Standing Next To You-Chapter 496: Soon Mrs. Fei?

Meanwhile, in Country A, Fei Chuan was at the office, reading the articles that had surfaced because of what he said the previous night. Unlike Bei Sangyun, who was shocked to see all of this after her massive cleanup, Fei Chuan was laid back and even seemed pleased.

Assistant Cheng was overwhelmed with an avalanche of phone calls. Frustrated, he turned off his phone to escape for a moment. With tears in his eyes, he looked at his boss.

"Bo—I mean Master, please stop stirring things up! The rumors had died down thanks to Bei Sangyun’s efforts. Why are you stirring them up again?"

"They asked. It would have been weirder if I didn’t answer. Besides, I didn’t even say much," Fei Chuan shrugged, clearly in a good mood.

Assistant Cheng pulled a face. What did he mean he didn’t say much? He vividly remembered the events from the previous day.

When Fei Chuan first appeared at the business meetings, his business partners grew curious and asked him afterward if the rumors were true—that he had been found in bed with a woman, and if so, who the woman was.

Fei Chuan hadn’t shied away from their questions and answered them with a mysterious smile, "She’s a friend of mine."

Later, when he arrived at a party, the guests surrounded him and pressed him further about the rumors.

Fei Chuan smiled at them and vaguely answered, "Yeah, I know her. We were together at that time."

When his close associates tried to extract more details, Fei Chuan simply smiled and said, "I’m sorry, I can’t tell. It’s a secret between me and her."

Fei Chuan hadn’t explicitly confirmed anything, but his vague responses left their imaginations running wild.

And so, the rumors that Bei Sangyun had painstakingly tried to bury came alive once more, all thanks to his boss.

Assistant Cheng Li shook his head, feeling a pang of pity for Bei Sangyun.

At the same time, in a certain two-story house outside the capital, Lin Zhe also came across the articles. Not only the ones about Bei Sangyun and Fei Chuan’s supposed "romance" but also the news about Lin Sanju’s succession.

He had been trying to gather resources, form new connections, and move his money to build a new empire for himself.

However, starting again from the bottom did not sit well with Lin Zhe. He contacted his former supporters, but none of them were willing to partner with him or invest in his plans. Some companies that knew him and the Lin family outright rejected him, afraid of getting entangled in the family feud.

It wasn’t a smooth journey. Lin Zhe was growing increasingly impatient, and the mere thought of the struggles he faced made his blood boil, stoking the flames of his hatred.

His fiery gaze fell on the articles. He despised the fact that he was here, agonizing and working hard like the insignificant people he once scorned. Meanwhile, Lin Sanju and the others were living their best lives, basking in glory and success.

He couldn’t accept it. Though his revenge had yet to begin, he wanted to see the Lin family’s reputation crumble as he had. He didn’t need to grow stronger to achieve that; he just needed to make a simple move.

Lin Zhe picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Start the plan. I can no longer tolerate these people," he said coldly.

He could not endure watching their happiness any longer. The headlines should be about the disgrace and downfall of the Lin family, not their triumphs.

A woman’s voice answered on the other end, calm and calculating. "Alright. But you’ll have to pay me three times the originally agreed amount. You know the risks I’m taking here."

Lin Zhe gritted his teeth, seething with anger. "...Fine. Do it quickly."

.....

Bei Sangyun slumped into her seat after a long, hectic day. Ever since the rumors she had painstakingly buried resurfaced, she had been tirelessly working to put a stop to them.

However, for some reason, they resurfaced again the very next day—in another country and on another media platform.

As always, Bei Sangyun negotiated with the individuals responsible to have the articles taken down. This cycle repeated for several days, leaving her increasingly frustrated as she constantly monitored social media for any news involving her and Fei Chuan.

The rumors wouldn’t die if this continued. Instead, they would only fuel further speculation and make people believe them even more. Even if Fei Chuan denied the claims, people would still second-guess him.

After cleaning up the latest wave of rumors, Bei Sangyun cautiously dialed Fei Chuan’s number.

The call connected after two rings.

"Bei Sangyun?"

"Hi, Fei Chuan. I apologize for calling you so suddenly. Are you back in the country yet?"

There was a brief silence on the other end. "I’m about to be. Why? Is this about the dinner invitation?" he teased lightly.

Bei Sangyun chuckled nervously. "...Yeah. Uhm, when you’re back, I’ll invite you to dinner."

She had initially planned to invite him to dinner after the four months were up. However, it seemed she needed to use it earlier than planned. She had to discuss how to resolve this situation so that Fei Chuan wouldn’t continue being implicated in the rumors.

"Sure," he replied.

