{Chapter: 334 Loopholes! Feng Dahai had no choice!}
"Ah? Really?" Yan Ruyue blinked, looking a little stunned as she tried to process Lin Yuan's sudden shift into fortune-telling mode again. His tone was confident, almost playful, and though it caught her off guard, she couldn't ignore the fact that he had accurately predicted things before.
She still remembered clearly how Lin Yuan had once predicted a bright future for her at the Mei family's Night Banquet. Back then, she'd dismissed it as a joke—something he said to lighten the mood or tease her. But now, after everything that had unfolded, especially today, she couldn't deny that his words were proving oddly accurate.
Still, Lin Yuan was simply making it up on the spot, crafting a harmless story to brush aside her questions—though it was clear she wasn't going to let the topic go that easily.
"Thanks for showing me a glimpse of my good fortune," Yan Ruyue said softly, her eyes narrowing as she continued, "but I still want to know more about that murder. You said Feng Dahai committed it. How exactly did you find out about that?"
Lin Yuan gave a relaxed smile, the kind of smile that made him look both charming and unshakably confident. "Actually, it's quite simple," he began. "Didn't I already mention before that I've been keeping track of individuals who have been in contact with the Chen family and Ye Feng?"
He paused for a moment before continuing. "Feng Dahai just happened to be one of them. And this man… he has skeletons buried deep. It wasn't easy, but when I looked into him, I discovered that he had hidden a diary—a physical one, too—with detailed records of what happened. That's where I learned everything."
Lin Yuan delivered the explanation smoothly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It didn't matter whether the story was perfectly believable. What mattered was that it gave Yan Ruyue a reason she could accept.
"It just so happened that he had a conflict with you, so I used that leverage. I simply pushed where it hurt," Lin Yuan added, shrugging as if it were all routine for him.
In truth, Lin Yuan had made it all up on the spot. The real information came from Ye Feng's discreet investigation, but Lin Yuan had no intention of revealing that. There were some secrets that needed to remain hidden, especially if he wanted to maintain the mystery around his capabilities.
Some matters in life didn't need absolute logic—just plausible justification. People are more likely to accept a vague but tidy answer than be consumed by the chaos of uncertainty. After all, no one spends the entire day debating whether to pick up a hundred-yuan bill on the ground—they either keep it or turn it in. Curiosity might spark questions, but resolution only needed a thread of reason.
And so, although the explanation seemed a bit outlandish, Yan Ruyue accepted it. She gave a small nod. "Is that so? Okay... I suppose that makes sense."
Then her expression turned serious again, her eyes meeting Lin Yuan's. "But there's still something else I need to ask. Are we really going to continue working with Feng Dahai? I mean, long-term cooperation?"
She folded her arms and took a breath. "Sure, we need this batch of facial mask sheets urgently, so we don't have much choice in the short term. But after that... do we really want to tie Yanyue Company to someone like him?"
"There's a lot to be concerned about," she continued. "He's greedy, he broke our contract once already, and now we know he's committed murder. That kind of person—he's not trustworthy. He's the kind of businessman who would sell out his own people if the price was right."
Lin Yuan gave a small chuckle and shook his head. "Of course not. When did I ever say we'd be partnering with him long-term?"
"You didn't?" Yan Ruyue tilted her head, confused.
"Nope," Lin Yuan said. "In fact, don't forget—I contacted Boss Cao before I called Feng Dahai. Yaqing Cao is the one we'll be doing long-term business with. She's trustworthy, has integrity, and her production capabilities are stable. We're just using Dahai's stock this one time to patch up our immediate supply chain problem."
Yan Ruyue stood still for a moment, thinking it over. Then her eyes widened slightly. "So... after we get the batch from him, your plan is to report him to the Special Police Force?"
Lin Yuan gave a knowing smile and nodded. He wasn't surprised she'd figured it out. Yan Ruyue was sharp—far sharper than most gave her credit for.
"That's right," he confirmed. "He gets us what we need, then he answers for what he's done."
"Ah... that's why you turned down his money," she said, suddenly connecting all the dots. "He offered you seven hundred million, but you didn't take a single cent. Because if you had accepted the money after knowing what he'd done, you would've been complicit. It would've been hush money. So instead, you made it sound like you just wanted continued cooperation so he wouldn't suspect a thing."
"Exactly," Lin Yuan nodded again, his expression unreadable.
Yan Ruyue bit her lower lip in thought. She was worried, and her brow creased slightly. "But there's something you might've overlooked."
"Oh?" Lin Yuan turned to her with interest. "What do you think I missed?"
