Clearing the Clouds to See the Moon

That afternoon.

On the top floor of Yuanlong Technology, in the COO's office.

Ren Qian walked into Lu Chenyuan's office next door, holding a document.

"President Lu, please review this follow-up proposal regarding the 'Starlink' acquisition," she said, placing the file on the desk with a strictly professional demeanor.

Lu Chenyuan took the document and skimmed through it quickly.

Ren Qian didn’t leave. She stood quietly in front of the desk, watching him.

"The proposal looks fine," Lu Chenyuan said after finishing, signing his name.

He glanced up and noticed Ren Qian was still there.

"Something else?"

"Yes," Ren Qian nodded, pulling out the chair opposite him and sitting down. "Let’s talk about Lin Yuan."

A barely perceptible flicker crossed Lu Chenyuan’s brow.

He studied Ren Qian.

Her gaze was calm, even carrying a hint of scrutiny—no trace of the past admiration or infatuation.

"Lin Yuan’s girlfriend, Qian Shanshan," Ren Qian cut straight to the point. "You knew about her, didn’t you?"

Lu Chenyuan’s expression darkened slightly. He neither confirmed nor denied it.

But his silence spoke volumes.

Ren Qian smiled—a cold, mocking smile.

"So you did know."

"Lu Chenyuan, how many years has Lin Yuan been with you? From university until now, how much has he done for you? He’s your right-hand man, your most trusted ally, practically your younger brother."

Her voice was soft but razor-sharp, each word cutting deep.

"And you just stood by while he was deceived by a woman? Watched as she took the money he worked so hard for and spent it on another man?"

"You said nothing. Did nothing."

"That night, you made sure I gave up on you in the cruelest way possible. You said it was better to end the pain quickly."

"So why, when it comes to Lin Yuan, are you letting him be slowly boiled alive?"

Ren Qian stood, planting her hands on the desk and leaning forward, locking eyes with Lu Chenyuan.

"Lu Chenyuan, you’re a bastard! A selfish, cold-blooded bastard!"

The moment the words left her lips, the weight that had pressed on her heart for nearly a decade suddenly vanished.

It turned out that speaking her mind without restraint was this liberating.

This was the real Ren Qian.

Not the woman who had once groveled in the dust for love.

But a queen—bold, unapologetic, and fiercely alive.

Lu Chenyuan stared at this transformed version of Ren Qian, momentarily stunned.

He had known her for almost ten years.

She had always been poised, professional, composed.

He had never seen her so… vibrant, so unguarded.

After a brief pause, the corner of Lu Chenyuan’s mouth curled into the faintest smile.

This Ren Qian seemed stronger than before.

"Finished?" he asked.

"Finished," Ren Qian straightened up, her composure returning.

"So," Lu Chenyuan leaned back in his chair, interlacing his fingers, "how do you plan to help him?"

He offered no defense.

Because part of what Ren Qian said was true.

He had known about Qian Shanshan’s deception.

His intelligence network could uncover almost anything he wanted to know.

He hadn’t intervened out of respect for Lin Yuan’s privacy—love affairs were tricky for outsiders to meddle in.

And because he knew Lin Yuan’s nature: unless he saw the truth with his own eyes, he wouldn’t believe it.

Now, Ren Qian had ripped the bandage off.

And she clearly intended to handle this herself.

Lu Chenyuan was more than happy to let her.

"I need your help," Ren Qian said. "Give me everything on that woman—her background, proof of her two-timing."

"Done," Lu Chenyuan agreed without hesitation.

He picked up the intercom.

"Send Zhang Qi to my office."

…

Zhang Qi worked fast.

By the end of the day, a detailed dossier lay on Ren Qian’s desk.

Qian Shanshan, 24, a minor livestreamer on a popular platform.

A year ago, she had deliberately crossed paths with Lin Yuan at a business cocktail event.

While dating him, she had also been involved with her ex-boyfriend—a fitness trainer.

Their relationship had never ended.

Qian Shanshan used Lin Yuan’s money to rent the trainer a luxury apartment and buy him a high-end motorcycle worth tens of thousands.

The file included over a dozen photos.

The two of them shopping intimately, feeding each other at restaurants, even entering the apartment together late at night.

Each image was irrefutable evidence.

Ren Qian’s eyes grew colder as she flipped through them.

She pulled out one photo in particular—the trainer and Qian Shanshan locked in an embrace—and examined it closely.

Then she picked up her phone and dialed Lin Yuan.

"Lin Yuan, are you free tonight? Let’s have dinner—just the two of us."

On the other end of the line, Lin Yuan clearly froze.

Just the two of them?!

From their student days to the present, after years of working together, they had shared meals more times than could be counted. But today marked the first time Ren Qian had taken the initiative to invite him out for a non-work-related dinner.

“I… I’m free.” His voice carried a faint trace of nervousness, along with a hint of delight he hadn’t even noticed himself.

“Good. Let’s go to ‘Cloud Pavilion.’ My treat,” Ren Qian said.

“Senior, I can’t let you pay—”

“Listen to me.” Ren Qian cut him off decisively. “It’s settled. Seven o’clock, Cloud Pavilion.”

Hanging up the phone, Ren Qian’s lips curled into a smile of quiet confidence.

