Location: Zhao Yue's Guest Room, Li Estate
Zhao Yue sat at the ornate dressing table, removing her earrings with deliberate poise.
A moment passed.
Then her hand paused mid-air.
His voice echoed in her head again.
[You're just another chess piece. Probably sent by Ichiro to 'correct' my behavior.]
[Too clean. Too rehearsed. Who wrote your lines for you?]
She hadn't imagined it. She was sure of that now.
[She's pretending she doesn't hear it. Typical of a pawn trying to stay pretty in a warzone.]
She flinched. Her fingers trembled for just a second.
This wasn't telepathy. It was something more brutal.
Honest.
Undeniable.
Like the sky falling.
---
Flashback – Dining Room Earlier That Day
Ichiro sat at the long table, pretending to be meek. "Brother, I understand if you're upset. But don't take it out on Yue'er. She just wants what's best for the family... and for you."
Zhao Yue remembered his subtle squeeze on her wrist under the table.
A warning.
A threat.
He'd smiled the whole time.
Now those memories rewound in her mind with new clarity—Jin's voice in her head had peeled back the script, leaving the ugly machinery underneath.
[There he goes again. Making her the bullet and me the target.]
[I should just toss him out the window.]
---
Guest Room – Present
Zhao Yue turned to the mirror, staring at herself like she was seeing a stranger.
"What have I been doing...?"
Group Chat – Observer Thread
Lianhua: Another one's waking up.
Third Sister (Meimei): I wanna slap Ichiro so bad my hands are itchy.
Grandma Li: Don't say anything to her yet. Let her see it through.
Father Li: Let the truth do its job.
---
Meanwhile – Jin's Room
Ergouzi pinged in casually, voice as enthusiastic as always.
"Host! Your adopted brother will sneak into the master study at midnight to swap financial documents. He plans to frame you for embezzlement. Do you want to monitor it in real-time?"
[Jin]: [Obviously. And tell me when he starts acting pitiful again, I like hitting him when he's mid-tears.]
"...That's unprofessional."
[Jin]: [So is wearing a melon for a brain, but here we are.]
Ergouzi: "Rude."
---
Outside the Study – Midnight
Zhao Yue followed Ichiro.
He was too confident. Too rehearsed. Like he'd done it before.
She hid behind the door frame, heart thundering. Her nails bit into her palm.
[He's just setting me up like the rest. Jin was right.]
Ichiro pulled out a USB drive, slipping it into the port with elegance only a lifelong fraud could manage.
"I'll be the only heir," he whispered to himself. "That trash doesn't deserve it."
She gasped audibly.
His head jerked around.
Their eyes met.
"Yue'er... what are you doing here?"
She stepped forward slowly.
"No. The real question is—what are you doing here, Ichiro?"
---
Next Chapter Teaser – Chapter 25: "Your Script Is Falling Apart"
Zhao Yue stands at the threshold. What she does next decides whether she becomes a tool—or a storm.