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The private room was eerily quiet, with only the rustling of bamboo leaves in the wind outside the window and the occasional soft sound of koi leaping out of the pond.

Lin Ruoyin was still standing at the door. The color in her face and the glimmer of light in her eyes vanished the moment she saw Xu Jia's face, as if wiped away by an invisible hand, leaving only a transparent paleness.

Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Her mind raced, processing the absurd and cruel reality before her. Gu Zhixing's "good news," Li Mingyi's excitement, her own fervent hope... it was all just an elaborate deception. A play staged for her, orchestrated by Xu Jia and with Gu Zhixing's cooperation.

What was the purpose? Just to watch her rush towards him full of hope, and then to crush that hope in front of her with his own hands?

A chill crept into her heart, more biting than the banks of the Seine in Paris in winter. She watched Xu Jia calmly sip his tea, looking at the unfathomable calm in his eyes. Suddenly, all the vague clues and vague guesses from before became crystal clear.

The influence of Mohe has long since transcended mere business competition. It can precisely sever Lu's supply chain, leverage top-tier channels, manipulate public opinion, and even influence investors... This means that the network woven by Xu Jia is far larger than she imagined.

Everything the Lu family did was nothing more than struggling within this web.

Having realized all this, Lin Ruoyin took a step forward and, in Xu Jia's sight, walked into the private room.

"Let's discuss the terms."

Xu Jia looked intently at Lin Ruoyin, who was trying to negotiate with him in the calmest, most business-like tone. He didn't speak, but gestured for her to continue with his expression.

Lin Ruoyin clearly stated her bottom line: "The Lu family can accept investment from Mohe, and can even relinquish some controlling stake. We can divest non-core businesses and focus on the transformation direction approved by Mohe. The condition is that we preserve the core of the Lu family and retain our existing employees."

Xu Jia listened quietly, his expression unchanged. Only after she finished speaking did he slowly say, "Director Lin, haven't you come to terms with the current situation?"

Lin Ruoyin gritted her teeth, looking at every cold line on his face.

"What value does Lu's Group still have that I'd be willing to invest in?" Xu Jia spoke as if he were discussing a pile of worthless scrap metal: "The brand's reputation is ruined, the value of its core assets has been halved, its cash flow is exhausted, and morale is low. What would I want with such a mess?"

Looking into Xu Jia's cold eyes, Lin Ruoyin realized that the negotiation was pointless.

Xu Jia's goal was clear from the beginning: he didn't need to gain any benefits from the Lu family; what he wanted was complete destruction.

He did it step by step, resolutely.

In an instant, the anxious whispers of the parking lot employees rang in Lin Ruoyin's ears. At the same time, she also recalled her righteous words spoken on the banks of the Seine: this concerns the livelihoods of thousands of families...

"Xu Jia." For the first time during their confrontation, she called him by his name, instead of the somewhat resentful and deliberately distant "President Xu."

Xu Jia's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at her.

"Ultimately, you did all this because you hate me."

Xu Jia's expression froze almost imperceptibly for a moment.

“Lu Yan’s provocation at Mohe gave you a reason to take decisive action. But what truly makes you unwilling to let the Lu family go is me.” Lin Ruoyin’s voice was calm, so calm that it chilled her to the bone. “Because after I broke up with you back then, I turned around and chose to marry Lu Yan. You think I betrayed our past, don’t you?”

She saw a crack appear in the cold mask beneath Xu Jia's eyes. A complex and unfathomable mix of emotions churned within.

"Then, Xu Jia, just report back to me alone."

She paused, took a deep breath, as if she had nothing to lose.

"Let the Lu family go. Let Lu Yan go too. They did nothing wrong."

Xu Jia stared at her silently. After a long while, he finally made a move, slowly getting up and walking step by step to her.

The distance suddenly shrank, so close that they could see their own reflections in each other's eyes. Five years had passed, cutting their once inseparable bond into a cold, confrontational abyss.

“I’ll say it again,” Xu Jia’s deep voice rang out, “what do you have to offer me in this negotiation?”

“As long as you’re willing to let the Lu family go,” Lin Ruoyin looked up, her face filled with a desperate resolve, “you can do whatever you want.”

Lin Ruoyin's words lingered in Xu Jia's mind for a long time after they were spoken.

In the end, she was still making sacrifices for the man surnamed Lu.

"I can do whatever I want?" His eyes suddenly darkened, churning with a terrifying storm that Lin Ruoyin had never seen before. "You said it."

The next second, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Ruoyin by the back of her neck, then lowered his head and kissed her lips fiercely.

To be more precise, it was an invasion, a plunder with an aura of destruction. His lips were cold and forceful, grinding against her soft lips, prying open her teeth without allowing any resistance, his brutality carrying a punitive connotation, sweeping away every breath in her mouth.

Lin Ruoyin's mind went completely blank. She instinctively tried to dodge, shrinking back.

Xu Jia seemed to be completely enraged by her resistance. He released his grip on the back of her neck, then forcefully pulled back her face, which she had turned away from, and forced her to raise her head to endure an even fiercer kiss.

