help me scheme against Lilian." She widened her eyes when she realized that she identally talked about something that could incriminate herself. "Heh, don¡¯t look at me like that... I didn¡¯t seed alright." And Lilian was her lifelong rival, it should be normal for them to schemed against each other no?

    "So... you schemed against her but it didn¡¯t seed? Can you tell me more about it?" Lily asked.

    "Oh... as long as you promise not to tell my grandson." Madam Luo mischievously grinned.

 Chapter 825 A ghos

    <h4>Chapter 825: A ghos</h4>

    Again, Lily turned speechless. She started to wonder if the woman was only pretending. However, everyone around them always said that she had be forgetful. Was it possible that she was only fooling everyone?

    "Alright." Lily nodded as she responded to smile on the older woman''s face.

    "Great!" Madam Luo took a sip of her tea before she nced at the pond and let out a sigh, her eyes solemn, the smile on the face earlierpletely vanished. "I was jealous of her. You know, this is something that I could not even admit to my brother."

    Madam Luo continued. "But I was jealous of Lilian. I hated her. My hatred back then was the only thing that fueled my brain and my ambitions. It was the only thing that convinced me to live another day. Do you understand me?" she looked at Lily. "When¡­ Fredrick left me and the country. I wanted to kill myself. I knew I couldn''t marry anyone else, aside from him." She sighed. "Since I was six, I already knew that he would be the man that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Then one day¡­ he just came back with Lilian." Sadnessced her words as she lowered her head and started at the tea in her cup. "Right then and there¡­ I wanted to kill myself."

    "You know¡­ it was like someone had put a heavy rock in my heart. I could not even cry or say anything. I just stared at Fredrick''s sparkling eyes as he looked at Lilian, with his gentle smile. His actions back then¡­ it hurt me so much. But I never cried."

    "I can''t remember if I refrained myself from blinking so the tears wouldn''t fall on my cheeks or¡­ if I bit my lips too hard trying to remind myself that I was in front of everyone else and that I could not embarrass my father and my family''s name."

    To be honest, Lily exactly knew what Mada Luo felt. She had been there. The feeling of betrayal, the feeling of helplessness as she watched Xuan Hui and Qin Fei back then. It was too much to handle, she wished she was dead. Now that she thought about it¡­ was it possible that what she felt back then was a karma?

    Maybe the gods wanted her to feel what Madam Luo felt back then because of Lilian.

    "Well¡­ I pretended to be fine. For a long time¡­ I stayed quiet and stared at Lilian''s face, speechless. She was a beautiful but I thought¡­ I was more beautiful. Then, the Grand Duke asked her of her background and when I heard it, I was bbergasted. Her family was not royalty or even a noble! She came from a family of merchants in Italy! How could Fredrick chose someone like her?" Madam Luo faked a smile.

    Then she continued. "Right then and there¡­ I wanted tough. I remember¡­ vividly. I raised my chin as I watched the Duke''s face be darker by the second. I knew he wouldsh out on her. I knew he would get angry and yell at Fredrick in front of everyone. And to be honest, I was happy. I wanted Fredrick to learn a lesson. He could not marry someone beneath us. He could not marry another woman aside from me."

    Lily nodded silently.

    "So, the Grand Duke exploded and cursed at them. But then¡­ I remember¡­ Lilian stood there. Her eyes were cold, chilly even. I hadn''t seen a woman look at the Grand Duke like that before! And then she ¡­ Now that I think about it. That was a pretty, what would be the right term? . Bad ass. Yes, a bad ass move." Madam Luo said. "What surprised me was when Fredrick followed her! When I saw this, I initially thought that he woulde back crying. To be honest, I thought that Lilian was with him because of his influence and status. Of course¡­ I was wrong. But at that time, I always thought that Lilian would leave him for another rich businessman or perhaps another royalty."

    The older woman shrugged. "So¡­ I schemed and asked a friend to introduce her to influential people. Royalties and nobles. I wanted to show that she was another gold digger and that she would throw away Fredrick because he lost his status. s, I was wrong. I was so wrong.

    "Grandmother!" ude''s voice interrupted the intense atmosphere. "I can''t find it. Are you sure it was a velvet box?" Sweat rolled down on ude''s forehead. He frowned. "Maybe it wasn''t in your study? But I already tried to check your room. It wasn''t there either."

    Madam Luo frowned before she looked at her grandson. "What box?" When ude heard this, he immediately took his seat and drank some tea. "Ah¡­ velvet box? I don''t think I have a velvet box."

    "You asked me to get it for you." ude said before sighing. ''Did something happened when I was away?"

    "Why would something happen? This couple are pretty sweet. They were talking about their trip to Paris!"

    "Grandmother¡­ they are twins. Not a couple." ude said. "I''m sorry." He apologized.

    "Right! I remember now¡­ these two are Lilian''s grandchildren? Beautiful people¡­ right?" Madam Luo gave an awkwardugh. "I remember that you are here to talk about Lilian? Did you ask me a question? Did I forget to answer you again?"

    "You were talking about your trip in London." Qin Yuanfeng said. "When you went to see my grandparents."

    "I was?" For a few seconds, she turned silent. "Oh! Yes¡­ I visited them in their mansion and that Victor was there¡­ he was not a butler back then. I knew he was not a butler just by his frame."

    "What''s wrong with his frame?" Qin Yuanfeng frowned. To be honest, he also thought that Victor was pretty weird. He was quiet¡ª too quiet that he found it hard to know his real intentions. To be honest, the feeling that Victor gave him was the same feeling that he always got with Bei Tian when thetter turned serious.

    "Oh! I thought he was a weird man. Then one night¡­" Madam Luo leaned towards them, her face serious as she whispered. "I found out what he really was."

    "What?" Qin Yuanfeng also leaned a little closer, curiosity shed in his eyes.

    Madam Luo narrowed her eyes as a cold gush of wind moved past them."A ghost."

 Chapter 826 Group of Ghosts

    Chapter 826: Group of Ghosts

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    Silence followed her words as ude, Lily and Qin Yuanfeng stared at her in awe.

    Ghost? Really a ghost? The sad thing about this is that the three of them could not really tell if the older woman was joking or if she really believed the words that she was saying. Victor was a ghost?

    "A ghost?" Lily was the first one to recover. "That is not a very nice joke." She used to live in that mansion and was even nning to go back there to check out some of her grandmother''s things. However, after this conversation, there was no way that Lily would go back to that house!

    "You don''t believe me, do you? But trust me, I am telling the truth. The man would just appear and disappear in corners! I am sure he could travel through walls!" She then looked at ude. "Grandson¡­ these people think that I am spouting nonsense. Please tell them that I am really serious about this."

    "Eh¡­" ude gave an awkwardugh. "Grandmother¡­ how could you say that he was a ghost?" Even ude found these ims impossible to believe in.

    "I am telling the truth! When I was in the mansion¡­ I always felt that someone was listening in on my conversation with a friend and I found that man suspicious! I thought he was too¡­ loyal." At that time, Madam Luo never really believed in loyalty. "He was really strong too¡­ he looked really strong. You know what is more funny? His hands¡­ were calloused¡ª as if he had trained with them for decades!"

    "But¡­ he was a butler. His hands are supposed to be like that." ude reasoned with his grandmother.

    "No! No¡­ not that kind of calloused. That man was always practicing with a sword! I knew it! My father¡­ your great grandfather used to train my brother with the sword and I used to watch them all the time! I can always identify someone who practiced with a sword." Certaintyced Madam Luo''s voice. "You don''t understand this¡­ but I believe that man was Lilian''s assassin!"

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    "¡­"

    A ghost, and then an assassin? Just what kind of conversation was this? Lily didn''t know if she shouldugh or cry. This waspletely weird! Eliza had told her that Madam Luo was extremely forgetful but she could still handle a proper conversation. Because of this, she was still invited to any events the noble families held! She was a jolly person and loved to joke around but she was not someone who would hallucinate.

    "So¡­ you are saying that my grandmother''s butler is a ghost... assassin?" Qin Yuanfeng asked. "Like a ghost who walks through walls and kills people using a sword?" He immediately asked himself if the older woman was trying to tell them about a horror movie instead of something from her past.

    That should be possible right?

    "No¡­ No¡­ you must believe me. That man was the one who helped Lilian once. I saw him clutch a man''s neck and lift him in the air. That man was supposed to be the person that I asked to try and seduce Lilian! Then, that Victor swooped in like an eagle!" her eyes widened, her hand waving in the air. "I was there! I was watching hoping to report it back to Fredrick! Then¡­ That Victor just¡­ he just¡­clutched his neck so hard that his neck snapped. I can still hear it breaking in my mind!"

    "Alright¡­ I think this is enough for today." ude said. "I think my grandmother is extremely tired. You cane back tomorrow."

    "What tired?" Madam Luo asked. "You think¡­ I am an old woman?"

    "Grandmother¡­ let''s go to your room. I think it is already time for your afternoon nap."

    "But¡­ we were talking about some fun things? Why would you want me to rest instead? ude! You know how people of my age needed to talk about some fun things instead of lying in our rooms all alone!" Madam Luo scolded. "Don''t tell me you didn''t learn this from school?"

    "Grandmother¡­ we really should¡ª"

    "But¡­ I am still talking!" Madam Luo said. "You¡­ I will surely talk to your grandfather about this!"

    ude shook his head. As expected, the mention of his grandfather made him quiet.

    Seeing this, Madam Luo continued. "Alright¡­ where was I? Oh yes¡­ did I tell you about their wedding?"

    "We were talking about Victor the ghost." Lily''s gaze was serious. As she thought about Madam Luo''s words. Lily was not dumb. She too had felt that Victor seemed to be too¡­posed for a butler. At first, she felt that it was because the man was used to Lilian''s ways. But what if it was something else?

    Moreover, when Madam Luo said that he could walk through walls¡­ what if she meant she saw Victor used some sort of a secret door? What if¡­ all this was muddled by her memories so she thought of him as a ghost instead? And what if she really saw him kill someone?

    Lily remembered Eliza saying that when she came back here, Madam Luo was already a changed woman. What if¡­ all the things that she experienced while she was there¡­ was enough to change her?

    Back when Lily was still in that mansion, she always thought that someone was watching her. Of course, she was not really in her right mind to confirm this. After all, she also wanted to kill herself back then.

    The point is¡­ even her brother said that someone seemed to be there. What if it was Victor? Of course¡­ this was quite possible. After all, Victor had been working with her grandmother for a long time now.

    "Oh¡­ yes. Victor." Madam Luo nodded. "That man had some friends too¡­ they are like ghosts¡­ a group of ghosts."

    Lily gulped when she heard her words. What did she mean by a group of ghosts? She immediately started wondering if this woman was only trying to scare her. "Like¡­ friends? You mean¡­ Victor has friends who could walk through walls too?" Lily asked, as a sh of unfathomable expression glinted in her eyes.

 Chapter 827 Blaming and Abuse

    Chapter 827: ming and Abuse

    Unedited

    ............

    Madam Luo frowned. "Now that I thought about it¡­ even Lilian could walk through walls." She gasped. "Do you think Lilian¡­ is also a ghost? But that is not possible! How could that be?"

    Even Lily turned silent at her words. What does she mean by even Lilian would walk through walls? Does this mean that Lilian knows about Victor and the secret doors?

    "Well¡­ I think this is enough conversation, right grandmother?" ude said. "Lilian can''t be a ghost." In ude''s mind, there is no way that his grandmother is telling the truth. He guessed that she was only telling them something from a movie or a tv series that she had seen in the past.

    ude remembered how his mother had told him that sooner, his grandmother''s condition would worsen and she could not recognize him. At first, he found it hard to believe such things. However, how could he stop something that is a part of the natural body? He sighed inwardly.

    It seemed that seeing Prince Fredrick''s grandchildren had worsened her condition.

    "Oh, right¡­" Madam Luo smiled. "That is simply not possible. Lilian is not a ghost." She frowned. "But I was sure that I saw her¡­ with¡­"

    "Grandmother it''s alright." ude slowly stroked his grandmother''s back. "Why don''t I sing a luby so you can rest in your room?"

    "Really?" Madam Luo''s eyes brightened before sheughed. "Anyway¡­ All I wanted to say is ¡ª " she turned her head towards Lily. "You don''t know Lilian as much as I do. And if you are sane¡­ you better stay away from her. She is a very dangerous woman." Another gasp escaped her lips. "Don''t look at me like that? I am not jealous of her! Why would you think that I envy someone like her? Her life is veryplicated. I would not want to get involved with her!"

    "Involve?"

    "People who¡­ get involved with her die." Madam Luo gave a mysterious smile. "Why do you think she died alone?"

    Lily''s face turned serious. Maybe Madam Luo''s voice would sound crazy to anyone, but not to her. As someone who had lived with her grandmother, she knew that Lilian can be very dangerous if she wanted to. However, she had not seen her get involved in the ck market or illegal activities before.

    But then she realized that at that time, her focus was on the business and her recovery. It''s not like she was following her grandmother every day. For some reason, she felt that Madam Luo''s wordspletely made sense. However, her memories had be so muddled that she could not recall the right things.

    Still, she might have been talking about symbolism of the things that she saw when she was stalking Lilian.

    "Oh¡­ wait¡­ don''t tell me that you are one of Lilian''s enemies too?" Madam Luoughed. "Are you perhaps¡­ looking to kill her?" She lowered her voice. "What about her husband?"

    "Alright, grandmother¡­ you really should rest now." ude frowned. He could not understand why his grandmother had be like this, but in his mind, it should have something to do with what happened when she was gone. He turned towards Lily. "Would you mind waiting for me? I will let her take her afternoon nap."

    "Sure!" Lily said. "Absolutely!"

    Seeing Lily''s fake enthusiasm, ude''s face darkened before he helped her grandmother up.

    "But¡­ we are not yet done talking. ude¡­ how could you be so disrespectful?"

    Lily and Qin Yuanfeng could hear Madam Luo scold her grandson on the way to the second floor of the house.

    ......¡­

    "You are thinking something is weird?" Qin Yuanfeng said when Madam Luo and her grandson left. "Look¡­ I know I don''t have the right to say anything since¡­ I¡ª I don''t know Lilian and her husband personally but I think that Madam Luo might be faking it."

    "I think so too." Lily nodded without batting an eyelid. To be honest, she thinks that it''s either Madam Luo is faking it or she was really insane. However, she wasn''t sure about this either. After all, she was not a medical expert and she couldn''t just diagnose a patient just because she wanted to.

    In Lily''s mind, some of Madam Luo''s action is not adding up. But¡­ Why would she act like a crazy woman? What was she afraid of? It''s not like Lily was aware of the things that she did to Lilian. Did Madam Luo think that Lily was here for revenge?

    But why would Madam Luo fake it to everyone? Eliza said that she had been like this for more than a year now. But she was an old woman, so everyonepletely understood this. So¡­ why would she fool them for more than a year now?

    Unless¡­

    Lily gulped. It is also almost two years since her grandmother passed. If one would calcte the time¡­ was it possible that Madam Luo''s condition started just after Lilian''s death? It was as if a shiver ran through Lily''s spine. Shaking the thoughts out of her head, Lily looked at the pond a few meters away from her.

    Her ability to overthink things is just too overwhelming sometimes. Sheughed at her own thoughts.

    "What did you tell her when I was gone?" ude''s voice took her out of her stupor? Qin Yuanfeng and Lily nced at him before both shrugged. "What is that supposed to mean?" This immediately irritated ude.

    To his surprise, the twins shrugged again.

    "You already know that she is like this because of your grandfather and yet, you still dared to provoke her!"

    "Why would you me our grandfather for what happened? That was like fifty years ago? Did he tell your grandmother not to marry someone?" Qin Yuanfeng blurted out. "This is what happens if someone would not own up to their mistake! Instead, they me everyone around them!" Disgust shed in his eyes. For some reason, ude''s words made him so angry. It reminded him of his own tragic past that was full of ming and abuse.

 Chapter 828 Condition

    Chapter 828: Condition

    Unedited. Previous chapter already edited.

    ude got silent. He stared at Qin Yuanfeng''s aggrieved expression before sighing. "I''m sorry." He sat opposite to the twins. "It''s just that¡­ my grandmother is really old now. I can''t just¡­ My mother told me that one day she won''t remember me anymore." Another sigh escaped his lips as he looked at the pond in front of them.

    "I grew up with my grandmother. Growing up, my parents were very busy people. Even my own grandparents could not take care of me. They used to dump me and my sister with Grandmother Luo. It was like free childcare for them." A sad smile slithered in his face. "However¡­ when her condition startedst year. My younger sister and I were at university, in the US. I¡ª We were not able to support him when she needed us the most."

    Lily looked at the younger man in front of him. So, this was the reason why she could sense guilt in the young man''s eyes every time he stared at his grandmother.

    "She promised me that she would attend my graduation ceremony. Yet¡­ she had one of her episodes and could not hold a conversation for a few minutes. She used to live in a mansion with her servants. At that time¡­ she had an ident on the stairs. Good thing she only suffered minor damages. However, because of her condition, she didn''t even know if someone pushed her or if she jumped or slipped." His lips thinned. This was the reason why they decided to transfer her to a smaller house. This was also the reason why ude decided to move back with his grandmother after graduation; he wanted to take care of her.

    "I''m so sorry to hear that." Lily gave a smile of sympathy. "I didn''t know that something like this happened in the past. When she approached me the other night, I got excited about possibly knowing about my grandparents and didn''t even think that it could worsen her current mental health."

    "Just know that her mental health is degrading¡­ I believe she only remembers things that had a deeper impact. Like¡­ your grandparent''s name. But this doesn''t mean that she could recount everything that happened back then. Please¡­ do not believe the words that she said." ude''s gaze went back to Lily. "I think¡­she is recounting a movie instead of the past. Like she keeps on saying weird stuff about how they killed Fred and Lilian. About how the two would finally have a happy ending in the heavens. She even said that she wanted to die too so she could see them."

    "Who''s they?" Qin Yuanfeng frowned.

    "She said¡­ ghosts." ude shrugged. "Of course¡­ these are not real. This is just her imagination every time that she had some sort of an episode just like earlier."

    "So¡­ every time she had an episode¡­ she would mention ghosts?"

    ude nodded at Lily''s question. "But¡­ I believe this is only because she had an extreme fear of ghosts. My grandmother does not even watch ghosts movies. Her imagination can be pretty¡­ broad. Because of this¡­ she always sleeps with the lights on."

    "I understand," Lily said. "Your grandmother is lucky to have you."

    ude''s lips lifted into a slight smile. "I am lucky to grow up with her."

    "What was she like?" Lily asked. "When you were a kid. What was your grandmother like?"

    As expected ude pursed his lips. He turned his head away from her gaze. "She was¡­ sweet and funny and caring. But a bit paranoid."

    "Paranoid?"

    "I think¡­ she must have done something to Lilian. And she was afraid that thetter would retaliate and try to kill her. Of course¡­ This is nothing but my spection. It''s just that¡­ she is a bit¡­ or maybe she is very cautious. She does not have a telephone in her room and she didn''t own a cell phone either. I believe she is one of those people who used to stock a lot of food because she''s afraid that there will be some bombing and the world will end." ude chuckled. "Now that I thought about it. I remember one instance when she had a fight with my grandfather because she wanted to build a bunker underground. It sounds crazy and my grandfather thinks she was out of her mind."

    "She must have been through a lot. But what was she like before that? I mean¡­ before she went to see Lilian and Fred?"

    ude frowned. "To be honest¡­ we don''t even know if she went to see them."

    Lily immediately raised an eyebrow. "You mean?"

    "We can''t prove it. Aside from her ims¡­ no one else saw her with Lilian and Fred." He sighed. "At some point, I believe that she was just imagining things. Like¡­ it was all in her head. She must have undiagnosed depression or something that could make her act like that." Sadness shed in his eyes. "She was all smiles and baking and gardening. She was smiling all the time and not many people saw that she was broken inside. She was a strong woman¡­ she didn''t show any sadness. So everyone thought she was fine and no one bothered asking if she was alright."

    Lily nodded. Shepletely understood this reasoning. A smile could always fool a lot of people. It could hide a lot of stuff that you feel inside. For some reason, Grand Luo reminded her of her own grandmother Lilian. However, unlike Grandma Luo, Lilian¡­. seldom smile. She seemed cold and arrogant. She was always silent and observant. She was intimidating.

    Because of this¡­ Lilian... Wait¡­.

    Now that Lily thought about it¡­ she could not really remember Lilian having any friends aside from the people who work under her! Cathy and Mr. Rossi. Then there is Yang Mi who Lilian picked for Lily.

    "Did you ask any specialists for her condition? Maybe medicine could keep her calm?" Qin Yuanfeng asked. Until now, he still believes that Madam Luo is faking it.

    "We did! My parents have connections in a lot of hospitals in Europe but sadly they said that this was because of her age. They cannot do anything about it."

    "Wait¡­ does she have Alzheimer''s?" Qin Yuanfeng frowned. They know that she is suffering from memory loss but no one really told them what her condition is.

    ........

    I think I will have a mini mass release tomorrow.

    Also... please don''t forget to vote!

 Chapter 829 Antics

    Chapter 829: Antics

    ude frowned. "Alzheimer''s," he answered. "Her dementia was caused by her Alzheimer''s. Aside from her dementia, she is also experiencing depression and behavioural changes from Alzheimer''s. Of course, she is taking medicine to at least help her with these two. But the memory loss¡­ we can''t do anything about it."

    "I see¡­" Qin Yuanfeng nodded as he eyed Lily. Dementia caused by Alzheimer''s can also include other symptoms such as speech difficulty and difficulty in focusing on everyday tasks. However, when they arrived, Madam Luo was calmly drinking tea and even talked to them clearly when her grandson was gone.

    However, when ude came back, she immediately acted more forgetful, prompting her grandson to bring her inside and stop the conversation. He remembered Eliza told them that Madam Luo is still invited to events. This means that she is not yet misbehaving in social events. But her actions earlier were saying otherwise.

    Of course, Qin Yuanfeng also considered the fact that they had caused her a lot of stress, and that was why she acted that way.

    "Well¡­ I believe Eliza should being now¡­ let me try and call her." Lily smiled at ude as she dialled Eliza''s number. While she was talking to Eliza, Qin Yuanfeng was thinking about what the older woman had said. He eyed Lily as he wondered if she already figured out something.

    "Oh! That is sad, indeed. Well then¡­ I will see you at the pce? Alright. Yes¡­ she is currently resting. Alright¡­ I will tell him." Lily ended the call and looked at ude. Unfortunately, she is still talking to His Highness Harringfort. But she promised to drop by some other time.

    A wry smile bloomed on ude''s face. "Of course¡­ I already expected that." He nodded and let out a sigh before he stood and led Lily and Qin Yuanfeng towards their car.

    "Can I revisit her?" Lily asked as she stood in front of the car. Next to him, Qin Yuanfeng is holding the door for his sister.

    For a few seconds, ude looked at Lily''s face before he shook his head. "I''m sorry but¡­ I think your presence will worsen her condition. I can''t allow you to see her again."

    Lily nodded. Of course, shepletely understood the young man''s intention. "She''s lucky to have you." Lily smiled.

    Again, ude only nodded and bid them goodbye. He then watched as Lily''s car disappeared into the busy street of Luxembourg. ude walked inside their house, sighing. It seems that Lily really wanted to talk to his grandmother.

    ude was not a fool. Last night, he witnessed how a lot of people who attended the banquet talked to Lily and her husband. Those people and their ttering words had treated the two as if they were gods. Because of this, he immediately concluded that these two were very influential. And ude was smart enough to know that most influential people would always insist on getting what they wanted.

    "They are gone?"

    He lifted his head and stared at his grandmother, who was sitting in her bed. "I told them not toe here again."

    "Why would you do that?" Madam Luo widened her eyes. "I was not yet done talking. I would have¡ª "

    "And you would die." ude said. If Lily were here, she would have thought that the young man standing in front of Madam Luo was different from the man who helped his grandmother earlier. "Do you really want to die?"

    "This child¡ª "

    "No, grandmother. Those people are dangerous! I will not allow you to see them again. They are too smart¡­ We can''t risk it."

    "What do you mean?" Madam Luo asked. "Was my acting bad this time?"

    ude sighed. It was not too long ago when he discovered that his grandmother was faking it. She does not have Dementia or Alzheimer''s and she managed to fool everyone around them. At first, he was upset. How could she have fooled him like this?

    However¡­ when he saw the things that she had, the proof and evidence that someone is indeed after her life, ude was forced to y along with this antics. His task was simple¡­ make people believe that his grandmother actually lost her memory. Of course, he disagreed when she told him to y along.

    At that time, he already started packing his things to leave her. That was the reason why her grandmother showed proof that those people killed her own brother to warn her. The moment ude asked her why they didn''t kill her instead, her grandmother said that it was because¡­ she used to be one of them.

    At that point, ude had be so confused. The young man decided to stay for a few more days to figure things out. He felt that his grandmother was lying. And to be honest, he does not know what to believe anymore. But how could he leave the woman who practically took care of him and loved him since he was in his diapers?

    So he agreed to stay, thinking that it was the right decision. Since then, he had remained next to her grandmother and yed along with her antics, making everyone believe that her memory is slowly dwindling. "Grandmother¡­ I think your acting is the best, but those two are not the nobles here. They are not my parents. In short¡­ they are not fools."

    "You think¡­ they noticed it?"

    "That guy must have noticed something. And that Lily¡­ " He let out another sighed. "We should leave Luxembourg tonight and go to France. That Lily is not going to stop until you tell her something."

    Madam Luo frowned. "She was just like Lilian¡­ maybe even smarter than her." Her eyes sparkled. "But isn''t this a good thing? Lilian and my Fred will soon have the justice that they deserve."

    "At the cost of your life?"

    The older woman smiled at him. "What life?" Sheughed. "You leave for France. I will go and see her tonight."

    "What are you talking about?" the lines in between his brows deepened. "Are you going to¡ª "

 Chapter 830 Member

    Chapter 830: Member

    Surprise shed in her grandson''s face.

    "What? No!"

    "ude¡­ "

    "I said, no! Pack your things! You and I will leave for France tonight!" His voice contained certainty. "You areing with me tonight!"

    A snort escaped her grandmother''s lips. "Look at you, acting like a grown-up." She smiled before she thought of the letter that she sent to an attendant earlier¡ª a letter that was addressed to Lily. "ude¡­ you have grown up." Her voice was calm, eyes cid as she stared at him. "Sadly¡­ you made the wrong choice."

    "What¡ª "

    "I wille with you. But let me tell you this. You made the wrong choice. I owe Lilian my life. It is my right to repay it however I want to."

    "I am only thinking about your health." ude frowned. He wanted her to live and be happy. How could she risk her life by telling Lily that the same organisation murdered Lilian and Prince Fred? He was sure that his grandmother would die before she could even get close to Lily. "Please only pack the small things¡­ I will ask someone to help you with your clothes. Let us depart as soon as we can." He turned his back against her.

    "And Eliza?" His grandmother''s words immediately stopped him.

    "What about her?"

    "You like her."

    "So?" he asked. "What does it have to do with anything else?"

    "If you leave without telling her how much you love her¡­" Sadness shed in her eyes. "You might regret it."

    A sigh escaped his lips. "As long as you stay alive." He said. Right now, his priority is his grandmother''s health. His emotions can wait.

    "You are making the wrong choice." He heard his grandmother''s soft voice when he started walking out of her room. The most important thing is to keep his grandmother alive. His personal feelings can wait.

    He went to his room as he started packing all of his things.

    Sadly¡­. Fate had different ns for him and Madam Luo.

    ........................

    "You think she was faking it?" Zhou Jingren asked, amused. He didn''t personally metMadam Luo, but he already had her files with him. However, the files showed that the older woman indeed hasAlzheimer''s.

    "I think she was faking it too." Qin Yuanfeng started to exin the inconsistencies. "She could easily fool a lot of people simply because she was old. But what she showed us simply does not make any sense."

    "Interesting." Zhou Jingren stared at his wife. "What are you thinking?"

    "I think¡­ For some reason¡­ I think my grandmother might be associated with the Spectre."

    Silence immediately followed her words.

    Lily added. "Madam Luo keeps on saying that ghosts will kill her. Spectre means ghosts. Now, why would the Spectre kill her?" In Lily''s mind, everything already made sense. Madam Luo is pretending to have Dementia to fool the Spectre. However¡­ something is still not right here. She is missing something.

    "So you are saying that Lilian might be a member of the Spectre? And they killed her as well?" Finally, Zhou Jingren decided to blurt it out in the open. Madam Luo had been saying the ghosts killed Lilian, does that mean The Order killed their own member?

    "And they might be the reason why Grandma Ye died as well." Lily concluded. "It wasn''t just a coincidence that Grandma Ye told me that someone had been following me around since I was a child and she died a month after Lilian. She must have found out something." She met Zhou Jingren''s eyes. Both immediately understood that there is no need for them to mention the journals.

    "Doesn''t make any sense." Qin Yuanfeng blurted as he shook his head. "It just doesn''t make any sense. I mean¡­ remember how I did some research about you?" Before he met Lily, he already made a research about her. "My research and the things that we discovered after that is saying that Lilian didn''t know where you are, nor did she know where our mother was. If she was indeed a member of Spectre, why not use her power to find out about our mother? To find us?"

    Qin Yuanfeng watched as a myriad of emotion shed in Lily''s eyes before he continued. "If¡­ This organisation was as big as they im it to be, looking for our mother must have been too easy for them. Think about it¡­ Qin Chuan and the Qin Family were influential and would hold parties and events before. Surely, some people must have seen our mother, right? Now¡­ when she was hiding in the Qin Family in Hong Kong¡­ she became a maid. During events, Tang Lingyun would embarrass her and would scheme against her. Meaning, at some point, a lot of people saw her."

    "With the power that the Spectre holds, it would be easy to locate someone that does not look Chinese in China and Hong Kong." Qin Yuanfeng said. "So¡­ why didn''t she use Spectre to look for her daughter?"

    Lily pursed her lips. What led her to believe that Lilian is a member of the Order of the Spectre is the Yu Family''s photo of Lilian in the same event as old man Yu and Mrs. Brooke''s words about The Order who killed her grandmother.

    First, during Old Man Yu''s birthday party, he specifically told her that he could give her ess to unimaginable influence. Lily declined.

    However, the death of Old Man Yu''s wife and Lily''s actions against Old Man Yu''s children could have made the old man give the seat to Zhou Jingren.

    Second is that photo. If both Old Man Yu and her grandmother is a member of a particr organisation, it would only make sense that they interact with each other in highly exclusive events in Europe. And third, was the photo that Mrs. Brooke gave her. It means that Mrs. Brooke''s grandparents were rted to Lilian and Fred. Their deaths could be connected too!

    Slowly, every single dot in Lily''s mind, dots that she didn''t even know existed before, started to connect with each other. But something is stillcking. A little part of the puzzle inside her head wascking. She needed to talk to Madam Luo. This time¡­ she needed to do it with just the two of them.

    A knock on the door interrupted the silence inside the room. Zhou Jingren immediately looked at the peephole before he opened the door.

    "Madam Luo wanted me to give this to Mrs. Zhou." A soft voice came from the other side of the door. "She said it''s urgent."

 Chapter 831 Blood

    Chapter 831: Blood

    January is known as the chilly month of Luxembourg. Tonight, it''s tiny, hardly visible crystals of snow fell into the streets quietly. "Tomorrow at noon, the snow will be gone," Lily said as she lifted her head and watched the snow fall from the dark skies.

    "You should close the window. It is pretty cold tonight." Zhou Jingren nced at the temperature on his phone. Negative two should be normal in this country, but not for Lily. "Come." He pulled her closer against his chest. Despite the heater of the car, Lily''s palms were already cold from the two minutes that she opened the window to look at the snow.

    "When I was a child¡­ I didn''t have the chance to y with the snow."

    "Why would you even want to y in the snow?" he asked. "It''s cold and dangerous."

    Lily chuckled in response. "I love sparkling stones and dreams of ying with snow. I was normal back then." As expected, he immediatelyughed at her words.

    "You are still normal now." He uttered, eyeing the street in front of them. While it was not particrly crowded, fewer people are walking in the streets tonight. That could be because of the cold. "She should be here by now. I still think seeing her is dangerous."

    "I am not going to talk to her in this ce." Lily reasoned. "The n is to pick her up and send her somewhere safe before we talk."

    For the umpteenth time, he shook his head. "I heard that ude already asked someone to pack her clothes. They will leave in a few hours."

    "Let''s just wait for her," Lily said as she closed her eyes. The letter stated that they will see each other a few blocks away from the pce. But since Zhou Jingren and Lily had been very cautious, they decided to wait two blocks away from the meeting spot and just asked Zhou Jingren''s people to pick her up and bring her to the pce.

    After which Lily and Zhou Jingren will follow their car to make sure that she gets there safely. Of course¡­ Lily also had some precautions set in case something else happens. After all¡­ she is not the type that would blindly go to war without bullets.

    The buzz in Zhou Jingren''s phone stirred Lily out of her thoughts. "What''s wrong?"

    "As expected¡­ There are other people near the area. Qin Yuanfeng is using the satellite to check it. We should get out of here." Zhou Jingren said, frowning as he instructed Secretary Go to take them to the pce. However, instead of panicking, Lily smiled instead.

    They already knew that this would happen. All they needed to do is to make someone think that they are indeed going to that ce to meet the older woman. After a few seconds, Secretary Go stopped the car, and the three of them changed to another car while some of Zhou Jingren''s men drove the vehicle that they used earlier.

    Slowly, their car went to a two-story house in the middle of the marketce, which is about one mile from the spot that Madam Luo suggested they meet. Then all they needed to do now¡­ is wait.

    ..................¡­.

    Harringfort paced in his hotel room, face grim, hands clenched. "I thought her grandson would kill her in case she tried to do something? Why did he even allow Lily to get close to her?" He yelled at the woman who stood opposite her. If Lily were here, she would surely recognize the woman as she was one of the attendants who poured some tea for them when they visited the older woman. This was also the same woman who gave Zhou Jingren the letter that Madam Luo wanted to send to Lily.

    She lowered her head as Harringfort started pacing again. "Did you make sure that she can''t leave and see Lily tonight?"

    "Yes, Master. I switched the letter. So¡­ I am sure that they got the wrong information. They are not supposed to meet in the park. The letter said that she wanted to meet her at the entrance of the marketce next to the pub. But I changed it."

    "What did you say?"

    "I ¡ª I said¡­ I changed it."

    "You ¡ª " Harringfort turned speechless. The house where Madam Luo was staying is located in the west of Luxembourg, which was only a few blocks away from the pubs. However, the park was located on the east side of Luxembourg, which is more than a mile away from where Madam Luo is living. "STUPID!" He yelled. "How would Madam Luo reach the park at this hour without transportation? How could an old woman walk that far in this type of weather!? Are you fucking stupid? You moron!" His breathing turned shallow. "Yi!"

    "Master?"

    "Give me a knife."

    "Master?"

    "Give me your fucking dagger!!!!" he ordered and watched as the woman shivered in front of him.

    "Yes¡­ yes¡­" In response, Yi handed him the dagger. Without saying anything, Harringfort walked towards the maid and stabbed her right eyes using the dagger. The woman''s screams immediately followed the sound of flesh being torn.

    "AHHHH!"

    "Shut up! Or I will fucking kill you!" Harringfort hissed. Narrowing his eyes at the woman on the floor, Harringfort calmly handed the dagger back to his right-hand man and let Yi wipe away the blood on his hand. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! If you keep on acting like a pig, you will be treated like one!" disgustced his voice.

    He turned his back against the woman and looked at Yi. "News?"

    "Madam Luo left her house."

    "Then¡­ blow up that park."

    "Master¡­ Lily and Mr. Zhou also went outside¡­"

    "Blow up that park to warn everyone that we are fucking watching them!" he barked, the lines in between his brows deepened. "Madam Luo will know that we are not that dumb to go to the park at this hour! They must be strolling somewhere! They are not fucking dumb!" He blurted as he listened to Yi, calling their people to blow up the park.

    "Get this woman out of this room. I want to change to the next suite room. Have someone arrange it! I can''t stay in a roomced with someone else''s blood." Harringfort added before he left the room with a dark look on his face. "Stupid people!"

    .............

    Please don''t forget to vote for the novel! Thank you so much for your support!

 Chapter 832 Kill Her

    Chapter 832: Kill Her

    After Harringfort transferred to another room, he immediately called someone from the Spectre to report the things that had transpired earlier.

    "Why didn''t you inform me about this before you decided to blow up something!" The man on the other line yelled when he heard Harringfort''s words. "What the hell is wrong with you!? How could you risk exposure!?"

    "Calm down. We didn''t put a bomb or anything like that. We only blew up the fuse of the whole park. My n was only to warn them by cutting off the electricity for the whole park to scare that old woman. I wanted to warn ude and Madam Luo that we were always watching them."

    He heard the man heaved a sigh of relief. "Casualties?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

    "Two died." Harringfort said, his face grim. "That person that you asked to always apany the old woman is too stupid. Did she really think that Lily was that stupid to just believe her words?"

    "But didn''t they detect her leaving the pce?"

    Harringfort''s mood only worsened. "Who knows where she is right now! Lily was cunning! She must have wanted us to believe that she would go to the park or at least wait somewhere!"

    A sigh escaped the man''s lips. "Leave Luxembourg. You got too careless." The man said. In response, Harringfort frowned. The man''s voice sounded calm¡ª too calm that he immediately sensed something wrong with the current situation. How could someone who was so angry earlier be this calm a few minutes after? "Why?" Harringfort asked.

    "Zhou Jingren must have been waiting for this opportunity to tell Lily about us."

    "What?" Harringfort asked, confused.

    "Lily knows that we exist now. You were wrong. Zhou Jingren must have told her about us, about the Spectre. Now¡­ she wants to talk to the old woman and find out about her grandmother''s death. I have already instructed my men to kill Madam Luo."

    "I thought¡ª"

    "She and that grandson of hers will die. They need to. Those two are loose ends. ude didn''t report anything about Lily''s visit. However, we received some information that the older woman kept on talking about ghosts. She kept on talking about us. She needs to disappear from the world."

    ording to the information that Harringfort had, ude had contacted the organization through Mr. Neeson because of his grandmother''s ims. He begged the order not to kill his grandmother. In return, he would keep watch over his grandmother and would give the order everything that she had on them. The young man had said that his grandmother was already suffering from Alzheimer''s. She would not remember anything, anytime soon. He even promised that if his grandmother remembered something, anything, he would kill her in her sleep.

    For some reason, ude was able to convince the order to let Madam Luo live, despite her learning about the organization. Harringfort could not understand why the organization didn''t just kill ude and Madam Luo¡ª something that Harringfort would have done when he came to know about this.

    Sadly, the order only informed him about this when he was on his way to Luxembourg. Because of this Harringfort suspected that Madam Luo was hiding something¡ª something that the order needed from her. Harringfort believed that the order must have used this opportunity to get close to Madam Luo under the pretense of guarding her.

    But what could that be?

    What could be so valuable that would make those cunning men would risk exposing the organization''s existence for? Harringfort frowned. "I can do it. I can end both of them¡ª"

    "No!" the man on the other line hissed. "What nonsense are you talking about? I want you to follow my words. Leave that goddamn ce and avoid Lily and Zhou Jingren''s men. Our people will soon approach Lily and bring her over to our side."

    Side? Harringfort''s frown deepened. Did this mean that there was another side?

    "Stop asking questions and just do as I say." The man said before ending the call without waiting for his response.

    For a few seconds, Harringfort froze. Why does it seem that they were panicking? Was he missing some crucial piece of information? At this point, Harringfort was bing even more confused. Just what is happening? He couldn''t help but asked himself what was wrong with Lily knowing now.

    While this was against theirw, it was obvious that they treated Lily as if she was really important in this organization. Moreover, she was already twenty eight years old. So what if she came to know about them? Harringfort clenched his jaws.

    Something was definitely wrong! After a few seconds, he called his right hand man.

    "Yi. Where is Madam Luo now?"

    "Our people are following her towards the market."

    "And Lily?"

    "Our people have spotted her car on the way out of Luxembourg."

    Harringfort frowned. "Asked them to kill the old woman. Make it look like a robbery. Lily is too smart for her own good. We can''t risk it." Despite not knowing the real reason behind the council''s reactions, Harringfort would still do everything that he could to protect their secret. He would do his job now and ask questionster.

    "Master¡­ how about her grandson?"

    "Some people are already on their way to kill him." He answered. Despite the higher up, telling him to leave Luxembourg, Harringfort had decided to stay. He needed to know the truth, even if that meant him not following their order.

    ...........

    "Seems that you were right." Zhou Jingren said as he ended the call with Qin Yuanfeng. "The old woman is on her way towards the market."

    Lily only smiled in response. She had guessed that something was wrong with that letter. First, this was supposed to be a secret meeting. Meaning, the older woman would leave her ce secretly. She then considered the older woman''s way of transportation. Surely, she could not drive or rent a taxi and risk exposing her current location.

    Meaning¡­ it should be something near her house. A ce where her grandson would not search for her.

    ...........

    Please don''t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 833 Calm

    Chapter 833: Calm

    When Lily heard about the location, she immediately wondered if ude would try to find his grandmother there. After all, it looked like he truly cared about her. So when Lily realized that the park was not the most logical ce to meet, she immediately told Zhou Jingren to create a diversion.

    Make it seem like they left the country while they went to the marketce which was just a few walks away from Madam Luo''s house. In Lily''s mind, ude would not likely look for the older woman in the marketce because he would think it would be too easy.

    Why would Madam Luo meet Lily near their house? ording to logic, she should meet her somewhere far away, somewhere public¡ª a ce where people who wanted to kill her would hesitate to attack, somewhere that would make it perfectly normal for them to talk¡ª a young woman and an older woman. Like the park.

    However, Lily knew that Madam Luo was not dumb. Why would she want to meet Lily in a ce where people could see her? Everyone here knew that she was sick. She was forgetful and old. What if people would try to call her grandson the moment that they saw her talk to a woman that they hadn''t even seen before?

    "And? Where is she now?"

    "Some people are following her. I already sent my people towards her location. They will escort her to us." Zhou Jingren calmly said. "That attendant who sent the letter was seen going to Harringfort''s hotel earlier."

    "Then¡­ Harringfort must have figured it out that I knew about the park." Lily said. So she was right after all. The people who were working next to ude and Madam Luo were people from the spectre. This only solidified her previous assumptions about Lilian.

    However, it seems that new questions kept popping up. If Madam Luo knew something about this organization and what they did. Why didn''t they just kill her? Surely, an old woman cannot just fool an organization that controlled the world from the shadows, right? As usual, Lily''s mind started running rampant.

    Based on the facts that she had gathered about this organization, it was pretty obvious that they would not hesitate to silence people. Sparing Madam Luo was simply illogical, unless¡­. they wanted something from her. That would only mean that the older woman was hiding something precious.

    Lily stood from her seat. "She will die." She looked at Zhou Jingren as her heartbeat started to race. "She will die. They will kill her." Her eyes widened. "Send your people to protect her grandson too."

    Zhou Jingren immediately nodded and made the call. How could he ignore Lily''s words? Without any exnation, Zhou Jingren believed everything she said as he started calling his people.

    "Jichen." Lily turned towards Secretary Go."How proficient are you in martial arts?"

    "I am confident in my skills." Go Jichen answered without batting an eyelid. "Very confident." His tone was calm as he met Lily''s eyes.

    "Then¡­ please get Madam Luo. The organization won''t send normal people to get her. They should be sending assassins." Lily said. She bit her lips and waited for Zhou Jingren to finish her call. This was a life and death situation and to be honest, she was expecting herself to panic. However, aside from her increased heartbeat, she felt nothing.

    She was only hoping that they would have enough time to save ude and his grandmother. She watched as Secretary Go nodded and left without asking anymore questions. After all, Zhou Jingren already informed him to listen to Lily''s words all the time.

    "Anything else?" Zhou Jingren said as he turned to Lily.

    "Prepare the car. Just prepare it." Lily said. "Tell your people not to let Harringfort out of her their sight. He might be nning to leave Luxembourg. Call the Duke, tell him to alert his most trusted people and assign them to a hospital or any secured ce where we can let Madam Luo stay." The words just flowed through Lily''s lips. She paused. "They should know that I am after Madam Luo." Lily held her chin as she sat on her seat. "Then¡­ they would send skilled people." She met Zhou Jingren''s gaze. "A fight might happen. Do you have a gun?"

    Zhou Jingren nodded. "They won''t hurt us."

    "We are not that far from Madam Luo. We should prepare the car." For some reason, Lily felt calm. As if, the situation didn''t scare her despite her current situation. She immediately wondered where this confidence of her''s came from.

    Zhou Jingren immediately made some calls. First to the Duke, second to his people toe to the market and third to his people located outside of Luxembourg. Then he also called George asking him if he had anyone in the Area.

    "You seem ¡ª" Zhou Jingren wasn''t able to finish his sentence when his phone buzzed. Since he just finished making a lot of calls, he immediately answered it, thinking that it was from one of his people. And he was right.

    "There was a problem in the park. The fuse exploded. It killed the guards that were standing near it. The two guards were electrocuted." Zhou Jingren said after he ended the call. "The whole East Area of Luxembourg lost all its power including Harringfort''s hotel." He said. "It seems that you are right. He might be nning on leaving the country tonight."

    Lily turned silent. Seeing this Zhou Jingren continued. "My people are already with ude. He was preparing to leave the country with his grandmother and was not even aware that she left their house."

    "And the attendants?" Lily raised an eyebrow.

    "The remaining three attendants inside the house aside from ude were armed." He answered her. "All of them are dead."

    "They haven''t killed ude yet?"

    "Not yet."

    "Then¡­ asked your people to leave. They were waiting for reinforcements." Lily said. Her gaze turned sharp as she turned silent for a few seconds. Then she let out a sigh. Why was she even acting like she was in the military? She was a pregnant woman for crying out loud! "Let''s leave this ce and go back to the pce." She said.

    .....

    Pls don''t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 834 The End?

    Chapter 834: The End?

    Tonight, the streets of Luxembourg were just like any other winter night of the season. However, to Madam Luo it was the perfect night¡ª the night that she had been waiting for. She eyed the soft crystals of ice falling from the dark skies as her small footsteps took her to the marketce where the tourists frequented when they visited the city.

    She tightened her hands around her body, pulling her coat closer to her chest as she tucked her chin closer to the body. Despite wearing threeyers of clothing, a scarf and the cashmere beanie that she bought when she heard that Lily was here, it was not enough to keep her warm.

    Must be my age, she mused. She was already in her seventies, her body was slowly losing the strength that it once had. A sad smile crept on to her face as she paused and eyed the fabric store to her left. This store had been around for decades¡ª a ce that she used to frequent when she came back from London.

    London.

    Even now, the name was enough to make her tremble in fear. She shook her head as she decided not to think about the past. What was the point of stressing herself over the past? She had spent most of her life thinking about it. Wasn''t it time for her to set herself free from the horrors that woke her up every night for decades now?

    Madam Luo was just a woman. She was nothing but a weak woman who owed Lilian Fi her life. And she was adamant that she pay back this debt before she left this world. She continued walking.

    Her eyes soon halted at the couple walking towards her. Smiling at each other as they walked as close to each other as possible. It immediately reminded her of her good friends, Lilian and Fred. Sometimes, Madam Luo would wonder what would have happened if she didn''t fall in love with a man who was already in love with someone else.

    Maybe she too would have found her own soul mate. Maybe she would have spent her life with her kids and grandchildren. She would have been happier, lighter. Of course, she could not me fate for the things that had happened in the past. It was all her choice and fate had nothing to do with what happened in the past.

    She smiled and continued walking.

    It''s funny how she used to think that this was her fate, to be alone forever. At that time, she used to me fate for everything. Fred and Lilian were fated for each other and she, the loser Madam Luo was fated to be alone. It was all fate''s fault.

    However, as years passed by, Madam Luo realized that it wasn''t fate''s fault. It was hers and hers alone. She gave herself hope that Fred would love her, She followed them to London. She was the one who chose to have a rtionship with that man thinking it would anger Lilian. She was the one who opened her legs to people just to get them to help her scheme against Lilian.

    It was her choices that brought her to that night¡ª the night that Lilian saved her. Instead of killing her, she told her to leave. Forget everything that she saw. She even went as far as assuring her that Lilian would choose Fred no matter what¡ª and that she would love him more than she would love her own life.

    A sad smile left her lips. Since Lilian''s death, she had been pretending to be crazy to keep herself alive, enough to see Lily, enough to tell her the truth about her grandmother''s death.

    Madam Luo slowly walked towards the alley that would lead her to the small pub. Next to the pub was a small crafts store. And that was where she would meet Lily.

    Madam Luo had secretly bought this store and had told the store keeper to keep it a secret from his grandson. She specifically told the keeper not to put any cameras on the premises. She also made sure not to put anything that could possibly record their conversation. No telephone or radio.

    Aside from this, the craft store was known for not having electricity and for using only candles to light the whole ce. Everything that was disyed in the store was specifically chosen by Madam Luo to make it look like their theme was magic¡ª a fantasy world, where people could buy crafts and magical things.

    Madam Luo smiled as she neared the store. It won''t be long now. However, it did not take too long for Madam Luo''s smile to vanish from her face as she eyed the once empty alley¡ª two men stood on the alley, looking at her.

    That is impossible! Madam Luo trembled as she hastened her steps. How could these people¡­

    Madam Luo''s thoughts were interrupted when she saw another man standing at the other end of the alley. Just a few feet away from her. It was as if her world stopped as she halted her steps. Tears immediately pooled in the older woman''s eyes.

    Is this going to be the end for her? She balled her hands into fists, a false determination flickered in her eyes. What if these were Lily''s men? Were they here to rescue her instead? Unsure of what to do, Madam Luo opened her purse and grabbed a small pepper spray can that ude had given her in case she got lost and encountered some people with ill intent.

    It was a Christmas gift that he jokingly gave her justst year. She quickly held the spray closer in her chest¡ª an action that was deemed useless as her trembling hands enabled her from even holding the spray. With a small thud, the spray fell into the road. A gasp escaped her lips.

    Madam Luo felt her heart raced as the four men started walking her way. They were here to kill her. She could smell it. Despite not seeing their eyes, she could feel the bloodlusting from them. Are they going to make it look like a robbery? Slowly, tears made its way into the older woman''s cheeks as she stepped back until her back hit the wall.

    Is this going to be the end?

    ..............

    Pls note, this scene happened just after Lily was telling Secretary Go to go to Madam Luo.

 Chapter 835 Prepare Yourselves

    Chapter 835: Prepare Yourselves

    Unedited. Will be updated in a few hours.

    ....................

    When Lily and Zhou Jingren arrived in the Pce, they were immediately weed by the Duke and Duchess. However, instead of asking questions, the two asked Zhou Jingren and Lily to follow them into the underground area of the pce.

    When Lily entered the underground facility of the pce, she let out a surprised gasp. She eyed the white walls, bright lights, and tiled from, clear surprise written on her face.

    "What? Did you expect a dark dungeon with dying people?" the Duchessughed when she Lily act that way. However, this glee didn''tst too long. Her smile soon turned sour as she thought of Lily''s request for a secret medical facility. While the Duke and Duchess immediatelyplied without asking questions, they still could not help but feel nervous about this request.

    Was Lily nning to kidnap someone? Was she nning on doing something dangerous? Questions piled up in the Duchess'' brain as she looked at Zhou Jingren and Lily''s calm appearance as they started walking inside the secret underground facility that only royals had ess to.

    "This is aplete underground facility for the Royals." The Duke exined while giving Lily a wry smile. She was Royalty, and yet she says she''s not and now¡­ she is requesting something that only Royal''s had essed. Honestly, this is starting to confuse the Duke...

    Lily pursed her lips in response. She eyed the beds next to the machines that can only be seen in the hospitals. Along with the smell of disinfectants, this space really looked like a hospital. "This is just a precaution." She said. "Is this ce secured?"

    The Duke nodded. "I have¡­ I already made sure that everyone here can be trusted." He made sure to send the traitors that Zhou Jingren told him about out of the pce before they arrived. "Do you need to tell me something?"

    Lily and Zhou Jingren looked at each other before Lily nodded. Almost immediately Zhou Jingren started speaking, "We have a reason to believe that someone is after Madam Luo''s life. We don''t know who they are. But after Lily talked to the older woman earlier, she noticed that there was something wrong. We already sent our people to Madam Luo''s house. But we discovered that she was not in the house. So¡­ we took his grandson instead. He will being to the pce in a couple of minutes. As for Madam Luo¡ª we can''t locate her yet."

    Horror shed in the Duchess'' eyes. She staggered, face paled. ''Grandma Luo? Are you sure? Then¡­ we should call the¡ª "

    "Calm down." The Duke immediately patted his wife''s back. "Calm down. Don''t panic." The Duke knew that Zhou Jingren and Lily were holding some information from him. But the words that he just heard just now are better than nothing. Especially from the man that already promised to help him deal with the people who are nning to revolt.

    "This is the safest ce in the country. So we chose to bring them here. I hope you don''t mind."

    The Duke immediately shook his head. Of course, he understood why they chose this ce as not many people would have the courage to attack a highly secured facility like this. After all, not many would want to deal with a country''s whole military force. "Do you want me to ask my men to¡ª "

    "No." Zhou Jingren shook his head. "Our people could handle it." Both men stopped talking when Lily asked the Duchess to sit down. The two women then walked towards one of the beds and took a seat, with Lilyforting the Duchess. "Does she know?" Zhou Jingren asked.

    "I was trying to tell her earlier when you called me." The Duke''s expression turned grave. "Grandma Luo¡­ This scheme¡­. Does this have anything to do with the Activists?" It was known that the older woman is loved in Luxembourg.

    She was well known and most people would always invite her in gatherings and would even send her flowers every day. In return, the older woman would send her pastries to her neighbors and some other nobles who loved her.

    Madam Luo''s death would surely stir up a lot of people. What if the left party would find a way to use this against the government? With the power of the media and people, this is a very easy thing to do.

    "No. I don''t think so." Zhou Jingren said. "Lily noticed that some people were watching her house earlier but¡­ we don''t think they were from the left group. Moreover, that Pierre might be stupid but I honestly don''t think he had the guts to hurt an old woman."

    "He hurt himself and his wife." The Duke said. "A person who is hell-bent on gaining power would hurt anyone that is on their way."

    "You have a point." Zhou Jingren smiled. "Still¡­ I don''t think he would do something that could expose him. A person like him who acts like a fool in front of many people but managed to poison the whole royal family is not someone that would send assassins to kill an older woman."

    "Fair enough." The Duke nodded. Pierre is a very cautious man. If he wanted to kill Madam Luo, he would surely utilize poison instead of kidnapping which would attract the attention of the media.

    The sound of Zhou Jingren''s phone interrupted the silence inside the facility. He immediately answered the call. Slowly, his face turned dark, his jaws clenched.

    "I see." He nodded. "Bring everyone in the pce. I already asked Yuanfeng to help us out with any surveince cameras or recordings near the ce. Yes. Alright. Be careful." He ended the call and looked at Lily.

    "We found her." He said. "Jichen was able to arrive right before they attacked Madam Luo in an Alley. Jichen said¡­ they were professionals. He sustained a couple of injuries but was not able to kill one of them."

    "And¡­ Madam Luo?" The Duchess asked as tears started pooling in her eyes. "Grandmother Luo?"

    "She tried to kick one assassin, attracting the man''s attention. She sustained a knife wound in her stomach. They are already on their way here. Prepare yourselves. We need to save the older woman."

    ......................

