Reborn as His Deadliest Enemy

The night Lin Wan died, it was raining. Not the gentle kind of rain that made the city look beautiful beneath the streetlights. It was a cold, violent downpour that turned the windows of the twenty-eighth floor into sheets of black glass. Lin Wan stood barefoot in the middle of the living room, staring at the man she had loved for ten years. Her husband. Her family. Her entire world. And for the first time, she realized that she had never truly known him. “Say it again.” Her voice was so quiet that even she could barely hear it. Across the room, Lu Minghao did not answer. He sat on the edge of the sofa, one hand resting casually on his knee, his expression almost bored. The same man who had once held her hand during their wedding. The same man who had promised her in front of both families that he would protect her for the rest of his life. The same man who had kissed her forehead every night during the first year of their marriage. Now he looked at her as if she were nothing more than an inconvenience. Lin Wan tightened her fingers around the phone in her hand. On the screen was a bank transfer. Twenty million dollars. Transferred from the company account three days ago. The recipient was a private investment company she had never heard of. But that wasn't what made her hands shake. It was the signature authorization. Her signature. Her electronic authorization. And the IP address attached to the transaction. Her husband's office. “You moved the company's money,” she whispered. Lu Minghao finally looked up. “So?” “So?” Lin Wan almost laughed. The company was the last thing her father had left her. It had taken her six years to turn it from a dying family business into one of the fastest-growing companies in the city. She had sacrificed everything for it. Her time. Her health. Her marriage. Her friendships. Even her relationship with her own family. And now twenty million dollars had disappeared overnight. “Where did the money go?” Lu Minghao leaned back. “You don't need to know.” Lin Wan stared at him. “I'm the chairman.” “You were.” Two words. That was all. But they felt like a knife. Lin Wan slowly raised her eyes. “What did you say?” Lu Minghao smiled. It wasn't a warm smile. It wasn't the smile she remembered. It was cold. Almost amused. “You should have signed the transfer documents when I asked you to.” “I refused because the company wasn't for sale.” “It isn't.” “Then why did you transfer the money?” “Because I needed it.” “For what?” He didn't answer. Lin Wan took a step forward. “Lu Minghao.” For the first time, there was anger in her voice. “Where is my money?” He looked at her for several seconds. Then he said something that made the entire room go silent. “It's not your money anymore.” Lin Wan froze. Outside, thunder rolled across the city. For a moment, she couldn't understand what she had heard. Then she saw the papers on the coffee table. A stack of legal documents. She walked toward them. Her fingers trembled as she picked up the first page. Transfer of controlling interest. Her name appeared at the bottom. The buyer was a company called Blackstone Holdings. Lin Wan's face went pale. “No.” She flipped through the pages. Another document. Then another. Everywhere was her name. Her signature. Her authorization. Her company. Her shares. Her property. Even the apartment they were standing in. Everything had been transferred. Everything. “How?” Her voice broke. “I never signed these.” Lu Minghao remained silent. Lin Wan looked at him. “You forged my signature.” “No.” “You forged my signature!” “No,” he repeated calmly. “You signed them.” “I didn't.” “You did.” His eyes finally changed. There was something in them she had never seen before. Pity. Or perhaps contempt. “You just don't remember.” Lin Wan stared at him. Her heart began beating faster. “What are you talking about?” Lu Minghao stood. “You've been taking sleeping pills for months.” Her face changed. “So?” “You've been unconscious for hours at a time.” He walked toward the table and picked up another document. “Do you really think you were making all those decisions yourself?” Lin Wan's blood ran cold. She remembered. The headaches. The dizziness. The periods of missing time. She had thought it was exhaustion. She had thought she was working too hard. She had trusted him. She had trusted the man standing in front of her. “Why?” The word escaped her lips. “Why would you do this?” Lu Minghao looked at her. Then he laughed. It was quiet. Almost gentle. “Because you were