Chapter Fifty-One: Selling Shares, Selling the House, Divorce

Bar.

Hong Chen had reserved a large private room over a hundred square meters in size at the bar. He sat alone on the sofa, drinking for over an hour before Tank and Qiu finally arrived, fashionably late.

“Mission accomplished?” Hong Chen poured each of them a glass and asked with a smile. At the manor gates, he’d seen Ji Yun step out of the car and reunite with Old Master Ji. At that moment, Hong Chen had quietly slipped away; what happened afterward was no longer his concern.

Tank nodded. “Now, Qiu and I have truly left our pasts behind...” Exchanging a look with Qiu, the two simultaneously dropped to one knee before Hong Chen. Tank pressed a hand to his heart, his expression solemn. “From now on, you are our master. Even if you order us to die, we won’t hesitate for a moment.”

Unable to speak, Qiu also pressed his hand to his heart and nodded in agreement, his face equally grave.

Hong Chen wasn’t used to such gestures. He motioned for them to rise. “I’ll emphasize just one thing: I don’t tolerate betrayal.”

The two nodded as if this was a matter of course.

Hong Chen changed the subject. “Now, can you finally tell me about your backgrounds?”

Tank gathered his thoughts, then spoke frankly. “Our upbringings were actually quite similar...”

Tank had been an orphan since childhood; Qiu lost his parents at five. Both were taken from the orphanage overseas, recruited by an organization, subjected to harsh training, and began lives as mercenaries. During one mission, Qiu accidentally ingested a mute drug and lost his voice forever.

Five years ago, the group Tank belonged to was wiped out. He survived by sheer luck and operated alone at first. Later, he met three others, forming a quartet to take on jobs. Three years ago, they encountered Qiu, who had broken away after his organization splintered, turning the quartet into a quintet. The leader of this group was Ji Yun’s older brother, Ji Qingpeng.

A week ago, a bounty appeared on the dark net for both Ji Qingpeng and his sister Ji Yun: ten million dollars for the former, a hundred million for the latter. No one knew why the sister was worth ten times more than the brother. Ji Qingpeng never explained but resolutely decided to return home with Ji Yun that very night, with Tank’s team volunteering as escorts.

The day after setting out, before even entering China, they suffered a massive ambush. Ji Qingpeng died during the attack; Tank’s team was gravely wounded, and Ji Yun was bitten by a venomous insect kept by one of the assailants.

Before dying, Ji Qingpeng entrusted Ji Yun to Tank and his comrades.

In the following three days, they endured three more ambushes. Of the four, only Tank and Qiu survived; the other two succumbed to their injuries after the second and third attacks. Meanwhile, the poison in Ji Yun worsened—her fever raged, her mind clouded, and she was near death. Tank and Qiu found a temporary hideout on the outskirts of Qing City. It was when Tank went to a pharmacy for a doctor that he met Hong Chen...

Hong Chen listened in silence, unsurprised—everything matched his expectations. Tank and Qiu had lived in the underworld, a world his father’s notes described in detail: a primitive, violent jungle ruled by blood and strength, where the strong preyed on the weak, home to over seventy percent of the world’s martial artists.

Feeling the oppressive aura emanating from Tank and Qiu, and seeing the sorrow in their eyes, Hong Chen guessed they were mourning their fallen comrades. He decided not to press further.

He raised his glass. “Come, let’s drink—to leaving the past behind and a new start tomorrow.”

Tank and Qiu raised their glasses. The three clinked them together and drained them in one go.

“I’m heading down to the main hall to dance off the alcohol. Do as you please; whatever you used to do, keep doing it. Unless I need something, we’re equals here—just friends.” With a stretch and a laugh, Hong Chen got up and left the private room.

...

Monday.

Having slept a full nine hours, Lin Yuxin woke at six. She stood by the window with a cup of warm water, lost in thought for half an hour before going to wash up.

At breakfast, after a few bites, she spoke up while her parents and Lin Yufei were present. “Lin Corp made just over a million last year. By a ten-times earnings multiple, it’s worth only a bit over ten million. Dad, if you can cash out ten percent of our shares and our relatives are willing to pay a million, that’ll do. Also, if we sell this apartment in a hurry, we might get two million. Add the million I have left, and we can just cover the debt.”

The three faces at the table changed color. Ten percent of the family business was their livelihood; the apartment was their only shelter from the world.

