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The news quietly reached Lin Ruoyin's ears during a break at a small industry seminar.

That afternoon, she represented the Lu family at a high-level forum on "transformation of the luxury goods industry".

The meeting was held at a private club in Pudong.

During the tea break, Lin Ruoyin, holding a cup of coffee, stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and chatted with the Asia-Pacific head of a European boutique investment fund whom she had known for many years. The man was Swiss.

"...So, Lin, your Lu Group's 'Star Island' project in Southeast Asia this time represents a significant transformation." The Swiss man took a sip of coffee, his blue eyes behind his glasses scrutinizing him. "I heard that you've incorporated a lot of digital art and community symbiosis concepts? This isn't like Lu Group's usual style."

“The market is changing, and we also need to find new ways of storytelling.” Lin Ruoyin answered flawlessly, but her eyes keenly caught a hint of unusual inquiry in the other person’s tone.

The Swiss man nodded, seemingly casually twirling the glass in his hand, and lowered his voice: "Speaking of new narratives... I've heard some interesting rumors lately."

Lin Ruoyin: "Hmm?"

“Xu Jia, CEO Xu of Mohe.” The Swiss man looked up at her.

Lin Ruoyin paused for a moment.

"His investment focus during this period has clearly shifted from purely digital art platforms to the upstream of physical materials science. And he's betting heavily on it."

He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice even further: "I have a friend in the Materials Science department at ETH Zurich. Their lab recently received an extremely lucrative, highly confidential joint research project." He paused, his expression saying, "Who the other party is is self-evident," and continued, "The research direction is very specific: how to replicate corundum-like gemstones from specific mineral veins in a laboratory environment using the latest crystal growth and doping techniques."

The Swiss man's words gradually prompted Lin Ruoyin to think.

"What's even more intriguing is that this project is not only connecting with academic laboratories. It is also in contact with several Swiss workshops that have top-notch cutting and polishing techniques to explore how to make synthetic gemstones present a similar handcrafted feel and patina of age to antique jewelry in the final product stage."

The Huangpu River outside the window shimmered in the afternoon sun, and cruise ships glided by slowly. Soft classical music filled the conference room, while several CEOs chatted quietly in the distance.

But Lin Ruoyin only felt a chill slowly creeping up her spine.

The Swiss man didn't say anything more.

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds. The Swiss man glanced at his watch and nodded politely: "Tea break is almost over. It was a pleasure chatting with you, Lin. If you need resources from Europe for the project, please feel free to contact me."

He turned and walked towards the conference room, leaving Lin Ruoyin standing alone.

If his information is true... given he's a head of a top investment firm, his information is highly likely to be true. Then...

The scarcity and irreproducibility of natural gemstones will be completely overturned, which will be a fatal blow to the Lu Group.

But why?

Is the cooperation on the Xingyu project merely a brief and unreal calm in the eye of the storm?

During the latter half of the meeting, Lin Ruoyin could barely hear anything. She left early and got into her car.

Take out your phone and hover your fingertip over the screen.

Xu Jia.

She pressed the dial button.

The long, drawn-out wait continued, one tone after another, mechanical and indifferent. Finally, it went to voicemail.

She hesitated for a moment, then sent another message to Xu Jia, but received no reply for a long time.

Lin Ruoyin watched the street scene rushing past the window, her heart filled with anxiety. She needed answers, the sooner the better. Every moment of delay could put the Lu family in an even more passive position.

She heard her own voice and said to the driver, "To Mohe."

The car smoothly turned around and merged into the traffic heading towards the Mohe Building. The afternoon traffic wasn't particularly congested, but Lin Ruoyin felt the journey was incredibly long. Her fingers unconsciously traced the edge of her phone, her mind racing, considering all sorts of possibilities.

Lin Ruoyin walked alone into the spacious but cold first-floor lobby and headed straight for the front desk.

"Hello, I am Lin Ruoyin from Lu's Group. I am looking for General Manager Xu."

The receptionist was well-trained, with a standard smile on her face: "Hello, Mr. Lin. Do you have an appointment?"

"No. But it's urgent."

