---
The golden rays of morning light filtered gently through the cream curtains, casting a warm hue across Lin Yue's modest living room.
The air smelled faintly of milk and toast.
Lin Yue sat on the couch, wearing a loose cream sweater over a pale pink dress.
Her long hair was tied back in a casual braid, and her expression, while calm, was shadowed by thought.
Across from her, Mo Yuwei sipped from a tall glass of warm milk, her light blue dress making her look even more youthful, almost like a university student.
She had her hair in a ponytail, her bare feet tucked beneath her as she sat cross-legged on the other end of the couch.
She looked effortlessly beautiful, the kind of woman who never tried too hard, yet always looked put together. She took a sip of her warm milk, sighing softly.
"I left Fei'er throwing a fit," Mo Yuwei muttered, rolling her eyes affectionately. "He said I abandoned him to go see my bestie too early in the morning."
Lin Yue smiled. "Tell him I'm stealing you for a while."
Mo Yuwei chuckled, brushing invisible lint from her dress. "Anyway, you said you needed help with something?" she asked, lifting a brow in curiosity.
Lin Yue hesitated for a second before taking a deep breath. "Yes. I want to work."
Mo Yuwei blinked. "What?"
There was a sharp choke followed by a cough. Mo Yuwei nearly spat her milk out.
"You what?" she asked between coughs, reaching for a napkin. "You're joking, right?"
Lin Yue quickly set her cup aside and moved to pat her friend's back. "Careful!"
After a few more coughs and a long sip of water, Mo Yuwei calmed down and looked at her wide-eyed. "You want to work? As in, go to a company and clock in and out every day? Since when?"
"I've been thinking about it for sometime," Lin Yue said calmly, folding her hands on her lap.
"But you have the gallery. And weren't you planning to go back to school? What about your paintings? Won't you paint anymore?"
Lin Yue smiled faintly, her eyes glimmering with something unreadable.
"Some things… have to be solved. And for that, I need to go to the Liang Conglomerate."
The second she said that, Mo Yuwei began coughing again, harder this time.
Mo Yuwei's voice rose half an octave, and Lin Yue reached out to calm her again.
"Liang what now?" she rasped, thumping her chest. "The Liang Conglomerate?"
"I need answers. And I think I'll find them there." Lin Yue said quietly.
Mo Yuwei eventually calmed, breathing deeply and sitting back against the chair.
Her brows furrowed with confusion and concern.
"Okay… I think I need you to rewind and explain slowly. Why Liang Conglomerate? What's going on, Lin Yue?"
Lin Yue hesitated for a moment. Her fingers fluttered nervously over the edge of her sweater. Then, instinctively, her hand drifted to her stomach. She caressed it gently and lowered her gaze.
"I'll tell you," she said in a soft voice. "Soon. I promise."
Mo Yuwei stared at her for a long moment, her eyes sharp.
She was smart—she understood that there was more to this than Lin Yue was ready to say.
"Alright," she said after a moment. "Do you want help getting into Liang Conglomerate?"
Lin Yue nodded earnestly. "Yes. I was hoping you'd say that."
"Then consider it done." Mo Yuwei gave her a reassuring smile.
Lin Yue leaned forward and hugged her. "Thank you, Yuwei. You don't know how much this means to me."
"You don't have to thank me," Mo Yuwei replied, hugging her back. "Even though I've known you for a few weeks, I know you're a good girl. You wouldn't do something without a real reason."
Lin Yue's heart warmed at her words.
How many people in her life had doubted her, abandoned her, or only loved her when it was convenient?
But Mo Yuwei had always been there—no questions asked, no judgment, only quiet support.
She didn't know what she'd done to deserve a friend like her.
"I'll tell you everything. Just give me a little more time." Lin Yue promised again, pulling back.
"Take all the time you need," Mo Yuwei said with a wink.
Then a thought crossed her mind. "Do you… know the CEO well?"
"Liang Yexuan?"
Lin Yue nodded. Her heart skipped a beat just saying his name aloud.
Mo Yuwei sighed. "Yeah. I've met him a few times during business events. He's…" She paused, looking at Lin Yue. "Cold. Quiet. Ruthless when he needs to be. Doesn't waste time with small talk. Honestly, he's intimidating."
Lin Yue looked surprised. That didn't exactly align with the man who had lived with her for three months.
Anyway, she'll know soon.
---
They lapsed into thoughtful silence for a moment before Lin Yue remembered something.
"Oh! I forgot to tell you. Lin Xingyan was at the gallery yesterday."
Mo Yuwei frowned. "Lin Xingyan? What did she want?"
"To snoop," Lin Yue said with a shrug. "She'll come again. Maybe even with her parents. They'll make a scene. I know their stupidity. They'll try to ruin everything just because I'm finally doing better."
Mo Yuwei frowned," Then... What do you plan to do?"
Lin Yue laughed like a cunning fox, her eyes sparkling, "Of course I'll do something. I was wondering if you could help me get some dirt on Xingyan. She's a star. I'm sure she's done some things in the industry that aren't exactly clean."
Mo Yuwei's eyes gleamed. "I like where this is going."
"She's a celebrity. She's got some skeletons in her closet."
Mo Yuwei smirked. "Say no more."
She pulled out her phone and made a call.
"Li Hao? I need a few files on Lin Xingyan. Yes, that Lin Xingyan, the new rising star. Dig into everything. Send it to me."
Ten minutes later, her phone buzzed.
"That was fast," Lin Yue said as Mo Yuwei opened the file and forwarded it to her.
Lin Yue's screen lit up with images—grainy, scandalous photos, time-stamped messages, suspicious travel logs.
There she was, Lin Xingyan, kissing with married directors, entering hotel rooms with powerful actors, some of them with families.
Lin Yue sighed. "With this, the Lin Family should behave for a while."
"You're scarily smart," Mo Yuwei teased. "You'll make a terrifying lawyer."
Lin Yue smiled," Of course."
"She's going to explode when she finds out I have this," Lin Yue muttered, shaking her head.
---
She then remembered something.
She picked up her phone and searched for the Zhongwen University of Law. She tapped the contact and waited.
"Hello, this is admissions. How may I help you?"
"Yes, I'd like to know when your next enrollment period is?"
"We have one this September and then the next next year."
"Thank you," Lin Yue replied, noting the information.
It was the fourth month now. September felt too soon. Maybe next year. She'd have time to prepare.
Then suddenly, her phone rang again.
Uncle Song.
She immediately picked up. "Uncle Song?"
" Xiao Yue, I—I don't know what to do!" His voice trembled with panic. "There are some people here at the gallery. They said they're your family. They're causing a scene—screaming, threatening. The customers are getting uncomfortable!"
Lin Yue's eyes darkened as she stood.
"I'll be there in ten minutes," she said calmly.
She hung up and looked at Mo Yuwei.
"Let me guess," Mo Yuwei said, standing as well. "They're there?"
Lin Yue nodded, " Yeah, let's go give them a warm welcome?"
"Let's go," Mo Yuwei said calmly, grabbing her car keys.
Lin Yue's lips curled into a cool, dangerous smile. "Time to greet the storm."
She then walks to her room, " Wait!?"
---