According to the information Lu Chenyuan had provided, that fitness trainer worked at the high-end gym downstairs from Cloud Pavilion.

And Qian Shanshan? She waited for him there almost every day after work.

Afterward, the two would enjoy an expensive dinner at Cloud Pavilion.

Of course, paid for by Lin Yuan.

Tonight, she would make sure Lin Yuan witnessed a good show firsthand.

…

Seven o’clock in the evening.

Cloud Pavilion’s revolving restaurant.

Lin Yuan arrived fifteen minutes early.

He wore a well-tailored casual suit, his hair carefully styled.

It was clear he took this meeting seriously.

Ren Qian arrived right on time.

She wore a simple black dress with a beige trench coat draped over her shoulders—elegant and poised.

“Senior.” Lin Yuan stood and pulled out her chair.

“Have you been waiting long?” Ren Qian asked with a smile.

“No, I just got here myself.”

They took their seats and ordered.

Then, the atmosphere between them grew subtly tense.

Lin Yuan seemed unusually reserved, none of the commanding presence he displayed as the CEO of Yuanlong Tech.

He kept searching for topics, jumping from the company’s new projects to recent financial market trends.

It felt like nothing more than a standard business discussion between two executives.

Ren Qian listened with a faint smile, occasionally offering a word or two.

But her gaze kept drifting toward the restaurant’s entrance.

Finally, a familiar figure from the photos appeared.

Qian Shanshan walked in arm-in-arm with a tall, muscular man, chatting and laughing.

Their intimate gestures left no doubt—they were a couple deeply in love.

The waitstaff seated them by the window, not too far from Ren Qian and Lin Yuan’s table.

Close enough to observe, but not so close as to be noticed immediately.

Ren Qian’s eyes flickered meaningfully.

“Lin Yuan, look over there. Isn’t that Qian Shanshan?” she asked, feigning surprise.

Lin Yuan’s body stiffened, as if caught off guard.

Then, he followed her gaze.

When he recognized the girl’s face—and the man beside her—his pupils contracted sharply.

The color drained from his face.

But there was no anger, no outburst.

Not even a flicker of agitation.

He simply watched.

Watched as Qian Shanshan nestled against the man like a delicate bird.

Watched as the man tenderly wiped sauce from the corner of her lips.

So intimate. So natural.

Something Lin Yuan had never experienced with her in their entire year together.

In that moment, every past doubt, every inexplicable detail, suddenly made sense.

Strangely, Lin Yuan didn’t feel the expected rage or betrayal.

Instead, it was an overwhelming sense of relief.

Like a boulder had been lifted from his chest.

Like a puzzle that had tormented him for so long had finally been solved.

So… it wasn’t me after all.

He almost wanted to laugh.

At himself—for a year of self-blame and guilt.

At himself—for being fooled by such clumsy acting for so long.

He turned back to Ren Qian.

Her eyes held a trace of concern.

“Are you… okay?” she asked softly.

“I’m fine.” Lin Yuan shook his head, his expression eerily calm.

He picked up his napkin and dabbed his lips.

Then, he stood.

“Senior, excuse me for a moment.”

With that, Lin Yuan strode straight toward Qian Shanshan’s table.

Ren Qian’s heart leapt into her throat.

She had no idea what he would do.

Would he confront them? Make a scene?

But what Lin Yuan did next defied all expectations.

He stopped at their table.

Qian Shanshan and the fitness trainer noticed him immediately.

Qian Shanshan’s face turned deathly pale.

She frantically tried to push the man away.

“L-Lin Yuan? What are you doing here?” she stammered.

Lin Yuan didn’t even glance at the man beside her.

His gaze remained steady on Qian Shanshan’s face.

“We’re done,” Lin Yuan said.

His voice was quiet, but it carried clearly to everyone nearby.

Qian Shanshan froze.

She had imagined countless scenarios of being caught.

Arguments, accusations, hysterics.

But never had she anticipated something this calm—this final.

“N-no, Lin Yuan, let me explain! He’s… he’s my cousin!” she blurted out desperately.

Lin Yuan looked at her and suddenly smiled.

There was no hatred or resentment in that smile—only relief.

"No need to explain."

"I wish you both happiness."

After speaking, he even nodded politely at the dumbfounded fitness trainer.

Then he turned and walked back to his seat without hesitation.

The entire process took less than two minutes.

Not a single trace of lingering hesitation.

Ren Qian watched as Lin Yuan returned, observing the weight lifted from his expression. The stone in her heart finally settled.

It struck her then—

This junior of hers might be slow and awkward in matters of the heart,

but once he saw the truth, he was more decisive than anyone.

Lin Yuan sat back down, picked up his glass of water, and drained it in one go.

"Sorry, Senior, for making you witness that mess."

"Not at all," Ren Qian shook her head. "If anything, I thought you were incredibly cool today."

Lin Yuan froze.

He looked up and met Ren Qian’s bright, sparkling eyes—filled with admiration and amusement.

His heart skipped a beat.

The heart that had just broken free from betrayal was now engulfed by another emotion—more overwhelming, yet warmer.

Outside the window, the dazzling nightscape of Jingzhou glittered.

Inside, two people who had cleared the clouds between them exchanged a quiet, knowing smile.