After being forced to leave the marriage, I became the wife of a top scholar.

Chapter 145 Gambling Addiction is Destructive
At this moment, in the study of the villa where the Hai family was temporarily staying, the father and daughter were talking and chatting.

“Shengyang, I brought you here hoping you would give up, but you’re still so stubborn.” Master Hai couldn’t do anything with his daughter. She’s always been headstrong, and now she’s giving him a lot of trouble.

"Father, don't you want a share of the future Lin family's wealth?"

“I’m not here to give up on your daughter, but to make sure I get her.”

Hai Daren frowned, "But you saw Lin Yunche's attitude just now, didn't you? He didn't show the slightest intention of getting close to us."

Hai Shengyang smiled and said, “Father, what does this matter? You are, after all, his superior. In the past, the Lin family was indeed a noble family, and our Hai family might not have been able to climb up to them. But things are different now. The Lin family has been in a slump for more than 30 years. Even if they are still arrogant, they should have seen the reality.”

"Besides, all I wanted when I entered the Lin family was a position as a secondary wife."

“Father, he will definitely agree as long as you mention it to Lin Yunche.”

Hai Chengming, however, was not so optimistic. "What if he doesn't want to? Then you should go back with your father and stop making a fuss, okay?"

Hai Shengyang pouted and said softly and coquettishly, "Father! I like this kind of man. I don't want to marry anyone else but him. Please find a way to make my wish come true."

Hai Chengming, worn down by Hai Shengyang's nagging, finally gave in. "Fine, fine! If he's unwilling, I'll force him to agree tomorrow, okay?"

Hai Shengyang nodded happily, "I knew it, Father, you love me the most."

Hai Chengming patted his daughter's head affectionately, and her body made two clicking sounds as she moved slightly.

"I'm getting old! I really am getting old!"

Hai Shengyang obediently looked up and said, "Father, you rest for a while. I'll go see how things are going outside."

"Go to the yamen tomorrow."

Hai Chengming's old bones were almost falling apart from all the traveling, so naturally he was willing.

"Alright, alright! Then you'll be in charge of the inner quarters?"

Hai Shengyang nodded slightly, "Father, rest assured, I will make sure you have a comfortable stay."

After saying that, he stepped out of the study and went to the courtyard to make arrangements.

Hai Daren sighed softly and muttered to himself, "If only this marriage could make me feel at ease."

After leaving the Hai family, Lin Yunche told Bi Yi to go back to the yamen to prepare, and then went back to the Lin residence himself.

Bai Wanqing wasn't surprised to see him. "You don't need to be in such a hurry."

"He's always been there."

Lin Yunche smiled and said, "I'm not in a hurry. I properly entertained Hai Da before rushing back. Is Pan Hu still in Feng Niang's room?"

"Hmm! Are you going to ask now?" Bai Wanqing asked.

Lin Yunche nodded and said, "Yes, let's do it now, but..."

Lin Yunche looked at Feng Niang's room with some embarrassment. After all, it was a woman's room, and even though Pan Hu was in there, it was still inappropriate.

"Go wait in the study, I'll go find Pan Hu."

"What about Fengniang? It's best if she doesn't get involved."

Bai Wanqing gave a soft "hmm" and said, "I've already told her, and Fengniang understands."

"That's good!" Lin Yunche said, then turned and went to the study to wait.

Before long, Bai Wanqing brought Pan Hu to the study.

Ever since Pan Hu learned that he would not be poisoned to death, he had been looking gloomy all morning, unlike his previous relaxed demeanor.

Walking in now, I felt even more uneasy.

Lin Yunche dropped his previous cheerful demeanor and became serious, a look that Bai Wanqing rarely saw before.

I only remember one time when she used her mother's life-saving grace to blackmail him; Lin Yunche had this icy expression then.

This made Bai Wanqing somewhat uneasy, while Pan Hu twitched the corner of his mouth, as if he had entered a familiar territory.

"Pan Hu, do you know why you've come?" Lin Yunche said coldly.

Pan Hu stopped in front of Lin Yunche, his expression serious. "I know! Lord Lin, I have already promised Madam that you may ask whatever you wish."

"Alright! Then tell me your name, age, and who you are!"

Pan Hu hadn't expected Lin Yunche to resort to the official procedures. He only thought for a moment before obediently answering his question.

"My name is Pan Hu, my organization code name is Sha Biao, I don't remember my age, and I don't know who I am."

"So you remember your name is Pan Hu? And you remember your mother is Feng Niang?"

Pan Hu didn't want to admit it, but he understood all too well the purpose of Lin Yunche's questions—he just wanted to see if what he said was true.

"Yes! Since the poison was cured, my memories have all returned."

After hearing this, Lin Yunche turned to look at Bai Wanqing. Receiving a look of affirmation from her, he turned back and asked, "Then tell me, who sent you to ambush the Bai family's medicinal herbs this time, and what was your purpose?"

Pan Hu replied blankly, "As members of the organization, we only recognize the organization's orders. The person who received the order in this mission has been arrested and taken to jail. You can ask him."

