The first-class cabin was a world of hushed luxury, a bubble suspended above the clouds. Ye Xia sipped on sparkling water, looking out the window at the endless expanse of white. It was her first time on a plane, a fact that would have terrified the old Ye Xia. The new Ye Xia saw it as just another form of transportation, a necessary tool.
The trip to Paris had been arranged with ruthless efficiency. Using the system's funds, she'd booked a "cultural immersion tour" that included first-class travel, a suite at the Ritz, and private guides—a perfect way to waste over 500,000 RMB in a few days. Attorney Li had been hesitant but ultimately agreed to manage the lawsuit in her absence, impressed by her client's sudden "educational opportunity."
The message from "Anya" had been the catalyst. Every subsequent message had been cryptic, heightening the mystery. Your mother was not who you think. Her death was not an accident. Meet me at the Café de Flore, noon, tomorrow.
Ye Xia's heart was a drumbeat of anticipation and anxiety. This was the unknown variable, the part of her revenge story that reached back into a past she never knew.
Paris was a whirlwind of elegant grey stone and bustling energy. She checked into her opulent suite, the gilded grandeur feeling both alien and empowering. This was the power her money—her wasted money—could buy: anonymity and access.
At precisely noon, she walked into the Café de Flore, an institution steeped in history. She spotted Anya immediately. The woman was elegantly dressed in a classic Chanel suit, her hair a sleek silver bob. She was in her late fifties, perhaps, with sharp, intelligent eyes that held a deep sadness. She sat alone at a table, a small, worn leather notebook placed beside her espresso.
"Anya?" Ye Xia asked, approaching the table.
The woman looked up, and her eyes widened slightly, taking in Ye Xia's transformed appearance. "Ye Xia? You look… so much like her. Like Lijuan." Her voice was accented, cultured, and full of emotion.
They ordered coffee, and once the formalities were over, Anya got straight to the point.
"Your mother was my closest friend at university in London," Anya began, her fingers tracing the edge of the notebook. "She was brilliant, fearless, and she came from a family with a history far more complex than the simple story your father tells."
"What family?" Ye Xia pressed, leaning forward.
"The name 'Ye' is your father's. Your mother's maiden name was… well, it's complicated. She was a descendant of the Yun family."
The name meant nothing to Ye Xia. She shook her head.
"They are an old, immensely wealthy family from the mainland," Anya explained, lowering her voice. "But their wealth is not just in commerce. It's in influence. Networks. They are what some call a 'hidden giant.' For generations, they have operated behind the scenes, their power woven into the fabric of finance and politics across Asia and into the West."
Ye Xia's mind reeled. A hidden giant? This sounded like something out of a novel.
"Why was this a secret? Why did she live such a… normal life?" Ye Xia thought of her mother's gentle demeanor, her simple pleasures.
"She rebelled," Anya said sadly. "She fell in love with your father, a handsome, ambitious man from a much simpler background. Her family disowned her. They cut her off completely. She chose love over dynasty. She believed your father was worth it."
The irony was so bitter Ye Xia almost laughed. Her mother had given up a dynasty for Ye Zhentao, a weak man who had betrayed her memory within a year of her death.
"And her accident?" Ye Xia asked, her voice barely a whisper.
Anya's face hardened. "I never believed it was an accident. Lijuan was an excellent driver. The official report was inconclusive. After she died, I tried to contact you, but your father and that woman he married blocked all my attempts. I believe… I believe the Yun family may have had a hand in it. A final, brutal lesson against disobedience. Or perhaps it was a rival faction. The world they move in is very dark."
The pieces were falling into a terrifying new picture. Her mother, a princess in exile. Her death, a possible assassination. And she, Ye Xia, was the lost heir to a power she couldn't even comprehend.
"Why are you telling me this now?" Ye Xia asked.
"Because you have emerged," Anya said, a flicker of a smile on her lips. "The whispers have started. A young girl, suddenly appearing with wealth and nerve, suing her family. The name 'Ye Xia' is being noted in certain circles. I knew it had to be you. Lijuan's daughter. The blood of the Yun family does not stay quiet for long."
Anya slid the leather notebook across the table. "This was your mother's. She gave it to me for safekeeping before she died. It contains contacts, thoughts, and a key. The key is for a safety deposit box in Zurich. Number 747. The bank is Bauer & Cie. That is your true inheritance."
Ye Xia took the notebook, its leather warm from Anya's touch. It felt heavy with destiny.
"What do I do?" Ye Xia asked, feeling suddenly very young and very small.
"You survive," Anya said firmly. "You grow strong. The Yun family will be watching you now. Some may see you as a threat. Others… as a tool. Or an opportunity. You must be smarter and stronger than all of them. Your mother's spirit is in you. I see her fire in your eyes."
The meeting ended with a promise to stay in touch through encrypted channels. Ye Xia returned to her hotel suite, her mind a hurricane. The scope of her life had just expanded exponentially. Her revenge against Liang Rui and Lin Wanwan was now a small, personal skirmish in a much larger, more dangerous war.
She opened her mother's notebook. The pages were filled with elegant handwriting, diagrams of corporate structures, and lists of names—some of which she recognized as powerful figures in global finance. And there, tucked into a pocket in the back, was a small, brass key.
A new mission was born. She had to get to Zurich.
But first, as if on cue, the system's voice echoed in her mind.
[Ding! Host has uncovered a significant bloodline secret. Questline 'Legacy of the Yun' initiated. System upgrade required to handle increased scope. Upgrading…]
The blue screen flickered before her eyes.
[Congratulations, Host. The Money Wasting System has evolved to Level 4!]
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