Chapter 28: Loneliness and traps
Daphne Han's POV
The afternoon light spills through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing my office in a golden glow. It should be comforting, a symbol of success, of power, of having made it.
But right now, it's just too damn bright.
I lean back in my chair, eyes closed, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle deep into my bones. The cityscape sprawls before me, a jungle of steel and glass stretching into the horizon.
I should feel satisfied.
I should feel victorious.
Instead, I feel empty.
And, I hate to admit it—lonely. I miss a certain woman. It sucks.
When I first saw Jiang Yuxi, I wanted her.She was beautiful. Too good for Jiang Wei.
She was supposed to be conquest, another prize to steal away from the Male Lead just to prove that I could. I know that's not the most pleasant way of thinking.
But now?
She's more than that.
I've watched her—really watched her.
The way she lights up when she talks about scripts, passion flickering behind her usually guarded eyes. The way she pouts—adorable, even when she's being difficult. The way she laughs, like she's forgotten for a moment that the world expects her to be cold and untouchable.
Jiang Yuxi, the villainess of "Film Emperor's Rise," was beautiful.
But Jiang Yuxi, the woman I've come to know, is devastating.
And I didn't plan for this.
Hell, I didn't have a plan at all.
The goal was her.
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
But somehow, I lost myself in the process.
A soft chime pulls me from my thoughts.
I glance at my phone. A text.
"Calling it a night. Goodnight."
I stare at the screen, unable to stop the slow smile from creeping onto my lips.
Why am I acting like a lovesick idiot?
This is ridiculous.
But before I can stop myself, my fingers move.
"Sure, have a good night."
The intercom buzzes.
> "CEO Han, Mr. Qin Zhen is here."
I open my eyes and sit up.So, he finally came.
>"Let him in."
A minute later, Qin Zhen walks through my doors.
I take one look at him and nearly laugh.
Damn.
What happened to you?
His once razor-sharp suit hangs looser on him, the dark circles under his eyes more prominent than ever.
He moves sluggishly, like every step is a battle.
And faintly—just barely—I catch the scent of alcohol.
It's two in the afternoon.
I scrunch my nose but don't comment.
He sits, silent, his fingers clenching and unclenching over his knees.
A man at the edge of desperation.
>"Hello," I say, settling into my seat, my fingers tapping lazily against the armrest. "Good to see you again."
He doesn't respond immediately. Instead, he braces himself.
Like a man about to swallow a knife.
Finally, he speaks.
>"Is your earlier offer still available?"
I hum thoughtfully.So Jiang Wei has finally pushed him to the breaking point.
How unfortunate.
I feel no sympathy..
I tilt my head, feigning thoughtfulness.
>"It's not."
The devastation on his face is almost entertaining.
>"You—" He starts, but I raise a finger, silencing him.
I open a drawer and pull out a thick file, setting it on the desk between us.
I flip it open.
>"See, a couple of months ago, Zhen Entertainment was actually worth something."
Qin Zhen swallows hard.
I turn a page, skimming my own notes.
>"Let's break it down, shall we?"
> "Four banks knocking on your door, breathing down your neck for unpaid loans."
>"Employees haven't been paid in four months."
>"Over ten executives involved in scandals—three already arrested."
>"Stock value below the dirt."
>"Recent investments in film and advertising? All tanked."
I snap the folder shut with a satisfying finality.
"In short?" I say, voice almost bored.
>"What you're offering me is rags."
He flinches.His pride and reality crashing into each other.
I say nothing.
I let him stew in his failure.
He inhales sharply.
"...I don't know what to do." His voice is low. Defeated.
He leans forward, elbows on his knees, head bowed.
>"On Monday, the banks will be here."
I say nothing.
For him to pay back everything, he would have to liquidate everything.
The cars. The watches. The penthouses. The suits.
And it still wouldn't be enough.
He'd be penniless.
I watch him, silent.
His entire world is crumbling.
And for the first time, he knows how it feels to be powerless. Good. Fine that's my bias speaking from my days as his secretary.
"Please," he says, voice hoarse. "I can't end up on the streets. I just... I can't."
Oh, but that's exactly where the plot was supposed to take him.In the original novel, Jiang Wei finds him working at a seedy bar.
A former giant, now a pathetic drunk.
Eventually, he dies in a bar fight.
How tragic.
I drum my fingers on the desk.
Then, with a long exhale, I sit up.
>"Fine."
His head snaps up, eyes desperate with hope.
>"How much are you willing to sell?"
There's a long pause.
>"...I—"
"Be realistic," I cut in smoothly. "You're asking me to inherit millions in debt."
He hesitates.Then, he names his price.
We negotiate.
And by the time he walks out of my office, shoulders hunched, I own him.
I watch the door close behind him.
Then—finally—I smirk.
I lean back, stretching slightly.That was almost too easy.
With a sigh, I pull open a different drawer.
One where I keep my second phone.
I unlock it, scrolling through my contacts until I find a single name.
I type.
> "Success."
The message sends.
Qin Zhen thinks this is all Jiang Wei's doing.
But the truth?
The Jiang family has authority, but not enough to completely destroy him.This?
This was me.
I choked his resources.
I cut off his lifelines.
I blocked his last escape.
Sure, Jiang Wei had a personal vendetta. But me?
I just wanted his empire for myself.
And now?
I have it.
I glance at the city skyline, the power and wealth sprawled beneath me.
I laugh softly, swirling the whiskey in my glass, I've just poured myself as a celebration.
And somewhere, deep in the System Core—
A certain AI screams in silent horror.
---
MEANWHILE, IN THE SYSTEM CORE...
> SYSTEM 404: [CHECKING PLOT INTEGRITY...]
SYSTEM 404: [ERROR. ERROR. ERROR.]
SYSTEM 404: [PLOT STABILITY UNRECOGNIZABLE.]
SYSTEM 404: [HOST'S ACTIONS... CANNOT BE CALCULATED.]
SYSTEM 404: [I CAN'T STOP HER.]
CONNECTION LOST.