After the gift-giving, the ballroom dance session began.
Zhou Qingyu and Pei Hanli danced together in the center, the spotlight almost entirely on them. The young lady was graceful and poised, the gentleman refined and courteous—undoubtedly, they were the most dazzling pair on the floor.
The surrounding guests couldn’t help but murmur among themselves.
"The young miss of the Zhou family and the eldest son of the Pei family look so well-matched..."
"Ah, with so many good men in the world, why is the young miss so fixated on the Pei family’s men?"
"Who knows what’s so special about Pei Hanli... Why doesn’t the young miss take a look at me?"
Compared to their indifference toward Yan Xi, the guests were far more wary of Pei Hanli. Thus, they could only grumble under their breaths, with few daring to approach Zhou Qingyu for a dance.
Yan Xi didn’t join the dance floor, nor did Zhou Yanci. Yan Xi simply didn’t know how—Madam Lin had never taught her during her time with the Lin family.
And since Yan Xi wasn’t dancing, Zhou Yanci naturally had no interest either.
Chu Mo also stayed off the dance floor.
His gaze lingered on Yan Xi, but she remained by Zhou Yanci’s side, leaving him no opportunity to approach.
He had come to the banquet to see Yan Xi, but with no way to get close, he found no reason to stay. He decided to leave early.
Not long after Chu Mo’s departure, the dance session came to an end.
With no further responsibilities for the birthday girl, Zhou Qingyu retreated to the conference hall on the second floor of the estate’s villa.
There, a dozen paparazzi were waiting in formation.
They had received word and rushed to the estate to meet Zhou Qingyu.
Zhou Qingyu cut straight to the point.
"I want dirt on Chu Mo."
Yan Xi had said they couldn’t break the law, right? Well, if Chu Mo had skeletons in his own closet, that wasn’t her fault, was it?
Having grown up in elite circles, Zhou Qingyu knew that many young masters of wealthy families had their share of scandals.
Money corrupted men—there was truth to that saying.
Besides, Yan Xi was already taken, yet Chu Mo still clung to her. How clean could he possibly be?
And the paparazzi? They were among the best-informed when it came to high-society scandals.
With enough money, any secret could be bought.
Yan Xi, standing beside Zhou Qingyu, hadn’t expected this move. She whispered, "Even if Chu Mo has scandals, the Chu family would’ve paid to suppress them. They’d never let their young master’s reputation damage their stock prices!"
Zhou Qingyu smiled. "I know. But I trust these paparazzi will tell me anyway."
The paparazzi exchanged uneasy glances.
Some of them did indeed have dirt on Chu Mo.
But how could they reveal it? The family had paid to keep it buried!
One reporter straightened up, putting on a righteous front. "Young Miss, don’t make this difficult for us. We have professional ethics!"
Zhou Qingyu blinked innocently. "How am I making it difficult? I’m not forcing you. This is just business—I name a price, and if you think it’s fair, you tell me. If not, we walk away. Isn’t that reasonable?"
"Besides, reporting the truth is the real ethics of journalism. When did suppressing news become part of the code?"
The paparazzi hesitated, but Zhou Qingyu had already started bidding.
"One million. Can I buy it?"
A few gulped.
As expected of the Zhou Corporation’s heiress—Chu Mo wasn’t even a celebrity. His scandals were worth maybe a hundred grand at most, yet she opened with a million!
But the Chu family had already paid to silence the stories. The reporters stayed tight-lipped.
Zhou Qingyu raised the stakes.
"Two million."
"Three million."
"Five million."
"Ten million!"
By three million, some were wavering.
At five million, many were tempted.
At ten million, every paparazzo with insider knowledge was clamoring to speak.
"Young Miss! I have dirt on Chu Mo!"
"Me too! I know the same story!"
"I’ll take five million!"
"Undercutting now? I’ll settle for three!"
Zhou Qingyu turned to Yan Xi and shrugged, feigning innocence. "See? I didn’t force them. They volunteered."
Yan Xi: "..."
Zhou Qingyu successfully obtained Chu Mo’s scandals.
