A_Ray_of_Light

Years later, the people of Yucheng still regard the bygone scandal of the aristocratic family as an after-dinner topic.
A cunning woman of the streets ascended to the summit of society, becoming the esteemed lady of a high-priced aristocratic family. 
She was addicted to gambling, once accumulating millions in debts.
Her demeanor was worldly and vulgar, known as a prominent socialite.
Yet, Gu Hansheng still favored her.
Until, this femme fatale of the century dug her own grave, causing the demise of Mr. Gu's beloved, the White Moonlight.
Henceforth, she vanished from Yucheng without a trace.
People say: "Blood debts must be repaid with blood, and death settles it all."
No one knew that night became a thorn in Gu Hansheng's heart.
On the snowy streets, a woman wrapped in a coat stood trembling beneath neon lights, delicately reaching for the car door.
The window lowered, a man gazed at her, softly laughing: "Madam Gu, there is no one in this world more cold-hearted and ruthless than you."
She grasped the door handle, lips pallid, face filled with grievance, "Hansheng, I'm cold."

The dead are colder than you.

The black silhouette departed into the night.

In the rearview mirror, snowflakes fluttered like tattered fragments, nearly engulfing the woman's shoulders.

In later recollections, in the midnight reveries, Mr. Gu could always hear her saying, "Hansheng, I'm cold."

The most missed when departing

Upon rising, she did not realize, until taking a few steps, she stumbled directly to the ground.

Ji Chen waited for half a day but no one came to open the door. He reached up and pushed the door, finding it unlocked, and it swung open with his touch.

Though the room was dimly lit, he immediately spotted the woman seated on the dark carpet.

She was clad in an oversized, ill-fitting t-shirt, appearing fragile, even struggling to rise.

The moment he pushed the door, his gaze collided with her lifted eyes. In the dim space, her black hair and snow-white face struck Ji Chen's sight.

Liang Shu lightly tugged at the corner of her mouth, interrupting Ji Chen's words, "Aren't you going to lend me a hand?"

Ji Chen cleared his throat, stepping back instead of entering. "I've come to deliver a card to you."

At his words, there was a glimmer in her eyes. With little effort, she propped herself up and walked to Ji Chen, leaning against the door frame, palms outstretched.

Ji Chen's expression turned cold, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes as he placed the card in her hand.

Liang Shu smiled, taking the card into her hand.

She tilted her head to look at Ji Chen, who met her gaze with a cold glance before departing.

As the door closed, Liang Shu leaned against it for a moment. The thin edges of the card almost cut into her skin.

Soon, the quiet residential area echoed with the sound of a car engine.

Liang Shu hurried to the window and caught a glimpse of a black shadow leaving the villa gate, driving onto the asphalt road.

Before long, the car's shadow disappeared entirely beneath the lush French plane trees.

In the car, Gu Hansheng was resting with his eyes closed in the back seat.

As if remembering something, he slowly opened his eyes. "Did she accept the card?"

Not only did she accept it, but she did so swiftly.

Gu Hansheng closed his eyes again, leaving only Ji Chen's voice to fill the small space.

"Mr. Gu, regarding Miss Liang's debts, a rough estimate puts it at fifteen million. Some of these debts stem from gambling, while others are from high-interest loans."

Upon hearing this, Gu Hansheng furrowed his brows, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, lips tightening. "She's a gambler?"

Ji Chen glanced back at him. "Whether she's a gambler or not is unclear, but she did borrow from those high-interest lenders."

As Ji Chen recalled her disdainful attitude and money-hungry appearance, he couldn't help but add, "It's not out of the question that she borrowed those loans for the sake of gambling."

"She's also a dealer at the underground gambling den in Yucheng."

"Previously, she was caught cheating to make money, using fake cards, but luckily it didn't escalate. She was kept under wraps."

"Her background is indeed simple, consistent with our previous findings—no parents, no guardians, spent some time in an orphanage, then was adopted by a woman from an underground moneylending institution. Since then, she's been frequenting the underground gambling dens of Yucheng, dabbling in almost... any shady dealings."

"However, recently, she's rarely been seen at the gambling dens. Perhaps she's hiding because of the debtors."

If she hadn't been captured and brought back from the renowned nightlife venue "Imperial City" that night, could she have secured a wealthy patron by now?

Gu Hansheng smirked. "Anything else?"

"She has a guarantor, but we couldn't trace them."

Ji Chen spoke of the fifteen million. She was an orphan, yet how did she accumulate such a debt?

With so much debt, who could be backing her up?

Chapter 3: Origins