Song Meiqi held the crazed fan in a tight chokehold, the jagged shard of glass trembling in her hand as it hovered against his throat. When Xiao Zhu burst through the door, this was the sight that greeted him.
"Don't come any closer!" she shouted. "One more step and I swear I'll press this into his neck!"
Xiao Zhu immediately stopped. Dressed entirely in black, with a mask hiding most of his face, he slowly raised his hands and took a step back. Yet the look in his eyes remained unreadable, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"Xi—Xiao Zhu, don't come close!... Don't come close!" his older brother pleaded, his voice trembling with desperation. The pain in his head and leg had weakened him so much that he could barely process what was happening.
Song Meiqi, meanwhile, forced herself to steady her breathing. Every instinct in her body screamed in fear, yet her mind remained focused on a single goal—to escape and survive.
At that moment, she seemed like a completely different person from the gentle Song Meiqi everyone knew.
"I won't come any closer," Xiao Zhu said, backing away until he was nearly at the far end of the room. "So put down the glass."
Song Meiqi ignored him. Tightening her hold around the crazed fan's neck, she dragged him to his feet. A sharp groan escaped him as pain shot through his injured leg, but he had no choice except to stumble backward as she forced him toward the exit.
As they moved, her grip on the shard tightened. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but she dared not loosen her hold. Even as every step felt painfully slow, she kept moving, knowing that each one brought her closer to freedom.
Xiao Zhu watched silently as Song Meiqi neared the hotel hallway, yet he made no move to stop her. His posture remained relaxed, but the look in his eyes gradually darkened.
The moment she stepped into the hallway, Song Meiqi shoved his older brother aside before turning and running without looking back.
Xiao Zhu's gaze followed her retreating figure.
Run, Song Meiqi. Run. You will not be my brother's woman, but mine, he thought, his gaze turning cold and intense.
Even after she disappeared from sight, he continued staring at the empty hallway.
Then he heard his brother groaning in pain.
Only then did he lower his gaze to his brother, who was struggling to get up from the floor. A faint smile briefly touched his lips, as though something about the scene pleased him.
The moment his brother looked up, the smile vanished.
"Are you okay, Brother?" he asked, his voice steady as concern settled into his expression. He reached out a hand to help him up.
…
In the meantime, in City H, at a restaurant in the capital, two figures sat across from each other. Steam rose from the dishes between them, curling into the air as an uneasy silence settled over the table.
The man in a white long-sleeved shirt, his tie hanging loosely at his chest, forced a smile as he reached for the wine bottle. He poured a glass, then lowered his head slightly in respect before sliding it across the table.
He was Director Fan's assistant and the man seated opposite him, in a dark navy suit, was Wang Jingyuan.
Without a word, Wang Jingyuan took the glass and drank. Only then did the tension at the table ease slightly.
"Did you clean everything up?" Wang Jingyuan asked, his sharp gaze fixed on him.
The assistant's breath caught. "Yes… I made sure of it. No one from Internal Audit will be able to trace Director Fan's embezzlement back to you, sir."
Wang Jingyuan's eyes turned cold.
The assistant froze instantly, realizing he had spoken too carelessly about something that should never have been mentioned so openly.
"Who is the whistle blower?" Wang Jingyuan continued.
"Based on the investigation… Vice President Wang likely forced Ma Guodong to report."
"My nephew… is really something," he mused. "He should not be underestimated."
The assistant broke into a cold sweat. Watching the feud within the Wang family unfold before his eyes, he realized once again that blood ties meant little in the face of power and wealth.
"Go."
The assistant lowered his head and quickly left.
The door clicked shut, leaving silence behind.
Wang Jingyuan on the other hand remained seated. Unhurried, he poured himself another glass of alcohol, watching the amber liquid swirl under the dim light before setting the bottle down.
He lifted the glass and took a slow sip.
"Make sure I never see him again."
His voice was low, barely above a whisper.
The paper screen behind him stirred.
A shadow emerged soundlessly from the darkness, bowed once, and vanished just as quickly.
Meanwhile, at GL Headquarters, inside the Executive Vice President of Operations' office, Jin Muchen strode in as if he owned the place. Dressed in a pink sweater, he looked completely out of place in the otherwise serious atmosphere.
Across the room, Wang Zirui remained focused on the mountain of paperwork before him, not even looking up.
Jin Muchen clicked his tongue, visibly disappointed by the lack of reaction.
"I heard about GL Holdings' recent news, so I took the time to visit you. Aren't you happy to see me?"
"I have no time for you. Leave," Wang Zirui replied coldly.
Jin Muchen staggered back dramatically as if struck.
"How cold…" he complained. "I'm worried about you, and this is how you treat me?"
Still, Wang Zirui ignored him.
Seeing his theatrics had no effect, Jin Muchen finally gave up and sank into one of the leather chairs across the desk.
"So… tell me. Are you the one behind the news?"
At that, Wang Zirui finally looked up.
Exposing his enemies to the public had indeed been part of his plan. However, before he could act, someone else had moved first.
A faint chuckle escaped his lips.
"No."
Jin Muchen tilted his head. "Then who?"
Wang Zirui did not answer.
But one thing was certain now—someone in the shadows was deliberately stirring trouble within GL Holdings
…
Back in M City, the rest of the Everbloom members had already boarded their flight back to H City as scheduled, leaving only Manager Li, Sun Xiuying, and two bodyguards behind.
Inside the hotel's security room, a heavy silence hung in the air as the staff apologized, explaining that the cameras in the hallway outside Song Meiqi's room had been disrupted.
Manager Li's expression darkened as she turned sharply toward the security officers.
"What kind of security does this hotel have?!" she roared.
Before anyone could respond, the sharp ring of her phone cut through the tension. She immediately answered it.
A second later, her eyes widened in shock.
"What?!" she exclaimed. "You found her?!"