Chapter 3
When Lin Mian’s last breath slipped away upon the cold asphalt, his world did not instantly plunge into darkness. Instead, his soul drifted upward-becoming like a wisp of invisible mist bound to the physical domain of the people he had left behind.
He could not cross over to the afterlife until he witnessed the full impact of his own ego and stubbornness. And what he beheld in the wake of his death was a living hell for the Lin family.
Day One: The Moment a Company Crumbles
Inside the hospital morgue, the atmosphere was suffocating. Lin Mian-in his ghostly form-stood in the corner of the room, weeping uncontrollably as he watched his father, Elder Master Lin. For years, he had been known as a feared tiger in the corporate world. Now, the old man was kneeling on the concrete floor, clutching Lin Mian’s stiff, lifeless corpse, which was covered in a white sheet that had begun to soak through with patches of blood.
“Xiao Mian… wake up, son… Father isn’t angry with you anymore. Please, wake up…” Elder Master Lin wailed. His voice cracked, stripped of all the authority of a company chairman. Behind him, Madam Lin fainted repeatedly, to the point where she had to be placed on oxygen support.
Lin Heng, his eldest brother, stood leaning against the wall, his eyes burning a furious red. His fists were clenched so tightly that they bled, drowning in self-blame for failing to stop his youngest brother from rushing out of the house that morning.
This overwhelming grief became a poison to the Lin family. Within a month of Lin Mian’s funeral, Elder Master Lin suffered a mild stroke brought on by severe emotional stress and deep depression. He was no longer capable of managing the Lin Group.
Meanwhile, Madam Lin fell chronically ill and had to be sent to an overseas medical facility for treatment.
Seeing the family lose its bearings, business rivals began to circle like sharks smelling blood. Lin Group’s stock plummeted by 40% within a matter of weeks, as investors lost all confidence upon seeing the family’s top management paralyzed by grief.
Month Six: The Wolf in the Shadows
During this period, rival companies-including Guangshi Real Estate and the international mastermind, Shao Ting-launched a relentless barrage of attacks. They bribed Lin Group’s internal staff, stole marketing blueprints, and initiated hostile takeovers.
Lin Heng was forced to shoulder the crushing weight of the family empire all by himself at a very young age. Every night, Lin Mian’s spirit watched his brother sit in his dark office, surrounded by hundreds of bankruptcy files, holding a portrait of him as tears streamed down his cheeks.
“Xiao Mian… I’m sorry. Your brother wasn’t strong enough to protect what Father built,” Lin Heng whispered into the silent night.
Yet, the Lin family did not fall entirely. There was one figure who became their secret pillar of protection.
Lu Chen.
Lin Mian’s spirit realized that every time the Lin Group was on the brink of bankruptcy, the Lu Corporation would suddenly and secretly inject hundreds of millions of yuan through proxy companies. Lu Chen never demanded anything in return. The man rarely spoke, his face forever frozen and aloof, but his eyes were dead-as if Lu Chen’s own soul had been buried six feet under right alongside Lin Mian.
One night, Lin Mian’s spirit followed Lu Chen to his cemetery. A torrential downpour washed over the earth. Lu Chen stood before the tombstone engraved with the name ‘Lin Mian’ without an umbrella, letting himself get drenched to the bone.
Lu Chen knelt, his trembling hand caressing Lin Mian’s photograph attached to the tombstone.
“The ones who pushed you that day… the ones who made you run into the street… I’ve destroyed them all, Xiao Mian,” Lu Chen whispered, his voice sounding chillingly horrific and empty. “Guangshi Real Estate went bankrupt last week. Their directors are now begging on the streets. I will make sure your brother and father never fall. I will protect them for you… But who is going to look after me, Mian? Why didn’t you ever look at me, not even once?”
Lin Mian screamed, trying to wrap his arms around Lu Chen from behind, but his hands only swept through the empty air. Regret consumed his ghostly cries. Only now did he realize that the man he had hated and feared most in life was the only human being who loved him so deeply that he was willing to become a demon just to avenge him.
Year Two: Rising from the Ashes
Driven by guilt and a desperate urge to repay Lu Chen for his silent, immense help, Lin Heng began to fight back. Guided by Lu Chen’s strategic mastermind from behind the scenes, Lin Heng aggressively overhauled the Lin Group’s business model.
They severed all unprofitable branches, purged the “rats” and traitors from the board of directors, and pivoted toward investing in new technologies. Elder Master Lin, though now confined to a wheelchair, began attending crucial meetings to provide moral support to his eldest son.
It was a bloody, grueling battle. Lin Heng worked 20 hours a day, sacrificing his health just to restore the honor of the ‘Lin’ name. After two agonizing years, the Lin Group finally climbed out of the depths of bankruptcy and reclaimed their government contracts.
The Lin family name was once again respected across Shanghai. But the price paid was far too heavy. Laughter no longer echoed within their mansion. At every dinner, a single chair at the end of the table was always left empty, set with a pair of chopsticks and a clean bowl-a seat belonging to the Lin Mian who would never return.
Witnessing the suffering, the loyalty, and the tearful struggles of his family and Lu Chen for two whole years, Lin Mian’s spirit knelt in the center of his family’s living room, weeping tears of blood.
*’If I am given a second chance… if this universe has any mercy left… I swear I will never let these tears fall again. I will become their protector.’*
And with that vow, a violent gravitational pull yanked Lin Mian’s soul out of that timeline, plunging him back into pitch darkness… before he jolted awake to the blaring sound of his alarm clock at 8:00 AM.
To be continue