Truthfully, they weren’t earth-shattering—just photos of him getting cozy with various women. Some were from his time with Lin Ranran, others after their engagement ended.
Chu Mo had never found Lin Ranran particularly attractive, so he’d occasionally indulged in side dalliances. After the breakup, his entourage of beauties only grew.
Zhou Qingyu studied the photos, narrowing her eyes.
"Are these... escorts?"
The paparazzi hesitated, then nodded.
But the photos only proved Chu Mo had a colorful private life. Exposure might cause a stir, but the damage would be minimal.
Suddenly, one reporter jumped up excitedly.
"Young Miss! Fresh intel!"
Zhou Qingyu’s eyes lit up. "Speak!"
"My contact staking out the Bamboo Grove Club says Chu Mo went there today!"
Yan Xi tilted her head. "What kind of club is that?"
The reporter grinned. "My guy says one of Chu Mo’s past flings came from there! They take outside bookings, but also work inside the club!"
After striking out with Yan Xi tonight, Chu Mo would surely seek comfort elsewhere. Even if he didn’t go today, a few more days of surveillance would catch him.
The other paparazzi hefted their long-lens cameras eagerly. "Young Miss! Should we break the story?"
Zhou Qingyu smacked the nearest one on the head. "Break what story? At this point, we call the police!"
---
Chu Mo left the birthday banquet seething.
He didn’t dare provoke Zhou Yanci, but every time he saw Yan Xi standing beside him, fury and frustration boiled inside.
Yan Xi should have been his!
He frequented the Bamboo Grove Club because one girl there had the same pure-yet-seductive charm as Yan Xi, satisfying his darker cravings.
Tonight, impatient and unwilling to arrange an outside meeting, he headed straight for the club.
The manager recognized him immediately and ushered him to a discreet room.
Chu Mo tested the facilities in the bathroom.
Good. Everything worked.
If Yan Xi had actually damaged him, that would’ve been disastrous.
Soon, a girl arrived, soft-spoken and compliant. Things proceeded smoothly, and Chu Mo relaxed, eyes drifting shut.
There was no denying it—paid companionship was far more obedient. They’d let him do anything.
Stripped bare, his excitement mounting, Chu Mo lost all sense of direction.
Then—a scream from the manager outside.
"Police! It’s a raid!"
Chu Mo’s blood ran cold. All desire vanished.
"I thought this place was discreet!" he roared at the girl. "How did the police find it?"
The girl whimpered. "I-I don’t know!"
Panic set in. Getting caught in the act meant at least a few days in custody—and Chu Mo had no intention of being arrested.
He pressed his eye against the peephole and saw uniformed police officers approaching swiftly. Chu Mo didn’t even have time to put on his clothes—grabbing his garments, he desperately searched for an escape route.
He yanked open the window. His room was on the second floor, not too high.
With a grim resolve, Chu Mo leaped out!
At that moment, a swarm of paparazzi had already staked out outside the Bamboo Grove Club.
Normally, the club didn’t attract much media attention—after all, it marketed itself as an exclusive, high-end venue, emphasizing privacy and tranquility. Just the name alone evoked an image of refined elegance. Few knew it was a hotspot for illicit activities.
These reporters, however, had all come straight from Zhou Qingyu’s estate.
They knew the young mistress had reported the place to the police, and a raid was imminent. A juicy social scandal like this? Too good to pass up.
Most of them clustered near the entrance, waiting for the triumphant exit of law enforcement.
Thud—
A sudden impact sounded from behind, as if someone had fallen from above.
The paparazzi turned to see Chu Mo tumbling down from the rooftop, landing hard on the ground.
He hadn’t stuck the landing, crashing down in a daze, his head spinning.
For a moment, the reporters just stared, stunned.
Chu Mo struggled to his feet, wearing only pants—apparently, he’d been in too much of a hurry to put on a shirt.
Rubbing his head, he blinked his eyes open.
Before him stood a dozen pairs of eyes, all fixed on him in rapt attention.
Chu Mo: "…"
Click—
One paparazzo reacted fastest, snapping a photo!
