Back at the Hua mansion, Hua Ling hung up the call with Dr. Zhang and tossed her phone onto the couch with a look of pure disgust. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Spineless old man!" she spat, pacing like a trapped animal.

The air in the mansion was thick with unease.

The once quiet and regal home was now riddled with tension. Staff members whispered in corners. The landlines rang non-stop. The sound of doors opening and slamming echoed down the hallways.

In the study, Hua Ming Rong was on another frantic phone call—this time with a long-time investor, Mr. Wang.

"Mr. Wang, please listen to me!" he pleaded. Sweat glistened at his temples.

"Listen to you?!" Mr. Wang’s voice blasted through the receiver. "Hua Ming Rong, are you out of your mind?! Do you know what kind of mess you’re in right now?! Your name is trending for all the wrong reasons!"

"This is a misunderstanding!" Hua Ming Rong tried again, gripping the phone like a lifeline.

"A misunderstanding?" Mr. Wang laughed coldly. "You’re standing at the edge of a cliff and you’re still blind?! The Fu Corporation has gone quiet—but that silence is the scariest thing!"

"What does the Fu Corporation have to do with—"

"Everything!" Mr. Wang snapped. "You think investors are pulling out because of some gossip? Fu Jing Rong has moved! Do you hear me? He’s making moves, and everyone in the upper circles knows it’s because of your family!"

Hua Ming Rong went quiet.

"Let me give you some advice as a man who still has a sliver of pity for you." Mr. Wang’s voice dropped. "Go to Fu Jing Rong. Crawl, beg, grovel—do whatever you must and make this right. If you don’t... your empire will burn before the sun sets on tomorrow."

Click.

The call ended.

Hua Ming Rong sat motionless, the phone still pressed against his ear.

His face had gone pale.

His hands were trembling.

His mouth was dry.

The weight of a thousand realizations crushed him all at once.

He had wronged the Fu family.

No—his daughter had!

He slowly turned, eyes burning, veins bulging in his neck, and stared at Hua Ling who stood nearby, her arms crossed like none of this had anything to do with her.

"You..." he whispered. His voice trembled with rage.

Hua Ling blinked. "What?"

"You’ve destroyed us," he snarled. "Do you even know what you’ve done?!"

"I saved us!" she snapped back. "That woman—"

"SHUT UP!!!"

The roar that left his throat shook the walls.

"You stole Hua Jing from the hospital! Do you even understand what you’ve triggered?! You think the Fu family is just any other family?!"

She flinched at the fire in his voice.

"You’ve cursed us all!" he hissed. "Because of you, I might lose everything I built with these hands!"

His hands were trembling—itching with the urge to grab her and shake her senseless.

But he didn’t move.

Instead, he looked at her with the kind of fury only a father pushed to the edge could carry.

And for the first time in years... Hua Ling looked afraid.

Hua Ming Rong’s voice thundered through the grand hall—a sound no one had ever heard before.

Hua Ling froze. Her father... he was actually yelling! Tears welled in her eyes at the shock.

"Father! I—I didn’t know what I was doing!" she wailed. "Hua Jing had... had someone backing her all along!"

Hua Ming Rong’s fury cracked as he looked at his daughter—so young, so naïve, so careless.

"It doesn’t matter what you thought!" he spat. "You’ve dragged our family into this—our reputation, our business! Do you understand?"

She stared back with trembling lips. "I... I didn’t know he would come... like that!"

Hua Ming  Rong took a shuddering breath. His chest heaved with anger—and a pang of regret.

He had never raised his voice like this—ever. But now, all the consequences of his cold disregard for Hua Jing had crashed on them like a tidal wave.

"It was never about Hua Jing," he said, softer now. "It was about power! And you—"

Tears streamed down Hua Ling’s face. "You hate her, father! You never cared about her—never! You let her suffer, all alone. And now, it’s my fault!"

A jagged silence fell.

Hua Ming Rong’s heart clenched. He realized that his own cruelty, his willingness to use and discard Hua Jing, had led them here. Now, it had become his daughter’s burden too.

He pressed his palm to his forehead.

"I—I..." His voice cracked.

Hua Ling wiped her tears, stepping forward.

"Dad, I will fix this!" she said, voice quivering but determined. "I’ll go to Fu Jing Rong tomorrow—I’ll apologize. I’ll beg him. I’ll... I’ll do whatever it takes to save us."

