Haicheng's morning is as brutal as ever, all glass towers and sharper gossip. By 7 a.m., my phone's blowing up with notifications, every app screaming one name: Sun Ruoxi.
White Lotus Busted: Sun Ruoxi's PR Team Caught Lying About Mrs. Lu!
Xu Lanying's Legal Smackdown—Sun Family in Trouble?
Is the Sun Heiress Done For?
This city runs on two things: dirt and power. And right now, the dirt's on my side.
Ruoxi's holed up in her fancy Sun mansion, probably still in yesterday's dress, freaking out. I can picture her, phone buzzing like a trapped bee, yelling at her assistant. "Delete it all! Say I was hacked!"
Her assistant's voice shakes. "Miss, it's no good. Lu Corporation dropped a statement at dawn."
Ruoxi goes quiet. "Lu Corporation?"
The assistant shoves a tablet at her. It's Lu Shen's team, cold and ruthless:
Lu Corporation will sue anyone spreading lies about Mrs. Lu. Defamation's a crime, folks.
—Lu Shen, CEO
Ruoxi's face must be priceless—nobody's ever seen Lu Shen put his name on a statement like that. Not for her, not for anyone.
Then there's the photo they leaked: me and Lu Shen at last night's charity dinner, his hand brushing my back, his eyes saying don't mess with her. The internet's losing its damn mind.
Are they for real?
Mrs. Lu's got him wrapped around her finger.
That poise, though—queen energy.
Ruoxi's voice is a hiss. "She set me up. Every damn step."
Her assistant doesn't argue. Smart move.
Lu Shen's office is like a fortress, all glass and silence, high above Haicheng's mess. He's behind his desk, flipping through reports, looking like he could ruin your life without blinking.
His assistant, Chen, slips in. "Sir, the Sun family wants a private meeting."
"No," Lu Shen says, not looking up.
Chen hesitates. "They're saying Miss Sun's ready to apologize. Publicly."
"Tell them to save it for court."
Chen blinks, then nods. "Got it."
When the door shuts, Lu Shen leans back, unfazed by the digital storm. What's bugging him, I bet, is that I saw this coming before he did.
My phone buzzes. It's him.
Xu Lanying: Your PR team deserves a fruit basket. Perfect timing.
Lu Shen: You baited her on purpose.
Xu Lanying: Duh. Wolves hunt better when the sheep think they're safe.
Lu Shen: Dangerous game, Mrs. Lu.
Xu Lanying: Good thing I don't burn easy.
He chuckles—I can't hear it, but I know it's that low, dangerous sound. He types back slow.
Lu Shen: Warn me next time you start a war in my name.
Xu Lanying: Next time, trust I've already won before it starts.
He doesn't reply right away, but I can picture that half-smirk of his. I'm not just playing his game—I'm rewriting the rules. And for the first time, I think he's wondering if he's met his match.
By noon, The Orchid Room's the hot spot for Haicheng's gossip queens. The same women who were cackling about my "contract marriage" are now whispering like I'm some kind of legend.
"Did you see her in those photos? Cool as ice."
"She didn't even blink at the rumors."
"Ruoxi looked like she was gonna cry. I heard the Lu family's done with her brand."
Someone laughs. "That Xiao girl they used to trash? She's running this city now."
I'm sipping jasmine tea, pearl earrings catching the light, hair pulled back like I don't care. I don't need to say a word—the city's doing my talking for me.
Then a voice cuts in. "Mrs. Lu's looking pretty smug."
Wang Yichen, Wang Group heir, slides into view, all slick suit and sharper smirk, like he thinks the world owes him a bow.
"Mr. Wang," I say, cool as hell. "Bit early for a corporate ambush, no?"
He grins, leaning in. "Not business. Just curious. How's it feel to have your husband's name bail you out?"
I tilt my head, smile cold. "Bail me out? Nah, you've got it twisted. The Lu name just gave you all a chance to see you were wrong about me."
He blinks, thrown. "Big talk for someone with no real power."
"Power's earned, not handed out," I say, standing. "You'd know, if your family's money didn't do all your talking."
His jaw tightens, but my phone buzzes before he can snap back. It's Lu Shen.
"Mr. Lu," I answer, smooth.
His voice is low, like restrained thunder. "You're trending again."
"For what?"
"For making Wang Yichen look like a fool in front of twenty reporters."
I laugh softly. "That was an accident."
He chuckles, low and real. "Sure. Remind me to stay off your bad side."
That night, the Lu family estate is a pressure cooker. Madam Lu's at the head of the table, all elegance and ice, looking like she's about to sentence someone.
"Shen," she says, voice sharp, "the Sun family's demanding answers. You humiliated them."
"They humiliated themselves," he says, not even blinking.
Her eyes slide to me, sitting next to him, posture perfect but not groveling. "Mrs. Lu, I hope you grasp how serious this is. The Zhou family's already upset—"
I cut in, soft but firm. "Madam, if the Zhou family thinks staying quiet beats justice, they're betting on a loyalty that's thinner than their contracts."
The table goes dead silent. Lu Shen glances at me, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
Madam Lu's lips thin. "You're bold for a newcomer."
"Bold's what survivors speak," I say, smiling just enough.
Even she doesn't have a comeback for that.
Lu Shen sets his chopsticks down. "Mother, Mrs. Lu handled this before it hit my desk. Cleanly. Publicly. Right."
The message is loud: She's mine to back.
Madam Lu studies him, then nods, tight. "Fine. But this family doesn't do scandals."
I meet her eyes. "Good thing I only make the kind that end quiet."
Later, I'm in our penthouse, barefoot, robe loose, scrolling through my phone. The updates are rolling in:
Board directors apologizing.
Ruoxi's PR firm backtracking.
Public sentiment: 83% Team Mrs. Lu.
The city's shifting, and I can feel it in my bones.
Footsteps behind me. Lu Shen leans in the doorway, sleeves rolled up, watching me like I'm a puzzle he's not sure he wants to solve.
"You saw this coming," he says.
I don't turn. "I knew she'd try to bury me. I just made sure she did it where everyone could see."
He steps closer, studying my reflection in the window. "You're not scared of being hated."
I smile, sharp. "Hate's easy. Fear's controllable. Respect? That's what sticks."
His lips curl, slow and dangerous. "You're trouble, Mrs. Lu."
"Only when I need to be," I say, turning to face him.
He's close now, the air between us crackling. "You keep lighting fires."
"And you keep showing up to watch them burn."
For a second, it's just us, the silence heavy with something neither of us will name. Then his phone buzzes. He glances at it, face going cold.
Incoming Call: Zhou Family Patriarch
I catch the screen, then look at him. "Your real fiancée's calling."
He silences it, smirking. "Wrong number."
I raise an eyebrow. "Sure about that?"
"Dead sure," he says, eyes locked on mine.
The next morning, Haicheng wakes to a new headline:
Zhou Family Drops Bomb: Lu Shen's Engagement to Zhou Yuhan Still On—Mrs. Lu Caught in Scandal?
My calm smile from last night's photo looks like a war cry now.
Across town, Zhou Yuhan sets her teacup down in the Zhou mansion, her voice soft but venomous. "Let's see how long she lasts in a world that's not hers."