---
The room felt heavier with every word that left Mr. Ou's mouth.
Chen Linfei sat with one elbow on the armrest, fingers loosely curled against his chin.
His gaze flickered to Mo Yuwei, then back to Mr. Ou.
"Weiwei," he said, his voice measured, "do you remember hearing about… Li Na?"
Mo Yuwei tilted her head,"Yes," she said after a brief pause. "I remember. But…" She glanced down at the table, her manicured fingers tracing the grain of the polished wood. "…we never thought much of it. We didn't know her personally, and—" she sighed, "—in this industry, names come and go."
Mr. Ou's lips pressed into a thin line.
His eyes, deep and unreadable, lifted to them, his voice low, but every word carried weight.
"You think that's cruel enough?" he said softly, almost as if he were speaking to himself. "That is the worst of it."
Mo Yuwei blinked. "Isn't that… enough?"
Mr. Ou's lips curved into a humorless smile. "No. That's why I said what I found was shocking."
He set down one of the files, folded his hands together, and leaned forward.
"Those three men aren't human. They're animals… monsters… beasts."
A heavy silence fell upon the room.
—
"That morning," he began, "Starlight Media posted on their official website that Li Na had quit and left the industry. The public was disappointed — many called it a pity — but what could they do? It was announced as her decision. Also, it was just another quiet exit in an industry full of them."
Lin Yue's brows furrowed.
So cruel… too cruel.
Mr. Ou's eyes darkened. "Then Fang Zemin… threatened her mother. With her son's life. The poor woman had no choice. She told the public her daughter had gone abroad. Everyone moved on. And Li Na disappeared from their memories. "
—
There was a beat of silence before he went on.
"After she left, they stayed quiet for a while. No movement. But a month later… with fresh new faces entering the circle…" His eyes narrowed slightly. "They found another girl."
Mo Yuwei's breath hitched.
She already didn't like where this was going.
"The girl refused them," Mr. Ou said flatly. "So they did exactly what they had done before. Arranged a fake meeting with 'big shots,' drugged her, and…"
His jaw flexed, the last words sharp enough to cut. "…raped her. To death."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"All of them the same," Mr. Ou went on. "Girls from different companies. All helpless. All without background or connections. Arranged fake meetings, drugged drinks, the forced... brutal assaults. And when these girls died, they were buried."
Mo Yuwei swallowed hard. "What about their families? Did anyone try to fight back?"
Mr. Ou smirked, "Fight back? Against who?"
Mo Yuwei blinked.
Against...
"They threatened the families, forced them to tell the public that the girls had gone abroad or lost interest in acting. They even found fake girls to impersonate them in public just long enough to avoid suspicion. The fakes looked similar enough to pass. And no one ever suspected a thing."
Mo Yuwei's lips trembled, her breath caught between horror and fury.
"And that cemetery…" Mr. Ou's tone grew almost hollow. "…is where they buried them. All of them. Even Yan Qingsi."
The room fell into dead silence.
Chen Linfei's lips parted slightly, but no sound came out.
Mo Yuwei's mind reeled—Who the hell are these men? Demons in human skin.
They had no mercy.
No shred of pity.
Just cold cruelty.
—
Chen Linfei broke the silence. "How did you uncover all this?"
Mr. Ou's gaze sharpened again. "It wasn't easy. But I had help. A hacker — a friend. He's the one who retrieved everything. Every deleted footage, every hidden file."
Mo Yuwei's eyes flicked toward the looping video feed of the cemetery on the screen. "But what about this? There aren't any CCTVs there…"
Mr. Ou's lips pressed into a thin line as he actually chuckled. "That? It's hacked from satellite."
Mo Yuwei and Lin Yue exchanged startled looks.
Hacked… a satellite?
How…?
But before she could ask further, Mo Yuwei's mind connected another piece of the puzzle.
Her stomach knotted.
"If all those girls…" she said slowly, "were rap— molested by those three men… what about Yan Qingsi? Was she—"
Mr. Ou's gaze darkened. He nodded. "Yes. By all three of them. Otherwise, why do you think she was cremated so quickly?"
