Chapter 84: With Me, It’s Enough

Yang Ruyue was momentarily stunned and instinctively ended the video call. Only after hanging up did regret wash over her.

At that moment, Lin Yao was unusually quiet, motionless, her eyes wide open. Her chest rose and fell slightly. After a long pause, she whispered, “Lin Wanbai said it was intentional, deliberately using this method to provoke me! Does she think I’d believe Fu Juxing has fallen in love with her because of this? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! She must have coerced him; she’s always been like this, bullying others by riding on her influence, taking advantage of having so many protectors, running wild and unchecked!”

“Fu Juxing would never, ever fall in love with her. Never!”

She muttered this to herself repeatedly.

Yang Ruyue said nothing but redialed the video call.

The line connected swiftly, and the two were still entangled.

Yang Ruyue pointed the camera at Lin Yao and said, “Look closely. Was Fu Juxing forced, or did he act on his own accord?”

The video was close-up.

It was clear the person controlling the phone was not Lin Wanbai but Fu Juxing himself.

His movements were somewhat rough; Lin Wanbai resisted fiercely, biting him hard and kicking with her foot, but he remained unmoved, not even furrowing his brow.

His eyes revealed determination, obsession, and fixation.

If not for the child in her womb, Lin Wanbai wouldn’t be so passive now.

She bit his lip until it bled, yet he did not relent.

Eventually, Lin Wanbai ceased her resistance, her black pupils fixed firmly on his eyes.

Still, Fu Juxing did not stop; under her gaze, he continued to kiss her with focus.

After a long while, he paused. Lin Wanbai’s lips bore traces of his blood, making her appear especially alluring at that moment. He lowered his eyes, looking at her swollen lips, wiped the blood from her mouth with his thumb, and gently kissed her again.

“Don’t make a fuss; it won’t help,” he said softly.

“You hate me,” Lin Wanbai pressed her lips, looking at him with a flicker of fear deep in her heart.

What kind of man was he really? Was everything she had seen untrue?

What was the real him like?

Fu Juxing cupped her face and smiled faintly. “I don’t hate you.”

“You hate that I broke you and Lin Yao apart, hate that I sent her away, indirectly causing her death! You hate our Lin family for abusing your power, forcing you to marry me! So now you want revenge! Revenge on every one of us, right?”

His gaze softened to an extreme tenderness, and a joyful smile appeared. “Marrying you is the happiest thing in my life.”

Lin Wanbai naturally did not believe his words. She pushed him hard. “You... you lunatic! You’re sick!”

Fu Juxing was like an iron wall—no matter how much she pushed, he would not budge. She grabbed his wrists, pulling forcefully downward, trying to remove his hands from her face.

But his hands seemed glued to her face, immovable despite her efforts to claw and scratch. She fluttered like a startled bird trapped in a cage, frantically flapping yet unable to escape.

Lin Wanbai’s strength waned, and in the next moment, Fu Juxing lifted her horizontally.

He was tall; as he stood, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

She stared at him wide-eyed, her face pale. Fu Juxing’s reaction had thrown the whole negotiation into chaos. Lin Wanbai felt utterly lost.

She forced herself to calm down; maybe this was Fu Juxing’s strategy. Taking a deep breath, she stopped struggling.

Fu Juxing held her steadily, ascended the stairs, returned to the room, and laid her on the bed.

Lin Wanbai kept watching him. “Do you really think I wouldn’t dare harm Lin Yao, so you can treat me like a monkey here?”

Fu Juxing said nothing.

The video call was still on; he placed the phone where it could capture the bed clearly.

Then he returned to her side.

His movements startled Lin Wanbai, who immediately grabbed his hand. But clearly, nothing could stop him from doing what he intended—not even her.

She gave up resisting, holding his hand and smiling bitterly.

“You think you can fool me this way again? Make me believe you love me and don’t care about Lin Yao? Fu Juxing, do you take me for a fool?”

He said nothing, only kissed her with utmost tenderness.

Lin Wanbai shivered slightly; the man before her was now a stranger who frightened her.

He was nothing like she had imagined. After all these years, what kind of man had she truly loved? Was all she believed just an illusion he created?

She stared at him, and though his kiss was tender as before, the emotion lurking in his eyes now filled her with indescribable dread.

Like a twisted, unsettling perversion.

