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 banquet hall held its breath. Twenty pairs of eyes watched Zhong Shuning's trembling hands hover over the diamond ring. The air thickened with anticipation - and dread.

Zhou Boyu's knuckles whitened around the platinum band. "Say yes, Shuning. For old times' sake." His voice cracked under the weight of desperation.

She lifted her gaze slowly. Memories flooded back - his feigned concern during hospital stays, the condescending smiles of so-called experts. Their unanimous verdict: "Unsalvageable." A lifetime of dance dreams crushed by systemic betrayal.

"NO." The single syllable exploded like a thunderclap.

Champagne flutes shattered. Zhou Boyu lunged forward, his face contorted with rage. "You'll regret this!"

But Zhong Shuning was already moving. Her slap connected with bone-jarring clarity. The sound reverberated through the marble walls as Zhou Boyu staggered back, his carefully curated smile bleeding red.

"Perfect." He Wenli's voice cut through the chaos from the doorway. His tailored suit absorbed the ambient tension like a predator's pelt. "A fitting end to this farce."

Rain lashed against limousine windows as Chen Zui navigated through the neon-lit streets. "Sir, Zhou Boyu's at Club Nocturne."

He Wenli's fingers drummed against the leather seat. "Let the vultures gather." His eyes glinted with predatory satisfaction. "Inform the media. The more scandalous, the better."

Outside, lightning illuminated the club's neon sign - a glowing coffin-shaped advertisement for vice and decadence. Inside, Zhou Boyu drowned his humiliation in whiskey, his phone buzzing with texts from desperate socialites.

"Mr. Zhou, Miss Liang invites you to her private lounge..."

"Mr. Zhou, my father wants to discuss investment opportunities..."

Each notification a knife twisting in his pride. He downed his drink, the ice clinking like his shattered ego.

Zhong residence reeked of burning bridges. Zhong Zhaoqing paced before the ancestral altar, his face lit by flickering candlelight. "Traitor! How dare you humiliate our family name!"

Zhong Shuning stood motionless in the doorway, her silhouette framed by rain-soaked nightgown. "You taught me well," she whispered. "How to wear a mask of obedience while planning escape."

Liu Hui'an entered carrying a porcelain vase - their wedding anniversary gift from Zhou Boyu's father. It shattered against the floor. "You ungrateful wretch!" She screamed. "We gave you everything!"

The truth struck like a tsunami. The ballet lessons, the designer clothes, the carefully curated life - all part of a grander scheme. Her body wasn't the only thing broken that rainy night in the orphanage.

"Enough." Zhong Shuning's voice cut through the cacophony. "I'm leaving."

As she turned to exit, lightning illuminated a familiar figure watching from the garden. He Wenli lifted his umbrella in silent acknowledgment - a dark angel guarding his newest pawn.

chapter 8