Mei Ling froze.
The photo captured from behind showed her walking, completely unaware.
She zoomed in hoping to catch a clue, but there was nothing.
No shadow, no face. Whoever had taken it had stayed completely hidden.
She forced herself to breathe slowly, the silence in the apartment felt loud.
Her eyes darted to the windows and across the apartment. The doors were still locked, and the corners of the room were empty.
She saw nothing unusual.
She lifted the phone closer to her face, and studied the image again. The time showed it was taken just twenty minutes ago.
Twenty minutes ago?
She replayed her walk home in her mind, retracing every step. The crowded sidewalk, the teenagers laughing, the man across the street who had looked at her longer than he should have, the reflections in shop windows, the taxi that had driven too slowly beside her before speeding off.
She hadn't noticed a camera. She hadn't noticed anyone walking too close behind her either. Had she been distracted? Had she been too lost in her thoughts?
The message beneath the photo remained on her screen, cold and chilling:
"You are not as careful as you think."
She checked the number. It was unknown.
Mei Ling wanted to call someone, anyone, but held back. She knew reaching out could put someone else at risk. So she set the phone down.
Her fingers felt cold.
She approached the window and peeked through the blinds.
Was someone watching her? she wondered.
She stepped back from the window and locked it, checking the lock twice.
Mei Ling returned to her desk and opened the photo again.
The photographer had been moving, walking right behind her.
Her skin tingled, the hair on her arms standing on end.
She shut her laptop, ignoring the urge to sleep. With a notebook in hand, she began jotting down observations: potential suspects, possible motives, and every street camera she had passed.
Tomorrow would go as planned. She'd review footage, check records, and follow every lead she could.
Someone was following her, and they wanted her to know it.
And somewhere in the back of her mind, one question grew louder. Was the stranger involved? Or was he the only reason she was still alive?
She didn't know it yet, but she'd find out.
LIAN CHEN FÀN
Across the city in a district where the street lights never flickered off and the gates were heavily surrounded by armed men, Lian Chen Fàn stood in his penthouse balcony, watching the sky.
The clouds gathered, threatening rain. Just then, the door opened behind him, quietly.
He heard footsteps and guessed it was his father. They were unmistakable, carrying the weight of decades in the criminal world.
Jianyu Fàn, his father.
Lian Chen didn't turn. He didn't need to. His father only came to him when something important demanded it.
"Lian, the city feels different tonight," Jianyu said calmly, stepping beside him.
"It always feels different," Lian Chen said, as he kept his gaze on the sky.
"Not like this. We have been watched," Jianyu said, as he his eyes tightened.
Lian Chen finally turned.
"By who?" he asked.
"A journalist. She is smart and persistent," Jianyu said, as he clasped his hands behind his back and stepped further into the balcony.
"She works for The Sentinel Press, a criminal reporter who follows shadows for a living." He added.
Lian stayed silent, his jaw tightening.
"She is digging into the Fàn Syndicate. She has no proof yet, but she is close to something she must not find out." Jianyu said again.
Lian Chen waited.
Jianyu looked at him. His face, unreadable. "Her name is Mei Ling Lù,"
Lian Chen's eyes flickered. Just once.
That name again.
Jianyu nodded when he saw his reaction, even if it was subtle.
"Ah. You remember her," he teased.
Lian Chen remained silent. He remembered too well.
He remembered the night his father had ordered him to return from London. The summons came unexpectedly.
Lian Chen had been studying law there, planning to finish his degree before returning. He came back only when he had completed his studies, keeping distance from his father's empire. But Jianyu never called without reason and a summons was never optional.
When Lian Chen returned, he learned the truth bit by bit.
The Fàn Syndicate was not just a rumor whispered behind closed doors. It was real, rich and powerful. They controlled smuggling routes disguised as shipping lines, and made secret deals with politicians. They ran underground auctions, and held entire neighborhoods under their sway with debt and protection schemes.
And his father wanted him to inherit it. Lian Chen had resisted, and he still resisted.
He didn't want that kind of power.
But no education abroad, no certificate, no law degree could wash the blood from his veins.
The heir was chosen by lineage and not preference.
Tonight Jianyu Fàn faced his son with the control of a man who trusted no one, but the heir he had raised.
"I've heard that the journalist is connecting dots. She isn't dangerous yet, but she could be. And if she becomes suspicious, the authorities might notice." Jianyu said.
Lian Chen leaned against the balcony edge, his expression unreadable. "What do you want me to do?"
