Many children, many blessings; a stunningly beautiful wife is given to you right from the start.

evening.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast a melancholy golden hue over Tingliu Pavilion.

Liu Yiyi is back.

Her footsteps were very light, as light as a drifting leaf, making no sound at all.

Pushing open the door to her boudoir, a faint whiff of masculine scent mingled with her familiar, delicate fragrance of orchids lingered around her nose.

Her gaze fell on the soft couch.

Lin Mo was lying there, sleeping soundly and peacefully.

In the past, she might have walked over with a charming smile, gently tickled his nose with her fingertips, or blew a warm breath into his ear, watching his embarrassed yet adorable expression when he woke up.

But right now, Liu Yiyi has no mood for playing around at all.

She quietly slipped out, instructed the maid to prepare dinner, and then sat listlessly at the table.

The food was served quickly, exquisite and delicious, but she had no appetite.

She simply sat on the cold pearwood chair and took a letter out of her bosom.

The Liu family's reply.

The letter paper is of excellent quality; it is the top-grade Chengxintang paper from the "Wenmozhai" in Beijing, and it feels warm and smooth to the touch.

But holding it between my fingers now, it felt even more piercing than the wind and snow of the North.

When she left the Chen residence today, her mind was still filled with grand plans to build a business empire.

When the housekeeper handed her the letter, she thought it was her father's agreement to grant her the salt permit.

However, when she unfolded the letter with anticipation, the familiar handwriting on it felt like a knife, piercing her heart.

"Don't mention the salt permit matter again."

"You have no further connection with the Liu family."

"Take care of yourself and don't write to me again."

"The Liu family."

There was no title, no signature, only the cold, hard words "Liu Family".

Liu Yiyi looked at the paper; every word on it was her father's handwriting.

When put together, the combination felt so unfamiliar that it terrified her, and so cruel that it chilled her to the bone.

It turns out... it was all fake.

She finally understood.

What? "As long as you marry into the Zhenguo General's Mansion, I will grant you one wish."

It was nothing more than bait to lure her into becoming a pawn on the chessboard.

From childhood to adulthood, she was always more intelligent than her older brothers.

A child can recognize a thousand characters at three years old, calculate a family's monthly revenue at seven, and offer unique insights into the family business at ten.

But each time, her father and brothers would just smile and pat her head.

"Our Yiyi is so smart, but what's the point of a girl knowing these things?"

"Your task is to grow up to be beautiful and marry into a good family in the future. That will be the greatest contribution you can make to the Liu family."

Then, they used her ideas with a clear conscience to conquer the market, and then turned around to praise themselves for having a good son.

She, however, will always be the one confined to the inner quarters, only responsible for being a beautiful "vase".

She is not reconciled.

She wanted to prove that her intelligence and ambition were far more valuable than her physical appearance.

So when her father proposed that he would grant her one wish if she married into the powerful Zhenguo General's mansion, she took the gamble.

That jade pendant, that promise, was the stake she was betting her entire life on.

She naively believed that it was her father testing her abilities and recognizing her talent.

It turns out... it was all fake.

From beginning to end, it was just a cold, hard transaction.

In the eyes of the Liu family, Liu Yiyi was never a business prodigy, nor was she a blood relative.

She was merely a beautiful, breathing commodity to be traded for greater benefits to the family.

When the Lin family was at its peak, she was a bargaining chip in a marriage alliance.

The Lin family has fallen on hard times, and she is a useless child who must be abandoned immediately.

promise?

Family ties?

It's worthless in the Liu family's enormous business manual.

"Oh……"

A broken, soft laugh escaped from Liu Yiyi's lips, carrying with it endless sorrow.

She smiled, but tears rolled down her cheeks without warning.

One drop, two drops...

Like beads from a broken string, they struck the letter, blurring and distorting the few lines of heartless handwriting, making them appear grotesque and indistinct.

Her business acumen, which she always took pride in, and her boundless ambition.

At this moment, it all became a huge joke.

It turns out that she had never... owned anything.

Just then.

The door to the inner room creaked open.

Lin Mo rubbed his eyes as he came out; he had been woken up by the aroma of the food.

But as soon as he stepped outside, he saw Liu Yiyi sitting at the table, her shoulders trembling violently.

And there was the letter in her hand, soaked with tears.

Lin Mo's sleepiness vanished without a trace.

