CHAPTER 64 — Mu Lingchen's First Counterattack
The moment Shi Yunxi disappeared behind the apartment doors with Rui held tightly in her arms, something inside Mu Lingchen snapped into place.
A switch.
A decision.
A lethal, ice-cold clarity.
The kind that only appeared in men like him—men who had power, wealth, and the ruthlessness to use both without hesitation.
He stood in the quiet parking lot for a long moment, breathing slowly, letting every piece of rage settle into precision.
Not recklessness.
Precision.
He pulled his phone from his pocket.
Dialed one number.
A direct line—used only in emergencies.
The call was picked up instantly.
"President Mu."
The man on the other end sounded alert, almost tense.
Good.
"Activate Protocol Black," Lingchen said.
A beat of stunned silence.
"Sir…? That protocol—"
"Now."
The man inhaled sharply.
"Yes, President Mu."
Protocol Black.
The highest-level protection protocol of the Mu family.
Used only when a direct threat targeted the family's bloodline.
Not reputation.
Bloodline.
Within minutes of the call, Mu Lingchen knew—
Every entrance to the children's school would be guarded.
Their drivers replaced with elite security.
Their teachers instructed to report any strange activity.
Every online mention of the kids flagged.
Every paparazzi lens around their home scrambled.
Anyone who dared approach them?
Would be removed.
Quietly.
Permanently.
Satisfied, he made the second call.
This one was different.
Cold.
Strategic.
Calculating.
"Director Han," he said.
The voice on the other end stiffened immediately.
"President Mu… I saw the livestream."
Lingchen's eyes darkened.
"Good. Then you know what to do."
"I— I do. But sir… attacking the Shi family directly will cause chaos. The media—"
"Director Han."
Lingchen's voice dropped, low and razor-sharp.
"You think I care about chaos?"
The director swallowed audibly.
"No, President Mu."
"Destroy them."
A pause.
"Just the reputation?" the director asked carefully.
Lingchen stared at the sky, jaw clenched.
"No," he said.
"Everything."
The line went dead.
Lingchen loosened his tie, exhaling once—sharp and controlled.
Then he opened the passenger door, grabbed the DNA report Yunxi had left on the seat, and headed toward the building.
He had one last thing to do tonight.
⸻
⸻ Shi Roulan's Apartment — Livestream Room
Roulan was glowing.
Absolutely glowing.
The ring lights reflected in her eyes as she sat perfectly angled in front of her camera, crocodile tears glistening on her lashes while her followers typed furiously in the comments.
"My sister… she's not a bad person," she sniffed. "She just… she makes impulsive choices. I tried to guide her. I tried to protect her. But she used her beauty to seduce a man who didn't even know what was happening."
Thousands of comments flashed:
[I knew Shi Yunxi was fake!]
[So she trapped Mu Lingchen?? That's insane!]
[Poor Miss Roulan, she's too kind!]
Roulan dabbed her eyes gently.
"I shouldn't be the one saying this," she whispered, "but I can't watch her ruin herself and her children with lies anymore."
Her smile trembled with perfectly manufactured heartbreak.
"She forced him. She drugged him. And she fled because she was pregnant and scared her actions would get exposed—"
BANG.
The studio door slammed open.
Roulan froze.
A gust of cold wind swept through the room—
No.
Not wind.
Presence.
Power.
Mu Lingchen walked in like a storm wearing a suit—dark, tall, terrifyingly calm.
Her assistant screamed.
Roulan scrambled to mute the live—but before she could touch the screen, Lingchen's voice sliced through the room.
"Don't stop."
That voice—
Deep.
Controlled.
Deadly.
Her blood ran cold.
"P-President Mu—"
He reached forward and tilted the ring light aside, redirecting its glow directly onto her pale, panicking face.
"You're lying," he said simply.
The livestream comments exploded.
[OH MY GOD IT'S MU LINGCHEN]
[HE'S THERE—HE'S ACTUALLY THERE]
[This is bad. This is VERY BAD.]
Roulan's throat locked.
"I—I don't know what you mean. I was only telling everyone the truth—"
"The truth?" Lingchen repeated softly.
His gaze flicked to the phone—still streaming live to hundreds of thousands.
"Then let's give them the real truth."
He placed the DNA report on her desk.
Held up for the camera.
Clear.
Undeniable.
"Shi Yunxi," he said, voice steady enough to make the air vibrate, "never forced me. She never drugged me. She never trapped me."
The comments exploded into chaos.
Lingchen leaned closer to the camera, eyes like icy steel.
"And those children you're gossiping about?"
Roulan's heart slammed against her ribs.
Don't say it.
Don't say it.
Don't—
"They're mine."
The livestream imploded.
Roulan gasped.
"You— You can't just claim—"
Lingchen cut her off without looking at her.
"Shi Roulan," he said quietly, "your lies end tonight."
He tapped the DNA report once.
"On this livestream."
Roulan finally understood—
He wasn't here to warn her.
He wasn't here to intimidate her.
He was here to bury her.
Her legs gave out.
She crashed into her chair, shaking, while the comment section spiraled into a frenzy so loud it might as well have been screaming inside the room.
Then—
Lingchen delivered the final blow.
"You bullied the wrong woman," he said.
"And you threatened the wrong children."
He stepped back.
Looked into the camera one final time.
"This is your last warning."
Then he ended the livestream himself.
Silence swallowed the room.
Roulan stared blankly at the phone screen, the reflection of her ruined career staring back at her.
Mu Lingchen turned to leave.
And the last thing he said before the door shut—
"Pray this is where you stop. Because if you touch them again… I will not."