Wait, why is this blond guy a lolicon?

"What a joke—! What a joke!"

Lin Qifan screamed hysterically, his eyes red and almost bleeding.

Those eyes were filled with an overwhelming sadness and disbelief.

He just couldn't believe it.

What Song Ruyu just said is true.

If all of this is true.

So what has he been fighting so hard for all these years?

Wouldn't that just become a complete joke?!

What's the difference between him and the clowns on stage who entertain people?

It was all just wishful thinking on his part...

I don't want that kind of thing!

Lin Qifan stared intently at his hands, tears blurring his vision without warning, a heart-wrenching pain shooting through his chest.

He was in so much pain that he could barely breathe.

"I see your Song family is determined to merge with my Lin family!"

Lin Batian, seated at the head of the table, slammed his fist on the table again, his roar echoing throughout the entire reception hall. The fury in his eyes was no less than that of Lin Qifan.

"The Lin family of today is no longer the Lin family of ten years ago!"

And your Song family is no longer the powerful Song family it was ten years ago!

In the elite circles of Beijing

Breaking off an engagement in public is already a great disgrace, let alone when the Lin family has sent out invitations to celebrities from all walks of life and prepared an engagement banquet, only to have someone come knocking on their door to break off the engagement.

If word gets out, where will the Lin family put their face?

Song Ruyu's voice remained cold and calm, without the slightest ripple: "I have never acknowledged this marriage."

"Moreover, the Song family and the Lin family have never exchanged or transferred any benefits because of this so-called marriage agreement."

"This marriage agreement was only a verbal agreement from beginning to end."

"Besides, when the two old men made the agreement, they said that if the younger generation didn't get along or couldn't get along, they would agree to the terms of the agreement."

"This engagement can be called off at any time."

"You, the head of the Lin family, should know more about this than anyone else."

Lin Batian's face turned ashen.

Of course he knew.

The agreement made by my grandfather and the Song family patriarch back then was never a hard and fast one.

It was just a joking verbal promise—if the two younger generations took a liking to each other in the future, they would arrange a marriage between them.

If they don't get along.

That was the end of it; we would not force the issue.

But later...

The grandfathers of both the Lin and Song families passed away one after the other.

The Lin family's strength has risen rapidly, like a rocket.

The Song family, however, gradually declined and went downhill.

They all naturally deduced that, given the current disparity in strength between the two families, the Song family would never take the initiative to annul the engagement; if they were to, it should be the more powerful Lin family that proposed it.

But to their utter surprise, Song Ruyu would personally come to their door.

It wasn't to agree to the engagement, but to break it off!

From a moral standpoint, the Lin family has no right whatsoever.

Jiang Ling, who was standing to the side, was looking around at the beautiful decorations with great interest, thinking: Why don't I hold a grand wedding banquet when I get back?

After all, I've been with my loli wives for so long, but we've never had a proper wedding.

Moreover, he only ever got one marriage certificate with Li Meiyu.

This is not fair to the wives in the family who are already pregnant.

Just then, Lin Qifan suddenly laughed, his laughter both shrill and eerie.

He slowly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Jiang Ling, his teeth almost biting through his lower lip.

Crimson blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, and he squeezed out each word from between his teeth:

"I refuse to accept this! By what right? By what right do you get to take my lover away?"

"In terms of wealth, I'm currently the largest shareholder of the Lin Group; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I'm richer than a country! In terms of personal ability, I'm a quasi-superhuman member who has reached the basic personnel standard of Bureau 749! In terms of looks, you're just a little bit more handsome than me!"

Jiang Ling looked at him speechlessly, then shrugged: "So? What do you want?"

"I challenge you to a duel! We can compete in anything! I'll prove to everyone that I'm stronger than you, and that I'm more worthy of Song Ruyu!"

Lin Qifan let out a hysterical roar.

He then turned to look at Song Ruyu, his eyes filled with a resolute determination.

"I won't give up! Even if you've already had a relationship with him, and even..."

His gaze fell on Song Ruyu's lower abdomen, a hint of sadness flashing across his face.

"Even if you're pregnant with his child, I won't give up!"

Jiang Lingren was stunned. The other person had made it so clear that they didn't like her at all, and even explicitly told her that she was pregnant.

Why is he still sticking on like a piece of dog skin plaster?

Any normal man would mind, right?

Song Ruyu was getting impatient with his persistent and clingy behavior.

