The gossip spread through the capital like wildfire.
By sunset, everyone knew: Lin Yue, the arrogant villainess, had not only refused the Eldest Prince's annulment with dignity - she had humiliated him by paying him off in gold.
Some cursed her arrogance, some admired her boldness, but none could deny one thing -
Lin Yue had just turned the entire script upside down.
Inside her chambers, Yue sat lazily on a chaise, sipping tea. The original Lin Yue's memories had already settled into her mind, but she treated them like an accountant reviews receipts - useful, but not worth her emotions.
"So, this body's family is a marquis' household. Filthy rich. Influence in court. And yet… in the original story, this idiot managed to lose it all over a man?"
She scoffed, tossing the scroll aside.
"Not on my watch."
Her maid, Qing'er, looked uneasy. "Young Lady, after today's… event, the Prince will surely retaliate. What if he - "
Yue waved a hand. "Let him. If he dares to come, I'll wrap him in silk and sell him at the market. Might even make a profit."
Qing'er's jaw dropped. Sell the prince? Was her mistress possessed by a demon?
No - Yue was possessed by something scarier: a modern CEO who feared nothing but losing money.
That night, under the dim lantern glow, the manor gates opened silently. A group of armored men in black entered, their presence as heavy as iron. The servants trembled, dropping to their knees.
At their lead was a tall figure - broad-shouldered, sharp-eyed, clad in a black robe embroidered with silver dragons. His aura was so cold it seemed to freeze the air around him.
Mo Chen.
The feared warlord. The man rumored to have killed his own brothers for the throne. The one even the Emperor treated cautiously.
And in the original story, he was fated to fall for the sweet, pitiful heroine.
But tonight, his steps led him to Lin Yue's courtyard.
Yue had just finished counting the jewelry in her dowry when the door slid open without warning.
"Who dares - " she began, snapping her head up.
Then her gaze collided with his.
Tall. Dangerous. Expressionless. His eyes like ink, deep enough to drown kingdoms.
For a split second, Yue stilled. Not because she was intimidated - no. She had negotiated billion-dollar deals with men just as ruthless. But because… he was beautiful. A dangerous kind of beautiful, the kind that could ruin nations.
Mo Chen studied her. He had expected arrogance, tears, or fear. Instead, he found a woman lounging with the confidence of an empress, gold hairpin glinting, lips curved in lazy amusement.
"Marquis' daughter," he said at last, his voice low, smooth, but laced with steel. "Today, you shamed the Eldest Prince."
Yue arched a brow. "Mm. He deserved worse. If you're here to scold me too, save your breath. I charge by the hour."
The guards nearly choked. No one ever spoke to Mo Chen like this.
A silence stretched. Then - unexpectedly - the corner of Mo Chen's lips tilted upward, barely visible, but enough to stun his men.
Interesting, he thought.
This woman was not the foolish villainess he had heard about.
"Lin Yue," he said softly, stepping closer. "You… intrigue me."
Yue smirked, leaning back on her chaise with deliberate grace. "Careful, General. Intrigue can be expensive."
For the first time in years, Mo Chen let out a low chuckle.
The guards' jaws nearly hit the floor.
Outside, the night wind carried the whispers of fate.
Unbeknownst to Yue, the moment she flipped the script, the story had already rewritten itself.
The heroine had lost her halo.
The villainess had seized the stage.
And the cold warlord -
belonged to her.