Chu Tianqing: "…"
Wait, does this guy only listen to keywords?
Lin Sinian's slow, deliberate words, as if "teasing a cat or dog," made Chu Tianqing extremely irritated.
Chu Tianqing glared at him stubbornly, her words speeding up without any sign of backing down.
"What I mean is, if that situation ever arose, I wouldn't hold you back even if we got divorced. In fact, I would never allow myself to be that irresponsible."
"You're not answering my question. I'm asking you—when you encounter a problem, is your first solution really divorce?" Lin Sinian's tone gave no hint of his emotions.
Her lack of honesty was making him restless.
How could Lin Sinian not tell that Chu Tianqing had been spouting nonsense from the very beginning?
If she needed to take leave, she should just honestly state the reason she had to go.
He considered himself a reasonable… husband.
Lin Sinian was still adjusting to his new identity—they were husband and wife.
Was it really that hard to hear one honest word from his wife's mouth?
"What else would I think about besides divorce?" Chu Tianqing's temper finally got the better of her.
She straightened her back, like a defiant little goose ready to fight to the death with an enemy.
"If a real disaster ever struck, if we didn't divorce, would I drag you along to become deadbeats together? Fine, we both become paupers—then who's going to take care of Lin Nanxi?"
"She's still a high school student, hasn't even entered society yet. Losing her parents is already tragic enough. If her little uncle and aunt both became deadbeats, she wouldn't have a single relative to rely on. What would she do?"
"And what about Lin Zhichen, lying in a coma? Your uncles are already dreaming of getting their hands on his shares, eyeing them greedily, hoping no one's around to protect him. If we both became deadbeats, no one would be able to shield him anymore."
"Also, you're still the Chairman and CEO of the Lin Group. Thousands of employees, hundreds of factories and workers—they all depend on you to put food on the table."
"Big capitalist, if you refuse to divorce me and we both become deadbeats, what happens to them when the group collapses?"
Chu Tianqing's mouth went dry from all the talking. She grabbed the glass sitting on the small table beside him.
Not caring that it was the one Lin Sinian had drunk from, she gulped down the remaining half glass of water with a "glug glug glug," then set it back down with a clink.
Lin Sinian's gaze dropped to the glass he had drunk from, the irritation inside him receding along with the water level…
But not completely disappearing.
Of everything she'd just said, how much was true and how much was false?
Lin Sinian couldn't judge using common sense.
Chu Tianqing lifted her chin proudly. "Some people take pure kindness for ill intent. I distance myself from you when trouble hits—it's for your own good—"
"I don't need it." Lin Sinian's tone was colder than before.
He didn't know how he used to get along with her.
Even with amnesia, this kind of pointless bickering was already exhausting him.
Perhaps they both needed some space. Cooling down would be good for both of them.
Whatever it was, they could deal with it tomorrow—
No, tomorrow was Saturday. She wouldn't come.
They'd talk next week.
Lin Sinian said flatly, "You can leave now."
Chu Tianqing made her voice cold too. "Got it. I won't take it upon myself to do you any favors anymore. From now on, I'll do you 'harm' instead!"
She shot him a glare. Hah?
You think you're the only one who can use that cold CEO tone?
From now on, when she talked to him, her voice would be cold enough to freeze frost, snow, and hail the size of steamed buns to pelt him with!
Too lazy to keep arguing with Lin Sinian, she stood up from the bedside and glanced at the clock on the wall.
Good—she hadn't wasted too much time.
If she went home now, did her makeup, changed clothes, and set off with Shen Xinglan, there was still plenty of time.
She slung her packed backpack over her shoulder and headed straight for the hospital room door.
Pulling it open, Chu Tianqing said coolly, "I'm leaving."
One foot had just stepped out of the room when she stepped back in.
Leaning against the doorframe, Chu Tianqing fixed Lin Sinian with a burning gaze.
She started mulling over his earlier words—"You can leave now." Was that him kicking her out?
She could leave on her own initiative, but she couldn't be chased away.
Lin Sinian keenly sensed a sharp gaze landing on him.
He lifted his eyes. Chu Tianqing was looking at him like she'd swallowed eight hundred little fire dragons and was about to transform into an ultimate Charizard.
