For four years of marriage, Cui Linzhi had doted on Lin Xiuyan, cherishing her immensely.
He had never laid a hand on her, nor had he ever raised his voice to scold her.
After all, Lin Xiuyan was young and beautiful, highly educated and capable in her work. She was dignified, virtuous, and graceful in public, and alluring and clingy in private.
She had never complained about him, even though the age gap meant she couldn't experience true pleasure and even having a child was a distant dream.
She had never harbored any inappropriate thoughts about the young, strong men outside.
Such a delicate wife—
How could Cui Linzhi not love her, not cherish and spoil her even more?
He would have been terrified of dropping her if he held her, and afraid of her melting if he held her in his mouth.
But now—
The slap Cui Linzhi delivered without a word was almost with his full strength!
With a crisp crack, Lin Xiuyan staggered back from the blow, her body slamming into the cabinet behind the door with a thud.
She raised her hand to cover her face, her expression one of utter disbelief, as if she had seen a ghost.
"Xiuyan, do you know why I hit you?"
Seeing his delicate wife stunned by the blow, Cui Linzhi felt a pang of guilt.
But he knew better; he had done nothing wrong.
He had to do this!
"Why... why did you hit me?"
After a long moment, Lin Xiuyan finally came to her senses and stammered the question.
"Who gave you the audacity—"
Cui Linzhi stepped forward, staring intently at Lin Xiuyan: "To dare wipe your hands with a handkerchief after shaking hands with the Young Madam of Longxu! And to throw away the handkerchief you used?"
"Just... just for that, you hit me?"
Lin Xiuyan widened her naturally alluring eyes and asked again, her voice trembling.
Even after being slapped, she still hadn't realized the fatal nature of her mistake!
This only fueled Cui Linzhi's anger, and he once again raised his right hand.
Lin Xiuyan flinched, her eyes squeezed shut in fear.
Cui Linzhi's right hand, about to descend, slowly retracted.
He couldn't bear to strike his delicate wife's flawless, porcelain-like face again.
Sigh.
Cui Linzhi let out a heavy sigh, walked to the sofa, sat down, and lit a cigarette. "Xiuyan, listen. Don't interrupt me while I'm speaking. After I'm done, you can ask me anything you're unhappy about or don't understand."
"Okay, go ahead."
Lin Xiuyan, her left cheek beginning to swell and redden, spoke softly, her gaze towards her husband turning cold as she opened her eyes.
Amidst the swirling smoke—
"Do you know why you had to marry me four years ago?"
"Because as early as four years ago, I knew I would soon be taking up residence in Qingwa Architecture."
"Or rather, it was destined for me to lead Qingwa Architecture four, or even more, years ago."
"Your marriage to me was a great boon to the Lin family."
"But if you hadn't married me, the Lin family would have gradually declined within three to five years!"
"Because the economic lifelines of the ten major conglomerates of Hancheng are all controlled by the Moses family."
"In a country where capital reigns supreme, candidates supported by the masses are carefully packaged, showing them only their competent side."
"Similarly, once I lose my value to capital, all my flaws, even if I were a perfect person with no faults, would be fabricated, magnified by capital, and presented to the public. This would cause the masses to grow disgusted with me, lose support, and eventually force me to leave Qingwa Architecture."
"After I leave Qingwa Architecture, I will be attacked by my opponents, who will not rest until I am completely defeated."
"Therefore, since the founding of Qingwa Architecture, no leader has had a good end; they either face investigation and imprisonment or ruin and disgrace."
"This phenomenon is the manipulation of capital behind the scenes."
"Only in this way can capital reap the greatest benefits."
"Many past leaders have tried to break free from capital's grasp."
"But their fates were tragic."
"Hancheng has long been firmly controlled by capital!"
"And this capital is the Moses family, residing far away in Europe."
"To borrow an old saying from the East, if the Moses family wants me dead by midnight, I won't live past dawn!"
"The Moses family is our heaven, our true God."
"But do you know?"
Cui Linzhi looked at Lin Xiuyan, who was still leaning against the cabinet, then slowly walked over, gently caressing her face, his eyes full of concern.
He continued—
"Our God, as mighty as he is, dares not offend Longxu!"
"It was at the end of the Blackwater Forest incident, not so long ago?"
"The Young Master of Longxu, Li Qianfan, dared to bring his men to the Moses family's territory and, in an extremely brutal manner, killed one of the twelve personal guards of the Great Patriarch of the Moses family."