He walked over and looked at the woman who usually smiled sweetly and flirted with him, but now she was crying like a child abandoned by the whole world.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Mo spoke softly, his voice filled with tenderness.

"Little Ten."

"I……"

Liu Yiyi raised her head, a sad smile on her tear-streaked face.

Am I...useless?

Lin Mo heard this.

no answer.

He simply reached out and snatched the letter from her trembling fingers.

Lin Mo's face remained expressionless as his gaze swept over the few lines of cold words, but a flash of extremely cold anger flickered deep in the depths of his eyes.

That was anger born for her.

"Hiss—rat—"

The crisp sound of paper tearing echoed in the quiet room.

In front of Liu Yiyi, Lin Mo tore the letter, bit by bit, into pieces the size of a fingernail.

Paper scraps fell like snowflakes.

Liu Yiyi was stunned. She stared blankly at Lin Mo, forgetting to cry.

"My wife, it's just trash, why be sad over it?"

Lin Mo's tone was frighteningly calm.

"Shedding tears for someone who isn't worth it is a complete waste of your emotions."

After saying that, Lin Mo took out a stack of things from his pocket and slammed them on the table in front of Liu Yiyi.

The topmost document is a document stamped with the official vermilion seal.

Liu Yiyi's gaze was unconsciously drawn to it.

When she saw the words on the document, her pupils suddenly contracted!

Salt-dried!

"you……"

Liu Yiyi's voice trembled; she thought she was hallucinating from excessive grief.

Lin Mo didn't explain, but simply pushed the salt certificate aside, revealing the second document underneath.

Iron Rod!

Like salt permits, ironware monopolies were tightly controlled by the government and represented endless wealth and power!

Liu Yiyi's breathing almost stopped.

If salt permits are the key to unlocking the door to wealth, then iron permits are the cornerstone for forging barriers of power!

But that's not all.

Lin Mo then pulled out a thick stack of documents from the pile.

Land deeds, house deeds, shop transfer documents...

Each one belongs to Chen Wanjin, the former emperor of the Northern City of Black Wind City.

Salt fields, iron mines, banks, pawnshops, restaurants, cloth shops... it encompasses almost all industries in Black Wind North City.

Liu Yiyi was completely dumbfounded.

My heart pounded wildly in the silent room!

Lin Mo looked at her adorable, slightly dazed expression and finally smiled.

He reached out, gathered all the documents together, and then pushed them in front of Liu Yiyi.

"These are the land deeds and transfer documents for all the properties under Chen Wanjin's name, and he has put his fingerprints on them all."

"From today onwards, all businesses in Blackwind City owned by the Chen family will now belong to the Lin family."

Liu Yiyi's gaze drifted blankly from the salt and iron permits to the land deed, which was as thick as a city wall brick.

She felt like she was listening to gibberish.

One second she was falling into an abyss because she was abandoned by her family and her dreams were shattered.

The next second, Lin Mo brought her a mountain of gold.

"So, my wife."

Lin Mo grinned, revealing a set of white teeth; his smile was both radiant and domineering.

"I'll take care of all of these from now on."

"Do whatever you want."

"Whether you open a money exchange, establish a monopoly, or even try to take over the entire economy of Blackwind City, I will support you."

"I'll help you realize your dream."

He paused, his gaze fixed intently on her, each word clear and distinct.

"If the Liu family won't give you a chance, I will."

"They don't want you, but I do."

boom--!

Liu Yiyi felt as if a dazzling firework had exploded in her world at that moment.

She always thought that marrying into the Lin family was just moving from one cage to another.

She always believed that men only cared about her appearance.

But the man before her saw through all the superficiality and recognized the deep-seated resentment and ambition within her heart.

He gave her what the Liu family couldn't.

He cherished what the Liu family looked down upon.

Tears welled up again.

The next second, Liu Yiyi suddenly threw herself into Lin Mo's arms!

"Hmm!"

Lin Mo felt a sweet fragrance rush into his arms.

Then, two soft lips, tinged with the salty taste of tears, pressed against her lips fiercely and haphazardly.

This kiss was filled with a desperate outpouring of emotions and an intense, overwhelming feeling.

She hugged Lin Mo tightly, using all her strength, as if she wanted to melt herself into his flesh and blood and never be separated again.

"Wife, no... We haven't eaten yet, I'm so hungry I have no strength..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Yiyi, who was in his arms, interrupted him sullenly.

"I don't want to eat."

"I want to eat you..."