Chapter 47

Chapter 47

"Oh my, it's been years! Fishing, huh?"

A rhetorical question, of course.

In a place like this, what else could they be doing besides fishing? Disposing of a body?

Old Lai had no love for his son, a notorious village layabout who idled all day, living off his parents. Worse, he occasionally indulged in petty theft—utterly disgraceful.

Sheng Lian had some recollection of Lai Shuanzi.

They had played together as children but lost touch as they grew older.

Thus, Sheng Lian was unaware of Lai Shuanzi's reputation in the village.

He politely replied, "Long time no see," assuming Lai Shuanzi was there for Old Lai, and paid him no further mind, quickening his pace to pack up.

Lunchtime was approaching; Lin Qingshi needed to return.

Seeing he was ignored, a flash of resentment flickered in Lai Shuanzi's beady eyes.

He spat, but when Sheng Lian turned to look at him, his displeasure evident, Lai Shuanzi quickly rubbed his hands and pasted on a smile. "Ah, right, right—force of habit. You city folks care about hygiene. I'll remember next time."

Old Lai couldn't hear their exchange, but knowing his son, he was certain Lai Shuanzi had shown up with nothing good in mind.

He stepped forward and smacked the back of his son's head, grumbling, "What the hell are you here for? Instead of wandering around like a worthless layabout, why don’t you think about finding a damn job—"

Lai Shuanzi licked his lips, nodding repeatedly with a grin that abruptly cut off Old Lai's lecture.

Normally, the ungrateful brat would either look annoyed or even shove him away. This sudden compliance made Old Lai’s wrinkled face crease further in suspicion.

Unconcerned whether his father could hear him, Lai Shuanzi chuckled. "You're right, Dad. I’m actually thinking of a plan now..."

His deliberately mysterious tone and meaningful glance made his already greasy demeanor even more repulsive.

Lin Qingshi didn’t want to judge by appearances, but this was truly an eyesore.

His long-gone morning sickness seemed ready to make a comeback.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the rising nausea in his chest.

For some reason, the short man’s gaze kept drifting toward him—like a slug clinging to his skin.

Uncomfortable.

Deeply uncomfortable.

Feeling intruded upon, Lin Qingshi’s eyes turned icy as he shot a cold glare.

Lai Shuanzi’s heart lurched. He shrank back, breaking into a cold sweat, a drop rolling down his temple. Instantly cowed, he didn’t dare glance around anymore.

A second later, he realized he’d just been cowed by someone frail. Furious, he cursed inwardly—yet still didn’t dare meet Lin Qingshi’s gaze again.

Those eyes were like knives, cutting straight to the bone!

How could Sheng Lian stand being married to someone like that?

No wonder the gossip online said...

Lin Qingshi caught the mix of fear, smugness, and determination on the man’s face, his brow furrowing.

...Moron. He might as well have "I’m scheming something" carved on his forehead.

Lai Shuanzi tried to follow them back.

With exaggerated filial piety, he snatched Old Lai’s belongings. "Here, Dad, let me carry that for you."

Ignoring whether Old Lai wanted his "help," he insisted on playing the devoted son.

Though it was supposedly an act of "filial duty," the moment he took the items, he immediately tried sidling up to Sheng Lian.

Neither Sheng Lian nor Lin Qingshi gave him the chance.

The two hopped onto their electric tricycle and zoomed off.

Lai Shuanzi gaped.

He panted as he chased after them, shouting, "Brother Sheng—Brother Sheng—give me a ride, won’t you? Cough—cough—!"

Dust kicked up by the tricycle sent him into a coughing fit.

By the time he recovered, the vehicle was long gone.

Glaring at the empty road, Lai Shuanzi spat and muttered curses under his breath before tossing Old Lai’s things aside and stomping off.

*

"Sheng Lian."

Only after getting off the tricycle did Lin Qingshi call out to him.

During the ride, he had kept his lips pressed together to avoid swallowing cold air.

Hearing his uncharacteristically stern tone, Sheng Lian halted his steps—about to return the vehicle—and immediately turned back, jogging over nervously. "What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"I’m fine." Seeing the concern in Sheng Lian’s eyes, Lin Qingshi softened his tone slightly.

Sheng Lian had become overly sensitive lately, tensing up at the slightest call, afraid something might be wrong.

"Good, good... Then what does President Lin command? Just say the word, and this humble servant will obey!"

Relieved, Sheng Lian slipped back into his playful antics, giving an exaggerated salute.

Lin Qingshi rolled his eyes. Once Sheng Lian straightened up, he composed himself and spoke.

"That... Lai Shuanzi." Merely uttering the name made Lin Qingshi frown. The thought of such a person even passing his lips was disgusting. He paused before continuing, "There’s something fishy about him. Find out what he’s after—whether it’s you or... us."

Sheng Lian nodded.

Back when he first struck it rich, people like this were a dime a dozen—distant "relatives" and "friends" crawling out of the woodwork to leech off him. He never indulged them, and within a couple of years, once they realized they couldn’t squeeze a single penny from him, they all vanished.

