The internet exploded at 6:47 a.m.
A whistleblower post hit the top of Weibo within ten minutes. It wasn't a clip. It wasn't speculation. It was a statement-cold, official, and sealed with the Leng family crest:
> "Cheng Ciao, Li Man, and Feng Qi have been detained in the Frost Vault under the Leng Family's authority pending investigation and prosecution for the aggravated assault of Miss Lu Jingyan."
The Frost Vault - the most whispered-about facility in Country F's elite circles. Not a myth. Not a metaphor. A private fortress of justice reserved only for those who crossed the line too far.
# "Did the Leng family just... announce an underground prison?"#
# "No. They announced war."#
#"You touch Lu Jingyan, you answer to Leng Xuanmo. Loud and clear."#
Screenshots of the Leng emblem. Zoom-ins of the letterhead. Side-by-side photos of the three girls. All over the internet, reposts surged.
And in bold red headlines:
*"Leng Family Takes Justice into Their Own Hands: Frost Vault Detention Confirmed."*
***
Over in Country C, Hua Shu leaned back on her couch, legs crossed as she watched the news. Her phone wouldn't stop buzzing, but her smile was cold.
"They're lucky I didn't get there first," she muttered.
Mo Tianyi looked up from his tablet. "We've released our joint statement. The Mo family has filed civil charges for emotional trauma on Jingyan's behalf."
"And the Lu family?" she asked.
"Filed criminal charges. Public prosecutor's office already involved. Lu Zhenwei didn't blink once."
"Good," she said simply. "Now the world knows-she's not alone."
***
Inside the Mo estate, Lu Zhenwei stood at the window with his son, Lu Xinyan, beside him. The boy was uncharacteristically quiet, fingers tapping against his coat rhythmically-his only show of nerves.
"I should've protected her," Zhenwei whispered.
Lu Xinyan turned to him suddenly, words stuttering out like stones: "She... She was hurt. And... I-I don't like him."
"You mean Leng Xuanmo?"
Lu Xinyan nodded tightly.
Zhenwei exhaled. "He made mistakes. But this... the way he's handled it now? He's doing what a man should do."
Silence.
"Still doesn't mean I like him," Xinyan muttered, low.
Zhenwei laughed softly. "Neither did I."
Meanwhile, reporters and paparazzi camped outside the Leng estate gates, shouting questions into the wind.
"Is it true they're being kept underground?"
"Will the Leng family face charges for illegal detainment?"
"Was this Lu Jingyan's idea?"
Leng Meixuan stepped out with sunglasses and a smirk. "We don't need public approval to defend our own."
Leng Yumo followed, less playful. "This isn't about power. It's about justice."
Reporters backed off. Neither of the siblings looked like they were bluffing.
***
Online, chaos reigned.
# "They deserved it. You don't harm someone and walk away."#
# "Jingyan's been unconscious. If she wakes up and finds out they're not punished, what then?"#
# "I don't even care that it's not legal. I care that it's right."#
Others were more dramatic.
# "Leng Xuanmo has declared war for love."#
# "This is what it means to protect someone. No press conference. No waiting."#
# "I swear, if this doesn't end in a marriage, I'm suing."#
But even those who once doubted Lu Jingyan-who whispered she wasn't "elite" enough-now shut up in shame.
She was the one lying in a hospital bed, recovering from surgery. She was the one everyone else was suddenly rallying around.
She was, as one netizen beautifully wrote:
#"The woman who didn't fight back-but brought the world to its knees anyway."#
***
And at the heart of it all, Leng Xuanmo sat at her bedside in Country F, silent.
He hadn't left her side. Not once. Not for press. Not for meetings. Not even when Madam Leng herself summoned him.
Only when Mei Xiaotong and Mo Tianyi entered quietly did he finally blink.
"She's stable," Mo Tianyi murmured. "But she still hasn't regained consciousness."
Leng Xuanmo didn't reply.
Mei Xiaotong placed a bag on the table. "I got her some of her favorite things. In case... when she wakes up."
There was a pause.
Then, softly, she added, "They're calling it vengeance. But I think... it's just love."