Chapter 16: Betrayal, Ruthlessness, and Silencing

In public, Ke Zhan was always the epitome of refined elegance—the gentle and graceful leader of the Ke Family.

His mask, worn for over a decade, fit seamlessly, never slipping.

Only he himself, and his late ex-wife buried beneath the yellow earth, knew the cruel and sinister soul lurking beneath that flawless facade.

The sound by the door made him look up.

In less than a millisecond, every trace of darkness and savagery vanished from his face.

He stood up, rounded the desk, his voice flawlessly gentle: "Xiao Liu, just put the new documents on the desk. I'll take care of the mess on the floor."

With sufficient Spirit Power, tidying up was merely a thought away.

Xiao Liu remained silent, obediently squatting down to gather the scattered documents one by one.

Her movements were unhurried and precise as she neatly restacked them in the corner of the desk.

"Boss, no one wanted things to turn out this way. You don't need to blame yourself so much." Her voice was gentle as she deftly extracted several reports from the pile.

"I've had each department draft proposed solutions. Please review them at your convenience."

She stood a little too close.

He could catch a faint, almost imperceptible scent of lilac in her hair, his favorite fragrance.

Ke Zhan had dominated the business world for decades, a ruthless decision-maker who had climbed to his current position over mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

As a Martial Grandmaster, what storms had he not weathered? What schemes had he not seen through?

He gazed at her attire, nearly identical to that of his deceased wife, and scoffed:

"Not bad. Are you trying to seduce me?"

Ke Zhan had no patience for games. As the Ke Family Clan Leader and a Martial Grandmaster-Rank Martial Artist, he now possessed everything. No longer the penniless boy who once walked on eggshells, he could finally shed his cautious demeanor.

Xiao Liu's eyes instinctively darted away, like a startled rabbit. "I'm sorry, Boss. I..."

She made to retreat, putting distance between herself and Ke Zhan, adopting the demeanor of a virtuous woman.

Ke Zhan studied her, seeing a blend of his ex-wife's dignified competence and the alluring charm of his "white moonlight." She was perfect mistress material.

He grabbed her, his breath hot against her ear. "I despise pretension. A mistress should act like one."

Xiao Liu nestled in his arms, a glint of ambition flickering in her eyes.

For her, clinging to Ke Zhan was like a carp leaping through the Dragon Gate—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Having worked at Ke Group for years, Xiao Liu had witnessed firsthand the brilliance of Ke Qianqian, the company's former true owner. In those days, Ke Qianqian had radiated confidence and charisma, making Xiao Liu feel hopelessly inadequate and quashing any audacious dreams.

But now, even a woman as mediocre and shallow as Li Shiya had managed to claim the position of Ke Family matriarch...

Why couldn't she?

This simmering resentment fueled her newfound courage.

Xiao Liu spoke with feigned shyness, "Boss, the board members are waiting for you to start the meeting."

Ke Zhan immediately gripped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "In this world, power reigns supreme. They're just going through the motions; in reality, they wouldn't dare utter a peep."

"And you," Ke Zhan's hand moved, a rustling sound filling the air, "just focus on doing your job well."

In the office, no one dared to disturb them.

-

At the Ke Family estate,

Li Shiya paced anxiously in her room, her meticulously prepared dinner growing cold on the table.

Just moments ago, she had suddenly remembered their trump card—the one that could secure her son's immediate release.

With only one trump card available, Li Shiya made the agonizing choice to prioritize her son.

Silently, she apologized to her late father:

Jie Jie is still young, his future mustn't be ruined. Father, please forgive me.

She believed her husband, Ke Zhan, loved her deeply. After all, he had ruthlessly disposed of his perfect socialite ex-wife just for her sake. He would undoubtedly use the trump card for their son.

Though they had quarreled recently, she had already taken the initiative to reconcile. Ke Zhan wouldn't be so ungrateful.

Click, the door opened.

Li Shiya eagerly rushed into Ke Zhan's arms. "Darling, why did you take so long? I've been waiting impatiently!"

She completely overlooked the unfamiliar perfume clinging to him and his unusually radiant complexion, as if he had just enjoyed a hearty meal.

At that moment, Li Shiya's heart and mind were consumed by the joy of her son's imminent rescue.

"Husband, I've prepared a grand feast for you!"

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, expecting Ke Zhan to pull her into his usual warm embrace.

Little did she know, Ke Zhan cast a casual glance at the dishes on the table and suddenly chuckled. "I seem to recall you can't cook, Li Shiya. Did the nanny make this?"

Caught off guard by his direct exposure, Li Shiya's face flushed awkwardly as she stammered, "I just..."

