The ballroom was a battlefield.
Security escorted Madam Lin, Feng Qian, and Feng Ju out—each of them struggling to maintain dignity as their world collapsed under the weight of truth.
Whispers filled the air.
"How could they do that to their own family?"
"Feng Ju and Qian? Disgusting."
"That girl… Xiao Xiao… she planned everything."
And in the midst of it all, Xiao Xiao stood at the heart of the storm, untouched, untouchable.
But when the last flash faded and the crowd began to disperse, she turned and gently took her brother's hand.
"Come on, Yichen. Let's go home."
—
In the black luxury car, silence reigned.
Yichen leaned against her shoulder, half-asleep from the exhaustion of it all.
"You were amazing, Jie," he murmured. "Like a movie."
She smiled and kissed the top of his head.
"No. It wasn't a movie. It was real. And you'll never be alone again."
Li Yan sat across from them, watching.
He saw more than her grace and calm.
He saw her fingers trembling ever so slightly, hidden under the folds of her gown.
"You were prepared for everything," he said quietly.
"I had to be," she replied, not meeting his gaze. "The last time I wasn't… I died."
There was a long pause.
Then he said, "You didn't just destroy them. You made a statement."
"I wanted them to know they couldn't manipulate me anymore."
Li Yan leaned forward slightly, eyes dark and unreadable.
"Then let me help you send the next message. Loud and clear."
She looked up.
"And what message is that?"
He smiled—cold and calculated.
"That anyone who tries to touch you again… will bleed."
—
But while the car sped through the city, back at the hotel, another storm began to form.
Inside a dim corner of the underground parking lot, a sleek black car sat idling.
Inside, a woman with blood-red lips and jade earrings watched the footage from the banquet again on her phone.
Her expression didn't flicker.
She clicked her nails against the phone, then finally said—
"So, the little fool grew claws."
A man in a dark suit stepped out from the shadows.
"Do we proceed?"
She tilted her head.
"Yes. Inform the Jiang family. The girl isn't as dumb as we thought. But that just makes the game more interesting."