Return to 88: Starting from Marrying My Sister-in-law

"...Isn't it weird? The female CEO of Mingzhu Media, usually such a capable person, suddenly became incapacitated... I heard she was truly possessed by an evil spirit. Her mother temporarily managed the company for her, and in her desperation, she actually hired a charlatan from Hong Kong to burn incense and perform rituals in the hospital room... And what was the result? The female CEO was completely rendered speechless on the spot! She was like a wooden doll and sent to the ICU! Tsk tsk tsk... What era are we living in now..."

"Shh, keep your voice down, or that guy will hear you. How many kidneys do you have to dare slander Mr. Lu's mother-in-law?"

"Which Mr. Lu is this?"

"Who else could it be but Mr. Lu?"

"Oh, there's that connection too!"

"Hehe, there's a lot more to this than you know. I heard it's even more juicy. This Mr. Lu, back then, was involved with our ailing female president of Mingzhu Media..."

"What?! A love-hate relationship that happened so fast! And what other inside stories are there? Holy crap, this is explosive!"

"I've heard that the female CEO who hired a charlatan to perform a shamanic ritual isn't just the mother-in-law of our young CEO Lu; she's also the teacher's wife who raised him. Well, that's a long story."

Despite the distance and the noise of music and people, Lu Yang's powerful information-gathering ability allowed him to hear the keywords "Mingzhu Media", "female CEO possessed", "CEO's mother", "shamanistic ritual", "unable to speak", and "ICU" intermittently.

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and a deep chill and a sense of absurdity flashed across his eyes.

He subtly turned his head slightly and gave instructions to his secretary, who had been standing quietly half a step behind him in a well-tailored suit.

"Go and find out what's going on."

After hearing the instructions, Lu Nini immediately remained calm, found a female waitress carrying a tray of wine and whispered in her ear...
The waiter's eyes were calm, he nodded almost imperceptibly, and then blended into the crowd.

The entire process was smooth and silent.

Lu Yang's attention seemed to have completely returned to his conversation with the two leaders. He calmly took over He Weijun's topic about the future industrial layout of Futian District, speaking eloquently, logically, and with a broad vision, as if the ripples from before had never occurred.

Mayor Fu and He Weijun nodded frequently as they listened.

However, this composure did not last long.

Less than ten minutes later, Lu Nini's figure reappeared on the edge of Lu Yang's sight.

This time, although she tried her best to maintain her usual steady and elegant gait, the panic in her brows, which she tried so hard to suppress, and her slightly faster pace than usual, clearly conveyed an ominous signal. She almost "jogged" back to Lu Yang's side, her breathing slightly rapid.

Lu Yang was discussing with Mayor Fu the key role of the Century Tower in enhancing the international image of Futian CBD.

Lu Nini's abrupt approach and strange behavior caused Lu Yang's brows to furrow again, this time more deeply, with displeasure at being interrupted.

He turned his head, his gaze calm yet imposing, landing on Lu Nini's face. His voice was low but clear, penetrating the background noise: "What's the panic? The sky isn't falling. Let's talk this out."

Mayor Fu, ever astute, immediately chuckled and smoothed things over: "Haha, President Lu, it seems there's some urgent military news? No problem, no problem, you go handle it first! Brother He and I will have a couple of drinks and catch up. But let's make this clear first..."

He pointed at He Weijun, his tone laced with familiar teasing, "You'd better come back later and toast our soon-to-be-promoted Secretary He a few times! He's the top official for your Century Group in Futian District. Without his strong support over the years, Century Group wouldn't be where it is today in Futian! If you don't toast him a few more times, you might have to go to his new post to drink his celebratory wine next time!"

He Weijun waved his hands repeatedly, smiling broadly, and lowered his posture even further: "Mayor Fu, you flatter me! It's all part of our job. Serving an outstanding company like Century Group is what we should do. President Lu is young and promising, a benchmark for enterprises in Shenzhen. It's an honor for us locals to cooperate well! You are the leader, you lead me..."

Lu Yang gave the two a perfectly timed apologetic smile: "Excuse me for a moment, I'll be right back."

Then, holding his wine glass, he calmly walked to a relatively quiet corner by the floor-to-ceiling window, outside which lay the dazzling, star-studded cityscape of Shenzhen.

Lu Nini followed closely behind.

As soon as she was out of the center of the crowd, Lu Nini could no longer hide her emotions. Her voice was low and rapid as she blurted out the information she had just urgently verified: "President Lu, I've found out. The news... is basically true. President Yin... Sister Mingzhu is indeed hospitalized due to severe somatization symptoms and asthma caused by severe depression. My aunt is temporarily handling company affairs. But just a few days ago... my aunt, I don't know whose advice she took, really... really invited a so-called 'master' from Hong Kong to President Yin's VIP ward... to perform... an exorcism ritual!"

