Chapter 6: The Devil’s Move

 Sometimes, survival isn't about strength. It's about strategy.

The days blurred inside the penthouse. AiLi tried to adapt to her new reality — luxury without warmth, freedom without direction. Zhou, always composed, spent hours behind closed doors, speaking in hushed tones with Li Chen and other men who seemed to melt into the shadows.

But AiLi wasn't just waiting anymore.

She was watching.

Learning.

One night, while Zhou was out, she found a hidden panel in his study — a false drawer beneath the liquor cabinet. Inside, folders. Notes. Names.

And one file marked HUANG YIFENG.

Her father.

Her real one.

Inside were pictures, transcripts of conversations, and most chilling — a death certificate. Except the date was blank.

"Status: Unknown. Presumed dead. Body never recovered."

Her blood ran cold.

They'd lied. Again.

Meanwhile, Zhou wasn't chasing ghosts.

He was hunting snakes.

"This leak didn't come from outside," he told Li Chen. "It came from within. Someone who had access to old family files. Someone who knew about Huang Yifeng and AiLi's bloodline."

Li Chen frowned. "You suspect your mother?"

Zhou's jaw tightened. "She never wanted this marriage. Never liked AiLi. But no. She's not reckless enough to leave a trail."

"Then Mei Ling?"

"Too obvious. She'd gloat. No — someone's playing deeper."

And then, a message lit up his encrypted phone.

FROM: Unknown

"Careful, Devil. She's not the only secret walking in your house."

Attached: a photo of AiLi… and Zhou.

Taken that morning. Inside the penthouse.

Someone was watching them.

Back at home, AiLi was confronted by a different kind of danger.

Mei Ling.

Again.

She entered without knocking, without warning, wearing a white trench coat and a smile sharp enough to draw blood.

"Penthouse suits you," she murmured, stepping in like she owned the place. "Poor thing — kicked out by your own in-laws. How tragic."

"What do you want?" AiLi asked, not backing away.

Mei Ling looked around. "This place used to be mine, you know. He brought me here once. Said the silence reminded him of power."

She paused. Then turned, eyes glittering.

"But he never looked at me the way he looks at you."

AiLi blinked. "Then maybe you should stop looking at him through me."

A slap echoed before she could process the movement.

Her cheek burned. But she didn't cry.

She smiled.

"Feel better?" AiLi whispered. "Because I do."

Before Mei Ling could strike again, a voice cut through the room.

"Touch her again," Zhou said from the doorway, "and I'll break every finger you used."

Mei Ling froze.

Zhou's eyes were ice. "Leave."

Mei Ling hesitated, then turned on her heel and walked out — but not before whispering to AiLi:

"He can't protect you from what's coming."

That night, Zhou knelt beside AiLi, gently tilting her face to examine the swelling.

"She's right," AiLi said quietly. "Something's coming."

Zhou didn't deny it.

Instead, he looked her in the eyes. "Then we face it together."

She leaned into his touch. "Even if I'm the reason it's coming?"

He brushed her hair back, voice low. "You're not the reason. You're the reason I'll win."