Chapter 20: Don’t Be Afraid

After being confined, Zhao Xue never took a single step out of her room. She remained there as if forgotten by Zhao Jing, seeing no one but the servant who brought her daily meals.

The servant took the dishes away and reported to Zhao Jing, “Sir, the Young Lady is acting normally.”

Zhao Jing tapped the table and waved the servant away. So many days, yet no shouting or fussing. She truly doesn’t act like my daughter.

A knock sounded at the door. It was the eldest brother, Zhao Sheng.

“Dad, the news of Zhao Xue’s engagement to the Yang family’s second son has been leaked.”

Zhao Jing nodded. “Good. The body double you found looks quite a bit like her.”

Zhao Sheng smiled, though concern flickered in his eyes. “Dad, maybe it’s time to let Xiaoxue out. Being locked up this long… she must be reaching her limit.”

Zhao Jing snorted. “She’s perfectly fine. She eats and sleeps all day. Don’t mention her to me; I get angry just thinking about it. Now, tell me about the project.”

Zhao Sheng lowered his gaze. “The prototype has a few flaws, but the overall direction is correct.”

Zhao Jing’s brow furrowed. “Watch it closely. We’ve sunk too much money into this. The final product must have zero side effects.”

For the Zhao family to ascend to the next level, this new drug—a potential cure for cancer—was the key. Zhao Jing was ambitious; he wanted to stand among the top four families, even go global. The Yang family alliance was a strategic choice to secure funding and force his daughter to abandon her “disgusting” lifestyle.

The Collapse

“Damn it! You’re telling me the research was faked?!”

The news sent Zhao Jing into a towering rage. He swung his hand, a crisp slap landing hard on Zhao Sheng’s face. Nearby, the other siblings, Zhao Ling and Zhao Yu, kept their heads bowed in terror.

“We had a successful sample! How could it be fake?”

Zhao Sheng’s face burned. “The initial data was correct, but during R&D, the original files were tampered with. We discovered moles from other families in the lab.”

Zhao Jing sat heavily on the sofa. The project was dead. The failure meant massive capital had simply evaporated. While it didn’t destroy their foundation entirely, they had to hide the news from the other four families.

But misfortunes never come singly. Rumors spread that Zhao’s existing medications had severe side effects. Public opinion exploded, clearly fueled by someone behind the scenes. The Zhao family stock plummeted in a cliff-like drop. Investors began pulling out in droves.

Zhao Jing tried to maintain a smile while meeting with CEOs he used to look down upon. “President Li, the cancer drug is almost ready. Think of the profit—”

President Li chuckled, his voice laced with pity. “President Zhao, let’s be honest. Everyone knows that project is a failure. Besides… the families at the top have forbidden us from helping you.”

The Zhao family was finished.

Meng Yao learned of the collapse after the Gaokao. Her face remained calm; this was exactly as it happened in her previous lives. In those cycles, the Zhaos would flee the country, leaving Zhao Xue behind because she chose to stay for Su Xu. Stripped of her status, Zhao Xue was usually tormented by those she had once bullied.

But this time was different. Meng Yao remembered all of Zhao Xue’s good and bad. She thought to herself: I might punish her, but I won’t go too far.

The Rescue

Zhao Xue was lying on her bed when she heard the click of the door. Zhao Jing walked in, looking as if he had aged a decade overnight. He signaled for the guards to remove her chains.

“We’re going abroad. Go pack.”

The Zhao family was ruined, and the Yang family had immediately broken the engagement. Their only hope was the overseas market managed by Zhao Ling.

“I’m not going,” Zhao Xue said, stretching her ankles.

Zhao Jing frowned, but the crisis had sapped his iron-willed stubbornness. “Suit yourself.”

Regaining her freedom, Zhao Xue immediately flew back to S-City.

On the way, she saw the news spreading like wildfire—not just about the bankruptcy, but about her. Bai Jianming had done his work well. With the Zhao family gone, he used his wealth to buy “hot searches,” flooding the internet with stories of Zhao Xue’s past bullying.

— “So disgusting. How could someone so young be so cruel?” — “I was one of her victims. I almost committed suicide.” — “She’s pretty, but her heart is black. The Zhao family falling is karma.” — “I heard she even forced a poor student to do… those things. Poor kid.”

Zhao Xue was oblivious until she left the airport and a plastic bottle nearly struck her head. A young person in the crowd fled when she looked at them.

Zhao Xue: [System, what’s going on?]

System: [The Zhao family is gone, and your bullying record is trending. I was busy watching the Female Lead, so I didn’t see the news until now.]

