WHISPERS AND LIES

LU CORPORATION – PRIVATE GARDEN TERRACE – EVENING CONTINUED

"I wasn't hiding her," Lu Quing said after a moment.

"I didn't say you were," Yueying replied, her gaze still fixed on the sky.

Silence hung between them like mist.

Yueying turned to face him — her voice quiet but resolute. "She knew exactly how to stand beside you. Exactly how to smile. That only comes from practice and years of being together."

Lu Quing's jaw tensed. "Anya knows how to perform."

"Does she know how to lie?"

He met her eyes. "She always has."

That made Yueying pause.

Her brows furrowed. "So you knew?"

He exhaled slowly. "I suspected. Even when I loved her, there were… cracks. Things she did that didn't add up. But she was human. Soft-spoken, gentle. Or so I thought."

"You loved that," Yueying whispered. "You wanted something gentle ."

"I was tired of being anything else," he admitted.

He looked down at his hands. "I met her when I was… trying to stay away from power. From who I am. She was easy to admire. She knew exactly how to make me believe I was normal."

"But you're not normal."

"No," he said. "And neither are you."

She looked away, the wind tugging strands of hair from her bun.

Lu Quing stepped closer. Almost touching.

"She died in a plane crash," Yueying said softly. "Didn't she?"

He nodded. "That's what I believed. The explosion was staged. Her body was never recovered."

"But something told you…"

"She wore perfume that smelled like crushed lilacs and rusted steel. The first day she walked back into this building—" He closed his eyes. "I smelled it again. She wanted me to believe she had the accident."

Yueying's throat tightened. "And you didn't throw her out?"

"I needed to know why she came back." He looked up at her. "And if she ever truly betrayed my trust."

Yueying's hands trembled at her side.

Not from fear.

But from feeling.

"I don't want to compete," she said.

"You don't have to."

"She wants you."

"She doesn't know me anymore."

"Do you?"

Lu Quing's lips parted — but no words came.

And then—

From above, the clouds rumbled faintly.

Thunder without rain.

And Yueying's pendant warmed.

Not from warning or fire.

But… recognition.

A ripple of old blood, old magic or maybe an old rival?.

She stepped back.

"I need to breathe," she whispered.

Lu Quing didn't stop her.

But as she walked away, she felt it — the weight of his stare.

The ache in the air.

---

UNKNOWN DIMENSION – WITCH'S CHAMBER

A room of mirrors.

None reflected truth.

In the center, a tall woman stood before a bubbling basin of black rose petals and moonlit ink. Her hair was silver — long and wavy. Her lips red as curse-blood. She wore a crown of thorns that pulsed with soft magic.

Lu Quing's mother.

The Witch Queen.

Beside her, Li Anya stood—head lowered.

"She looked more radiant than expected," the witch murmured.

Anya didn't respond.

"She carries the First Flame. I can feel it, even from here. She's blooming faster than the stars predicted."

"She's still just a naive girl," Anya said tightly.

The Witch Queen smiled.

"So were you, once. And yet, here you are… begging me for power again."

Anya's fists clenched.

"I'm not begging."

The Witch Queen turned to her slowly.

"No. You're scheming. Just like always." Her eyes glittered. "That's why I liked you."

She stepped forward, trailing a finger down Anya's cheek.

"But if you want Lu Quing… you must earn it."

"How?" Anya asked, voice low.

The Witch Queen looked into the mirror — where Yueying appeared in her black gown, her hair red as ever, defiance in her stare.

"Break her."

---

LU VILLA – MIDNIGHT

The moon hung high and distant.

Yueying stood barefoot on the tiled floor of her room, robe wrapped tightly around her. She couldn't sleep.The shadows kept whispering.

A soft knock.

Not three.

Just one.

Then silence.

She opened the door.

Lu Wulin stood there — dressed in a glittering black hoodie and oversized sunglasses, even at night. Her hair shimmered like starlight.

"Hey," the celebrity witch said casually. "We need to talk."

---

YUEYING'S ROOM – MINUTES LATER

Lu Wulin plopped down onto the bed, hugging Yueying's pillow.

"You danced like a goddess, by the way."

Yueying blinked. "You were at the gala?"

"Girl, I owned the second floor." She popped a strawberry candy in her mouth. "But I'm not here for gossips."

Yueying sat on the windowsill. "Then why?"

Wulin's smile faded. "Because our mother is stirring."

Yueying's heart skipped. "Lu Quing's mother."

"She's more than that." Wulin met her eyes. "She's a Seer, a powerful witch. She saw you coming before your mother even gave birth to you. And she never wanted you near her son."

"Why?"

"Because you'll change him. And because she already chose someone else for him." Wulin didn't say the name.

But Yueying knew.