Mo Yuwei's breathe caught as Lin Yue blinked in disbelief.
Chen Linfei brows knotted.
Mo Yuwei swallowed hard, then whispered, "Then how many girls... Victims?"
Mr. Ou's voice was steady, his eyes unblinking. "You want to know?"
She nodded.
"Fifty-eight."
The number detonated in the room like an explosion.
"What—?!" they all exclaimed in unison.
Lin Yue's head spun.
Fifty-eight lives.
Fifty-eight graves.
She felt as though she no longer knew the world she lived in.
Who could destroy fifty eight girls?
That was not two... three...
Fifty eight!!!
Five. Eight.
And without mercy?
—
Mr. Ou cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "I've compiled everything into one file, all evidence ready for submission. The problem is... how do we deal with them? Su Xiao... he's from the Su family."
Chen Linfei frowned, confusion knitting his brows. "The Su family? I don't know a Su Xiao. Su Baotian is the current head, with three sons: Su Zhengzhou, Su Zhenghao, and Su Zhengli."
Mr. Ou sighed. "From my investigation, Su Xiao is related to the Su family. His father and Su Baotian are cousins — close cousins. So Su Xiao has always enjoyed the protection and benefits of the family's power."
Mo Yuwei's palm slammed against the table. "Those—" She winced, sucking in a sharp breath.
Chen Linfei immediately grabbed her hand, blowing on it gently.
"You shouldn't hurt yourself," he said softly.
Mr. Ou and Lin Yue exchanged a glance at the unexpectedly tender gesture but said nothing.
After all, they were a married couple.
Chen Linfei turned to her. "What is it?"
She nodded, biting back her frustration. "The Su family. They've been in decline, but still causing trouble."
Mr. Ou shook his head. "Su Baotian might not know about his cousin's son's crimes. But it won't be easy to bring them down."
They fell silent.
The question hung unspoken in the air—What do we do now?
—
Lin Yue finally broke the silence, voice calm but resolute. "We hand in the evidence anonymously — to the Criminal Investigation Bureau. The ordinary police won't act fast enough. The CIB has the power to move quickly."
Chen Linfei looked thoughtful.
Lin Yue continued, "And as a backup — if nothing happens by morning, we leak the evidence on an anonymous social media account. It will force their hand."
Mr. Ou's eyes widened as he looked at Lin Yue excitedly.
That plan...
Lin Yue continued, looking at them, eyes blazing. "We must protect our identities. If the culprits find out it's us, it could ruin all our lives. But either way... they must pay."
Mr. Ou stared at her as if seeing her for the first time.
This girl… her plan…
"What's your name again?"
"Lin Yue."
"Your plan is perfect. It will work. You're so smart. Are you still in high school?"
Mo Yuwei covered her mouth, bursting into laughter as Lin Yue's face flushed. Chen Linfei chuckled.
Mr. Ou blinked, confused. "What? Did I say something funny?"
Chen Linfei shook his head, amused. "Lin Yue is twenty. She'll enroll in law school next year."
"Really?!" Mr. Ou lit up. "No wonder your plan's flawless—you want to be a lawyer?"
Lin Yue nodded.
"You know," Chen Linfei said to her, "Mr. Ou's also a top lawyer in the Capital too."
Mr. Ou leaned forward. "Which law school do you want to go?"
"Zhongwen University of Law."
He frowned. "That's like… in a village."
Lin Yue almost smirked.
A 'village'? Zhongwen is a massive district next to the capital.
It's a 'village' to this man now?
"You should come to The Capital University of Law instead. I have friends there — the Dean, a top lecturer and some lawyers. I'm an alumnus too. It's the best in the country."
Chen Linfei stared at him in surprise — the Mr. Ou he knew was a serious, no-nonsense man, not this chatty salesman.
Truly, when a genius met another genius, expect a chatterbox.
However, Lin Yue simply said, "I'll think about it."
