CHAPTER 17 :ThE HIDDEN FLAME

The air around the mansion was thicker than usual. Though Mei Li had returned from the boardroom humiliated, her silence wasn't surrender—it was a pause before a storm. And Mei Xing knew better than to celebrate too soon.

That night, as she stood by the window in her room, watching the moonlight flicker on the garden pond, her mind replayed the events of the day. The expressions on the directors' faces, the disbelief in her father's eyes, the cracks forming between Madam Lin and Mei Li—it was a victory, yes, but a fragile one.

Zhao Chen called her shortly after.

"They're too quiet," he said on the other end of the line. "This silence doesn't sit right with me."

"I feel it too," Mei Xing replied. "Something's coming."

She wasn't wrong.

The very next morning, an anonymous report was leaked to the media, accusing Mei Xing of fabricating financial data and manipulating company affairs to discredit Mei Li. The report was detailed and malicious, painting her as a jealous schemer trying to destroy her sister's reputation out of envy.

It spread like wildfire.

By noon, gossip columns and business forums were buzzing with the scandal.

"Lin Enterprises Heiress in Internal War!"

"Mei Xing's Greed Exposed?"

The media had a field day, and Mei Xing was at the center of the chaos.

Mr. Lin summoned her immediately.

"I don't know what's going on, but this is a mess," he said sharply. "Our investors are panicking. You need to tell me the truth—did you plant that file?"

"No, Father," she said firmly. "You saw the proof with your own eyes. This is retaliation—for exposing the truth."

He stared at her, the lines on his face deepening. "Then prove it. And do it quickly, before this company burns from the inside."

Mei Xing left his office with her heart pounding. Someone had acted fast—too fast. And whoever they were, they had access to internal files and media contacts. This wasn't just Mei Li anymore.

She met Zhao Chen later that day at his apartment.

"They're playing dirty," she said, tossing the tabloids on his table. "And someone powerful is helping them."

Zhao Chen frowned. "If Madam Lin had access to the media, she wouldn't have released this anonymously. This feels… external."

Mei Xing's eyes narrowed. "You think there's another player involved?"

"I think," he said slowly, "we're only seeing the tip of the iceberg."

Together, they started digging deeper—into leaked media sources, confidential correspondence, even boardroom surveillance records.

That night, Zhao Chen uncovered something chilling.

A payment trail leading to a well-known journalist… from an offshore account linked to one of Lin Enterprises' former partners—someone long thought gone from the business.

Mei Xing stared at the screen, her blood running cold.

"I know that name."

She hadn't just stepped on Mei Li's toes—she'd unknowingly disturbed a larger scheme.

The flames were rising now.

And the true enemy was finally stirring in the shadows.