Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Total AssetsChapter 63: All Assets

    Meng Chao admitted, "I was the one who transferred the money."

    Lin Qin hurriedly opened his mobile banking app, intending to transfer the money back to Meng Chao. "I was just joking earlier." He was merely teasing—how could Meng Chao take it seriously?

    Meng Chao stopped Lin Qin’s actions and said, "This is all my liquid assets. In addition to this, I still have..." He then went on at length, listing every single asset under his name to Lin Qin.

    After finishing, Meng Chao looked at Lin Qin with deep seriousness and declared, "I can transfer all of these under your name right now. I’ll be left with nothing, so Lin Qin, I’m asking you—please take care of me for the rest of my life."

    Lin Qin froze for a moment before finally realizing, "Brother Chao... are you proposing to me?"

    Meng Chao played along smoothly, "Do you need me to get on one knee?"

    Lin Qin quickly waved his hands. "No, no, that’s not necessary!"

    "So does that mean you’re saying yes?" Meng Chao seized the chance to push further.

    Blushing, Lin Qin nodded. "Actually, even if Brother Chao didn’t transfer your assets to me, I’d still want to take care of you for a lifetime."

    Overcome with emotion, Meng Chao leaned in and kissed Lin Qin on the lips.

    When Meng Chao pinned Lin Qin down on the bed, Lin Qin pushed at him gently. "Brother Chao, didn’t you say we came back to run lines?"

    Meng Chao stripped off the last of Lin Qin’s clothing and smirked, "Did you really na?vely think I brought you home just to rehearse? Lin Xiaotu, you’ve walked straight into the wolf’s den."

    Whatever Lin Qin wanted to retort was quickly silenced as Meng Chao claimed his lips again.

    Rehearsals? Who cared about that? Devouring his Xiaotu whole was far more urgent.

    The two spent the entire morning entangled in each other. It wasn’t until around noon that they finally got up from bed. By the time they picked up the script, they had completely switched into different people.

    Lin Qin had received the script a long time ago. During the breaks while filming *We’re Together*, Lin Qin had already written out a thick character biography for his role, fully understanding and delving into his character.

    Meng Chao was no less impressive. Compared to Lin Qin, Meng Chao was more of a naturally gifted actor—it was as if the heavens themselves had blessed him with talent. He could quickly grasp a character’s personality and emotions, immerse himself fully, and instantly transform into the character on the page.

    Moreover, he possessed an intuitive knack for acting, often coming up with brilliant improvisations—from last-minute added details to subtle movements during filming—that enriched his characters even further.

    The result was the creation of numerous iconic moments in Meng Chao’s body of work that resonated deeply with audiences.

    Over the next half-month, Meng Chao and Lin Qin dedicated themselves wholly to their work. Both were incredibly professional, and *Dark Duel* marked their first significant collaboration on a project, so the two of them poured in 200% effort and dedication to prepare for the film’s production.

    One day, during a conversation, the director heard that the two were rehearsing together and couldn’t suppress his curiosity. Traveling many miles, he came all the way to Meng Chao’s house to witness one of their scenes firsthand.

    After watching, even as an acclaimed international director, he couldn’t help but marvel at their performances, applauding enthusiastically.

    Were Lin Qin and Meng Chao skilled actors? Of course, they were!

    But were there even better actors than Lin Qin and Meng Chao? Surely, there were!

    However, the intensity of the chemistry between Lin Qin and Meng Chao was electrifying—something no amount of skill could replicate or substitute for. Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After observing their rehearsal, the director brimmed with anticipation. His expectations for the upcoming shoot and the final product of *Dark Duel* soared even higher.

    ...

    Fang Minghui was transferred back to a hospital in the imperial capital after spending a day in the town hospital.

    Meng Chao hadn’t held back at all. If Fang Minghui ever wanted to use that part of himself again, he would need to abstain from anything stimulating for a year and a half—or else face permanent consequences.

    Fang Minghui was seething with hatred toward Meng Chao. He had initially planned to retaliate against him, but the company was hit with one crisis after another. Not just the company—even the entire Fang Family enterprise suffered devastating blows.

    Fang Minghui was forced to leave the hospital and grovel alongside his father, attempting to pull strings and plead with connections. However, those who once treated them with courtesy now avoided them like the plague. The polite ones merely apologized, claiming to be unavailable; the blunt ones hung up on Mr. Fang or slammed their doors, leaving them stranded outside.

    Two weeks passed, and Fang Minghui and his father met nothing but dead ends. Still, they finally managed to unearth some information.

    It turned out that the Fang Family was indeed being targeted—but not by just one party.

    The Lin Family, the Meng Family, and even the Chu Family had all issued ruthless statements against them within the industry. With the combined might of these three families spanning multiple sectors, even the once-formidable Fang Family found themselves utterly paralyzed.

    By this point, Fang Minghui began to suspect that all of this was aimed at him personally. While he could understand the Meng Family’s involvement, given Meng Chao, he couldn’t figure out why the Lin Family and Chu Family would join in. Surely Meng Chao couldn’t possibly command the Lin and Chu Families?

    Things had spiraled into a situation Fang Minghui could never have anticipated. Swamped with crisis after crisis, he had no time to follow online trends and thus remained unaware of Lin Qin’s true identity as Lin Chengdu’s son.

    In Fang Minghui’s mind, he had always believed Lin Qin to be an ordinary kid. Back in high school, when Lin Qin endured intense bullying, his parents never appeared to stand up for him. If Lin Qin’s family had any real influence, they would have pulled Lin Qin out of that toxic environment—or sought retribution against him.

    But Lin Qin’s parents did nothing, solidifying Fang Minghui’s view of Lin Qin as a nobody from an unimportant family. To Fang Minghui, Lin Qin had always been just a disposable plaything. The fact that this plaything repeatedly resisted and defied him angered Fang Minghui to no end. Naturally, he wanted to teach Lin Qin a harsh lesson.

    That’s how Fang Minghui’s bullying of Lin Qin started in high school. However, when Lin Qin continued refusing to give in over time, Fang Minghui’s initial intentions shifted. He grew obsessed with breaking Lin Qin—to see him abandon his pride and beg in humiliation. But to his frustration, even by the time he graduated, Lin Qin never yielded or bent his spine. He remained just as proud as ever.

    While Fang Minghui was lost in thought, the study door creaked open, and his father walked in.

    "Pack your things. Tomorrow, you’ll be coming with me to visit the Chu Family personally." This time, the attacks were too sudden and inexplicable. After much effort, Mr. Fang had finally secured a connection to the Chu Family. He decided to personally visit them in hopes of earning their forgiveness.

    If the Ai Family truly intended to fight to the bitter end, the Fang Family wouldn’t be able to hold out for long.

    Fang Minghui snapped out of his thoughts, nodded, and replied, "Got it." He was eager to uncover why the Chu Family had turned against them.

    The next day, Mr. Fang and Fang Minghui brought an extravagant gift and personally paid a visit to the Chu Family. At the entrance, the servants invited them into the living room.

    To their surprise, waiting to receive them wasn’t just Mr. Chu but also the ever-busy, politically towering Boss of the Chu Family, who was on the brink of assuming an even higher position.

    This lineup didn’t alleviate Mr. Fang and Fang Minghui’s nerves. On the contrary, a sense of foreboding settled in their hearts. The situation seemed far more severe than they had imagined.