Chenxuan's study was a fortress of glass and steel, the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sleepless city. Normally, the place radiated calm power. Tonight, however, it was a storm.
Stacks of files, reports, and photographs covered the mahogany desk. His head of security, Xu Ming, stood stiffly in front of him.
"We tracked the man seen near the hotel," Xu reported. "No ID, no bank account, no digital footprint. A ghost. But his movements tie back to…" He hesitated. "…someone closer than expected."
Chenxuan's eyes narrowed. "Speak."
Xu drew in a breath. "He's been in contact with Zhang Min, the producer who blacklisted Miss Lin after she broke contract."
The name hit like a shard of glass. Yuexi's face flashed in his mind: her tears that night, her voice trembling when she told him she had no choice but to walk away from her career.
Rage simmered in Chenxuan's chest. "Zhang Min," he said coldly. "He thinks he can threaten her and walk away unscathed?"
Xu shifted uneasily. "Sir, it may go beyond revenge. Our intel suggests financial backing. Someone powerful wants Yuexi discredited…or silenced."
Chenxuan's hands tightened on the desk edge. Silenced. The word gnawed at him.
"Double the surveillance. Every corner of her life. No one gets near her without my permission."
Downstairs, Yuexi curled on the sofa, scrolling through old articles on her phone. Her own name filled the headlines, her image plastered everywhere. Some comments were supportive, others cruel.
She should disappear already.Clinging to her ex-husband for protection—pathetic.Chenxuan deserves better.
Each word cut like a blade. She tossed the phone aside, hugging her knees.
That's how Chenxuan found her when he descended the stairs, his tie loosened, exhaustion shadowing his features.
"You shouldn't read those," he said softly.
She laughed bitterly. "You always say that. But ignoring them doesn't make them less true."
He crossed the room, lowering himself beside her. For a long moment, he simply looked at her, the fragile curve of her shoulders, the defiance in her eyes even as pain lingered there.
"They're not true," he said finally, firmly. "You're stronger than any of them. And you're mine to protect, whether you like it or not."
Her throat tightened. "That's just it, Chenxuan. I don't want to be yours to protect. I want to be someone who can stand on her own. I don't want to need you."
His jaw flexed. "And yet, when you were in that alley, you did."
The words hit too close. Her eyes burned, but she refused to let tears fall. "Don't use my fear against me."
"I'm not." His voice dropped, almost breaking. "I'm using my fear against myself. Do you think I can breathe knowing you're in danger?"
Silence fell between them, heavy and raw.
For the first time, Yuexi saw it clearly: the armor he wore for the world, the mask of a ruthless CEO. But beneath it was a man with bleeding edges, terrified of losing the woman he had already lost once.
Later that night, Yuexi couldn't sleep. She wandered into the kitchen, poured herself a glass of water, and stood by the window. The city lights glittered, endless and distant.
Her reflection looked back at her: tired eyes, lips pressed tight. She had left this house to free herself. Yet here she was again, trapped not by contracts but by shadows.
The faintest rustle startled her. She spun around—only to find Chenxuan leaning against the doorway.
"You should be in bed," he said quietly.
"And you should be working," she shot back.
He smirked faintly. "Touché."
For a moment, they simply looked at each other, the silence between them softer this time, less hostile. Then Chenxuan stepped closer, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating off him.
"Yuexi," he murmured, "whoever's behind this… I'll tear down their world. But I need you to trust me."
Her pulse raced. Trust. The very thing that had shattered between them.
She wanted to say no. She wanted to tell him trust wasn't something he could demand, not after the betrayals, the contracts, the cage.
But instead, the words that slipped out were trembling, reluctant, and undeniably true:
"I'm afraid, Chenxuan."
His hand hovered near hers, not touching, but close enough that the heat of it was almost unbearable.
"So am I," he admitted.
At that same moment, across the city, a man sat in a dimly lit office, flipping through photographs of Yuexi taken from the shadows. He smiled coldly, dialing a number.
"Plan B," he said into the receiver. "If we can't scare her away, we'll destroy her in the public eye. Start with the scandal file."
And with that, the war lurking in the dark began to bare its teeth.