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The morning sun gleamed off the glass towers of Starlight Media, reflecting like shards of ice across the streets below.
The driver quickly opened the door and Mo Yuwei stepped out of her sleek black car, her heels clicking lightly against the marble driveway.
At the building entrance, Li Hao was waiting, his posture straight but his eyes darting nervously like a man with too many unsaid words.
The moment he spotted her, he hurried forward.
"Good morning, CEO Mo!" he greeted with his usual respectful smile.
Mo Yuwei gave a slight nod, her gaze cool and steady.
But before she could walk past, Li Hao blurted out, "CEO… last night, the man and that young girl— they waited for you at Xingrui Imperial Hotel until midnight. Should I… tell them anything? Or…"
Mo Yuwei paused mid-step.
Oh God.
She had forgotten about them after Mr. Ou called her last night.
She chuckled lightly. "I forgot," she said.
Li Hao blinked, stunned.
Forgotten? That wasn't like her at all.
He quickly nodded though, pretending it made perfect sense. "Ah… okay then. I'll handle it. But… um… CEO Mo…" His voice lowered with curiosity. "What exactly were they supposed to do?"
Mo Yuwei turned her head slowly, her eyes narrowing on him. Her gaze was sharp enough to slice glass.
Li Hao's breath caught.
For an instant, he swore he saw the shadow of a predator in her eyes.
He forced out a nervous laugh, waving his hands. "Ah—forget I asked! I'm not curious. Not curious at all!"
He thought miserably to himself: Why can't I control my mouth? CEO Mo's eyes are too frightening. One look and my soul nearly left my body…
Mo Yuwei let the corner of her lips lift in amusement. "Good. Then don't ask again."
She continued forward, Li Hao scrambling to follow as he scratched the back of his neck.
"Is Xu Jiaqi at the company?" she asked suddenly.
"Yes, CEO. She came early," Li Hao replied quickly.
Mo Yuwei hummed. "Those two—they were meant to help with Yan Qingsi and Xu Jiaqi's case."
Li Hao's jaw slackened. "Ohhh…" Then his eyes widened. His brain connected the dots. "Wait—CEO Mo… does that mean Gu Yanchuan, Fang Zemin, and Su Xiao's arrest this morning has something to do with—"
Her cold glare cut him off instantly.
Li Hao swallowed the rest of his words, but his excitement bubbled over anyway.
His voice dropped, quick and breathless, "Th-then… what's next? Since they've been arrested, there must be solid evidence! Did they really—could they really have been involved in Yan Qingsi's death? Did they actually—"
Mo Yuwei fought the urge to cover her ears with cotton.
Li Hao was efficient, loyal, and sharp when he needed to be, but his mouth…
He could talk an entire army to death.
"Enough," she cut him off, "Give the two people a small compensation. Tell the hotel everything is settled, they won't need to do what they promised."
"Understood, CEO." Li Hao obediently nodded, already tapping reminders into his tablet.
As they stepped into the elevator, he hurried to press the button for her.
"Where is Xu Jiaqi?" Mo Yuwei asked as the doors slid shut.
"Conference Room Five, CEO. She's been waiting since early morning," Li Hao reported.
Mo Yuwei hummed in acknowledgment and pulled out her phone.
Her thumb scrolled swiftly across the trending topics on the internet.
—
Three headlines dominated the screen, each accompanied by explosive discussions.
Within a single morning, reposts had soared past the billion mark.
[Breaking: Famous Director Gu Yanchuan, Starlight CEO Fang Zemin, and Top Investor Su Xiao Arrested by Police!]
[Xu Jiaqi Spotted Previously with Yan Qingsi and the Three Men On A CCTV Footage—What's the Connection?]
[Netizens Demand Answers: What Really Happened to Yan Qingsi?!]
She skimmed through the top comments.
—
"Three powerful men, arrested in one morning… what is going on?!"
"Wait… are these arrests linked to Xu Jiaqi and Yan Qingsi?"
"If this is true, then the entertainment industry is darker than we thought."
"Don't tell me this has something to do with Yan Qingsi's sudden death?"
"This feels like a dirty scandal being swept under the rug. Why was Qingsi buried so quickly back then?"
"I'm so confused. Did the authorities find something big?"
"All three of them in trouble… something dark is being uncovered."
—
Some had even tagged the official police and CIB accounts.
The reply was professional, measured: "The case is under official investigation. Please wait for updates. Justice will not be delayed."
That only made the speculation worse.
—
"Under investigation = something big is happening. I bet Yan Qingsi's death wasn't an accident at all."
"Why else would Gu Yanchuan, Fang Zemin, and Su Xiao be arrested? This can't be a coincidence!"
"Why arrest them if there's no evidence? Tell us what's going on!"
"Don't let power and money cover up the truth!"
"Yan Qingsi deserves justice. We won't shut up until we know."
"Why was her funeral rushed? Something doesn't add up!"
"Authorities, if you stay silent now, you'll lose all credibility."
"Could this be connected to the suspiciously fast burial of Yan Qingsi?"
