Chapter 5: The Near Miss

The three-year countdown had begun, but the world of the elite was smaller than a surgical theater. Despite the seclusion of the Su Estate, the ghost of the past occasionally tried to haunt the present.

Two months into her recovery, Su Ning’er needed a specific set of high-precision forensic tools that could only be calibrated at the City A Medical Research Center. Mo Han had resisted, but Ning’er was insistent. She didn't want to be a bird in a gilded cage; she wanted to be the hunter.

"Stay in the car," Mo Han commanded, his voice tight. "I’ll have my men bring the equipment out."

"I am a scientist, Mo Han, not a porcelain doll," Ning’er countered, her voice cold and level. She stepped out of the black Rolls-Royce, her face obscured by oversized dark glasses and a silk scarf.

The Encounter

Inside the lobby of the research center, the air-conditioning hummed. Ning’er walked with a new gait—shoulders back, chin high. She was no longer the woman who walked two steps behind Lu Chen.

Suddenly, the glass doors whistled open. A group of executives in sharp suits marched in, led by a man whose presence felt like a sudden drop in temperature.

Lu Chen.

Beside him, clinging to his arm, was Lin Xiao. She looked "fragile" as always, draped in pale pink, a contrast to the stark, clinical environment.

"Chen-ge, I’m so glad you brought me," Lin Xiao chirped, her voice grating on Ning’er’s nerves like a dull blade. "The Lu Group’s new laboratory is going to be the envy of the city."

Lu Chen didn't respond immediately. His eyes were scanning the lobby. For a split second, his gaze locked onto the woman standing by the elevator—a woman in a white coat, her back turned, her silhouette painfully familiar.

His heart gave a violent, illogical thud. "Ning..." he whispered, his feet moving before his brain could catch up.

"Chen-ge? What is it?" Lin Xiao asked, her grip tightening, her eyes flashing with a hidden malice.

The Shield

Before Lu Chen could reach her, a tall, imposing figure stepped into his path. Mo Han stood like a wall of granite, his eyes narrowed with a murderous intent that made the air turn to ice.

"Mr. Lu," Mo Han said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "You’re off your usual path. This floor belongs to the Mo Corporation’s private research wing today."

Lu Chen stopped, his expression shifting to one of corporate coldness. "Mo Han. I didn't know the 'King of Technology' was interested in forensic medicine."

"I'm interested in many things you’ve failed to protect," Mo Han replied, his words laced with a double meaning that made Lu Chen’s jaw tighten.

Lu Chen tried to look past Mo Han’s shoulder. He could see the woman entering the elevator. The doors were closing. Just before they shut, he caught a glimpse of her profile—the sharp line of her jaw, the cold indifference in her posture.

It wasn't his Ye Ning. His Ye Ning was soft, warm, and always looked at him with pleading eyes. This woman looked like she was made of diamonds and frost.

"Is that your new... associate?" Lu Chen asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"That," Mo Han said, stepping closer until he was inches from Lu Chen’s face, "is someone you aren't even worthy of looking at. Take your 'precious' cargo and leave, Lu Chen. Before I decide to buy your company just so I can fire you personally."

The Aftermath

Inside the elevator, Ning’er looked at her reflection in the polished chrome. Her heart rate hadn't even increased. She felt no love, no pain—only a faint sense of disgust at the sight of the man who had caused her "accident."

The elevator reached the top floor. She stepped out and pulled her phone from her pocket.

"Mo Han," she said when he picked up.

"I'm here, Ning’er. He’s gone."

"I don't care where he went," she said, her voice like a scalpel. "But I saw the lab reports on his desk from across the room. He’s using my research on synthetic blood-clotting. He’s modified the formula, but he’s missed the stabilizer. In six months, his 'miracle drug' will start causing heart palpitations in test subjects."

A slow, dark smile spread across her face.

"Don't stop him, Mo Han. Let him invest every penny of the Lu Group's capital into it. I want him to climb as high as possible... so the fall is fatal."

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