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Lin Yue leaned back fully into the plush sofa, her arms folding behind her head as her eyes gleamed beneath the soft light of the chandelier.
"I'm not saying I'm a genius or anything…" she began softly, voice trailing like she was still piecing it together in her mind, "but I do know this—when someone tries to hide something, especially something terrible, they're always afraid of each other."
Mo Yuwei's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I mean…" Lin Yue tilted her head thoughtfully. "Think about it. These three men—Fang Zemin, Gu Yanchuan, Su Xiao. They did something. Maybe it's as bad as Xu Jiaqi suspects, maybe it's worse, maybe it's less… we don't know. But they do. And that means they're living in fear of each other."
Mo Yuwei stayed quiet, her fingers curling slightly on her lap.
Lin Yue's voice turned gentle. "And fear makes people reckless."
Mo Yuwei slowly nodded. She was beginning to see it now.
"If we shine just enough light on their past, without pointing fingers," Lin Yue continued, "they'll start to panic. Especially if one of them is more afraid than the others. Or more desperate."
Mo Yuwei blinked. "You think they'll turn on each other?"
Lin Yue shrugged slightly. "If they're hiding something together, yes. All it takes is the right pressure."
There was silence for a long beat.
Then Mo Yuwei let out a low whistle, tilting her head at the younger woman beside her.
"You're scary, you know that?"
Lin Yue laughed softly. "I'm just… trying to help."
Her voice dropped then, quiet but sincere.
"You've done so much for me, Yuwei. I don't know what I can ever give you back. But if I can help with this—if I can protect you from them—I will."
Mo Yuwei blinked, her heart tightening a little.
This girl…
She reached out and gently held Lin Yue's hand. "You owe me nothing, silly. But thank you."
Lin Yue smiled.
Then she leaned forward.
"Here's the plan," she said, her eyes twinkling like a mischievous fox.
Mo Yuwei sat straighter, her full attention on her now.
"We create a bit of controlled chaos," Lin Yue said slowly, choosing her words. "Not too obvious. Not anything that points fingers directly. Just enough to make them sweat."
"Like…?"
"We leak a little gossip," Lin Yue said. "A video..."
Mo Yuwei blinked. "Video?"
Lin Yue's smile widened. "Not directly. It won't be from you or me. It'll come from a 'fan account.' A gossip page. Anonymous. We'll say it's maybe from the night Gu Yanchuan and Yan Qingsi argued."
Mo Yuwei's eyes widened slightly. "Wait—like a real video? Where will we get it?"
"No," Lin Yue said smoothly. "A doctored one. Blurry. Grainy. Just enough to spark speculation. Just enough to show two people who resemble Yan Qingsi and Gu Yanchuan, even just in body shape and hairstyle arguing in a dim hallway. You don't even need to see faces clearly. What matters is that it feels real. Just enough to stir up speculation."
"Wait—speculation about what?"
"About what they were doing that night."
Mo Yuwei's eyes widened.
"That's…"
"And then," Lin Yue added, "we drop another one. A different account. This time, hinting at how the body was cremated so fast. Like someone was trying to get rid of something. Like someone was panicking. Just a few whispers."
Mo Yuwei leaned back, letting the pieces fall into place.
"And then we sit back," Lin Yue said, her voice like a calm breeze, "and we watch."
"They'll panic," Mo Yuwei said under her breath. "If they did it, they'll start questioning each other."
"Exactly," Lin Yue nodded. "And maybe one of them slips up. Maybe one of them tries to pin the blame on someone else first."
"A confession."
"Or a lead."
Mo Yuwei let out a slow breath, shaking her head in disbelief.
"I can't believe you came up with that in just a few minutes."
"It's nothing."
"Where did you learn to think like this?" she asked, half in awe, half in disbelief.
Lin Yue shrugged. "Maybe I was always like this. Or maybe…" She paused, her smile fading slightly, "...the world just taught me."
Mo Yuwei's heart twinged at that. She didn't ask. She wouldn't.
But she knew what it meant.
Pain had sharpened Lin Yue. Not bitterness. Just quiet steel.
Then her expression softened, and she turned to Lin Yue again.
"You're amazing, Yueyue."
Lin Yue shrugged, her smile modest.
"I'm not. I'm just… really grateful you're in my life. I want to protect you too."
Mo Yuwei blinked, her heart giving a strange, quiet thump.
She didn't say anything.
Instead, she reached over and pulled Lin Yue gently into a side hug, holding her against her shoulder.
For a while, they just sat like that. The sunlight faded softly beyond the windows, casting long golden shadows across the floor.
And in the silence between them, something gentle bloomed.
Trust.
Respect.
Sisterhood.
Lin Yue would protect her.
And Mo Yuwei… would protect her back.
Even if it meant shaking the whole world.
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