She abandoned her husband first, then her children, and was ecstatic after the divorce.

Chapter 159 This is the difference between you and me

Perhaps in order to stop himself from thinking about those painful and guilty past experiences, Fu Xiuheng devoted all his energy to his work, working day and night.

He tried to numb his nerves with intense work, thinking that he would forget Zheng Yiming's death and the dishonorable role he played in it.

Then, just when Fu Xiuheng was only one step away from taking the helm of the Fu Group, Fu Jingnian was suddenly exposed for a scandal and was subsequently expelled from the country by the Fu family, allowing Fu Xiuheng to successfully take over.

In fact, over the years, Fu Xiuheng had suspected that Fu Jingnian's departure was inextricably linked to Shen Pei'an. He had also tossed and turned countless nights, pondering the mystery behind it.

But it's too late now; he's gone too far down this path, and there's no turning back.

Fu Xiuheng's recollection came to an abrupt end there. He clutched his head in anguish, his body trembling slightly, and spoke in a hoarse voice.

“I really didn’t mean to hurt anyone, and I never thought things would turn out this way.”

Lin Beichen coldly retorted, "Fu Xiuheng, stop deceiving yourself. Look at everything you have now, isn't it all obtained by hurting others? Your so-called innocence and helplessness are nothing but excuses for your crimes."

Fu Xiuheng stared blankly at Lin Beichen, his lips moving, but before he could speak, Lin Beichen questioned him again.

"If you really feel that what you have now is too heavy, then why not choose not to take shortcuts in the first place? Why let desire and profit blind you?"

Lin Beicheng's words were like sharp blades, piercing straight into Fu Xiuheng's heart.

No matter what reasons Fu Xiuheng could come up with—such as his inability to resist temptation, his loss of self in the face of enormous profits, or the inherently cruel and ruthless nature of the power struggles among the wealthy, and his necessity to resort to certain means for survival and success—they could not cover up the fact that he had made a mistake.

Those seemingly reasonable explanations appear so pale and powerless in the face of the truth.

Fu Xiuheng was speechless, his face full of shame and helplessness. He stood there blankly, his mind a complete blank. When he didn't know what to say, Lin Beichen added lightly.

"You are too arrogant and conceited. You always think that whatever you do is right, and even if you are wrong, you will find a thousand reasons to cover up your mistakes. You never truly reflect on yourself or face your mistakes."

Lin Beichen gave a mocking smile and continued to deliver the final blow without any mercy.

"And this is precisely the main reason why you can't win Qingran back. You've never truly examined your own problems."

His gaze was fixed on Fu Xiuheng, as if trying to see right through him.

"I advise you to ask yourself honestly, Fu Xiuheng. Did you hate Qingran back then simply because her appearance broke you and Lin Yuyan apart? Or was it because you hated the consequences caused by the Lin family's interference? You attributed all your dissatisfaction and resentment to Lin Qingran, but you never reflected on your own narrow-mindedness and prejudice."

Lin Beichen's words came out like a machine gun, making Fu Xiuheng's face grow increasingly ugly.

Fu Xiuheng fell into deep thought. In the past, he always avoided thinking about these issues, burying them deep in the corner of his heart, unwilling to touch them.

But now, under Lin Beichen's sharp questioning, he could no longer avoid it and had to confront the truths that he had deliberately ignored.

Now, upon careful reflection, he realized as if waking from a dream that his inexplicable dislike for Lin Qingran had nothing to do with Lin Yuyan.

That was just an excuse he made for his misguided feelings.

He only did so because he felt that the Lin family controlled his life in various ways, causing him to lose his freedom and autonomy, and thus he childishly used a way that was bad to the Lin family's daughter to retaliate against the Lin family.

In fact, even if Lin Yuyan had married him, Fu Xiuheng would have done the same thing over time.

This is not because of who the object is, but rather an inevitable result of Fu Xiuheng's own personality and mentality.

The only difference is that the victim was changed to Lin Qingran.

Lin Beichen looked intently at Fu Xiuheng, "Qingran is my only daughter, she is the apple of my eye. Because of my absence, Qingran suffered a lot of unnecessary harm. This is already a very serious consequence, and it cannot be made up for by our simple regrets."

Lin Beichen looked directly into Fu Xiuheng's eyes solemnly, "Missing out Qingran's growth in the first half of her life is my lifelong regret. Now that I'm back, I will never allow anyone to hurt her in the slightest."

Fu Xiuheng felt incredibly heavy-hearted. He knew he was in the wrong, but his stubborn nature wouldn't allow him to give in so easily.

He gritted his teeth and, forcing himself to remain calm, asked Lin Beicheng in return.

"Haven't you planned anything that's happened these past few days? You keep saying you won't let her get hurt, but aren't you pushing Qingran into a fire pit by doing this? Aren't you using her to achieve your own goals?"

Seeing Fu Xiuheng speak with such conviction, Lin Beichen couldn't help but laugh sarcastically.

"Look at your self-righteous attitude! Don't you know that there are some things that, for special reasons, cannot be honestly told to others? How much do you understand the complexity and difficulty involved? But at least I have the confidence and assurance to keep things under control. No matter how the situation changes, I have the absolute ability and confidence to prevent Qingran from being harmed. Not only that, but after helping Qingran eliminate the hidden dangers, I can even help her reach a higher level. That's the difference between you and me. You have nothing but impulsiveness and blindness, but you lack the strength and strategy to truly protect her."

To this day, Fu Xiuheng has only ever known how to repent, but he has never tried to understand what he should regret, nor has he ever thought about how to make amends or change the status quo.

Faced with Lin Beicheng's accusations, Fu Xiuheng finally didn't know what to say. Like a defeated rooster, he left Lin Beicheng's office with a gloomy expression.

He returned home dejectedly, and Lu An, who had not been able to find Fu Xiuheng for a long time, followed him.

Lu An looked anxious. He had originally wanted to ask Fu Xiuheng when he planned to bring Fu Xingze back.

Because Fu Xingze did something wrong, Fu Xiuheng left him alone in the house in Yuncheng in a fit of anger, and had no intention of letting Fu Xingze come back.

Lu An was worried. Now that Lin Qingran no longer recognized Fu Xingze, if Fu Xiuheng didn't take care of the child, Fu Xingze would probably be ruined.

But to his surprise, as soon as he entered the room, he saw Fu Xiuheng sitting on the sofa with a dejected look on his face, as if he had lost his soul.

Lu An didn't dare mention Fu Xingze for a moment, and cautiously walked up to him, asking softly.

"What's wrong with the CEO?"

Fu Xiuheng, however, seemed not to hear his question and gave an irrelevant answer.

“Lu An, Qing Ran and I have had many arguments because of Lin Yuyan. Go and investigate who is to blame. Investigate carefully, don’t overlook any details.”