"Yuxuan, you’ve been handling company affairs with increasing ease lately. So I’ve decided to entrust the Western River Boiler Co., Ltd. project to you."
Though Bai Yuxuan had already returned to her apartment, her father’s words still echoed in her mind. It was merely a subtle compliment on her competence—but to her, it was the most positive acknowledgment she’d ever received from him.
*"All this time, I thought Father only saw me as a tool to secure his rule over the White Clan. Maybe I misunderstood him. Still… he rarely approves of me. I can’t let him down."*
She rushed into her room and immediately opened the boiler plant handover documents her father had given her. Having assisted him with parts of the business before, she quickly grasped the plant’s situation. But the profit and cost figures caught her eye.
*"These costs and profits…!"* She began verifying the numbers at once.
*"Father truly is impressive. The returns are extraordinary."* Blinded by the rare praise—and unaware the documents were forged—Yuxuan felt only a faint unease beneath her giddy joy.
*"Never mind. I should focus on tomorrow’s midterms. In four days, it’s my birthday. If I crush Ouyang Qianxue *and* run the boiler plant flawlessly… Father might finally wish me a happy birthday with genuine pride."*
She set the files aside and buried herself in exam prep.
---
The next morning, Yuxuan arrived early at the exam hall. Seating followed last month’s rankings, so Ouyang Qianxue sat directly behind her. Qianxue stared blankly at her desk, muttering last-minute revisions under her breath.
Yuxuan twisted in her seat just before the papers were handed out. "Save your efforts," she whispered. "Start thinking how to please *me* instead."
"Hmph. Big talk." Qianxue’s eyes flashed. "You seem awfully sure of yourself. Just wait—I’ll make you eat every arrogant word. And when I do? I’ll repay every humiliation you’ve given me tenfold."
"Ooh, I’m *so* scared." Yuxuan smirked, turning back. "Try it if you can."
The exam bell rang.
---
*"Why this nagging unease? The questions are simple…"* After the first exam, Yuxuan splashed cold water on her face in the hallway. The chill didn’t wash away the dread.
It only grew heavier with each test. During the second-to-last exam, she finished early and let her mind wander.
*"What’s unsettling me? The only odd thing lately was…"* Her father’s files surfaced in her memory.
*"Could it be—?!"* Her pulse spiked. She replayed yesterday: her icy father suddenly warm, handing her a major project…
*"Wait. With his caution… would he really give this to me?"* Suspicion flared—then faded. *"I’m his heir. Even if he sees me as a pawn for the White Clan’s power… why would he sabotage me?"* She forced her focus back to the exam.
---
By the final chemistry exam the next afternoon, the unease had sharpened into a blade.
*"What’s wrong with me?"*
The high school material was child’s play for someone self-studying university courses. She breezed through to the last question—then froze.
The problem was about boiler plant exhaust treatment. Like a gust of wind, it scattered the fog in her mind.
*"The pollutants listed here alone would blow past the budget in those files! The waste treatment funds were never enough!"*
Yuxuan shot up from her seat. Ignoring stunned stares, she bolted from the exam hall.
---
"Xiao Liu? It’s me." She locked herself in the Student Council office, phone pressed to her ear.
"Young Master? You sound frantic—"
"Answer first: Are you loyal to the White Clan? Or to *me*?"
"To you, Young Master! Without your plea to the Chairman, I’d have been fired years ago. Starved on the streets, maybe. I answer only to you."
"Good. Time to repay that debt. Bypass Father’s spies. Investigate Western River Boiler Co., Ltd.—especially its exhaust treatment and pollution records. *Now*."
"Understood. I’m on it."
---
*Is this really a trap? But why would Father betray me?* The questions coiled in her chest.
*"Damn it!"* She’d forgotten to finish the last exam question.
*"Even with a few points lost, I’ll still beat her. There’s no way Qianxue scored that high again."* She swallowed her panic. The boiler plant mattered more now.
*"I’ll inspect the factory myself tomorrow."* Going today was pointless—the plant would be closed.
---
Near the boiler factory, inspectors calibrated instruments, testing the air.
"Sulfur compounds and soot levels are dangerously high," one reported. "Our evidence confirms the source: that plant."
"Then it ends today," another said grimly. "We won’t let a company poisoning our people walk free."