"If this is true, then Starlight Media's higher-ups better prepare. Netizens won't forgive murderers."
"Damn… this feels like a movie plot, but it's real life. My skin is crawling."
—
Another wave of comments popped up, this time targeting Starlight Media directly.
"Why did so many of their actresses disappear or suddenly quit in the past two years? Don't tell me this isn't connected!"
"It's true! Every time someone got popular, they vanished! Either they retired or they just… disappeared…"
"What the hell is happening inside Starlight Media? This can't be normal."
"Yan Qingsi's case is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm sure of it."
"God, what if there are more victims?!"
—
Mo Yuwei's lips curved slightly—cold, sharp.
So the netizens weren't entirely blind. Some were already circling close to the truth.
The elevator chimed and opened.
She slipped her phone back into her bag and stepped out, her heels echoing against the marble floor.
The few employees on the floor glanced up from their desks, quickly rising to bow and greet her.
"Good morning, CEO Mo."
"Morning, CEO."
She gave a small nod, her face cold and expressionless.
Everyone straightened nervously and lowered their voices.
—
Li Hao hurried ahead, opening the conference room door for her.
Inside, Xu Jiaqi sat rigidly, eyes glued to her phone.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she scrolled through the morning's news.
Each post, each update, made her heart pound faster.
Something was wrong… something had been set in motion… and the truth, she feared, was worse than anything she imagined.
She kept refreshing her feed, heart pounding louder with each headline.
—
When the door opened, she jerked up like a startled rabbit.
Her heart jumped into her throat when she saw Mo Yuwei.
For a wild moment, she wanted to rush forward and demand answers—Tell me! Tell me what's happening! What did you find?!—but her courage faltered.
This was CEO Mo. Untouchable. Sharp as ice.
Instead, Xu Jiaqi scrambled to her feet and bowed slightly, blurting out in a rush, "CEO Mo… what exactly happened?" Her voice trembled despite her best effort. "Please… please tell me. What exactly happened?"
Mo Yuwei's red lips curved into a faint smile. "Sit."
Her tone was gentle, but it carried an authority that made Xu Jiaqi obey immediately, sitting down again with stiff movements.
—
Mo Yuwei took her seat gracefully, while Li Hao positioned himself at her side.
He looked equally restless, his curiosity nearly leaking from his pores.
"What we discovered…" Mo Yuwei began slowly, her voice calm, deliberate. "Is shocking."
Both Xu Jiaqi and Li Hao leaned forward unconsciously.
But just as she was about to continue, Mo Yuwei frowned slightly as she realised something. "I left the MacBook in the car. Li Hao, fetch it."
"Yes, CEO." Li Hao darted out instantly.
The silence in the room grew thick. Xu Jiaqi's nails dug into her palms as she blurted out, "CEO Mo, what do you mean by shocking? What happened? Why were Gu Yanchuan, Fang Zemin, and Su Xiao arrested? Please—tell me!"
Mo Yuwei's sharp eyes softened slightly as she glanced at her. "Don't panic. First… tell me. Where was Yan Qingsi buried?"
The sudden question stunned Xu Jiaqi. Her lips parted, words stuck in her throat.
After a moment, she answered hesitantly, "We… we went to the outskirts of the city. Fang Zemin arranged it. He said… it was convenient, and that the feng shui there was good for Qingsi…"
Her voice faltered. "Why… are you asking this, CEO?"
Mo Yuwei's lips curved in a small, cold smirk. "Because the truth lies there."
Before Xu Jiaqi could question further, the door opened again. Li Hao returned, carrying the sleek MacBook.
"Here, CEO." He handed it over quickly.
Mo Yuwei flipped it open, fingers flying over the keyboard.
A moment later, she slid the device toward Xu Jiaqi. "See for yourself."
Her hands trembling, Xu Jiaqi accepted the MacBook.
Li Hao immediately pulled a chair to sit, craning his neck to look too.
—
At first, Xu Jiaqi read silently, her eyes moving line by line.
Then her face slowly drained of color. Her breath quickened.
Her lips trembled.
Li Hao, less restrained, cursed under his breath. "Holy—what the hell—"
Then Xu Jiaqi froze completely when her eyes fell on the cemetery records, her heart stopped.
The private cemetery… it was not just for Yan Qingsi.
There were fifty eight.
Fifty-eight.
Fifty-eight other girls.
Buried in the same private cemetery.
Her lips parted soundlessly. Her whole body trembled.
This can't be real. This can't be real…
Her trembling fingers hovered above the screen. "This… this is real? A private cemetery? All girls?"
Her vision blurred as tears welled in her eyes.
She clutched the device tighter, horror and grief twisting inside her chest.
"Qingsi…" she whispered. "What did they… what did they do to you…"
She imagined Yan Qingsi's final hours that night— images of her best friend's last night flashed in her mind—her tears, her pleading voice, her helplessness.
And then the cruel truth: raped… to death… cremated in haste… hidden in silence.
Her sob broke the heavy air.
Even Li Hao, usually careless with his words, sat frozen in shock.
His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles went white.
"Those bastards…" he hissed. "They're worse than animals!"
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