Shang Xinglu carefully examined Lin Heng.

He was dressed in a white shirt and suit pants, his attire simple and neat, showing no signs of any severe injuries or disfigurement.

Lin Yan, you tricked me!!!

Shang Xinglu was furious.

“Lin Yan said you were injured!” she immediately used him as a scapegoat. “He didn’t specify whether it was a serious or minor injury. He was all serious on the way here, telling me to mentally prepare myself, which made me think… In the end, it’s all Lin Yan’s fault!”

She turned sideways, ready to drag her mischievous cousin into taking the blame.

However, by the time she moved, he had already slipped away.

Shang Xinglu: “…………”

But today, Shang Xinglu was still a clever one.

She composed herself and changed the subject. “Where are you hurt? Let me see.”

As they talked, they entered the room and sat down on the sofa.

Lin Heng extended his index finger and said, “Here.”

Shang Xinglu carefully held his hand, examining it from top to bottom, left to right, flipping it over several times, but she couldn’t see where the injury was.

“Uh, Mr. Lin, did you point to the wrong hand?” Shang Xinglu asked.

Lin Heng responded, “No, it’s this hand.”

Shang Xinglu: “Where?”

Lin Heng pointed to a very faint scratch on the pad of his finger, so shallow it could be drawn with paper, “Here. Last night I got a small cut. It didn’t even need disinfecting. It’s already healed today.”

Shang Xinglu: “……”

On the way here, she had thought she might end up a widow, and now she was angrily glaring at “drama king” Lin Heng.

Lin Heng felt innocent.

“I think Lin Yan just wanted to stir up your emotions, so you wouldn’t panic this morning,” Lin Heng explained.

Shang Xinglu threw his hand away.

“Too much! I really thought I was going to become a widow!” She raised her fist and was about to punch Lin Heng in the chest.

Most girls might punch shyly, as a playful sign of their affection.

However, Shang Xinglu’s punch, trained by an expensive personal coach, was definitely not something to take lightly. It wouldn’t kill him, but it certainly wouldn’t feel pleasant.

Shang Xinglu was very angry.

No matter how much they were joking, could they really play with Lin Heng’s life?

If she hadn’t experienced that car accident before, it might have been fine.

But because of it, she knew how ruthless Lin Maosen could be.

Now, she was recovering, no longer afraid of the dark, but that didn’t mean the psychological trauma was gone.

So, whenever something happened to Lin Heng, Shang Xinglu felt like she was going to become a widow.

She glared at Lin Heng.

The room wasn’t very bright, but Lin Heng’s features were well-defined even among Asians.

His face was half in shadow, and his dark eyes behind his glasses seemed to have a deep, magnetic pull. The slight smile on his lips exuded a deadly charm for any woman.

Yan fans, Shang Xinglu swallowed.

She stuck to her resolve, shaking her little fist again!

Then she looked back at Lin Heng’s face…

She realized that Lin Heng was seriously looking at her, in a manner that invited her to do whatever she wanted.

Shang Xinglu’s fist waved a couple of times, her brows furrowed tightly, her internal conflict raging. Finally, with a “wail,” she reluctantly let go of her fist.

She pressed her forehead to Lin Heng’s chest and said, “If you don’t explain things clearly next time before making a plan, I will never forgive you, even if it’s Lin Yan’s fault!”

Lin Heng gently stroked her smooth hair.

He said slowly, “We only guessed that Lin Maosen would act, but didn’t expect him to move so quickly. If I hadn’t been rushing back to see you, if I had switched cars, maybe the one in the ICU today would’ve been…”

“Shh!” Shang Xinglu quickly covered his mouth, an otherwise rational person now whispering, “It’s unlucky.”

Lin Heng’s heart softened suddenly.

Then, the usually reserved Lin Heng bit her finger, his voice low and tempting as he said, “Besides the finger, there’s actually another spot that’s swollen.”

Shang Xinglu: “……………”

Do you think I’m three years old this year?!

“Be serious!” Shang Xinglu flushed, quickly pulling her finger back.

…

That night, Shang Xinglu didn’t stay over.

She hurried back, and the next day she continued her excellent acting, playing the role of a strong woman who was about to become a widow.

In media interviews, she consistently stated that Lin Heng was sick and recovering at home but had never been admitted to the ICU.

With her eyes red and swollen, on the verge of tears, anyone would think Shang Xinglu was lying, trying to stabilize M&E’s stock price.

In fact, Lin Maosen had done his “homework,” proving from three sources—hospital, witnesses, and NYPD—that Lin Heng was already in the ICU, and he hinted that he was on a ventilator, with no hope of survival.

M&E’s stock price continued to plummet, and Lin Maosen estimated that Shang Xinglu’s working capital was running low.

Now, he was trying to figure out how to sell off some real estate.

Lin Maosen was confident he had already won.

He sent word to Shang Xinglu, expressing interest in purchasing her shares in Clemens.

