Chapter 94: Putting Everything to Good Use

Liang Zhixia was no fool; this Liang Xi clearly did not seem to be a good person.

She continued to laugh it off, saying, “Miss Secretary, I truly don’t know what you’re talking about. I was looking for Mr. Zheng to discuss business matters.”

Liang Xi smiled faintly, took a note from her bag resting on the table, and placed it down without a word. Yet, in that silence, everything was clear.

Liang Zhixia raised an eyebrow, still pretending ignorance, took the note, glanced it over from side to side, and asked, “What’s this?”

“Miss Liang, are you still going to play coy with me?” Liang Xi said.

Liang Zhixia sighed, “I really don’t know.”

After her words, Liang Xi remained silent for a moment. The two locked eyes for a while before she gave a light laugh and said, “You may refuse my help, but if you don’t accept it, since I already know about this matter, Mr. Fu will find out sooner or later. When he does, not only will Lin Wanbai be trapped, but you will likely suffer as well.”

“It took a lot for you to stand tall again—why do you want to be knocked back down to where you were?”

No matter what, Liang Zhixia was a respectable young lady from a good family. Despite having weathered many storms over the years, she would never allow a mere secretary to trample on her or read her like an open book. She could tolerate Fu Juxing’s temper, but she would not tolerate the attitude of one of his underlings.

She snorted lightly and asked, “What exactly are you to Fu Juxing? Just a secretary, why are you acting like his mother?”

Liang Xi was unperturbed and smiled calmly. “I’m not quite his mother, but I could be the mother of his child.”

Liang Zhixia raised an eyebrow; that statement was quite clear.

She wanted to be Fu Juxing’s wife, so she needed to get Lin Wanbai out of the picture. But according to Lin Wanbai, Fu Juxing was ruthless and cold-hearted, only caring about profit and not love. Everything he did, including confining her, was to gain control over the Lin family business.

With the Lin family currently leaderless, he would take over the company and completely reshuffle it. Then, the Lin family would be entirely his possession, and by that time, Lin Wanbai would be nothing but a useless pawn. When that time came, it would be too late to turn the tide.

Yet, what Liang Xi was doing now seemed somewhat contradictory.

If what Lin Wanbai said was true, Liang Xi wouldn’t have been so eager to step forward and help Lin Wanbai escape. Unless… unless Fu Juxing truly loved Lin Wanbai and intended to maintain their marriage for the long haul.

Only then would Liang Xi be so impatient to help her get out.

But she would never let Lin Wanbai off so easily. After all, this woman was Fu Juxing’s subordinate and appeared utterly loyal to him—there was no way she would sabotage him.

Therefore, Liang Xi’s seemingly kind actions must conceal sinister motives.

Liang Zhixia smiled. “Alright then, Secretary Liang. I understand your meaning. I’ll think it over carefully.”

“I don’t think there’s any need to think about it. You only have one way out.”

“Well, I still have to think about it.”

At that moment, Chen Fan’s junior apprentice brought tea over.

Liang Zhixia complained, “We’ve finished talking, and now you bring the tea? I’m not drinking it. Take it back.”

The apprentice was momentarily stunned, unsure how to respond.

Liang Xi grabbed her bag, stood up, and looked down at Liang Zhixia with a commanding gaze. “Only I can help you.”

Liang Zhixia didn’t look at her, only staring down into her cup, swirling it.

After a moment, the tinkling sound of wind chimes drifted to her ears. Liang Xi had left.

The smile on her face faded, and she exhaled softly.

Two days later, she called Fu Juxing, saying she had left something valuable at Yunxi and wanted to retrieve it.

Fu Juxing refused, only instructing the servants to look for it.

Pretending to quarrel last time was a mistake.

Before he could hang up, Liang Zhixia spoke frankly, “Actually, I just wanted to see Xiaobai. We’ve been friends for so many years. After that quarrel, I regretted it and wanted to apologize. Just this once, please, I beg you.”