Meanwhile, on the other end, Yang Ruyue ended the call shortly after they went to bed.

Lin Yao suddenly laughed, turning to Yang Ruyue and saying, “You two must have conspired, right? This is Lin Wanbai’s trick, isn’t it? She wants to provoke me, to tell me Fu Juxing has fallen for her?”

Yang Ruyue found her self-deception amusing. “You’re overthinking. Wanbai isn’t so petty as to use this method to rile you up; you’re not worth it. And you know in your heart, she just wanted to use you to threaten Fu Juxing, to save Lin Zhouye.”

Yang Ruyue’s heart sank at that thought. Did that mean Wanbai’s plan had failed?

Moreover, before executing this plan, they had stationed many skilled bodyguards at home, yet from earlier until they returned to their room, not a single one intervened. Did this mean the Pujiang side had fallen already?

Had Fu Juxing preemptively dealt with all their men?

If so, Wanbai must be in danger.

Yang Ruyue immediately made a call, dispatching another group of bodyguards.

But by then, the Pujiang mansion’s gate was firmly controlled by Fu Juxing’s men; no one could enter or leave without his permission.

...

Meanwhile, Lin Jingyu and Chen Songyuan were driving along the winding mountain road.

Lin Jingyu was behind the wheel.

Chen Songyuan said, “Why the sudden urge to watch the sunrise from the mountaintop?”

Lin Jingyu smiled, her eyes focused ahead. “Work has been intense lately, and with so much going on at home, we never made it to Jiuzhaigou as planned. Now with Dad’s condition, who knows when we’ll get to travel.”

“So I thought, if far is impossible, let’s go nearby. Just take some time to watch the sunrise together, relax, relieve stress. Also, for us to reconnect. I’ve really been neglecting you these days. I’m sorry.”

“Between spouses, saying that makes it sound so distant. There’s no need. I also think you’re exhausted and need a break. Health is the foundation of everything; staying well is the most important.”

Lin Jingyu smiled and agreed, “Yes, you’re right.”

“Don’t worry too much about Dad. I believe he’ll wake up.”

Lin Jingyu nodded, “Of course. Dad’s a great man—if anything happened to him, then God must be blind.”

“Yes.”

The car continued up the road; the mountaintop was still some distance away.

Lin Jingyu played some music.

“Songyuan, do you remember when we first met? I really hated you then—you never gave me any face.”

There was a smile in her eyes as she glanced sideways at him.

Just then, Chen Songyuan met her gaze. Suddenly, a car came from the opposite direction, nearly crashing into them. Fortunately, Lin Jingyu reacted quickly, swerving and braking in time. The headlights shone up the hillside into the dark night.

There was little traffic on this mountain road, especially at night, demanding careful driving.

The car stopped; soft music filled the cabin—a classic song Lin Jingyu loved in her youth. The melody brought her back to their university days, to their first meeting when an argument broke out over some issue, and Chen Songyuan had harshly criticized her.

No face was spared.

She had been so furious she cursed him repeatedly in private.

Who would have thought she’d fall for that scoundrel and marry him without looking back?

She said, “Youth was truly wonderful.”

She gazed into the pitch-black sky, not a glimmer of light.

Chen Songyuan said, “Let me drive.”

“No, we agreed I’d drive today.”

He didn’t insist, nodding. “Alright, you drive. Just slow down, be careful, and don’t get distracted.”

Lin Jingyu turned to meet his eyes, said nothing, and they held that gaze for a long time. She couldn’t believe that after all these decades together, everything they’d done and said might have been a lie.

She gripped the steering wheel tightly, nodded, started the car, and continued upward, driving more slowly this time.

Chen Songyuan also fell silent, not wanting to distract her.

After a while, Lin Jingyu asked, “Songyuan, do you remember Zhou Lin? The young, beautiful nurse who used to take care of your mother?”

“I do.” His tone was even. “Why?”

Lin Jingyu smiled and looked at him again, her calm expression so convincing.

“What do you think of her?”

“Why ask now all of a sudden?”

“Just something that popped into my mind. I wonder if she’s still working at that psychiatric hospital, if she’s married.”

“Not sure; haven’t contacted her in a long time. She took good care of my mother—I owe her thanks. Without her, Mom wouldn’t have recovered so well.”

“Yeah. Should we go thank her? After Mom passed, we never kept in touch.”

