Chapter 36: The tragic end of the villains Sun Xin and Huang Zhuoyuan...

The empty factory stands in a desolate, abandoned park. At this moment, the faint light shines through the broken windows, vaguely dispelling the darkness outside the concrete walls.

Flying insects circled around the light tube, emitting a faint buzzing sound.

"Damn it, how much did Lin Suxing pay you?" Huang Zhuoyuan's voice trembled with shock and anger as he tried to understand this absurd reversal using his familiar logic of money. "How much did he pay? We'll give double! No, triple!"

Sun Xin nodded vigorously beside him, forcing a calm expression on her pale face, and echoed, "Yes! We can discuss any amount!"

When the thugs surrounded him with malicious sneers and said that they would not only not arrest Lin Suxing, but would also use his own methods against him, Huang Zhuoyuan and Sun Xin's first reaction was extreme shock and disbelief.

However, Ahei, the bald thug who was in charge, just sneered, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt and disdain.

Ahei, having lived at the bottom of society, knew best who to mess with and who to avoid at all costs.

Lin Suxing had close ties with those people in high society, who were all tycoons who could make S City tremble with a stomp of their feet. They were people that Lin Suxing absolutely dared not and could not afford to offend. In comparison, these two blustering but cowardly guys in front of him were nothing more than insects that could be crushed at any time.

Money? You can't just take it; you have to be alive to spend it.

Ahei didn't want to die yet; he wanted to live and get a large sum of money that would allow him to live a carefree life for a long time. So, he decisively chose to betray his country and work for that Mr. Li.

"Five times!" Huang Zhuoyuan's body trembled as he continued to offer, "I'll pay five times the money, and you can let me go, and we'll call it even. I won't need you to go and capture Lin Suxing anymore!"

"Enough with the nonsense," the bald man interrupted them impatiently, his voice icy. "It seems you haven't heard the rules."

"Slash his face!" Sun Xin pointed at Huang Zhuoyuan, tears streaming down her face. "It was all his idea! I never said I wanted to do this to Lin Suxing! It was all his doing! He asked me to come and keep him company, I didn't do anything!"

"Take me in? Aren't you just looking for someone to suck up to you? That sounds nice, but everyone knows what you're really up to! You made me your stunt double, and I had to do all the real fight scenes!" Sun Xin retorted shrilly, suddenly lunging at Huang Zhuoyuan and grabbing his hair. "You even stole my audition opportunity for 'Spring Night'!"

"That's because the director thinks your surgically enhanced face is too stiff!" Huang Zhuoyuan shouted back, scratching Sun Xin's face with his nails until it bled. "If I hadn't introduced you to the producer, you'd still be working as a hostess in a bar!"

As soon as the two struggled free, they were immediately pinned against the dirty, rough wall by the bald man's two henchmen, and could only exchange verbal insults.

“Shut up! I’ve changed my mind,” the bald man slowly pulled out two gleaming switchblades and tossed them at their feet with a jarring clang. “Within ten minutes, one of you must be bleeding. If the time is up and you haven’t decided…”

He paused, then gave a cruel smile: "Then don't blame my brothers for 'helping' you two get a proper 'makeover'."

The two men shuddered violently the moment the knife fell to their feet. Sun Xin struggled to turn his head from the thug's grasp, his gaze falling on the cold weapon on the ground, then turning to Huang Zhuoyuan, with whom he had once been so close. His eyes were filled with fear and absurdity as he desperately shook his head, stammering, "No... Brother Yuan, we can't... They must be trying to scare us..."

Huang Zhuoyuan's face was also deathly pale, his lips trembling as he forced himself to speak to the thugs: "You...you dare! Do you know who I am?! I have Zhao Wei behind me, Brother Wei. If they knew you were like this, they wouldn't let you off the hook!!"

"Eight minutes left," Bald Ahei coldly announced, while simultaneously gesturing to his men.