    Mass Release: Sunday or Monday? I am still thinking. But there will be a mass release to save you from the cliffhanger! hehehhe

 Chapter 836 Benefi

    Chapter 836: Benefi

    ude could not stop himself from swearing when he noticed that they were on their way to the pce. ude thought that it was Lily and Zhou Jingren. However, how could they tantly bring him to the pce? Did this mean they were not afraid of the Duke''s authority?

    "You are taking me to the pce?"

    Unfortunately, none of the four people who escorted him earlier answered. "What about my grandmother? Did you find her?" Again, no one answered. "Are you deaf?" he grumbled.

    Slowy, their car pulled inside the pce''s underground parking area. After a few minutes ude was ushered inside the pce. Where another set of people weed him. This time, he was bbergasted. The people escorting them were guards of the Grand Duke! These were people who always apanied the Grand Duke in his travels. He eyed the tall and bulky men wearing tactical attire as they escorted him to a corridor that he was not very familiar with. What was going on? He wondered.

    However, for some reason, this made him a little hopeful. Earlier, when ude realized that his grandmother had left the house, he actually thought that The Order had taken her. And to be honest, he was not very hopeful that she would survive. However, having the Grand Duke by his side could change everything!

    The Duke could actuallymand his private military to find his grandmother. But this glee did notst too long. Now that ude thought about it thoroughly, it would be impossible for the Duke tomand a group of expert army just to find someone that was not even a member of the Royalty.

    Surely, this would attract the attention of the people who always criticized the Duke''s actions. He hung his head, his face turned down casted as he wondered where his grandmother was now. Was it possible that she was still alive? A sigh escaped his lips.

    "Stay here." One of the men said as he opened a door to his left. ude examined the room for a few seconds before he nodded. Even if he knew a little bit of martial arts, he was not going to resist these people. Never mind the fact that he was smaller than them, these people had ruthlessly killed the attendants or servants that had been working for his grandmother after they left the ce.

    Not one of these people flinched as they used their daggers to cut the throats of those people. Just the thought of what happened earlier made him shiver. These men were cold blooded killers.

    He went inside the room and immediately noticed the leather chairs that surrounded the circr wooden table. Arge monitor was visible to his right while a small bar could be seen to his left. This room¡­ was this some sort of a meeting room for the Grand Duke? He looked at the now lock door and tried to open the knob. To his surprise, it turned. They didn''t even lock it!

    How confident were they that he would not try to stage a daring escape? He started fidgeting,rge beads of sweats rolled down his forehead. ude frequented the pce before as he and the twins were ymates. They used to run around the pce while ying hide and seek.

    Because of this, he was pretty familiar with a lot of rooms and corridors in the pce. However, the corridor that they used earlier and this room¡­ were all unfamiliar to him. Slowly, a scary thought lingered in his mind. What if the Duke was a part of the Order? Was he nning to kill him now?

    ude immediately shook his head. That was not possible! He bit his lips as he started pacing in the room. He eyed the bar and was tempted to drink a ss of alcohol. However, he immediately stopped himself from doing so. He needed to have a calm mind right now.

    He could not risk it!

    The sound of the knob being turned from the outside made him flinched. He opened his mouth to ask who was standing at the other side of the door but no words came out of his mouth. He immediately balled his hands into fists, preventing his arms from trembling at the same time.

    "ude." Lily''s smiling face made his sigh in relief. At least it was Lily¡­ wait¡­. He widened his eyes and took a step back as he watched Lily and Zhou Jingren walk inside the room. "Sit down." Lily''s voice was calm as a smile was stered on her face.

    However, he was not a fool. He immediately felt that something was wrong with this smile.

    "You¡ª This is kidnapping!" He forced the words out of his mouth.

    "Are you not looking for Madam Luo?" As expected, Lily didn''t waste her time with nonsense conversation. "If you want to know where she is. Then¡­ sit down."

    "I¡ª I¡ª" He stammered. "Did you¡ª Did you take her?" He gulped before he walked towards the couple and sat a few seats from them. "Where is she?"

    "No idea." Lily shrugged. "But¡­ I would like to help you find her."

    "You said¡ª" He closed his mouth when he realized that Lily didn''t tell him that she had his grandmother. "You don''t know where she is?"

    Lily smiled in response. "No, I don''t. But¡­ I wanted to see her tonight. I realized that some people were stalking your house. So¡­ I asked my husband to get his people to help you. When they informed me that the older woman was not there¡­ I immediately talked to the Duke about it." Lily lied without batting an eyelid. At the end of the day, Lily would still consider herself selfish. Everything that she would do would always benefit her first.

    "So¡­" She smiled. "Why don''t you tell me everything that you know about your grandmother?"

    .......

    I was busy today. So, mass release will be tom! More chapsing today! And thank you for your support for the event!

 Chapter 837 Dots in Her Mind

    Chapter 837: Dots in Her Mind

    Unedited.... Will be updatedter.

    ............................

    ude frowned as he saw the gentleness in Lily''s eyes. He immediately wondered if she truly cared about his grandmother or ¡ª No¡­ something like that is not possible. Lily and Madam Luo are strangers. He shook his head. "I don''t know what you are talking about."

    ude did not expect Lily to believe his words. However, she did not expect her tough either. What was so funny? He could not help but wonder if he said something amusing.

    "I know about the order." Lily calmly said. "My husband¡­ knows it too." She eyed Zhou Jingren for a few seconds before turning her gaze back to the younger man. "I only wanted to hear your side of the story. But if you refuse to do so¡­ then I would be forced to believe those stories that I heard about your grandmother."

    "What stories?" he frowned.

    "They wanted us to kill her. Me and Jingren¡­ We are here to kill her."

    A gasp escaped ude''s lips. How could that be? Is it possible that Lily already knew the truth about the past? But¡­

    "They told me¡­ it was your grandmother who killed my grandfather. Out of jealousy."

    "That is not true!" ude mmed his hand on the table, causing the furniture to shake. "How dare you say something like that to my grandmother? She is not a murderer!"

    "Well¡­ I didn''t know that." Lily said. "So¡­ I talked to your grandmother to see¡­ if she was really a crazy murderer who got PTSD for killing the man that she loved."

    "You! Stop it! Stop spouting nonsense! That is not true!" ude''s eyes bulged with rage. How could his grandmother kill the man that he loved? How could Lily just say this nonsense in front of his face?

    "Rx." For the first time since they arrived inside the room, Zhou Jingren spoke. "Your reaction only makes it look like you know your grandmother''s crimes." His tone was calm ¡ª too calm. He eyed Zhou Jingren and immediately saw the icy gaze that he was giving him. ude trembled.

    For some reason, Zhou Jingren''s eyes reminded her of a Lion. It was sharp, calcting, and brutal. He could feel the chill emanate from Zhou Jingren''s body as if¡­ as if he was warning him. One wrong word and he would definitely devour him.

    "My grandmother didn''t kill your grandfather!" he said. His eyes wavered for a few seconds. However, his memories of his grandmother immediately made himposed. "My grandmother would never do that."

    "All criminals would say that they were innocent." Zhou Jingren said. "I could kill you right now and say that you shot yourself." He smiled. Seeing the fear in the young man''s eyes, Zhou Jingren added. "But don''t worry. I would not do that in front of my wife."

    "Stop scaring him." Lily pouted as she yfully pped Zhou Jingren''s arms. "I wanted him to talk. Not piss his pants."

    The interaction seemed light and funny. However, to the person in front of them, it was the opposite. "Where¡­ Where is my grandmother? What did you do to her?"

    Lily leaned towards him in response."You know what I think?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "You are hiding your grandmother. You are pretending that she was kidnapped so you could pin it to us. Then you will leave France and meet up with her."

    "That is a lie!" ude gulped, unsure of what to believe anymore. To be honest, Lily''s reaction is slowly making him believe that they were indeed here to kill Madam Luo. But¡­ but those people promised that they will not touch the older woman as long as she won''t tell anyone about Lilian? "My grandmother would never hurt someone." He said, his voice low.

    "Then? Tell us your side of the story." Zhou Jingren said.

    "I don''t really know the whole story. I don''t think¡ª "

    "Tell us what you know," Lily said. "Or¡­we will use you to find your grandmother. I''m sure she would not abandon her favorite grandson, right?" Lily''s face was full of smiles. It was the exact opposite of her poisonous words.

    How could a person say something sinister and smile just like that?

    "She said¡­ she said Lilian saved her from the organization." He said. "As for the details¡­ I don''t know. But¡­ but when I found out¡­ I talked to Mr. Neeson."

    "Neeson¡­ like the Duchess'' father?"

    "Yes¡ª Yes¡­ and then¡­ they brought me somewhere. I don''t know where¡­ alright? I was blindfolded. But I am sure that it was a very long ride from France. And ¡ª And I begged them."

    "Them? Like the members of the Order?" Lily and Zhou Jingren eyed each other.

    "Yes. That should be them. There were many people but Mr. Neeson is not one of them. They were wearing hoods so I can''t see their faces."

    "And? That did they do?"

    "They¡­ They asked me about my grandmother''s illness." He shivered as she remembered how everyone in that dark ce voted to kill him and his grandmother that night. "But¡­ But¡­ I told them that my grandmother had evidence of their existence."

    Lily smiled. "But you don''t." She pursed her lips when she saw the rm on the young man''s face. "Don''t worry¡­ I would not kill you."

    "You¡ª "

    "Continue." Zhou Jingren interrupted him.

    "I gave me a piece of news and some images of Mr. Neeson and Lilian¡­ and some other guy. Two guys. I told them my grandmother has a lot of those. But¡­"

    "But¡­ you don''t know where she put it?" Once again, Lily continued his words. It does not take a genius for Lily to realize that this young man made everyone in the organization think that he was useful. That he and his grandmother had evidence of their existence. He did it to spare his and Madam Luo''s life.

    He did it to survive. For a few seconds, amusement shed in Lily''s eyes. "And¡­ they believed you?" Of course, they didn''t. How could they believe a young man''s words like that? The smile on Lily''s face broadened.

    The person who thought about this n was quite brilliant, Lily thought inwardly as she connected all the dots in her mind.

    ..........

    Please don''t forget to vote for reset! hehehe

 Chapter 838 Feed Your Remains to The Dogs

    Chapter 838: Feed Your Remains to The Dogs

    Unedited- Will be editedter today!

    ....................

    "They must have already told you about me, right?" ude said. Or, how would Lily know about what he said to those people? For a few seconds, he narrowed his eyes at her before shifting his gaze to Zhou Jingren as he tried to remember if these two were one of the people watching him that night.

    "No. We weren''t there." Zhou Jingren immediately answered. "We are new members. So¡­ we don''t know most of the stuff in the organization. We just follow what they tell us. However¡­ your grandmother is a different thing."

    "I can''t seem to kill her without knowing the whole truth," Lily added. At this point, she was already sure that ude was already half-convinced that she and Jingren were people from the organization. She decided to keep up the act until the man would tell them everything. "So¡­ the proof¡­ what did you give them?"

    "They were old photos of bombing and some assassinations. Some were articles that showed images ¡ª look, I didn''t check it. Alright? The one that I gave them¡­ were only about five stuff. Two photos of Lilian meeting Mr. Neeson and another two guys then¡­ one article with that one guy in Russia. He was like¡­ I can''t really speak Russian but I believe he was some sort of a politician. I don''t know his name or anything like that. The other¡­ should be Asian. I believe the other two were Korean new articles. Again¡­ I can''t read them. When they saw it¡­ They voted to kill me right then and there. Throw my body in the ocean and kill my grandmother in her sleep."

    "But? You were able to convince them?" Lily asked.

    "Yes."

    Lily nodded. These words were enough to cement her previous belief that The Order might have realized that Madam Luo is holding something more important than their identities. But what could it be? What could be worth so big that they would let the woman live while risking their identity? Was it possible that what Madam Luo had is not enough to reveal their names?

    "And my grandmother?" Lily said. Narrowing her eyes to the man in front of him, she added. "I know you know something about my grandmother."

    Seeing Lily''s face turned stern, ude''s face turned serious. He gulped his nonexistent saliva. "She said that Lilian¡­ is already a member of the organization long before she met your grandfather. At first¡­ she said that Lilian was tasked to change the leadership of Luxembourg. Thus, she seduced your grandfather. But¡­ she fell in love." He then held his hands in front of him, as if silently telling Lily that he does not believe his grandmother''s words. "Please¡­ Please¡­ I know that is unreasonable. There is no way that Lilian would do something like that."

    "And¡­ how did she know this?"

    "I don''t know!" ude said. "Even I don''t believe her. I think ¡ª I think she is only nting these thoughts in her head so¡­ I mean, it would make her feel better, right? She lied so much that she started to believe her own lies." He gave an awkwardugh. At first, he was not nning to mention these nonsensical words to Lily. After all, it just makes little sense.

    However, she also wanted to let Lily see that his grandmother''s mind is not sound. She might be pretending to be someone forgetful, but¡­ he always believed that her depression had affected her so much that she already started to believe the lies that she told herself.

    "So¡­ you think that she is only saying this to make herself feel better. And yet¡­ you said that Lilian saved your grandmother. Why would she say something like that to the person who saved her?" Zhou Jingren asked.

    "I don''t know! Look¡­ I really don''t know what happened in the past. I am only¡­ I am only telling you what she told me before. No more¡­ no less."

    "So¡­ you only wanted to establish that Madam Luo is not someone in the right mind. So¡­ even if she indeed killed my grandfather¡­ we should just forgive her?"

    ude stared at Lily''s face, unable to utter a word. If the organization was indeed here to kill his grandmother¡­ then he really could do nothing to convince them otherwise. The only thing that he could do is hope that they would not kill him. The thought of dying at such a young age almost immediately made him tear up. He lowered his gaze, his hands balled into tight fists as he thought of the things that he hadn''t done yet.

    He was only twenty-three. Young and brilliant, his future is still long and winding. Just how did he get in all this dark organization and conspiracies?

    "You know¡­ you are foolish," Lily said, a hint of disgustced her tone. The smile on her face was long gone. It was reced with something dark. "So¡­ you called Mr. Neeson to try to convince him not to kill your grandmother while risking your life in the process. Foolish man." Lily said. "These people would spare anyone that could threaten their power. The only reason why they spared you is that¡­ you are just like an ant in their eyes. They could kill you anytime that they want to."

    Lily''s harsh words made him frown. It was of course true. In front of world leaders, he was nothing. He was like an ant that they could just kill with their eyes close.

    "Did you really think that they will let you go once your grandmother dies?" Zhou Jingren asked. "The Organization would kill you with their eyes closed and feed your remains to the dogs. And yet, you still dared to inform them that you know about them. What for?" Zhou Jingren asked. "To give your grandmother a few months to live with you?" He snickered. "Do you see us as fools, young man?" He then removed a gun on his hips and put it in front of him.

    "Now¡­ now¡­ are you going to tell us what you know? Or?" Zhou Jingren smiled.

    ............

    Mass release Today-- Monday- Sept 7, 2020

    Please don''t forget to vote for the novel!

 Chapter 839 Confiden

    Chapter 839: Confiden

    For a few seconds, ude''s pupils dted as he looked at Zhou Jingren and Lily. "But that''s all I really know! I don''t know anything else!" Seeing the gun in front of him, ude started panicking. "That''s all I know. My grandmother didn''t tell me anything else! I already told you, she just keeps on repeating her stories."

    Seeing Zhou Jingren and Lily just stared at him, ude became even more afraid. His heart started drumming against his chest. "Listen¡­ you have to find my grandmother and talk to her yourself. She might have some sort of depression, but her mind is sound. If you really want to know what happened, then ask her."

    Lily narrowed her eyes at him before she stood from her seat.

    "Where are you going?" ude asked, confused. "Are you going to leave? Just like that?" He watched as Zhou Jingren followed Lily towards the exit of the room. "Hey! What about my grandmother?" he asked. "If¡ª If you talked to the Duke about it¡­ can you at least ask him to help us find my grandmother?"

    ude is starting to get desperate, and he hated it. He hated the fact that he was only a useless boy, with no backing, no men that could defend him. All he had was some trust money. In this scenario, a little bit of money is useless against the people who wanted to kill him. "Are you¡ª Are you going to kill me?" he managed to ask when Zhou Jingren opened the door for Lily. "Can you at least¡­ spare my grandmother? She¡­ she doesn''t have a lot of time to live. I know¡­ it''s a crazy thing to ask. But¡­ please. I will not mind if you kill me. Just¡­ spare her." He gulped, tears started to pool in his eyes.

    He watched as Lily halted her steps. She turned towards him, her face unfathomable. "I cannot promise you that." She answered honestly. The Old woman is fighting for her life, and Lily was not a god that could save someone on the brink of death. She watched as sadness glinted on ude''s eyes before she left the room with Zhou Jingren.

    "So?" Zhou Jingren asked when they went inside the room next to ude''s room. This was the exact replica of the previous one. However, this time, therge monitor was showing ude''s movement in the other room.

    "He was telling the truth."

    "I thought so too." Zhou Jingren eyed the monitor. "I think¡­ you were right. Those people wanted something else from the older woman. They must have been closely monitoring her and ude''s actions, hoping that she will give in and tell the secret to her grandson."

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. For some reason, she felt that this has something to do with her grandmother''s death. A sigh escaped her lips. "I always thought that my grandmother never involved herself in illegal activities. But now that I thought about it¡­ the Fi Group¡­ was not the same Fi Group when she met my grandfather. It is very possible that she and grandfather engaged in some other methods to grow the business."

    Lilian was always determined and smart. She was also ruthless and cunning. Lily was just too blind to even believe that Lilian achieved all her sess without doing something that is against her morals. When even she, Lilian''s granddaughter, could easily abandon her principles for her own advantage.

    "Hmmm." Zhou Jingren said. "Still¡­ ude''s words about Lilian''s mission in seducing your grandfather bothers me."

    "Same." Lily sighed. Was it possible that Lilian''s goal was indeed to change the leadership of a country? But isn''t that too¡­ much? "It iste. I am going to sleep."

    Zhou Jingren immediately raised an eyebrow. "Sleep?" Lily turned towards him.

    "I am a pregnant woman. I need sleep." She looked at him. Amused at his expression. "Yes, I can still sleep." This is a fact. She might be curious, but it was not deep enough for her to sacrifice her health.

    If this happened when Lily was not yet pregnant, Lily would surely have watched as the Doctor saved Madam Luo. She would not sleep until she knew the secret that the older woman was hiding. But, Lily already has another life inside her. She would not sacrifice her child''s health just because she was curious.

    "Then¡­ I will escort you to the room." Zhou Jingren nodded. He then called some people, including the Duke, telling him that Lily would be resting. "You seem too calm about this." Zhou Jingren said after he was done giving orders.

    "Calm?" She raised an eyebrow. "I am not. But¡­ panicking would aplish nothing butplications."Her mind has its unusual ways ofplicating things. If she keeps on thinking about all these things, Lily was sure that she would be able toe up with more than a hundred ''what if''s'' and solutions. But that would prevent her from sleeping. Therefore, sacrificing her health in the process.

    Getting sick at thest trimester of her pregnancy couldplicate a lot of things. So, she would rather stop thinking about the ''what if''s'' and think about stuff that is happening at the present time.

    "Plus¡­ I know they would not hurt you and me." She smiled. After everything that happened, Lily was somehow sure that they would not do anything to hurt her. "They have been watching me since I was a child, Jingren. If they wanted to kill me and use me against my grandmother¡­ they could have done it when I was nothing but an infant." The thought of this made her think about Grandma Ye''s journals. Lily immediately decided to read itter upon waking up.

    The most up-to-date novels are published on l/ig/htnove/lworld[.

    "Alright then¡­ let''s go." He kissed her temple. "Don''t worry¡­ I will take care of things while you sleep."

    "I know." Lily beamed. That is another reason why she was confident. Lily knew that he would always keep her and their child safe.

    ........

    ude''s Reason and Identity will be revealed in the next 5 chapters! Stay tune.

 Chapter 840 Hungry

    Chapter 840: Hungry

    Unedited

    .....

    When Lily woke up, she immediately asked about the current situation. Since it was already noon, Lily figured out that nothing bad really happened or Zhou Jingren would have woken her up.

    "She''s stable for now. But¡­ I don''t think this willst long." Zhou Jingren frowned. "We really should talk about that grandson of hers."

    "Did something happen?"

    "I told him, we didn''t found his grandmother."

    "And?" Lily smiled. "Come on¡­ this ce had jammers right?"

    Zhou Jingren nodded as he sighed. The reason why they haven''t talked about this in the room next to where they were keeping ude was that they were not sure that the room was secure. While the two decided to work with the Duke, it is still better to talk about sensitive information in ces that were secured with jammers. "I thought I saw something in his eyes. Relief."

    "So¡­ he was indeed hiding something." At first, Lily was not sure about it. She felt it was too impossible for a person to fake the emotion that he was showing towards his grandmother. Lily was sure that the sincerity that he was showing was not fake. However¡­ everything about ude just makes little sense.

    First were the articles he imed he gave to the Order for them to agree to his requests. Any person would not do something like that, as it would only inform the organization that he knows about their existence. This is akin to putting arge target on their backs!

    If ude was smart enough to trick them, then logic would dictate that he would also be smart enough to know that talking to them was foolish.

    Because of these things, Lily decided to y a game with the young man. She wanted him to know that they could kill him anytime, hoping that it would put a lot of pressure and make him spill whatever it was that he was hiding. However, ude didn''t budge. Everything about him looks normal ¡ª his reaction, his sadness, and surprise. Even the surprise and fright on his face when he saw the gun was legit.

    But for him to show relief when Zhou Jingren told him those words only meant that he was still hiding something.

    "He must be really good at masking his emotions." Zhou Jingren said. Lily nodded in response.

    "He wasn''t masking anything." She said. "He truly cared for her. However¡­ he could not let us have her either. He might not be working for the organization." She sighed. It seems that they encountered a very big web of conspiracies.

    "A double agent?"

    "Not necessarily an agent." Lily frowned. "Where is my brother?"

    "I asked him earlier toe here. He should be on his way here now."

    As if on cue, a knock interrupted their conversation. Zhou Jingren immediately opened the door, revealing Qin Yuanfeng with a big bag on hand.

    "I brought myputer." He walked inside the room. "Where do you want me to set it up?"

    "Right there." Lily calmly said as she pointed at the small space near the firece. "Not that big but I''m sure it will do."

    "You found something?" Zhou Jingren locked the door and started helping Qin Yuanfeng set up hisputer.

    "I think I did." Qin Yuanfeng grumbled. "Where''s my breakfast?"

    "On its way."

    "Does it have beef?"

    Zhou Jingren nodded. He looked at Lily and shrugged. Both he and Qin Yuanfeng had been up all night. While both of them were used to this, Qin Yuanfeng started to grumble and said that he was starving. He even demanded some food that can only be found in Luxembourg. Since Zhou Jingren and Lily didn''t have breakfast yet, Zhou Jingren decided to just order for everyone.

    "ude¡­ that man is hiding something." Qin Yuanfeng said. "Afterst night, I tried to check everything about him and found out that he was a product of his father''s infidelity. No one knows who his mother was. There was some document that says she signed away her rights when she was born. At that time, his adoptive mother was giving birth, but the child died a few hours after he arrived in this world. To avoid problems, his father decided to give ude to his wife."

    "Does the wife know this?"

    Qin Yuanfeng shook his head. "I doubt it. ude looked exactly like his father, so no one asked questions. Also¡­ the maid who took the child away from the real mother mysteriously died. Of¡­ poisoning."

    "You found all of this in one night?" Lily asked.

    "Yes. I deserve food."

    Zhou Jingren eyed his wife.

    "And the bestputers." Qin Yuanfeng added. "You should pay for it." He said as he started typing on hisputer. "That is only fair."

    "He is starting to sound like you." Zhou Jingren said. "If this goes on¡­ he will start using his talent to earn money."

    "As he should." Lily shrugged. "If I was a hacker¡­ I would have¡­" She didn''t continue speaking as she beamed. If she was a hacker, a fighter, a businesswoman, a wife, a mother, and a scheming person. That would mean she was already perfect.

    Does a person like that really exist?

    "This was ude a few months before his grandmother started acting like that." Qin Yuanfeng ignored the couple''s words and just showed them what he found out. "This image should not exist but I was using some satellite, CCTV, street cameras, and the images that the people around this vicinity took. Ipiled everything and I was able to create an image like this."

    The image in front of them was ude sitting inside a club. Beside him was a man who seemed to be in his fifties. However, because of the dark lighting of the club, some parts of the image were blurred while some were blocked by the red lighting on the club.

    "I already tried my best." Qin Yuanfeng shrugged. "I still can''t reconstruct the images and the two are sitting in a blind spot of the CCTV. I tried to check the surrounding CCTV when they leave but I can''t find anything. My guess is it was deleted."

    ......¡­..

 Chapter 841 Cutting Off a Finger

    Chapter 841: Cutting Off a Finger

    Unedited. Previous chapter already edited.

    .......................

    Qin Yuanfeng continued. "This man is meeting a Japanese¡­ Or someone from the East."

    Almost immediately Lily thought about what ude said about some Japanese in a news article. At this point, Lily had been through a lot to know that everything is connected. There is no such thing as coincidences.

    If that man is indeed a member of the organization, then does that mean ude was lying about his earlier ims that he met with Mr. Neeson?

    Another knock interrupted the silence inside the room. This time it was Secretary Go. He went inside to give them the food that Zhou Jingren ordered. Not long after, the four of them had brunch before Lily told Zhou Jingren and Qin Yuanfeng to sleep while she goes and visits ude.

    "Did you find her?" ude immediately said when he saw Lily walk inside the room.

    "Did you sleep well?" Lily ignored thetter''s question as he eyed the sleeping bag on the floor. "We apologize for not giving you something morefortable. It''s just that. This is the safest ce in the pce. And we couldn''t risk putting you in an unsafe ce." Lily lied without batting an eyelid.

    "My grandmother."

    "Yes¡­ we just found her." Lily didn''t miss the surprise in the younger man''s eyes. She walked towards the table with Secretary Go following her around.

    "Then let me see her! I need to talk to her. I need to¡ª "

    "She is alive." Lily interrupted him. "You seemed too worried that we found her? I was expecting to see you happy."

    "Of course I am worried! You already said that you are here to kill her!"

    "I will decide on that after¡­ I talk to her."

    Lily immediately saw the changes in ude''s eyes. He eyed Secretary Go who stood behind Lily before shifting his gaze back to her.

    "You seemed¡­ angry?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "Are you afraid that we will find out something?"

    Surprisingly, the younger man''s face didn''t change this time. He stared at her for a few seconds. "You do not have the right to kill her."

    "Killing¡­ Does not involve rights." Lily said. "I followed the orders of the people who wanted her dead."

    "Aren''t you curious why they wanted her to die?"

    Lily shrugged in response. She waited for him to speak. But seeing ude just stared at her, Lily added. "I was nning to ask her about my grandmother. When¡­ That''s when I realized that the organization wanted to silence her for something else." Slowly, a smile bloomed on Lily''s face. "Now¡­ that makes me so curious."

    "You¡ª You don''t know what you were talking about."

    "That is true." Lily shrugged again. "But I know that some people have a small level of pain tolerance. Some of them would confess if¡­ you put a needle in their toenails. Some would confess after losing a limb. While some¡­ would confess after their faces were destroyed." She beamed when she saw ude''s pale face. "How much pain do you think your grandmother can take?"

    "You¡ª You devil!"

    "I want to know what you know." Lily calmly said. "It''s either¡­ I torture you or your grandmother. You choose." Lily was hoping that this man truly loved his grandmother. Or else¡­ she won''t be able to use her to make him talk.

    "You¡ª You would really hurt my grandmother?"

    "Your grandmother¡­ went outst night to see me," Lily said. "But¡­ we never met as some people took her on her way to see me." Lily turned on the monitor that showed her arrival in the house near the marketce followed by his grandmother leaving their house. All with time stamps.

    "But¡­ she is refusing to tell me the truth." She added and observed the man''s face. "So¡­ I am hoping that you could save her."

    "Are you still nning to kill her?"

    "She won''t survive for long once she is out there. If I let her live, other people won''t. So now¡­ it alles down to how much are you willing to do for her not to experience extreme pain before passing." She continued smiling. "I mean¡­ an older woman like that¡­ I don''t think she can take two needles in her nails, no? But what if¡­"

    "Stop." ude interrupted her. "Just stop it." He lowered his gaze before looking at Lily. "You are too cruel."

    "I am. I am more than cruel."

    He gritted his teeth as he red at her. "Don''t you dare hurt my grandmother."

    "Or what?"

    "I will kill you!" he hissed.

    "Assuming you can leave this ce alive¡­ " Lily said. "But that is near impossible. You could assault me now. But¡­ this man here is bigger and more experienced than you. A ck belt in Karate is not enough to take an experienced man like him down. You would probably die before you even touch a strand of my hair. And once you die¡­ I will still torture the older woman until she says something." Lily leaned towards him. "You know what? We will not kill you. I will ask my men to cut off your limbs one by one and show it to the older woman. Say, how much do you think she can take?"

    Slowly, ude''s eyes burned with rage. His hands balled into tight fists as he listened to Lily''s sharp words. As irritating as it may seem, everything that she is saying is true. He might know martial arts and how to shoot a gun, but hecks experience.

    In front of a veteran. He was nothing.

    "Do you think she will cry if we start cutting off a finger?" Lily gave a sinister smile. Lily was not proud of this method. However, this was the only way that she could think off to break a man like ude.

    "I will talk!" ude said. The thought of his grandmother crying as she watched him getting cut off is already hurting his chest. He could never imagine seeing her being mentally tortured by this despicable woman. "I am ude and I am Madam Luo''s grandson. I a few months ago¡­ before my graduation. A man approached me and offered me a deal."

    ...........

    3/5

    Don''t forget to vote for the novel!

 Chapter 842 Fault and Fate

    Chapter 842: Fault and Fate

    "Continue¡­" Lily said.

    "Well¡­ he said he wanted to find out about everything that my grandmother knew about Lilian. At that time¡­ I found it weird because¡­ first my grandmother was already forgetful. I didn''t know that she was faking it." ude said. "I believe that man didn''t know either. He just said that I need to get as close as possible for her to tell me all her secrets."

    "And did she?"

    ude shook his head in response. "My grandmother is the smartest woman that I know." He sighed. "When that man told me about it. I immediately declined. But then¡­ he offered me something that I could not refuse." Seeing Lily raise an eyebrow at him, he continued. "He told me that he would give me the name and address of my real mother once I figured out everything."

    "You have known that someone else is your mother?"

    "I didn''t." Another sigh left his lips. "I didn''t have a clue that my father had fooled my mother. I didn¡¯t know that I was the fruit of his infidelity. However¡­ that man gave me a DNA kit to confirm. But I never used it. Instead¡­ I tried to talk to my father about this matter. However, everytime that I opened a conversation, he would suddenly say he was busy."

    He continued. "At that time, I wanted to assure myself that I was my mother''s son. So I bought my own DNA testing kit. You know that stuff that you can find online? I was thinking that they were unreliable. You know¡­ that the result woulde out 99.99 percent positive. That I am my mother''s son."

    "You''re not." Lily said. ude nodded before he scoffed.

    "It''s funny how people who I just met less than a week ago, already know this. While¡­ it took me more than twenty years to find out the truth. You know¡­ I never once doubted my parentage. Both my parents love me for who I am. I was spoiled. My grandmother raised me but my parents would take me to ces with my sibling. We were happy. They were busy¡­ but we were happy."

    "Then, that man came?"

    He nodded in response. "That man came and changed everything I believed to be the truth my entire life."

    "Let me guess¡­ you still refused to do his bidding?" Lily smiled. "Then the man ckmailed you?"

    ude stared at Lily, surprised at how her mind worked. Was it really that easy to guess? For the umpteenth time, he nodded his face grim. "He was Japanese. I heard him speak Japanese to his men. But his American ent was wless. His ent was simr to the southern parts of America? Somewhere near Texas. Or at least I think it was Texas as I know someone from that state and they sounded exactly alike."

    "I see." Lily pursed her lips. "And did you find what you were looking for?"

    He shook his head. "I tried to be as nosy as possible. Asked her what happened in the past. At first¡­ I was really bad at it. She would just re at me and pretend that she forgot my name. She would sometimes call me my father''s name. That was until I found out her secret. She was faking it. She was faking her illness, her forgetfulness."

    "Did you tell the Japanese man?"

    "Of course not!" ude said. "Telling him about it would make theme after my grandmother. I believe the only reason why they didn''te after her was because they thought she had Alzheimer''s. If they found out she was faking it¡­ they would surely¡­ torture her until she tell them what they need."

    "Tell me ude¡­ what do they need?"

    "I don''t know. That man just asked me to ask about the past and make a list of the people that she mentioned. Of course¡­ it was all about Lilian and the former Prince Fred. She would asionally mention that man from France which I assume was Mr. Neeson. Then¡­ Victor the butler and I believe the previous Grand Duke. Aside from that she would mention people who she said were protecting LIlian."

    "And¡­ you told the Japanese about this?"

    "I did. I have to report every month. And give him the list."

    "And Mr. Neeson?"

    "I did see Mr. Neeson. But that was only because that Japanese man asked me too. He assured me that they would not kill me. I tried to decline alright? I was not a fool. I know that I was only painting arge target in my back. Of course¡­ that man threatened to tell my mother that I am her husband''s bastard son. That¡ª" He lowered his head and let out a sharp breath. "I don''t want to lose my mother."

    "You think she will hate you once she knows the truth?"

    "Of course she will. My mother¡­ My mother is the kindest woman. But my father had multiple affairs all throughout the years. My mother always forgave him but every time this happened, she would stay quiet and cry silently while watching us y in the park. Can you imagine what she would feel if she came to know that she was raising the son of her husband''s mistress?"

    Lily smiled. "But what would you think she would feel if she came to know that you were hiding the fact from her?"

    As expected, her question rendered him speechless. Again, he lowered his head and clenched his jaws as he wondered. What would his mother feel?

    "I believe she would think that you and your father deceived her." Lily added. "She has the right to know. But it''s not really your fault for wanting to keep it a secret. But you should be prepared to face the consequences of your actions. It was you who made this bed. You should also be prepared to lie in it when the timees."

    ude gulped as he shifted his gaze back to Lily. "I only wanted to save her from the heartache. I only wanted to give my grandmother the happiest years of her life before she passed away." Slowly tears rolled down his cheeks. All he wanted was to keep the peace in his family, keep everyone happy.

    But it seems that fate was still standing against him and his family.

    ...................................

    Don''t forget to vote for the novel!

 Chapter 843 Lis

    Chapter 843: Lis

    Unedited. Will be edited in a few hours.

    ...........

    "I understand." Lily nodded before she rose from her seat. "Onest thing¡­ when you approached Mr. Neeson¡­ did you tell him about that Japanese man?"

    "No. I didn''t." ude said. "He told me not to mention him."

    "And how do you send him the list?"

    "I leave it outside in the mail. With no address. Then¡­ someone from the post office will pick it up. To be honest¡­ I don''t think that man worked in the post office at all. I have never seen him in the post office nearby." ude said. "Then¡­ I receive a call from various numbers. Telling me what to do next."

    "I see." She pursed her lips and signaled Secretary Go to follow her out.

    "What about my grandmother?" he asked. However, unlike the first time that Lily talked to him, she never stopped walking.

    "She will be fine," Lily said as she closed the door behind her. From this conversation, Lily immediately learned that there could be two factions in this organization. That Japanese man might be a member of one faction, while Mr. Neeson is a member of the other.

    Both factions were looking for someone. But their goals might not be the same. She let out a sighed before she went to where Madam Luo was kept. ording to the doctors, she is fine for now. But because of her age, they could not really assure them that she will survive this knife wound. They said, she lost a lot of blood and suffered a couple of internal injuries.

    However, Lily was still hopeful that she would wake up.

    "Madam¡­ The Duke just called and said that Mr. Harringfort wanted to talk to Mr. Zhou. Shall I go ahead and decline?"

    Lily turned silent for a few seconds. She immediately wondered if there is a need for her to talk to him. However, in the end, she decided not to engage in any conversation with that man. "Decline. Tell them Jingren is¡­ sick. He won''t ept any visitors while we are staying here."

    "Understood." Secretary Go immediately informed The Duke and ended the call.

    ...

    Meanwhile, Harringfort hastened his steps towards his car. After the Duke informed him that Zhou Jingren is sick, he immediately bid him goodbye. Surprisingly, the Duke didn''t stop him this time. This was unlike their previous interactions but, to be honest, it does not concern him in any way.

    He figured that this was all because of the way he treated Eliza. This could only mean one thing. The Duke is thinking of canceling the engagement. Could it be possible that Eliza talked to her father about it?

    Harringfort recalled the conversation that he had with that naive woman when Lily visited Madam Luo. At that time, Harringfort decided to tell her that he does not like her and he probably won''t like her in the future. She should talk to her father about canceling the engagement.

    He was expecting her to rage, maybe even p him and say mean words. However, Eliza onlyughed at him and said that she would think about it. What does that even mean? The memories of what happened immediately made him more irritated.

    "Your highness?" As if on cue, Eliza''s voice echoed behind him. He halted his steps and looked at the woman wearing a pink winter long coat and brown boots. "Would you mind? I would like to talk to you." She smiled. "In private."

    "Private?" He smiled. "We are the only ones in the corridor. I believe this is private enough?" To be honest, he does not want to have another conversation with this woman. He already felt that something is different in the way she looked at him. He would not want to give her hope that one day, he would like her. That would not happen.

    Eliza pursed her lips in response. She looked at the blond man in front of her. "I am not asking my father to cancel the engagement."

    "Excuse me?"

    "You heard me," Eliza said. "If you wanted to cancel it. Then talk to your father about it."

    "And if I won''t?"

    "Then¡­ a marriage between us will happen," Eliza said.

    "Are you crazy?"

    "So what if I am? So what if I''m not?" she countered. "The thing is¡­ I would not cancel the engagement. If you don''t like me¡­ then fine. Who cares. I don''t like you either. This marriage is not about you and me. It''s about our country."

    "Are you insane?" His eyes widened. "I don''t like you! We won''t be happy together!"

    "Happiness?" Eliza muttered. Since that day he told her that he won''t like her, she already knew that her lifetime mission would be making this arrogant man''s life miserable. Her happiness is to make him unhappy! "Who cares about Happiness? If you have the guts then talk to my father about it. Tell him that you don''t like me and you won''t marry me because¡­ you will never be happy with me."

    She bravely met hisplicated eyes. "I am not going to be the one who will end this engagement." She lifted her chin as if challenging him to do something about her words. "What? If you are a man then¡­ go talk to your father about your happiness!" Disgustced his tone.

    Eliza thought that she was making the right choices. Lily''s presence around her made her think that she has the ability to make choices. Choices for her life and future. And this¡­. Marrying this man was the first step of the choices that she was about to make. This is going to be the key to the freedom that she always long to have.

    "You are crazy," Harringfort said before he turned his back on the annoying woman. He immediately wondered if Eliza was only doing this to gain his attention. Was she trying to be difficult for him to think about her? Because that¡­ that would never happen! Ever!

    ......

    Thank you for your support! Please don''t forget to vote for the novel!

    5/5

 Chapter 844 Something Profound

    Chapter 844: Something Profound

    Unedited. already edited.

    ....

    After Harringfort left the mansion, his face instantly turned sour. Eliza''s decision seems so illogical. What kind of woman would not want to be happy in the marriage? He gritted his teeth as he thought of other ways to get rid of that woman.

    He could not kill her as she was Lord Neeson''s granddaughter. Killing her would only make that old cunning man rage. He could not ask to cancel the engagement either, as he was afraid to offend that older man.

    This was the reason why he wanted her to cancel the engagement instead. "That woman¡­" he hissed. However, when he saw the message on the tablet that his right-hand man gave him, his expression instantly turned grave.

    "Master¡­ they wanted us to deal with Pierre and leave the ce."

    "Kill him?" He muttered to himself. They wanted him to leave Luxembourg sincest night. However, Harringfort refused to do so. Instead, he asked to see Zhou Jingren and maybe even Lily. Harringfort wanted to talk to the two about Madam Luo. Especially after what happenedst night.

    Harringfort received a piece of news that Lily took Madam Luo and his grandson. However, they could do nothing as their people were not allowed in the Pce when the Duke received the request from Zhou Jingren. While they knew that Madam Luo and ude were inside the pce, they could not just kill the two in front of everyone.

    The organization still wanted to keep it lowkey, as the Duke was not aware of their existence. However, he found it hard to believe that the Grand Duke is not aware of this organization. How could that be? Most world leaders are aware and would even want to join them.

    However, his thoughts immediately took him to the Duchess'' family. Lord Neeson was the Duchess'' father. Is it possible that the old man¡­ deliberately did not inform his son-inw about the organization? This is not something unique to Lord Neeson alone. In fact, most people in the council do not like to involve their personal lives with the organization.

    Isn''t this what happened with Lilian before? Despite having all the influence of the Organization, she still refused to use its resources to find her daughter. He sneered. Of course, that might be partly because Lilian knew that the organization was watching her every move.

    He sighed. There had been a lot of suspicions that Lilian deliberately let her daughter run away for her to be saved under the clutches of the organization. Of course, the organization never found anything that would prove this fact. Slowly, the rumor got buried with the stuff that the organization does all day.

    However, this did notst long. More than twenty years after Bec Fi disappeared, Lilian found her granddaughter. Because of this, another rumor sprouted. It was said that Lilian never wanted to rescue Lily. They said that she never wanted to train her granddaughter. Of course¡­ it was called another rumor, as this was not proven.

    "Shall we return to Austria?" Yi asked after a few seconds of silence.

    "They said they wanted us to return after taking care of Pierre?" He asked. To be honest, he does not understand why he still needed to protect Lily from Pierre when Zhou Jingren is already there to protect her. It''s not like she would acknowledge his help, anyway!

    "Yes. They wanted to keep it clean¡­ and silent. Also¡­ they wanted you to talk to Zhou Jingren and tell him that he only had three months left. It seems that something happened and now they wanted to make him an official member as soon as possible."

    Harringfort narrowed his eyes. Of course, they wanted him to be one of them as soon as possible. Those people knew that Madam Luo might be alive. If that''s the case, the older woman would surely talk to Lily and Zhou Jingren.

    Who knows what kind of information that Madam Luo had? If this continues, then¡­ Harringfort was sure that those people would start to show up in Luxembourg to try to talk to Lily.

    "Also¡­"Yi Hesitated for a few seconds. "Mr. Neeson ising to Luxembourg."

    "Why would hee?"

    "He said he will visit his daughter and grandchildren."

    Harringfort bit his lips as she attempted to stop himself from cursing that old man. Mr. Neesoning in here is like an insult to his intelligence. Does this mean that they don''t trust him enough to deal with Lily and Zhou Jingren?

    "Then. I will stay!" He snapped. If those people thought that they can just¡­

    "Master¡­ I suggest that you follow what they want for now. Everything had been chaotic is Madam Lilian''s death. With the council falling into arguments from time to time. Mr. Neesoning in here¡­ only means that he is going to talk to Miss Lily. That only shows how much they value her position. Just like her grandmother, Miss Lily might soon take over the seat even if she is not yet thirty."

    Harringfort nodded. Since Lilian diedst year, the council had been stagnant at most. This was because they refuse to decide on anything big without the sixth person that was supposed to mediate the council.

    Those men in power are all greedy and selfish. They were all people who would not dare betray one another for their own gain. Meaning, Lilian''s death brought them a lot of disagreements and arguments.

    "I am not leaving!" He said.

    "But¡ª "

    "If you want to leave¡­ then leave!" Harringfort said. His clearance is not high enough to know why Lily really needed to rece her grandmother. However, Harringfort would not continue doing something that does not support his previous belief about the type of work that they do in the organization.

    He frowned. Harringfort joined this organization because he sincerely believed that they are doing something to help the world. However, all this question in his mind was telling him that there is something deeper about this organization. Something profound is hiding beneath these schemes. And he is nning to find out everything¡­ even if that meant he will die.

    .........

    Dont forget to vote for the novel!

 Chapter 845 Despicable

    Chapter 845: Despicable

    Meanwhile, Lily and Zhou Jingren were not aware of Harringfort''s thoughts. Madam Luo was still unconscious so the couple had decided to keep ude while waiting for Madam Luo to wake up. The doctor had clearly said that she might not survive the stab but Lily was still hopeful about it. Hence, Lily decided to talk to ude again.

    "What¡ª what do you mean?" he asked, frowning. "You¡ª Are you saying that you lied to me? Everything was a lie?"

    Lily pursed her lips in response before she slowly nodded. This reaction was already expected. After all, she had psychologically tortured the young man just to get what she wanted. At the end of the day, Lily was aware that she was in the wrong.

    But in her book, the wrong and the right usually depends on the societal norms that each person was used to. What could be wrong in others'' books, could be right in Lily''s book. So she had no reason to justify her actions.

    "You¡ª Does that mean you didn''t find her? What is happening? I already told you everything that I know! I didn''t hide anything from you!" He stood, wide eyed as he looked at Lily''s calm expression. "You are indeed a despicable woman."

    "I''ve been called worse." Again, she smiled. "Your grandmother is alive. We didn''t touch her. That night, she sent me a message. She wanted to see me. Then¡­ some people followed her and tried to kill her."

    "So you¡ª you and Zhou Jingren didn''te here to kill her?"

    Lily shook her head. "Before the banquet, I didn''t even know her."

    "Then¡­ then why did you save her?" After a few hours of deliberation, ude actually thought that prolonging his grandmother''s life only meant more suffering for her. As much as he wanted to make her happy, ude was also logical enough to know that his grandmother''s death could end her suffering. To ude, that was much better than any torture she might suffer in the hands of the people who wanted to obtain whatever information that she had.

    Just one look at the young man''s expression and Lily immediately knew what he was thinking. "You think¡­ killing her would solve everything? Aren''t you afraid that theye after you and your family next?"

    "They know that my mother and father rarely visited us in the past few months. They might kill me. But that would be the end of everything." He avoided Lily''s gaze. Why would he care about death? He was originally a bastard. The product of a sin. His life was meaningless. It was full of secrets¡ª something that he was so tired of dealing with. He gulped and lowered his head.

    Surprisingly, the conclusion that he hade up after the second time that Lily talked to him, didn''t give him as much heartache as the previous ones. "I think¡­ you should kill my grandmother. Let her die in peace." His voice trembled. What kind of grandson would even suggest killing their grandparents? The worst one, he answered his own question.

    Lily only stared at the young man in response. It was obvious that the maniption that she done earlier had taken a toll on the young man''s mental health. She didn''t expect this to happen. However, ude was still young. It was also normal for him to easily get influenced by the people around him. "Your grandmother loves you." Lily smiled. "She knows that people will try to kill her. So she left the house and decided to gamble, hoping that they would not hurt you once she died. It was a desperate attempt to save you."

    ude raised his head, tears streamed down his cheeks like an unstoppable river. His lower lips trembled. For a few seconds he remembered his grandmother''s cookies. Then herughter, when he realized that he actually pranked him into eating some spicy cookies. She wasughing so hard she almost fell on her seat. "How do you know that?"

    "Because that is exactly what I would do if I was in her shoes." A sad smile slithered on to Lily''s lips. "My own grandmother died a few months back. I know you are aware of that. But¡­ we never had the type of rtionship that you had with Madam Luo."

    ude nodded but decided to change the topic. All those memories that started to swirl in his head was enough to drown him with sadness. "Once my grandmother wakes up¡­ what are you nning to do? You know that we can''t run forever."

    "They will not attack this ce." Lily answered. "I am confident of that." She then let out a long sigh. "Your grandmother¡­ might not survive the stab wound. Even if she does¡­ she will only have a few months to live. The doctors said the knife damaged some internal organs and because of her age, she might not recover from the injury."

    "So¡­ your people¡­"

    "We arrivedte because¡­ I was not really sure if we got the correct location. The note that I received said that she wanted to meet me in the park. But¡­ I figured that it would not be possible for her to walk that far given the current weather. So¡­ I thought it should be somewhere near your house. When we spotted some suspicious people in the park, we immediately went to the market. It took me a while to analyze everything. Because of that¡­ I was not able to save her."

    "You don''t have to me yourself."

    "Oh! I am not ming myself." Lily replied. "I only wanted to let you know that I intended to save her from the start, but because of some spies I was dyed. I was ming those spies." She added. "So I decided to hunt them down and kill them."

    "You¡ª" Lily''s words were enough to make him speechless. All throughout his life, ude never encountered someone as decisive as Lily. However, this also meant that Lily was a very dangerous person¡ª someone that could end his life anytime. "If¡ª If my grandmother wakes up. Are you going to let us live?" He managed to ask.

    .........

    The Viin''s Redemption is already contracted! I will start releasing chapters next week. 1-2/ day! I have at least 10 chapter stock so I am confident that I can release chapters for redemption.

    Please don''t forget to vote.

 Chapter 846 Sinister

    Chapter 846: Sinister

    Unedited

    .......

    "Yes." She answered without batting an eyelid. To be honest, whatever she said would not matter anymore. She would only do her best to protect them in this ce. But if the organization would really want them dead¡­ then Lily is not confident that she could stop that. Not when she is already on her third trimester. Moreover, she was sure that if chaos ensues, Zhou Jingren would prioritize her no matter what happened.

    "And the organization?"

    "I can''t speak for them," Lily said. "I am not a part of this Organization nor I am nning to be one of them."

    ude nodded. To be honest, he was not really sure if he should believe Lily this time. All he knows is that just like everyone else, she could not be trusted. Surely, this is an understandable response after what he had been through in thest forty-eight hours.

    ...

    "Pierre Weber Is starting to ask questions." The Duke told Lily when she went outside of the room. "I believe he noticed that something was wrong. From the explosion to the sudden arrival of ex-military men and women in the country." The two walked towards the Duke''s office. Surprisingly, Zhou Jingren was already inside waiting for them.

    "I''m so sorry to trouble you about this," Lily spoke. She eyed her husband before looking straight into the Duke''s eyes. "This is the safest ce in the country right now."

    "No¡­ No¡­ it''s alright. I understand." The Duke shook his head. "But¡­ but about Mr. Weber."

    Zhou Jingren smiled. "Do you want to make it grand? Or¡­ secretly."

    "I would prefer to do it in front of my family."

    Zhou Jingren immediately nodded. "Then?"

    "It will be the twin''s birthday four days from now." The Duke said. "We are nning to celebrate with everyone close to us. Nothing fancy, just some dinner with family members. Of course, you two will be invited."

    "Still¡­ something is bugging me about that man." Lily shrugged. "You said that he is starting to ask questions¡­ but he never visited the pce in thest few days, no?"

    "I believe he might be trying to avoid us." Zhou Jingren said.

    "I have only seen that man twice and I already know that he was not the type of person that would just avoid anyone that would irritate him." Lily turned towards the Duke. "Am I right, your highness?"

    "Now that you mention it. Yes¡­ you are indeed right. He is not the type that would stay silent about things that are bugging him."

    "He used to be very vocal against the government right?" Zhou Jingren frowned.

    The most up-to-date novels are published on /lightnov/elw/o/rld[.

    "Yes¡­ the marriage with my daughter¡­ seemed to limit his hatred towards the government. But it''s still there. Of course¡­. I find this perfectly normal. After all¡­ we cannot really please everyone."

    "Did Mika visited the pce after the banquet?"

    "No," the duke shook his head at Lily''s question. What are you trying to say?" he asked, confused.

    "Mr. Weber might be nning something. I suggest you asked your people to open their ears, be more mindful about minor changes around them. Then immediately report to you once they notice something."

    The Grand Duke stared at Lily for a few seconds before he nodded. "Something like a big rally." He uttered. "I have expected as much. But¡­ Mika¡­"

    "Something like that requires a trigger," Lily said. "Meaning¡­ something needed to happen for him to entice people to join a rally. Something important¡­like killing someone."

    "You mean¡­"

    "I can''t be sure. But If I put myself in his shoes¡­ I would kill someone close to him. Someone that supports the beliefs that he is standing for. Perhaps the president of a certain activist group. I would make it bloody, noisy, and brutal. Perhaps¡­ make the person suffer before killing him. Then¡­ I would dump him in front of the park. Or any space where everyone can see him. Then¡­ I would say that the government killed him because he found something against them. I would show some proof, useless social media posts to gather sympathy, pay international news sites to paint the government as evil, and boom! You have thousands of angry people in the streets." Lily ended her words with a sharp sigh. "But that''s just me."

    "Actually¡­ I think¡­. I think something like that could happen." The Grand Duke frowned as he held his temple. Lily''s analysis might be too far fetched, but it was highly possible. With the kind of mind Pierre had, that thing might just be very possible. "But who?"

    "I don''t know your highness¡­ but I heard the duchess and Mika had some sort of a little disagreement about my dressst banquet. Surely, the Duchess would not try to murder your daughter over a dress, right?"

    Her words immediately made him pale. Of course, the Duchess would never do that. However, Pierre could easily make it look like the Duchess and Mika were arguing about something else ¡ª something like Mika supporting her husband.

    Pierre could easily turn everything around in his favor and make it look like they killed their own daughter because she refused to spy for Pierre''s recent projects. If something like this happened, the Duke was almost a hundred percent sure that Pierre would use this to gain sympathy and supporters. He would take advantage of the situation and cause a problem by staging rallies.

    "Of course¡­ these are nothing but an assumption of a weak, pregnant woman." Lily smiled. "This is not a hundred percent foolproof as we can''t really read minds. We don''t really know what will change. The point of this analysis is for us to be very careful about our future actions. Moving forward¡­ if you want to win against the enemies, you really have to think about the most sinister thing that they can do to you. Create solutions then¡­ move on to another what if''s."

    .....

    Thank you for your support and please don''t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 847 Change This Country

    Chapter 847: Change This Country

    Unedited. Previous chapter already edited

    .......

    Dorf Castle- Pierre Weber''s Residence

    When Pierre saw his wife walking towards him, he immediately changed his expression and smiled at her. How could he show her the murderous aura that he just showed his right-hand man when thetter told him that Zhuo Jingren and Lily will stay for about another week or two. How could he allow those two to stay near the Duke and possibly ruin his ns?

    "Hey, you look beautiful today." Pierre raised his head to meet his wife''s kiss.

    "Thank you," Mika said before she sat on the Earl''sp. "Are you going to stay in your office again? Look at you¡­ it seems that you have lost a lot of weight."

    Pierre smiled in response. He shook his head. Who wouldn''t lose weight? With Zhou Jingren''s people breathing behind his back, Pierre was forced to stop and limit his interaction with his connections in the ck market. As insulting as it may seem, a peasant like Zhou Jingren was actually more influential than him when ites to the ck market. He was already a known figure in the East. Now¡­ Zhou Jingren was trying to create a name in the west too.

    With Lily and an unknown Mafia''s backing, Zhou Jingren''s influence is growing day by day. That is something that he almost could not ept. Of course, he knows that he was helpless about this. How could he act against that man and risk suspicion? "There''s a lot of problems at the airporttely. You don''t have to be worried about me."

    "But¡­ it''s been days." Mika frowned. "Is father giving you a hard time? Was it because of Lily?" As the days passed, Mika thought that Lily''s actions against Pierre were cruel. How could she embarrass Pierre in front of his father and mother? Her husband is a very hardworking man! Yet, Lily emphasized that Pierre was petty the moment she arrived?

    As a businesswoman, Lily should have known that Pierre was only concerned about his business.

    "What? No¡­" Pierreughed. "Of course not." He shook his head. "But now that you mentioned it¡­ I tried to set up a meeting with the Duke earlier¡­. But he asked his assistant to decline. Do you think¡­ Do you think he is avoiding me? Was it possible that he was mad at me about the dress?"