“She just gave birth. I want to ease her mind a little. If her mood stays bad, she might develop postpartum depression. That’s a serious issue—one friend of mine got postpartum depression, killed her child, and then jumped off a building.”

There was silence on the other end. After a while, he finally responded with a simple “Okay,” which counted as consent.

Liang Zhixia didn’t know if her last words had shaken him, but no matter what, at least he agreed. As long as she had a chance to see her, that was enough.

After hanging up, Fu Juxing placed his phone aside, thought for a moment, then retrieved it again, scrolling through his contacts to open Wang Mingcheng’s WeChat.

[Depression?]

Wang Mingcheng was a psychologist but had no clinic and was not affiliated with any hospital. He taught four classes a week at the most prestigious medical school in Beicheng.

He was very low-key. Those who sought his help were either wealthy or influential and wished to keep their matters private. The lower the profile, the better. He handled at most five patients at a time and accepted no more.

Fu Juxing was one of them, and by far the most troublesome.

He wasn’t there for treatment but to study psychology. Honestly, if Fu Juxing opened a psychology clinic now, he might become a top psychologist—able to diagnose and prescribe.

Wang Mingcheng feared him; here, Fu Juxing was the most important patient.

If such a person isn’t controlled, he would become a major threat to society.

Shortly after, another message came: [Postpartum depression.]

The feud between the Fu and Lin families was in full swing, with Lin Wanbai’s scandals erupting one after another. Wang Mingcheng had been watching closely.

He hadn’t been to their home for some time—probably not since they married.

Wang Mingcheng thought for a moment and sent: [Come over for dinner sometime.]

No reply.

He was used to it. After a while, he sent a detailed explanation about postpartum depression and its remedies, then again invited him for dinner.

Still no response.

Wang Mingcheng felt like an abandoned pawn. He couldn’t seek him out personally; Fu Juxing had to come on his own.

Just as Fu Juxing sent a message, the office door was pushed open.

Lin Yao barged in, wearing a mask and a baseball cap. Those outside hadn’t stopped her and apologized repeatedly.

Fu Juxing glanced over and waved the assistants out.

They left immediately, closing the door behind.

Lin Yao removed her hat and mask, revealing her tearful face full of grievance as she stared at him.

Zhou Lin had told her everything, but she refused to believe it.

She needed to see him with her own eyes, hear him say he had never loved her, so she could finally give up.

Fu Juxing sat in his chair, unmoved, looking at her like any ordinary employee. His gaze was calm and devoid of emotion; her face stirred no reaction in him.

He put his phone aside, lowered his eyes to the documents, and asked coldly, “What do you want?”

Lin Yao slowly approached the desk, staring at him. She placed her hands on the desk and leaned slightly forward. “Look at me.”

“I already have,” Fu Juxing replied indifferently.

“I think you didn’t look carefully enough. You should look a little more closely.”

Fu Juxing paused his pen, lifted his eyes, and fixed her with a cold gaze, devoid of any tenderness. She saw her own pitiful face reflected in his dark pupils.

He said, “You have five minutes.”

She scoffed. No matter how unwilling she was to believe it, seeing Fu Juxing’s attitude now, she had to face the reality and accept that everything Zhou Lin said was true.

Did she not know whether he loved her or not?

Even in the past, when they were together, he had only shown a little warmth in front of Lin Wanbai. Privately, he was as cold as ice.

Yet she had deceived herself, pretending not to notice, earnestly loving him, fully believing he loved her, that they were meant for each other.

Lin Wanbai was not suitable for him at all.

He would never love Lin Wanbai.

But now, she could no longer fool herself.

She pressed her lips tightly, took a deep breath, and said, “My mother told me a joke—that everything you did to me before was fake, and our family is just a pawn in your hands. She said I was foolishly devoted. Is that true?”

Fu Juxing snorted lightly, lowered his eyes, and without looking at her again, said, “That’s not devotion.”

“Then what is it? Tell me. If that’s not devotion, then what is?”

He said nothing, seeming too lazy to answer.

