After Muyao spoke her mind, the room fell completely silent. Everyone knew she was right, no matter how much they might have wanted to oppose her. As the youngest child of Xia Xuexing and Lin Anguo—and the youngest grandchild in both families—Muyao had never been burdened with high expectations. All her family had ever wanted was for her to grow up happily and, one day, marry someone who truly loved her for who she was.
Being the youngest also explained why they had never cared about her wandering off to listen to gossip. Most of the gossip Muyao encountered was trivial, unlikely to cause any real trouble for the family. When it came to her career, the family had always assumed that assigning her to a small Lin or Xia Corp company—letting her manage it, even if it went bankrupt—was a safe path. It would be a career where she could learn responsibility without facing serious risks. This was the main reason why they were hesitant to accept her desire to enter the entertainment industry.
Though Muyao's inner voice claimed she wanted to enter the entertainment world just to hear gossip, the family suspected there was more to it. Half of her motivation might have been connected to Lu Luoli, her childhood best friend who had died shortly after entering the same industry.
Lu Luoli, the youngest child of the Lu family, had been Muyao's closest friend since birth. After Luoli's sudden death, Muyao and the Lu family had tried to investigate—but before they could uncover the truth, the Lu family went bankrupt. Before leaving Hua City for a fresh start in City A, the head of the Lu family had warned Muyao not to dig further: the person responsible for Luoli's death came from a family so powerful that even Lin and Xia might not be able to intervene.
Luoli's death had left Muyao deeply traumatized, closing her heart to everyone except her family and closest friends. That was two years ago, and the anniversary of Luoli's death was approaching next month.
"Okay, we agree," Xuexing finally said, sighing, "but you have to promise us that you won't cause trouble in the entertainment industry, and if you don't become popular within two years, you give up."
"I promise," Muyao replied, bargaining lightly, "but you have to give me more than two years. When I choose to give up, then I'll enter any company you want."
"…Fine," Xuexing said, still unsure what to think.
Finally, they agreed… otherwise, I wouldn't know how to continue investigating Luoli's death, Muyao thought, a quiet relief washing over her.
The room fell silent again. Though the family suspected Muyao's career choice had something to do with Luoli, they could only guess—she had never mentioned her friend in her inner voice since announcing her plan to join the entertainment industry.
Over the past two years, Lin Corp and Xia Corp had grown even stronger: Lin Corp was now one of the top two wealthiest and most powerful families in Hua City, ranking among the top three globally, while Xia Corp was among the top five worldwide. Yet even with such influence, they could not promise Muyao safety against the unseen force responsible for Luoli's death. All they could do was hope: that Muyao, in the light, would remain safe while the enemy remained in the dark.