Tianfu City. Lin Family. Luxurious villa suite.
Lin Rui, just waking up, sat paralyzed on the floor, his expression grim. Lin Rui never expected to wake up and find himself in another world. And to top it off, he had become the young master of a top-tier family in this world.
Normally, becoming the heir of a wealthy family would be a good thing. But...
Once Lin Rui sorted through his thoughts, he realized that he had actually transmigrated into a female-oriented novel, and not just any novel, but an uncommon tragic one titled "Rise and Fall in the Business World". Although it was a tragedy, due to the author's profound writing skills and captivating storytelling, it had once been extremely popular online, earning plenty of viewers' tears. It was even adapted into a television series, covering only half of the original story.
Although Lin Rui hadn't fully read the novel, he had skimmed through the TV series, and because of the high fidelity between the script and the original, he had a clear understanding of the main plot. Unfortunately, the TV series only covered half of the story.
In summary, the novel mainly focused on a woman, a heiress who pretended to be insane for three years to seek revenge. Her name was Gu Chenxi. Her parents were maliciously plotted against three years ago by the Gu family. To uncover the truth and protect herself from harm, Gu Chenxi chose to feign madness and stupidity to lower her enemies' guard. During these three years, she gathered evidence while developing herself, ultimately avenging her parents. However, after killing her enemies, Gu Chenxi was imprisoned for intentional homicide, resulting in the story's tragic conclusion.
Although Lin Rui was just a third-rate supporting character in this novel, his miserable fate was no less than Gu Chenxi's. The story primarily described three major commercial forces: the Gu family, where Gu Chenxi resided; the Xu family, where Xu Bingbing resided; and the Lin family, where Lin Rui resided. The mastermind behind the death of Gu Chenxi's parents was Gu Boming, the only son of Gu Chenxi's uncle.
Thinking about the despicable collusion between Xu Bingbing and Gu Boming depicted in the novel, Lin Rui couldn't help but grit his teeth in anger. Xu Bingbing and Gu Boming had conspired early on to swallow up the Lin family and seize control of the Gu family's assets, resorting to extreme measures.
Lin Rui in the novel was the ultimate bootlicker, willing to betray even his own parents for Xu Bingbing's sake. To facilitate the merger of the Lin and Xu families, Xu Bingbing even married Lin Rui and manipulated him to divulge the Lin family's business plans, ultimately collaborating with Gu Boming to swallow up the Lin family. Although Lin Rui married Xu Bingbing in the novel, he didn't even touch her, and ironically, on their wedding night, Lin Rui was drugged, and Xu Bingbing slept with Gu Boming in his new room.
In the end, upon discovering the truth, enduring the humiliation of being cuckolded, and being responsible for his parents' suicide, Lin Rui in the novel became mentally disturbed and ended up as a fool.
"Bootlicker, serves him right!"
Thinking about the ultimate fate of Lin Rui in the novel, the current Lin Rui, who transmigrated here, couldn't help but fiercely smash a nearby flower vase with his fist, causing blood to flow.
No, this kind of dog-blood fate must not happen to him.
He must defy fate.
"Master..."
At this moment, seeing Lin Rui bleeding profusely, a maid hurriedly ran over to bandage his wound.
The maid, Xiaoju, had been serving the Lin family since she was twelve years old, practically growing up alongside Lin Rui.
Lin Rui could sense that Xiaoju seemed to have feelings for him, but due to their difference in status, she didn't dare to express her love. Since she harbored these feelings, it meant she was someone he could trust.
"Master, why would you be so foolish?"
"Master, even though Master has only acted out of concern for you, Xu Bingbing's demands were excessive. Everything can be negotiated. Please don't give up hope."
As Xiaoju softly cried while dressing his wound, she consoled him.
Xiaoju's words allowed Lin Rui to judge the current situation clearly.
Three days ago, the original host officially impressed Xu Bingbing during a unique confession ceremony, and Xu Bingbing expressed her willingness to marry him. However, she made many unreasonable demands. For instance, she insisted on living with Lin Rui's family, forming a joint venture company, and acquiring a portion of the Lin family's shares. The original host, acting as a bootlicker, didn't think much and enthusiastically agreed. He believed his actions had truly won Xu Bingbing over, and she had fallen in love with him. Once they were married, they would be a family, so it was understandable for her to have a small share of the company. Next, he went home to beg his parents to agree to these conditions. He even declared that if he couldn't marry Xu Bingbing, he wouldn't be able to go on living. Because of this, the original host's father had not agreed to his demands and even scolded him for being unfilial. As a result, the original host resorted to a hunger strike to protest against his father.
Knock, knock, knock!
Suddenly, urgent footsteps were heard outside the door.