"You made your intentions too subtle," Yan Ruyue said, frowning. "But you still need to be cautious. Feng Dahai might not be very smart, but he's not completely stupid either. If he finds out you're setting him up, things could get dangerous. He's killed once before to protect himself—what's to stop him from doing it again?"
Her voice had a trace of genuine concern now. Lin Yuan glanced at her, surprised for a split second. Then his expression softened.
"Thanks for the warning," he said gently. "But don't worry. I'm well aware of the risks. I won't let anything happen to you… or to me."
Yan Ruyue looked into his eyes. There was something unwavering in his gaze—something that made her heart beat just a little faster. Lin Yuan wasn't just confident. He was in control. And even though she didn't understand how he always seemed to be three steps ahead, she knew she could rely on him.
"I'm serious," she said, her tone softer now. "Be careful."
Lin Yuan smiled. "Always."
"Isn't your approach a little too obvious?" Yan Ruyue asked, concern tightening her brows. "You only requested cooperation from Feng Dahai, and nothing else. That alone will make him suspicious. He'll surely start questioning your real motives. Do you honestly think someone like him will cooperate willingly and without reservations?"
Lin Yuan let out a light laugh, his tone calm and composed. "The flaw you pointed out is real, and I appreciate your sharp observation. But I've thought it through. Feng Dahai is clever enough to sense something's off too."
"But here's the thing—does he really have a choice?"
Lin Yuan leaned back, a confident glint in his eyes.
"No matter how I lay out the options before him, every path leads to the same end. If he refuses to cooperate, he faces exposure and arrest for murder. And with the kind of evidence I hold, he'll be staring down a potential death sentence. A smart man, especially one who knows the stakes, will do everything he can to avoid that."
"He's cunning and pragmatic. He won't try to run immediately—that would be too obvious and rash. For now, he'll pretend to cooperate, convincing himself that I really do just want a partnership. I deliberately emphasized the 'long-term cooperation' angle in our conversation to help him find some false comfort in that illusion."
Lin Yuan's tone deepened slightly, carrying an edge of steel beneath his calmness.
"Still, even though I've given him that illusion, he won't be able to shake off the unease. He'll start plotting his escape, but not right away. Maybe in a month. Maybe in a week. Maybe tomorrow. But definitely not today. Today's events were simply too overwhelming."
Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes, remembering the conversation.
"That laugh he gave at the end of our call? It wasn't just any laugh. It was calculated, meant to disarm, to appear cooperative. A classic move from someone trying to buy time."
"In short, he'll likely try to flee tomorrow, but only after the facial mask sheets are delivered to the Yanyue factory. That's the moment he'll believe he's fulfilled his end of the deal. And that's the exact window I've been waiting for."
Lin Yuan's expression turned colder, and his voice dropped just slightly.
"Tonight, I'll file the report. Once he's arrested and his crimes—including the murder of his own family—are made public, his company's stock will plummet like never before. A total collapse is inevitable."
"And that," he said, smiling faintly, "is when we strike."
"Ill initiate a full-scale hostile takeover of his company. It's already fully operational with an existing supply chain—why waste time and money building one from scratch? The infrastructure is there. We just need to acquire it at rock-bottom value."
"Once it's in our hands, we'll stabilize and rebrand it. No more Dahai Factory. From now on, it will be the Yanyue Factory."
As Lin Yuan spoke, his voice was calm, but every word carried the weight of firm resolve and far-reaching strategy.
Yan Ruyue inhaled sharply, processing the layers of his plan.
So the very loophole she thought she discovered, Lin Yuan had already anticipated. And not just that—he had taken it further than she could have imagined, using it as the first of many calculated steps in a chain of corporate conquest.
His foresight wasn't just impressive—it was terrifying in its precision.
He hadn't just planned a workaround. He had already outlined the next twenty moves.
Yan Ruyue thought about her previous dealings with Feng Dahai. She had known him for a long time and believed herself familiar with his personality. But now, hearing Lin Yuan's analysis, it all made sense. Feng Dahai was being pushed into a corner—cornered not by chance, but by design.
Lin Yuan's mind was a maze, and he moved within it like a grandmaster in a chess game, anticipating every counter.
Not once did he give Feng Dahai room to breathe. No opportunity to respond. Everything had been calculated down to the smallest detail.
Yan Ruyue turned to look at Lin Yuan, her eyes filled with awe and admiration.
'Thank goodness he's on my side… and not my enemy.'
[Ding! Yan Ruyue's Favorability +2! You have earned 1,000 counterattack points!]
The system prompt echoed quietly in Lin Yuan's mind, but he barely reacted. His focus remained locked on the unfolding plan.