Chu Tianqing: "I'm not leaving because you gave me permission. I'm leaving because I want to. And—"
Lowering her voice, she forced the statement out as coldly as possible: "I'm informing you—whether you want to see me or not, I'm coming back tomorrow. If I want to come, I will come!"
Chu Tianqing deliberately didn't mention that it was because Xiaoxi missed her little uncle, and that tomorrow she'd be bringing Lin Nanxi along.
She felt that if she explained too much, her momentum would instantly deflate.
Lin Sinian's brows knitted together.
Was she not done fighting, and planning to come back for round two tomorrow?
Before Lin Sinian could get a word in, Chu Tianqing immediately marched out of the room with brisk, determined steps, stomping down the stairs all the way to the parking lot.
Settling into the Bentley, she gripped the steering wheel and shouted: "Damn, that felt good!"
So this was what it felt like to take down a capitalist—it was amazing!
Chu Tianqing didn't know yet that one day in the future, truly "flipping" the capitalists would feel even better—and the "capitalists" would be more than happy to serve her.
Chu Tianqing drove back to the villa and first grabbed those ten-centimeter battle heels from the car.
"Babe, you're so efficient!" She ran back to the study and found Shen Xinglan handwriting the important prop needed for the afternoon—
the wedding invitations.
Shen Xinglan's handwriting was beautiful, the brush tip carrying momentum. The characters looked delicate, but every stroke had backbone.
Chu Tianqing picked up an invitation and admired it closely: "These characters hide a sense of integrity—clearly not ordinary work."
The more she looked at the writing, the more she loved it. Chu Tianqing felt a pang of heartache.
"Even though the invitations are just a prop, it's such a shame to think these spirited characters are going to be sent into the hands of those old fogeys of the Lin family."
Shen Xinglan's hand remained steady as she finished the stroke, completing another one.
"Nothing to be ashamed of. I'm handwriting them because there's no time to have them printed. If you like it, I'll write a special one just for you."
"Yes, write one for me too! I want to keep it as a memento—this is your first wedding!"
Chu Tianqing picked out a red envelope and handed it to her.
Shen Xinglan lifted the brush and wrote it in one go, then added a little sun next to her name: "Here, take it."
"Mine is the most special—so pretty!"
Chu Tianqing held up the invitation with her name on it, confirmed the ink was completely dry, and carefully placed it into the red envelope.
Shen Xinglan waved her hand: "Alright, I've got two more to finish. Go do your makeup—we need full presence today."
"Got it." Chu Tianqing stuffed the invitation into her bag, obediently returned to the vanity, and quickly applied a bold, non-everyday mixed-heritage look.
Especially the eye makeup—Chu Tianqing deliberately made it fierce and seductive, and she chose a darker, high-saturation red for her lipstick.
Today she was playing the villainous female supporting character, so of course she had to commit to the persona.
The heavy makeup had another advantage: it made up for the fact that she was only twenty-one and looked too young.
At the negotiation table, a pale, slender, youthful image brought no benefits to the one leading the charge.
After finishing the invitations, Shen Xinglan also came to the vanity.
Shen Xinglan's persona today didn't require heavy makeup. She applied a faux-natural pure-and-innocent look, combing her thick black hair into two braids that hung by her ears.
Shen Xinglan also found herself a pair of black-framed glasses, perfectly matching today's "spineless pushover," "easy to manipulate," "bookworm" persona.
Chu Tianqing changed into an electric-blue suit set—a high-saturation color that was blinding at first glance.
Shen Xinglan, on the other hand, chose a tacky floral puff-sleeve dress, paired with her double braids, making her look like a downtrodden young widow straight out of a period drama.
This was also part of their strategy.
The more rustic and innocent the style, the more it would lull those old fogeys with educated-youth nostalgia into letting their guard down.
"We're not bringing the original Designated Guardianship document, right? Just the copies?" Chu Tianqing didn't feel safe bringing such an important original document along.
Shen Xinglan pointed to the safe in the study: "Of course we can't bring it. What if those old fogeys pull something and damage the document?"
"Then I'll lock it up."
Chu Tianqing locked the Designated Guardianship agreement—bearing Lin Zhichen's personal signature—directly into the safe.
The password on Chu Tianqing's study safe had been changed; only she and Shen Xinglan knew it.
