Chapter 1: The old enemy returns with a vengeance

Her arch-nemesis was back in Jing City.

When Tong An’yu received this news, she was driving on the expressway from the Hai District to the Capital Airport.

A strong wind had kicked up in Jing City, and a series of warning messages popped up on her screen.

Immediately after, a heavy rain began to pour, and the windshield wipers worked diligently, like a fan spread wide.

The host of the car radio was speaking in fluent, authentic Cantonese, casually discussing the opportunities in the Bay Area and the difficulties with tariffs.

Unexpectedly, the host changed the subject, her tone rising slightly, rousing the drowsy audience—

“We’re interrupting with a bit of gossip about Mr. Lin Huaixu, the founder of Petparty.”

The male host said: “Oh, I know about this.”
“Petparty intends to expand into the overseas market.”

“Their CEO has already gone to Singapore to select a site.”

“I reckon it won’t be long before Petparty opens a branch office.”

Tong An’yu prayed silently, ‘That would be for the best.’

Singapore was indeed a good place, very suitable for radiating out to the global market, and it could help avoid a lot of trouble.

For her arch-nemesis to choose this place was an extremely, incredibly, especially far-sighted move.

Then, his work focus would shift to Singapore from now on.

Tong An’yu ignored the growing tightness in her chest and began to list the benefits of him being farther and farther away from her.

For example, it meant they would most likely not meet at public events, avoiding a lot of awkwardness.

For example, with his strong development momentum, he probably wouldn’t care anymore about the conflict between their fathers’ generations from so many years ago.

For example, he had long forgotten that ambiguous first love, and wouldn’t deign to waste time seeking revenge on anyone.

But then, things took a turn.

The female host gave a mysterious smile, wielding the key to high ratings: “No, that’s not it.”

“We’ve just learned that Mr. Lin has left Shenzhen for Jing City today, possibly to discuss moving into the Economic and Financial Center.”

Tong An’yu was suddenly startled.

Her phone accidentally slipped into the gap of her seat, and her heart rate shot up to a peak like a roller coaster, remaining stubbornly high.

“How is that possible?” the male host asked, echoing her own question.

“Our source is ninety-nine percent accurate.”

“Mr. Lin should be deplaning right at this moment.”

It was no secret that the Shenzhen-Hong Kong media loved to chase news about Lin Huaixu.

This man’s popularity had always been sky-high, a fact that was inextricably linked to his remarkably potent ability to amass wealth.

As early as his university days, he had created a Steam card game on his own.
It was a huge hit back then.

He sold it for five million, then invested in the study abroad business.

After graduating from university, he went abroad.

During the two or three years when studying abroad was at its peak, his company’s valuation reached fifty million.

But as if he had long foreseen the changes in the international situation, he made a swift retreat and pivoted to the sharing economy.

When he returned to the country, he settled in Shenzhen-Hong Kong, where the sharing economy was booming.

But he suddenly sold off his stake at a high point again, allowing the instantly declining industry to yield its maximum value in his hands.

At his roadshows, he was clearly modest, polite, and approachable, showing no sign of his decisive and ruthless business tactics.
But his occasional cold expressions in private still made people feel immense pressure, willingly submitting to him.

It was probably this innate aura that made capitalists completely forget his fast-in, fast-out style of making money.
They placed high stakes on him, as frantic as gamblers.

Tong An’yu vaguely remembered that he was different from his university days, but people were bound to change.

She completely understood, only complaining about it occasionally.

Because Lin Huaixu had achieved so much at such a young age, many magnates in the Bay Area also looked upon him favorably and brought up his marital status at the card table.

After feigning ignorance several times, Lin Huaixu finally grew tired of the hints.

He was very gentlemanly, but this time his rejection was merciless: “My girlfriend will get angry.”

“And she’s very difficult to coax.”

Someone was still unwilling to give up: “I never expected Mr. Lin to be so patient with his other half.”

“I thought you were a very dominant person.”

Lin Huaixu nonchalantly flicked the ash from his cigarette, not denying the dominance in his bones: “Can’t be helped.”
“We started dating too early.”

Tong An’yu guessed that girlfriend was probably Yuan Qing.

From university until now, only Yuan Qing had always been by Lin Huaixu’s side.
To this day, she was still receiving dividends from his company.

It was only natural to assume she had been promoted to girlfriend.

Because it was so logical, she didn’t feel particularly depressed.

The thing between the two of them had been an accident from the start.

Her only source of depression was the speed at which her arch-nemesis had been ascending in recent years; it was truly worrying.

The businesses Lin Huaixu was currently involved in were Montemar, a social platform based in the overseas market, and Petparty, which targeted the global market.

Long before social media discovered the booming pet economy, he had already gotten his hands on it, his vision proving to be precise and sharp.

Petparty was a short-video platform centered around pets.

The account holders were various kinds of pets, and users interacted and made friends from the pets’ perspectives, sharing their daily lives and trading goods.

Last year, it already had a registration volume of 71.53 million in the mainland market alone.

But despite the immense success of his pet business, what had earned him a good reputation with the official media was Montemar, the platform themed around environmental protection.

This platform not only expanded China’s overseas influence but also used foreigners’ money to in turn manage the country’s deserts.

It was truly a timeless contribution, perfectly in line with the authorities’ preferences.

So you see, this man amassed wealth without any scruples, yet he also knew how to cover himself in a bright and shining layer of armor, leaving no vulnerability exposed.

As her emotions calmed, Tong An’yu realized her reaction had been overly dramatic and couldn’t help but reflect on it inwardly.

She began to consider the possibility of retrieving her phone.

