Vivian's lips curled into a slow, cool smile when Zhi Yan offered double the money. She shook her head once, deliberately, as if the notion itself was laughable.

"You want me to take money to walk away like I'm some gold digger? That's honestly insulting." Vivian continued, leaning forward slightly and fixing her eyes on Zhi Yan. "Also, a question: why would a high‑school friend, who hasn't been in touch for five years, according to what Lin Fang told me in the chopper about you, go to such lengths for a 'simple friend' like him? It sounds… off. You say I have ulterior motives, but from where I'm standing, you are the ones acting like you have an agenda."

Xuenyi's hand tightened on the dagger for a heartbeat; the blade's point pressed her throat a bit more, almost bleeding her. "You're forgetting your place, Ms. Moreau. Do not take this as an empty threat. I will not hesitate to end even the innocent to protect Lin Fang."

Vivian's smile didn't falter. If anything, it sharpened even more. "Is that a threat?" she asked softly. "Because if that's the language you want to use, it will only fuel my suspicions even more." She leaned back casually and glanced at Xuenyi as she said. "It seems Lin Fang is far more than a friend to both of you. He's probably some kind of pawn that you need for something. Perhaps, he is a chess piece you'll even go to war for. Fine. I'll leave. I'll stop contacting him. I'll never come to this city again as you asked."

She let that hang in the air for a moment, then the smile shifted, becoming colder, more calculating.

"But as I have said earlier, money is not enough to buy me off. I am the daughter of a billionaire, the only daughter of the family who will inherit my father's entire wealth in the future. You are offering merely thirty million additional? Even a hundred million isn't worth buying me off."

Zhi Yan's jaw tightened at first. But swallowing her feelings, she asked. "Tell me. What do you want in return? Some project approvals? Someone's death?"

Vivian shook her head, crossing her arms, "Nothing of such sort. If you want me to get out of his life, buy out the 8% stake Mr. Johnson holds in my family's company. He's tied into that company now — and his 8% equals roughly 1.32 billion credits at current valuation. Become the owner of that 8%." Vivian's finger tapped the tablet as she spoke. "Do that, and I'll consider stepping away."

Zhi Yan's expression hardened for a second. "You want me to buy his shares? You sure are a businesswoman, as you claimed. For 30 million, you are asking for 1.32 billion in return?"

Vivian shook her head again, "Not really. Buying it off will not cause you any loss. If you take this step to pressure me with a dagger, I bet by now, you must have already done a background check on me and my company. We are not going in losses. So, we are not in need of any money or investment. I merely want them to be out of my company and my life. If you can do that favor for me, I will do the favor for you too. If you can't do that, then you only have one option."

Her gaze slid to Xuenyi like a blade. "You can kill me. Go ahead. I won't stop you from being Lin Fang's protector. But understand this… I will neither stop pursuing him as a partner in business nor as a partner in love. Li Liu is irrelevant to me. If Lin Fang chooses to be with me, I won't care whose feelings get trampled. The only question is whether he could be happy with me.

For a long time, the car was utterly silent except for the heartbeats of the two ladies. Both Zhi Yan and Vivian herself had their heartbeats rise, although for different reasons.

On the other hand, Xuenyi's posture did not change much, and neither did her emotions, but the dagger's pressure eased fractionally as she considered Vivian's words.

Zhi Yan slowly closed her hand into a fist and opened it a few times. Coming to a decision, she looked at Xuenyi, then finally at Vivian. "Alright, we have a deal, Vivian."

"Eh?" Vivian blinked. The surprise flared across her face for a second as she never expected Zhi Yan to just agree with her demand that easily. But a deal is a deal in the end. With a promise like that, Vivian let out a smile, "Alright… drop me at the airport then. On the way, I will draft a simple contract and will give you a 14-day period to fulfill the end of your deal. Of course, I will send an abrupt farewell message to Lin Fang as you directed."

An hour later, Lin Fang and Li Liu stepped out of the cab in front of the store. Lin Fang adjusted his jacket and let out a long breath, his mind still half-tangled in thoughts of yesterday's chaos, the present business venture with Vivian, and his future battles over the next few days.

But when they stepped into the lounge, only Zhi Yan and Xuenyi were there, both seated on the couch, sipping tea. Vivian was nowhere in sight.

Lin Fang looked around. "Where's Vivian?" he asked, frowning slightly.

Zhi Yan looked up in faint seriousness. "Let's talk upstairs," she said after a pause.

Li Liu blinked but said nothing, sensing the odd tone in her voice. Lin Fang exchanged a brief glance with her and nodded. Together, they followed Zhi Yan and Xuenyi upstairs to the seventh floor — Lin Fang's private office and residence, a space that felt part workplace, part quiet refuge from the world.

As they sat down, Zhi Yan folded her hands on her lap before speaking. "On the way, Vivian asked me to drop her at the airport," she said in a steady, measured tone.

Lin Fang blinked. "Airport?" His brows furrowed deeper. "She didn't say anything about leaving."

Zhi Yan nodded gently. "She didn't plan to, originally. But it seems she had a change of heart. On the way, we had a girl-to-girl talk. And from what I gathered, it seems she… likes you."

Lin Fang's eyes widened slightly, and beside him, Li Liu turned to look at him.

Zhi Yan continued before either could speak. "That's why she decided to become your business partner, why she gifted you that egg. But once she realized that you and Li Liu are together, she reconsidered her decision. After all, her home and family are thousands of kilometers away, on the other side of the world. It's not easy for her to stay here without a reason."

Li Liu's lips parted slightly, uncertain what to say. Lin Fang leaned back, absorbing her words quietly. Zhi Yan's words seemed quite logical. When he thought about it, Vivian's behavior around him was also quite unusual, a bit too carefree when they didn't even know one another.

"She didn't want to continue the partnership," Zhi Yan added. "But she couldn't exactly undo what she'd already done — not after giving you something worth tens of millions and signing an agreement. So…" She drew in a quiet breath. "I talked to her. We settled the matter privately."

Lin Fang frowned, puzzled. "Privately?"

Zhi Yan nodded again. "I transferred her the same amount she invested in you, adding even a bit extra so that she won't feel guilty either. She won't be your partner anymore." She paused, then looked directly at him. "You don't owe her anything now."

Lin Fang blinked in surprise, completely caught off guard. "You—wait, you paid her that money?"

"Yes," Zhi Yan said calmly. "You don't need to worry about it. Just consider it a loan from me. Pay it back whenever you can. I didn't want her to linger around you because of an awkward business tie."

For a moment, silence filled the office.

Li Liu looked at her friend — her eyes soft but uncertain. Lin Fang stared at the table, trying to process what he had just heard. Vivian leaving, Zhi Yan paying off millions without blinking — it all felt too sudden…

He immediately took out his smartphone from his pocket and dialed Vivian's number. The line rang once—twice—then abruptly cut off. His grip tightened on the phone.

Zhi Yan let out a small sigh, crossing her arms. "I convinced her to at least leave you a message before she boarded her flight, though. If she hasn't done it by now, then I guess she will do it after returning home."

Lin Fang looked at her sharply. "Message?"

"She said she'd send you something. Maybe on Xeta," Zhi Yan replied.

Without another word, Lin Fang hurriedly switched on his internet connection. Notifications began pouring in, app notifications, updates—but one stood out immediately: a new message from Vvian Z on Xeta, timestamped 38 minutes ago.

As he opened it, he found it was a long message.

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