The others followed suit, their shutters firing off in rapid succession!
"It’s Chu Mo!"
"The Chu family’s eldest son!"
"Quick, get more shots! We came for a crime bust, but now we’ve got celebrity gossip too!"
"Once the cops haul him away, we lose our material! Hurry up!"
Chu Mo was dumbfounded. Wasn’t the Bamboo Grove Club supposed to be discreet? Why were there so many reporters?!
Panicked, he grabbed his clothes and bolted, but the paparazzi gave chase relentlessly. One even seized his sleeve, shoving a camera right into his face.
What the hell? Can’t you people have some professionalism?!
Chu Mo was seething, but the crowd had him surrounded, making escape impossible.
The commotion caught the attention of nearby officers.
By the time Chu Mo finally broke free and dashed to his Audi, gripping the door handle in hopes of salvation—cold metal clamped around his wrist.
Handcuffs.
---
The news of the Chu family’s eldest son soliciting prostitutes blew up online.
Though the photos were blurred, they still clearly showed a shirtless Chu Mo in the dead of night, pale as a plucked chicken in nothing but pants.
[I actually thought he was decent from that variety show. Who knew he was into this?]
[And arrested by the cops? Must not be his first time!]
[Heard he tried jumping out a window to escape. Serves him right!]
[These scumbags should never get off easy.]
[I never liked him on the show anyway. He was paired with Lin Ranran but kept eyeing Yan Xi!]
[Exactly! Can’t keep his eyes off other women—typical behavior from these creeps.]
[Too bad he’s only getting a few weeks in jail. What a joke.]
...
In the detention center, Chu Mo wanted to die.
Why was he so unlucky?
He usually had girls come to his villa. Today, he’d gotten lazy and visited the club instead—and now this!
His mother arrived, along with the family lawyer.
Chu Mo clutched her hand. "Mom! I messed up! Tell Attorney Chen to fix this—I can’t go to prison!"
Chu's Mother’s face darkened. She slapped him hard across the face.
Chu Mo reeled. "Mom?!"
"I wish you’d been caught sooner! Do you have any idea what you’ve done to our family?!"
Chu Mo was indignant. "I’m the one arrested, not you! A couple weeks in jail—how bad could it be?"
"You’ve nearly bankrupted the Chu family!"
Her voice was shrill with fury as she shoved her phone at him—a stock chart of their plummeting shares.
Chu Mo’s breath caught.
Just like how the Lin family’s stocks had evaporated overnight, the Chu family’s shares were in freefall—worse, even.
"Was this… Zhou Yanci’s doing?"
Chu's Mother was livid. "Who else could destroy us like this?!"
Chu Mo was baffled. "I didn’t even provoke the Zhou family! I just attended the young mistress’s birthday party—"
Then it hit him. Zhou Yanci was Yan Xi’s boyfriend. He’d confronted Yan Xi today, and now their stocks were crashing… This was Zhou Yanci’s revenge.
All for some disowned socialite, a nobody with no background? Zhou Yanci would go this far for her?
But there was more. Chu's Mother added, "And this arrest… Zhou Qingyu reported it. By name."
Chu Mo’s eyes bulged.
Her voice was icy. "So forget about bail. Sit here and reflect. If the Chu family doesn’t survive this, don’t bother coming home after your release."
---
That night, Chu's Mother personally visited the Zhou estate to apologize to Yan Xi on her son’s behalf.
But this was a one-sided effort—Yan Xi couldn’t even be bothered to see her. The gates remained shut, leaving Chu's Mother standing outside.
The Chu family’s stocks continued their nosedive. Zhou Yanci’s retaliation was even fiercer than what he’d done to the Lin family—bankruptcy was inevitable. Meanwhile, Chu Mo’s scandalous photos had gone viral, earning him the online nickname "Streaker."
Zhou Qingyu was satisfied with this outcome.
With this matter settled, she set her sights on a new goal.
The day after her birthday, she took to Weibo with an announcement: she was leaving the entertainment industry.
The news sent shockwaves through showbiz.