That way, even if the old fogeys sent people from the group to infiltrate the house, unless they dug the safe out of the wall, they would never find the document.
Chu Tianqing sat in the driver's seat, Shen Xinglan ducked into the passenger seat, and they set off for the Lin family's old estate.
The Lin family was a century-old clan.
The old estate was located in the western part of the city, the ancestral home being a five-courtyard compound.
Ten years ago, after the old master and mistress of the Lin family passed away, the eldest Lin brother took the lead in renovating the ancestral home.
Lin Zongyuan, the eldest, had intended to give his younger brothers and sisters a place with stronger ceremonial significance where they could gather for the New Year.
Six branches of the family, each with their own independent courtyard.
The old estate took six or seven years to fully restore.
During that period, the Lin family went through various upheavals. By the time the renovation was complete, before the family could even celebrate the New Year together, Lin Zongyuan was ousted by his own son, Lin Sinian.
That year, Lin Zongyuan left in disgrace. He didn't even spend the New Year in the country—his son Lin Sinian packed him and his young girlfriend onto a private jet that very night and sent them abroad.
Lin Sinian and Lin Zhichen had just taken their positions as chairman and vice chairman of the group, and there were too many issues to handle. They didn't have time to deal with the three uncles right away.
At that time, the second, third, and fourth Lin brothers took advantage of the situation to occupy the ancestral home, turning it into their base.
As time passed, Lin Sinian stopped caring about their occupation of the old estate.
Lin Sinian had never thought much of the Lin family's feudal and outdated traditions anyway. Since he'd already stripped the three uncles of their real power in the group, it didn't matter if they stayed at the old estate as "mascots," singing opera, walking birds, and playing with dogs all day.
Before his memory loss, Lin Sinian's exact words were—
"Three old quails need a straw nest to squat in. As long as they don't come to the group, they can do whatever they want anywhere else," leaving them to make a mess of the old estate as they pleased.
Only during the New Year, ancestral rites, or when media attention was involved would Lin Sinian make a symbolic trip back to the old estate.
These three "old quails" had already been through one round of discipline from Lin Sinian.
To say they were completely submissive to Lin Sinian?
Naturally, they were not.
Three men in their fifties and sixties, having fallen into the hands of someone twenty or thirty years their junior, was purely a matter of helplessness.
Unfortunately, none of the next generation under Lin Er, Lin San, and Lin Si had any ambition or capability.
Hoping their children could seize power from Lin Sinian and Lin Zhichen was futile—they couldn't outmaneuver them, nor did they have the ability to compete themselves. It was a passive surrender of control over the group.
That meant the moment those "old quails" caught even a sliver of opportunity, the embers of ambition for power in the hearts of the three Lin uncles would surely reignite.
At the same time, in the VIP ward of Renji Hospital.
Lin Sinian had just finished a project meeting.
It was Friday afternoon. Whether it was the allure of the weekend or the fact that both the CEO and vice president were in the hospital, many people in the group had their minds off work.
Lin Sinian kept catching his subordinates' mistakes, and his irritation was inexplicably high.
Before his memory loss, Lin Sinian had always disciplined people with restraint—stern but sparing with words. Today, however, his reprimands were unusually lengthy, and his voice unconsciously rose.
After another round of scolding, his throat was parched, and he instinctively reached for his usual glass.
He downed glass after glass of ice water, with Assistant Sun refilling it each time, until Lin Sinian's stomach began to ache dully.
Assistant Sun dared not pour more ice water and instead filled the empty glass with warm water: "Chairman Lin, the doctor advised that after looking at the computer screen for an hour, you should rest for at least fifteen minutes."
Lin Sinian closed his laptop screen, picked up the glass, and took a sip. Holding the glass in his hand, he closed his eyes for a brief rest.
The moment his eyes shut, the image of Chu Tianqing taking that very glass surfaced again—her moist, rosy lips pressing against the rim where his own lip print had been, drinking the rest of the water he'd left behind.
That restless feeling surged up once more.
His phone emitted a distinctive notification sound.
Lin Sinian opened his eyes and picked up the phone.
It was a push notification from My Bentley—
【Vehicle has entered the Lin family estate perimeter】
The Bentley he'd gifted to Chu Tianqing was registered on the My Bentley mobile app under his personal email.
