The invited Yi Lingfan pondered for a moment.
The banquet Pei Zhaohe wanted to take Yi Lingfan to was actually the 80th birthday celebration of Tan Shengjun’s grandfather, the fiancé of Su Baiye. That day, the Tan family had invited many upper-class figures, and even Pei Zhaohe, who was merely on vacation, received an invitation. No wonder Pei Zhaohe wanted to take him along.
After all, if Yi Lingfan and Pei Zhaohe attended the banquet that day, it wouldn’t be long before their relationship became known to everyone who should and could know. This would fully satisfy Pei Zhaohe’s desire to show off and his instinct as a male animal to mark his territory.
Yi Lingfan accepted Pei Zhaohe’s invitation and was happily taken out shopping for clothes by Pei Zhaohe, who was thrilled at the prospect of “staking his claim.”
Well, even though Pei Zhaohe was a grown man, he still harbored some unspoken, rosy little desires to personally dress up his beloved.
What could Yi Lingfan do about such a Pei Zhaohe? Of course, he had to keep indulging him!
At this moment, Yi Lingfan couldn’t help but reflect a little. His body, after all, had been repaired and upgraded by the system, and his recovery speed after the car accident was much faster than that of an ordinary person.
Others, seeing Yi Lingfan recover so quickly, assumed it was because his injuries from the accident weren’t too severe. In truth, Yi Lingfan should have died in that crash.
Yi Lingfan smiled gently at Pei Zhaohe, who had abandoned his usual cold and serious demeanor and was now speaking to him warmly about the banquet arrangements. But in his heart, he was calculating something else entirely.
Yi Lingfan wasn’t a particularly vengeful person. He saw things clearly, thought things through, and appeared indifferent but was actually kind-hearted. Yet, when it came to people like Su Baiye, Yi Lingfan couldn’t find it in himself to be forgiving. Because this wasn’t just his personal grudge—it was also the collective hatred of all those who had been harmed or killed due to Su Baiye’s petty and vile jealousy, and the debts Su Baiye owed.
This 80th birthday celebration for Tan Shengjun’s grandfather was originally meant to be Su Baiye’s moment to humiliate Tan Shengjun’s illegitimate brothers and his admirer, Du Shi, while flaunting his relationship with Tan Shengjun to gain everyone’s approval and further advance the collaboration between the Su and Tan families. It was also a stepping stone for Su Baiye to later help the Tan family destroy the Su family and seize their assets.
However, this time, Yi Lingfan had no intention of letting things proceed according to Su Baiye’s plans. The Su family was good—even after losing their child for so many years, they never stopped searching. If it weren’t for Su Baiye and his accomplices deliberately hiding the truth and obstructing their efforts, they would have found Yi Lingfan long ago, and he wouldn’t have ended up abandoned, bullied, and ultimately killed without anyone knowing.
Moreover, the Su family often engaged in charitable work. The orphanage where Yi Lingfan grew up had been sustained for so many years largely due to the Su family’s contributions. In a way, the Su family had indirectly helped Yi Lingfan grow up safely.
Yi Lingfan still remembered the kindness the Su family had shown him and the other children they’d helped. That was why he wanted to help the Su family avoid the fate of being betrayed and destroyed by those ungrateful traitors.
After all, the Su family was far better than the Tan family. After the entire Su family died in “accidents,” the Tan family, with Su Baiye’s help, took over the Su family’s assets. The charitable funds the Su family had established fell into the Tan family’s hands, and no one knew how much money they embezzled or how many people they indirectly harmed.
But figuring out exactly how to deal with them would require careful thought. Yi Lingfan suddenly felt conflicted. The Tan and Su families held significant influence, and Su Baiye was a master of deception. Coupled with his ambitious but well-hidden mother, the Su family trusted the pair completely, unaware that they were the ones responsible for the loss of their youngest child.
Meanwhile, Yi Lingfan was just an ordinary researcher. Even if he were recognized by the Su family, building emotional bonds would take time—time Yi Lingfan feared he didn’t have.
Yi Lingfan: *Sigh*, what a headache!
At this moment, Yi Lingfan had completely forgotten that Pei Zhaohe—the big shot, the golden finger, the golden thigh, the little golden man, the devoted husband who followed his wife’s every command—was sitting right beside him.
In the end, Yi Lingfan decisively decided that once he recovered, he would return to the research institute and throw himself into his work. As long as he achieved enough, dealing with Su Baiye, Tan Shengjun, and the others would become much easier. Once he had sufficient power, uncovering their misdeeds would also be simpler.