"And that guard was someone I could barely get an audience with even after multiple requests."
"Yet such a formidable individual was treated as a chicken being slaughtered to warn monkeys by the Young Master of Longxu, killed without reason!"
"Upon hearing the news, the Great Patriarch of the Moses family not only did not retaliate against Li Qianfan, but he also gave him the most magnificent reception when Li Qianfan paid a visit."
Cui Linzhi hesitated, then added, "I even heard that the wife of the Great Patriarch of the Moses family wanted to offer herself to him, but he refused."
Lin Xiuyan's eyes widened with even greater disbelief.
Having lived in Europe for so many years, she knew that the Great Patriarch of the Moses family was practically God.
What's more, after settling into Qingwa Architecture, she had the good fortune to meet the wife of the Great Patriarch, Lin Yun'er, at a banquet.
That woman, whose figure and appearance were no less than her own, left the deepest impression on Lin Xiuyan.
At the time, she had desperately wanted to have a drink with Lin Yun'er and exchange a few words, but she knew she wasn't qualified!
Yet Lin Yun'er could never have dreamed—
That a woman of such noble status would be refused when she actively offered herself to the Young Master of Longxu.
What did this prove?
It could only prove how arrogant and terrifying Longxu was, making even the Moses family immensely wary!
Lin Xiuyan refused to believe it—
Even though she firmly believed her husband would never lie to her, she stubbornly chose not to believe him.
It was her ingrained sense of superiority that always made her think: "These Easterners, poor, backward, ignorant, and foolish, even if they created Longxu, they are still just nouveau riche whose success will be short-lived. How could they possibly compare to noble, old aristocratic families like the Moses family?"
However.
Lin Xiuyan did not want her husband to know her thoughts and worry about her further.
So she feigned shock and fear.
And successfully deceived Cui Linzhi.
"What would happen if Su Ziyu saw you wipe your hands with a handkerchief tonight?"
Cui Linzhi said, "She would only realize that this is your greatest insult to the entire Longxu! The Lord of Longxu, upon learning of this, would not deign to deal with you or me directly. Because in the eyes of the Lord of Longxu, we are insignificant individuals who can be discarded. They would only seek out the Moses family to demand an explanation."
Lin Xiuyan nodded subconsciously.
"To appease Longxu's wrath, the Moses family would only vent their anger on us."
Cui Linzhi shuddered at this point: "More importantly, the four major powers, including the Moses family, would never allow their subordinate factions to dare provoke any core member of any of the four major powers! Your foolish act of humiliating the Young Madam of Longxu tonight is tantamount to insulting the Young Madam of the Moses family. The consequences are extremely serious. Once responsibility is pursued, you might be sent to the sacred land of the Moses family."
The sacred land of the Moses family?
What would they do with me if they sent me there?
Lin Xiuyan's face was full of confusion.
Cui Linzhi gave her a simple explanation: "The sacred land of the Moses family is the site where Moses the ancestor lived and ascended to heaven after fleeing the Kingdom of Gold. Sacred sacrifices are held there every year on the birth and death anniversary of Moses the ancestor. And that sacrifice involves using condemned living people to offer to the ancestors!"
Lin Xiuyan finally understood.
Her face turned deathly pale.
Cui Linzhi gently stroked her hair, his gaze soft.
His voice was gentle: "Xiuyan, you must remember this firmly. You are indeed the most dazzling hostess in Hancheng. But people like Su Ziyu are far beyond your ability to provoke. If you anger her, not only might you be used as a sacrifice! Even the entire Lin family will decline in the shortest possible time. Fortunately, Su Ziyu did not notice your actions."
"Stop talking! I know I was wrong, and I will never make the same mistake again."
Lin Xiuyan dared not listen further, and hurriedly raised her hand to cover his mouth.
Then she walked over and sat on the low cabinet.
Her left foot, clad in a stiletto heel, rested gracefully on Cui Linzhi's shoulder, her eyes like water.
She needed an action to make Cui Linzhi deeply feel her repentance.
A few minutes later.
When Cui Linzhi, his face filled with happiness, closed his eyes and stopped moving, Lin Xiuyan, who was still prostrate on the low cabinet, bit her lip fiercely.
In her heart, she cursed venomously: "Damn Eastern bumpkin! Even if you can control my life and death, I still look down on you! I will definitely return the slap I took tonight! Don't forget this is Hancheng, my home ground! Su Ziyu, you just wait. Even if I don't get a chance to do anything to you, I will settle this score with your countrymen!"