---
Liang Qianyu sat upright on her bed, the glint in her eyes sharp as blades. "Go on," she urged, her voice laced with a delicious mixture of mischief and triumph.
A smirk began to spread across her face.
The man on the other end of the call cleared his throat.
"It's about Elva Allure, Young Miss. We've found something... something quite explosive."
Her heart jumped in satisfaction.
"Finally," she whispered, her voice now sharper. "What is it?"
The man continued, "The company's rushing to release a new cosmetics line... But from our source, the products haven't gone through proper testing. No lab certifications, no clinical trials. If that stuff hits the market—there could be serious health concerns."
Qianyu's eyes lit up like fireworks.
She fell back onto her bed, a laugh bubbling out of her throat like champagne. "Are you telling me that pretty little Su Meilin is about to destroy her own brand?"
"She may be," the man replied. "We've found a transaction—substantial money wired from Su Meilin's private account to a man who has... let's say, influence over product certifications. He might be the one who rushed the clearance."
Qianyu's voice dropped to a whisper. "Do you have proof?"
"Not all of it yet. Just a screenshot of the transfer. We're trying to retrieve the man's internal emails and message logs. Give us two days."
"Make it one," Qianyu ordered, her voice now commanding. "I want documents, audio if possible, and full trace records."
"Yes, Young Miss. We'll get it done."
"Good job," she said with lazy satisfaction. "Contact me when you get anything soon."
"Yes, Young Miss."
The call ended.
Qianyu stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. Her smirk widening.
Su Meilin, oh Su Meilin... what a foolish move.
'Why is she so... pitiful? Yet so... Hateful?' she wondered.
Su Meilin had dared to dream of becoming Young Madam Liang.
That alone was enough to place her in Qianyu's enemy's list.
"Anyone who wants that title," she whispered to herself, "is my enemy."
---
Meanwhile, at GlowVine Cosmetics Headquarters, the 18th-floor conference room shimmered with light from the tall glass windows.
The table was lined with polished crystal water glasses and fresh folders.
Mo Yuwei sat at the head, calm and poised, exuding CEO confidence.
Beside her sat Xu Jiaqi, dressed modestly in soft beige tones, her posture straight, her eyes brighter than before.
Two senior directors sat on the other side, reviewing notes and documents.
"You seem... relieved," Mo Yuwei remarked, flipping open a folder in front of her.
Xu Jiaqi smiled faintly. "If not for CEO Mo, I'd still be stuck in that shadow. I really can't thank you enough."
Her voice held sincere gratitude, but a subtle nervousness lingered.
She glanced at the directors, then leaned in slightly. "My 'manager' called this morning. Asked me directly—'Are you really planning to collaborate with GlowVine?' It's obvious one of those gossiping actresses leaked it."
"And you said?"
"I told her nothing. Silence is still my shield—for now."
Mo Yuwei nodded approvingly. "Good. But that changes today. It's time we move to the final phase."
She motioned to her assistant, Li Hao, who stepped forward and placed a sealed black folder on the table.
Xu Jiaqi looked at it hesitantly before opening it.
Her breath caught.
Inside were high-resolution prints, timestamps, chat logs.
Video stills of top actresses entering hotel suites with infamous producers.
A-list actors snorting white powder. Behind-the-scenes photos of verbal abuse, broken contracts, fake endorsements.
Even files related to Starlight Media's tax evasion and corruption scandals.
Xu Jiaqi blinked, stunned. Her hands trembled slightly as she flipped through the pages.
"This is... this is insane," she whispered. "All this... against my agency?"
Mo Yuwei leaned back slightly. "No. This is your freedom."
Xu Jiaqi slowly lifted her eyes. "Why?" she asked in a whisper. "Why would you do this for me?"
Mo Yuwei stood and walked to the glass window, gazing down at the city below. "Because I see a girl with nothing left... still fighting."
She turned, her eyes meeting Jiaqi's. "And I respect that."
Silence fell. Then Xu Jiaqi slowly stood and bowed deeply.
"I won't disappoint you."
"You better not," Yuwei replied, her lips twitching in amusement. "This isn't charity. You're now GlowVine's asset. Your face, your work—it reflects my brand."
Just then, one of the directors slid a tablet across the table.
"CEO Mo, you should see this. We compiled her facial shots with our product during the test shoot."
Mo Yuwei tapped the screen and watched a video: Xu Jiaqi wearing a soft-pink facemask, gently removing it as her skin glowed under studio lighting.
Her eyes sparkled.
Her performance? Flawless.
Mo Yuwei smiled slightly. "Excellent. If the product passes testing, she's our perfect face."
"Exactly," said the second director. "Two more days of testing. Then the campaign goes live."
"Good," Yuwei said. "Let's time her contract exit to align with the product launch. Make a statement."
—
As Xu Jiaqi left with the directors, Li Hao lingered behind with a questioning glance.
"Boss... why help her? She's practically blacklisted. You even asked me to pull those risky files just for her. Are you sure about this?"
Mo Yuwei didn't reply for a moment.
She clasped her hands behind her back.
"She's not just blacklisted. She's betrayed, bruised, humiliated. People like that either break... or they rise. I'm gambling she'll rise."
Li Hao blinked. "And if she doesn't?"
Mo Yuwei gave a small smile. "It's not a lose anyway."
"Only CEO Mo would help someone for such a reason and say it so casually." He said then nodded. "Shall I begin PR preparations?"
"Yes," she said crisply. "Get ready. Post the teasers. Let Starlight Media sweat. And arrange a meeting with the PR. We'll pressure them into letting her go."
Li Hao nodded. "Understood."
"Leak them to three gossip bloggers. Make it viral."
"And the juicy stuff?"
"Wait."
"Yes, Boss."
---