Shang Xinglu pretended to resist, unwilling to agree, because according to Lin Maosen’s estimate, she only had a few more days to hold out.

And Shang Xinglu was a great actress.

Recently, whenever it came to something related to Lin Maosen, she was fully immersed in her role, because the thought that he was about to be slapped in the face made Shang Xinglu ecstatic!

Shang Xinglu deliberately cried uncontrollably in front of the messenger, shouting, “Lin Heng, I’m sorry!”

Then she “bravely” wiped away her tears, keeping her eyes red and her body trembling from sobs.

She immediately took on the stance of a widow fighting to survive, refusing to sell her shares.

Lin Maosen’s people left, taking the information they wanted.

As soon as they left, Lin Yan: “…………”

Emmmm…

Lin Yan couldn’t help but feel guilty towards Lin Heng.

Previously, he had criticized Lin Heng, a man with a handsome face but low emotional intelligence, who somehow found a wife, and had been envious and jealous, even doing some mischievous things like leisurely drinking afternoon tea and eating sweet pastries in front of his hardworking cousin.

Now, it seemed, Lin Heng marrying a dramatic wife wasn’t easy either!

On the fourth day of “Widow Lu”’s struggle, the media caught her off guard. She didn’t go straight to work as usual but went to a hotel.

Both domestic and international media loved a good fall-from-grace story.

They had been closely following Shang Xinglu’s every move.

But this time, the person who pulled her out of the car wasn’t Lin Heng—who else could it be?!

All the reporters: “???”

Stockholders who hadn’t sold their M&E shares: “!!!”

It was New Year’s!

Although the reporters were confused, they quickly noticed something was off.

Even though the power struggle in the high society was subtle, the reporters were seasoned and knew how to dig deeper into the spicy gossip.

One reporter asked, “Mr. Lin, what is your take on the car accident?”

Lin Heng had been prepared: “It’s all a baseless rumor, just as my wife has been saying. I’ve been at home resting for the past few days due to a cold.”

Another reporter asked, “Then why didn’t you come out to debunk the rumors? You must have known M&E’s stock price was impacted?”

Lin Heng answered, “I was overconfident, thinking that no one would sell M&E stock based on baseless rumors. For personal reasons, I want to quickly get my health back in optimal condition because in three days, my wife and I are getting married.”

The reporter asked Lin Heng several more questions, and he answered fluently, clearly having prepared beforehand.

If he hadn’t been prepared, there’s no way he could have answered so smoothly.

Everyone knew exactly what was going on.

The reporter then shifted to asking Shang Xinglu: “Mrs. Lin, why did you look so worried in the past few days?”

Shang Xinglu hadn’t prepared much, but she could act!

She said, “As you all know, Lin Heng and I are remarrying, and as the wedding gets closer, I feel more anxious, fearing that he might not be the right… um… person.”

She finished her sentence and playfully glared at Lin Heng.

That person had just publicly humiliated her by pinching her waist!

Too much! She had to retaliate!

Recently, the drop in M&E’s stock price was big news, and while the drop itself was the core, the surrounding gossip about high-society power struggles was what really got people excited.

Both Chinese and American audiences were devouring the drama.

News about Shang Xinglu and Lin Heng leaked just before the market opened, and within moments, it spread across the internet.

As soon as the U.S. stock market opened, M&E’s stock price immediately began to rise, with the trend becoming stronger and stronger.

It soared as if on a steep incline, quickly recovering its previous value.

The rise eventually slowed, but it kept going up.

Lin Maosen received the news and sent someone to handle it, but it was already too late.

The first three days had allowed him to sell off enough shares.

Now, preliminary estimates showed the loss was not in the mere billions, but could reach tens of billions of dollars.

While not a astronomical number, it was enough to make Lin Maosen bleed heavily.

His face turned pale, and everything on his desk was swept onto the floor. The desk was overturned, and the whole office was in chaos.

After the fury passed, only deep regret and mild fear remained.

If he hadn’t been so aggressive back then, the losses wouldn’t have been so great.

No, if he hadn’t aimed to flip everything and take down Lin Heng in one fell swoop, he wouldn’t have fallen into this trap.

But the more he thought, the more he felt that Lin Heng had set up one trap after another.

Lin Heng had bided his time, pulling him in bit by bit, then provoking him until his anger flared up, ultimately pushing him into a position where he lost his reason and only thought about making a comeback.

Lin Maosen gripped the edge of the desk tightly, his back teeth grinding.

He took several deep breaths, trying to regain his composure.

There was still a chance…

But heavy losses didn’t mean there wouldn’t be a chance for a comeback in the future…

At that moment, a group of uniformed people burst into his office.

One long-haired man with cat eyes and greenish pupils held up his work ID and said, “FBI, you are under investigation for the kidnapping and murder of several U.S. citizens, among other charges. Here is our arrest and search warrant. You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say can be used against you in court.”