"Li Anya."

Wulin nodded. "Mom always liked her. Thought she was obedient, quiet, good for diplomacy."

"She's none of that."

"She fooled everyone," Wulin said. "Even me. "

"But not anymore," Yueying whispered.

"No," Wulin agreed. "Not anymore."

She stood, brushing imaginary dust off her clothes.

"Whatever happens, Yueying…" She paused. "Don't lose yourself trying to love my brother."

Then, with a wink—

"But also, if you do choose to set her hair on fire… I'll help."

LU CORPORATION – ROOFTOP TRAINING TERRACE – NIGHTFALL (THE NEXT EVENING)

The rooftop of Lu Corporation was deserted — off-limits to everyone except those with the highest security clearance.

But tonight, the rooftop glowed softly under the moon.

Yueying stood at the center.

Breathing steady.

Her eyes closed.

A circle of chalk and flame surrounded her. Lu Wulin sat cross-legged outside it, braiding her hair and munching on dried plums.

"Focus on the flame behind your ribs," Wulin instructed lazily. "That's where the sword listens from."

Yueying exhaled.

She called.

The pendant pulsed — bright and hot.

And then—

The flame-blade appeared.

But this time, it didn't hover.

It burned red, unstable. Flickering with something darker — as if memory and rage were mixing too fast.

Yueying gritted her teeth.

The blade swayed.

She tried to steady it — but a vision hit her like a wave.

A pair of delicate lips whispering her name.

Blood sliding across marble.

A goblet.

And Li Anya's voice: "He loved me once. He'll do it again."

Yueying gasped.

The flame vanished.

She dropped to her knees, chest heaving.

Wulin was beside her instantly. "You saw something."

Yueying nodded, breathless. "A memory… not mine."

Wulin's expression darkened. "The sword remembers all those who ever sought your bloodline. Including her."

She helped Yueying up.

Wulin warned. "She's already trying to poison your core. That's why the blade wavered."

"I'm not afraid of her," Yueying whispered.

"I know," Wulin replied. "But fear isn't the weapon here."

She stepped back and looked toward the skyline.

"Jealousy is."

LU CORPORATION – BOARDWALK CAFÉ – THE NEXT MORNING

Yueying sat with a tablet in hand, sipping her black coffee in the company garden café near the board floor. Early sunlight filtered through the trees. Peaceful.

Until Li Anya walked in.

She was dressed in a pale yellow blouse and cream trousers, hair swept back in a soft braid, looking deceptively gentle. Her stilettos clicked softly on the marble.

Yueying didn't look up. "You're up early."

"So are you," Anya replied, settling across from her without permission.

"Must be fate," Yueying murmured. Her tone was sweet. Her eyes were not.

Anya studied her. "You really don't know how beautiful you are, do you?"

Yueying raised an eyebrow.

"You walked into that gala like you were born to rule ," Anya said, stirring her tea slowly. "It surprised me. I expected someone… quieter."

"You mean weaker."

Anya smiled thinly. "Not everyone who whispers is weak."

"No," Yueying agreed. "But some people whisper because their lies crack when spoken too loud."

Silence.

Anya's fingers twitched slightly around the cup.

Then she leaned in, voice really smooth.

"Be careful with Lu Quing. He loves deeply. But when he lets go… he wouldn't come back."

Yueying stood, gathering her tablet.

She looked down at Anya — expression calm.

"The thing about fire," she said, "is that even ashes remember the flame."

Then she walked away.

And Anya's teacup shattered.

Crashed to the ground.

---

HALL – NIGHTFALL

Lu Quing stood before a long obsidian table. On it lay a single file. Paper-thin. Bound in red string.

The personnel file of Li Anya.

He flipped to the last page.

"Confirmed resurrection via blood-binding. Subject linked to dark blooded parasite."

He closed the file slowly.

And whispered, "She's not just back… she's weaponized."

Behind him, Lu Wulin stepped out from the shadows.

"Yueying knows," she said softly.

Lu Quing didn't turn.

"I know."

"She's holding it together. Barely."

"She's stronger than you think," Lu Quing murmured. "But I'm afraid I'm not."

"She makes you vulnerable."

"She makes me honest."

He finally turned.

"I'll have to tell her the truth. About the Gate. About the choice I made."

"About how you tore off your wings… not just for love," Wulin added.

Lu Quing's eyes burned silver.

"No," he whispered. "But because I wanted to stay… and protect the person who would one day inherit the First Flame."

That night Yueying had a dream.

She stood in a field of glass petals.

Each step she took left a footprint of blood.

Ahead — a mirror.

She saw someone that looked like her..

But older. Stronger. Crowned in flame and power.

The reflection spoke.

" You must become me."

Yueying reached out.

Then the mirror shattered.