The First Strike

INT. LU GROUP OFFICE – NIGHT

Lu Zhiyu stands by the window, city lights reflecting in his eyes. he sits on his desk.and assistant, Shen open the door softly.

SHEN

All data has been decoded. The Yan Group’s transactions lead to three shell companies. Two belong to Yan Zhen. The third

LU ZHIYU interrupting, coldly

Belongs to my father.

Silence fills the room. He picks up the drive, turning it between his fingers.

LU ZHIYU V.O.

My father’s sins run deeper than I thought. But for her... I’ll burn even my own bloodline.

He dials a number.

LU ZHIYU

Yan Yan. It’s time.

YAN MANSION – STUDY – SAME NIGHT

Yan Yan sits at her vanity, calm but resolute. She wears a sleek black dress power disguised as elegance. On the mirror, photos of Yan Qian, her father, and the upcoming “Yan Charity Gala are pinned together with red strings.

YAN YAN V.O.

They took my life for their reputation. Tonight, I’ll take their reputation for my life.

Her phone buzzes a message from Lu Zhiyu

The stage is yours.

YAN GROUP CHARITY GALA – NIGHT

A grand ballroom glittering with gold chandeliers and reporters. The elites of the city mingle, cameras flashing. Yan Qian, the perfect daughter, stands at the center in a golden gown, smiling as her father boasts proudly.

YAN ZHEN

My daughter Qian has been the face of our family’s future

A sharp voice cuts through the noise.

YAN YAN O.S.

Funny, considering the past you tried to bury.

Gasps ripple through the crowd as Yan Yan appears at the entrance, her black gown shimmering like shadow among light. Lu Zhiyu follows behind, silent and commanding.

GALA HALL – CONTINUOUS

YAN ZHEN frozen, masking panic

Yan Yan… what are you doing here?

YAN YAN smiling softly

Oh, nothing much. Just thought I’d share a story. About a fire. And a girl who lived when she wasn’t supposed to.

Murmurs spread. Reporters raise their cameras. Yan Qian’s confident smile falters.

YAN QIAN

You’re crazy! How dare you interrupt

YAN YAN

Dare? That’s all I’ve done since the night your father burned the truth.

She turns to the reporters.

YAN YAN

You all know about the Yan Foundation’s orphanage fire thirteen years ago. But did you know it wasn’t an accident? That the victims were used for illegal genetic experiments?

REPORTER

Miss Yan, are you saying your father

YAN ZHEN enraged

Enough! Guards

Before he can finish, Lu Zhiyu steps forward, projecting documents on the large screen behind the stage: financial records, medical trials, and the Yan Foundation Project Dawn files.

LU ZHIYU

You wanted proof. Here it is.

Gasps echo. Reporters start recording frantically.

YAN QIAN to Yan Yan, trembling

You’ll ruin us

YAN YAN smiling coldly

No, I’ll free us. From lies.

GALA BALCONY – LATER THAT NIGHT

Chaos rages inside. Reporters hound Yan Zhen for answers. Outside, Yan Yan leans on the balcony rail, eyes distant. Lu Zhiyu joins her, handing her a glass of champagne.

LU ZHIYU

That was bold. Public humiliation as your first move.

YAN YAN smiling faintly

A distraction. The real game starts tomorrow.

LU ZHIYU

You mean?

YAN YAN

We destroy them from the inside. Piece by piece.And I’ll start with the company my father values most.

She turns, her gaze sharp and calculating.

YAN YAN CONT’D

You’ll help me get in, won’t you?

LU ZHIYU smirking

Already one step ahead.

LU GROUP – UNDERGROUND OFFICE NIGHT

A hidden room with holographic projections of both Yan and Lu Group structures. Their photos, allies, and weak links flicker across the screen. Yan Yan and Lu Zhiyu stand side by side the alliance now official.

YAN YAN

Yan Qian will try to frame me for leaking the files. Let her. I’ll use her panic against her.

LU ZHIYU

And your father?

YAN YAN

He’ll be too busy cleaning up the mess to notice what’s coming.

LU ZHIYU

Which is?

YAN YAN eyes burning

Phase One: Take back what’s mine.

YAN GROUP HEADQUARTERS – NEXT MORNING

The company is in turmoil. Reporters at the gates, investors calling nonstop. Yan Zhen smashes a vase in fury.