"Also, you must have seen the articles. I don’t know how they’re spreading, but those people even used your name to make such statements. I truly apologize for dragging you into this. I’ll make sure it stops. I also have some suggestions and would like to discuss them with you over dinner."

"You don’t have to apologize for it. It’s alright. I’ll be back in the country tomorrow. I’ll see you then, Bei Sangyun," Fei Chuan reassured her.

Bei Sangyun’s heart softened once again. She knew how troublesome this matter was and how much it could affect him. Yet, he still comforted her and tried to lighten her burden.

Her resolve strengthened. She would ensure no articles remained that could implicate Fei Chuan in these rumors.

But the next morning, what greeted her wasn’t news about her rumored romantic relationship with Fei Chuan. Instead, it was scandalous headlines about the Lin family.

Bei Sangyun narrowed her eyes as she scanned the articles.

The way the scandal erupted was like what happened in the previous life.

Her gaze fell on the name repeatedly mentioned and criticized in the news.

’Lin Fei.’

Would he be okay?

She still remembered how he had stood up for her last time—blocking Lin Zhe’s path and buying them precious time. He had helped her greatly back then.

Exiting the article, Bei Sangyun dialed Lin Sanju. "Where is he?"

...

The articles began by reporting that a certain drug pusher had been caught by the police and interrogated. Since the pusher supplied high-end clients and was involved in a larger drug syndicate, the investigation was classified and top secret.

It was revealed that the operation had been ongoing for months, gradually apprehending suppliers one by one. Finally, they caught a "supplier" who allegedly supplied drugs to the Lin family.

During interrogation, this supplier claimed that Lin Fei was not only a user but also a distributor. He even presented supposed "proof" after being persuaded by investigators that his sentence might be reduced if he confessed and exposed his clients.

Thus, Lin Fei’s name was dragged into the investigation. Armed with ’evidence’, the authorities obtained a warrant and stormed the hotel where Lin Fei had been staying before heading to the Lin mansion.

Inside the hotel room, they found traces of drugs in an empty medicine bottle with Lin Fei’s DNA on it.

The warrant led them straight to the Lin mansion, where Lin Fei and his family were caught off guard.

The police presented their documents. Despite the Lin family’s protests, the authorities searched the premises and found the "medicine bottle" that supposedly contained the evidence.

It was only then that Lin Fei and his family realized the gravity of the situation.

Lin Fei was subjected to testing and placed under custody until the results of the bottle and his tests were finalized.

To everyone’s shock, the results came back positive. The "tablets" in the medicine bottle weren’t for depression as initially believed.

Everything had so fast, leaving them no room to prepare for what’s coming.

There were already published articles circulating in social media about Lin Fei’s alleged involvement in a drug syndicate even before the full investigation was concluded. Some people felt this was too sudden but with supporting evidence and police involved, everything pointed at Lin Fei being guilty to the crime.

Though unlike most people, Lin Sanju was convinced this was all just a scheme.

However, with the strong evidence against Lin Fei, it would be difficult to clear his name.

"I spoke to Lin Fei, and he told me he wasn’t using drugs. I haven’t been able to talk to him since because he’s in custody, but I believe him, Bei Sangyun. Lin Fei helped us last time, and I want to return the favor by helping him now."

Bei Sangyun understood the situation now. She could easily guess who was behind this. As expected, it was better to completely crush their enemies, for if they didn’t, those enemies would rise again, seeking vengeance. Lin Sanju should not have spared Lin Zhe.

"They might try to link this back to you. Be careful," she warned. "Watch out for anyone close to Lin Fei suddenly approaching you. That person might be the one who planted the drugs on him. He helped me too, so..."

She paused, her gaze determined.

"I’m going to help him as well."

.....

Additional Scene:

Fei Chuan was in the middle of a business meeting when his phone suddenly vibrated. He glanced at it casually, but his gaze paused.

[Bei Sangyun]

He immediately raised his hand, signaling for the speaker at the front to stop. The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at him, wondering what he had to say.

But Fei Chuan didn’t say a word. Instead, he stared at his phone as it vibrated again. When the third ring came, he finally answered.

The usual intimidating look on his face softened, replaced by a rare, gentle smile.

"...Dinner?"

"...I’ll see you then, Bei Sangyun."

The call ended, but Fei Chuan continued to stare at his phone, a soft smile lingering on his face. Then he chuckled and smirked, muttering to himself, "If you weren’t under pressure, you wouldn’t even bother calling me."

He immediately dialed Assistant Cheng and said each word clearly in front of everyone.

"Book a flight for later today. I want to be back in Country C by tomorrow morning."

The people in the meeting, who had witnessed the entire scene, exchanged bewildered glances.

They had all heard the rumors. And now, it seemed the rumors were true.

Their boss indeed had a woman.

Would there be Mrs. Fei soon?