---
Mo Yuwei looked at Lin Yue, her heart tightening at the sight of the young woman clutching the sheets, eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
The morning light filtered softly through the hospital blinds, casting golden slats across Lin Yue's pale face. There was a silence between them, heavy and brittle.
"Lin Yue," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper, "What do you plan to do now?"
Lin Yue blinked, one tear slipping down her cheek. She didn't bother to wipe it. Instead, she stared down at her hands holding the warm porridge.
"I... I don't know," she whispered. Her voice was trembling, the words thin like paper soaked in rain.
She let out a shaky breath and finally wiped her cheeks, the tears coming now in silent waves.
"He forgot me," she said, almost to herself. "No wonder... no wonder he looked at me like I was a stranger. The way he talked to me, so cold... it wasn't the Ah Yan I knew."
Mo Yuwei's chest ached with a sympathy she rarely felt. She took a seat beside Lin Yue and gently nudged the bowl of warm porridge toward her.
"Think about it later. Eat something first. You need your strength."
Lin Yue looked at her, lips parting as if to protest, but then slowly nodded as she remembered her baby.
She took the spoon from Mo Yuwei's hands and scooped a small bite.
As the warm porridge slid down her throat, her thoughts swirled.
What should I do? she wondered. Do I walk up to him and say, 'We were in love once, before you forgot me'?
The idea sounded ridiculous even in her own mind. He had looked at her like a stranger. Like she was nothing.
How could she claim a past he didn't remember?
She took another spoonful, her hands steadier now. She couldn't just waltz up to him. She needed a plan.
A smart one.
After finishing, she placed the empty bowl gently on the bedside table and looked up at Mo Yuwei.
"Thank you," she said, her voice steadier now. "You're always there for me."
Mo Yuwei smiled, though sadness still lingered in her gaze. "Of course. Always."
She gave a small smile, "You should go to work."
Mo Yuwei nodded, standing gracefully. "I have an audition today. They're choosing the new brand ambassador. But you—take care of yourself, okay? Don't do anything reckless. You're not alone in this."
Mo Yuwei gave her a lingering look before turning and leaving the room.
Lin Yue stared at the closed door for a long time before lying back down.
She needed a plan.
She couldn't just barge into Liang Yexuan's life and demand to be remembered. She had to be smart. Strategic.
But how?
She hugged her pillow close, trying to calm her mind.
---
At the opulent Su residence, the dining room sparkled with early sunlight streaming through the crystal windows.
Grandfather Su sat at the head of the long table, dressed impeccably in a grey traditional robe, sipping tea with a calm expression.
Across from him sat Su Zhenghao, Su Meilin's father, checking business updates on his tablet.
Li Yan, Meilin's mother, wore an elegant rose silk blouse, her eyes heavy with tension as she pushed porridge around in her bowl taking small bites now and then.
Footsteps clicked across the marble floor.
"Morning," came Su Meilin's voice as she entered, wearing designer shades and a silk scarf loosely draped over her hair.
She offered a casual smile before heading toward the stairs.
"Stop right there," Grandfather Su called out.
Su Meilin paused on the stairs, turning with a raised brow. "Yes, Grandpa?"
He set down his teacup with a deliberate clink. "Did you spend the night out again?"
She shrugged casually. "Yeah. Why?"
Before the old man could speak, Su Zhenghao put the tablet on the table and slammed his palm onto it. "You think you're just some rich girl flitting around like a butterfly? You're the daughter of the Su family. The future wife of Liang Yexuan! Your every move is under media scrutiny."
Grandfather Su nodded in agreement, his expression grave. "If Liang Yexuan finds out about your behavior, do you think he will still marry you?"
Su Meilin crossed her arms, her tone defiant. "He won't find out."
Su Zhenghao's face darkened. "Maybe he already knows. Maybe that's why he doesn't like you."
Su Meilin pouted, pushing her glasses up her nose. "It won't happen again."
"It better not," Grandfather Su warned, folding his paper. "Your image reflects our entire family. Start acting like it."
She gave a small nod and turned to head up the stairs.
The moment she disappeared from view, Su Zhenghao turned a furious glare on Li Yan.
"You've spoiled her too much. A girl spending the night out without accountability? It's shameful."
Li Yan glared back at him, unbothered. "She's not just my daughter. I didn't make her alone. Or have you forgotten that?"
Su Zhenghao opened his mouth, then closed it, rendered speechless.
He stood abruptly and walked toward the door shutting it with a bang behind him.
She scoffed and resumed eating, her movements precise and deliberate.
Grandfather Su rose from his seat. "Talk to her, Li Yan. You're her mother."
"Yes, Father," she replied, bowing her head respectfully as he moved toward the elevator.
As the doors closed behind him, Li Yan leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples.
---
Far across the globe, in a shadowy room bathed in blue light from a dozen monitors, a tall, dark man sat behind a cluttered desk.
The skyline outside was blanketed in mist, the buildings like ghosts in the early morning fog.
The soft glow from a single overhead bulb cast shadows across his scarred face.
Smoke curled lazily from the cigarette perched between his lips, the air thick with the scent of burnt tobacco.
A Bluetooth earpiece blinked in his ear. His eyes narrowed as a voice crackled through the device.
"The mission has started. We've already begun with the granddaughter."
A cruel laugh rumbled from the man's throat. He leaned forward, eyes gleaming.
"Good," he said in a deep, accented voice. "Let them feel it. One piece at a time."
He exhaled a plume of smoke, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk.
The line went dead.
He leaned back, resting his hands behind his head.
"Payback always comes home," he whispered to the shadows.
---