The arena buzzed with chaotic energy, a mix of youthful enthusiasm and seasoned expertise. Xia Yingying slipped away to the restroom, seeking a moment of calm. Leaning against the sink, she stared at her reflection and took a deep breath.
'Today istheday.' The Muzou Arts Competition. So much had changed since her rebirth – Hu Mingyou's unnerving quietness, the subtle shifts in fate. One question lingered, though she hoped the introductions would provide a clue.
Returning to the main hall, the noise hit her like a wave. Her gaze instantly snagged on Yu Miyo deep in conversation with a blond man near the stage. Their body language screamed intensity – hushed tones, urgent gestures. A pang of unease shot through Xia Yingying. 'What are you plotting now?' The inability to lip-read felt like a physical frustration.
Whispers swirled as she passed by
"Isn't that Xia Yingying?"
"She's competing? How many hats does she wear?"
"Probably just here for show. What could she possibly paint?"
"Stick figures?" A girl named Song Lan snickered, though her eyes held no real malice. After her own humbling encounter with Xia Yingying, Song Lan had vowed caution. Her focus was the prize money; her sick mother needed it far more than petty revenge. Mi Wegin, however, radiated venom beside her.
The judges took their seats – including the world-renowned twin artists, Agatha and Beatrice Moreau. Their pale skin seemed almost ethereal, their presence commanding respect despite their age, perhaps slightly older than Wen Ming.
The competition began. The first contestant, a young man named Feng, presented a haunting piece: a young girl, branded a witch, cowered behind a protective bear while villagers advanced with spears and stakes. The raw fear and defiance resonated deeply, inexplicably, within Xia Yingying. 'Why doesthis feel familiar?' She shook her head. 'Forget it.'
The next painting elicited gasps. It wasn't artistically stunning, but its subject matter was incendiary: a man and woman locked in an intimate embrace on a rumpled bed. The man was unmistakable – Lu Quinzue. The woman's face, though partially obscured, wasn't Xia Yingying's.
"I'm so sorry!" Yu Miyo's voice cut through the stunned silence. She rushed forward, a picture of flustered innocence. "That's the wrong painting! I didn't submit that!" Her eyes, however, locked onto Xia Yingying's, holding a challenge.
'So this is it.' The missing piece clicked. Lu Quinzue's relentless search for a woman declared dead... ' the rightful young lady of the Lu family '. A sharp, unexpected pang pierced Xia Yingying's chest. 'Why does it hurt? We're just contracted...' She forced herself to exhale slowly.
Murmurs erupted:
"Who is she?"
"Rumor has it she's Lu Quinzue's dead fiancée!"
"So Xia Yingying was just... a convenient replacement?" Mi Wegin's gleeful whisper carried.
"A second option!" someone else sneered.
Xia Yingying's gaze snapped towards the entrance. 'He's here.' Lu Quinzue stood framed in the doorway, his presence instantly silencing the room. The competition was live-streamed; of course he'd come for this. Tears threatened, but she clenched her fists. 'No. I won't break. I planned to show them Mom's legacy...' Her dream felt suddenly fragile.
Lu Quinzue strode directly to Yu Miyo, his voice dangerously low. "Where did you get that painting?"
"I—I found it" Yu Miyo stammered, a stark contrast to her usual composure. She fidgeted under his icy stare. "Three years ago... near the site where Tekwen Group stands now."
"Tekwen Group?" Lu Quinzue's eyes narrowed infinitesimally.
"Xia Yingying's company!" Mi Wegin crowed.
"The plot thickens! The other woman covering her tracks?"
"I knew she was shady!"
Xia Yingying felt the trap snap shut. 'How? Unless...' She studied Yu Miyo with new, chilling clarity. Hu Mingyou's absence... Yu Miyo's convenient evidence... 'A mastermind. But what do they want from me?'
Lu Quinzue's gaze shifted to her, sharp and assessing. 'Distrust. That's the last thing I need.' She said.
After a tense pause, Yu Miyo spoke again, her voice artificially sweet. "No one should misunderstand Yingying! I just... found it there."
She omitted the masked figure who'd delivered the painting, the cryptic instructions, and the hefty sum that just hit her account. Remorse warred with her consuming crush on Lu Quinzue and the thrill of seeing doubt cloud his eyes.
'People change, Xia Yingying' she thought, clicking her tongue, meeting Xia Yingying's calm stare with a glint of mischief.
Suddenly, an audio recording crackled over the PA system:
"Hey sister, can you please help me?" A girl's voice, desperate and young.
Lu Quinzue froze, every muscle locking.
"Don't slow me down, you dummy! I'm on my way to meet Big Brother Tang!" The voice was unmistakably Xia Yingying's, dripping with naive impatience.
"Please! They're chasing me! I need to find my big brother!" Sobs choked the plea.
A sickening sequence followed: gunshots, screeching tires, then dead silence.
Xia Yingying felt the blood drain from her face. 'That's my voice... but I never said that to a girl!' She remembered the boys, the harassment... but not this. The room spun. She barely registered being guided out, only coming to her senses when the door of Lu Quinzue's car slammed shut.
