Novel

Chapter 8: The City’s Cold Eye

Mei Lin attempts to secure her financial escape, but finds her corporate assets frozen by her father's shell company, L&C Holdings. After a failed attempt to leak the foundational ledger to a journalist, she confronts her managing director and quits her job, effectively burning her professional bridge. She returns to the neighborhood, where Uncle Chen forces the shop keys—and the network's lethal liabilities—into her hands, confirming she is now the primary target for her father's final liquidation.