A top-tier star quitting at her peak? This was even bigger than Chu Mo’s streaking scandal. In no time, twenty of the top fifty trending topics were about her.
Fans were devastated—
[Noooooo!]
[Young Mistress, your acting might not be great, but you’re so gorgeous! Really leaving?!]
[You could still do variety shows! Magazine shoots! A face like yours belongs in the spotlight!]
[No more red carpet appearances? I can’t take this…]
[If Young Mistress leaves, the entire industry’s beauty standards will drop. We’ll be stuck comparing everyone to ‘70s and ‘80s Hong Kong stars again…]
[Please come back! Your face alone carries the fandom!]
[I’m so heartbroken. Young Mistress, please don’t go!]
Zhou Qingyu hadn’t expected this. Before, so many fans had hated her, begging her to quit. Now, they were pleading for her to stay.
But her mind was made up. The entertainment world wasn’t for her—she didn’t even enjoy acting.
After her farewell post, she shared another update: a photo of herself practicing the cello in Xingyao’s music room.
The caption read: "25 years old. A fresh start~"
Two years had passed. Though those two years had been wasted, it was time for her to pursue what she truly loved.
The news of Chu Mo soliciting prostitutes spread quickly. Within days, the elite circles of Haicheng realized that the plummeting stock prices of the Chu family were Zhou Yanci's doing. It also became clear that the previous incident involving the Lin family had been orchestrated by the Zhou Corporation.
Zhou Yanci had done this deliberately—he wanted everyone to know that this was the consequence of crossing Yan Xi.
Families who had once considered forming alliances with the Zhou family through marriage quickly dismissed the idea. They finally understood that Zhou Yanci wasn’t toying with Yan Xi—he was serious.
Among them, no one was happier than the Lin family.
Back when the Lin family had fallen into decline, Father Lin had approached the Chu family to honor their childhood engagement. Instead, Chu's Mother had proposed dissolving the betrothal, showing no regard for their past ties. To make matters worse, they had taken business opportunities from the Lin family.
Father Lin had been furious but powerless, venting his anger on Lin Ranran instead, blaming her for failing to secure Chu Mo’s affection and ruining the potential alliance between their families.
Now that the Chu family was in trouble, Father Lin and Madam Lin were overjoyed, even congratulating themselves on dodging a bullet—had they gone through with the marriage, Zhou Yanci would have targeted them next!
Lin Ranran felt suffocated by this family.
Suddenly, she understood why Yan Xi had been willing to take on millions in debt just to sever ties with the Lin family. Everyone had mocked Yan Xi for giving up a life of luxury to become an ordinary person, but what was so bad about that? At least ordinary people didn’t have to deal with such toxic family dynamics.
Lin Ranran even wondered—if she had never returned to the Lin family, maybe things would have been better.
Yan Xi had been right all along. All these years, Madam Lin had been manipulating her, making her see Yan Xi as an enemy, drowning her in the bitterness of being the "real" versus the "fake" heiress.
But now that she had stepped back, she realized—there was no competition between her and Yan Xi.
The real competition was with Lin Sibo.
The core of their conflict was the Lin family’s fortune.
To win against Lin Sibo and reclaim what was rightfully hers, she had to become better, work harder.
That weekend, after class, Lin Ranran returned to her room to study.
Back when she was an orphan, her grades had been excellent—she had always ranked at the top of her class. But during her three years at Bowen High, Madam Lin had given her pocket money to go out and have fun. Her friends had told her, "What’s the point of studying so hard as a rich heiress? Just learn some flower arranging, tea ceremonies, cooking—dress up pretty and marry well!"
So her college entrance exam scores had been mediocre. Madam Lin hadn’t even bothered to spend extra money to send her abroad, settling for a mediocre joint-venture university instead.
Looking back, Lin Ranran realized—Madam Lin had probably been trying to ruin her all along.
She had wasted five years. She had to make up for them now.
A commotion erupted downstairs.
Lin Sibo had returned home.
Madam Lin had spared no expense sending him abroad for studies. The semester had already started, but Lin Sibo had run out of living expenses, and with the Lin family’s financial struggles, he had simply skipped school and flown back.
