The whispers of Ye Xia's extravagant purchase at the gala spread like wildfire. The next day, every major news outlet was running headlines about the mysterious woman who had spent 10 billion yuan on a scroll. But the most significant fallout was a furious phone call from her father, Ye Jian.
"Ye Xia! What on earth did you do? Where did you get that kind of money?" he roared, his voice thick with a mixture of rage and suspicion.
"It's none of your business, Father," Ye Xia replied calmly, her tone devoid of any emotion.
"What do you mean it's not my business? Are you a criminal? Do you know what kind of trouble you're bringing on this family?" he sputtered.
"This family? You mean yours, Wang Feng's, and your two little brats, not mine," she said, her voice like ice. "The last I checked, you disowned me. So, what I do is not your concern. But let me give you a piece of advice. Stop trying to find out where I got my money. You don't want to know."
She hung up the phone before he could respond, leaving him in a state of stunned silence. She knew the conversation would eat at him, and she knew Wang Feng would be furious. The seed of doubt she had planted was now a fully-grown tree, and it was bearing the bitter fruit of anxiety and fear.
Later that day, she received a message from a number she didn't recognize. It was Lin Mei.
Lin Mei: Let's meet. We need to talk.
Ye Xia: We have nothing to talk about. The only conversation we'll ever have again is a business one. And I don't think you have anything I want.
Lin Mei: It's about Jiang Chen. I can help you.
Ye Xia's fingers froze over the keyboard. Lin Mei, the woman who betrayed her, was now trying to help her? This was a trap, a calculated move to get close to her new wealth. But a part of Ye Xia was intrigued. She wanted to hear what Lin Mei had to say.
Ye Xia: Fine. One hour. My villa. Come alone.
When Lin Mei arrived, she was a shadow of her former self. Her clothes were cheap, her face was pale, and her eyes were filled with a frantic desperation. The glamorous model was gone, replaced by a frightened woman.
"Ye Xia, you have to help me," Lin Mei pleaded, her voice cracking. "He betrayed me, too. He left me after your… disappearance. He took everything, our company, all of our assets. I have nothing left."
Ye Xia watched her, a cold satisfaction in her heart. This was the consequence of her own actions. The revenge was already unfolding.
"So you came to me? After what you did?" Ye Xia said, her voice laced with mockery.
"I know what we did was wrong," Lin Mei said, tears streaming down her face. "But I can help you get him. I have all the evidence. Bank statements, contracts… He was planning to steal a new technology from his in-laws, the Li family. Your mother's family."
Ye Xia's breath caught in her throat. The Li family. Her mother's family. The one Jiang Chen had mentioned right before he killed her. Lin Mei was confirming his words.
"Tell me everything," Ye Xia said, her voice low and dangerous.
Lin Mei spilled all the secrets, the intricate web of lies and deceit that had been spun to steal from Chairman Li. She detailed how Jiang Chen had planned to use the technology to launch a new company and become a billionaire overnight. As she spoke, Ye Xia's mind was racing. This was her chance. She could not only destroy Jiang Chen but also connect with her mother's powerful family. But there was a detail that kept nagging at her.
"Wait," Ye Xia interrupted. "My mother told me she's not a Li. She told me she was adopted and only has a distant connection to them."
Lin Mei shook her head. "That's what she wanted you to believe. That's what she told everyone. But she was the daughter of Chairman Li's older brother, who was disowned. He didn't want his daughter to live a life of danger and intrigue, so he sent her to live a simple life. But she never truly cut ties with the family."
The truth was a heavy weight, a revelation that changed everything. Ye Xia's mother was not a disowned daughter of Chairman Li, but a closely related niece with a different, and more powerful, secret. Her past life was a carefully constructed lie to protect her. The more she learned, the more the pieces of her past life started to click into place. It was a grand, elaborate deception, not just on her part but also on her mother's. But why?
"Give me the evidence," Ye Xia said, her voice now cold and calculating. "And don't think for a second that this makes us friends again. You're a means to an end. Once I have everything I need, you're on your own."
Lin Mei, defeated, handed her a flash drive. Ye Xia took it, her fingers closing around the small device that held the key to her past and her future. As Lin Mei left, a notification from the System appeared.
[New mission: Utilize the newly acquired information to expose Jiang Chen and prevent the theft of Li family technology. Bonus rewards will be granted upon successful completion.]
The pieces were falling into place. She had her target, she had her plan, and she had her resources. It was time to strike back.