Chen Songyuan nodded. “Let’s visit her when we have time.”

Lin Jingyu smiled faintly, noncommittal.

As they neared the mountaintop, Lin Jingyu said, “Chen Songyuan, everything I’ve given you in this life wasn’t for nothing. I don’t care how much you take from me—I only care if you truly love me.”

“My feelings for you have always been simple and pure, from the start until now. The biggest wrong I’ve ever done was to my father. But I never betrayed you. I’ve been sincere with you, and even when you said you acted rashly, got tricked, and hurt me, I chose to believe you and hoped time would heal my wounds.”

The car slowed as they reached a pavilion atop the mountain. The headlights revealed shadows of people there.

Lin Jingyu continued, “Of course, these years you’ve treated me better, been obedient and careful with me. I feel all that—I see your guilt. When I married you, everyone told me you weren’t worth it, that I could do better. I know that. But I married you, not your status or money.”

“I’m grateful for my open-minded father, who only asked one thing: if I was happy. I told him I was happiest with you, and marrying you would make me the luckiest person alive.”

“He said as long as I was happy, nothing else mattered. Dad has done so much for me and for Wanbai. You’ve been with the Lin family all these years; he’s never made things difficult for you. You’ve had enough power and room to grow. I’ve been thinking, trying to remember every detail since our marriage, and I can’t find a single thing the Lin family has done wrong to you. Where did I go wrong? Why do you treat me like this?”

Her emotions grew stronger. “You brought Lin Yao back—this humiliation I could endure and accept. I let her be part of the family, giving her the same treatment as Wanbai, the best schools, everything she needed. Chen Songyuan, the biggest mistake of my life was loving you!”

She pressed the accelerator to the floor, the car lunging forward...

Straight toward the pavilion.

The distance closed rapidly. Under the headlights, the figures inside were clearly visible.

Zhou Lin knelt in the pavilion’s center, bound, gagged with tape. The lights were blinding; her eyes closed, tears streaming down her face.

The car charged into the pavilion. The man beside Zhou Lin immediately dodged.

But the car screeched to a halt just before hitting her.

Lin Jingyu was thrown forward, the seatbelt tightening painfully across her chest.

She wiped her tears and looked at Chen Songyuan in the passenger seat.

He was expressionless, eyes locked on hers without revealing emotion.

“What's going on in your mind?” he asked.

“Me?” She chuckled bitterly, then looked at Zhou Lin kneeling before the car. Her smile faded as she said, “I wonder if I owe you from a previous life, that I have to be played like this! What unforgivable sin did I commit to deserve this in this life? I’ve loved and cared for you for decades. And what did you give me in return?”

“Betrayal, deceit, and ambition! You want to steal my place!” Her laugh was mocking and filled with endless sorrow. She had spent her youth loving a man who now stabbed her heart with a knife—this was a death sentence.

She took a deep breath. “Stop lying to me. I know Lin Yao is alive. She is your and Zhou Lin’s daughter. I don’t want to know anything more between you two. Don’t bother explaining again; you already did when you brought Lin Yao back. I will never believe another word from your mouth.”

“Today, the three of us will settle this here.” She sniffed, cut the engine, and stepped out.

The wind was fierce on the mountain; as soon as she got out, her silk scarf was blown away. She ignored it and walked to the front of the car, headlights still on, revealing Zhou Lin’s expression.

Though it had been a long time, she hadn’t changed much—just aged normally, still elegant and well-preserved, no doubt thanks to Chen Songyuan.

Her hands were bound behind her back with rough rope, her mouth taped shut, no hair left on her head, her expression wild with loss of control. Even so, her beauty was unmistakable.

A beauty is a beauty, under any circumstance.

Chen Songyuan got out of the car.

Lin Jingyu heard the door close, glanced sideways, then stepped forward and tore the tape from Zhou Lin’s mouth.

Zhou Lin let out a hoarse sound, looked at them, hesitated, and said, “Sister Xiaoyu, you misunderstand. Really, you misunderstand! Lin Yao is not my daughter! I have no relation with Brother Chen! I’m married—I have a good husband. How could I...”

Before she could finish, Lin Jingyu slapped her hard, cutting her off.

“Stop acting with me!”

Zhou Lin shook her head, crying, “I’m not lying, I really am not. Sister Xiaoyu, I really am not...”