She couldn't show how excited she was to join Capital University Of Law. After all, it had been her dream.
"Do," he insisted, "It's the best. You can assist in real cases while studying."
Then his eyes narrowed slightly. "Wait—Lin Yue. Did you attend Zhongwen District High School Four?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Were you the top student? Seven hundred twenty-four points?"
She hesitated, then nodded. "... Yes."
Mo Yuwei and Chen Linfei exchanged surprised gazes before Mo Yuwei's head snapped toward her.
"Wait… Lin Yue?" Her voice carried disbelief. "You mean that Lin Yue? The second in the country three years ago?"
Chen Linfei's brows furrowed as he tried to place it. Then it clicked.
Zhongwen District High School Four… Seven hundred twenty-four points… Of course.
They had never thought much of her name before — after all, Lin Yue wasn't exactly uncommon.
But now the dots connected.
Lin Yue. That name.
And she was from Zhongwen District.
Mo Yuwei shook her head in surprise. "No wonder you're so sharp. And you were practically famous without ever showing your face."
Lin Yue smiled as Mr. Ou stared. "Then why… no media? No interviews? No news for three years?"
"Family problems," she said simply.
He nodded, sensing she didn't want to elaborate and he nodded understandingly.
"Well... think about my offer."
—
They planned late into the night, until Lin Yue glanced at the clock—it was already 8:30 PM.
"It's late," Mo Yuwei said, standing. "I'll..."
"It's already settled," Mr. Ou replied, glancing at Chen Linfei.
She looked at him, then smiled.
Even if he seemed against her investigation, he'd supported her quietly all along.
"It's late," Chen Linfei agreed.
Mr. Ou nodded. "Be careful. The water runs deeper than it looks. Go through the other evidences, plan well." He gathered his MacBook. "I'll email you everything now."
—
The elevator doors slid shut with a muted click, as a heavy silence settled in the confined space, broken only by the soft hum of machinery as they began to descend.
Lin Yue let out a long, slow breath. "That was… terrifying."
"Very," Mo Yuwei agreed, her brows still knitted.
Chen Linfei's gaze was fixed straight ahead, his voice low and edged with ice.
"They'll get their payback. Beasts like that don't deserve to live."
His tone carried no hesitation, no room for doubt.
Mo Yuwei's expression shifted suddenly, worry clouding her features. "If Xu Jiaqi knows what I found…" She trailed off, a faint crease deepening between her brows. "She'll really hurt."
Lin Yue nodded, her eyes dimming. "Yes. And what happened to Qingsi... about all those girls… it's beyond inhumane."
Mo Yuwei gave a small, nod before a thought struck her.
She hesitated, then turned to Lin Yue with a more serious expression.
"Yueyue."
Lin Yue turned to her, puzzled by the sudden seriousness in Mo Yuwei's tone. "Yes?"
"What did you mean," Mo Yuwei's voice was calm but edged with curiosity, "when you said you had 'family problems'… about not even appearing for a photo after you passed high school?"
Lin Yue's lips pressed together.
For a moment, she simply looked down at the polished floor, the faint reflection of her shoes blurred by the low light.
How could she explain?
Should she start with the fact that she was never meant to outshine Lin Xingyan?
That every achievement she had was treated as an offense?
Should she tell them that after she scored well in the College Entrance Examination, she had been locked in the storage room for almost four days—without food, without water—just so that when her head teacher came looking, he would leave empty-handed, convinced she had disappeared?
No words came out.
Mo Yuwei watched her younger cousin's face darken and instantly regretted asking.
After all… what good reason could there be for such a thing?
That Lin Family…
If Yueyue truly was her Aunt Tang Suyin's daughter, she would make them pay, every last one of them.
Nobody bullied her family. Nobody.
"It's okay, Yueyue." Mo Yuwei's voice softened. "You can tell me when you're ready."
Lin Yue managed a small, grateful smile. "Okay. Thank you, Yuwei."
---
Outside, the internet buzzed with excitement.
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