Seeing the slight embarrassment on the receptionist's face, Lin Ruoyin said, "Could you please help me contact Zhou Hui?"

"Okay, please wait a moment."

The receptionist quickly dialed the internal line and whispered a few words. A moment later, she hung up and smiled at Lin Ruoyin, saying, "Ms. Lin, Assistant Zhou said he'll be down right away."

"Thanks."

About five minutes later, Zhou Hui appeared. He was still wearing a well-fitting black suit, his face as calm as ever. When he saw Lin Ruoyin, he nodded slightly: "Director Lin, hello."

"Excuse me," Lin Ruoyin greeted him, her tone polite yet direct. "Is President Xu not in the company?"

"President Xu went out this afternoon," Zhou Hui replied flawlessly. "Is there anything Director Lin needs me to convey?"

Lin Ruoyin looked at him; his sharp eyes seemed to see right through people, yet they were firmly covered by a professional mask. She knew that if she directly asked about Xu Jia's whereabouts or intentions, Zhou Hui would never reveal a single detail.

“Actually, it’s nothing particularly important,” Lin Ruoyin said slowly. “I just came from an industry seminar and heard some rumors that I’d like to discuss with President Xu.”

Zhou Hui remained unmoved.

Lin Ruoyin looked directly into his eyes: "I heard that Mohe has recently invested a considerable amount of money in materials science, especially in the artificial synthesis of top-grade gemstones."

"Director Lin, the company's specific R&D direction and investment projects are trade secrets, and I am not authorized to disclose them to the public. Please understand." Whether listening or speaking, Zhou Hui's expression did not waver in the slightest, not even his eyes flickered, and his tone remained calm and normal.

Lin Ruoyin gradually realized that it would be difficult to get answers from the absolutely professional Zhou Hui.

Seeing the worry on Lin Ruoyin's face, Zhou Hui remained silent for a moment.

“Director Lin,” his voice rang out again, somewhat unexpectedly to Lin Ruoyin, not only because of his initiative in speaking, but also because of the content of his words, “Some time ago, President Lu Yan visited Mohe.”

Lin Ruoyin paused abruptly, her eyes widening in disbelief: "Lu Yan has been to the Ink Core?"

Zhou Hui's tone was devoid of any emotion; he was simply stating the facts objectively. "Yes. An important internal meeting was in progress when President Lu barged in and made some remarks to President Xu, hoping that President Xu would maintain proper boundaries and respect for you."

As soon as she finished speaking, all the color drained from Lin Ruoyin's face. She felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, chilling her from head to toe, even her fingertips went numb.

After the initial shock came an overwhelming sense of understanding.

I see.

All the vague clues, the Swiss man's ambiguous reminders, Xu Jia's evasive attitude, and Zhou Hui's hints... at this moment, were strung together by Lu Yan's utterly foolish act into a clear and despair-inducing chain of cause and effect.

She could almost picture the scene: in the conference room of Mohe, Lu Yan, blinded by confidence and delirious, barged in and, in front of a group of senior executives, issued a warning to Xu Jia in his arrogant, spoiled young master tone, a warning that sounded like a declaration of sovereignty. Every word was like a poisoned needle, not only piercing Xu Jia's sore spot but also stabbing into the lifeblood of the Lu family.

Zhou Hui quietly watched the rapidly changing expressions on Lin Ruoyin's face, from shock to understanding, and then to an unfathomable weariness and coldness. He knew his words had had an effect, so he said nothing more.

A chill crept into Lin Ruoyin's heart; she could feel the coldness in her fingertips, but she still tried her best to maintain a composed expression: "Thank you. I understand."

"If there's nothing else, I'll go upstairs now," Zhou Hui said politely.

"Okay, sorry to bother you."

Back in the car, the driver asked, "Mr. Lin, where are we going now?"

Lin Ruoyin leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes: "Go home."

As the car entered the courtyard of the Lu residence, dusk was approaching. Lin Ruoyin did not return to her room but went straight into the living room.

She sat down on the sofa, and the cold numbness she had felt in the Ink Core Hall that afternoon slowly faded away, replaced by anger.

But reason told her that now was not the time to be angry.

Time passed by, and the housekeeper tiptoed over to ask if she wanted dinner, but she shook her head and refused.

