Giving You The Choice

"Mr. Tan, the fire is truly massive!"

Through the speaker, a chilling and taunting voice caused Tan Bide to break out in cold sweat! Unease and shock sped quickly to engulf his entire body!

A gust of cool breeze blew past and it brought up goosebumps all over Tan Bide's body! He violently turned around to look at the jet-black shadows behind him, it looked as though he was reacting to something.

All the bodyguards that were in charge of protecting him had suddenly disappeared! Each and every one of them, yet they were there merely two minutes before.

Tan Bide became extremely weak at the knees. Two minutes' worth of work, yet he did not hear even a sound. 

"Why don't we speak face-to-face?"

This time the voice did not come from his cell phone but from somewhere close to him…

Lin Hanxing walked out from the darkness, her beautiful face even carried the hint of a smile. Yet, that smile to Tan Bide, no matter how he looked at it, seemed to reveal that it was inevitable that she was going to win!

"You…" Tan Bide subconsciously took two steps back.

"Relax, I merely allowed your men to take a nap!" 

At Lin Hanxing's words, Lei Xiao emerged from the darkness. He had rolled up his sleeves which showed off his huge muscles and the clearly-visible bulging thick veins. It was a shocking sight!

"What do you want to discuss with me?"

Tan Bide might have figured it out long ago, hence his forehead started to bead with cold sweat. Yet, his voice stayed calm.

Lin Hanxing smiled when she heard him. However, her smile seemed to trigger a conditioned reflex in Tan Bide, striking fear in his heart! Her smile carried not even a trace of emotion. Instead, it seemed to be full of snares!

He had a suspicion that the words that were about to come out of that wretched woman's mouth would destroy his life!

"Let's talk about this fire."

She slowly walked and sat across Tan Bide. Her gaze landed on the huge fire that was still blazing viciously. That fire burned within Lin Hanxing's pupils. 

"Can you see over there?"

Lin Hanxing stretched out her hand and pointed a finger. She drew it in a circle around the house that had not been engulfed in flames. 

Tan Bide did not speak. He merely narrowed his eyes as though he did not fully understand what Lin Hanxing was implying. 

"Your family is currently there!"

A cool breeze blew past and carried Lin Hanxing's hair with it. 

As soon as Tan Bide heard her, he froze instantly. Soon after, his eyes went wide like a crazy person. "You're lying!"

"Why would I lie to you?" Each word that Lin Hanxing uttered sounded relaxed and casual, as though she was just chatting about the weather.

"You've been crafty and devious from a young age. How can I be sure if what you're saying is the truth?"

Lin Hanxing looked at Lei Xiao and in turn, he tossed a photograph in front of Tan Bide. In the photograph was Mrs. Tan cradling the child!

"You…" Tan Bide could only feel his brain buzzing, everything seemed like a mess. Subconsciously, he pounced in the direction of Lin Hanxing but he was not close enough…

All one could hear was a crash and the man was already knocked to the ground by Lei Xiao. An anxious fire burned within his heart, so much so that he spat blood!

"Ms. Lin… Ms. Lin… A life for a life, spare my family!" Ignoring his pain, Tan Bide half-crawled half-rolled his way to Lin Hanxing's feet. He reached out his hand to tug at her skirt.

"Spare your family? If it were me asking you this, would you have spared me?" As her words sounded, one could only hear a thudding sound. It was Tan Bide knocking his head on the ground like a mad man.

He knew that she had seen through their ruse and had planned everything, waiting for him to fall into her trap that night. He had stupidly thought that he had the upper hand. Who would have thought that he would end up in such a dire situation!

Lin Hanxing wore an unreadable expression as she allowed Tan Bide to continue knocking his head against the ground. All the way till she saw blood, only then did she drawl lazily, "Don't be so quick to knock your skull out, wait till you hear the rest of the story. It's not too late for you to get more anxious!"

According to the current strength of the fire, there was at least another five minutes before the flames would reach the house where the mother and son were. As for now, Lin Hanxing wanted to give Tan Bide the power of choice!

Lin Hanxing reached the tip of her foot to Tan Bide's forehead and used a small amount of force to make him lift his head up.

"If I told you that your son isn't yours, would you still want to save him?" The crackling sounds of the burning flames seemed to meld with Lin Hanxing's gentle voice.

Tan Bide was stunned by her words and he looked at her in confusion. "What did you say?"

"I said, your precious three-year-old son might not be your flesh and blood." 

There seemed to be light dancing in Lin Hanxing's eyes as her smile deepened. She looked like she was enjoying the sight of Tan Bide looking utterly defeated.

"You're speaking nonsense!" Tan Bide spat out through clenched teeth!

"I'm not speaking nonsense. You'll know once you've seen it." Lin Hanxing took out the item she had carried with her and passed it to Han Bide. He snatched it from her and tore open the envelope. All the contents fell to the ground and he flipped through each one!

From the beginning until the end, Lin Hanxing remained in her original position. She had a calm and detached attitude as she faced this man who was close to losing it completely.

Tan Bide lowered his head as he looked at the photographs and investigation findings in his hands with blood-shot eyes. He had previously imagined how scary the woman in front of him was, yet he had never expected that she would be terrifying to this extent!

This information was not something that could have been gathered in one day, yet before he had even arrived, she had already prepared everything. Unless she had known right from the start that he would come to Mengsong? She had been waiting all this while for him to fall into her trap himself?

Despite all this, the thing that angered and shocked Tan Bide the most was the evidence in his hands! He had worked hard and given his life for the Lin family, yet what did he get in return for his labor?

"Your wife had a relationship with this man. It started before you were both married. While you were working your butt off for your master, his son was busy bedding your wife. Once he took her to bed, it went on for 3 to 4 years!"

Lin Hanxing's eyes were filled with ridicule. She knew exactly how to destroy a man's pride and self-respect with ease. 

"I don't believe it! I don't believe it!" Tan Bide gripped the information tightly. His hands quaked like a leaf. His blood-shot eyes and the visible veins bulging out of his temples made for a frightful scene!

"It's ok if you believe it, and it's fine if you don't. Right now you're merely an ownerless dog to me. It would be too easy for me to take your life…" 

Lin Hanxing spoke in a low voice, slowly and clearly, "Right now, I'm giving you the choice! Whether we allow the fire to continue burning or whether we save both of them. The decision is up to you!"

The fire continued to blaze on.

Tan Bide continued to stare at the items in his hands looking like he had lost his soul. Lin Hanxing did not urge or pressure him. She merely let her gaze move past Tan Bide to land upon Lei Xiao. 

Just like each time before, Lin Hanxing had never allowed his existence to conceal her abilities. As if he had noticed her stare, Lei Xiao's deep gaze swept toward her. 

Two pairs of eyes met.

All of a sudden, Tan Bide's faint and indistinct voice rang next to both their ears...