Chapter 693

Xu Yaqiu clung to Lin Dongfan's leg like a boneless snake, a rich perfume mingling with a reckless, all‑in‑for‑the‑kill allure that washed over him.

Her eyes, once brimming with arrogant fervor, now held only a reckless, all‑or‑nothing temptation and a barely perceptible plea.

Lin Dongfan's body tensed instantly, not from desire but from an instinctive repulsion.

He didn't even furrow his brow; with two fingers he seized Xu Yaqiu's wrist that was locked around his neck, as if picking up something filthy, precise and firm.

With a slight effort, he detached her arm from himself.

The motion was clean and decisive, leaving no ambiguity.

"Xu Yaqiu." Lin Dongfan's voice was cold as ice, with a clear sense of boundary: "Please respect yourself, and also respect me. I want the client list, not you. If you think this way can seal the deal, then we can end the conversation now."

He stood up, looking down at Xu Yaqiu whose face flushed red then white from the rejection, his eyes holding no contempt, only a calm assessment of an unqualified partner.

"I've given you the chance—how you choose is up to you." Lin Dongfan smoothed the wrinkles she'd made in his collar, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Get the list and hand it to me, and I'll guarantee you a worry‑free life for the rest of your days; Li Hengbo won't be able to touch you. If you can't get it, or if you still want to play other tricks, then you're on your own."

Refusing the taxi, Master Fan never hesitated even a bit.

Such a refusal is stronger than any threat.

Lin Dongfan lacks neither women nor someone like Xu Yaqiu, who brings trouble and calculation; what he wants is a knife that can precisely stab Li Hengbo in the heart.

Xu Yaqiu froze in place, her face burning, more humiliating than when Li Hengbo had publicly discarded her at the 4S shop earlier.

Lin Dongfan's calm and refusal were like a bucket of ice water, completely shocking her awake.

She realized that before this man, her usual tricks—those that always worked against Li Hengbo and his ilk—were utterly useless.

Shame, anger, and a hint of panic at being seen through intertwined in her heart.

But in the end, the desire to survive overwhelmed everything.

"I understand…" Xu Yaqiu lowered her head, her voice dry and resigned: "The group's client list… I'll find a way to get it. Please rest assured, President Lin."

She no longer called him "Brother Fan", reverted to a formal address, and saw her position clearly—a passive pawn, a pawn that must prove its worth.

"Very well." Lin Dongfan nodded satisfactorily: "I'll wait for your good news. Remember, act quickly. My patience, like Li Hengbo's moves, waits for no one."

Having said that, Lin Dongfan lingered no longer and left the private room straight away.

Left alone, Xu Yaqiu faced the cold coffee and an even colder future, beginning to frantically plot how to steal the chip that could buy her a new life.

……

Meanwhile, far away in Wu Zhou.

Li Hengbo did not, as outsiders guessed, immediately move into the Li family mansion.

He knew Li Zhenyang's old‑school caution and suspicion, and understood that while Second Miss Li Shuting liked him, she was far from a lovesick simpleton.

He chose a five‑star hotel not too far from the Li residence and kept a very low profile.

He didn't rush to visit Li Zhenyang; instead, he first sent Second Miss Li Shuting a sincere "letter of defection"—a meticulously drafted divorce settlement and asset‑division agreement.

First, to prove his resolve to divorce Xu Yaqiu.

Second, to demonstrate his ability to keep his personal assets from being divided.

Having done all that,

he then arranged to meet Li Shuting.

The venue was a private gallery in Wu Zhou full of artistic flair.

Li Hengbo deliberately dressed up today, shedding his usual nouveau‑riche aura for a well‑tailored dark casual suit; though leaning on a cane, he strove to keep his back straight, appearing steady and restrained.

He arrived half an hour early, carefully studying the paintings on the wall as if he were a genuine art lover.

When Li Shuting appeared in an elegant, revised cheongsam, Li Hengbo immediately went to greet her, his face showing a just‑right mix of admiration and a hint of vulnerability.

"Shuting, you've come." His voice was gentle, tinged with the weariness of having weathered many storms: "Thank you for agreeing to see me."

Li Shuting sized him up, her gaze clear and calm.

She had certainly heard of the scandal at the Jingcheng 4S shop and the reasons behind Li Hengbo's lightning‑quick divorce; she admired his ability and ruthlessness, yet she remained wary of his unscrupulous methods.

"Li Brother, are you all right?" Li Shuting asked with concern but a hint of distance: "I've heard a bit about what happened in Jingcheng."

Li Hengbo gave a bitter smile and shook his head, his acting worthy of a movie emperor: "You've seen the joke. That woman Xu Yaqiu… sigh, hard to put into words. These years I've really been blind."

He timely displayed pain and regret, shaping the image of a man burdened by marriage, enduring humiliation, into a poignant, fully realized tragic figure.

"It's all in the past." Li Shuting said lightly, without further comment.

"Yes, it's all in the past." Li Hengbo drew a deep breath, his eyes turning firm and deep as he looked at Li Shuting: "Shuting, I came to Wu Zhou this time not just to relax, but also to… start anew, to be able to get closer to you."

He didn't confess outright, but the implication in his words was already clear enough.

He fashioned himself into someone who had reformed, broken free of his shackles, and come to pursue true love.

Li Shuting listened without changing expression, her mind already making calculations.

Li Hengbo's wealth and ability were indeed useful to the Wu Zhou Li family and to her father Li Zhenyang's next strategic layout.

As for feelings…

She, Li Shuting, is no fool like Xu Yaqiu.

"Thinking that way, Li Brother, is a good thing." Li Shuting gave a small smile, neither taking up the topic nor refusing: "Wu Zhou may not match Jingcheng's prosperity, but it has its own charm. Since you're here, just relax. As for my father… I'll find a chance to mention your situation to him."

That's enough!

Li Hengbo's heart leapt with joy; that "bring it up" was exactly what he wanted. As long as Li Zhenyang doesn't clearly object, he has a chance to inch his way toward the center of power.

"Thank you, Shuting." Li Hengbo said gratefully, his eyes "sincere" to the utmost: "With those words from you, I can rest easy."

The two walked and talked in the gallery, the atmosphere appearing harmonious.

Li Hengbo strove to display his knowledge and "taste," occasionally revealing just the right amount of admiration for Li Shuting.

Li Shuting, meanwhile, kept an elegant smile, occasionally responding with a few sentences, keeping the initiative firmly in her hands.

A new alliance based on mutual benefit and exploitation quietly began to take shape beneath the seemingly calm surface of Wu Zhou.

Jingcheng and Wu Zhou—two fronts have now been drawn.

Lin Dongfan, in Jingcheng, holds Xu Yaqiu—the soon‑to‑be‑unsheathed "dark blade"—calmly laying his plans, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the Rebirth Consortium.

Li Hengbo in Wu Zhou, bowing and scraping, tried to rely on the Li family's power to stage a comeback and retrieve the defeat.

And the two women at the storm's center——Chu Lingxi, under her husband's protection, gradually healed her wounds, while Xu Yaqiu struggled to survive in despair, preparing to offer a traitor's "letter of allegiance".

On the chessboard, smoke of war rises again.

Every step from now on will be even more thrilling and terrifying.

Lin Dongfan's "devouring" plan and Li Hengbo's "reliance" for survival clash head‑on; ultimately who will win the deer is uncertain, and Lin Dongfan himself has no full confidence.