The night was deep, and the lights in the Shen residence's study were dim.
Shen Sihan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the brightly lit city in the distance. Motionless, his brows were tightly furrowed as if lost in thought. His desk was cluttered with financial media reports from the day, stock market decline summaries, and the official government cooperation letter that Lin Wannian had pinned on her Weibo.
Each document was like a sharp blade, piercing straight into his nerves.
"President Shen," Assistant Xiao Lin entered quietly, his voice lowered, "regarding Lin Wannian's report, the authorities have ruled it as 'insufficient evidence,' and will not be filing a case for now."
Shen Sihan turned around, his expression dark. "So, she's won again?"
Xiao Lin lowered his head, saying nothing—but the answer was clear.
"She's waiting for me to make a mistake." Shen Sihan's voice was icy. "She's no longer just defending—she's forcing me to make a move."
"President, we are indeed in a very passive position right now. If we don't strike back, our supply chain might be completely cut off. The Shen Group will face a chain crisis."
"She won't back off easily." Shen Sihan sneered. "Her ambition is greater than we imagined."
"Then what's your plan...?"
Shen Sihan was silent for a few seconds, then finally decided, "Arrange a meeting with Lin Wannian. I need to talk to her first."
Xiao Lin was stunned. "Now? Will she agree to see you?"
"She will," Shen Sihan's eyes darkened. "If she wants to win, she won't refuse to meet me."
The next day, Lin Wannian presided over the morning meeting at Xinlin Group as usual.
Just as she was finishing the report on the next phase of integration, her assistant walked up with a business card and a message:
"President Shen is downstairs and would like to see you."
The meeting room fell silent instantly.
Everyone exchanged glances, no one daring to speak. All eyes were on Lin Wannian, waiting for her reaction.
She glanced at the card, her tone icy. "Tell him, if he's here to talk about terms, he can wait for his next life."
The assistant hesitated, about to turn away, when Lin Wannian changed her mind:
"No—bring him to the reception room."
Everyone was startled again, their eyes drawn to her abdomen.
Lin Wannian stood up, adjusted her suit jacket. "Let's see what new tricks he has up his sleeve."
In the reception room, Shen Sihan had been waiting for over ten minutes.
He was still impeccably dressed, exuding a cold aura. But when Lin Wannian pushed open the door, his gaze visibly flickered.
Today, she wore a black-and-white contrast suit dress, exuding a powerful presence. She walked in like a drawn sword.
"What do you want to talk about?" She sat down, straight to the point.
Shen Sihan looked at her and slowly began, "Wannian, I know you hate me. I know how hard your journey has been. But what you're doing now isn't just revenge anymore. You're trying to destroy the entire Shen family."
"Destroy?" Lin Wannian laughed coldly. "When you and Lin Manman stole my shares, forced me out with nothing, and drove my father to die with injustice—did you oppose the word 'destroy' then?"
Shen Sihan's breath caught. He said in a low voice, "Wannian, I admit I was wrong. And I've paid the price. But what you're doing now helps neither you, me, nor our companies."
"Wrong?" Her eyes were ice. "You think one 'I was wrong' can wipe away everything? When I was gritting my teeth to survive this past year, where were you?"
"I'm not here to argue," Shen Sihan suppressed his emotions. "I want to offer a deal—I'll let you lead the next round of financing for the Shen Group, but you must stop acquiring our partners."
Lin Wannian paused for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. "You're… here to beg me?"
Shen Sihan's expression changed slightly, but he didn't deny it.
Her gaze sharpened. "You think I care about your pitiful financing rights? Shen Sihan, what I want now is the voice of the entire Shen family—watching you kneel as I take back everything I lost!"
"Is there really… no room for compromise?" Shen Sihan's voice was low, seemingly making one last plea.
Lin Wannian stood up, looking down on him. "Compromise is for those worth investing in."
"And you—are not."
When Shen Sihan walked out of Xinlin Group, the sky was drizzling.
He stood on the steps, looking up at the sky. The rain streamed down his hair, soaking through his shirt.
Never had he imagined he would be driven to this point by Lin Wannian.
And she had truly grown—into an opponent he could no longer control.
Back in the car, Xiao Lin couldn't help but ask, "She really wouldn't budge?"
Shen Sihan closed his eyes. "She stopped being mine a long time ago."
"So what do we do next?"
Shen Sihan slowly opened his eyes, gaze sharp as a blade. "If she won't talk—then we'll force her to."
Three days later.
While Xinlin Group was advancing the acquisition of Tiansheng's remaining shares, a shocking piece of news broke:
[Xinlin Group suspected of malicious capital acquisition, violating fair competition principles. Authorities will intervene in the investigation.]
The internet exploded, and the stock market fluctuated wildly.
At nearly the same time, Lin Wannian's late father Lin Guodong's old case was anonymously reported again—this time accusing him of financial fraud and requesting a retrial.
This was clearly a calculated counterattack.
The assistant burst into the office. "President Lin, someone is working with external capital to short our stock—their goal is to shake the board's confidence. You need to respond now!"
Lin Wannian closed the folder, her expression calm as ice. "Is the response plan ready?"
"It's ready. We've gathered all evidence of Shen Group's recent manipulations. Just waiting for your word."
"Good." She stood up, eyes firm. "It's my turn to make a move."
That afternoon, Lin Wannian attended Xinlin Group's emergency press conference and issued a statement publicly reporting Shen Group's market manipulations. Simultaneously, she submitted internal evidence to the national financial regulatory authorities.
The situation flipped again in an instant.
Everyone realized—the real battle had just begun.
And Lin Wannian had never planned to back down.