A Second Chance
2067 Words
The next morning, Lin Wan went to see Gu Yanshen.
Not because she trusted him.
Not because she had forgiven him.
And certainly not because she had forgotten what he had been in her first life.
She went because she needed to know the truth.
At eight thirty, her car stopped outside Gu Corporation.
Lin Wan looked up through the window.
The building was exactly as she remembered.
Thirty-eight floors of steel and glass, standing in the center of the financial district.
In her first life, she had hated this place.
She had walked through its doors countless times for negotiations.
Every visit had ended with another argument with Gu Yanshen.
At least, that was how she remembered it.
Now she wondered how many of those arguments had been deliberate.
How many times had he been trying to warn her?
Lin Wan opened the car door.
“Miss Lin, do you want me to come with you?”
“No.”
She stepped onto the pavement.
“I'll go alone.”
The lobby was crowded.
Executives moved quickly through the marble entrance.
Assistants carried documents.
Phones rang.
People spoke in low voices.
The company was already operating at full speed.
Lin Wan walked toward the reception desk.
“I'm here to see Mr. Gu.”
The receptionist looked up.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No.”
“I'm sorry, but Mr. Gu's schedule is very full.”
Lin Wan smiled.
“I know.”
The receptionist looked confused.
Lin Wan took out her phone.
“Tell him Lin Wan is here.”
The receptionist hesitated.
“Miss Lin, I really need an appointment.”
“Then tell him something else.”
“What?”
Lin Wan leaned slightly closer.
“Tell him I have information about Phoenix Technology.”
The receptionist stared at her.
Lin Wan waited.
Thirty seconds later, the phone on the desk rang.
The receptionist answered.
“Yes, Mr. Gu.”
She glanced at Lin Wan.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“Understood.”
She put down the phone.
“Mr. Gu will see you.”
Lin Wan smiled.
“Thank you.”
The elevator carried her to the thirty-sixth floor.
The doors opened.
A secretary was waiting.
“Miss Lin?”
“Yes.”
“This way.”
Lin Wan followed her down a long corridor.
She remembered this place too.
In her first life, she had come here after her father's death.
Gu Yanshen had refused to meet her.
At least, that was what she had believed.
She had stood outside his office for almost two hours.
Then his secretary had told her he was unavailable.
She had gone home furious.
Three days later, she discovered that Gu Corporation had acquired one of Lin Group's competitors.
She had assumed it was revenge.
Now she wondered—
Was it actually protection?
The secretary stopped.
“Mr. Gu is inside.”
Lin Wan nodded.
The door opened.
Gu Yanshen was standing behind his desk.
He looked up.
Their eyes met.
He seemed surprised to see her.
“You came.”
“Yes.”
“You said you had information.”
“I do.”
He gestured toward the chair.
“Sit.”
Lin Wan sat down.
He remained standing.
“What information?”
“Phoenix Technology.”
His expression didn't change.
But his eyes sharpened.
“You're interested in Phoenix?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I think it's undervalued.”
Gu Yanshen walked around the desk.
“And how did you reach that conclusion?”
“Research.”
“That's not an answer.”
“It is the only one you're getting.”
He stopped in front of her.
For a few seconds, neither spoke.
Then he smiled faintly.
“You've become more difficult.”
Lin Wan raised an eyebrow.
“Was I easy before?”
“No.”
“Then nothing has changed.”
“Something has.”
“What?”
“You're looking at me differently.”
Her heart skipped.
He noticed.
Of course he noticed.
Gu Yanshen was famous for observing details other people missed.
Lin Wan leaned back.
“Maybe I'm seeing you more clearly.”
His expression became unreadable.
“Maybe.”
She took out a folder.
“I want to invest in Phoenix Technology.”
Gu Yanshen glanced at the folder.
“How much?”
“Ten million.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly.
“For a company worth less than thirty million?”
“Yes.”
“That's a significant percentage.”
“I know.”
“Your father will object.”
“He doesn't know yet.”
“Then why come to me?”
Lin Wan looked directly at him.
“Because you're already invested.”
Silence.
Gu Yanshen stared at her.
“You did your homework.”
“I always do.”
“No.”
His voice was quiet.
“You didn't.”
Lin Wan frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“If you had, you would know that I invested because of the founder, not because of the company.”
She looked at him carefully.
“Chen Rui?”
“Yes.”
“What do you know about him?”
“Enough to believe he will succeed.”
Lin Wan smiled.
“So we agree.”
“No.”
He sat across from her.
“We have different reasons for believing it.”
“Does that matter?”
“It might.”
He folded his hands.
“Why are you really here?”
Lin Wan remained silent.
Because I know Phoenix will become worth billions.
Because I have already seen the future.
Because I died once.
Because you held me while I bled to death.
Because I need to know whether you were telling the truth.
None of those answers could be spoken.
So she said,
“I need a partner.”
Gu Yanshen looked at her.
“For Phoenix?”
“For what comes after.”
Something changed in his expression.
“What comes after?”
“The future.”
He studied her for a long time.
Then he asked,
“Do you always speak like this?”
“Like what?”
“Like you're already ten steps ahead.”
Lin Wan smiled.
“Maybe I am.”
Gu Yanshen leaned back.
