---
Lin Yue's lashes fluttered slightly when she heard her name fall from his lips.
For a split second, her heart fluttered with the hope and excitement she had buried deep inside her chest. Maybe... just maybe...
Liang Yexuan leaned back against his chair, the stark lines of his navy blue suit sharp under the office's natural light.
His fingers brushed over the edge of the canvas before him, then his eyes lifted to meet hers.
Cold. Empty.
"Are you the one who saved me?" he asked, voice devoid of emotion.
She swallowed, the air in the room suddenly too thin to breathe. "Yes," she answered softly.
There was a pause.
A strange, dangerous smile tugged at the corners of his lips—a smirk so chilling, it made her heart skip a beat for all the wrong reasons.
"Interesting," he murmured, setting the canvas down with precise care. His fingers intertwined as he leaned slightly forward. "Then why did you refuse the money when it was offered to you the first time?"
Lin Yue's eyes widened. She parted her lips to speak, but before a sound could escape, he raised a hand to silence her.
"Don't bother," he said, his voice void of emotion. "I'm grateful for what you did, truly. But if you're going to act like a savior, you should have accepted the token of gratitude sent to you. Refusing it doesn't make you noble. It only makes it look like you had other motives."
Lin Yue flinched.
"Let me guess," he said, voice laced with mockery. "You thought pretending to be noble would make you look different from all the other women who chase after status?"
Lin Yue's throat constricted. She stared at him in disbelief. Her lips trembled as she whispered, "I didn't—"
"I've seen people pretend to be noble many times. The kind who act like they don't want compensation so they can later cash in a bigger prize," he said, every word stabbing into her chest like a dagger.
Lin Yue opened her mouth, her voice soft, almost pleading, "I didn't want a reward. I just..."
Her throat tightened, and for a moment, she could barely breathe.
His voice... his tone... it was cruel.
He glanced at the canvas again, then back at her. "Or did you make this beautiful painting just to get into my company? Into my office?" he sneered. "If that's the case... that's cheap."
Her lips trembled. "I—"
He stood, walked to the side of the desk, and glanced once more at the canvas. "It's a beautiful piece. But using art to get attention? Cheap."
Lin Yue trembled. Her lips parted, but no words came.
Her heart pounded painfully in her chest.
What was he saying? What did he mean?
And with a final flick of his hand, he added, "Do your work well and don't have any other ideas. You can leave."
Lin Yue felt her entire soul collapse inward.
She slowly stood, her knees weak. She didn't look at him again. She couldn't. Not when every memory she had of Ah Yan was being torn to shreds right before her eyes.
Her legs felt like they no longer belonged to her. She stood slowly, her head spinning, chest aching with a pain she couldn't describe.
But when she finally turned around, something in her chest shattered.
The pain was dull at first, then sharp, as if all the warm, gentle memories she had been clinging to were being ripped to pieces.
He wasn't Ah Yan.
He was Liang Yexuan. CEO of the Liang Conglomerate.
Cold. Ruthless.
Without looking back, she walked out of the office, her vision blurring with unshed tears.
Behind her, Liang Yexuan pressed the intercom. "Jin Shu, inform the executives to get ready for the meeting in ten."
Jin Shu's voice came through instantly. "Yes, sir."
---
Outside the office, the elevator chimed as it arrived at the executive floor.
Lin Yue stood before it, her head bowed, eyes red and wet as she pressed the button.
Inside, Su Meilin and Liang Qianyu were chatting casually.
Just then, the elevator doors opened.
Su Meilin and Liang Qianyu stepped out mid-conversation, laughter bubbling on their lips.
"I've really missed home," Liang Qianyu said. "It's crazy how much the company has grown in just three years…"
As she stepped inside, Su Meilin and Liang Qianyu stepped out.
They both halted when they saw Lin Yue.
Her head was down, her fingers trembling as she wiped away silent tears with the back of her hand.
She didn't even notice them.
The doors closed.
A slight curl of disdain on Liang Qianyu's lips.
"Probably another vixen trying to seduce my brother," she muttered under her breath, Pathetic."
She gave Su Meilin a sly glance. "Luckily, he only has you in his heart."
Su Meilin flushed lightly, ducking her head.
The compliment stirred a sense of smug satisfaction in her chest but a flicker of something bitter passed through her eyes.
At least, even if Liang Yexuan didn't like her, he didn't mess around with other women.
They turned and walked toward the CEO's office.
---
Inside the elevator, Lin Yue could no longer hold it in.
Her knees gave out and she squatted on the floor, burying her face in her hands.
The tears came rushing out like a flood she couldn't stop.
"Why... why did this happen..." she whispered to herself, voice muffled.
She had never felt this kind of pain. Not when her parents locked her in a room for days without food.
Not when they beat her until she could barely walk.
Not even when Ah Yan vanished from her life without a word.
But this?
It suffocated her.
Even if he didn't want her, did he have to be so cruel?
She whispered through tears, "Maybe I should never have come here..."
You have your baby, Lin Yue. Wasn't that enough? Why did you still long for answers? For him?
Her thoughts spiraled.
Her heart clung to the fragments of the past while reality broke them into dust.
She thought of his face, so cold and unrecognizable.
She thought of the way he looked at her, like she was nothing.
His words echoed in her ears.
'Cheap.'
'Unnecessary thoughts.'
'Just do your job.'
Her heart clenched tighter.
Ah Yan... where did you go? And who is this man?
The pain was unbearable.
Her chest ached, her throat burned, and her eyes stung.
He treated her like a stranger.
Worse, like a scheming woman trying to climb into his world.
And maybe she was nothing but a commoner to him now.
She had her baby. That should be enough, right?
What more did she want?
She was a fool. A stupid, delusional fool.
His face flashed in her mind again—the way he stared at her, judged her, condemned her.
Not even a hint of recognition.
Not even a sliver of warmth.
Only cruelty.
Only coldness.
Her chest heaved. It hurt. It really hurt.
---
The elevator dinged again.
Her head shot up.
She quickly wiped her face, trying to erase the evidence of her tears.
She stepped out, feet moving forward.
But her vision was blurring.
Everything spun.
The ground seemed to tilt beneath her feet.
She swayed slightly.
"Lin Yue!" a voice called from somewhere.
She tried to turn, to see who was calling her.
But her legs gave out.
The world tilted.
Darkness.
---