DaoistgLEwUX

Zhong Shuning, the adopted daughter of the Zhong family, was ousted from her home on the very night her fiancé arm-in-arm with a new lover topped entertainment headlines.
 
Scandals swirled around her as she later became entangled with the most powerful man in the city. Society mocked her as nothing more than a passing plaything for Mr. He's whims.
 
But what none realized was this:
 
The moment he laid eyes on her,
 
he conceived a scheme as audacious as moonlight poaching —
 
to steal the moon that rightly belonged to the heavens.

Orchestrated Romance

The trench coat became a silent witness to the unraveling drama.

When Zhong Mingyue giggled, "I was worried Sister might catch cold without an escort," the room's tension thickened like syrup. Zhou Boyu's abrupt departure shattered the veneer.

"Boyu?" Zhong Mingyue chased after him, her smile never faltering.

Alone at the table, Zhong Shuning's laughter died in her throat. Who should be angry here?

Her adoptive parents exchanged meaningful glances.

"Sweetheart," Liu Hui'an began, "this marriage was always a business arrangement."

Her mother's words pierced like poisoned arrows.

"We never meant to harm you. But Mingyue..." Liu Hui'an's voice softened, "she's suffered enough."

The adopted daughter had become expert at masking calculation with vulnerability.

"If you release Boyu, we'll ensure you're provided for." Zhong Zhaoqing slammed his teacup. "Or do you think your dancing career can support you?"

Rain lashed against the window as Zhong Shuning recalled Zhou Boyu's hands massaging her injured leg in hospitals. His promises whispered through painkillers.

"Would you really let them erase what we had?" she wondered silently.

Outside, Zhou Boyu's laughter echoed down the corridor. Zhong Shuning turned a corner and froze.

There he stood - her fiancé - cupping Zhong Mingyue's face with practiced tenderness.

"Darling, you shouldn't have waited in the rain," he murmured, brushing moisture from her lashes.

His gloved hand lingered on her neck as Zhong Mingyue leaned into his touch.

The world tilted when their lips met.

Zhong Shuning's nails dug into her palms. This is how it ends.

When their eyes locked across the crowded room, Zhong Mingyue paled.

"Sis, it's not what you think!" The girl's voice cracked as she pressed a trembling hand over her mouth.

"Is that so?" Zhong Shuning stepped closer, her injured leg throbbing in rhythm with her heartbeat.

Zhou Boyu finally noticed her. His smirk faded.

"Clarifying boundaries?" She cut him off, her voice icy. "How touching."

The truth struck like lightning - all those early morning hospital visits, the carefully rehearsed affection, the diamond ring he never dared gift her.

"All these months, I wondered why you never wanted public displays of affection," she whispered. "Now I understand."

Zhou Boyu's composure fractured. "You wouldn't understand our... history."

"History?" She laughed bitterly. "You mean your 287 texts last month pretending to be my 'secret admirer'?"

When Zhong Mingyue burst into tears, Zhou Boyu's mask crumbled completely.

"Don't you dare!" he snarled. "After everything I've done!"

"Done?" Zhong Shuning's eyes blazed. "You introduced me to your mother as 'the dancer girl'? You let your mother call me 'charity case'?"

In the shadows, Chen Zui watched through tinted windows. He Wenli's lighter flickered as he observed the carnage.

"Poor Zhou," the chauffeur muttered. "His empire of lies burns brightest before collapse."

He Wenli's gaze hardened. "Prepare the helicopter. We leave for Shanghai at dawn."

As rain erased the blood-red lipstick stains from Zhong Mingyue's face, Zhong Shuning walked away with the storm. Somewhere in this chaos, freedom awaited.

chapter 3