After the divorce, the CEO knelt down every night begging for remarriage.

At five o'clock in the morning, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and torrential rain poured down.

Li Tingze sat on the balcony, his gaze unfocused as he stared outside. In the dim light, he watched as the delicate flowers that Lin Zhi usually tended to were gradually destroyed and fell to the ground in the storm.

In that instant, he felt as if an invisible pair of hands were gripping his throat, making it hard for him to breathe.

Time ticked away, little by little.

The people sent out never received any news of Lin Zhi.

It was like a dream; when I woke up, everything was gone.

I sat quietly for two hours.

The phone rang abruptly, shattering the loneliness of the moment.

Li Tingze instinctively reached for his phone, pressed the answer button, and heard his assistant's tired voice tinged with fear.

The assistant said, "Mr. Li, I'm so sorry, we've tried our best, but we still haven't been able to find your wife... we..."

"Keep searching. If we can't find it in northern Beijing, we'll expand the search area."

Li Tingze practically roared these words.

At this moment, he truly realized that no matter how powerful the Li family under his leadership was, it could not find a Lin Zhi who was deliberately avoiding him.

He was just an ordinary person in the vast sea of ​​people.

knock knock knock...

A knock sounded at the door, and a maid stood outside, softly announcing, "Sir, are you awake? Miss Su is kneeling outside the door. She says that if you and your wife do not see her, she will remain kneeling there forever."

Li Tingze looked at the vibrant flowers in the soil and slowly closed his eyes.

Only then did he realize that if Su Nianqing's problem wasn't resolved, there would never be a possibility between him and Lin Zhi.

He spoke in a hoarse voice: "Tell her to wait for me in the side hall."

Su Nianqing came to see Li Tingze with the determination to break off all pretense of civility. She was betting that Li Tingze wouldn't be heartless towards her, after all, in his heart, she was the savior of him and his mother.

To repay kindness with enmity is to be struck by lightning.

Those from wealthy families are most wary of these things.

She sat in the side hall, looking at the different furnishings from last time, and guessed that Lin Zhi had probably had the items she had touched replaced.

Thinking of this, a surge of jealousy rose in her heart.

She should have been the one living here, the esteemed mistress of this house.

Lin Zhi was nothing more than a criminal who stole her wonderful and happy life!

Just as she was harboring resentment towards Lin Zhi, Li Tingze appeared.

He was still wearing the same clothes as last night, his beard was unkempt, his eyes were dull, and his expression was weathered, lacking his usual vigor.

Even his voice was weary: "You'd better give me a reason why you absolutely have to steal, or you and your mother will never be allowed to set foot in Beijing again from this day forward."

Su Nianqing hurriedly stood up and took a few steps to Li Tingze. As he uttered words that sounded like a threat, she suddenly knelt down in front of him, clutching his hand tightly, tears streaming down her face, and pleaded, "Aze, I really didn't mean to do that with the new product. I just felt that with Miss Lin's abilities, she could easily redraw a picture from just two or three drafts with her eyes closed. But I'm different from her. She has you as her strong backing, so even if she doesn't need to go out and make a career, she can be a rich wife for life. But I... what I lack is opportunity."

"That's no excuse for you to steal my wife's artwork." Li Tingze was furious, veins bulging on his arm. He barely managed to restrain himself from strangling Su Nianqing on the spot. "You knew you were stealing Lin Zhi's artwork, yet you still begged me to release a new product under the Li Group's name. You were clearly targeting Lin Zhi. You probably thought that given our current relationship, Lin Zhi would misunderstand me and leave me, giving you a chance to become Mrs. Li, right?"

Even though Su Nianqing truly thought so in her heart, she didn't dare to nod and admit it at this moment.

The way Li Tingze looked at her was terrifying, like a falcon staring at a dying person.

She knew in her heart that the favor she had done to Li Tingze back then had probably been completely exhausted by him.

From now on, he will never pay any attention to her and her mother again.

However, this was her only bargaining chip.

Tears streamed down her face as she apologized repeatedly, recounting her suffering and hardships in an attempt to soften Li Tingze's heart. However, no matter how much she pleaded, she could not earn a single word of forgiveness from Li Tingze.

Driven to desperation, she erupted in a heart-wrenching rage: "Li Tingze, everyone in the world can misunderstand me, can't forgive me, but you can't. Back then, if your mother hadn't promised me that she would marry me and ensure my mother and I a carefree life, why would my mother and I have clung to you like this? You were the ones who made the promise and then went back on your word, so why are you standing here in your superior position now, criticizing me? I did all this because you forced me to!"

"I risked my life to save you and your mother, and five years have passed. Not only have you failed to keep your promise, but you're even planning to kick me and my mother away and abandon us. I only took three manuscripts from Lin Zhi, but she stole five whole years of my happy life. The position of Mrs. Li should have belonged to me! The person you wanted to marry back then was me!"

"Lin Zhi is the real thief, and I am the most innocent victim!"

After her outburst, not a single tear fell from Su Nianqing's eyes.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she stared intently at Li Tingze.

Li Tingze stood there quietly looking down at her.

Just like his and her status in real life.

He was so high and mighty.

She could never reach that level.

The promise was made by Song Ya to the Su mother and daughter back then. Li Tingze didn't know the specifics, but he did know about marrying Su Nianqing.

He neither nodded in agreement nor explicitly refused.

Perhaps, if Grandpa Li hadn't arranged for Lin Zhi to make a surprise appearance at the proposal, he might have married Su Nianqing.

For him at the time, it didn't matter who he married.

He doesn't understand love, nor does he know how to love.

Whether it's Lin Zhi or Su Nianqing, the outcome is the same.

However, his state of mind is quite different now. He cares about Lin Zhi and has even fallen in love with her.

Li Tingze raised his hand and ruthlessly pushed Su Nianqing away, saying coldly, "Mrs. Li can only be Lin Zhi."

Upon hearing these words, Su Nianqing's heart shattered completely.

She collapsed to the ground, utterly heartbroken, and cried out, "I wasn't wrong at all! I'm the victim! Why do I have to endure this cruel treatment? What right do you have to treat my life so carelessly!"

In the end, Li Tingze did not give Su Nianqing a death order.

Su Nianqing is right. The fault doesn't lie with her, but with him for letting Song Ya control him in the first place.

He remained silent for a long time before speaking softly: "You said before that you wanted to have your own career. I made a promise to you, and I will not go back on my word. In addition, I will give you and your mother another 500 million."

Upon hearing this, Su Nianqing was overjoyed, and hope was rekindled in her heart.

Before she could even laugh, she heard Li Tingze say, "The condition is that you and your mother must go abroad and never set foot in Beijing again, not even in any other city in China."

As soon as Li Tingze finished speaking, a servant appeared at the door.

She spoke cautiously, "Sir, Madam is back. Would you like to...?"