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

Zhou Haibing sat in the driver's seat, tidied up the bag of phones in the back seat to make sure all the phones were still there, then took out his own phone from his pocket and found the name "Wenbin" in his contacts.

Zhang Wenbin.

His brother-in-law.

As Zhou Haibing looked at those two words, his fingers unconsciously tightened, his knuckles squeezing the phone case so hard it made a creaking sound.

His eyes churned with a complex mix of emotions: hatred, anger, and a heavy, suppressed heartache that had been building up for many years.

He took a deep breath and pressed the call button.

The phone rang a few times before being answered.

A man's voice came from the other end, tinged with surprise:

"Hey? Big brother? Why are you calling me all of a sudden?"

Zhang Wenbin's voice sounded polite, but that politeness was distant, the kind of tone you'd use when talking to someone you don't know well.

Zhou Haibing's relationship with his brother-in-law has never been close; it has remained lukewarm for decades.

"Wenbin, where are you?" Zhou Haibing's voice was the same as usual, revealing no emotion.

"I'm at the company, in a meeting with my staff," Zhang Wenbin paused, then asked.

"Brother, what do you need me for?"

Zhou Haibing didn't beat around the bush and said directly:

"Didn't you mention cooperation to me before? Like, your chain of pharmacies wanted to buy products from my pharmaceutical factory. I've thought about it, and I'm open to cooperating with you."

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

Then Zhang Wenbin's voice suddenly rose, and his excitement could be felt even through the phone, a stark contrast to his previous distant and polite tone:

"What did you say, brother?! You agreed?!"

"Okay, I agree."

"What price are you going to give me for the goods?"

Zhang Wenbin's voice carried an impatient greed, like a shark that had smelled blood.

"As you said last time, it's 20% cheaper than other pharmaceutical companies."

There was a sound of something being slammed on the table coming from the other end of the phone; it was probably Zhang Wenbin slamming his hand on the table in excitement.

His voice trembled: "Brother, are you serious? Don't lie to me!"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

"That's true, that's true..." Zhang Wenbin said twice, his voice almost overflowing with excitement.

"Brother, where are you now? I'm coming over to find you right now. We can talk face-to-face. I'll bring the contract with me so you can take a look. If there are no problems, we can sign it today!"

Zhou Haibing said, "Let me go to your house; it'll be more convenient to talk there."

"Okay, okay, I'll head back now! When will you be there, big brother?"

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

"Alright, brother, I'll wait for you! I'll have them brew the tea right away!"

The phone hangs up.

Zhou Haibing put his phone aside and started the car.

A cold smile played on his lips, but beneath that smile lay something deeper and more complex.

Zhang Wenbin.

His sister's man.

His younger sister, Zhou Haiqing, is five years younger than him and is his closest relative.

When she was a child, her father, Zhou Fuxiang, favored boys over girls and never gave his youngest daughter a kind look. He would always call her a "money-losing brat," a "burden," and say that "once she grows up, she'll belong to someone else's family."

Things were a little better when his mother was alive, but after she passed away, Zhou Haiqing was like a ghost in his home.

The father only had eyes for his two sons, especially his second son Zhou Hailong. He treated his daughter Zhou Haiqing like an outsider living under someone else's roof.

Zhou Haibing has always felt sorry for his younger sister since she was a child.

He is the eldest son in the family, five years older than his younger sister. He has been taking care of her since she can remember.

When his younger sister was scolded by their father, he comforted her; when his younger sister was bullied at school, he stood up for her; when his younger sister wanted to eat candied hawthorns, he took out all the pocket money he had saved to buy them for her.

The bond between the siblings was many times deeper than the bond between them and Zhou Hailong.

But his sister's marriage was the biggest regret and the deepest remorse of his life.

When Zhou Haiqing was twenty-four years old, Zhang Wenbin's family sent someone to propose marriage.

The Zhang family runs a pharmaceutical wholesale business in the local area. They are well-off and own several houses and shops in the county town.

Zhang Wenbin's father, Zhang Demao, was a prominent figure in the area. He had drunk with Zhou Fuxiang a few times, and the two got along well, so they decided to arrange a marriage between their families.

But Zhang Wenbin was born with a limp.

I contracted polio as a child, which left me with a disability in my left leg. I walk with a limp, and although it's not too serious, it's noticeable to anyone with eyesight.

Zhou Haiqing refused.

She had met Zhang Wenbin twice and had absolutely no liking for him. Putting aside his looks, she couldn't stand his personality alone.

Zhang Wenbin speaks in a sarcastic and sarcastic manner, likes to make cynical remarks, and is particularly prone to getting stuck on trivial matters. He is also incredibly petty.

But Zhou Fuxiang had his eye on the Zhang family's betrothal gifts.

Zhang Demao immediately asked for a dowry of 300,000 yuan, plus a house in the county town.

More than 20 years ago, this number was quite attractive.

Zhou Fuxiang agreed without hesitation, and made the decision as soon as he got home:

"Haiqing, your wedding is set. It will be held next month."

Zhou Haiqing cried and said she didn't want to.

Zhou Fuxiang slapped her across the face, calling her a good-for-nothing, ungrateful, and telling her to get out of the house if she dared not marry him.

Zhou Haiqing got married.

After she married him, she upheld traditional wifely virtues and was devoted to Zhang Wenbin.

She kept the house spotless, prepared a variety of meals for each day, hand-washed Zhang Wenbin's clothes, and even ironed his socks until they were perfectly flat.

She was also filial to Zhang Wenbin's parents, sending them gifts and greetings during holidays without fail.

But Zhang Wenbin is a narrow-minded person by nature.

From the very first day of their marriage, he suspected that Zhou Haiqing was not truly sincere in marrying him.

He thought Zhou Haiqing was beautiful and had a good personality, so how could she possibly be willing to marry a cripple like him?

She must be after his family's money; she must be seeing someone else.

This suspicion lurked in Zhang Wenbin's mind like a venomous snake, gradually eroding his reason day by day.

If Zhou Haiqing talked to the neighbor's man for even a few minutes, Zhang Wenbin would come back and make sarcastic remarks about her, saying that she was having affairs and that she was shameless.

Zhou Haiqing went back to her parents' home for two days, and Zhang Wenbin called to scold her, saying that her trip back home was a pretense, and that she was actually going out to meet her lover.

Zhou Haiqing tried to explain to him, but he wouldn't listen; Zhou Haiqing cried, but he just sneered.

Zhou Haiqing said, "If you don't believe me, come back to your parents' house with me." He replied, "What would I go there for? To watch you and your lover put on a show?"

Zhou Haiqing just endured each day like this.

Every time Zhou Haibing visited her, he could see the light in her eyes gradually fading.

She became increasingly silent and thinner, and her smiles became fewer and fewer, replaced by an inexplicable numbness.

"Brother, I'm fine." She always said that, then lowered her head and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand.

Zhou Haibing told her more than once:

"Little sister, come with me and move in with me. I'll find you a good lawyer to divorce this bastard."

Zhou Haiqing shook his head each time.

She said, "Brother, I am now a member of the Zhang family. A woman should follow her husband wherever he goes. I can't bring shame to you, and I can't let others say that the daughters of the Zhou family are not virtuous."