"As for our purpose, that person said it was to disguise ourselves as bandits and rob the Bai family of their medicinal herbs. If anyone blocked our way, we could just kill them." Lin Yunche's pupils constricted slightly, a hint of anger rising within him: "What if the person blocking our way is the owner of the century-old medical clinic?"

Pan Hu slightly turned his head, looked at Bai Wanqing sitting upright to the side, and replied solemnly, "That is naturally the case."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yunche felt a chill rise from his body, and a cold aura instantly filled the entire room. Bai Wanqing felt a chill run down her spine, but Pan Hu was all too familiar with this coldness—it was murderous intent.

The more skilled a martial artist is, the more they understand the killing intent. Pan Hu knew he had seen too many angry, dark assassins, but at this moment he still couldn't stop his legs from trembling.

Calm down! Calm down! Pan Hu kept telling himself.

But when he looked up and met Lin Yunche's eyes again, he was somewhat shocked.

The man before me was merely a prefect of a state capital; how could he possess such audacity, such a profound murderous aura?
Is he really a scholar? No, he is not! He is an unparalleled master, a master he has never seen before.

Lin Yunche watched as Bai Wanqing clenched her handkerchief into a fist, and consciously restrained his imposing manner.

"What kind of organization are you in? How did you get into this organization? Who are the people who trained you or whom you know?"

Pan Hu finally snapped out of his daze, recovering from Lin Yunche's murderous aura.

That organization?
Pan Hu slowly clenched his fists into his hands, which were hanging at his sides, and his entire back tensed up.

He lowered his eyelids, pursed his lips, and said with a pained expression, "What organization? I don't know."

"But I know it's a place that eats people."

Pan Hu was just over ten years old at the time. His mother, Feng Niang, and his father ran a restaurant. They were wealthy and the restaurant was doing very well.

He thought they could live like this forever, but everything changed because his father became addicted to gambling.

Because of gambling, the father lost the family restaurant.

"Fengniang, believe me, if I have more money this time, I'll definitely win it back," Pan Daqiang said softly, pulling on Fengniang's arm.

Feng Niang had heard these words countless times.

If her family's large restaurant could be lost so easily, how could she possibly believe Pan Daqiang's words again?

"We've run out of money, so please stop gambling. Otherwise, we won't even have rice porridge to drink."

Even the capable Feng Niang felt utterly exhausted at this moment.

Pan Daqiang refused to back down, "You woman, you're so short-sighted! You've only lost a little bit of money, and you're already saying we're broke? How could that be!"

"Of course it is! We've built our business from a roadside stall over the years. It's not like renting a shop or buying a house is free."

Pan Daqiang naturally knew where all the money had gone over the years, so he just pursed his lips and didn't say anything more.

When Fengniang woke up the next morning, she found that both Pan Daqiang and Pan Hu were gone.

At first, Fengniang didn't pay attention and even went out to do some work, but when she returned home late at night, she still hadn't seen the father and son.

Fengniang wanted to go out to look for him, but just as she finished dressing, she saw Pan Daqiang walking back alone.

Fengniang immediately asked, "Where's Huzi? Did you take him away?"

Pan Daqiang felt uneasy and didn't dare to look at Feng Niang at all. He walked past her and prepared to go to bed to rest.

Fengniang knew Pan Daqiang was up to something. "Tell me, did you take Huzi out? Where is Huzi?"

Knowing he couldn't beat Feng Niang, Pan Daqiang had no choice but to tell her about selling Pan Hu to a brokerage firm.

Upon hearing this, Feng Niang punched Pan Daqiang in the face, instantly turning his right eye bruised.

"You old hag, are you trying to murder your husband?" Pan Daqiang cursed angrily but dared not fight back.

Fengniang glared angrily at Pan Daqiang, "Even a tiger wouldn't eat its own cubs, yet you sold your child! I'll fight you to the death!"

Pan Daqiang immediately ran out of the house, and Fengniang picked up a kitchen knife from the stove and chased after him.

"Murder! Murder! Someone is trying to murder her husband!"

Pan's neighbors all poked their heads out, and when they saw that it was Pan Daqiang shouting, their faces were full of disdain.

Everyone knows that the Pan family has a gambling addict who has turned a perfectly good life into something inhuman and ghostly. It's commonplace for Pan Daqiang to be beaten, so everyone has gotten used to it.

"Alas! It's just a pity for Fengniang and Huzi. Having such a husband and father is truly the worst luck imaginable."

Sighing, everyone stopped watching the Pan family's commotion. Pan Daqiang was grabbed by Fengniang, and the next second, the back of the knife struck Pan Daqiang's neck.

Pan Daqiang screamed in pain several times.

"Fengniang, Fengniang, stop hitting him! If you keep hitting him, our son will never come back!"

Fengniang gritted her teeth and weakly put down the kitchen knife in her hand.

Pan Daqiang covered his neck and squatted on the ground, not daring to utter another sound.

"Which brokerage firm did you sell your son to?!"

(End of this chapter)