TSFLIP Chapter 458

“Mr. Fu came to see the view, didn’t he? Of course, I should walk you out,” Ji Mian said, standing up. He turned to Feng Guang and spoke softly, “I’ll be back soon.”

She answered obediently, “Okay.”

As they stepped out of the hospital room, both men simultaneously dropped their polite smiles, indicating an eerie unspoken understanding between them.

It was Fu Yang who broke the silence first. “For those who live in darkness, when they finally see the light, some feel the urge to destroy it, while others desperately want to hold on to it. Which type are you, Mr. Ji? Or maybe… you’re a bit of both?”

Ji Mian’s handsome features curved into a slight smile. “I don’t think you need to know that, Mr. Fu.”

“Fair enough,” Fu Yang chuckled. “Ji Mian, you spent your early years — up until you were thirteen — in an orphanage. But that place wasn’t nearly as warm and nurturing as it appeared, was it? In reality, it was a playground for those with… less savory interests. And for a thirteen-year-old to not only survive there but also protect his sister the entire time… quite the miracle, wouldn’t you say?”

Two years ago, that orphanage had been shut down. It was said that the director had died suddenly at home from illness. The staff either died from various ailments or were still lying in hospital beds. As for the children, an anonymous benefactor had arranged for all of them to be transferred to a different, much better facility.

Ji Mian remained calm, responding just as casually, “The Fu family has two sons. The elder was born of the lawful wife, the younger from a mistress. Rumor has it that the Fu family patriarch favors the younger son as heir.”

“That’s right,” Fu Yang replied, his voice light, as if he were discussing someone else’s family gossip. “After all, children rise with their mothers. Aging men always seem to prefer the wildflowers they keep on the side — young and beautiful — while the wife who’s managed the household for years turns into a worn-out, faded woman, and naturally loses her husband’s affection.”

Ji Mian and Fu Yang were both creatures born of darkness. They shared similarities — for example, their thorough knowledge of each other’s pasts. And when they encountered something pure and bright like sunlight, neither could resist the urge to possess it.

But there was one key difference between them.

Fu Yang still had a mother. That tie held him back from being completely ruthless. Ji Mian had a sister… but his sister…

Ji Mian smiled faintly. He and Ji You were born from the same womb, and shared the same blood. The darker he was, the more he cherished Ji You, because she represented everything he had lost — his goodness, his innocence. She was the reflection of the childhood he never had. She was, in a way, another version of him.

But now, he no longer needed another version of himself.

To win the girl he wanted, there was nothing he wouldn’t sacrifice—not even his blood ties, not even himself.

That was the biggest difference between Ji Mian and Fu Yang: Ji Mian truly had no limits. He was ruthless toward others, but even more ruthless toward himself.

“Mr. Fu,” Ji Mian said, stopping in his tracks, “let’s make a deal.”

“I’m listening.”

“I’ll help you take over the Fu family,” Ji Mian said, smiling slightly. “And you help me take down the Xia family.”

Fu Yang smiled slyly, like a fox. “Now that’s a tempting offer. But if I help you, won’t Feng Guang—”

“You don’t have to worry about her,” Ji Mian interrupted, his smile deepening. “Feng Guang has me. That’s all she needs.”

Fu Yang paused, then let out a soft chuckle. “That’s some terrifying confidence you’ve got there.”