in the way.” Lin Wan felt something inside her collapse. Not her company. Not her fortune. Something much deeper. Something she had protected for years. Her faith in another human being. “You said you loved me.” “I did.” “You said you'd never betray me.” “I lied.” The answer came too quickly. Too easily. Lin Wan stared at him. Suddenly, ten years of memories felt like a cruel joke. Their first meeting. Their first date. Their wedding. Their honeymoon. The night she told him she was pregnant. The night she lost the baby. His arms around her while she cried. Had any of it been real? “Where is my father?” Lu Minghao's expression changed slightly. Lin Wan saw it. That tiny hesitation. And suddenly she knew. “My father.” She stepped closer. “What happened to him?” “He died.” “I know he died.” Her voice sharpened. “I mean what happened before he died?” Silence. “Tell me.” Lu Minghao looked away. Lin Wan's breathing became unsteady. She had spent three years believing her father's death was an accident. A sudden heart attack. That was what the doctors had said. That was what her family had told her. That was what her husband had told her. But now— “You knew.” Lu Minghao didn't answer. “You knew something happened to my father.” “Lin Wan—” “You knew!” She grabbed the glass from the table and threw it against the wall. It shattered. “You knew!” Lu Minghao's expression hardened. “Enough.” “No!” Lin Wan's eyes were red. “You took my company. You stole my money. You forged my signature. You lied about my father.” She pointed at him with shaking fingers. “What else?” He stared at her. Then he said: “Your father didn't die because of an accident.” The room went silent. Lin Wan stopped breathing. “What?” “He was killed.” Her knees nearly gave way. “By whom?” Lu Minghao said nothing. “Who?” She grabbed his sleeve. “Who killed my father?” He pulled his arm away. “You don't need to know.” Lin Wan laughed through her tears. “You destroyed my life, and you still think you can tell me what I need to know?” She turned toward the door. “I'll go to the police.” Lu Minghao's expression changed. “You won't.” Lin Wan stopped. “Why?” “Because nobody will believe you.” She slowly turned around. He was holding a phone. He pressed the screen. A recording began playing. Lin Wan heard her own voice. “I authorize the transfer.” Her face drained of color. “No…” Another recording. Her voice again. Another document. Another authorization. Dozens of them. Her hands began to shake violently. “This is fake.” “It doesn't matter.” “It matters!” “Not anymore.” He walked toward her. “By tomorrow morning, you'll be legally responsible for every transaction. The company will belong to Blackstone. Your remaining assets will be frozen.” Lin Wan stared at him. “And me?” Lu Minghao didn't answer. That silence was enough. She took a step backward. “What are you going to do?” He looked at her for a long time. Then he said: “I'm sorry.” Those two words frightened her more than anything else. Lin Wan turned and ran. She barely made it through the hallway before someone grabbed her from behind. A hand covered her mouth. She struggled desperately. The apartment door slammed shut. The lights went out. And then— Everything went black. When Lin Wan opened her eyes again, she was lying in the back seat of a car. Her wrists were tied. Her head was pounding. Rain hammered against the windows. She tried to sit up. A man in the driver's seat glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “She's awake.” Someone beside her answered. “Call him.” Lin Wan's heart sank. “Who?” Nobody answered. The car continued through the dark city. She tried to remember where they were going. Nothing. Then she saw the skyline through the window. The old financial district. Her father's office had been there. Ten years ago, she had spent almost every day in that building. Before everything changed. Before she met Lu Minghao. Before she lost her father. Before she lost herself. A strange thought entered her mind. What if she had never married him? What if she had made different choices? What if she had trusted someone else? A sudden pain exploded in her head. Lin Wan gasped. Then she remembered something. A name. A man. Someone she had spent most of her life hating. Gu Yanshen. The ruthless heir of the Gu family. The man who had fought her father in court. The man who had acquired one of her family's biggest competitors. The man everyone said wanted the Lin family destroyed. She remembered seeing him at her father's funeral. He had stood