    "No. I don''t think father is that kind of man." She avoided her gaze. Her father may not be that kind of man, but she doesn''t know what kind of lies Lily fed her father. Mika and even Leandro saw how much their father favors Lily and even her husband, Zhou Jingren. Moreover, they have also witnessed what kind of tongue Lily had. She is very good at manipting her words, making it look like she was the victim when in fact she was the one calling people dumb.

    "Then¡­ don''t worry about it. He must have been busy." Pierre said. "Eliza and Levi''s birthday will be in three days?"

    "Four days." She smiled. "I already prepared the gifts for them. You don''t have to worry about it.

    "Good. I always knew I could rely on you when ites to these things." He smiled and kissed his wife''s temple. "Well, then¡­ I still have things to discuss with my assistant. You should go ahead and sleep first."

    Mika smiled. "Alright." She nodded and gave her husband another kiss before leaving the room.

    When Pierre saw his wife leave, his face instantly turned grim. He eyed the coffee that Mika gave him before a sneer escaped his lips. "Asked everyone to be very careful. I believe that Lily is a very smart woman. She might figure out that we are trying to stage a coup d''etat soon." He gritted his teeth. Because of Zhou Jingren and Lily''s presence, they have to change their ns and do the coup as soon as possible.

    Seeing how the Duke seemed to like Lily and Zhou Jingren, Pierre feared that Duke Phil would soon make Lily the heir to his throne. After all, Lily is clearly more intelligent and talented than Leandro or any other children that the Duke had.

    "Master¡­"

    "What is it?"

    "I ¡ª I am just a little nervous about the initial n. Killing the prime minister is a big act of ¡ª "

    "I know what I''m doing!" he said. He already had everyone around him thinking that he would kill the Prime minister. However, that Is not going to happen. On the day of the twin''s birthday, Pierre was nning to sacrifice his wife for his cause.

    He was nning to kill Mika.

    Then he would make it seem as if it was the Duke who mistakenly killed his own daughter when he tried to target Pierre. Isn''t that what everyone needed to pity him? Pierre mused.

    Once the world will know that the Duke killed his own daughter in an assassination attempt, Pierre was sure that not just the people in Luxembourg, but the people in the whole EU will support his cause. Everyone will agree to demolish the Grand Ducal and change the type of government.

    A smile slithered on his face.

    Mika had been a dutiful wife and mother to their children. However, Pierre believed that her death is necessary to instigate a revolution. Everyone was born with a purpose, and he believed that Mika''s purpose was to change this country. The people will know Mika as the woman who changed a country.

    "Tell the Knightmander to be very careful. Do not give the Duke some poison in the next few days. Rather¡­ stop giving Lead to everyone''s food. Tell him to observe and listen. Be very careful around Lily and Zhou Jingren. I believe they are smart enough to know that something is wrong with him¡­ you know what? Just tell him to avoid Lily and Zhou Jingren. Do not ¡ª and I mean¡­ never talk to them." He sighed. "That knightmander is pretty useful, but he is a little dumb. I am sure that one conversation with someone like Lily who is pretty good with words will reveal that he had been one of my subordinates for years now."

    .......

    Please don''t forget to vote!

 Chapter 848 Key

    Chapter 848: Key

    Grand Ducal Pce

    "I want to see her." ude said when he heard that Grandma Luo had woken up. "Just this once! I want to see my grandmother!"

    Zhou Jingren eyed him before he stared at the painting inside the room where ude was kept. "She didn''t ask to see you." Finalityced his tone. "She asked for Lily."

    "How could that be?"

    A sneer escaped Zhou Jingren''s lips. "You really think too highly of yourself. Your grandmother knows what you did. She must have known that you only stayed because you wanted to know who your real mother is."

    "That¡ª That is not true. I did it because¡ª "

    "Because you were afraid that your mother now will know that she is actually raising the kid of her husband''s mistress. I know." Zhou Jingren said. "Putting your life at risk just to keep the secret would not make your grandmother happy."

    ude knew this. He lowered his head, hesitation shed in his eyes. If his grandmother knew then¡­ does that mean she knew that he was a bastard too? Embarrassment settled inside him.

    "You care too much about what people think of you kid." Zhou Jingren said. "In the real world, other people''s opinion does not matter." He stood and walked towards the door. "I only came here to tell you that she is awake. I will asked my people to escort you once she requested for your presence."

    ...

    Meanwhile, Lily let out a sigh as she stared at Madam Luo''s weak smile. Her wrinkled face was still pale, yet the relief in the older woman''s eyes was undeniable.

    "I''m ¡ª sorry." Madam Luo said in a soft almost whisper like voice.

    "I don''t see why you are apologizing to me." Lily forced a smile out of her lips. "You owe me nothing."

    "Not¡ª not¡ª" Madam Luo shook her head. "Not true. I owe Lilian my life."

    Lily stared at the older woman. "I don''t think you have the energy to talk about this now? Why don''t you rest for a couple of¡ª "

    "No." Madam Luo said. "They will be here to kill me soon. They might be looking for ways to get close to me right now."

    "They?"

    "Your grandmother''s organization. The Order of the Spectre."

    "Do you know a lot about them?"

    "I know enough." Madam Luo let out a small cough. "Re¡ª research."

    "And you wanted me to know about them? I don''t see the reason why ¡ª"

    "You are one of them." Madam Luo interrupted her. "You¡ª You will soon¡­ be one of them."

    "That is not possible." Lily smiled. "I am not one of them and I honestly don''t think these people will choose someone unrighteous like me." Her words made Madam Luo chuckle, she let out another series of small and soft coughs.

    "You really should rest. You are too weak."

    "I am dying." Madam Luo''s eyes turned resolute. "You don''t have to pity me. Dying is natural. It is a part of life."

    She pursed her lips in response. The Doctors already informed Lily about Madam Luo not having a long time to live.

    "I have a letter." Madam Luo smiled at her. "Ne¡­ it is in my ne. The key. Read it." Madam Luo tried to touch her neck, only to realize that it was missing.

    "I have it." Lily looked at the small box to the older woman''s left. They took all your jewelry when they performed some operations to save your life. She opened the box and was somehow relieved to see that the pendant was still there. It was a long rectangr pendant about the size of her thumb.

    "Open it. Inside¡­ is the key."

    Lily followed the older woman''s instructions. And just as what the older woman said, inside the rectangr locket was a small golden key. "Its gold." She frowned and eyed the small sign on the ring. "Rome?"

    "It means¡­ Room." Madam Luo smiled. "I thought¡­ once people stole it from me. They will immediately think that my possessions are in Rome. Heh¡­ " Another series of coughs left her mouth. "It wasn''t."

    "Room? Like¡­ the room in your mansion?"

    "Secret Room¡ª Study¡ª Globe. Turn it towards¡­ towards¡­ Rome." Madam Luo cleared her throat as she forced the words out of her mouth. "Turned it." Slowly she folded her fingers and secretly showed Lily the number three, five and one. Lily immediately thought this was a password of some sort. She nodded in response.

    "I understand."

    "My grandson¡­ is young¡­. Please don''t hurt¡­ don''t hurt him."

    "I can promise you that." Lily decided to be honest. But Lily won''t be able to promise that she would be able to protect him from the organization. "My grandmother¡­"

    "Lilian¡­ never loved Fred when they met." Madam Luo said. "She was a ruthless woman¡­ she was not a killer. But she ¡­ maniptor. She was an expert ¡­ in manipting people. She ¡ª She saved my life."

    Lily let out a sigh. At least her grandmother was not some sort of assassin that killed people for money. For some twisted reason, Lily found maniption not as scary of a secret as being a killer. Was it because Lilian always taught her the best ways to manipte people?

    "Lilian¡­ was here to change¡­ change the king. Then¡­ she fell in love with Fred. Because of this¡­ people mocked her for falling in love with the man that she manipted." Madam Luo smiled. "The ¡ª Those people only allowed her to be with him¡­ if she promised¡­ if she promised to stay and be the mediator of the top ¡ª top people."

    "I¡ª how did you know this?"

    Madam Luo chuckled and ended up coughing again. "I¡­ I was the mistress of¡­ of one person¡­ he liked to screw my body all the ¡ª the time¡­ I was hoping I could find information about Lily and I ended up ¡ª I ended up knowing the worst that this world could offer."

    Lily nodded. She saw tears roll down from the older woman''s eyes. Slowly, Lily''s hand held Madam Luo''s hand.She squeezed it, as If telling her that she would be fine soon. Then¡­ tears started to pool in Lily''s eyes.

    Hormones.

    She reasoned inwardly as the first tear rolled down on her own cheeks. This is only her hormones.

    .......

    Don''t forget to vote for the novel!

    I might have another mass release Friday! I need to release more chapters. hehehhe

 Chapter 849 Divine Manipulation of Threads

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 849 Divine Maniption of Threads</h4>

    Chapter 849 Divine Maniption of Threads

    Unedited

    After a few more minutes, Madam Luo asked if she could see her grandson. Lily immediately asked someone to escort ude towards his grandmother.

    "You alright?"

    She nodded at Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. "I am." Slowly, the sadness in Lily¡¯s eyes vanished. "I don¡¯t think she willst that long."

    "Where are you going?"

    "We need to discuss something," Lily said as she walked towards their room. Death is indeed a part of life and it will soone for Madam Luo. There is no point in staying here anymore.

    "Lily, Jingren..." The Duchess¡¯ soft voice reached their ears. Both halted their steps. "I heard Grandma Luo is already awake?" A bead of sweat trickled down the duchess forehead. "I had to run here... Is she alright? How was her wound?"

    "I don¡¯t think she will survive this night. I asked her to rest first, but she refused to do so. Instead, she requested to talk to her grandson." She let out a sigh. "She is pretty weak."

    Tears immediately trickled down the duchess¡¯ cheeks. "I will go and see her."

    Lily and Zhou Jingren nodded and watched as the Duchess ran towards the room where Madam Luo was kept.

    "Life... is truly unexpected," Lily said as they started walking towards their room. After a few minutes, the duo arrived inside their room.

    "Is something wrong?" Zhou Jingren said.

    "How was the n?"

    "The Duke already agreed to keep it a secret. Not even the Duchess will know it."

    "Good."

    "Did something happen?" After he grabbed a bottle of water, Zhou Jingren sat next to Lily. He gave her the water. "Did Madam Luo said something?"

    "Madam Luo keeps on saying... Mr. Neeson here and there. He is the Duchess¡¯ Father. While the Duchess had been kind to us, I don¡¯t want to risk it. It is better to take measures now than regret itter." Lily epted the bottle of water as she thought about Madam Luo¡¯s words as she clutched the pendant of her ne. "We need to go to Madam Luo¡¯s mansion after her death. Asked Jichen to talk to Yang Mi. I want to buy that property."

    "Hmmm." He stood and immediately started making calls.

    "Hey... are you familiar with the Divine Maniption of Threads?" Lily asked when Zhou Jingren ended the call.

    "The use of five spies?" Zhou Jingren asked. In Sun Tzu¡¯s art of war, this was known as the Sovereign¡¯s most precious Faculty. Controlling five spies could change the game, it could win a war without shedding a single drop of blood or losing a lot of resources.

    ording to Sun Tzu, there are five types of spies. The inward spies, the local spies, the converted spies, the doomed spies, and the surviving spies. The person who could have these five spies will surely win the war as long as they manage the spies ordingly.

    "I believe that is happening in this country," Lily said. "The Duke might not be aware of this yet... but I think... someone is behind all this."

    "For power?" He asked. "Then... Do you think it¡¯s¡ª "

    "Mr. Neeson," Lily said. "And he is using the Duchess and Leandro. After all, Leandro is the person who will inherit the throne. I believe... they are making mistakes because of my presence. Whatever n that they have... must have changed because I am here."

    "So the Inward Spy and the Surviving Spy?"

    Lily nodded in response. If Madam Luo¡¯s words were true, then this organization would not bat an eyelid in causing havoc just to change the leadership of a country. "I believe these people... wanted to change Duke Phil because they cannot control him." Luxembourg¡¯s economy started booming because of Duke Phil¡¯s bold choices. Shortly after he became the Grand Duke, Luxembourg rose from the ashes and became the richest country in the EU. Because of this... Luxembourg along with Belgium received the highest money from the EU. "You mention that The Order¡¯s purpose is to maintain the status quo of the world. They would not allow such an imbnce of wealth."

    Lily was quick to put herself in the shoes of the Organization. If they wanted to maintain the status quo, then they would not want Luxembourg to be too rich as this would affect the whole EU. Now that Lily reflected on it, the scheme was actually pretty simple.

    The Order created an enemy, and that is Pierre Weber. Then everything ¡ª every little thing that had been happening in the country. The poisoning and spying were linked to Pierre Weber. This could easily overwhelm someone into thinking that he was the real enemy. However, Pierre is nothing but a piece of pawn in this borate game of Chess that the Organization wanted to y against the Duke.

    If Lily was with the Organization, she would immediately think of using the Divine Maniption of Threads to control such a big country.

    First is the Inward Spy. This is the spy that involves officials of the enemies. That would be the people that could easily hear the enemy¡¯s ns. For instance, the knightmander or even the Duchess.

    Next is the Local Spy. These are local citizens. People who would get affected once war broke out. War or conflict would bring significant changes in their life. Thus, some people could easily convince them to spy to prevent a war or make their lives easier. If she was right, then that would be the servants of the Duchess. Surely, Mr. Neeson wanted to monitor his daughter¡¯s actions. So... he nted some spies next to her.

    The third is the Converted Spies. As the name suggests, these are people who are double agents. They spy for the enemy but were converted and are now working for the other side. These are the most untrustworthy people in the game. They cannot be trusted and could turn on you at any time of the day. These people are also very hard to identify as they usually don¡¯t reveal themselves and hate the attention. All they wanted was to gather information secretly.

    And actually, this is the part that Lily was afraid of... She could not stop herself from thinking that this spy... is just around her. But... who could it be?

    Please don¡¯t forget to vote.

 Chapter 850 Safety Measures

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 850 Safety Measures</h4>

    Chapter 850 Safety Measures

    Unedited. Will be updated in a few hours.

    Lily shook the thoughts out of her head. She was not supposed to be a part of this scheme. So there is no way that someone like her is acting as a double agent.

    Fourth is the Doomed Spies. These are the people who are openly dering themselves as the enemy to deceive the other side. Some would openly act as a spy, while some would openly provoke the enemy or show the enemy some false ns and tactics. This person could be Pierre Weber as he was openly opposed to the Duke, and he was not actually trying to hide it.

    Then thest one is the... Surviving Spies. This is the Spy that will bring back the information in the enemy¡¯s camp. They are quiet, and no one would think that they are involved in any spying. Some would see them as weak and cowardly and wouldugh at them. These are people who are like bamboos... they bend and adjust to the strong wind. Then they would secretly deliver the information to the enemies.

    To Lily... this is actually the most dangerous type of Spies. These people looked weak and are hiding their real strength. They would go to length to convince you that they are useless, spineless. But these people are considered winners at the end of the game.

    These people received big rewards for delivering important information. Rewards... just like bing the next king at such a young age. This was the reason why Lily thought this was Leandro. The Young, naive looking Prince who seemed too inexperienced and dumb for his own good.

    Of course, these spies might think that they are smart and they could outsmart anyone with their cunning minds. However, they fail to see that the puppet master was the one who is always making the call. The rewards and power that the enemy offered blinded these spies. Aside from this, these five people do not necessarily know each other. They had separate goals, separate missions. These people might not even know who is the real puppet master.

    "You think Mr. Neeson or the Organization itself did it?"

    "I think so. I mean... don¡¯t you think it¡¯s weird? The information about Pierre Weber¡¯s activities in the ck market was too easy to find. If he was smart, he would not have used his own people to buy Lead. He would know that it would easily lead everything to him. This... This is just too easy."

    "You think so too?" Zhou Jingren chuckled. As expected of his smart wife. "When I asked my people to investigate, they came back with all the proof almost immediately. Pictures, transaction history. Everything. I mean... this is Europe. This is not my turf. I could understand if this is Japan or Asia... but this is on the other side of the world."

    Lily smiled at Zhou Jingren¡¯s awareness. What she liked about this man is the fact that he never overestimated his strength. He knows that he was not the strongest. He knows that he was not the smartest or the richest. He knows that he is not a god. With all the achievements that Zhou Jingren had, his foot was still on the ground. What Lily doesn¡¯t know is the fact that her mere presence was the only thing that is keeping her man grounded.

    "Well... The Duke already agreed to keep everything a secret." Zhou Jingren said. "Also... I already prepared everything for the trip to Sweden. We will leave as soon as you get what you need."

    "Then?"

    "Then... we hide." Zhou Jingren said. "You are on your third trimester. You cannot keep on walking around and dealing with enemies."

    Lily stared at him. Does it really have to be this way? Does she really need to give birth inside a bunker? A sigh escaped her lips. Of course... if she wanted to keep her baby safe, then she needed to be as careful as she could. "Does anyone know about this?"

    Zhou Jingren shook his head. "You, Me, Bei Tian, and Yuanfeng... Also... for the Doctor... I am bringing one family doctor with us. The Duke said there will be no need to bring any medical equipment as the bunker hadplete ess to everything. "

    "That is good." Lily forced a smile. Her baby¡¯s safety is still the top priority. Since they alreadypleted the arrangement, Lily and Zhou Jingren proceeded to talk about their n with the Duke. "He is willing to leave his throne?" This was not a question. The Duke already told them repeatedly that he is willing to leave the throne. He is willing to stir up the waters to catch some fish.

    This is a risky n to flush out the traitors and make the enemies panic. However, Lily was confident that they would be able to pull this off. She was sure that this will rattle the enemies into changing their ns to adapt to the situation.

    "And Mika?" Lily asked.

    "Someone will inject her with a drug tonight. This will make her sick, cough, and cold. Therefore, the Duke would have reasons to believe that she was infected with something. As royalty, she would be taken to a safe facility along with her children and she wouldn¡¯t be able to attend her sister and brother¡¯s birthday. This would keep her safe... in case Pierre was really nning on killing her."

    "Then that is good. That is good." These are safety measures. Since Lily could not really read minds, she decided to tell the Duke all possible scenarios that could possibly make Pierre the victim. Lily already knew that Pierre was a man of focus. He would not even think about using his family to have an edge, to make himself look like the victim, the bullied. Then he would turn the situation and make the Duke or the current government the enemies.

    Pierre¡¯s technique could have made him the winner in this game. Too bad... Lily is here.

    Mass release tomorrow! Please don¡¯t forget to vote.

    I know, I already mentioned this on discord but I will repeat it here. There will be a time skip of 6 months.

 Chapter 851 Plan

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 851 n</h4>

    Chapter 851 n

    After a few hours, Madam Luo was dered dead. The older woman died in the arms of her grandson, smiling. While this was enough to make everyone sad, Lily and Zhou Jingren, even ude knew that her death was the best oue that they could possibly have. Madam Luo¡¯s remains were immediately cremated and were given to her grandson, who chose to stay inside the pce for his own safety.

    Since not many people knew that Madam Luo and ude stayed in the pce, the Duke told Leandro and the others that the old madam died in Belgium. And that ude wanted to spend some time to mourn alone.

    Days passed.

    Today, the twins will turn twenty-four. And just like every birthday celebrant, Eliza was ecstatic. She knew that the topic of marriage would soon arise in this dinner. And she was excited to see Harringfort¡¯s reaction.

    "What do you think?" Eliza beamed as she asked Lily about her ne. "This is something that my maternal grandfather just gave me when he arrived. It belongs to myte grandmother. He said this is a family heirloom." She clutched the penta star pendant. "This is handcrafted by my great great great great grandfather and is made of one of the oldest diamonds in the world."

    Lily raised an eyebrow at the interesting fact. She smiled. "Happy Birthday. The ne is exquisite. Something that suits you very well."

    Eliza smiled and walked towards Lily¡¯s mirror. She looked at the ne for the umpteenth time. Seeing this, a mysterious glint shed in Lily¡¯s eyes before she stood next to Eliza and gave her a small box. "Our gift. It¡¯s small. I hope you won¡¯t mind." The box was only as big as Lily¡¯s palm.

    "Thank you! I know I will love it." She said as she opened the box. Her eyes immediately widened at the key. "What is this?"

    "A small vacation house in the Caribbean. I know how you love¡ª " Before she could finish her words, Eliza already pulled her for a hug.

    "Stomach..." Lily managed to say. "My stomach."

    "Oh! My!" Eliza covered her mouth with her hand. "I¡¯m sorry... I¡¯m sorry!"

    "It¡¯s fine."

    Eliza immediately thanked Lily for the gift. Lily knew how much she loves the outdoors. "I will treasure this gift forever." She started beaming.

    "So... Mr. Neeson will attend the dinner tonight?" Lily asked as she fixed her dress.

    "He is always here for our birthday."

    "And... your fiance?" Lily asked.

    "I..." Eliza immediately avoided Lily¡¯s gaze. Guilt shed in her eyes. For some reason, the fact that she is using Lily as an inspiration is making her guilty. Was it because... she didn¡¯t let Lily know about her ns? "I am actually here because I wanted to inform you about something important." She cleared her throat and slowly pulled Lily towards the couch.

    "Did something happen?"

    "I¡ª I decided not to cancel my engagement." Eliza responded. "But... But... for some reason, I think you already know that."

    Lily stopped herself fromughing at thetter¡¯s reactions. "Why would you think that?"

    "I don¡¯t know." She shrugged. She always thought that Lily¡¯s eyes could read people. And she is brilliant. She was the exact opposite of her.

    "This is weird." Lily said. Why does it sound like Eliza is asking her permission like... she was her mother? Lily wanted tough, but she knew it would only make Eliza think she was making fun of her. "If you really love him then... what¡¯s stopping you?"

    "I¡ª I ... oh my god... this is a misunderstanding. I don¡¯t even like him." Lily must have thought that she is marrying him because she is actually hiding some feelings for him! Eliza immediately started exining. "I decided that I will abandon the Royalty just like your grandfather did!"

    "I¡¯m sorry?"

    "You heard me right! I will leave the royal family!"

    Lily stared at Eliza in disbelief. So what does this have to do with the marriage? As if sensing the questions in Lily¡¯s mind, Eliza continued.

    "At first, I will follow my father¡¯s words, then divorce him! Then... out of embarrassment, I will dere that I no longer wanted to be a princess and will travel the world to atone for my failed marriage!"

    Lily blinked. Then... she blinked again. Seeing the certainty in Eliza¡¯s eyes, Lily finally nodded and smiled. "Is that... Is that your n?"

    Eliza nodded with a huge smile on her face. This is the only way that she could think of to get out of the responsibilities that she currently has. She could use her broken heart as an excuse to stop working for her family. She was sure that her savings would be enough tost her a lifetime! She could buy a cabin in the mountains and spend her life camping somewhere! She could stay in the house that Lily gifted and try fishing and surfing and maybe even paint the sunset!

    She had a chance to be happy! All she needed to do is marry that man first!

    "I think this is the only excuse that I could use to avoid issues. I don¡¯t want to drag my family into this." Eliza added.

    "Did you tell anyone about this?"

    She shook her head in response. "No. I was a little hesitant to tell mother about this. I tried talking to Levi, but we ended up talking aboutputer games instead. So... the only person who knows my n is you and me."

    Lily nodded. A sh of understanding can be seen in her eyes. "If that¡¯s what you want... then... you have my support. I would be thrilled to help you out if you need a job."

    "You would?"

    "Of course."

    "Thank you... that is wonderful!" Eliza beamed as tears started pooling in her eyes. This... this is by far the best gift that she received today! However, Lily was actually thinking about Levi right now. Since Leandro is considered corrupted... then who will be the next Duke? Mika is alsopromised. And since Eliza is nning to leave... that would make Levi that only one that would inherit the seat.

    Grand Duke Levi....

    1/5

 Chapter 852 Dog

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 852 Dog</h4>

    Chapter 852 Dog

    It did not take too long for Lily and Eliza to finish their conversation and go to the hall to attend the dinner with everyone else. Lily came with Eliza while Zhou Jingren and the Duke arrived together. Everything about the dinner was perfect, except Mika was not able to join them as she was currently sick. And so was her children.

    This made Pierre fumed with pure rage. Did the Duke figure out his n after all? No, it was not the Duke. It should be Lily! In his mind, only Lily and that husband of hers was capable of doing this! With the current n hindered because of Mika¡¯s absence, Pierre was left angry, confused with no back up n.

    That n was already the ¡¯backup¡¯ n he was forced to use because of Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s appearance. However, now that his wife is no longer avable for the n, he is left with nothing. Not an idea or any resources that he could use against the Duke! He gritted his teeth as he watched the vast cake that Leandro and The Knight Commander was holding as they marched towards Eliza and Levi. If only he could poison himself in this party, then he would have!

    Pierre had no problems sacrificing himself for something that he believed in. He frowned as everyone started singing The ¡¯Happy Birthday¡¯ song in the air only made him more and more irritated. He sighed inwardly before he felt that someone was staring at him. He turned to his right, and as expected, Lily was smiling on his way.

    ¡¯Just what is wrong with this woman?¡¯ he closed his eyes and bit his tongue to stop himself fromshing out at Lily. He knew thatshing out would make him look bad. He could not afford this. Not in front of Mr. Neeson and His Highness Harringfort and some other essential individuals. While this was not as big as the previous banquet, Pierre still did not dare show his real colours.

    Endure.

    He could only endure right now.

    Finally, the song ended. Levi and Eliza immediately went forward to blow the cake and soon after, everyone¡¯s apuse echoed inside the hall. The atmosphere was light, the sound of jazz in the background lingered as they started eating. The food was, of course, chosen explicitly by the twins. This was their birthday after all, and the Duke believed that they should have the right to select the type of food for the banquet.

    Of course, the atmosphere only made Pierre feel worse. This was supposed to be the night... the beginning of the end of this Grand Ducal. How did it be like this? He held the ss of wine tighter before he drank it in one go. He then asked the attendant to give him another ss.

    "Don¡¯t you think... you already had a lot of wine?" Leandro, who stood next to him said. Everyone around them was happily talking and joking around, while Pierre was drowning himself with alcohol. As the Crowned Prince Leandro felt obligated to stop this man from ruining his siblings¡¯ birthday.

    "Hmp!" Pierre said before downing another ss of wine. "I am fine. This is not enough to affect me."What could a mere red wine do? To a person who loves his whiskey, this is nothing! Pierre sneered as he watched Lilyugh while talking to Eliza and Levi.

    How could sheugh after ruining his ns? Was she mocking him? She must be unting her win right now! In Pierre¡¯s mind, Lily was provoking him!

    "Whatever it is that is in your mind.... You... you should stop it." Leandro said. "They are not people that you wanted to offend."

    "Coward!" In his eyes, Leandro is nothing but a coward who is afraid of confrontations. He is weak, dumb and easily manipted. This man... is the kind of man that would first run away if their friends were stabbed. The cowardly type that would pretend they hated arguments and fight, so they have reason to leave their friend behind! "Leave me alone!" Disgust glinted in Pierre¡¯s eyes.

    "Earl Weber... you must have forgotten¡ª "

    "Dog!" Pierre said. He was already in a terrible mood, and this man dared to remind him his status? "Aren¡¯t you only your father¡¯s dog?" Pierre raised an eyebrow as if challenging him to refute his words. "You always follow whatever he tells you to do. You are his dog! Now... now... be a good dog and stand next to your father."

    A sigh escaped Leandro¡¯s lips. "It seems that my sister getting sick is affecting your mental health. Don¡¯t worry, we are doing our best to keep her safe. I believe it is time for you to go home now. I will ask the guards to escort you."

    "And if I say no?"

    "Earl Weber this is not the right time to act like this. It is my siblings¡¯ birthday. I am sure my sister, your beloved wife would appreciate it if you leave now and rest in your castle." He forced a smile out of his lips. "We don¡¯t want to anger the Duke right now." He said calmly. As someone who is almost always around his father, Leandro sensed that his father is angry about something.

    He tried to ask him about it and even assured his father that he would support him no matter what. However, thetter refused to talk and would only say that he was worried about the country. Leandro thought that the reason his father was worried was because of Lily and Qin Yuanfeng. However, this is only his assumption. "I will ask the guards to escort you¡ª " And that¡¯s when Leandro noticed the increase in security inside the hall.

    He turned silent and roamed his eyes around him. Every meter stood one guard wearing their military uniform. While they don¡¯t have guns, he knew that these people were a part of his father¡¯s personal trained guard that were experts inbat and silent killing. He frowned as his gaze turned towards his father. Something is wrong.

    2/5

 Chapter 853 Heart Attack

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 853 Heart Attack</h4>

    Chapter 853 Heart Attack

    Just as he was about to go and talk to his father about it, the Duke called everyone¡¯s attention by using his winess and a fork. He beamed while looking at Eliza and Levi. "Happy Birthday to both of you." He said. He then started to eye the people inside the room.

    For a few seconds, the Duke stared at his wife and smiled before looking at everyone else in the room. "Tonight... I have an announcement to make." The Duke said as his gaze met his father inw¡¯s eyes. "For two decades, I have served this country with everything that I have." He started walking. "And I know... this is not the right time for this. But... I think two decades is enough. I believe I have done my very best to help this country. And now... it is time for me to move on."

    Gasps immediately echoed inside the room. Even Mr. Neeson, who was calmly sitting next to his daughter, was surprised for a few seconds. With the organisation¡¯s resources, Mr. Neeson is aware that The Duke is already aware of the poisoning. Was that the reason he decided to leave? Did he me the poisoning on his ipetence?

    Mr. Neeson looked at his daughter, who was equally surprised then towards Leandro, who was standing next to Pierre. Mr. Neeson¡¯s eyes shone with an unfathomable expression. Does this mean... after tonight, Leandro would be the new Grand Duke?

    Excitement filled his eyes as he continued to listen to the Duke¡¯s words. "I know... this should be the night dedicated for my twins. However, with the current situation... I am unable to do my duties anymore." He lowered his head and eyed the Duchess who was already crying. "From today onwards, I am no longer the Grand Duke in this country. The position will go to my eldest son, Prince Leandro Nassae." He raised his ss before downing its contents. Then he smiled at the silent crowd.

    "Father... Father I¡ª " Leandro walked towards him, his eyes beaming with joy. He gave his father a long hug. "How could you do this?"

    "This is not the time for conversation." The Grand Duke shook his head. "I want you to know that I am proud of you. I know you will be a great Grand Duke. I wish you all the best." He tapped his son¡¯s shoulders before he looked at the silent crowd. "Everyone... the new Grand Duke of Luxembourg. Grand Duke Leandro Nassae."

    These words seemed to awoke everyone from their stupor as they started pping. Surprised, shocked, horror and some were speechless. However, everyone inside the hall masked their emotions and pped their hands as if they were truly pleased by the surprising turn of events.

    The Grand Duke walked towards his wife, smiling as relief flowed to his eyes. However, after two steps, the smile on his face vanished. It was reced with a scowl. He clutched his chest as his face contorted.

    "Phil?" The Duchess was the first one who ran towards the Duke. "Phil? What¡ª what is happening? Are you alright?"

    "I¡ª "The Duke let out a sharp breath. "I... " His face turned pale, beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he met his wife¡¯s eyes. "I think¡ª "

    "Someone call the doctor!" The Duchess immediately held her husband¡¯s body. However, how could a woman support a fully grown six-foot tall man? The two soon copsed on the floor. This however, made everyone act. The knightmander immediately ran to get a doctor while Leandro and Levi helped their father up.

    "Let him sit! He is having a heart attack!" Mr. Neeson said.

    "What? How could that be?" Eliza paled. Her father does not have heart problems. Or at least... not that she was aware of. "Mother what is going on?"

    However, how could the Duchess have the time to answer her? The Duchess was already a mess. Large streaks of her ruined mascara can be seen in the Duchess¡¯ face as she clutched her husband¡¯s hands. Her shoulders shook, lips trembling as she uttered some prayers.

    "Mother..."

    "That¡¯s not a heart attack." Lily¡¯s cold voice echoed, interrupting the panic inside the hall. Everyone immediately turned their heads towards Lily, waiting for her to exin her words. "Look at his lips. There are some signs of burning. It¡¯s poison."

    Another round of gasps escaped everyone¡¯s lips.

    "Who would dare poison my father?" Leandro frowned. "What can we do about it? I¡ª Are we going to make him vomit?" he watched as Lily approached the Duke. Zhou Jingren, Qin Yuanfeng with Secretary Go followed him. No one even noticed that the trio seemed to have formed a triangle around Lily, protecting her from a surprise attack.

    "Is he allergic to something?" Lily asked as he sat next to the Duke.

    "No, he is not!" The Duchess said. "He is very healthy."

    Frowning, Lily examined the Duke who was already struggling to breathe. "Where is the doctor?" she asked before she turned towards Leandro. "Didn¡¯t you have military training? Shouldn¡¯t you know first aid? Why are you still standing there! Take a look at your father!"

    "I¡ª I¡ª "

    "How dare you speak like that to the King!?" Pierre¡¯s voice made everyone pause. They shifted their gazes towards Pierre. "He is the new king! You don¡¯t disrespect our Grand Duke like that!" Pierre added as he walked next to Leandro.

    "So... he is going to allow his father to die just like this?" Lily countered. "Is that it?" She shifted her gaze towards Leandro. "You will be so petty to think about the disrespect and just stand there like a statue instead of helping your father?"

    For a few seconds, Leandro paused as he processed Lily¡¯s words. He was the new Grand Duke, how could she look down on him like this? Pierre was actually right. He was the new Grand Duke! How could Lily just order him around like a fucking servant?

    "How dare you talk to me like that!?" Leandro said in a voice that even his wife never heard before.

 Chapter 854 Arrest her!

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 854 Arrest her!</h4>

    Chapter 854 Arrest her!

    Unedited

    Lily scoffed when she heard the change in Leandro¡¯s voice. She then remembered a quote that she read before. To judge a man¡¯s character, give him power. She found it funny, how the usually calm Leandro immediately got blinded with the power that he got not even ten minutes ago.

    "Are you trying to tell the Duke that you have more authority than him?" Pierre chimed in. How could he miss the opportunity to add fuel to the fire? When Pierre saw that Leandro¡¯s face changed, he immediately pointed at Lily. "Why are you even there? You are not a doctor! Don¡¯t touch the Duke! Are you there to make sure he is dead?"

    Leandro immediately widened his eyes. The Duke¡¯s death could mean that his position as the new Grand Duke is already sealed. However, this might not be good news for Lily and Qin Yuanfeng. He gulped as an idea slowly sprouted in his mind. Was it possible that Lily was waiting for the Duke to name her brother as the new Grand Duke? Was that the reason they were here?

    After all, his father is pretty young. How could he just leave his seat after two decades of being the Grand Duke? Was it possible that instead of naming Qin Yuanfeng, his father, named him instead? However, because of his pent up sadness and anger towards Lily, he had a heart attack the moment he started moving.

    Leandro¡¯s mind started swirling with ideas. As the Grand Duke, he has the right to think about things that could possibly affect their kingdom! "Are you... Did you do this?" He directly asked Lily. "Did you try and kill him?

    Another thing that he thought of was the fact that his father fell right after he announced him as the next Grand Duke. Was it possible that Lily had already poisoned him before? "The ss!" He looked at the wine ss that his father used. "The poison must have been there!"

    However, his words were interrupted when the Knightmander arrived with two doctors. Everyone immediately gave way and allowed the doctor to examine the Duke.

    "This... we need to get him out of here." The tall doctor said. A few other medical personnel arrived with a stretcher and immediately put the Duke on it. They immediately carried the Duke out of the hall. However, when Lily and the others were about to follow them, Leandro¡¯s voice echoed.

    "Where do you think you¡¯re going?"

    Lily and everyone else looked at him before Lily spoke, "I want to¡ª "

    "You and your people will stay here. You are the prime suspect of poisoning the Duke as you have the motive and the means to do so! You!" He pointed at the guards. "Stay here with everyone else."

    "What a dumb ass," Lily said.

    "What did you say to my husband?" Leandro¡¯s wife stood next to her husband. "As the new Duchess... I could have you detained and prosecuted for calling the new Grand Duke dumb!"

    Lily ignored their words and she continued walking towards the exit. However, this time, it was the knightmander who stood in front of them. "No one is allowed to leave this ce until we make sure that the one who poisoned the previous Grand Duke was not here."

    "You only said... he was poisoned because my wife said so." Zhou Jingren said. "She is not an expert in medicine nor went through medical training. Why would you say that the Duke was poisoned without confirmation?"

    As expected, his words rendered everyone speechless. "But... But the signs."

    "Were showing a heart attack," Lily smirked at Leandro, she lifted her chin as she gave him a challenging gaze. "Instead of worrying for your father... you are here... talking about respecting you. What an eye-opener."

    "You¡ª "

    "What? Are you going to have me executed?" Lily interrupted Leandro. She looked at the Duchess who was standing in a daze, trembling. "Look at your mother. She is trembling and you are so concerned about respect? Are you really his son? Do you think a man like you is fit to rule a country?" Her sharp gaze then turned towards Pierre. "Funny how you immediately pointed out my words that were meant to help the king when you can see that he was dying. Are you trying to buy time so we won¡¯t have the time to help him survive?"

    Pierre gritted his teeth. However, the thought that he could use this opportunity to turn things around immediately made him calm. "I am only telling the truth! You have been disrespecting people since you arrived in this country. You also disrespected me and my wife as well as the previous Duke and Duchess! Is it because you are rted to the Prince of this country because he fell in love with a merchant?" His words surprised a lot of people in the room who were not aware of the real situation. Seeing this, Pierre smiled. "That¡¯s right... this woman and her brother should be the one enjoying the royal treatment right now. However, since her grandfather renounced the throne, these two are here now, trying to take it back from the Duke."

    Lily only smirked in response. She watched as everyone stared at them with disgust. As expected, it is always right to stir the water to catch the fish.

    "I suggest we detain them!" Pierre added.

    "We should!" the new Duchess proimed. However, Lily just stood there watching everyone¡¯s reaction. Seeing her calm expression, Leandro frowned. How could Lily be so calm in a situation like this? She was in a foreign soil disrespecting the royalty. This is a sin that is punishable by death!

    Something is wrong!

    Leandro stared at Zhou Jingren, Qin Yuanfeng, and Secretary Go who were surrounding Lily, keeping her safe. Since they arrived, the trio had been in this formation. It might not be too obvious earlier when they were panicking, but now... he could clearly see that they were trying to protect Lily.

    "Arrest her!" Leandro suddenly said. He is going to test the suspicion that he had. However.... How could the Grand Duke¡¯s loyal guards that were personally trained by him, follow something so absurd? Grand Duke Phil already told them not to do anything tonight. No matter what happens, they were supposed to watch and listen. No movement, unless the Duke himself will say so.

 Chapter 855 Rebel

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 855 Rebel</h4>

    Chapter 855 Rebel

    unedited

    "You!" Finally, the Knightmander reacted. He pointed his hand at the guards. "Are you trying to rebel?" Gasps and whispers can be heard inside the hall. Just what is going on here? Many of the invited ministers and even the prime minister himself decided to just stand at the side. With the Grand Duke falling sick without the proper session ceremony, everything is still uncertain.

    In their minds, joining in the chaos would only mean that they pick their sides, ruining their chances with the one that the prince deemed as the enemy. The ministers would have easily defended the Prince, if Lily and Zhou Jingren aren¡¯t that influential themselves. These two are not only influential, they also have ties all over the world! The ministers decided to be smart and just watch the show instead.

    "Arrest her!" Leandro¡¯s face turned dark as he repeated his words. "I am the new Duke! Are you trying to rebel against me?" He looked at the knightmander. "You! Arrest that woman!" The knightmander did not hesitate as he walked towards Lily. But, before he could even touch her clothes, the sharp de of a short dagger was already on his neck. He shivered at the cold de, pressing against his skin. He eyed Zhou Jingren¡¯s secretary who was silently standing next to him.

    Too quick! He didn¡¯t even notice him approaching! Just who are these people?

    "Touch her...and you die." Zhou Jingren said, his voice was not loud, yet it was enough to reach Leandro¡¯s ears. His gaze was, of course, glued at the ¡¯New¡¯ Grand Duke.

    "You think you can still leave this country after offending the new Duke?" The ¡¯New¡¯ Duchess sneered. "Keep dreaming!"

    "Mr. And Mrs. Zhou, I suggest you stop this now. You are trying to rebel to our new Duke. If you keep on¡ª "

    "Disappointing." Grand Duke¡¯s Phil voice interrupted the knightmander. He immediately froze as he turned his head towards the man, walking towards them.

    "Father!" Leandro immediately walked towards his father. The anger that he showed earlier vanished as he asked, "Howe you are here?"

    Duke Phil looked at his son before he sneered and walked passed him. "I am disappointed." He uttered. As he walked towards his wife, who was sitting on the chair, whose face looked like a sheet of paper as she stared at the wall, still in a daze. "Esther?" He called out and kissed his wife¡¯s temple, silently asking her to forgive him for what he did. However, his wife didn¡¯t move nor acknowledged him. This made the Duke¡¯s face darken.

    This was the only unexpected oue of their scheme. His pitiful wife. He let out a sigh as he turned towards his son. "I am fine. In case... anyone of you wanted to ask." His voice interrupted the silence that nketed the whole room. He then turned towards Lily. "I guess you were right." A sad smile slithered on his face. To judge a man¡¯s character... I must not only give him power. I should also see how he uses this when he is under pressure. After all, it is hard to make decisions once our emotions are high. Though... I must say that I feel a little bit of regret and pain. Knowing the truth... is heartbreaking."

    "Father... what are you talking about?" Leandro immediately asked.

    "Ask yourself... Leandro. Do you think... Something is wrong?"

    "I¡ª " he stuttered. He already knew that something was wrong earlier. However, he still let his emotions dictate his actions. "I don¡¯t understand... I thought something happened to you."

    "You said that I am fine?"

    "No! That¡¯s not it." Leandro shook his head as if his life depended on it. "Why would I be happy?"

    "I was gone for what? Fifteen minutes and your tone had changed, the way you stood changed even the way you speak changed." The Dukeughed. "I remember... when I became the Duke... I was so nervous about making mistakes that sometimes??? I stutter."

    "Father you¡ª "

    "Leandro... I am fine. I am feeling wonderful. The only thing that bothers me was when the doctor checked me this time... they actually found some traces of lead in my blood." His gaze turned towards Pierre¡¯s ashen face. "Someone is indeed trying to poison me."

    "Then... I am right!"Leandro said. However, his father¡¯s next words made him frown.

    "And it was not Lily nor her brother. In fact... everyone of the Royal family had been poisoned. Including you... your wife... your mother, your sister and her husband." Slowly his gaze darted towards the knightmander. "Including him." Even mentioning his friend¡¯s name had be so difficult for the Duke.

    "What are you talking about?" Both Eliza and Levi asked. The twins stood next to their mother. "What poison? Lead? How could we have Lead inside all of us? Don¡¯t we have something that could detect such things?" Eliza continued as she looked at Lily. "What is going on here?"

    Lily only pursed her lips in response. Seeing this, the Duke immediately continued talking. "Of course... they always checked out food. But... these poisons were given by the people that we trusted. Like... Leandro¡¯s wife... or ... or the knightmander."

    *THUD*

    The loud sound of Leandro¡¯s wife falling on her knees interrupted the Duke. She kneeled, tears streaming down her face. "Your highness! I was forced! I was forced by Mr. Weber... please forgive me! Please.... They ckmailed me into giving the poison to the prince and me. Please... your highness... spare me!" With her words, another chaos ensued as The Prince tried to pull his wife up, trying to ask her to borate. While the twins were asking their father and Lily what was going on.

    Meanwhile, Harringfort and Mr. Neeson only stood on the sides, watching as the show unfolded. Watching Lily in action is really something! The two eyed each other, a silent agreement immediately formed between the them. Tonight... they would do nothing but watch Lily give them a great show.

    Thank you for reading. Heheheh...

    5/5

 Chapter 856 A Hurricane

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 856 A Hurricane</h4>

    Chapter 856 A Hurricane

    Slowly, the scene in front of Lily started to get chaotic. Leandro and his wife had been shouting and crying with one another, while Pierre was trying to escape the hands of two guards that had pinned him to the floor. Eliza and Levi had also joined in on the chaos as they asked questions upon questions to the Grand Duke. The guards on the other hand, stood on every exit, trying to stop anyone from leaving the hall.

    Lily on the other hand just took a seat with a serene expression. She eyed the Duke who was trying to exin some details to the twins. Then her eyes darted towards Mr. Neeson and Harringfort who were the most carefree people inside the hall. The two were standing in a rxed manner with a tinge of amusement apparent in their eyes as they watched the chaos unfold in front of them.

    "You¡ª This is your fault!" Unable to step an inch towards Lily, the Knightmander that was still under the mercy of Secretary Go stared daggers at Lily. Since this woman had arrived in this country, their whole pce had been flipped upside down. "Are you doing this so the Duke Phil will name your brother the next Grand Duke?" Seeing Lily only smirk at him, the knightmander gritted his teeth in anger. Lily¡¯s provoking gaze was enough to make him fume with pure rage.

    "Arrest the knightmander, the Duchess¡¯ servant, the Earl and The Crown Prince¡¯ wife." Duke Phil¡¯s words echoed inside the hall.

    "Father¡ª you can¡¯t do this without solid proof!"

    The Duke turned towards the stupid Leandro. He clicked his tongue. "You disappoint me. I never thought that you were like this."

    "Father..."

    "I have been investigating this matter for days now. I have all the proof that I need. Put them in the prison with the highest security. I have all the evidence. It will be presented to the court court soon."

    "Your highness.... How could you say that we are involved in this matter?" Pierre forced the words out of his mouth. "I don¡¯t remember being tested for Lead! I demand... No it is my right to be tested for Lead! How could you be so sure that we indeed poisoned you? What if the culprit also poisoned us?" Pierre said. He ignored the Grand Duke¡¯s words earlier as he tried to reason his way out of this situation. First, he also had Lead on his body! If they would think using proper logic, there was no way that he was the culprit. After all, he was a victim of lead poisoning as well.

    He deliberately consumed small amounts of Lead to make sure that these people would not use him! Pierre¡¯s gaze turned towards Lily. "This usation only started when Lily arrived! Why is that?" He started mumbling and soon enough, started using Lily of ying everyone and letting them believe that they were poisoned.

    Slowly, Pierre¡¯s words be unrecognizable.

    When the Grand Duke heard this, he only shook his head. "I have secretly investigated everyone in the Royal Family. It is futile to struggle now Pierre. I have records of your men, buying Lead in the ck market. You must have thought there was no way to trace you once you use one of your servants and kill them directly after they give you the lead. You have underestimated the technology of this world." A sighed escaped his lips. "The only people that did not consume lead were Levi and Eliza. Only because they were frequent travellers and Mr. Weber here was not able to nt spies near them. Of course... that might also be because someone was nning to frame them for poisoning everyone for the seat of Grand Duke.

    The Duke¡¯s gaze turned serious. "Which is very reasonable. Lead wouldpromise fertility. If the next one in the seat has Lead in their system, it would be possible that they won¡¯t have children. If that happens, who will inherit the throne?"

    "But... but your highness!" The knightmander called out. "What does this have to do with me? If this is all Pierre Weber¡¯s n, then.... Why does it include me? You know how I hated the bastard! Moreover... we grew up together! You know how much we have gone through together! I would never dare to betray you!"

    "You didn¡¯t betray me." The king met his eyes. "You betrayed your country. Our friendship ended the moment you decided to put the first dose of poison in my drink."

    "You highness! I would never do that to you! Please .... You know that I have served you since we were kids. I¡ª"

    "Stop it." The king said. "I found traces of lead on your clothes. And if I asked someone to examine your clothes now... I am sure that they can find some Lead in the sleeves of your suit. After all... we had our final drink just before the party started." He sighed. "Arrest them now."

    The Guards immediately arrested the people that the Duke mentioned including the Pierre Weber who was now screaming words that no one could understand. Seeing this, Lily also stood from her seat. She looked at the Duke. "I will go to my room. Please take your time and exin everything to Mika, Eliza and Levi." Lily eyed the Duchess who was still in daze. "I hope she will be fine soon." Lily uttered.

    She did not wait for the Duke to say something as she walked out of the hall. Meanwhile, the Duke could only stare at the four people¡¯s backs as they walked away from him. Zhou Jingren, Qin Yuanfeng and Secretary Go were still in the same formation while Lily walked in the middle of them. He shook his head silently.

    Lilying in here was akin to a hurricane. Her presence was too strong, it immediately destroyed the already crumbling royalty in one go. However, to the Duke this was not a bad thing. This only means that now, they had a chance to rebuild everything from scratch.

    He eyed Levi as he sighed. He had no time toment about these things as he needed to n to train Levi as soon as possible. After all... he would be the next Grand Duke¡ª the Future of Luxembourg.

    I am aiming for another mass release today! I hope I would be able to write more!

 Chapter 857 Dagger

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 857 Dagger</h4>

    Chapter 857 Dagger

    Unedited.

    Since Duke Phil didn¡¯t actuallyplete the transfer of power, Leandro didn¡¯t be the Grand Duke that night. Confused and angry, he went and tried knocking into Lily¡¯s room, asking for a meeting. However, since two guards were standing outside of their room, immediately stopped him, Leandro resorted to shouting instead of knocking. In the end, the guards had to forcibly pulled him away from the door so he won¡¯t be able to disturb Lily.

    "Let him in." Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice immediately made the two guards let the drunk prince go.

    "Hmph!" Leandro grunted as he tried to stand up. "How dare you hurt me? Do you really think so lowly of me?"

    "They do think so lowly of you." Lily¡¯s voice reached their eyes. "It¡¯s alreadyte. A few minutes passed midnight and you really darede in here while drunk."

    Leandro red at the guards in response as he walked inside the room. He met Zhou Jingren¡¯s cid eyes and continued walking towards the couch near the firece. "I came here to tell you that you won! My father... didn¡¯t leave the throne to me."

    "You are impotent," Lily said calmly. "Because of the Lead. It would be wise to leave the throne to someone who didn¡¯t consume Lead and has healthy cells."

    "You¡ª " Lily¡¯s blunt words hit him directly in the chest. "You ¡ª" He staggered as he felt someone tightly clutched his shoulders, pushing him down to sit on the couch.

    "I would prefer that you sit and stop glowering at my wife. She is pregnant. I don¡¯t want you to scare her. Plus It wasn¡¯t her fault that you were too stupid to know your own wife is poisoning you." Zhou Jingren sat next to Lily.

    "You think¡ª" Leandro didn¡¯t continue his words when he saw Zhou Jingren started wiping a small dagger in his hand. He gulped. "Why¡ª what are you doing?"

    "Oh... don¡¯t mind me." Zhou Jingren said without looking at him. "I have the habit of cleaning my favorite things??? before I sleep."

    "You¡ª "If one would think about it. Some people would really clean their things at night. But this.... Isn¡¯t this too bold? "Are you trying to scare me?" Leandro asked.

    "No." Zhou Jingren made a deliberate pause as he lifted his head and looked at him. "But if you get scared... then that¡¯s not my fault anymore."

    "Then... whose fault is that?"

    "The knife." Zhou Jingren¡¯s nonchnce almost made him vomit all the alcohol that he drank tonight. He opened his mouth to rebut but ended up closing it again. He looked at Lily who seemed so amused she was giggling. What kind of pregnant woman would giggle in a situation like this? However, when he remembered Lily¡¯s reaction when Secretary Go put a dagger in the Knight Commander¡¯s neck, he immediately concluded that this woman is used to violence!

    "Why are you here?" Lily asked.

    "To ask you something."

    Lily raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to ask me if I was the one who poisoned you? The answer is no. You can go now." She smiled.

    "No! That¡¯s not it." He hissed. "My father said... It¡¯s not about the Lead or my sperm count. Tell me... you are supposed to be smart and cunning. Why don¡¯t I deserve to be the next Grand Duke?" In his mind, he was actually the victim. He was poisoned by the love of his life. He might not be able to have a child. And now... and now.... His father just asked him to relinquish his ims to the throne peacefully.

    "You really don¡¯t know?" Zhou Jingren scoffed. "Are you that oblivious?"

    Leandro ignored the provocation in Zhou Jingren¡¯s voice. He stared at Lily¡¯s face. "Why? Did you help Levi be the new Grand Duke because... because you and Eliza were close? I am more intelligent than my brother. I was in the military. Growing up, everything that I did was for the benefit of the country! I never yed video games or partied whenever I visited a country to avoid scandals! My grades are all straight A¡¯s! I graduated top of my ss and all of my extracurricrs were purposely chosen so it would help me gain experience to manage a country."

    Leandro was proud of his achievements. Growing up, everything that he did was something that could benefit his future leadership skills! So why would his father tell him, the position is not for him? After all the sacrifices that he did? Why?

    "I never finished college... At least not legally. My grades are not straight A¡¯s. I can¡¯t cook nor drive. I don¡¯t have extracurricrs and I didn¡¯t grow up privilege." Lily smiled. "However, now I am managing a multi-billion dorpany that is located in every corner of the world. I am employing thousands of people worldwide."

    Leandro didn¡¯t say anything. Unable to understand the meaning of Lily¡¯s words, he immediately thought that she was bragging about her money.

    "Did you just think that I was bragging?" the smile on Lily¡¯s face grew wider. "If you did... then you missed the first part of my words. And that is the reason why you were not someone suited to rule a country."

    "He¡¯s helpless." Zhou Jingren chimed in. "He must have thought you are bragging about your money."He chuckled and looked at Leandro. "Your highness... we don¡¯t need to brag. You can look it up online."

    Leandro wanted to rebut but in the end, he decided to stay quiet and think about Lily¡¯s words. "If you didn¡¯t have the proper education... then how did you manage to grow Fi Group in such a short time?"

    Lilyughed. "I am not telling you. Why would I tell you my secret? But... to give you another example. Zhou Jingren grew up in the orphanage then on the streets. Yet now he is managing a bank that is about to be big in Europe. Why do you think he was capable of doing that despite not having the degree or the merits that other people in the banking industry have?"

 Chapter 858 Loose Ends

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 858 Loose Ends</h4>

    Chapter 858 Loose Ends

    Unedited

    Meanwhile, the Duke sighed after he finished everything inside the bottle of wine in his hand. He stared at the Duchess who was currently sleeping soundly in their bed. ording to the doctor she might have been too scared earlier. She will be undergoing a series of therapy soon. "Will she be alright?" He asked.

    "Hmmm. My daughter is stronger than you think. She will be fine." Mr. Neeson who stood next to him said. "That was a risky n. You not only hurt my daughter but also your eldest."

    "I wanted to see him in action." The Duke answered without batting an eye. "He is not fit to be the next Grand Duke. As you can see Pierre¡¯s provocative words immediately got into his head." A sighed followed his words. "I ¡ª I know he will hate me. But that is needed for the future of the country."

    Mr. Neeson only pursed his lips in response. Of course, he knew that it was all Lily¡¯s n. However, he still felt disappointed that his n to make Leandro the Grand Duke as soon as possible is not happening anytime soon. "I understand." He said after a few minutes of silence. "That is indeed needed. He needed a wake-up call."

    "He grew up believing he would be the next Grand Duke. It must have gotten into his head. He ... He had be blind."

    "I understand." Mr. Neeson nodded. Leandro¡¯s incapability to decide without letting his emotions dictate him will be the downfall of this country. Maybe not the downfall but... it would turn the progress of this country stagnant. "I heard that you are nning to use this opportunity to make Luxembourg the new finance center in Europe? You are opening the market to Chinese banks? Isn¡¯t that too risky?"

    Saying nothing, the Duke just shook his head. Mr. Neeson is standing next to her daughter and yet, he started talking about something that has nothing to do with her daughter. "That is a topic for another day."