Lu Nini's voice was strained with disbelief: "As a result... something happened during the ceremony that caused an extremely strong shock to President Yin! This caused Sister Mingzhu to have a complete emotional breakdown on the spot, lose her speech, and suffer a severe bout of rigidity... She was immediately sent to the ICU for emergency treatment! Although she is currently out of danger and has been transferred back to the special care ward, her aphasia and rigidity have not been resolved, and her mental state... is very bad. The news was strictly controlled, but the commotion was too great at the time, and it spread to a small circle..."

Lu Yang listened quietly, his slender fingers unconsciously and slowly stroking the cool crystal glass.

The dazzling neon lights outside the window reflected in his unfathomable pupils, yet they remained unmoved. A sense of absurdity surged again, but this time, it was quickly replaced by a more turbulent and icy rage.

He may not care about that woman's life or death, but the fact that the "former president's wife of Century Group" and "his ex-wife's mother" has caused such an extremely foolish and scandalous farce is itself a stain and provocation on the intangible reputation of Lu Yang and Century Group!
Especially those clowns who gossiped behind his back, spread rumors maliciously, and might even have fueled the flames, dared to steal glances at him while discussing him. Their eyes clearly showed not respect, but naked mockery, mocking him for having such an ignorant mother-in-law!
Laugh! Laugh to your heart's content!

Lu Yang sneered inwardly.

Let's see if you're still laughing after tonight!
Without any hesitation, he swept his icy gaze over the group of people who had been huddled together, spitting as they spoke, especially the fat man who had been leading the "shamanic dance." His eyes were sharp as knives, as if he had already nailed them to the pillar of shame.

"Nini." Lu Yang's voice lowered, each word sounding as if it had been pulled from an ice cellar, carrying a chilling coldness.

"Go. Find out the identities, backgrounds, and company names of everyone who was just gathered together discussing this, especially the fat guy who was leading the discussion, and the others next to him. Compile a list and report it to General Manager Wei immediately."

He paused for a moment, then spoke with unwavering resolve, carrying an undeniable, devastating judgment:
"Tell President Wei that these are my exact words, Lu Yang's words: Century Group has no need for any form of cooperation with people and companies who are so keen on spreading vulgar rumors, lack basic literacy, have low taste, and have no empathy. Effective immediately, cancel all existing and potential cooperation intentions. Permanently blacklist these people and the companies they represent from the group's cooperation list."

"Yes, Mr. Lu! I'll take care of it right away!" Lu Nini was shocked and immediately replied solemnly.

Lu Yang stopped looking at her and turned his gaze back to the bustling city he had helped create outside the window. His eyes were even more profound and cold than the winter night in the deep city.

He casually placed the almost untouched glass of champagne on the tray of a passing waiter, making a crisp, light sound.

He didn't rejoin Mayor Fu and Secretary He's conversation. Instead, he strode forward, his long legs carrying him firmly and resolutely towards the banquet hall entrance, under the curious or inquisitive gazes of the crowd.

The figure in the crisp suit cast a cold and oppressive shadow amidst the shimmering lights, like a moving iceberg.

This grand event, which brought together the city's top figures, had become a quagmire of rumors and gossip for him, and he felt that staying there for even a second longer would be too filthy.

Watching her boss's departing figure, Lu Nini didn't dare to delay. She immediately ran to a corner of the banquet hall, took out her phone, dialed President Wei's number, and, in a low voice, clearly and quickly conveyed Lu Yang's cold-blooded decision word for word. The black Rolls-Royce Phantom drove smoothly through the streets late at night, isolating itself from the outside noise. Silence reigned inside the car.

Lu Yang leaned back in the back seat, eyes closed, seemingly taking a nap to sober up. Lu Nini sat in the passenger seat, barely daring to breathe.

Driver Xiao Jiu stared intently ahead.

After a long silence, Lu Yang's deep voice broke the stillness, carrying a slight hoarseness from the alcohol and a chilling coldness: "Nini, do you think... is there a possibility?"

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze flashing with a cold light, like a hawk eyeing its prey. "Some people, in order to save themselves or achieve some goal, are even willing to feign madness or even put themselves in the ICU?"

He suspected that Yin Mingzhu was faking it.

What is the purpose? To gain sympathy? To evade responsibility? Or... to soften his attitude?

Lu Yang's mind raced in the embers of alcohol and anger, filled with distrustful scrutiny.