Zhao Xue wasn’t surprised. She returned to the villa, which was clean thanks to the daily housekeeper. She pushed open Meng Yao’s bedroom door. It was cold. There was no sign of life.

On the desk lay the phone she had given Meng Yao. It was off.

Zhao Xue: [System, where is Meng Yao?]

System: [She’s meeting the Male Lead at the school’s Cafe A.]

Zhao Xue’s breath hitched. Her eyes narrowed. [Keep watching. I’m already in S-City.]

The Confrontation

At the school cafeteria, Su Xu sat across from Meng Yao. He felt a strange hostility toward her now.

“What do you want?” Su Xu asked bluntly.

Meng Yao observed him critically. Eyes not big enough, nose not straight enough. Average. “If Zhao Xue comes to find you, can you tell me where she is?”

Su Xu frowned. “Why should I tell you?”

“Because I am hers,” Meng Yao said. “In every sense of the word.”

Su Xu choked. He could sense a hidden, intense pride beneath Meng Yao’s cold exterior. He sneered. “So what? She got engaged the moment she left. You were just a bedwarmer. Why would I help you?”

Meng Yao’s expression didn’t flicker. She had heard enough malice lately. She simply took out her new phone and sent a message to an unknown contact:

— I agree. — Give me a team.

She needed capital. Su Xu was right about one thing—even a fallen Zhao Xue had the Feng family backing her. Currently, Meng Yao didn’t have enough power to protect or claim her.

Through the Fire

That evening, Meng Yao was walking home when she realized she was being followed. She tried to move toward a crowded area to call the police, but a woman suddenly grabbed her wrist.

“Sister! Dad is so sick because of you and that man! Come home!” the woman shouted.

A burly man stepped up to her other side, his hand heavy on her shoulder. “Your sister is right. Don’t be stubborn.”

Hidden by their sleeves, a knife was pressed against Meng Yao’s waist, and a razor blade was tucked between the man’s fingers on her shoulder. To any passerby, it looked like a family argument. They forced her into a black car.

In an abandoned warehouse, Lin Hao was smoking. Bai Jianming had told him he could seek revenge now that the Zhaos were down.

The warehouse door opened. Meng Yao was carried in, unconscious from drugs.

“The drugs will keep her out for a while,” the kidnapper said.

Lin Hao recorded a video to send to Zhao Xue, but she wouldn’t pick up. He grew frustrated. One by one, the men Bai Jianming had sent went out to the “bathroom” and didn’t return. Eventually, Lin Hao heard the heavy warehouse doors lock from the outside.

He panicked, pounding on the door. Then, he smelled smoke. Bai Jianming had set him up. He intended to burn the evidence—and the witnesses—to the ground.

Zhao Xue arrived as thick smoke began to billow from the warehouse.

System: [Host, hurry! The warehouse is on fire! She’s trapped!]

Zhao Xue ran through the tall weeds, her usual playfulness replaced by a terrifying intensity. The temperature rose. Meng Yao, you have to be okay.

She reached the doors and saw the System’s cat form frantically scratching at the lock. “System, get back!”

Inside, Meng Yao woke up coughing. She realized the danger, and though her limbs were heavy from the drugs, the thought of her grandmother—and of Zhao Xue—gave her strength. She found a steel pipe and began smashing the inner lock of the room she was held in.

[Death Value -10] [Current Death Value: 25/100]

Zhao Xue felt a surge of hope at the notification. She kicked the door with everything she had. The aging doorframe finally gave way.

Inside, she found a terrified Lin Hao. “Where is she?!”

He pointed to a room and fled into the night. Zhao Xue reached the door and heard a faint banging from inside.

“Meng Yao!”

“Zhao Xue…” the voice was muffled and weak.

“Don’t be afraid! Stand back!”

Zhao Xue grabbed a burning iron rod from the debris. Despite the searing heat, she gripped it with her jacket-wrapped hands and smashed the lock. The door burst open. She scooped Meng Yao into her arms.

Flames engulfed them. A charred wooden beam began to crack and fall from the ceiling. Meng Yao’s pupils contracted as she watched the heavy, burning timber plummet toward them.

Crunch.

The beam slammed into Zhao Xue’s back. She let out a muffled groan of agony but didn’t let go.

The high-and-mighty Young Lady was now a broken shield, standing in the fire to save her. Tears fell from Meng Yao’s eyes, landing cool against Zhao Xue’s scorched skin.

Zhao Xue looked down, a soft, pained smile on her face. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll get you out.”