At first, he assumed Lai Shuanzi was the same.

But if Lin Qingshi sensed something amiss, he trusted that judgment. Thinking back, the man’s behavior had indeed been strange.

While buttering Sheng Lian up, he seemed to... harbor some barely concealed hostility toward Lin Qingshi? Unlike the usual envy directed at Sheng Lian behind his back, this was blatant.

If he was in it for money, why treat Lin Qingshi like that?

Unable to decipher such a person’s logic, Sheng Lian dismissed the thought, humming as he went to return the tricycle.

Right at that moment, Lai Shuanzi happened to run into him as he was looking for Sheng Lian.

Sheng Lian arched a brow.

He wasn’t in a hurry to return the vehicle anymore and initiated the greeting.

“Lai Shuanzi?”

The gaunt face put on an expression of being overwhelmed by the honor, but his eyes glinted with greed and venom as he bowed obsequiously. “Brother Sheng! Ah, I should call you President Sheng now—look at me, I almost forgot. Been calling you that since we were kids, an old habit… Anyway, why trouble yourself with returning the vehicle? Just say the word, and I’ll pick it up for you! President Sheng’s time is so precious, why waste it on such trivial matters?”

The flattery was blatant and painfully awkward.

Sheng Lian gave a cryptic laugh, the laugh making Lai Shuanzi uneasy. He gulped. “President Sheng…?”

Only when he saw Lai Shuanzi’s fear did Sheng Lian reply breezily, “What’s there to be afraid of? Alright then, I’ll trouble you to drive it back to your dad for me!”

“Huh?” Lai Shuanzi was stunned.

Shouldn’t his words have reminded Sheng Lian of their old friendship, prompting him to return the vehicle together and reminisce? That would’ve been the perfect opportunity for him to make his pitch…

How… how was this not going as planned?

“What ‘huh’?” Sheng Lian narrowed his eyes and scoffed. This guy was so stupid that he couldn’t even muster the interest to mess with him.

He’d rather finish the task Lin Qingshi had given him quickly and go back to snuggling with his husband.

Losing interest, Sheng Lian decided to cut to the chase.

“Fine, let’s go together.”

The speed of his mood shift left Lai Shuanzi stunned. Just moments ago, he thought he’d upset Sheng Lian, but now he could only blurt, “Ah—uh, y-yeah, together, together.”

Not daring to pretend to refuse, he quickly agreed.

Sheng Lian leisurely rode the vehicle while Lai Shuanzi walked alongside on foot.

After a few idle exchanges, Sheng Lian lost patience and cut in sharply. “Just say it. What do you really want from me?”

“…President Sheng, since you’re being so direct, I won’t beat around the bush either.” Sensing the obvious impatience on Sheng Lian’s face, Lai Shuanzi hurriedly spoke up.

“That marriage of yours with Lin Qingshi—it’s a marriage of convenience, right? Now that half the Lin family’s behind bars, don’t you have any… thoughts?”

“Thoughts?” Sheng Lian arched an eyebrow, amused. “What kind of thoughts should I have?”

The Lin family’s dirty laundry wasn’t hard to uncover. Lin Qingshi had never bothered to sugarcoat it, but he’d long since cut them off, so it hadn’t affected the Lin Corporation.

But why was Lai Shuanzi looking into this?

Confirming that Sheng Lian wasn’t averse to the topic, Lai Shuanzi grew excited. “Anyway, President Sheng, you’ve already climbed up using the Lin family’s name. As for Lin Qingshi… well, I could handle him for you. In the village, ‘mishaps’ occur all the time—falling into a ditch, whatever. President Sheng’s too soft, what with the whole *‘a day as husband, a hundred days of grace’* thing. I get it, I get it. I’ll handle it, just need a little money… heh.”

“This way, you can devour the Lin empire *and* get rid of him. After that, what beautiful woman *couldn’t* you have? No need to be tied to such a disgusting man anymore—*Gack*!”

Sheng Lian yanked back his fist, pulled out Lin Qingshi’s handkerchief to wipe his hand, then burned it with a lighter, his face full of disgust.

He’d buy Lin Qingshi a dozen replacements later.

“Cough… *pfft*… *cough*…”

The muscles on Sheng Lian weren’t just for show. A beanpole like Lai Shuanzi, after taking that punch, couldn’t even speak, only letting out weak groans as he writhed on the ground like a maggot, his ugly face twisting even more hideously.

Disgusted, Sheng Lian looked away, his expression darkening completely. He smirked coldly, channeling Lin Qingshi’s icy poise perfectly.

“You’re right. ‘Accidents’ in the village are perfectly normal.”

Petrified, Lai Shuanzi scrambled to escape on all fours.

Sheng Lian couldn’t care less to pursue.

Beating someone up was one thing, but actual murder was illegal—he wasn’t stupid.