Hua Ming Rong’s heart lurched. A rush of pride—yet also terror—flared within him.

"Don’t do this, A Ling," he said, gently. "Tomorrow is chaos enough. Let me handle it."

"No!" She shook her head, tears shimmering in the lamplight. "If anyone can fix this, it’s you. But... if not... I have to try."

He nodded, voice softening. "I understand. But you’re still my daughter. And I’ll do what I can." He paused. "Go to your room. Rest. We... need strength tomorrow."

She blinked, confusion and sorrow clashing in her eyes. Then she turned and fled toward the staircase.

As she disappeared, Hua Ming Rong’s shoulders slumped. His mask of control slipped off—revealing exhaustion.

He whispered to himself: My daughter... she believes she can undo this. What mess have I let her fall into?

Silence enveloped the room. No staff dared enter.

Hua Ming Rong gazed at the ornate family portrait on the wall—a moment frozen in happier times.

...

As soon as Hua Ling closed the door behind her, the tears vanished. Her shoulders straightened. The façade peeled away. She stood in the silent hallway, her heart pounding with suppressed rage.

She marched to her room, boots echoing on the marble floor. Once inside, she paced anxiously. This wasn’t just a family crisis—it was her crisis.

It looked so straightforward... She paused at the window, staring out at the moonlit courtyard. But it’s spiraling. My career. My future. Everything.

Her phone buzzed—a message from her manager demanding updates. She checked it, her lips curling in frustration.

"Hua Ling, what’s the status? Are we still on for next week’s press conference?"

I can’t even think about a press conference, she snarled internally. All because of Hua Jing.

She spun away, glaring at her own reflection on the bedroom mirror. That wench! She never deserved any of this!

Anger surged through her—fierce, hot, unrelenting.

She thought back to Fu Jing Rong, that devil who had waltzed into their lives when he woke up. He’d marched to her father’s mansion, demanded answers like a king entitled to a subject’s loyalty.

What gives him the right?

A cold rage burned in her chest.

She sank onto her chaise lounge, burying her face in her hands.

He’s fighting for Hua Jing? In public! All over the media... over Jinlai... over our business!

She clenched her fists until her nails bit into her palms.

In the past, she had tried everything—flattery, charm, even planted stories—to get close to him. She’d thought she had something special—something—but he ignored her! Rejected her!

And now? He sacrificed everything, stormed through hospitals, tarnished reputations... all for Hua Jing.

He promised me! She hissed under her breath. He promised he’d destroy Hua Jing’s life once he woke up!

But nothing. No mention of revenge. No retaliation. Just rescuing her. Publicly. Dramatically. Like something from a melodrama.

Her breath hitched. Disgust surged.

Who did Hua Jing have on her side? she wondered, voice low and bitter. Who whispered to the devil?

Her career—her carefully curated image—was at risk. One scandal, one slip, and everything could collapse.

She ran her fingers through her hair, loosening a strand until it fell across her eyes. She shook her head as if trying to shake off shame.

The Xiangyang Film Festival... the endorsement deal... all on hold. Because of this disgrace.

Heat flooded her face. She hated Hua Jing deeper now than ever before.

When the news first broke, she’d laughed it off: As if they care! They’ll move on. But seeing Fu Jing Rong’s fury on camera—scarier than anything—she realized they underestimated him.

He was a superstar. A powerhouse. A force to be reckoned with. And now, she had become the pawn in his public war.

Hua Ling jumped off the chaise lounge and started pacing again.

They won’t just destroy Jinlai—they’ll take down our family too. Dad’s phone never stopped ringing. Mr. Wang, all those investors pulling out...

Her father’s empire was shaken. All because of her mistake—her impulsive rescue of Hua Jing from the hospital.

She rubbed her temples. If I had just left Hu ajing there... this never would have happened.

But now, it had. She swallowed hard.

If he’s got Hua Jing’s back... then I have to save face. She took a deep breath.

Tomorrow I’m going on the offensive! she resolved. I’ll call Fu Jing Rong myself. Apologize? No—I’ll negotiate. I’ll find out what he wants... And I’ll use him.

A cruel smile curved her lips. She ran the edges of her nails across her phone’s wooden vanity.