"Ugh..." Lin Ruoyin groaned in pain, her eyes instantly turning red.

Xu Jia stepped back slightly, their lips barely touching, their breaths mingling. He stared at her reddened eyes and the unexpected tears welling up within them, his voice low and husky, tinged with mockery: "What? So you think I can do whatever I want?"

These words were like a bucket of ice water, waking Lin Ruoyin from her brief daze. She looked at Xu Jia, who was so close to her, at the almost out-of-control darkness in his eyes and... a trace of pain that even he himself hadn't noticed.

Yes, she said it herself, that she could do whatever she wanted.

She just didn't expect... Xu Jia would really treat her like this.

Her heart felt like it was being clenched tightly, the pain almost suffocating her. But more than that, she felt a numbness as she plunged into boundless darkness.

She slowly closed her eyes. Her thick eyelashes trembled violently, like the wings of a dying butterfly in the wind.

She stood there stiffly, letting Xu Jia pinch her chin hard and let his breath completely envelop her.

Looking at her completely resigned and even desperate expression, Xu Jia felt as if something had stabbed him in the heart. The sharp pain was mixed with a surge of anger and some indescribable emotion.

He was no longer satisfied with this kiss, which carried a punitive connotation.

He suddenly scooped her up in his arms. Lin Ruoyin opened her eyes, gasped softly, and instinctively grabbed his neck.

Xu Jia carried her a few steps to the large desk inside the private room and placed her on the cool surface. Her pearl-white suit spread out against the dark wood, like a flower forced to bloom.

He leaned down and kissed her again, his hands beginning to roughly unbutton her skirt. His cold fingertips touched her warm skin, sending a shiver down his spine.

Lin Ruoyin's body began to tremble uncontrollably. She bit her lower lip hard, so hard that she tasted blood, trying to use the pain to resist the waves of shame she felt.

The coat was thrown to the ground, the shirt buttons popped open, revealing the white lace trim and a patch of delicate skin underneath. Xu Jia's movements didn't pause at all; in fact, they became even more violent, as if he wanted to vent all his hatred and complex emotions in this way.

Lin Ruoyin kept her eyes tightly closed, and tears finally slid uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes. They were scalding hot, and they meandered down her pale cheeks, disappearing into her temples and dripping onto the cold table.

Xu Jia's movements abruptly stopped the moment her tears fell.

He straddled her body, looking at her tightly closed eyes, the tear tracks on her face, her shoulders twitching slightly as she tried to suppress her sobs, and her lips bleeding from being bitten.

All the violence, madness, and vengeful pleasure seemed to be extinguished at this moment, leaving only a huge, empty sense of bewilderment and panic.

What is he doing?

Was his ultimate goal to have Lin Ruoyin cry out in despair, brokenness, and silence beneath him?

...

...

At that moment, Xu Jia was gripped by immense bewilderment.

He was like a person standing on the edge of a cliff, looking down into the bottomless darkness, suddenly wondering why he had come here and where he should go next.

All movements froze. The only sounds in the air were Lin Ruoyin's barely suppressed, faint sobs and his own heavy, disordered breathing.

A few seconds felt like an eternity.

Xu Jia suddenly straightened up and released his grip on her hands.

He looked at her lying on the table, her clothes disheveled, her face streaked with tears, like a delicate doll ravaged by a storm.

The silence lasted for a long time, then he reached out, trying to pull his torn collar back up.

However, before his fingertips even touched her fabric, Lin Ruoyin's body suddenly flinched—an instinctive, trembling resistance. She didn't utter a sound, only turning her face further away from the cold tabletop, her shoulders tense, her whole body curling into a defensive posture. Every subtle gesture screamed: Don't touch me.

Xu Jia's hand froze in mid-air.

Slowly, he withdrew his hand, turned around, and walked out of the private room.

The wooden lattice door was pulled open, then slammed back against the frame, the sound echoing in the quiet courtyard.

Lin Ruoyin was the only one left in the private room.

She remained lying on the cold table for several seconds before slowly waking up as if from a nightmare. Her body was still trembling uncontrollably, and tears flowed like a flood.

She slowly sat up, and with trembling fingers, buttoned up her undone shirt, picked up her disheveled coat, and put it on.

Every movement was stiff and slow, as if all the strength in his body had been used up.

She was dressed, but the hole in her chest just wouldn't close. Cold air poured in, freezing her limbs.

At this moment, Lin Ruoyin knew very well that the salty tears streaming down her face were all because she had never imagined that her relationship with Xu Jia would deteriorate to this extent.

Using their bodies as bargaining chips, using their dignity as collateral, they utterly crushed and trampled that once beautiful yet painful past into mud.

The man who once made her heart flutter, fought alongside her, and ultimately caused her unbearable pain, tore apart the last vestiges of affection and dignity between them in such a cruel and humiliating way.

Tears flowed silently, unstoppable. She tried to wipe them away with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more tears streamed down her face.

Outside the window, bamboo shadows swayed, and koi fish swam aimlessly.

This elegant private room now resembles a magnificent yet cold prison, witnessing a silent, mutually destructive conflict.