The next morning, Xiao Mei woke up to the soft rays of sunlight piercing through her bedroom window. Despite everything that had happened the past few days—the warnings, the fear, and the mystery—she felt unusually determined. Today was the day she would take another step forward. She got dressed neatly in a simple blouse and skirt, tied her hair into a ponytail, and headed out the door with quiet confidence.
She arrived at the office much earlier than usual. The building was still quiet, only a few cleaners were seen walking down the hallways. Xiao Mei took this opportunity to go through all the backup files she had saved—both digital and physical copies. She carefully double-checked that all the information she had collected was safe and stored in multiple secure locations. Her instincts told her that someone had tried to erase her digital trail before, so this time, she made sure no one could take it away from her again.
Just as she was reviewing one of the older digital folders, she received a personal message from Mrs. Tang. The message was short and vague: "Meet me in the underground parking lot in 15 minutes. Come alone."
Curious and slightly anxious, Xiao Mei made her way downstairs. The parking lot was dimly lit and eerily quiet. She stood near the far wall, waiting. Soon, Mrs. Tang appeared, dressed in casual attire, her face serious.
"I shouldn't be doing this," Mrs. Tang whispered. "But I know you're close to something, and I've been here long enough to know that no secret stays buried forever."
Mrs. Tang handed her a small folder. "These are some of the names you should be cautious of. They might appear harmless, but they're watching. Also, Zeyan... he's not who he says he is. He's deeper in this than you think, but not in the way you believe."
Before Xiao Mei could ask more, Mrs. Tang walked away. Xiao Mei opened the folder quickly. It contained a list of names, some emails, and photos—one of which was of a man who looked familiar, but she couldn't place him.
Back in the office, Xiao Mei made a bold decision. With the help of an old IT technician who trusted her and disliked the management, she disguised herself in a spare uniform and gained access to the company's internal archives.
They entered through a side door near the server room. Xiao Mei's hands trembled slightly as she typed commands into the old computer. Soon, files began appearing—old email threads, contracts, financial transactions, and altered data entries.
She scrolled quickly until she found something interesting: manipulated project data, payment records for companies that didn't exist anymore, and names of people who had resigned under strange circumstances. Still, the name "Lu Zeyan" had not appeared once. It was almost too clean.
Suddenly, as she was digging through another folder in the physical archive room, the door opened. She froze. It was Lu Zeyan.
He didn't look angry. Instead, he walked in calmly, with a subtle smirk on his face.
"You're a brave one, aren't you?" he said, his voice echoing in the silence. "But let me warn you—when things are found too easily, they're usually meant to be. Maybe someone wants you to find them. Maybe someone wants to control what you do next."
Xiao Mei didn't know how to respond. He gave her a final glance and walked out, leaving her more confused than ever.
Determined not to be thrown off by his words, she returned to the documents. Hidden inside an old envelope was a photo. It showed Lu Zeyan with another man—whose face had been scratched out with ink. On the back of the photo were the words: "The beginning of the end – 2014."
Back at her apartment, Xiao Mei stared at the photo for a long time. The message on the back echoed in her head. That year, she recalled, was when the scandal involving a political figure first came to light—could there be a connection?
Her phone buzzed. It was a new message. An unknown number.
"You've taken the first step. Now prepare for the fall."
She held the phone tightly. The room felt colder than before. She was in too deep now. The fear that once held her back was still there, but another feeling was growing stronger—resolve.
Xiao Mei whispered to herself, "I started this. I won't stop now. No matter what happens, the truth must come out."
And with that, she opened a new folder on her laptop, titled it The Fall, and began writing everything down.