A burly man stepped forward, grabbed Sun Xin by the hair, and gently slapped the cold blade against his cheek.

The sensation caused Sun Xin to instantly break down and scream; the real fear was like being doused with ice water.

"Seven minutes." Another thug then stabbed Huang Zhuoyuan hard in the abdomen with a stick, causing him to bend over in pain, cold sweat pouring down his back.

The threat of death and the fear of disfigurement were so real that they realized these outlaws were serious.

Sun Xin began to tremble violently, his eyes involuntarily glancing at the knife on the ground before quickly looking away, his mind in turmoil.

Huang Zhuoyuan, panting heavily, looked at Sun Xin with a complicated expression. The partner he once regarded as "one of his own" now seemed to have become a sacrifice option under extreme fear.

His hand trembled slightly as he reached for the knife, but then withdrew it as if he had been burned.

Neither of them was hesitating about whether to hurt the other; they were simply thinking about how to deliver a decisive blow when they were of similar size, thus saving themselves from this terrifying "either/or" situation.

They were brought together by shared interests, so at such a critical juncture, they would naturally choose to protect themselves at the expense of the other.

Five minutes!

"Go ahead and do it!" The thugs began to urge and threaten impatiently, and their barrage of shouts put immense psychological pressure on Huang Zhuoyuan and Sun Xin.

"Brother Yuan... I'm sorry... I don't want to be disfigured..." Sun Xin suddenly cried out, his eyes instantly turning fierce and desperate. He bent down abruptly and grabbed the knife from the ground with his eyes almost closed!

When Huang Zhuoyuan saw that he had actually picked up the knife, his pupils contracted sharply, and all his feelings were completely shattered in the face of his survival instinct!

"Sun Xin, how dare you!" he roared, almost simultaneously lunging at another knife, his movements clumsy and frantic due to fear and rage.

"You forced me to do this! Don't blame me!" Huang Zhuoyuan gripped the knife tightly, his eyes turning fierce and unfamiliar. All his previous hesitation was swallowed up by his desire to survive.

Sun Xin, her eyes red, held up a knife and said in a shrill voice, "Huang Zhuoyuan! Do you think I don't know how you've been plotting against me behind my back?! You've only ever thought about yourself, when have you ever truly considered me!"

Sun Xin screamed, closed her eyes, and slashed the knife in her hand forward haphazardly!

His original intention may have been merely to threaten or cause minor injury, but extreme fear caused him to completely lose control of his actions.

The cold blade encountered little resistance, and with a muffled groan of extreme pain from Huang Zhuoyuan, blood instantly seeped out and spread from under the fabric of his shirt on his left upper arm.

The intense pain and witnessing himself bleed completely ignited the madness in Huang Zhuoyuan's eyes.

"You, Ta Die, really dare to make a move!" he roared, no longer hesitant and fearful, but driven by anger and a sense of betrayal. He gripped the knife tightly and stabbed at Sun Xin with his backhand!

Sun Xin retreated in terror, but the knife tip did not pierce his body. Instead, it tore a long gash in his expensive silk shirt with a "ripping" sound, leaving a thin line of blood on his chest.

Looking at the wound on his chest and his torn clothes, Sun Xin's rationality completely collapsed. "I'll fight you to the death!" he cried out, no longer defending himself, like a cornered beast, brandishing his knife and charging at Huang Zhuoyuan once more.

This time, the blade grazed Huang Zhuoyuan's cheek, leaving a burning, shallow but painful and humiliating mark.

Huang Zhuoyuan felt the warm liquid on his face and touched his hand, which was covered in blood. He let out a beastly roar, completely losing his last shred of humanity, and began to wildly and haphazardly slash and slash at Sun Xin.

The blade slashed Sun Xin's arm, cut his thigh, and left numerous gashes and bloodstains on his suit.

The two wrestled and rolled on the oil-stained ground. They were no longer glamorous, but two wild beasts driven by fear and selfishness, tearing each other apart in the most primitive and ugly way.