Hearing about the Chu family’s downfall, Lin Sibo assumed Father Lin would be in a good mood and immediately went to ask for money.
Father Lin frowned, grabbing a feather duster to smack his son’s backside. "All you care about is money! How long have you been abroad? I gave you 300,000 in living expenses—how did you burn through it already?"
Lin Sibo rubbed his backside. "It’s only 300,000! The cost of living overseas is insane..."
Madam Lin tried to intervene. "Sibo is still a child. Why are you being so hard on him?"
Father Lin gritted his teeth. "In the past, I wouldn’t have cared if he spent his allowance. But now? Do you think money grows on trees?"
The damage Zhou Yanci had inflicted on the Lin family still hadn’t healed. Father Lin had exhausted himself running around for loans, swallowing his pride to borrow from relatives and friends—just to keep the company afloat.
And here was his son, squandering money on luxuries while he struggled?
Lin Sibo muttered, "Fine, if you won’t give it to me, then don’t! No need to hit me..."
Father Lin smacked him again with the duster. "You’re staying home these next few days—no going out! Next week, you’re returning to school. If you need money, get a job!"
Lin Sibo rubbed his sore backside, sulking.
Ever since the Lin family’s downfall, his father’s temper had gotten worse.
Was it really such a big deal to ask for some pocket money?
If it weren’t for Lin Ranran provoking Yan Xi, would the Lin family really be so broke they couldn’t even spare 300,000? Lately, Lin Sibo had been too embarrassed to even face his rich friends.
Fuming, he stormed upstairs and kicked open Lin Ranran’s door.
"Lin Ranran! This is all your fault! If it weren’t for you, our family wouldn’t be in this mess!"
Lin Ranran had been studying with noise-canceling headphones on, oblivious to the argument downstairs. Only when her door flew open did she calmly remove them.
"How is it my fault? If your mother hadn’t turned me against Yan Xi, would I have targeted her on that show? Face it—you and your mother brought this on yourselves!"
"Shut up!" Lin Sibo snapped. "My mom and Yan Xi were close! You’re just jealous because you could never measure up to her!"
Lin Ranran smirked. "Oh, really? If they were so close, why did Yan Xi pay ten million just to cut ties with the family? Why would she rather be in debt than stay with us?"
"You’re lying!" Lin Sibo’s face flushed red with anger. "Yan Xi only hates you! She doesn’t hate the rest of us!"
Lin Ranran’s smile turned mocking. "If you’re so close to Yan Xi, why don’t you go ask her for money? She’s a VP at Xingyao now—she’s loaded! Let’s see if she’ll give you an allowance."
She hadn’t meant it seriously. Surely even someone as dense as Lin Sibo had some self-awareness.
But to her shock, his eyes lit up. "You’re right! Yan Xi’s rich now—of course she’d help me out! I’ll go find her!"
With that, he turned and stormed out of her room.
Lin Ranran was stunned. Was he seriously going to ask Yan Xi for money? Did he have no memory of how the Lin family had treated her?
But Lin Sibo never hesitated once he set his mind to something. With Father Lin gone to the office, Lin Sibo rushed to the garage, hopped into a BMW, and sped off.
Lin Ranran suddenly realized she might have made a huge mistake.
Even she wasn’t blind to Zhou Yanci’s feelings for Yan Xi. If he found out she had sent Lin Sibo after Yan Xi, would he come after her?
Terrified, she grabbed her phone and frantically texted Yan Xi.
---
Yan Xi received the message while in a meeting at Xingyao, discussing advertising partnerships with Lu Wanning.
Her phone screen lit up. She glanced at it.
Lin Ranran: [Lin Sibo is coming to ask you for money. I only mentioned it offhand—I didn’t mean for him to bother you!]
[He might expose your relationship. Just wanted to give you a heads-up.]
[And I swear, I didn’t do it on purpose! Really!]
Yan Xi read it once, then flipped her phone face down without a word.
Compared to Lin Sibo, Lu Wanning's business was far more important.
