Reborn a day later, I emptied my enemy's possessions beforehand.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the sunlight slanted in through the car window, casting a dazzling patch of light on the steering wheel.

Zhou Haibing parked the car on the side of the road and took out Li Zhigang's number from the bag of cell phones in the back seat—

He stared at the name, his finger hovering over the screen for a few seconds.

Li Zhigang.

Li Su'e's older brother.

Zhou Haibing took a deep breath and pressed the call button.

The phone rang several times before being answered. A middle-aged man's voice came from the other end, sounding clearly surprised:

"Feed? Zhou Haibing? Why are you calling me?"

Li Zhigang's tone wasn't cold, but it certainly wasn't warm either.

Over the years, he hasn't had much contact with Zhou Haibing. They occasionally make a phone call during holidays, but otherwise they don't have much interaction.

The relationship between two people can be described as "knowing each other" to put it nicely, but as "not familiar" to put it bluntly.

"Zhigang, where are you?" Zhou Haibing's voice was as unhurried as ever.

"I'm at the company, just got back from the warehouse." Li Zhigang paused. "Did you need something?"

Zhou Haibing didn't beat around the bush; he directly threw out the bait:

"I recently acquired a white-skinned Moonflower. I heard you've been looking for it. Do you want it?"

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone.

White Moon Realm.

This is a top-tier succulent, originally from Namibia, Africa. It is an endangered species and its trade is prohibited by international conventions.

You can occasionally see them on the market, but genuine products are extremely rare; most are fake.

This thing grows at an outrageously slow rate, taking decades from seed to maturity. A high-quality white-skinned Moon Elephant can fetch hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.

The most crucial factor isn't its price, but its rarity—you might not be able to buy it even if you have the money.

(Note: It is 2016 now. At this time, there are no artificially bred white-skinned Luna Egrets. Only wild white-skinned Luna Egrets exist, and they are extremely expensive.)

Li Zhigang has become obsessed with succulents in recent years, and he keeps hundreds of pots at home, including various rare and valuable varieties.

The money spent on things like Tortoise Shell Dragon, Spring Grass, Ebisu Smile, and Variegated Brocade is countless.

However, he was always missing a white-skinned Moon Realm plant, and he had been searching for four or five years without finding one.

Upon hearing those three words, Li Zhigang's breathing noticeably changed rhythm, and his voice carried an uncontrollable urgency, as if something were choking him:

"What did you say? White-skinned Moon Realm? Really?"

"Really, it's a well-formed plant, and it's in very good condition."

"Where did you get this?" Li Zhigang's voice rose, his excitement palpable even through the phone.

"A friend brought it back from abroad; it cost me quite a bit of money to get it." Zhou Haibing's voice was so calm, as if he were talking about something insignificant.

"Haven't you always wanted one? I thought rather than letting it go to waste in my hands, I'd rather you raise it."

"Give it to me?" Li Zhigang's tongue was practically tied in knots. "You're not kidding?"

"When have I ever joked with you?"

There was a two-second silence on Li Zhigang's end, then his voice became more urgent, like a dog that had smelled meat, its tail even wagging:

"Where are you now? I'm coming to find you! Send me your address, and I'll leave right now!"

"No need, I'll drive over to find you," Zhou Haibing said. "Are you at home or at the office?"

"I'm at the office, why don't you come to my office—"

"Let's go to your place instead," Zhou Haibing interrupted him.

"White Moon Realm plants are delicate and prone to damage from bumpy rides. I'm worried they'll get damaged if I take them to your company. Your home environment is good, so planting them directly there will increase the survival rate."

Li Zhigang hesitated for a second, then immediately agreed:

"Yes, yes, you're right. Come to my house! I'll head back now. Around what time will you arrive?"

"It'll be about half an hour. I'll be there now."

"Okay, okay, I'll go now. Call me when you get there and I'll have someone open the door."

"it is good."

The phone hangs up.

Zhou Haibing put his phone aside and started the car.

A cold smile played on his lips, a smile as cold as ice shards in winter, every curve of it carrying murderous intent.

Li Zhigang.

Zhou Haibing remembered this person's name for half his life.

His hatred for Li Zhigang stemmed not from what Li Zhigang had done to him, but from what Li Zhigang had done to Li Su'e.

Or rather, nothing was done.

Li Su'e's marriage to An Baojun was arranged by Li Zhigang.

It was the late 1980s when Li Zhigang wanted to open a supermarket, but he didn't have the funds.

He tried to borrow money from everyone he could, but to no avail.

It just so happened that he was getting close to An Baojun during that time. An Baojun's family owned a gold shop and were wealthy.

An Baojun once said to Li Zhigang while drinking:

"Your younger sister is quite pretty."

Li Zhigang immediately understood the meaning behind An Baojun's words.

He began to frequently mention An Baojun to Li Su'e, saying that An Baojun's family was wealthy and that she would have no worries about food and clothing if she married into the family.

They say Anbao's soldiers are good, although they have a bit of a temper, but what man doesn't have a temper?

They said Li Su'e couldn't stay single any longer; she was getting on in years and would never be able to get married if she didn't get married soon.

Li Su'e was unwilling.

She had met An Baojun a few times and had no liking for him.

She told Li Zhigang she didn't want to get married, and Li Zhigang immediately became angry, slamming his fist on the table and yelling at her.

"Do you think you're some rich heiress? Picky and choosy? It's your good fortune that An Baojun has taken a liking to you! If you don't marry him, what do you want to do? Do you want to live alone for the rest of your life?"

Li Su'e cried all night. The next morning, Li Zhigang's wife, Xia Guilan, pushed open the door, placed a bowl of white porridge on the bedside table, and said something that completely chilled Li Su'e's heart:

"Su'e, don't blame your brother. He's doing it for your own good."

If you don't marry me, your brother's supermarket will never be able to open, and our family will be finished.

"Just help your brother out, okay?"

It's for your own good.

These three words have ruined the lives of countless women.

Li Su'e got married.

An Baojun gave a bride price of 300,000 yuan.

What was the concept of 300,000 in the late 1980s?

Back then, an ordinary worker's monthly salary was only a few dozen yuan.

Three hundred thousand yuan is enough to buy several houses in Beijing.

Li Zhigang used the money to open a supermarket, which grew bigger and bigger, and later opened several chain supermarkets in the provincial capital.

His career, his wealth, his success—all of it was bought with his sister's happiness, with his sister's blood and flesh.

And what about Li Su'e?

What did she get?

After more than a decade of domestic violence, imprisonment, humiliation, and torture, he finally died in An Baojun's villa, weighing less than 70 pounds and with not a single patch of unscathed skin on his body.

What has Li Zhigang done over the past few decades?

Nothing was done.

He knew perfectly well what kind of person An Baojun was, and he knew perfectly well that his sister wouldn't have a good life after marrying him.

He saw the wounds on Li Su'e's body and heard her tearful account of her ordeal, but he chose to close his eyes and cover his ears.

Once, Li Su'e was beaten so badly that she fled to Li Zhigang's house.

She knelt before her elder brother, crying and begging him to take her in, saying that she wanted to divorce An Baojun and that she didn't want to go back.

Li Zhigang helped her up, patted her on the shoulder, and said, "Stay here for now, I'll figure something out."

Li Su'e thought her older brother was finally going to help her, and she cried so hard that she trembled all over, saying "Thank you, brother" several times.

That evening, Li Zhigang called An Baojun.