Chapter One Hundred: The Ruthless Lin Yuemei

“Miss, we’re here.”

The Mercedes eased to a stop beside the villa. Seeing that they had arrived, Uncle Xiang turned around with a kindly smile and said to Ma Yunrou.

Ma Yunrou nodded and opened the door. The moment she stepped out, she saw the towering, imposing villa. Its air of luxury and solemn dignity made her feel a little tense. She could not help wondering just how wealthy the owner of this house had to be, and what business she could possibly have with her. Standing in such an upscale residential district, even with some experience of the world, she could not shake the unease in her heart.

Uncle Xiang noticed Ma Yunrou’s nervousness and smiled gently. “Don’t worry, Miss. My lady means you no harm. Come along.”

With that, he led the way into the villa. Ma Yunrou bit her lip. Since she had already come this far, she might as well go in and see what was going on. So she hurried after Uncle Xiang into the house.

Led by Uncle Xiang, the two soon reached the study. At the door, Uncle Xiang signaled for Ma Yunrou to wait a moment, then knocked softly. A stern voice came from inside.

“Come in.”

Hearing this, Uncle Xiang pushed the door open and stepped inside, saying in a low voice, “Madam, Ma Yunrou has been found. She’s outside.”

“Oh? Let her in.” Lin Yuemei, seated in the study, raised an eyebrow in surprise. She had not expected Uncle Xiang to find the girl so quickly.

Uncle Xiang nodded and said to Ma Yunrou, who was waiting at the door, “My lady says you may come in.”

Ma Yunrou lowered her head and walked into the study, too nervous to look up. Yet the priceless carpet beneath her eyes only made her feel more unsettled. Once she was inside, Uncle Xiang slowly withdrew from the room and, as he did so, closed the study door behind him. And so, in the vast study, only Ma Yunrou and Lin Yuemei remained.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew stiff. Neither of them spoke.

Lin Yuemei studied the girl before her from head to toe. A trace of contempt appeared in her eyes. Ma Yunrou was indeed very beautiful: a fair, full face, sensuous lips, double eyelids, and a high bridge of the nose. Her figure was enticing, and though it was winter, the bulky cotton coat still failed to completely hide her alluring shape. But none of that earned Lin Yuemei’s approval. After all, Lin Yuemei was someone who had truly seen the world. She had met plenty of beautiful girls, and from the corners of Ma Yunrou’s eyes she could also detect a certain coquetry.

“Are you very afraid of me?” Lin Yuemei finally asked after a long silence.

“Ah... no... Auntie... I...” Lin Yuemei’s sudden question threw the already nervous Ma Yunrou into complete confusion, and she stumbled over her words.

“Heh, don’t be nervous. I didn’t call you here with any ill intent. On the contrary, I’m going to give you a great windfall.” Seeing Ma Yunrou so flustered, Lin Yuemei’s disdain deepened. If the next part of her plan had not required Ma Yunrou, she would already have had someone throw the girl out. A girl like this was not worth her time.

At those words, Ma Yunrou gradually calmed down. She secretly lifted her head and looked at the middle-aged woman who claimed she would give her great fortune.

But when she saw Lin Yuemei’s noble bearing, she immediately lowered her head again in embarrassment.

“To put it simply, I need your help with something. If you can get it done, I guarantee you’ll be admitted to the Capital Film Academy, with all tuition covered. And after it’s done, I’ll give you another million.” Lin Yuemei wanted to settle this matter quickly. In just this short time, she had already seen Ma Yunrou through from the inside out, so she decided to lay out the bait directly and crush the girl’s defenses.

Sure enough, when Ma Yunrou heard about the film academy and the million yuan, her heart pounded violently. Was this real? Was she dreaming? She bit the tip of her tongue. When she felt the pain, she knew it was all real. She nodded frantically. “Okay, okay, I’ll help. I’ll definitely do it for you.”

She had no doubt whatsoever about the truth of Lin Yuemei’s words. In her mind, anyone who could afford this villa would never deceive her. This was heaven taking pity on her.

“Good.” Lin Yuemei nodded with satisfaction. Everything was proceeding exactly as she had expected.

“You know Xiao Lin, don’t you?” After a brief pause, Lin Yuemei asked this.

“Xiao Lin?” A trace of confusion appeared in Ma Yunrou’s eyes. The name sounded strangely familiar.

“When you were in middle school, wasn’t he your boyfriend?” Lin Yuemei reminded her softly.

“Oh, yes, yes, I know him.” With that reminder, Ma Yunrou suddenly understood, and the image of a handsome boy surfaced in her mind. She secretly wondered why this wealthy lady was bringing up Xiao Lin. Could she be a relative of his? No, that could not be right. As far as she remembered, Xiao Lin’s family did not have such wealthy relatives. While she thought, another idea crossed her mind: if only she had known Xiao Lin had such a rich relative, she never would have broken up with him back then.

“That’s good. The favor I need from you is this: I want you to date Xiao Lin. I don’t care what method you use. As long as you do it, every promise I made will be fulfilled. If you can’t, then none of it will count.” At last, Lin Yuemei stated what she wanted Ma Yunrou to do.

“Ah, date him?” Ma Yunrou cried out.

“What? Is there a problem?” Lin Yuemei asked with some displeasure.

