Chapter 1
The smell of burning silk and copper was the last thing Lin Yue remembered.
He remembered the icy drip of the asylum saline bag. He remembered his half-brother, Lin Xuan, leaning over his wheelchair with a tear-stained face, softly whispering, "Brother, don't worry. Gu Yan and I will take good care of the Lin family's assets after you're gone."
He remembered Gu Yan standing by the doorway, holding a lighter, his voice devoid of any warmth: "He’s blind and insane anyway. Burn it."
Then came the fire. The blinding pain, the suffocating smoke, and the dark, bitter realization that his whole life had been an elaborate stage play built by parasites.
"Young Master Yue? Young Master Yue, wake up. Mr. Gu is waiting downstairs with the engagement emeralds."
Lin Yue’s eyes snapped open.
He gasped, his hands instantly flying to his throat. No smoke. No burns. No smell of scorched flesh.
He was sitting in a high-backed velvet armchair inside his private art dressing room at the Lin Manor. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling French windows, catching the dust motes dancing over mahogany shelves stacked with ancient porcelain and calligraphy scrolls.
Sitting on the mahogany table beside him was a calendar clock: OCTOBER 14, 2021.
Three days before the annual Lin-Gu Corporate Gala. The exact day Gu Yan proposed to him, anchoring the Lin family’s multi-billion-dollar cultural preservation fund directly to the Gu Corporation’s sinking balance sheet.
Lin Yue raised his hands. They were smooth, pale, unscarred, and steady.
A quiet, breathless laugh escaped his lips—slowly turning into a cold, dark smile that never reached his eyes.
"Young Master?" the maid, Auntie Mei, asked nervously, holding a tailored white suit. "Are you alright? You look... pale."
"I am perfectly fine, Auntie Mei," Lin Yue said softly. His voice was no longer the weak, overly gentle tone of his past life; it was smooth, clear, and dripping with quiet ice. "Has my half-brother arrived as well?"
"Yes, Young Master Xuan is downstairs helping Mr. Gu arrange the flower displays."
"Of course he is," Lin Yue murmured, standing up gracefully. He walked over to the full-length mirror, adjusting his silk collar. In his past life, he had worn soft whites and pastel creams to please Gu Yan’s tastes.
Lin Yue pushed the white suit away. He walked over to his walk-in wardrobe and pulled out a tailored, obsidian-black suit with an embroidered silver phoenix along the lapel.
"Young Master, Mr. Gu requested you wear white today—"
"Mr. Gu does not pay your salary, Auntie Mei. The Lin Estate does," Lin Yue cut her off smoothly, casting a single, piercing glance in her direction.
Auntie Mei froze, feeling a sudden chill run down her spine. The soft, easily manipulated young master felt like an entirely different person.
Downstairs in the grand marble foyer, the atmosphere was festive.
Gu Yan stood beside a massive archway of white roses, adjusting his diamond cuff links. Beside him stood Lin Xuan, wearing a soft pastel blue cardigan, his big, innocent eyes looking up at Gu Yan with practiced admiration.
"Gu Yan, are you sure Brother won't notice the transfer documents tucked behind the engagement contract?" Lin Xuan whispered, standing unnaturally close.
"He won't," Gu Yan smirked, casually sliding a hand onto Lin Xuan’s waist. "Yue trusts me blindly. He thinks I’m doing this out of love. Once he signs the engagement papers today, forty percent of the Lin Trust’s liquid stock automatically transfers to my holding account."
"You're so bad," Lin Xuan giggled, resting his chin on Gu Yan’s shoulder. "What about me? When do I get my share?"
"Once Lin Yue is out of the picture, the whole Lin estate belongs to us."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The crisp, deliberate sound of leather dress shoes descending the grand marble staircase echoed through the hall.
Gu Yan and Lin Xuan instantly broke apart. Lin Xuan took a quick step back, dropping his eyes into a submissive, sweet gaze, while Gu Yan smoothed his jacket and put on his warmest, most romantic smile.
"Yue, my love, you took so long—" Gu Yan started, turning toward the stairs.
The words died in his throat.
