After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

10:00 AM.

The early winter sun pierced through the glass curtain wall and fell on the marble floor of the Light and Shadow Media headquarters building.

The building's revolving doors were forcibly stopped by several Northern bodyguards in black suits. Zhu Xun Chuan, dressed in a sharply tailored dark black suit, strode into the lobby.

Beside him, Pei Yanyu wore a bright red fitted trench coat, ten-centimeter black high heels with red soles, long wavy hair draped over her shoulders, and large sunglasses covering half of her face.

After a two-year hiatus, this youngest Grand Slam Best Actress, who was once forced to flee overseas in disgrace by the combined forces of the Zhao and Chen families, has re-entered the entertainment empire that once belonged to her with unprecedented flamboyance.

The receptionist and security personnel in the lobby stood frozen in place. Someone recognized Pei Yanyu and looked astonished. A security supervisor forced himself to step forward.

"Miss Pei...you can't go in, there's an emergency board meeting going on upstairs..."

Zhu Xun Chuan didn't stop. Two Northern Border bodyguards stepped forward, grabbed the security supervisor by the shoulders, and forcibly shoved him aside.

Zhu Xun Chuan took Pei Yan Yu's hand and walked straight into the president's private elevator, pressing the button for the 68th floor.

"Are you scared?" Inside the elevator, Zhu Xun Chuan looked at the fluctuating numbers.

Pei Yanyu took off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of alluring, captivating eyes. She grasped Zhu Xunchuan's hand and rested it against his broad shoulder. "With you here, I can walk sideways in Kyoto."

"Ding!" The elevator doors slid open.

The top-floor conference room was filled with smoke.

Seven or eight middle-aged men in suits sat on either side of the long table. Seated at the head of the table was Sun Jihai, Chen Pojun's trusted confidant in Guangying Media and currently its executive director.

The heavy double wooden door was kicked open.

Zhu Xun Chuan led Pei Yan Yu inside. The Northern Border bodyguards quickly took control of all entrances and exits to the conference room.

Sun Jihai slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. His face darkened upon seeing who it was. "Zhu Xunchuan? Zhao Tingzhi just died, the handover process for the film industry isn't finished yet. This isn't your place to cause trouble. Pei Yanyu, you washed-up actress, who gave you the audacity to step into this place?"

Pei Yanyu did not back down. She straightened her back and instantly unleashed her powerful aura as a movie queen. She walked to the long table, casually tossing her sunglasses onto the surface with a crisp sound.

Zhu Xun Chuan pulled out a leather chair opposite the main seat and sat down with an air of authority.

"I don't have time for nonsense." Zhu Xun Chuan's voice was cold and hard. "Hand over the company seal and financial keys, and get out of here with the Chen family."

"Arrogant!" Sun Jihai sneered, slamming several financial statements onto the table. "With the Zhao family's downfall, Guangying's overseas operations have come to a complete standstill. We're currently sitting on 1.2 billion yuan in short-term debt defaults. You want Guangying? Fine. First, fill this 1.2 billion yuan hole, or this afternoon, the court will seize all the assets here!"

Several former board members echoed this sentiment, attempting to use the massive debt as a barrier to force Zhu Xunchuan out of the game. They were convinced that a young man who had just emerged from obscurity simply couldn't produce such a huge cash flow.

"1.2 billion? Is that all the limited vision the dogs the Chen family keep?"

A languid yet magnetic female voice came from outside the door.

Xia Wanying walked into the conference room in champagne-colored high heels. She wore a very stylish white business suit that accentuated her stunning figure.

Followed by twelve top finance and legal elites carrying briefcases, Dinghe Group's capital army officially entered the scene.

"Baby Zhu." Xia Wanying walked to Zhu Xunchuan's side, bent down and teased him in a low voice, then glanced at Pei Yanyu, her tone carrying a unique coquettishness and flirtation, "To win a smile from my beloved, I really felt the pinch approving this 3 billion bridging loan. You have to make it up to me tonight."

These words were not only spoken to the Chen family, but also served as a warning to Pei Yanyu, who was standing to the side.

