The cold glow of her laptop screen lit up Mei Xing's determined face as she sat at her desk, pouring over files and phone logs. The evidence she had gathered against Mei Li was damning, but it had to be airtight. There was no room for error. Mei Li had stolen her child, manipulated Zhao Chen, and nearly shattered everything she had built.
Now, it was time for the first strike.
She clicked "send" on an encrypted email, dispatching copies of her evidence to her lawyer and a trusted investigative journalist. Her heart pounded with both anxiety and resolve. The world needed to know the truth, and Mei Li needed to feel the pressure closing in.
Across the city, in a lavish penthouse decorated with trophies of stolen victories, Mei Li lounged carelessly, sipping wine and scrolling through her phone. When a message pinged from an unknown source with the headline: "Heiress or Impostor? Rumors Swirl Around Mei Li's Maternal Claims", her smile faded instantly.
She clicked it open and read the brief summary—mention of an anonymous tip, birth records from the hospital, inconsistencies in her story—and her heart dropped.
"No…" she whispered. Her fingers trembled as she fumbled to call Zhao Chen, but it went straight to voicemail.
Mei Xing, meanwhile, sat quietly in Xue Xin's room, watching her daughter sleep peacefully, unaware of the war unfolding around her. She stroked the girl's hair gently.
"I'll protect you," she murmured. "No matter what."
Later that night, Zhao Chen arrived at the apartment, visibly tense.
"I saw the news," he said as soon as Mei Xing opened the door. "Was that you?"
"Yes," she answered calmly. "It was time."
He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "She called me. Begged me to defend her. Swore it was all lies."
"And do you believe her?" Mei Xing asked coldly.
"No," he said without hesitation. "I told her never to contact me again. Mei Xing… this is going to get ugly."
"I'm ready," she said. "Are you?"
Zhao Chen nodded. "I've already spoken to my lawyers. I'm filing for legal custody of Jin Hao and demanding a formal investigation into Mei Li's actions."
For the first time in a long while, Mei Xing allowed a small smile to grace her lips. Not for Zhao Chen—but for herself. For the strength she had found, the voice she had reclaimed.
"Then we fight together," she said.
In the dark corners of the city, the first tremors of Mei Li's downfall had begun. The truth was no longer buried. And Mei Xing—once powerless and silenced—was now a force no one could ignore.