But Lin Yao could not calm down. She circled the desk and stood in front of him.

“You have your reasons, don’t you? Did Lin Wanbai threaten you? Is that why you had to do this? She’s scheming and full of bad ideas, relying only on her family background. Without Lin Zhaowei and the others, she’d be nothing!”

Fu Juxing frowned slightly, glanced at her hand gripping his arm, and coldly said, “Let go.”

Lin Yao knelt down. “Were all our happy times false? When I was lost at sea, you never gave up searching. When I was unconscious, you stayed by my side. Were those all lies? Do you dare say you never had any feelings for me? I don’t believe it. I refuse to believe it! Lin Wanbai must have threatened you!”

“There’s nothing to threaten me. The one who never gave up searching for you was Chen Songyuan. He has deep feelings for you. He’s sincere toward you, but not so much toward Xiaobai.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, moved his hand slightly and shook off her grip. Then he grabbed her chin and said, “You still dare come to me. Since you’re here, it’s just right.”

Lin Yao’s eyes flickered nervously at his gaze. She instinctively shrank her neck. “W-what do you want to do?”

“To make full use of you.”

…

Three days later, Liang Zhixia received Fu Juxing’s arrangements and went to Yunxi the next day.

Before leaving, she bought a lot of things—food, clothes, toys, and various daily necessities.

When the car arrived at the door, she had Aunt Rong call some people to help move the items.

The trunk was packed full. Aunt Rong instructed the helpers to carry everything inside one by one and told Liang Zhixia that Lin Wanbai was sunning herself on the third-floor terrace.

Liang Zhixia went upstairs as instructed.

Lin Wanbai had already seen her and had poured tea, waiting expectantly.

Liang Zhixia smiled, knowing the room was under surveillance, so she went over to apologize in pretense. After their little performance, they went together to the garden downstairs for a walk, without anyone following.

Aunt Liu wanted to join but was held back by Aunt Rong.

Only a young golden retriever followed behind Lin Wanbai, toddling unsteadily. Since it was still a puppy, it was clumsy and prone to falling if it walked too fast.

Lin Wanbai ignored it, but Liang Zhixia was delighted and found it very cute.

She squatted down to play with it; Lin Wanbai stood by expressionless. After a while, she bent down, pulled Liang Zhixia up, shushed her, and shooed the dog away.

Liang Zhixia glanced at her and smiled. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you used to like animals?”

“How’s the situation?”

“It’s quite interesting.” They sat down on a stone bench in the center of the garden. Liang Zhixia said, “Have you ever thought that Fu Juxing might actually have fallen in love with you?”

Just hearing that gave Lin Wanbai goosebumps. She furrowed her brows. “Don’t beat around the bush. Say it straight.”

Liang Zhixia saw the aversion in her eyes and briefly explained Liang Xi’s visit, “She said she wants to help you escape. Isn’t that ridiculous? She really thinks she’s clever and others are fools. With that jealousy in her eyes, do you think she means well?”

“She clearly doesn’t, but even so, she might be able to get me out of this cage.”

Liang Zhixia said, “What do you mean by that?”

“Agree to her help.”

“No. Xiaobai, I think we can take a safer route. Have you ever thought about approaching Fu Juxing? If he does have feelings for you, that’s your chance.”

Liang Zhixia frowned, disapproving her idea. “Look at Liang Xi; her desire to become Fu Juxing’s wife is so obvious. If what you say is true, she wouldn’t be in such a hurry. She’d just wait patiently. When Fu Juxing takes over the entire Lin family, you’ll naturally be kicked out.”

“She can just move up in rank without much fuss. Have you thought about why she’s so eager to take you away from Fu Juxing? Maybe she can get you out, but will you be safe afterward? It might be more dangerous than here. At least for now, Fu Juxing isn’t harming you. You’re unharmed so far, and that’s a fact.”

Liang Zhixia laid out the pros and cons, proving that Fu Juxing’s feelings for her were not feigned.