Chen Songyuan said, “Lin Jingyu, stop being crazy! I know that old incident hurt you, made you paranoid. But this time you’ve gone too far! You tied her up here—what do you intend? To kill her?”

Lin Jingyu turned to him, then to Zhou Lin.

Their innocent expressions were laughable. At this point, they still had the nerve to pretend!

She raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Alright, since you say you’re innocent.”

She stepped beside Zhou Lin, grabbed her collar, hoisted her up, and dragged her toward the mountain edge—a steep slope down which Zhou Lin’s life would be in grave danger.

Zhou Lin screamed loudly.

Chen Songyuan rushed forward but was stopped by Lin Jingyu’s bodyguards.

“Lin Jingyu! Are you crazy? Do you know what you’re doing? Let her go! Now!”

Lin Jingyu turned. “Now you’re worried?” She smiled. “If you want to save her, get you and your men out of the company, and hand over the videos of me and Yuan Wei. I know you have them—stop pretending!”

“If you do those things, I’ll release you and your daughter. Otherwise, neither of you will leave here alive.”

Chen Songyuan looked shocked. “What? Videos of you and Yuan Wei? You and Yuan Wei...”

His expression turned cold. “Are you rekindling your old flame?”

Lin Jingyu’s anger flared. Seeing his face, her fury surged.

“Do you not know who caused my affair with Yuan Wei? And you still dare to act here? Chen Songyuan, are you even a man? If you do something, you must take responsibility! You schemed against me, tried to ruin my reputation, and now you play dumb!”

She was enraged. She nodded at the bodyguards. “Beat him!”

At her command, two bodyguards grabbed Chen Songyuan, forcing him to the ground and beating him mercilessly.

Chen Songyuan resisted but was outmatched quickly, left only to endure the blows.

Zhou Lin watched, crying harder, then knelt, sobbing, “Sister Xiaoyu, you really misunderstand! I have no relation with Brother Chen! He knows you’re jealous, so he only sends gifts at year-end to thank me for taking care of his mother. That’s all—nothing more! Sister Xiaoyu, please don’t do this!”

“You’re a good person, and so is Brother Chen...”

Lin Jingyu bit her lip, looked down at her tear-streaked face, grabbed her chin, squatted, and said, “Keep pretending—I want to see how long you’ll keep this up!”

She then looked at Chen Songyuan, lying on the ground clutching his head, who painfully raised his eyes to meet hers, filled with heartache.

Lin Jingyu felt disgust. “Keep beating him! I won’t stop anyone until I say so!”

After more punches and kicks, before she could call a halt, car headlights shone toward them—patrol cars.

Sure enough, several patrol cars pulled up; bodyguards stopped, stepping behind Lin Jingyu.

Officers got out, guns drawn, pointing at them. One stepped forward, scanning them, and said, “We received a report of a murder here. Is that true?”

How could anyone have reported them?

Lin Jingyu was calm before arriving here.

Besides, almost no one came up these mountains at night.

Before Lin Jingyu could speak, Chen Songyuan struggled to stand, blood at the corner of his mouth, and said, “No, no! No one’s trying to kill anyone. We’re just handling family matters.”

The officers lowered their guns, glanced at him, then at Zhou Lin, frowning slightly. They waved two men forward to free Zhou Lin from Lin Jingyu’s grasp.

Then they turned to Lin Jingyu, produced handcuffs, and said, “You’re coming with us.”

Chen Songyuan clutched his chest and stepped in front of Lin Jingyu. “Officer, it’s a misunderstanding. We’re just dealing with family issues. My wife... my wife’s emotions got out of control, that’s all.”

“You mean she’s mentally ill?”

Chen Songyuan looked at Lin Jingyu, considered, and said, “Mild, manageable. This time I didn’t watch her properly.”

“That’s not for you to decide. Even if she is mentally ill, she still has to come with us. Look at her condition. I have reason to suspect she intentionally harmed others.”

Eventually, they all were taken to the police station.

Chen Songyuan was the victim and accompanied them willingly; Lin Jingyu was detained.

Zhou Lin’s family was notified; her husband soon came to pick her up. Seeing her state, he was shocked and angry.

“Who did this to you?”

Chen Songyuan came forward. “Sorry, it was my wife.”

The man looked at him, then at Zhou Lin.