Hair pulling, scratching, biting... every means that could hurt the other was used, screams, curses, cries and heavy breathing mixed together.

"Haha, it's more interesting to lead them to kill each other in this way than to call someone to arrest them."

Wang Shunduo took an elegant sip of red wine, his fingertips lightly tracing Sun Xin's pained and contorted face on the screen.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "It seems our young master Sun has finally gotten the 'close-up shot' he's been dreaming of."

Not far behind him, Li Xinian leaned lazily against the sofa, toying with an antique lighter. The silver casing opened and closed between his slender fingers: "I agree with your point of view."

The two showed no discomfort at the brutal scene in the video; on the contrary, they both seemed to enjoy it.

The tall man, holding a wine glass, rose from his leather chair and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. The city lights in the night flickered in his deep eyes: "If he were an innocent man, whose feelings for Huaiwen were genuine, and who wanted to have a down-to-earth relationship with Huaiwen, I would never interfere. But he's a filthy, despicable gigolo who dares to covet Huaiwen and use him to pave his own way... This kind of slut deserves to die a thousand times over."

Wang Shunduo's actions were a meticulously planned and slowly implemented form of torture, a process he always enjoyed as he gradually drove his prey into a corner.

On the very night Sun Xin stormed into the Wang family banquet, this "concrete evidence" was simultaneously released by several seemingly unrelated marketing accounts, instantly shattering all of Sun Xin's hopes of making a comeback in the entertainment industry.

This is just the first step.

Watching Sun Xin frantically plead for help like a headless fly in despair, Wang Shunduo simply observed coldly. He didn't even need to give explicit orders; he only needed to express his dislike for Sun Xin on certain key occasions, and countless people eager to curry favor with the Wang family would naturally thwart Sun Xin's every plea for help.

This comprehensive ban, the second time, shattered Sun Xin's fantasies of climbing the social ladder and becoming famous even more thoroughly.

However, Wang Shunduo's "game" was not over.

Knowing that Sun Xin's consumption habits, fostered by vanity, were difficult to change, he cut off his source of income and then "opportunely" had someone guide him to loan sharks.

Watching Sun Xin fall deeper and deeper into debt in order to maintain a facade of success, Wang Shunduo waited, waiting for the perfect moment to deliver the final blow.

His original plan was to let Sun Xin end his own life amidst complete bankruptcy and disgrace.

Unexpectedly, Sun Xin colluded with Huang Zhuoyuan, attempting to harm Lin Suxing. This move drew Li Xinian's intervention and hastened their downfall.

Wang Shunduo particularly enjoyed slowly crushing a person's will and hope. Watching the other person's hope being drained away bit by bit, he understood that this was more painful than letting Sun Xin die directly.

He was adept at manipulating people's hearts, so he naturally knew how to destroy his opponent little by little, so as to truly achieve his dark goal of destroying everything about him.

"It's almost time. Are you going to pick up Huaiwen?" Li Xinian asked.

He and Lin Suxing weren't close enough for him to offer her a ride; he simply arranged for bodyguards to accompany Lin Suxing throughout the journey to ensure her safe return home.

“No, he’s an adult now, it’s normal for him to have his own life.” When Wang Shunduo turned around, his face had returned to its usual gentle and refined manner, only the lingering gloom in his eyes remained. “If I push too hard, he’ll overthink things.”

Li Xinian chuckled upon hearing this, his grey-blue eyes appearing exceptionally deep under the light: "Have you made up your mind?"

"...Yes, I should have realized long ago that I couldn't just watch him get close to others from afar while I was just an older brother." As if thinking of something, Wang Shunduo's face showed a somewhat bitter smile, his fingertips gently stroking the window frame. "Some things, you can only understand after you've experienced them."

"It's not too late to understand now; your chances of winning are very high," Li Xinian concluded calmly.