“I still think you should try working from Fu Juxing’s side. Given the current situation, even if you get out, you might not find anyone to help you. Frankly, the people in the company all care about profit. Before losing it, they talk about feelings, but when it comes to the critical moment, they only care about profit and have no mercy. Trying to speak about feelings to businessmen is like casting pearls before swine.”

Lin Wanbai listened seriously. “I understand what you’re saying, but I have to do this. Liang Xi might really have the ability to get me out, but there’s a 50% chance Fu Juxing will find out. If he doesn’t, I’ll make sure he does.”

Liang Zhixia was silent for a moment, then smiled as if she had an idea. “You want them to fight among themselves?”

“If I were that important, they’d be fighting over me. It’s also a way to test how much love you think there is.”

Liang Zhixia looked into her absent eyes, feeling a pang in her heart. She hugged her, patted her back, and said, “And there’s me, too. Things will get better.”

“How are grandpa and mom’s side?”

She shook her head. “Still the same, no progress. Lin Zhouye’s case is about to go to court. I checked a bit—it doesn’t look good. This prison sentence is probably set; only the length is uncertain.”

Lin Wanbai nodded without much reaction. She had expected this.

After all, Fu Juxing would never let him off easily.

Suddenly, Lin Wanbai seemed to remember something. She held Liang Zhixia’s hand and said, “You have to be careful. I really fear my situation will bring trouble to you.”

“Even if it does, I deserve it. I’ve faced setbacks before. Don’t worry, if Fu Juxing wants to harm me, I can bear it. At worst, I’ll have nothing left.”

Lin Wanbai smiled. “More than nothing.”

The two exchanged looks. Liang Zhixia smiled, “Does that indirectly mean he cares about you deeply?”

Lin Wanbai said nothing, perhaps what she said was right.

Liang Zhixia stayed with her all day and left as night fell.

Fu Juxing called back, saying he wouldn’t have dinner and would come home late. Lin Wanbai was quite pleased to have a meal to herself.

She only asked Aunt Rong to prepare some egg noodles—nothing else.

Aunt Rong complied. Lin Wanbai sat alone at the dining table, eating slowly. It took nearly half an hour to finish the bowl, but she ate it all. That was more than usual. When Fu Juxing cooked, she only took one bite of each dish and refused seconds, barely eating any rice.

Fu Juxing didn’t force her. Since she ate little at main meals, snacks were brought every half hour to encourage small, frequent meals. Every bite counted.

After eating, Lin Wanbai sat in the living room for a while, watched an episode of a drama, then returned to her room to read.

Time passed by slowly. Halfway through, she glanced at the clock—almost ten o’clock—and Fu Juxing hadn’t returned yet.

She thought for a moment, closed the book, and went downstairs.

Aunt Rong was sitting in the living room. Hearing footsteps, she turned, surprised. “Hungry?”

Lin Wanbai looked outside, wrapped her clothes tighter, and asked, “He’s not back yet?”

“No, I just called. He said he’s on his way.”

Aunt Rong was surprised; this was the first time since the incident that Lin Wanbai had asked about him.

Lin Wanbai nodded and headed toward the kitchen. Aunt Rong followed, “What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you.”

“I’ll cook myself and make some for him too.”

Aunt Rong glanced at her and said, “The young master will surely be happy today.”

They entered the kitchen together and decided to make steamed egg custard.

Just as they finished, the sound of a car arrived outside.

Soon, Fu Juxing appeared in the living room and went straight upstairs.

Aunt Rong called to him, “He’s here.”

He stopped and turned, seeing Lin Wanbai following Aunt Rong out of the kitchen carrying a bowl.

He immediately came over. “Still up so late?”

Lin Wanbai put the egg custard on the table and said, “Weren’t you back yet? I was waiting for you to wipe me down.” She glanced at him, expression unchanged, then sat on a chair, pointing to the seat beside her. “I made some for you, want some?”

Fu Juxing sat as instructed, and she placed a bowl of egg custard before him.

He stared at her silently for a long time.

