The Price of Loyalty

The morning sun bathed Ling City in gold, but within the Xiao family's ancestral hall, shadows clung like vultures. Xiao Churan knelt before the family ledger, her fingers trembling over the 500-million-yuan deposit from "Golden Horizon Capital." The cryptic memo—For the girl who shared her umbrella with a beggar—haunted her. Who was this phantom savior?

Meanwhile, Ye Chen stood at Di Hao Group's helipad, watching a private jet descend. Tang Sihai's voice crackled through his earpiece: "The Zhang family's chairman is aboard. He's offering 30% equity to restore partnerships."

A cold smile curled Ye Chen's lips. "Tell him I want 60%, or his son's offshore accounts go public." The wind whipped his suit jacket open, revealing the dragon cufflinks—a silent declaration of war.

Back at the Xiao villa, Madam Xiao convened an emergency council. "Di Hao's sanctions are strangling us! Churan, you will marry Zhang Wenhao to mend this rift!"

Xiao Churan's defiance cut through the tension: "I'd rather burn the company than sell myself." Her mother's slap echoed off mahogany walls, but before the second strike landed, a voice froze the room:

"Touch her again, and the Xiao Group dissolves by sunset."

Ye Chen stood in the doorway, a black dossier in hand. Pages fluttered to the floor—tax evasion records, embezzlement trails, every Xiao secret laid bare. Madam Xiao's cane clattered as she collapsed into her throne.

"Choose," Ye Chen said, his tone glacial. "Beg for mercy, or watch your empire crumble."

The Dragon's Gambit

That night, Ye Chen met Tang Sihai at a dimly lit dock. Cargo containers loomed like tombstones, their shadows hiding a fleet of unmarked trucks. "The Zhang family's shipments," Tang murmured. "Laced with contraband. Customs will seize them at dawn."

Ye Chen nodded. "Let the Wangs leak the news. I want Zhang Wenhao arrested live on TV."

As the moon climbed, Xiao Churan confronted him in their sparse apartment. "Was it you? The money, the threats—all of it?"

He turned, the dragon pendant glinting beneath his collar—a twin to her investor's gift. "Would you hate me if it were?"

Her breath hitched. Three years of humiliation flashed between them—the floor he slept on, the scorn he absorbed, the silent nights she'd wept for his dignity. Now, the man before her radiated a predator's grace, his eyes reflecting a storm she couldn't name.

"I don't know you anymore," she whispered.

Ye Chen closed the distance, his hand brushing hers. "Then let me show you who I am."

Outside, sirens wailed as Zhang Wenhao's mugshot flooded news screens. Ye Chen's phone buzzed—a single message from Di Hao's board: "60% secured."

A Web of Shadows

At dawn, Ye Chen entered a clandestine auction house. The item up for bid? A jade seal stolen from the Ye family vaults decades ago. His grandfather's legacy.

The auctioneer's gavel fell. "Sold to the gentleman in black for 2 billion!"

As Ye Chen claimed the seal, a figure emerged from the shadows—an elderly woman with the Xiao family's piercing gaze. "Clever boy," she rasped. "But even dragons have throats to slit."

He recognized her: Madam Xiao's estranged sister, a ghost from the family's criminal past. Her gloved hand offered a USB drive. "Your wife's orphanage records. Burn them, or I burn her."

Ye Chen's laughter chilled the room. "Auntie Li's files are already ashes. Yours, however…" He tossed a photo—her meeting with Zhang's drug cartel. "Shall we test your loyalty?"

The woman fled, but her threat lingered. This game had claws, and every move drew blood.