The penthouse apartment was vast and cold, overlooking the entire city. It was the physical embodiment of Han Yue's success, and now, it was Zhao Min's prison.
He lay awake in his new, luxurious bedroom, the silk sheets feeling wrong against his skin. Beside him on the nightstand was his cheap phone, holding Li Mei's message: the picture of the cold, bare floor and the text pleading for his emotional support.
He hadn't replied. Han Yue's logic—that his stability was Li Mei's only shield—had won the argument, but his conscience was tearing him apart.
She is in danger because I chose money, he thought, staring at the ceiling. The guilt was a heavy blanket, stealing his rest. He felt the weight of his own sudden success—a success built on the suffering of the woman he had loved.
The next morning, the breakfast table was a study in forced tension. Han Qing was already there, radiating a fragile, almost hysterical health. She sat as close to Zhao Min as the table allowed, watching him with obsessive gratitude.
"Min, tell me about your work," Han Qing chirped, her voice too loud. "Does my sister feed you well? You need to stay strong."
Han Yue, already dressed in a sharp business suit, cut in, "Qing, eat your breakfast. Mr. Zhao has an important day."
Han Yue gave Zhao Min a pointed look. "Mr. Zhao, the security consultant I called is named Mr. Gao. He will report directly to me. I want you to give me a detailed account of everything Li Mei told you about her life before she sent that text. Every person, every problem."
Zhao Min suddenly felt an intense, new pressure. "You're asking me to betray her privacy."
"I'm asking you to save her life," Han Yue countered, her eyes hard. "And to protect your own. We need to know who is punishing her so aggressively. My luck is your shield, Mr. Zhao, but I need information to aim it."
Zhao Min hated the cold, calculated way she spoke, but he knew she was right. He spent twenty minutes detailing Li Mei's ex-fiancé, Mr. Chen, and the expensive debt-ridden life she had chased. He didn't know he was giving Han Yue the legal foundation she needed to dismantle the criminal elements punishing Li Mei.
Later that afternoon, back in the ten-foot radius of Han Yue's office, the results came in.
Han Yue closed her door and sat across from Zhao Min, her expression grim. She didn't waste time.
"Mr. Gao located the source," she stated. "Li Mei was found in a warehouse owned by a shell company connected to Mr. Chen's business rivals. She wasn't kidnapped; she was being held by loan sharks and enforcers working for a gang who believed she held Mr. Chen's collateral."
Zhao Min felt a dizzying mix of relief and terror. "Is she safe? Did they hurt her?"
"She is safe for now," Han Yue confirmed. "Mr. Gao managed to confirm she was a liability and not the main target. They released her, but they took the rest of the cash you sent her as 'collateral for the investigation.' Your pity bought her two days and a major escalation."
Zhao Min lowered his head, horrified. His simple act of kindness had directly worsened her situation.
Han Yue placed a comforting, but firm, hand on his arm. "Your kindness is not meant for direct action, Mr. Zhao. It is meant for stability. I have dispatched Wen Ya—a ruthless but ethical lawyer—to file an immediate complaint with the district attorney against Mr. Chen's associates. We are attacking the infrastructure that holds her captive. We are fighting with logic and law, not with your emotions."
Zhao Min looked up at her, seeing a powerful protector instead of a demanding boss. His relief and gratitude for her decisive action were genuine. His Affection Level for Han Yue stabilized at a new high.
But his relief was short-lived.
"Also," Han Yue continued, her voice dropping. "Mr. Gao noted that as soon as Li Mei was free, she immediately called a taxi and went to a coffee shop near your old repair shop. She didn't call the police. She didn't call a doctor. She went back to the old hunting ground. She knows you are the source, Mr. Zhao, and she is calculating her next move."
Han Yue's warning was clear: Li Mei was no longer a simple ex-girlfriend. She was a threat who understood the System's power, and she was coming for the Luck Conduit. The penthouse was safe, but the city was now a dangerous chessboard.