“Who are you calling a dog?” Lin Xiaoman finally snapped, shrieking in anger.
Wen Wan feigned surprise.
“I never mentioned anyone by name. Why are you so eager to identify yourself?”
She paused deliberately.
“Ah, I almost forgot. Your mother was a promiscuous woman. It’s only natural she would raise a daughter like you. After all, you’re the poor little thing who doesn’t even know who her father is.”
Lin Xiaoman’s mother had once been a prostitute. After the founding of the country, she refused to undergo reform and fled with the son of a wealthy family. The young master later died of tuberculosis, and afterward she drifted from man to man seeking protection.
Eventually she gave birth to Lin Xiaoman.
To this day, Lin Xiaoman had no idea who her father was.
It was the deepest wound in her heart.
Anyone who brought it up became her enemy.
In her previous life, Wen Wan had shown Lin Xiaoman every possible kindness and respect.
Yet Lin Xiaoman had repaid that kindness with betrayal.
This time, Wen Wan saw no reason to spare her feelings.
A few snickers and contemptuous murmurs rose from the crowd.
Lin Xiaoman trembled with rage.
Suddenly, she grabbed a glass bottle from the counter and hurled it at Wen Wan.
Wen Wan had been prepared.
She sidestepped effortlessly.
Crash!
The bottle shattered on the floor, liquid splashing everywhere.
“My imported perfume!”
Only then did Lin Xiaoman realize what she had done.
Her face turned deathly pale.
That bottle of perfume was worth three months of her salary.
The department store manager rushed over after hearing the commotion.
“What happened here?”
Without the slightest panic, Wen Wan pointed to the shattered glass.
“This Comrade Lin refused to sell merchandise to me and then threw an object at me. Fortunately I moved out of the way. Otherwise I’d be in the hospital right now.”
The manager looked at Wen Wan’s elegant appearance and the distinguished Wen Lin standing beside her.
Then he looked at the flustered Lin Xiaoman.
The situation was immediately obvious.
“Lin Xiaoman!”
The manager barked angrily.
“How could you treat a customer like this? The cost of that perfume will be deducted from your wages!”
“Manager! She insulted me first!”
Lin Xiaoman tried to defend herself.
“I saw you throw something at her with my own eyes.”
The manager cut her off sharply.
“Apologize to this lady immediately!”
Biting her lip until it nearly bled, Lin Xiaoman lowered her head.
“I’m sorry.”
Wen Wan smiled coldly.
“I accept the apology. But compensation is a separate matter.”
She took out a receipt booklet from her handbag.
“This dress was purchased yesterday. It cost one hundred and twenty foreign-exchange coupons.”
Pointing at a few nearly invisible drops on the hem, she continued:
“Now it’s been splashed with perfume. Either compensate me in full, or I’ll file a complaint with the consumer association.”
Lin Xiaoman’s legs nearly gave out beneath her.
One hundred and twenty foreign-exchange coupons.
That amounted to nearly half a year of her salary.
“Comrade…”
The manager wiped sweat from his forehead.
“Could you perhaps be a little more lenient?”
At that moment, Wen Lin spoke.
“My sister is kind-hearted, but she isn’t someone others can bully.”
He paused meaningfully.
“Either handle this exactly as she requested…”
His gaze hardened.
“Or dismiss Comrade Lin. Otherwise I’ll take this matter directly to your general manager.”
Ten minutes later, Wen Wan happily accepted the compensation money Lin Xiaoman had desperately scraped together.
On top of that, the manager personally packed a box of imported chocolates as an additional apology.
After leaving the department store, Wen Lin finally burst out laughing.
“Wanwan, since when did you become so formidable?”
Looping her arm through his, Wen Wan smiled.
“When you spend enough time around the Xu family, you learn a thing or two.”
Wen Lin’s smile faded.
“Tell me honestly, Wanwan. Has Mingzhe been treating you badly?”
Wen Wan remained silent for a moment.