    Nodding his head, the older man looked at The Duke. How did the previous Grand Duke raise someone like Phil? Clearly, Phil¡¯s capability to lead the country was top-notch. This man single-handedly brought Luxembourg to where they are now. He is not only brilliant but his interpersonal skills are extremely good too. His only downfall is he is too trusting.

    Too bad, Mr. Neeson thought. If Phil was someone like Lily who would always get suspicious of people, Mr. Neeson would have easily recruited this man to stand next to him and might even inherit his seat in the future. He sighed inwardly.

    The details of his original n came swirling in her mind. First, he wanted Leandro to take the Grand Ducal seat. Then he would help Leandro in the shadows to deal with Pierre and the other spies. It would have made Leandro look more capable and wise while he would owe his own grandfather for helping him out. Because of this... it would be easier for Mr. Neeson to ¡¯influence¡¯ the new Duke¡¯s decision.

    Controlling the richest country in Europe would have been a big feat for Mr. Neeson. Too bad.... Just too bad Lily intervened.

    However, this does not mean he hated Lily. In fact, he kinda liked her. Lily¡¯s capabilities surely outshine most people her age. That is indeed something that they could use in the future. The thought of Lily traveling around manipting people into doing their bidding immediately made him smile.

    A woman who would put her own self above morals to achieve her goals is not really rare. However, most of them are easily hated by people. However, Lily is different. Mr. Neeson saw how Eliza and now Levi were very thankful to Lily. Even the Duke must have been grateful to her ns. This meant that the whole Royal family of the richest country in Europe felt that they owe their lives to Lily and Zhou Jingren.

    To Mr. Neeson.... That means one thing. Lily could easily make them do her bidding¡ª she could easily control them and thus control this country. This would be beneficial not only to Lily but also to Zhou Jingren. After all, he was the one who acted as the muscle while Lily was the brain.

    "Where are you going?" The Duke asked when Mr. Neeson started walking towards the door.

    "It is prettyte. I will rest ande back here tomorrow." He said without sparing the Duke another nce. He then went out of the room and silently closed the door behind him. Now that his initial n about controlling the richest country in Europe failed, he needed a new one for him to have the same status as Lord Naru.

    However, Mr. Neeson is actually not in a hurry. Even if his initial n failed, there are still other things that he could do¡ª Like talking to Lily. By now, everyone in the council knew that Lily already had knowledge about them. They can only me this on Harringfort¡¯s incapability to win against Zhou Jingren. This was not supposed to be the right time for them to approach Lily. However, seeing what she did earlier, Mr. Neeson decided to conduct an emergency meeting tonight.

    Someone needed to approach Lily and introduce her to the organization. And since he was here.... He will personally talk to her and try to create a good impression.

    "I already sent people to finish them." Harringfort¡¯s voice didn¡¯t surprise the old man. He already guessed that he was waiting for him somewhere in this pce.

    "Hmmm." He nodded as he continued walking. Before the meeting, he would need to tie some loose ends first. Loose ends that would possibly mention his involvement in the poisoning. Loose ends like the Knight Commander and Pierre Weber. "Do it as soon as possible." He muttered in a low voice.

    In response, the blond man walking next to him nodded and smiled. "As you wish," Harringfort said.

 Chapter 859 Mysterious Ways

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 859 Mysterious Ways</h4>

    Chapter 859 Mysterious Ways

    When the Duke found out that Pierre and the Knight Commander along with all the other traitors had suddenly died. He immediately asked to speak with Zhou Jingren and Lily.

    "What do you mean?" Lily frowned. "Everyone? Like... every single one of them died of poisoning?"

    The Duke nodded, grim-faced. "I don¡¯t know how to tell Leandro and Mika." This was his first concern. He could not imagine telling the two that they had lost their significant other. His previous decision about the Grand Ducal seat had devastated Leandro. The Duke could not even begin to think about what would happen if he was told that his beloved wife has died as well. This is also the case with Mika. The Duke didn¡¯t even have the time to tell her about what happened the other night at the birthday celebration. Now, however...

    Meanwhile, Lily was already frowning. Who would be so bold to kill all the traitors at the same time? Of course, she already knew the answer to her question. However, she had always thought that this organization wanted to be as low key as possible. This action was theplete opposite of low- key!

    Unless... they wanted to warn her.

    "Do you know what is going on? I thought you told me this was all Pierre Weber¡¯s n. This... their death meant someone wanted to silence them. Who could it be?"

    "We have no idea." Zhou Jingren immediately lied. Just like Lily, he already figured out who killed them. However, this does not concern the Duke at all. Zhou Jingren was sure Lily would not want to drag the Duke into this mess. "But the fact that they could easily kill people in a highly secured prison meant they could also kill you anytime. This might be a warning. They want to warn you not to pursue the poisoning anymore."

    The Duke stared at him. He had clearly warned everyone who was in the dinnerst night that this was a highly ssified secret until he sorted everything out. Did this mean he would have to inform everything that he is not pursuing the case anymore? "Their deaths... made the whole situation more and moreplicated."

    "I¡¯m sorry," Lily said.

    "No... please... there is no need to apologize." A sad smile slithered in the Duke¡¯s face. "Its been awhile since the country has experienced something like this. It is time I step up my game and deal with everything to protect my family."

    Lily and Zhou Jingren eyed each other before the trio continued talking about the details of the assassination.

    The moment Lily and Zhou Jingren arrived in their room, a surprise was already waiting for them. It was Yang Mi. Dressed in ck corporate attire, she stood next to Qin Yuanfeng, who was busy with hisptop. "President." She approached Lily. "I am here to deliver the deed of the mansion you wanted to buy."

    "You didn¡¯t have toe here... Yang Mi." Lily said. The current situation was getting more and more dangerous. She would not want to drag other people into this mess. A sigh escaped her lips as her gaze towards Yang Mi turnedplicated. "Thank you. Did Cathy ask you to personally deliver this to me?"

    Yang Mi nodded in response. "She asked me to personally bring this to you."

    "Then... it is good. Cathy must have understood the importance of this transaction for me." Sitting at the couch, Lily opened the folder and read the deed. "When are you leaving?"

    "Tonight." Yang Mi said. "Everything has been going well in thepany. However... We have been really busy." Since it¡¯s January, everyone has been busy making reports and having meetings. In fact, Yang Mi and the others are already working twelve hours per day. Sometimes they even worked on weekends too."

    "Good. That is good." Lily looked at her brother. "What is that?" She eyed theplicated numbers on the screen. "Are you trying to hack into something?"

    "Of course not." Said Yuanfeng as he pressed enter. He then showed Lily some sort of a floor n or a blueprint Lily had never seen before.

    "Wait... isn¡¯t that..."

    "This ce." A victorious smile slithered on Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s face. "They had fortified this ce. Not many types of bullets can actually prate its walls. All windows are all bulletproofed and there is also an underground base... that is connected to a submarine located underground. You know, below this ce. How cool is that?"

    "You hacked into their server?" Zhou Jingren sat next to Qin Yuanfeng.

    "Didn¡¯t you say you were not hacking?"

    "I am not hacking now." Qin Yuanfeng rified. "I am looking at the stuff that I just hacked." He beamed.

    "This is good!"

    "I know!" Qin Yuanfeng immediately got excited at Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. "Knowing the outline of this ce would give us some sort of security in case... in case some people decide to betray us. It is always better to know which walls are weak and which ce is the most secure part of the pce.

    "But isn¡¯t that... too expensive?" Lily frowned.

    It was Zhou Jingren who answered her. "This country has been through a lot. They wanted to secure the Royal family." He said as he thought about the Bunker. Being the richest country in Europe surely had its perks.

    "You know... now that I think about it... I would love to have something like that too!"

    "Eh?" Zhou Jingren and Qin Yuanfeng looked at Lily at the same time.

    "A pce?" Qin Yuanfeng asked.

    "No! A submarine!" Lily beamed. "That is located underground in case someone will suddenly attack my base." Lily then started talking about building an underground secret facility too. Isn¡¯t that what she had originally nned before she met Zhou Jingren?

    Living alone in an underground pce?

    "We will be safe from an attack, Apocalypse, Zombies, and other things. I want it to be self-sustaining with its own greenhouse, a hospital, maybe even a bar! Alright... maybe not a bar. That is not something essential. Alright, maybe some bunk beds for additional people. Is there a way to store energy if we can¡¯t have sr energy? What do you think are we going to use to make it possible? She held her chin as she looked at Zhou Jingren and Qin Yuanfeng, who was also staring at her in awe.

    Lily¡¯s mind really works in mysterious ways.

    Mass Release Tomorrow. 5 Chapters.

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel!

 Chapter 860 Twisted

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 860 Twisted</h4>

    Chapter 860 Twisted

    Unedited

    After a few hours, Yang Mi left Luxembourg to go back to Hong Kong. On the next day, Lily went to Madam Luo¡¯s mansion. Because of the older woman¡¯s words, Lily had been curious about the letter she told her about.

    "Beautiful, right?" Lily said she took her first step inside the twelve bedroom mansion that Madam Luo used to own. Apparently, the eye-catching curved veranda that was surrounded by huge columns on the second floor of the house is not the only thing that gave the mansion a majestic vibe. In fact, this was nothingpared to the interior made of perfectly polished wood and bricks, adorned withrge paintings and chandeliers. Antique vases can be seen everywhere as a red carpet wasid towards the huge stairs that weed them the moment they opened the door.

    "Isn¡¯t this a little extravagant?" Zhou Jingren said. In his opinion, the house seemed to be more grandly decorated than the Grand Ducal Pce itself.

    "I heard they opened the ce to some foreigners who wanted to tour the house." Qin Yuanfeng added, his eyes also roamed inside the space.

    "But it¡¯s not depressing, right?" Lily smiled. For some reason, the house feels bright and happy. Despite the house¡¯s age, it does not feel like someone is watching you all the time. Unlike the enormous mansion that her grandmother Lilian had. "Alright... her study should be on the second floor. I will go while you two just stay here and look around."

    "Are you sure? If you want, I¡ª "

    "It¡¯s alright." Lily smiled. She honestly wanted to read the letter alone first. For some reason, Lily felt that this is something personal that she should do to give her grandmother some closure that she didn¡¯t even know she needed.

    Zhou Jingren immediately nodded. His people already checked the ce before they arrived here. Moreover, he had at least ten people guarding the outside of the house. "I will apany you to the second floor. I am curious about that veranda."

    "I will stay here and look around." Qin Yuanfeng said as he eyed a couple of wooden antique looking puzzles that were on disy in a box made of ss near the stairs. "Call me if you need anything."

    "Hmmm." Lily smiled as she and Zhou Jingren started walking towards the stairs. "I would love to stay in a ce like this during winter. Then... I could just snuggle with you near the firece. "She giggled.

    It didn¡¯t take too long for Lily and Zhou Jingren to arrive at the study. He immediately opened the door, hoping to check the space before allowing Lily alone inside. And what he saw inside immediately made his face dark. "How did you get here?" He asked the older man that was sitting on the leather chair behind the wooden table.

    Mr. Neeson gave the two a cordial smile in response. "Sit... I have been waiting for a few minutes now. I even started to wonder if you will reallye today." He said, ignoring Zhou Jingren¡¯s questions. When he saw that Zhou Jingren and Lily didn¡¯t move an inch and just stared at him, Mr. Neeson immediately chuckled. "My apologies. I asked someone to sneak me inside after your men finished checking. I created a minor diversion outside so they won¡¯t notice me go in." A helpless smile slithered on his face.

    It seems that dealing with Lily would be as hard as he thought.

    "Please... I mean no harm." Mr. Neeson stood from the seat and walked towards them. "We have been watching you since you are a child. While I am not sure how much information you possess about us, I am sure that what you know is stillcking. You would want to have this conversation with me right now." He stood near the couches and gestured to them to go inside. "Please.... Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mr. Neeson... but the organization calls me Lord Neeson." He pursed his lips. "I¡¯m sure you already know what organization I am talking about, right?"

    After a few minutes of ufortable silence, Lily and Zhou Jingren walked inside the study and sat on the couch. "To be honest, I was already expecting that someone would talk to me about this organization one day. But I was not expecting that it woulde this early." Not when she was still heavily pregnant.

    "My apologies. This was not our intention. We wanted to keep you safe. We have no intention of bing an enemy." The old man sat on the couch across Lily. He gave her a gentle smile. "We watched you grew up. We thought... we could still protect you from the truth. But... we were not expecting that you would be as smart if not smarter than your grandmother."

    Lily narrowed her eyes at the old man. "You know my grandmother." She stated, hoping to get more information from him.

    "Your grandmother... Well... she is one of us. In fact... she is one of the most important members in the Order." Mr. Neeson continued. "Your grandmother is one of the most brilliant and twisted women that I knew. She was one of the core members of the organization."

    "But... you killed her. Didn¡¯t you?"

    Surprised shed in the old man¡¯s eyes before he chuckled. "I was not expecting that you have actually known this much information and yet, you still stayed calm and not attacked me... or Harringfort." Lily frowned at the confirmation in the old man¡¯s words. Seeing this, the old man nodded. "Your grandmother is not the grandmother that you know. Her mind works in a very different way. So different that soon her ideologies became screwed, twisted. After your grandfather¡¯s death... she had be someone else. She did something ¡ª something horrible that would have killed millions of people if we didn¡¯t stop her in time." He made a deliberate pause as he stared into Lily¡¯s eyes. "And so we ended her life."

    "So you ended her life to save people."

    "Precisely." Mr. Neeson smiled. "Because... that¡¯s what we always do. We save people."

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel!

    Mass release Monday!

 Chapter 861 Lilian herself

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 861 Lilian herself</h4>

    Chapter 861 Lilian herself

    Unedited.

    Lily raised her eyebrow but said nothing. She let Mr. Neeson continue. "I am here to tell you that we want you to take your grandmother¡¯s vacant seat."

    "Vacant?"

    Mr. Neeson smiled. "We didn¡¯t rece her. Rather... no one else is qualified to rece her." Making a deliberate pause, the older man stared at Lily¡¯s face as he thought of her simrity to Lilian. It is undeniable that the two are rted. Even the way they speak... had simrities. "Other than you, of course."

    "Is that why you are here to talk to me?"

    Mr. Neeson pursed his lips as he carefully thought of Lily¡¯s question. It was clear Lily already knew he was the one responsible for the poisoning. Or why else would she advise the Duke not to pursue the matter anymore? Lily knew that if the Duke pursued the matter, he would only end up dead. He smiled and nodded. "Yes. That is why I wanted to talk to you."

    "I see."

    "I believe you wanted to ask some questions?"

    "Why are you here in Madam Luo¡¯s estate?" Lily¡¯s question surprised him. He frowned in response. Why would Lily ask such a thing? It didn¡¯t take him a few seconds to know the reason behind Lily¡¯s action ofing here. She was here to retrieve something.

    "Because I wanted to keep this meeting as private as possible." His gaze turned towards Zhuo Jingren. "If your husband is not already one of us... then I would have found another way to talk to you alone."

    "Then.... What did my grandmother do? Why kill her?"

    "As I said..."

    "Exin," Lily uttered. "Why kill a woman who had been working with you for years?"

    "Her ideology was the problem." Mr. Neeson immediately answered like a robot reading a script. "Lilian created a bomb... rather, she asked a person to create a bomb that could annihte countries."

    "Nuclear bomb?" Zhou Jingren asked.

    "Worse." Mr. Neeson said. "This was an idea... in the neen fifties. An idea that the US never approved as it was too dangerous. One wrong gram and the entire world will suffer."

    "A bomb worse than nuclear?" Lily said as she lowered her head.

    "I am sure you have been close enough to Lilian to know that her views can be quite extreme. She wanted to kill as many people to stop the increase in poption. Thus, giving her a chance to stop doing what she was supposed to do. She wanted an escape, and that was her only way. Once civilization copses, everyone will suffer including us. That would mean... we would not have the time to deal with other problems in other countries. That would have destroyed the status quo. People will die, millions will suffer, countries will copse. All this was her n. To have her revenge."

    "Revenge against the world?"

    Mr. Neeson nodded. "Against the reason why she killed her own husband. Against the people who killed her daughter. Against the people who bullied you. Against everyone who made her suffer. Against humanity. She was a lost cause. When we found out about her n, we had no choice but to kill her. "

    Lily stayed silent. Her grandmother indeed has extreme views. However, Lily was not that close to Lilian for her to know that she hated the world. She scoffed at the silliness of the story that Mr. Neeson told her. Does this old man think that she would believe a word he says? How foolish.

    "I am not going to ask you to believe me." Of course, Mr. Neeson knew that Lily is not amb that one could easily fool. Lily is not the sheep. She was the Lioness. He smiled at the younger woman. "But I am here to tell you that after you give birth, you have to start working for us. You are needed to bnce everything out."

    "And if I refuse?"

    Mr. Neeson smiled a sinister and dark smile. "You wouldn¡¯t want to know the things that will happen once you refuse. Just know... your grandmother refused once. So her husband died."

    "You¡ª "

    "It was tough love." Mr. Neeson shrugged, unafraid to anger Lily. "I didn¡¯t kill him if you wanted to ask. Nor did we order his death. Lilian had enemies. She had enemies before she even met your grandfather. Once the protection that we gave her vanished, they immediately targeted your grandfather like a fucking target board. In the end, she killed him out of pity. That was the consequence of her previous actions. It is sad, but people needed to know that every action had its own consequences. I am sure you already know that, right? Your grandfather¡¯s death was one of the most debated topics that we had over the years. People were divided. I chose not to involve Lilian¡¯s lover in this mess. However, people voted against my words. And they won."

    Lily turned her head away as she pretended to think about his words. Slowly, a smirk slithered on her face. Clearly, Mr. Neeson wanted Lily to know that he tried to stop them from removing the security. But since he was all alone, he failed to win against the other members of the order. But isn¡¯t this too silly? If this old man had been watching her since he was a child, then he must have known how she dealt with people.

    Lily could easily distinguish a lie from the truth. If Mr. Neeson was indeed watching her, then they should have known that she could do this. And assuming that they know this fact.... "You are testing me," Lily uttered. "But remember... you are also testing my patience." She turned her head towards the older man. Smiling, she continued. "You can lie all you want and I can listen to all I want. But let¡¯s be honest here... we are wasting each other¡¯s time."

    The atmosphere inside the room was soon interrupted with a loud, boisterousughter that Mr. Neeson made. His shoulders shook in glee, his eyes squinted, making the wrinkles below his eyes more prominent. The pretense in his eyes slowly vanished as he stared at Lily¡¯s nk expression. "Tell me... Lily... are you really Lilian¡¯s granddaughter? Or Lilian herself?"

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel.

    1/5

 Chapter 862 Current Life

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 862 Current Life</h4>

    Chapter 862 Current Life

    GUYS THIS IS UNEDITED. We have a really strong rain and i¡¯m afraid of a ckout. If this uploaded at 11 pm. It means we have a ckout and I wont be able to upload the rest of the chapters today. This is scheduled for 11 pm GMT+8. I¡¯m sorry. I willpensate everyone. I promise.

    Unamused at his words, Lily met the old man¡¯s eyes as she sneered inwardly. In a game of lies and truth, there is no telling if the young fox will beat the old. But one thing is for sure, this is not going to be an easy game. "I am pregnant. I can¡¯t deal with something like this."

    "I apud your bluntness." The old man smiled. A person who is not afraid to say no to power is not something one could easily entice with worldly possession. Lily was like this. He knew that she had no interest in the order. This was something that he immediately concluded when Lily¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t change even when he told her about her grandfather¡¯s death. The facts didn¡¯t anger her, nor saddens her. This only meant that her grandfather or maybe even Lilian is not as important as Lily¡¯s current life.

    Current Life....

    Two words. One person. ZHOU JINGREN.

    The man whose impact was akin to Fredrick Nassae¡¯s impact to Lilian Fi¡¯s life. For a few seconds, a sinister thought shed in his mind. But he immediately discarded the thought out of his head. How could he kill Zhou Jingren? He might be an evil old man but he is someone that could easily distinguish the strength of people. Killing Zhou Jingren would only attract the ire of Lily. And even he is smart enough to know that Lily ispletely different from Lilian. Simr yet different.

    Lily and Lilian surely use the same method to analyze things. However, their actions were different. Lilian tends to be full of secrets while Lily is always bold and liked to show her strength in front of everyone. While Lilian¡¯s way is as effective, not many people know of her actions, thus not many recognized her strength. Lily on the other hand was the exact opposite.

    To Mr. Neeson having the bold Lily as an enemy is more dangerous than having the silent Lilian. Both might be deadly but Lily¡¯s ways are brute and savage. Moreover... Lily had the habit of sparing people, making them owe her. Herwork is scarier than that of Lilian¡¯s.

    "I understand your concern and to be honest... we respect your decision. The thing that I want to discuss with you today is about your grandmother."

    "Assuming that I believe your previous story... did you think I would just do whatever you want because of it?" Lily immediately countered. Her hand slowly started stroking her protruding belly. "I am pregnant. I am not interested in any of this."

    Mr. Neeson pursed his lips, unamused at Lily¡¯s cunning answer. "Lilian... knows the person who could make the cobalt bomb that I was talking about earlier. It was a special bomb that could easily destroy New York." He immediately decided to appeal to Lily¡¯s humanity. Surely, this truth would somehow affect her emotions, right? After all, she is going to be a mother soon. How could she think about people dying because of her grandmother?

    However, Lily¡¯s next words were proof that he was wrong. "What does it have to do with me?" Lily said. "I don¡¯t know anyone in Newyork right now." She uttered. This was another reason why she does not want to be a member of this order. Lily is not a saint. She is a selfish person who would not think about the status quo or the ¡¯betterment¡¯ of humanity. All she wanted was to earn and live the rest of her life peacefully while asionally scheming against people. Is that too hard to ask?

    "That is not my point."

    "I know." She countered. "Still.... I would not care. So don¡¯t appeal to my pity. It won¡¯t work."

    Mr. Neeson narrowed his eyes. Lily¡¯s words were direct and harsh. But if one would really think about it, this was normal. Lily had been through a lot. Yet, she was able to stand tall and proud after everything happened to her. This is not something that one would easily achieve if they constantly think about other people. "I guess you are not Lilian." He said. "It is very important that I find this person."

    "The person who could create this bomb?" Lily asked. "Why not just find another person to create it for you? Surely, this is not something that only one person could make right?"

    Mr. Neeson nodded. "You are right. Yet this person... " A sigh escaped his lips. It seems that he needed more time to make Lily understand the purpose of the order. Mr. Neeson immediately fell silent. They had been watching Lily since she was born. They received reports about everything that happened in her life. They thought that once the time was right, they could easily reveal her location to Lilian and have her train her. Everything was nned.

    Every one agreed not to reveal Lily¡¯s information to Lilian to prevent them from developing the closeness that a normal grandparent would have to their grandchild. However, this was because they wanted Lily not to develop deep emotions towards Lilian. But it was because they wanted to use this ¡¯opportunity¡¯ to make Lilian owe them. Lilian had been away to her daughter for years, surely her emotions towards Lily would beplicated and intense.

    They wanted Lilian to fear losing Lily again. In their mind, this will limit her growing power, her potential. While they initially seeded, Lilian found out what they wanted to do and started pushing back. s, they had to kill her in the end.

    In the end the n became a failure. Because of what they did they could not use Lilian to control Lily. As she is not very close to her grandmother as well. Lily is a very rational person. Thus, it would be logical for her not to pursue Lilian¡¯s past if it would endanger her current life.

    This was the difference between Lily and Lilian. While Lilian would find it hard to move on from a past, Lily is different. She had been battered and crushed. To her... the past is fleeting.

 Chapter 863 Premonition

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 863 Premonition</h4>

    Chapter 863 Premonition

    Unedited.

    "This person is someone that many governments had wanted to recruit for a long time now. However, he was cunning and no one except your grandmother really knows his identity." Mr. Neeson continued. "We would like your cooperation. Help us figure out the identity of this person."

    "You wanted my help?"

    "As her granddaughter, it is your responsibility to help us."

    "I am but am just a weak¡ª "

    "I know what you are going to say. And again... we respect that. We would like to keep our distance until you give birth. We would also protect you from your enemies. Then... you and Zhou Jingren will see Antone on the six-month mark of their agreement. By then we will introduce you to everyone... and everything that would make you understand the purpose of this organization."

    Lily nodded as she snorted inwardly. This organization had nothing to do with her. Lily¡¯s priority was her family and nothing else. However, it seems that to get out of his predicament, she would need to destroy the organization from the inside.

    With all the uncertainties that Lily had about this organization, she should tread carefully from now on.

    "I know that you don¡¯t believe me," Mr. Neeson sighed. Of course, he was not here to tell Lily everything about the organization. He was here to nt ideas into Lily¡¯s head. Ideas that would make her hate Lilian. Maybe hate is such a strong word. Interest should be the right word.

    After his meetingst night, everyone agreed that it was not the right time to reveal something to Lily. After all, she was pregnant and emotional. They would not want her to hate them. What they wanted however is to make her interested in Lilian¡¯s past.

    Since Lilian¡¯s death, Lily had never actually asked about Lilian¡¯s past¡ª or at least not that they were aware of. She had been steady with her growth without looking or wondering how her grandmother got to where she was now. This made them wonder if this was because this was a part of Lily¡¯s character or it was because she just does not care about the past at all.

    "But... I am not going to try and convince you to do anything." He added. While everyone agreed not to reveal any information about Lily, Mr. Neeson also had his own goals. He smiled at Lily. He knew that Lily was smart enough to understand the underlying meaning in his words. If she couldn¡¯t even understand such simple words, then it means she is not the woman that the organization needed!

    "I see." Lily nodded. While her expression is nk, on the inside her mind was already solving the puzzle that the old man is giving her. Of course, Lily was well aware that the goal of the old man might be different than what he was saying. If her guess was right, then someone might be recording something inside this room. Perhaps they are watching them. For a few seconds, Lily was rmed until she spotted that ballpen in Mr. Neeson¡¯s pocket. A video recorder?

    She was not sure about this item, however, this only made her more and more suspicious.

    "Well then... I would not want to waste your time anymore." Mr. Neeson gave a meaningful smile. "I will see you in the future Lily. I hope by then you are ready to open your mind and see the things that you can do to save this world from its people." He started walking towards the door. "Oh... by the way... that boy ude." He said without turning his back to see Lily¡¯s face. "Where is he?"

    "How should I know?" Lily asked.

    "Of course. There is no way that you would use your resources to hide a stranger. That would be too foolish of you." The old man said before he continued walking out of the room without sparing them another nce. After the old man left, Lily immediately let out a sigh of relief.

    "Is there a way to check this whole ce again? I wanted to be thorough."

    "On it." Zhou Jingren said as he called Qin Yuanfeng who was still downstairs. The two keep their silence until Qin Yuanfeng finished scanning the room, making sure that there was no other device nted inside the room. Then Lily asked the two of them to wait for her on the outside as she needed to get something.

    There are two things that Lily was able to confirm from her conversation today. First, they wanted her to doubt her grandmother. The stories don¡¯t match up. And Lily was not stupid to know that this is intentional to bait her into investigating her own grandmother. Second, they are not aware of Madam Luo¡¯s secret letter.

    Lily quickly followed Madam Luo¡¯s direction and used the globe on the table. After a few minutes, she heard a click at the bottom of Madam Luo¡¯s table and from there a small vault popped out from the floor just beneath the table. If one would look at it carefully, the vault looked just like one of the wooden tiles in the room. So, without knowing that it was there, it would be very hard for someone to notice it. She then used the pendant to open the vault and quickly keep the letter in her jacket pocket. Then she quickly exited the room and told them that they are going back to the Pce.

    "We are leaving tonight?" Qin Yuanfeng frowned. "But..."

    "You can ask questions once we leave Luxembourg," Lily said as she thought about the hidden meaning in Mr. Neeson¡¯s words. An ominous feeling rose inside Lily as they started to make their way inside the room. "Yuanfeng... can you check the cameras of this ce." She uttered. As she grabbed one luggage and just put all of her important things on it.

    "What am I looking for?"

    "Aside from yourputer, do you have anything else that you value inside your room?"

    Qin Yuanfeng immediately shook his head at Lily¡¯s question. "What is going on? Why are¡ª" He looked at the screen of hisputer. "What am I looking for?"

    "Duke¡¯s office. While we were at the mansion." Zhou Jingren said. "Include Leandro¡¯s office and the Duchess." He too had a very bad premonition about this.

    4 more chapters.

 Chapter 864 Sinister Smile

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 864 Sinister Smile</h4>

    Chapter 864 Sinister Smile

    "What is going on?" Qin Yuanfeng asked, still clueless about everything. He had never seen Lily act like this. "What is happening?"

    "Download all videos that you have of this ce in thest twenty four hours." Lily ordered. "Can you do that in the next thirty minutes?"

    "Yes." He nodded as he started getting to work. Qin Yuanfeng decided to just ask questionster and do whatever it is that Lily wanted from him right now. "I already started downloading everything."

    "Alright." Lily nodded. "Tell me if someone ising our way." Lily added.

    "Hmmm."

    Meanwhile, Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t need to ask Lily about what was going on in her mind right now. He already made some calls to prepare that exit n that he and Qin Yuanfeng originally nned before they even arrived in this ce.

    "I think I have something." Qin Yuanfeng said as he looked at the office of the Duke. "Here... Mika is holding a knife."

    "Is this happening right now?" Lily frowned.

    "Hmmm."

    "Then... record everything. Something is going to happen soon." Lily uttered. There was no guarantee that something would indeed happen. However, she could feel that Mr. Neeson was trying to warn her about something. Lily furrowed her brows as she watched the Duke and Mika argue with one another. Since the video also included their voices, Lily could clearly hear what they were saying.

    "Show me my husband." Mika said as her crazed eyes red at her father. "Show me that you didn¡¯t kill him." She screamed. "Or I will kill myself in front of you!" Mika added. "Did you hear that? I will stab myself in front of you!" Her hands trembled as she put the knife on her neck.

    "Mika... calm down. This is a misunderstanding. What happened the other day was..."

    "What misunderstanding? You let Lily manipte you into believing that he would actually poison himself and his own wife just to get everything that he wanted! Do you really think my husband is capable of doing that?" Her once warm voice had turned shrill,rge veins could be seen on her neck as she continued to shout at her father. "How dare you use my husband of trying to kill me?"

    Seeing her daughter¡¯s state, the Duke calmly shook his head. Mika could no longer be reasoned with. Or at least that¡¯s what the rage in her eyes was telling him.

    "You let him go now!" she demanded. "Let my husband go!"

    "Mika... please listen to me... this is just..."

    "Stop it! I am not going to listen to any of your exnations! Let him go or I will kill..." Slowly, her trembling hands move towards her stomach. "Your grandson!"

    "You¡ª"

    "I am three months pregnant!" Mika said. "You cannot let my son be born without a father. Now... let my husband go!"

    The Duke stared at her for a few seconds before he shook his head. "He is the mastermind of hurting your family and yet here you are demanding that I let him go. Do you really think that would happen?"

    Despair immediately glinted in Mika¡¯s eyes. "Then... Then it is better that I should just..."

    ¡¯What about your kids?" the Duke sighed. "Don¡¯t you love them?"

    Hearing his words, tears started to stream down her cheeks. "He is my life." She said in a small voice. "He is my ... life." She repeated her words. "He... He is my everything."

    "So just because you love him so much... you would sacrifice yourself? And leave your young children without a mother or a father. Let them live the rest of their lives as orphans?" The Duke nodded. "I understand." He pursed his lips and closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze had turned clear. He stared at the disbelief in her daughter¡¯s eyes.

    "You... You would choose them over me?"

    "The them that you are talking about were the people who grew up with you. Me, your mother and Leandro were all poisoned. Does that matter to you?"

    Mika shook her head. "No... No that is not true. Pierre would never do that! Pierre wanted to get close to you and Leandro! He wanted peace and unity! He wanted¡ª We had ns for the future of Luxembourg! There is no way that he would hurt me and everyone else. If you wanted to use someone of poisoning you... then use Lily! She was the one who wanted to ruin our family! Can¡¯t you see? She wanted you to kill every one of us so she could have the throne!"Seeing her father turn his head away from her, Mika immediately fumed. "Listen to me father! Don¡¯t let that woman poison your mind! You should let my husband¡ª"

    "The poisoning started before we even met Lily." The Duke interrupted her words. He looked at her daughter once again as he sighed. "It started right after you got married. But for us not to suspect anything. You and him... received a small amount of lead so you would have kids. It would be less¡ª"

    "Stop it!" Mika said. "I won¡¯t let you nder my husband like that!"

    "If you refuse to listen... then how will you know the truth?" The Duke clicked his tongue. He had already expected things to turn out this way. However, he didn¡¯t expect Mika to be this muddle headed. "There is no use talking to someone who has already made up their mind." The Duke sighed. "Please leave and take care of your children. I will call you once¡ª"

    "No!" Mika¡¯s eyes were already swollen as she had been crying since he knew about it just this morning. "I am not letting you nder him anymore. I will find out the truth myself and... and...."

    "Give me the knife." The Duke held his palm towards her. "You are not allowed to bring a weapon inside the pce."

    For a few seconds, Mika lowered her hands, the tears in her eyes made her unable to see her father¡¯s reaction. However, she already knew that thetter was highly disappointed in her actions. Her leg started shaking, yet, she still forced herself to stand up. She held the knife tighter as her father walked towards her. Mika didn¡¯t know what was going on inside her head, she felt that her brain had long stopped working.

    The only thing that she could think of was her husband. She stopped her hands from trembling as she held the knife in front of her father. Then a sinister smile crept up on her lips. "Father... there is no need for you to be the Grand Duke anymore." She whispered before she pushed the knife towards her father¡¯s chest.

    3 more. pls don¡¯t forget to vote.

 Chapter 865 Plan B

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 865 n B</h4>

    Chapter 865 n B

    Unedited.

    When Lily saw what happened, she froze, eyes wide as she stared at the monitor. Then she watched as Mika removed the knife and hid it in some sort of a safe just under the Duke¡¯s table. Not long after, she opened the door and started shouting.

    "Help! Help! The Grand Duke...." Mika¡¯s words were hoarse but even Lily who was watching the video could see the calmness in her eyes. They nned all this!

    "It seems that I was right all along," Lily said. "Disable the electricity in this pce right now. Let¡¯s leave."

    "Understood." Qin Yuanfeng answered. Of course, he immediately understood what is about to happen.

    "Send that video to Eliza and Levi. Leandro will be the Grand Duke. Tell them toy low." Lily said as they started leaving the room. Since everyone was still busy with the Duke, they didn¡¯t notice Lily and herpany leaving. Of course, this was also because, for the first time in history, the pce had lost its electricity. All the generators were broken for some reason and it took them hours to fix it. Because of this, they were forced to vacate the pce as its security were alreadypromised.

    However, it was also at this time that Mika started telling the guards that it was Zhou Jingren who stab the Duke. Of course, when the guards arrived at their room, it waspletely empty. No one seemed to know where Lily and Zhou Jingren went.

    Meanwhile, Lily, Zhou Jingren, and Qin Yuanfeng we¡¯re already traveling outside of Luxembourg towards a private ne that was already waiting for them. Lily does not know the details of the news but she had already received a call from Eliza telling her that everyone is already looking for Zhou Jingren. Soon, the whole EU will try to look for him. Of course, this was the worst-case scenario.

    As expected, they really wanted to use Zhou Jingren to control Lily. A mocking smile soon made its way to her face as she thought of Mr. Neeson¡¯s words back then. The other clearly emphasized that Fred had to suffer because of Lilian. The hidden meaning behind his words was simple, Zhou Jingren would soon suffer once she refused to do their bidding. And since she did refuse, the Order did try to frame Zhou Jingren.

    If Lily¡¯s analysis were right, the order must have wanted to keep Zhou Jingren some sort of a hostage. Like someone that they could kill anytime once Lily would not do their bidding. How cruel. She thought.

    "The bunker." Lily didn¡¯t continue her words as she looked at the silent Zhou Jingren.

    "The location of the bunker will be revealed to the next Grand Duke at the coronation. This will be revealed by the previous Grand Duke." He said. "We are safe." They are currently on their way to Germany where Bei Tian was already waiting for them with a private ne to Sweden. Everything had been prepared in advance. Because of this, Lily and Zhou Jingren were able to stay calm.

    "What about me?" Qin Yuanfeng eyed Lily. She had already told him the worst-case scenario on this trip and he honestly does not like it.

    "Wait for me," Lily said. "All stocks of the Fi Group is already under your name while Bei Tian now owns Zhou Capital."This was something that Zhou Jingren and Lily did after Harringfort revealed himself. This was a precautionary measure that they had to do once they decided to disappear for a while.

    Of course, Lily¡¯s priority was her wealth. How could she just leave without any assurance that herpany will stay with her once shees back? "I wille back."

    "But..." Qin Yuanfeng didn¡¯t expect this to happen. The original n was for them to apany Lily while she gives birth. He and Bei Tian were supposed to go with them in Sweden and act as the guards. But with the thing that had been happening right now, that is no longer possible. Pursing his lips, Qin Yuanfeng lowered his head. "I will protect Fi Group."

    "Hmmm." Lily nodded. To be honest, she is not that mad about the current oue. She is already heavily pregnant. She needed a ce to stay for a while. The safer, the better. Lily would not even care that it was underground. However, how could Leandro and Mika just allow Lily and Zhou Jingren to leave like this?

    "President... we have a problem." Secretary Go¡¯s face was grim as he turned towards Zhou Jingren and Lily. "I just received a signal from Bei Tian. Someone seemed to know that we are heading there... Leandro just arrived near the private ne with the military of Luxembourg."

    With this statement, Lily started tough like a crazed person. She closed her eyes for a few seconds before her expression turned cold. "It seems that a fight is going to happen." She said calmly. Even if she saved Leandro from the poison, his greed still won in the end. "He was indeed stupid." She said. "A dog will always act like a dog. Even if the master is already dead." She uttered.

    The car came to a full stop.

    "n B?" Zhou Jingren said.

    Lily let out a sighed as she looked at the way where they came from. Luxembourg was a nice ce. "The Duchess and the Duke?" she asked.

    Qin Yuanfeng who was watching the pce immediately answered. "They are not in the pce and so is Eliza and Levi."

    "Good." Lily¡¯s gaze turned towards Zhou Jingren. "Let¡¯s go to n B." Did the organization really think that they could get Zhou Jingren away from her? Isn¡¯t that such a foolish thought? Lily sneered. She was never the type that would just go the tiger¡¯s den like a damn sheep. She was no sheep. She was the Lioness. She watched as Qin Yuanfeng and Zhou Jingren¡¯s gaze turnedplicated before she said. "Blow the pce up. Send the news to some international news station that would indicate it was someone from Belgium." Harringfort is clearly from Belgium. This is just a small taste of what Lily would do in the future once they continue to disturb her peace. "Blow it up." She added.

 Chapter 866 I won

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 866 I won</h4>

    Chapter 866 I won.

    Unedited. This will be updated tomorrow.

    "Funny," Lily said as they arrived outside of the area where the private jet was located. It had taken Lily and Zhou Jingren another thirty minutes to arrive in this ce after they decided to attack the ce. By now, the news of the explosion was already on TV and social media. With the power of social media, everyone got ahold of some fake news that Lily intentionally spread to make the public start asking questions.

    Soon after TVworks immediately made reports that indicated it was a terrorist attack. They even confirmed that this is what wounded the Grand Duke and not the rumored stabbing. This made a lot of people confused. What is going on? ording to the previous news, the Duke was stabbed but they decided not to reveal the culprit yet. They needed the new Grand Duke to reveal the identity of this person who stabbed the Duke.

    But how could Leandro attend to such a thing when he was busy hunting Lily? In the end, Mika was forced to say that it was a confidential matter for now. Then the explosion happened. Suddenly, Mika changed her tone and immediately had a press conference saying it was a terrorist attack. The person who attacked the pce was also the one who wounded the Grand Duke and caused the explosion. Still, she said that they were not sure of the identity of the person.

    This made Lily raise an eyebrow. The military of Luxembourg was already aware that it was Zhou Jingren, yet they refused to tell the public about it. For a few seconds, she frowned and watched as a helicopter just left the area. If her guess was right, then the upant of that helicopter was Leandro. Why would he suddenly leave the area? Then a few other cars also started leaving.

    Of course, it was Leandro¡¯s people.

    Slowly, a realization hit her. Eliza must have used the video that Qin Yuanfeng sent her. She immediately shook her head. Eliza was really looking for trouble. She must have argued with Mika and ended up showing her the video. Now that Mika knew about it, she immediately told Leandro to be careful as Lily and Zhou Jingren already knew the truth. However, this would also mean that from now on, they won¡¯t be able to contact Eliza as people would always watch her.

    However, this would also mean that her marriage to Harringfort will happen soon as this will act as some sort of damage control to keep the peace between the two countries. "What a sly woman." Lily smiled. She knew that Eliza deliberately did it because she is going to leave in Belgium after her marriage. Once she was already in Belgium, Mika and Leandro would find it difficult to touch her.

    "They are escorting Eliza and Levi out of their pce." Qin Yuanfeng suddenly said. When he heard about the news, he immediately knew that it had something to do with their cousin. So, he essed all the cameras in their pce and saw that they are about to leave with some military personnel.

    "Are they nning to imprison her?"

    Lily shook her head. "Is everything ready?"She asked.

    "Yes." Zhou Jingren met her eyes before he smiled. "Let¡¯s go."

    Meanwhile, Leandro narrowed his eyes as he watched the ck sedan that was parked just outside of the privatending ce where Bei Tian was located. An evil smile immediately slithered on his face. Everyone thought that Leandro boarded the helicopter that left earlier. However, he was smart enough to leave the ce by car.

    And when he saw the ck sedan earlier. He immediately knew that it was Lily and Zhou Jingren. "They really dared to damage an old pce?" He muttered. How dare the two disrespect their country?

    "Your highness.... Everything is prepared. We are just waiting for your order."

    "Hmmm. Theuncher is ready?"

    His subordinate nodded in response. Seeing this, Leandro eyed the parked car as he wondered if they noticed his presence. Obviously, anyone would immediately assume that he flew back to Luxembourg to see his sister. However, he was here to finish Zhou Jingren off.

    No matter what happened he will finish what he promised to do to be the next Grand Duke. "Wait for a moment." He said as an idea came into his mind. He immediately dialed a number on his phone. Almost immediately Lily¡¯s voice echoed on the other line.

    "Mrs. Zhou."He didn¡¯t hide the amusement in his voice.

    "Would you like me to start calling you Grand Duke now?" As expected, Lily didn¡¯t beat around the bush.

    "There is no need for formalities." Leandro smiled. "I just want to ask you... for yourst words." Heughed.

    "You have gone crazy," Lily answered almost immediately.

    "Oh... no. Mr.s Zhou... everything is ording to n. You see? In the end... the educated and meticulous person like me won this time. You should really learn from that in the future." Mika must have told him about the video but this doesn¡¯t mean Leandro would back down against Zhou Jingren and Lily. Not when his maternal grandfather and his friend were clearly backing him.

    With their power alone, he was sure that he could achieve anything as long as he listened to his grandfather¡¯s words. E started smiling when she noticed that Lily didn¡¯t answer him. "Speechless? Anyway... your opinion does not matter. You are dead anyway." He said. "Goodbye... Mrs. Zhou." He smiled. Despite his grandfather¡¯s warning not to kill Lily, Leandro felt that he did not have a choice this time. Not killing Lily is akin to shooting himself on the foot. He could not simply allow her to survive after having the video that Eliza showed Mika.

    "Kill them." He said in a low voice and waited as the first grenadeuncher fired towards Lily¡¯s car.

    *BOOM!*

    It was followed by another.

    Then another.

    Soon after, Leandro¡¯sughter echoed. It apanied the ominous explosion in Germany that night.

    Don¡¯t forget to vote for the novel. P.S: I told my content editor or WN staff that this novel will have a sad ending as joke. Hehehehe....

 Chapter 867 Foolish Duke

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 867 Foolish Duke</h4>

    Chapter 867 Foolish Duke

    Unedited

    Two days after the explosion

    *PAK* Leandro stumbled on the floor when his grandfather hit him. He quickly got back up to his seat.

    "You moron!" Mr. Neeson hissed at his grandson. "I told you to be the Grand Duke! Did I tell you to touch her?"

    Leandro clutched his cheeks, confusion apparent in his eyes. "Lily?" he asked.

    "You really are a fool!" Mr. Neeson said. "How could you try and kill her?"

    "Try?" Leandro¡¯s face became dark. Does this mean she was still alive?

    "Ha! You are a fool!" Mr. Neeson said. The international news didn¡¯t mention Lily as the one sitting on the sedan that suddenly blew up in Germany. What happened was a confidential secret that only a few people know. The organisation was forced to clean it all up and use all their contacts to prevent the news from spreading.

    And since Mr. Neeson and Antone Harringfort was the one near the area, they were forced to do everything and reveal themselves to some important people not only in Germany and Luxembourg but also in Belgium. With the power of social media and the inte, cleaning something like this was truly difficult; it would cause even The Order a lot of headaches.

    Moreover, everyone was angry at Leandro¡¯s foolish behavior. But ever since, they could not choose anyone else to rule Luxembourg; they were forced to stop themselves from requesting a kill order.

    "You think they would just stop there for no reason?" Mr. Neeson said. "Once Lily revealed herself. You are a dead man. And not even I could stop that from happening!" He continued.

    "Grandfather!"

    "Hmph!" Mr. Neeson turned his head away. Leandro and Mika¡¯s n had nothing to do with him. He only told him that he would support him once he bes the Grand Duke. Who would have thought that this dummy would have his supporters? Moreover, someone in the organisation also helped him out in framing Zhou Jingren.

    Mr. Neeson always knew that they would target Zhou Jingren. But he thought that they would find some other ways to target him or even Lily¡¯s child after she gave birth. Who would have thought that someone from the organisation would help this stupid grandson of his? Of course, Mr. Neeson already had some suspicion about the identity of the person who tried to help his grandson. However, he had no proof of it! He could only endure for now and wait for Lily toe back to deal with this situation! During that conversation, he had warned her multiple times about the possibility that they would use Zhou Jingren. Surely, Lily already took some precautionary measures before she even came to this country, right?

    Once again, Mr. Neeson gritted his teeth as the sight of his stupid grandson. How could he be this stupid? "If you wanted to deal with them. You could have gone all out and killed them properly! Look at what you did? You didn¡¯t only let them live! You also gave them the chance toe back for revenge. Most importantly, you also give me a lot of headache."

    "Grandfather... if..."

    "Shut up! Do not do anything else! Do not find them! Do not target theirpany! Do not fucking do anything! Just sit there on this useless throne and do everything that I say!"

    "But... but what if theye back?"

    "Then you sit still and wait until they kill you!" Mr. Neeson hissed. Once Lilyes back, she would surely join the Order, and once that happens, she could do whatever she wants to Leandro, and no one would even ask her any questions! Lily was not like Lilian. Lily would surely take advantage of her position to get revenge. And once she does that.... She might even try to destroy them from the inside.

    Of course... these are only possibilities that he needed to prepare for.

    Meanwhile, Leandro was only staring at his grandfather¡¯s dark face. Until now, he could not understand why his grandfather would react this much when Leandro thought his grandfather hated Lily. He quickly thought about Harringfort¡¯s wordsst night telling him not to worry about his grandfather as he could not do anything to him. Of course, he never understood why Harringfort would say such a thing.

    Leandro shook those thoughts out of his head as he nodded to himself. His dream and destiny were always to be the next Grand Duke. It was alling true! There is no need for him to think about dead people anymore. He immediately lowered his head and started beaming as he thought about his dead wife. Leandro had never nned on harming his father.

    However, when Harringfort told him that his father killed his wife, it was as if his feelings towards his father vanished overnight. All he had was hatred for the man. Leandro loved his wife, and while she poisoned him, it was only because that person, Pierre forced her to. He would have understood if his father killed Pierre Weber since he was the mastermind of that attempted assassination. However, his father did kill everyone who was involved in the poisoning! In Leandro¡¯s mind, his father did it because he wanted to deal with it as soon as possible.

    And there was only one reason why he would want to deal with it that way. He was covering for someone else. Because of this, Leandro thought that his father found out the truth about the poisoning. He must have found out the truth and wanted to clean it up to avoid more conflict!

    What a foolish Duke! He thought inwardly.

    After his conclusion, Leandro didn¡¯t waste his time. He immediately told Mika and his subordinates about it. And it was also at that time that Harringfort asked to see him privately. Everything happened too quick that overnight, theypleted a n to frame Zhou Jingren in the attempted murder. They would then imprison the wounded Duke and announce that he is in Coma.

    Then Leandro would be the new Grand Duke and Mika will at least have the peace that she wanted to have. That was their n.

 Chapter 868 Fools and Bastards

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 868 Fools and Bastards</h4>

    Chapter 868 Fools and Bastards

    Unedited

    5 days after the explosion

    Harringfort narrowed his eyes at the images on his tablet. "Is this reliable?" He stared at Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s image on his tablet before finally throwing it on his bed. Then he stood and walked towards the window, eyeing the busy streets of London before his eyes.

    "Yes, Master." It was his right-hand man Yi. "He arrived a couple of hours in Hong Kong and immediately held a meeting with the Executives of Fi Group. All of Lily Zhou¡¯s stocks had been transferred to Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s name. He now owns Fi Group as well as some of Lily¡¯s properties.

    Harringfort gritted his teeth in anger. How could he miss this? Lily and Zhou Jingren must have been nning to disappear since Zhou Jingren met him a couple of weeks back! That means, they were only toying with them and looking for an opportunity that they could use to disappear! "Fucking Stupid!" That Leandro was really stupid to try and kill them. Did he really think the couple was stupid enough to park their car on a dark road and just wait for the enemy to kill them?

    "Also... Mr. Bei Tian stepped up as the new owner of Zhou Capital. With Mr. Zhou Jingren¡¯s father and mother¡¯s help, everything had been going well with thepany. I can¡¯t see any sign of decline in their stock prices." Yi made a deliberate pause. He knew that his words are only making Harringfort more and more irritated "It seems that everything had been organized even before they left Hong Kong. It¡¯s just that... It¡¯s just that our focus was on Luxembourg that we failed to send our men to check the legal documents of theirpanies."

    "Were you able to locate them?" Since Leandro blew up that car, there were no signs of Lily and Zhou Jingren. They didn¡¯t ride that private ne with Bei Tian and Qin Yuanfeng. They also didn¡¯t go back to Hong Kong. So far, the Organization had been doing its best to locate the two. However, it seems that Lily and Zhou Jingren disappeared like a fucking smoke."I will kill that son of a¡ª"

    "Master... the Organization just sent a message." Yi¡¯s words interrupted him. Harringfort immediately epted the encrypted phone that everyone in the organization has. He used both face and voice recognition as well as a series of twenty digit passcode to open the phone and immediately read the message. Slowly, the lines between his brows deepened, his face turned grim. It was an order.

    It was a fucking specific order to stop looking for Lily and Zhou Jingren. "Why the hell would they stop now?" Harringfort gave the phone back to Yi. The Order never does unreasonable things like this. Was it possible that they already found them? Did they give this order to prevent people like Harringfort on looking for them? Another curse left his mouth.

    They must have known about his involvement with Leandro. But can they really me him? Harringfort¡¯s goal was to see, how much these people will do to protect Lily by targeting Zhou Jingren. In fact, this was not the organization¡¯s n. At least not now. Everyone was afraid that they will lose Lily¡¯s trust that they didn¡¯t want to touch her and her husband now.

    For some reason, this immediately irked Harringfort. How could the organization protect someone like this? He could not understand why they would spend a lot of their resources in protecting Lily. This was just illogical! Harringfort knew that those old bastards knew something that he didn¡¯t and he was nning to find out anytime soon.

    "Master... this..."

    "Speak!" Harringfort¡¯s voice was clear.

    "Master... if we continue doing things like this I¡¯m afraid that they will send some people to silence you."

    "They won¡¯t." He gave a confident answer. "Those bastards need me. There is no way that they would just throw me like that because of one or two misunderstandings. Moreover, everyone knows that mywork is vast. They know I already have some sort of a safety switch. Once I die or disappear the world will know of their existence. How could those old fools in the UN and EU allow such an organization to exist?" He sneered. This was the reason why he was confident that they would not touch him as long as he does not touch Lily and Zhou Jingren.

    He could investigate all he wants and those people will only watch in the sidelines smirking, making fun of his intention to investigate despite knowing he would find nothing.

    "But your country..."

    "Who cares about that?" He hissed. "The truth is the truth and that I more important to me than anybody else!" He added. He had been serving this order since they saved him. However, now that they are showing such favoritism to Lily, Harringfort naturally would start to wonder why her. And since they refuse to tell him anything then... he would do everything to acquire the information that he needed. Slowly... his lips lifted into a smile as an idea came to his mind.

    He needed to get close to Lily. But since he could not find her... then he will get close to her brother instead! "Let¡¯s go to Hong Kong."

    "Master?"

    "Are you fucking deaf? Let¡¯s go to Hong Kong!" He said.

    "I understand. The ne will be ready in an hour."

    "Make it thirty minutes! I want to be on my way to Hong Kong in thirty minutes!"

    "Yes, Master." Yi respectfully bowed before he left Harringfort alone.

    Qin Yuanfeng sat still as he stared at the empty dining table in front of him. It had been days since hest saw his sister and he already missed her presence around him. A sigh escaped his lips as he watched the untouched food in front of him. "Chef Yang... I don¡¯t have any appetite. I¡¯ll be in my room working." He said as he stood and walked without sparing the table another nce. Now that Lily and Zhou Jingren is going to spend some time and enjoy thest few months of her pregnancy, he needed to step up and manage theirpany well.

    He immediately recalled Lily¡¯s warning about thepany losing money. The thought made her smile. It¡¯s funny how they were already in this type of situation and Lily¡¯s mind was still on her money and future profits.

 Chapter 869 Kaen Facci

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 869 Kaen Fi</h4>

    Chapter 869 Kaen Fi- Zhou

    Six monthster. Sweden.

    The sound of a baby crying was heard in a room which was followed by the frantic footsteps of Lily. "Shhhh." Lily immediately carried the small baby in her arm and cooed the child as she red at Zhou Jingren who had followed her inside the room. "Your fault."

    "He is not hungry. Give him to me... I will change his diapers."

    Lily instantly beamed at Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. The man who kept on assuming that their little angel wanted his diapers changed even when he changed his diaper just ten minutes ago. "He is hungry. I will feed him first." She sat on the rocking chair inside the sky blue painted room. Then she started feeding the now three-month-old Kaen Fi- Zhou. Seeing this, Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes turned gentle as he sat next to her and started ying with Kaen¡¯s small toes.

    "Stop it."

    "This is necessary for his development." He responded.

    "I am feeding him." Again, Lily red at her husband. But who was she fooling? Zhou Jingren only smiled in response and kissed her cheeks. Not long after, Kaen, whose name meant mes closed his eyes and fell asleep in his mother¡¯s arms.

    "Let me put him back in¡ª" Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t continue his words when he saw Lily red at him again.

    "I will do it." She said before she started rocking the chair back and forth. "Five minutes." She said. They said that feeding your baby was one of the most tiring yet rewarding things in the world. Months before, Lily wondered if that statement was really true.

    With the cruelty of the world, Lily used to wonder if this was really something that she would experience. Or even worthy of experiencing. But that was before. Three months ago, when she met her angel, she could not stop herself from sobbing. Her emotions ran rampant as she stared at the small baby boy in her husband¡¯s arms.

    At that time, she clearly remembered everything around her. The sound of his small cries, the feeling when he grabbed her pinky, the first feeding experience. Everything was so clear and emotional that Lily could still feel the same excitement and joy that she felt that night. The Twenty-ninth day of March. The day that their small bundle of joy was born. A day that she Would remember forever.

    "Done?"