She really didn't want to waste any more time on such a trivial matter, so she immediately frowned and spoke in a cold voice:

"I've made myself very clear. I'm here today to annul the engagement."

Lin Qifan, if you're a man, just agree without hesitation.

There was never any emotional foundation between us, especially since I'm already pregnant.

There was no need for this marriage agreement to continue.

"So what?!"

Lin Qifan interrupted Song Ruyu harshly, wiped away the tears mixed with blood from the corners of his eyes, took a deep breath, and his chest heaved violently:

"I want to prove to you that I am no longer the cowardly weak person who could be bullied at will!"

I am very strong now, stronger than anyone else!

Now Jiang Ling understood—Lin Qifan had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which means that people are ultimately trapped by things they couldn't have in their youth.

Just like Elder Jinchi, if he didn't wear this robe, how would the people know that he had severed his worldly ties and dried up the Golden Sea?

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Qifan suddenly took a stance and assumed a standard starting position.

Song Ruyu had practiced martial arts since childhood and recognized him at a glance.

He was using the famous Bajiquan (Eight Extremities Fist).

Moreover, judging from his calm and composed aura, he had clearly cultivated to a high level and was by no means just putting on a show.

"I want to challenge you! I absolutely must challenge you!"

Lin Qifan stared intently at Jiang Ling and roared again:

"I want to prove to everyone that I am more worthy of Song Ruyu than you are!"

Since things had come to this, Jiang Ling was too lazy to waste any more words with him.

He casually assumed a Tai Chi starting stance, his tone flat:

"Alright then, I'll give you a chance to weigh me."

You know Bajiquan, and I happen to know Chen-style Tai Chi. Please teach me!

"Oh!"

Lin Qifan roared and made the first move.

A powerful and unparalleled straight punch aimed directly at Jiang Ling's face.

The fist whistled through the air, carrying the explosive power unique to Bajiquan.

But Jiang Ling simply blocked with one hand.

She lightly slapped him across the cheek with her backhand.

A crisp snap

Lin Qifan was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the wall behind him and becoming embedded in the brickwork.

They couldn't climb out even after half a day.

The guests who had gathered at the entrance to watch the spectacle were all expecting a scene straight out of a movie: "a spectacular showdown between two men vying for the love of their sweethearts."

Unexpectedly, in just one meeting...

Lin Qifan was slapped and sent flying, without even touching the other person's clothes.

Lin Qifan, clutching his aching chest, crawled out of the wall in shock.

He could clearly feel that the other person hadn't used any force at all when they slapped him.

Or rather, that fleeting, light touch.

It was less of a battle.

It's more like having a mosquito buzzing in your ear in the summer, getting annoying.

A slap delivered casually.

"I may not be as strong as you in combat, but my financial resources are definitely greater! What good is just being good at fighting? In this world, it's about connections and strength!"

Lin Qifan staggered forward and slammed all the betrothal documents he had prepared for Song Ruyu—the equity, stock options, and property deeds—onto the table.

He was panting heavily when he said, word by word:

"These things are worth 700 billion, which is the sincerity I can offer to Song Ruyu!"

And you? You have all that brute strength, but what can you actually offer?

"Hmm...a competition of wealth?" Jiang Ling thought for a moment and took out her phone.

Then, after entering a password, a private website was opened.

Then he held the screen up in front of him.

On the screen was a string of zeros that seemed to stretch on forever, and the unit at the end of the numbers was clearly the US dollar.

Lin Qifan: ⚆_⚆

"What...what is this?"

Lin Qifan's voice became hoarse, and all the color drained from his face.

"I am the largest shareholder of Jiutiao Group, the world's largest pharmaceutical conglomerate. The theoretical market value of my shares is over one trillion US dollars."

Jiang Ling put away his phone, then gave Ru Yu a quick, intimate hug, speaking casually:

"Taking out 700 billion US dollars to give to my beautiful wife is no problem at all."

Song Ruyu: (˵＞ㅿ＜˵)♡……

She really can't stand it!

Why do you always have to rub people's kidneys?! You bastard!

Lin Qifan opened his mouth, trying to make one last attempt: "I...I'm still a reserve member of Bureau 749, and I'll be officially enlisted soon after passing the assessment..."

Jiang Ling casually pulled a black leather ID from his pocket and said with a smile:

"What a coincidence, I am a captain-level member of Bureau 749."

