Even late into the night, Zhu Lexing couldn’t shake that vague, ambiguous atmosphere.
She tossed and turned in bed, still lost in a daze, when her phone buzzed with a message from an unknown account.
【Lexing, can you come out for a bit?】
Zhu Lexing: ?
Staring at the text in bewilderment, she summoned the system without a second thought: 【Who is this?】
System: 【Lin Yang is waiting for you outside the Zhu Family Villa.】
Zhu Lexing glanced instinctively out the window.
This was an exclusive villa district. On Liu Su’s orders, Lin Yang had been blacklisted from the premises. There was no way she could be here now.
The closer Zhu Lexing grew to Yan Mian, the more intense her resentment toward Lin Yang and her ilk became.
She eyed the message and fired back without hesitation.
—【Don’t harass me.】
Summer hadn’t truly arrived yet, but it was already nearing ten o’clock.
The villas stood far apart. The Zhu house was dark. Lin Yang lingered outside the front gate, clutching her phone so tightly her knuckles whitened.
The wind had picked up, carrying the rustle of branches. She knew it was just the trees swaying behind her, but a chill still crept over her. She bit her lip, waiting anxiously for Zhu Lexing’s response.
Zhu Lexing had never invited her to the Zhu house, but that hadn’t stopped Lin Yang from digging up the address and showing up unannounced.
Over time, the security guards had come to recognize her, greeting her warmly as Miss Lin. Yet in the past two weeks, those once obsequious men had transformed.
She’d only gotten this far by bribing one of them, who had smuggled her in on the sly.
Even then, he wasn’t courteous—glancing back nervously, terrified of getting caught, and prodding her to hurry.
The humiliation, like being treated as a pariah, ignited fury deep in Lin Yang’s chest. But she was powerless to fight it.
After her failed plea to Zhu Lexing at school last time, the Liu family’s pressure on the Lin family had only mounted.
The scandal hadn’t exploded into the open, but reporters had sniffed out hints and were camped outside the company around the clock, hounding Lin Song for any scrap of info.
Whatever it took, Lin Yang had to confront Zhu Lexing face-to-face once more. If she could just convince her to call off Liu Su, she’d pay any price.
But the reply that came froze her in place.
Lin Yang had never dreamed Zhu Lexing could be so cold. More than rage, a terror of the unknown gripped her heart.
As the incoming call lit up her screen, Zhu Lexing nearly swiped to decline. After a moment’s thought, though, she answered.
Lin Yang’s voice brimmed with shock and relief. “Lexing, you picked up… Will you, will you come out? Please… I’m begging you.”
Tears already cracked her words. Even through the phone, Zhu Lexing felt a flicker of pity—not for Lin Yang, but for Yan Mian.
The Lin family might crumble, but Lin Yang still had her networks, her shot at atonement with a few crocodile tears, pretending ignorance could whitewash it all.
In the original work, when Yan Mian endured baseless torment, who stood by her? Who did she weep for?
No one.
Not a soul.
Zhu Lexing fiddled with her phone, a bitter irony twisting inside her. She drawled indifferently, “All you want to say is ‘sorry,’ right? Too late for that now—what good does it do?”
Lin Yang assumed she wanted concessions. With a sniffle, she said, “I-I’ll agree to anything. Anything you want.”
Zhu Lexing replied, “It’s the witching hour for dreams, but save them for someone else.”
She checked the time, paused, then curved her lips into a smirk. “You love crying, don’t you? Go ahead. Cry all night till dawn, and maybe I’ll drop a casual word to Mom about going easy on your family.”
Lin Yang went rigid.
She knew Zhu Lexing had changed, but this? She figured it had to be a bluff, a test of her resolve—Zhu Lexing would cave soon enough.
Zhu Lexing’s voice turned ice-cold. “One chance. That’s it.”
Dazed and desperate under the pressure, Lin Yang began to sob in fits and starts.
Zhu Lexing said, “Starving or what? Cry louder.”
Lin Yang amped it up. But there was no real anguish; the wails were wrenched from her throat, grating and ghostly in the dark.
Even the nearby security guard shot her a frightened glance.
Lin Yang’s call wasn’t on speaker—he’d heard none of it. He assumed Zhu Lexing had pushed her over the edge again. Without another word, he bolted.
He vanished, but Lin Yang stayed rooted, legs shaking, her cries escalating just as Zhu Lexing demanded—hoping the spectacle would sate her rage and earn forgiveness.
Zhu Lexing, whom she had been eagerly awaiting, instead muted the call, plugged in her earphones, turned on the recording with a casual flick, and rolled over to lie down.
Having chatted with [Study] all day was outrageous enough. What had she done to deserve listening to Lin Yang sobbing in the middle of the night? It was all just for fun, to tease her.
Just as Lin Yang had once teased and mocked Yan Mian, Zhu Lexing was simply letting her taste the same pain firsthand.