Lin Yue was descending the stairs. But he wasn't wearing the soft white suit Gu Yan had ordered. He wore a crisp, tailored black suit that made his pale skin look like refined alabaster. His jet-black hair was combed back, revealing sharp, almond eyes that shone with a cold, aristocratic arrogance.
Gu Yan’s heart skipped a beat—not out of affection, but out of a sudden, inexplicable sense of intimidation.
"Brother!" Lin Xuan spoke up quickly, stepping forward with an anxious, sweet smile. "You... you look so different today! Gu Yan said he preferred you in white for the engagement photos..."
Lin Yue reached the bottom of the stairs, completely ignoring Lin Xuan as if he were invisible. He stopped two paces away from Gu Yan, looking at him with a cool, detached gaze.
"Gu Yan," Lin Yue spoke softly.
"Yue..." Gu Yan swallowed, pulling a velvet jewelry box from his pocket and opening it to reveal a massive, flawless emerald ring. "You know how long I've waited for this day. With this ring, the Gu and Lin families will finally be united—"
"I heard the Lu Corporation’s Chief Executive arrived in B-City this morning," Lin Yue interrupted smoothly, not glancing at the emerald ring even once.
Gu Yan blinked, thrown off. "What? CEO Lu? My... my uncle? What does he have to do with our engagement?"
"Everything," a deep, magnetic voice echoed from the heavy mahogany front doors of the manor.
The temperature in the foyer dropped instantly.
Two rows of tall, dark-suited bodyguards pushed the grand doors open, standing at rigid attention.
Stepping into the hall was a man who looked like he had been sculpted from dark marble and shadow. Lu Chengyan—the absolute ruler of the Lu Financial Empire, the youngest man to ever head the High Council of Commerce, and Gu Yan’s formidable uncle.
He wore a dark charcoal suit, a silver pocket watch chain glinting against his vest. His amber eyes swept over the room, cold, sharp, and commanding enough to make every servant in the room lower their heads.
Gu Yan panicked slightly, bowing his head instantly. "Uncle! You... you didn't mention you were attending the private announcement today!"
Lu Chengyan didn't look at his nephew. His razor-sharp gaze locked directly onto Lin Yue.
In his past life, Lin Yue had been terrified of Lu Chengyan’s overwhelming aura, avoiding him at all costs. But now, looking at the man who had secretly fought for justice after his death, Lin Yue’s heart felt a strange, quiet warmth.
Lu Chengyan stepped forward, stopping right in front of Lin Yue.
"Young Master Lin," Lu Chengyan said, his deep voice sending a quiet vibration through the room. "I heard you were preparing to sign over your family’s cultural trust today."
Gu Yan’s face went pale. "Uncle! That’s just a standard business merger between—"
"Silence," Lu Chengyan said, his voice quiet, yet carrying absolute authority. Gu Yan shut his mouth instantly, his hands trembling behind his back.
Lu Chengyan turned back to Lin Yue, his amber eyes searching Lin Yue’s calm, unbothered face. "Are you going to sign it?"
Lin Yue looked at the velvet box in Gu Yan’s hands, then at Lin Xuan’s anxious, white face, and finally lifted his gaze back to Lu Chengyan.
A small, breathtakingly dangerous smile bloomed on Lin Yue’s lips.
Lin Yue reached out, gently closing the velvet box in Gu Yan’s hand, pushing it back toward Gu Yan’s chest.
"Why would I marry the branch, CEO Lu..." Lin Yue murmured, his voice carrying clearly across the silent marble hall as he took a single step toward Lu Chengyan, "...when I can form an alliance with the trunk?"
Gu Yan’s eyes widened in horror. Lin Xuan gasped.
Lu Chengyan’s dark brows raised slightly, a hint of dark, intrigue flickering in the depths of his icy amber eyes.
"An alliance?" Lu Chengyan asked, leaning down slightly until his breath brushed against Lin Yue’s ear. "What makes you think you have what it takes to stand beside me, Young Master Lin?"
Lin Yue lifted his head, meeting the ruler of B-City eye to eye without a single trace of fear.
"Because, CEO Lu," Lin Yue whispered, his eyes burning with the cold flame of a reborn phantom, "I know where every body in the Gu Corporation is buried. And I’m going to help you dig them up."
