“Aunt!” Cao Hai quickly turned his gaze toward the newcomer.
It was a woman capable of driving any man mad with desire. Around thirty years old, she was at the peak of a woman’s maturity. Her features were exquisite, her hair elegantly pinned up, and the blue-and-white porcelain qipao she wore perfectly outlined the curves of her divine figure. Her bright, gentle eyes carried the calm and grace that came from time, while her long, slender, and smooth legs exuded just the right amount of sensuality. Her full chest rose proudly, enough to make one’s breath hitch.
She looked like a ripe peach—one that seemed as if a light touch would make its sweet and fragrant juices flow out.
She was none other than the dominant female lead of this urban business novel, Lin Wanrong.
Lin Wanrong, Cao Hai’s aunt, one of Cao Chuan’s father Cao Chuan’s trusted confidantes, and the current CEO of Cao Corporation. She was also one of the key reasons Cao Hai dared to flaunt himself so arrogantly before Cao Chuan.
“CEO Lin,” Cao Chuan greeted with narrowed eyes.
He knew very well that compared to the fool Cao Hai, this enchanting woman was the true key to changing his destiny.
According to the original novel, Lin Wanrong was not only breathtakingly beautiful but also had exceptional business talent and boundless ambition. Years ago, upon realizing that her brother-in-law Cao Chuan’s father harbored improper thoughts toward her—and that Cao Hai was a complete fool—she began to plot an elaborate scheme.
The first step of her plan was to exploit Cao Chuan’s father’s trust and desire. She kept herself close enough to tempt him, yet far enough to remain untouchable, making him unable to let go.
Next, she intended to support Cao Hai in becoming the Cao Family Heir. After that, once Cao Hai had taken the position and squeezed out Cao Chuan’s remaining value, Cao Chuan would be expelled from the Cao Family.
Finally, after Cao Chuan’s father—whose health was already failing—passed his authority to Cao Hai, Lin Wanrong would pretend to accept his advances, become his fiancée, and then withdraw her support for Cao Hai. This would expose Cao Hai’s stupidity to everyone, and she would naturally step in as both the fiancée of Cao Chuan’s father and Cao Hai’s aunt, thus taking full control of Cao Corporation.
…
She was a true schemer.
The only pity was that her intelligence wasn’t as sharp as her ambition. Though she had a talent for business, she still carried the naive temperament of an early-era dominant-female-lead novel—her manipulative methods were laughably childish.
If not for her protagonist’s halo and the CEO’s unreasonable affection that constantly shielded her, Cao Chuan truly couldn’t imagine how someone like her managed to devour the Cao Family piece by piece and ultimately take full control of it.
Realizing that Lin Wanrong’s first step had already been completed, and that she was about to move on to the second—elevating Cao Hai as heir—Cao Chuan’s eyes narrowed slightly before a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Just as expected, she was about to act according to the script.
“Cao Chuan, I told you to let go of Cao Hai! Didn’t you hear me?”
Right on cue, Lin Wanrong spoke sharply.
“CEO Lin, before I let him go, shouldn’t you first understand what happened here?” Cao Chuan met her gaze calmly.
“What happened? What could he possibly have done to deserve you stepping on him like this, as his elder brother?” Lin Wanrong said coldly, “Let him go immediately!”
Cao Chuan ignored her, pressing his foot slightly harder on Cao Hai’s chest. “Cao Hai, explain it to CEO Lin yourself.”
“Aunt…” Cao Hai’s expression turned stiff with embarrassment.
“What’s going on?” Lin Wanrong’s tone darkened when she saw that Cao Chuan didn’t heed her. She had no choice but to turn to Cao Hai for an explanation.
Cao Hai hesitated but eventually gave a brief account of what had just happened.
“You!” Lin Wanrong finally understood the situation and shook her head, clearly frustrated. “The Cao Family values discipline above all. You’ve shown no respect to your elder brother—it’s no wonder Cao Chuan is angry. Now apologize to him and ask for his forgiveness!”
Cao Hai looked reluctant. “Aunt…”
But when Lin Wanrong glared at him, he quickly lowered his head and muttered, “Sorry… big brother.”
Cao Chuan raised an eyebrow and feigned cleaning his ear. “What did you say? Louder, I can’t hear you.”
Cao Hai’s face flushed red, but seeing that Lin Wanrong wasn’t going to intervene, he gritted his teeth and said louder, “Sorry, big brother!”
Only then did Cao Chuan reluctantly lift his foot off him.
Cao Hai scrambled to his feet, glaring at him with a dark expression.
“What, still not convinced?” Cao Chuan squinted, his tone sharp as he looked ready to strike again.
Cao Hai flinched and quickly backed away.
Cao Chuan didn’t actually move, merely smirking as he said meaningfully, “Remember to show respect to your elder brother in the future. And behave properly in front of me. Otherwise, next time it won’t just be a few slaps and stepping on you—it’ll be something much worse.”
Cao Hai didn’t dare to speak. He cast a fearful glance at Song Keran, then turned and fled the study, escaping the humiliation that nearly shattered his dignity.
At that moment, another notification echoed in Cao Chuan’s mind:
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve completed a villainous action. Villain Reward: +2,000 points.]
Cao Chuan paid it no mind. Watching Cao Hai’s retreating figure, he then turned back toward Lin Wanrong.
Her face was dark as a storm cloud. Seeing Song Keran’s disheveled, humiliated appearance and recalling how Cao Chuan had just treated Cao Hai like a dog in front of her, she glared furiously at him. “Cao Chuan, you’ve gone too far! No matter what, Cao Hai is still your younger brother. Even if he’s done wrong, you shouldn’t treat him like that!”
She took a deep breath, her voice rising with anger. “And if I’m not mistaken, the reason Cao Hai lost control was because you assaulted Keran first, wasn’t it? To commit such an act against your own secretary, and then beat your brother like that—do you have any shred of humanity left? Do you even have the slightest respect for me, the CEO of Cao Corporation and your brother’s aunt?”
Cao Chuan’s lips curved into a faint smile. Seeing that only he, Song Keran, and Lin Wanrong remained in the study, he stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
Breathing in her alluring fragrance, his eyes gleamed with amusement. “You’re right. I really don’t have any humanity left… and I definitely don’t have the slightest bit of respect for you, Cao Hai’s aunt.”
As he spoke, he continued to move closer to Lin Wanrong—his hand already reaching toward the door to shut it.