Wang Shunduo strolled to the wine cabinet, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the rim of a crystal glass. The coldness he had displayed when discussing revenge gradually melted away, and a rare tenderness appeared in his eyes: "Hmph, he stayed overnight at the banquet that night."

"Congratulations." Li Xinian replied casually, "It's getting late, go back and rest."

The two were childhood friends who had known each other since they were young, and later became strategic partners. They shared many secrets and were willing to reveal their true feelings to each other.

Seeing Li Xinian get up as if preparing to leave, Wang Shunduo called out to him: "By the way, what's the situation between Lin Suxing and Huaiwen now? I know you have a good relationship with Lin Suxing, otherwise you wouldn't have helped him resolve the trouble, but I want a definite answer."

He didn't want someone else to get entangled with Huaiwen right after Sun Xin left.

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Li Xinian turned around, his gray-blue eyes shining brightly under the light: “...because the person he likes is me.”

***

After the guests left, the Wang family mansion returned to tranquility.

Wang Shunduo had just returned to his bedroom after washing up and was shedding the "mask" he wore to social situations when he heard a soft knock on the door.

As the door opened, Meng Huaiwen stood in the warm light of the corridor, clutching a pillow. His bathrobe was tied crookedly, and water droplets still dripped from his hair. "Brother, I came to chat with you. There were too many people earlier, so we couldn't talk."

Looking into the expectant, sparkling eyes of the puppy in front of him, the man, who usually seemed unmoved by anything, felt his heart pounding violently. An indescribable warmth and bittersweetness instantly overwhelmed all his defenses.

He stepped aside almost immediately, his voice gentle and indulgent without him even realizing it: "...Come in."

"I'm sleeping here tonight! We haven't slept together in ages!" Meng Huaiwen barged in confidently, threw his pillow in the middle of the bed, and said, "You promised to go to the movies with me last time, and you haven't kept your promise yet!"

Wang Shunduo stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds before closing the door with a blank expression.

Since Meng Huaiwen had deliberately distanced himself from him because of his family, the two hadn't been this close in a long time. He was already pleasantly surprised that Meng Huaiwen had agreed to stay at the dinner party, but he hadn't expected…

But there was something even more surprising to him.

The bedside lamp cast a soft, warm glow, enveloping the bedside area in a play of light and shadow. The light beneath the lampshade, filtered through the silk fabric, became soft and hazy, giving the entire room a subtle, dreamlike filter.

"The last time we slept together was probably two years ago, right?" Meng Huaiwen lay down on the bed casually, and Wang Shunduo tucked him in as naturally and effortlessly as if he had done it hundreds or thousands of times before: "Yeah, that was before you came of age."

The long-staple cotton bedding felt delicate to the touch, and it tickled when it brushed against Meng Huaiwen's cheeks.

He lay down next to Wang Shunduo, but instead of falling asleep quickly as he had when he was a child, he turned to the side and carefully looked at Wang Shunduo under the dim night light.

“Brother Shunduo, you’ve lost weight lately.” He suddenly spoke, his tone filled with concern. “I could tell right away when you were wearing a suit at the banquet. You must have been so busy lately that you haven’t been eating. That’s not right.”

Wang Shunduo's throat tightened; the usually eloquent man was now speechless with misunderstanding. He hadn't expected that Meng Huaiwen, amidst the clinking of glasses and lively conversation, had been observing him so meticulously.

Before he could speak, Meng Huaiwen suddenly leaned in, their noses almost touching.

Wang Shunduo tensed up instantly, while Meng Huaiwen had already grabbed his small chin with his large hand and carefully examined his face: "You look terrible! Are you feeling alright?"

"No, it's just that there are too many things to do, and they give me a headache." Wang Shunduo's headaches were a chronic problem; they would often flare up when he overthought things, and he could only get through the days with painkillers.

He had long been accustomed to being accompanied by pain, like someone walking in endless darkness. Only when this person approached him could he feel a glimmer of light falling upon him.