“No... no... I was just curious. Um, are you Xiao Lin’s relative?” Ma Yunrou asked cautiously, still finding it hard to believe. This wealthy lady had spent so much money just to have her get together with Xiao Lin. Wasn’t that too easy? It seemed this rich madam must be Xiao Lin’s relative after all. Sigh, if she had known Xiao Lin had such a wealthy relative, she would never have broken up with him in the first place.

“A relative? Hmph. Don’t concern yourself with that. Just do what you’re told.” Hearing Ma Yunrou say that she and Xiao Lin were relatives, Lin Yuemei could not help letting out a cold snort.

“Don’t worry, Auntie. I’ll be good to Xiao Lin. Breaking up with him last time was unavoidable. This time, I’ll treat him well.” With her head lowered, Ma Yunrou said in a somewhat ingratiating tone. She was now more and more certain that Lin Yuemei must be Xiao Lin’s relative.

“That’s enough.” Lin Yuemei slammed a hand on the desk. She was furious. Did this girl not know how much she hated Xiao Lin? And she still wanted to treat him well? Then what had her son suffered for all this time?

Lin Yuemei’s rage frightened Ma Yunrou so badly that her whole body trembled. Her knees went weak, and she nearly collapsed to the floor. Looking at Lin Yuemei’s furious expression, she had no idea what she had said wrong. Could it be that this woman was blaming her for dumping Xiao Lin back then? Yes, that must be it.

“Auntie, I was wrong. Breaking up with Xiao Lin wasn’t my fault at all. It was all because Liu Zhibo stirred things up. He forced me. Auntie, it really wasn’t me...” Ma Yunrou was so frightened that tears welled in her eyes.

Was this girl an idiot? Lin Yuemei was so angry smoke seemed ready to rise from her head. She stepped around the desk, came to stand before Ma Yunrou, and said with a sinister look, “Enough. Stop crying. Listen carefully: you must make Xiao Lin fall in love with you, and then you will throw him away for me, hard. Humiliate him as much as you want. Wound him as deeply as possible.”

As she spoke, Lin Yuemei suddenly seized Ma Yunrou by the shoulders, her face twisted with malice.

“Ah, Auntie, I understand... I know...” Ma Yunrou cried out in pain. Her shoulders were gripped so tightly by Lin Yuemei that it hurt terribly. Looking at Lin Yuemei’s now terrifying expression, she finally understood that this woman definitely was not Xiao Lin’s relative. On the contrary, they might even be enemies.

“Remember, it would be best if you could break his spirit. Make him spend the rest of his life alone.” Lin Yuemei added another ruthless, venomous sentence.

Ma Yunrou nodded repeatedly. “Then... may I go now?” She was terrified of this Lin Yuemei to the core. She did not want to stay here a moment longer.

“Wait. I haven’t finished telling you everything.” Lin Yuemei withdrew her ferocious expression, turned back to the desk, pulled open a drawer, took out a document envelope, and tossed it to Ma Yunrou.

“This contains Xiao Lin’s recent information. He’s also been dating another girl lately, and they’re very close. If necessary, you may have to sacrifice yourself a little. In any case, that’s what I mean: use any means necessary to destroy him for me. Do you understand? And don’t harbor any luck-driven fantasies. Otherwise, my fury is not something you can bear.” Lin Yuemei said with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

“Understood, understood.” Ma Yunrou shivered and did not dare object in the slightest.

“All right, you can go. Find the person who brought you in just now, and he’ll explain the details to you.” Lin Yuemei rubbed her temples and waved her away.

At that, Ma Yunrou let out a long breath and fled the study like a frightened rat.

“Hmph. Xiao Lin, daring to fight my son over a woman? Just wait for the consequences.” After Ma Yunrou left, Lin Yuemei’s face once again took on a savage look. At that moment, where was any trace of nobility left in her? She was nothing more than a vicious woman.

Meanwhile, Ma Yunrou staggered out of the study. Uncle Xiang, who had been waiting at the door, saw the document envelope in her hands, and a smile spread across his aged face. The young master’s matter was more or less settled now.

“Looks like you’ve agreed, Miss. Please come with me for a moment.” Smiling, Uncle Xiang led Ma Yunrou to another room. After stepping inside, he brought out a small leather bag, unzipped it, and revealed stacks of hundred-yuan bills inside.

“Miss, this is the deposit Madam gave you, one hundred thousand. The rest will be paid in full once the matter is done.” Uncle Xiang placed the leather bag into Ma Yunrou’s hands.

Looking at the bright red bills, Ma Yunrou trembled with excitement. In all her life, she had never seen so much money. At this point, let alone asking her to sell herself, she would have sold even her soul.

“Miss, this is a phone for you. My number is saved inside. If you need anything, you can call this old man. Also, Xiao Lin has already returned to East Sea. I assume you know his address, yes? And Madam’s request is that this be done as quickly as possible, so I hope you’ll hurry.” Uncle Xiang took out an Apple phone and placed it into the small leather bag in Ma Yunrou’s hands.

“Got it, got it. I’ll do it as fast as I can.” Ma Yunrou had been completely bewitched by money.

“That would be best. Please, Miss. I’ll see you home.” Uncle Xiang made an inviting gesture.

Clutching the small leather bag in both hands, Ma Yunrou walked unsteadily, so excited she could hardly keep her footing.