The city Ye Xia returned to felt smaller, quieter. The three weeks in New York had changed her on a fundamental level. She moved with an easy confidence that came from navigating the world's most competitive arena. Her personal wealth, thanks to the NeuraMed windfall and Mo's intervention, was now well over $2 million USD. The system was steadily leveling up, its daily infusion of capital making her richer by the day.
She didn't return to the Ye family villa. She went straight to her modern, secure apartment, a world away from the oppressive atmosphere of her former home. The first thing she did was meet with Attorney Li.
The lawyer updated her on the lawsuit. The discovery process had been devastating for Wang Yan and Ye Zhentao. Subpoenaed bank records had confirmed the payments to Zhao Hai. Faced with incontrovertible evidence of embezzlement and the threat of public humiliation, they had crumbled.
"They've offered a settlement," Attorney Li said, unable to hide her satisfaction. "A full and final one. They will sign over full title of the villa to you—it was purchased with your mother's money initially, so we have a strong claim. They will also pay a lump sum of five million RMB from your father's business assets, which is most of his liquid capital. In return, you drop the lawsuit and agree to non-disclosure."
It was a total victory. Ye Zhentao would be left with a struggling business and his reputation in tatters. Wang Yan would have nothing. They would be forced to leave the city.
"Accept it," Ye Xia said without hesitation. The villa was a symbol of her pain, but it was also an asset. She would sell it. The money was insignificant to her now, but the principle was everything. They were being cast out, just as they had tried to cast her out.
"There's one more thing," Attorney Li added. "A Mister Mo contacted the firm. He provided… additional documentation regarding Wang Yan's activities. Very damaging material. It certainly accelerated their decision to settle."
Mo. His reach was long. He was clearing the board for her.
The next order of business was school. She walked into No. 3 High School the following Monday like a queen returning to a conquered kingdom. The whispers were deafening, but they were now whispers of awe. She was no longer the girl who had sued her family; she was the girl who had won, who had disappeared and returned looking like a supermodel and a CEO combined.
Liang Rui watched her from a distance, his expression a complex mix of resentment, curiosity, and a dawning, unwilling respect. His company, Rui Sheng Technologies, was indeed in trouble. The Lin family's investment had dried up as their financial problems worsened. The app had launched to mediocre reviews. The golden boy was tarnished.
Lin Wanwan approached her after class, her face pale and desperate. "Xiaxia, please. You have to help me. My father… he's going to lose everything. The banks are calling in the loans. If we don't get an injection of cash, we'll be bankrupt!"
Ye Xia looked at her, this girl who had murdered her in another life. There was no hatred in her heart in that moment, only a vast, cold emptiness.
"What would you have me do, Wanwan?" Ye Xia asked calmly.
"Invest in Rui Sheng! Or lend the money to my father! You have so much now! You could save us!" Lin Wanwan pleaded, tears in her eyes.
Ye Xia smiled, a thin, cruel smile. "Why would I do that? Business is business. Your family's company is not a sound investment. And Liang Rui's venture lacks vision. I don't waste my money on sinking ships."
Lin Wanwan's face crumpled. "But we're friends!"
The word hung in the air, grotesque and absurd.
"No, Wanwan," Ye Xia said, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "We have never been friends. You have always been a snake, and I have been your prey. But the roles have changed. Remember that."
She turned and walked away, leaving Lin Wanwan sobbing in the hallway. The first act of personal revenge was complete. It was a taste, a small, satisfying taste.
But she knew the real revenge—the utter destruction of Liang Rui's ambitions—was still to come. And she now had the means to engineer it perfectly.
She had a plan. A plan that involved the very stock market that had made her rich. A plan to turn Liang Rui's own ambition into the weapon of his downfall.