The café's glass windows became her prison.
Yuexi had only wanted a simple afternoon—coffee, a notebook, a quiet place to breathe. But the moment one camera flash exploded outside, the swarm descended.
Reporters crowded the entrance, microphones and phones thrust forward like weapons.
"Miss Lin, care to explain the photos?""Are you having an affair with Zhang Wei?""Is this why CEO Lu divorced you?""Or are you back together to cover up your scandal?"
Each question pierced like a dart.
Yuexi froze, her back pressed against the counter, the weight of dozens of eyes suffocating her. Her chest tightened, air slipping away.
The barista tried to help. "Please, you can't block the doorway—" But the crowd only grew louder, bolder.
Someone shouted, "Look at her! She can't even deny it. Guilty!"
Her hands trembled. She wanted to scream that it wasn't true, that the photos were lies, that her dignity wasn't theirs to devour. But her voice refused to come.
And then—silence.
The kind of silence that ripples before a storm.
The crowd parted as Lu Chenxuan stepped inside.
He wore no bodyguards today, no armor of corporate suits. Only a tailored black shirt, sleeves rolled up, his presence sharp enough to cut glass.
He strode straight to Yuexi, ignoring the questions hurled at him, the cameras flashing furiously. His hand found hers, firm and unwavering.
"She has nothing to say," he said, voice cold as steel. "Because I'll say it for her."
The crowd stilled.
"Lin Yuexi is under my protection. Any rumor, any slander, any attempt to smear her name—" His gaze swept over the reporters, lethal in its precision. "—is an attack on me. And I don't forgive attacks."
The words weren't shouted, yet they thundered through the room.
For a moment, no one dared move. Then, one by one, the reporters lowered their cameras. The swarm thinned, the whispers fading as fear did what reason could not.
Only when the café was nearly empty did Yuexi realize her hand was still clutched tightly in his.
"Chenxuan…" she whispered, voice breaking.
He looked down at her, eyes softer now, though tension still carved his jaw. "You're safe."
But as she stared at him, heart pounding, she wondered: Was safety with him really safety at all—or another kind of cage?
That same evening, Chenxuan's office burned with midnight light.
Xu Ming placed a folder on his desk. "We traced the funding behind Zhang Min's smear campaign."
Chenxuan flipped through the documents. Bank transfers. Offshore accounts. A signature he recognized instantly.
His blood ran cold.
It wasn't just Zhang Min. It wasn't just Zhang Wei. The money came from inside Lu Corporation.
"Who?" he demanded.
Xu hesitated. "Vice President Liang. He's been leaking information for months. We believe he's the one feeding the tabloids and financing the fake photos."
Betrayal. Inside his walls.
Chenxuan's fist slammed the desk, rattling the glass of water. "I trusted him with my company."
Xu's voice was steady. "What do you want us to do?"
Chenxuan stared at the damning documents, the weight of Yuexi's earlier tears pressing against his chest. His enemies weren't just circling—they were inside the gates.
"Set the trap," he ordered finally. "If Liang wants war, he'll have it."
Later, back at the mansion, Yuexi stood on the balcony, the city shimmering below. Chenxuan joined her, silent at first, the night air heavy between them.
"You shouldn't have come today," she murmured, eyes fixed on the skyline. "Every time you shield me, it only proves them right. That I can't fight for myself."
He turned to her, frustration flickering in his gaze. "Would you rather I let them tear you apart?"
"I'd rather you believed I'm strong enough to survive without you."
The words hit harder than any scandal.
For a long moment, Chenxuan said nothing. Then, quietly, he admitted, "Maybe that's my greatest weakness. I can fight the world, Yuexi. But I don't know how to stop fighting for you."
Her heart twisted. She wanted to believe him, wanted to trust that beneath all the power and control was the man she once loved.
But trust, once broken, wasn't so easily rebuilt.
Far across the city, in a darkened office, Vice President Liang raised a glass of whiskey, smirking as he read the evening news.
"Lu Chenxuan thinks he's untouchable," he murmured. "Let's see how long his empire lasts once I pull out the foundation brick by brick."
And with a single phone call, another blow against Chenxuan and Yuexi's fragile truce was set into motion.