It wasn't until the night had completely enveloped the area outside the window that any movement came from the entryway.

Lu Yan returned. He loosened his tie as he walked in, and when he saw Lin Ruoyin sitting in the dimly lit living room, he was clearly taken aback.

"Why are you sitting here?" Lu Yan casually turned on the main light in the living room.

She looked up at him. Her face was expressionless, except for a barely suppressed turmoil deep in her eyes.

"Wait for you."

Lu Yan seemed to sense something, and his relaxed demeanor lessened slightly. He walked to the single sofa opposite her and sat down, raising an eyebrow: "Waiting for me? Something wrong?"

His tone was somewhat nonchalant.

Lin Ruoyin cut to the chase: "Did you go to Mohe a few days ago? Did you go to see Xu Jia?"

Lu Yan's expression froze for a moment, then turned displeased. He leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and said, "So what if it is?"

Seeing Lu Yan's nonchalant attitude, Lin Ruoyin suppressed her anger.

"Recently, Mohe has been researching the use of new technologies to coat rare natural gemstones in laboratories outside the United Nations. Do you know what that means?"

Lu Yan's expression changed, but he only let it last a few seconds before finally settling on disdain: "The Lu family has deep roots, why would I be afraid of him?"

"Deeply rooted?" Lin Ruoyin almost sneered. "Have you ever heard the saying that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it?"

Lu Yan's face darkened, and he added a hint of impatience: "So, what exactly do you want to say?"

“Lu Yan, I’m not joking with you, nor am I exaggerating. Traditional manufacturing industries are already in a precarious state.” She looked at him seriously. “Don’t do anything to provoke Xu Jia anymore. What Lu’s needs most right now is to stabilize the situation and find its own way out, not to keep provoking its rivals. Xu Jia really could completely destroy Lu’s.”

The light cast long shadows of the two people on the wall, where they stood silently facing each other.

Lu Yan looked at her, and a surge of inexplicable anger at being slighted suddenly rushed to his head.

He suddenly twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a somewhat twisted smile, his sharp eyes piercing Lin Ruoyin: "Is Xu Jia really that great, that unapproachable? Why can he provoke me again and again?"

A sense of absurdity and powerlessness began to creep in.

Lu Yan continued, "Lin Ruoyin, you specially sat here waiting for me tonight. Are you really worried that Lu's Group will collapse, or is it because I went to see him and embarrassed him, so you feel sorry for him? So you took your anger out on me because of him?"

Lu Yan's words were like knives, piercing Lin Ruoyin's heart.

tired.

Too lazy to explain, Lin Ruoyin's voice was as soft as a sigh, yet carried an icy resolve: "Think what you want."

She stood up, no longer looking at him, and walked straight towards the stairs. Her back was straight, yet it exuded a strong sense of detachment and resolve.

Lu Yan was taken aback by her reaction, and then a stronger surge of anger and panic at being ignored gripped him.

He jumped to his feet and growled at her retreating figure, "Lin Ruoyin!"

Lin Ruoyin paused for a moment, but did not turn around.

“I’m telling you,” Lu Yan’s voice became sharp with excitement and some emotion he couldn’t quite explain: “You’d better give up on that idea. I won’t grant your wish. You and that Xu guy will never be together.”

He uttered that last sentence almost through gritted teeth, like the most vicious curse.

Lin Ruoyin stood quietly for a few seconds with her back to him. The dim light in the corridor outlined her slender shoulders.

Then, without saying a word, she took a step and steadily walked up the stairs, one step at a time.

The footsteps disappeared around the corner on the second floor.

Lu Yan was left alone in the living room, standing under the bright lights, yet the air around him felt icy cold. The words he had just shouted still echoed faintly in the empty living room, like slaps against his own face.

He irritably ripped off his tie and threw it to the ground, his chest heaving violently. An unprecedented feeling, a mixture of anger, panic, and a trace of bewilderment he himself was unwilling to admit, entwined around him like vines.

Upstairs, Lin Ruoyin closed the door, leaned against the cold door panel, and slowly slid down to sit on the floor.

In the darkness, she raised her hand and covered her face.