Chapter 4

Chapter 4

First he tried moral coercion, then threats and enticements.

The old fox certainly knew his tricks.

Unfortunately for him, I did not care for playing by ordinary rules.

I tapped on the rear window of my car. The door opened from inside.

Lin Tianhai had not realized anyone else was in the car. His surprise when the door opened quickly turned to alarm.

Sharp heels struck the pavement with a heavy click, and a tall woman stepped out.

“Dad. Long time no see.”

Lin Jingyi greeted him with a smile.

Even Lin Tianhai, a man who had weathered every kind of storm, could not stop his face from twitching when he saw her.

“Why are you back?”

Lin Jingyi laughed until her whole body shook. “To clean up the mess left by that useless bastard of yours.”

I glanced at her. She had always been unhinged, but setting foot in the capital seemed to have made her worse.

Every family had its own troubles. The Lin family had enough for two books.

One was Lin Tianhai, a social climber who had repaid every kindness with betrayal.

The other was Lin Jingyi, a madwoman.

Before Lin Qing entered the family, the eldest Miss Lin had lived in dazzling splendor. Calling her the little princess of the capital’s elite circle would not have been an exaggeration.

After he arrived, she snapped.

She burned down the house he lived in, wrecked the homes of several of Lin Tianhai’s mistresses, and stabbed Lin Qing three times.

Those three wounds put him in intensive care for a month. He barely survived.

Lin Tianhai used the attack as leverage against his wife, had Lin Jingyi sent abroad, and let Lin Qing take over the company.

Lin Qing was not the only one afraid of Lin Jingyi. Lin Tianhai feared her too.

His daughter was even more ruthless than he was. If she used this crisis to return openly, neither he nor Lin Qing would ever know peace again.

Lin Tianhai softened his voice. “You don’t need to concern yourself with the company. Visit your mother, then go back to New Zealand.”

Lin Jingyi stopped smiling. Her eyes swept over him like the gaze of a vengeful spirit clawing its way out of hell.

“Old man, that isn’t your decision.”

Lin Tianhai’s face turned hideous. Every trace of his earlier composure with me vanished. So did his bluster about mutual destruction.

One careless move, and his own daughter might destroy him.

As for the useless Lin Qing, he did not even dare lift his head.

In the middle of the standoff, a taxi pulled up beside us. Xia Lin tumbled out and rushed over.

“What are you doing to Qing?”

As if he had never expected her to come, Lin Qing stared blankly.

After taking in the scene, Xia Lin gritted her teeth and knelt beside him.

“Miss Xu, Lin Qing and I have wronged you. But you never loved each other. If you still need revenge, punish me!”

For a moment, I had no words.

A love-addled fool really could do something spectacularly stupid.

Lin Jingyi, on the other hand, was delighted. Smiling sweetly, she crouched until she was eye to eye with Xia Lin.

“So you’re my little sister-in-law. I came in such a hurry that I didn’t prepare a gift. Next time, I’ll bring you a big cash envelope.”

Flattered beyond belief, Xia Lin cautiously called her “Sister.”

Lin Jingyi patted her cheek in approval, then looked at Lin Tianhai.

“Your son really is just like you. Both scum. Both adulterers.”

The smile froze on Xia Lin’s face.

“Sister, you—”

Smack!

The crisp slap cut her off. A red mark bloomed across Lin Qing’s face.

Lin Jingyi blew on her palm and said mockingly, “A thing like you thinks she gets to call me sister?”

Sometimes it took a madwoman to grind down a villain.

Just as the spectacle became entertaining, my phone rang.

It was my mother.

I did not answer.

Lin Jingyi glanced at the screen. “Ms. Xu, when you’re dealing with these old relics, my advice is to strike hard.”

I shrugged and got back into the car.

The old relic across from me was already on the verge of exploding. This time, though, no one tried to stop me.

Before leaving, I lowered the window and said to Lin Tianhai, “I’ve already signed the Hecheng contract. Lin Group may participate, but I will deal only with Lin Jingyi.”

Lin Tianhai shut his eyes in defeat. Through gritted teeth, he forced out one word.

“Fine.”

Even a starving camel was larger than a horse. I had never intended to exterminate Lin Group.

After leaving the capital, I had secretly gone to New Zealand to meet Lin Jingyi. I would help her return and seize control. In exchange, she would give me three percent of Lin Group’s shares.

For both of us, it was an extremely profitable bargain.