"Did those old men on the board upset you again?" Meng Huaiwen's warm palm unexpectedly touched Wang Shunduo's temples, his body temperature causing the skin to emit a refreshing minty scent. "I've been learning massage and acupressure from a physical therapist for a while now. Today, I'll let you be the first one to enjoy it. Aren't you honored?"

A pair of warm hands landed on Wang Shunduo's temples, then on his neck and shoulders, pressing and kneading with moderate force.

Meng Huaiwen doesn't seem like the type of person who would be interested in this kind of thing. He likes novel and exciting things, like skydiving, paragliding, surfing, and shooting, but definitely not massage or acupressure.

"...Why did you choose to study this?" Wang Shunduo asked casually, but deep down he had an answer he himself could hardly believe.

His response was a long silence.

As tactful as Wang Shunduo was, he surprisingly refrained from smoothing things over in an awkward situation, because what he wanted more than embarrassment was a definite answer.

"...Hmph, it's all because you always have headaches." Meng Huaiwen said somewhat reluctantly, his face burning as he spoke. "Anyway, you'll need it sooner or later. Let me tell you, I'm not giving you a free massage, I charge you! Ten thousand yuan for half an hour!"

For some reason, revealing that he learned this skill, which he wasn't originally interested in, for Wang Shunduo made him feel a kind of embarrassment he hadn't even felt when Sun Xin kissed him.

Wang Shunduo was amused by his childish words: "Okay, I'll give you five million later, and you can work for me for two hundred hours."

Meng Huaiwen was taken aback, then smiled: "I can press for as long as you need. But you really shouldn't overwork yourself. I know you have to be busy, there are too many things waiting for you to handle, but the people who care about you don't really care about fame or fortune. They only care about you as a person, whether you are happy, whether you are working too hard, and so on."

The young man's movements were unprofessional and even a bit clumsy, but Wang Shunduo slowly closed his eyes.

A surge of emotions crashed against his chest like a tsunami—ecstasy, overwhelming emotion, a desire to meld the person beside him into his very bones, and an immense, almost consuming panic.

He could clearly feel the dam he had painstakingly built crumbling inch by inch.

But he could do nothing and dared not say anything. He was afraid that if he revealed his possessiveness, which went beyond the boundaries of brotherhood and was almost obsessive, he would frighten this big boy who cared for him so purely.

He feared that this regained intimacy would be lost again because of his uncontrollable emotions.

In the end, he could only suppress all his turbulent emotions, barely prop himself up, turn around, and in the calmest possible tone, even with a hint of brotherly gentleness, gently rub Meng Huaiwen's hair: "Okay, whatever you say."

***

The golden broth fish maw chicken hot pot base was bubbling and steaming on the table, the hand-cut A5 beef had distinct marble patterns, and the geoduck sashimi was crystal clear on the ice plate.

Meng Huaiwen and Lin Suxing had just finished a fan meeting for PRODUCE producers, and the two met up at a private room of this Hong Kong-style hot pot restaurant for a late-night snack.

"Don't take Sun Xin's matter too seriously. He's not worth your sadness," Lin Suxing said carefully, her clear eyes filled with concern.

Although belittling her friend's ex-boyfriend like this might upset her, Lin Suxing still spoke frankly in the hope of making her friend more aware and not suffer for such a scumbag.

Meng Huaiwen placed the hot Wagyu beef into Lin Suxing's bowl, looking much more relaxed than expected: "You don't need to worry. Actually, I understood everything after the breakup. He was using me from beginning to end, trying to use me as a stepping stone to get resources, while also being greedy and not wanting to give up the exciting life of hooking up with other women everywhere. So I won't think about him anymore."

He paused, then said gently, "Actually, I've been quite happy lately. The night of the banquet, I reconciled with a friend I used to be very close to."

Lin Suxing listened quietly without interrupting.

“I stayed overnight at the Wang family’s house and lay in bed with him, chatting until very late, just like when we were kids.” Meng Huaiwen smiled faintly. “I was worried that because of our families, we would become estranged in the future, but it seems that we are still the same as before.”