It had her new phone case on it.

Just as she hesitated, wanting to lean over, a silver-black Brabus suddenly shot out from behind.

It cut through the rain curtain to overtake her, its tires making a screeching sound as they gripped the road.
Swish!

Tong An’yu hastily straightened the steering wheel and tapped the brakes, breaking out in a cold sweat.

That car was truly outrageous.

The heavy rain obscured vision, yet he didn’t slow down cautiously.

Instead, he charged ahead recklessly, accelerating to overtake, as if he was used to being domineering and arrogant.

Tong An’yu felt a spark of anger ignite.
She stepped on the gas and chased after it.
It was also a silver-black Brabus; she wanted to see which big shot this was.

But upon getting closer and seeing the license plate number, she couldn’t help but be stunned.

The other car was L0B07, only one digit off from her L0807.

At a glance, they looked almost identical.

It wasn’t any of the families she was familiar with.

The other car was driving too fast, as if it was in a real hurry.

Tong An’yu saw the road sign.

She nudged the steering wheel, parting ways with that car.

She was here to pick someone up today.
It was her mother’s best friend’s son, who was ten years older than her, about the same age as her own brother.

The two families had always been close, and they were having a meal together later.

At this moment, Ji Yuming was still on a flight from Belgium to Jing City and wouldn’t reply to her messages immediately.

Tong An’yu turned on her signal and drove towards the T3 parking garage, finally stopping in the C08 area.

Ji Yuming would probably use the VIP channel and get off the plane faster.
Tong An’yu was glad she had arrived in time.

Once the car was stable, she could finally duck her head to search for her phone, which had tumbled somewhere.

The radio had also just finished a long, tedious commercial break and returned to the main topic.

“Mr. Lin is doing so well in Shenzhen-Hong Kong.”

“Why do you think he would want to go to Jing City?”

“When a business gets big, you naturally have to squeeze into the core circle.”

“The most powerful circles are all in Jing City.”

‘What’s there to squeeze into? Circles are just about mutual exchange of benefits,’ Tong An’yu thought as she fished around.

Just then, the car door was pulled open.
An understated scent of agarwood mixed with the rain’s chill rushed in, instantly overpowering the car’s fragrance.

Someone got into the car.

The back seat sank slightly, their presence somewhat distinct.

Tong An’yu naturally assumed it was Ji Yuming who had gotten in.

Ji Yuming had always had a quiet and introverted personality, and this trip to Belgium for a physics conference had lasted for several days, so he must be exhausted.

“Yuming-ge, wait a second, I’m looking for my phone.”

“This gap is so narrow.”

Tong An’yu didn’t think to look up, her arm reaching into the gap, working hard to retrieve it, the back of her hand turning red from the friction.

The person in the back seat shifted his gaze upon hearing her voice.

He didn’t speak, but the cold aura emanating from him continued to spread, growing stronger and stronger.

His dark eyes watched Tong An’yu, who was bent down under the steering wheel.

The hem of her skirt kept riding up due to her awkward posture, a sliver of fair skin flashing in the dim light of the parking garage, the skirt’s edge about to reach its limit.

His arm, which had been resting loosely on the window frame, was no longer relaxed, until he finally looked away.

The discussion on the radio continued—

“Hey, do you remember that dispute back then, how Mr. Lin’s family went bankrupt?”

“As the saying goes, to make a comeback, you have to challenge the elephant in the room.”

“Are you referring to the Si family? I don’t think so.”

“The Si Corporation is deeply rooted; their grandfather’s generation was already formidable.”

“Has there been anything Mr. Lin hasn’t dared to do these past few years?”

“He’s truly wild and unrestrained.”

“I don’t know how much money he wants.”

“I’m afraid he’ll go too far one day—”

“Hey, don’t talk nonsense.”

“Watch out for your hundred thousand fans on Petparty.”

“Mr. Lin isn’t that petty.”

“This isn’t the first time we’ve gossiped about him.”

“For the sake of our Petparty accounts, let’s just wish Mr. Lin a smooth journey to Jing City and that all his dreams come true.”
…

Hearing Cantonese gossip from Shenzhen-Hong Kong while in Jing City didn’t seem to surprise the person in the back seat.

He leaned back against the seat, listening quietly, wanting to see when she would notice.

Tong An’yu felt the corner of her phone and pinched it between two fingers: “Yuming-ge, this reminds me of a melodramatic novel I read before.”

“The female lead’s family bankrupts the male lead’s family.”

“The male lead endures hardship, returns for revenge, and makes the female lead pay a price more painful than death.”

“It’s quite similar to me and Lin Huaixu, huh.”

The person in the back seat raised his eyes at this sentence.

Tong An’yu finally fished out her phone, feeling a bit strange about Ji Yuming’s silence.

She smiled and asked, “Do you think his return to Jing City is really to get revenge on me?”

“The thought is actually quite thrilling—”

That person finally spoke, interrupting Tong An’yu’s imagination, his voice a magnetic, mocking tone completely different from Ji Yuming’s: “Just how thrilling?”

“…”

The air inside the car seemed to freeze.
Tong An’yu took five seconds to process it.
That voice just now didn’t seem to be an auditory hallucination.

And it was quite familiar, seemingly belonging to a certain arch-nemesis.

“Lin—”

Tong An’yu shot up abruptly, but the back of her head slammed right into the steering wheel with a loud “thud,” making the entire car shudder.

After a long-parted reunion, before they even had a chance to clash, she was already clutching her head in pain.

Her eyes instantly reddened, and tears streamed down her face.

This day was truly full of misfortunes.

Lin Huaixu: “…”