Three days after Lin Wan Ning's livestream, the stock price of Shen Corporation plummeted, falling from green into a limit-down slump. More than 300 million in market value evaporated overnight. Multiple financial media outlets used the word "avalanche" to describe the sudden crisis, while public opinion online launched an all-out attack on the so-called "tyrannical CEO scam."
But Lin Wan Ning never appeared in public.
It was as if the entire war had been silently orchestrated by her. She said nothing—but everyone spoke on her behalf.
That morning, Lin Wan Ning sat in the conference room of the new Lin Corporation, a few investment proposals laid out in front of her.
"President Lin, Tianyu Capital has confirmed a first-round investment of ten million, about fifteen percent of equity. Shall we sign the agreement?" her assistant asked, excitement in her voice.
"Push it further," Lin Wan Ning replied calmly. "No rush."
"But they've already made concessions. If we don't act quickly, we might—"
"I said, no rush," she interrupted, her tone steady and unwavering. "They'll come back—with even better terms."
She knew full well that she was no longer the kind of Lin Wan Ning who made decisions based on emotion.
She was now the head of the new Lin Corporation, a powerful rival behind Shen Corporation, and the very eye of this public storm.
She wasn't merely the victor—she was the storm itself.
"What are you doing?" Xu Shizhou entered her office after the meeting, watching her annotate a merger plan.
"Acquiring the three core suppliers under Tiansheng," she answered without looking up.
"Are you crazy? Tiansheng is Shen Corporation's key partner. If you move against them, this won't just be business retaliation—it'll be a declaration of war," Xu frowned. "You're provoking not just the Shen family, but the old foxes behind them."
"Provocation?" Lin Wan Ning finally looked up, the corners of her lips curling into a cold smile. "I'm not provoking—I'm showing them that as long as I'm around, Shen Corporation won't rise again without going through me first."
She wasn't satisfied with just bringing Shen Si Han down. She wanted to control the entire board.
"Wan Ning, you've changed," Xu said quietly, looking at her.
"I just learned from them," she sneered. "When they tore off their masks of gentleness and broke love with lies, I was still crying over a worthless marriage."
"Now, I've just wiped away the tears and picked up the knife."
Meanwhile, panic spread within Shen Corporation.
Shen Si Han stared at the freeze order on his desk, brows furrowed.
"What is Lin Wan Ning trying to do?" he asked in a low voice.
"She's acquired a third of Tiansheng's supply chain shares and is likely to move on the rest," his assistant reported.
"She's insane?" Shen Si Han slammed the table. "She's cutting off our lifeline!"
"President…" the assistant hesitated, "more importantly, Zhou Corporation is in contact with her. A joint capital strike against Shen Corporation is highly possible."
"Zhou Qi Chen?" Shen Si Han's expression turned ice cold.
Back when Lin Wan Ning had just started her business, Zhou Qi Chen—heir to the Zhou family—had pursued her. When Shen Si Han stepped in, he had backed away. But clearly, he had never truly left.
"Wan Ning… You really are leaving me no way back," Shen murmured, fists clenched so tightly that blood nearly seeped from his palm.
Lin Wan Ning knew Shen Si Han wouldn't just sit and wait.
She had already predicted his next move.
Sure enough, within three days, explosive news flooded the internet:
[Lin Wan Ning Accused of Illegally Obtaining Shen Corporation's Internal Financial Data, Faces Formal Prosecution]
Major financial platforms picked up the story, shifting public focus from "Shen Corporation's accounting fraud" to "Lin Wan Ning's alleged data breach."
The narrative started to shift.
"Didn't she have a marriage with the Shen family? Isn't this just personal revenge?"
"What if she actually stole the data? She wasn't a company executive—how'd she get those internal files?"
"Shen Corporation's problems aren't even fully investigated yet, and she's already buying out their core industries? That's ruthless."
But Lin Wan Ning said nothing.
Until the following afternoon, when a government-stamped official letter appeared pinned to the top of her Weibo profile:
[The Lin Foundation has officially signed a "Public Audit Cooperation Agreement" with the Finance Bureau to promote transparency and oversight in public fund usage.]
She didn't argue. She simply slapped back with an official partnership agreement.
Shen Si Han tried to challenge her on legality?
She responded with state-backed legitimacy.
Lin Wan Ning was always better at delivering a powerful, silent slap than a lengthy explanation.
That night, she stood alone on the rooftop.
The wind tousled her hair, but her eyes were clearer than the night sky.
"You really won, Lin Wan Ning." A familiar voice broke the silence.
Zhou Qi Chen appeared, dressed in navy blue, standing beside her with a smile in his eyes.
"If you'd taken any longer, I might've accepted an offer from another investor," Lin Wan Ning joked.
"You knew I'd come," Zhou Qi Chen replied, stepping closer. "I'm ready to fully support you—whatever your goal is, even if it's revenge."
"Then be careful. I don't show mercy," she replied half-jokingly.
"I know," he said softly. "But I still hope that after your revenge ends, you'll consider if there's another path waiting."
Lin Wan Ning didn't respond. She just gazed out over the countless lights in the city.
She knew she chose this path not only for the Lin family, not just to clear her name, and not just for the soft-hearted woman she used to be.
She wanted the high and mighty to understand:
They didn't fall because they couldn't—they fell because no one had dared to fight back.
And now—she had arrived.