...
On the screen of Lin Yue's phone was a photo of Lin Xingyan in a hotel room with a man.
Though the man's face was mosaiced, his build and posture gave everything away.
The hotel room was dimly lit, unmistakably intimate.
Even the most stupid person on earth could tell what was going on.
Li Meihua blinked rapidly, her eyes narrowing as her lips twitched. "What... what is this?"
Her voice rose an octave. "What nonsense are you trying to pull, you little bitch? Are you trying to frame your sister now? Xingyan isn't that kind of girl!"
Lin Yue only smiled, her lips curling into a slow, dangerous smirk. "Really? Then what about these?"
She swiped left.
Another video. Lin Xingyan laughing drunkenly as she clung to a man in a hotel corridor.
Another swipe.
A video clip played briefly—the unmistakable sound of giggles, of Lin Xingyan purring seductively in a man's lap.
The color drained from Li Meihua's face.
"Still think I'm framing her?" Lin Yue asked softly, almost kindly, but the glint in her eyes could slice through stone.
Li Meihua's mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. She tried to speak, but no words came out.
Her eyes darted between the screen and Lin Yue's emotionless face.
"W-what do you want?" she finally asked, voice low, almost a whisper.
Lin Yue leaned back, taking a casual sip of water like they were discussing the weather. "What do I want?" Her gaze was ice. "I want you to stop bothering me, harassing me, or trying to destroying me—I release it all. The public will feast."
With a loud clatter, Li Meihua slapped the phone off the table.
Li Meihua lunged forward and slammed her hand on the table. "You wouldn't dare! I'll make a scene at your gallery."
"Oh, I would," Lin Yue replied coolly."What will I lose? Some public hate? A few insults online? They'll forget in a week. But your precious daughter? She'll lose everything. Her fans. Her reputation. Her contracts. The fans she worked so hard to gain will turn on her. Her agencies will blacklist her. Your precious little princess will crash and burn."
Li Meihua's eyes were bloodshot now. Her entire body trembled with rage.
Lin Rui slammed the table, almost knocking over the coffee, "You've gone too far! You heartless bitch!"
Lin Chengbi leaned forward, expression dark, eyes full of hatred. "So this is how you treat the people who raised you? Is this who you've become now?"
Lin Yue finally snapped.
"Who's gone too far? Me? Or you—who starved me to feed her? Who made me give up university so she could go first? Who made me work part-time and hand over every cent while I ate instant noodles and went to bed hungry? Was that kindness?"
Her eyes burned. Her fists clenched by her sides.
Around the café, murmurs rose.
A woman at the next table leaned closer. "Did she say they made her not go to school for her sister?"
"That's sick. Isn't that child abuse?"
A man in a business suit shook his head. "She should sue them."
"They don't even look ashamed."
"The nerve to come asking for money after doing all that."
Li Meihua noticed the rising whispers.
She saw eyes narrowing at her, mouths curling in disgust.
Her own mask cracked.
She looked at Lin Yue with venom in her eyes. "You little bitch, you'll regret this?! You ungrateful whore!"
Mo Yuwei reached out and gently held Lin Yue's trembling hand.
Lin Yue turned back to them. "I've already repaid every debt. I don't owe you anything. I'm not your daughter anymore. We've already severed ties. Stay away from me."
Li Meihua's eyes flashed. But something in Lin Yue's gaze made her spine chill.
Grinding her teeth, she pushed her chair back so hard it screeched across the floor.
"You'll regret this!" she spat as she stood.
Lin Rui followed, his face twisted in fury.
Lin Chengbi lingered for a second, his expression filled with conflicting thoughts—greed, fear, anger—before he too stepped out.
As the door slammed behind them, the café erupted in hushed chatter.
"That poor girl…"
"She's so strong."
"I wish I had her guts. Some families are truly toxic."
Mo Yuwei looked at Lin Yue.
The girl's face was stoic, but her knuckles were white. Her breathing uneven.
She's so young, Mo Yuwei thought. Yet she's gone through so much darkness. So much pain. And still she stands. No tears. No weakness.
From this day on, she silently vowed, I'll protect her. No matter what.
...
Outside the café, Li Meihua stomped away, her heels clacking furiously.
She stormed along the sidewalk, arms flailing.
"That rotten bitch! That damn little fox! Ungrateful slut! After everything we did for her! Fed her! Raised her! And now she dares threaten us! I should've left her to die outside!!"
Li Rui spat on the pavement. "She's forgotten who fed her, who gave her shelter! She's nothing without us!"
Li Meihua kicked a trash can, nearly twisting her ankle. "She thinks she's better than Xingyan now?! That whore—"
"Shut up!" Lin Chengbi growled.
Lin Chengbi's face was pale.
He was thinking about his gambling debt.
Boss Li had already called him twice this morning.
He needed one million. Where was he supposed to get one million?
And now, Lin Yue—his only ticket out—had cut them off completely.
That little girl who used to cry herself to sleep… she was now a storm in human form.
Untouchable.
He couldn't risk ruining Lin Xingyan's future.
He rubbed his sweaty palms together.
"Fuck," he muttered. "What the hell are we going to do now?"
He looked at his wife and son looking at him.
"Boss Li... if he finds out I haven't paid back by next week..."
He clutched his chest. "He said he'd take my hand. My hand, Meihua!"
The three stood on the pavement, their delusions shattering one by one.
Because no matter how loudly they screamed or cursed—
There was nothing they could do now.
Lin Yue... was no longer the pitiful little girl they had trampled on.
---