Jianyu smiled, but it was not genuine. It was a smile used to trap enemies and manipulate allies.
"You will get close to her," he replied.
Lian Chen stiffened and asked, "Why me?"
"Because you are young, smart, and charming. She will trust you," Jianyu said.
"And if she finds out who I am?" Lian asked again.
"She won't," Jianyu waved a hand. "We'll make her see you as her savior, not her enemy. You'll protect her from danger we create, so she'll depend on you."
Lian Chen's eyes sharpened. "So, you want me to manipulate her?"
He couldn't believe how low his father could get, just to protect his reputation.
"Not manipulate, I'd call it guidance. She must stop digging. Threats or bribes will raise suspicion. If she trusts you… she will look away." Jianyu said flatly.
"This means, you want me to use her," Lian Chen said, as he clenched his fists.
He felt disgusted at his father's actions.
"I want you to protect our family," Jianyu said, as if to remind Lian Chen that he was his own son.
When Jianyu noticed his son wasn't paying attention, he grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
"You are my son, the heir of the Fàn Syndicate. You will do as you're told!" He yelled, shaking him roughly. After a tense moment, he released his grip, letting his hands fall back to his sides.
There was silence between them.
Lian Chen looked at his father, searching for a trace of hesitation.
He found none.
"How do you expect me to get close to her?" he asked.
"We already arranged it. The staged threat. Our men followed her in the dark, made it look like she was in danger. And you arrived at the right moment, just as planned." Jianyu answered.
Lian Chen drew a slow breath. "So the men in black that night…" He started.
"Were ours," Jianyu said, satisfied. "Everything worked. She already sees you as a hero." He added, beaming with a smile.
Lian Chen looked away.
He hated the manipulation, and deceit. He hated that he had played along so easily.
But he had also seen Mei Ling's fear that night, the uncertainty in her eyes, and the way she faced danger without giving up.
"She is clever, but she is human. Humans trust those who save them. Once she trusts you, you will know what she knows. You will keep her under your watch and make sure she does not uncover anything dangerous." Jianyu continued.
"And if she already has?" Lian Chen asked, curious.
"Then you handle it. I trust you to make the right choice." Jianyu replied.
A cold wind swept across the balcony. Lian Chen's eyes darkened.
Handle it?
His father never clarified what that meant, because he didn't have to.
Jianyu Fàn placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're disciplined and have the instinct to protect our family. This is your role, Lian Chen."
He paused.
"And she is your first assignment." He said. His voice, final.
FLASHBACK: THE NIGHT.
Lian Chen remembered it vividly.
He had waited in a dark alley. Three men in black coats moved toward Mei Ling, following Jiayu's instructions. They were not to touch her or speak to her, but intimidate, frighten, and push her into a situation where Lian Chen's intervention would feel natural and heroic.
Mei Ling saw the rough-looking boys first. Then the footsteps behind her began, driving her anxiety higher. She moved quickly and hid behind the wall. By the time she met the men in black, fear had already overtaken her.
He remembered thinking: She's braver than she looks.
When the moment came, Lian stepped forward. The men pulled back just as planned. Mei Ling, shaken but unharmed, stared at him in shock and relief. Her knees almost gave out.
She whispered a "thank you" without even knowing his name.
And he had led her away, pretending to protect her from a threat that never existed.
He hated the deception, he hated that he was forced to stand between his father's orders and his own conscience.
But he had done it because that was his duty.
BACK TO PRESENT
Jianyu turned from the balcony and faced his son.
"There's more. Our surveillance team followed her tonight, took photos, and reported she looked uneasy because she knew someone was watching her, and she was starting to feel it." He said.
Lian Chen's body stiffened. "You took pictures of her again?" He asked.
"We had to. First, we sent her a warning to shake her, something that would push her toward someone she thinks she can trust," Jianyu said, with a serious tone.
Lian Chen felt a strange surge of anger. "Why involve her again so soon?"
"Because the more fear she feels, the more she'll gravitate toward safety. And you will be that safety."
Jianyu replied calmly.
Lian Chen's throat tightened.
He felt upset about how his father controlled his life.
Jianyu placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Do not disappoint me."
Lian Chen didn't respond.
Somewhere, Mei Ling sat alone, studying the photo, terrified, unaware that the man who saved her was the reason she needed saving.
Lian's heart sank.
He didn't want to deceive her, he didn't want to use her. He didn't want to be the villain in her
story.
But he was, because he was a Fàn.
And this was the life he had been born into.