"In terms of position, I am your superior."

Lin Qifan: ...

He stood there, mouth agape, but couldn't utter a single word.

The anger, resentment, and obsession that had just been surging within them vanished into a cold, deathly silence.

Everything he was so proud of was utterly incomparable in the eyes of the other party.

The peak he desperately wanted to reach.

They were already standing high above him, casually looking down on him.

His obsession for over a decade, all his youth and passion

In the end, it was just a one-man show of self-inflicted affection.

Lin Qifan's legs went weak, and he knelt heavily on the ground, his hot tears finally flowing uncontrollably.

"Am I ultimately... still a weakling... a coward?"

He muttered to himself, his voice broken and incoherent, as if all his energy had been drained away. His eyes, devoid of any hope for life, were now lifeless.

"What's the point of living for someone like me?!"

To be honest, Jiang Ling didn't dislike him much.

It's simply that he stood too high and was too powerful, while he was trapped in his obsession, which narrowed his path and made him too shallow.

In this life, if you cling to empty obsessions, the easiest thing for you to lose in the end is yourself.

"Don't be discouraged, junior," Jiang Ling patted his shoulder, her tone gentle.

"You've been stuck in your unfulfilled childhood for too long, and you've neglected the fact that you're an adult now."

"In the adult world, you can't go far by clinging to your obsession. You have to find the meaning of your existence, no matter how big or small it may be. A meaningful life and a meaningless life are two completely different things."

Lin Qifan suddenly raised his head and stared at him blankly.

Images from the past decade or so flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.

So, have I been... walking down the path of obsession all along?

Meaning... what is the meaning of my life?

When the surrounding guests saw their young master kneeling on the ground in a daze, they all stepped forward to help him up, but Jiang Ling raised his hand to stop them.

He shook his head slightly, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable weight:

"Never mind, let him think about it for a while."

After all, he's a reserve player for the 749th Infantry. A little guidance is enough; if he can understand, great; if not, so be it.

After saying that, he reached out and put his arm around Song Ruyu's slender waist, then turned and walked towards the door.

No one present dared to intervene. Even Lin Batian, who was filled with rage and desperate for his son, could only clench his fists and grit his teeth.

They watched as the two figures disappeared at the banquet entrance.

Lin Qifan knelt on the cold floor.

He knelt for a very long time before finally supporting himself on the ground and slowly standing up.

"Qifan! Don't worry, even if it costs the entire Lin family, I'll make the Song family and that brat pay the price!"

Lin Batian strode forward, tenderly supporting his swaying son, his voice filled with anger and guilt.

"No, Father," Lin Qifan gently shook his head and slowly closed his eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, the despair and obsession in them had vanished, replaced by an unprecedented sense of calm and peace.

He murmured with a sigh, "He's right, Father, do you know that?"

"I've always lived in the shadow of the past. I can't forget those dark days. I use them as a catalyst for hatred, spurring me on to become stronger, to become a strong person!"

Do I really like Song Ruyu?

"No, actually, I've just been using this as an excuse to cover up the fact that I don't want to face my tragic past."

"Qifan..." Lin Batian opened his mouth, but all his words ultimately turned into a sigh.

"Father." Lin Qifan raised his hand to straighten his disheveled collar. There was a moment of hesitation in his eyes, but it eventually turned into an unwavering light. "I want to go to Bureau 749 and see for myself, to experience the real world of supernatural beings."

"This time, it has nothing to do with Song Ruyu, nor with making the Lin family stronger."

"It was just because of him that I felt a sense of curiosity. I wanted to do something that would truly be meaningful to me."

Lin Batian remained silent for a long time: "Alright... whatever you do, I will respect you. It was because I was incompetent before that you suffered..."

Seven days later, Lin Qifan passed the 749th Bureau's assessment with excellent grades. After being recruited, he volunteered for a mission and was sent by headquarters to the Middle East to become a peacekeeping team member.

After a three-month observation period, headquarters issued a transfer order, allowing him to be transferred away from the harsh environment and war-torn Middle East.

In his reply to headquarters, he wrote only this:

[I have read the transfer order and made up my mind. I have found the meaning of my life in this peacekeeping operation. There are countless people on this land who are suffering from war and plague. Before the war ends and the plague is eradicated, I am willing to dedicate my life to this land, sharing its breath and destiny.]

—Lin Qifan (codename: Mortal)