The news broke before dawn.
Yen Rui's company stock had plummeted overnight. A leaked report claimed falsified figures in the quarterly earnings of numbers that cast doubt on the company's integrity and threatened to unravel years of carefully built reputation.
When Li Na entered the study, he was already there, sleeves rolled up, eyes bloodshot, papers strewn across the desk. His phone buzzed endlessly with calls from investors, lawyers, and directors.
"Who did this?" she asked, her voice low, steady despite the storm in her chest.
"Han Rui Sheng." Yen Rui's tone was clipped, each word like a knife. "He planted false numbers and timed the leak. It's deliberate sabotage."
Li Na stepped closer, scanning the papers. "Then prove it's false. Show them the truth."
His jaw tightened. "I can't, without access to the original files. They've been tampered with."
She clenched her fists. The trap was obvious: ruin Yen Rui's credibility, and the company would fall into Han Rui Sheng's hands.
"You can't fight this alone," she said firmly.
His eyes lifted to hers, sharp, unyielding. "I don't need anyone to fight my battles."
But she didn't back down. "This isn't just your battle anymore, Yen Rui. It's ours."
For a moment, the air between them crackled with tension, pride clashing against resolve. Then something in his gaze shifted an acknowledgment, reluctant but real.
That afternoon, they faced the board together. Directors hurled accusations, investors threatened to pull out, voices rose in chaos. But when Li Na stood, silence rippled across the room.
Her voice was steady, her presence commanding. "If you want to question my husband's integrity, then question mine as well. I've seen the files. I know the truth. This is not incompetence, it's an attack."
Whispers surged, but her courage anchored the room. Yen Rui's hand brushed against hers under the table barely a touch, but steady, grounding.
By nightfall, evidence began to surface. Gao Jie had traced the tampered files back to a server connected with Han Rui Sheng's firm. It wasn't a complete victory, but it was enough to buy time, enough to stop the bleeding.
When the meeting ended, Yen Rui turned to her. His voice was quiet, but the weight of it pressed deeply.
"You stood with me," he said. "Even when you didn't have to."
Li Na swallowed hard, her heart racing. "I told you. This isn't just your battle anymore."
For a man who lived behind walls of control, his silence was louder than words. His gaze lingered on her, unguarded for the briefest moment.
The test wasn't over. Enemies still circled, shadows still plotted. But that night, in the middle of the storm, they had fought as one.
And in that unity, something stronger than a contract began to take root.