Lin Wanbai ignored him and began to eat on her own.

Seeing this, Fu Juxing felt a flicker of joy, but doubt quickly crept in.

Under his gaze, Lin Wanbai ate the custard spoonful by spoonful.

Looking up, their eyes met. She avoided his gaze and asked, “What’s wrong? Don’t you like this? Or did you come home already full?”

“Want some?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Can’t eat too much; eating at night makes you gain weight.”

He smiled slightly. “You’re very thin now. You should put on some weight.”

“Then I’ll eat.”

She scooped a spoonful and held it to his lips, watching him intently.

Fu Juxing didn’t move.

Lin Wanbai said, “Open your mouth.”

He slowly opened it. She fed him the custard, watching him swallow, then asked, “Delicious? I made it.”

He nodded.

A faint smile appeared on her lips. She scooped another spoonful for him and ate the rest herself.

After finishing, they went to their rooms together. Aunt Rong watched them go upstairs hand in hand, feeling somewhat relieved and hoping no more trouble would arise.

Back in her room, Lin Wanbai took out a change of clothes from the wardrobe and went into the bathroom. She grabbed a stool and sat by the bathtub. After plugging the drain, she turned on the faucet, patiently waiting for the tub to fill.

Fu Juxing stood beside her, watching.

When the water was nearly full, Lin Wanbai removed her clothes.

She was truly emaciated, almost skin and bones, her ribs showing.

She handed him a towel and quietly watched him.

Rarely cooperating like this, Fu Juxing gently washed her. She obediently sat on the small stool like a child, resting her chin on her hands, eyes burning as they moved from his face down to his Adam’s apple.

When dressing her, their proximity increased. Suddenly, Lin Wanbai bit down hard on his Adam’s apple, leaving teeth marks before releasing him.

Fu Juxing lowered his eyes to her. “What was that for?”

“To bite your neck off.” She touched the reddened bite marks. “If I bite a little every day, can I break it?”

He smiled, his Adam’s apple moving. “You can try.”

“Then don’t resist.”

He patted her head. “Better wait until you’re fully recovered, or I might hurt you.”

The meaning behind those words was clear. Lin Wanbai snorted and pushed him away, buttoned the last button, and left the bathroom saying, “You shower. I’m going to sleep. I’m so tired.”

That night, Lin Wanbai curled into his arms, found a comfortable position, pressing her cheek against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

For once, she slept well.

A night without dreams, sleeping soundly until dawn.

…

Liang Zhixia responded to Liang Xi's message, hoping for her help.

Liang Xi agreed but told her to wait for news—and then went silent.

Fu Juxing had captured Lin Yao. Zhou Lin came looking for her, but Fu Juxing set conditions: the Lin family shares in exchange for Lin Yao.

Wasn’t that taking advantage of the situation?

Zhou Lin returned to the hospital. Recently, Chen Songyuan’s condition had improved somewhat. She found a psychologist to perform some guided therapy, and he slowly began to accept his broken leg and start rebuilding himself.

Though he lost a leg, he could still stand.

He had finally regained his confidence, but Zhou Lin didn’t know how to tell him this news.

She sat quietly beside him, head bowed, fingers fidgeting.

Chen Songyuan was more sensitive now. The moment she came in, he sensed something was wrong.

“What is it?”

Zhou Lin licked her lips and mustered courage. “Yao Yao was taken by Fu Juxing.”

He didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”

“He wants you to hand over the Lin family shares as an exchange for Yao Yao’s release.”

Chen Songyuan’s expression stiffened, his smile slowly fading.

Zhou Lin grabbed his hand. “You wouldn’t just abandon Yao Yao, would you?”

“If he dares to harm Yao Yao, I’ll call the police!”

The implication was clear: he would never trade shares for her release.

Zhou Lin knew better. With one wrong step after another, there was no chance for a comeback. Even without threats using Lin Yao, Fu Juxing would find other ways to seize his shares.

He had no authority left in the company, and even if he returned, no one would support him.

