In a private tea house outside country c. A pair of long Lengs walked into Lounge.
Mei Xiaotong didn't slam doors. She didn't shout, didn't curse or throw tantrums.
She didn't need to.
The tap of her heels on the marble echoed louder than fury as she strode out of the lounge and straight into the figure leaning casually against a black sedan — Leng Shiyan
He looked up with a faint smirk. "So? All settled?"
Her eyes narrowed, voice like ice. "Did you enjoy pulling strings like a coward from behind the curtain?"
He pushed off the car slowly. "I did what needed to be done. You wouldn't have gone if I asked nicely."
"Because I'm not your pawn," she snapped.
Leng Shiyan's expression didn't change. "You still went."
"And I would've gone for her," she said sharply, stepping in closer. "But instead, I went because you threatened my family. I don't forget things like that, Shiyan."
He met her gaze calmly. "And I don't regret it. You want to protect Lu Jingyan too. So do I. Our methods differ, that's all."
Mei Xiaotong's laugh was soft — and sharp. "Don't play the noble act with me. That wasn't about protecting her. That was about control. You wanted to twist my arm until I played the part you couldn't."
"Maybe. But it worked."
She tilted her head. "It worked because I care about her. Not because of your threats. Not because I fear the Leng family. You overplayed your hand."
Leng Shiyan shrugged slightly, unaffected. "I don't need you to like me, Xiaotong. I need results. If you've helped Xuanmo, then we're both getting what we want."
Her fingers twitched at her side. "That's the problem. You think everything's a transaction."
"No," he said calmly. "I think everything has consequences. Like that night two years ago when your father pulled out of a Leng project."
She stiffened. "So this *was* personal."
"It was business," he corrected smoothly. "And now it's survival. You want to protect her? Then do it without pretending we're on the same side."
She smiled, too brightly. "I've never once thought we were."
A brief silence passed between them, thick with tension.
"Xuanmo," she said after a moment, her tone softening just slightly, "he's different from you. Maybe not in the beginning — but now? He's trying. He's hurting."
Shiyan didn't reply.
"He loves her," Mei continued. "And if you get in the way with all your games, he'll lose her forever. Is that what you want?"
"No," he said quietly. "But I won't let him lose again either. If strategy helps, I'll use it. If threats work, I'll make them."
Mei stepped back, taking a deep breath.
"I don't care what you do from now on," she said. "But if you ever come near my family again—"
"—you'll destroy me," he finished. "I know. You're Mei Xiaotong."
She gave a slow smile. "Glad you remember."
He watched her for a moment, the cool air between them charged but strangely calm now.
"You'll help him?" he asked.
"I already have," she said. "But not for you."
Then, with a flick of her hair and a deliberate turn, she walked away — chin high, unbothered — and never looked back.
Leng Shiyan watched her leave, his smirk gone. Just a flicker of something else lingered in his eyes.
Maybe regret.
Maybe respect.
Maybe nothing at all.