The household staff stood in a row.
Du Ruo sat alone on the sofa in the living room. She raised her eyes, saw Du Li return, and suddenly stood up.
Du Li smiled faintly. "Sis..."
Du Ruo walked toward him expressionlessly.
She wore a perfectly tailored suit, draped a camel-colored trench coat over her shoulders, her every move exuding decisiveness.
Without giving Du Li a chance to speak, she raised her hand and slapped him across the face, hard and mercilessly!
Du Li staggered backward from the blow!
He clutched his face, gazing at Du Ruo in disbelief. From childhood until now, he dared to defy everyone—except Du Ruo!
Perhaps, this was the suppression of blood relations.
Du Ruo possessed an authority over Du Li that no one could ever challenge.
Feeling aggrieved, Du Li cried out, "Sis! What are you doing?!"
Du Ruo lowered her brows, and though her makeup was immaculate, it failed to conceal her fury and irritation.
She took another step closer and slapped him again with a resounding "smack!"
Du Li, humiliated and angry, roared, "Why are you hitting me? What did I do wrong?"
Du Ruo demanded harshly, "Let me ask you—who did you meet with today?"
Du Li’s heart sank as he responded weakly, "You already know?"
Du Ruo snapped angrily, "Why did you go to Huace?"
Du Li replied, "I..."
Du Ruo interrupted, "Huo Tingdong already told me everything! You went there because of the Lin Family, didn’t you?"
Du Li responded, "I thought... Huo Tingdong was being too harsh! It’s only been two days, and Huace has already pushed the Lin Family to the brink! Sis, Qianqian is my girlfriend; I’m going to marry her! She begged me for help, and I couldn’t turn her down!"
Du Ruo said, "I don’t care who you’re doing this for—whether your conscience got the better of you or if you’ve just lost your mind. Your actions are idiotic. But don’t you dare drag the Du Family into this mess! Haven’t I warned you? Of all people, do not cross Huo Tingdong! Did you treat my warning like empty words?"
Feeling wronged, Du Li muttered irritably, "What’s so great about Huo Tingdong? I’m not afraid of him!"
Du Ruo heard this and laughed bitterly with rage. "You’re not afraid of him? You’re not afraid because you’re ignorant! Since we’re already talking, fine, I’ll make it clear for you. Among the elites of Beijing, the Huo Family reigns supreme. The Huo Family owes everything they have today to Huo Tingdong. He is the central figure of the Huo Family. Since taking over Huace, Huo Tingdong has expanded its operations worldwide! Let me tell you this—Huace controls the economic lifeline of Asia-Pacific. If Huo Tingdong were to pull out his investments from Asia-Pacific, the region’s economy would regress by ten years. That’s how it appears on the surface, but behind the scenes? The network of connections Huo Tingdong wields is beyond your imagination! You’ve seen it yourself—the Lin Family, even in Beijing, has some influence. But in Huo Tingdong’s hands? What happened?"
Du Ruo paused and then coldly continued, "On the first day, their stocks hit the limit-down; on the second day, the Tax Bureau was already at the Lin Family’s offices conducting audits. Tomorrow, the Lin Family will be delisted! You—what can you use to save them? Don’t ruin the Du Family over a woman! If you dare provoke Huo Tingdong again, then get out of this house!"
Du Li stood in stunned silence, jaw agape.
Du Ruo continued, "I received a call from Huace—Huo Tingdong’s assistant called me and said you went to Huace over the Lin Family’s affairs. I knew immediately—you must’ve gone there because of that woman!"
She turned around and said coldly, "Break up with her immediately. Stop seeing that woman! The Lin Family is finished. I don’t care what the Lin Family has done, but if you align yourself with them, you’re standing on Huace’s opposing side! Now, everyone is desperate to dissociate themselves from the Lin Family, avoiding even the slightest connection. Yet here you are, doing the opposite!"
Du Li shouted back at her, "I won’t!"
Du Ruo turned around, eyeing him suspiciously, "What did you say?"
Du Li replied, "Why should I break up with her just because you say so? I want her! I want to marry her!"
Du Ruo snapped, "What’s so good about a woman like her? Are you really this blinded?"
Du Li questioned, "Why do you hate Qianqian so much? She’s never done anything to provoke you!"
Du Ruo answered, "You don’t know how terrible her reputation is! For years, the Lin Family has struggled with a major deficit problem. On the surface, they look prosperous, but they’ve been rotten to the core for ages! Do you really think she loves you? She’s only interested in you because you’re the third son of the Du Family! What she loves is your family background—not you!"
Du Li scoffed in defiance. He’d never dared to challenge Du Ruo before. But now, with Du Ruo forcing him to break up, he wouldn’t back down. "You have no right to judge her! You claim her reputation is bad, but don’t think I’m unaware—you’re no saint either! Aren’t you keeping a young man too? There’s talk all over that you’ve been supporting some male celebrity, showering him with all sorts of resources to make him famous! I admit I used to fool around, but this girlfriend—I’m serious about her. I see marriage in our future! What gives you the right to force me to break up? I’ve never meddled in your affairs; don’t think just because you’re my big sister, you can control me. Even Mom doesn’t try to control me !"
Du Ruo’s face darkened. "What did you just say?"
Du Li warily took half a step back. "What, did I strike a nerve? You toy with young men while I have a serious relationship, and you think you can boss me around? I love Qianqian—she’s my everything! Now that the Lin Family is in trouble, I can’t turn my back on her! If you still consider me your brother, help the Lin Family! If not, I won’t acknowledge you as my sister anymore!"
Du Ruo raised her hand, about to slap him again.
Du Li blocked her hand. "Try hitting me again! You think I don’t have a temper?"
Du Ruo said, "If you’re willing to deny me as your sister for that woman, fine—I’ll pretend I don’t have you as a brother either!"
She turned and started up the stairs.
Du Li shouted angrily at her, "You’re not even my biological sister to begin with!"
Du Ruo paused but didn’t linger; she ascended the stairs briskly.
Huo Tingdong returned home.
Lin Qi walked out of the room. "You’re back?"
Huo Tingdong removed his coat, and the housekeeper took it from him and asked, "Sir, have you had dinner?"
Huo Tingdong replied, "I’ve eaten."
Lin Qi approached him, slightly concerned. "Why so late?"
Huo Tingdong said, "Something came up. Oh—your mother’s ashes have been properly taken care of, and the burial date has been set. It’ll be the day after tomorrow."
Lin Qi heard this and dazed for a moment, "Alright..."
Although her mother had passed away many years ago, the thought of having visited an empty grave for so long—of her mother not having been truly laid to rest—only deepened her resentment toward Lin Cheng.
Huo Tingdong saw through her sorrow and gently embraced her. "Don’t be sad. Although the urn was badly damaged, at least your mother’s remains were preserved intact. As for the Lin Family—they’ll be delisted tomorrow. Lin Cheng and Zhou Qin are looking at prison terms of at least ten years; there’s no avoiding it."