    "Hmmm." She nodded as she slowly closed the door behind her. She then looked at the room before her. The Young Kaen¡¯s room was connected to Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s room. She eyed Zhou Jingren who was lying on the bed, smiling at her. "Why do you always think about diapers when you see him?"

    "Because... he does it every time I¡¯m there." Zhou Jingren answered without batting an eyelid. "My boy is naughty like that." He started beaming.

    "How could you call him naughty? He is not even six months old yet." She sat next to him and looked at the new clothes that Lily had ordered and was brought by Zhou Dae Un just yesterday. That¡¯s right. As the person who frequently travels, Zhou Dae Un is the one who had been bringing everything that Lily wanted.

    While this ce was already prepared with everything that they might need, Lily could not stop herself from shopping online. How could she stop herself from buying such cute clothes and mittens? At first, Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t want to do this as he does not want to risk revealing their location just because of baby clothes. However, his mother promised that she would be as meticulous as she could.

    And Zhou Dae Un really did show up looking a little different. Until now, Lily could not process what she saw that night when Zhou Dae Un arrived. The woman was dressed as a flight attendant in front of her, wearing aplete disguise that not even Lily and Zhou Jingren could tell she was their mother.

    This was also the first time that Lily heard about the businesses that Zhou Dae Un owned in Korea and Japan from the Tanaka Family. To say that her mother inw was a simple woman was really an understatement. Because of that, Lily started shopping for expensive clothing for her son. From shoes to cute baby bos, Lily brought it all.

    "What is that?" She eyed Zhou Jingren¡¯sputer. "Company?"

    "Hmmm." He nodded. Despite Bei Tian being recognized as the new owner of Zhou Capital, Zhou Jingren was still the one running everything behind the scenes just as Lily was still the one deciding the most important decisions in Fi Group. Because of this, theirpany never suffered despite their absence. "You know... now that I think about it... I like this life. Can we live underground forever?" If Lily was going to be honest, this was the first six months in her ¡¯new life¡¯ that she had cked though and rxed. "cking is really nice." She smiled.

    In Eight years, this was the first time that Lily didn¡¯t think of anything else other than tending to her son and feeding him. Zhou Jingren was the one taking care of everything else. He cooked for her and washed their clothes and most importantly, he woke up every night to change Kaen¡¯s diaper. Aside from them, a person named Kai was also here with them. The man and his wife Casa had been in this ce as they were the people who the Duke trusted to maintain the Bunker.

    While Kai monitored everything happening on the outside and did not really do anything else other than look at theputer and check the news. Casa was a doctor and was the one who helped when Lily gave birth. The couple had been staying in the bunker for more than ten years before Lily and Zhou Jingren had arrived here. The two had been really good to them too as they received Grand Duke Phil¡¯s order to treat Lily and Zhou Jingren just like how they treated him.

    "I want to live somewhere underground after all this." Lily was actually a little serious about this statement. These six months of peace made her realize how much she really liked it. She had been used to a life full of schemes that this short period of time where she had experienced this calmness and silence, made her want more of it.

 Chapter 870 Cruel Fate

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 870 Cruel Fate</h4>

    Chapter 870 Cruel Fate

    Unedited

    Of course, Lily also knew that this would not be possible. Aside from Zhou Jingren and Kaen, there are also other people that she considered close to her heart. Li Shanshan and Fernando are out there, as well as Cathy and George. Of course, her brother and Bei Tian were also out there managing thepany.

    What if those bastardse for them once Lily and Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t show up on that date? A sigh escaped her lips. Those people covered up the incident that happened months ago. They even clean up the incident about the Duke. However, they also didn¡¯t let Leandro take the throne. This could only mean that the Previous Duke is still alive, right?

    Aftering here, Lily and Zhou Jingren deliberately stop all the contact that they had with Eliza and Levi. Both of them decided to spend time with each other and ¡¯enjoy¡¯ thest few months of her pregnancy together. Unless extremely important, Lily and Zhou Jingren refused to reply to messages from Qin Yuanfeng and even Bei Tian. They would, however, send them an email from time to time letting them know that they were doing fine.

    Of course, that was only before Lily gave birth. After she gave birth, the contact soon increased as Lily and Zhou Jingren started to dabble into thepany secretly. However, staying in this ce for six months didn¡¯t really mean that Zhou Jingren and Lily stopped researching about The Order.

    By now, the duo already knew a lot of information about The Order. This information includes their past crimes that could be associated with their extreme want to control the global market and politics. Lily also realized that this organization is not like the EU or UN who hadws. The Order of the Spectre only followed onew and that is to maintain the bnce of the world.

    Of course, Lily thought this was rubbish. Bnce? How could a certain organization create bnce? However, it seems that everyone in this group really believed that they were capable of doing this.

    "So you think... the source of their money is gold and oil?"

    Lily nodded at Zhou Jingren¡¯s words. An organization like this needed money to fund their activities. They needed money to fund the war that they wanted to do. Money to fund the protesters that they send to create chaos in some countries. Money for the research that they were doing in some countries. And of course.... They needed money to stay hidden from the public¡¯s eyes.

    Lily thought it would be impossible to hide this trail as this was not something most people would look at when they are researching something. However, Lily was not most people. While most people would have decided to follow Harringfort or Mr. Nesson, Lily decided to follow the money instead.

    How could a big organization like this hide every little detail about the funds that they are using? Impossible! Lily knew that they could easily falsify stuff. However, that would also mean that as long as Lily and Zhou Jingren would look closer, they would be able to find it.

    So, Lily and Zhou Jingren started to focus their attention on the continent with the richest natural resources.

    Africa. The blessed Africa that holds around thirty percent of mineral reserves in the world.

    Using theputer in the bunker that is connected to a satellite, the duo started their research that didn¡¯t seem to have any good results in the first few days. And that was when Lily discovered something.

    Diamonds.

    Aside from being known as the blessed country with good reserves of minerals, Africa is also known for its high-quality gems and diamonds. Since the 1800¡¯s Africa was already considered as the top continent that produces the highest quality of diamonds. And that was when Lily realized that instead of gold and oil, the Order is using diamonds to fund their pockets.

    Then, they started using the ck market to stealthily smuggle diamonds from country to country. It was honestly a big operation that took Lily and Zhou Jingren two months just to trace thergework all over the world. Because of this, Lily was able to trace at least ten people who she thinks is associated with Harringfort. These ten people were all people who Harringfort had been with in thest year.

    Then, Lily also started using Mr. Neeson¡¯s acquaintances with the people associated with the diamond business or gem business. So far, Lily only figured out two people. A Japanese man and someone from Russia.

    Still, it wasn¡¯t an easy feat. The Order had been very careful about everything. Their meetings and even their hideout is something that even Lily didn¡¯t know. Even Qin Yuanfeng was unable to determine it. However, this does not mean that Lily is going to give up.

    These people wanted to use her husband to control her. Wouldn¡¯t it be right for her to retaliate? And to do that, Lily needed to get close to them. "Is everything prepared?" Lily asked Zhou Jingren.

    "Hmmm." He nodded as he started typing on theputer. Since staying here, Zhou Jingren had been using his skills in hacking in ¡¯Gathering information¡¯. Because of this, his skills had improved by leaps and bounds. "Are you sure about this?" He eyed her.

    "Is there any other way?" Lily countered as her gaze turned dark. In the past, Lilian tried to act against the organization by ruining them from the inside. However, she had forgotten that her weakness, her own husband was left in the open. She thought the organization would not dare touch him in the open.

    She was wrong. In the end, her own husband had to die in her arms.

    Such a cruel fate. No wonder her grandmother neverughed even when she was with her granddaughter. A sighed escaped Lily¡¯s lips as she thought of the other contents of the letter that Madam Luo gave her. That fate will never happen to her.

    That is a promise.

 Chapter 871 Ra

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 871 Ra</h4>

    Chapter 871 Ra

    Unedited.

    They say that a rat, once cornered, will bite the cat.

    That might be applicable in Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s case. Except, The Order is nowhere like a Cat. The thought of this made Harringfort frown. It had been months. People around him had been acting like that incident didn¡¯t happen. Even Lily¡¯s brother had been acting like Lily was not gone.

    The business has been going well, money is still flowing, their lives are still the same. How could they ignore the fact that Lily and Zhou Jingren just disappeared from Earth six months ago? He gritted his teeth as he stared at Qin Yuanfeng who was busily typing on hisptop.

    Dressed in a crisp all-ck corporate attire, Qin Yuanfeng seemed to have matured since thest time that he saw him in this coffee shop a month ago. He had been observing him, following him around, listening to his meetings, and yet, he never showed signs of concern towards Lily. He never mentioned his sister in the meetings as well as his phone calls.

    "Mr. Qin," Harringfort said as he stood next to Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s table. "Is this seat taken?"

    "After a few months, you finally decided to talk." Qin Yuanfeng said without looking up. "How could I let someone upy the seat that was supposed to be yours from the moment you started following me around?"

    Harringfort frowned. He knew Qin Yuanfeng had some skills in hacking andputers but he was sure his people were all professional in their jobs. There was no way that he would know he was being followed as most of his people were using CCTV to follow Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s every movement. Of course, he never thought that Qin Yuanfeng would hack into their server. That would be too far fetched. Harringfort took his seat and pretended not to get affected by Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s words.

    He watched as Qin Yuanfeng elegantly took a sip of his dark coffee with no cream and one sugar¡ª the thing that Qin Yuanfeng likes the most. "How have you been?" Harringfort asked.

    "Why do you ask questions when you already know the answer?" Qin Yuanfeng countered as he looked at him. "I¡¯m sure you already know that I am doing good." Pursing his lips, Qin Yuanfeng examined the face of the man in front of him. "You seemed tired. Was it from following me around for months now?"

    A snort escaped Harringfort¡¯s lips. "Watching Mr. Qin walk around and manage hispany made me sleepless." Sarcasmced his tone. "How could such a man act like his sister never existed?"

    "You can only me yourself for her disappearance." After a few months of managing thepany, Qin Yuanfeng learned a lot in talking to people like this. He had learned that words are like knives, it is as sharp as a sword. However, unlike the sword, some of the pain caused by words do not heal. "My actions should not change the fact that you were foolish enough to align yourself with another foolish man."

    "You talk just like her."

    "I learned from the best." Qin Yuanfeng snorted and went back to hisputer. He had learned everything from his sister and that is something he was very proud of.

    "If she will not show herself... we will soon start targeting her family."

    Harringfort¡¯s words made Qin Yuanfeng pause for a few seconds before he continued typing. "Why does it have to be her? Now that she experienced the life of peace, you think she will just reveal herself because you threatened to kill her family members?"

    Harringfort turned silent. He knew that Qin Yuanfeng was only bluffing. "Your sister will show herself soon. Tell her to find me first. I have to talk to her before¡ª "

    "How sure are you that she¡¯s not dead?" Qin Yuanfeng interrupted him. Seeing Harringfort turned silent, Qin Yuanfeng added, "You seemed certain that she would show herself to be one of you. You really don¡¯t know my sister." Lily will show herself to destroy them. That was the Lily that he knew. Of course, Qin Yuanfeng chose to keep this for himself.

    "She will show herself." Assuranceced Harringfort¡¯s voice. "The Order needed something from her. And they won¡¯t stop until they get it." After a few months of investigation, Harringfort was now certain that The Order was taking care of Lily not because she was some sort of a genius sent by god. They needed something from her. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know what that thing was. "Her disappearance had caused a lot of problems for us¡ª "

    "Your actions caused a lot of problems for you." Qin Yuanfeng mocked him. "That was the right words. Don¡¯t me her for being smarter than you stupid folks. me yourself for being too stupid."

    A smirk escaped Harringfort¡¯s lips. How could this man be so simr to Lily? "Tell her that I will wait for her return." He said. He wanted to know what The Order needed from Lily. What could be so important that would make them work so hard to protect her? Harringfort had been doing a lot of research about the things that Lily had. But nothing really came up.

    Qin Yuanfeng only responded with a snort. ¡¯Stupid¡¯ he thought inwardly before he continued typing. On the outside, Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s face was stern and stoic. However, on the inside, he couldn¡¯t help butugh at this Harringfort. He always knew that this man had been here just days after his sister disappeared. This Harringfort was stupid enough to make his people hacked into public CCTV¡¯s to follow him around. Because of that, Qin Yuanfeng was able to find traces of their actions. As a result, Qin Yuanfeng hacked into hisputer and saw things that he already gave to Lily. "Don¡¯t wait for her." He uttered just when Harringfort was about to stand up. "There is no need to wait for her. If she wanted to show herself. She will naturallye to you."

    Harringfort stared at him without saying anything. He was right. Lily should know that Harringfort is the weakest link in the order right now. He nodded and rose from his seat. Then he left the cafe without saying anything else.

 Chapter 872 Scary

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 872 Scary</h4>

    Chapter 872 Scary

    Unedited.

    "Is everything ready?" Harringfort said the moment he boarded into his car.

    "Yes, Master."

    "Then let¡¯s go to the maind." Tomorrow was the deadline for the six month period that he agreed with Zhou Jingren. While he was not sure he would show up in that vi in Maind China, Harringfort still needed to try. After all, everyone in the Order knew that the meeting ¡¯might¡¯ happen tomorrow. Everyone would surely send their representative to try and join his conversation with Lily.

    "Master... there is still no sign of them on any flights to China in the past few days. I believe they might take another alternative way. Perhaps a ship?"

    "We don¡¯t know that yet." This was already expected. Harringfort knew that Lily and Zhou Jingren would not be that stupid to use their names while traveling after what happened.

    "Master... we also spotted at least two people from the Order. One from Lord Naru and one from Lord Neeson. The others must being too."

    "Hmmm." That was already expected. How could those two leaders of their own faction inside the cancel miss this opportunity to talk to her first? If those two would not send people to talk to Lily, that would be surprising to Harringfort. He let out a sigh as he focused his attention outside of the car. He could not forget Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s words earlier about Lily. If she wanted to see him, she will appear.

    For some reason, that seems to tell him something. Was he warning him? An ominous feeling rose inside Harringfort as he took a step out of his car. The location of his private ne was not that far from the cafe that Qin Yuanfeng had been frequenting in thest few months.

    "Sir," the pilot and one flight attendant bowed as he went inside the ne. Without saying anything else, Harringfort took a seat in one of thefortable sofas in his ne. He then epted the ss of champagne that the attendant gave him.

    After a few minutes, Harringfort felt the ne started to ascend. "Yi, give me an update of the things that have been happening in Luxembourg right now."

    "Master... for some reason, Luxembourg had been having a lot of problems since two months ago. The business in the country is having problems and ¡ª "

    "What kind of problems?"

    "Stocks, cybersecurity hacking, and other security issues. Those are banks so those people are pretty strict with their security. A bank that would experience a breach in their security would surely lose the trust of its people. There had been three banks who experienced the same thing for the past two months. It sounded coincidental but we are already looking into it. However, we failed to track who is hacking these banks."

    "And?"

    "And ... the electricity in the country had not been steady. They have received multiple attacks in the past few months. All calcted, all causing big damages that required billions to get fixed. Because of this, the prices of electricity had been affected. A lot of investors were already hesitant to give their money to the country because of this."

    "It should be Lily and Zhou Jingren." He immediately concluded as he drank the champagne in his hand. They were making the citizens suffer to make the current government suffer. Was she nning to make the people revolt? "Just continue watching." He added as he fell into deep thought. He had been watching Luxembourg because he knew that Lily would have her revenge soon.

    He knew that Lily was not the type of woman to sit there and watched after her life was threatened. There is no way that he would not make Leandro suffer for what he did.

    What Harringfort didn¡¯t know was the fact that Lily had been making Leandro suffer for a while now. This was not because of the economy or the government. Lily had been doing this silently by leaving images of Leandro as he does his usual everyday routine in the pce every morning.

    Every single day, Leandro and Mika would receive pictures of themselves brushing his teeth, or reading a newspaper for that day. One image even showed Mika with her daughter in the bed sleeping. Every image would have an X mark on his and her face. It was as if telling him that Lily had been watching him every minute of the day. Because of this, Leandro and even Mika never had a good night¡¯s sleep since this started.

    The two already increased their security, the CCTV¡¯s and would not leave the Pce unless extremely necessary. However, the mental torture continued until today. The two had tried everything to capture the person who had been leaving these images. But they always fail as these images would turn up in various ces in the pce. Moreover, the CCTV¡¯s that will be pointed in that ce would not show anything.

    Of course, the two knew that it was Lily and Zhou Jingren. They were trying to scare them and they are winning. What could be more scary than knowing that you are not safe in your own house? What is more scary than knowing that they could kill you while you are sleeping?

    But what could they do? They don¡¯t know where Lily and Zhou Jingren were. All they could do all day was wait for another image to show up. Then increase the security around them again.

    While not many people know about this, the ministers have been aware that something is going on with Leandro and Mika. Something is causing the two to lose so much weight. Sometimes, the minister would even wonder if Leandro was really fit to lead. After all, many of them witness him flinching from the simplest thing like the gush of wind or the sound of the door being open.

    The ministers could only shake their heads as the ominous feeling inside them increased every single day. Something bad is going to happen and they could only pray that the country will survive.

 Chapter 873 Variable

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 873 Variable</h4>

    Chapter 873 Variable

    Unedited.

    Harringfort let out a sigh before he eyed his wristwatch, silently counting the hours before he would meet them again. To be honest, while he was not sure that Lily would show herself tomorrow, he was still excited about meeting her. He honestly could not wait to ask her questions, caught her off guard, and test how much she knows about the Order.

    It had been six months of radio silence. Six months of not knowing what Lily was doing or nning.

    "Champagne?"

    Harringfort nodded as she held the ss in front of him. Then he froze. That voice... He immediately raised his head and almost let go of the ss when he saw Lily smiling at him. For a few seconds, Harringfort froze, unable to utter a word. His mouth opened and closed without saying anything.

    "May I?" Lily gestured towards the seat opposite him. She took a seat without waiting for his answer. "Your Highness..." she started. "How have you been?"

    Still speechless, Harringfort stared at Lily¡¯s smiling face. He never noticed her before as the pilot and the flight attendant bowed at him when he walked in. "You¡ª "

    "Why does it look like you¡¯ve seen a ghost?" Lily smirked. "Are you feeling unwell?"

    Harringfort gulped. This... the woman in front of him was of course Lily. Her hair was in a tight bun as she wore the uniform of a flight attendantfortably. A smile was apparent on her face, a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes. "How did you get here?"

    "Wrong question," Lily said as she put the bottle of champagne in front of them. "Aren¡¯t you going to ask me why am I still alive? Or... how am I doing?"

    "You¡ª "

    "It seems that Qin Yuanfeng was wrong. You were not looking for me. Are you perhaps watching my brother¡¯s actions because you like him?"

    "You¡ª "Until now, Harringfort could not seem topose the right words that he wanted to say. He stared at Lily as if wondering if this was all a dream. Slowly, he shook his head and downed the champagne in front of him. "How¡ª how are you?"

    "Wonderful your highness."

    "And... And... Why are you here? I... I thought you¡ª "

    "I thought you wanted to see me before I put myself out there?" Lily snorted as she thought of Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s messages earlier.

    Harringfort slowly nodded as he clutched his chest. He then let out a sigh of relief. At least she was here now? He looked at her. "What do you want?"

    "I want a lot of things." Lily started. "Sadly you can¡¯t give any of them to me." She smiled. "I am here to tell you that I am not going to show up tomorrow. I have some things to do. More important than those people."

    "What are you going to do?"

    "Revenge." Lily smiled. "Zhou Jingren is .... That explosion wounded him. He is still unconscious." She lied without batting an eyelid. "I think it¡¯s time that I make some people pay. Right, your highness?"

    ???If... Then why are you here?" Harringfort forced the words out of his mouth. It¡¯s funny how he had nned everything that he wanted to ask this woman. However, now that she was here, he could barelypose his thoughts. Howical. "I¡¯m sure you are not here just to tell me that you are going to destroy someone right?"

    "I want you to let them know... that I want to meet every one of them."

    "Everyone?"

    "Everyone..." Lily said. "Lord Neeson... Lord Naru... everyone."

    "You¡ª How..." His eyes widened. There is no way that Lily would know about Lord Naru. The mention of the name immediately made him frown. Did that man already approach Lily? How would she know the two leaders of the faction inside the council if she was not approached by that old man? "You already know about the council?"

    Lily already responded with a knowing smile. "What I know does not concern you. However... I know they needed something from me. Tell them to show up in this address. It¡¯s a public restaurant."

    "A meeting like this cannot happen in any public ce."

    "Says who?" she raised an eyebrow. "Ah... you mean they have never met in a public ce before?" She smiled. "Then this will be their first."

    "Don¡¯t you understand your demands? That is too dangerous. After what happened six months ago, some people from the UN and the EU are looking into the case. Some intelligence unit had been searching for their identity. They can¡¯t be in a public ce at the same time."

    "I don¡¯t think that is my problem your highness," Lily said. From the diary of her Grandmother Ye, Lily knew that these people were indeed watching her since she was a kid. That could only mean one thing, she was important. They value her. While she does not know what is the reason for this treatment, Lily knew that it didn¡¯t stop just because her grandmother died. Meaning... until six months ago, these people had been watching her. In fact... she believes that this was the reason why her Grandmother Ye was killed just a month after her Grandmother Lilian¡¯s death.

    ording to the entries that she read, Grandmother Ye actually called Lilian and told her about the people following Lily around when she was in Hong Kong. Lilian must have figured out that the Order knew about Lily and Bec¡¯s location since Bec ran away. If her guess was right, this was the reason why Lilian got killed.

    Of course, there should be another variable that Lily was not aware of. Like the bomb that Mr. Neeson told Lily. Surely, that was not just some nonsense, right? While she knew most of that old man¡¯s stories were lies, Lily did not see the point of him talking about some confidential information about some bomb that is more damaging than a nuclear bomb. Because of this, Lily made her research and was able toe up with a theory.

    Lilian might be involved in something sinister that made the order get rid of her or she was the one stopping them into doing something sinister. And to be honest, Lily believed that it was thetter. Lilian must have been trying to stop them from making that bomb.

    Of course, this was nothing but spections. However, she was about to find out everything soon.

 Chapter 874 Madness

    Chapter 874: Madness

    Unedited.

    ..........

    "Hah!" Harringfort pursed his lips. Lily''s words surprised him. He tried to observe her for a few seconds before he answered. "You are not here to be one of us." This was not a question as he could clearly see everything in Lily''s eyes.

    "You are right."

    "Then¡­ why are you here?"

    "I wanted to live a carefree life, your highness. I wanted to give these people what they wanted and leave. I wanted to be free with my small family." The smile on Lily''s face was so gentle it somehow made him feel chills on his spine. He immediately frowned. There was nothing wrong with Lily''s words. But¡­ Why does it seem so ominous?

    "So¡­ you know that they wanted something from you?"

    "I do." Lily smiled. "I am nothing special. I am a little talented in manipting people but I am quite sure a lot of people from the CIA or other organizations are more talented than I am. I am not as rich as other people. I have no interest in politics and power. There is no reason for them to watch me since I was a kid. I mean¡­ there was a reason as they could always use me against Lilian but there is no reason to involve me now that Lilian is dead."

    "For you to think like this¡­." Harringfort made a deliberate pause. "You are really the sharpest woman that I have met, Lily. That is apliment."

    Lily frowned. For some reason, she could feel that Harringfort seemed too tense around her. "Is there something you wanted to say, your highness?"

    Harringfort nced at his wristwatch again.

    "We still have about one hour before the nends." Lily smiled. "I have that much time to answer your questions."

    "Where are you going? And why were you in Hong Kong?"

    "Obviously, I am going to the Maind. I was in Hong Kong to catch a ride." She beamed.

    Harringfort ignored Lily''s sarcasm. "What do they want from you?"

    "I''m not telling you."

    "What are you going to do next?"

    "Stop asking questions when you already know the answer."

    In response, Harringfort pursed his lips. Obviously, Lily was no longer pregnant. However, this made him wonder where is her baby now that Zhou Jingren was injured? Who is taking care of her child? "The crisis in Luxembourg?" he continued.

    "My doing," Lily answered. "It is only right that you let them get a taste of despair."

    "Do you know that the Duke is still alive?"

    "I do." Lily nodded. Duke Phil was alive but the siblings, Mika and Leandro kept him in the underground of the pce. The ce where they used to keep ude. Speaking of the young man, he was able to escape and disappeared. Of course, Lily was able to track him down but since he was not someone important in the organization, Lily chose to let him live his life under the alias that he chose.

    "Eliza and Levi as well as the Duchess had been imprisoned too," Harringfort added. "Are you nning to kill Leandro and Mika?"

    "No." Lily answered truthfully. She was not very good at killing. However, Zhou Jingren was the opposite of her. She was sure that he would not let them go even if they kneel in front of him. Not when the two had been very ungrateful and endangered his family. Of course, Lily was not nning on telling Harringfort about this.

    "You do know¡­ Lord Neeson was the one who was backing Leandro up, right?"

    "I do." Lily frowned. She also happened to know that Harringfort was the one who instigated the whole thing.

    "Then¡­ if you are going to harm them¡­ are you prepared to face Lord Neeson''s anger?"

    "If he gets in my way¡­ I would harm him too." Lily started smiling again. Of course, Harringfort didn''t miss the hint of madness swirling in Lily''s eyes. This made Harringfrot uneasy. This version of Lily seemed to carefree, too crazy. He couldn''t help but wonder what kind of storm this woman is brewing now. Could it be possible that she wanted to use Luxembourg against the Order? But isn''t that too ambitious?

    "The order¡­ existed for decades." Harringfort started. "We have survived wars and famine. I don''t think¡­ I don''t think you can just destroy the organization just because you wanted to. I would highly advise you to reconsider."

    "You are telling me that they have ns for Luxembourg?" she asked. Of course, she already knew this part. How could the organization not take advantage of the richest country in Europe? "I only wanted revenge, your highness. For what they did to my husband."

    Harringfort didn''t answer her. Rather there is no need for him to answer Lily. It was obvious that she was only ying with him. She wanted him to say something that could help her figure out whatever it is that she wanted to know. But why would Lily do this? Was she so desperate to know about the Order that she would reallye in here to talk to him and make him confused? Was it because¡­ Zhou Jingren was badly hurt? Did Lily lose her logic because¡­

    For a few seconds, Harringfort turned silent. Then his pupils shook as he realized something. Zhou Jingren ¡­. That man must have died in that explosion!

    That is the only exnation that he coulde up for Lily''s illogical behavior! There is no way that she would have acted so recklessly if Zhou Jingren was still alive! This woman¡­ This woman must have been nning to kill everyone in that meeting that she wanted. Of course, this was all inside his mind. On the outside, Harringfort looked calm and collected as she stared at Lily''s crazed eyes.

    What is more scary than a woman who had nothing to lose?

    .......

    This novel will end this month. I will start doing mass releases once I have the time. My kids are sick after we went to the beach. I think its because of the heat? Anyways, its been days. I hope everything will be alright soon.

 Chapter 875 Goodbye

    Chapter 875: Goodbye

    Harringfort could not help but tremble from his own thoughts. Was it possible that Lily wanted to kill herself along with the order? Of course, he hadpletely forgotten Lily''s statement about her wanting to live in peace with her small family.

    "Lily¡­" he gulped but was not able to continue his words. "If you give them what they want¡­ do you think that it will be the end?"

    Lily snorted in response. Then she looked out of the window as the ne slowly descended into Maind China. "Let''s talk once I finish dealing with them, your highness." Lily rose from her seat as she opened two buttons on her attendant''s uniform and started walking out of the ne. However, since Lily''s back was turned towards him, Harringfort wasn''t able to see the smirk on Lily''s face as she started walking towards the car waiting for her a few meters away from the ne.

    How could she miss the fear in Harringfort''s eyes? Lily knew that her initial n had seeded. Harringfort would now report his findings to everyone. And Zhou Jingren could now walk freely using a different face.

    ..........

    Hong Kong.

    "Wait¡­ Wait¡­" Bei Tian tensed. "So you wanted to use my face while I¡­ while I¡­" He cleared his throat as he eyed the sleeping Kaen in the stroller. "While I take care of him?"

    "My mother will take care of him." Zhou Jingren chuckled. "I have some tasks to do. Three months. Give us three months to finish everything."

    "You¡ª" Bei Tian gulped. "What if he starts calling me father?"

    "He won''t be able to talk just after three months." Zhou Jingren said.

    "But what if he thinks I am his father?"

    "He won''t, you are not good looking enough."

    Bei Tian red at him. This was supposed to be a serious conversation. However, he found itical how Zhou Jingren would trust him to take care of a small infant. He cleared his throat and looked at Kaen. "Zhou Dae Un is already on her way?"

    "Hmmm. She cannot disappear for a long time. People are always following her around and the only reason she was able to lose them was because she had someone act as her, wearing prosthetics. However, that should be alright soon."

    "Why here? Why with me?"

    "This is the safest ce right now." Zhou Jingren said. "They would never think that we would put Kaen in this ce as we know that a lot of people are watching you. They would think, we hid him somewhere remote and safe."Of course, this was also the fact that Zhou Jingren was already dead in their eyes. Plus, Lily and Zhou Jingren knew that someone was a spy in Lily''s forces. That was different from Zhou Jingren''s side. All of the people around him were people who grew up or at least knew him while growing up. The people closest to him, especially Bei Tian. had fought with him, someone who would not hesitate to sacrifice himself for Zhou Jingren. He trusted him."Once I start pretending to be you. I will immediately go to Luxembourg. Of course, the people following you right now will follow me as they will think, I am going to meet up with Zhou Jingren and Lily."

    Bei Tian clenched his jaws. For thest six months, he had been in Hong Kong not doing anything else other than managing the business like a good young master. However this does not mean that his forces had been motionless either. "Are we destroying them?"

    "Probably not." Zhou Jingren was being honest. They don''t know everything about this organization yet. However, everything was already nned. If they could not defeat them, Lily and Zhou Jingren were nning to disappear with their child. While that was close to impossible, Lily had already taken care of the nning. Everything was already prepared on their end. "But we will make sure to cripple them." They were nning to destroy their sources of ie and some other transactions that would create problems for them.

    This might not be enough to destroy them, but it will somehow shake the authority that they hold. And once this happens, Lily and Zhou Jingren knew that some people in the organization are bound to want more power than what they currently hold. Meaning¡­ a civil war inside this organization might begin.

    The n was to first make people doubt each other, make them confused. Of course, Lily had already started this with Harringfort¡ª the person who was now starting to doubt the organization.

    "Alright then." Bei Tian nodded. He might not be that smart but he knew that Zhou Jingren deliberately made him the guardian as he knew that he would do everything to protect Kaen. As someone who grew up together, Bei Tian and Zhou Jingren had been through a lot. Theypletely trusted each other and would always protect each other. "About that virus or whatever that is that Harringfort gave me¡­"

    "Don''t worry about it. I will find out soon enough if Harringfort was bluffing about that." Zhou Jingren said. "Is everything prepared in Africa?"

    "You are not going to Luxembourg?" Bei Tian raised an eyebrow but decided not to ask questions now. "Everything is ready. Our people are waiting for your order."

    "Good." Zhou Jingren said as he eyed the small Kaen. He then let out a sigh. Three months¡­ Lily told him that it will only take her three months to shake them. Then¡­ she was nning to live peacefully. No more schemes, no more killing. Lily wanted to buy a ce somewhere cold. She said she wanted to live near a snowy mountain or a beautifulke. He slowly lowered himself and looked at the peaceful face of his son. "Soon Kaen¡­" he uttered in a low voice as his eyes turned gentle.

    He recalled the day that Lily said goodbye to Kaen. He recalled how she never shed a tear and said there is no need for her to say goodbye as she wasing back. Despite that, he didn''t miss the sadness that apanied her voice.

 Chapter 876 Suppor

    Chapter 876: Suppor

    Now that everything was set. It was the best time to start their n by ruining Luxembourg.

    That was what Lily thought the moment she arrived in Luxembourg. Of course, she was not thinking about literally destroying the country but the people who currently led the country. In other words, Leandro and Mika.

    Since they started receiving images that showed their everyday actions, Leandro and Mika had been obsessed with security. The two refused to receive guests that were not very important and they went as far as installing cameras in their own personal rooms.

    Lily found this entertaining. Did they expect her to die from a small explosion? She then recalled what really happened that night. Lily and Zhou Jingren had long left the car when one of Leandro''s men used theirunchers on the car. Did they think that Lily and Zhou Jingren would go to the ne using a car that would attract their attention? While Lily didn''t expect Leandro to actually aim for her life, she was already nning to abandon the car immediately. Of course, that decision was purely out of instinct and it was what saved them in the end.

    While they were able to survive that night without any injuries, Lily couldn''t stop herself from fuming. She saved them from the poison and yet they tried to kill her. Funny how Duke Phil actually had a kid like him. Was it because they were Mr. Neeson''s grandchildren? Perhaps¡­ it runs in their blood?

    Of course, Lily knew the reasoning behind their actions. They loved someone. And that someone was taken from them. Their initial reaction was of course rage. They were blinded by rage and they acted solely based on their emotions and forgot about any reasoning. Still, that would not excuse them from trying to kill her and her family.

    On the other hand, both Leandro and Mika still didn''t see anything wrong with what they did. Sure, it was an attempted murder but they didn''t seed and they found it reasonable to try and kill Lily as she was really the one who ruined the whole family. Before Lily arrived in Luxembourg, they were peaceful, they were happy.

    "Still no news of her?" Leandro said as he leaned against his velvet chair. He eyed Mika sitting on the couch a few feet away from him. "You are losing weight."

    "Says the one who looks sick." Mika countered. Another reason why they have been avoiding the eyes of the public was because of their steady weight loss. They didn''t want people to start asking questions about their health and avoid more issues. "Nothing. They were not in Hong Kong or China. Not in London and Japan either." Mika had been hiring people, private investigators and other professionals to follow Bei Tian and Qin Yuanfeng as well as Zhou Jingren''s mother and father around. However, everything seemed so normal in their end, it was starting to irritate her. "Are you sure grandfather said they survived?"

    "Qin Yuanfeng and that Secretary Go are proof of that." A few days after the incident, people spotted Qin Yuanfeng with Secretary Go arriving in Hong Kong. Wasn''t that enough proof that they were alive? He scoff and turned his head away at his sister''s stupid words. Even their grandfather confirmed that they were alive. How could she still doubt it? "Did you forget the pictures?"

    As expected his words made her flinch. She hastily looked at him. "I ¡ª I think it might not be them."

    "Then¡­ who is it? Levi and Eliza? You imprisoned them and changed their servants. Do you think there is a way for them to ess the pce behind our backs?"

    Mika turned silent at his words. She knew it was Lily and Zhou Jingren, however, her mind just refused to ept it. A sigh escaped her lips. "Then¡­ what are we going to do?"

    "Nothing." Leandro remembered the time when his grandfather told him to do nothing. With his current position right now, it would be bad for him to disobey his order. Not when he was not properly crowned as the Grand Duke because Phil refused to do so. With the current situation in Luxembourg, he needed his grandfather''s support the most.

    "Leandro! Can you hear yourself? They are trying to scare us in our own home! They are telling us that we are not safe! That they could kill us anytime! Are you really going to do this to me? You were the one who tried to kill them! Why do I have to suffer as well?" Seeing her brother just stare at her without saying anything, Mika cursed inwardly before she continued. "I have children! I can''t die!"

    "What can I do?"

    Completely stumped for words, Mika could not help but tear up, the frustrations that she had been hiding for the past few months raged inside her. She wanted to curse, yell and shout at him for not defending her, them, their family! However, no words came out of her mouth. In the end, tears slowly streamed down her cheeks as Leandro shook his head and left his office. This was not actually the first time that a confrontation like this had urred between them and he knew this would not be thest either.

    Still, what could he do about it? He was powerless against the faction that supported his father before. Just the thought of those ''noble'' families almost immediately made him angry. For some reason, he found it hard to control the ministers and other heads of noble families in the country. This had caused him a lot of stress and sleepless nights. Another sigh left his lips as he opened the door to his suite room inside the pce.

    Not long after he entered the room, Leandro froze, his eyes wide as he stared at the woman sitting on the Velvet sofa in front of his firece. He immediately clenched his hands as he stopped his arms from trembling. Surprise, anger and fear made his stomach churn. "You¡ª How are you here!?"

 Chapter 877 A dog or A rat?

    Chapter 877: A dog or A rat?

    "You sound scared, your highness." Lily smiled as she closed the magazine in her hands. She then put it on top of the extravagant coffee table carved of oak.

    "How¡­ How did you get in here?" He asked as he tried to stop his voice from shaking. He pretended to act as if her presence did not affect him in the least as he tried to walk towards his night stand where a gun was safely tucked near his bed.

    "If you are looking for this¡­ then¡­ I already took it out for you." Lily''s words made him so still, he could feel his own heartbeat wildly beat against his chest. "And the bullets too." He heard the sound of the bullets cking against the tiled floor. He gulped and turned towards Lily. Was she here to kill him? The realization made his face go pale.

    "Why are you here?"

    Lily only responded with a smile. "To congratte you, of course." She uttered. "How was everything? I have been away for so long¡­ How is everyone?" her casual questions only made his heart beat faster, louder. "Would you like me to call you Grand Duke now?"

    "I¡ª I¡ª" Leandro stuttered. "If you touch me¡­ you will not leave this pce alive."

    Lily snorted. "Did your guards tell you that I am here?" She raised an eyebrow and started beaming. "I''ll take that as a no. Did you think the guards are still guarding you? I can clearly see them just guarding the pce, waiting for the real Grand Duke to show up. Like wolves, waiting for the wolf king. You should be careful, your highness¡­ wolves tend to stick to their packs and they attack the ones who dare to bare their fangs against the alpha."

    How could he answer her words? Leandro stared at Lily''s face as the realization hit him. The guards, the knights, the military. Was it possible that Lily was able to convince them to act against him? Questions and assumptions immediately started filling his head as he thought of the reason why his grandfather never once visited him after Lily and Zhou Jingren disappeared. Was it possible that he ¡­ he had betrayed him too? Leaving him in a pce full of wolves who knew what Mika did to their father? "I¡ª I was only¡ª You asked my father to kill my wife. I got blinded by rage. But if you kill me now¡­ this country will lose its monarch. That¡­ that would be dangerous."

    "Is it?" Amused at his words, Lily continued smiling. Her voice was not loud, in fact it was calm and soft. Still, Leandro didn''t miss the danger that surrounded it. "I thought¡­ you were not the official Grand Duke? You never announced that your father had passed. Therefore the people¡­ no the ministers also didn''t approve that you inherit his throne. After all, people have doubts about what really happened that night." She said with a meaningful look.

    On that night, Qin Yuanfeng had sent the video to Eliza. Surely, that was enough to let them know that Lily had a copy of the video before they asked their people to delete it. Lily believed that this was the reason why these two didn''t kill the Grand Duke. They were afraid that Lily would show herself and show that video to everyone. "Your strategy is foolish one. your highness." Lily added.

    She observed his trembling hands that he immediately clenched and unclenched before he met his eyes. "You deliberately let the Duke stay hidden from his own wife and the twins so you could use them. You want to use the Duchess if the Duke makes ns to escape and the other way around. Was this the reason why Eliza didn''t post the video? Tell me¡­ did you threaten her to keep her silence?"

    "That is not true."

    "Liar." She chuckled. "You do know that I have a copy of the video, right? I can post it anytime that I want to."

    "No one will believe you."

    "What do you mean?" she raised an eyebrow.

    "Isn''t it obvious? The people¡­ the people wont believe a foreigner like you!" As part of his n, Leandro and Mika spread some rumors about Zhou capital and Fi Group in some social media outlets six months ago. While some people immediately deleted those posts, he was sure that some people living in Luxembourg were able to see it. He even made sure to spread those rumors about her wanting to acquire the seat and using her influence to suppress the economy of Luxembourg.

    Because of this, most businessmen and nobles in the country actually believed that Lily and Zhou Jingren wanted to control the throne and when Leandro decided to fight back, the two left the country and started doing something behind the scenes to sabotage the economy of the country.

    "Really?" For the umpteenth time, Lily raised her eyebrow as her lips curled into a slight smile that didn''t reach her eyes. "Then¡­ why don''t we try it now?" Lily then opened a tablet and showed him the video.

    "What are you doing?" Leandro took a step towards Lily, however, a man whom he never met before blocked his view. "Who are you? Get out of my way!" The man was about his height, his sharp phoenix eyes stared back at Leandro. "You¡­"

    "Daohu¡­ don''t scare him." Lily chuckled. "Let him sit across me. I want him to watch everything that I do."

    Leandro frowned at the man named Daohu. He tried to shove him out of his way, in response, Daohu blocked his hand and twisted it.

    "AHhh¡­. Let me¡­"

    "Daohu¡­" Lily''s voice echoed. Almost immediately, the man named Daohu let his hand go and pushed him towards the seat across Lily without saying anything.

    "How dare you treat me like this in my own¡ª"

    "Shut up." Lily said. "A man who treats his father, who raised him into a decent human being, like a criminal does not deserve to be treated like a human. Be thankful I am treating you like a dog. I could treat you like a rat and step on your face¡­ but I am not doing that as it would make my stilettos dirty. Now¡­ sit down."

    ....

    Don''t forget to vote for the novel!

 Chapter 878 Karma

    Chapter 878: Karma

    Daohu pushed Leandro towards the seat opposite to Lily. "You can''t treat me like this!"

    "Says who?" Lily asked without raising her head. She started ying the video on her tablet. "I say¡­ Mika is such a good actress, don''t you agree?"

    "What¡ª What are you nning to do? I am warning you. If you try to do this¡­"

    "You can''t scare me, Leandro. Please¡­ we all know that the only person who should be scared at the moment is you and of course¡­ your criminal sister." Lily said.

    "Don''t post it!" Leandro pleaded. "I¡ª I will do anything! Don''t post it! That will ruin me and Mika."

    "Alright." Lily immediately nodded before she gave the tablet to him. "Send a hundred million in USD to that ount."

    "What?" Of course, this was enough to surprise him. What is going on? He eyed the bank ount number in front of him. "What are you talking about?"

    "You should pay a price for my silence. A hundred million should be worth it, don''t you think?"

    "I¡ª I don''t have that much¡­"

    "Please¡­ stop lying." Finally, Lily raised her head as she met his eyes. "Send it now. Or¡­ I post the video." Contrary to her devious words, Lily''s smile was gentle to the point where most people would call it angelic. "I want it now your highness. My patience will run out in thirty minutes."

    Leandro nervously eyed Lily. A hundred million bank transfer was not something he could do without informing his bank.

    "The banks already know about it. There is no need for you to call. Just transfer the money and everything will be fine."

    "What about the video?" He asked.

    "What about it?"

    "Are you going to delete it?"

    "Of course. I will delete it in front of you." The smile on her face never faltered. If one could see Lily right now, they would think she was only trying to make another business deal. No one would be able to tell that she was trying to ckmail someone. "So? What do you think, your highness?"

    "That¡­ A¡­ A hundred million and you will delete the video?"

    "I already told you. I won''t post it."

    "How can¡­ how can I trust you?"

    "If I wanted to post the video I would have done it without talking to you, your highness. I don''t need money¡­ yet I believe that everything you do has its own karma. If you don''t want me to post the video, then the least you could do is pay me some money topensate for the damages to my emotional state. This would also cut the strands of Karma that connects us. Don''t you agree?"

    "You¡ª" He could not help but wonder if this woman had gone mad. Karma? Strands of Karma? What the hell was she talking about?

    Lily chuckled. "Of course¡­ I am not forcing you to do so. You have twenty four minutes to decide."

    Leandro stared at Lily. A hundred million in USD was a big amount and giving that much money to Lily would surely alert some people. However, not giving her the money would mean that the video would be made public and that would be the end of him and Mika. Frowning, Leandro lowered his head. His phone was currently in his jacket pocket. One call and he could summon his guards inside.

    However, he was not sure whether those people were on his side. After all, he was already convinced that Lily and Zhou Jingren must have had spies inside the pce. That could be the reason why they were able toe and go without alerting the guards. His mind took him to Lily''s bodyguard who was standing like a huge boulder behind her.

    While Leandro knew a little bit of martial arts, he was not particrly good at it. He was only learning for the sake of knowing something to defend himself. However, he never considered himself an expert at fighting. If he attacked Lily now, there was no guarantee that the guard would not kill him in one strike. Moreover, he was not very sure about Lily''s skills either.

    Two versus One.

    He was already at a disadvantage. Leandro could not help but swallow the hostility in his throat as he slowly nodded. "I will send it to you. But you have to delete the video in front of me."

    "Of course. And I will guarantee that I will never post it online. I am after all a business woman. I value my word and my promises."

    Seeing the confidence in Lily''s voice, Leandro bit his lips and opened his bank using Lily''s tablet. He then started transferring her the money that she wanted. The fact that the bank immediately approved the transaction without even calling him made him shiver. This was an international bank! How could Lily make them approve the transaction of a royalty like him?

    "Forty percent¡­" He uttered as he gave her back her tablet. "Now¡­ I want to see you delete it."

    "When the transaction ispleted. I will naturally delete it, your highness." Lily smirked as she eyed the tablet.

    [COMPLETED]

    The smile on Lily''s face grew wider. "Now¡­ I will show you that I will delete the video." Lily then showed him how she cleared all the files in her cloud ount and the files inside the tablet.

    "So that''s it?" He couldn''t help but ask.

    "What do you mean?"

    "This¡­ All the trouble¡­ the pictures. It''s all gone now?"

    "Of course." Lily answered. "As I said¡­ I always keep my words."

    The most up-to-date novels are published on lightnovelworld[.

    "Then¡­. Then¡­ you are not going to harm me or Mika? You are not going to involve yourself in our business anymore?"

    "That''s right. I will not involve myself with your family. I will leave and nevere back" She eyed the structure inside the room. "I find this pce scary anyway. It''s ominous and dark. I wouldn''t want toe back in here."

    "Then¡­ Leave¡­ please leave me alone and don''t disturb my family! As you said¡­ the¡ª the strands of Karma are no longer present."

    Like a snake looking at its prey, Lily tilted her head, her scarlet lips curling into a devious smile as she said, "Of course."

    And that was thest thing that Leandro remembered before his consciousness left him.

    .........

    Don''t forget to vote for the novel.

 Chapter 879 Promises

    Chapter 879: Promises

    When Leandro woke up again, he was already lying on his bed. He immediately jolted up, frowning, he looked around the room. Where is he? It took him a couple of seconds to realize that he was still in his room. Still, the frown on his face didn''t disappear. Why was he in bed? He immediately examined his clothing and immediately froze when he realized that he was no longer wearing his coat. He was no longer wearing his shoes. It was as if¡­ he had just woken up!

    "Was that a dream?" he roamed his eyes around the room and let out a sigh of relief when he didn''t see Lily or that scary looking man named Daohu. He then clutched his chest, relief shing through his eyes. Good thing it was only a dream. He sat on bed before he heard a loud knocking on his door. He immediately got up but didn''t move when he spotted a tablet on his night stand.

    Leandro started trembling as he moved his hands towards his gun. As expected it was still there. However, the tablet near him was proof that Lily was herest night! Without having any second thoughts, Leandro ignored the knocking as he grabbed the tablet and switched it on. He immediately examined it and made sure that the files were indeed deleted.

    "Leandro! Are you here? Why are you not answering my calls?" Mika who was behind the door, decided to use a spare key to enter the room. She had been knocking for more than five minutes and she was honestly worried that something had happened to her brother. "Why are you standing there like a statue? Did you already see the news?"

    "What? What news?" An ominous feeling rose within him. Could it be¡­

    "The video! It was the video of me and father arguing! I already tried to ask our people to delete it¡­ but it keeps oning! Leandro¡­ what are we going to do now?"

    It was as if a lightning struck Leandro as he listened to Mika''s words. How could that be? Lily promised that she would not upload the video. Ignoring his sister, he opened the tablet again and checked it. There were no videos or any other files. However, a note soon caught his attention. He immediately opened it and staggered once he read Lily''s note.

    [As promised I didn''t release it to the public. But I can''t promise you that other people won''t release it.- Lily]

    "This¡­"

    "What are you doing? Why aren''t you saying anything?" Mika''s words interrupted his stupor. He eyed his sister, a tinge of defeat can be seen in his eyes. "I ¡ª I think Lily was here."

    "What? What do you mean?" Mika''s face immediately lost its color as she scanned the room. "She was here?"

    He nodded in response. He opened his mouth, only to close it again when he realized that he cannot tell her about the hundred million dors that he had just given to Lily.

    "What did she do? Leandro¡­ did she ¡­ Is she going to kill us?" Panic rose within her. The fact that Lily was able toe inside without them knowing only meant one thing. She had the means toe in here and kill them. This ce was not as secure as they originally thought. "The Security. We should increase the security! We should double it¡­ no¡­ triple the security and ask for grandfather''s help! Leandro you must give him a call as soon as possible." She repeatedly tugged her brother''s arm, pulling him out of his own thoughts.

    "And what would you like me to say?" He removed his sister''s hands from his arm and walked towards the bar inside his bedroom. Without hesitation, Leandro opened a bottle of whiskey and downed its contents without using a ss. He gulped and gulped, hoping the spice of the alcohol could give him some ideas on what to do right now.

    "Father." Mika uttered. "We should let father go."

    "Are you crazy?"

    "Then would you like her to kill us?"

    "She won''t kill us! She is not that type of person." He sighed. "She would rather see us suffer."

    "But¡­ we have been suffering for the past few months!''

    "And you think that is enough? How stupid can you be?"

    "You¡ª How dare you call me stupid when this is all your fault in the first ce!" Mike yelled. "Isn''t this all your fault? You tried to kill them! And you failed! The least that you could do was seed!"

    Leandro ignored his screaming sister as he thought of what happened the previous night. He could not predict Lily''s next move but he knew this wouldn''t be the end of it. Was she really nning on making them suffer until they wish for their own deaths? He involuntarily trembled as he thought of Lily''s cold eyes earlier. "I will go ahead and call grandfather." He was running out of ideas. He needed someone to guide him. Someone experienced enough to defeat Lily.

    However, before he could pick up his phone, everything suddenly turned ck. It took them a second to realize that it was a ckout. How could the electric power inside the pce suddenly shut down? Leandro could not help but feel his heart start to beat wildly against his chest. He remembered about the ckout months ago that was associated with Lily. Then only one word came to his mind. "Father."

    "What?" Mika asked just as the lights turned back on. This time, the ck out didn''t evenst a minute. "What was that?" Both of them immediately opened the phone to try and call their assistant to tell them about what happened.

    "Father."

    "What?"

    "Call someone to check on father!" Leandro started panicking. And that was when they heard someone knock on the door. Both of them paused as they looked at the entrance of Leandro''s room.

    "Your highness! Your highness!" An urgent voice called out from the other side of the door.

    Without saying anything Leandro strode towards the door. He opened it and immediately looked at one of his trusted knights. "Speak." The knight''s next words almost immediately turned hisplexion pale.

    "The underground¡­ Someone freed and took the Grand Duke out of the Pce."

 Chapter 880 Emergency

    Chapter 880: Emergency

    Leandro and Mika''s face turned grim. They eyed each other before they followed the knight towards the underground facility of the pce. And just like what the knight said, the prison or rather the room where the Duke was staying was empty.

    "Speak. What happened here?"

    "There¡­ there was a ckout and the security was breached. We didn''t notice anything wrong until¡­ until the generators turned on and when we checked the Duke¡­ he was already gone."

    Leandro frowned. If he was right, the generators needed at least thirty seconds to activate. Does that mean Lily only took thirty seconds to get the Duke out? "They are still inside." He stated. "Find them!"

    "Your highness¡­ the ministers are calling an emergency meeting. They are already waiting for you in your office." Another knight called out. This made Leandro and Mika cursed inwardly. It should be because of the video.

    "Tell them to wait."

    "Your highness¡­ they said it was urgent."

    "I said, tell them to wait!" Leandro clenched his hands as he let out another curse inwardly. To him, the Duke''s rescue was the top priority. "Find the Duke!" he ordered his people. "Don''t let them leave the pce. And also¡­ someone call the knights guarding the Duchess. Tell him to bring her to me." In his mind, Lily''s next course of action should be saving the Duchess. He was wrong.

    In Lily''s mind, there is no need for her to save the Duchess. Mr. Neeson should be somewhere around the country watching everything. Why would she save his daughter from the clutches of his own grandson? Not long after, Leandro received a call that Eliza and Levi had escaped too. This only made his headache worse.

    Lily didn''t rescue the Duchess first. Instead, she saved the twins. Why? However, Leandro does not have the time to think about this now. Not when the ministers had been asking to see him for more than an hour now.

    "Your highness¡­ this¡­"

    "What!? What is it this time?" he already gave the money to Lily, and yet she didn''t hesitate to ruin him! That woman really deserves to die.

    "There is another news¡­ online¡­"

    "What? Speak!"

    "Your highness this¡­" the knight hesitated for a few seconds. "There is a new lead connecting you to the terrorists that attacked other countries in the name of religion in thest few months."

    "What did you say?"

    "Someone already started a petition online to¡­ they wanted the EU to investigate you."

    Mika let out a gasp, her face full of horror. She immediately understood that this was all Lily''s doing. "Leandro¡­ what are we going to do¡­"

    "Shut it!" Leandro massaged his temple. Everything had been so quick, so swift that he wasn''t able to prepare anything that could defend himself in this situation. "Why would they say that I support terrorists?" he asked. "What was the rumour online?"

    "Apparently¡­ a bank personnel anonymously sent your bank statements to a media outlet. It shows that you were doing huge bank transfers to organisations that support such acts. We already tried to call the mediapany, but they refused to tell us who sent them the report. We also tried to contact the bank and they refused to cooperate and said that it wasn''t one of their employees."

    "Leandro¡­ it is Lily." Mika said. She sat next to her brother, the corner of her lips turned downwards as she thought about everything that happened in just one day. "What¡­ What are we going to do now?"

    "Go and talk to the ministers. Tell them it was fake. Asked our people to create a statement online stating the video was propaganda against me."

    "But father¡­ Father is already in Lily''s hands. What if he suddenly shows himself to corroborate the video?"

    "That is not going to happen. Father is not going to cooperate with someone that is trying to ruin the royal family." Leandro''s voice was full of assurance. However, this is nothing but a facade. On the inside, he is already trembling, as he thought of the things that Lily and his father would do. "He won''t do that." This time, he said it to assure himself. Their father loved them. How could he watch someone else ruin his son and daughter?

    "But¡­ I¡­" Mika stuttered. "I was the one who stabbed him."

    "We didn''t kill him." Leandro eyed her. "We could have. But we didn''t."

    Mika turned silent for a few seconds. "Then¡­ I will leave and take care of the things that you said."

    "Also¡­tell the ministers, I am not going to ept any interviews from the media. And schedule a press conference tomorrow. Invite the biggest media outlets in the industry. Tell them¡­ I will answer everything tomorrow."

    "I understand." Mika nodded before leaving the underground facility. Seeing this, Leandro immediately eyed the monitors that showed every corner of the pce. "Now¡­ let''s find them." He said in a grim tone. "Check every CCTV and traffic camera around the pce as well as the one where we kept Eliza and Levi. And where the hell is my mother? I asked someone to bring her to me!" Leandro continued ordering his people around as he started watching the camera on the Duke''s room.

    However, his expression slowly turned grim as he continued to watch the video. It was her.

    Lily.

    She walked inside the room and started talking to the Duke. After a while, Lily rose from her seat and eyed the camera that was pointed at the Duke. Then she smiled a brilliant smile as she mouthed the words,

    ''I''ll see you soon, your highness.''

    Then all of the monitors cked out. Leandro gasp. "What is happening?" He looked at one of his people, who is an expert atputers.