"I...I don't know, Mr. Lu." Lu Nini's voice was filled with fear. How could she dare to speculate on such a critical issue, especially regarding Lu Yang's complicated sister-in-law?

"Xiao Jiu, you speak." Lu Yang's gaze turned to the driver's seat.

"Brother Yang, please don't make things difficult for me," said Xiao Jiu, the driver, his voice filled with honesty and helplessness.

"I'm just a rough guy, I'm okay at driving, but these intricacies... I really don't understand."

"Alright, just drive." Lu Yang closed his eyes again, leaned back in his seat, and seemed to have given up on asking further questions.

Silence fell again inside the car, broken only by the deep rumble of the engine.

The luxurious Bentley drove into the top-tier residential area, and the dim streetlights cast intermittent shadows on Lu Yang's face through the car window.

Just as the car was about to arrive at his doorstep, Lu Yang opened his eyes again, his gaze sharp and piercing, and he had already made up his mind: "Very good."

He whispered silently, a cold smile curving his lips, "Whether it's true or false, Yin Mingzhu, this time... you've won the bet."

To be honest, would he feel heartache over something like this? Absolutely not. But if he continued to relentlessly pursue the matter, what if... what if it were true, and he drove someone to their death... not only would he not truly feel at peace deep down (though he would never admit it), but more importantly, Mingyue... Yin Mingyue, her soft-hearted younger sister, would definitely resent him for this.

That was, after all, her own sister.

That's it.

Consider it... a final act of courtesy to Ma Xiulan, the foolish but also my teacher's mother-in-law.

The car came to a smooth stop in front of the villa.

As soon as Lu Yang opened the car door, before he even had time to change his shoes, a slender figure rushed up to him like a little bird that had been waiting for a long time, her face full of anxiety and worry.

It was his wife, Yin Mingyue.

"Husband!" Yin Mingyue's voice was choked with sobs, clearly already aware of the shocking farce that had occurred at the hospital and her sister's tragic condition.

"I think... I want to go see Mom again tomorrow, and... and my sister too..."

She grabbed Lu Yang's arm, her eyes full of pleading.

Looking at his wife's tearful appearance, Lu Yang remained expressionless, simply nodding and saying calmly, "Yes, go ahead, you should go."

He paused, changed his shoes, and walked inside, adding as if casually, "But I bet you won't see your sister. In her current state, she probably... would least want to see you."

He knew all too well Yin Mingzhu's morbid pride and her complex feelings towards him and Yin Mingyue.

"Then...what should we do?" Yin Mingyue became even more anxious.

Lu Yang stopped and turned around, his deep gaze falling on his wife's face with a calm understanding: "Go see Mom. And while you're at it."

He raised his voice, “Tell her all the ‘interesting’ gossip you’ve been hearing lately. Believe me, if Mom is a smart woman, she should know that making a fool of herself once is enough. Making a second one would really throw the Yin family’s face and your sister’s last bit of dignity into the Pacific Ocean.”

His words were blunt and cold, mercilessly exposing the foolish consequences of Ma Xiulan's actions.

"Husband! How could you say that about my mother! She's your teacher's wife!" Yin Mingyue was both angry and anxious, trying to defend her mother.

"Okay, okay, I won't say, I won't say." Lu Yang's tone was somewhat perfunctory in his attempt to appease him, but his eyes remained sharp.

He changed the subject, his tone becoming serious: "Listen, Mingyue. This time, don't hide anything, go openly and honestly. Ideally, let those ubiquitous media outlets capture it."

He looked at Yin Mingyue's confused eyes, smiled faintly, and pointed out the key point: "Didn't you want me to 'forgive' her and not drive your own sister to her death? If you, the rightful mistress of the Century Group, don't publicly show any attitude of 'reconciliation,' how can those who want to flatter me or stand up for 'me' let go of the opportunity to continue to kick them while they're down? How can they give up so easily?"

"Then...the lawsuit..." Yin Mingyue looked up at her husband hesitantly.

Lu Yang's eyes showed no evasion; he instantly regained the calm and calculating nature typical of a businessman. He interrupted his wife calmly, his tone clear yet distinct: "A lawsuit is a lawsuit, and 'bypassing' it is a different matter."

He turned and headed for the stairs, leaving behind his last words, which echoed clearly in the luxurious living room:
“I promised to ‘forgive’ her, but I didn’t promise to ‘praise’ her. Being half-dead is also ‘forgive’.”

His figure disappeared around the corner of the stairs, leaving Yin Mingyue standing alone in the empty living room, pondering the cold "mercy" in her husband's words, her heart filled with mixed emotions. (End of Chapter)