We Can Leave Tonight

It was time for evening study.

After Cai Junhuang went home for dinner, she barely took any time to rest before heading straight to the dance studio.

These days, she didn’t have many close friends her own age at school. Instead, the people she spent the most time with were the older girls at the studio.

Some came here because they simply enjoyed dancing. Some worked part-time as instructors, while a few were there purely to make a living.

Regardless of which category they fell into, they all treated her quite well.

Probably because she was young, quiet, and never caused trouble.

When Cai Junhuang entered the lobby on the first floor, she pressed the elevator button. The elevator was in the underground parking garage and was slowly coming up.

After waiting a few seconds, it stopped on the first floor, and the doors opened.

Standing inside was Vina, one of the partners at Lidi Modeling.

She had a cigarette tucked between her fingers, though it wasn’t lit.

When she saw Cai Junhuang standing outside the elevator, she raised her brows slightly. “Well, well. Didn’t you go off to compete on that audition show? Everyone said you went to Xiangnan.”

Her tone was casual—not warm, exactly, but certainly not cold.

Cai Junhuang wasn’t offended by Vina’s words. She stepped into the elevator.

“Something happened to YJJ Entertainment, so the show was suspended.” She paused briefly. “So I came back.”

As she said this, there was no unnecessary emotion on Cai Junhuang’s face.

She wasn’t pretending to stay calm. She had genuinely already come to terms with what had happened.

Eighteen-year-old girls tended to experience emotions intensely, but they also moved past them quickly. Besides, she had never placed too much hope in that show to begin with. What truly made her sad was something else.

Vina looked her over twice, then laughed. It wasn’t ridicule, but the kind of smile adults gave when a child had suffered a minor setback—a smile tinged with approval.

“It’s fine. YJJ isn’t the only company in the world producing audition shows.”

Vina shifted the unlit cigarette to her other hand. “There are similar projects in Neon, too. If the right opportunity comes along, I can ask around for you.”

Ding!

The elevator arrived.

Cai Junhuang thought for a moment, then gave Vina a slight bow. The movement was precise, her back bending at exactly the right angle.

After all, she had practiced it at the hotel.

“Thank you, Sister Wei, but I think I’ll pass. I plan to finish the arts entrance exam first, then decide what to do next.”

“I didn’t say you had to go right now.”

Vina waved dismissively. “I just happen to have better connections. If it ever comes to that, you’ll still have to make the decision yourself.”

With that, she left. Her high heels tapped against the tiled floor at an unhurried rhythm as she turned down the passage toward the modeling company.

Cai Junhuang stood at the elevator doors, watching Vina’s back disappear around the corner.

She shook her head.

It wasn’t a refusal. She simply couldn’t sort out her thoughts.

The idol industry in Neon… To be honest, it was more than one level below Korea’s.

If she wanted to pursue a career as an entertainment idol, the Korean Wave was the proper stepping-stone.

But the path through YJJ had been cut off, and there probably wouldn’t be another comparable opportunity in the short term.

Forget it.

There was no point overthinking things.

She still planned to go through the regular arts entrance-exam process.

Still, Vina had a point. If an opportunity arose, there would be no harm in giving it a try.

The thought only left Cai Junhuang feeling even more muddled, so she stepped into the dance studio and prepared to continue practicing.

Meanwhile, after Vina returned to the modeling company’s office area, the trace of casual amusement on her face vanished completely.

She found a sofa by the window and sat down, bringing the cigarette between her fingers to her lips.

She didn’t use a lighter. The tip of the cigarette ignited on its own, a tiny orange-red ember glaringly bright in the dim office.

Vina took a deep drag. Smoke spilled from her nostrils and spread into a thin haze before her face.

“Was it deliberate? Or was it really an accident?”

She wasn’t asking anyone else. She was asking herself.

The timing of YJJ Entertainment’s collapse had been far too perfect.

She had spent three months laying the groundwork, starting with the people around Cai Junhuang and gradually pushing the girl toward that audition show.

The plan was simple: send her to Korea first, let that system brainwash and reshape her, arrange for her to become famous, and then send her back to China.

By then, Cai Junhuang would belong to them.

That way, they could plant a needle beside Lin Mo.

The relationship between Cai Junhuang and Lin Mo was nothing more than that of classmates, but Vina suspected that the man possessed an unusually strong protective instinct toward the people around him.

As long as Cai Junhuang remained within his sight, that needle would be useful.

But now, the plan had been cut short.

And it had been cut off decisively.

Vina tapped the ash from her cigarette. Gray-white flakes fell onto the floor.

She lowered her head and stared at the small pile of ash, her brows knitting together.

The problem was whether Lin Mo had already noticed something.

If YJJ had simply brought about its own downfall, it would be easy enough to explain. But if Lin Mo had made a move…

No. She shouldn’t think that way.

YJJ’s scandals had been bound to surface sooner or later. The company couldn’t withstand a proper investigation, and the Superpowered Youth Squad was already looking into YJJ and the Tianle Group.

She had chosen YJJ precisely because it was filthy enough. Even if its crimes were exposed, people would merely assume it was a normal purge within the industry. No one would think to look deeper.

But what if they did?

After all, Lin Mo had been in Korea when YJJ’s troubles began.

Vina took another drag. The ember burned another inch downward.

They had also received word that the Superpowered Youth Squad had been wiped out.

Even the Divine Eye Bureau had taken no countermeasures, which meant Lin Mo was far more dangerous than the intelligence reports had suggested.

This man…

Vina crushed the cigarette into the armrest of the sofa, leaving behind a blackened burn mark.

She stood and straightened her skirt.

She couldn’t have any further contact with Cai Junhuang.

There was already a risk that she had been exposed through this girl. Every additional day she stayed meant another increase in that risk.

She would leave Yangcheng first thing tomorrow morning. Whether she returned to headquarters or went to another city, it didn’t matter. She needed to withdraw for now.

Vina had always believed herself to be an important piece on the board—important enough that the organization would never casually put her in danger.

So retreating was nothing to be ashamed of.

She crossed the office and headed toward the private room at the very back.

Her bag and identification were inside. Once she packed up, she could leave that very night.

She placed her hand on the doorknob, turned it, and pushed the door open.

The office lights were off.

But someone was sitting in her chair.

Cold sweat instantly soaked Vina’s back. It wasn’t fear—not exactly. It was something more instinctive than fear, the reaction of prey that sensed a predator in the darkness, its body responding before its mind could.

Her first instinct was to step backward, pull the door shut, and run.

But her movements slowed.

It wasn’t hesitation. She was genuinely moving more slowly.

Her body was functioning normally, and her mind was frighteningly clear, but her limbs had been dragged down, as though the air had turned to glue.

Her movements became unbearably sluggish, while her thoughts remained sharp. She could only watch helplessly as the person sitting in the office chair stood up, walked to the doorway, and switched on the light.

A familiar face appeared before her.

Lin Mo!