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The camphor trees outside the window rustled, and black camphor fruits fell to the ground, where several sparrows pecked at them. The camphor tree was unassuming in appearance, plain in origin, but both its fruits and leaves were incredibly fragrant. Just like Cai Wenchuan himself.

Lin Tingfeng narrowed his long phoenix eyes in deep thought. Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the camphor tree, casting shimmering silver-like patterns on the ground, a truly beautiful sight.

Isn't life worthwhile? There are beautiful and lovely girls like Ye Wenyu, and also kind and honest but pitiful people like Cai Wenchuan.

Cai Wenchuan laughed, a self-deprecating smile on his face. He said softly, "The eldest son of the Lin family actually apologized to me. I can't believe it's true, that I'll actually hear it in my lifetime." He recalled his teenage years, so proud yet so insecure, afraid of classmates coming to his house, afraid of teachers visiting his home, afraid that his identity as the son of the Lin family's butler would be exposed at school.

To escape his status as a servant, he studied diligently, vowing to become a superior person and live a different life. So he went on to complete his undergraduate, master's, and doctoral studies, becoming the youngest and most talented professor at Q University.

But now he realizes that everything was for naught. He has given half his life and is still trapped in the web woven for him by the Lin family. He still doesn't know what happiness and freedom are.

As Cai Wenchuan thought of this, his nose tingled and his eyes welled up with tears. He lowered his head.

Everyone's heart is like an oyster, its secrets sealed inside a hard shell, unknown to anyone. Only oneself can savor the taste within, repeatedly and slowly.

Lin Tingfeng's face flushed slightly. He explained to Cai Wenchuan, "Wenchuan, when I returned to the Lin family, you had only been with the Lin family for a year or two, and I'm not much older than you."

Lin Tingfeng gazed at the scenery outside the window, looking into the distance. Before he knew it, he and Cai Wenchuan were standing side by side, looking like brothers, together at the familiar houses and gardens outside the window. Their childhood and their adolescence flashed through their minds like a slow-motion scene from a movie.

Cai Wenchuan seemed to see a small Lin Tingyue, dressed in a black sailor uniform, chasing butterflies in the garden.

Lin Tingfeng slowly said, "I grew up outside with my mother. My mother has a mental illness. In short, I had a very hard life and was under a lot of pressure. Therefore, I have no trust or closeness to people. That's why I have always kept my distance from you."

Cai Wenchuan nodded. He understood Lin Tingfeng's story, and he later learned all about it through investigation.

Lin Tingfeng had always been prejudiced against him, but wasn't he also misled and deceived, and therefore prejudiced against him as well?

The two have maintained a hostile relationship over the years, avoiding each other whenever possible.

This was the first time Lin Tingfeng had spoken to Cai Wenchuan to explain.

His voice was slow, as if he was lost in memories of the past: "Later, I saw that you were getting close to Zhang Yingzi and Xiaoyue. You don't know, back then, my mother and I were kicked out of the house because of Zhang Yingzi. She was a mistress who seduced my father and destroyed my parents' family. All the suffering and hardship I endured was caused by her. That's why I hate her so much, and I no longer trust you."

Cai Wenchuan was somewhat moved when he heard Lin Tingfeng's detailed explanation. Having known each other for so many years, he naturally knew that Lin Tingfeng was the kind of silent person who would rather not speak than speak, and he almost never explained himself to others.

The fact that he was willing to explain to him today shows his sincerity.

Cai Wenchuan smiled at Lin Tingfeng and said, "This is the first time you've explained this to someone, and I'm truly touched. But you didn't tell me. After marrying Lin Tingyue, I gradually figured out the whole story. When I was little, I hated your indifference towards Xiaoyue and your disgust towards Madam Zi. I didn't know why you treated them that way. In my eyes, they were good people, and they were pitiful. But now I understand that many times you can know a person's face but not their heart. I only learned their true colors after marriage."

Sometimes life is like two sides of a coin. You toss it into the air, cover your palm, and think that what's under your palm is the side, but when you lift it up, it's often the side that's hidden.

The people you think treat you sincerely are often the ones who exploit you the most.

Lin Tingfeng smiled and asked Cai Wenchuan, "Are you and Xiaoyue doing well after your marriage?"

“No good—” Cai Wenchuan shook his head, his face contorted in pain. He said to him, “I feel like I’m just a pawn, a tool. After the marriage, they used the shares I held to kick you out of the Lin Group. Now, the two women have power and money, especially Lin Tingyue, who has started a crazy buying spree—buying luxury cars, cruise ships, and houses. Now she owns houses all over the world, and she has more than ten luxury cars. Can she even drive them all?”

Lin Tingfeng laughed; this was quite like Lin Tingyue's style.

Cai Wenchuan said to him with annoyance, "I have absolutely no interest in these material things, so I finally realized that Xiaoyue and I are from completely different worlds. Before we got married, she was like the moon in the sky to me, beautiful and distant. But after we got married, I realized that she was not the moon in the sky. She was a fake moon used to decorate a shop window, covered with diamonds and jewels. She can only be happy when she shines and stands in a luxurious shopping mall. I rarely see her now. I think she is either shopping or on her way to shopping."

Lin Tingfeng smiled again upon hearing this. He said to Cai Wenchuan, "It's good that you've come to your senses. You're still young now, which is better than when you're old and gray. Back then, I just felt that she was too materialistic and empty, and that she needed to fill the emptiness in her soul with material things. That's why I didn't hand over the real estate to her. I originally planned that when she got married, I would give her a few properties if she found a reliable man. But she didn't trust me and teamed up with her mother to target me."

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