Shen Huifang blurted out, “Yuxin, are you crazy? Yufei only borrowed 1.35 million. Even 1.5 million would be too much. Are you really planning to repay three million? No, by your calculation, it’s four million...”

Lin Yuxin remained eerily calm. “Do you know what kind of people they are? If we don’t repay, do you think they’ll let Yufei go? Everything’s in black and white, with Yufei’s signature and fingerprint. The police can’t help, and we’d lose any lawsuit. That’s not an option.”

Shen Huifang was speechless. The memory of the bald thug and the fat woman showing up in the middle of the night still haunted her. She knew all too well that owing money to underworld types was like borrowing from the devil—you don’t pay, you’ll never have peace again.

Lin Yuxin continued, “The hundred thousand spent with Hong Chen’s VIP card must be repaid. I’ve decided: when he comes back today, I’ll return the money. Tomorrow, I’ll go with him to the civil bureau and get a divorce.”

At this, Shen Huifang’s eyes lit up, and Lin Yufei’s gaze sparkled.

“Yuxin, are you sure about this?” Lin Yuangui’s expression was complicated. He had never been satisfied with this useless son-in-law, but unlike Shen Huifang and Yufei, he wasn’t so extreme. He sensed that Yuxin did have some feelings for Hong Chen; this sudden decision to divorce must be forced by circumstances.

Lin Yuxin nodded slightly. “Ours was always a marriage of convenience. Forcing it to last the full three years would only make us both miserable. Why bother? Better to end it sooner. Dad, I’ll leave the shares and apartment to you. I can’t touch my Linfeng shares—they’re our last hope.”

Her tone softened. Before she graduated, her father had single-handedly supported the family. When her grandfather was alive, the younger generation of the Lin family often bullied her and Yufei. Each time, it was her father who stood up for them, even risking ugly confrontations and, on occasion, nearly coming to blows.

Her feelings for her father far surpassed those for her mother. The marriage to Hong Chen had been partly her grandfather’s decision, but it was also her father who’d persuaded her.

Lin Yuangui hesitated, then finally nodded. “We’ll do as you say.”

Lin Yuxin said no more, picked up her bag, and left for work.

As soon as she left, Shen Huifang and Lin Yufei, as if mother and daughter shared a mind, both claimed to have stomachaches—one rushed to the shared bathroom, the other to the one in Yuxin’s room.

...

Lin Yufei dialed Chen Feiyang. “Feiyang, my sister’s finally decided—she’s divorcing that useless guy tomorrow. This time it’s absolutely certain. You’ll soon be my brother-in-law. You have to help me, or else Dad will have to sell his shares and the house, and we’ll be out on the street.”

Chen Feiyang replied, “Yufei, three million isn’t a small sum. If it were thirty thousand, or even three hundred thousand, I’d agree right away.”

“Feiyang...” Lin Yufei panicked, about to say more, but Chen Feiyang interrupted, “Don’t worry, let me finish. Yufei, even if I become your brother-in-law, I’ll do whatever I can to help. But there’s a problem: just because your sister gets divorced doesn’t mean she’ll be with me, right?”

Lin Yufei was left speechless. He had a point—being single and accepting another man were two different things.

“How about this: I’ll ask Yuxin out tonight, have a proper talk, and call you later.”

After the call, Lin Yufei’s face shifted through a range of emotions, her thoughts unreadable.

Meanwhile, Shen Huifang called her brother. “Big brother, our family’s in deep trouble...” She explained the debt, then cut straight to the point. “Last time you mentioned the young master of the Qian family who’s interested in Yuxin. Can you arrange for them to meet? Yuxin’s getting divorced tomorrow.”

There was a pause on the other end, then a scolding tone. “Huifang, you’re too stubborn. The Qian family’s got billions; if Yuxin marries in, she’ll have a life of luxury, and you, as her mother-in-law, will enjoy it too. But you insisted on clinging to that useless marriage for three years—utterly unreasonable. Now look what’s happened. Regret it now, don’t you?”

Shen Huifang forced a stiff smile. “Yes, yes, you’re right...”

Her brother, done lecturing, gave a grunt. “Fine, since I’m your brother, I can’t just watch your family go bankrupt. Wait for my call. But listen: the earliest they can meet is the weekend. For now, sell the apartment to pay off the debt. If Yuxin and the Qian boy work out, you’ll get a huge bride price from their family and can buy an even bigger place.”

She could only agree, her heart heavy.