Only an idiot like Lai Shuanzi would think faking an “accident” would fool anyone. With all the investigative methods nowadays, how could he possibly get away with it?

After finishing the errand of returning the vehicle, Sheng Lian finally had time to get to the bottom of the matter.

*

*“He and Lin Qingshi actually have a bad relationship.”*

This was already the *second* time someone had thought that.

And for someone like Lai Shuanzi to actually look into the Lin family’s current state?

Something wasn’t right.

He immediately contacted Sheng Corporation’s PR department and discovered that rumors *had* indeed been spreading online recently!

But ever since Lin Qingshi got pregnant, Sheng Lian had paid little attention to such things, and the PR department wasn’t exactly a gossip hub, so they hadn’t noticed people spreading rumors about their boss’s marriage.

The private affairs of the wealthy were always the juiciest gossip.

Especially when both parties were exceptionally good-looking. Their wedding had been a grand spectacle, and their wedding photos—featuring two strikingly well-matched faces—had sparked a brief wave of “shipper craze.” But Lin Qingshi wasn’t one for the spotlight, so the buzz had faded quickly.

Now, with split rumors, those old wedding photos resurfaced, reigniting public interest and nostalgia.

After achieving success, Sheng Lian had loved the limelight. He wasn’t the type to keep things low-key, frequently appearing in interviews and features. With a little marketing… titles like “Handsome Entrepreneur, Self-Made Tycoon” might’ve been cheesy, but netizens ate it up.

He’d flashed it so hard it went viral.

Of course, it was also one of his strategies to boost the company’s visibility.

With a face like his, why *not* put it to use?

—The PR team had side-eyed him hard when he’d said that.

Now, the rumors of his “failing marriage” were spreading like wildfire, fueled by his own fame.

Sheng Lian’s face turned livid.

He slammed his phone down with a curse—the screen still displayed the PR department’s response, highlighting a few high-traffic posts.

The posts were detailed and convincing, claiming the marriage had been fake from the start—a business arrangement, a contract, an inevitable divorce. Some even swore the two couldn’t stand each other, as if they’d been hiding under the couple’s bed.

…And the worst part? They’d been *right*!

Well, *partially*. The information was outdated—he and Lin Qingshi were happily married now—but Sheng Lian was still furious.

The *audacity* of these people to jinx his marriage like this!

They’d be together for a hundred years! Divorce? What divorce?! And all these blind netizens agreeing with the rumors?! Were they *paid* trolls?! How could anyone look at them and see *“disgust”* when their relationship was so good?!

Sheng Lian gritted his teeth.

Over the years, as he climbed up, he inevitably stepped on quite a few people. There’s only so much to go around, and even though he always adhered to the principle of harmony bringing wealth, it was unavoidable to offend some along the way.

But such gossip wouldn’t actually affect the Sheng or Lin families—was this just to mess with them?

"Squash all these rumors... Actually, never mind. Don’t bother with that. Just find out who the despicable person behind this is and smoke them out for me!"

Mr. Sheng might be taking his Lunar New Year break, but technically, the holiday hadn’t begun yet—the PR department was still working.

After a moment’s thought, he added, "Figure it out as soon as possible, and once you do, you can all take a paid leave."

The team’s morale instantly shot up.

After hanging up, Sheng Lian finally pushed open the door to his home.

Lin Qingshi was sitting in the small courtyard, reading a book.

Hearing the noise, he lifted his eyelids lazily and asked, "Solved?"

Mr. Lin wasn’t interested in the details—only the result.

Sheng Lian immediately reported, "Yeah, no need to stress over it. He won’t show up again."

He didn’t want Lin Qingshi, already dealing with pregnancy, to be troubled by such baseless rumors.

If Qing Shi found out people were spreading false information dragging their relationship through the mud, he’d definitely be upset—and getting worked up wouldn’t do him any good.

Their start may have been rocky, but everything was moving in a positive direction now. He could handle this mess himself; no reason for Lin Qingshi to get his hands dirty.

...Speaking of beginnings.

Sheng Lian’s steps toward Lin Qingshi paused, and a hint of frustration crossed his face.

—How could he have forgotten this?!

There had been no confession, no dating, no proposal between him and Lin Qingshi—just a flashy but empty wedding, entirely orchestrated by a wedding planner.

In that case...

Sheng Lian had a sudden brainstorm.

They had to make up for it! They absolutely had to!

Once Lin Qingshi safely gave birth, they’d make up for all those skipped steps!

Lin Qingshi gave him a strange look as Sheng Lian was practically radiating hearts, then shook his own and ignored him, returning to his book.

Coming back to reality, Sheng Lian refocused.

But before that, he still had to set the record straight online.

Sheng Lian couldn’t care less what people thought.

But he *did* love to flaunt things—he wanted everyone to know that he, Sheng Lian, and Lin Qingshi were head over heels, not splitting up, no way. And as for anyone still making eyes at Lin Qingshi? Dream on!

Sheng Lian stroked his chin thoughtfully.