Chapter Ten: The Loophole in the Contract

They were in the midst of an animated conversation when a sudden series of knocks sounded at the door. A delicate, sweet woman's voice came from outside.

"Ming, are you in there? I have an urgent document that needs your signature."

The visitor was Li Rou, Shu Yiming's secretary—a classic beauty, and notably clingy. She was competent in her work and seemed trustworthy; in his previous life, Shu Yiming had relied on her heavily. Little did he know that this woman, whom he had treated with such special consideration, would one day steal commercial secrets, fabricate an assault accusation, and bring ruin to his reputation. The company lost tens of millions because of her, nearly bleeding half to death.

It was only later that Shu Yiming realized it had all been a carefully laid trap; this woman was a time-bomb planted by that old man by his side.

Li Rou, getting no response, called again, "Ming, may I come in?"

Upon hearing her voice, Shu Jinghan immediately grew displeased. She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Brother, that woman is up to no good. Anyone can see she's putting on an act!"

In his past life, whenever Shu Jinghan spoke like this, Shu Yiming would scold her, defending Li Rou and thinking his sister immature.

Looking back now, he realized how much he’d wronged Shu Jinghan then.

"Jinghan, you were right. She really isn't a good person. I’ll be careful, but now isn’t the time to expose her. I still have use for her. You see things clearly," Shu Yiming said gently, ruffling her hair before going to open the door.

Li Rou's expression faltered when she saw Shu Jinghan, but when she looked at Shu Yiming, her gaze could melt water, soft and gentle, "Ming, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know Jinghan was here. Did I disturb you? I'll come back later."

She feigned turning to leave.

Normally, Shu Yiming would have immediately called her back.

But this time, he remained silent and instead said, "Good that you know. From now on, if you see Jinghan here, be polite. Without my permission, do not disturb us."

Li Rou stiffened, unsure whether to stay or go. After a moment’s awkwardness, she held up the document, looking aggrieved. "Ming, I forgot, the document isn’t signed yet. I’ll be more careful next time."

"Li Rou, from now on, let Jinghan review documents first. She’ll eventually join the company, and her word is as good as mine. Only bring them to me after she approves."

Shu Yiming knew his sister possessed extraordinary talent. In his previous life, he was swayed by others, preventing Jinghan from being involved in company affairs, which led to his isolation and lack of capable allies.

Now, it was time to begin laying his plans, ensuring the past would never repeat itself.

Li Rou was taken aback, at a loss for what to do. She’d often spoken ill of Shu Jinghan behind her back, and Jinghan had long disliked her. How could she work under her supervision?

Li Rou quickly shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears as she took two steps closer, tugging at Shu Yiming’s sleeve, pleading, "Ming, Jinghan is still young. She should be focusing on her studies, not business matters. Why not let me shoulder some of the burden for you?"

A clever move—exactly how she’d convinced him in the past. He’d let her handle documents, resulting in leaked secrets and sabotaged contracts.

But Shu Yiming’s mind turned, and he smiled, "Very well!"

As it happened, there was a major contract coming up in a few days—the very one that had cost him dearly last time, turning him into a laughingstock. He’d been wracking his brain for a solution, and now someone had delivered herself to his door.

Previously, Li Rou’s rise to power came after this event. Now, things were happening ahead of schedule—a perfect opportunity to remove her. Besides, there was an important banquet tonight, and for the time being, she was still of some use.

"Really? That’s wonderful, Ming! I knew you were always best to me," Li Rou squealed, clinging to his arm.

In his past life, this would have worked every time—he found a sense of accomplishment in Li Rou’s adoration. For men, sometimes even a little validation can be intoxicating.

But now Shu Yiming understood: this so-called sense of accomplishment was an addiction that did more harm than good, draining affection and life itself. A real man needed no false flattery. The broader the heart, the broader the world.

…

That evening, the banquet was crowded—guests young and old, all either wealthy or powerful. The women were, without exception, beautiful, youthful, and captivating.

In his past life, Shu Yiming had never discovered whose orders Li Rou followed. Tonight, he found his answer.

Entering the venue, he noticed Li Rou’s gaze repeatedly drifting toward a man.

That man was none other than Wan Chaoyang, Shu Yiming’s cousin—his aunt’s son.

There was a history between Shu Yiming and Wan Chaoyang, an old grudge.

As a child, Shu Yiming was famously handsome and adored by all. In contrast, Wan Chaoyang was scrawny, sallow, and shifty-eyed. Side by side, they were a study in contrasts—so much so that their playmates jokingly called them Black and White Impermanence.

Because of his looks, the narrow-minded Wan Chaoyang had resented Shu Yiming since childhood, disdaining everything he did and bullying him whenever the chance arose. Whenever they met, within minutes Wan Chaoyang would find an excuse to rough him up.

Shu Yiming was kind-hearted and never bore grudges. Even after being bullied, he never told the adults.

Only once did things come to light—when Wan Chaoyang was caught beating Shu Yiming by the old matriarch herself. Furious, she checked the surveillance footage and discovered Wan Chaoyang beat him every three days, gave him a real thrashing every week.

It turned out all the bruises Shu Yiming bore were from Wan Chaoyang, not from accidents as he claimed.

That incident caused an uproar in the Shu family.

Wan Chaoyang and his mother—Shu Yiming’s aunt—had been staying with the family after her divorce left them nowhere else to go. They’d lived there for over half a year. After this event, not only was Wan Chaoyang severely punished, but his mother was also scolded, and in the end, the old matriarch expelled them both from the house…