Pei Yanyu remained calm and composed as she responded. "Thank you for your trouble, President Xia, on behalf of Xun Chuan. I'll treat you to dinner another day."

The two women exchanged a brief, clandestine exchange, but immediately turned their attention to the same enemy.

Xia Wanying straightened up and slammed a thick investment contract in front of Sun Jihai.

"Three billion in cash was deposited into Guangying's corporate account ten minutes ago." Xia Wanying surveyed the room with the air of a capital queen. "According to the pre-emptive agreement, Dinghe Group unilaterally injected capital, forcibly diluting all your shares. Now, the equity you hold is less than a piece of waste paper."

Sun Jihai's face turned deathly pale, his hands gripping the table. "You...you're engaging in a hostile takeover! Young Master Chen won't let you get away with this!"

"Chen Pojun is like a clay Bodhisattva crossing the river." Zhu Xun Chuan flicked his fingernails.

Pei Yanyu took out a brown paper bag. It contained a top-secret bill that Shen Tianxi had copied from the military region's intranet the night before. She threw the bill hard at Sun Jihai's face. The documents scattered all over the floor.

"Inflating box office figures, laundering contracts, and smuggling military funds overseas." Pei Yanyu's red lips parted slightly, each word icy cold. "This evidence is enough to put you in jail for the rest of your lives."

Looking at the detailed water bill on the ground, Sun Jihai's mental defenses completely collapsed, and he slumped into his chair.

"Three minutes." Zhu Xun Chuan stood up, straightened the hem of his suit jacket, and said, "Get out of this building. Anyone still here in three minutes, the Northern Territory will help you move. Skin and bones, into the sea."

After a desperate silence, several old-school directors stumbled out of the meeting room, not even bothering to grab their coats.

The brutal crushing power of capital often requires no soldiers to utterly defeat a person.

Five minutes later. Top floor of the Light and Shadow Building, CEO's office.

Xia Wanying took her legal team next door to inventory the core assets. Before leaving, she generously closed the heavy wooden door to the president's office for Zhu Xunchuan, leaving the two of them alone.

The office is extremely spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows covering an entire wall that offer a panoramic view of most of Beijing's CBD.

Zhu Xun Chuan walked to his desk and looked around at his surroundings.

Pei Yanyu followed behind. When only the two of them were left in the office, the actress who had just exuded an aura of dominance in the conference room instantly let down her guard and became less assertive.

She walked up to Zhu Xun Chuan, wrapped her arms around his waist, and buried her face in his chest. Tears instantly soaked her white shirt.

"Xun Chuan." Pei Yanyu's voice trembled, carrying all the grievances of the past two years and the relief of escaping death. "I never dared to dream that I would be able to come back here alive."

Zhu Xun Chuan embraced her slender waist. "I told you, I'll help you get revenge for your grievances. From now on, this building is yours. You'll set the rules of the entertainment industry."

Pei Yanyu tilted her head back, her eyes sparkling with deep affection and submission.

He reached into the safe and grabbed a pile of messy documents. From a hidden compartment, a slightly yellowed old photograph fell out.

Zhu Xun Chuan picked up the photograph. It was somewhat blurry, the background a scene of a raging fire thirty years ago. Through the flames, the outline of a building could be vaguely seen. Above the building was a plaque, half-burnt.

"Qingcheng Orphanage".

Zhu Xun Chuan's eyes narrowed sharply. Qingcheng Orphanage. The place where Xiao Bai once lived, the site of the great fire caused by the Zhao family years ago.

Why would the Chen family's safe contain photos of the core scene of the fire?

It seems the Chen family was involved in that fire back then. Xiao Bai's enemies aren't limited to Zhao Tingzhi alone.

Just as Zhu Xunchuan was pondering the pros and cons, his phone rang.

Zhu Xunchuan pressed the speakerphone button. Gu Qinghan's anxious voice came through, breaking the tender atmosphere in the CEO's office.

"Xun Chuan, something's happened. Chen Pojun has completely lost his mind. He brought the military region's guard company and directly sealed off the Peking University administration building."

"Principal Meng was cornered in his third-floor office. He threatened to open fire at Peking University if you showed up alone within half an hour!"