    "Your highness¡­ someone is trying to hack our server. No¡­ No¡­" Leandro watched as theputer expert started typing a series of codes that he was not very familiar with. "No¡­ No!"

    "What is going on? Why did the monitor cked out?" he asked as an ominous feeling spread inside him.

 Chapter 881 Records

    Chapter 881: Records

    Meanwhile, Lily was watching as Levi and Eliza were hugging their father as if their lives depended on it. Both were crying tears of sadness and joy as they consoled each other. Seeing this, Lily took a sip of her tea calmly before she flinched and let out a sigh inwardly.

    Her breast had been aching.

    Another sigh escaped her lips as she thought about Kaen. She missed him. Lily turned her head away from them and shook the thoughts of her son away from her mind. She needed to finish everything as fast as possible so she could see him again. A sad smile slithered on her lips.

    "Lily." The Duke''s voice interrupted her stupor. Lily raised her head to look at him. "Are you¡ª Are you going to see Leandro soon?"

    "He will have a press conference tomorrow. We will see him at that time." She said.

    "And¡­ what are you going to do?"

    "Nothing." Lily answered Levi''s questions. "I watch in the corner and act as a reporter. You will do the rest. Lily didn''t want to reveal her face as of this moment, at least not in front of the media. All she wanted was to have the satisfaction of watching them fall in front of her.

    "But¡ª I mean¡­" Eliza hesitated for a few seconds. "Aren''t you going to hurt him?

    "I am not a very good person Eliza." Lily answered. "I wanted to hurt him and your sister." She watched as the three people in front of her flinched at her words. "They wanted to kill my child and me. They should have expected that I would retaliate if I survive." Lily then rose from her seat. "I will leave you three. I still have some things to attend to. The press conference is at ten in the morning."

    "Lily¡­" The Duke said the moment she started walking towards the door. "Can I talk to you in private?"

    "Father¡­"

    "Please leave us." The Duke turned towards Levi and Eliza. "Lily and I needed to discuss some important things." Eliza and Levi didn''t hesitate to leave them.

    "Are you going to tell me not to hurt them?" Lily raised an eyebrow at the man opposite her.

    However, contrary to her expectations, the Duke shook his head. "No. I won''t tell you to do something. Just because they are my children does not mean that I am taking responsibility for the things that they did to me and my country."

    "You are indeed, a person who is fit to be called a king."

    "You don''t understand." The Duke shook his head again. "The country¡­ is my family. Leandro and Mika are adults. They decided to hurt me and their family. They were also the one who decided to attack you after you saved them."

    Seeing Lily pursed her lips and just stared at him, the Duke added. "I wanted to thank you foring back, for saving my family."Of course, Lily knew that the family that he was talking about was his country. "I wanted to thank you for saving Levi and Eliza. Those words¡­. Those words are not really enough to describe the gratitude that I feel inside." A sh of embarrassment glinted in the Duke''s eyes.

    Lily said nothing. She crossed her arms across her chests and sighed. After six months, the Duke seemed to have aged for five or even ten years. White strands of hair can be seen in the duke''s eyebrows as the wrinkles around his eyes had be visible. She could see his cheekbones protrude. The Duke had be skinnier.

    "Then¡­ I would like to apologise for everything that my family did." The Duke struggled to stand up, his knees shook, his hands trembling as he struggled to kneel in front of Lily.

    "Please stop that." Lily said. "Don''t kneel¡­ I don''t deserve it."

    The Duke paused.

    "Please sit down." Lily said. In response, the Duke took his seat."It wasn''t your fault."

    "It was my fault." The Duke said without batting an eyelid. "It was me who raised them wrong."

    "You already said it. They are already adults. They made their bed now, and they are going to lie on it."

    The Duke stared at Lily''s face for a few seconds. "I also discovered something. I wanted to talk to you about something else." He made a deliberate pause as he studied Lily''s face that was devoid of any expression. "While staying in that room¡­ Leandro would talk to me from time to time as well as Mika. I believe the one who instigated the incident was Antone Harringfort and his father." Lily raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Seeing this, the Duke continued. "There is also¡­ Mr. Neeson, my father inw. That man always wanted to control me since I married his daughter. He thought I would be a fool to associate myself with him. But¡­ But you already know this, right?"

    "I know that is not the real thing that you wanted to talk about." Lily knew that the Duke is smart enough to know that she had already investigated everything. There is no need for him to tell Lily something that she already knew.

    "You are still the same." A wry smile bloomed on the Duke''s face. "It was my father¡­ and your grandfather."

    "What about them?"

    "I asked Leandro to at least give me something that I could do. I asked for the records of what happened in the past. It was sealed and only the Duke could ess it. That record contains things that the Royalty does not want the public to know."

    "And?"

    "And¡­ there are things there that do not make any sense. It was about Lilian and Fred. My grandfather, Fred''s father, does not want Fred to marry Lilian because of the things that he found out about her."

    "What about her?"

    "The records were back on the vault, but I could give you ess for you to read it." The Duke said. "It was said that Lilian was part of a group of young schrs who studied biotechnology and nuclear weapons in the US. However, that project was soon demolished as it was dangerous and could potentially harm humanity."

    Lily stilled at the Duke''s words. "Tell me more." She uttered.

 Chapter 882 Blood

    Chapter 882: Blood

    "It wasn''tplete." The Duke sighed. "This was A project by the US during the cold war. It does not have the information about what they were studying or what they were doing. But it was indicated that she worked as an assistant for the scientist that was incharge of the project. This was when¡­ she ran away from home."

    Lily frowned. She knew that her grandmother ran away from the Fi family in Italy. As the only child, this action broke her parent''s hearts. However, she came back to apologize, and everything was okay until her parents died in a car crash. At that time, Lilian was already managing their family business.

    After her parent''s death, she immediately moved to London and started hustling until she could make the Fi Merchandise into the Fi Group. It was a big jump, and her grandmother worked hard for it.

    "One of the reasons why my grandfather was against Lily was becauseshe used to work for an American Scientist. He thought it could attract trouble, especially when the scientist vanished after the project was cancelled.

    "Vanished?" That probably means the scientist was silenced, right?

    "Hmmm, no one knows where he is until now. Of course¡­ it would be right to say that he already passed away, but the point is no one saw him after that project was cancelled."

    "There was no mention of the experiments?" Lily asked.

    "There was none. Of course, this was not something unusual as the government removed all traces of the experiment."

    "Biotechnology, right?"

    "Yes." The Duke nodded. "However¡­ this¡­ this was only a rumor. My grandfather was not able to confirm this. It''s just that he saw a photo of Lilian with the scientist, and he immediately assumed that she was a secretary."

    "Where is this picture?"

    "It''s¡­" the Duke hesitated for a few seconds. "It''s with Lilian."

    Lily raised an eyebrow as she waited for him to borate.

    "She came back after¡­ after that messy introduction and got the picture. Or so¡­ that''s what my grandfather said. He also said something else." The Duke gulped. "He said¡­ ''they seeded''."

    "I see." Lily nodded. Now that she thought about it, everything that the Duke says would make sense as her grandmother was the type of woman who would work as a secretary of a scientist. She was extremely detail-oriented and smart.

    "I hope that made sense." The Duke said before he smiled. "I know that sounds irrelevant to you. However¡­ I hope it somehow gave you an idea about your grandmother."

    "Hmmm. Thank you." Lily said as she met his eyes. "Is that it?"

    "Yes. That''s all."

    "Hmmm. Then I will leave you alone so you could have some time with them." Lily knew that it''s been six months since Levi and Eliza had a conversation with their father. Without waiting for the Duke to say anything, Lily went out of the room and asked the twins to get back inside so they could talk to their father.

    ...............¡­..

    Day of the press conference.

    At exactly nine fifty-nine in the morning, Leandro strode inside the room full of reporters. He lifted his chin and eyed every one of the people in the vast room. He then signaled his people to start with the introductions. Leandro did not like wasting any more time. The damage to his reputation is already enormous because of the video that Lily released yesterday. Moreover, the rumors swirling about his support for the terrorists had reached the EU. More and more people are calling his office to get an interview about the matter.

    He could not let something like this continue. He eyed Mika, who sat next to him, and thought about the huge bags under her eyes just this morning. Just like him, Mika was unable to sleepst night.

    "Your turn." Mika''s voice woke him up from his stupor. "Go ahead."

    Leandro nodded, his lips thinned as he walked towards the stand where various microphones were located. This press conference is live on TV, so aside from the mic, there were also some lighting and video cameras behind the reporters. He cleared his throat and looked at everyone inside the room. "Good Morning. My name is Leandro de Nassae, and I am here to address the current issue that has been going around online about my family. As you all know, the Nassae family had been serving the people of Luxembourg since this country had escaped the clutches of other countries. Since then, we have grown into one of the richest countries in Europe. Not only this, we have also acquired a lot of awards and became one of the mostpetitive financial centers of the world¡­" After his lengthy introductions about the things that his predecessors had done in the past, Leandro finally decided to address the issue about the video.

    "We have here the result of an extreme examination done by a video analyst that states the video showing Mika and my father fighting was fake. I will ask my peopleter to send everyone a copy of this document. You can even ask another expert to examine this document to prove that this is not fake. Second, the usations of me supporting the terrorist group are not only nonsensical but also illogical. First and foremost, the Nassae Family never associated themselves with terrorists, we never and would never support such heinous acts, as well as the people behind them."

    He continued, "The royal family and I are going to file charges to the mediapany who started spreading the false rumors online. Aside from this, we will also file a case to the bank that was involved. I ¡ª as the next Grand Duke, would not hesitate to show my financial records to everyone. That includes the money that was sent to and from my ount. I wanted to show everyone that I would never embarrass the blood that is running in the veins, the very same that is serving the people of Luxembourg. And the people who started spreading false articles about my family, I would let my Royal Family''swyers handle it. We will find out the truth sooner orter, and I wanted everyone to be there with me once the truthes out in the open. Thank you, and have a wonderful day ahead." He smiled. "I am going to answer ten questions from the reporters now."

 Chapter 883 Entrance

    Chapter 883: Entrance

    "Thisdy," Leandro''s assistant pointed at the blond woman who was raising her hand calmly as she sat in front of Leandro. The woman smiled as she rose from her seat.

    "Your highness, the rumors say that the Duke was stabbed and that Madam Weber was the one who stabbed the Grand Duke. Yet, you im that the videos are fake. You even said that we could examine that document that showed the videos were fake. However, another analyst already examined the video before someone deleted it. The analyst clearly said that it''s real. What can you say about this matter?"

    Leandro stared at the blond woman as he smiled. However, before he could open his mouth to answer the woman''s question, another reporter chimed in.

    "Your highness, where is the Grand Duke? Can you please confirm that he was not stabbed? The information about this incident was not revealed to the public, is it because Madam Mika Weber was the one who stabbed her own father?"

    "Your highness, what about the Duchess¡­ where is she? Why is she so silent about all this?"

    "And Princess Eliza and Prince Levi? Where are they?"

    "Your highness there is a rumor that you were trying to suppress your siblings. What are your thoughts about this?"

    "Your highness¡­."

    "Your highness¡­."

    "The Duke will answer everyone''s question. Please ¡­ let''s all calm down."

    Leandro stared at everyone who was anticipating his answer, his face calm and collected. This was the exact opposite of his emotions on the inside. Leandro never expected the reporters to ask such incriminating questions.

    "Your highness¡­ What about the rumor that your wife poisoned you? Is that true?" The blond woman asked. "It was said that the Royal Family was poisoned by someone. How true is that rumor?"

    "I¡­" Leandro stuttered the mention of his wife which naturally affected his mood. He frowned and looked at the blond woman. "That is not true." He immediately wondered why Mika forgot to inform him about this rumor.

    "Is that true your highness?"

    "Your highness¡­ what about the¡­"

    "Please everyone. Take your seats and wait for our turn."

    The security approached the group and instructed them to sit down. However, the reporters refused to even listen to them and continued asking questions. Ovepping voices of reporters echoed inside the hall, followed by the security personnel as they stood in front of the Leandro, protecting him from the reporters.

    "Is that Duke Phil?" The blond woman let out a surprised gasp as she stared at the door. Her voice was not that loud but it was definitely clear enough for everyone to hear. "Duke Phil! I thought he was in aa?"

    "Duke Phil?"

    "Is that Duke Phil?"

    Everyone turned their heads towards the door. Slowly, their eyes went wide, their mouths agape as they watched Duke Phil walk inside the hall with Levi and Eliza and a couple of knights surrounding him. Their ominous footsteps echoed inside the room. Silence soon followed their entrance.

    Everyone looked at Duke Phil before they turned their attention back to Leandro and Mika in front of them. Before anyone could say anything, the Grand Duke had already arrived in front of Leandro and Mika. He stared at his eldest son for a couple of seconds before looking at the daughter who had stabbed him.

    "Surprised?" The Grand Duke raised an eyebrow.

    "Fa¡ª Father!" Mika immediately started shaking, she eyed Leandro who was still in a daze. "Why¡­ why are you here?" she managed to ask in between her stammering.

    "As the Grand Duke of this country. I am the one who should be here¡­ isn''t that right?" Their father countered before he smiled. He then looked at the reporters. "Everyone¡­ my apologies for beingte. I was having a little bit of a problem these past few months. But everything has been solved and should be alright from now on."

    "Father¡­ what are you doing?" Leandro immediately leaned towards the Grand Duke. "This press conference is¡­"

    "It''s for your crimes." The Grand Duke interrupted him. "I know Leandro¡­ I know." It was as if a huge stone blocked Leandro''s throat as he stared at his father, horror apparent in his eyes.

    Will the Grand Duke announce what happened in front of everyone?

    "My apologies." The Duke went back to the reporters in front of him. "I am here to apologize for not being able to do my duty for thest six months. As you all know¡­ someone¡­ stabbed me."

    Gasps and whispers followed the Duke''s words. While everyone knew that the Duke fell into a vegetative state, the Royal Family never issued a statement about what really happened to the Duke. Some people said that he was betrayed by a businessman. Some people said he was poisoned. Some imed that they heard news of the Duke being shot. Of course, some extreme rumors even imed that the Duke was already dead.

    "Then¡­ I was kept in an underground facility while my wife and my other children were put under house arrest."

    Another series of whispers and gasp followed. This time, the Duke eyed the video camera, he wanted to speak to the people watching from their homes. "This will be handled by our justice system. I am letting everyone know that I, The current Grand Duke of this country will not hesitate to put someone in jail to attain justice. I will not hesitate to even put my own son, who imprisoned me, against my will, and my own daughter, who stabbed me because of a misunderstanding, to jail. This is¡­ how I ruled this country in the past and this is how I will continue to rule this country in the future. I will have another press conference in the near future to exin the specific. For now, I would like to thank everyone for their concern. Let''s continue making our country great! Have a wonderful day ahead. Thank you"

    The Duke immediately asked his people to turn off the video and escort the reporters outside¡­ that was with the exception of the blond reporter and a tall camera man that stood beside her.

    "Father¡­ you cannot do this!" Mika immediately broke down the moment the people left. She clutched his father''s suit. "Father¡­ please!" she begged as tears streamed down her cheeks.

 Chapter 884 A Very Long Time

    Chapter 884: A Very Long Time

    The Duke eyed the blond woman before he let out a sigh. "Arrest Leandro and Mika."

    "Father! How could you?"

    "How could I what, Leandro?" The Duke asked. "How could I have the knight arrest a criminal?"

    "I¡ª "

    "You held us against our will. That is a crime itself. After that, you let your sister roam free despite knowing that she was responsible for stabbing me. She not only attacked the Grand Duke but also tried to cover up her crimes by working with you. Isn''t that something that warrants an arrest?"

    "Father!" Mika started bawling, her shoulders shook while eyeing her father, silently asking for him to reconsider. "That was a mistake."

    "And yet you tried to use another mistake to hide it." Eliza, who stood next to her father, said. "How dare you cry right now when you didn''t even shed a single sincere tear when you stabbed our father?" Eliza remembered growing up in a happy family. However, this all changed when these two fell in love. Was love really something that changes people? Or it only amplified the real characteristics of those who experience it?

    "Eliza¡­ calm down." Levi held his twin sister''s shoulder. Eliza snorted in response, hate apparent in her eyes as she red at Mika, who was now kneeling on the floor then into his greedy elder brother Leandro.

    "Arrest them." The Duke repeated. In response, the knight that stood behind the Duke arrested the two.

    "Father, you are making a mistake." Leandro insisted. His grandfather told him that he should be the next king. Now that he is in apromising situation, his grandfather would surely help him, right? However, the Duke only stared at him before looking at Eliza.

    "Release the evidence of their action, every proof that connects to them. Make an official statement apologizing for the scandal." The Duke said.

    "Understood, father."

    Leandro stared at the three people who stood in front of him, and then his gaze darted towards the blond woman standing by the door. He immediately knew who she was.

    ''Lily'' he mouthed. The woman who single-handedly broke the Royal Family apart.

    On the other side of the hall, the blond woman also stared at Leandro. Then a smile blossomed on her face. She knew that these two would me her until they face their deaths. However, that is not something she could control. They could hate her all they want, but that won''t affect the fact that she got herself a well-deserved justice. . Of course¡­ This was nothing but an icing on the cake that she prepared for them. Her smile soon turned devious. "I won," Lily responded.

    She remembered how Leandro called her to tell such words just seconds before they blew up the vehicle that they were in. She remembered the feeling of anger, and betrayal when the car burst into mes just a few seconds after they secretly got out of it. A few secondste, and she, along with Zhou Jingren, Secretary Go and Qin Yuanfeng. She, along with her baby, would have be unrecognizable from the fire.

    Lily remembered feeling the extreme heat from those fires. Sadly, those emotions are long gone by now. Feeling the same hate would have easily made her irrational. That was not healthy for her son, for her Kaen. Slowly, Lily let that hate turn into something close to indifference. Yet, she knew one day that she woulde and make them pay for what they did.

    And this day finally came.

    She raised her eyebrow as if silently challenging Leandro to say something. Then, Lily chuckled. Seeing the defeat in both of their eyes was enough to make her day.

    ......¡­.

    When Leandro and Mika were sent to the same underground facility where they kept their father, the two immediately knew that something was definitely wrong. This was not the prison for the Royal Family! Both of them shivered as they eyed each other.

    Was this Lily''s n all along? To kill them and make them suffer? To their surprise, the person waiting for them inside the room was not Lily. Instead, it was a man¡­ that they have seen before.

    "Bei¡ª Bei Tian?" Leandro stuttered. How could he forget that man who reeks of blood? He could never forget the man''s cautious eyes and arrogant smirk. Isn''t this the man who apanied Lily and Zhou Jingren in Skopelos? Isn''t this Zhou Jingren''s close friend?

    The two immediately wondered why was he here instead of Lily or Zhou Jingren? Wait¡­ Something is wrong. When Lily showed herself, there was no mention of Zhou Jingren. The man also didn''t show himself. Surely, a man like him would not make his wife handle everything, right? Was it possible that¡­.

    Just like Harringfort, the two immediately concluded that something must have happened to Zhou Jingren. Something sinister¡­

    If so, this only meant that they are done. How could Lily spare their lives now that Zhou Jingren died because of what happened?

    "You should kill him!" Mika''s voice surprised both ''Bei Tian'' and Leandro. "He was the one who hurt your friend. I didn''t know that he was nning to kill Zhou Jingren and Lily. I only told him to arrest them." Amusement shed in ''Bei Tian''s'' eyes.

    "You¡­" Shocked, Leandro looked at his sister. Despite being arrested, the two didn''t have cuffs. Because of this, he was able to clutch his sister''s arm. "How dare you! You were the one who told me to deal with them!"

    "I¡ª I didn''t!" Mika used all her strength as she tried to remove his hand on her arm. "Leandro! You are hurting me! Let me go!" the struggling Mika said.

    "Then why don''t you tell them that you were the one who told me to deal with them? You are also the one who stabbed father without any remorse! If one of us should suffer, then that should be you!" he continued clutching her arm.

    "Leandro! I said¡­ let me go!" Mika sobbed. "My arm¡­ you''re hurting my arm." How could her strength equate to the power of her brother?

    ¡°Clowns."

    The two stopped arguing when they heard ''Bei Tian''s'' voice. They stilled and turned their heads towards him. "Don''t worry." ''Bei Tian'' continued. "You won''t die¡­. You two will live for a very¡­ very long time." He smiled. "I promise."

 Chapter 885 Upcoming Storm.

    Chapter 885: Uing Storm.

    Unedited.

    ..................

    The air inside the dim room was thick with coffee and something else¡­ something suffocating. No one spoke. Everyone inside the room stared at the monitor in front of them. Slowly, their faces turned grim, their lips thinned. Then the video was cut off, the lights turned on, a signal that the video presentation was finished.

    "She wanted to destroy us?" A man whose voice didn''t quite match his botoxed face asked. His thick Russian ent echoed inside the now silent room.

    "She didn''t say. But then again, we can no longer trust Harringfort. Not after what he did." Mr. Neeson responded. "There is no need to worry. What can a small Lily do to us?"

    The Russian man snorted. "Her grandmother didn''t give us all the information that we needed toplete the research. To assure the survival of her granddaughter it is only logical that she gave it to Lily. Now¡­ we have seen the kind of madness that she did just because her husband was a little hurt."

    "Dead." Another responded. "It is only right that we think of the worst-case scenario. Zhou Jingren is dead. If he is still alive. Then letting his wife and friend run around dealing with his enemies is extremely cowardly. If he is still alive, he does not deserve a seat among us."

    "We never have proof that Zhou Jingren is dead. But you are right. What kind of man would hide behind his wife?" Mr. Neeson let out a displeased grunt. "That Lilian is smart enough to evade our suspicion about her involvement in biotechnology. We must get that research from Lily."

    "What do you mean?" The Russian man asked. "She sabotaged our n to change the leadership of Luxembourg. Are we going to let this incident go?"

    "Leandro killed or maybe injured her husband." Finally, the short Japanese man who was silent just a few seconds ago said something. "If that happened to me. I would ¡­ I would do something worse than what she did.

    "Lord Naru¡­ we all know that you are against the study. " The Russian sneered. "There is no need for you to pretend that you are righteous."

    "What is that supposed to mean, Kusov?" Lord Naru squinted his eyes. "Are you nning on killing her?" His voice was calm, yet it didn''t hide the dangers that lurked behind his eyes. "Are you?"

    "Hmph!" Kusov turned his head away and said nothing. Lily just used the media to ruin his and Lord Neeson''s n, how could he pretend to be happy after all that? To Kusov, Lily is an extremely cunning woman. With her ability to predict certain things and maniptive skills, Lily is bound to be a very dangerous woman.

    And to him, it is better to get rid of a snake while they are still small. He would not want to wait for it to grow big enough to swallow him whole. He closed his eyes as he tried to calm his nerves. The experiment has a very high importance. As Lilian''s predecessor, Lily is the only one who could give them the rest of the genome research that they wanted to have to create something that would change the world.

    "The problem is¡­ we let her grow too much. How are we going to convince her that we have no ill intent in everything that we do?" Mr. Neeson''s voice interrupted the silence inside the room. "She is cunning and scheming. Those two things are very hard to deal with whenbined."

    "If Zhou Jingren is dead, then it would be hard for us to find leverage. We are also not certain if her child was alive."

    "I already told you. Lily would do something that Lilian did to Bec. She will attempt to hide her own child from our ws! Didn''t I warn everyone about this matter? An apple will not bear an orange. Lilian and Lily¡­ they are just the same woman!" Kusov hissed, the lines in between his brows deepened. The more he thought about the past, the more he realized that Lily is just like her grandmother. They would not hesitate to keep important people in their lives away just to keep them safe.

    Sadly, these people around this table didn''t listen to his warnings. They thought Lily would be easier to handle once they got a hold of Zhou Jingren. When these people heard that Lily was pregnant, they became happier. It''s a child!

    A child is always the weakness of their mothers!

    However, Kusov already anticipated that Lily would be different from other mothers out there. And his reasoning is simple. Lilian, the person who taught Lily did it to her own child without having second thoughts. Lilian and Lily are not only blood-rted, they also have a teacher and a student rtionship. Therefore, it is only logical to think that Lily is not different from the woman who taught her how to survive in this world.

    "Well then¡­ Lily said that she will see us once everything is done."The Japanese, Lord Naru sighed. "We can only wait."

    "I also suggest that we look into their friends and family to find Zhou Jingren and the child. If those two are still alive, then it would be logical for Lily to hide them. After all, she thinks like Lilian. Check out orphanages in Hong Kong and Europe. Check every hospital. If we want to control that woman, we need a tight leash and that leash can only be her husband and child."

    When Lord Naru heard this, he let out another sigh. These people¡­ wanted to control a woman just because of a rumored knowledge. They are not even sure if Lily really had this knowledge and yet, they are already nning on destroying the poor woman''s life. ''Lilian,'' Lord Naru mouthed as he closed his eyes. He can only hope that Lilian trained her granddaughter right. He can only hope that Lily has enough bullets to survive this uing storm.

 Chapter 886 Lord Mu

    Chapter 886: Lord Mu

    After the emergency meeting, everyone immediately boarded their jets and private cars to leave Austria. Of course, some of them chose to stay as they still have businesses to attend to. One of which is Lord Mu. Mu Shun, a Chinese man in his seventies, looked at one of his assistants as he unlocked the door of the suite room that he had booked for the next few days.

    Once the key card sessfully opened the door, Mu Shun walked inside his suite without waiting for his assistant to check it. This has been a tiring night for him. Just watching Lily''s crazed eyes during the press conference was truly disturbing him and the other council members. With Zhou Jingren dead, he and the others fear that Lily will turn crazy and retaliate.

    They could not allow that to happen.

    In front of the least favorable condition, the others already agreed to take care of Lily. However, that is almost impossible. The Order needed the files that Lilian passed to Lily. At least they could not kill her before she gave them those files. The old man closed the door behind him after he instructed his guards not to disturb his sleep. He had already given them his phone as he does not want to be disturbed tonight. All the old man wanted was to have a peaceful sleep¡ª If he can.

    However, this wish immediately vanished when he saw a woman sitting at one of the velvet chairs next to the king-size bed in the room. He stilled for a few seconds before he continued walking towards the other seat. "I was expecting to see you soon. But I wasn''t expecting that you wille to me first." His voice was rough as always; his English ent was enough to tell Lily his nationality. He took a seat opposite her.

    Silence filled the room.

    "Why are you here?" the old man asked calmly. Not a tinge of emotion can be seen in the old man''s wrinkled face.

    "Old Mu." Lily uttered as she smiled. "Or, shall I call you Lord Mu?" She raised an eyebrow.

    "Call me whatever you want."

    "You are originally the patriarch of the Mu Family, and yet you let me destroy your granddaughters." Lily remembered how she had an altercation with the Mu Family before. However, she never heard anything from this old man. This old man is the patriarch or the hidden leader of the Mu and Mo family in China. As someone powerful, why let his granddaughters suffer in Lily''s hand? "Was it because¡­ I am Lilian''s granddaughter?"

    "Possibly."

    Amusement shed in Lily''s eyes.

    "Tell me¡­ Lily¡­ what is the point of saving the weak?" the old man stared at her for a few seconds before he continued. "The reason why they didn''t win was that they were weak. Saving them would not benefit me in any way."

    "You are right." Lily shrugged. "There is indeed no point in saving the weak."

    The old man''s lips thinned. Having the young Lily as an enemy would not be too good for him as Lily would surely take her time in researching about him and his businesses. If that happens, Lily would surely connect him to an organization. Old Man Mu does not want to create any unintentional drama with Lily. Of course, this is something that Lily would never know. "Why are you here?" he repeated his question.

    "I know you needed something from me." Lily uttered. "What is it?"

    "Why me?" the old man countered. "I am sure you have done enough research to know the other members of the order. Why did you approach me?"

    Lily snorted. "Why not?"

    The old man frowned, unimpressed at Lily''s retort. He had been in this world long enough to know that Lily picked him because of a hidden reason. Was it because of his illegal activities? Was it because of the secrets that he has? As a person who had lived a life full of secrets and more secrets, it is only natural for the old man to be wary of Lily''s reasons. "I will answer your question once you answer mine." He sternly said.

    "Aside from the fact that you are the only one in Austria right now, do I need another reason to approach you?" Lily raised an eyebrow. The smile on her face was still sweet with a hint of danger. Old Man Mu¡­ one of the oldest members of the order, was another member of the Order close to both Harringfort and Mr. Neeson.

    And by close, Lily meant being close doing something against thews, together.

    "Lily¡­ I have lived so long to know that you are not someone that makes her decision out of luck and opportunity. You are someone who uses logic and reasons." Of course, he was not convinced of Lily''s reasons.

    "You got me." A beautiful smile bloomed on Lily''s face. "I choose you because of your illegal activities, hoping to ckmail you if you won''t answer my questions."

    "You¡ª " Lily''s blunt words surprised him."Would you dare?"

    "Do you see me as a fool?" Lily sneered. "I told you the simple reasoning, and you refuse to believe me. And when I told you the reason that you expected me to say, you wouldn''t believe me. Old man¡­ tell me¡­. Did you survive in this world because of that attitude?"

    The mockery in Lily''s voice was so apparent, that the old man could not stop himself from fuming. "You, a junior, dare mock me. Good! Very Good! Lilian, you have raised someone worthy!" The old man said before he startedughing. Soon, theughter of the old man nketed the room. A series of coughs followed it. After a few seconds ofughing, the old man finally decided to bring his gaze back to Lily''s smiling face."Tell me¡­ was it because¡­ I helped your mother when she ran away from your grandmother?"

    "Is that what you think?" Lily disputed. "If so¡­ then you can think that way."

 Chapter 887 Rubbish

    Chapter 887: Rubbish

    Confused, the old man tilted his head to stare at Lily''s eyes that resembled that of Lilian''s. Why did Lily choose toe here? In the ce where they mostly held their secret meetings? In the ce where the members of the order always visited? The very same location that they consider as their base?

    "What do you want from me?" Lily''s question woke him up from his stupor.

    "I can call the others to set up a meeting. Tomorrow, we can discuss everything."

    "I want everyone to stop involving me in the matters of the Order." Lily said bluntly. "I want to know now. I want to give it to you and the others¡­ with the promise that you will no longer involve me into something that does not interest me."

    "Something like the Order?"

    "Yes, something like the order." Lily said. "I am not interested in political affairs. Nor did I want to involve myself in the matters of this world. I want to live peacefully with my money."

    "You are different from Lilian." said the older man.

    "We are two different people. It is only logical that we are not the same." Lily bluntly said.

    The old man frowned. "I cannot discuss matters like this without the others."

    "I chose you because I knew you don''t belong to Mr. Neeson''s or Mr. Naru''s group." Lily''s answer was enough to make the old man rethink his decision. The council wasposed of six people, including the deceased Lilian. However, this does not mean that these people were friendly. At most, they respected each other''s strengths.

    In fact, inside the order, there is something that most people would call a faction. Two factions divided the group. One is Mr. Neeson''s faction, while the other is led by Mr. Naru. Those two were powerful individuals that had no qualms in making their opinions known. Despite this small simrity, Mr. Neeson and Mr. Naru''s opinions about certain matters always sh.

    This is a simple, realistic vs. Idealistic.

    While Lord Neeson loved to manipte the affairs of countries, he also loves to assert his ideas and beliefs into other countries, thinking this will benefit the country in the long run. He would not hesitate to sacrifice a key figure to instigate a civil war or burn a forest to make the people question the leadership of a country.

    On the other hand, Lord Naru only wanted to influence the economy. He does not want to get involved in politics and is quite realistic about certain things. He believes that the economy is enough to change everything. There is no need to forcibly change the belief of people for them to get what they want. There is no need to hurt people in changing leadership. To Lord Naru, a revolt and even a change in leadership shoulde naturally because of the people''s decision. He believes that it is something that evolves with time.

    Of course, Lord Neeson hated this idea. To him, the leaders in a country are too important. They are the only people who could change the country.

    Because of these differing opinions, Lord Naru and Lord Neeson had long considered themselves as each other''s nemesis. However, unlike these two, Lord Mu always preferred the peaceful and quiet side of things. He does not argue, instead¡­ he thinks he is too old to argue. He would always nod his head and vote. Sometimes, he would tell them what he thinks about certain aspects then afterward will stay quiet.

    Because of this, the other members of the council always see him as someone level headed.

    "Fair enough." Old Man Mu sighed. That is indeed an eptable reasoning. Now that he thought about it, Lily was not someone that would offend a person who didn''t offend her. She would not go into people''s houses, provoking them for a fight. However, the question inside the old man''s mind increased. First, how did Lily know about the factions? Second, her words about living in peace are simply impossible. However, he was already expecting that Lily would have a n for this. Still, the question remains. How far is she willing to go to achieve her wish? And third, how is she going to deal with an organization that existed before she was even born? "However, I am not allowed to discuss these matters outside of the meeting. This was something that I swore. I may be a sinner but, I always value my oath."

    "I see." Lily nodded. She had always expected the old man to refuse. This is something that even Harringfort is not qualified to know. How could she just waltz in here and expect the old man to say something about the matter? Still, Lily is not leaving empty-handed. "Was it about the research?" She bluntly asked.

    As expected, the old man''s eyes widened for a few seconds before he turned his head away as he tried to hide his surprise from Lily''s eyes. However, it was toote. The quick sh of emotions in the old man''s face was enough to tell her everything; his eyes gave her the answers she seeks. "I am not going to discuss these things with you." The old man said. "And I am sure that not one of the other members would be willing to talk about this matter to you while alone. That is simply thew that we follow."

    "I see." By now, Lily already knew that this was indeed about something she doesn''t know. Lilian was very secretive and Lily was confident that thetter didn''t tell her anything about biotechnological research. To put it simply, Lilian is not crazy enough to tell her granddaughter something that would put her in danger.

    However, no one would believe such a thing. To these people, Lily is Lilian''s granddaughter. She also inherited everything from Lilian. So it is logical to think that she knew about that research too!

    What rubbish reasoning.

    What a rubbish group of people.

    What a rubbish organization.

    Lily thought inwardly as she rose from her seat and bid the old man goodbye. "Please¡­ call me at your next meeting. I will be there." She said before putting a scarf around her head and left the room without sparing the man another gaze. "I''ll see you soon, Lord Mu." Her voice echoed before she shut the door behind her.

    .....

    We are about to find out about the organization and Lilian.

 Chapter 888 The Pas

    Chapter 888: The Pas

    Two dayster.

    The first thing that Lily did after her meeting with Lord Mu was to visit Lilian''s mansion.

    Alone.

    Of course, this was what she wanted to show. She wanted everyone to know that she was alone and crazy with the possibility of killing herself along with everyone else. Lily wanted them to fear her madness. She wanted them to fear her. After all, a woman who has lost everything is one hell of a scary woman. She smiled as she thought of Zhou Jingren''s action behind the scenes. Soon, Lily would surprise everyone in that organization.

    The Fi family mansion was something that Lilian bought when the Fi Merchandise became the Fi Group. It was something that she worked hard for. Sadly, her parents were already dead when she achieved their dream of living a luxury life. Still, Lilian didn''t stop. She hustled and worked hard to make a name for herself.

    And she seeded.

    Or at least that''s what the story that Lily heard when she first talked to the Butler, Victor. Lily clearly remembered asking questions about the Fi Family when Victor served her snacks one day. It was winter. Lily just finished having her session with a therapist, and she was staring at the firece on the second floor of the house. The crackling sound of fire apanied by the sound of roaring thunders surrounded Lily. The strong scent of burning wood lingered in her nose as she continued to gaze at the dancing fire in front of her.

    This was the same thing that Lily was doing right now. She nkly stared at the fire in front of her, wondering when Victor would arrive with her snacks. Years ago, staring at this fire had be Lily''s hobby. She finds it peaceful, rxing even.

    "Young Miss." Victor''s way of calling her didn''t change, even though they had not seen each other for a long time now. "As instructed, I didn''t inform anyone of your visit." He was talking about Mr. Rossi, George, and Cathy. Those three had been asking to see Lily since Qin Yuanfeng took over thepany. Of course, this does not mean that Lily refused to see them; in fact, she had talked to them about business in the past few months. However, Lily chose not to talk about anything else other than business.

    Lily understood that her grandmother trained these three. With the current storm, Lily chose to iste herself and only talk to a few people about her matters. "And Yang Mi?" Lily asked.

    "She is already on her way here."

    Lily smiled and gestured to him to take a seat.

    "Young Miss this¡­"

    "Is there something wrong?"

    Victor hesitated for a few seconds. The Lily in front of him was clearly not the Lily that he used to know. He let out a soft sigh before he took a seat.

    "Good." Lily said. "I will stay here tonight. In my grandmother''s room."

    "Young Miss¡­"

    Lily turned towards the butler; hisplicated gaze met her eyes. "I want to know more about my grandmother." Compared to her grandmother, Victor was obviously younger. Maybe he was in histe fifties or early sixties¡ª Lily was not certain. However, she knew that Victor and Lilian were quite close. She saw the older man''s lips thinned as she stared at him; hisplicated gaze turned calm.

    Of course, this surprised Lily. Was he expecting this?

    "What would you like to know?" He asked.

    "What was she like." Lily said. "Before she found me. What was she like?"

    "What would you like to know, young miss?" Victor uttered, ignoring her question. "And why would you want to know more about the past?"

    "Closure." She answered. "I am not nning to change the future using the past. Nor am I nning to make people who wronged her pay. I want to end the cycle of revenge, Victor. I know that you understand what I mean, right?" He nodded in response.

    "I do. But¡­ I wanted to make sure." Victor answered. "The past belongs to the past for a reason. Mistakes were made, and no matter what the Young Miss will do, nothing will change those mistakes. The Young Miss would only endanger herself and her family if she chose to pursue the matters of the past." he said while eyeing the person opposite of him.

    "I know." Lily smiled. All she wanted was to live a happy life with them. The past does not matter to her. It does not matter if Bec was sent by Lilian to China to keep her safe, or if Lilian really killed her own husband. These were things that happened before Lily was born. And it is truly selfish to say this, but these are things that didn''t bother her at all.

    The past is just like that. It is a part of our memories. It made us grow into who we are now. And it cannot be changed. If these things happened before she met Zhou Jingren, Lily would immediately say that she will avenge everyone who wronged her mother, grandmother, and the whole Fi Family.

    However, meeting Zhou Jingren unknowingly changed everything inside her. Right now, Lily already has her own family to worry about. How could she worry about the things that were technically the reason why she became the strong Lily that she is now? "There is no changing the past. I can only do everything I can to prevent the mistakes from happening in the future." She added.

    Victor nodded in approval. "The madam was a woman that no one would want to mess with. I am d that the madam taught you a lot of things." A tinge of pride glinted in his eyes. "I heard that Madam Luo died?" he asked apletely unexpected question. Lily nodded in response.

    "You two were close?" she asked.

    "She was a crazy woman." Victor answered. "She loved your grandfather like he was a god. It was a mistake." To put it simply, loving a man whom Lilian loved was a mistake.

 Chapter 889 Truth

    Chapter 889: Truth

    "You and my grandmother were close?"

    "She saved me." Victor said as a nostalgic feeling started to make his lips tremble. "Just like how she saved Madam Luo." He let out a deep sigh. "Lilian was a bit cold but she always cared for others. She just¡­ I believe she just didn''t know how to show her emotions. She was just like you a few years ago." Victor leaned back and eyed the fire in front of him. "I believe the order found their way to you?" he asked without looking at Lily.

    "Yes."

    "Is that why you disappeared for a few months?"

    "Yes." Lily eyed his side profile. Now that she thought about it, Victor should not have ess to any information regarding her matters. However, the way he spoke showed his confidence in his knowledge.

    "Just so you know¡­ Lilian didn''t tell her daughter Bec to run away." Victor answered. "I just want to clear that up right now. Bec was the one who decided that she could not live a fate just like her mother''s so she stayed away and tried to conceal herself. But the order found her as she went to maind china which was¡­ ruled by another member. They have been watching her since then."

    "Until she died?"

    "Yes. Until she died."

    "Does my grandmother know?"

    "She had her suspicions. But everyone thought¡­ she had forcibly kicked her daughter out of the mansion because she wanted to protect her. That wasn''t the case." Victor shook his head. "That wasn''t the case at all."

    "How did you know this?"

    "Naturally, I was there when it happened." He answered without batting an eyelid. "They had a big argument. It wasn''t about the engagement. It was far more deeper than that, Bec wanted a simple life. She didn''t want to manage a business or be ves of the people that her mother worked for. She wanted to live in a cabin, away from people. She wanted to live in peace. With Lilian''s status, that dream was close to impossible." A sad smile soon lingered on the old man''s face. "Your grandmother knew this because¡­a certain woman from Hong Kong called her a few months after you arrived. She told her about the people watching you since you were a kid."

    Lily''s hands trembled before she quickly closed it into a tight fist. That woman should be her Grandmother Ye. This only coincided with the notes that she found on her journals. She had indeed called Lilian telling her to be careful as some unknown people seemed to be interested in Lily.

    "Is that why they killed her?"

    Victor shook his head. "For some reason, I am not surprised that you know this much information and yet you still managed to stay calm. Lilian truly¡­ She is truly a genius for limiting her contact with you to avoid any emotional attachment. She knew her time would be up soon and the only way to keep you safe was for you to be as emotionally unattached to her as possible." This of course surprised Lily. However, that really sounded like something her grandmother would do. Still, those actions¡­ Just how strong was her grandmother for her to be able to force herself to be apart from her granddaughter? For her to act as if she never cared. For her to be as unemotional as possible while watching Lily suffer from those nightmares?

    Lily was too engrossed in her own thoughts that she didn''t notice the tear slowly rolled down her cheeks. Lilian suffered everything alone because she thought this would give her granddaughter peace. "Did she know about Yuanfeng too?" she asked.

    "She did." Victor nodded. "But she chose to stay away. It was better that way."

    Lily turned silent. After hearing those words, she concluded that Lilian never intended to save her in the first ce. She knew that they woulde for Lily once she did that. "Why did she save me?" she asked.

    "I do not have the answer to that question. I''m sorry."

    Lily sighed. She already knew that answer to that question. Lilian saved her because of the pitiful state that she was in. She was in a mental hospital, alone and in misery. How could Lilian ignore that? Additionally, her daughter Bec had just died. Her emotions at that time must have been unstable. She was after all a mother. How could she still pretend to not grieve for her daughter''s death?

    "Do you hate her?"

    "I understand her." Lily said. After Lilian saved her, she taught everything to Lily. Now that Lily thought about it, everything that she learned should be something that she could use against the order. The way she handled people, manipting them to her own bidding was something that Lilian taught her. The military book, all those tactics in fighting against a much bigger enemy. Everything ¡­. was telling her that those lessons were meant for her to use against the order. "If I was in her shoes at that time¡­ I would have done the same thing."

    "But you will not do it now." The old man''s voice had a hint of certainty.

    "You are right. I would not do it now."

    "That is good." For the first time since Lily arrived, a gentle smile rose on the older man''s lips. "She will be happy to know that."

    "They want something from her."

    Victor turned silent. He lowered his head, hiding his expression from Lily. Seeing this, Lily continued, "They might not stop until I gave it to them."

    "Do you have any idea about what this thing they want is?"

    "It should be a piece of research." she answered.

    Surprisingly, Victor didn''t show any reaction to her words. "Are you nning to give it to them?"

    Lily gave a sad smile as she shook her head. How could she give something that she didn''t have? Moreover, she didn''t even know what was this thing they wanted from her.

    "Lilian didn''t give it to them. Do you want to know why?"

    Lily frowned. Did this mean Victor knew what it was?

 Chapter 890 Us

    Chapter 890: Us

    Seeing the glint in Lily''s eyes, Victor continued. "Because it was dangerous."

    "That is expected." A research about biotechnology. Lily was not dumb enough not to know what biotechnology is. While she doesn''t have the specifics about this research, she knew that biotechnology covers a considerable span of area. There is, of course, medical biotechnology, agricultural, cell biology, nt physiology, and many others. However, the aspect that made Lily interested in this specific science is Cell Biology and Medical Biotechnology. These two are pretty intriguing, she was fascinated by these two aspects and was sure that she was not the only one who thought this way.

    If one would do a dangerous experiment, Lily concluded that it should be connected with these two areas. Were they researching a virus? Perhaps, that is possible. Now that Lily thought about it, she remembered Harringfort injecting Bei Tian with something. However, until now, Bei Tian was not showing any symptoms. Lily and Zhou Jingren thought it was a bluff.

    But what if it wasn''t? What if these people are really studying viruses and wanted toplete their research using the information they got from Lilian? "But how dangerous¡­ is ''dangerous''?" Lily asked out of nowhere. "Are we talking about something that could wipe humans?"

    "Not really, no." Victor shook his head. "As far as I remember, it could wipe out certain people. However, I don''t have the specifics as I am not as smart as my father."

    "You¡ª "

    "Lilian used to work for my father." Victor continued. Anger evident in his eyes. "But aside from running away, there is nothing else I can do against the government that killed my father."

    Lily opened her mouth before she closed it again. Then she chose to remain silent. Soon enough, silence filled the area. Soon, the crackling sound of the fire was the only thing that surrounded the quiet room as the heating from it caressed their skin like a warm summer breeze. The smell of the burning wood lingered in their noses. Lily sighed inwardly before she asked, "So, you are the son of that scientist?"

    "The son of the assistant scientist." Victor answered almost immediately. "Lilian saved me. She was my mother''s friend." Lily maintained her silence. Victor instantly saw this as an opportunity to tell her more about the past. "I was twelve. Lilian was probably a little older than me, around neen? I am not so sure. She had a part-time job as¡­ as a small attendant in my uncle''s office. Of course, that uncle was the scientist who led the experiments. Instead of having someone trained in security protocol, everyone inside that office were civilians. Of course, that was something expected, considering they don''t want to attract the attention of their¡­ enemies. They wanted to keep everything unassuming and low-key."

    "This experimentation and research were from the cold war. Rather¡­ it started during the cold war." Victor added. "It is only normal for them to feel that way. Of course, on the outside, everyone inside the office was unassuming. But the people working in the underground facility were all from the military department. Even my uncle, mother, and father were trained military personnel."

    "However, the research was discontinued?" Lily asked as she listened to Victor.

    "It was deemed dangerous. The underground office was destroyed, and all scientists who participated in the research were¡­ imprisoned with their families. That is, of course, with the exception of the lead researcher and his assistant who happened to be my mother and father. They were not spared. They knew a lot of information about the research, and in this world, we know how knowledge can be very perilous once it falls into the wrong hands."

    Lily started frowning. "But, they spared my grandmother?"

    "Every civilian working outside of the underground facility was spared. Some are still alive until this day. Of course, the reason why they survived was that they knew nothing about it. As I said¡­ they wanted to keep it lowkey. Not many people knew about the real purpose of the establishment. However, Lilian was not like that. She just arrived in the US;struggling. But, she was smart and cunning. She immediately knew that something was wrong and became close with my mother. Then, she started attending our family dinners and even celebrated Christmas with us."

    "Why are you telling me everything?" Lily asked.

    "Because she told me to." Victor smiled in response. "Lilian knew that one day, the order would approach you. So she asked us to help you out."

    "Us?"

    "Mr. Rossi and Cathy."

    "So you three¡­."

    "We are working for Lilian, not because she was rich and mighty. We are working for her because we owe her our lives. She saved us at one point."

    "That¡ª "

    "Surprising?" Heughed, his eyes turning into crescents as a tinge of pride can be seen in his orbs. "Lilian may not look like it, but she helped a lot of people in the past. Madam Luo was one of them. She also saved my life¡ª Literally. As well as Cathy''s and Mr. Rossi''s. I don''t have the specifics, but the three of us knew about the order, and what we were supposed to do once you start asking us questions."

    Lily lowered her gaze as she thought about everything in the past. Cathy and Mr. Rossi were people that she respected. They were both talented, and at one point, she saw them as mentors. The two helped her out in the industry for a lot of times and would take care of the moreplicated side of the business. Lily was grateful to have them around. Now that Lily thought about it, everytime she tried to ask questions about Lilian, Cathy was the first person to show herself.

    Even if Cathy was busy, she would always abandon what she was doing to see Lily. It was as if she was waiting for her to ask questions about the order, as if she expected it. Sadly, when Lily knew about the order, she immediately decided not to disclose it to Cathy and Mr. Rossi. It was simply because she didn''t know who she could trust. It is always better to be careful than regret her decisionter.

    Speaking of trust¡­. Her thoughts were soon filled with Yang Mi''s cold face. "Victor¡­ can you tell me one more thing?" Lily asked. "How did my grandmother die?"

 Chapter 891 Hazy

    Chapter 891: Hazy

    Unedited

    ...

    "Does young miss want to know the soft truth or the hard and cold one?"

    Lily frowned when she heard his response. Soft truth? "I wanted to hear both."

    "The soft truth was that she didn''t suffer. She was poisoned. Something that affected her heart. In the end, she died in her sleep." Victor said. The hard and cold truth was that¡­ she was killed by someone close to her."

    Lily nodded but said nothing. Another second pass as the two fell into silence once again. She didn''t need to ask who killed her grandmother. Rather, Lily didn''t want to know who. At least not now. "Do you have the research file that they wanted?" she asked.

    Victor shook his head. "I believe she already destroyed it. I don''t see why Lilian would keep something that would attract trouble." Then a wry smile rose on his face. Lilian still attracted trouble even without the research file. In fact, her life¡­ everything that she had was taken away from her because of a file. "Young miss¡­ If there is nothing¡­" He hesitated. Seeing this, a gentle smile bloomed on Lily''s face.

    "I understand. You can leave now. I will be in my grandmother''s room."Lily said as she rose from her seat and walked towards Lilian''s study on the same floor. Soon after, memories of herself walking in the same wooden tiled mansion floated in her mind. She let out a sigh as she inhaled the familiar scent of aged wood. Slowly, her eyes traveled to the paintings that decorated the paneled walls. Her grandmother always loved to collect paintings.

    After a couple of seconds, Lily finally arrived at Lilian''s study. After sitting on Lilian''s old chair for a few minutes, Lily finally started her search. This time, she knew that her grandmother would not put something so important in obvious ces. While Lily knew that finding a vault inside her study is close to non-existent, she still decided to try and be very thorough about it.

    ording to some people''s logic, in hiding important things, one needed to put them in ces where no one would be able to find it easily. The location should be something concealed and secret. Perhaps a hidden underground room or a vault. Or perhaps a staircase that would connect her to a secret room or something simr.

    However, Lily knew that her grandmother is not someone who would follow the logic of normal humans. If she was Lilian, Lily would not hide it in a secret room or¡­ a vault. She knew that this would be the two ces that people would immediately look for. In fact, if Lily was in Lilian''s shoes, she would hide it somewhere¡­ obvious. Too obvious that no one would believe it was the real thing.

    "Where would that be?''''Lily roamed her eyes around therge room which is about fifty square meters big. Everything in the room was neatly arranged, a few books were piled on the table, the shelves were dust-free, indicating that someone was just here to clean the ce. The lights were yellowish¡ª something that her grandmother always loved. To her left, a few candles of different sizes can be seen near the alcoholic beverages that her grandmother never even opened. To her right was a huge painting of Lilian and Fred''s simple wedding. Then a few feet away from where Lily was at, a cozy maroon velvet couch can be seen. This couch was fronting the firece.

    Slowly, Lily''s eyes traveled through the stone walls and thought of a secret mechanism to open something. But isn''t that too obvious? Surely, Lilian''s enemies have already visited this ce to try and find that research material. Obviously, they all failed.

    This only meant that the method that they used was wrong. Slowly, Lily''s eyes lit up. However, before she could do something, her phone rang. Her face instantly turned grave. The only person who knows the number of this phone is Zhou Jingren. The two already agreed not to contact each other as long as it''s not an emergency.

    She trembled as she opened her phone and answered the call. "People are on the way to the mansion. There is a camera installed on one of the books in the bookshelves. Topmost right. Pretend that you didn''t notice. I am trying to hack into their system. But people are already on their way. You needed to get whatever it is that you want and leave. Those are two armored cars. One of which is used by Mr. Neeson and the Russian. They will reach the ce in about three minutes. I am trying to obstruct them using the traffic. I can extend it to for minutes." Zhou Jingren''s voice was grim. "I am a thousand miles away from you." He said.

    For a few seconds, Lily''s lips trembled before she quickly calmed herself. "I love you." She said before she used a Bluetooth headset andpletely went hands-free. Since Zhou Jingren can see her, she knows that he is almost done hacking the server of the other party. Her eyes soon turned clear and confident. Shepletely trusted his skills.

    Four minutes should be enough for her to find that thing. Slowly, Lily decided to put herself into Lilian''s shoes. She closed her eyes and analyzed everything that her grandmother would have done to hide the research material. She calmed her racing heart as she stood as still as a statue. Hearing Zhou Jingren''s breathing on the other line made Lily calmer and light. She removed everything that had been making her mind hazy. Slowly, everything became clear in Lily''s mind. after a couple of seconds, Lily suddenly opened her eyes hastily, her eyes wide and bright as she went out of the room to go to the first floor of the mansion.

    "Victor¡­ we needed to leave this ce." She said in a grim tone.

    "Young Miss?"

    "Now!" Lily said. She didn''t wait for the old man to speak as she asked Daohu who was standing at the door to prepare the car.

    She knew where it was! She actually knew where her grandmother hid the files!

 Chapter 892 Pathways

    Chapter 892: Pathways

    unedited.

    ....................

    For the first time in years, Lily''s hands trembled when she held the box that was about the size of her 10 inches tablet. She eyed the tomb of her grandmother and grandmother before slightly bowing and saying her thanks to both of them.

    "This Granddaughter wille back soon," she uttered in the most respectful voice that she could muster. Then she held the box closer to her body and looked at Victor. "Let''s go."

    "Young Miss¡­ I think it might not be logical to use the only gate that we have." The property only had one gate, using this would make the enemy see them as there is also one road that was leading to the gate.

    "Do you have any other idea?" Lily and Victor run back towards the mansion. It didn''t take them a few seconds to finally pass the garden and went to the backdoor of the mansion. The two hurriedly walk towards the entrance however, Lily''s face instantly turned grim when she saw the lights that wereing from the gates. Zhou Jingren''s voice echoed on her ears.

    "They are already at the gates. One minute."

    She looked at Victor as her heart started beating fast. She would not want to confront both Mr. Neeson and Mr. Kusov right now. "Is there any other way out of this mansion?"

    "There is," Victor said. "But we have to go there on foot."

    "Then good! Daohu¡­ let''s go." She looked at Victor. "Lead the way." Of course, she didn''t miss the slight hesitation in Victor''s eyes. However, he didn''t ask any more questions and started leading them towards Lily''s room. This of course surprised Lily. Her room was a huge one thousand two hundred square feet that was located on the second floor. She immediately knew why Victor hesitated earlier.

    So there was a hidden way inside her room. For some reason, this didn''t surprise Lily anymore. She followed Victor inside the room and watched him go to the firece. After pressing some sort of a secret mechanism near the firece, the stone wall next to the firece silently shifted, revealing a small pathway that is only enough for one person to pass through.

    "This way," Victor said. He then started touching the walls and after a small click, lightbulbs started appearing in the pathway. Now that Lily could clearly see it, it wasn''t really a pathway but a stair that spiraled downwards. Lily looked at the lights on top of the small space and heaved a sigh of relief. Without saying anything, she followed Victor to the stairs, their footsteps echoed behind them.

    The three of them soon reached the end of the stairs. In front of them were three pathways that are small enough for a person to crawl into- in fact it was too small that they looked like holes. Victor gave Lily a wry look. "This one will lead to a secret shop in London." He pointed at the left hole. The center will lead to another house. And thest one will lead to a cabin a few miles away from here. The nearest one is the store and the farthest one was the cabin. It might take us hours of crawling before we reach the pathway that would make us walk. Young Miss¡­ which one are we going to take?"