beneath a black umbrella. He had looked at her. And she had hated him without even asking why. At the time, she believed he was responsible for everything. But now— Why had he appeared in her memory? The car suddenly stopped. The rear door opened. A man pulled Lin Wan out. She stumbled onto wet pavement. The rain immediately soaked through her clothes. She looked up. They were standing in front of an abandoned warehouse. And someone was waiting inside. A tall figure. Black coat. Cold eyes. Lin Wan's heart stopped. She knew that face. Gu Yanshen. The man she had hated for ten years. The man she had blamed for her family's destruction. The man she had never once tried to understand. He looked at her. For several seconds, neither spoke. Then his gaze moved to the blood on her forehead. His expression changed. Just slightly. “Who did this to you?” Lin Wan laughed. It was a broken, bitter sound. “You.” Gu Yanshen frowned. “What?” “You did this.” His eyes darkened. “I've never touched you.” “Don't lie.” She took a step toward him. “My father died because of you.” “No.” “You destroyed my family.” “No.” “You took everything from me.” Gu Yanshen stared at her. Then he said quietly: “Lin Wan, if I wanted you dead, you would have died ten years ago.” She froze. He stepped closer. “There is something you don't know.” “What?” “I spent the last ten years trying to keep you alive.” Lin Wan stared at him. Then she laughed again. “You expect me to believe that?” “I don't.” He looked toward the warehouse entrance. “Because by the time you understand, it will probably be too late.” A gunshot exploded in the distance. Gu Yanshen immediately turned. “Get down!” He lunged toward her. Lin Wan heard another shot. Then another. She felt something hit her chest. Warmth spread beneath her clothes. She looked down. Blood. Her blood. She fell. Gu Yanshen caught her before she hit the ground. For the first time in her life, she saw panic in his eyes. “Lin Wan!” She tried to speak. No sound came out. Her vision blurred. The rain became distant. The warehouse lights became shadows. Gu Yanshen pressed his hand against her wound. “Stay awake.” She looked at him. The man she had hated for ten years. The man she had accused. The man who was now holding her as if her life mattered more than his own. “Why…” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Why are you trying to save me?” His jaw tightened. “Because I failed you once.” Lin Wan's eyes widened. “Once?” He leaned closer. His voice broke for the first time. “I couldn't save you then.” She didn't understand. Then darkness swallowed her. Her final thought was not about Lu Minghao. Not about her company. Not even about her father. It was about Gu Yanshen. And the question she would never get the chance to ask. What had really happened ten years ago? The last thing Lin Wan heard was the sound of Gu Yanshen shouting her name. Then everything disappeared. No pain. No rain. No fear. Nothing. Until— A woman's voice came from somewhere far away. “Miss Lin?” Lin Wan frowned. Someone was shaking her shoulder. “Miss Lin, wake up.” She opened her eyes. Sunlight flooded the room. Lin Wan gasped and sat upright. Her heart was pounding. Her chest hurt. She instinctively touched it. No blood. No wound. No bullet. She looked around. A familiar bedroom. White curtains. A wooden desk. A bookshelf. A framed photograph on the wall. She knew this room. She had not seen it in ten years. Her breathing stopped. The woman standing beside the bed stared at her. “Miss Lin, are you all right?” Lin Wan looked at the mirror. A young woman stared back at her. Long black hair. Clear skin. Twenty-two-year-old eyes. Her own face. But younger. Much younger. Lin Wan stumbled out of bed. She ran to the calendar on the wall. Her fingers trembled. She stared at the date. Then she stopped breathing. Ten years earlier. Before her father's death. Before her marriage. Before the betrayal. Before everything. Lin Wan slowly turned toward the mirror. A tear rolled down her cheek. For the first time since she had died— She smiled. “This time…” Her voice trembled. “…I won't make the same mistake.” She wiped away the tears. Her eyes hardened. “And the first person I need to find…” She looked at the date again. A name surfaced in her mind. The man who had been her enemy. The man who had tried to save her. The man whose final words she had never understood. Gu Yanshen. Lin Wan clenched her fists. “I'm coming for you.” And this time— She would make sure he knew the truth before it was too late.