Zhou Lin took a deep breath. “If you hand over the shares now, at least we keep her. If not, you’ll lose both money and her.”

“Are you threatening me? I’ve been lying low for years. You want me to give up? Why should I? I’ll never go back to that life. Don’t even think about it!”

“So you’re ready to give up Yao Yao?”

Chen Songyuan pressed his lips. After a long pause, he said, “I already gave her a chance to live. She didn’t cherish it. Who’s to blame? She’s an adult and must bear the consequences! Didn’t you explain everything to her? Why did she fall into Fu Juxing’s hands? She chose this! No one else’s fault!”

Zhou Lin knew his character and didn’t repeat herself or argue. She only nodded quietly. “I understand.”

Chen Songyuan turned his head, chest heaving violently. Seeing Zhou Lin’s unreactive face made him angrier. He swept everything off the bedside table in a rage. “Don’t push me!”

Zhou Lin lowered her eyes silently, began picking up the items, then got a broom to clean.

Chen Songyuan grabbed her hand. “Do you remember that person?”

Zhou Lin hesitated, looked into his eyes, then quickly pulled back. “You’re crazy!”

He grabbed her hand again. “Fu Juxing ruined me like this and now wants to use Yao Yao to threaten me, to leave me with nothing! We can’t let him succeed! I believe he has a way to save Yao Yao!”

“No! Begging him is just selling Yao Yao out!”

“At least that person still likes Yao Yao, right? That’s better than being in Fu Juxing’s hands!”

Zhou Lin was silent for a few seconds, then shook her head.

Whether or not that person still liked Lin Yao, even if he did, having Lin Yao in his hands was like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.

Chen Songyuan said, “Do you want us to go back to square one? I’ve lost a leg. If I go out and look for work now, do you think it’s possible? Zhou Lin, it’s hard to go from riches to rags. Think carefully. Can you really bear to lose everything?”

Zhou Lin looked at him, hesitating.

…

Fu Juxing placed Lin Yao inside a large gift box and presented it before Lin Wanbai.

Opening the box, Lin Wanbai was shocked to see Lin Yao standing inside a transparent case.

Lin Yao looked mournful, standing there, staring at them.

She wore a ballerina outfit, very pretty. The transparent box was carefully decorated. A ribbon tied around her neck connected to the top, making her look like a marionette.

Her hair was gone, her facial wounds unhealed, and though the tattoo on her forehead had been washed, the character “scoundrel” was still faintly visible.

A real-life music box?

Lin Wanbai circled the box and returned to Fu Juxing’s side. “What does this mean?”

“You don’t like her, right? You can have some fun with this. Do whatever you want. As for when she gets out, it depends on how much Chen Songyuan values her and whether he’s willing to trade his assets.”

Lin Yao’s eyes were bloodshot, glaring at them furiously.

Lin Wanbai’s heart sank. She glanced at Fu Juxing—has he already taken action?

She found Lin Yao’s resentment somewhat amusing but had no interest in her suffering. “Put her in the corner. It’s scary to have her in the middle.”

Fu Juxing called two security guards to move Lin Yao to a corner of the living room, then went to cook. Lin Wanbai watched TV in the living room.

After a while, she looked toward Lin Yao and thought for a moment before going over.

Lin Yao kept her head down, refusing to look at her. The neck rope prevented her from squatting, so she stood all day, her strength slowly draining, legs aching terribly.

Lin Wanbai looked at her and said, “Seeing you like this, I suddenly feel a bit sorry for you.”

Lin Yao glanced up, let out a light laugh, and said, “What do you have to be proud of? Just because he doesn’t love me doesn’t mean he’ll love you! I believe your end will be even worse! At least the three of us are still okay. I believe my parents love me enough to save me. Afterward, our family won’t have to sneak around—we can be openly happy. But you? Once Lin Zhaowei and Lin Jingyu are gone, you’ll be nothing! You’ll be worse off than me!”

“Lin Wanbai, I truly pity you when I think about you losing everything.”