CHAPTER 75 — When Desperation Breeds Monsters
Night settled over the city like a heavy veil, suffocating and thick, but inside the Shi mansion, there was no rest. No peace. No remorse.
Only plotting.
Only fear.
Only desperation.
Shi Yunxi's name had become a forbidden echo within the walls of the Shi household—spoken only in hushed voices, spat from trembling lips, or snarled from throats drowning in resentment. And tonight, that resentment had taken form, sharp and poisonous, coiling in the air like a venomous serpent ready to strike.
Roulan sat rigidly at the table, staring at her own reflection in the glossy surface. She didn't recognize the woman looking back at her. That woman had messy hair, hollow eyes, and a shaking hand that refused to steady.
A woman collapsing.
A woman cornered.
A woman who needed someone else to fall in order to breathe again.
Her father, Shi Zhenghong, closed the door behind him with a decisive click. The kind that made the entire room feel smaller. Old Master Shi stood near the far wall, hands folded over his cane, his presence an oppressive shadow over everyone present.
"Sit up," the old man ordered without looking at her.
Roulan straightened immediately, like a puppet yanked by its strings.
Zhenghong took a seat beside her, his face carved from frustration and calculation.
Old Master Shi finally turned.
"We have little time," he began, his voice low and cold. "The Qin family will not survive this scandal. Their empire is crumbling."
Roulan swallowed.
"And us?" she asked quietly.
Silence stretched—slow, dangerous, suffocating.
Zhenghong answered first.
"We're next if we don't move."
Her breath hitched.
They all knew what that meant.
Once the Qin family fell, reporters would pick apart every association they had. Every business tie. Every engagement. Every scandal.
And Roulan had too many scandals now.
Old Master Shi lowered himself into his chair deliberately.
"You must understand something, Roulan. Weakness is fatal in our world."
"I'm not weak," she whispered, though even she didn't believe it.
"You are. Right now, you are very weak," the old man said sharply. "And that is why you will obey exactly what we say."
Her fingers tightened.
She nodded.
Old Master Shi continued, "Shi Yunxi is a danger to us. Her existence threatens our stability. She is at the center of the Qin family's collapse—whether directly or indirectly."
Roulan blinked.
"How? She didn't release the scandal."
"She didn't need to," Zhenghong said. "The moment she returned, everything began to unravel. The public sympathizes with her. And now the Mu family stands behind her."
Old Master Shi tapped his cane on the floor.
"That is what makes her dangerous."
Roulan's lips parted in disbelief.
"She has no power," she insisted weakly.
"She has what you don't," Zhenghong snapped. "A clean reputation. The public's trust. And the support of a man whose influence rivals entire industries."
Mu Lingchen.
Roulan stiffened.
The name alone felt like an invisible dagger twisting inside her.
Old Master Shi leaned forward.
"If we allow Shi Yunxi to rise any further…"
His eyes hardened into steel.
"…then we lose everything."
A chill ran through Roulan.
Everything?
Old Master Shi didn't wait for a response.
"Your responsibility now," he continued, "is to ensure that she doesn't rise."
Roulan's voice shook.
"You want me to ruin her reputation?"
"Not ruin."
His gaze sharpened—merciless.
"Destroy."
Roulan felt something in her chest snap like a thin wire finally breaking.
She'd already lost so much—her endorsements, her public support, her engagement, her dignity. She had nothing left to protect except the last shred of control over her collapsing world.
If she couldn't rise again…
She would drag someone else down.
Her voice was hoarse. "What do you want me to do?"
Zhenghong exchanged a glance with the old man before answering.
"You will issue a public statement tomorrow morning," he said. "An apology. A very emotional one. You will claim that the Qin family pressured you into maintaining ties with Yuhan even after learning of his misconduct."
Roulan blinked.
"So I become the victim."
"Yes," Zhenghong said. "The public needs to pity you again. Only then can we redirect suspicion."
Old Master Shi added, "And after your apology goes viral… you will implicate someone else."
Roulan stiffened instinctively.
"Shi Yunxi," the old man said plainly. "The more you suffer, the more people will look at her rise with suspicion."
Roulan blinked.
"But Yunxi hasn't done anything wrong."
Zhenghong slammed his palm on the table.
"That doesn't matter!"
She flinched.
Old Master Shi's eyes narrowed.
"Truth is irrelevant. Public perception is all that matters."
Roulan's pulse raced.
"And what exactly do you expect me to say?" she whispered.
Silence stretched again, this time more sinister.
Zhenghong leaned back slowly.
"You will hint that Yunxi has connections… dark ones… people who helped her escape twelve years ago with no consequences."
Roulan's eyes widened.
"That's not true—"
He cut her off sharply.
"It doesn't need to be!"
She fell silent.
Old Master Shi's voice was smooth, almost gentle.
"You will not accuse her directly. Just plant seeds. Subtle implications. Suspicious coincidences."
Zhenghong added, "And while the public argues over her innocence… we will prepare something stronger."
Something cold slithered down Roulan's spine.
"Stronger?" she whispered.
Old Master Shi's lips curled faintly.
"We have access to files. Records. Connections that can be… reframed."
Roulan's stomach twisted.
"You mean… fabricate?"
"Reinterpret," he corrected. "Twist."
"And if she fights back—" Zhenghong smirked, "—she will only look guiltier."
Roulan stared at the table.
Her reflection trembled.
She didn't know who she was anymore.
But she knew what she needed.
She needed a target.
A shield.
A scapegoat.
A victim.
And Shi Yunxi fit too perfectly.
After several long seconds, Roulan lifted her chin.
"I'll do it."
Old Master Shi smiled.
Zhenghong exhaled in relief.
"Good," he said. "Because tomorrow marks the beginning."
Roulan swallowed.
"Beginning of what?"
The old man tapped his cane once—sharp, final.
"The war."
And as Roulan sat there, surrounded by the cold ambition of the family she had trusted her entire life, she realized something terrifying:
In the fight to save themselves…
The Shi family was willing to become monsters.
And they expected her to become one too.