The rain hadn't stopped.
By nightfall, Qinghe's skyline was veiled in mist—neon signs shimmered like ghosts on the slick asphalt.
Lu Cheng stood beside the black sedan, studying Su Muxue.
Five years hadn't changed her elegance, only deepened it.
Her dark hair framed a face that carried quiet storms, and her eyes—still the same—held that dangerous mix of gentleness and resolve.
"I heard the name Lu Cheng again two nights ago," she said, her tone soft but wary.
"Didn't think it would really be you."
"It depends who you asked," Lu Cheng replied, his voice low.
"To the city, I'm a myth. To Chen Shaohui, a nightmare."
Muxue stepped closer, her heels echoing against the wet concrete.
"I also heard you burned half the Chen Group's reputation to ashes."
Lu's lips curved faintly. "Only half. The rest will fall on its own."
She tilted her head. "And what do you plan to do with Zhao Mingwei?"
Lu's gaze drifted toward the dark horizon. "Zhao is clever. Too clever. The kind of man who buries his sins in legal documents and smiles at the funeral."
Muxue folded her arms. "Then why come to me?"
"Because you once told me every system has a back door," he said. "And because the Zhao family built theirs on your software."
Her eyes widened. "You want me to break into a government vault, again?"
He didn't answer. He didn't have to.
Silence stretched between them—heavy with history.
Five years ago, she had vanished the same night he was betrayed. No goodbyes, no messages, just absence.
"Tell me, Lu Cheng," she said finally, her voice quieter. "Was it worth it? Coming back? Stirring the ashes?"
Lu looked at her, rain streaking his face like the ghosts of what he'd lost.
"It's not about worth," he said softly. "It's about truth. And you know me—I never leave debts unpaid."
Muxue exhaled, a long, tired sigh. Then she opened the car door.
"Get in. I'll show you what's left of the back door."
Hours later, deep beneath Qinghe's business district, an abandoned subway tunnel had been transformed into a digital command hub.
Dozens of monitors flickered across the damp walls—live feeds, data maps, encrypted channels.
This was Muxue's domain, built in the shadows, forgotten by the world.
She sat before the main console, fingers flying across the keyboard.
"Zhao's encryption is military-grade. Took me two years to even understand the pattern," she said.
"But if I'm right… there's a mirror port buried under the provincial tax servers."
Lu leaned beside her, arms crossed. "Meaning?"
"Meaning," she said, smirking, "we're about to knock on the devil's front door."
Lines of code flashed. The tunnel lights dimmed.
Then, with a soft ping, a new file appeared on the central screen.
FILE: PROJECT CLEAN HANDS — Classified / Level 6
Lu's jaw tightened. "That's it. Zhao's cover operation."
Muxue hesitated. "You sure you want to open this, Cheng? Once we do, there's no going back."
He looked at her, expression unreadable.
"I crossed that line five years ago."
She nodded, hit "Enter."
The screen erupted with data—names, offshore accounts, transaction routes. But in the center, one name pulsed brighter than the rest.
CHEN ZHONGHE — SUPERVISING DIRECTOR
Lu froze.
"Chen Zhonghe…" he whispered.
"That's Shaohui's father."
Muxue turned toward him. "Now you see why Zhao never touched the Chen Group. They were partners."
Lu's hands clenched into fists. The air around him grew colder.
"So it was never just betrayal," he said. "It was an alliance."
Muxue studied his face. "And you're going to destroy them both?"
He met her gaze, calm and unflinching.
"No," he said. "I'm going to expose the whole city."
Meanwhile, in a private villa north of Qinghe, Director Zhao Mingwei poured himself a glass of whiskey.
The room smelled of cedar and expensive secrets.
A man in a gray suit stood before him.
"Mr. Zhao," the man said quietly, "our contacts in Shanghai have confirmed—Lu Cheng is active again."
Zhao took a slow sip, his expression unchanged.
"I expected him to return. Ghosts never rest when their graves are shallow."
The man hesitated. "Orders?"
Zhao set down the glass.
"Bring me the team from Division Nine. Tell them the target isn't just a hacker this time. He's a man who wants to rewrite the city."