With so many meetings these past two days, Lin Sinian had been too busy to send her the account and password.
The app's default settings were synced with the other Bentleys at home.
Lin Sinian had checked the chat logs—it must have been his cousin Lin Zhichen who set it up.
The group owned many luxury cars, and Lin Zhichen habitually set up geofences around the places he and his cousin Lin Sinian frequented—the group headquarters, factories, villas, the estate, and so on.
Within a three-kilometer radius, the app would automatically push the vehicle's location.
Lin Sinian's jaw tightened, and his brows unconsciously furrowed.
What was Chu Tianqing doing at the Lin family estate? Was this the "very important matter" she'd mentioned—the thing she said she had to do or she'd become a deadbeat?
"Who's usually at the estate?" Lin Sinian looked at Assistant Sun.
Assistant Sun had been by his side for ten years. During this period of memory loss, all the group's and family's history relied on Assistant Sun as his memory reference.
Assistant Sun knew the Lin family inside and out, the only blind spot being Lin Sinian's romantic life.
Assistant Sun: "The estate is the stronghold of your three uncles."
Lin Sinian's face darkened. What was she doing there?
Suddenly, he recalled what she'd said during their argument at noon—
"…Right now, your uncles are dreaming of getting their hands on Lin Zhichen's shares, eyeing him hungrily, wishing he had no one watching over him…"
Lin Sinian had been mulling over whether those words of hers—concern for Lin Nanxi, Lin Zhichen, and the Lin Group—were genuine.
For now, he'd take them at face value, not as an act.
So, when faced with danger, the ones she cared about most were Lin Nanxi, Lin Zhichen, and the group, and her instinct was to speak up for them and stand on their side?
No wonder she came to the hospital every day to keep him company, like clocking in for work, only staying in his ward for a short while each morning.
According to Assistant Sun, Chu Tianqing went up to the third-floor VIP special care ward every afternoon and didn't come back for hours.
Wasn't Lin Zhichen's ward on the third floor?
Realizing this, Lin Sinian's expression shifted.
Was she going to see her three uncles for his cousin Lin Zhichen's sake? To fight for her cousin-in-law? Or…
Was her daily hospital visits to accompany him just a cover, with the real purpose… being to be with Lin Zhichen?
Then what about their marriage…
Lin Sinian couldn't control his thoughts. Perhaps from the very beginning, she'd married him just to get close to Lin Zhichen?
He immediately opened his contacts, his finger hovering over the call button for a split second above 【Chu Tianqing】's number.
If he called, Chu Tianqing would surely ask how he knew where she was.
How should he answer?
That he'd been "spying" on her driving records…
His current behavior was exactly like a husband blinded by jealousy, trying to "catch his wife in the act" without a shred of evidence.
"Chairman Lin, any instructions?" Assistant Sun asked cautiously, seeing his boss's expression grow darker by the second.
Lin Sinian: "Prepare the car. We're going to the estate."
On the other side, Chu Tianqing was waiting at a long red light. The navigation showed that after passing the intersection and turning into the alley ahead, the Lin family estate would be three hundred meters in.
Suddenly, the familiar mechanical system voice sounded in her ear—
【Host must complete the following plot before midnight tomorrow】
A passage of the original plot appeared before Chu Tianqing's eyes—
【Taking advantage of the quiet weekend at the hospital, Chu Tianqing sent Assistant Sun out of the ward, locked the door behind her, and pinned the headache-weakened Lin Sinian down on the hospital bed to force a kiss on him, even… kissing his pants wet.】
"Qingqing, thirty seconds until the green light," Shen Xinglan reminded her, noticing her best friend's expression was off.
"Help! Let me tell you the plot first, you remember it for me…"
Chu Tianqing began to recite the plot: "…locked the door behind her… kissed his pants wet."
Shen Xinglan opened the voice recording app on her phone, watching her nervously.
Like, how exactly does one kiss pants wet?
【Lin Sinian, unable to resist due to the intense headache, was kissed by Chu Tianqing once more. She tore the corner of his mouth with her canine tooth and sneered, "Blood, so sweet."】
Chu Tianqing, enduring the embarrassment and shame, continued reciting the rest of the plot: "…tore the corner of his mouth with my canine tooth, and I'm supposed to say: 'Hehehe, blood, so sweet.'"