As for Lin Yang’s safety, Zhu Lexing wasn’t worried at all. The Zhu Family had servants keeping watch through the night, monitoring everything. Outside the villa, security guards patrolled at regular intervals. If Lin Yang cried just a bit louder, one of them would spot her and escort her away.
Zhu Lexing calmly closed her eyes and enjoyed a peaceful night’s sleep, while Lin Yang truly stood in front of the Zhu Family home for most of the night.
She was aware of the security guards, so her sobs came in fits and starts, careful not to draw attention. But by three in the morning, she could cry no more. The phone line had gone silent at some point, and Lin Yang tried calling out, “Lexing?”
There was no response.
Her hand trembled as she raised her voice again.
Still nothing.
She suddenly realized that Zhu Lexing had played her once more.
Twice in a row now—exhaustion and humiliation finally crushed her. In near-rage, Lin Yang hurled accusations at Zhu Lexing, her words foul and crude.
Since arriving at the Zhu Family, Yan Mian had never been woken in the dead of night by such racket. At first, she thought it was a dream. Beyond the villa, a familiar female voice spat curses that grated harshly. The villa door creaked open as servants negotiated with someone outside, their muffled voices drifting into her room.
She took a moment to shake off the haze, then realized it was Lin Yang. A glance at the clock: four in the morning.
Four a.m., and Lin Yang cursing Zhu Lexing outside the Zhu Family home…
What on earth?
Yan Mian found the situation utterly absurd, yet there it was. She sat up in bed, her body moving faster than her mind as she tapped open the recording.
Even when she woke again, Yan Mian thought it had been a dream—until she saw the system notification that the recording had ended.
Out of idle curiosity, she wondered how Zhu Lexing had reacted, but she left the Zhu Family early anyway. On the way to school, she stared at the file, pondered silently for a moment, then sent it to Lin Yang’s email from a newly registered account.
Morning reading had just begun when Zhu Lexing strolled in right on the bell. Her backpack hung loosely off one shoulder, and she looked a touch sleepy, but her mood was clearly brighter. Smiles danced at the corners of her eyes and mouth—she seemed genuinely happy, blissfully unaware of the night’s drama.
Yan Mian watched her for several seconds before looking away. By then, several replies had already landed in her inbox.
-Delete it.
-Who are you? A Zhu Family servant? What do you want? Money? How much?
-I can call the police anytime!
As Yan Mian read those frantic lines, she felt a mix of absurdity and sharp irony.
With this recording in hand, Lin Yang would have no choice but to obey her for a while. The curses on the tape were vicious, even dragging Liu Su into it. A few crude insults wouldn’t turn Liu Su against her outright, but showing up at the Zhu Family and abusing Zhu Lexing was provocation at its peak.
The Lin Family’s downfall would only be worse.
The Lin Yang who had once loomed like a ferocious beast now capered before her like a pathetic clown.
Yan Mian suddenly realized she held the power to control someone. But the thought instinctively repulsed her. She wanted nothing from Lin Yang—only for her to stay out of sight.
Without hesitation, she typed a single line:
【If you don’t want Liu Su to hear this recording, never show your face in front of Zhu Lexing again.】
The inbox fell silent. Soon enough, a new email arrived.
-You’re a Zhu Family servant? We could talk business. Generous pay, and the job’s simple.
The tone and style were utterly unlike Lin Yang’s—calmer, more composed.
Yan Mian guessed Lin Song had taken over. She stared at the message, unmoved and ready to log off, when her lashes fluttered.
-Do you know about Omega Suppressants?
Lin Song had dropped the hint and stopped there, but Yan Mian instantly grasped his intent.
Alphas injecting Omega Suppressants triggered violent rejection reactions. The injection itself was agony, and many AOs died from complications of misuse without ever realizing their mistake.
Yan Mian thought: What a vicious ploy.
Yet as she stared at those words, her mind flashed to Zhu Lexing—that day she had burst into the room and held her tight.
“Yan Mian?”
The sudden voice snapped her back. She looked up to hear, “What are you looking at?”
Yan Mian brushed it off with a vague reply, only then noticing that class had ended.
She glanced at Zhu Lexing, who had been whispering something to Song Yingying. As they talked, the bright, exuberant glow from earlier faded from her face. She grew sullen, propping her chin on her hand in obvious displeasure.
But moments later, Zhu Lexing rallied, chatting animatedly with Song Yingying once more.
Song Yingying gave a slight nod, and Zhu Lexing stood abruptly. Before leaving, though, she hesitated and glanced back at Yan Mian.
Seconds earlier, Yan Mian had lowered her eyes, missing the look entirely.
Yan Mian screenshot all the emails and forwarded them to Liu Su. Before any reply came, she blocked the account.
Call it… paying Zhu Lexing back in kind.
That was her private thought when a voice sounded beside her. “Yan Mian? You seem to be in a good mood today.”
Yan Mian blinked. “Why do you say that?”
The other girl pointed at her face.
“You’re smiling.”