Having made his decision, Yi Lingfan glanced reluctantly at Pei Zhaohe, realizing that even with a plan, he still felt deeply conflicted.
Pei Zhaohe, unnerved by Yi Lingfan’s slightly odd gaze, asked, “…Fanfan?”
Yi Lingfan changed the subject: “It’s nothing. Just… where are we going to buy clothes, and what kind should we get?”
Though he knew Yi Lingfan was deflecting, Pei Zhaohe played along, pretending not to notice. “I have a custom tailoring shop. After lunch, I’ll take you there to get measured and pick out styles. How does that sound?”
Yi Lingfan nodded. “Sure. So this afternoon, we’re just going clothes shopping?”
“Heh, of course there’s more to it than that,” Pei Zhaohe said mysteriously. “Today, I’ll definitely give Fanfan a surprise and make sure you have fun.”
Though he didn’t know what Pei Zhaohe had in mind, Yi Lingfan found himself looking forward to it. He wasn’t the least bit afraid Pei Zhaohe would sell him out. “Alright, then I’ll look forward to Brother Pei’s surprise!”
The two exchanged a glance and laughed happily.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Tan Shengjun finished his phone call with Su Baiye, having said all the right things and sweet-talked him sufficiently. He then left the room to find Du Shi, who was trying on clothes.
Du Shi was the elegant, noble, gentle, and considerate young lady of the Du family—originally Tan Shengjun’s chosen fiancée or future wife, meant to bolster his standing. But later, Du Shi’s father became entangled with a starlet barely older than Du Shi herself, even fathering a young illegitimate son with her.
The public remained unaware, still believing the starlet was a pure and innocent young woman, but those in their circles knew the truth. Thus, Tan Shengjun decided to discard Du Shi and find someone else.
Du Shi’s mother, the lady of the Du family, had only given birth to Du Shi and no sons. While female heirs weren’t uncommon, Du Shi was a romantic dreamer, utterly unfit to lead the family. If her mother couldn’t produce a suitable heir, the Du family would likely fall into the hands of that illegitimate son.
Tan Shengjun, who had plenty of illegitimate siblings himself, doubted the boy would have any deep affection for Du Shi. Once that happened, Du Shi would lose whatever value she still held. So, before their relationship became public, Tan Shengjun switched targets—Su Baiye.
Su Baiye was just an adopted son, but the Su family was clean and free of scandals. As a foster child treated as a biological son, Su Baiye was a perfect choice. As for gender, Tan Shengjun couldn’t care less.
Still, Tan Shengjun didn’t completely cut ties with Du Shi. After all, she was still (officially) the Du family’s only daughter, and her status remained useful. Until he had squeezed every last drop of value from her, Tan Shengjun had no intention of letting go of the lovestruck Du Shi.
Everything proceeded according to Tan Shengjun’s plans—maintaining a vague, lingering connection with Du Shi while openly flaunting his relationship with Su Baiye. Playing both sides brought him immense satisfaction.
Watching Du Shi try on a new dress, Tan Shengjun found the whole affair tedious and a waste of time, but he didn’t let it show. Instead, he smiled tenderly and praised, “Only you, Shishi, could pick out something so lovely.”
Flustered by the compliment, Du Shi was about to respond when Tan Shengjun added, “Of course, clothes choose their wearers as much as wearers choose their clothes. Only someone as beautiful as you could bring out this dress’s charm. Don’t you agree?”
Blushing like a ripe apple, Du Shi stammered, “Shengjun, stop teasing me. You’re making me embarrassed.”
Unfazed, Tan Shengjun continued, “Why be embarrassed? Everything I said is true, isn’t it?”
Du Shi didn’t reply, but the look she gave Tan Shengjun was filled with even deeper affection.
Pretending not to notice, Tan Shengjun invited her to lunch, casually probing for information about her father’s recent activities.
Du Shi’s father was a seasoned old fox, a master of deception. But around his family—even his less-favored daughter, who would never inherit—his guard wasn’t as impenetrable as it was with rivals.
Thus, with careful maneuvering, Tan Shengjun could extract quite a bit of confidential information from Du Shi. And so far, he’d done so flawlessly. Because Tan Shengjun was always cautious, even the old fox Du Shi’s father had never noticed his tricks.
After all, Tan Shengjun and Du Shi had grown up together. Even if Tan Shengjun now had a boyfriend, maintaining a close friendship with his childhood companion wasn’t something worth raising eyebrows over.
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