    "The house. Let''s go to the house." Lily said. Earlier, Zhou Jingren already disabled all the camera''s in the house. Because of that, Lily was confident that the others didn''t know about the secret door.

    When Victor heard Lily''s words, he immediately started crawling towards the center. "Please be careful with the dust." He uttered as he started coughing. Lilian told him not to bother cleaning these pathways as it was too troublesome and old. It would take him days to finish cleaning just one of the three holes. Because of this, spiderwebs and dust littered the area. The trio didn''t say anything else as they continued to crawl into the space. After a couple of minutes¡­ the space got bigger and wider until it was enough for someone like Daohu to walk without crawling. This time, the pathway was dim. Seeing this, Victor immediately used a shlight that looked like a small bulb. "This part does not have lights as the sr system supporting the bulbs was broken a few months back. I didn''t have the time to fix it." He exined, embarrassmentced his tone.

    "It''s fine," Lily answered. Right now, she had no time to think about the lights. Her mind was actually filled with questions and more questions. First, this tunnel was long. How did Lilian manage to hide this from other people? And who the hell made this tunnel? Did they use this in the wars tens of years ago?

    The trio continued to walk towards the house that Victor spoke of unaware of the storm that was happening in the mansion.

    ...

    Inside the mansion, Mr. Neeson and Mr. Kusov were silent as they waited for their men to search the mansion. Clearly, they receive the right information about Lily. She was here. Meaning¡­ she was here to retrieve the thing that they wanted to have. Because of this, they immediately came here before Lord Naru and his men could. Obtaining that file was very important for the two.

    "I thought she was here? This ce looks empty!" Mr. Kusov frowned. "Even that butler was not here."

    "There should be some sort of a secret room. They must be hiding inside¡­ somewhere in this room." Mr. Neeson said as he dialed a number on his phone. "I want you to search the stonewalls and bookshelves in Lilian''s office and room. That woman is pretty clever. It is obvious that she would put some sort of a secret room near her to make her feel secure." Since he was confident that he knew what type of woman Lilian was, Mr. Neeson immediately gave instructions to check everything inside her room.

 Chapter 893 Orders

    Chapter 893: Orders

    Seconds passed. Slowly the seconds turned into minutes and soon more than an hour had passed since Lily, Victor and Daohu had started walking down the dark corridor. Zhou Jingren was no longer on the other side of the line as she had lost reception and was unable to receive any calls from him. However, Lily didn''t stop walking. The path soon became moldy and wet. And a whileter the sound of water beneath their shoes echoed inside the walls of the tunnel.

    This of course made Lily wonder. This tunnel was really long and dark, she could not hear any sounds or vibrations from the outside of the tunnel. "The house that you were talking about. How far is it from the mansion?" Victor clearly said that the farthest one was the cabin. Lily originally thought that it wouldn''t take them more than an hour to travel between the house and the mansion. ncing at her wristwatch, Lily knew she was wrong.

    "This path will lead us to a house near the Brockwell Park in Lambeth." As expected when Lily heard the older man''s voice, a gasp escaped her already pale lips. Lambeth was about a thirty minute drive from the Fi Mansion, however if one had to walk that distance, it would definitely take more than an hour to get there.

    "Grandmother¡­ had a house there?"

    "Yes, Young Miss."

    Lily frowned as she held the box closer to her chests. "Victor¡­. I am quite tired." She inhaled a huge mouthful of air. "I believe this is because we are underground." Lily was truly exhausted. However, this was not because she was walking. But it was because of the adrenaline rush that she had experienced earlier. "Can we take some time to rest?"

    "Young Miss¡­ this¡­" Victor''s face turnedplicated. "I think we need to continue walking. We don''t really know if there are people following us. We should leave this ce as soon as possible."

    Lily lowered her head in response before she nodded. "Alright. Let''s go." She said. The trio continued walking. After a few more minutes, Lily started to feel that the air inside the tunnel had changed. This made her face brighter. This could only mean one thing! They were about to arrive. Silently, Lily let out a sigh of relief. She could only hope that Zhou Jingren''s calls would be able to get through now that they were about to leave this ce. After all, Lily needed an eye that could tell her what was happening outside.

    Not long after, the trio arrived in another hole. They didn''t talk as they started crawling. After another five minutes, they arrived in therge narrow staircase that would lead them out of this underground tunnel. It didn''t take them more than two minutes to arrive outside.

    This time, they came out of a bookshelf that looked modern with its sleek design. This immediately made Lily wonder as this was different than her expectations. Sensing her questions, Victor answered. "Lilian renovated this house specifically for this." Lily nodded in response. She then examined the small library they were in before she decided to go outside of the room to examine the interior of the house, leaving Daohu and Victor alone in the study.

    However, what Lily saw outside made her face turn grim. She stilled for a few seconds before she smiled. "Mr. Kusov!"

    The man stared at Lily''s dirty appearance before he snorted. "Why am I not surprised that you already know my identity?" Lily gulped but pretended to be calm in front of the six foot five giant in front of her.

    "Why are you here?"

    "Why did you run away?"

    Lily squinted her beautiful eyes as she clutched the box tighter towards her body. "Why should I tell you?"

    "Hmph! Then I would assume you already know why I am here?"

    "Would I ask you if I know?" Lily countered as she acted brave in front of him. On the inside, she was not scared or nervous. However, she was vignt against this murderer. She knew that once this fiend decides to take her life, she would not be able to stop him. For the first time, Lily felt that she had no choice but to feign calmness in front of him. It was because Mr. Kusov was known in his country as someone who is a true misogynistic pig! He thought that all women were weak and did not equal to men. He looked down on them and could only see them as tools at his disposal.

    Lily couldn''t pretend that this fact doesn''t anger her. "So¡­ Victor¡­" Lily started but was forced to swallow the rest of her words when she saw Victor out of the Library. "Did you kill him?" Lily immediately asked.

    "Why does it matter?" Victor smiled, his voice no longer shy or grim. In fact it was the opposite of it."To make you feel better¡­ he is still alive." Victor grinned as he stood next to Mr. Kusov . "Lord¡­ I followed your orders. Everything should be good now. It doesn''t look like she had someone with her aside from that man."

    A sneer escaped Mr. Kusov''s lips when he heard his servant''s voice. He couldn''t imagine what would be his good friend, Mr. Neeson''s reaction once he knew that Mr. Kusov got a hold of information that would help his country. "Stop pretending and give me that box right now."

    "You want¡­ this?" Lily''s face paled as her hands trembled. "Why?" Her gaze turned towards the butler who had served her grandmother for years."Why did you kill her?" As expected, her question surprised both Mr. Kusov and Victor.

    "How did you know it was me?" Victor asked but the surprise on his face didn''tst too long. He stared at Lily''s face before he sneered. "Why do you think?" He raised an eyebrow. The image of the old weak man who apanied Lily earlier was long gone. Instead it was reced by a burly man that was full of hate in his eyes. "Why the hell would I kill the woman who saved me?" his voice turned gruff and sinister. "Since you are so smart¡­ why don''t you take a guess?

 Chapter 894 Crazy Widow

    Chapter 894: Crazy Widow

    Lily pretended to frown. She narrowed her eyes at Victor before turning her gaze towards Mr. Kusov. "The Order¡­ They don''t know about this, do they?" It was quite obvious that Mr. Kusov was acting alone. Why else would his close confidant Mr. Neeson not be here when retrieving such an important item? "Do they know that you asked this person to kill my grandmother?"

    "Of course they know," Mr. Kusov sneered. "But what can they do? Kill me? I control a whole country. What do you think will happen if I die?"

    "You¡ª"

    Seeing Lily''s face turned pale, Mr. Kusov smirked. "Now hand it over to me!"

    "Why would you want this for yourself? Are you doing this to create a war?"

    "Hmph! What do you know? You are only a business woman! You have nothing to do with my affairs! Give me the box. Now!" Seeing Lily still hesitate to hand over the box, Mr. Kusov grew impatient and strode towards Lily. Without saying anything, he grabbed the box and immediately opened it.

    "Eh?" Mr. Kusov''s eyes turned wide. "What are these?" His face instantly turned red with anger as he red at Lily. "Do I look like a fool to you!?" Seeing his anger, Lily didn''t hesitate as he raised her knees and kicked the man''s crotch. This action of course surprised the two men in the room. Before they could react, Lily immediately ran back to the Library without sparing the two another nce.

    A loud thud echoed inside the room, followed by Mr. Kusov hissing. "Get her!" he yelled at Victor who stood there frozen. The man''s gruff voice seemed to wake him up from his stupor. He immediately followed Lily to the library. However, when he opened the door, a hugemp flew towards his face.

    Surprised, Victor didn''t have the time to avoid themp. Still, with his agile body, his reactions were pretty quick, he turned to his left but unfortunately, since he was really surprised by the attack, themp was still able to hit his face. A curse instantly escaped his lips. Still, he didn''t let this hinder him. He ran towards Lily, fist clenched and eyes wide with anger.

    "Bitch!" He hissed as he swung his hands towards her. However, Lily was already expecting this. She moved her head aside and avoided the punch, in response, her fist flew towards his face.

    "Jesus Christ!" Lily cried out when her hand hit Victor''s face. She heard a crack and was sure that she had broken something in her hand. As a woman who was never used in fighting, how could Lily withstand the pain of hitting someone straight in the jaw? Her eyes turned red as she held her aching hand. She never expected that punching someone is this painful!

    She watched as Victor staggered, surprised at her actions. She immediately used this opportunity to grab some books and throw it towards his head. However, how could this be enough to attack an old man who practiced martial arts since he was young? Victor shook his head and started approaching Lily again.

    "You know you can''t beat me." Victor hissed, his face extremely cold and chilly. "You better give up and give us what we want. If you do tha, I will give you an easy death!"

    "Why did you kill my grandmother?" Lily ignored his words.

    "Isn''t that because she was the one who killed my parents?"

    "How do you know that?"

    "What?" The older man sneered. "Are you going to convince me that I saw the wrong thing? Hmph! You cannot fool me! I have worked with Lilian for years! I know who she maniptes people! She even tried to manipte me into thinking she never killed anyone!"

    "BANG!" Another book flew towards victor but he easily dodged it, making it hit the wall with a loud bang.

    "Bitch! I told you to give up! You can''t win against me! Struggling like this will only further hurt your body!" In actuality, Victor was hesitating in hurting Lily as he understood her value. Moreover, Lily didn''t really say that she had found the research materials. She had retrieved the box and made him think that she already got it. Now that Victor thought about it¡­ his expression suddenly changed.

    That is right. Lily actually fooled them into thinking that she already had the material. Enraged, Victor''s face turned red as he approached Lily. Using his body, he quickly held Lily''s other hand that was about to punch him. How could a woman fight the force of a six foot tall man?

    Lily flinched as Victor tightened his hand around her injured hand. The man was still too quick for her to avoid him. In the end, he immediately subdued her with one move.

    "What?"

    Despite the pain, Lily opened her eyes to look at the man that towered over her. She let out a low moan as he tightened his hand. "Let¡­" Lily paled, unable to utter the next words. Her heart sank. How could she withstand the pain of her broken bone being crushed like a paper? Slowly, a tear rolled down in Lily''s eyes.

    "You fooled us." Victor hissed as he used his force to raise his hand that was holding Lily''s hand. With Lily''s small frame, the old man easily hung her on the air like a broken kite. Then he pushed Lily against the wall, creating a loud sound. Lily cried out in pain, her face turned so white it looked like a piece of paper. "You let us think that you finally found it so you could make the traitors reveal themselves. How cunning!" His bloodshot eyes red at her. "But¡­ aren''t you alone now? Why are you so proud? Hm? Walking around threatening people like an arrogant fool! Aren''t you only a crazy widow?"

    "Heh," Lily forced a snort out of her lips. "Crazy Widow?" She raised her head and met his eyes. Another snort escaped her lips as she used everything that she had to kick his manhood. "Then¡­ let me show you how fucking crazy I am!"

 Chapter 895 Trap

    Chapter 895 Trap

    Unedited

    ............

    To his surprise, Lily didn''t hesitate to use her other hand to try and stab him. Unfortunately for Lily, the man was experienced enough to be able to see through an attack like this. Victor let her go before he took a step backpletely avoiding the knife in Lily''s hands. "You crafty little prick."

    On the floor, another hissed escaped Lily''s lips, she raised her ashen face and red at the man."Fool!" Lily forced herself to stand up, however, her legs seemed to lose all their strength. Kicking someone bigger than her used a lot of her energy in the process. Because of this, all muscles in her leg ache. Her body ached.

    "Where is it!?" Victor asked. Since Lily didn''t give them the file, she still has value to them. The sound of someone''s footsteps interrupted the two. Mr. Kusov strode inside the room, his face morphed into an ugly scowl.

    "Why did you hurt her?" Seeing Lily''s pale face and swollen hand, Mr. Kusov''s face turned uglier. "Why did you touch her?"

    "She punched me." The other replied. "I didn''t touch her."

    "Hmph! Now that she''s hurt, we can''t just let her go. Take her with us." Mr. Kusov said in a grim tone. "Take¡­" Mr. Kusov wasn''t able to finish his words when he heard Lily''s chuckle.

    "You fool." Lily''s words made Mr. Kusov snort.

    "Victor fooled you! Aren''t you the fool one?"

    "Is that so?" She raised an eyebrow. Her pale face showed no weakness¡ª something that came truly unexpected. However, the two men immediately understood that Lily was only pretending to act strongly now. How could she just bow down to them? Lily''s arrogance knows no bounds, she would rather die than bow down to a traitor.

    Having these thoughts in mind, Mr. Kusov let out a burst of boisterousughter. "You are truly entertaining." He remembered the box earlier that was full of ash. Fucking ashes. "You wanted to know who is who?" He asked. Just like Victor, he realized that Lily actually fooled them. She wanted to know who the traitor was. "And yet, you didn''t know that a traitor had always stood by your side since you started your reign in the business world?" His provoking words were followed by his mockingughter. "That Yang Mi is working for the Order." Then his face changed. He narrowed his eyes at Lily''s unyielding face. "You already know this?"

    Lily snorted in response. Of course Lily knew that Yang Mi was a spy. Lilian personally recruited Yang Mi. However, Lily knew if this was true. She had long considered the possibility that Yang Mi was someone assigned by the organization themselves. They wanted someone close to Lily to keep an eye on her, and Yang Mi is just the perfect person for that matter.

    "Hah! It seems you are really smart." He said. "When did you figure out that Victor was the traitor?" From the ashes on that box, it was pretty obvious that Lily already knew Victor was someone that cannot be trusted. However, Mr. Kusov knew that Victor was nothing but a good actor so far. The man even fooled Lilian!

    Of course, Mr. Kusov didn''t know that the reason why Victor easily fooled Lilian is that she had long trusted him. He was someone she saved after all. In a world where everyone around Lilian always died, she had long considered everyone around her as her close confidant. Like a younger brother and sister.

    "Why would I tell you?" Lily countered. The pain in her hand had worsened, she knew that once this would continue, her consciousness would leave her. Still, she showed no sign of pain or defeat. She knew he woulde soon. All she needed was to buy some time for him. Lily snorted and turned her head away. She inwardly gritted her teeth.

    In reality, Lily didn''t know that Victor was a traitor. However, she did this experiment or operation as Zhou Jingren would call it, to reveal the people who wanted the file for their own personal usage. Lily figured that the reason Lilian was killed was not that she refused to give the file to the order but because she refused to give it to one person. Lilian must have found that one of them wanted to use this for his own country.

    However, Lily didn''t know who the real enemies were. For her to make sure about this matter, she chose to set up a trap. She dangled the location of the file in front of them, letting them think that she had it. She knew that someone from the organization would not be able to resist the temptation. After all, everyone already knew that she had lost her husband. The order must have thought that to avenge her husband, Lily would destroy the file just to slight them.

    Lily knew that the one behind the murder of her grandmother is also anxious, causing them to act first once Lily has the files. What if Lily destroyed the file? Surely, their actions in the past as long as their efforts will be for nothing! Lily took advantage of this anxiety and set up the trap, sessfully revealing that Victor betrayed her grandmother and Mr. Kusov betrayed the order. The thought of this only made Lily chuckle.

    She was not done. She was far from done.

    "Bring her with us." Mr. Kusov narrowed his eyes at Lily as he instructed Victor. "We will torture her if necessary. We needed to have that file as soon as possible!"

    Victor didn''t hesitate. He walked towards Lily and pulled her hair. However, this action didn''t affect Lily in the slightest. These people ¡­ are already too deep into her trap there is no way that these two will survive once she escaped their clutches. Lily looked at Mr. Kusov then turned her eyes towards Victor.

    "Make her unconscious." Lily heard Mr. Kusov uttered before she heard a loud smack behind her. Then she lost her consciousness while thinking of her husband''s face.

 Chapter 896 Dispose

    Chapter 896: Dispose

    Unedited.

    ..........

    When Lily woke up again, she was already inside a room, wrists bounded by cuffs. She furrowed her brows and looked at the small room just about five meters squared with nothing but the chair that she was using and the dusty walls that surrounded her. On top of her was a yellowish bulb. She eyed the iron door in front of her before lowering her head to check if her ne was still with her. Then a sigh of relief escaped her lips.

    However, this relief didn''tst long when two men suddenly walked inside the room, and unceremoniously grabbed her arm. She flinched from the pain of her hand but said nothing. Lily chose to stay quiet as the two started pushing her, forcing her to walk out of the room. Lilyplied.

    Without saying anything, the two men who were about a foot taller than her escorted her out of the underground prison that she was in. Along the way, Lily saw a line of doors just like the one that was in the room she was previously in. She couldn''t help but wonder if this is a ce where Kusov tortured his prisoners. After a few minutes, they finally left the underground prison and walked towards the first floor of what seemed like a mansion. The two then led her to the second floor of the house into the study of Kusov.

    "Treat her hand." Kusov''s face was dark. As he instructed his people to remove Lily''s handcuff and immediately bandaged her wound. "I was not expecting Victor to be this harsh." He said while looking at Lily''s pale face. "He hated your grandmother. It is normal for him to hate you too." Unable to stop himself, Kusov clicked his tongue while looking at Lily''s state.

    An unyielding woman who had nothing is the worse person that they could torture. At first, he actually thought that they would seed. So, he instructed Victor to take her while he takes care of things with the Order. After all, he couldn''t just disappear and not tell him where he is going. Who would have thought that Victor would actually treat Lily so harshly, he never even asked their people to treat her hand?

    He eyed her swollen hand and let out a sigh. "They didn''t find the research files." He uttered, closely watching Lily''s reaction at his words. "I cannot let you go. I know you are a vengeful woman. I am not a fool to let you go after all this¡ª after the things that you knew."

    Lily met his eyes but she said nothing. Seeing this Kusov also kept quiet and waited for his people to finish treating Lily. After a few minutes, the specialist finallypleted putting some bandages on Lily''s hand. They immediately gave her a pain reliever and left. "You look like a mess." He said.

    "Isn''t this your fault?"

    His lips thinned. "I want you to give me what I want." Lily was clearly in a disadvantageous position right now. And yet, she still refused to give up!

    "How can I give you something I don''t have?" She countered.

    "You didn''t have it and yet you dared set up a trap to make me reveal myself to you. Why?"

    Instead of answering, Lily lowered her gaze and eyed her hand. Then, she looked at the older man again. "You should already know, why¡­. Right?"

    "You are brave."

    "And so are you." Lily sneered.

    "Indeed¡­ a woman who had nothing to lose¡­ is a bit scary. That was why I only acted to kill your grandmother when you arrived. After all, your appearance is akin to the appearance of her weakness."

    Lily gulped in response. Hate glinted in her eyes. But it was too quick for Kusov to notice it.

    "But they wouldn''t daree here. Those people would not provoke my country¡­ just because of a businessman." A sigh escaped his lips. "I will ask you one more time¡­ give me the files."

    "I don''t know where it is."

    Her statement made him frown. "Then think about it! Aren''t you Lilian''s granddaughter? You should know her more than anything else!" He ordered. "Did you really think that I would not touch your family if you keep on doing this? I will give you twenty-two hours to think about it! After that¡­ I will start killing one of your loved ones every hour! Don''t you love your brother? I will kill that man if you will not tell me where it is!"

    As expected, Lily''s face sank when she heard his voice.

    "You don''t believe me? How about I show you this¡­" He suddenly turned on the TV in his office. The person on the monitor was clearly Qin Yuanfeng sleeping. "He is staying in your mansion. My people are currently watching him and so is everyone that you love. Your father, your husband''s family, and even your friends!" Seeing Lily''s face turned ugly, he let out a low, sinister chuckle. "You are forcing me to do this! I have no time to y with your silly little games! Two hours! I will give you two hours to think about it!"

    Lily lowered her head, her hands clenched as she heard him instruct his people to bring Lily to the room next to his office. Seeing Lily''s downcasted expression, he let out another chuckle. Kusov was too engrossed in his own sess that he failed to notice the slight smirk in Lily''s face the moment she turned her back on him.

    When Lily left, Kusov immediately summoned Victor who was unhappy that Kusov never allowed him to torture the woman.

    "Don''t worry about it. Once I get the information from her¡­ I will give her to you. You can do what you want. Just make sure to dispose of the body well."

    When Victor heard this, a grin immediately slithered on his lips. "I understand." He chuckled. "Just let me do what I want and I am good! As long as I can have my revenge."

 Chapter 897 Cooperation

    Chapter 897: Cooperation

    When Lily arrived in the room, she said nothing and sat on the bed contemting. She had been in too deep, she is not going to stop now.

    Two hours.

    In two hours, she was sure that her husband woulde and find her. This was not a guess¡­ This was nned.

    .........¡­.

    An hour ago.

    Zhou Jingren narrowed his eyes at Lord Naru and Lord Mu then towards Lord Neeson. "Do you believe me now?"

    "Mr. Bei¡­" Lord Naru eyed the man who looked like Bei Tian. "Even if Kusov got her, we cannot do anything about it. We can''t just go to Russia and rescue her. Both of us are important individuals in our country. We can''t just run around and instruct people to kill and destroy properties."

    "Did I ask for your assistance?" Zhou Jingren countered. "I am here to tell you that someone betrayed your organization. Clearly, you and him have different goals." He sneered.

    The older men pursed their lips as they eyed the man who suddenly arrived in Mr. Naru''s room bringing the unconscious Mr. Mu. Coincidentally, Lord Neeson was also here as they just finished their meeting earlier with Kusov. They eyed each other for a few seconds before Lord Mu asked, "Then what would you want us to do?" Surely, the file has a price, right?

    "I will give you the file. I want you to stop disturbing us." He said in a grim tone. "You will leave Lily alone. You will not find her, you will not spy on her. Can''t you see the suffering that she injured just because of certain research that she didn''t even know existed a month ago?"

    Silence filled the room. Seeing this, Zhou Jingren added. "The file that I have will surely satisfy you. However, I wanted you to delete everything about Lily. I want you to forget her existence from now."

    "You¡ª " Of course, the fact that the file was in Zhou Jingren''s hands immediately caught his attention. "You have it in you?"

    Zhou Jingren nodded in response.

    "How is that possible?" Lord Naru asked.

    "You have no idea what is possible." Zhou Jingren countered. During the call with Lily at Lilian''s study, Lily already told him that the file was in Lilian and Fred''s wedding portrait. She also told her that she will act just like what they originally nned. While Zhou Jingren was against the idea, Lily was convinced that this is the only way that they could escape an organization that they cannot defeat. And to fool everyone who might be listening to the call, Zhou Jingren told him that he was miles away from her. Of course, that was only a secret code that meant he will being to get her.

    That''s right. The Order is not something that both Lily and Zhou Jingren can defeat. This was something that they realized when they discovered that the order not only holds most high ranking military officers in every country. They are also doing some research and enhancements in military weapons and drugs.

    While Zhou Jingren was adamant that they fight and destroy them from within, Lily wanted the opposite. She wanted to live away from all this. Until now, he could still remember Lily''s gentle eyes when she said that all she wanted in this world was to be with him and Kaen.

    She no longer wanted to have wealth and influence. All she wanted is to survive and live a peaceful life with them.

    Of course, Zhou Jingren insisted that this is very difficult to achieve. Not after they provoke these people. However, Lily only said that she trusts him to cooperate with her ns.

    Because of this, Lily weaved a highlyplicated n that not only required them to get hurt, it also required each other''s trust. They needed to be away from each other, act as if they were alone, and trust that they would finish everything that they were supposed to do.

    Of course, this doesn''t mean that they will leave this organization without some damages here and there.

    "Are you certain?" Lord Neeson''s mind was only focused on the file. In his mind, the file was one of the reasons why Lily was valued. Without the file, they could let her go as long as she followed some small conditions. Seeing Zhou Jingren''s steely eyes, Lord Neeson cleared his throat. "How about Lily? You do know that Kusov mansion is a fortress, yes?"

    "I will take care of that." Zhou Jingren answered.

    "That is not something that we could just agree because you wanted it. We needed time to think."

    "I don''t have time. There are now five members of the council. All three of you are here. That is already the majority. You can decide now or I will destroy the file in front of you!"

    "You¡ª " Lord Naru was speechless. However, he still felt that something is amiss in the man''s words. "What are you nning to do?"

    Zhou Jingren responded with a low chuckle. "As I said¡­ I will not do a thing as long as you withdraw your forces that are watching Lily''s family including his brother, father, her friends as well as my aunt and uncle. Of course¡­ I want you to take care of Kusov''s forces that are also nearby waiting to pounce on their prey."

    "Kusov has his people in her family?"

    "Naturally. He is a killer. He should have assigned these people to follow them aside from The Order''s people."The trio turned silent.

    "Give us¡­"

    "I don''t have time." Zhou Jingren interrupted the calm Lord Mu. "I wanted to hear your answers now. I wanted to hear you order your people now. I wanted to hear you tell them that you will no longer pursue Lily and her family."

    "That¡ª "

    "I agree." Lord Neeson said. "As long as you can give us the file. I will agree." He then looked at the people next to him. "We all know how that research could change the world. Once we get our hands on that research about genes, we could discover every possible way to treat a person just by focusing on their DNA. We would be able to enhance strength, speed, and mental capacities. I say this is more important than a woman who refuses to work for us."

    Zhou Jingren sneered inwardly. Lord Neeson''s words sounded righteous and just, however, who was he trying to fool? If they could discover ways to treat patients using their DNA, isn''t it right that they could also create viruses that affect only a certain type of people based on their DNA?

 Chapter 898 Thirty Seconds

    Chapter 898: Thirty Seconds

    Lily eyed therge wall clock that was in the room. Thirty more minutes and the two hours that Kusov promised is going to end. She bit her lower lip. However, her face didn''t show any trace of unease. She roamed her eyes inside the room. After a few minutes, Lily stood next to the wall where various fake daggers were disyed. Then she walked towards the wooden table, examining its drawers to check if she could use something to defend herself.

    After a few more minutes, Lily sighed and sat back on the bed. Her thoughts were interrupted when Victor suddenly strode inside the room. The sinister glint in the man''s eyes was too unmistakable; it made Lily flinch. "The two hours is not yet done." She uttered in a cold voice.

    "So?"

    "Kusov wouldn''t want you to disturb me."

    "He asked me to sit here and guard you. Who knows what kind of sinister idea your mind will have?" the old man sat on the couch a few feet away from Lily. Sneering, he stared at her bandaged hand. "I was surprised that he would waste some time to treat your wound."

    "He is nning to keep me alive. Of course, he will treat my wound." Lily understood that the reason why Kusov treated her hand is that he wanted her to feel at ease, to think that he would not kill her. Once that happens, Lily would believe that he would let her live once she gave the file to Kusov. . Did he really think Lily was that naive and stupid?

    "Is that so?" the older man gave her a meaningful gaze before turning his head away. "Then you better think about it carefully. Once you refuse, your family will die, and I will torture you. Of course¡­ it would be better if you refuse so I can kill you."

    Lily lowered her head, hiding the disgust apparent in her eyes. That Kusov was really crafty. For him to send Victor here to act as the bad guy while he acted as the good guy. How amusing.

    The two wanted to pressure her by acting this way. Clearly, they looked down on her. However, this only made Lily smile inwardly. Looking down on her was their greatest mistake. "Victor¡­ how did you know that my grandmother killed your family?" she asked.

    "Aren''t you supposed to think about it? Stop asking questions that do not concern you!" As expected, the old man refused to have a decent conversation. It was apparent how he feared Lily''s way of manipting people.

    "If you are not sure that my grandmother killed your parents¡­ then why do this? Without proof¡­"

    "I have proof! Now shut the fuck up! You still have ten minutes. After that, you will go and see Kusov again!"

    His outburst didn''t bother Lily. Still, she remained calm and collected. She continued staring at him as she thought of how Lilian had trusted this man before. It seems that in this world, we cannot really trust a lot of people. "The Order thinks that they are the ones who killed my grandmother." Lily asked. "Why is that?" If her guess was right, the order also sent someone to kill Lilian. Of course, Lily could already guess who that someone is.

    "Why do you care? Do you think that you can still avenge your grandmother''s death? Hmph! Stop talking nonsense and think! Still, I would be d if you refuse to give us the location. That would only benefit me!"

    "Do you know that Kusov is only manipting you?" Lily suddenly asked. She eyed the man who suddenly started sweating a lot. A mysterious smile bloomed on Lily''s lips.

    "Why is this room so hot? Did you touch the thermostat?" He stood and took off his jacket, leaving a white Vneck shirt underneath. He then red at her. "Don''t move!"

    "I thought it was there to intentionally let me die from the heat?" Lily said before sighing. "I didn''t touch anything in this room." She watched as Victor red at her while approaching the thermostat near the bathroom door.

    "Why is this so high? Fucking dumb servants!" He immediately lowered the temperature and went back to his seat. However, since Victor was still sweating, he didn''t put his jacket on.

    Lily eyed the time before she started talking. "Victor¡­ do you know that Kusov is only trying to use your anger?"

    "Why does that matter?" In Victor''s mind, this Lily is already considered dead. Why waste his time talking to dead people? He stopped looking at Lily and gritted his teeth. Seeing her resemnce to that woman is making his blood boil in pure hatred. He needed to endure. Looking at his wristwatch, a smile soon blossomed on his time-worn face. "It''s time. Tell me¡­ where is it?" He stood and approached Lily. "Answer me!"

    "I will only tell Kusov." Lily answered before she stood and stared at the man who towered over her.

    "You¡ª " Unable to contain his anger, Victor grabbed Lily''s injured arm, making her flinch. "I said, where is it? Answer me!?" his eyes bulged as he tightened his hand around Lily''s arm.

    "You know¡­" Lily suddenly said. She stopped the trembling from her voice and added. "I knew that this would happen. I knew that the enemies would take me and try to threaten me." Lily sneered, bravely meeting his eyes. "Why do you think I would allow that to happen?" Seeing the man narrowed his eyes at her, a sinister smile slithered in her face. "So, I could personally kill you." She murmured just enough for him to hear her voice.

    Then, the sound of a flesh being stabbed echoed. Lily smiled as she pulled the blunt dagger out of the man''s exposed armpit. Soon, the smell of rustic iron filled the room.

    Surprised at her sudden attack, he took a step back, feeling the burning and searing pain, his mouth turned wide as he nced at the blooding from his Axiry artery.

    "You¡ª " Victor didn''t finish his sentence as he scrambled to find something to stop the bleeding.

    "Thirty seconds." Lily''s amused voice reached his ears. "You will start losing your consciousness in thirty seconds if you won''t stop the bleeding now."

 Chapter 899 A Schemers Mind

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 899 A Schemer¡¯s Mind</h4>

    Chapter 899 A Schemer¡¯s Mind

    Almost immediately, Victor¡¯s face ashen. As someone who trained himself in martial arts, how could he not know the effects of severing someone¡¯s Axiry artery? An adult man could lose his life in a mere three minutes if he won¡¯t stop the bleeding now. He red at Lily as he used his other arm to get his belt to use it in doing a tourniquet and temporarily stop the bleeding.

    However, how could Lily allow this to happen? Without saying anything, Lily ran towards him with the blunt knife in her hand. She then started attacking him with the knife, prompting him to move,avoiding himself getting stabbed. Not long after, Victor tried to use the belt in his hand to defend himself from her attacks.

    Lily snorted as he eyed the man¡¯s ashenplexion. Thirty seconds have already passed, yet Victor hasn¡¯t lost his consciousness, as expected of someone who practiced martial arts. However, Lily knew that he wouldn¡¯tst another thirty seconds. After all, the blood that he is losing is just too much for his body to handle.

    And just as Lily expected, Victor staggered after a few more seconds. His hands started trembling from the loss of blood; his eyes turned hazy. Victor shook his head, trying to stop himself from losing consciousness. But it was futile. He knew his life would end soon.

    Furious at the current oue, Victor tried to attack Lily with the purpose of injuring her as a retaliation. However, his consciousness is slipping away. A loud thud echoed inside the room as he felt his body hit the floor. He eyed Lily, who was calmly smiling at him as he realized how she had nned all this.

    The one that Lily used to stab him was the fake daggers disyed in this room. It was blunt and, of course, will bend and break if you use it to strike someone hard. Because of this, Lily turned the temperature so high, he would need to take off his jacket¡ª the only thing that would stop the blunt knife from hitting his armpit.

    Then she acted vulnerable, making him lower his guard. After all, Lily was indeed a weak woman. Even if she practiced a little bit of martial arts, she was not experienced enough. Moreover, her strength is that of an ant that he could easily crush. Seeing Lily lowered her head only made him think that she is trying to hide the fear that she felt inside.

    So he became arrogant, thinking she was nothing but a defenseless scared chicken! In the end, Lily thrusts the blunt knife in his armpit, surprising him while severing his Axiry artery. What a schemer! He cursed inwardly as he tried to maintain his consciousness. He knew it was futile. He had at most one minute to live.

    In the end, his experience was useless against a schemer¡¯s mind.

    "Why do you think I would allow that to happen?"

    Lily¡¯s words earlier echoed inside his mind. Why? Of course, it was so that she could kill them herself. Those were thest thoughts that crowded his mind before his consciousness left him. Just as Victor finally closed his eyes, a loud explosion echoed outside.

    Lily eyed the now cold corpse in front of her. Who cares if the knife that she used was blunt? It wasn¡¯t about the knife... it was about the target. A disgusted sneer escaped her lips as she examined his coat that he put on the couch. Seeing the now real dagger from the man, Lily grinned as she wondered why he wasn¡¯t carrying a gun with him.

    However, this was no longer her concern. She thought as she walked out of the room, grabbing Victor¡¯s phone. After another explosion, Lily started hearing gunshots and footsteps. She didn¡¯t wait for other people to see her as she runs passed Kusov¡¯s office and went inside the room next to it. She then locked the door and stayed in the tub in the bathroom.

    Without a gun, Lily is obviously useless in a gunfight. She decided to send a text to Zhou Jingren¡¯s number telling him her location. Then, she called Qin Yuanfeng and immediately heaved a sigh of relief when he answered.

    "Are you on yourputer?" She asked. The n was for Zhou Jingren to lead this assault while Qin Yuanfeng and Bei Tian will stay in Hong Kong assisting him.

    "Yes. He is underground, fighting with Kusov forces that are trying to escape with him."

    "He is trying to leave?"

    "Yes. There is an underground tunnel that will lead him to a house near his private ne. He is trying to run."

    "Did you disable allmunication that he could use to call for back up?"

    "Yes. He can¡¯t call for back up. I believe that was the reason why he is trying to escape. Sixty percent of his men who are fighting in the front line are already dead. He has about twenty elite personnel with him right now. Don¡¯t go out of your hiding spot unless I tell you to. It will be very dangerous right now. His people are running back to the mansion."

    "How many troops do we have left?" She asked. Since she was the one who nned all this, Lily knew that another batch of people from Zhou Dae Un¡¯spany would assist them. However, she was not sure if they would make it in time.

    "The backup is already here. We still have about fifty men alive. Zhou Jingren has fifteen people with him. All elites, including Secretary Go."

    "Alright... " Lily said, her brows creased. "That means... He is outnumbered?"

    "Rx..." Bei Tian¡¯s voice echoed. "He can defeat them."

    Lily turned silent. "This is a big assault... did you take care of the satellite? We don¡¯t want to involve other people in this matter."

    "Yes. Moreover, you are now inside a mansion that is in the middle of two acres of forrest. The next house is about three acres away. It¡¯s like he built this ce, so not many people will know what he is doing inside. Just as you said... the person who will take you will have secret experiments below his ce. You are right. There is indeed a ce that I find difficult to hack two floors below the prison. I am about eighty percent in breaching the security. However, it might take another thirty minutes for me to hack into the systempletely. I am not so sure if this is aboratory or just a secret ce, but I suggest..."

    "I am going." Lily interrupted him. "I will go to that room. Since Kusov is already on his way out, it means he is abandoning thatboratory or already sent his people to destroy it. However, since the security is still pretty tight in that area, it means they haven¡¯t seeded yet. I will go and check it out."

    Silence followed her words.

    "Are you sure?" Bei Tian asked.

    "I am. Tell me... where are they now?"

    "There is a tunnel in the underground prison. To go to theboratory, you needed to go to the underground prison first. However, they are fighting in that area. It will be too dangerous for you."

 Chapter 900 Sci

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 900 Sci</h4>

    Chapter 900 Sci-fi Film

    Since they were fighting, this would be the safest time that Lily could use to disappear as both parties were still busy with each other. "Is there any other way aside from that underground prison?" she asked. Of course, she was not that stupid to put herself in even greater danger. Moreover, once Zhou Jingren sees here, his priority would obviously change into protecting her. Lily could not let that happen.

    "Yes... I think.... Let me just..." Qin Yuanfeng said. "There is... but you have to go out of the mansion. There is a shed, two hundred meters away from the garden. This is a tool shed for the people that take care of the garden and the forest. There should be some sort of a secret mechanism to open a door. This door will lead you to a small tunnel. You don¡¯t have to worry, as long as you open the door, I can help you with the tunnel. Of course, I have to finish hacking the secret facility first."

    "Hmmm. Then I will find a way to..."

    "There is a staircase that will lead you to the back door of the mansion. It should be located near the... there is a blue door...." Qin Yuanfeng started giving her instructions on which way to go so she could exit the mansion without attracting anyone¡¯s attention. Not long after, Lily left the room and started running towards the stairs that her brother was talking about.

    The explosions around the mansion continued. From time to time, walls would shake, debris would fall. However, Lily ignored all this as she continued to run while hiding from the enemies troops.

    "On your left. Yes, that door. Two people areing your way. You should hurry and find a gun somewhere." Qin Yuanfeng instructed her. He was watching Lily from the CCTV camera on the mansion. Qin Yuanfeng had already disabled the enemy¡¯s ess to the cameras while he hacked it a couple of minutes ago. "I can¡¯t see the stairs but I should be able to see you once you reach the tunnel. I will give you ess to the door. There are only two people in the room. Both are busy withputers. I believe they are trying to delete something. I will open the door for you. However, you have to be careful. There is a small armory inside the facility. It¡¯s already been opened. You just have to be quick enough to run towards it and use it against the two women inside."

    "I understand."

    "You do?" Bei Tian asked, doubtced his voice. "You do understand that using this gun will mean killing people?"

    "Is this really the time for that?" Qin Yuanfeng answered him. "Can you stop staring at my monitor and look at Zhou Jingren?" Lily heard irritation in her brother¡¯s voice. Of course, she ignored the two and carefully followed Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s instructions. Just as Qin Yuanfeng had mentioned, the stairs led her to a tunnel that looked like they were copied from a sci-fi film. It was made of iron, the lightings inside the tunnels were blue, while the door that can be seen that the end of the tunnel looked like a rectangle with LED lights that was shaped like diamonds.

    Lily frowned. Why does it seem like she is walking into some star wars spaceship? Without saying anything, she walked towards the door and gave a signal to her brother that she was ready.

    "Are you sure?" Bei Tian asked in a concerned voice.

    "Shut up!" Qin Yuanfeng hissed before letting out an irritated sigh. "I will never work with you in the future." Lily heard him utter towards Bei Tian. "Alright... I will open the door. The small armory is just a few feet across the door. Are you ready?"

    "Yes. I will put the phone in my jacket. " Lily said, her hand might be aching but she could still use her other hand to shoot. Of course, her aim was still not good but she was not really nning to hit them in the first ce. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard an electronic swish. Lily immediately sprang forward. Without looking at the interior of theboratory, she opened the small iron armory and grabbed a pistol. She immediately pointed it towards the two women who sat frozen like a statue when they saw her.

    "Don¡¯t move!" Lily said, she tightened her hand around the gun. "Try it and you are dead." Her face was cold, eyes chilly as she eyed the two women who were now raising their hands. Lily then threw zip-ties towards them and told them to tie their hands behind them and sit at the corner. It didn¡¯t take too long for the women to follow Lily¡¯s instruction. With their ashen faces, the two sat in the corner.

    "I am in." Lily said as she put the phone on speaker.

    "Alright... ask them for the code to theputer. Shoot their legs if they don¡¯t talk." When the women heard Qin Yuanfeng¡¯s words, their eyes immediately widened.

    "Please don¡¯t hurt us... we will tell you everything. We will talk. Please..." the older woman said while shaking her head. "Please... I will give you the code... everything about thisboratory."

    Lily smiled at the camera that was pointed at theputers. "You heard that right?" She said. "But before this... please give me an update with his current situation." Lily said. While shepletely trusts her man, she still couldn¡¯t help but be anxious.

    "He is safe." Bei Tian¡¯s voice echoed. "Don¡¯t worry too much about him. He can handle himself. That Kusov might be bigger than him but he is more agile. There is no way that ¡ª"

    "Wait... they are fighting?"

    "Not yet. But that will happen soon. Once each party runs out of bullets, they won¡¯t have a choice but to fight for their lives." Bei Tian¡¯s nonchnt words didn¡¯t make her feel calm. "Trust him." She heard him say. In response, Lily nodded. A determined glint soon shed in her eyes.

    "Alright.. Let¡¯s start. Give me the code and I will let you go." She turned her attention towards the two women. She needed to finish this as fast as possible.

 Chapter 901 Explosion

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 901 Explosion</h4>

    Chapter 901 Explosion

    Unedited.

    The loud explosion from the grenade was enough to shake the underground facility that they were in. Large debris littered the hallway, as the lights flickered. The broken pieces of ss and the empty cases of bullets can be seen on the floor. Theplete darkness inside the corridor was asionally disrupted by the lighting from the high-powered, semi-automatic rifles that each side were using.

    The smell of gunpowder filled the air, overpowering the rustic smell of blood that is scattered on the walls, some of it had started to dry, turning its scarlet color into a sinister ck. A war... fought without death truly impossible. Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips thinned. Both sides have long ceased their gunfight as both were already close to running out of bullets. Firing their remaining bullets without hitting the enemies would be considered a waste of ammunition. He eyed his people. All ten of them including a wounded soldier lying a few feet away from him.

    "Surrender now... Mr. Bei." Kusov¡¯s voice echoed. It was followed by a loud snort. He and his men were hiding inside one of the cells. Unlike Zhou Jingren¡¯s men, Kusov and his people are all hiding inside as two of them were wounded and one of them is needed next to Kusov for hisputer skills. "I suggest you surrender now. Don¡¯t worry... I will let you live."

    Zhou Jingren frowned. Based on his calctions, Kusov is also out of ammunition. However, he didn¡¯t speak. Instead, Zhou Jingren eyed Secretary Go¡¯s location. Both men were using the wall to protect their backs. Despite the absence of light, Zhou Jingren could clearly see the dagger that would asionally reflect the lighting from the flickering bulbs. It was Secretary Go¡¯s special daggers that he always loved to carry.

    Seeing this, Zhou Jingren also grabbed the small card-like weapon from his hips. If one would not examine the weapons carefully, they would easily think they were ATM cards. However, these weapons were made of sharp steel, something that could cut someone¡¯s neck without using too much effort.

    "Come On... Mr. Bei... Is this really worth it? Would you really like to be an enemy of the order?" Kusov¡¯s voice reached their ears. "If you hurt me and my subordinates, the order will hunt you and your family down. Is that really something you would be willing to face in the future?"

    Hearing this, Zhou Jingren¡¯s face morphed into a scowl. Why would Kusov spend so much time talking in the middle of an assault? Zhou Jingren smirked. He was waiting for something, he immediately concluded. Reinforcements? Just the thought of reinforcements made his face sank. His back, which was leaning against one of the destroyed walls of a prison cell, froze. He could feel sweat dampening the ck tactical suit that he was wearing.

    "What? Aren¡¯t you going to speak?"

    Zhou Jingren eyed Secretary Go¡¯s direction. He was sure that the other party does not have night vision goggles. However, these flickering lights should be enough for them to observe Zhou Jingren¡¯s location. He eyed the flickering light a few feet away from him, slowly counting the seconds before it flickers again.

    "Are you afraid? Ha! Perhaps... Are you perhaps already dead?"

    Zhou Jingren on the other hand continued staring at the lights, his hands steadily grabbing his weapon, his face had long been framed with an expressionless face of a killer, of a hunter. Then he started moving.

    Zhou Jingren swiftly used the cover of the darkness to run towards the next wall closer to Kusov¡¯s troops. Just as he was about to arrive at the next wall, the light flickered again. He hastened his steps. Leaning his back against the wall, Zhou Jingren pursed his lips, ears on full alert as he listened for footsteps and whispers.

    This wall is now the only thing that separated him and Kusov¡¯s people. Judging from the silence of the enemy, it would be safe to assume that they didn¡¯t notice his actions.

    "Coward!" Kusov sneered. "My reinforcements areing. Are you really going to let your people die?"

    As expected, his words made Zhou Jingren frown. He was certain that he and everyone else would not be able to survive if a reinforcement arrived. Unfazed, Zhou Jingren held his breath as he silently counted to ten. Five... Eight...

    Just as expected, Secretary Go soon followed him. Secretary Go ran towards the cell across Zhou Jingren, his steps light, movement agile like a panther traversing towards its prey. After another flicker, Secretary Go was already hiding in the cell across Zhou Jingren.

    "I will count. One... to ten..." Kusov¡¯s voice echoed. "If you won¡¯te out with your arms raised... I will ask my people to blow this underground facility up. I might not be able to escape unscratched but I am certain the explosion would kill you." Zhou Jingren and his troops were near the bomb mechanism in this underground prison. He was sure that it would be enough to kill them. However, the bomb would take at least three minutes to deactivate. Because of this, Kusov needed some time to set it up.

    Another snort escaped his lips. "Is it done?" He lowered his voice and looked at one of his men, who was on theputer.

    "Two minutes.... There is something wrong with the bomb. I need two more minutes before I can activate it."

    "Hmph! Do you want me to blow your brains out of your small fucking head?" He pointed the pistol towards his subordinate¡¯s head and coldly ordered, "Faster! Or you will die along with them!"

    "Yes... Yes!" the man nodded as if his life depended on it. Then he furiously typed on theputer again.

    "Mr. Bei! You cannot beat me and you know that!" Kusov started provoking Zhou Jingren again. To his irritation, the other still maintained his silence. Perhaps... "Hey... hey... " He called one of his subordinates that was observing the other side. "Did you see any movement just now?"

    "No, sir. I didn¡¯t see any movement from the other side."

    Kusov¡¯s eyes immediately turned bright, disgust swirled in his orbs. "Then... He must be dead! But let¡¯s not lower our guard. Why don¡¯t you go out of this cell and slowly approach them?"

    "Yes, Sir!"

 Chapter 902 Too Late

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 902 Too Late</h4>

    Chapter 902 Too Late

    Unedited

    However, how could Zhou Jingren allow them to get out of the cell that they were hiding? The loud sound of a heavy metal hitting the concrete floor interrupted them. Slowly their eyes widened, mouths turned agape at the grenade on the floor.

    *BOOM*

    The loud explosion made the walls of the underground facility tremble, slowly the walls started shaking, big pieces of debris started falling.

    "It¡¯s going to copse!" Secretary Go¡¯s voice echoed. "Let¡¯s go."

    The others didn¡¯t wait for Zhou Jingren¡¯s orders as they started running towards the exit. Their footsteps

    "Mudak! I won¡¯t let you get away with this!" They heard someone shout. Zhou Jingren and Secretary Go immediately turned their heads towards the ruined prison cell where Kusov and his men were located. When they saw Kusov stood, their faces turned grim. How could he survive a grenade? Unless... Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t have the time to think about it.

    "Jichen... take everyone out!" He instructed, determination shing in his eyes before he ran towards the six-foot-five giant a few feet away from him. "Bastard! Die!" Despite the shaking of the floor, Zhou Jingren was still able to reach the man in a matter of seconds. He let out a kick that was easily avoided by Kusov. The onught that followed was expected. Fist against fist, kick against kick, the two fought like madmen, both enraged, both thirsty for more blood.

    "Fuck!" A gush of blood came rushing out of Kusov¡¯s arms. "Sneaky bastard!" He eyed the card-like weapon in Zhou Jingren¡¯s arms. He might be old but Kusov was senile enough to know that the cards were poisoned. Narrowing his eyes at his younger opponent, Kusov let out another swear. If he was at his prime, he could easily defeat Zhou Jingren¡¯s agile movements.

    But that Is not the case now. He was in his sixties. The only thing that he relied on was his military training and a sturdy body. His movements were long hindered by his age. He tried to stop the bleeding using his hand as he let out another curse. Is this man really going to end him?

    For a few seconds, both of them were silent, their eyes had long adjusted to the darkness. The floors beneath them continued to shake. "Is it worth it?" Kusov suddenly asked. "Mr. Bei... you will die with me. Right now. Just because of a man who owns the heart of the woman that you love. Is it worth it?" A sneer escaped his lips.

    "Does it matter?" Zhou Jingren responded. "Why are you asking questions when you are about to die anyway?"

    "Die?" He snorted and showed Zhou Jingren a remote in his hand. "If I die... you die with me." Slowly, he started chuckling before it turned into a burst of full-blownughter, so sinister and ominous, Zhou Jingren could feel the chill running down his spine. "You and I will die today! Isn¡¯t that amusing?"

    Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes darted towards the rectangr remote in Kusov¡¯s hands, his face showed no emotions. "Is that a bomb that will make the whole house explode?" He asked.

    "Are you worried that Lily will die too?" Kusov let out anotherugh. "Yes... this is indeed a bomb designed to ruin the whole property. Hmph! Why do you think I would choose to build a fortress in the middle of nowhere? Isn¡¯t that to guard my secrets?"

    "You talk too much!"

    "Why not talk? No matter what happens... you and that Lily will die. I mean... who knows really. I believe Victor already took care of her. With her death, the files will be lost forever." Since he didn¡¯t get the file, why would he let the order get it? That would only waste his efforts to obtain the file for himself!

    "Fool!" Zhou Jingren said. "I already gave the file to the Order!"

    "You what?"

    "You heard me." He smiled, showing his bloodied teeth at the old man.

    "You¡ª No... you must be bluffing. There is no way that..." He didn¡¯t continue his words. His eyes widened as his mouth fell on the floor. He stared at the man who just finished removing the prosthetics in his face. "You¡ª " No wonder, he didn¡¯t see his face bleed! Zhou Jingren is actually wearing thick prosthetics to change his appearance. "You are... " He felt his heart trembled. "You are Zhou Jingren! You¡ª You are not dead!"

    "Who told you that I died?" A smirk crossed Zhou Jingren¡¯s lips.

    "You¡ª " Kusov gulped as he took a step back. He then held the rectangr remote in front of him. "Don¡¯te close! I will blow this house... I will... everything! I will blow everything!"

    "Stupid!" Zhou Jingren hissed. "Everything was nned, you fool." Zhou Jingren¡¯s eyes quickly roamed towards the ruined ce. The shaking had now stopped. Because of this, he can now clearly see the previous cell that Kusov upied earlier. And just as he expected, Kusov really used his men to shield him from the grenade. He must have pushed one of them to cover the grenade with his body. No... There are two people on the floor aside from the wounded ones that are now unconscious or perhaps dead.

    Who cares.

    His gaze went back to the older man in front of him.

    "I told you! Stay away from me!"

    "Why are you so scared, old man?" Zhou Jingren asked. "Is it because... you realized that we already nned everything?"

    "No way! There¡¯s no way that..." He didn¡¯tplete his words as he pressed the red button on the remote.

    *CLICK*

    *CLICK*

    *CLICK*

    *CLICK*

    *CLICK*

    *CLICK*

    "AHHHHH!" Kusov yelled when he realized that the remote is not working. Taking another step back, the old man fell on the floor with a loud thud. "You fuck¡ª "

    *CLICK*

    *CLICK*

    "Give up already." Zhou Jingren said. "We have the best hacker in the world. There is no way that he didn¡¯t notice the existence of a bomb in this ce." A victorious smirk was stered on his lips. However, Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t notice the old man¡¯s hand was now holding a gun from the floor. When Zhou Jingren saw this, he immediately threw one of the cards towards him. But it was toote.

    *BANG*

    Kusov pulled the trigger.

 Chapter 903 Realization

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 903 Realization</h4>

    Chapter 903 Realization

    Kusov¡¯s lips turned upwards into a victorious smirk, his eyes was full of mockery toward Zhou Jingren when the card that he threw didn¡¯t hit him. He eyed the surprise in his opponent¡¯s eyes before he chuckled. He won. He hit¡ª before Kusov thoughts even finished, it was interrupted when a rustic smell assaulted his nose, it was blood. He frowned before he eyed Zhou Jingren¡¯s smiling face. Why was he smiling? There is no reason for him to smile.

    *BANG*

    Realization quickly hit him. The second gunshot is not from his gun! He eyed Zhou Jingren; disbeliefced his gaze. He wanted to turn around, wanting to know who dared shot him from behind. However, the strength in his body is already starting to dissipate. He forced himself to open his eyes wider, to no avail.

    *BANG*

    The third gunshot was thest thing that he heard before his consciousness left his body for eternity.

    *BANG*

    The fourth gunshot hit Kusov¡¯s corpse. Then a fifth came. Zhou Jingren didn¡¯t wait for the sixth as he ran towards Lily.

    *BANG*

    She pulled the trigger for the sixth time, her shoulders shook, and her aim was terrible. Because of this, the first gunshot didn¡¯t hit Kusov¡¯s head; instead, it hit his shoulders, changing the aim of his gun¡ª the reason why he missed his shot. The second gunshot hit his back. And the third finally hit the back of his neck. Despite this, Lily refused to stop pulling the trigger. She wanted to make sure that the man is dead.

    Slowly, his eyes darted towards the man who stood a few inches away from her. Her pupils shook, lips trembling. Was she going to cry now? Lily bit her lower lip. "Let¡¯s go. We can¡¯t waste any more time." This is not yet the time for a happy reunion. She turned her back on him. However, before she could take a step further, a hand gently held her shoulder. Then he felt him took away the gun on her trembling hands.

    His strong arms wrapped around her waist. He inhaled her scent before he tightened his arms around her. "It¡¯s alright. Jichen will take care of the rest." He said. Lily turned towards him. In front of his gentle gaze, the coldness from her own eyes vanished. She said nothing. She didn¡¯t need to.

    Lily folded her arms around him, her head pressed against his chest, listening to his calm heartbeat. Is it finally done? She couldn¡¯t help but wonder and worry about the future. However, all these thoughts slowly vanished under his warm embrace. It made her feel safe, assured that no matter what will happen, he will stay with her.

    In his embrace, Lily¡¯s world stopped spinning. The smell of gunpowder and blood didn¡¯t feel as frightening anymore. The sight of the people lying in their pool of blood didn¡¯t feel ominous anymore. In the middle of death, Lily found thefort that she missed in her husband¡¯s arms.

