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Back in his room, Lu Chenyuan didn’t rest immediately.

He locked the door and walked straight to the innermost row of rosewood bookshelves in the study.

Drawing on the original owner’s memories, Lu Chenyuan deftly pulled out a hefty copy of Das Kapital and pressed lightly on a groove hidden along the spine.

Click.

A soft sound echoed as the wall beside the bookshelf slid inward, revealing a built-in safe.

This was where the original owner had concealed all his private obsessions.

Lu Chenyuan’s expression remained impassive as he entered the code and opened the heavy door.

Inside, there were no gold bars or confidential documents—just a locked sandalwood box.

The key was tucked away in a hidden compartment of the original owner’s wallet.

Opening the box, he found a stack of photographs, a few seemingly ordinary trinkets, and a leather-bound diary.

Every photo was of Lu Qianqian.

Some showed her chasing butterflies in the garden, others captured her radiant smile at birthday parties.

A few were candid shots, taken secretly by the original owner—glimpses of the young girl reading in the sunlight, her profile soft and serene.

Each image carried the weight of a repressed, twisted longing.

Lu Chenyuan picked up the photos one by one, examining them as if they were evidence unrelated to him.

These were the roots of the original owner’s torment, the physical manifestation of his forbidden desires.

Without hesitation, Lu Chenyuan fed every photo into the shredder beside him.

The machine whirred loudly, reducing what had once been treasured secrets to irrecoverable scraps in seconds.

Next, he placed the trinkets into a paper bag.

Finally, he picked up the diary, its pages locking away the original owner’s darkest thoughts.

Flipping it open, he found entries scrawled in a youthful, frantic hand:

“…Today, Qianqian smiled at me. Her eyes are like stars. But she’s my sister—how could I have such filthy thoughts? I’m a sinner…”

“…I don’t dare get close to her. I can only watch from afar. But the more I distance myself, the more this longing grows, coiling around me like vines, suffocating me…”

“…Father and the uncles are arguing again. Only when I see Qianqian do I feel a moment of peace. She’s the only light in my life…”

Lu Chenyuan’s frown deepened.

Pathetic. Weak. Pitiful.

That was the original owner—a hollow man crushed beneath the weight of family duty and twisted emotions.

He had made Lu Qianqian his sole escape from reality, never realizing it was poison dragging him and the entire family toward ruin.

“You were wrong,” Lu Chenyuan murmured to the diary, his voice low but firm, as if delivering judgment to a soul already gone.

“Light isn’t given by others. True light can only be ignited from within.”

Page by page, he tore the diary apart and fed it into the shredder.

Then, he placed the paper bag inside the sandalwood box, double-checked for any overlooked traces, and called Uncle Yu, instructing him to dispose of the box.

When Uncle Yu entered, his gaze lingered on the sandalwood box—he vaguely recalled fetching it for the young master years ago.

But as an old retainer of the Lu family, he asked no questions, simply took the box and left.

With the room silent again, every trace of the original owner had been erased.

Even the last lingering gloom in the air seemed to dissipate.

For the first time, Lu Chenyuan felt unburdened.

Now, he was truly, wholly himself.

He walked to the desk, picked up his encrypted phone, and dialed Lin Yuan.

The call connected instantly—Lin Yuan had clearly been waiting.

“Mr. Lu.” Lin Yuan’s voice was steady, though a thread of concern ran beneath it.

“Lin Yuan, notify the finance department and all brand suppliers,” Lu Chenyuan said, his tone icy and decisive, devoid of hesitation.

“Effective tomorrow, terminate all luxury provisions for Miss Lu Qianqian that exceed the standard family trust allowance. This includes but is not limited to sports cars, jewelry, haute couture, and any other non-essential high-value expenditures.”

A beat of silence. Lin Yuan was clearly stunned.

For years, indulging Lu Qianqian’s whims had been one of Lu Chenyuan’s top priorities—a fact well-known among the Lu Corporation’s executives.

First, investigating an impoverished student from a remote town, and now this?

Whatever had happened tonight, even Lin Yuan, his most trusted aide, found it baffling.

“…Understood, Mr. Lu.” Though his mind reeled, professionalism kept Lin Yuan’s response immediate.

“Should I draft specific spending limits?”

“Apply the family trust’s standard allowance for minor beneficiaries. Not a cent more, not a cent less.”

Lu Chenyuan left no room for negotiation.

“Also, enroll her in a ‘Young Leaders Independence Program’ under my authority.”

“Young Leaders Independence Program?” Lin Yuan mentally scrambled—the term was unfamiliar.

“You can start planning it now,” Lu Chenyuan said, a faint smirk curling his lips.

“Core components: six months of social practice, community service, financial literacy training, and wilderness survival.”

“Choose a location that’s challenging but secure. Let her see what the real world looks like—without the Lu family’s halo.”

Lin Yuan inhaled sharply.

This wasn’t just cutting allowances; it was throwing a pampered flower straight into the storm.

But he didn’t question it, only jotted down notes faster.

“Understood, Mr. Lu. I’ll assemble a team and deliver a full proposal within three days.”

“Good.” Lu Chenyuan approved of Lin Yuan’s efficiency.

“Make sure it’s flawless. The official narrative is cultivating her independence and noble, globally minded character—something even Mother and the family can’t criticize.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hanging up, Lu Chenyuan turned to a large whiteboard on the wall and began mapping out his next moves.

He picked up a marker and wrote in bold strokes:

Strengths. Weaknesses. Breaking Points…