Lin Suxing noticed that Meng Huaiwen's eyes were exceptionally gentle when he recounted these details, a genuine expression of concern. This natural expression of emotion was completely different from the deliberate thoughtfulness he showed when he was with Sun Xin.

Meng Huaiwen ordered another slice of geoduck and continued to share his thoughts and life with Lin Suxing with ease: "He is a very important person in my life, you could say the most important person. Sigh, I shouldn't have listened to my sister and distanced myself from him in the first place. What do those power struggles have to do with me? I don't care if he is a powerful person or not. Even if he loses the fight and becomes broke, what's wrong with me supporting him? It's not like I'm broke."

The unease in Lin Suxing's heart grew stronger.

When Meng Huaiwen spoke of that person's expression and attitude, it didn't seem like he was talking to his brother, but rather like he was talking to... a man he secretly loved without realizing it!

But even Meng Huaiwen himself didn't realize that Lin Suxing decided not to meddle in other people's business.

The pot was boiling even more vigorously at this point, and Meng Huaiwen naturally changed the subject, adding some more food to Lin Suxing's plate: "Let's not talk about me. How have you been lately?"

"I received a second audition notice for 'I Am Immortal'," Lin Suxing finally said, sharing the good news with her friend.

Meng Huaiwen's eyes immediately lit up with genuine joy: "You're amazing! The production team for this drama has very high standards! Do you need me to introduce you? My parents have some connections with the casting director."

"Thank you, but I want to earn it through my own abilities, so I won't trouble you." Lin Suxing's tone was gentle but firm. "If I also use connections, what difference would I make from someone like Lin Ke? I believe there are still opportunities in this world that are open to judging solely on merit."

Meng Huaiwen nodded knowingly, showing more approval towards Lin Suxing, and said no more: "Well, then I wish you all the best."

*

The main living room of the Lin residence was still brightly lit late at night. Lin Suxing gently pushed open the door and was surprised to find that her mother, father, and brother were still sitting in the living room, with a slightly solemn atmosphere remaining in the air.

“Xingxing is back just in time.” Lin Siyi’s cold and stern face softened as she saw him enter. She waved to him and said, “I’m going to Europe next week to discuss a fabric import contract. I was thinking that since you’ve never been abroad, I might as well take you with me. The weather in Paris is great right now. We can go to the Louvre and also visit an emerald mine.”

Jiang Heyun gracefully put down her teacup and said in a gentle tone, "Since your brother has made all the arrangements, go and take a look. Remember to let your family know you're safe every day."

Lin Yuan nodded in agreement, straightened his suit jacket, and stood up: "It's getting late, everyone should get some rest. Let's do it this way..."

Just then, the system's excited voice suddenly rang in Lin Suxing's mind:

[Ding! Host, you have completed the mission of [persuading your parents and clearing your name of theft], and you will soon be rewarded with a big melon!]

Mr. Lin Dechang, the 83-year-old patriarch of the Lin family, just celebrated the birthday of his two-year-old illegitimate son, Lin Miaomiao, last month! The child and his biological mother are currently living in a villa in Repulse Bay, cared for by four nannies in shifts...

Just as he was about to leave for his bedroom, Lin's father suddenly turned around and walked towards the wine cabinet, his awkward, clumsy movements quite comical: "Suddenly I want a glass of red wine, anyone else want one?"

Lin's mother, who had already reached the stairwell, turned back and casually adjusted the picture frames on the wall: "Oh dear? How come these picture frames are positioned like this? They look crooked and no one seems to care?"

Lin Siyi coughed lightly, her fingertips swiping rapidly across the tablet, but she didn't turn the page for a long time.

In an instant, everyone in the living room pricked up their ears furtively, ready to hear the next big scoop from Old Master Lin.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Ladies, do you want to guess whether this couple is older or younger? (whispering devilishly) [kiss][praise]