She said, “Wu Yan, let’s go home. Apart from the hair loss, it’s not too bad. I just want to go home now.”

Wu Yan said, “No, you can’t just let this go.”

“I said it’s fine! I know they’re good people. Xiaoyu just got sick, overthinking, prone to misunderstandings. Let it be.”

Then she pulled Wu Yan to explain to the officers and withdrew the case.

But to punish Lin Jingyu, the police kept her in custody for 24 hours.

Chen Songyuan stayed nearby, pleading until she was released after four hours.

When Lin Jingyu emerged from the detention room, she immediately saw Chen Songyuan.

He looked uncomfortable from the beating, his back slightly hunched. Seeing her, he forced a smile.

Lin Jingyu felt terror. A man like this, hiding his true self even now, must have known their moves in advance and was adapting on the fly. She couldn’t imagine what vile plan he was hiding.

The officers delivered a warning: “If she really has a problem, you relatives need to watch her closely. Don’t let her cause trouble and harm herself or others. You’re not an ordinary family and shouldn’t be short of money—so you should take better care of her. Human life isn’t something you can buy.”

Chen Songyuan nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, I will. This won’t happen again.”

They left the police station; the car was parked outside. Chen Songyuan opened the door for her.

Lin Jingyu glanced at him but didn’t get in. Instead, she called the driver down, intending to drive herself.

Chen Songyuan grabbed her suddenly. “Let me drive.”

Lin Jingyu shook him off sharply, got in herself, and he sat in the passenger seat.

Once he closed the door, she floored the accelerator.

The car sped off.

Chen Songyuan barely strapped in. “Slow down!”

Lin Jingyu ignored him, speeding onto the road. Luckily, traffic was light. Other cars braked hard to avoid her.

She paid no mind; the car’s speed increased.

Chen Songyuan quickly buckled up. “You’re crazy!”

“I am! Rather than let you ruin the Lin family, I’d rather take us both down!”

“I told you, in my dictionary, there’s only ‘widow’!”

She turned to him with a cruel smile.

...

Suddenly, Lin Wanbai awoke with a start. She sat up abruptly, eyes wide, staring ahead.

She’d had a nightmare: the Lin family reduced to just her.

Her mother, grandfather, Lin Zhouye—everyone she cared about disappearing one by one before her eyes.

No matter what she did, she couldn’t stop it.

Tears fell as a chill ran through her, as if trapped in an ice cellar, freezing to the bone.

After a moment, she snapped back to reality. Why had she fallen asleep? How?

The room still held a faint scent—likely a calming sleep incense.

Fu Juxing had deliberately put her to sleep.

She looked around; no one was there—Fu Juxing was absent.

She recalled struggling too much, and he had bound her hands and feet. No matter how much she screamed, no one came to save her.

In the end, Fu Juxing covered her mouth.

Lin Wanbai felt nothing but pain.

She seemed to have begged him, crying, pleading him to spare her mother, grandfather, and Lin Zhouye.

She would accept anything if only they were spared.

But it was no use. Fu Juxing refused, leaning close to whisper, “You have me, that’s enough.”

Those words echoed again in her mind.

They sent chills down her spine, making her even colder.

Suddenly, she remembered Lin Jingyu, looked around for her phone but couldn’t find it.

Clenching her teeth, she quickly got out of bed, ignoring her discomfort and even leaving her shoes behind, barefoot rushing downstairs.

At the stairwell, she heard Fu Juxing’s voice.

“All right, I understand. You should go to the hospital first.”

Hearing the word “hospital” tightened her heart. She rushed over and grabbed his hand.

“What hospital? Who went to the hospital?”

She was frantic, unable to calm down even for a moment.

Fu Juxing grasped her hand. “No hospital. Rest at home.” He noticed her bare feet, frowned, took off his slippers, and bent down to put them on her.

But Lin Wanbai resisted, kicking forcefully toward his chest as he knelt.

Though he could have easily dodged, he didn’t. He let her kick, but didn’t let her pull back.

He held her foot, looked up at her, and forcibly slipped the slipper onto her foot.

“Cold feet catch colds.”

He insisted she wear them, but she kicked them all off, shouting, “Tell me who’s at the hospital! Who?”

Her eyes were wide, rimmed red, tears shimmering. She stared at him, her chest heaving slightly. The tears made her look achingly beautiful.

She trembled slightly, on the verge of collapse.