A few steps away, Jianyu waited with his hands in his coat pockets, as if this were an ordinary meeting.
It wasn't.
"You ignored my calls." Jianyu walked closer. "We need to talk."
Lian Chen paused.
"You've blocked the road. That means you want more than just a talk."
Jianyu tilted his head slightly. "You've always been observant, Lian."
"I learned it from you," Lian Chen replied.
"I warned you," Jianyu said.
"About what? You make threats, but you never explain them," Lian Chen asked.
"I told you to stop the girl. She's still asking questions, acting like she is untouchable..."
"You told me to warn her. I did," Lian Chen said, cutting him off.
"You think that difference protects you?" Jianyu asked.
Lian Chen said firmly. "Yes, it does. I followed your words."
Jianyu's expression hardened. "Lian, you hide behind words. That's why you chose to study law," he said mockingly.
"And you chose control," Lian Chen said in defence.
The air between them grew heavy.
"You think helping her was a coincidence, and fate placed you there?" Jianyu asked.
Lian Chen frowned. "What are you implying?"
"The accident," Jianyu began, and added, "It wasn't random."
The words hit hard. Lian Chen went still.
"Explain."
"I arranged it," Jianyu said.
Lian Chen stared at his father in unbelief. "You did what?"
"I didn't want to kill her. Not yet. I only wanted to scare her, to teach her a lesson."
Lian Chen stepped closer. "You almost killed her."
"But I didn't, and you arrived just as you should've. A rescuer just as intended," Jianyu replied.
Lian Chen went still. "Father, you used me as a pawn," he said.
"No. I only used the moment," Jianyu corrected him.
"No, you didn't. You manipulated events so I'd be forced to help her," Lian Chen fired back.
"I'd do anything to keep the Fàn Syndicate safe, Lian!" Jianyu said.
"What if she had died..." Lian Chen started.
"She didn't. Now she's shaken, she'd pull away from the investigation," Jianyu said, interrupting his son.
Lian Chen shook his head. "This is a human being you're talking about here, Father."
"If this is what it takes to protect our family, I'd do it again." Jianyu said, his voice hard.
Lian Chen looked away.
"You think you can play both sides forever. Prosecutor by day, moral man by night. Everything you protect exists because of what I built. I brought Mei Ling into your life myself, and I'd take her out myself." Jianyu continued.
"I don't protect criminals, I prosecute them," Lian Chen answered.
"You think that comes without a cost?" Jianyu asked, then added, "You're a Fàn heir, Lian Chen. Act like one."
"I don't want your empire. I never did," Lian Chen said.
Jianyu sighed. "That's what makes you dangerous."
Lian Chen met his eyes. "Dangerous to who?"
"To the Fàn family, to everything we've buried."
Lian Chen paused. "What happens now?"
"You step aside, and you let me finish it," Jianyu replied.
"What do you want to do? Kill her?" Lian Chen asked.
Jianyu didn't deny it. "Only if she continues," he said coldly.
Lian Chen's fists clenched. "You can't do that."
"I can, and I will. If she uncovers too much, it won't stop with her. It will reach you, me, and everyone tied to us," Jianyu said.
"I warned her just as you told me to, that was the agreement."
"Yet she still digging. I bet you didn't warn her enough," Jianyu replied.
Lian Chen took a slow breath. "Don't you dare touch her again," he said.
Jianyu raised an eyebrow. "What will you do? Arrest me?"
"No. I'll stop you."
Jianyu watched him for a moment, then gave a small, empty smile. "You were always stubborn."
He turned back to his car. "Think carefully, Lian Chen. You can't protect everyone."
The door opened. Jianyu paused. "This is your last chance to stay out of it."
The car pulled away, its lights fading down the road.
MEI LING.
Mei Ling stared at the hospital ceiling. Her body ached, but it was mild and bearable. What troubled her most was the silence. She hated it.
Her phone lay on the bedside table, screen dark. No messages. No calls.
She had called Bao again earlier, but the call never went through.
A cold weight settled in her chest.
The doctor had said she was lucky. No broken bones, no internal bleeding, just bruises.
Lucky.
She didn't feel lucky. She felt stuck. The accident had forced her to stop, to lie still, to think. And thinking made her uneasy.
She turned her head and looked at the window. The city moved on without her, and life continued as if nothing had happened. She clenched the blanket in her hands.
She couldn't go to work, not yet. Her editor had said one day off.
Minimum.
She had never taken a day off before. Work was the one thing that made sense. Without it, her thoughts ran too fast.
She closed her eyes briefly. She remembered Bao's face at the tea shop again, and the way her hands had trembled.
The warning, "Stop investigating."
Then a knock came at the door. A nurse peeked in. "You'd be discharged later this evening," she said.
Mei Ling nodded, and said, "Thank you."
After the nurse left, the room felt even emptier. Mei Ling thought about the Lawyer who had helped her. Lian Chen Fàn.
He had been polite, professional, yet distant. He helped her, and walked away without asking for anything in return.
She shifted slightly, wincing as a small pain ran through her side. Her eyes fell on the bag beside the bed, inside were her notes and files.
She sat up slowly, careful not to hurt herself. Her head ached.
"I'd rest today. Tomorrow, I'd continue," she said to herself.
Rain fell softly against the window. Each drop ran slowly down the glass, like time itself had slowed.
Mei Ling felt alone. No Bao. No family. No one to check if she was okay.
She hugged her knees to her chest. She pressed her face into her palms, as tears fell freely.
She had no one.
Mei Ling wiped her face slowly.
"Crying never helps," she muttered to herself. Still, the tight feeling in her chest wouldn't go away.
She reached for a cup of water near the bed, and took a small sip. Her hands shook. She noticed and frowned. She didn't like feeling weak, especially now. She had worked too hard to let fear take over.
She closed her eyes and this time didn't fight the memories.
She saw her younger self, standing in a big house that once felt safe. Laughter and music filled the room. Back then, it felt like it would last forever.
Her eyes opened at once.
Not now.
The nurse came back later with papers.
"You'd have to get some rest, and avoid stress. Also, stay away from work for a while," she said.
Mei Ling almost laughed. Stress had always been a part of her life.
When the nurse left, she changed into her clothes slowly. As she remembered the accident, she paused, gripping the bed.
Someone had wanted to scare her, and they had. But they had also reminded her of one thing. She was still alive.
She packed her things and sat on the edge of the bed. The room felt different now, like it was already done with her. She looked at the empty chair. There were no flowers, no visitors, no familiar faces.
She stood, and the feeling of loneliness returned.
When she stepped outside, the rain had slowed to only a drizzle. She pulled her jacket closer and looked at the gray sky.
She started walking. By the time she reached her apartment, she felt really exhausted.
She locked the door, leaned against it for a moment, then moved further. She turned on the lights, dropped her bag, and stood in the center of the room.
She sat on the couch. Her phone lay beside her, but there was still no text or missed calls from Bao.
Had Bao really forgotten her? Her heart felt heavy.
She held onto her jacket and breathed slowly.
Tears filled her eyes again. Not loud cries, just quiet tears, born from tiredness rather than pain.
I have no one, she thought.
Not her parents. Not Bao. Not anyone who could shield her from what was coming.
The thought scared her, but it also made her stronger.
She sat up, and wiped her face. Whatever danger awaited her, she would face it the way she always had.
Alone
Mei Ling stared into the dark room, unaware that the past she had tried to escape was catching up with her.
And that the story of how she lost everything was far from over.