The phone on Madam He’s desk buzzed twice. She reached for it lazily, the corners of her mouth lifting as she read the message.
Her fingers brushed over the screen, eyes and her eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "Finally," she whispered, leaning back in her chair. "Yun Li, you’ll regret ever being born into that family and being related with Yue Ning"
A soft chuckle escaped her lips. Leaning back on her chair, she lifted her glass of wine, watching the dark liquid swirl under the light. "When Yue Ning hears of this, she’ll break—just like her precious friend."
Another buzz interrupted her gloating.
[He Yuchen left the resort.]
"Perfect timing," Madam He murmured, swirling the glass again. "No witnesses. Everything will fall apart quietly."
She didn’t know that fate rarely stayed quiet.
He Yuchen turned the car around halfway through the drive. He had left an important folder in the suite. It was supposed to be a short trip to the city, but the mistake forced him back to the resort.
"How could I forget?" He scolded himself throughout the drive. His mistake had forced him to have a long drive.
When he arrived, the villa was quiet except for the maids who were going about their duties.
He walked to the room he shared with Yun Li and unlocked the door and stepped inside. The faint scent of jasmine lingered in the air. The tea tray was still on the table, the pot half-empty, and a shattered cup lay near the couch.
"Yun Li!" He shouted with wide eyes.
She was sprawled on the floor, her face pale, lips faintly trembling. For a split second, everything stopped. Then he rushed to her side, lifting her head gently.
Her breathing was shallow. Her pulse was barely there.
"Someone! Call the doctor!"
One of the staff who heard his instructions rushed to get the doctor.
"Yun Li, wake up." He tapped her face gently.
A few minutes, a doctor from the resort’s medical wing arrived minutes later.
He Yuchen had placed her on the bed rubbing her hands gently, begging her to wake.
The doctor’s face grave as he examined her. "She’s been poisoned," he said quietly. "We need to get her to the hospital immediately."
He Yuchen froze. "What? Poisoned? But how?"
"There’s no time to waste." The doctor reminded.
After a while, a maid rushed in, informing them that the ambulance had already arrived.
He Yuchen carried Yun Li and rushed to the ambulance where the paramedics helped place her on the stretcher.
Hours later, at the hospital, the doctor stepped out of the emergency room. "She’s stable for now. The poison was strong—it wasn’t accidental."
He Yuchen’s jaw clenched. "Who delivered her tea?"
"Only a maid, sir," a staff member who accompanied them answered. "Lin Mei."
He said nothing as he turned and walked out. The drive back to the resort was silent, his mind cold and focused.
When he entered the villa again, the air was cool but heavy with tension. Lin Mei stood by the door, trembling.
"Tell me what happened," he demanded quietly.
"I—I just served the tea," she stammered. "I don’t know anything else."
"Really?" His voice was calm, but his eyes weren’t. "Then why are you afraid?"
Her hands shook. "I swear I didn’t—"
But he moved faster. In a blink of an eye, he caught her by the arm. Her phone fell to the floor, and the screen lit up. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝕟𝕖𝕥
Silence filled the room.
"Who sent you?" His tone was low now, dangerous.
Her lips quivered. "I can’t say... they’ll kill me."
Tears gathered in her eyes, but she said nothing.
He glanced at the guards. "Take her. Don’t let anyone leave this place."
As they dragged her away, the sound of the ocean drifted faintly through the window. He Yuchen stood alone in the quiet suite, staring at the shattered cup on the floor.
For the first time, his expression turned dark—cold enough to chill the air around him.
He exhaled shakily. "Get me everything on that maid," he ordered the resort manager who had quietly entered the room. "Her calls, her messages, who she’s been meeting—I need everything."
The man bowed slightly and retreated, his polished shoes clicking softly against the marble. The silence that followed pressed down like a weight.
He Yuchen turned back toward the window, his gaze falling once more on the broken porcelain cup. The tea had dried into a faint brown stain on the rug, a mark that might never wash away.
He pressed a hand to his temple. His composure, so carefully cultivated, was starting to crack. The image of Yun Li... her still body, her pale lips replayed over and over in his mind.
Someone had planned this. Deliberately.
And they had done it while he was away.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. A message from the hospital.
[The patient has regained partial consciousness.]
For a moment, he didn’t move. Then, quietly, he slipped the phone back into his coat pocket. "Keep her alive," he instructed under his breath. "Whoever did this will pay."
The resort manager returned minutes later, holding out a trembling hand. "Sir, we accessed her phone records. She’s been in contact with an unknown number for five days. The last message came from it."
He Yuchen took the device, scanning the screen. His eyes darkened. The sender’s number was unregistered, but the message history told its own story.
Orders. Updates. Payment confirmations.
It wasn’t random. It was a job. But who could it be? He Yuchen asked himself several times.
"She wasn’t working alone," he said coldly, tossing the phone back to the manager. "Double the guards. No one leaves until I say so."
As the manager hurried off, He Yuchen sank onto the edge of the bed. The scent of jasmine still lingered faintly in the air. He looked toward the spot where Yun Li had fallen and clenched his jaw.
His world had always been ruled by logic, business, control and a little bit of fun. But now, for the first time, something colder and more personal stirred beneath his calm surface.
He didn’t know who had started this game. But he was going to end it.