Then she said softly,
“Brother, some people wear one face in public and another in private. Those kinds of people are even more frightening than open villains.”
Wen Lin’s expression turned serious.
“I understand.”
He nodded.
“Let’s continue shopping. As for the factory, I’ll investigate everything this afternoon.”
On the drive home, Wen Wan felt much lighter.
Not only had she humiliated Lin Xiaoman in public, but she had also planted doubts about Xu Mingzhe in her brother’s mind.
Now all she had to do was follow her plan.
Inside the accounting office of Wen Textile Factory, Wen Lin’s brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
His long fingers moved rapidly across lines of figures.
The abacus clicked relentlessly.
Meanwhile, his expression grew increasingly grim.
“Accountant Wang.”
He looked up sharply.
“The woolen fabric exported in March of last year—why do the records show only half the payment?”
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Accountant Wang’s forehead.
His fingers twisted together nervously.
“Well… Manager Xu said the remaining payment would come through a special channel.”
“Manager Xu?”
Wen Lin let out a cold laugh.
“Xu Mingzhe?”
His eyes narrowed.
“Since when does he have authority over the Wen family’s business?”
The atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
Several veteran accountants lowered their heads and hardly dared breathe.
Normally, Wen Lin appeared carefree and playful.
But when he became serious, his presence was even more intimidating than that of the factory director, Wen Youhe.
Snap!
Wen Lin slammed the ledger shut.
His voice was icy.
“Organize all import and export records, bank statements, and warehouse inventory reports from the last three years.”
He looked around the room.
“I want everything on my desk tonight.”
“But—”
Accountant Wang attempted to protest.
“There is no ‘but.’”
Wen Lin rose to his feet.
At six feet one, his imposing frame seemed to fill the small office.
“From this moment forward, not a single cent leaves this factory without my signature.”
Leaving the accounting office, Wen Lin lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.
Smoke drifted around him.
His expression shifted unpredictably.
The situation was even worse than he had imagined.
Xu Mingzhe had not only embezzled large amounts of money.
He had also conducted numerous shady transactions under the Wen family’s name.
If authorities discovered any of it, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Crushing the cigarette beneath his shoe, Wen Lin strode toward the director’s office.
After connecting through a long-distance operator and waiting nearly ten minutes, his father’s voice finally came through the telephone.
“Dad, we have a problem.”
Keeping his voice low, Wen Lin summarized everything he had uncovered.
Silence lingered on the other end.
When Wen Youhe finally spoke, he sounded ten years older.
“You’re certain Mingzhe is responsible?”
“Absolutely.”
Wen Lin gritted his teeth.
“This isn’t simple embezzlement. I think he’s deliberately hollowing out our family’s assets so the Xu family can take over the textile factory.”
Another long silence followed.
Finally, Wen Youhe spoke.
“I’m returning tomorrow.”
His voice carried unmistakable killing intent.
“Before then, do three things.”
“First, freeze all factory funds.”
“Second, secure every important document.”
He paused.
“Third…”
“Don’t let Wanwan find out.”
Wen Lin tightened his grip on the receiver.
“Dad, I think she already suspects something.”
“She told me today that she wants a divorce.”
“What?!”
Wen Youhe’s voice suddenly rose.
“When did she say that?”
“This morning.”
Wen Lin repeated everything his sister had told him about the nightmare.
A sharp crash came through the phone.
It sounded like a teacup shattering.
When Wen Youhe spoke again, his voice was filled with shock.
“Stabilize the situation.”
A pause.
“I’m coming back immediately.”
After hanging up, Wen Lin stood by the window, staring at the bustling factory grounds below.
Sunlight streamed through the glass and illuminated his sharply defined features.
Yet it did nothing to dispel the darkness in his eyes.
The little sister he had cherished and protected since childhood had suffered so much inside the Xu family.
“Xu Mingzhe!”
Wen Lin slammed his fist into the wall.
“You’re courting death!”