For the first time, she saw something almost like amusement in his eyes.
“Interesting.”
The conversation lasted another forty minutes.
They discussed Phoenix.
The investment structure.
The founder.
The company's patents.
The market.
Potential risks.
Lin Wan was careful.
She never mentioned information she shouldn't know.
Instead, she asked questions.
Let him speak.
Let him reveal what he knew.
And slowly, she noticed something.
Gu Yanshen was not interested in Phoenix's short-term valuation.
He was interested in its long-term technology.
He understood what the company could become.
More importantly—
he understood why.
That made him dangerous.
And valuable.
When the meeting ended, Gu Yanshen stood.
“I'll consider your proposal.”
Lin Wan nodded.
“Take your time.”
She stood.
Then he said,
“Lin Wan.”
She turned.
“Don't invest yet.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Why?”
“Because someone is trying to buy Phoenix before the market notices it.”
Her expression changed.
“Who?”
“I don't know.”
“You don't know?”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“But I know they're willing to pay much more than the company is worth.”
Lin Wan's mind moved rapidly.
Someone else was moving.
The warning.
Luo Qing.
Phoenix.
Now this.
Too many coincidences.
She looked at Gu Yanshen.
“Do you think it's dangerous?”
“Yes.”
“For Phoenix?”
“For you.”
Her heart stopped for half a second.
“What do you mean?”
He didn't answer.
Instead, he said,
“You should be careful about who you trust.”
The words hit her strangely.
In her first life, everyone had told her that Gu Yanshen was dangerous.
But now—
he was warning her about other people.
Lin Wan studied him.
“Are you warning me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
His eyes darkened.
“Because you asked.”
She stared at him.
“That doesn't sound like the real reason.”
A long silence followed.
Then Gu Yanshen looked away.
“Go home, Lin Wan.”
His voice was colder.
“Before you get involved in something you don't understand.”
She almost laughed.
“I've already gotten involved.”
Then she walked out.
The moment the elevator doors closed, Lin Wan's expression changed.
She took out her phone.
One message.
Find everything on the buyer trying to acquire Phoenix.
She sent it to someone she trusted.
Or rather—
someone she intended to trust.
Her first life had taught her that information was more valuable than money.
Money could be stolen.
Information could save your life.
She walked out of the building.
The sun was bright.
The city was busy.
Everything looked normal.
But Lin Wan knew better.
Someone was moving behind the scenes.
And Gu Yanshen knew something.
The question was—
how much?
That afternoon, Lin Wan returned to Lin Group.
She went directly to her father's office.
He looked up from a document.
“You met Gu Yanshen.”
It wasn't a question.
Lin Wan stopped.
“How did you know?”
Her father smiled.
“I have eyes.”
She laughed.
“I went to discuss Phoenix Technology.”
His smile disappeared.
“You're serious?”
“Yes.”
“I thought you were joking yesterday.”
“I wasn't.”
Her father leaned back.
“Wan Wan, Phoenix is risky.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
“Because I believe in the technology.”
Her father was silent.
Then he asked,
“Is this because of Gu Yanshen?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He studied her.
“You've never liked him.”
“I may have been wrong.”
Her father smiled.
“That would be a first.”
Lin Wan rolled her eyes.
“Dad.”
“All right.”
He picked up his pen.
“How much?”
“Ten million.”
Her father's eyebrows lifted.
“You're asking me for ten million?”
“I'm asking you to invest.”
“In a company you barely know?”
“Yes.”
He looked at her for a long time.
Then he laughed.
“Fine.”
Lin Wan blinked.
“Really?”
“One condition.”
“What?”
“You'll be responsible for the investment.”
She smiled.
“Deal.”
Her father nodded.
“Then I'll give you ten million.”
Lin Wan stood.
“Thank you.”
As she turned to leave, her father suddenly said,
“Wan Wan.”
She looked back.
“Don't lose yourself trying to become a businesswoman.”
Lin Wan froze.
The same words.
Almost exactly.
She remembered her first life.
She had been so busy building her company that she had ignored everything else.
Her father.
Her mother.
Her friends.
And eventually—
herself.
This time, she would build something different.
Not just an empire.
A life.
A life that couldn't be taken away so easily.
“I won't.”
She smiled.
“I promise.”
That evening, Lin Wan signed the investment documents.
Ten million dollars.
Her first investment.
Her first step toward the future.
But before she could celebrate, her phone rang.
It was the investigator she had contacted earlier.
“Miss Lin.”
“Yes?”
“I found something.”
Her expression became serious.
“What?”
“The company trying to acquire Phoenix isn't a normal investment firm.”
“Who is it?”
A pause.
Then—
“It's a newly registered subsidiary.”
“Whose subsidiary?”
Another pause.
“Blackstone.”
Lin Wan's fingers went cold.
For several seconds, she couldn't speak.
Blackstone.
Already.
Ten years before her death.
Three years before her father's death.
It was here.
Waiting.
Watching.
Moving.
She closed her eyes.
The future wasn't beginning.
It had already begun.
And somewhere in this city—
someone had already started the game.
Lin Wan looked at the investment documents on her desk.
Then she smiled.
A cold, determined smile.
“Then let's play.”
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