    She pressed her body against his as if hugging him wasn¡¯t enough, Lily wanted to feel his warm body. She wanted to feel his heartbeat; she wanted to hear him breathe. Lily didn¡¯t even realise how much she missed him. Still, there¡¯s not a single tear shed.

    This reunion was something that she already expected. She trusted her husband enough to know that both of them will win this game. Together.

    Seconds turned into minutes. To be honest, Lily never wanted to end this. She wanted to stay in his embrace forever. "We can¡¯t stay here." She heard herself say.

    "Hmmm."

    Lily reluctantly pulled herself away from him and eyed the bloodied people on the floor.

    "Use this." He handed her a Glock. Lily epted it without asking questions. Afterwards, he started checking the body of the enemies as Lily continued watching him look for a gun. He found two. "Let¡¯s leave this ce."

    Lily didn¡¯t say anything as she nodded. In the midst of death and killing, all she could think of is the things that they will do tomorrow. She was already confident that they will survive this day and will face the next days together. Because of this, Lily couldn¡¯t stop herself from thinking about the aftermath of the matter.

    The two went out of the underground facility. They headed inside the mansion, carefully avoiding the dead bodies on the floor. The smell of blood and death was thick, and it lingered inside the corridor until the main living room where both of them can see a few bodies lying.

    "No one escaped." Secretary Go said. "There is a research facility underground. However, it was destroyed. Kusov must have wiped it clean. Two dead researchers are also inside...."

    Lily said nothing as Secretary Go and Zhou Jingren continued talking. Her mind was already preupied about the things that they needed to do to The Order.

    "Take care of everything. We are going to leave as soon as possible." Zhou Jingren said before he led Lily into Kusov¡¯s office. "I already scheduled a meeting with the Order. They agreed to stop disturbing us. Of course, they will soon realise that the file that I gave them is only half of what they actually needed. The¡ª "

    "Kusov is experimenting with kids." Lily interrupted him. "Ages five to ten." Her gaze darted toward him. This should not concern her anymore. However, Lily wanted the order to know what Kusov was really up to. "We assumed wrongly." Lily initially thought they were nning to use the research to create a specific illness that will only target specific genes. The potential of this research is enormous as one could use this to target a specific family and everyone with those genes inside the family would die.

    This research could potentially kill the people with the genes of the royal family. Or perhaps all the people with blue eyes. Or at least that¡¯s what the research was all about. That was also the reason why the US government stopped it, as it was perilous and had the potential to wipe out an entire race. However, what she found out in Kusov¡¯s researchb was different. "They wanted to change some specific strains of DNA, that will change the kid¡¯s body structure, making them more agile and strong. They wanted to create super soldiers."

 Chapter 904 A Lie

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 904 A Lie</h4>

    Chapter 904 A Lie

    Two Months Later.

    Austria.

    "Isn¡¯t that a bargain?" Lily raised an eyebrow at the five people in front of her. "I will give you everything that I found out in Kusov¡¯sir. You will then make sure that I and the generations after me will be safe. We will forget each other¡¯s existence." Right now, her priority is, of course, her safety.

    The world is vast; the future is long. Lily wasn¡¯t sure if she and Zhou Jingren would forever have the strength to defend themselves. With the number of enemies that they gained after Kusov¡¯s death, Lily could only make use of the Order¡¯s existence to help her against the Russians.

    "I understand." The frown in Mr. Naru¡¯s face deepened. "You said that they wanted to make super soldiers? Did theyplete the research?"

    "No. At least not yet. I believe the files that I gave you is beneficial to this research."

    "We can¡¯t allow them to seed." Just like everyone inside the room, Mr. Neeson thinks that this research is indeed very dangerous.

    "I have all the locations of the experimentalboratories around the world." Lily said.

    "Are you certain?"

    "Hmmm. My people have already checked it, and I¡¯m quite positive that they are still there. They didn¡¯t know that I was able to get all the files before the researchb was destroyed."

    "Then? What can we do?" Mr. Neeson looked at the others. "What do you think?"

    "If you only wanted protection and peace... we can give that to you. However, you know that we value secrecy. Once we know that you told people about our existence, this deal is going to be void and we... will exterminate you."

    "I understand." Lily smiled.

    "Well then... what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s finalise everything! I wanted to get ahold of this information as fast as I can. This could potentially change the world." Mr. Neeson said. Of course, Lily nodded, and the people inside the room immediately talked about the specifics of the deal.

    At this time, Lily was not aware of the effects of giving them those files. All she thought about was the thing that she would gain after this transaction. After all, she was a very selfish person. With her family, Lily¡¯s priority was to live a peaceful life. She could care less if people will see her as the viin who ruined the future of humanity or the person who could have stopped these people from changing the world.

    All she wanted was for her to live the rest of her life in peace.

    Silence filled the room the moment Lily left.

    "Are we really going to give her what she wanted?" Harringfort, the person who reced Kusov asked. "I thought everyone wanted her to work for us?"

    "We needed the file. We cannot allow Russia to seed in these experiments." Mr. Naru said. "Since she assured us that our existence would be kept a secret, I believe we can give her the peace that she wanted. Having someone else fill the vacant position of her grandmother should not be a problem."

    "I agree. The weight of the research material was more than enough. We should be thinking about the research now." Mr. Mu said. After what happened in Russia, everyone saw how capable Lily and Zhou Jingren is. They had cleaned the area without the Russian government knowing anything that transpired in that ce. Their forces were vast; their intelligence is top-notch. This only meant that Lily and Zhou Jingren ha the capability to face them. Moreover, even they are not that confident that they could stand up against Lily. Not after Zhou Jingren told them about the bombs that he installed in their mines and secret bases. However, the two wanted to have a cease-fire and live away from the Order.

    This would not only save them the money in dering war against Lily but also would save a lot of resources and manpower that they could use to hunt Kusov¡¯s aplices.

    "I have no problem with Lily¡¯s proposal." Mr. Neeson said. "All I wanted is for Zhou Jingren to remove all the bombs that he secretly put in our diamond mines." The thought of Zhou Jingren using Bei Tian¡¯s face to fool them is indeed irritating. However, the man¡¯s words about their diamond mines are far more critical than his initial irritation. "That man threatened us to agree to Lily¡¯s term. Or he will target our families and the primary source of our ie. Everyone here is aware that we cannot afford that. Not when the Russian¡¯s are acting like this."

    "I agree with Lord Neeson." Mr. Naru said. They were not sure if Lily and Zhou Jingren is intentionally ying both the good cop and bad cop. And to be honest, dealing with them is quite tiresome. "We should let them be and avoid conflict. I have a bad premonition about this research. We need to focus on these people and their effects on the world."

    "Does everyone agree?" Mr. Neeson said. Everyone then gave their nods of approval. It¡¯s not like they have a choice in this matter. In choosing between Zhou Jingren¡¯s threats and the destruction of theboratories doing those experiments, everyone in the room would always choose thetter.

    "Done?" Zhou Jingren was leaning against his car, wearing a ck leather jacket, together with a ck shirt and pants. His dark, sleek hairplimented the smirk apparent on his face.

    Lily snorted in response. She nodded and stood in front of him. "They agreed."

    "I was not expecting that." He pulled her towards him.

    "Liar." Rolling her eyes, Lily lifted her head, her scarlet lips morphed into a cute pout. "You owe me a kiss."

    Heughed, his sparkling eyes turned into two beautiful crescents. Without saying anything, he lowered his head and captured her lips. The kiss was soft and gentle, but it was quick¡ª too quick.

    "Why did you stop?"

    "Our nanny called." Zhou Jingren smiled. "Kaen won¡¯t drink milk. He wanted his mommy."

    Lily immediately smiled. "That¡¯s because Bei Tian is not a very kind nanny." Sheughed.

    "I thought he was the best nanny in the world?" He raised an eyebrow and opened the door of the car for her.

    "That was a lie." Lily giggled. Zhou Jingren went towards the driver¡¯s seat and started the engine. Zhou Jingren¡¯s next words made herugh. "You are the best nanny in the world."

 Chapter 905 Aisle

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 905 Aisle</h4>

    Chapter 905 Aisle

    3 Years Later.

    The smell of her soft perfume lingered in the air. She nced at her equally natural makeup that contrasted her red scarlet lips.

    "Are you ready? Everyone is waiting for you." It was Qin Chuan. He looked at her only daughter in white; a gentle smile was stered in his lips. "You look beautiful."

    "She looks like me. Of course, she is beautiful." Qin Yuanfeng walked inside the room while grinning. His ck three-piece suit and perfect smile only made him more handsome. "Come on, Zhou Jingren is waiting. He will cry if you won¡¯t show up in five minutes." He chuckled.

    Lily nodded as she let the two men escort her out of the room. Outside, Li Shanshan was weeping¡ª again.

    "Why are you crying? You just gave birth. Stop crying like that... it will affect your health." Lilyughed. This was her second wedding, and she remembers that Li Shanshan was also crying on her first. "Are you going to cry in my next weddings too?"

    ??Shut it." She held Lily¡¯s hands. "You look so beautiful in white... it makes me feel really ugly."

    "Shanshan... no offence but my sister was always prettier. What¡¯s this feeling ugly that you¡¯re saying? Have you been feeling like this since you met my sister?"

    "Hmph! Lily ah, you should keep Qin Yuanfeng away from Bei Tian. Just look at him? Is he talking like Bei Tian now? Can we really handle two shameless people?"

    The banter made Lilyugh. However, it didn¡¯t ease the mixed emotions that she feels inside. Why is their second wedding scarier than the first? "I want to pee." She said meekly. Of course, she knew she was only nervous. As expected, her words made the two people next to her freeze.

    "Really?" Li Shanshan¡¯s beautiful eyes widened. "Are we going to remove your huge clothes?" The thought of removing the princess style bridal gown almost made her head hurt. She leaned towards her. "Maybe... it would be wise to put on some diapers? You know..."

    "This woman is crazy." Qin Yuanfeng frowned. What diapers? Li Shanshan is a really unique woman. "Let¡¯s go... if you want to take a pee, then I will help you carry this dress. Who cares if Zhou Jingren will wait for another thirty minutes?"

    Lilyughed before she shook her head. How could she let him wait for another thirty minutes? Zhou Jingren will surely go crazy.

    "Lily, in the next three years... are you really going to have another wedding in India?" This wedding in Sweden is already extravagant. Li Shanshan could not wait to see Lily and Zhou Jingren¡¯s wedding around the world!

    "I thought its Japan?" Qin Chuan chimed in. "Perhaps, Korea?"

    "I think Korea is a good idea, knowing that Zhou Jingren¡¯s mother is Korean. Also...you will look gorgeous in Korean traditional clothing!" Li Shanshan said.

    After a few more minutes, they finally arrived in the entrance of the church where the wedding will be held.

    "Your hands are sweaty. " Li Shanshan said, using her handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Lily¡¯s hands. "This is your second wedding. Why are you nervous?"

    "Says the one who cried." She answered.

    "Hmp... I am your best friend. I should cry every time you marry someone, even if its the same man."

    "Crazy." Qin Yuanfeng chimed in. "You should go now. My father and I will walk her to Zhou Jingren."

    Li Shanshan red at Qin Yuanfeng before she strode inside using another door. As her maid of honour, Li Shanshan¡¯s job is to amodate everything that Lily needed.

    "Alright... open the door." Qin Chuan said as Lily wrapped her hand around her father¡¯s arm and her other hand to Qin Yuanfeng. She then waited for the door to open. Feeling nervous and at the same time excited of seeing her man waiting for her at the altar.

    Then the door opened. Smiling, Lily took her first step towards him. Then her second.... And her third.

    She couldn???t wait to do this every three years. The thought of it made herugh inwardly.

    The end.

    If you wanted to know Yang Mi¡¯s oue, please don¡¯t delete the novel in your library just yet. After I get back from my 3 days break. I will publish a short story about Yang Mi. Just 1 long chapter. I will also do this for the other side characters like Bei Tian, Qin Yuanfeng and Harringfort. Each short story is only 1 chapter long.

    I wanted to use this opportunity to thank a certain group of people who helped me out.

    Ocelot, Swaning, Feli, Tan Q, Dragon- Thank you so much for the editing.

    Dragon, Rose and Unnisar My readers who I now consider as my friends. Thank you very much for helping me out.

    Stan, Xomatsu, Athen You have been with me since the start of the novel. Thank you for the support.

    JustHappy2read, ckblueberry, arfjwr, ikare44, patricia colburn and Ha_F7659- Thank you for being a part of my top 10 fans.

    I am so grateful and blessed. I am very emotional to end the novel. I love everything about Lily and I will forever put her in my heart.

    Thank you so much and I hope you will read my other novels too.

    1. The Viin¡¯s Redemption is a quick transmigration novel with a very weird system.

    2. Lazily Yours is another contemporary romance full of faceps and cute moments. This is going to be funny and light.

    3. The Sovereign is my hardcore fantasy novel. It MIGHT not have any romance or at least not in the first 500 chapters.

    I also wanted to use this to thank everyone who stayed with me. You guys rock! I am so grateful that I have readers like you who never left me despite the sporadic release rate, the long breaks, the irritating characters. Thank you so much for staying with me. I hope you will enjoy my next novels.

    THANK YOU!

    NOTICE: THE NEXT CHAPTER IS GOING TO BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS NOVEL. I WILL RELEASE IT BEFORE RESET.

 Chapter 906 Stars

    <h4>The Viin¡¯s Wife Chapter 906 Stars</h4>

    Chapter 906 Stars

    Twenty Seven Years Later.

    Despite the heat, Lily chose to sit on the balcony as she stared at the endless horizon in front of her. She had live a long life. A long, quiet and happy life. However... it was time for her to say goodbye.

    He eyed the family portrait in his hand. It was just after her youngest daughter turned five. Kaen was eight while Kher was six. This was during the birthday of her youngest, Kai¡ª the cute little one who looked exactly like Zhou Jingren. A smile lingered on her lips. Zhou Jingren wanted a daughter, he wanted someone that would look like Lily. However, Kai never looked like her mother. In fact, she was just like the small Zhou Jingren.

    Isn¡¯t that amusing?

    The thought of her husband who died a week ago from cancer, immediately soiled her mood. What is life without Zhou Jingren? It was bleak, it was nothing. It was not the life the she wanted to live.

    And she will not live. Not without him.

    Lily gulped as tears rolled in her time worn cheeks, her lips trembled. It was time to say goodbye.

    "I¡¯ll see you on the other side of the stars." She whispered before breathing herst.

    "You could have stop it." A voice suddenly echoed inside her head. Lily tried to open her eyes. She failed.

    "The world will face an early extinction." The voice continued. "This was all thanks to you." Lily frowned. What world? What did she do? She tried to speak to asked questions. She wanted to understand what the voice was saying.

    "You were selfish and greedy. The stars decided to punish this selfishness." The voice added. This time, it was louder, it made her trembled in fear. This was the first time that she felt fear in years.

    What is going on?

    "You will no longer live a life for your own. You will live to save someone. Until then... your soul will never find his. You and him will never find your happiness."

    What is he talking about? The line in between Lily¡¯s eyebrows deepened. What is the voice talking about? However, the voice never spoke again. Lily would never remember this conversation. Not until she finish the things that she was supposed to do. Not until she redeems the sins of the viin who ruined the world.

    Bei Tian¡¯s Excerpt.

    The scene in front of him was enough to bring out the worse fears of human. It was feral, brutal. Only the worst of the worst human could stand eating their food in front of all these blood. Good thing... he was no longer human.

    Bei Tian continued eating his steak, his gaze devoid of any emotion as he drank his wine. The soft sound of footsteps reach his ears.

    "Boss," a tall and lean man said. "We are done searching. There¡¯s no one else is alive in the basement. Even the children... are dead." The man gulped. He eyed thevish feast in front of him. This was nothing new. However, the sight of Bei Tian having his meals in front of the dead is truly disturbing.

    "Hmmm. Then... clean the ce. We are leaving as soon as I finish my lunch." He said without lifting his head.

    "Yes sir!" the man immediately left the room to do Bei Tian¡¯s bidding. Seeing him gone, Bei Tian stopped eating his steak and stared nkly at the corpse of the man in front of him. The man¡¯s eyes was no longer on it¡¯s socket¡¯s, the blood from the man¡¯s neck had turned ck. He had been dead for more than twenty-four hours now. "I failed again." He spoke, his eyes was glued at the corpse¡¯s ashen face. Then another sighed escaped his lips.

    Sixty five years ago, Bei Tian was injected with a substance. They thought it was something dangerous, a virus, perhaps something that would damage his body. However, they soon found out that the substance, didn¡¯t change his body. It didn¡¯t make him sick. In fact, they found no trace of it. Then they thought it was nothing but a scheme to make them think something was inside his body. Seeing that Bei Tian was fine. Zhou Jingren and Lily thought he would be fine.

    Well... they were right. Except he became too fine.

    Sixty year¡¯s ago... Bei Tian stopped aging.

    Fifty year¡¯s ago... Bei Tian stopped feeling pain.

    Forty years ago... Bei Tian¡¯s body started changing.

    Then the world started changing...

    Yang Mi¡¯s Excerpt.

    The smell of liquor made Yang Mi frowned. She squinted her eyes at hertest assassination target before she grabbed another bottle of alcohol from the bar of the suite room. She then found her dress that she discarded earlier and immediately covered her naked body.

    "Twenty seven." She said as she sat on the couch, next to the body of the now dead old man, her twenty seventh kill. She used her bloodied hands to opened the bottle of alcohol and started drinking it as if she was drinking a bottle of water. She nonchntly put the bottle back on the table, her face turned sour. She hated cheap wine.

    She then turned on the TV and started watching some shows, a habit that she always does after killing a person. Crazy? She call it rxing. However, her face turned pale when she saw a familiar face in the news. It was Lily. The woman that she betrayed.

    Yang Mi gulped as memories that she had been trying to suppress for thest three years resurfaced in her mind. She eyed Lily¡¯s smiling face as they showed a clip of her in white, walking down the aisle with her father and brother. Slowly, tears pooled in Yang Mi¡¯s eyes as she thought of Lily¡¯s words before they parted.

    Secretary Go¡¯s Excerpt.

    Two years.

    It has been two years since he started his journey, a journey to find Yang Mi. However, it seems that fate is really against them this time. Go Jichen looked at the starless sky, regret flooded through him like an unstopable river. He was a coward. When he discovered that Yang Mi was a traitor, he actually hated her. However, that hate didn¡¯tst long. He soon discovered that he truly wanted to be with her.

    But that was already five years after she disappeared. Right now... Go Jichen didn¡¯t even know if she was still alive. He could only hope... he could only wish that he would see her again.

    Note:

    And yep. The Viin¡¯s Redemption is Lily¡¯s punishment because of what she did.

    Now for the short stories.

    Which one should I write first?

    Bei Tian¡¯s?

    Yang Mi¡¯s?

    Secretary Go¡¯s?

    Li Shanshan and Fernando?

    Qin Yuanfeng?

    Eliza and Levi?

 Chapter 907 Bei Tian Part 1 of 5

    <h4>Chapter 907 Bei Tian Part 1 of 5</h4>

    He was still alive?

    Bei Tian''s lips were caked dry, his throat so ached as he squinted his eyes to the sun. How long has it been? He couldn''t help but ask himself? A month? Or two? And yet he was still alive. How could a man survive in the desert without water? He nced at the man scouting next to his body. Was he trying to steal from him? Bei Tian sneered. He came here with nothing but his clothes.

    Was this person trying to steal his clothes?

    He ignored the teenager and closed his eyes. Maybe a few more months and his body will finally give up. Maybe he will turn into some sort of a mummy? The thought made him chuckle.

    A gasp escaped from the youth''s lips. "You-You''re alive!?" It was anguage that Bei Tian recognized. Arabian. Again, he ignored the teen and just continued lying in the desert acting like a statue. Maybe this will be enough to kill him? He heard the youth''s steps running away from him.

    Which is perfectly understandable considering he was a monster.

    Monster. Just the thought of the word is enough to make him depressed. How long has it been since then? Shaking his head, Bei Tian sat down and finally looked at his surroundings. He was sure that the child earlier would get his neighbors toe here.

    He needed to leave.

    Without any hesitation, Bei Tian stood and let out a sigh. Staying in the desert is useless against him. It was as useless as staying at the bottom of the ocean. With this in mind, he started walking towards the east. Maybe he should just go home? He wondered.

    But where is home?

    A few tens of years ago¡­ Zhou Jingren and Lily left this world. A few tens of years ago, Qin Yuanfeng followed them. His home was not in this world. Bei Tian hastened his steps. Maybe he needed to visit Hong Kong. How long has it been since he left that ce?

    Twenty-five years?Thirty? He couldn''t really remember. He started touring the world to find answers. But in the end, he only found more and more questions. What happened to him? Why did he stop aging? Why does his wound heal in a matter of seconds? Howe he was stronger and more agile than normal people?

    The only thing that he could think of was the unknown substance that those people injected into him a few tens of years ago. The Order of the Spectre.

    The people who changed this world. Bei Tian''s changes are not only in his body but also in his mind. Suffice to say, he can now recall everything as if they just happened a few seconds ago. Right now, Bei Tian''s mind took him to the things that happened twenty years ago.

    The era that introduced them to the super-powered humans. Teenagers who seemed to develop some sort of gic mutations just like in theic book that he used to read all those years ago. After that¡­ the war erupted.

    How could each nation allow such an organization to monopolize all those talented youths? The US wanted the substance that was injected into them when they were born and so were the Russians. Then China chimed in. Slowly¡­ the world wanted their share too. France, Japan, UAE, Britain.

    It was chaos¡ª pure chaos caused by the greedy hearts of humans. The war only ended after a few years when they decided to produce this gene changing serum for everyone. Once a child turns five, they will be injected with this serum.

    Once a child turns ten another serum will be injected. If they awaken these genes, then each country will take them to study the basics of their ability. The peace soon followed. However, these didn''t mean that some countries developed after the war. In fact, most third world countries perish and be a part of the bigger ones. The ravages of the nuclear war were too much for this world to recover.

    Due to the radiation in the air, the temperature of the world had rapid changes. The days became hotter and the nights became colder, prompting a lot of life on earth to die. Soon after, most people are now living in a secured facility developed by scientists that could withstand the heat and the changes In the climate.

    Humanity is slowly fading. It''s not even fifty years after those genes were discovered and yet, humanity is already dying. Bei Tian sigh. This should not concern him.

    It''s not like he would die with them anyway. He had been shot and drowned and stabbed. He starved himself and even buried himself underground. And yet, he was still here. Even the scorching temperature that would have damaged anyone who stayed under it for more than thirty minutes had no effect on his body.

    What a doomed existence.

    Bei Tian sighed. He continued walking until he arrived in one of the bases. With his special identification in hand, he immediately went inside and marveled at the technology that man had created to survive under the extreme heat and cold temperatures. He raised his head to look at the doom-like defense system that covered the whole area.

    Shaking his head, Bei Tian continued walking. His eyes soon roamed around the street that was littered with thetest technology in the world. Cars that could fly and withstand the heat, people who were wearing a special type of suit that would enable them to walk outside to hunt for mutated animals that survived the nuclear war by absorbing radiation.

    Times have indeed changed. He lowered his gaze and walked towards a pub. At this time of the day, the pub had no customers.

    "Mr. Bei?" A middle-aged man with a Mohawk hairstyle eximed. "You¡ª "

    "I didn''t die." He said, exhaustion apparent in his voice.

    "Of course¡­ please¡­" the man immediately grabbed a bottle of expensive wine. "The same?"

    "Hmm." He nodded. "News?"

    "Well¡­ Someone from the Zhou n called for an emergency."

    "Zhou?" he frowned. Aside from a few people that worked under him, Kaen, Kher, and Kai knew of his existence. They were the only surviving members of the Zhou n that knew who he really was. After all, when Lily and Zhou Jingren knew of his special circumstances, they immediately arranged everything to keep his identity hidden from the government.

    All traces of his previous life were gone. His previous pictures were burnt, his name was changed, all of his images online disappeared. Not even his birth certificate remained. Of course, at that time, he was already close to Kaen and Kher. Erasing their memories is not something that Lily and Zhou Jingren could do.

    "Yes, Sir. It was Madam Kai. She said it''s an emergency. We received the call a week ago." The man answered before he started telling Bei Tian everything that happened too far. Rumors and assassination''s, even the new result of the experiments that started to exin all the abilities that those kids had.

    "So¡­ the experimentation is still ongoing." His gaze turned dark. Years ago, he already did his best to ruin all those Russianboratories. He attacked them and tried to find out everything about their study hoping it would answer his questions.

    "Each government started asking people to volunteer. They wanted answers." The man shrugged. Some children had developed different types of abilities that could potentially harm a human being. Because of this, the government needed to study more of them to understand their current situation.

    "Well then¡­ I will go to China as soon as possible." After saving the Zhou n from the war, Bei Tian left and started trying to kill himself in various ways. Of course, the result was always a failure. However, before he left, he specifically asked those kids to always call him once a life or death situation arises.

    He finished his drink and stood from his seat. He then went to the second floor of the pub and changed into a suit that would make him look like a normal person walking under the heat of the sun. Now dressed in a ck suit, Bei Tian walked out of the pub and walked towards the transportation zone of the base.

    Soon¡­ he will see them soon.

 Chapter 908 Kai Zhou- Part 2 of 5

    <h4>Chapter 908 Kai Zhou- Part 2 of 5</h4>

    After the war, Hong Kong had be one of the bases where the humans stayed before they slowly started to establish colonies in the other countries. However, because of the polluted air, not many countries were able to bounce back in a matter of a few years.

    China on the other hand was one of the countries that immediately started to create colonies for their people. In less than five years, buildings had been erected, a dome-like defense filter system had been made to defend colonies from the effects of extreme weather and polluted air. Bei Tian nced at the small colony that was once Hong Kong. Right now, Hong Kong colony was not something that many people could get into. This country did not have citizens and was only full of military personnel and kids with supernatural powers. It had be a haven for kids who didn¡¯t know how to control their abilities.

    "So you heal quickly." The man in the gate nce at Bei Tian¡¯s ID. "What is your business here?"

    "I am going to Xing Colony. I need a ride." He smiled. On the outside, Bei Tian still looked like a guy in histe twenties. Tall and dashing, the man who was already a grandpa by age looked at the gates of tall gates of Hong Kong. He could actually go to China withouting here but Bei Tian felt a little... emotionaltely. He felt thating to this ce was the only thing that was letting him keep his humanity intact. Without his memories, without the memories of the people who stood next to him, Bei Tian would lose the sliver of hope that he had. The hope of dying. The hope of following Lily and Jingren and Yuanfeng. The hope of reuniting with them.

    "Alright. You can go. You only have twenty four hours to stay in this ce. After that... you need to leave or we will detain you and you will be charged for the crime of spying." The man didn¡¯t spare Bei Tian another nce. Healing ability was almost useless and they were not really considered famous in this new era of superpowers. Moreover, adults who develop superpowers tend to be weaker than the youths.

    Bei Tian nodded and went inside. After a few more scanning, they finally let him in. Bei Tian could only shake his head. In this era, having a superpower that could be used to attack someone was considered more precious than the ability to heal your own body. This is why Bei Tian had used this to make himself look normal.

    In this era, having one superpower was the only norm. A person like Bei Tian with enhanced strength and speed, ability to see during the dark, ability to heal, ability to jump at least a hundred meters, ability to survive under the heat and radiation was... something that these people had never seen before. Of course, this was because the ability that these people had developed, had something to do with elements.

    Usually, a normal superpower would mean someone able to produce fire balls, or spears made of water. Someone like Bei Tian who could heal himself was considered someone with a weak affinity to the wood element. Aside from that, not one of those people had an enhanced body like him.

    Slowly, Bei Tian¡¯s steps took him towards the mansion or at least... the ruins of the mansion. Lily actually didn¡¯t spend the end of her life in this mansion. Instead, she and Zhou Jingren had chosen a remote ind to die. How selfish. He thought. Lily didn¡¯t even give them the time to mourn for Jingren¡¯s passing when she decided to die due to overdose.

    That woman... how could she leave without even saying goodbye to anyone? Not even to him? Bei Tian sneered. Does she really love Jingren so much to follow him without considering the emotions of the people that she left behind? Without even considering Bei Tian¡¯s emotions?

    Bei Tian sighed as he sat on the ruins of the mansion. From here, he could see the view of the whole colony. He immediately wondered if Lily and Zhou Jingren were able to unite after their death. The two spent a happy life together, bringing three children into this world, creating a huge business and bing one of the richest couples in the world.

    Sadly, happiness wasn¡¯t something thatsts forever. When Zhou Jingren was diagnosed with Leukemia, Bei Tian stood by his side. At that time, he watched as Lily lost all the color from her face. However, she didn¡¯t cry. She never broke down and asked the heavens why. She just stood there, face so pale as she balled her hands into tight fists.

    Then she looked at Zhou Jingren and smiled. No she forced a smile before saying, "Let¡¯s go. I will apany you." And she did. She took care of him, wiped him, fed him. She was there from the start to finish and Bei Tian... Bei Tian never saw her cry. Not even once.

    Even on Zhou Jingren¡¯s death bed, Lily never shed a tear. Was Lily really that strong? Was she really that cold? No. The reason why Lily didn¡¯t cry was because she knew... it wasn¡¯t a goodbye. She knew... she would reunite with him sooner orter.

    How dramatic! Bei Tian kicked a stone and gritted his teeth. Lily was so dramatic he hated it! After a long sigh, Bei Tian finally stood and started walking away from the ruins. This could be thest time that he would visit this ce as the government already nned to build something here. Another sigh left his lips before he left without giving the ruins another nce anymore.

    With his unhurried steps, Bei Tian soon arrived at another transportation zone and immediately boarded a bus-like vehicle that was reinforced with a lot of alloys and the dome-like defense system that would keep them safe from the weather and radiation as they travel.

    After a few grueling hours, Bei Tian finally arrived in Shanghai or Xing Colony. This time, he immediately went to look for Kai Zhou, the Matriarch of the Zhou Family and the only living child of Lily and Zhou Jingren.

    After a few pleasantries, a servant immediately brought him to the hall and told him to wait for the matriarch. In this household, the only one who knew who he was, was Kai.

    "Mr. Bei." Kai¡¯s voice was hoarse as she walked inside the hall, with her slow steps. Two servants followed her. In response, Bei Tian stood and nodded at the woman who highly resembled his brother Jingren.

    "Madam Kai." In front of other people, Kai would never call him uncle. Not when Kai¡¯s wrinkled face looked obviously older than his freshte twenties appearance. How old was she now? Ny? A hundred? Bei Tian had no idea. "I hope you are doing well?"

    "Yes. Yes... thank you for your concern Mr. Bei." He immediately detected the unease in her voice. "Mr. Bei... please follow me. I need to show you something."

    Bei Tian nodded and followed her. Even after the apocalypse that ended the world, the Zhou Family was able to thrive and was able to maintain a good life. Of course, this had something to do with the amount of youngsters that developed a superpower that came from this family. Bei Tian gave aplicated look at Kai Zhou as he followed her towards the corridor. "Did something happen?" he asked, a little worried. What could make the calm Kai act like this?

    "Leave us." Kai ordered. Soon enough, only the two of them were walking down the corridor. "Please see for yourself." She said as she opened a steel door and ushered Bei Tian to go in. Steel doors could mean that someone with a superpower was inside. These doors were specifically made by the government to help someone who cannot control their ability.

    Bei Tian and Kai walked in a narrow way. Until they reached another door. This time, Bei Tian opened it and what he saw immediately made him speechless. "Lily?"

 Chapter 909: Jane Doe Part 3 of 5

    <h4>Chapter 909: Jane Doe Part 3 of 5</h4>

    Bei Tian¡¯s heart started racing as she looked at the woman who was also staring straight at him. How could this be? His eyes traveled towards the chains that were on the woman¡¯s arms and legs.

    "Mr. Bei... that is not my mother." Kai¡¯s croaky voice woke him up from his stupor. He immediately squinted before he nodded.

    "Who is she?"

    "I don¡¯t know." Kai shrugged. "We found her bloodied outside of the colony. To be exact, my son found her. She was unconscious but alive. There was a lot of blood in her clothes but she didn¡¯t have any wounds on her body. At first, I wasn¡¯t nning to take her in but she¡ª she looked like that. So I... I got curious."

    "Did she attacked anyone? Why is she in chains?"

    "She had episodes and would just start screaming and pounding her head. She said her head hurt a lot. And then she would lose her consciousness and when she wakes up, she could barely remember what happened."

    Bei Tian¡¯s face immediately changed. He took a step towards the woman and immediately notice the alertness in her eyes. "Tell me everything, Kai... Why is she in chains?"

    "She¡ª She is very strong and she asked us to put the chains around her."

    "How strong?"

    "Physically and fast too. She could easily break the chains but she told us to put her in an isted room like this so she won¡¯t be able to hurt anyone else."

    Bei Tian nodded.

    "Kai... You are really talking as if I¡¯m not here." The woman suddenly said. "Are you not going to introduce me to the handsome gentleman?" The woman¡¯s smirked reminded him too much of Lily, Bei Tian felt goosebumps all over his body. Even her voice had the same simrity. He stared at her face, wondering why she really looked like her. Except for the white highlights that the woman had, everything about her was just... scarily reminding her of Lily.

    "I am Bei Tian." He uttered as he stopped walking a few feet away from her. "How about you?"

    "Jane Doe." She casually shrugged and looked at Kai. "Is this the person that you said could help me?" Kai nodded in response.

    "He is a family acquaintance. An expert in rare cases like this."

    "Is he going to take me somewhere so he could dissect my body?" There was a hint of mockery in her tone. Be Tian immediately wondered if she was mocking him... or herself.

    "No. Nothing like that. You can trust him." Kai¡¯s voice turned gentle. "I will leave you two alone." She said before turning her back. Kai left the door open as she stepped out of the secret room.

    "Are you just going to stare at me like that?" the woman uttered, an eyebrow lifted. Her words were enough to wake Bei Tian up from his stupor. "Do I remind you of someone?"

    Bei Tian pursed his lips in response. "I am just curious. What do you remember?"

    "Tubes, blood, and white lights." The woman turned silent. "And I remember killing people... lots of them."

    "You seemed too casual? Are you not afraid that I am working for the government?"

    "I trust Kai." The woman said. "So? Can you help me get my memories back?"

    "No."

    The woman frowned. "If you can¡¯t help me... then why are you here?"

    Bei Tian put his hands inside his pockets. "I don¡¯t know."

    "You¡ª " the woman squinted. "Kai wouldn¡¯t call you if you are useless. Tell me honestly, are you going to test my abilities?"

    "No." Bei Tian answered. This woman spelled trouble for him. It doesn¡¯t take a genius to guess that this woman was an experiment. Did she kill her way out of theboratory to escape? "You heal fast too, right?"

    The woman nodded. "I¡¯m a freak."

    "Can you use elements?"

    "No." She answered. "But I don¡¯t need those to kill people."]

    "Hmmm." He stood, tilting his head as he observed her. "How old are you?"

    "I have no idea."

    A long stretch of silence descended between them before Bei Tian shrugged and turned towards the door. "I can¡¯t help you. I don¡¯t know why Kai called me but I don¡¯t have the capability to help you out." He started walking towards the door and met Kai who was just standing on the narrow way. "I suggest you let her live in this house. She is not someone that you should keep next to you." The woman had those crazy scheming eyes, just like Lily.

    "Why? Is there something wrong with her?"

    "You don¡¯t want to get involved with her. Just because she looked like Lily doesn¡¯t mean that you can trust her. You are putting everyone here in danger, including yourself."

    "Mr. Bei..."

    "Kai," he interrupted the old woman. "Let her leave." If she was some sort of an experiment then it means people are looking for her. This would make Kai and the rest of the Zhou Family a target. Seeing the woman turned silent, Bei Tian walked past her. "I know the way out. I am leaving. You shouldn¡¯t just trust anyone because they look like someone you once knew Kai." He said gently before he leaned and kissed Kai¡¯s temple.

    Then without waiting for her to utter another word, Bei Tian left the secret room and the Zhou residence.

    Bei Tian lived long enough to know that humans were all emotional beings and to be honest, he wasn¡¯t going to me Kai for letting that woman inside her house. After all... Kai used to be so close to Lily. The woman¡¯s face must have reminded her too much of her mother. He started walking towards the bar that he owned.

    Bei Tian might look like he was a nobody but he actually owned a lot of bars that were scattered all throughout the colonies. These bars were used to gather information and sell it to other people who wanted it. When Bei Tian entered, he was immediately greeted by the bartender who gave him his favorite alcoholic before he could even ask for one.

    "Tough day, boss?" the man behind the bar counter asked.

    "Hmmm." He nodded and downed the drink in his hands. "Any new news?"

    "No. We have some leads though." The man uttered before he handed Bei Tian a ring. This ring is just like a USB from the past. Except this one would immediately let you see the information in your head once you wear it. Without any hesitation, Bei Tian put the ring on his left ring finger and frowned as the surge of images floated in his brain. Slowly, his face morphed into an ugly scowl as he watched everything from the files to images to videos that the other bar had gathered for him.

    After a few minutes, Bei Tian opened his eyes and looked at the ring on his finger. Then he watched as the ring slowly turned into dust and disappeared. It was one of the characteristics of the ring. This was to avoid passing the information to anyone other than him. Aside from these self-destructing properties, the ring would not also show the images if it won¡¯t recognize the brain waves of the people wearing it.

    "Thank you."

    "Are you nning to stay for a while? Should I prepare a room for you?" the man casually asked.

    "No, I am leaving in a few minutes." Bei Tian would never stay in one ce for a long time. That was something that kept him alive all these years.

    "Leaving? Where are you going?" the sudden voice of the woman who sat next to her, made him froze.

    "Why are you here?" He frowned.

    "You told Kai to make me leave. So I left." The woman shrugged and turned towards the bartender. "I like to have what he was drinking. And he is going to pay for my drinks, thank you." She beamed at Bei Tian and ignored the dark look on his face. "So...where are we going?" the woman¡¯s pale face reflected the red and blue light of the bar as she added. "You are taking me with you... right?"

 Chapter 910: Experimentations

    <strong>Chapter 910: Experimentations</strong>

    "What the hell are you doing here?" he squinted, his face turned dark.

    "Drinking with you?"

    Bei Tian turned his head away before he nodded at the bartender and rose from his seat.

    "Where are you going?"

    "Leave me alone." Bei Tian uttered. He was half relieved that this woman actually left Kai on her own, but he never thought she would actually follow him.

    "But I thought you want me to go with you?"

    He stopped walking. "I don¡¯t want you near me." This woman¡¯s face was too identical to Lily¡¯s even her voice was the same. However, it seems that she was dumber than her.

    "But... Mr. Bei... I have nowhere else to go."

    "What does this have to do with me?" he stared at her sad eyes. "You can¡¯t fool me, woman. Stop acting like a sheep." He always hated scheming women. Of course, that is with the exception of Lily. He started walking away from the bar and ignored the woman who followed him like a puppy.

    "Mr. Bei... where are we going?"

    He gritted his teeth but ignored her.

    "Mr. Bei... Kai was actually crying when I left. I never thought that¡ª "

    "Why are you calling me Mr. Bei, but you call Kai her name?" He suddenly asked as he turned towards her. Kai obviously looked older than both of them. "Are you that close with her?" In Bei Tian¡¯s mind, this could be dangerous after all, this woman might be a fugitive. Being close to her could put anyone else in danger.

    "Because... you are older than her?" the woman answered, his nonchnce made him frowned. "And because... I am about her age?"

    "What did you say?"

    "I said... I am as old as her."

    Bei Tian looked around them before he held her wrist and pulled her towards an empty alley. "You are about Kai¡¯s age?"

    "Well... I knew I was born before that thing happen?"

    He looked at her familiar face. "How did you know that?"

    "I remember cars. The old ones." She answered. At this time, the previous cars don¡¯t exist anymore. Instead, big reinforced trucks and buses were used tobat the changes in the weather, the hotness of the sun, and the coldness of the night.

    "How did you know how old am I?"

    "I can feel it." The woman smiled as if she was really proud of knowing his age. "We are the same." She dered. "You and me."

    Bei Tian¡¯s eyes darted to his left before he took a step back, a gun was already in his hand.

    "You¡ª " the woman widened her eyes when the cold muzzle of the gun touched her forehead.

    "Who are you?" Bei Tian¡¯s eyes turned into slits, his senses alert as the blood running in his veins turn cold. He would never hesitate to kill someone, even if they look like Lily. After all, he was certain this woman was not the woman that he loved. "I will count to three... answer me, or you are dead."

    Now that he thought about it, everything seemed too easy. The woman¡¯s appearance was too easy. It was like... It was like... someone deliberately put the woman on Kai so she could see Bei Tian.

    "Heh..." the woman smiled, the expression on her face turned cold. "Are you really going to shoot me?"

    Bei Tian smirked. He didn¡¯t answer her, instead, he lowered the gun and pointed at the woman¡¯s arms. Then he pulled the trigger.

    The silencer muffled the loud sound of the gun, but it wasn¡¯t enough to hide the curses that escaped the woman¡¯s throat. "F*ck! Why the hell did you¡ª Ahhh¡ª "

    "So, you really heal." Bei Tian¡¯s eyes were focused on the bullet hole on the woman¡¯s arms. "Not as fast as I thought, but you are fine." His voice was cold before he lifted the gun towards the woman¡¯s forehead. "But I am certain, a hole in your brain won¡¯t heal." A sinister smile shed on his face. "One..."

    "Whoa... Whoa...." The woman looked panicked.

    "I see... so you know you won¡¯t be able to defeat me." Bei Tian nodded. "Two..."

    "I will talk... I will talk... just...F*ck! Let me heal! F*ck is this really how you treat ady!?"

    "You are not ady. Now... talk." He didn¡¯t lower the gun. Instead, he got himself a second one and pointed two guns towards the woman¡¯s face.

    "What the¡ª What the hell are you ¡ª Are you f*cking kidding me?"

    "Talk or die. You chose."

    "Alright..." the woman held her two hands up. "Alright... just put that away. I am not here to fight you."

    Bei Tian squinted but did nothing. His eyes darted towards her wound, and as expected, it was already healed. The woman was a fast healer butpared to him, she was nothing. "Speak!"

    "Man... I didn¡¯t know it would be this hard." The woman took a step back. "We shouldn¡¯t talk here..."

    "I don¡¯t trust you."

    "Well... I don¡¯t trust you too! But I don¡¯t have a f*cking choice! Now... follow me!" she hissed and mumbled another strain of curses. Showing another sign that she wasn¡¯t Lily. After all, Lily doesn¡¯t really cursed like a sailor. "Why are you standing there? Will you just... man... what a stubborn man. Can you just follow me?"

    For a few seconds, Bei Tian looked at her before he shook his head. "No." Does this woman think he was dumb? He suddenly handed her a memory ring, just like the one that he used earlier. "Use this."

    "You¡ª "

    "As I said... I don¡¯t trust you." The ring would gather the woman¡¯s memories and whatever it is that she wanted to tell him. In this way, Bei Tian would have ess to her memories. Of course, there are also ways to alter one¡¯s memories, but that would make the woman unconscious for hours.

    "Are you serious, right now?"

    Bei Tian pursed his lips in response. He looked at her and waited for her to put the ring on. Seeing his resolute expression, the woman sigh. "Alright... f*cking psycho!" she epted the ring and put it on her finger. Then she closed her eyes and transferred everything that she wanted to tell him. After a few minutes, the woman removed the ring and handed it back to Bei Tian. "Don¡¯t you need a safe ce to ess that?"

    Bei Tian only shrugged before he put on the ring. While he doesn¡¯t really trust this person, he thought that essing the ring here would be the safest ce for him. First, the woman didn¡¯t show her ability earlier, even if he already shoot her. That could mean two things.

    It¡¯s either, she doesn¡¯t have one. Or... she can¡¯t because her ability had such devastating effects that would attract the attention of people. Being alone with this woman could be dangerous. Second, fighting her in a space like this was to his advantage as Bei Tian had developed other skills that would ensure his survival as long as he was out in the open.

    "Experimentation?" He uttered as the ring around his finger is turning to dust. "You are a part of their experimentation." He already guessed as much. However, what he didn¡¯t know was the fact that they are somehow doing this to a lot of women. "And you wanted my help to destroy them?"

    This woman is actually one of the leaders of an organization called the DEFIANCE. They are working on trying to save children from the experimentations of the government.

    "Yes. We needed your help." The woman¡¯s face turned serious. "There are many people out there who¡ª "

    "No." Bei Tian said. "I can¡¯t help you."

 Chapter 911: Hunted

    <strong>Chapter 911: Hunted</strong>

    "Mr. Bei, please listen to me." The woman followed Bei Tian as he started walking away from the alley. "There are children out there... hundreds of them."

    "Miss Doe... do you think I would care?" he said without looking at her.

    "But¡ª "

    "Leave me alone. The next time you involve Kai and the Zhou Family in this nonsense, I will kill you."

    "Mr. Bei please¡ª If you could just¡ª "

    "You used the wrong approached woman. Don¡¯t even think that I would consider helping you."

    "I can help you find what you want."

    Her words stopped him. Seeing this, the woman continued.

    "You wanted to die... right?"

    This time, he turned towards her, eyes narrowed. The woman¡¯s resemnce towards Lily was making his blood boil with rage. How dare they use her face just to lure him in? "Why would I want to die?"

    "Because... because you have lived long enough? Because you are alone?" Determination shed in the woman¡¯s eyes. "You heal fast, you are strong, and no one would be able to beat you in hand to handbat. Even bullets don¡¯t work on you. Tell me, Mr. Bei... have you tried shooting yourself in the mouth?"

    His face darkened as she slowly approached him. Then she lifted her head, staring straight into his soul. "Because I did." The woman smiled. "And I survived."

    "Where did you get that face?"

    "Would you believe me if I tell you that I just woke up like this?"

    "No."

    The woman shrugged at his response. "I can¡¯t remember. I woke up in ab, in chains."

    "Where is this?"

    "Russia."

    "So... you are saying that you just woke up like this? In chains? How did you survive with all the Russian¡¯s hunting you?"

    "Theb was already destroyed when I woke up. I tried to find out who did it. Then I discovered that a certainputer genius named Qin Yuanfeng attacked the Russians while someone else destroyed theb. I started researching from there, but the apocalypse happened. Took me years to find you."

    His lips thinned at the mention of Qin Yuanfeng. "I don¡¯t believe you." He said.

    "At least give me a chance to show you what I know? At least... Maybe ten minutes. Give me ten minutes."

    "How did you get that face?" Again, he asked.

    "What¡ª I already told you I don¡¯t know. What the hell is wrong with you? What¡¯s with this face?" When his face darkened, the woman added. "Alright... Mr. Bei... I know about her, but I promise you I really don¡¯t know anything else. I don¡¯t know why I woke up like you or why I look like this. I can¡¯t remember anything aside from waking up. I have some assumptions. If you would just let me¡ª "

    "Lead the way¡ª "

    "Excuse me?"

    He pursed his lips in response. He doesn¡¯t like repeating his words so he just stared at her as if hoping that she would read his mind.

    "Well¡ª Alright." The woman gave a wry smile before she led him into the streets of the colony. This Colony was used to be Shanghai, and aside from the dome-like features that protected everyone from the heat of the sun, the ce still looked like the previous Shanghai years ago.

    Of course, there were already metal buildings and flying cars all around but aside from that, everything from the Chinese style tea houses to the museums was almost the same. However, these were only on the outside. The government leaders in this colony tried to do their best to duplicate the previous Shanghai. After the devastation, everything about this ce was no longer the same. So, they did their best to reconstruct the previous buildings and make their citizen¡¯s a bit morefortable.

    "This is an abandoned warehouse." The woman said as she led him to the basement of the two story house that looked more like it was about to fall apart anytime than a warehouse. "Be careful with the ss." She warned him. "The government will demolish this site soon and turned it into another training center for the younger youths."

    "Where are the other members of the DEFIANCE?" he asked.

    "Have you heard of the DEFIANCE before?"

    "No." That was an honest answer. And to be honest, he wasn¡¯t really interested to join this organization. All he wanted was to find a way to end this miserable life.

    "Oh. We don¡¯t show our faces to anyone. Our identities are anonymous."

    He nodded and followed her towards a chained room.

    "I used to live here. Years ago." The woman opened the room and revealed a dimly lit hallway. "No more electricity... I guess." She walked towards the hallway, her footsteps echoed behind her. "The organization had been tracking the experimentations. I mean... humans have the tendency to try and research something that they don¡¯t understand. Like the youths who suddenly developed abilities to summoned fire and lightning, special people. However, some people go beyond that."

    "Was it the Russians?"

    "We are not sure. All we know is that the name of the Organization is the Ghosts."

    He squinted. "Spectre?"

    "How did you know?" She stopped walking and stared at him.

    "Was it the Order of the Spectre?"

    "You¡ª " the woman paled, her fist clenched. "You have heard of them?"

    "I am older than you woman... now continue talking." He frowned as he wondered about the woman¡¯s intense reaction at the mention of the name. She even went as far as using the term Ghosts when it was actually Spectre.

    "Well... The Spectre started experimenting with infants."

    He lifted an eyebrow. That was indeed something that they would do just for power. "And? What does this have to do with me?"

    The woman stopped walking. "Mr. Bei... right now... people like us... like you and I are not considered normal anymore."

    "I know as much." Sarcasmced his voice.

    "No, I mean we are strong, we can jump from buildings, we heal really fast. The youths don¡¯t have these abilities. They can summon fire and water, but that was it. They don¡¯t have the strength that we have, the agility, and even the healing capability."

    "And?"

    "Not many people know this. But the Spectre does and... and they are looking for ways to kill us."

    Surprise shed in his eyes. "Then, isn¡¯t that good news?" What is better than dying and finally having peace?

    "But they are experimenting with us... and trying toe up with ways that they could have what we have, even stronger."

    "You keep on saying us... does this mean there are more people like you and me?" He pressed his lips together when he realized something. "The DEFIANCE isposed of people like you and me?"

    The woman nodded. "And we are being hunted."

    He nodded. Since they wanted to kill him, then he can just wait for them to arrive at his door so they could finally end his misery.

    "I know what you¡¯re thinking but please understand that our gics had been altered and before they kill us, they would remove our blood from our system and use us as subjects to their experiments."

    Bei Tian snorted. He was a freak. Bei Tian couldn¡¯t even remember when was thest time that he felt any physical pain. Ending his misery is still better than anything else.

    "You don¡¯t care about the children that would be¡ª "

    "Look... Miss whoever you are." Bei Tian interrupted her. "Spare me the bullshit and tell me the n. I want the thing that could kill us. I know nothing about caring or being hypocritical. I have lived long enough, and I want this to end. Now... it¡¯s either you tell me why am I here and tell me everything about this thing that could kill me or... scram. And don¡¯t ever show yourself in front of me again."

 Chapter 912: Go Jichen and Yang Mi

    <strong>Chapter 912: Go Jichen and Yang Mi</strong>

    Location: Paris

    "Boss, did you find something new this time?" The man who asked leaned towards the dead body. "Was it something special?" He eyed Go Jichen. "Did you find some clues about this killer?"

    For a few seconds, silence descended inside the room before Go Jichen gently shook his head. "Let¡¯s leave, tell them this was some crime of passion." Without looking at the dead body again, Go Jichen left the room.

    "Mr. Go! Wait! I forgot to ask. Do you want me to arrange something for you? After all, you especially came to Paris because of this invitation."

    "No need," Go Jichen said. "I have my own arrangements, thank you." With this, he left the police station and started walking toward a restaurant a few blocks away.

    "I want some coffee and your best-selling vegetable dish," Go Jichen said at the waitress. The woman nodded and said a few words to confirm his order before finally leaving him alone. He opened his phone and type some words.

    [Five years, three months, and two days.]

    [Today, I discovered another corpse with some special knife wounds. I thought it came from your knife. I was wrong. The wound this time was too big. There were thirty-seven stab wounds. All of them were done after the man¡¯s death. I immediately knew it wasn¡¯t your style. ]

    [Where are you now? I wonder, do you still remember me?]

    For a few minutes, Go Jichen hesitated before he added.

    [Yang Mi... Come back.]

    He closed the diary application on his phone and stared at the small restaurant. It was currently two in the afternoon. There weren¡¯t a lot of people inside. Most of them were a tourist.

    It has been two years since he started his journey, a journey to find Yang Mi. However, it seems that fate is really against them this time. Regret flooded through him like an unstable river. He was a coward. When he discovered that Yang Mi was a traitor, he actually hated her. However, that hate didn¡¯tst long. He soon discovered that he truly wanted to be with her.

    But that was already five years after she disappeared. Right now... Go Jichen didn¡¯t even know if she was still alive. He could only hope... he could only wish that he would see her again.

    When his order arrived, Go Jichen quickly finished his order before paying. He wasn¡¯t intending to stay at this ce, so he only booked a cheap hotel just a few minutes away from the police station. After arriving at his small room, Go Jichen immediately opened hisptop and started searching for some news again.

    He also opened his email and read some of his emails from various people. One of them immediately caught his attention. He frowned and opened the email.

    Qin Yuanfeng? Why would that man email him? Was it¡ª

    Once again, Go Jichen¡¯s heartbeat quicken ¡ª something that always happens if he received or at least he thought he received something, a clue or a piece of news about Yang Mi¡¯s location.

    India?

    He read the encrypted email and soon realized that his palms were sweating. Currently, some people found another corpse of an important politician in India, all their throats were slit open by a small thin knife. Qin Yuanfeng also included some of the police reports on the file.

    Without having second thoughts, Go Jichen immediately booked a flight towards India. This time, he is going to Jaipur, India.

    .....

    Location: Africa

    The smell of liquor made Yang Mi frowned. She squinted her eyes at hertest assassination target before she grabbed another bottle of alcohol from the bar of the suite room. She then found her dress that she discarded earlier and immediately covered her naked body.

    "Twenty-seven." She said as she sat on the couch, next to the body of the now-dead old man, her twenty-seventh kill. She used her bloodied hands to open the bottle of alcohol and started drinking it as if she was drinking a bottle of water. She nonchntly put the bottle back on the table, her face turned sour. She hated cheap wine.

    She then turned on the TV and started watching some shows, a habit that she always does after killing a person. Crazy? She called it rxing. However, her face turned pale when she saw a familiar face in the news. It was Lily. The woman that she betrayed.

    Yang Mi¡¯s gulped as memories that she had been trying to suppress for thest five years resurfaced in her mind. She eyed Lily¡¯s smiling face as they showed a clip of her in white, walking down the aisle with her father and brother. Who would have thought that Lily and Jingren would actually marry each other on different continents?

    Such a silly way to show their affection towards each other! She snorted.

    Because of this peculiar way of showing their affection, the newswork got ahold of their story and was currently sharing to the world how they are nning to marry in every continent of the world. Slowly, tears pooled in Yang Mi¡¯s eyes as she thought of Lily¡¯s words before they parted.

    However, this wasn¡¯t the time to regret anything. She examined the room before she grabbed her clothes and left the room with no hesitation. With her current disguise, Yang Mi was actually very confident that no one could discover her real identity. Of course, she was also confident that her prints inside the room would lead the investigators to nothing.

    After all, she already got rid of her own fingerprints by burning her fingers.

    Yang Mi left the hotel and went to a bar which would lead her to a secret fighting arena underground. However, before she could take a single step inside the bar, her phone vibrated. She opened it and squinted at the name and location on the email that she received. Yang Mi turned her heel and didn¡¯t go to the bar. Instead, she rode a taxi towards her luxurious hotel room. Then she immediately booked a flight towards India.

    Jaipur, India.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!