The old housekeeper hurriedly arrived at the door.
Seeing the blood on the floor and the wound on the young master's hand, the old housekeeper urgently said, "Oh, my young master, please don't degrade yourself like this."
"Sir... The master has agreed to your request and asks you to come downstairs to talk."
The butler's face was urgent, but deep down, he felt extremely oppressed. In fact, even the butler could tell that the demands made by the Xu family were excessive. It wasn't just Mr. and Mrs. Lin who found them unreasonable; any servant of the Lin family could see that if they agreed to these conditions, the vast Lin family estate would likely be gradually swallowed up by the Xu family. Mr. and Mrs. Lin could see this too, but they only had Lin Rui as their son. They had spoiled him since birth. Now, faced with this dilemma, Mr. Lin, despite initially hesitating, ultimately couldn't resist his compassion. Before the family business and his son, he chose to indulge this unfilial child.
"What's wrong?" When Lin Rui descended into the hall, his mother, Xu Wanrong, rushed over upon seeing the bandage on his left hand.
The maid, Xiaojun, gently sobbed as she told Xu Wanrong about Lin Rui smashing the vase.
Xu Wanrong, who had always spoiled Lin Rui, felt both heartache and indignation upon seeing the blood still seeping from his wound. "You foolish child, fasting was one thing, but self-harm? For that woman surnamed Xu, you'd sacrifice your life?"
Xu Wanrong's heart was not only aching but also filled with resentment and jealousy. It was evident that ever since her son fell in love with Xu Bingbing, this man might never think of his mother again.
Mr. Lin, as a father, felt even more angry than heartbroken at this scene. Standing by the window, he couldn't help but curse, "Such a worthless son, sacrificing himself for a woman. I, Lin Entai, regret having such an unfilial child."
With a heavy sigh, Lin Entai turned around and glanced at his disappointing son. Then he said, "Well, since you're so determined to marry Xu Bingbing, your mother and I won't try to persuade you anymore."
"The terms proposed by the Xu family, after discussing with your mother, we... basically agree. But there are a few points we need to clarify," he continued.
"Firstly, if you're going to marry into the Xu family, we agree. The first child will take the Xu surname, but the second child must take the Lin surname. If our Lin family can hold on for another twenty years, I'll hand over the Lin family to him."
"Secondly, if the Xu family wants to form a joint venture with us, that's fine. They can have a controlling stake, but they're not allowed to dominate the core industries of our Lin family."
"Thirdly, if Xu Bingbing wants to obtain some of our Lin family's shares as a dowry, I can give them to her. However, both you and her must sign the share agreement together, not just her alone."
"If you agree, you can discuss it with Xu Bingbing. These are the bottom lines your mother and I have set."
Familiar with the plot, Lin Rui knew these harsh conditions well. But hearing Lin Entai repeat them made his blood boil. These were practically the Lin family's lifelines being handed over.
Suddenly, just as Lin Rui's chest felt tight with anger, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind:
"Life Winner System Binding Initiated."
"Binding Successful."
"Detecting the host's current environment."
"Presenting the host with the following two choices."
"1. Agree to Mr. Lin's proposal, continue to be a lapdog by Xu Bingbing's side, and marry her, gaining the title of Ultimate Ninja Turtle."
"2. Disagree with Mr. Lin's proposal, refuse to marry Xu Bingbing, and find a way to marry Gu Chenxi, rewarded with a God-level investment skill."
Lin Rui's mind went blank for a moment. Damn! The system's timing couldn't be better.
Lin Rui didn't need to think twice; he knew he had to choose the second option. But marrying Gu Chenxi? Would this elevate him from a supporting role to a main character?
But hey, Gu Chenxi was even more beautiful than Xu Bingbing. Although to others, she was a wealthy young lady who had long gone mad, Lin Rui knew her madness was just an act.
Gu Chenxi was quite remarkable, pretending to be crazy for three years while investigating the truth and protecting herself from harm. Lin Rui couldn't help but feel a sense of relief knowing he was the only one in this world who knew Gu Chenxi's madness was just a façade.
"Unfilial child, why aren't you saying anything? Are you still going to force us to make more concessions? Are you not going to be satisfied until we're dead?" Lin Entai trembled with anger, seeing Lin Rui remain silent.
This was already the biggest concession Lin Entai could make. If he made any more, the Lin family business would collapse within three years.
"Ruier, you really can't force us anymore. For your sake, we've done everything we could, and even what we couldn't..." Xu Wanrong said tearfully.
Feeling a pang of sadness, Lin Rui approached Xu Wanrong and gently wiped away the tears from her eyes. In a calm tone, he said, "Mom, don't cry. Your son won't marry that woman."
...