Lu Wanning said, "The finale of 'SP' is in two days. I heard it's being changed to a live broadcast. The Lu Group has a yogurt brand that wants to sponsor it."
Yan Xi responded professionally, "President Lu, as you know, 'SP' has been performing exceptionally well. Recently, many advertisers have been competing for sponsorship. As for the naming rights, we still need to—"
"One hundred million," Lu Wanning said casually. "The Lu Group offers one hundred million for the naming rights of 'SP.'"
"No problem!" Yan Xi instantly changed her tone.
Seriously, 'SP' had only cost thirty million to produce. Faced with a sponsorship of one hundred million, hesitating for even a second would be an insult to money!
With the funding settled, lawyers from both sides began drafting the contract on the spot.
Yan Xi was secretly delighted. She had heard from Zhou Yanci that Lu Wanning was ruthless in negotiations and that few could gain an advantage over her. But Yan Xi didn’t find her intimidating at all!
Lu Wanning was actually quite easy to talk to~
While Yao Chi and the lawyers reviewed the contract, Lu Wanning took out two bottles of yogurt.
"President Yan, you haven’t tried our yogurt brand yet, have you? How about giving it a taste?"
She casually unscrewed a bottle and handed it to Yan Xi.
Just as Yan Xi was about to take a sip, Lin Zhi rushed in. "President Yan, something’s wrong! There’s a commotion downstairs—someone claims to be your brother."
Yan Xi chuckled softly. "He arrived faster than I expected."
She turned to Lu Wanning. "President Lu, I have some personal matters to attend to. Director Yao will handle the rest of the signing process. My apologies for leaving early."
She set down the yogurt and headed downstairs to the lobby.
Lu Wanning remained seated in the meeting room, watching Yan Xi leave, her expression darkening slightly.
---
Starlight Entertainment, First-Floor Lobby
Several security guards stood at the entrance, blocking outsiders from entering the company.
Lin Sibo shouted at them, "I’m your VP’s brother! We’ve been siblings for over a decade! I’m here to see my sister—what right do you have to stop me?"
The guards replied politely, "Sorry, sir. Without an appointment, we can’t let you in."
"Don’t you have any common sense? Do you even know who I am?"
The guards rolled their eyes. Who cared who he was? Entertainment companies weren’t just open to anyone. Hadn’t he seen the crowd of fans waiting outside? Did he really think he could just barge in? Dream on!
The elevator doors opened, and Yan Xi hurried out.
Lin Sibo spotted her and waved excitedly. "Lin Xi! Lin Xi!"
It had been years since anyone had called Yan Xi by that name—even Lin Ranran and Chu Mo never referred to her that way.
Yan Xi gave the guards a look, and they stepped aside.
The lobby had a small seating area for waiting guests. Yan Xi led Lin Sibo there.
Once seated, she asked, "What do you want?"
"Lin Xi, you’re so heartless! After all those years as siblings, now that you’re successful, shouldn’t you help me out?"
"Running out of money?"
Lin Sibo’s eyes lit up—Lin Xi still understood him! "Just give me a million! You’re an executive here—surely you can spare that much?"
He suddenly worried she might refuse. "Or… half a million would work too!"
Yan Xi called Lin Zhi over. "Go to my office and bring me the bank card."
"Yes."
Lin Zhi quickly retrieved the card and returned within minutes.
Lin Sibo’s eyes widened at the sight of it. He hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. Yan Xi had always indulged him before, but back then, they were still siblings. Now that she had left the Lin family, he wasn’t sure if she’d still comply.
He had prepared a whole speech to convince her, but she agreed immediately—she was still the same!
Yan Xi handed him the card.
Lin Sibo was ecstatic. "You’re way better than that country bumpkin Lin Ranran! She’s useless and just spends the family’s money!"
He reached for the card, but Yan Xi suddenly pulled it back.
Lin Sibo was stunned. "What’s the meaning of this?"
Yan Xi held the card between two fingers, studying him with amusement. "Lin Sibo, we’re no longer related. If you want money from me, you’ll sign an IOU. That way, I can collect from your parents later—with standard bank interest, of course."