Before she could finish, Ke Zhan impatiently cut her off. "Get to the point. What do you want?"

He watched his "white moonlight" squirm in discomfort, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips. As expected, he thought, once you finally get your white moonlight, she loses all her appeal.

The junior assistant's brazen seduction earlier that day had been a revelation. Now that I've achieved success and fame, what woman can't I have?

Li Shiya bit her lip. "I remember there's a 'golden pardon' in the house—the reward you won. Should we...?"

Before she could finish, Ke Zhan shoved her violently to the ground with a thud.

The sudden, brutal push sent his white moonlight wife sprawling, her palm scraping across the cold floor, leaving a stinging pain in its wake.

She looked up in shock, her gaze colliding with Ke Zhan's icy eyes, devoid of warmth.

"Absolutely not. Don't even think about it," Ke Zhan's voice was as sharp as a blade, carrying a chillingly ruthless calm.

"That golden amulet is the Ke Family's last lifeline, not something to wipe their asses with!"

He looked down at his wife, who was slumped on the floor, her face stained with tears like a pear blossom drenched in rain. His expression held no pity, only the cold impatience of a man whose bottom line had been crossed, and a warning:

"Don't ever consider using it again. Otherwise, don't expect any marital consideration from me."

Those final words pierced her heart like a poisoned ice dagger.

All her cries, grievances, and last sliver of hope shattered in that instant.

She finally understood the bitter truth: in this man's eyes, love and family ties meant nothing when weighed against cold, absolute self-interest.

A boundless chill swept through her, more bone-chilling than the ice-cold floor beneath her:

"Why? Aren't you supposed to love me more than anything? You even killed Ke Qianqian for me..."

Ke Zhan, observing the pathetic state of his "white moonlight," suddenly saw her for what she was: nothing special.

He laughed heartily. "If I could kill Ke Qianqian, I can certainly kill you too."

"Li Shiya, know your place. You're nothing more than a gilded canary in my cage."

Li Shiya's face turned deathly pale, her lips parted, and she found herself momentarily speechless.

Ke Zhan glanced at his watch and tossed off a casual remark: "My son, I'll get him out of this mess. As for your father... let fate decide."

With that, he retreated to his study alone.

Ke Zhan... Ke Zhan must still love me, Li Shiya sobbed to herself. He's just under a lot of pressure right now, that's why his temper is so bad.

She refused to believe that the man who had abandoned his wife and children to marry her, braving countless rumors and societal scorn, could have changed his heart.

But a single phone call shattered her illusions:

"Cousin, I saw President Ke carrying his assistant, Xiao Liu, out of the office in a princess carry. It looked like they'd just... you know."

"Everyone at the company is saying President Ke is losing interest in you."

How could this be? Li Shiya froze, stunned.

Her cousin's voice droned on through the phone, but she had already lost interest. She tossed the phone aside.

The minutes ticked by, until her eyes brimmed with hatred.

Li Shiya gritted her teeth, murmuring soundlessly, "Ke Zhan, you discard us like trash today, but one day you will pay the price!"

In his study, Ke Zhan made a phone call.

Leave it to fate? No. Every day Principal Wang lived added another degree of risk for Ke Zhan. He wanted the Principal dead.

Principal Wang might be keeping silent now for his daughter's sake, but what about later? Would he betray Ke Zhan?

Ke Zhan refused to take even the slightest risk.

On the other end of the line was the Ke Family's lawyer.

The lawyer answered the call, already understanding what Ke Zhan wanted. He cut straight to the point:

"Boss, your father-in-law is accused of organizing College Entrance Examination cheating and corruption. The sentence will likely range from ten years to life imprisonment."

"The Young Master will probably get one or two years."

"Unacceptable," Ke Zhan snapped, cutting him off.

"Boss, this is the best possible outcome," the lawyer protested, sounding strained. "I wish I could reduce their sentences further, but..."

Before he could finish, Ke Zhan interrupted: "I mean, I want Principal Wang sentenced to death. I have plenty more evidence of his crimes."

Having manipulated Principal Wang for years, Ke Zhan had committed countless vile acts. He could have had the man executed long ago, and now he wouldn't hesitate to eliminate any loose ends.

Otherwise, time would only breed more complications.

The lawyer shuddered, his entire body trembling. This was truly ruthless. To ensure his own safety, Ke Zhan was willing to have his own father-in-law executed without hesitation.

Rumor had it within the circle that the Ke Family Clan Leader cherished his white moonlight wife, Li Shiya, with his life.

But now, it seemed that Ke Zhan had only ever loved himself, from beginning to end.