Chapter 5: Let’s Get Married

23rd Floor, Lingfeng Building.

The ashtray on the conference table held three or four cigarette butts, and the table was scattered with paper documents.

The general manager of Lingfeng couldn’t sit still, pacing back and forth.

Tang Xia sat on a chair near the door, anxiously biting his nails while rapidly scrolling through his phone with one hand.

A commotion of screams and noise came from outside the conference room, causing both of them to turn their heads simultaneously.

Lin Xingmian, dressed in casual business attire, leisurely pushed open the conference room door.

Lin Xingmian glanced at the two of them, his demeanor as relaxed as if he had just returned from a stroll.

“Ah! Lin Xingmian! How dare you block my number!” Tang Xia suddenly stood up, grabbing his collar and demanding harshly.

“How could you skip the Golden Eagle Awards! Do you know how much your unauthorized actions have impacted the event? The company’s stock has dropped by fifty percent! How are you going to compensate for this loss!”

Lin Xingmian gave him a sidelong glance and pushed Tang Xia’s hand away.

“The villain strikes first, huh? Afraid people won’t know what you’ve done?” Lin Xingmian pulled out a chair, unbuttoned one of his suit buttons, and elegantly took a seat.

Tang Xia, red-faced with anger, turned to General Manager Li, “Look at his attitude! He’s completely unreliable. Let’s just follow the PR team’s suggestion and issue an apology statement first…”

General Manager Li glared at the visibly agitated Tang Xia, then turned his gaze to Lin Xingmian, his voice low and laced with warning, “Give me a reasonable explanation! Otherwise, all that awaits you is being blacklisted.”

“Don’t forget, everything you have now was given to you by the company! Without the company, you’re nothing!”

Lin Xingmian narrowed his eyes slightly, “Manager Li, don’t forget either—this company building was built on my back.”

“Give me ten minutes to talk with Tang Xia. After that, the PR team will know exactly what to write.”

Manager Li’s face flushed red, but he didn’t dare to retort.

Lin Xingmian had debuted at 14, skyrocketed to fame at 18, and remained a top star for years. The revenue he alone brought to the company surpassed that of all other artists combined.

Just the cash flow he generated for the company this year alone could fund the construction of another building.

Manager Li could only swallow his frustration, his tone irritable, “…Fine, I’ll come back in ten minutes. By then, you two better have figured out a solution!”

The sound of leather shoes clicking echoed as the heavy door shut, cutting off all noise from outside.

The room fell into silence, broken only by Tang Xia’s slightly hurried breathing.

“Lin Xingmian, where did you go last night?” Tang Xia demanded loudly.

“Where I went isn’t important. Why don’t we talk about how many pills you slipped into my water yesterday?” Lin Xingmian placed his hands on the table, his dark eyes fixed intently on Tang Xia.

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about!” Tang Xia avoided his gaze.

“You don’t know? Tang Xia, I’ve always been lenient with you. I know you’ve been skimming off my earnings, and I’ve never said a word, letting you take what you wanted.”

“This time, I want you to tell me yourself—why did you betray me?”

Tang Xia bit his lip, remaining silent.

“Yesterday wasn’t my sensitive period! Why did I experience heat symptoms? Every piece of food and drink I touched went through your hands!”

“If I hadn’t reacted quickly, I would have gone into heat on stage in front of everyone! Completely ruined! Is that what you wanted to see?” Lin Xingmian couldn’t help but slam the table, his voice tinged with just the right amount of a sob.

“You promised we would move forward together, share the same boat. All the dreams you once told me about—are they all meaningless now? As long as there’s enough money, you can betray me without hesitation! Betray everything!” Lin Xingmian shouted hoarsely.

“What’s the difference between you and those people hiding behind screens trying to smear me? How much money did you take? Enough to keep you comfortable for three lifetimes, huh?” Lin Xingmian’s tone was dripping with sarcasm.

“It’s not about the money!” Tang Xia retorted instinctively, his voice filled with frustration.

“Then what is it? You’ve been by my side for over a decade! What haven’t I given you?” Lin Xingmian’s eyes were red, veins bulging on his forehead.