"Why didn't you help her?" His voice was deceptively calm, but fury simmered beneath the surface, his grip tight on her wrist.
"I don't know anything about that!" Xia Yingying retorted, her own voice tight with shock and frustration. His coldness ignited her anger.
"Start talking, Xia Yingying" he warned, his grip tightening. "Or you'll regret it."
"Let go of me!" She tried to wrench free, meeting his glare with equal ferocity.
"You played a part in her death. Maybe you don't remember, but you were there."
"I SAID IT'S FAKE!" she shouted, raw desperation breaking through. 'ThinkYing' . Age tried so hard to remember then an idea sparked. "Wait..." She grabbed her laptop, fingers flying over the keys, accessing a secure, obscure archive from surveillance cameras. "Look at this!"
The screen flickered to life: A sunny path. A younger Xia Yingying, ponytail bouncing, hummed cheerfully.
"Hey, pretty!" A group of boys blocked her way.
"Hi, good afternoon!"
Young Yingying offered a polite, wary smile, trying to sidestep them.
"Not so fast, pretty girl" a blonde boy leered.
"Don't slow me down, you dummy!"Naive Yingying snapped, her voice identical to the audio recording. "I'm on my way to meet Big Brother Tang!"
"We can show you a better time than 'Brother Tang'..." Another boy grinned suggestively. As young Yingying turned to leave, oblivious to the implied threat, the camera panned slightly, catching a sleek black car idling nearby. Inside, visible through the tinted window, sat a young Lu Quinzue, his expression unreadable but his gaze fixed on the scene.
**BACK TO THE PRESENT**
Xia Yingying rubbed her eyes, stunned. She'd retrieved this video to clear her online name but never expected him to be in it. Lu Quinzue stared at the screen, his knuckles white on the armrest.
Suddenly, his lips were on hers – cold at first, then searing with an intensity that stole her breath. It was fierce, possessive, a storm of relief and pent-up emotion. The partition slid up silently, granting privacy. His teeth grazed her plump lower lip, sending a jolt through her. She tasted salt and something uniquely him.
He shifted her effortlessly onto his lap, his hands exploring the curve of her waist, then higher, cupping her breast through her blouse. Heat flooded Xia Yingying's face. 'This is... too much!' Even with Tang Qing, it had never gone beyond chaste embraces. She buried her face against his shoulder, mortified yet undeniably responding.
Lu Quinzue's mouth trailed down her neck, seeking more, when a sharp bump jolted the car. Xia Yingying yelped, scrambling off his lap, her cheeks blazing. She hastily straightened her rumpled clothes.
"I never knew you were there" she breathed, referring to the video.
"I never knew you were her" Lu Quinzue replied, his voice rough. He remembered the cheerful girl he had sometimes seen, a fleeting beacon during darker times. Her face had blurred over the years... until now.
"I'm nothing like that naive girl anymore," Xia Yingying mumbled, avoiding his intense gaze.
"Not entirely," he countered, a ghost of a smile touching his lips. He traced a finger down her bare arm, making her shiver. "Your smile... when you're truly happy... it's the same."
"Well, I'm fierce now!" she protested, blushing harder.
"Really?" His fingertip continued its maddening path.
"We... we have the public to deal with" she stammered, turning to look out the window, pulling out her phone. Her social media feeds were a cesspool:
"Master manipulator! Years of planning!"
"Murdering bitch!"
"The ultimate other woman!"
"President Lu will feed you to the sharks! Better dig your grave!"
Xia Yingying flinched at the last comment. Lu Quinzue's eyes had turned glacial.
"Isn't he right?" she tried to joke, her voice tight. "I should find a shovel."
"She wasn't my lover," Lu Quinzue stated flatly.
"You certainly made it seem that way." Xia Yingying met his gaze; she believed him, but the charade stung.
"We're being played, Ahzue. Someone's orchestrating this."
"Then they're terrible players" Lu Quinzue said, a hint of steel returning. He pinched her cheek gently, drawing a surprised giggle from her.
"My woman keeps slapping them down."
"I'm sorry about the competition" he added softly.
"Your painting... we'll release it online when this dies down."
"Okay." Xia Yingying nodded. "And... her drawing? The one in the painting?"
"Obsession" Lu Quinzue dismissed coldly. "It was the only lead we had. Mother insisted I find her... even just bones." His tone was chillingly matter-of-fact.
Working swiftly together, they posted the full contextual video across their social media platforms. Lu Quinzue amplified it with a terse, authoritative statement on the Lu Corporation's official channel.
As the car moved through the city, Xia Yingying finally voiced the question gnawing at her. "Lu Quinzue... what do you really think of Yu Miyo?"
He turned, studying her. His little kitten was catching on. "Officially?" A pause. "She suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. Severe split personality."
Xia Yingying's breath hitched. Her mind reeled, fragments of her past life crashing against this revelation. 'Split personality... Could that explain... everything?'