“I…” Tang Xia’s expression wavered heavily, his gaze falling on the phone on the table.

Lin Xingmian followed his gaze, his eyes flickering.

“…Wait, you’re bluffing! Since when did you become so sentimental, Lin Xingmian?” Tang Xia snapped back, frowning as he questioned.

“Now?” Lin Xingmian’s tone was calm, as if the person who had just been shouting hoarsely wasn’t him.

“So, betraying me wasn’t just about money?” Lin Xingmian leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed. “Someone put you up to it?”

“No!” Tang Xia was furious, his face red with shame.

Lin Xingmian smirked. “Looks like it is.”

Lin Xingmian glanced at his watch. “You have five minutes left. Tell me honestly who instructed you to do this, and for the sake of our years of friendship, I might let you off this once.”

Tang Xia let out a cold laugh. “I won’t say a word! Go ahead and call the police if you dare! You have no evidence, and you’re just dreaming!”

At that moment, Lin Xingmian’s phone vibrated slightly, the screen lighting up to show a recording interface.

Tang Xia naturally saw it too, but instead of fear, he burst into laughter. “Hahaha, Lin Xingmian, you’re so naive! What does it matter if you recorded this? Private recordings can’t be used as legal evidence. You think you’re still acting in a drama?”

“What can you do? Once you leave me, you won’t even have basic survival skills or common sense!” Tang Xia wiped the tears at the corner of his eyes and smiled. “Here’s some advice: let’s part on good terms. After all, you’re still a big star. A scandal like this will only drop you a couple of ranks. Take some time off, and you can still make a comeback.”

“Lin Xingmian, you caused your father’s death, and your mother abandoned you. After all these years of friendship, you wouldn’t turn on me too, would you?” Tang Xia’s tone was gentle, but his lips curled into a smug smile. “I’m all you have left. You wouldn’t have the heart to do that, right?”

Having been by Lin Xingmian’s side for so long, Tang Xia knew how much Lin Xingmian valued relationships. At most, Lin Xingmian was bluffing—he would never actually take serious action.

“Well, I’m sorry to say, but I just got a new husband. You’ve been replaced.” Lin Xingmian leaned forward, his long fingers interlaced, his eyebrows raised.

“What?!” Tang Xia frowned, completely caught off guard.

“Bang—” The door to the conference room was kicked open, and a group of uniformed officers rushed in.

“Who’s Tang Xia?” the lead officer demanded in a booming voice.

Tang Xia’s face turned pale as he stared at Lin Xingmian in disbelief. “You’re serious!”

The officer deduced the suspect from the expressions of the two individuals and stepped closer to Tang Xia.

“Are you Tang Xia?”

Tang Xia instinctively shook his head, his eyes darting around.

Seeing the officer about to grab him, he pushed over a potted plant in the conference room and bolted toward the door.

The officer at the entrance reacted swiftly, grabbing the struggling Tang Xia with one hand and swiftly cuffing his wrists with silver handcuffs.

“Tang Xia! You are under arrest for suspected trafficking of illegal hormonal drugs. Please cooperate with us and return to the station for investigation!”

Tang Xia’s body stiffened, his face flushing red.

His trembling finger pointed at Lin Xingmian, his eyes bloodshot, “Impossible! He framed me! I never did anything like this!”

“You ungrateful dog… Ah!”

The officer forcefully restrained his arms, cutting him off,

“Whether you did it or not isn’t for you to decide! The hospital’s drug inventory records and surveillance footage have already been sent to the station! You can explain yourself to the interrogator!”

The officer controlled the struggling Tang Xia and dragged him out of the conference room.

Tang Xia’s eyes were blood-red, glaring fiercely at Lin Xingmian,

“Where did you get the information? How could you possibly access the hospital’s surveillance?!”

Lin Xingmian’s gaze turned cold, completely ignoring his outburst.

He opened his phone and listened to a voice message from the other end.

{The Villain: “How did it go?”}

Lin Xingmian was about to speak when he felt a sinister gaze from behind.

He suddenly changed his words, “Everything went as expected, darling. Let’s pick a time to get our marriage certificate.”